Timothy's Jewish mother had made sure that he was taught the content of our Old Testament. Some materials included in our New Testament weren't yet written when Paul wrote this second letter to Timothy. But others were already considered equal in authority to the Old Testament. In Paul's first letter to Timothy, for instance, he identified (in 5:18) quotations from both Deuteronomy and Luke as Scripture.

1. What are some Old Testament truths about God and mankind that lay the groundwork (v. 15) for trusting in Jesus as the Messiah?



2. How does the assertion of verse 16 that all Scripture is God-breathed make the Bible different from every other book?



3. So what weight should you give its pronouncements as you evaluate other truth claims?



4. How systematically are you internalizing truth benchmarks from God's Word?



5. How has Scripture made you realize that an area of your life has been deficient?



6. How has Scripture prodded you to straighten out some aspect of your behavior?



7. How fully equipped do you feel (v. 17) for living as a disciple? … for defending God's truth?



8. What influences could tempt you to not remain faithful (v. 14) to the truths of Scripture?

Ask God to use His Word in your life for its purpose: to strengthen your faith and lead you to do good.

¹⁴But you must remain faithful to the things you have been taught. You know they are true, for you know you can trust those who taught you. ¹⁵You have been taught the holy Scriptures from childhood, and they have given you the wisdom to receive the salvation that comes by trusting in Christ Jesus. ¹⁶All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It straightens us out and teaches us to do what is right. ¹⁷It is God's way of preparing us in every way, fully equipped for every good thing God wants us to do.

Prayer for the Week

Lord, give me a fresh grasp of Your truth as I open myself to Your Word.

				Try an Issue of Men of Integrity Free! Name Street Address City/State/Zip E-mail Address No credit card required. Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery. Offer valid in U.S. only. Click here for International orders. If you decide you want to keep Men of Integrity coming, honor your invoice for just $19.95 and receive five more issues, a full year in all. If not, simply write "cancel" across the invoice and return it. The trial issue is yours to keep, regardless. Give Men of Integrity as a gift Buy 1 gift subscription, get 1 FREE!

FREE Newsletter Sign up for the Men of Integrity Newsletter    RSS Feed   RSS Help