2 Timothy 4:13 (KJV)
The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.
It was, I believe, the first day of the spring semester of Bible college. (It’s strange to think of—the date would have been early January. The spring semester begins in the middle of winter.) Dr. Rick Schrader brought a devotion from this passage. He spoke of the comfort of clothing and the value of reading, but noted that Paul wanted “especially the parchments,” which Dr. Schrader took to be the Word of God. He urged us in our Bible college studies to be, above all, students of the Bible.
It was winter when Paul wrote to Timothy asking for his cloak, his books, and especially the parchments. I have no reason to dismiss Dr. Schrader’s application of them as the Scriptures. These were likely handwritten copies of the very epistles he had written and perhaps even of those written by others of the New Testament authors at that time. I believe this to be further intrinsic evidence that believers were already aware—even before the end of the first century, and in real time—of which writings were and were not the Scriptures, given by inspiration of God.
What is Scripture was not determined by men or even by a church; it was given by God. The only people who have cause to doubt that are those who do not genuinely believe that God is. (And there are plenty of professing Christians of whom that is true.)
Imagine Paul. He had just declared that he knew judgment was set and that he would soon be executed. In his final days, what he valued most was the Word of God.
I wonder—is that what we will value?
#EspeciallyTheParchments #WordOfGodFirst #KJVTruth #BibleCenteredLife #PreachTheWord
Paul Chose This Above All—Would You?
What do you think Paul meant by “especially the parchments”? Do you believe the Word of God holds that same place of priority in your life? I’d genuinely enjoy hearing your thoughts—leave a comment below and join the conversation.
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