2 Timothy 3:10-17 (ESV)
10 You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, 11 my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. 12 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it 15 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. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
17 that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.
This passage is part of a larger one that goes into chapter four. However, I thought I’d stop at the end of chapter three because the passage is just so juicy.
Again, Paul is calling Timothy to focus on what he knows to be true and what he has witnessed, grown up with, and learned, and Paul’s encouragement to Timothy is to stand firm in the things which he has learned. He also points out that a life of faith doesn’t guarantee that believers will not face struggles or problems. Just the opposite is true. In verse 12 Paul says that all who desire to follow Jesus will be persecuted.
Paul concludes with one of the most famous passages in scripture in verses 16 and 17. I love these verses. All Scripture is God-breathed, and useful, so that you may be thoroughly equipped. Some translations take the Greek word theopneustos in verse 16 and translate it to inspired—as in all scripture is inspired by God…. That’s a nice thought, but because of the way we use the word inspired, it doesn’t even come close to capturing what Paul means. N.T. Wright notes that inspired isn’t a great translation for a couple of reasons:
- Inspired can mean something out of the ordinary, that came together in a new way and somehow gave a lift or a boost to our spirits.
- Inspired can also mean that a poet, performer, or sports player somehow had his mind go into neutral and some other force poured into him, giving words or actions. Some people believe this is what happened with biblical writers - that God worked through them to dictate or write what He wanted, removing the personalities of the writers. However, if you look closely, you can see evidence of the personalities, vocations, struggles, and emotions of each writer shine through in the writings of the Bible.
“Inspired doesn’t quite capture what’s happening here. Breathed is a much better translation because it captures the fact that scripture is alive and full of power to change and transform our lives. It reveals and unveils Christ to us, giving us working knowledge of God’s grace and love; making us wise and understanding of our condition of sin and God’s love and forgiveness in Christ, and God’s will for us as we become a part of His new creation (N.T. Wright).”
What a marvelous conclusion, God has given us His Word so that we may know Him personally and live the life that He has for us. Is there any greater invitation for us to dive into the scriptures? Scripture is alive, breathed out by God, because God wants you to be with Him, to know Him, and be equipped for living the life He promises to everyone (not just to a special few).
Don’t fall into the lie that says the Bible isn’t relevant for us today. In fact, when you think about it, in John’s Gospel, Jesus is called the Living Word—the literal translation of God to us (John 1). That’s how much God desires for you to know Him and be with Him. Awesome.
So what are you waiting for? Dive in! And I invite you to dive in with me. By the end of this week, we will finish our walk through Timothy and then, as is my usual practice every fall, I will begin a walk through one of the Gospels. It’s a great way to approach Christmas and a great way for us to dive into God’s word and to know the amazing and incredible love of God for us revealed in and through His Son Jesus. Please join me and I encourage you to invite others to join us in the journey by sharing this devotional with others.
God bless you and know that I am praying for your constantly.
Scott