The goal of all Christian training is expressed by the words of the Apostle to Timothy,

"That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works"

(II 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 the word

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

"thorough-fare".  The furnishing provided by the Scriptures goes right through;  it

commences with the "child" (II Tim. 3: 15), it remains with the "man of God"

(II Tim. 3: 17), it is "thorough".  It is interesting to note the different translations of

exartizo, "throughly furnished", that have been made since the A.V.

translates the word "well prepared"; J. N. D. 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 N.T.,

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 3: 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 mere Scripture texts

would not satisfy the desire of the Apostle, for there seems to be indicated here the

completeness provided by "all Scripture" (II Tim. 3: 16), "all necessaries", and "right

division" (II 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., and 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 here. The idea of "fitting", "mending", and

"adjusting" can be seen in katartizo, "mending their nets" (Matt. 4: 21);  and

katartismos, "perfecting", or "adjusting", the saints to the requirements of the new

dispensation (Eph. 4: 12). The root word aro does not occur in the Greek N.T., but

Liddell and Scott say of it, that it is "one of the most prolific of Greek roots", from which

is derived words meaning "to join", "to fit", "to fashion", "to arrange", and "to

harmonize".  Every one of these significations is implied in the words "throughly