Greg Muller1
I. INTRODUCTION
In 2 Tim 3:14–4:4, Paul instructed and encouraged his student and lieutenant Timothy to teach truth even in the midst of difficult circumstances. Much like Focused Free Grace people today, Timothy was also in the minority in his commitment to clarity as he led a group of believers in the first-century church.2 This paper will examine what can be understood about secularism and what a teacher’s response should be to the instructions that Paul gives Timothy.
We live in a day when it is popular to question the Bible’s reliability. It is stylish to doubt the Scriptures. We should not be surprised to hear people criticize the Word. In a recent article, Christian columnist Peter Heck related his interaction with an attorney working for the so-called “Freedom from Religion Foundation.”3
The attorney was a self-professed atheist and had tweeted that people should read the Bible because it is an awful, immoral book that breeds atheism. This atheist was saying that what Christians believe to be the inspired Word of God not only is not the Word of God, but will even lead you to believe that there is no God. Today it is popular to ridicule the Bible about everything from the six-day Creation, the story of Jonah, and of course the Resurrection and faith in Christ. To say that the Bible has errors or contradictions is common.
Peter Heck says that in responding to the atheist, he considered Prov 26:4-5––which itself has been pointed to as a contradiction, probably due to the difficulty in reading the KJV.4 That aside, modern translations provide more clarity. The NASB95 reads: “Do not answer a fool according to his folly, or you will also be like him. Answer a fool as his folly deserves, that he not be wise in his own eyes.” Rather than descend into an online debate with the atheist’s mockery, Heck retweeted him and said: “Evangelistic atheists encouraging people to read the Bible. Tell me God doesn’t have a great sense of humor.”5
It would be expected that an atheist would attack the veracity of the Bible. However, what is surprising and saddening is the attack on the Bible’s reliability from within Christianity. Even in more conservative theological circles, there are views such as limited inerrancy, which proposes that the Bible is true insofar as it fulfills its intended purpose. This means that a text is true if its redemptive purpose is accomplished. It can be true in this sense even if parts of the text are false.6 That is a compromised view of truth that does not make sense.
As Christians, we must be aware of the rising skepticism and take steps to insulate ourselves from the infection of doubt. The apostles in the early church depended totally and wholly on God’s Word. They did not question or doubt it.
Nowhere else in the Scriptures do we find a better explanation of the utter dependence on the Word than in 2 Tim 3:14–4:4. Through the concepts and principles he explains in 2 Timothy 3–4, Paul demonstrates a total reliance on the Bible. Timothy could have that same attitude even though he found himself in the minority in the world in which he lived.
II. BACKGROUND
To understand the situation that Timothy was facing in his ministry, we must look back at the first portion of chapter 3 to see the context of this passage. Paul presents a picture of what Timothy would experience in his ministry. A similar picture could be developed for the church and for those who hold to a literal interpretation of the Bible today. Paul pointed out two major problems and also gave Timothy two statements of counsel.
The first problem Paul mentions is that Timothy will see moral deterioration (2 Tim 3:1-4). Paul lists 19 examples of that deterioration (vv 1-4). The unbelieving world will demonstrate such characteristics, but believers can as well if they do not take heed to what the Word of God says.7 Some of those characteristics deal with what men will “love.” They will be lovers of themselves, money, and various pleasures rather than God.
The second problem Timothy will face is that he will see theological defection (vv 5-9). There will be those who hold to a form of godliness, but deny its power (v 5). The power mentioned here cannot be anything else than the Holy Spirit applying the Scriptures to produce true godliness in the lives of believers. This explains why Paul speaks of the importance of inerrant Scriptures in this section.
Paul tells Timothy that these major problems will be present in most people. “Men” (anthrōpoi) refers to mankind in general (v 2). These examples of moral deterioration and spiritual defection will be common. Most of the people whom Timothy would have to deal with will manifest these problems, both in secular and religious circles.
The first piece of advice Paul gives Timothy is that he should avoid those people who exhibit such moral deterioration (v 5). Their error will be obvious (v 9).
The second piece of advice is that even though he will be in the minority, Timothy should continue in the things he has learned (v 14). He could do so because he was already grounded in the Word.
Menō is translated as continue in nearly all English versions (KJV, NKJV, NASB, ESV, NIV, NRSV, HCSB, LEB, NET). It also has the sense of abiding, dwelling, or remaining. Timothy had learned the Scriptures from childhood. Paul was telling Timothy to be faithful. The way to do that was to continue and remain in the Word of God throughout his ministry.
For one holding the minority view amid the problems described in Chapter 3, this type of encouragement is essential. This was true for Timothy. It is also true for the believer today. Paul explains the importance of continuing. In the rest of the chapter, the apostle Paul develops the things that we should hold on to if we are to withstand and be insulated against the immoral characteristics of our day and the spiritual defection all around us.
III. FIVE REASONS TO CONTINUE IN THE SCRIPTURES
Paul gives Timothy five reasons to study and live by the things in the Scriptures.
A. Because the People Who Taught Him the Word Loved It and Lived It (2 Tim 3:14)
But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them (2 Tim 3:14).
Paul knew the people from whom Timothy had learned the Scriptures. He pointed to them as a reason to continue studying the Word of God.
Timothy had learned from his mother and grandmother,8 and we know that he also learned from the apostle Paul.9 Timothy had Paul as a spiritual example of a life that he could follow. Timothy was told that he should continue in the Word of God because the people who taught it to him had done so and Timothy saw the results in their lives. They already had a profound influence on his life.10
Paul pointed out struggles that he had gone through in his ministry. Timothy had several people in his life who had characteristics that could only be explained by the Lord’s work in them. The people Timothy learned from had a faith impacted by the Word of God.
B. Because the Word Is Powerful (2 Tim 3:15)
…and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus (2 Tim 3:15).
Paul says the Scriptures provide the knowledge of how to be saved through faith. We can speak of the salvation that knowledge of the Scriptures can bring in two ways. Eternal salvation was made possible through Christ’s death on the cross, and it is given as a free gift through faith in Christ Jesus. There is power in the Scriptures to bring a person to faith in Jesus Christ.
This power is seen in Acts 8:25-40. Phillip speaks with the Ethiopian eunuch using just a section of the prophet Isaiah. This provided the basis for the Ethiopian’s faith in Christ. For the Ethiopian, who most likely only had a portion of the OT or even just a portion of the book of Isaiah, the Scripture was the beginning of the teaching that Philip used to preach Christ.
In the immediate context, however, Paul has another salvation particularly in mind. The word “salvation” (sōtēria) is best translated deliverance. Amid the persecution Timothy would face due to the spiritual defection and moral deterioration around him, the Scriptures would provide the knowledge he needed to be victorious. The only other use of sōtēria is in 2:10, where it means deliverance from one’s enemies.11
C. Because the Word Is God-Breathed (2 Tim 3:16a)
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God… (2 Tim 3:16a).
Paul says it is wise to continue in the Word of God because of how it was produced. The Greek word theopneustos means “God-breathed.” The words in Scripture are God’s words. However, He gave us these words through human authors.
Since all Scripture is God-breathed, it is the product of God. Therefore, we can depend on it. We believed in the Word of God concerning everlasting life for all who believe in Jesus for it when we were born again (1 Pet 1:23).12 Since we can depend on God’s Word to eternally save us through Jesus Christ, it is only natural, logical, and reasonable to depend upon the Word He gave––the Word He breathed out—to deliver us from troubles we encounter after believing in Christ. Because God produced His Word, Paul instructs and encourages Timothy to continue in it.
D. Because the Word is Profitable (2 Tim 3:16b)
…and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16b).
The fourth reason Paul gives for abiding in the Word of God is found in the last part of v 16. Paul says it is profitable in four areas: doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. Timothy is reminded that Scripture is inspired and that the profitability of the text lies in that inspiration.
The Scriptures are profitable in teaching us all the truth we need to know. We should not misunderstand Paul. He is not saying to read the Bible to become a doctor and perform surgery. But if we want to know about God and our relationship with Him, how to live a life pleasing to Him in this world, how to cope in life, and how to live in relation to others and His creation, the Scriptures are profitable for knowing these things. Being in the theological minority in the midst of a secular culture, Timothy would need to abide in the Word and depend on it for the truth of doctrine as well as for instructions in righteous living.
The Scriptures are profitable for reproof. If something needs to be pointed out as sin, the Scriptures can identify it. Sin brings chaos and the wrath of God into our lives.13 The Scriptures are able to reprove us when we need it and deliver us from that wrath. That is immensely profitable.
The Scriptures are also profitable for correction. They do not just point out our sin and then leave us in guilt and despair. The Scriptures correct us. The etymology of the word epanorthōsis here is related to the root of the English word orthopedics. This word means “to set straight or to relocate.” An epanorthōsis is a restoration.14 The Scriptures are profitable for restoring us to spiritual health and training us in righteousness. Scripture gives us the pattern to follow for righteous living.
Paul instructs Timothy to continue in the Word to obtain all of that profit from the Scriptures. The church’s call today is not just to critique and analyze; we are to produce value in our vocations, personal relationships, and communities, by continuing to depend on the Word.
E. Because the Word Equips Us for Service (2 Tim 3:17)
…that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work (2 Tim 3:17).
The expression man of God only occurs twice in the NT, both in Paul’s letters to Timothy (1 Tim 6:11; 2 Tim 3:17). However, it occurs seventy-six times in the OT. It refers to prophets like Moses, Samuel, Elijah, Elisha, and Shemaiah. Paul uses the expression to indicate that Timothy was an important servant of Christ, being the delegate of the apostle to the Gentiles.
The result of remaining in the Word of God is that the man of God may be complete. This means that Paul wants Timothy to be a servant of God thoroughly equipped to do every good work. Everything that God wants you to do for Him is directed in the Scriptures. God equips through the Scriptures. This is not an overnight event; equipping takes time.
Many adults today played sports when they were growing up. In most team sports, players receive equipment to wear or use. Professionals playing in a game like the Superbowl will use the very best equipment. They will put on this equipment and use it to win because winning the game is the “work” their coaches and team owners expect of them. The Scriptures are our equipment for going out to serve the Lord.
If we are to go out, share the gospel, and lead people to Christ, the Scriptures are our equipment. If we are to face the secular moral deterioration and spiritual theological defection of our time, we need to be armed with the Scriptures. If we are to go and serve, minister, and comfort the grieving, we need to use the Scriptures as our equipment. We cannot “win” without them.
IV. HOW TO CONTINUE IN THE SCRIPTURES
What does continuing in the Scriptures look like? I would suggest four principles.
A. Abide in God’s Word
The concept of abiding in God’s Word has been discussed above. To expand on the idea, it means to be at home or live in a place.15 We might say we are comfortable in that place. A believer should be rooted in the Scripture, and feel at home with them. This should be an ongoing, or permanent state. It is being stuck in it, but in a good way.
Paul tells Timothy to abide in the Word of God because imposters who deceive and are themselves deceived will grow progressively worse. Keep practicing, keep learning, and keep performing according to the Word’s directions.
One is to maintain an unbroken relationship with the Word. Perhaps we can expand the definition of “abiding.” Some have illustrated it this way: “A stake can be put into the ground, but a tree abides in the ground.” The idea is that to abide means “to draw sustenance from, to draw life from.” That is what we are to do with God’s Word.
B. Establish the Bible in Our Minds
We need to first establish our estimation of the Scriptures and hold firm to it. We are to proclaim the Bible’s inspiration and inerrancy, understanding and believing that the Bible is God’s Word. Every word of it.
Paul tells Timothy that the Bible is true. He says that every word of it is God-breathed. To profit from the text, it is essential that a person hold to that understanding. It is the beginning of abiding in God’s Word. Paul knew that Timothy had learned the Scriptures as a child. For those who were adults when they believed, they need to establish from the start the characteristics of the Scriptures.
C. Study God’s Word
We should study God’s Word for ourselves. We can benefit from what others have taught us (2 Tim 1:5), but we must be diligent in studying the Scriptures (2 Tim 2:15). All of us have misconceptions and biases when it comes to the Scriptures. Only through our diligent study can those things be corrected and transformed. Our minds need to be renewed and constantly challenged by the truths found in God’s Word (Rom 12:1-2).16
Memorizing the Scriptures is part of studying them. Such memorization makes the Scriptures part of a Christian’s thought life. When a believer makes a choice, he should know what God’s Word says so he can make a righteous decision.
D. Use the Scriptures
We must use God’s Word. To be effective in witnessing, you need to use God’s Word. If you want to counsel someone, use God’s Word. If you want to comfort someone, use God’s Word.
V. THE MINORITY’S MISSION
The faithful servant of the Lord, who abides in God’s Word, will be in the minority. But he has a mission. In the case of Timothy, Paul discusses what the motive of that servant should be, his message, and the myths to be rejected.
A. Motive of the Minority (2 Timothy 4:1)
I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom.
Christ is going to judge the living and the dead. By referring to “the living and the dead,” Paul is probably speaking of those who are physically living and those who are physically dead. He is talking about the full scope of Christ’s judgment that includes every person (John 5:22).
Unbelievers will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment. Believers will be judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ (2 Cor 5:10; Rev 20:11-15). Unbelievers will be cast into the lake of fire because they did not believe in Jesus Christ for eternal life. Their works will determine their level of torment in the lake of fire. Believers’ works will be judged to determine their rewards in Christ’s kingdom.
Paul goes on to say that these judgments will take place when Christ appears. This refers to the Second Coming, when Christ establishes His kingdom.17 These will be solemn events. The faithful servant of the Lord has the awesome responsibility to share with those they know about these judgments. They can tell unbelievers of their need for eternal life. Believers can be told to live for the world to come.
B. Message of the Minority (2 Timothy 4:2)
Preach the Word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.
The content of our message is to be the Word. One cannot share the Word if he does not take time to learn it. The idea of a man behind a pulpit would not have even entered Timothy’s mind. The word used here speaks of a herald.18 A herald was a person sent by the king with a message from the king. He was to go into the public areas of a town and proclaim the king’s message to all the people. He was not to proclaim it mildly; he was to proclaim the king’s message with the king’s authority. Paul is telling Timothy to authoritatively deliver the message God has given. He should not deliver it as though it was his best guess, but as God’s message. It is God’s proclamation. That is how we are to proclaim the Word.
Christians should be consistent in their proclamation, always being ready whether or not the time is opportune. Paul anticipates practically every question that may arise, being ready in season and out of season––that is, anytime the opportunity presents itself whether or not it is convenient. Preach the Word anytime the opportunity is available and be ready even if you do not get the chance.
Paul gives three commands about what is to happen when the Word is preached. The servant is to reprove, rebuke, and exhort. The Word is the source for all three.
Reprove (elenchō) means to convince or to persuade.19 Paul is telling Timothy that preaching the Word means you are persuading people by convincing them that something is true.
Rebuke (epitimaō) means to correct.20 It is verbal discipline involving a warning of judgment. Rebuke is what parents do to their children when they are doing something wrong. Rebuke implies that if you don’t cut it out, you’re going to get it! Preaching the Word is a form of discipline. It is a correction.
Paul also told Timothy to exhort (parakaleō) the believers in Ephesus. The first two––convincing and correcting––dealt with the negative aspects of correction. Exhortation deals with the positive. Exhortation is a challenge to do what is right.21 Timothy was to challenge believers to continue in the right direction.
C. Avoiding the Majority’s Myths (2 Timothy 4:3–4)
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
In these verses, we see why it is difficult to abide in the Word of God. The time would come when people would not listen to sound doctrine, but having itching ears would heap up teachers who would say what they want to hear. The result would be turning away from truth to fables.
Instead of accepting the truth as truth, they now reject it and accept that which is false. This is a picture of what happened in the first century and what continues to happen to this day.
When the apostle Paul told Timothy to preach the Word, he was simply commanding him, the speaker. There is an implied directive to those who hear him as well. They should listen attentively. In this command is an implied challenge to listen and to apply the Word. Submit to the Scriptures and your life will change as God renews your mind (Rom 12:2; 2 Cor 3:18).
VI. CONCLUSION
For Timothy––a theological minority in his day––and for those of us today who hold to the minority views of Focused Free Grace and the inerrancy of Scripture, Paul’s encouragement in this text to remain in the Scriptures is essential. The foundation of teaching in the church is in danger if we think we can have an inspired Word of God without an inerrant Word of God. Paul exhorts Timothy to preach and continue in the Scripture…
- because of the spiritual example of the people from whom he first learned God’s Word
- because of the power in the Scriptures
- because of the production of the Scriptures
- because of the profit from the Scriptures
- because of the product of the Scriptures
God has provided guidance for avoiding theological defection and secular moral deterioration. He has given us the Scriptures so the believer can become a complete, equipped, and adequate servant of God.
1 This article, in a shorter form, originally appeared in Developing a Dispensational Missiology.
2 See the article by Kenneth Yates in this volume, “A Review and Analysis of The Rise and Fall of Dispensationalism by Daniel G. Hummel” (pp. 3-21). Hummel points out that dispensationalists are a minority in theological circles today. The same could be said about people who proclaim the gospel of eternal life by faith alone in Christ. I would maintain that dispensationalism, the belief in the inspiration of the Scriptures, and FG theology all place a person in the minority today. An accurate understanding of the Scriptures would lead one to dispensationalism and a FG gospel.
3 https://web.archive.org/web/20200406130645/https://disrn.com/opinion/opinion-the-babylon-bee-is-really-ticking-off-the-right-people. Accessed Feb 10, 2024.
4 https://www.gotquestions.org/Proverbs-26–4–5.html. This short article gives added details on understanding the proverb––specifically, some ideas of when it is appropriate not to answer a fool, as well as when we should consider rebuking him. Accessed Nov 8, 2023.
5 Peter Heck@peterheck.com.
6 Leslie Allen, for example, says that Jonah should not be read as historical fact, but as a parable. See, Leslie C. Allen, The Books of Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, and Mican, NICOT (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 1976), 18. See also, Tremper Longman and Raymond Dillard, An Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 444.
7 Robert N. Wilkin, “2 Timothy,” in The Grace New Testament Commentary, ed. Robert N. Wilkin (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2019), 494.
8 His grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (cf. 2 Tim 1:5).
9 “Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings…” (2 Tim 3:10–11b).
10 A. Duane Litfin, “2 Timothy,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, eds. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 750.
11 Wilkin, “2 Timothy,” 495.
12 Gary Derickson, “1 Peter,” in The Grace New Testament Commentary, ed. Robert N. Wilkin, (Denton, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2019), 576.
13 Zane C. Hodges, Romans: Deliverance from Wrath (Corinth, TX: Grace Evangelical Society, 2013), 35-36.
14 BDAG, 359.
15 Ibid., s.v. “menō,” 630.
16 Hodges, Romans, 358 (cf. footnote 1). Clearly, the will of God is found in His Word.
17 These judgments will occur after Christ returns, but will take place approximately 1,000 years apart.
18 BDAG, s.v. “kērussō,” 543.
19 BDAG, s.v. “elenchō,” 315.
20 Ibid., s.v. “epitimaō,” 384.
21 Ibid., s.v. “parakaleō,” 784.
