26th December 2023

26th December 2023


Pray (ACts)


Read (Romans 16v22)


Message (Scott Woodburn)


Although we know next to nothing about Tertius we can say for sure that he was the man who wrote down Paul's words to the church in Rome. How do we know? Because just as his job of transcribing Romans was almost done, he inserted verse twenty-two which says "I Tertius, who wrote this letter, greet you in the Lord."


Tertius wasn't claiming ownership of this letter but he was certainly Paul's scribe who wrote down the Apostle's every word. This little verse is an interesting glimpse into the inspiration of Holy Scripture. What do we mean by that? Take the book of Romans. Paul is the human author and in Romans we see his thinking, his personality and his style. Tertius was involved in the process too as he listened to every word that came from Paul's mouth and committed them to paper, but there was something greater going on in the creation of the book of Romans.


Every word written by Tertius and spoken by Paul was inspired by Almighty God. Just as Monet was once inspired to paint by haystacks in the dying sunlight, the Lord moved in Paul's heart and inspired him to write his famous letter. Peter helpfully explains it like this "For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1v21)


So Paul didn't wake up one day and decide to come up with Romans in his own strength and it wasn't by Paul's own will that he produced fourteen New Testament books. Paul and all of the Bible's other authors were carried along by the Spirit as God spoke through them.


Notice that the Lord didn't turn the Bible's authors into robots or an ancient version of ChatGPT. Paul's writings are distinctly Pauline. He might say similar things to Peter but both of these men express themselves differently. Moses wrote differently from David and David from Solomon and Solomon from Luke and Luke from Paul. Even so, the process was the same. God carried these men along by the Holy Spirit and what they put on the page was the very Word of Almighty God.


Tertius is another of the Bible's lesser-known figures but what a job he had! Brothers and sisters, treasure your Bible, read it daily and desire to hear it preached for "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 complete, equipped for every good work." (2 Timothy 3v16-17).


Pray (acTS)


Sing


WSC


Q25 How doth Christ execute the office of a priest? Christ executeth the office of a priest, in his once offering up of himself a sacrifice to satisfy divine justice and reconcile us to God, and in making continual intercession for us.
​