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Paidarion, another diminutive of pais, a little boy or girl.
Brephos, allied with "embryo" (see Luke 1: 41), the new born babe.
The apostle goes right back to the time of birth in the word he chose, and while we are
not to understand literally that upon the very first day that Timothy was born, he was
taught the sacred letters, we must understand that his mother lost no time, but at the
earliest moment sought to lead her little son in the way of the truth. Peter uses this word
when he says:
"As newborn babes desire the sincere milk of the word" (I Pet. 2: 2).
We have no exact knowledge as to the age of Timothy, but if we reckon that he was
twenty-one years of age when he joined Paul, as recorded in Acts 16: 1, then, when his
mother began the instruction of her infant son, the Lord Jesus had only just commenced
His public ministry. We read that his mother was "a Jewess and believed" (Acts 16: 1),
and that his grandmother also was a believer (II Tim. 1: 5). Here we have a splendid
example of what the apostle himself was endeavouring to impress upon Timothy. The
mind stored and instructed by the teaching of the Scriptures (in the case of Timothy and
his mother, the O.T. Scriptures), was being made "wise unto salvation through faith that
is in Christ Jesus". When we were considering the special word orthotomeo "rightly
divide" (II Tim. 2: 15), we said that Timothy would have no difficulty in understanding
its meaning, even though the word does not occur anywhere else in the New Testament,
for he would have been familiar with it in Prov. 3: 6, "He shall direct (rightly divide)
thy paths".
So, when he read sophizo "to make wise", even though he may have known Peter's
use of the word in the expression "cunningly devised fables" (II Pet. 1: 16), he would
remember another passage of Scripture which he had learned at his mother's knee,
namely Psalm 19: 7:
"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure
making wise the simple."
He may also have taken a little courage, as he thought of his youthfulness and the
great work he was called to do, by remembering another passage, learnt in his early days:
"Thou through Thy commandments has made me wiser than mine enemies; for they
are ever with me" (Psa. 119: 98).
We now come to the great text concerning the inspiration of Scripture:
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may
be perfect thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (II Tim. 3: 16, 17).
The Revised Version gives the following translation of this verse: "Every Scripture
inspired by God is also profitable", and as the question is so fundamental we must ask the
reader's patient and careful attention, even though the nature of the enquiry necessitate