2 Timothy 3:16

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is inspired

2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

All Scripture is inspired by God
1. Inspired by God, not man.
  1. God chose to work through the agency of His people.
2. Not a committee, not casting beads.
  1. There is a committee called the Jesus seminar. It is supposed to be full of scholars. They cast beads to determine which of the sayings of Jesus are authentic. Such foolishness.
3. Inspiration is from God's heart and His mind to the writers.
  1. "Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Matt. 12:34).
  2. Because it comes from God it cannot be anything else except pure, accurate, truthful, helpful, etc.
4. Man has attempted his own form of inspired Scripture.
  1. Christian Science: "Mind is the source of all movement, and there is no inertia to retard or check its perpetual and harmonious action. Mind is the same Life, Love, and wisdom "yesterday, and today, and forever." Matter and its effect--sin, sickness, and death--are states of mortal mind which act, react, and then come to a stop. They are not facts of Mind. They are not ideas, but illusions. Principle is absolute. It admits of no error, but rests upon understanding" (Science and Health p. 283).
  2. Mormonism: "And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the pointers which were in the ball, that they did work according to the faith and diligence and heed which we did give unto them" (1 Nephi 16:28).
    1. "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do (2 Nephi 25:23).
  3. Krishna: "One who works in devotion, who is pure soul, and who controls his mind and senses is dear to everyone, and everyone is dear to him. Though always working, such a man is never entangled," (Bhagavad-Gita, p. 281).
5. These words of men are neither accurate nor truthful. Therefore, they are not to be trusted.
The Word of God is inspired so that you might trust it to be accurate when you...
1. TEACH
  1. To teach you must know what is right.
  2. You can't teach if you don't know what is right.
  3. Therefore you must study.
    1. Read the Bible on your own, attend church, fellowship with other believers, attend Bible study, have devotions, pray, etc.
    2. Learn about the Trinity, the deity of Christ, the resurrection, salvation by grace, the consequence of sin, hell, heaven, the return of Christ, etc.
2. The Word of God is inspired so that you might trust it and be accurate when you...REBUKE
  1. To rebuke means that scold and correct in a sharp way.
  2. To urge someone to stop sinning:
    1. believer
      1. Perhaps a Christian is in sin. You are to warn him.
      2. Rebuked at a Kenneth Copeland convention.
    2. unbeliever
      1. Perhaps an unbeliever is not aware of his sin; therefore, you offer correction, warning, or admonition.
        
        i.e., Anti Abortion rally
3. The Word of God is inspired so that you might trust it and be accurate when you...CORRECT
  1. To correct here means to restore to an upright or right state with the improvement of life or character.
  2. You can correct erring doctrines or understanding or even bad interpretations of scripture
  3. You can even correct yourselves when you examine the Word and discover any errors you may have in understanding or practice.
    1. Christian Research Institute is involved with that
    2. Spiritual Counterfeits Project is too.
4. The Word of God is inspired so that you might trust it and be accurate when you...TRAIN IN RIGHTEOUSNESS.
  1. This includes the training and education of children.
    1. My wife and I are raising up Rachael in a biblical Child rearing program.
  2. This includes the cultivation of mind and morals.
    1. As saved sinners, we are in constant need of training. We must hear the Word, study it, and apply it.
    2. Training implies that it is something that is done over and over with the aim at improvement.
5. These four things: Teaching, Correcting, Rebuking, and Training in Righteousness are each outward as well as inward. We are active in each of them.
The inspired Word of God is there for you also, so that you might be able to do Good Works.
1. It is part of the calling: To do Good.
  1. Before being a Christian, you could not do good.
  2. Now you can do good. "For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life" (1 Thess. 4:7).
2. It is only because of the Cross of Christ, because of His shed blood that you even attempt to do anything that is good.
  1. You do good to glorify Jesus, not simply for the sake of doing good.
3. Examples of doing good:
  1. Feeding the poor; visiting the sick; praying for those who are lost, hurting, or in need; baking cookies for Bible study; visiting prisoners; taking care of widows; supporting a church; taking food to a sick person; sending cards when someone has suffered a loss, etc.
    1. "For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do" (Ephesians 2:10).
4. Good works are a manifestation of what you know and believe.
  1. That is why the Scriptures are there to Teach, Correct, Rebuke, and Train. The Word of God is your guide to that which is right, pure, holy, and truthful.
  2. So that you might believe that which is true, not false, and in truth, accurately do that which is pleasing in the sight of God, to His glory.
5. There is no other source of inspiration on earth.

Conclusion:
God has given you the inspired Bible so that you will be able to accurately know that which is good, true, and holy. So that you might know the mind and will of God. So that you might teach, Correct, Rebuke, and Train in Righteousness...and this so that your work might be good in the sight of God.