Our Lord Jesus lived His life on earth as man filled with the Holy Spirit and with complete trust in the Father. In this He serves as the perfect example for how we are to live. In becoming man our Savior did not cease to be divine but did, in fact, limit His divine attributes so as to fully enter into the human experience. This is what is known as the “kenosis” taken from Philippians 2:7 where Paul tells us Jesus “emptied” Himself.

As a man Jesus expressed complete confidence in the Holy Scriptures. He positively declared that the “Scripture cannot be broken.” (see John 10:34-35) It has been estimated that over one-tenth of Jesus' recorded New Testament words were taken from the Old Testament. Of the 1,800 verses in the four Gospels 180 are either quoting or making allusions to the Old Testament.

Therefore, as followers of Christ, walking in His steps (1 Peter 2:21), we should strive to use the Scriptures as He did. Consider five ways Jesus employed the Word of God, and how we can do the same.

1. To Resist Temptation

We know from Hebrews 4:15 that Jesus was “tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.” When tempted by Satan in the wilderness He countered every temptation by quoting from Deuteronomy. In spiritual warfare the Bible, as the “sword of the Spirit,” (Ephesians 6:17) is the only weapon that will put the devil to flight.

Obviously, Jesus was able to use the Scriptures because He knew them so well. The better we know the Word of God the better we can resist Satan’s attacks. “Thy Word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee.” Psalm 119:11

2. To Define our Mission

Jesus’ mission was defined by Holy Scripture. Referring to Messiah the writer of Hebrews, quoting from Psalm 40 declared: “Behold, I have come to do your will, O God, as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.” (Hebrews 10:7) Jesus’ entire life was guided by the will of the Father as set forth in the Old Testament. He said very clearly: “For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38)

We are no different. God’s Word is not just informative, it is directive. If we want clarity about our purpose, we must look to the Scriptures and align our lives accordingly.

3. To Answer our Critics

On numerous occasions the Savior quoted the Scriptures to challenge or correct His enemies. He rebuked them for nullifying God’s Word by their man-made traditions. He defended the children who acknowledged Him as Messiah quoting from the 8th Psalm. Referencing Isaiah 56:7 He drove the money-changers from the temple.

In these secular times when the Bible is often under attack it behooves us to come to its defense. Peter exhorts us to be always be ready to give a defense to those who question our hope. (1 Peter 3:15) Our greatest defense is not cleverness or debate- it is the Word of God itself.

4. To Disciple Others

Needless to say, Jesus often instructed His followers citing passages of the Old Testament. In His Sermon on the Mount he internalized the Law to emphasize the motives of the heart over the actions of the body. He used Isaiah to explain why He spoke to the crowds in parables. Jesus was perfectly adept at taking Old Testament passages and applying them to everyday life.

The question for us is simple: Do we know the Scriptures well enough to teach others?

Can we answer questions? Explain truth? Guide someone through a passage?

The writer of Hebrews rebuked his readers saying, “Though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again.” (Hebrews 5:12)

5. To Proclaim the Gospel

In John 3 Jesus met with Nicodemus and informed the great rabbi that he needed to be “born again.” The Lord explained the nature of salvation citing the story of the brazen serpent from the book of Numbers. He compared Himself to the manna in the wilderness, the true bread that came down from heaven.

Jesus didn’t rely on personality or persuasion alone- He anchored the message of salvation in Scripture.

There is no better way to enhance your witness than by growing in your knowledge of God’s Word. Evangelism is not a matter of personality or using clever arguments. It’s about sowing the seed of the gospel in the hearts of people.

I challenge you this week to follow our Lord’s example by purposely using Scripture like He did. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.” (2 Timothy 2:15)

Let us be people of the Word—because our Savior certainly was.