2 Timothy 3:14-17

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

The most effective deterrent to the rebellious culture in which we live is the Word of God.  It is important that the Word of God be etched into the hearts and minds of believers so they can stand against the effects of the world in which we live.  This passage presents an effective methodology for the study of God’s Word as well as an argument as to why we should bother to do so. 

HOW TO STUDY GOD’S WORD: The first recommendation for studying God’s Word is to learn it.  The Bible is a big book with profound meaning that was written over thousands of years.  Learning to interpret the Bible and all the different literary aspects of it is essential.  The Bible was not meant just to fill our heads with knowledge.  It was written to transform our lives.  The second recommendation is to believe what we study in the Bible.  It is a firm foundation on which we must build our lives.  The third recommendation is to study the Scripture together with other people who are trusted that can help us understand it.  Community and family are both important aspects of Bible study.  Finally, it is important to start studying God’s Word at an early age.  The sooner we can learn the Word of God the better off we will be.  We must learn the Word of God from trusted people and then be faithful to teach it to our children, grandchildren, and all the next generation we can.

WHY WE STUDY GOD’S WORD: There are four reasons we should study God’s Word.  The first is the ABILITY the Bible has to lead us to salvation.  The Scriptures give us the wisdom to understand our need of salvation and points us to the only source of salvation: Jesus Christ our Lord.  The second reason is the AUTHORITY of the Bible.  Though the Word of God has thirty-five different human authors; there is only one Author of Scripture because all of it was supernaturally inspired by the Hold Spirit.  We can have complete confidence in the truth of God’s Word.  It is God revealing Himself and His will to us.  The third reason to study God’s Word is the UTILITY.  The Bible functions in our lives as a teacher of what is right, an accuser of what is not right, a fixer to make us right, and a trainer to keep us right.  It has the ability to inform and transform our lives.  Finally, we study God’s Word because of its SUFFICIENCY the Bible is able to perfect us and perfectly equip us for everything that God requires of us.  We don’t need man made philosophies or techniques not found in Scripture to be able to live the way God wants us to live.  He has given us everything we need in the Word of God.  The Scripture can save us from sin, inform us of the truth, transform our lives, and perfectly equip us we can enjoy a blessed relationship with the Lord.

APPLICATION: Study the Word of God in community with trusted members of our family and church.  Teach the Word of God to all who are under our influence and authority.  Trust the Word of God as the only reliable source of salvation, information, transformation, and perfection.

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