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14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 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
Having reminded Timothy of the need for strong men of God to do God's work in this world, Paul now gives Timothy instructions on the utter necessity of the centrality of the Word of God in his life. When we get to that place where we realize that we can be a part of what God is doing in this world, everything changes. But, we must be diligent to make the Word of God the essential tool that He uses in tandem with His Spirit or else we will not be in tune with Him nor will we be used by Him.
In v.14 we read, "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it."
When we first entered into a personal relationship with God, most of us had no idea what was going on. We knew something was different because we found ourselves longing for something new and that something we eventually figured out was Him. I remember having a desire to read the Bible. So, everyday, I carved out time to read it, and I did not understand a lot of it, but I understood enough to keep me going. I agree with John Nelson Darby who said, "The Bible is often darkness to my intellect but light to my soul." Well, over the time of a few months, I began understanding what I was reading in God's Word. And, my hunger and thirst increased.
In v.14 Paul writes, "But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of."
The phrase, "become convinced of," is an aorist passive verb, meaning to confirm, assure, convince, or establish. It means something that is a fixed and firm belief. This is what a conviction is and it is non-negotiable. These are the fixed immovable realities in our personal constitution, and we will not budge on these, not matter what. Our convictions are those Bible-based beliefs that keep us from capsizing in a world of torrential waters.
In a very real sense Paul didn't need to exhort Timothy to continue in his convictions because the indwelling Holy Spirit has the responsibility to make the believer persevere in the truth. Yet, we do factor in by making ourselves available for Him to lead us and teach us. Our role is the bending of our wills and He will not do that for us.
As we learn the contents of the Bible we are being convinced of its veracity. In Hebrews 4:12 we read, "The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to the dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow, it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart."
This is the way it works. The words found in the Bible are living and they run into our brains through our eyes as we read them. They find their way to our hearts. And, as we entertain them, they are changing us little by little. These words are convincing us of their truthfulness. The Bible is effective, it's able to produce the effect it desires.
The Bible is also life-giving. If a biologist is studying and looking through a microscope at a living cell, plant or animal, that biologist knows one thing, that living cell came from something living. If something is alive, something living gave it birth. So also dear friends, since we are alive spiritually, it is the living God who gave us this life. Life comes from life, it doesn't just show up out of thin air. We were spiritually dead, and now we are alive because of God's life-giving presence in our spirits. And, the Holy Spirit, in tandem with the Word of God, arrests the death-giving ideas of the old man and He is infusing the life-giving Word of God into our being. This is why we must be in His Word daily, not as a chore but as a matter of life or death.
In v.15 we read, "and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."
Men of conviction are usually formed out of the soil of a strong parentage and a strong teaching environment. It starts with childhood. The Greek word translated "known" is the word from which we get our word "disciple." Paul is saying, "you've been discipled, don't deviate. Continue in what you've learned."
Due to the investment of his mother and his grandmother, by the time Timothy had come out of his teen-age years, his convictions were in place. Our convictions were well in place by the time we became teen-agers. And, then God sent someone along, and they are used of God to help us in our walk with Him. For Timothy, that one who came along was the Apostle Paul.
At the end of v.15 we read, "which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."
The Scriptures have one subject and His name is Jesus Christ. Salvation can come only through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We are saved by Christ through faith. And, the Word of God was a major tool used of God in the development of our faith in Him. Our faith doesn't save us, faith just links us to the One who does the saving and that One is Christ Jesus. Faith is the instrument that brings us to the One who alone can save.
The Bible is no placebo, it is alive in a strange way to do God's work in our lives. In Isaiah 55:10-11 we read, "As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth, it will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it."
God sends forth His word and it comes back to Him having done the job. The Word of God produces the effects specifically on human willing hearts. The word is used of God to bring us His life, and sustains us in this life until we are glorified in the presence of God.
