JAN 27

Matthew 4:1-11
Memorise Matthew 4:4
“…Man shall not live by bread alone…”

VPI stands for Verbal Plenary Inspiration. “Verbal” means “every word to the jot and tittle” (Matthew 5:18). “Plenary” means “the Scripture as a whole with all the words intact” (Matthew 24:35). “Inspiration” means that all these words of Scripture, in their original languages, are God- breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). In Theology for Every Christian, Timothy Tow and Jeffrey Khoo write, “The Bible is a God-breathed Book, written by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. As the verbally and plenarily inspired Word of God – inspired as a whole as well as in its parts, - it is all-sufficient and all-authoritative.”

In Matthew 4, Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness. In answering each temptation, Jesus replied with the words of Scripture, declaring: “It is written”. In so doing He set an example for us, that the Word of God alone is sufficient for us to defend against the attacks of Satan. The Word of God is described as the sword of the Spirit, our weapon in the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6:17). It is able to defeat Satan and we must use this method when at any time we are tempted to sin; resist and repel the temptation with, “It is written”. Thus to live “by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God” is to trust the Bible completely, knowing that it is infallible and inerrant, as it is divinely inspired. We need every word of God, and not just some words. To believe otherwise, and say that only certain parts are inspired is wrong. There are some who think that the Bible is true only in spiritual matters but not accurate in scientific matters. Such a view which holds only to the partial inspiration of the Bible is unbiblical. The Bible says very clearly that “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). Dear teen, do you hold a high view of the verbal plenary inspiration of the Bible? Do not be like the neo-evangelicals who compromise the supreme authority of the Bible. They are disobedient to God’s command to separate from unbelief and error, compromising doctrine and remaining silent when liberals deny fundamental truths of God’s Word. To believe in VPI is the high ground on which we must stand. Is this your conviction?

Thought: The Holy Spirit has authenticated the Holy Book, and we should bow to every word written therein.
Prayer: O Father, may our hearts be clean, pure and humble and receive Your every word into our hearts.