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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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Paul then proceeds from the doctrinal to the ethical. Scripture, he says, is useful "for correcting." The word means to restore to an upright position, and denotes moral reformation. To "correct" something implies existing wrongdoing, and so this word refers to the negative aspect of Scripture's moral authority and guidance.
Because Scripture is "God-breathed," it carries God's own authority on moral matters. Therefore, when Scripture exposes sin and corrects error, God himself is speaking. This ends all moral debates and speculations. If the Bible says something is good and right, then it is good and right. If the Bible says that something is evil and wrong, then it is evil and wrong. Nothing can add to or take away from the authority and certainty of Scripture's declarations on moral matters. The Bible is sufficient and profitable for correction.
Scripture is also useful "for training in righteousness." The word for "training" is paideia. It can refer to instruction, discipline, or the whole program of training for the young, so that some translations prefer the word "education." But Paul is talking about a training and education "in righteousness," and thus the phrase denotes positive ethical instruction, or the other side of "correction."
Again, since God is the sole moral authority, since his moral declarations are absolute and final, and since the Bible is the very word and mind of God on all matters revealed through it, this means that the moral teachings of the Bible are authoritative, absolute, and final. There is no difference at all between what the Bible says and what God thinks concerning moral matters.
Moreover, the Bible contains enough information so that the man of God may be fully equipped for every good work. In other words, the Bible contains a complete moral system. It is sufficient and profitable to provide moral instruction and guidance, and to define good and evil. It is the first and final word on all moral considerations, and is to be the first and final court of appeal for all moral debates and discussions.
(to be continued)
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Then, Scripture is useful "for rebuking." Several English versions favor "for reproof." This translation can be misleading, and at best it conveys only part of what the word means. The original has the sense of prosecuting a case against error, so that Jay Adams translates it as "conviction."33 This is to be taken first in the objective sense, as in to convict someone in a court of law.34 Only in a secondary sense or as a byproduct of the objective conviction does the word refer to a subjective feeling of guilt or admission of wrongdoing.
Here the word mainly refers to the minister's opposition against false teachers and their doctrines instead of the people's sinful behavior (which is taken up by the next item). Paul is saying that, besides offering a constructive system of truth, the Bible is also sufficient for "the conviction of false doctrine."35 Therefore, Lenski suggests the word "refutation" instead.36
Just as the Bible is both sufficient and profitable for teaching, it is also sufficient and profitable for refuting error. Lattimore even offers the translation, "useful…for argument." Keeping in mind that Paul considers it "useful" to the extent of being "complete," he is saying that Scripture supplies all that is necessary to perform such a task, so that the minister requires no extra-biblical materials.
Also, since he bases the Scripture's usefulness and sufficiency to refute error on the fact that Scripture is "God-breathed," this means that once a position has been refuted by Scripture, it has been declared false by God. Nothing else can add to God's authority, and thus nothing else can strengthen the refutation. Any belief that has been rejected by Scripture is a dead position. Possessing an infinitely inferior authority, or none at all, human philosophy and the natural sciences cannot resuscitate any position that has been refuted by the Bible, nor can they make it any more false or absurd. God's word is true and final, and thus Scripture is sufficient and profitable for refutation, for doctrinal combat.
Notes
33 Jay E. Adams, The Christian Counselor's New Testament and Proverbs (Timeless Texts, 2000).
34 Jay E. Adams, How to Help People Change (Zondervan Publishing House, 1986), p. 113-115.
35 Mounce, p. 570. Also, Fee, p. 280, and Donald Guthrie, The Pastoral Epistles, Revised Edition (William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1999), p. 176.
36 R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul's Epistles to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, to Timothy, to Titus, and to Philemon (Hendrickson Publishers, 2001), p. 846.
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a. Modes of Application
Other than what we can derive from the broader context, Paul immediately lists several things for which Scripture is useful and profitable.30 He says, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." The word "for" (pros) appears before each of the items listed in verse 16, but the NIV omits this. That part of the verse literally says, "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness" (NASB).
We have already dealt with the triple emphasis on Scripture's sufficiency in verse 17 – it is an unmistakable declaration that the Bible is the all-sufficient tool for ministry. It is enough to address every need. Here we will turn our attention to the four items in the second part of verse 16.
Scripture is useful "for teaching." The word appears also in 1 Timothy 4:6, 13, 16, and 6:3. As it is "a technical term in the [Pastoral Epistles] for the doctrinal formulation of Scripture,"31 another good translation is "doctrine," which is how the word is often rendered. Here it refers to the positive task of teaching the biblical doctrines, or the system of truth that God has revealed in Scripture. It is the positive exposition of the whole counsel of God. As Gordon Fee notes, this is the minister's "primary responsibility."32
If the Scripture is merely "useful" for teaching, then the possibility remains that it needs to be supplemented with something else that is also useful for teaching. But Paul does not allow such an inference, since in this verse he declares that Scripture is useful for teaching and other things, so that the man of God may be complete, and fully equipped for every good work. In other words, the Bible is not only "useful" for teaching, but it is also sufficient and complete, containing all that is necessary for the teaching ministry.
There is also an essential relationship between the utility and sufficiency of Scripture with its inspiration and authority. Scripture is useful for teaching not only because it contains sufficient doctrinal information, but it is also sufficient in another sense, namely, that it is "God-breathed," and therefore speaks with ultimate authority. Thus the Scripture is useful and sufficient for teaching because, if the Bible asserts something, it is God's word on the subject, and that settles the matter. No additional confirmation is required, and any extra-biblical evidence cited as support would in fact carry an infinitely inferior authority, so that its rational value would be negligible.
Notes
30 Also see 2 Timothy 4:2: "correct, rebuke and encourage." I have given an exposition of this in Preach the Word.
31 William D. Mounce, Pastoral Epistles (Thomas Nelson, Inc., 2000), p. 570.
32 Gordon D. Fee, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus (Hendrickson Publishers, 1988), p. 279.
(to be continued)
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(This begins the third major section in this series. If you need a reorientation, please review the general outline.)
3. UTILITY
The utility of Scripture cannot be separated from its sufficiency. As we will see, the Scripture is useful because it is inspired and sufficient, and it is sufficient because it is inspired. By the utility of Scripture, we have in mind the fact of Scripture's usefulness as well as the ways that it is used and applied. We have in mind the question of how this sufficient book becomes efficient in our lives and ministries.
To this question, Paul writes, "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness" (2 Timothy 3:16). In context, Paul is telling Timothy that the Scripture is able to see him through the "terrible times" and is "useful" to fully equip him for ministry. Of course, the inspiration of Scripture is not a new teaching to Timothy, but Paul mentions it here to explicitly base the usefulness of Scripture on its inspiration and authority. We will consider why he does this and what this means in a moment.
The word translated "useful" here means "useful," "profitable," "beneficial," "advantageous," and so forth. It also appears in 1 Timothy 4:8 and Titus 3:8, and is consistently translated "profitable" in the KJV and NASB. In 1 Timothy, it refers to the enduring and far-reaching "value" of godliness, "holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." In Titus, it seems that the word refers to holy character, sound doctrine, and "doing what is good," with Paul saying that "These things are excellent and profitable for everyone." There are no interpretive problems with this word in 2 Timothy. Precisely what "useful" or "profitable" means here is defined by the context.
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In his ministry, Timothy would have to deal with many people who are enemies of the Christian faith. Since we have already referred to it several times, we will not repeat Paul's description of these "men of depraved minds" (3:8). But besides what he has said in 3:1-13, Paul adds in 4:3-4 to his description of the kind of people that Timothy would have to face: "For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths."
It is in such a context that Paul charges Timothy to "Preach the Word" (4:2).29 He must do it "in season and out of season," whether the times are favorable or unfavorable. This is a remarkable charge, and very instructive for our time. Can you not see what Paul is saying? He tells Timothy that the Scripture is useful and sufficient to equip the minister "for every good work." And then he adds that the Bible is sufficient, that it is the answer, even when the people refuses to listen to the Bible!
To paraphrase, Paul is telling Timothy, "Terrible times are coming, when all kinds of evil people will roam the earth and the church. When this happens, Timothy, just continue in what you have learned and become convinced of. I am referring to the Scripture that you have known since you were an infant. It will carry you through these terrible times; it will secure your faith in God and maintain your holy character. Moreover, this same Bible will function as an adequate equipment with which you can teach and correct others. Now, the time will come when people don't want to hear what the Bible has to say. But you must preach the word of God, whether the times are favorable or unfavorable. Even when people refuse to listen to the Bible, preach the Bible some more – 'keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry' (4:5). Even when your preaching ministry is not welcomed, just keep on doing what you are supposed to do."
But Paul does not say, "If the people refuse to listen to Bible preaching, then you must accommodate them and reach them where they are. You must dilute the message somewhat so that you will not offend them right away. You must make your church seeker-friendly so that even those who hate the Bible will come in and feel comfortable, and that even those who gather around themselves teachers who will say what they want to hear will somehow accept you. If they don't like the Bible, maybe you can make your sermons shorter, or not preach at all. Maybe you can play the kind of music that they will enjoy. And if you will open a coffee shop inside the church, then it will make the church experience even more enjoyable for people."
Many churches have strayed far from what the apostle prescribes. He says, "If people don't want to hear the Bible, keep on preaching it. Discharge all the duties of your ministry." The Bible is sufficient for everyone – to teach children, to equip ministers, and to confront hardened apostates and hostile detractors.
Notes
29 See Vincent Cheung, Preach the Word.
(to be continued)
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Our passage and its subsequent verses (3:16-4:5) show that Timothy's task is very much a ministry of the word of God. One of the main ways that God reaches the world through his ministers is by preaching, and in our passage, preaching is evidently the primary solution to be applied against all the problems and people that Paul has just described. The question, then, is whether the Bible supplies the necessary materials that a minister needs in his ministry of preaching.
To this, Paul writes that "All Scripture is God-breathed and useful…so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (v. 16) The verse hints at no exception, and the unmistakable assertion is that the Bible is sufficient for whatever the minister needs to accomplish. That is, whatever is the minister's duty to do, he can take the Bible and apply it to the need, and it would be an adequate solution.
It follows that extra-biblical materials are unnecessary. In his ministry, it is never necessary for the minister to have studied the disciplines of psychology, sociology, physics, biology, astronomy, or even secular history and contemporary culture. At this point, we are not saying anything about whether these can be helpful to the ministry, but we echo Paul's triple emphasis that the Bible is sufficient for the minister, so that he may be complete, and thoroughly equipped for every good work. And this means that no supplemental knowledge is necessary. To assert otherwise is to deny the sufficiency of the equipment that divine inspiration insists to be sufficient.
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As I mentioned earlier, the "man of God" in verse 17 is mainly referring to Timothy as a minister or preacher, instead of a Christian in general. Of course, much of what applies to a minister will also apply to any Christian, and what is sufficient for a preacher should also be sufficient for any believer. Nevertheless, Paul is indeed addressing some pressing problems relative to Timothy's situation as a minister, and since we cannot spare time to give a full exposition, we can consider only the primary emphasis of the verse.
Note again the problems and the people that Paul has brought up so far. He mentions people who are "lovers of themselves," "lovers of money," "not lovers of the good," "lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God," and "having a form of godliness but denying its power," they are "evil men and imposters" who are "deceiving and being deceived."
Against the "terrible times" (3:1) in which Timothy must live, Paul reminds him that it would be enough if he would "continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of" since infancy. When Paul says this, he of course has in mind Timothy's ministerial duties and difficulties. Thus "the sacred writings" that Timothy has learned since he was an infant would be sufficient to sustain him, both as a Christian and as a minister, in these "terrible times." The Scripture is sufficient to sustain the minister as an individual believer, so that he would become and remain the opposite of these evil men that Paul has just described.
Then, Paul adds that by the Scripture, "the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (v. 17). Although the Scripture is certainly sufficient for an individual's sanctification, here the "good work" mainly refers to what Timothy must do as a minister. Paul is saying that the Scripture is also sufficient to equip Timothy for his ministry to other people.
Thus the Bible is not only sufficient to train and sustain the minister, but it is also sufficient to be used by the minister. Just how he ought to use the Scripture in ministry to others is a topic we will reserve for the section on the utility of Scripture (see v. 16). Right now, we will briefly consider the implications of Scripture being sufficient to equip the minister for every good work.
(to be continued)
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Parents who think that religion is too difficult or boring for children betray a fundamental ignorance of both religion and children. God declares that the biblical religion is an appropriate topic of conversation all the time. These children were expected to learn about God, Egypt, slavery, freedom, grace, power, prayer, and rituals, as well as the prohibitions against such things as homosexuality and bestiality. If taught properly from the Bible, and if taught within the framework of the whole Christian worldview, no topic is too mature for children to hear about.
As for the parents whose lives never generate religious questions from their children at all, they are most likely not Christians in the first place. They are just false converts trying to avoid acting like true believers. For if they indeed perceive religion as a matter of salvation or damnation rather than a matter of mere preference and mental well-being, then doubtless they would earnestly teach the whole counsel of God to their children, and practice the faith before them.
Now, even if the children have been properly instructed from infancy, there will come a time when the world will challenge and oppose what they have been taught. Their faith will be tested. As Paul writes in our passage, "everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted" (2 Timothy 3:12). The solution is just to "continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of" (v. 14). The Bible is sufficient to teach even infants, and if they will continue in what they have learned, it will see them through persecution and unfavorable times.
Finally, for the Bible to be sufficient to teach children also implies that extra-biblical materials are unnecessary to achieve the desired outcome. It is unnecessary to supplement dogmatic verbal instructions with cartoons, puppets, toys, and all kinds of gimmicks. The correct method is to immerse the children in biblical teachings, and enforce them with discipline.
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Against this biblical method of early dogmatic religious immersion, many professing Christians say that they prefer to wait until their children become older, so that they can study the various religions and philosophies, and then "decide for themselves." This kind of thinking, of course, has been adopted from the parenting philosophy of unbelievers, although it is never actually practiced by them. Rather, the children are immersed in their anti-biblical beliefs and values instead. And when "Christian" parents try to avoid teaching their children religion, what do these children end up learning? Whether right or wrong, biblical or anti-biblical, the children will not learn nothing until they become teenagers or adults – they will not live in spiritual suspension.
Parents withhold biblical indoctrination from their children in direct defiance against God's commands. This should be enough to condemn the neglect, which is a form of spiritual child abuse. And as mentioned above, it is often deliberately practiced, and even believed to be a superior form of parenting. So not only do they disobey God, but these parents think that they know better than he does how to love and raise their children.
This practice of withholding biblical teachings from the children betrays another problem. Just as clearly as the above, this one also calls into question the personal faith of the parents. Part of the biblical method of total religious immersion has to do with answering the children's questions about the faith of the parents. As God states in Exodus:
"Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the LORD will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, 'What does this ceremony mean to you?' then tell them, 'It is the Passover sacrifice to the LORD, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.'" Then the people bowed down and worshiped. (12:24-27; see also 13:14-16)
If the parents practice their faith at all, religious questions from children are unavoidable. Do the parents go to church, receive communion, read the Bible, make petitions to God, preach the gospel to their neighbors? If they do any of these things, then the children are going to ask about them. They will say, "What is this place? Why do we go to church? What are you reading? Can I read it? Who do you talk to when you bow your head like that? And who is this Jesus you were talking about with Uncle Bob?"
And do these parents ever exhibit an integrity that would intrigue their children? "Mother, why did you give the money back when the person at the store gave you too much change?" Or, what do these parents say when they tell their children not to lie, and they ask, "Why"? The answer will either be God-centered or man-centered. It will be based on either biblical revelation and absolute moral laws, or pragmatic concerns and mere convenience. The children will be indoctrinated one way or the other.
(to be continued)