Wednesday Devo
Scripture:
2 Timothy 14-17
14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
14 But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. 15 You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
Commentary:
3:15 to make you wise for salvation. Scripture can lead to the “knowledge of the truth” (2:25; 1 Tim. 2:4). It has the power to bring its readers to faith (cf. James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23). This is in direct contrast to the false teaching which, as stated throughout the letter, leads only to useless disputes and ungodliness.
3:16 All Scripture would refer first to the OT but by implication also to at least some NT writings, which by this time were already being considered as Scripture (see 1 Tim. 5:18; 2 Pet. 3:15–16). Breathed out by God translates a Greek word (theopneustos) that does not occur in any other Greek text (biblical or otherwise) prior to this letter. Some therefore suggest that Paul coined this term from words meaning “God” and “breathed,” which is certainly possible. The term stresses the divine origin and thus the authority of Scripture. Paul does not point to the human authors of Scripture as inspired people but says that the writings themselves (“Scripture,” Gk. graphē, “writing,” which in the NT always refers to biblical writings) are the words spoken (“breathed out”) by God. Whereas it seems that Paul and Timothy’s opponents stressed certain aspects or portions of Scripture (e.g., genealogies, 1 Tim. 1:4; cf. Titus 3:9), Paul stresses the authoritativeness of all of Scripture. The divine origin of Scripture is the reason for its power to convert (2 Tim. 3:15) and its usefulness in training (v. 17). Because Scripture comes from God himself, “all” of it is profitable in a range of ways, ultimately leading to righteousness.
3:16 All Scripture would refer first to the OT but by implication also to at least some NT writings, which by this time were already being considered as Scripture (see 1 Tim. 5:18; 2 Pet. 3:15–16). Breathed out by God translates a Greek word (theopneustos) that does not occur in any other Greek text (biblical or otherwise) prior to this letter. Some therefore suggest that Paul coined this term from words meaning “God” and “breathed,” which is certainly possible. The term stresses the divine origin and thus the authority of Scripture. Paul does not point to the human authors of Scripture as inspired people but says that the writings themselves (“Scripture,” Gk. graphē, “writing,” which in the NT always refers to biblical writings) are the words spoken (“breathed out”) by God. Whereas it seems that Paul and Timothy’s opponents stressed certain aspects or portions of Scripture (e.g., genealogies, 1 Tim. 1:4; cf. Titus 3:9), Paul stresses the authoritativeness of all of Scripture. The divine origin of Scripture is the reason for its power to convert (2 Tim. 3:15) and its usefulness in training (v. 17). Because Scripture comes from God himself, “all” of it is profitable in a range of ways, ultimately leading to righteousness.
Questions:
- It is a fact that we are all wrong about something. We just don't know it yet. So how do we know when we're in error? How do we know when we have a wrong opinion or belief? We can take cue from the banking industry. They don't train people to spot counterfeit money by having them study counterfeit money. They make sure they only handle the real deal. When all they handle every day is real currency, it makes the counterfeit stand out. They will notice if something feels or looks a little off. In much the same way, we must look to the truth of God's Word to know where and when we need correction. Have you ever considered that you might have beliefs that don't line up with the Truth? When was the last time you turned to the Bible to learn how to feel about or respond to a given situation or issue?
- The first challenge from Sunday was to seek the truth. Whatever the question is, the Bible should be where we go to find the answer. We must ask ourselves, "What does the Bible say? What do the verses actually mean?" We need to not only READ scripture, but STUDY it. Brandon shared Skip Heitzig's 5 rules of scripture study. Every scripture must be interpreted according to the original context and purpose, according to the original meanings of the words in the sentence, according to the grammar of the sentence, in light of the historical background, customs and culture, and in light of similar verses elsewhere in scripture. There are many commentaries online that can further help you accomplish these things. Have you ever studied scripture in this way? Do your scripture study habits need a kick in the pants?
Pray:
- That you would turn to the Truth to make sure you line up with it.
- That God would give you a hunger for studying his Word.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
4. Can a person be good enough to go to heaven? No. Because Jesus rose from the dead proving He is God, I believe a person is saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone.
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
(John 1:12, 14:6; Acts 4:12; Romans 4:1-25, 5:1-2, 6-11, 6:23, 10:1-4, 10:9; Galatians 3:26; Ephesians 2:1-9; 1 Timothy 2:5-6; Titus 3:4-7)
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