Acquainted With The Sacred Writings

“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.”

Scripture has always been under attack. We expect this from the unbelieving world but, when the attacks come from the professing Church, we are greatly concerned. That this is the case today must not be doubted. To be attacked from within is betrayal, treason. All countries view betrayal or treason in a serious light and so they should. It should not be any less in the Church. As Christians, we are at war with the enemies the New Testament speaks of—Satan, the world, and the flesh. These are violent and deadly enemies. They kill and destroy.

One of the problems debilitating the Church today is that we do not treat our enemies as we ought—in a serious light. Passing by or leaving a rattlesnake or king cobra in your house or under your bed would be a foolish thing. You would do everything in your power to destroy them or get rid of them. We do this because of the danger that exists. It is an ever-present danger until destroyed. Sin is a rattlesnake—very deadly and must be always treated with suspicion and hostility. Why should Christians today allow those who limit Scripture or attack Scripture any place with the Christian Church? We should not! Evangelical Christianity is being redefined, not by those who have a high and holy view of Scripture, but by those who don’t, and they are to be found within the Church. If they were in the world, we would not be surprised, but to find them in the Church is damaging to Christ and to the believer. It was the same in Paul’s day. It has always been so.

It was the Arian heresy that early church councils dealt with. This was a heresy within the Church attacking the deity of Christ and, ultimately, the Trinity. Those councils believed that it was necessary to articulate very clearly the doctrine of the Trinity and, subsequently, the doctrines of the person and work of Christ. Thank God for their work. The results of their work were the creeds of the Church. It is worthwhile making a study of those ancient creeds. But the creeds are not Scripture—they are dependent on Scripture. Any authority they convey is a derived authority from Scripture. All confessions and creeds become sweeter to the reader who has first understood Scripture. But when Scripture confirms Scripture, then we rejoice because faith is assured and confirmed. The things we have most assuredly believed are pressed home afresh upon our minds and hearts and we might respond by saying, “Amen.”

This is what Paul wants Timothy to understand. Paul recognizes the constant danger to the Church through attacks from within. Second Timothy is a remarkable book. Paul’s life will soon be over. He is delivering his last words to this faithful associate of his. The bond between them was that of ‘father and son’ in the faith (1 Tim. 1:2, 18; 2 Tim. 1:2; 2:1). Paul tells Timothy about the approaching apostasy: “But understand this that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people” (2 Tim. 3:1–5). On the other hand, Timothy has followed Paul and his life closely: “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra–which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me” (2 Tim. 3:10, 11).

In view of the coming danger from within, what did Paul expect Timothy to do? He wanted Timothy to continue in what he had learned and believed. Learning something does not imply belief. Many go to Sunday School, worship in a local congregation, and learn many things but don’t believe them. That is precisely the problem of today’s evangelical church. Just because someone is in an evangelical church, does not mean he is evangelical. Paul never advised Timothy to question everything in Scripture, and if there is any difficulty in Scripture to not believe it. No, it is apparent that Timothy had a long acquaintance with God’s Word. He first learned it from his mother, Eunice, and grandmother, Lois (2 Tim. 1:5). They were believers and had taught Timothy. He was acquainted with the Scriptures. He not only had learned them but also had come to faith in Christ. What a blessing and privilege to have such a background. How utterly dangerous to despise and reject such a heritage then.

What is it then that Scripture does for us? It makes a person “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus”(vs. 15). Scripture leads to the “knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Tim. 2:25). Scripture has the power to bring a person to faith in Jesus as Lord (James 1:18). Peter calls Scripture the “living and abiding word of God” through which we were “born again” (1 Pet. 1:23). Scripture is necessary for salvation. But Scripture is necessary for life itself. Scripture is derived from God. In 2 Timothy 3:16 Paul outlines what Scripture is and does: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” This verse is the proof text for the divine inspiration of Scripture. God breathed out all Scripture. It is not that the Scripture contains the Word of God—rather it is the Word of God. It is absolutely true that human authors wrote Holy Scripture, but they wrote under the inspiration of God. Therefore, the words they wrote are the very words that God intended for them to write. They wrote his exact words. It was not mechanical dictation either. They were moved or carried along by the Holy Spirit (1 Pet. 1:21). The words they wrote are the Word of God. This is crucial because of the effect Scripture is said to have—profitable for teaching, reproving, correcting, and training in righteousness.

If you tamper with Scripture, then you necessarily tamper with its effects. And after a while, all kinds of criteria are used to determine whether Scripture is really Scripture, and so doubt is cast upon God’s Word. This is the fruit of the German Higher Critical movement of the late 19th century. This fruit is still in existence today and it has permeated the evangelical Church. The tragedy is that we are being told that it is possible to be evangelical and be critical of the Bible. This is an attempt to turn the definition of who an evangelical is into something less or different, but still evangelical. These kinds of people not only want their cake but they want to eat it also. It seems to me that the Apostle Paul knew something about this because the real issue for him is what Scripture produces. In verse 17, he states the result: “that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Scripture received and believed helps others but it also helps the reader (Timothy). And what kind of benefit are we talking about. A mere acquaintance? No, rather something much deeper; namely, a changed life. It results in competence (correct handling of the Word of truth) and enables the doing of every good work. The result of knowing the Word (like Paul and Timothy) must be holiness because every good work is the result of this kind of change. Those who wish to tamper and change God’s Word to suit their own passions (modern-day rattlesnakes) have no desire for godliness, and in the end that’s the litmus test.