Sermon26-25 2Tim3 "The Word of God" Guide

2 Tim 3:10-17 theme verse 2 Timn 3:16-17

The praise and honor and glory be to our heavenly Father who seeks true worshipers who worship Him with the Spirit and truth.

In this twentieth Sunday of the year 2026, I pray that His grace of the application of all the benefits which Jesus earned for our salvation and the glorious ministry of the proclamation of His kingdom by the power of the Holy Spirit may be full in our life. Last week, on the sixth Sunday of Easter season, through Deut. 4, we meditated on the Christian Basics, I mean, the Word and prayer. Yet on this seventh Sunday of Easter season, through 2 Timothy 3, we would like to think about the Word of God more in detail together.

1)    Today’s text was read from the Second Epistle to Timothy which is s a pastoral letter written by Paul to his beloved disciple Timothy, who was ministering in Asia Minor at that time around AD 66–67, during Paul’s second imprisonment in Rome, before his martyrdom. Through this epistle, Paul wanted to encourage Timothy to be on guard against false teachers and false apostles in that days, and to preach the Word of God in season and out of season.

Especially, in the chapter 3 of 2 Timothy, Paul warns Timothy that

a) In the end era, people will love own selves rather than God. And built upon this fundamental sin of self-love, it will be a time when the sin of individualism to love money and to be arrogant;

b) People will commit the sin of disregarding authority (v. 2b) so that they will disobey to parents and be ingratitude;

c) And people become devoid of human warmth (v. 3a) so that they will grow in unloving and irreconcilable;

d) And their temperaments turn savage (v. 3b–4a) so that they will lack self-control and be impulsiveness;

e) and religiously (v. 4b–5), people succumb to hedonism and hypocrisy so that wickedness will run rampant (vv. 1–5).

Furthermore, Paul warns that in the end era, heresies will run rampant and describes the characteristics of these heretics as follows:

a) They approach people surreptitiously;

b) And they entice the "foolish” I mean, those with weak discernment regarding the truth;

c) And they lead these individuals to oppose the truth;

But, he said, ultimately, these heretics will be destined to fail (vv. 6–9).

2)    I mean, through the verse10 through 17 in today’s text, Paul teaches Timothy how to overcome such wickedness and heresies. It is that as Timothy witnessed in the life of Paul, even though anyone who seeks to live a godly life in Christ Jesus is bound to face persecution in this world full of sin and heresy, remembering that, amidst such persecution and suffering, our Lord will surely protect them, he exhorts Timothy to live the life of faith, patience, love and endurance, by reflecting upon the lessons Paul taught, following the example that he demonstrated, and thinking the purpose of his ministry.

And in particular he exhorts Timoty to firmly hold fast to the truths he had learned from the Scriptures. Because the Scriptures,

first, provides the wisdom that leads to salvation;

second, not only makes us complete as people of God;

but third, also equips us with the ability to perform good works.

3)    Yet, it seems to me that the sins and heresies which was rampant in the first century, are rampant now and here too.

Some fifty years ago, in 1972, Henri Nouwen, in his book “The Wounded Healer”, prophesied that the future generations would have three characteristics as follows, I mean - an increase in ‘Inwardness’, ‘Fatherlessness’ I mean, the loss of the fatherly authority, and ‘Convulsiveness’.

To elaborate it more,

‘Inwardness,’ would mean that in the era of rampant relativism, people would no longer seek truth in the external world, rather turn their focus inward that it would be a time when self-centeredness becomes increasingly entrenched.

‘Fatherlessness’ refers to the rejection of the father who is a symbol of authority, and indeed the refusal to acknowledge authority itself so that both society and the family unit will be transformed into a devoid of authority.

Furthermore, he predicted that the fear and anxiety arising from this process would drive individuals toward mental illnesses such as obsessive-compulsive disorders, leading to an increase in self-destructive tendencies such as suicide on an internal level, while externally, I mean, in social level, it results in a rise in violence toward others.

So, when I look at American society today where we can observe the various social illness currently as a whole, I mean, increased individualism, loss of authority, and rampant relativism, especially in the recent post-COVID, surge in mental illness and suicide rates, and the increasing frequency of gun-related incidents and violent crimes so that we cannot help but be struck with awe at the profound insight of the Scriptures, which—two thousand years ago—prophesied the very signs of the end times.

4)    Therefore, I think we who live in these end times, have to deeply reflect upon the question of what kind of people we have to be as Christians in this world before God.

To that end, I think we need to carefully examine the words Paul spoke to Timothy in verses 16 & 17 of today’s text that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

So that we need to learn how God grows us into full maturity through His word and how God cultivates our discernment for what is right and equips us to obey to His Word, to make us to live in His pleasing will.

5)    In that perspective, it is said in verses 15 and 17, that the Bible not only imparts the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, but also serves to make the people of God complete and to equip them for every good work.

As such, first, as Jesus said in John 5:39 "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness about me”, the Bible bears witness to Jesus and leads us to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

Furthermore, because the Bible was written breathed out by God, I mean, written under the inspiration of God, it helps Christians grow into complete people of God through teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness and also equip us with the ability to do good work.

In other words, the Bible enables us to discern what is good, thereby guiding us to make good and upright decisions. Moreover, the Holy Spirit who inspired the writing of the Scriptures works in us the desire to act in accordance with God’s pleasing will and empowers us to do that deeds, through the four distinct functions of the biblical Word, I mean, instruction, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness by the Holy Spirit.

6)    Here, first, the Greek word “didaskalia” (διδασκαλία), which can be translated as "teaching" or "doctrine” signifies sound doctrinal teaching, since the Bible is the Word of Truth as John 17:17 says.

Second, the Greek word “elegmos” (ἐλεγμός), translated as "reproof" or "rebuke” denotes the correction of erroneous teachings. I mean, as Hebrews 4:12 says, the living Word of God is active and sharper than any double-edged sword so it penetrates even to the dividing of soul and spirit, joints and marrow, and judges the thoughts and intentions of the heart. Therefore, it can rectify the erroneous thoughts that lie deeply hidden within us.

As such, these two terms convey that when we read and meditate upon the Scriptures, the Word of God will guide us toward sound doctrine.

And then third, the Greek word “epanorthosis” (ἐπανόρθωσις), translated as "correction” is often easily confused with the second term (“elegmos”). Yet, its original meaning is the ”transformation of our deeds". In other words, the Bible brings us a change in our behavior.

And finally, the term “paideia” (παιδεία), translated as "instruction in righteousness” corresponds to the English word "discipline," so it signifies the correction of improper behavior. In other words, this implies that the Bible serves to rectify our bad habits and conduct.

Therefore, the combination of these third and fourth terms signifies that the Word of God guides us toward righteous conduct.

Then bringing all of this together, as Jesus who is the Logos left us the written Logos in the Bible, so that when we read this written Logos and also hear the proclaimed Logos through the preachers of the Word, these words serve to teach us, to rebuke us, to correct us, and to train us in righteousness so that they enable us to lead a right life, I mean, sound doctrine and right conduct.

In other words, through the Word of God, we are enabled:

First, to attain our salvation;

Second, to become complete as people of God;

And third, to be fully equipped to perform good works.

7)    By the way there is one think we have to remember.

I mean, as the Bible speaks of both right doctrine and right conduct, reading and meditating on the Bible is not enough. I mean, as we already saw that the Doctrine of the Mean emphasized the necessity of "solitary practice,” in the same way, the "knowledge" spoken of in the Bible does not refer merely to intellectual understanding or insight gained solely through the mind, rather as a Korean proverb says "Even three bushels of beads are useless unless strung together to form a necklace”, the knowledge of the Bible should be put to practice.

Just as the four functions of the Bible which was found in today’s text, both sound doctrine and right conduct has to work together. I mean, when the Bible imparts sound doctrine to us, then we are absolutely obligated to put that knowledge into practice. That’s why, in John 3:36, it says that "Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life." I mean, the text effectively treats "faith" and "obedience" as synonyms as one and the same concept. Ultimately, we come to know that possessing sound doctrine and living a life of obedience to the Word are inseparable since they are like the two sides of a single coin. And also that’s precisely why James 2:17 says that faith without works is dead.

8)    Our Lord who is the very wisdom and Word of God has granted us both the wisdom to truly know God and also the power to live in accordance with His will.

If you, as God’s people, want to live a righteous life—one characterized by sound doctrine and upright conduct, here is the Word of God so let us read, meditate and live into this holy Word which is sweeter than honey, as Psalm 119:103 says as it was breathed out by the inspiration of God, then it will nourish and enrich our soul, as it was said that it will give us the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and makes us know the Lord more deeply and grow in His holiness, enabling our souls to mature in Him to the fullness of Christ and also equip us to discern His pleasing will and perform the good work.

Key Questions as Small Group Activity

Q1 Through today’s text, we became to know that the Word of God not only grants us the wisdom which leads to the salvation but also makes the people of God complete and equips them for good works. So after reflecting our life and checking whether we live in the life of the Word, I mean, reading, meditating and living in the Word of God, I hope we could share our thought and experience with our team members together to learn from each other.

Q2 And also, we became to know that the Word of God suitable for teaching, reproof, correction and discipline. So after reflecting our life and checking whether we open to the Word of God to make it transform us, I hope we can share our thought and experience with our team members together to learn from each other.

Love you. Thank you. God bless you.

Prayer Note

Dear ( God’s attribute which you found Today ) God!

Thanks for ( something you received through the sermon or  even during the week )

Praise, gratitude and glory be to You, Lord!

Today, I realized my sin (pains) that ( the sin God reminded through the sermon ),

please forgive (or heal) me and help me not to repeat ( the sins you recognized   ).

I learned that ( something you learned through the sermon                                    )

Please help me to live in that (  learned way of life                                                )

I pray in ( Jesus’ attribute you find ) Jesus’ name. Amen.