2 Timothy 3:15-17 - The Bible: Gods Owners Manual for Life.
2 Timothy 3:15-17 (NLT) You have been taught
the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they
have given you the wisdom to receive the
salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. 16
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.
INTRODUCTION
The Bible is not a collection of stories,
fables, myths, or merely human ideas about God. It
is not a human book. Through the Holy Spirit,
God revealed his person and plan to certain
believers, who wrote down his message for his people (2
Peter 1:20, 21). This process is known as
'inspiration.' The writers wrote from their own personal,
historical, and cultural contexts. Although they used
their own minds, talents, language, and style,
they wrote what God wanted them to write
Scripture is completely trustworthy because God was in
control of its writing. Its words are entirely
authoritative for our faith and lives. The Bible is
"God-breathed." Read it, and use its teachings to guide your
conduct. [Life Application SB]
COMMENTARY PEARL
I bought a plastic storage bench with
some assembly required. My older son, Pierce,
is fourteen, and Im always looking for him
to learn new skills. I briefly reviewed the
instructions with him and a buddy, gave them the
necessary tools, and stepped away, hoping they would
sort it out as part of the learning process.
Not too far into it, I heard harrumphing
and G-rated expletives. Mom, this thing is
broken! We have to send it back.
I smiled. I remembered Id read in the
instructions, Before you send this back, please call
us. Ive put together many pieces of
furniture, so I knew this was probably a case of user
error. I read the directions out loud, and the
three of us carefully walked through the steps
together. Theyd missed one. In a few minutes, the
problem was solved. Moments later, they ran into
another issue, but this time, I heard them talk
through it.
How often have I built my life in this
way? I hit a roadblock, throw my hands up in
despair, and Im ready to give up, before asking
Jesus for help. How often have I failed to review
my Bible, the ultimate instruction manual, to
determine where Id gone wrong or what to do next?
Today, that plastic bench sits on my
patio, a reminder that the perfect handyman, Jesus,
is standing by to help me assemble a life that
works. After all, He was a carpenter. Isabella
Campolattaro
Faith Step: Are you at a dead-end with a
problem you cant seem to fix? Take some time to
consult your biblical instruction manual and talk to
the Carpenter. [Mornings With Jesus 2023
Devotional by Guideposts and Zondervan]
COMMENTARY
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
The Bible is the revelation of God to our
world, telling us of the character we must have in
order to reach the paradise of God. We are to
esteem it as God's disclosure to us of eternal
things, - the things of most consequence for us to
know. By the world it is thrown aside, as if the
perusal of it were finished, but a thousand years of
research would not exhaust the hidden treasure it
contains. Eternity alone will disclose the wisdom of
this book. The jewels buried in it are
inexhaustible; for it is the wisdom of an infinite mind.
FE444
Inspiration of the Bible Writers. 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.
CTr212
CLOSING THOUGHT
The whole Bible is God's inspired Word.
Because it is inspired and trustworthy, we should
'read' it and 'apply' it to our lives. The Bible is
our standard for testing everything else that
claims to be true. It is our safeguard against
false teaching and our source of guidance for how
we should live. It is our only source of
knowledge about how we can be saved. God wants to show
you what is true and equip you to live for him.
How much time do you spend in God's Word? Read
it regularly to discover God's truth and to
become confident in your life and faith. Develop a
plan for reading the whole Bible, not just the
familiar passages In our zeal for the 'truth' of
Scripture, we must never forget its 'purpose' - to
equip us to do good. We should not study God's
Word simply to increase our knowledge or to
prepare us to win arguments. We should study the
Bible so that we will know how to do Christ's work
in the world. Our knowledge of God's Word is
not useful unless it strengthens our faith and
leads us to do good. [Life Application SB]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
2 Timothy 3:16, 17 - The Bible: Gods Owners
Manual for Life.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2023/20230618-0806.html
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210319-1124.html
2 Timothy 3:15-17 - How To Use The Sword.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2019/20191216-0923.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/
