14. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;
15. And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
16. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Okay. This is a big chunk of very important verses. So, we might not get through today, lets see. :)
In verse fourteen, Paul writes, "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of..." He tells Timothy to keep doing the things he has been taught. Does Paul mean that Timothy should obey everything he hears? No! He says to keep doing what he has been taught, more specifically, what Paul has taught him. But it doesn't say Paul. I know. I said that because I know that Paul taught Timothy lots of very important things, and obviously, when you teach someone something you believe is right, you want them to do the same, and teach others what is right.
The key is, that Paul tells Timothy not only to continue in what he's learned, but also what he has been assured of. When you are assured of something, it means that you believe it is true, you fully believe that it is not false. Paul tells Timothy, and us, to believe. He tells us to keep doing the things that we have learned from others and believe is right.
Paul writes in verse fifteen that, "from a child thou (Timothy) hast known the holy scriptures." What does that mean? That Timothy was born already knowing about the Bible? No. It does not say "from birth," it says "from a child." So, when he was young Timothy was taught about the Bible, and Jesus, and God. Why would I say "about...Jesus, and God?" I know it says "holy scriptures," but, what does that include? Well, what does the Bible tell us about? Lots of things, but most importantly, God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit! So, when the verse says that "from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures," he means the whole thing.
One thing that is kinda hidden in the verse is the word, "known." Y'all are probably saying, "what? That wasn't hidden!" Yes it was, and I am going to reveal my thought on what this word is there for. :D Paul says that Timothy has known the holy scriptures from childhood. What is the difference between knowing something, and learning something? Or, in other words, what is the difference between knowing something is true and someone teaching you something that is true? Big difference, right?! Paul says that Timothy knew the holy scriptures since childhood, he grew up believing the truth, he knew for a fact that what he believed was the truth. How? Remember verse fourteen? "...which thou hast learned and hast been assured of."
The next part of this verse says what is able to do, it says, "which are (the holy scriptures) able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." What does that mean? Well, I think it means that when we read and study the scriptures, it will teach us, it will make us wise unto salvation. We will find out how to receive salvation. It says that it will make us "wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." We must have faith in Jesus Christ. We must put our full trust in Him.
Verse sixteen is another verse I have known for a long time, but never studied, or really thought about. The first part says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God." He didn't write it. Men wrote it, over 44 of them. But who made us? Who knows our every thought? God! He inspired men to write the Bible, he put the words in their hands! Isn't that amazing when you think about it?!
Next it says what is it profitable for, I am going to make another list. :)
- doctrine
- reproof
- correction
- instruction in righteousness
Next is "reproof." Reproof is one of those words that is not commonly used in modern English, but it should be. It basically means to rebuke. To rebuke someone you would be telling them what they did that was wrong, and correcting them. The Bible rebukes us. It tells us that we are horrible sinners, and it tells us how we can be saved from eternal punishment. It also tells us what we do specifically that is wrong. The Ten Commandments, for example, tell us ten things that people do all the time! God rebukes us through His word.
The third one is "correction," which goes with reproof. The Bible not only tells us what is wrong, but it tells us what we can do to make it right. It tells us how God forgives our sins, but we must come to Him and trust Him.
The last one is, "instruction in righteousness." God's Word teaches and instructs us in what is good, profitable, and righteous.
The last verse says, "That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." Remember verse 21 of chapter two? About the vessels of honour and dishonour? Remember, it said that once a man purge himself from bad things (things God hates) then he will be ready/prepared for every good work. This is the same thing. Once we commit our lives to God, and trust Him completely, then we will be able to undertake whatever He has planned for us to do, "...all good works."
Hey! Great we got it all done! I hope y'all liked the study today, and learned or saw something new in the process. :) God bless!
In Him,
Buttercup :)
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