What Does 2 Timothy 3:15 Mean?

and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 3:15(NASB)

Verse of the Day

Timothy had not only been taught the Scriptures from childhood, but had come to know and become personally convinced of the veracity of their content. What an wonderful example his mother and grandmother proved to be - and yet such godly witness of the truth of God's word.. should be the norm for every Christian mother, father and grandparent.

There are certain important truths that were uniquely given to Paul for the Church in this dispensation of grace, and yet it was the Old Testament scriptures that had been taught to Timothy from his childhood. This young man no doubt knew of the six days of Creation; the fall of man; the judgements of God at the times of Noah, the shocking happenings at Babel and the downfall of king Nebuchadnezzar due to his arrogance and pride.. and he would have been familiar with the call of Abraham, whose faith in God was credited to him as righteousness.

Timothy no doubt learned of Israel's bitter centuries in Egypt; the call of Moses; the relevance of the Passover Lamb.. the Israelites' supernatural escape from Egypt - and the conditional covenant that God made in the wilderness with His covenant people .

Undoubtedly Timothy had been taught about the rise to power of the great king David, the splendour of Solomon's Temple.. the nation's terrible demise into apostasy - and the punishment that resulted from their disobedience. And no doubt Timothy had been taught of the many prophesies of the coming Messiah, Who would be the Seed of the woman; the Consolation of Israel and a Light to lighten the gentiles.

Timothy had been taught the scriptures from childhood and so he was ready and willing to be taught the rest of God's Story of Redemption through the apostle Paul, who had been given many mysteries from God.. mysteries which had been hidden in ages past, but which God has revealed.. in this present church age.

The strong foundational truths that Timothy had been taught from his mother's knee, combined with God's additional revelation through Paul and other new testament apostles and prophets.. meant that this young man, who had been immersed in the sacred scriptures from childhood, was securely founded on the truth of God's inerrant Word.

And in this final letter to Timothy, which Paul wrote near the end of his life, he reinforced the importance of knowing and understanding the whole counsel of God, which is able to make us wise unto salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul knew how easy it is to slip away from the truth of the literal, historical Word of God into the relative thinking of todays ungodly philosophies and unbiblical world-view, which has rendered God as irrelevant. Paul also knew that the truth of the glorious gospel of grace has its foundation on the historical text of the Old Testament Scriptures starting in Genesis 1:1.

Today however, God's word is being distorted, discarded and demolished by liberal thinkers, unscientific 'science' and a worldly wisdom that has denounced God as unimportant and irrelevant. This ungodly world-view is systematically chipping away at the veracity of God as Creator and Judge - Redeemer and Lord. It means that the singular message of redemption is similarly being watered down.. distorted and discarded for another gospel - and when the foundation of our Christian faith is destroyed - what can the righteous do?

Well, Paul gave us some help in his final instructions and encouragement in second Timothy - we are called to be faithful in knowing and learning ALL the sacred writing of God, which are able to give us wisdom - and which leads us to Salvation, which can only be found by faith in Jesus Christ alone.

My Prayer

Heavenly Father, thank You for those that introduced me to the truth of the glorious gospel of grace. I pray for the children and young people of today who are the primary target of unprincipled man in this ungodly society, which is seeking to destroy the foundational truth of the Word of God. We pray that You would protect young minds and bring many to a deeper knowledge and understanding of the Word of Truth - and thank You that Your Word is set in heaven and can never be destroyed - in Jesus name we pray, AMEN.

Choose a Verse from 2 Timothy 3