2 Timothy 3:13-17

 

2 Tim 3:13 (KJB)

But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived.

 

Evil - Wicked

Seducers - Imposters, wizards, or enchanters

Worse - More severe or a worse evil

 

This verse is not necessarily speaking of a certain time in history but is giving the ongoing plight of the unsaved person who is steeped in false teachings. If they do not become saved, they will descend further into the black pit of false teachings. They will not only deceive others with their false teachings, but they themselves will become deceived as they continue to build on their false teachings. In the church today, there are many unbelievers who portray themselves to be saved and are bringing in damnable heresies into the churches. One is the Emerging Church Movement which combines esoteric teachings of mystics with the true Gospel. In essence, they are trying to combine the pure teachings of the Bible and the teachings of Satanism in a mystical form and many are buying into it. If the false teachers would be rebuked rather than being given a forum to spew their evil works, they would disappear and would not be a threat to the community of believers but the problem is that many pastors allow these frauds the opportunity to speak. The other side of the coin is that Christians themselves will entertain these frauds on TV and allow them to come into the home. It is interesting that God uses a word which can be understood as wizards or enchanters when describing the false teachers as seducers. Wizards and enchanters both have to do with the kingdom of Satan plus we see them on TV and in many books such as Harry Potter. Many Christians have purchased Harry Potter Books and see nothing wrong with them. Their eyes have been blinded to truth.

 

2 Tim 3:14 (KJB)

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

 

Continue - Abide

Hast been assured of - Make faithful or feel confidence

 

Paul starts out this sentence with a conjunction contrasting the false teachers and their evil. Paul commands Timothy to continue or abide in the truths of the teachings which he has learned which are the pure teachings of the Scriptures. The false teachers and their false teachings must never be entertained in any way by true Christians. Not only do the true teachings give the true believers confidence that they are walking in the truth, it manifests itself into faithful works and faithful teachings. True salvation coupled with true teachings gives the believer the assurance of salvation. Paul then reminds Timothy that in his upbringing, he had a godly mother and godly grandmother who set him right concerning the Scriptures. Then Paul was also instrumental in Timothy’s learning as he was able to see Paul in his ministry and was able to learn from him. Then, of course, every true believer has the Holy Spirit indwelling them and He guides us into all truth and we are then able to discern between the false and the true teachings. This is why it is so important for us to maintain a good testimony to younger Christians so they will have a role model and would want to imitate the true Christian lifestyle. (1 Cor 11:1 KJV) Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ. Paul had instructed the Corinthians to follow him as he followed Christ. Paul was a portal testimony in that those who followed him were also following Christ. Paul did not lead a soft Christian life like many in the media ministry do today.

 

2 Tim 3:15 (KJB)

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.

 

Paul reminds Timothy that he has known the Scriptures from a child which means Timothy had a good grounding in the Scriptures for many years. So it should have been very hard to divert or derail Timothy from the truth. Yet, it does not matter to a false teacher how long one has been saved because they will do what they can to derail any Christian. The word child in the Greek can also mean “unborn child or infant.” This means that Timothy was raised from a very early age in the Scriptures. He then goes on to state that the Scriptures are able to make one wise unto salvation. The word “able” carries with it the idea of a permanent, enduring quality. The Scriptures Timothy would have had access to as a young believer would have been the Hebrew Scriptures where the teachings of the Messiah were prevalent. They would then look at the life of Jesus and compare it to what was written in the Hebrew Scriptures and that would be enough at that time to reveal Christ as the Messiah and Savior. Adding to this, there would have been much teaching concerning grace which brings salvation in Christ. Timothy would probably have been a young lad around the time of the first Pentecost. With three thousand being saved that first day, someone no doubt brought the Gospel to Timothy’s grandmother or mother and then the whole family became saved.

 

2 Tim 3:16 (KJB)

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

 

Inspiration of God - The word is used only once in the New Testament. This means that the original manuscripts which God gave, both in the Hebrew Scriptures and the Greek Scriptures were inspired by God as the Holy Ghost gave the Scriptures to chosen vessels who wrote them down. (2 Pet 1:21 KJV) 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. They not only spoke the word of God, it was written down by them or an amanuensis. Once the original manuscripts were completed with the book of Revelation, revelation had ended and now God would preserve the inspired word so future generations would have access to the same words which were written by the old prophets and apostles. Now for us to understand the Scriptures, God illuminates them through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  This is why we say "the inspired word of God" because they are living Scriptures, even in the English of our King James Bible.

 

Profitable for Doctrine - Since the Scriptures came directly from God through the Holy Spirit, they are absolutely profitable or beneficial for the establishing of true doctrine and the teaching of those doctrines. Doctrines are simply teachings which emanate from a certain source and in this case they come from the Bible. We have doctrines such as the doctrine of God, Jesus Christ, last things, angels, etc. Every one of these doctrines, and there are many more, are profitable for the Christian to learn and to understand and then to teach to others. Unlike the works of man which are highly subjective to the author, the Bible is totally objective in its teachings and is not a respecter of persons. God has given us the total picture of both the unsaved and the saved, and their final destinations. Would a human author give us such details such as King David’s sin with Bathsheba or name names such as Demas or Alexander the Coppersmith? I don’t think so. We can be sure that when we learn bible doctrine, we are learning from God Himself.

 

For Reproof - This word carries with it the meaning of conviction or proof of that conviction. Whenever or wherever the word of God is preached, it always works in the hearts of man convicting them of sin. Man’s works may make us feel bad but the word of God actually convicts our hearts. (2 Cor 7:10 KJV) For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death. This why the Bible is the only material from which we need to preach from or write from because the words of God, as preserved in our King James Bible, has the power to convict a person of their sin and once conviction occurs, the next move on God’s part is salvation. It is always God who works conviction in the heart of the Elect. In the old days, when people heard a true preacher proclaim “Thus Saith The Lord” they became frightened because there was conviction by the word of God and fear of judgment had followed.

 

For Correction - The word “correction” in the Greek carries with it the idea of “rectification or straightening up again.” Not only does the word of God convict a sinner of sin, but it corrects the true believer so they will have a better understanding of what is in view. The Scriptures help fine tune our understanding of doctrines. If we hold an erroneous view on something because we have taken the word or writing of an individual, the Bible can help correct or straighten out our understanding. I remember as a young Christian, I went to the Christian bookstore many times as I was buying many books on pre-millennialism. A few years later, I saw the error of pre-millennialism and had gotten rid of all those books. Once I rid myself of that influence, the Holy Spirit began to start teaching me the truth about eschatology. The straight scriptures corrected my understanding. So the Bible not only convicts strongly but also offers gentle correction.

 

Instruction in Righteousness - The word “instruction” carries with it the idea of “training or discipline.” The word of God gives the believer their priorities in life and helps build disciplines in their life to achieve the goals of those priorities. The number one priority for the believer is to evangelize with the word of God. If we want to evangelize, one of the disciplines we must build into our lives is the proper handling of money. If we tend to squander what the Lord has given us, then we need to study the Scriptures concerning the right way to handle money so we are able to have money to buy tracts and Bibles to evangelize. If we tend to squander time, then we need to study the Scriptures on how to have a wiser use of time. When we read the lives of Paul and others, we see the unwavering dedication to the Lord. Once thing the Bible helps us to do is to gradually turn ourselves from the things of the world to the things of God. The Bible also helps us to turn from the sinful things of the world such as drinking, smoking or even lottery playing to see that these things do not fit into the Christian testimony.

 

2 Tim 3:17 (KJB)

That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

 

Perfect - Complete or capable

Throughly furnished - Fully equipped or completely furnished

 

The five uses of the Scriptures which we just looked at in verse 16 will make the man of God absolutely complete or capable to take on the ministry of the word. The word of God fully or completely equips the believer for any phase of ministry. Whenever the word of God is employed in a situation and that situation turns around to the glory of God, it is considered a good work. It is the Scriptures which completes a Christian for the task of ministry and not the works of man or even a seminary degree. (Eph 2:10 KJV) For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. The good works we do is always associated with the works found in the word of God. When we preach and a person is saved, it is a good work. When a Christian is corrected from a false teaching, it is a good work. When a Christian learns disciplines, it is a good work. The Bible throughly furnishes a person for ministry and also for personal correction and understanding. The Bible is the only tool which the believer needs for complete ministry. There is no area in ministry or life in general that the Bible does not address.

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