I love clean jokes. Here’s one: How many “traditionalists” does it take to change a light bulb? The answer is four. One to change the light bulb and three to tell you how great the old bulb was.
We all know that change is hard. Second Timothy 3:16 teaches us about the change that occurs in us as we read Scripture. This verse reveals the divine origin of Scripture, “All Scripture is inspired by God” (2 Tim 3:16a),[1] as well as the purpose of Scripture, “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Tim 3:16b). It’s in 2 Timothy 3:16b that we learn that one of the reasons God gave us Scripture is to change us.
In 2 Timothy 3:16b we learn that Scripture provides education. Paul writes that Scripture is “profitable” and provides “teaching.”Scripture has an educational aspect as the Word gives us teaching in a positive way. This helps us to understand God’s truth. This is divine instruction and foundational doctrinal content of both Old Testament and New Testament. God’s Word also provides practical real life instruction. If we compare this with the process that most of us followed to get a driver’s license, this would have been the classroom time where we were taught the laws of driving by a teacher and instructional book.
But that’s not all Scripture does. Scripture is profitable for “teaching” but also for “reproof” and “correction” and “training in righteousness.” Scripture reveals to us both our creed and our conduct, our belief and our behavior, as well as our doctrine and our duty.
In 2 Timothy 3:16b we learn that Scripture provides exhortation. Paul writes about “reproof” which is negative. This addresses someone in sin and exposes his sin to himself. It means bringing correction of error where there has been deviation from that truth. It implies exposing someone’s sin in order to bring correction.[2] If we compare this with the process that most of us followed to get a driver’s license, this would have been us driving with our learner’s permit and passing a stop sign. The adult observing us would say, “You’re supposed to stop at that sign.”
In 2 Timothy 3:16b we learn that Scripture provides exhortation with “reproof” but also “correction.” While “reproof” is negative, “correction” is positive. Correction addresses those in error and brings restoration to the truth when there has been an error. This is the process of restoring that person after reproof. The Greek word here, epanorthosis, is only used one time in the New Testament. However, it is used in extra-biblical literature for “righting a fallen object, or helping back to their feet those who had stumbled.”[3] In this way, Scripture points people back to Godly living in addition to pointing out sin (Pss 119:9-11; Jn 16:1, 2). If we compare this with the process that most of us followed to get a driver’s license, this would be us approaching another stop sign and stopping like we are supposed to stop, at the direction of the adult observing us.
In 2 Timothy 3:16b we learn that Scripture provides enablement. Paul writes about “training in righteousness.” This too, like “correction” and “teaching,” is positive. That phrase, “training in righteousness” could literally be translated as “child-training.” It’s the sameword used in Ephesians 6:4 for parents to bring up their children “in the instruction of the Lord.” This is positive training in Godly behavior. It’s a system of discipline that leads to Godly behavior and a holy lifestyle. If we compare this with the process that most of us followed to get a driver’s license, it is the continual learning we experience as we drive and get better at it.
I love this summary of what Paul teaches in 2 Timothy 3:16 from Warren Wiersbe. He writes that the Scriptures “are profitable for doctrine (what is right), for reproof (what is not right), for correction (how to get right), and for instruction in righteousness (how to stay right).”[4] He then adds, “A Christian who studies the Bible and applies what he learns will grow in holiness and avoid many pitfalls in this world.”[5]
What we learn from 2 Timothy 3:16b is that Scripture changes us. While change is hard, Scripture is what changes us. You and I can read other books, but the Bible is a book that reads us. If we read the Bible, the Bible will read us and change us.
As the late J. Vernon McGee has said, “Studying the Bible should bring conviction to us.”[6] Every page should be read and marked in our Bible. Pastor Charles Swindoll says “Scripture trains us to align our behavior so that it matches our new, righteous identity.”[7]
When we read God’s Word and follow what it says, we are changed. It will mold us. And what we find is that it changes us.
For several years I was a member of a Toastmasters Club where I was taught to give speeches. Being in a Toastmasters Club is a unique experience because you stand up each week and give speeches, but when you sit down other members of the club take turns giving you feedback on what you could do better. One week I would be told that I said the word “um” too much. The next week I would be told that I didn’t use my hands when I spoke like I should. The next week I was told I spoke too fast and needed to slow down. The next week I was told that I talked in a monotone voice and I need to vary my pitch. I think you get the point: each week I would improve but then the group found new things I could still improve upon.
It’s like that when we study God’s Word. We read it, we grow and change, only to learn later there’s something new we can improve. We work through things. Then we start to get those handled, and we have more things we work through. It’s in that way that Scriptures changes us.
Questions for Reflection and Discussion:
- What’s your process for reading God’s word daily?
- How has reading God’s word changed you?
- How can you find ways to read and discuss what you reading in Scripture with others?
- What are some ways you feel God’s word is changing you right now?
- Are there some areas of your life you need God to change you? How can reading God’s Word help you to make that change?
[1] Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible, Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995. Used by permission.
[2] NET Bible, Full Notes Edition (Biblical Studies Press, 2019), 2279.
[3] MacArthur Study Bible, 2nd ed. (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 2020), 1625.
[4] Warren Wiersbe, Be Faithful (Colorado Springs, CO: David C. Cook, 2009), 174.
[5] Wiersbe, Be Faithful, 174.
[6] J. Vernon McGee, First and Second Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Thru the Bible vol. 50 (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1991), 124.
[7] Charles Swindoll, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary, vol. 11 (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 2014), 241.