I preached this message on a mission trip in the summer of 2002.
Introduction: Every day, people come up with new things—new cars, new music, new clothes and fashions, new books with new ideas, new religions, new food. The world is continually changing and developing. And the more it changes, the more ideas that people come up with about life and reality and truth. Everyone seems to say something different. You could ask 100 different people the same question and possibly come up with the 100 different answers. How do you know what to believe? Who do you trust? Where can you find absolute truth? Does such a thing exist?
I would like to turn our attention today to the one thing that we have that is unchanging in a world of continual change. That is God’s holy Word. It is the source of absolute truth that God has given to us to know what is true. Without the truth that comes from it, we are like a man standing on quicksand.
Recently, my Grandmother found her mother-in-law’s old Bible and showed it to me. It had some information in the back about our family history. I found out that my great, great grandpa died here in Poland in 1900. His name was John Gonsowski. In the Bible I also found a little booklet about Holy Water. It tells of many things that Holy Water can do for someone. It can get him forgiveness of sins, help shorten a loved one’s stay in purgatory, protect from bad things happening, heal from sicknesses, and scare away the Devil. But how is one supposed to know if these things are true? Where do they come up with these ideas? What makes this opinion any more valid than mine? I bring this up just as an example of how do we know what is true and what is not.
(1) Some have suggested that truth does not exist, but to try to defend that notion is pure and utter folly. If truth did not exist, then how could it be a true statement that truth does not exist? If it is not a true statement that truth does not exist, then it must be a false one. So to claim that truth does not exist is to disprove the very statement being made. There are many other problems with such a theory, be we will not deal with them.
(2) Most admit that truth exists, but how do we know where to find it? I submit that we must go to God, because God is the source of all truth, and if we are to find truth, we must find it from Him and His revelation.
If you have your Bible, please turn to 2 Timothy 3.
In the beginning of this chapter, Paul is giving instruction with the thought of what the times were going to be like in the very near future for Timothy. There was going to be an increasing sinfulness, and because of that Timothy needed something to help him stand strong against the evil all around him. Paul points Timothy to where I would like to point you—to the Word of God. Let’s pick up in verse 13:
“But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”
In the face of the evil men who resist the truth, Paul says that we need the absolute truth of God to know what to believe and how to behave.
Because the Scripture is sufficient, you must make it your sole authority for faith and practice.
I. The Scriptures are Sufficient for Salvation (v. 15).
The Bible has everything that you need to know to be saved.
Notice what the text says in verse 15: “And that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.” In other words, all that you need to be saved is revealed in this book. It is entirely sufficient to tell a person how to be right with God and have eternal life. You don’t need my opinion or anyone else’s for that matter. God’s Word is entirely sufficient and true to tell you exactly what you need to believe and do to be saved and be right with God. It stands to reason then that if you do not do what the Bible requires for salvation then you do not have eternal life. It also stands to reason that if you have a different view that what the Bible says, then you are believing a lie. This book is truth. If you want to know how to have this salvation through Christ, you must find your answer in this book. Through away all human opinions and go to this book. It is indeed sufficient for your salvation!
II. The Scriptures are sufficient for Sanctification (vv. 16–17).
The Bible has everything that you need to know in order to live a life that pleases God.
A. The Doctrine of the Scriptures (v. 16a)
The Theology of the Scriptures: Our Creed or Belief
1. What Is Inspiration? The Meaning of Inspiration: “is given by inspiration”
The word in the original language (θεόπνευστος) literally means God-breathed.
2 Peter 1:20–21 “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
2. By Whom Is It Inspired? The Author of Inspiration: “of God”
We have already addressed this, but let me stress the point. The fact that this inspiration is by God is very significant, for the quality of the product can only be as good as the source from which it came. Because God is the source of all truth and His character is such that he cannot lie, this guarantees for us that what God produces and calls truth is most certainly that.
3. What Is Inspired? The Object of Inspiration: “scripture”
When we speak of inspiration, we refer specifically to the Bible. We have no other record of inspired truth than what we have in the Bible. Although God has spoken things other than that which we find in the Bible, He has only seen fit to record certain of those things for us. The Bible is our only source of inspired writings.
Sometimes other authors will claim that they were inspired to write a book, but the in the sense in which we are talking about inspiration (breathed out by God), only the Bible is inspired.
4. How Much Is Inspired? The Extent of Inspiration: “All”
Paul did not have to take the time to write in the word all here, but I believe he did to emphasize this very fact. From Genesis to Revelation, the entirety of Scripture has been breathed out by God, and therefore bears the quality of truthfulness, which He guarantees for us. When Jesus said, “Thy Word is truth,” we can be confident that all of what the Bible says is true is certainly true, because it is all inspired by a true God.
Many people today claim that only part of the Bible is inspired, but this simply cannot be the case if what Paul says here is true.
B. The Practicality of the Scriptures (vv. 16b-17)
The Profitability of the Scripture. (v16b)
(Illustration: Companies give guarantees on their products, but no guarantee is as good as God’s.)
And because of the preceding truth the Scripture can be said to be profitable or beneficial. Because it is God’s Word and God-breathed we are guaranteed that it will be profitable. It could be nothing less.
1. To Teach. (v16b)
The first area that the Scripture is profitable is that of teaching. The Bible first of all teaches us what is write. It lays down clearly what it is that God expects from us. It draws as it were a straight line of which we are to follow.
2. To Convict. (v16b)
The second area that the Scripture is profitable is to convict or prove that we are wrong. After the Bible lays down the standard of what is right we can see if we are in line with it or not. As we see God’s holy standard, we see clearly how we fall short of that. And before a person can change or even see his need to change, he must be shown where he is out of line.
3. To Correct. (v16b)
After the Bible shows man where he falls short of God’s standard, it then shows him how he may get right and be in line again with God’s righteous standard. Like a parent who not only tells his children when they do wrong but tries to help them do right, so the Word of God points us to restoration, not leaving us in the hopelessness of our sin.
4. To Train. (v16b)
Lastly, the Scripture is profitable to train or keep us on the right track. It instructs us on how to avoid the same sins again and how to stay in conformity to the commandments of God.
C. The Practicality of the Scriptures: Our Conduct or Behavior
This brings us to the main thrust of our study. So what if the Bible is inspired. What implication does that have for our practical Christian lives? That is what Paul is about to show us. He is again about to show the practicality and relevance of doctrine for our daily Christian experience. Here we see that it was necessary for us to establish first the inspiration of the Bible so that we would be able to have confidence in its ability to help us grow spiritually.
1. What Is Profitable? The Means of Profit: “scripture”
This point almost goes without saying, but still I think it needs to be stressed. The word scripture is the subject of two clauses. Scripture is inspired, and Scripture is profitable. In our day, there are many who do not hold to the sufficiency of the Bible to deal with man’s problems, but notice here that Paul did not say that the Scripture plus anything was profitable. If more than the Bible was needed for our spiritual growth, Paul surely would have told us.
2. How Much Is Profitable? The Extent of Its Profitability: “All”
Just as we had the statement about the fact that all Scripture is inspired, we also have the statement that all Scripture is profitable. In other words, what God has inspired is also profitable. So whether it be the minor prophets or the historical books or the New Testament letters of Paul, all of them are equally inspired and therefore profitable for our reading and study.
3. What Does Profitable Mean? The Meaning of Profitable: “and is profitable”
This word (ὠφέλιμος) means profitable, beneficial, or useful. And the idea is that God’s Word is the right tool for accomplishing the job it was intended to accomplish. For example, if you want to cut down a tree, you probably want to use a saw or an axe of some sort, probably not a spoon. What Scripture has been designed by God to do, it is certainly the best tool for the job. But what is Scripture profitable or useful to do? Paul gives us four things.
4. For What Is It Profitable?
a. “For Doctrine” – What is right
The Bible first and foremost teaches us what is right and true. The word here for doctrine simply means teaching. It is our only standard for faith and practice. It sets forth all the things that we are to believe about doctrine. And it is our only authority of what is good doctrine. That is why we have emphasized the Bible so much this week in our preaching and teaching. But not only does the Bible tell us what to believe, it also tells us how to behave. It gives us the standard by which we are to align our lives. It shows us the commands of God and how we are to live to please Him.
b. “For Reproof” – What is wrong
But the Bible, after showing us the truth which we are to believe and by which we are to behave, immediately shows us where we fall short. In other words, the Bible reveals to us our sin. The word in our text means conviction. It says to us, “You are guilty of breaking God’s law.”
c. “For Correction” – How to get right
Thankfully though the Bible does not leave us in the despair of our sin. It shows us how we can get right with God. It show us first and foremost, as we have already seen, how we as lost sinners can get right with God through the blood of Jesus Christ which he shed for us on the cross. But is also goes on the show us as Christians how we can have restoration to fellowship with God after we sin. 1 John 1:9 tells us, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” When we sin against God, we can always come to Him for cleansing and forgiveness.
d. “For Instruction in Righteousness” – How to stay right
But not only does the Bible tell us how to get right with God after we have sinned, it also tells us what to do to continue in the right path. It tells us how we can continue to live in a way that pleases God.
5. What Is The Goal of Its Profitability? (v. 17) “That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
a. To make fit (v. 17a) “That the man of God may be perfect”
b. By equipping (v. 17b) “ thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
III. The Purpose of the Scripture. (v17)
(Illustration: Just as a parent has a reason for the discipline and instruction he gives, so the Word of God has a purpose.)
The purpose for the profitability of the Scripture is to sanctify the believer and make him a mature and able believer who will be able to teach and help others.
A. To Perfect. (v17a)
The Scripture will make the man who is trained by it complete and mature. One who does not need to be taught by others, but who can himself teach and instruct others. He is not perfect in the sense of without sin, for this will not be attained by anyone in this life, but rather in the sense of mature and complete.
B. To Equip. (v17b)
The Word of God will bring the man who is instructed by it to the place where he can likewise instruct and teach others. It will equip him to have the ability to help others deal with their problems. Rather than being the counselee, he will be the counselor.
Conclusion: The Bible is the chief weapon in the hand of the man of God in which to do battle with sin and the problems of this life. One can have confidence in this Book because it is inspired and because it is profitable. Let us renew our confidence in this Book. Let us strengthen our knowledge of this book so that we can deal with problems in our own lives and be equipped to help others deal with the problems in theirs.
Having coming to this point in our studies together, we will deal with the biblical doctrine of sanctification or spiritual growth. God does not save people to leave them where they are. Matthew 1:21 says of Jesus that He came “to save His people from their sins.” A teacher of mine used to often say, “Grace never leaves a man where it finds him.” At the point when one turns from his sin and puts his trust in Christ, he is just beginning the Christian life. There are three different senses in which we can refer to salvation. First, there is the point in time salvation from the penalty of sin, which happens the second a person turns from sin and self-effort and trusts in Christ and His righteousness. Second, there is the process of being saved from the power of sin, which takes place all throughout the lifetime of being a Christian. This is what we want to discuss today. Finally, there is the ultimate salvation from the very presence of sin, which does not happen until we go to heaven in the very presence of God.
What we want to consider is how, we as believers can be saved from our sins, which is what Jesus came to save us from. Jesus answered for us this very question in John 17:17 when He prayed to His Father, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” The Bible, God’s Word of truth is the means whereby we can grow in our Christian life. Without it there will be no growth, no progress in our struggle against sin.
First and foremost, the Bible is a book about God. It is not so much a book of rules, but a book about God. We should read the Bible then, first and foremost as a way to get to know God. The Christian life is about a relationship with God through His Son Jesus Christ.
There are numerous passages that we could look at to learn many things about the Bible’s role in our spiritual growth. For example, the Bible is called food, for it gives us spiritual nourishment; light, for it gives direction to our lives; and a sword, for it is our weapon to do battle with the world, the devil, and our flesh. But for lack of time, we want to narrow our studies to one main passage, using a couple other passages as support.
2 Timothy 3:10–17 “But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, charity, patience, Persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra; what persecutions I endured: but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
For our purposes today, we want to focus especially on the last three or four verses.
III. The Inspiration of the Scriptures: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God”
IV. The Profitability of the Scriptures: “and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
Conclusion: