Every true Christian can attest to the unique value of the Bible. Some do this by describing the attributes of the Bible, and they use doctrinal words like “inspiration,” “canonicity,” “inerrancy,” “infallibility,” and “sufficiency.” Each of these is useful in describing something that is true about God’s Word.
But there is another way to describe the Bible, and that is to describe the effects it has on the Christian mind, heart, and life. That is the tactic Thomas Guthrie employs. As he waxes eloquent, he tells what has proven true about the Bible as he has committed himself to reading it, meditating upon it, and living it out. He says, “The Bible is an armory of heavenly weapons, a laboratory of infallible medicines, a mine of exhaustless wealth. It is a guidebook for every road, a chart for every sea, a medicine for every malady, and a balm for every wound.”
Guthrie insists that the Bible has proven its value as weaponry in the battle against spiritual foes, as a laboratory researching cures for spiritual maladies, and as a rich source of treasure in the accumulating of wisdom. It has proven itself a guide to the pathways of life and a chart to navigate the stormy seas of trial and tribulation. It has been to him medicine that brings healing to every spiritual illness, and it has been a soothing ointment for every one of life’s deep wounds.
What a blessing that the Bible proves to be all of this and more to those who commit themselves to it.
