The other apostles have left it on record that they were witnesses of

His resurrection pre -eminently (Acts 1:22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:30 -32; 10:39

-41).  Paul also was chosen to be a witness (Acts 22:15; 23:11; 26:16

and 26:22).  Peter described himself as 'A witness of the sufferings of

Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed' (1

Pet. 5:1), indicating that his ministry was a continuation of the early

prophets who 'testified beforehand of the sufferings of Christ, and the

glory that should follow' (1 Pet. 1:11).

To bear a witness, while it presupposes personal acquaintance, involves

much more, and for those of us who have no special spiritual endowment or

supernatural gift, our witness must arise from, be equipped by, and be

in harmony with, the written Word of God.  Under this heading of Witness,

therefore, we must consider the equipment provided for such exacting yet

glorious service.  We can gather much by considering the titles given to

the witnesses in the Scriptures, such as Ambassador and Apostle, and other

qualities and exercises referred to in the apostle's instructions, that are

essential to acceptable service.  Perhaps the first of these supplementary

studies could well be the words of 2 Timothy 3:17, where Paul speaks of the

man of God being 'throughly furnished'.

The goal of all Christian training is expressed by the words 'That the

man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works' (2  Tim.

3:17).  Light upon the meaning of these words will be provided by the

context, but before seeking this, let us endeavour to understand, as fully as

we can, the words 'Throughly furnished'.

Modern English has dropped the word 'throughly', and uses in its place

'thoroughly', but the conception 'through' is not lost, as may be seen in the

word 'thoroughfare'.  The furnishing provided by the Scriptures goes right

through; it commences with the 'child' (2 Tim. 3:15), it remains with the

'man of God' (2 Tim. 3:17), it is 'thorough'.  It is interesting to note the

different translations of exartizo, 'throughly furnished', that have been

made since the Authorized Version was published.  Rotherham translates the

word 'well prepared'; J. N. Darby renders it 'fully fitted'; Weymouth,

'perfectly equipped'; Cunnington, 'completely fitted out' and Young's Literal

Translation, 'completed'.  The Greek verb exartizo occurs but once more in

the New Testament, namely in Acts 21:5, where it refers to the 'completion'

or 'accomplishing' of a period of time.  Josephus uses the word in his

Antiquities (Book III, 2.2) where he employs it in connection with military

equipment, saying that his people, in the days of Moses, were 'in mighty

disorder, and in want of all necessaries', and yet were to make war with men

who were 'thoroughly well prepared for it'.  It is evident that to be

'throughly furnished' includes both matter and method, 'all necessaries', and

is the very opposite of 'mighty disorder'.  Evidently, a parrot -like

quotation of Scripture texts would not satisfy the desire of the apostle for

there seems to be indicated here not only the completeness provided by 'all

Scripture' (2 Tim. 3:16), 'all necessaries' but 'right division' (2 Tim.

2:15), the antithesis of 'mighty disorder'.

Exartizo is a compound of ek, 'out of', and artizo, 'to make fit'.  In

composition ek often loses its primitive significance, 'out of', and takes on

the meaning of excess or superiority, even as it does in such English

compounds as 'out -do', 'out -bid', 'out -vie', 'out -rival', etc.  Exartizo

is as near to the English 'out -fit' as one language can be to another.

Furnished right through, fitted right out, such is the equipment aimed at,

and possible to those who follow the teaching of the apostle Paul here.  The