God’s Guarantee to Us
One of the many Scriptures Sunday school teachers encourage their students to memorize is 2 Timothy 3:16. It is God’s guarantee to us that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”
The men who penned the Bible did not merely decide to sit down and write about God. Nothing they wrote came by their own initiative or will. They were instruments of the Holy Spirit, and we can trust the Bible to be God’s Holy Word.
“All Scripture” means every word was inspired by God. The word inspiration is the Greek word Theopneustos (Theos, meaning “God,” and pneu meaning “breath”). Therefore, inspiration means God breathed out the Scriptures.
The apostle Peter wrote, “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21). God chose the writers and used their personalities, individual characteristics, and literary styles to pen His God-breathed Word without error. The Holy Spirit guarantees Scripture’s infallibility in all matters it touches.
Jesus affirmed Scripture’s inspiration, inerrancy, and accuracy when He said, “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled” (Mt. 5:18).
The apostle Paul called Scripture “profitable,” meaning useful and sufficient “for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16). Scripture can mold our lives through the following:
→ DOCTRINE. The word doctrine (Greek, didaskalia) means “teaching.” The Bible gives all believers what we need for salvation and the Christian life.
→ REPROOF. Scripture is God’s truth (Jn. 17:17). It exposes false teachers, refutes apostates, rebukes sin, and teaches us how to live in obedience to God every day (Heb. 4:12).
→ CORRECTION. Because Scripture helps us discern truth from error, it corrects us when we stray from God’s path or behave unbiblically. It shows us how to walk in righteousness and how to put our lives back in order when we sin.
→ INSTRUCTION IN RIGHTEOUSNESS. Since all Scripture is the verbal, inerrant, and infallible Word of God, it should be used to instruct, train, and discipline believers in holy living. This is especially true when it comes to bringing up children.
The apostle Paul concluded this section by giving us a reason for studying Scripture: “That the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17).
