2 Timothy 3:16-17
Wednesday Night Prayer and Praise • Sermon • Submitted
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All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
This is one passage of scripture in which we have two basic truths about scripture. First it tells us where scripture comes from and secondly, it tells us its purpose.
The first word that comes up in most translations is ALL. The Message uses EVERY. The emphasis is “the whole.”
The next word is Scripture. It comes from “grapha” which means writing or thing written. This is the name given to the holy writings of any religious group. Christians recognize the Jewish Scriptures- The Torah, Prophets and writings, four gospels, 21 epistles, the book of Acts and the Revelation. It consists of 39 Old Testament books and 27 New Testament books.
Most of the New Testament uses of “Scripture” are referring to a collection of books.
The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture:
“He was led like a sheep to the slaughter,
and as a lamb before the shearer is silent,
so he did not open his mouth.
What does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”
For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: “I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.”
As the Scripture says, “Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”
So also, when we were children, we were in slavery under the basic principles of the world.
For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.
What is the purpose of the Bible?
The Bible is a book about salvation. Salvation came through Christ, so the Bible focuses its attention on Christ. The Old Testament foretells Him in many ways. The Gospels tell of His birth and life, His words and works, and His death and resurrection. The Acts tell of His continuing work through His chosen apostles. The Epistles display the full glory of His person and His work, and how to apply it to the life of the Christian and the Church. Revelation shows Christ sharing the throne of God now and it portrays the judgement soon to come. We get all of this in scripture to have faith in Him in order that we might be saved.
Our text tells us that “all Scripture” is what?
God-breathed. The word in Greek is theopneusto. It simply means “inspired by God” and “comes from God.” Literally it means breathed out by God.
We then see that Scripture is useful.
This word comes from ophelimos which means beneficial.
What is it beneficial for?
It is for teaching. That word is didasklia which means instruction or as the KJV calls it doctrine.
Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming.
Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them.
For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
We see in this verse the value of Scripture.
It is important that which you are taught and that which you teach are of sound doctrine.
The next point of usefulness is listed as rebuking.
From the word elegchos, it means reproof, tested or conviction.
The next point of usefulness is listed at correcting. It comes from the word epomorthosis. This is the restoration to an upright or right state. It is an improvement of life or character.
The next word for usefulness is training. Training means education, cultivation or mind and morals for the purpose of implementing new commands and admonitions.
In context here, that training is in righteousness.
Why does that clarification exist in verse 16?
The reason is found in verse 17:
so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The phrase man of God needs some clarification. Is it for men only? Is for a person like Moses?
This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death.
Or a person like David?
In keeping with the ordinance of his father David, he appointed the divisions of the priests for their duties, and the Levites to lead the praise and to assist the priests according to each day’s requirement. He also appointed the gatekeepers by divisions for the various gates, because this was what David the man of God had ordered.
Or a person like Elijah?
She said to Elijah, “What do you have against me, man of God? Did you come to remind me of my sin and kill my son?”
Is it referring to a person like Timothy as Paul described in
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
Or does it refer to mankind?
By the consistency of Scripture, and the understanding we are all called to make disciples.
The Great Commission is not limited to just making male disciples. The charge was to make disciples. We are called to make disciples of all nations.
Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples.
We know through out the Bible that both men and women held to the teachings of Jesus and made disciples. We still see evidence of this today.
The tool in which we must train with in order to carry this out is ALL SCRIPTURE.
To me, the implication here is if you as a human being want to make disciples, study the Scriptures then use the teaching, rebuking, correcting and training it gives to effectively do so.