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The Apostle Paul was prepared to put himself up for scrutiny in the Church of God. He asked Timothy, his son in the faith, to follow him and look at his life as the model for faithful living and ministry. Timothy has first hand eye-witness account of how Paul has lived and demonstrated his Christian faith. His life was grounded in truths, held steadfast by sound doctrines, purposed to godliness and tested through persecutions and sufferings. What is the driving force and how has he been able to stay the course?
Such a life requires a special empowering from the Bible. Matthew Henry, a Bible commentator, described the divine authority and power of the Bible as “The Scriptures we are to know are the holy Scriptures; they come from the holy God, were delivered by holy men, contain holy precepts, treat of holy things, and were designed to make us holy and to lead us in the way of holiness to happiness; being called the holy Scriptures, they are by this distinguished from profane writings of all sorts, and from those that only treat morality, and common justice and honesty, but do not meddle with holiness.”
It is the sacredness that can do just this, to give wisdom for faithful living and equip one thoroughly and completely for every good work. “For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Eph. 2:10). Paul knew this to be his aim in life and never waived from this purpose. The Bible as divine revelation from God is sufficient to provide sound teachings based on infallible truths. It is truths that can reveal and uncover deceptions and errors. The teaching from the Bible of these truths will continue to refine and bring forth godly character and moral behaviour. This godly character will be tested and made perfect through persecutions and sufferings – “but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance ; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” (Rom. 5:3)
The Apostle Paul is the embodiment of the Godly man living by the Bible, the Word of God. With complete confidence and godly fear he tells his son in the faith, Timothy in the Ephesian Church and to all of us in BKC today: “Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ” (1 Cor. 11:1).
