Well today we will wrap up looking at 2 Timothy 3:14-17 and the importance of studying the Bible. So far we have seen that the Bible helps to make us wise regarding salvation, showing us God’s plan for salvation and how we are saved; and we have seen that the Bible was inspired by God and is profitable for living out our Christian faith. Which leads us into today’s topic. In verse 16-17 we see Paul tell Timothy regarding the Bible, “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 mfor every good work.” Where we will look at today is that it helps us to be complete and equipped for every good work.

Complete

In verse 17, Paul starts out by telling Timothy that by being in the Scriptures “the man of God may be complete,” other translations may have perfect. The first thing to notice is that it is “the man of God” that is made complete. What Paul is getting at is that what he is saying pertains to believers. A person can read the Bible all they want, but unless the Holy Spirit is working in them they will never gain the full benefit of what the Scriptures contain. They may see it as suggestions to good moral living with a collection of stories; but never understand that it is the divine truth, God’s holy word.

So what does a believer gain from the word? It makes them complete or in some translations perfect. What the word Paul used here is getting at is not being sinless or that sort of perfection but rather it is the concept of being in fit shape or in fit condition. To be made complete through study of the Word is to put us in a place where we are the most effective when God uses us. Think of it like a car, you can do the bare minimum to keep a car running; but put it in the hands of a good mechanic to fine tune it and suddenly the car does not just run but it runs at its peak performance. The Christian is much the same way when the Holy Spirit works in them through the study of Scripture.

Equipped for Service

We then go on to notice that Paul states that not only are we made fit for service but the Bible will also equip us for service as well. What Paul is getting at is that through studying the Bible we are given the tools needed to do God’s work. Now the works that Paul is speaking of here are those that come out of our faith, they are an expression of our faith. Studying the Bible is what gives us the power to live out our faith. Often we state we feel we do not have what we need in order to do what God has called us to do, but Paul is stating here that we have all that we need and then more, all we need to do is to spend time in God’s word.

After coming to faith in Christ studying Scripture is probably one of the more important aspects of the Christian life to look at. So why is it important to study Scripture? Paul gives us a good look at the reason for the importance of Scripture and being well acquainted with it. In 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Paul writes, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 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.” Today what I want to look at is what Paul tells Timothy in verses 14 & 15, “But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Continue In The Word

You see the Word of God is what helps us to counter temptation, and defeat Satan’s lies. Looking at society and our modern culture, temptations, deceit, and evil seems to prevail and the only weapon we have that can effectively deal with it is the Bible. So why do so many of us seem to disregard and avoid studying the God’s Word? Some may think it was good for when we were young, or that it is irrelevant to our lives now. Nothing is further from the truth, if anything as we get older our need for the truth found in the Scriptures increases as we face more temptations. This is why Paul told Timothy to continue in what he had learned.

Know From Whom You Learned

The second part of this was that Paul not only was reminding Timothy to continue in what he learned from the Scriptures; but reminded him who it was that he learned it from. You see as we study Scripture it is important that we pay close attention to who we learn from. You see if we are learning from those with a firm foundation of faith, then we will be less likely to fall into faulty doctrine. Timothy had learned from his grandmother and mother, then later as an adult learned from Paul; basically the three greatest Christian influences in Timothy’s life was the source of his learning what was in the Scriptures. This is also why as men we need to be the spiritual leader in our homes to help teach our children and raise them up in the Word.

Wise For Salvation

So now we get into one of the major purposes for the importance of the Scriptures, it has the ability to lead one to salvation. It is not the Bible that saves us or our studying it; but it is what helps to point us to Christ. How does the Bible lead us to salvation? First it points out our need. It shows us how we can never measure up to the perfection that God requires. However, it doesn’t just point out our need for salvation but reveals to us God’s plan of salvation. Finally the Bible helps to nourish us by giving us assurance of our salvation and helping us to grow spiritually.