Breathed Out By God - Letter From Pastor Evan

At the pinnacle of the Creation account, Genesis 2:7 tells us how God creates Adam. We read that “the Lord God formed the man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.” As we read this verse, it certainly isn’t very flattering to know that we were formed by the dust of the ground! But this verse, and the rest of Scripture, reminds us that we aren’t only dust, but rather that we have life breathed into us by the very breath of God! His breath alone is what gives us life!

If we stop and think of what life is and the fullness of what it would take in order for dust of the ground to become living, breathing, relational human beings, this is nothing short of a miracle. God’s breath alone makes it possible. Whatever is breathed out by God has the ability to do more than we could ever dream!

The only other time that something is described as “breathed out” by God in Scripture is in 2 Timothy 3:16-17, where the Apostle Paul writes, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” Just as God’s breath gives life to Adam in the Garden, transforming dust into life, He breathes out His Word to us that has the ability to create eternal life in us through the hope of the Gospel! This is an important thing for the church to know: God has breathed out the Word and it creates life!

Often, we call this “inspiration.” The words of Scripture are breathed out by God through various authors throughout time, that we may know who God is and hear of His grace! One theologian writes, “Though the gifts and style of each human writer [in Scripture] comes through, the content is given and guided, even down to the words themselves, by the Holy Spirit.” The Scriptures are inspired by God to communicate our need and the Good News of Christ’s death and resurrection for the forgiveness of sin! Not only that, but in His words to us, He tells us all that we need to know “so that we may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

Scripture is “breathed-out,” inspired by God. It gives us life and shows us how to live. How blessed we are to have His word given to us!

In Christ,
Pastor Evan