Bible Commentaries
2 Timothy 3

Verse 1

But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. 2 Timothy 3:1

In the western world a lot of Christians mark their Bibles with colored pencils. I suppose that if there is anything we should be diligent to mark in our Bibles, it is these verses.

When we look at this passage carefully we realize that we must define what Paul is talking about when he uses the expression "last days." There are a lot of different ideas about this subject, of course. We see this expression several places in the Old Testament, like Isaiah 2:2, Hosea 3:5, and Micah 4:1. In these passages the prophets speak of good things coming to pass. This is also pictured in Isaiah 2:2, "In the last days the mountain of the LORD's temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it."

When we look in the New Testament we see that the last days have begun (cf. Hebrews 1:2; James 5:3). Listen to the words of Peter in Acts 2:17, "In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams." Since the Spirit was poured out at Pentecost, Peter was essentially claiming that the last days had started. So in spite of all the terrible times and terrible people that are coming, we can rejoice that good things are also coming.

Since Paul is speaking here both of terrible times and terrible people we need to first gain some overall understanding of the times. In Matthew 16:2-3, Jesus charged the Sadducees with knowing how to discern the weather but not knowing how to discern the signs of the times. Today, thanks to our many cyber wonders, we can check the weather on our hand-held devices several times a day if we like. However, we might wonder how often we are checking on the signs of the times.

To really gain some understanding of biblical time we must go back to the prophet Daniel. Many scholars have scoffed at Daniel, but we should remember that Jesus put a lot of stock in Daniel's prophecies. We need to open Daniel at chapter two and consider carefully Nebuchadnezzar's dream. After the king had brought about an end to the sovereign theocracy of Israel, he had this awesome and alarming dream. Daniel saw that the dream represented the rise of four Gentile world empires, beginning with Nebuchadnezzar. The king was the head of gold in the image. The second kingdom was made of silver and represented the Media-Persian Empire. The third kingdom was of bronze and represented Greece. Finally, the fourth kingdom was of iron and represented Rome.

It is interesting that these kingdoms were in a state of devolution, not evolution as many would suppose.^(F1) Quite simply, governments will get worse and worse as time goes on. Nebuchadnezzar saw that the Roman Empire would divide into two parts and that finally it would separate into ten nations that would be made of iron and clay. He later saw in Daniel 7:8, that out of the fragile and worthless mixture of iron and clay a little horn (the antichrist) would arise. Today we seem to be living in this toe period of history as governments crumble to pieces all around us. Daniel realized that the influence of these four empires would last through the ages until finally the whole mess would be destroyed by the rock hewn out of the mountain (Christ and his Kingdom from Matthew Zion).

Since these kingdoms all fall at the same time (Daniel 2:35) we must realize that we have been under the influence of all these kingdoms throughout our lives. For instance, just consider how we have been impacted by the Greeks, with their undue emphasis upon humanity and their legacy of humanism. Also, the Romans have had a tremendous influence on us. Latin continued to be taught in many public schools through the early 20th century. Even today, I still find myself using Roman numerals at times.

It is important that we not only understand the world governmental system but that we understand something about divine timing. Daniel 9:24 is perhaps the most mysterious verse in all of scripture (read vs. 24-27 for the whole picture). In this one verse God encapsulates history by dividing it into a period of "seventy sevens." These are probably seventy time periods of seven years each. This very long period most likely began with the Second Decree of the Persian king Artaxerxes in 445 BC. In this passage we are dealing with a total of 490 years. However, by the time Christ appeared, clearly sixty-nine of the seventy time periods of seven had elapsed. Only one period of seven years remained. We can now understand how New Testament people felt they were living in the last days.

Were they mistaken? Two thousand years have now elapsed and the end has not come. How do we explain this? It is important for us that the decree of the King Artaxerxes had to do with rebuilding Jerusalem. It seems likely that when the Roman general Titus destroyed Jerusalem as well as the Temple in AD 70, the divine time clock stopped. After two thousand years we are still not only living in the last days but still looking forward toward the end of the age. We can guess that the restoration of Jerusalem in our time, as well as the final rebuilding of the Temple sometime soon, will bring on the end of this period and usher in the last day. This is called the Day of the Lord, or the consummation (cf. Matthew 13:39,40; 24:3; 28:20; Hebrews 9:26).^(F2) Until that time, we continue to live in the "times of the Gentiles" as Jesus mentioned (Luke 21:24), and the "last days" as Paul speaks of here.

Before we can fully comprehend the use of time in the Bible we must realize that Jewish people divided time into two different segments. There was "This present evil age" and the "age to come," which would be one of glory (Luke 18:30; Ephesians 1:21). Between these two ages was the Day of the Lord when God would personally intervene to remake the world.^(F3) Although the kingdom is coming, there will be many "birth pains" and much suffering (Matthew 13:36-43; 24:8). The Day will bring blessing for God's people but horrible suffering and judgment for the godless world. We have only to look at the Book of Revelation to see these mighty judgments falling upon a rebellious earth.

The early church father Lactantius (c. 240 – c. 320) describes this end-day for us, "At that time, there will be no faith among men, nor peace, kindness, shame, or truth. As a result, there will be no security, no government, nor any rest from evil. The entire earth will be in a state of tumult. Wars will rage everywhere. All nations will be in arms and will oppose one another."^(F4)

Verses 2-5

TERRIBLE TIMES, TERRIBLE PEOPLE

People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, 2 Timothy 3:2

We see in scripture that not only will the times be terrible (Gk. chalepos – difficult dangerous v. 1), but the people will also be terrible. First of all, people will be lovers of themselves. We still live in the long-extended "Me Generation." The self-esteem movement has virtually taken over our society. It is very prevalent in the schools today and self-esteem seems to be much more important than the student mastering any particular body of knowledge. With this system, students can feel great about themselves in spite of their gross ignorance. Christina Sommers and Sally Satel, in their book, One Nation Under Therapy note, "A growing body of research suggests there is, in fact, no connection between high self-esteem and achievement, kindness, or good personal relationships. On the other hand, unmerited self-esteem is known to be associated with antisocial behavior – even criminality."^(F5) In the US, we live in a nation of narcissists and self-lovers. The Greek word is philautos and it portrays this basic sin of humanity. Jessica Nelson North describes self-love in her little poem, The Tea Party:

I had a little tea party
This afternoon at three.
'Twas very small-Three guest in all
Just I, myself and me.

Myself ate all the sandwiches,
While I drank up the tea;
'Twas also I who ate the pie
And passed the cake to me.^(F6)

We see that as the last days progress, people will become lovers of money as well. The Greek word here is philargyroi and it means a love of silver. The city of Ephesus where Timothy ministered was situated on a trade route from the rich Euphrates valley. For this reason Ephesus was called "the treasure-house of the ancient world."^(F7) In such a setting there was certainly no lack of silver and gold and no lack of love for the same. Of course, when we turn from the love of God to the love of self, the love of money is the next step down.

Today we have incorporated the love of money into the very teaching of the church. It is called the "Prosperity Gospel." With such theology, every Christian is expected to be wealthy, and those who are not are often looked down upon as not having enough faith. We should remember that Jesus described the Pharisees as lovers of money. Such love is really idolatry (Luke 16:14) and in the end it led to the crucifixion of Jesus.^(F8)

Paul mentions next the sins of boastfulness and arrogance as hallmarks of last day people. To be boastful, or to be a braggart, is the Greek term alazon. It appears that the root of this word meant wandering about, or even being a wandering quack. It later took on the meaning of being boastful.^(F9)

Barclay points out how boastfulness and arrogance naturally lead to the next evil quality in Paul's list, which is abuse or the love of insult (blasphemia). This Greek word often means insult toward God but it can also mean insult toward individuals.^(F10) Blasphemy toward God is very well expressed by Richard Dawkins, who says in his popular book, The God Delusion: "The God of the Old Testament is arguably the most unpleasant character in

all fiction: jealous and proud of it; a petty, unjust, unforgiving control-freak; a vindictive, bloodthirsty ethnic cleanser; a misogynistic, homophobic, racist, infanticidal, genocidal, filicidal, pestilential, megalomanical, sadomasochistic, capriciously malevolent bully."^(F11)

Well, it seems that there is no end to Paul's list of evildoers. It is very similar to the list he gives in Romans 1, and is a pretty full description of unsaved and depraved humanity.

Next, the apostle mentions disobedience to parents. In the Roman world obedience to parents was of utmost importance and it was required throughout life. The Roman father was in total control of the family. He could sell a child into slavery or he could will the child's death and carry out the execution himself. In such a society the parents were held in high regard and it was considered as bad as murder to strike a father.^(F12) Today, we see much disobedience to parents and a good deal of parental abuse. Our society seems to condone this. Guzik tells of a case some years ago in Orlando, Florida where an11-year-old boy was given the right to seek a "divorce" from his parents. This was so that he could be adopted by a foster family.^(F13) It is not unusual for a child to murder one or both of the parents, as was the case in the recent and infamous Sandy Hook School shootings in Connecticut.

Paul ends the second verse with "ungrateful" and "unholy." Ingratitude is always like a sign of worse things to come. It is like a hole in the dam so to speak. If it is not fixed promptly there will be a great disaster on the way. Ingratitude is reflected in the remark "But what have you done for me lately?" We need to be thankful every day and every moment of our lives because the Lord has given us so much. One of our good friends reflected thankfulness to an unusual degree. Even when she was handed a glass of water she was profusely thankful. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 5:18, "give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus."

Along with ungrateful there is unholy. The Greek word for unholy is anosios. It has the meaning of offending against unwritten laws and codes that are basic to the essence of life. For instance, to the Greeks it meant refusing to bury the dead. It also meant marrying one's own sister or mother.^(F14) Today we often see such things that are absolutely outrageous. Actually, as the Last Days progress, we are beginning to see a lot of outrageous things.

Paul goes on to say that these people will be, "without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good" (3:3). These end-time folks will be without love (Gk. astorgoi). Clarke says they are, "Without that affection which parents bear to their young, and which the young bear to their parents. An affection which is common to every class of animals; consequently, men without it are worse than brutes."^{astorgos). Storge is the word used especially of family love."">(F15)}

They are unforgiving and slanderous. To be unforgiving is to hit the very depths of depravity. It means that the Father in heaven will never be able to forgive us because we cannot forgive others (Matthew 6:14-15). The actual Greek word is aspondos and it has the meaning of implacable or not willing to make a truce.^(F16) Next, to be slanderous is to rob others of their good name. Interestingly, the Greek term for slander is diabolos, this translates into the English word for "devil." When we slander another person we are doing the devil's own work. Long ago the eminent Shakespeare said it in Iago's words to Othello, "But he that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him, and makes me poor indeed."^(F17)

Then the apostle says that people will be without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good. Self-control (Gk. akrates) is a big one for our society. Today people have lost control of their bodies and their minds. They are addicted to alcohol, to drugs, to internet porn, to sports and to dozens of other things. No doubt, because they have lost control, they become brutal or untamed (Gk. anemeros). Barclay says this word should more readily apply to wild animals rather to human beings, and that it denotes savagery.^(F18) We are living in an age of brutes and Neanderthals. As I write this, the latest fad is for thugs to go down the streets of our cities and knock out some poor innocent and unsuspecting soul. It is called the Knockout Game. In many ways our streets are becoming worse than a jungle. At least in the jungle there are laws, and animals usually do not just hurt and kill for the fun of it. Of course, such as these are not lovers of good things or good people (Gk. aphilagathos). They have in fact become haters of these things.

Paul continues with his long laundry-list of evils, saying that end-time people will be "treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God – " (3:4).

They are treacherous (Gk. prodotes) or traitors. Today we have many traitors who betray country, society, church and family. In Paul's day Christianity was becoming a crime. One of the curses of the Roman society was the existence of informers.^(F19) Jesus tells us that at the end of the age children will betray their parents and parents will betray their children (Mark 13:12). They will no doubt do this for their great fear of government or else for personal rewards and gains.

People will become rash or reckless. The Greek term is propetes, and it is taken from pro (before) and pipto (to fall). It conveys the idea of being headstrong or falling forwards in pursuit of an evil end.^(F20) The next word in this verse is "conceited." It is the Greek word tuphoo and has the meaning of being high-minded (raising a smoke).^(F21)

Next, these end-day folks are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God. The US is a pleasure loving and pleasure-seeking country. No doubt the money spent on pleasure would run into the trillions of dollars each year. That may very well be why Americans now seem to have so little money. Proverbs 21:17 says, "He who loves pleasure will become poor…" If we could only seek God with the diligence we seek pleasures it would change our nation and perhaps our world. How sad it is that we do not seek God, who is the source of the greatest pleasures. Psalm 16:11 says, "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."

There is a strange and interesting hallmark of these last-day people. Paul describes them as "having a form of godliness but denying its power." He quickly advises, "Have nothing to do with them" (3:5). Guzik says of these "In our self-obsessed world, people feel very free to have a 'salad bar' religion – they pick and choose what they want. They feel free to be very 'spiritual,' but sense no obligation to be biblical."^(F22) Trapp says, "Hollow professors are as hollow trees in an old wood; tall, but pithless, sapless, unsound."^(F23)

It is easy for us to judge such as these but we must remember that the church itself must bear a lot of blame for the condition of people today. Stedman said in the last century, "We are living heirs today of the lukewarmness of the churches of the '20s and '30s of this century."^(F24) He says "that the primary cause of these repetitive cycles of stress and danger is the hypocritical lives of Christians who outwardly look pious, religious, committed and devoted, but are actually unchanged inside and have no power to overcome evil in their lives. Hypocritical Christianity – that is the bottom line in these times of stress."^(F25) We must remember that the church is the light and salt for our dark and polluted world.

Verses 6-9

THOSE WHO "WORM THEIR WAY"

They are the kind who worm their way into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, 2 Timothy 3:6

Here we see some men whom we might call "creepy crawlers." Maybe we should just call them "creeps." They worm their way into houses and get control over weak women.

The Greek word for women here is gynikaria and it means "little women." It is a term of contempt for those women who are idle, silly and weak.^(F26) No doubt the false teachers were sharing their conjured-up mysteries of the faith with these women. Barclay notes here that it was the Christian gospel that brought about the emancipation of women in the ancient world, and along with it came some problems.^(F27) The early church father Irenaeus (AD 130-202) tells of one Marcus who wandered about and deceived a number of silly women, defiling them in the process. They began to boast that they were greater than all others in knowledge and perfection.^(F28)

Of course, most women do not fall into this category. Wuest adds here, "One of the great virtues of womanhood, namely that of trusting another, is turned into a weakness by Satan here."^(F29) Of course, the same thing happened long ago with Eve the mother of our human race.

Paul describes these weak-willed women and others saying that they are, "always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth" (3:7). Gnosticism had a vast appeal to females likely because it elevated them from their lowly position in ancient societies. The problem with Gnosticism and with many forms of cultural Christianity today is that it does not bring people to a full knowledge of truth. The Greek word used here is epignosis. It is an important word in the New Testament and means "precise and correct experiential knowledge."^(F30) This full knowledge is obviously a saving knowledge of truth.

"Just as Jannes and Jambres opposed Moses, so also these teachers oppose the truth. They are men of depraved minds, who, as far as the faith is concerned, are rejected" (3:8). Here we are given the names of those magicians who withstood Moses when he came before Pharaoh (Exodus 7:11; 8:7; 9:11). This information is not found in the Old Testament, but a reference to the two is found in the Dead Sea Scrolls Zadokite Document. Also there is an ancient reference in the Jewish Targum of Jonathan on Exodus.^(F31) We remember that the New Testament is "God breathed," and there are times when the Holy Spirit will take some bit of information from the ancient world and include in in the inspired scriptures.

These two men opposed Moses by working false signs and miracles, no doubt using the powers of deception and darkness. Likewise the Gnostic teachers in Timothy's day were probably using various types of deception to lure people away from God. These teachers had depraved and corrupted minds and were opposed to truth. The word used here is a combination of the Greek words kata and patheiro and it has the meaning of being depraved through some outside agency such as from Satan or the demonic realm.^(F32)

We are living in an unusual time today where millions of people are opposing the truth just as Jannes and Jambres did in Moses' day, or just as the Gnostics did in Timothy's day. Our postmodern philosophers now tell us that there is no universal standard of truth. All "truth" is now seen as ever-changing and relative. Truth is based on a person's social and cultural background and thus the pagan's truth is just as true as the Christian's truth. What is true for one person or group may not be true for another.^(F33) It seems that Paul is speaking of our day in 2 Thessalonians 2:10 when he says of these, "…They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved."

Paul adds of all these, "But they will not get very far because, as in the case of those men, their folly will be clear to everyone" (3:9). Stott says, "There is something patently spurious about heresy, and something self-evidently true about the truth."^(F34) Sin just never works out, and the same thing is true of heresy. Barnes says of this, "Error will advance only to a certain point, when it will be 'seen' to be falsehood and folly, and when the world will arise and cast it off"^(F35)

Verses 10-13

PAUL'S PATTERN OF SUFFERING

You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings – what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 2 Timothy 3:10-11

Timothy had been with Paul a lot and was a regular companion on many trips. He certainly knew Paul's teaching well and he had watched his way of life, his patience and so forth. He was undoubtedly a witness to Paul's suffering particularly in Lystra, his hometown, and in many other places (Acts 14:19-20). "When Paul says, 'You observed this,' he uses a very strong word in the Greek [parakoloutheo], which means, 'You came right along with me; you accompanied me through all of this; you saw all these things, now don't forget them.'"^(F36) Guthrie says here, "The apostle's bearing during these trying events may even have been the major factor in influencing Timothy's attachment to the apostle."^(F37) We can certainly not know for sure, but a very young Timothy may have witnessed Paul's stoning and even his miraculous rising up from it at Lystra.

Stott says of Timothy, "No doubt he had begun by taking pains to grasp the meaning of Paul's instruction. But then he went further. He made it his own, believed it, absorbed it, lived by it….Thus in both belief and practice, in 'teaching' and 'conduct' Timothy became and remained Paul's faithful follower."^(F38)

There are two Greek words used in this verse that are vitally important for last-day saints. They are patience (makrothumia), which can even mean patience with people. And then there is endurance (hupomone). Barclay defines endurance as "a triumphant facing of them [problems] so that even out of evil there can come good. It describes not the spirit which accepts life but the spirit which takes control of it."^(F39) Some translators treat patience as long-suffering. I like to spell it loooooong suffering. Also they treat endurance as steadfast endurance or perseverance.

"In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived" (3:12-13). Not only was Paul persecuted in the Galatian area where Timothy lived but he was persecuted all over because of the gospel. Many scriptures tell of his persecutions (e.g. 1 Corinthians 4:10-13; 2 Corinthians 4:7-11; 6:3-10; 11:23-28). Persecutions and persecutors will become worse and worse as time goes on.

We simply cannot escape the fact that persecution is the lot of sincere Christians. We are certainly not to seek persecution, but if we are not having it, we should probably check ourselves to see if we are really living in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5). Again, there are many scriptures that speak of persecution being normal for Christians (e.g. Matthew 5:10-12; John 15:18-21; 16:1-2; 17:14; Acts 14:22; Romans 5:3-4; 8:17; 2 Corinthians 4:16-18; Philippians 1:29; 2 Timothy 1:8; 2:3; 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 3:3; James 1:2-4; 1 Peter 4:12-19). Quite simply, "It is Paul's conviction that the real follower of Christ cannot escape persecution."^(F40)

Obviously, there is a cultural Christianity or what might be called a "phony folk Christianity" that will be able to escape persecution. Stedman describes this type of religion saying, "I would like to buy $3.00 worth of God, please. Not enough to explode my soul, or disturb my sleep…I don't want enough of him to make me love a Black man, or to pick beets with a migrant. I want ecstasy, not transformation. I want the warmth of the womb, not a new birth. I want a pound of the eternal in a paper sack. I would like to buy just $3.00 worth of God, no more…."^(F41)

Obviously, Paul is here conveying once more the age-old truth that the church will always be made up of wheat and tares (Matthew 13:30). The two will only be separated at the end of the age. Impostors in the church seem to live by the creed, "If you can't be good – look good."

Unfortunately, sin exerts upon us almost a gravitational pull, always taking us lower. As Barnes says, "This is the general law of depravity – that if men are not converted, they are always growing worse, and sinking deeper into iniquity."^(F42)

Verses 14-15

CONTINUING IN CHRIST

But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 2 Timothy 3:14-15

The scripture is plain that we must continue to the end to be saved (Matthew 24:13; Mark 13:13). This continuing or enduring is not something we can do by ourselves, but something God does in us and with us. Someone has said that it is not we who persevere but God who perseveres in us.

We need to hold on to what we have learned in this faith. We must not be like those false teachers who were ever learning but never coming to a full knowledge of the truth. Paul challenges Timothy to continue in the truth he had learned and to remember where that truth came from. It came from God's own apostles and prophets. It was to be guarded as a precious treasure.

Regarding this treasure, Paul reminds Timothy of his childhood and how he had learned the Holy Scriptures from his young and tender years. The Greek term here is brephos and it has the meaning of "a new-born child, an infant a babe."^(F43) We know today that there is not an age that is too young for reading scriptures to a child. Some Christian couples have even read scriptures while the child was yet in the womb, trusting in some way that the word of God would make a penetration into the little heart of the unborn.

We have discussed how the word of God is one of the means in which we become sanctified in our walk. Stott says, "Scripture is the chief means which God employs to bring the man of God to maturity." He says, "Let the word of God make you a man of God!"^(F44) All this presumes not only the reading of the word but daily meditation in the word (Joshua 1:8).

It is the word of God that changes people. It is also the word of God that changes nations and civilizations. There is a true story relating to the famous Mutiny on the Bounty:

A group of British sailors on the ship H.M.S. Bounty mutinied in the early part of the nineteenth century, seized the ship and fled to the island of Pitcairn in the South Pacific. There they hid from British justice for many years. But they were such a community of cutthroats that their life there was desperate and dangerous. They were so debauched and degraded that they started killing each other off, until it looked as though their colony would only last a few years before it would be destroyed by their own debauchery. Then one of the mutineers, Alexander Smith, found a Bible which his mother had placed in his trunk. He began to read it, and soon his own life was changed as he came to know the Lord through the Book. He taught it to the others and rather quickly life on the island took on a wholly different cast. When the mutineers were discovered, they were found to have an almost ideal community. There was no jail because there was no crime. They were godly people, every family among them transformed by the power of the Word of God.^(F45)

Guthrie points out that the expression Holy Scriptures (Gk. hiera grammata) is an unusual one.^(F46) It obviously has a primary reference to the Jewish Scriptures that we know as the Old Testament. Several scholars state this as a certainty. However, by the late time this epistle was written, some books of what was to become the New Testament were already in existence. Certainly, many sayings of Jesus were circulating in the churches. It is interesting that Paul could connect a quotation of Deuteronomy 25:4 with a saying of Jesus that is now found in Luke 10:7. It is also interesting that Peter would clearly declare Paul's letters to be scripture (2 Peter 3:16)."^(F47)

Verses 16-17

SCRIPTURE IS GOD-BREATHED AND USEFUL

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:16

Here we have a great proof-text for the importance of the Bible in the Christian life. The Bible is the spiritual breath of God and all scripture is inspired by the Lord. The physicist, Gerald Schroeder gives us an example of this inspiration:

From the time of Aristotle, 2,300 years ago, scientific theory held the universe to be eternal…Through the early 1960s in the face of mounting evidence to the contrary, two thirds of leading U.S. scientists surveyed believed it. For 3,300 years, since the revelation on Sinai, the Bible denied it, steadfastly claiming there was a beginning to our universe. Only in the past thirty years has science resolved the question.^(F48)

Schroeder is not only a famous physicist but is a competent Bible scholar. He also cites the historian Paul Johnson, "The Bible is the earliest identifiable source of the great conceptual discoveries essential for civilization: equality before the law, sanctity of life, dignity of the individual, individual and communal responsibility, peace as an ideal, love as the foundation of justice."^(F49)

Loren Cunningham, who has taken the Bible into much of the world through his organization claims, "The great technological advances of the Western world would not have been possible without thinking based on a biblical principle of absolute truth."^(F50)

The Bible itself is an amazing miracle. Guzik says of it, "The Bible is unique in its continuity: It was written over 1600 years, over 60 generations, by more than 40 authors, on three different continents, in different circumstances and places, in different times, different moods, in three languages, concerning scores of controversial subjects, but it speaks with one united voice…"^(F51)

Much of the success of the early church was because of its unfailing dependence upon the Bible as the word of God. Early writers like Justin Martyr, Iranaeus, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, Tertullian, often quoted the New Testament. In fact, they quoted it a total of 36,289 times. It is actually possible to reconstruct the New Testament with all but eleven verses from their many quotes.^(F52)

The Bible has an enormous and enduring power to change lives. Barclay tells one such story:

Vincente Quiroga of Chile found a few pages of a book washed up on the seashore by a tidal wave following an earthquake. He read them and never rested until he obtained the rest of the Bible. Not only did he become a Christian; he devoted the rest of this life to the distribution of the Scriptures in the forgotten villages of northern Chile.^(F53)

Paul states, "All Scripture is…useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness." This does not mean "parts" of scripture, but "all" of scripture. The Bible can be trusted in all things. As Wiersbe says of scriptures, "They 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)."^(F54)

The disciple of the Lord and the word of the Lord should not be long separated. The modern disciple, Smith Wigglesworth, felt that he could not go more than fifteen minutes without stopping to read the Bible. It is said that when he was invited out to dine he would insist on reading the Bible before each course in the meal. On one occasion he was being driven to a meeting when he cried for the car to stop. The driver thought something was wrong and brought the vehicle to a swift stop. Wigglesworth bowed his head and asked the Lord's forgiveness for talking about other things and not the word of God.^(F55)

It is tragic that in our generation we no longer have this great respect for the word of God. Pastor and evangelist Ray Stedman laments, "As I travel around America, and around the world, I am troubled that, in church after church today, the congregation is biblically illiterate." Stedman's prayer is "…that we will be men and women who cry out, like John Wesley, 'O give me that Book. Above all else let me have the Book of God.'"^(F56)

Paul says that the scripture is useful in all the above areas "so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work" (3:17). The Greek term for "thoroughly equipped" is exartizo. It can mean thoroughly furnished or fitted out.^(F57) The King James Version rendered the word "perfect," and that translation no doubt caused a good deal of concern and frustration for Christians over the many years. We can much better understand the ideas of furnished, fitted out, thoroughly equipped and complete, rather than dealing with the idea of any perfection on this earth.

CHAPTER 4