The Power and Purpose of Scripture

Text: 2 Timothy 3:10–17

Introduction: The Fragile Foundation of Modern Life

We live in a world where truth feels increasingly subjective, where "you do you" has become a kind of moral law. Institutions, traditions, and even facts are viewed with suspicion. We live in an age where, largely because of social media, news media, and the amazing breadth of wrong information out there, our first instinct when many of us hear any claims from those in authority who are not in alignment with our beliefs is to not believe it and label it as a lie. We have chosen our corners. We have picked our side, whatever that is. We have been consumed by the tribal instinct to circle the wagons and paint everything outside of that circle as evil and dangerous. We have made our tribe the foundation. We have shaped our worldviews around “does it support my side or not”.

And yet, if we are honest, we know that this foundation we’ve laid for ourselves as a society is shifting sand at best, a bottomless pit of a quicksand at worst. The truth is that our society, the Church, desperately needs a firm foundation—something that can guide us, correct us, and shape us.

The urge that the Church faces today is to adapt. To be novel and pragmatic about their approach in order to adapt and stay “relevant” (my least favorite word bandied about in Christian circles.) Contextualizing your ministry is key, don’t hear me as saying that - Paul talks in 2 Corinthians about becoming all things to all people in order that he may save some - there is a need to ensure that YOU are not getting in the way of the message of the Gospel. But we too often throw the baby out with the bathwater and sacrifice truth for the sake of relevancy. That is a foundation that cannot stand.

Paul, writing to Timothy at the end of his life, speaks into a situation not unlike our own. Timothy is surrounded by confusion, opposition, and shifting sands. And what Paul does here is stunning: he points Timothy not to novelty, not to pragmatism, not to cultural adaptation, but to the Scriptures. To something ancient, something enduring.

And if we listen carefully, we'll find that the Word of God offers exactly what we so deeply lack today: a foundation that can sustain us, equip us, and transform us.

Stand with me as I read:

2 Timothy 3:10–17 ESV

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. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 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. 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.

Today, we’ll look at three main ideas or themes pulled from this passage:

The Model of Paul’s Life

The Nature of the Scriptures

The Transforming Power of the Gospel

1. The Model of Paul’s Life (v.10–13)

2 Timothy 3:10–11 “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.”

Notice how Paul begins—not with an abstract argument, but with a life lived in consistency with the truth. Timothy had seen it up close. Paul’s doctrine was not isolated from his life. His teaching matched his conduct.

Christianity is not just about right thinking; it’s about your whole life.

This is crucial because our modern world often separates belief from behavior. We can say we believe something without it affecting how we live. But Paul shows us something different: the Word of God forms an entire life—mind, heart, and hands.

Paul also warns that following Jesus will mean suffering.

2 Timothy 3:12–13 “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”

Why? Because to live by the truth is to be out of step with the world. To say "There is a God to whom we owe allegiance" is to challenge the idols of self, power, and comfort. Virtue is forged - righteousness is grown - in pain, and if you have the absurd notion that can use Jesus for a life without pain, for a life without hardship, you’re following a gutted, unbiblical, fantastical version of who you think Jesus is. And here’s what’s incredible - in the midst of the pain, God is STILL sovereign. In the midst of the valley of the shadow of death, God is there. Our great shepherd is with us.

Job

Job’s story is pretty well known - the Godliest of men on earth. Satan approaches God who asks him if he’s heard of Job - to which Satan replies yes. And he says “of course he loves you…have you not given him every material thing, why wouldn’t he love you?” So God allows Satan to systematically destroy everything about Job’s life except for Job himself. For chapter upon chapter Job stays faithful to the God and refuses to “Curse God and die” as some of his friends had suggested. Then finally, FINALLY, Job cracks. Job does what so many of us want to do when things go wrong - we want to ball up our fist and scream at the injustice. I DID EVERYTHING RIGHT! Is our cry - and Job does this.

God’s response to Job is stunning:

Job 38:4–11 ESV

“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?

You see, Job questioned God’s justice and his goodness. Job finally put himself in the seat “I know better than God….” And when your understanding of Scripture and your relationship with God is centered first and foremost around you and what impacts you, this reaction comes natural. But when your understanding shifts to knowing at every instant there is a Sovereign and GOOD God who loves you and has a wonderful plan for you, you transform your life during difficult times.

And this is what Paul has modeled for Timothy. Paul - a Jew of Jews - someone who had always done the right thing, had always served God with a clear conscience, was not being persecuted for his faith. He was awaiting death. Yet he still points Timothy back to Scripture:

2. The Nature of the Scriptures (v.14–17)

"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness..."

Two key truths here:

A. The Divine Origin of Scripture

"God-breathed" — a breathtaking claim. Paul is saying that the Scriptures are not merely human reflections on God; they are God’s own revelation to us.

This challenges both secular skepticism ("The Bible is just a human book") and religious traditionalism ("We honor it but pick and choose which parts we like"). If Scripture is from God Himself, then it comes with both authority and life.

You cannot just sit in judgment over Scripture. It sits in judgment over you. And yet, because it is from a loving God, it does not crush but brings life.

B. The Comprehensive Sufficiency of Scripture

Notice the purposes listed: teaching, reproof, correction, training. The Word addresses every aspect of our lives. It shapes our thinking, convicts our hearts, redirects our paths, and trains us in holy living.

In other words, the Bible is not just for inspiration; it’s for transformation.

The Scriptures are not primarily a collection of inspiring stories or moral lessons. They are the means by which God forms a people who reflect His character in the world.

Illustration: Think about how a manual shapes the use of a complex machine. If you misuse the machine, you don’t just break the manual—you break yourself. So it is with life: the Scriptures are the manual not because God wants to control us, but because He knows how life is meant to work.

3. The Transforming Power of the Gospel

And yet—and this is crucial—the Bible is not mainly about us. It’s not mainly about how to live better lives. It is mainly about Jesus Christ.

Look at verse 15: the Scriptures "are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."

The Bible’s main purpose is to lead you to Christ.

Not to turn you into a good person. Not to make you a moral citizen. But to bring you into relationship with the living God through faith in Jesus.

Every story, every command, every psalm, every prophecy points to Him.

The books of the law shows us our need for a Savior.

The history books shows us the longing for a true King.

The prophets point to the suffering servant.

The wisdom literature shows us the beauty of a life lived under God’s rule—and the utter vanity and void of trying to live apart from it.

The Scriptures lead us to Christ, and Christ leads us into newness of life. Because the power of the Gospel is this: you are more broken and sinful than you could ever imagine, but loved more than you could ever have hoped.

Anchored Lives in a Shifting World

In a world that is constantly shifting, we need something unshakable. And Paul shows us that we have it—the God-breathed Scriptures that lead us to Jesus, and through Jesus, into the life we were designed to live.

If you build your life on your own feelings, you will be tossed about like a boat on the waves. If you build your life on the Word of God, you will stand firm. It is not enough to simply believe the Bible is true. It must become the air we breathe, the foundation we build on, the lens through which we see the world—and most of all, the path that leads us deeper into the arms of Christ.