Daily Bible Nugget #298, 2 Timothy 3:16

The Nugget:

2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:

My Comment:

The Bible itself declares and teaches that it is understandable or perspicuous. The perspicuity of Scripture is proven because the Scriptures are profitable. The Scriptures would hardly be profitable if they could not be understood!

This does not mean that every verse or passage in the Bible is equally understandable to all readers or students. The subject matter likely to be the most important for every Bible reader, such as basic salvation issues, is surely most clear.

If the Bible is so clear, then why do not all Bible readers see the Bible alike? The Bible declares that there must be heresies as a test to sort out who really believes God and His written Word and who does not (1 Corinthians 11:19).

I have taken the effort here to provide accurate teaching from the Bible, using the Bible itself as much as possible to demonstrate what the Bible teaches. You will notice I have made much use of cross references.

Cross references are essential to Bible study. The Bible does not teach about a subject systematically all in one place. To discover what the Bible teaches, you must take into account all that the Bible says about a subject or doctrine you are studying. A concordance can be used to track down many of the other places where a subject is mentioned, but you will miss many important passages about a subject if you only use a concordance. The carefully selected cross references I have shared here lead to many other passages of Scripture on the same theme which express the subject using different words.

People who have not studied the Bible using cross references cannot begin to imagine the many rich teachings they have missed by not consulting cross references carefully.

Reading the Bible through, and reading the Bible over, even over and over, are good things to do. But just reading the Bible is not the same as Bible study.

People, churches, denominations, and religious organizations that think they have the correct view about what the Bible teaches are actually quite mistaken because they have not done their homework thoroughly enough. That is a big part of why there are those disconcerting differences of opinion about what the Bible teaches. Those differences could be greatly reduced if everyone would subject their preferred understanding against what the Bible itself teaches. If more of us would make the Bible our final authority in matters of doctrine and practice, there could and would be more unity in the body of Christ.

The first proof of the doctrine of the perspicuity of Scripture is that the Bible is understandable even to a child (2 Timothy 3:15). The second proof of the doctrine of perspicuity is that the Bible is profitable (2 Timothy 3:16). No matter what others may claim, the Bible declares it is profitable, and that demonstrates the Bible must be understandable for it to be so.

For those who desire to DIG DEEPER into this subject:

(1) Consult the cross references given in Nelson’s Cross Reference Guide to the Bible on page 1414 for 2 Timothy 3:16.

(2) Consult the cross references given in The New Treasury of Scripture Knowledge on page 1434 or in Logos 5 Bible software for 2 Timothy 3:16.

(3) Lacking access to those two resources, consult the cross references for this passage as I have developed them as given below:

2 Timothy 3:16. All scripture. Each of the NT writings as we have them today were recognized as divinely inspired and authoritative by the original recipients; the canon of the NT did not await the decisions of the Council of Hippo, 393 AD and of Carthage, 397 AD. These Councils did not determine Canonicity but merely affirmed what had already been recognized since the last book, the Book of Revelation, was written. Thus the Roman Catholic Church did not give us either the Bible or the NT. *2 S 23:2. Ps 102:18. +*Ps 119:160. Mt 21:42. 22:31, 32, 43. 26:54, 56. *Mk 12:24, 36. *Jn 10:35. Ac 1:16. 28:25. Ro 3:2. +**Ro 15:4. Ga 3:8. **1 Tim 5:18. He 3:7. **He 4:12. James 2:23. 1 P 2:6. **+2 P 1:19-21. 3:16n. is. FS63B3, +Ge 2:10. This grammatical construction involves two predicate adjectives connected by and. The Revised Version (1881) changes one of these predicate adjectives to an attributive position, which is incorrect. The Revisers do not misconstrue this construction in the other passages where it occurs. For the same grammatical construction see Ro 7:12. 1 Cor 11:30. 2 Cor 10:10. 1 Tim 1:15. 2:3. 4:4, 9. He 4:12, 13. In the Authorized Version text this “is” is given in italics, showing there is no word for it in the Greek, and it has therefore to be supplied. The Revised Version (1881) omits this “is,” and reads “Every Scripture inspired of God is also profitable,” thus suggesting that some Scriptures are not inspired. The American Standard Version (1901) follows the Revised Version (1881); the New American Standard Version (1960) gives this rendering as a possibility in its margin. There are nine other passages which present exactly the same construction in Greek, and not one of these has been altered by the Revisers (of 1881). Had they done so in the same manner as they have done in this case, the result would have been as follows: Ro 7:12, The holy commandment is also just. 1 Cor 11:30, Many weak are also sickly. 2 Cor 10:10, His weighty letters are also powerful. Similarly with the other passages, which are 1 Tim 1:15 (the faithful saying is also worthy of all acceptation). 1 Tim 2:3 (this good thing is also acceptable). 1 Tim 4:4 (every good creature of God is also nothing to be refused), 1 Tim 4:9. He 4:12 (the living word of God is also active), He 4:13 (all naked things are also opened). “It is true that the A.V. rendering is given in the margin of the R.V., but it is difficult to see why that should be disturbed” (Companion Bible). This is another instance where the Scripture’s own teaching about itself has been adversely affected in some modern translations (see Jn 5:39n and Jn 8:31). +*Ps 119:89. Jn 5:39. 8:31. given by inspiration of God. or, God-inbreathed. Gr. theopneustos (S#2315g, only here), divinely breathed in (Strong). The Scriptures found in the Bible alone are absolutely divinely inspired by God. T#40. Ex 20:1. Dt 4:8. *Dt 29:29. 2 S 23:1, 2. 2 K 17:13. 2 Ch 34:21. 36:21. Ne 9:30. Jb 32:8. 36:4. +**Is 8:20n. Je 1:9. *Je 36:1, 2. *Ezk 1:3. Zp 1:1. Zc 7:12. Ml 4:4. Mt 1:22. Lk 1:70. 24:44. Jn 1:23. +*Jn 5:39. *Jn 10:34, 35. 14:26. 16:13. 19:36, 37. 20:9. Ac 1:16. 3:18. 7:38. 13:34. 28:25. Ro 1:2. 3:2. 4:23. 9:17. +*Ro 15:4. 1 Cor 2:4-10, 12, 13. 6:16. 9:10. 14:37. Ga 1:11, 12. 3:8, 16, 22. 4:30. 1 Th 1:5. **1 Th 2:13. He 1:1, 2. 3:7. 9:8. 10:15. **2 P 1:18-21. 3:16. 1 J 4:6. Re 14:13. 22:19. and is profitable. or, useful. or, beneficial. FS52A2. Correspondence (Extended Alternation) F/S 372. Extended alternation when there are still only two series, but each series consists of more than two members. Here, four members may be discerned: The Word of God is profitable (statement) for (A) doctrine, (B) reproof, (C) correction, (D) instruction; therefore (consequence), (A) preach the word, (B) reprove, (C) rebuke, (D) exhort. This figure occurs frequently throughout Scripture, but since the format of the Treasury does not lend itself to the display of this structure, only this example is given. See the margins of the Companion Bible for additional examples. Passages cited as illustrating this figure in F/S 368-372 are Ps ch. 66, 72, 132. Ro 2:17-20. 1 Th 1:2-10 with 1 Th 2:13-16. 1 Th 4:13—5:11. T#1024, T#1111. *Ps 19:7-11. +**Ps 119:97-104, 130. *Je 23:22, 32. +*Mic 2:7. *Ac 20:20, 27. Ro 4:23. +**Ro 15:4. 1 Cor 12:7. Ep 4:11-16. **+1 Th 2:13. +1 Tim 4:8. for doctrine. or, teaching. The teaching we are to believe about Jesus Christ, God, the plan of salvation, all doctrinal teaching, is to be based upon the content God provides in the Bible. A natural corollary ought to be evident: we are not to believe any doctrine that does not correspond with the teaching of the Bible, and we are not to get our doctrine from any source but the Bible (1 Th 5:21n). See on ver. *2 Tim 3:10. Dt 6:4-9. **+Ps 119:97-100. +*Is 8:20n. 28:9. +**Is 29:24. 1 Cor 14:6. **+1 Tim 4:6g, 1 Tim 4:13, 16. *1 Tim 5:17. *Titus 2:12. for reproof. The original word bears the meaning “correction,” “censure,” “conviction.” *2 Tim 4:2. Ps 38:14. 39:11. +*Ps 141:5. *Pr 6:23. 15:10, 31. *Jn 3:20. 16:8-11. Ac 2:37, 38. 16:30, 31. *Ep 5:11-13. 1 Tim 5:20. Titus 1:9, 13. 2:15. He 11:1g. for correction. The word literally means “restoration to an upright or a right state; hence correction and improvement” (Frank E. Gaebelein, The Christian Use of the Bible, p. 33). **+Ps 119:9. *Je 23:29. *Da 12:3. Jn 21:15-17. *Ga 6:1, 2. for instruction. Gr. paideia (S#3809g, Ep 6:4). FS41, +Ge 10:1. Gaebelein cites Thayer (Lexicon, p. 473), “whatever in adults also cultivates the soul, especially by correcting mistakes and curbing passions; hence instruction which aims at “increase of virtue,” thus “education in righteousness” (The Christian Use of the Bible, p. 34). +*2 Tim 2:25. Dt 4:36. Ne 9:20. **+Ps 119:7-11. *Pr 4:10-13. +*Mt 13:52. Ac 18:25. Ro 2:20. +**Ro 15:4. 2 Cor 10:3-6. *Titus 2:11-14. in righteousness. +*Ex 18:21. +**Le 19:2-4, 9-18, 20, 26-37. +*Dt 16:20. +**Ps 15:2-5. +*Is 66:4. +*Je 10:2. 22:13, 16. +*Je 48:10. +*Ezk 16:49. +*Am 8:5. +**Mic 6:8. +**Mal 3:5. +*Mt 23:23. +*Lk 16:10. +*Ac 6:3. +**1 Cor 6:9-11. **Titus 2:11-14. *He 5:13. +*He 12:14. James 2:23. **1 J 2:15-17.