The word of God is the same from Gen 1:1 to Rev 22:21. This is God’s story from beginning to end and it’s kind of hard to imagine that God, being God, changed things around and departed from his original plan. Any part of the Bible has everything to do with every other part of the Bible. But this is not the way many see the book of the Bible. It is common to think that the historical accounts, experiences of men, teachings, law, prophecies, wisdom and philosophy are random and passing episodes of a particular writer having concerns only with his time and his issues. Any part of the Bible has a strong and clear connection with every other part. To repeat, it’s hard to imagine that God’s story would be otherwise.

Sound teaching is consistent in the entirety of the Bible. Scripture doesn’t contradict itself, though a lot of people think they have found contradictions in the Bible. The scripture in Titus says there are “those who contradict” (Titus 1:9).

The Bible is sound from start to finish and scripture cannot be broken, as Jesus said in John 10:35. Sound -- as in sound doctrine and sound speech (Titus 2:8), sound words (I Tim 6:3), sound mind (II Tim 1:7), and sound in faith (Titus 2:2) -- means whole, healthful, complete.

If you are going to understand that if something you hear isn’t sound, or Biblically true, you have to know the Bible. Paul says that you exhort and convict those who contradict with “sound doctrine” - the teachings of the Bible as they are explained in their context (Titus 1:9). A good teacher knows this and will not allow teachings to enter that cannot be explained by the consistent teachings of the Bible.

When you use the Bible, you are safe. To be able to know the Bible you have to spend time in it. You have to know it enough to know that it doesn’t contradict, only people contradict. Every teaching under the sun is on the internet, in books, articles and public discussion, and in schools and universities. There is no standard in the world in which you can have confidence. It all has to be examined under the close witness of the Word - God’s Testimonies. There is a danger of not knowing the Word of God. There are simply too many ideas in the world that seem to offer people what they need to solve their issues.

God hasn’t left His people without the understanding of His word. But people will read into it what they want, because it seems to give them answers. But, if it doesn’t agree with every other part of the Word of God, it’s in trouble before it starts.

It is in this context that Paul also told Timothy, to “Study” (KJV) or “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim 2:15). A superficial reading of the Bible won’t stand in this age of multiple ideas.

The unity of scripture and its consistent word cannot be broken. The Word is sound and it is whole. It’s a fascinating study.