The Value of the Bible (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

There is only one authoritative source for Christian beliefs, and that is the Bible. Unfortunately, many Christians do not tap into the riches of the Bible to form their beliefs or to make choices. More than likely, that is because they do not understand the value that the Bible has, and just how lost all people would be without it. One rather familiar New Testament text, 2 Timothy 3:16-17, helps us to grasp the importance of Scripture and the necessity for God’s Word in everyday life.

“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 NKJV).

1. The Bible is Powerful

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (v. 16a). Other translations may correctly state that Scripture is “God-breathed” or “breathed out by God”. Hold your hand in front of your mouth while you speak out loud. You will feel the breath of your mouth on your hand while you speak. That’s because you can’t help but breathe while you speak.

In the same way, when God spoke the words of Scripture for his human authors to record, he was “breathing out” or inspiring the writings contained in our Bible. This makes the Bible extremely powerful because its author is all-powerful! Though everything else may pass away, God and his word are eternal.

The prophet Isaiah recorded: “The glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together; for the mouth of the LORD has spoken…All flesh is grass, and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field. The grass withers, the flower fades, because the breath of the LORD blows upon it; surely the people are grass. The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever” (Isaiah 40:5-8).

Many people over the centuries have given their lives so that the Bible could be translated into common languages to be read by the masses. It is the most read and most translated book in the entire world. In spite of many attempts to get rid of it, the Bible remains. Its survival in the face of such persecution is difficult to explain if it is not the Word of God. The Bible is powerful because it originated with God.

2. The Bible is Profitable

Paul writes that Scripture is profitable in four specific areas. First, it is profitable for doctrine or teaching. What does the Bible teach? To put it most succinctly, the Bible teaches truth. Uncompromising truth. Absolute truth. The Bible is the world’s only source for such truth. Thus the Bible is profitable because it teaches its readers what is true.

Second, the Bible is profitable for reproof or rebuking. Scripture speaks out against what is false. Since Scripture is truth, it naturally rebukes what is not true. The Bible gives a perfect standard, and nothing else measures up.

Third, the Bible is profitable for correcting or improving. All people are in need of improvement because we are all faulty, limited, sinful beings. The only reliable source for actual correction is the Bible. Were it not for the Bible, we would continue in life with no way of knowing how to improve our messes.

Fourth, the Bible is profitable for training or instructing in righteousness. The perfect standard of the Bible is the righteousness modeled by the Lord Jesus Christ. Scripture instructs its readers how to become more like Christ, something we would have no knowledge of outside of the pages of the Bible.

Elsewhere in the New Testament, other things are identified as “profitable.” Some of these are: saving the soul (Matthew 16:26; Luke 9:25), love (1 Corinthians 13:3), godliness (1 Timothy 4:8), and backing up our faith with the way that we live (Titus 3:8; James 2:14-17). Interestingly, we would know nothing about these things either unless God taught them to us. Thankfully God reveals himself and his plan to us through the Holy Bible.

3. The Bible is Purposeful

God did not give us the Bible simply to have a lot of information. He gave it to us to change our lives. The purpose of the Bible is seen in verse 17.

“So that the man of God may be complete.” This could also mean adequate, competent, or prepared. The Bible lays the foundation of preparedness for us. But preparedness for what? That question is answered in the second part of the verse.

“(So that the man of God may be…) thoroughly equipped for every good work.” This is the idea of finishing good works. God’s Word prepares us to do good works and then it equips us to finish them. Yes the Bible is for reading and studying, but it is also for practicing and living out.