The Life the Bible Gives Us
The Life the Bible Gives Us
The Life the Bible Gives Us
(Two Ways to Live & The Difference One Word Makes)
The Discipleship Wheel
2 Timothy 3:14–17
Big Idea: The Bible saves and sanctifies us. It is God’s primary means to reveal himself,
instruct us, mature us and spiritually form us.
Introduction: Paul writes these words to Timothy near the end of his life, from imprisonment and under the shadow of his impending death (2 Timothy 4:6–8).
It is a final, urgent appeal from a spiritual father to a trusted son.
Timothy is Paul’s long-time travelling companion who has learned from him, suffered alongside him, and now bears pastoral responsibility in a difficult context marked by false teaching, cultural pressure, and spiritual instability.
Vs 10 & 14 creates the hinges on which the chapter swings. Your TRAP devotion for this week emphasizes this. The real issue is the life Scripture creates. The question is, “Which life do you want?”
Throughout this letter, Paul contrasts two paths:
a) those who abandon truth and drift into deception (1-9)
b) Timothy, who has been patiently formed in the gospel (10-17).
Against this backdrop of moral decay and doctrinal confusion (3:1–13), Paul calls on Timothy to remain anchored in the Bible.
This book will keep you from sin. Or sin will keep you from this book.
Paul’s counsel is pointed: stay rooted in the Scriptures.
As I mentioned last week - Acts 20:32 – [Paul’s last words to the Ephesian elders] - And now I commend you to God and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.
In 2 Timothy 3:14-17, Paul explains
a) why Scripture has been central to Timothy’s spiritual formation,
b) why it carries divine authority, and
c) why it remains essential for faithful ministry.
This passage, then, is not merely about the nature of Scripture in the abstract; it is about how God practically sustains you and me through His Word.
IMP: Paul does not call Timothy to novelty, technique, or charisma, but to the Bible.
Transition: This passage tells us what Scripture is, what it does, and why we as individual people and the church as a body cannot grow without it.
First: Remain Grounded in the Scriptures You Have Received. 14-15
Paul’s repeated phrase “But as for you” (v. 14) signals that this passage is not merely about ideas
but about Timothys’ faithfulness under pressure.
Timothy’s formation began early – childhood = GR / brephos (βρέφος) = infant
Second: Because Scripture Comes from God and Carries His Authority. 16a
“God-breathed” emphasizes source, not process.
“breathed out” = GR / theopneustos θεόπνευστος = “God-breathed.
Third: And is Profitable for You. 16b
The Bible tells us:
a) What is right – teaching
b) - What is wrong – reproof
c) How to make wrong, right – correction
d) How to keep right, right – training in righteousness...
Fourth: Maturing and Equipping You. 17
Scripture’s goal is not knowledge alone but readiness for obedience.
Fifth: Seeing Jesus in the Bible. 15b
This passage ultimately points beyond Scripture as a tool to Scripture as a witness.
Paul reminds Timothy that the “sacred writings” he has known from childhood are those “which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (v. 15).
The Bible prepares the way for Christ, points to Christ, and finds its fulfillment in Christ. Jesus Himself affirmed this when He said that Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms speak of Him (Luke 24:27, 44).
Conclusion:
· Scripture is received, given by God, formative, and aimed at maturity.
Can it be trusted to be God’s word? Well, if you start with God, ‘”Yes, certainly.”
· The church cannot grow beyond its submission to Scripture.
Let us renew our trust in, attentiveness to, and obedience to God’s Word.
2 Timothy 3
Theme: There are two trajectories in this chapter: a life shaped by Scripture and a life that resists it. The difference is not the suffering versus ease that Paul mentions, but formation versus deception.
Monday. The Life That Drifts from God (vv. 1–9)
Think. Paul begins the chapter by describing people who are religious, active, and impressive, yet hollow at the center. The repeated word is “lovers”, lovers of self, money, pleasure, power. This is not pagan atheism. It is spirituality without submission to the one true God. Paul is not warning Timothy about outsiders but about distorted faith that keeps the form while rejecting the power.
Reflect. As leaders, it is easy to read this list defensively, as if it applies only to others. Paul intends the opposite. He wants Timothy to recognize how easily ministry can coexist with self- love. The danger is not open rebellion but subtle drift, where Scripture no longer governs desire, correction, or direction.
Apply. As you prepare to teach this chapter, ask where ministry responsibility could mask spiritual drift in your own life. Do not rush past the warning. Let it sober you before you speak to others.
Pray. Lord, keep me from loving the gifts of ministry more than You. Expose what resists Your rule in my heart. Amen.
Tuesday. The Pattern of a Scripture-Shaped Life (v. 10)
Think. Verse 10 is the first hinge. Paul turns from description to testimony. “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life…” Paul presents his life as a visible pattern formed by the gospel and sustained by Scripture. This is not self-promotion. It is embodied discipleship.
Reflect. Paul does not separate doctrine from life. Teaching and conduct belong together. Scripture does not merely give leaders content to pass on. It gives them a life to model. Timothy has not merely heard Paul’s words; he has watched Scripture shape endurance, love, and perseverance through suffering.
Apply. Consider how Scripture is visibly shaping your life, not just your teaching. Where do those you lead see patience, endurance, and love formed by the Word rather than by temperament or experience?
Pray. God, shape my life so that Your Word is visible in me, not only spoken by me. Amen.
Wednesday. The Cost of a Scripture-Governed Life (vv. 11–12)
Think. Paul is clear-eyed. A life shaped by Scripture does not avoid suffering. It often invites it. “All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Scripture does not promise safety. It promises faithfulness. Paul’s confidence rests not in ease but in the Lord’s deliverance.
Reflect. Leaders can be tempted to soften Scripture in order to reduce friction. Paul does the opposite. He prepares Timothy to expect resistance, not because Scripture is harsh, but because truth confronts self-rule. Scripture forms leaders who endure rather than retreat.
Apply. As you teach this chapter, resist the urge to present Scripture as a problem-solving tool rather than a soul and life-shaping authority. Help your group see that faithfulness may cost them but never abandons them.
Pray. Lord, give me courage to live under Your Word even when it costs me. Teach me to trust Your deliverance. Amen.
Thursday. The Life That Rejects Scripture (v. 13)
Think. Verse 13 is the second hinge. While Scripture-formed leaders endure, those who resist truth do not remain neutral. They progress, but downward. “Evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse.” The movement is subtle but relentless. Deception always deepens when Scripture is sidelined.
Reflect. Paul dismantles the myth of spiritual stasis. No one stands still. Leaders either submit more deeply to God’s Word or slowly replace it with something else, charisma, success, consensus, or control. Scripture either governs us or we reinterpret it.
Apply. Ask yourself honestly where you see this contrast at work today, not merely culturally, but within churches. Let this sharpen your conviction that Scripture is not optional for spiritual health.
Pray. Father, keep me from drifting into self-deception. Anchor me firmly in Your truth. Amen.
Friday. The Word That Makes the Difference (vv. 14–17)
Think. Paul’s answer to the two paths is simple and profound: “But as for you, continue.” Scripture stands between verse 10 and verse 13 as the dividing line. It is Scripture that forms a life of endurance rather than deception, faithfulness rather than collapse. God’s Word saves, sanctifies, and equips because it is breathed out by Him and bears witness to Christ.
Reflect. This is where the chapter lands with confidence and not with fear. The Scripture does not merely warn against the collapse of our lives; it actively forms leaders who are complete and ready for obedience. The goal is not mastery of the Bible, but a life shaped into Christlikeness through it.
Apply. As you prepare to teach, let this be your anchor point. Help your group see that Scripture is not one influence among many. It is the decisive difference between two ways of life.
Pray. God, thank You for giving us Your Word. Form me through it, return me to Christ through it, and equip me for faithful obedience. Amen.
