2 Timothy 3:14-17
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is 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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is 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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Unlike spiritual masqueraders who do not pursue knowing and following Christ, we are commanded along with Timothy here to hold fast to the faith and facts of the scriptures we have learned. The certainty of the truth of the gospel has come to us by God’s word through faithful men down through the ages, and some of us may even have grown up hearing these. We know the scriptures give wisdom to bring us to God’s work of faith to salvation in Christ alone and not our own efforts and accomplishments (2 Timothy 1:9). Knowing we are undeserving sinners saved by grace alone humbles us, but also points us to what we cannot let go of, so we continue in the things we have learned that bring salvation from sin and our just due. These scriptures from Genesis to the Revelation all are the words breathed out by God; just as He breathed life into the first man Adam, so this breath gave us new life as if recreated or reborn. All God’s words are breaths of life recorded in the Bible, and are living and powerful to change and sustain. The words of God give great gain in teaching us for conformity to Christ, they alert us to error and put us back on course, and they teach us constantly how to righteously live the Law placed into our hearts and guarded by the Holy Spirit. These all make us mature and give us everything that we need to do the good works prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10) before we were conceived (Psalm 139:16, Ephesians 1:4-5).
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