2 Timothy 3:16-17 – All Scripture Is Given by Inspiration of God | KJV
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
— 2 Timothy 3:16-17 KJVSecond Timothy 3:16-17 is the foundational statement of biblical inspiration and sufficiency in all of Scripture — and it comes in the context of the last days, as a light shining in the darkness of the perilous times Paul describes in verses 1-13.
The Greek word behind 'given by inspiration of God' is theopneustos — God-breathed. As God breathed the breath of life into Adam (Genesis 2:7) and Adam became a living soul, God breathed His own nature into the words of Scripture and they became the living Word. The breath of God is the identifying characteristic of every word of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation — not some portions, not the doctrinal sections only, not the historically reliable parts. 'All scripture' — every word in its entirety — is God-breathed.
The four-fold profitability of Scripture covers the complete scope of the Christian life: doctrine tells us what to believe — the framework of truth that structures our entire worldview. Reproof tells us what is wrong — where our thinking, our living, or our relationships have deviated from the truth. Correction tells us how to get right — not merely identifying the problem but providing the remedy. Instruction in righteousness tells us how to stay right — the ongoing formation of character and conduct that comes from sustained engagement with the Word. These four functions together form a complete program of spiritual formation.
The conclusion is decisive: 'that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto ALL good works.' The word 'perfect' (artios) means complete, fully equipped, lacking nothing. 'Throughly furnished' (exērtismenos) means fully outfitted, supplied with everything necessary. The inspired, rightly divided Word of God is sufficient — nothing needs to be added, nothing is missing. No human tradition, no ecclesiastical authority, no contemporary revelation supplements what God has already fully provided in His written Word. This is why 2 Timothy 2:15 — rightly dividing the word of truth — is the essential skill: the sufficient Word must be rightly handled to be fully effective.
Paul writes these verses in the context of his charge to Timothy to continue in the things he has learned (verse 14) and to know from whom he learned them (verse 14) — from Paul and from the Holy Scriptures (verse 15), which are able to make one wise unto salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. The chain is clear: inspired Word — correctly handled — produces salvation and complete equipping for every good work. The Word is the means; right division is the method; complete equipping is the result.
Commit to the sufficiency of Scripture. Resist the cultural pressure to supplement the Word with human wisdom, psychological frameworks, or contemporary spiritual experience as the governing authority for faith and practice. Open the Word every day. Trust it. Apply it. Let it reprove and correct and instruct. It is God-breathed. It is sufficient. It is alive and powerful (Hebrews 4:12).
All Scripture is God-breathed. Every word. Profitable for everything you need. Sufficient to make you complete and fully equipped for every good work God has prepared for you. Study to shew thyself approved — the Word you are studying is God's own breath on the page. Treat it accordingly. Amen.
Watch the Full Teaching
▶ @ohhenry6524 on YouTubeNew videos daily · 7AM · 12PM · 4PM · 8PM KST
Read all Week 3-4 posts |
rightlydividingkjv.github.io
Comments
Post a Comment