2 Timothy 3:16 (Greek translation), All Scripture is God-breathed and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, and for discipline in righteousness.
In this letter to young Timothy, having just listed patterns of godlessness in their day—lovers of self, money, pride, abuse, etc.—Paul makes this claim in the Spirit. With this delineation, he assures the young pastor that “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (v. 12). Against this, he encourages the young pastor to continue his pastoral formation and studies because of the inspiration and authority Scripture has upon all human beings. Scripture comes from the very mouth of God, which is to be used for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and discipline in righteousness—against the narcissism, love of money, pride, abuse, and such in their day. For Paul, Timothy, and the early Christians, God’s Word is timeless truth.
This is why Scripture today is still beneficial for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and disciplining in righteousness—because God’s Word is a timeless truth. Many in our culture view Scripture to be outdated and antiquated—it needs updating and alteration. There are even Christians who have come to believe this—they have fully assimilated into the lies of our culture.
Many view Christian education as indoctrinating children, even though secular education today indoctrinates children in believing in more than two genders, the “normalcy” of homosexuality, sacred autonomy in choosing to murder infants in the womb, and so on. We now have an entire month dedicated to the god of Pride—particularly LGBTQ+ pride—the cause of man rebelling against God and falling from His grace. The political Left are perpetuating sacred autonomy—the love of self over love of the defenseless in the womb. Greed is increasing, as is abuse of all kinds, and so on. Against these, God’s truth is timeless, but our culture deems it antiquated and outdated; and we who dare maintain its timelessness become persecuted.
Paul does not command Timothy to capitulate to the demands of his culture. Instead, he exhorts him to “preach the Word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions” (4:2-3). As God’s Word is timeless truth, so our difficult task of preaching the Word in reproof, rebuke, and exhortation with patience is timeless. We are in a season in which many are sick of hearing God’s timeless truth; thus, they raise up their own teachers to hear what they wish to hear.
Above reproving, rebuking, and exhorting those walking in godlessness, we preach the Word—that is, we preach Christ crucified. God’s Word is timeless, our task is timeless, and Christ crucified is a timeless reality. This timeless truth we preach above all—that Christ died for the sins of all, and He redeems us and reconciles us to God the Father.
The Lutheran Column 