Putting together all of the above, the verse teaches us that Scripture is God-breathed, and therefore it is profitable to address the positive and negative aspects of both creed and conduct. Moreover, it is profitable to the utmost extent, so that with it, the man of God is complete and fully equipped for ministry. He needs nothing else.

This provides us with pivotal insights for faithful and effective ministry, although the principles are also relevant to any setting in which the word of God is applied. The obvious point, which we have repeatedly emphasized, is the sufficiency of Scripture, and we have also noted what this sufficiency means. But Paul is more specific, and specific instructions enable us to be more precise and deliberate in our use of Scripture. He tells us that Scripture could be used to address both creed and conduct, not just one of the two. Then, whether we are addressing creed or conduct, he tells us that Scripture has both constructive and destructive uses.

We should examine how we are using Scripture in the light of this information, and align our ministry's focus and agenda with it. To illustrate, some ministries focus almost exclusively on refuting doctrinal error, cults, and false religions. They are doing the Body of Christ an important service, but at the same time, this imbalance could inflict great damage and hinder the overall progress of the gospel.

Of the four items listed in the verse, the first one is the foundation – that is, the constructive teaching of Scripture. Hendriksen agrees that "This is ever basic to everything else."³⁷ Doctrinal error is discerned and refuted only relative to an absolute standard of doctrinal truth. Likewise, both the positive and negative aspects of the ethical principles in Scripture are founded on the authority of God's positive revelation. Without the positive and constructive teaching of Scripture, the other items would lack the necessary reference point from which they must operate.

Even so, the negative uses of Scripture are not to be neglected. Certainly the man of God must confront heresies and sins with the Bible, but these are what they are only because they stray from or go against the positive teachings of Scripture. As Paul writes, "He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it" (Titus 1:9). The minister must refute those who oppose sound doctrine, but this means that sound doctrine must be previously defined, and it is sound doctrine that we seek to uphold even as we issue the refutation.

So whether we are referring to our preaching, our parenting, or our individual spiritual growth, our work is inferior and incomplete if we apply the Bible only to refute errors and neglect to provide constructive teachings, or vice versa. Likewise, we must make the proper adjustments if we notice that we are addressing only matters of conduct and not of creed, or vice versa (see also Jeremiah 1:10). Then, we shall be well on our way to having what Spurgeon calls an "all-round ministry."^{38 39}

 

Notes

³⁷ Hendriksen, p. 303. Also, Fee, p. 279.

³⁸ Charles H. Spurgeon, An All-Round Ministry (The Banner of Truth Trust).

³⁹ At this point, the original plan for this exposition proceeds to discuss several ways or modes by which Scripture is presented – namely, speaking, writing, and reading. However, due to a lack of time, we will forgo these items and move on to the next and final section.

(to be continued)

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