As I mentioned in my last article, one of my biggest fears is being caught without all the facts, info, or even just something to say in response. I won't rehash every idea, since you can easily read it over there, but I know that so many people either walk away from faith or don't come to faith because they don't have all the answers to their questions. We've taken Scripture and turned it into an encyclopedia of sorts, expecting it to explain every part of existence.
But that's not at all what God’s Word was meant to do. It's not a comprehensive history book. It's no math textbook. It isn't a science, geography, art, or English guide either. What the Bible is is a history of God’s plan to be in relationship with his creation, and the lengths he went to prove it, despite what those who came before us did in rebellion against God.
What Paul tells his protégé, Timothy, about Scripture is just as important to us as it was when the apostle first wrote it.
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and firmly believed. You know those who taught you, 15 and you know that from infancy you have known the sacred Scriptures, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14–17, CSB)
As Paul tells Timothy, in his final letter before his execution, how to live his life, structure the church, and lead the congregation, this small piece of advice is massively important. We tend to focus on the final two verses of the passage, citing them as the reason why we believe in the inerrancy and infallibility of Scripture. Yet, without the first two verses, there isn't much of a reason to state the inspired purpose.
If God’s Word isn't what it is, what we learn in 3:16-17, then there is no reason to hold fast to it as long as Timothy had. Therefore, in clinging to the truth since he was a kid, using it properly and for its intended purpose, and persisting in it no matter what (4:1-2), Timothy has the foundation on which everything else he does laid: the Word of God used and believed in its right and proper context.
Here are three simple, yet important, takeaways you should keep in mind as a result of these four verses. You don't have to be a pastor, scholar, or expert to start doing these things right here and now.
Don't give up.
When Paul tells Timothy to “continue in what you have learned and firmly believed,” we read elsewhere in the two letters that, in the midst of the cultural occasion for writing Timothy, it became increasingly attractive to go after new ideas and abandon the older things that people grew up with (4:3-4). Thus, it would be ignorant to think that Timothy also didn’t face some sort of pressure himself.
We see this today just as frequently and prevalently. Because some new trend, thought leader, or way of life seems more appealing and often easier to follow, people who grew up in church leave to chase after these things. They want safer, simpler, and calmer lives while also maximizing the reward, something that often proves too good to be true.
So, when you’re confronted with temptation to jump ship because things get hard as a Christian, or your faith grows stagnant, or whatever may pull you towards something different, stay the course. Use what you’ve learned from God’s Word to educate, empower, and encourage you through the moments of difficulty. Persist in these things.
Don't miss the point.
What Paul tells Timothy in verse 15 is not that Scripture gives us all of the answers to all of our questions, but that Scripture gives us “wisdom for salvation.” We learn about who God is, what he did, and what he offers us in Christ Jesus. We grow in our relationship with him through the words on each page, from Genesis to Revelation.
I heard a theologian once say, when talking about trying to find answers about how angels live, what happened before “In the beginning” in Genesis 1:1, or how Satan came to be, that we won’t find those in the Bible because the Bible isn’t concerned with that. It’s an odd thing to consider, since we’ve been raised to turn to Scripture when we need answers. Yet God was concerned with one central idea when he inspired the authors of the Bible to write, and that was to teach us about himself and his plan for humanity.
When we’re tempted to give up, we’re also tempted to ignore the point of the message we have from God. No, you won’t know what happened to the dinosaurs. No, you won’t know everything the angels do, or what type of fruit Adam and Eve ate from.
You may read this and think, “Is Jacob saying the Bible is inadequate, incomplete, and missing things?” By no means am I saying that! What I’m arguing for is that you use God’s Word as it was intended to be used, not for your purposes or desires. What you will know from Scripture is who God says you are, who he says he is, and how you’re supposed to live in light of both.
Don't waste it.
Because we’re not supposed to give up on our faith or miss the point of Scripture, Paul tells Timothy what Scripture was intended to do, in the most popular verses from either of the letters he wrote to his son in the faith. Paul gives four key purposes that God’s Word serves, with implications beyond the surface:
Teaching: add that which is found in God’s Word to the knowledge and wisdom of the hearers
Rebuking: call out the things which believers shouldn’t be doing
Correcting: point them in the right direction to grow in their faith
Training in righteousness: support the sanctification at work and promote ways to make righteousness the automatic choice
We’ve become accustomed to the positive notions Paul lists, because teaching and training are comparatively more comfortable than being rebuked or corrected. But, when we ignore the refining power of God’s Word, we miss out on its fullness and its encompassing work.
And these purposes aren’t for nothing. They have one express purpose: making the believer complete and equipped. A Christian without the Word and its effects is found lacking and wanting. They aren’t effective, nor are they growing in their faith. But by sitting under the Word, being taught and trained, called out and corrected, a believer is honed, sharpened, and made ready for the work God has in store.
Therefore, God’s Word is vital, powerful, and literally life-changing. It may not tell us every answer, but it gives us the answers we need. It invites us to sit in a sort of mystery that reminds us he is God and we are not. When we approach the Bible on its own terms, we’re left in awe that God would include us in his plan.