Wise For Salvation

Scripture

12 In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 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. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Hard Truth 1: You Need To Overcome Persecution

1 and 2 Timothy are letters Apostle Paul is writing to Timothy to raise him up in wisdom and faith so that he will carry forward the mission of spreading the gospel and living for Christ. But Paul doesn’t mince word because he has experienced in a l very real way what Jesus meant by saying “if they persecuted me they will persecute you also.” And he reminds Timothy in this chapter -

2 Timothy 3:10–11 “10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them.”

Paul reminds Timothy who is from Lystra of the painful persecution he faced in Timothy’s hometown, nearly being stoned to death and dragged out of the city. There is no shortness of enemies too the Christian faith.

Being godly is countercultural. It’s painful. Christians are ridiculed and avoided. To express the fullness of our Christian faith means we’ll likely be rejected.

How do we hold onto a Christlike faith when the world is becoming more godless?

Paul tells us the wisest thing to do — “continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of.” Stick to the teachings of the Bible!

Hard Truth 2: You Need to Decide if the Bible is True.

Here’s a reality for all of you — at some point in your life you’ll question the validity of what your church taught you. Am I indoctrinated? Have I been brainwashed this whole time?

The truth is you have to ask yourself if you’ve been free to question and challenge the truth that you’ve been taught. If so you’re not brainwashed. Don’t pretend to be a victim of indoctrination when we’ve never forced you to believe anything.

That’s not how God wants us to follow Him. That’s also not how Scriptures are made.

The best theologians challenge themselves to understand Scripture.

Hard Truth 3: You Need to Submit to the Scriptures