God's Word Today Is To Us and For Us – From Paul

In charging Timothy to “preach the Word,” the Apostle does not mean, as some have supposed, that the pastor should draw his sermon material equally from all parts of the Bible. Yes, “all Scripture” is given so that the “man of God” may be fully equipped for his life and ministry. But in this same letter the Apostle Paul indicates that the Scriptures must be “rightly divided” (2 Tim. 2:15) and that his own God-given message is “the Word of God” in particular for the present age of “the dispensation of the grace of God” (See Eph 3:2; 2 Tim. 1:7-14; 2:7-9).

Lest we have any doubt, Paul writes this to the Roman believers, “For I (Paul) speak to you Gentiles, inasmuch as I am THE apostle of the Gentiles...”Romans 11:13 (KJV)

Thus the Apostle declares by inspiration that believers are established by my (Paul’s) gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ according to the revelation of ‘the mystery” (Rom. 16:25), the gospel that Paul was given by Christ and that he preached. Of course Paul also tells us defines “the mystery” of Romans 16:25 here in Col 1:25-28a.

“Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil (complete) the word of God; 26  Even (that is) the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27  To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ IN You, the hope of glory: 28  Whom we preachColossians 1:25-28 (KJV)

How often the Apostle insists that his message is the Word of God! To the Thessalonian believers he writes with joy:

“For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the Word of God which ye heard of (from) us (Paul and his other apostles), ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God…(I Thes. 2:13).

Thus the Apostle writes to Timothy, in this his last letter:

Hold fast the form of sound words which thou hast heard of (from me (Paul)…” (II Tim. 1:13).

“And the things that thou hast heard of (from) me among many witnesses, the same commit thou (teach) to faithful men…” (2:2).

“Remember that Jesus Christ, of the seed of David, was raised from the dead according to my (Paul’s) gospel” (2:8).

The charge to “preach the Word,” therefore, refers to “all Scripture” in general, but to Paul’s God-given message in particular. This is obvious, for it is in urging Timothy to faithfully carry on in his place that the Apostle charges him to “preach the Word.”