Second in a series of studies of 2 Timothy 3:14-17
 
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
“that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work”      (2 Timothy 3:16-17).
 
In this context, “Scripture” refers to the Old Testament, although the same point applies to the New Testament. “Inspiration” means God dictated the words He wanted the writers to record, the same words that made Timothy “wise to salvation.”
 
“Doctrine” means teaching or instruction. So, if one wants to please God, he must take heed to teaching found in the scriptures because they will provide a spiritual benefit. The Old Testament teaches us about God and His expectations for mankind. The New Testament provides instruction about the practices God wants His children to follow under the new system.
 
And that is exactly the point Paul emphasizes to the young preacher here: Timothy was to teach that the scriptures came directly from God, and believers of all ages must listen to them to receive the spiritual benefits desired.
 
Love,
Joe

​First in a series of studies of 2 Timothy 3:14-17
 
“But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them,
“and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:14-15).
 
Set amid strong warnings against being influenced by those who are basically traitors to the faith and enemies of Jesus, Paul here emphasizes to the young preacher Timothy the importance of continuing to be steadfast in following what he has been taught.
 
Paul has already established that it was Timothy’s mother and grandmother who instilled the faith of Christ into Him when he was just a boy; so, here he plants a seed of reassurance about the purpose of the scriptures: they provide the instruction needed to teach one about salvation.
 
In saying “Holy Scriptures,” Paul refers to Old Testament teaching; and, then, he ties that teaching with “faith which is in Christ Jesus” in the New Testament. Thus, at some point, Timothy realized that the Old Testament scriptures pointed to Jesus, the real source of salvation. Timothy is not to turn away from that teaching.
 
Love,
Joe

“Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines. For it is good that the heart be established by grace, not with foods which have not profited those who have been occupied with them” (Hebrews 13:9).
 
In this closing section of the Hebrew letter, the writer realizes some Jews who have been converted to Jesus are discouraged in their new faith; so, he makes yet one more effort to try to persuade them not to leave Him and go back to the Law of Moses nor to be influenced by any other doctrine they might hear of.
 
The writer has just made the point that Jesus will remain the same as the Savior of the world until the end of time; thus, they should not mix the doctrine of Christ with other doctrines. “Heart” means the will of the Christian, and “grace” essentially refers to the system of grace under which the Christian lives. Then the writer refers to “foods,” referring to trying to mix some of the ceremonial requirements of the Old Law with the new law of Christ. 
 
This verse is a re-enforcement of the point made in the previous verse about Jesus remaining the same forever. We, under Jesus, are not at liberty to change His doctrine nor to mix elements of another doctrine with His. Jesus is all we need.
 
Love,
Joe

“So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, ‘It is finished!’ And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit” (John 19:30).
 
Having declared that He was thirsty, Jesus receives a sponge full of sour wine from those who are crucifying Him, an act that becomes the last straw in their rejection of Him. He then dies.
 
In His death, He becomes the sacrifice for the sins of every individual who has ever lived. Included in this group, of course, are those of us living today with the hope of heaven within our hearts—all because of Him.
 
His unspeakable sacrifice should stimulate each of us to take stock of our lives as well as our attitudes: with His willingness to give up heaven for a time, to suffer all kinds of humiliation and pain, and to die the excruciating death on the cross, surely we are led to submit ourselves in humility to His will in order to gain the reward that He made possible.
 
Love,
Joe

“Jesus answered and said to them, ‘You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God’ ” (Matthew 22:29).
 
When the Sadducees, who did not believe in the resurrection, attempt to trick Jesus with a question about the state of man in the next life, He provides the response in this verse, certainly one they did not expect.
 
By telling the Sadducees they did not even know the Scriptures nor the power of God, Jesus clearly rebukes them as He sets Himself up to provide a direct answer to their question: After the resurrection, life will be quite different—there will be no human activities at that time.
 
In providing clarification to the Sadducees, Jesus also provides clarification for all who have lived since that time: the afterlife will not be the same as life here. Those who receive the reward can expect a place of perfection while those who receive condemnation for their lack of obedience to the Lord in this life can expect eternal punishment.
 
Love,
Joe

“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).
 
Having just spoken to the apostles about the Comforter who would come to help them, about the necessity of Jesus’ leaving them, and about their being scattered abroad, Jesus here tells them His reason for passing along this information: that they may have “peace.”
 
Uncertainty and difficulties are not usually stimulants for peace. These apostles will have peace in spite of these life circumstances because He—Jesus—has overcome the world, not because the apostles themselves have overcome.
 
Jesus’ victory made it possible for the apostles to have peace as well as for everyone who has lived since that day, including us: when we find peace and overcome the world, it means that we fully submitted ourselves to our Savior who made our victory possible.
 
Love,
Joe

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! 
Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your King is coming to you;
He is just and having salvation,
Lowly and riding on a donkey,
A colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah 9:9).
 
Since Old Testament prophesies lay out for us an exact picture of events that are to take place in future times—events that a human being would have no way of knowing on his own—they prove invaluable as we observe their fulfillment and try to convince others of the validity of the scriptures. 
 
It is obvious that it took divine intervention to reveal these coming events. These prophecies, then, become a part of our spiritual heritage, serving to strengthen our faith in our Heavenly Father as well as in His Son.
 
This prophecy by Zechariah joins other Golden Predictions in that it pictures for us our Savior as He enters the city of Jerusalem at the beginning of His last week on earth as the Son of Man.
 
Both Matthew and John record the fulfillment of this prophecy exactly as it was predicted (Matthew 21:5; John 12:15). Jesus came humbly as the Just One to bring us salvation.
 
Love,
Joe

“Jesus answered and said to him, ‘If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him’ ” (John 14:23).
 
In both this gospel narrative and in his epistles, John emphasizes the absolute necessity of keeping the commandments. Jesus here ties the idea of doing what God has said with love—our love for God and God’s love for us—two inseparable entities. 
 
To proclaim love for God but to fail to keep God’s word is contradictory: but to show a love for God by keeping His commands shows consistency, depth of spiritual character, and sincerity.
 
The idea of God coming to any person and making His home with him communicates the intimate bond God will develop with anyone who desires Him to—God will live in that person through the power of His word.
 
Love,
Joe

“Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption” (1 Corinthians 15:50).
 
Having just explained the differences between a physical body and a spiritual body and the fact that mankind must undergo a change from one to the other, the Apostle Paul here says that only the spiritual body can go into the eternal “kingdom of God.”
 
“Corruption” means anything subject to deterioration and perishing. “Incorruption” means anything not capable of decay. A “flesh and blood” body in this life cannot go into a spiritual kingdom, referring to eternity, in the next.
 
This verse should be a source of encouragement to all Christians, actually serving as a stimulant to spur us on toward making proper preparation for life after judgment. We prepare for God’s kingdom by following His instructions while in this life.
 
Love,
Joe

“And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:26).
 
Since Martha is distraught about the death of her brother Lazarus, Jesus has just attempted to convince her of his power to resurrect Lazarus physically. Then He has inserted the reality of one being resurrected to life eternal.
 
In this verse he tries to make sure she understands the reality of His teaching: those who remain faithful will be resurrected to a state of living on eternally with Him in the next life. She says in the following verse that she understands.
 
Our message from this verse is that we shall all die physically, but those who are faithful to the Lord have the promise of moving on to a state of never dying again—that is, we can enjoy the benefits of eternal life in heaven for ever and ever.
 
Love,
Joe