In last week’s passage, Paul reminds Timothy of his upbringing, and how he had been taught the Scriptures since childhood. In that passage, he states again the relationship between the Scriptures and salvation. From there, he state just how critical the words of God are for ministry, giving Timothy a brief explanation of their origin.

You can see this week’s passage in 2 Timothy 3:16-17:

In this passage, Paul gives what has become one of the most often quoted sections of Scripture concerning Scripture itself. The point Paul is making here is that Timothy should continue in the Word, just as he was raised in the Word. The main reason for this is that Scripture is of divine origin; it is from God himself!

Some understand Paul to be referring only to Old Testament Scripture here, since that is what he knew, and the New Testament wasn’t fully written yet (and much of it was written by Paul himself, anyway). However, in 1 Timothy 5:18, Paul refers to Luke’s gospel as Scripture, and in 2 Peter 3:15-16, Peter includes Paul’s writing in the category of Scripture. So a strong argument can be made that this passage to Timothy includes both Old and New Testament writings.

While many translation use the word “inspired” in their translation, the NIV and a few other translations have used the more accurate term, “God-breathed.” Though subtle, the Latin word behind the word “inspired” means to breath in. The Greek word, theopneustos, means to breathe out. Literally, God acted to breathe out his word upon the writers of the various book of the Bible. All Scripture is the product of God’s Spirit, or breath, and is divine in origin.

This is a guarantee of the truth of Scripture, and it is a guarantee of its usefulness.

And this usefulness is where Paul turns next. He gives several characteristics of the usefulness of God’s Word, for every context and era, but specifically for Timothy in his ministry in Ephesus, where he faced false teachers who were promoting things that were not from God.

Though Paul gives several different descriptors here, he is not saying that each and every passage in Scripture is profitable in every way. Some may be useful for teaching, others for rebuking, and still others for correcting or training. All of Scripture is useful in one or more of these ways, but the whole of Scripture thoroughly equips the servant of God.

For Teaching

This is Timothy’s primary responsibility in Ephesus. Instructing people about God, his Son, and the redemptive work of the cross is the first way that Paul says Scripture is useful. It is also beneficial for teaching God’s will and his desires for our lives.

For Rebuking

This term is used only here in the New Testament. It means to convict or convince one of the error of their ways. Paul expressed a similar though in 1 Timothy 5:20. Here, not only does God’s Word point out the error, but it will be useful for exposing and refuting the error.

For Correcting

This is another term that is found nowhere else in the New Testament. The idea here is that of being set straight. This is especially true of conduct. Where rebuking addressed the attitudes, this addresses the actions. No one can be convinced of the error of their ways without also soon becoming aware of the need to change as a result.

For Training in Righteousness

Once someone has been shown the error of their ways (rebuking), and has made the life change necessary to be obedient (correcting), they need something to help them stay on the path of righteousness. That is the idea behind this phrase. Scripture gives us the necessary instructions to lead holy lives, living in an upright manner.

The Result (Or Purpose)

The Greek here has a small clause that can be translated to indicate either purpose or result. It is possible that the final verse gives the purpose for which Scripture is useful. Or perhaps it gives the result of Scripture’s usefulness in a person’s life. Either way, the effect is visible in the life of the believer.

Paul uses the more general term for man here, indicating that this is not a gender thing, but instead, the “person of God,” or “everyone who belongs to God” is equipped for service. Here, I believe the NIV2011 gets it right.

But to what end? Scripture provides the equipping necessary so that the believer may be adequately, or thoroughly, equipped, to be able to meet the demands needed for whatever ministry or service he has been called to.

With this, Paul ends his encouragement to Timothy to stand strong in his ministry in Ephesus. He has been prepared for this his entire life, and Paul is confident that the preparation has been just what Timothy needs to handle the task he has been given. From here, Paul turns to a more personal appeal to Timothy. Though much of the next chapter will be connected directly back to statements made previously, such as this one, Paul speaks directly to Timothy, encouraging him to stand strong.

Paul is convinced he is about to die, and he wants to impart as much instruction as possible to his young protege, expressing the priority of the gospel in his life and ministry. We will begin chapter four next week.

Question: How do you view Scripture? Is it full of “nice thoughts”? Or is it truthful and authoritative in your life? What prevents you from living like you believe this more fully? You can leave a comment by clicking here.