“All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
– 2 Timothy 3:16
2 Timothy 3:16 is a wonderful description of God’s word, what it is, and God’s word, what it does. What it is, it’s breathed out by God. Like when you open your Bible, even when you hear his word read like I just did, like these are Holy Spirit breathed inspired words. These are no mere human words that we read, that we study, that we memorize. These are supernaturally given, supernaturally breathed, supernaturally inspired words.
The One who knows what is best for us has given us His Word. It is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness that we may be complete, equipped for every good work.
2 Timothy 3:16 Reminds Us That God’s Scripture Is Profitable
Unlike any other thing we read, and you just think of all the things you read, whether on your phone like looking through this or that, signs you see on the road, books you might read like everything else we read is written by man, inspired by man. Yet when we open the Bible, we are coming to something that is altogether different. We’re coming to a book that is inspired, breathed by God. All scripture breathed out by God and it’s profitable.
Of course it’s profitable. It’s from God. Like we have the words of the one who created us. In fact, He has given us his word, the one who knows what is best for our lives. All glory be to God. We don’t have to read, study the Bible. We want to read, study the Bible because we want to know what God has said for the good life, for the abundant life, for life that we were created to live. All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable, for what? For teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness so that ultimately the man or woman of God might be complete. Don’t you want that?
This Verse Praises God’s Word For Its Profit
Don’t you want to be complete like completely experiencing God’s design for your life, God’s good design for your life? Don’t you want to experience life to the full? Then let the word do this work in you and equip you for every good work. Don’t you want to do good work? Don’t you want to make your life count? You want to waste your life or make your life count? Well, the word of God is breathed out by God to help you make your life count. So let’s just pray. 2 Timothy 3:16. God, we praise you for your word. We praise you that you have breathed it out, that we have 66 books that we know are your word, and inspired by you, supernaturally breathed out through human authors, but directly from you. We praise you for its profit, for its good work in us.
2 Timothy 3:16 Prays To Be Taught His Word
And so we pray that by your word you would do this work that you would teach us, or teach through your word, reprove us, Lord help us to see where we are wandering from your word, not living according to your word. We pray for correction. We pray that you would correct our course according to your word. God, we pray for training in righteousness. Train us, train us in righteousness according to your word we pray. And in this, we pray that you would make us complete. So God, we want to experience all that you’ve designed for us to experience. So help us to be students of your word, reading it, studying it, memorizing it, meditating on it, and in this, make us complete, help us to obey it, not just to hear it, but to do it and equip us through it we pray.
Wants Us To Be Men And Woman Of His Word
For good work, for lives that count, for others’ good, lives that count for your glory. So God, make us men and women of your word who are long in your word, who reflect your word, who speak your word, who teach your word, who share your word with others, who walk in obedience to your word. And in all of this who experience intimacy with you and life with you according to your good design. May it be so we pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
David Platt serves as a pastor in metro Washington, D.C. He is the founder of Radical.
David received his Ph.D. from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and is the author of Don’t Hold Back, Radical, Follow Me, Counter Culture, Something Needs to Change, Before You Vote, as well as the multiple volumes of the Christ-Centered Exposition Commentary series.
Along with his wife and children, he lives in the Washington, D.C. metro area.
