2 Timothy 3:16, 17 - The Bible: Gods Owners Manual for Life.
2 Timothy 3:16, 17 (NLT) All Scripture is
inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is
true and to make us realize what is wrong in our
lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches
us to do what is right. 17 God uses it to
prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
COMMENTARY PEARL
Always the Same
Every day, 66 percent of evangelical
Christians are looking at Facebook, 39 percent are
looking at YouTube, and 32 percent are opening their
Bibles.
In other words, a lot of Christians
arent opening their Bibles today. Instead,
theyre looking at social media. Thats a
problem.
I remember the first time I started to
read the Bible. I couldnt believe that I had
finally found the users manual of life. I
couldnt believe how the words were so relevant to
what I was facing as a 17-year-old kid.
In fact, Ive found that the Word of
God is relevant for every phase of my life, and
you will find the same.
The Bible is the most amazing book ever
written. Its literally Gods message to us.
Technically speaking, it isnt one book. Its
actually 66 books written over a 1,500-year span by
40 writers from every walk of life: kings,
peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen,
and scholars.
Yet all of them wrote about one thing:
Gods redemption of humanity. And God inspired
every one of these individuals who wrote down the
Scriptures. The Bible says, Above all, you must
realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from
the prophets own understanding, or from human
initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy
Spirit, and they spoke from God (2 Peter 1:20-21
NLT).
So many things come and go, from trends
to musical styles. But the Word of God is
always the same, and Jesus Christ is always the
same, yesterday, today, and forever.
Its amazing to me that even though a
newspaper is outdated in a day or so, Gods Word is
always fresh and relevant to what were facing.
It never goes out of style.
The Word of God is perfect and completely
trustworthy. So we need to open it and hear what it has
to say. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
COMMENTARY
The Bible is the revelation of God to our
world The jewels buried in it are inexhaustible;
for it is the wisdom of an infinite mind.
FE444
The creative energy that called the worlds
into existence is in the word of God. This word
imparts power; it begets life. Every command is a
promise; accepted by the will, received into the
soul, it brings with it the life of the Infinite
One. It transforms the nature and re-creates the
soul in the image of God. ED126
God committed the preparation of His
divinely inspired Word to finite man. This Word
arranged into books, the Old and New Testaments, is
the guidebook to the inhabitants of a fallen
world; bequeathed to them, that by studying and
obeying the directions, not one soul would lose its
way to heaven. 7BC944
In order to arrive at truth, we must have a
sincere desire to know the truth and a willingness
of heart to obey it. And all who come in this
spirit to the study of the Bible will find abundant
evidence that it is God's word, and they may gain an
understanding of its truths that will make them wise unto
salvation. SC111
Satan comes to us with worldly honor,
wealth, and the pleasures of life. These temptations
are varied to meet people of every rank and
degree, tempting them away from God to serve
themselves more than their Creator. "All these things
will I give thee," said Satan to Christ. "All
these things will I give thee," says Satan to us.
"All this money, this land, all this power, this
honor, and these riches, will I give thee," and we
are charmed, deceived, and treacherously allured
on to our ruin. The Saviour overcame the
wily foe, showing us how we may overcome. He has
left us His example, to repel Satan with
Scripture. Letter 1a, 1872.
In His word, God has committed to men the
knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures
are to be accepted as an authoritative,
infallible revelation of His will. They are the
standard of character, the revealer of doctrines, and
the test of experience. {GC vii.1} [Remnant SB]
The Bible: Gods Owners Manual for Life
Having the right equipment is often the
difference between success and failure. To insert a
screw, a carpenter doesnt use a knife. When
youre under anesthesia, you dont want your
surgeon using a chainsaw. A climber on Mount Everest
wont use dollar store equipment.
Professionals are picky about using the
right equipment as they know it can be dangerous
if they arent.
Life can be dangerous, too, so its
essential that you use the right equipment.
One of those pieces of equipment is the
Bible. Its like Gods owners manual for
your life. Like any good owners manual, the
Bible gives you instructions and you can consult
it when you need help.
Second Timothy 3:17 says, The
scriptures are the comprehensive equipment of the man
of God and fit him fully for all branches of
his work (Phillips).
There are four simple reasons you need
the Bible:
1. To help you know God. Nature shows us
how God is powerful, creative, and organized,
and how he likes variety. But God reveals many
other things about himself through the Bible. To
know what God is like, we need the Bible.
2. To teach you the truth. In this age of
truth decay, who are you going to trust?
Politicians? Twitter? The media? Jesus says, You will
know the truth, and the truth will set you
free (John 8:32 TLB). When God speaks through the
Bible, he offers eternal truth that you can count
on.
3. To show you how to live. The Bible is
Gods big instruction book. It includes the
guidance you need to make life work.
4. To give you spiritual strength. God
will always give you the power to do what he
asks. Youll find that power in the spiritual
truth of his Word.
You never know what the day will bring
you. But whatever it is, make sure youre
equipped with the Bible, Gods owners manual for
life. [Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
Looking for Truth? Go to the Book.
The Bible holds enormous amounts of
truth. And how you approach the Bible will
determine how much you get out of it.
If you approach the Bible as a skeptic,
its going to be a closed book to you. If you
approach the Bible with reverence and humility,
youll find it opening like a flower.
Approach it with an open heart and a
willingness for God to teach you. If you do that,
youll never reach the bottom of the truth God has
placed in his Word.
We also thank God continually because,
when you received the word of God, which you
heard from us, you accepted it not as a human
word, but as it actually is, the word of God,
which is indeed at work in you who believe (1
Thessalonians 2:13 NIV).
Notice that the Bible claims to be the
Word of God. That makes it different from every
other book. Why? Because through prayer, you can
talk to its Author and ask questions anytime you
read it.
We have a lot of books in our house. And
they all are good books. But only one book is the
book.
Second Timothy 3:16-17 says, Every
part of Scripture is God-breathed and useful one
way or another"showing us truth, exposing our
rebellion, correcting our mistakes, training us to live
Gods way. Through the Word we are put together
and shaped up for the tasks God has for us
(The Message).
What does it mean for Scripture to be
God-breathed? God used humans to write down the words of
the Bible, but they came directly from him. That
sets the Bible apart from every other book.
Those verses say the Word of God is good
for four things. It shows you the truth, exposes
your rebellion, corrects your mistakes, and
teaches you to live Gods way. In other words,
Gods Word shows you the path to walk on, when you
have left the path, how to get back on the path,
and how to stay on the path.
The Bible reminds you, too, that Gods
Word will last: Heaven and earth will pass
away, but my words will never pass away
(Matthew 24:35 NIV).
When youre faced with questions of
whats true or whats right in life, go to the
Bible expecting to meet God there. Youll find
its a book like no other. [Daily Devotional by
Rick Warren: https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
Where Discernment Begins
Have you ever been gripped with fear,
anxiety, or panic? Thats when I go back to what
the Bible says. I dont need pious platitudes.
I dont need cute posts from Pinterest or
nice sayings on Instagram. I need the Word of
God. That is what will sustain me in times of
difficulty, and that is what will sustain you.
Sometimes our emotions get the best of
us. But as we know the Word of God, well
apply discernment to everything we hear, including
when people say theyre speaking for God. We
evaluate everything according to Scripture.
Everything we need to know about God is found in the
pages of the Bible.
As 2 Timothy 3:16 says, All Scripture
is inspired by God and is useful to teach us
what is true and to make us realize what is wrong
in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong
and teaches us to do what is right (NLT).
God speaks to us through the Bible, and
thats why we need to read it. Its also the
reason we need to read the Bible every day and
memorize it as well. God will never contradict what
is written in Scripture.
I bring this up because Ive had people
say crazy things to me and claim the Lord told
them those things. I dont know who theyre
listening to, but I know that God didnt say it,
because I know the Word of God. So dont tell me
the Lord told you to do something the Bible says
you shouldnt do.
Maybe Gods will isnt making sense
to you right now. Let me just say this: Never
be afraid to commit an unknown future to a
known God - a God who loves you, who is good, and
who has a plan for you that is good. [Greg
Laurie from Harvest Ministries;
https://www.harvestdaily.com]
CLOSING THOUGHT
Can we believe the Bible? How can we know
it is anything more than a collection of
sayings and stories? Can we truly believe that the
Bible is the Word of God?
There are many reasons I believe in the
Bible. Here are a few:
Composition. It was composed over sixteen
centuries by forty authors with one central theme.
Written by soldiers, shepherds, scholars, and
fishermen. Begun by Moses in lonely Arabia, finished by
John on lonely Patmos. Penned by kings in
palaces, shepherds in tents, and inmates in prisons.
Forty writers, most unknown to each
other, writing in different countries and three
different languages, separated by three times the
number of centuries since Columbus discovered
America - was it possible for these authors to
produce a book of singular theme unless behind them
there was one mind, one designer? The Bible is
remarkable in composition.
Durability. It is the single most
published book in history. The top seller for three
hundred years. Translated into twelve hundred
languages by an army of translators. Bibles have been
burned by dictators and banished from courtrooms,
but Gods Word continues. The death knell has
tolled a hundred times, but each time the grave is
opened, and Gods Word continues. The Bible is
remarkable in durability.
Prophecy. The pages of your Bible contain
more than three hundred fulfilled prophecies
about the life of Christ. A substantial biography
was written about Jesus five hundred years
before he was born. Can you imagine if the same
occurred today? Can you imagine if we found a book
written in 1900 that prophesied two world wars, a
depression, an atomic bomb, and the assassinations of
John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King? What
would we think of the book? Wouldnt we trust
it?
Applicability. Paul says the Bible is
useful for teaching, for showing people what is
wrong in their lives, for correcting faults, and
for teaching how to live right (2 Tim. 3:16
NCV). Apply the principles of stewardship to your
budget, and see if you dont get out of debt.
Apply the principles of fidelity to your
marriage, and see if you dont have a happier home.
Apply the principles of forgiveness to
your relationships, and see if you arent more
peaceful.
Apply the principles of honesty at
school, and see if you dont succeed.
Apply the Bible, and see if you dont
agree - the Bible works. [Max Lucado Daily
Devotional at maxlucado.com]
LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS PASSAGE
2 Timothy 3:15-17 - How To Use The Sword.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191216-0923.html
YOUR COMMENTS
If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or
testimony on this passage of Scripture, either
personal or otherwise, I would be interested in
hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep
uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred
Gibbs
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
Most Important Decision in Life:
http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0
A Man without Equal by Bill Bright:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo
Seeking God Made Real:
http://vimeo.com/31489782
Prayer Made Real:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE
Importance of Choice:
http://creationhealth.com/CREATION-Health/Choice [click on video]
Medical Seminar on Healthful Living by David
DeRose, MD, MPH:
https://www.smartlifestyletv.com/lifestart
LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES
Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies:
http://www.liftingupjesus.net/
Amazing Facts Bible Studies:
http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx
Hope Awakens Bible Study Guides:
https://www.hopeawakens.study/lesson-header;id=2
Glow Tract Video Bible Studies:
http://www.bibleresearch.info/
LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS
Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The
Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE
Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of
Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible
Revelation Now by Pastor Doug Batchelor:
https://www.revelationnow.com/
Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW:
https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens
Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657
