2 Timothy 3:16-17
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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
We arrive again at two verses that significantly shape our understanding of the nature of Scripture. We’ve referenced these verses in nearly every characteristic of Scripture we’ve explored the last three years, and for good reason. They are rich with clear teaching on what the Bible is, how we got it, and what it does. First we discover its source. The Bible comes from God. It is theopneustos: God-breathed. The words are His, and they bear His truthfulness and His authority. These are no ordinary writings; these are divine.
The Bible’s usefulness is also clearly delineated in these verses. It is profitable. It accomplishes a good purpose. Four purposes, actually. It is profitable for doctrine. It is profitable for reproof. It is profitable for correction. And it is profitable for training in righteousness.
Let’s unpack each of those a little more. The Bible is profitable for doctrine. That means it is a useful source for knowing truth. The original Greek word means “teaching,” carrying both the idea of the act of teaching and of the thing that is being taught. From the former we understand that the Bible is a capable teacher. It explains the truth in a way that is comprehensible to even the simplest reader. It is an apt communicator of biblical doctrine. But it also contains right doctrine. It is thus not only the teacher but is the textbook too. By knowing it, we know the truth.
The Bible is also profitable for reproof. The Greek word here translated “reproof” has a more positive sense than we get from the English. “Reproof” is tilted negative, emphasizing calling out wrong. It’s not a word we usually feel good about, mainly because we remember the unpleasant times when we’ve been reproved. In contrast, the Greek implies a positive emphasis rather than negative. The word tells us that the Bible reveals what is good. Scripture is the rule, the absolute, the standard of everything right and good by which all else can be weighed. But by this very attribute it is also corrective. The Bible declares what is right. When we are exposed to it, our unrighteousness is revealed in contrast to true righteousness, and we are reproved.
But it doesn’t just condemn our sin. It leads us toward what is right, as seen in the next term, “correction.” A good doctor does not just diagnose a broken finger; he sets it straight. He corrects it so it can heal as it should. Scripture does not just diagnose a broken heart; it corrects it. Correction is here used redemptively, emphasizing leading someone into righteousness. To be reproved is to have wrongs revealed. To be corrected is to be pointed toward what is good and true. When we experience the correction of the Word, we are shown how to live as God has called us.
In general biblical terms, this twofold work of the Word is expressed in the command to both put off the old man and put on the new. Paul lays out in greater detail what putting off and putting on look like in Ephesians 4:25-31. Here are a few samples:
- Putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor.”
- Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need.
- Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.
- Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.
These exemplify the description in 2 Timothy 3:16—Scripture reproves and corrects. Sin is condemned and righteousness is shown. The one who reads this Word and submits himself to it will be both freed from unrighteousness and led in holiness.
Fourth and finally, we learn that Scripture is profitable for instruction in righteousness. In this the end goal of biblical instruction is specifically declared. The Bible does not reprove and correct toward athletics, or good business practice, or the sciences, or good housekeeping, or property management. The central purpose of its work on its readers is that they be trained in righteousness. “Training” definitely parallels the teaching aspect also present in “doctrine,” though with a different emphasis. While “doctrine” focuses on shaping our mindset, “training in righteousness” focuses on shaping our behavior. Its purpose in training us in righteousness is that our lives would reflect Christ, that our actions, our works, follow His. Scripture equips us for right obedience.
I’d like to circle two complementary pairs within these four truths. First, between “doctrine” and “training in righteousness.” As we’ve just discussed, the Bible serves both to inform our beliefs and direct our behavior. It is concerned with what we think and how we live. By exposure to the Word our thoughts about God are increasingly more accurate, and our lives are increasingly more godly. “Doctrine” and “training in righteousness” together describe all of the Christian experience, both inward and outward. They emphasize the result of Scripture’s work in the believer.
The second pair is between “reproof” and “correction.” The term “reproof” describes Scripture’s work to lead us away from sin; “correction” describes how it leads us toward godliness. And so Scripture both purges the wrong and propagates the right. This pair describes exactly what Scripture does to lead us into righteousness.
And I believe there’s one more connection to be made between these pairs. I believe “reproof” and “correction” apply to both members of the first pair. That is, Scripture works both to expunge false doctrine and to promote true doctrine. It also works both to reveal sinful behaviors and to encourage godly behaviors. Reproof and correction are integral to Scripture’s work of teaching doctrine and training in righteousness.
What does all this have to do with sufficiency, you ask? I’m glad you asked. These various facets of Scripture’s sanctifying work culminate in the end of these verses. Right belief and right behavior result from Scripture’s work, but to what extent? Are they useful, but insufficient? Paul, through the Spirit, says that all these profitable purposes of Scripture have one central goal—to equip Christians. In fact, he says that through Scripture, the man of God can be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Don’t miss the emphasis here. Complete. Thoroughly equipped. Every good work. God doesn’t leave loopholes. This triple emphasis is huge in our understanding of Scripture’s sufficiency. Paul first says that Scripture is able to make us complete. Older translations use the word “perfect.” The term means that we are everything we ought to be, not lacking in any essential thing.
Continuing, Paul also says that we are “thoroughly equipped” through Scripture. Some translations leave off the “thoroughly,” but the idea of completeness is carried in the original language. It means God through Scripture provides us with all the tools we need to face every circumstance we might encounter. That doesn’t mean Scripture speaks directly to every issue, else we would need a book several yards thick. Rather, the principles of Scripture thoroughly prepare us to handle any circumstance, answer any criticism, and deal with any problem.
Third is the phrase “every good work.” “Every” is, like the previous terms, comprehensive. Interestingly, the word translated “every” is the same as the word translated “all” at the very beginning of verse 16. And it means exactly that: All good works. “Good” means upright and honorable, and “works” speaks of anything that can be done. “Every good work” describes all the possible things that can be done that are good, upright, and honorable before God. It includes anything that can be considered truly good before God. All these things can be known through God’s Word.
Finally, notice the condition placed on who may be made complete by the Word. Not all people, not all mankind, but only those who have been redeemed to God through Christ. The man of God is complete. This reality can only be experienced by the born-again believer. Can a non-Christian learn from Scripture? Absolutely. Can he benefit from reading it? Yes, to a point. But can he be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work? Not without the Spirit’s help. The phrase “man of God” brings with it the weight of the rest of Scripture’s teachings on salvation. Only the believer is filled with the Spirit. If we couple this realization with our understanding of illumination (that we cannot properly understand Scripture without the Spirit’s help), then we know that Scripture is capable of effecting full change only as it is wielded by the Spirit. “Man of God” then conditions our understanding. But it also strengthens it, for we know that any believer can, by the Spirit and the Word, be fully equipped to live a life that pleases God.