Romans 15:4

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Paul eloquently and elegantly expresses an amazing truth: the Scriptures, the Old Testament, were written to teach and encourage believers in Christ to endure with hope. We’ve seen Paul give examples of this idea earlier in Romans. He told us that Abraham experienced all that he did not for his own benefit but for ours. He told us that Jacob was chosen unconditionally to teach us about God’s sovereignty in salvation. And Paul, in 1 Corinthians 10:1-13, says that the events and circumstances surrounding the Exodus happened to serve a purpose greater than theirs; what went on over the 40 year wanderings were for us, not merely for them. Considering all of that both humbles me and makes me feel much valued.

The Bible is first and foremost for our instruction – to teach us. 2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.” We need the Bible to inform and reshape our minds. There is no godliness apart from right thinking. Now, godliness is more than right thinking, but the way to the heart, the way to the affections, is through the mind. That’s why God gave us a book! Bible means “The Book.” And it’s not just some of the Scriptures. Every word is God’s Word and useful and worthy of our study. God would not have included it if it weren’t useful for the edification of His people.

The Scriptures are the source of our endurance and encouragement. Other translations render these two words, “patience” and “comfort.” The believer whose mind is saturated with the Scriptures will be “encouraged to endure” or “patiently comforted” even under the most difficult of circumstances. Paul uses the Greek word, “paraclete,” for “comforted” or “encouraged.” Jesus calls the Holy Spirit a paraclete, a comforter, an encourager, a defender. It comes from the legal context, and the idea is that in this spiritual war where physical persecution is a reality, we have the Holy Spirit as Someone who knows us and defends us and encourages us and comforts us and preserves us. And the result of the Holy Spirit’s work in us is hope, just as we saw in Romans 5:1-11, where God poured out His love in us by the Holy Spirit. We’ll see how this hope is wrought in us by the God of hope in v13.