There is no doubt that the Bible stands or falls as a whole on its claims to be the Word

of God and we are shut up to it for all that can be known of our Saviour, His redeeming

love and God's great purpose reveled in and through Him. If II Tim. 3: 16 is not true,

we can never say with certainty, "Thus saith the Lord" as the prophets of old did, but are

thrown back on fallible human opinion and are forced to replace assurance and peace

with doubt and uncertainty. Moreover both Paul and Peter must have been deceived

men;  for Peter, together with Paul, insists on the divine origin of the Scriptures

(IIPet.i.21 R.V.). This view is regarded as old fashioned and unintelligent today, but it

matters not, for what good enough for Christ should be good enough for us. We can

unhesitatingly pin our faith to the "Word of God that liveth and abideth for ever"

Having stated that all God's Word written is by its very nature "holy" and

"God-breathed" and therefore unique, the Apostle Paul now stresses to Timothy its great

purpose to equip the believer fully for all the will of the Lord in life and testimony. It is:

Teaching (doctrine) occupies a very important place in the Pastoral Epistles where it

occurs 15 times, 8 occurrences in I Timothy, 3 in II Timothy and 4 in the epistle to

Titus. The ability to teach and pass on the Truth to others has already been emphasized

in II Tim. 2: 2.  In chapter 3: we have the one great subject matter for the teacher,

namely the inspired Word of God. One of Paul's last injunctions to Timothy is to

`proclaim (preach) the Word' (4: 2), and this is not only a piece of advice to preachers or

ministers of religion, but a command to all who would loyally witness to the Saviour.

The great lack today, especially in our pulpits, is the ability to expound the Scriptures.

Too often the Bible is used merely as a peg on which to hang the opinions of the speaker.

What we greatly need today is not just fluent preaching or attractive oratory, but a clear

and faithful setting forth of the message of God's Word. This gives the Holy Spirit the

good ground of truth to work on, for God has promised: "My Word . . . . . shall not

return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the

thing whereunto I sent it" (Isa. 55: 11). Timothy, to be a profitable leader for Christ, must

constantly rightly divide, correctly handle and set forth the Word of God. This is the only

teaching that God will recognize and bless, and it is the profound ignorance of the holy

Scriptures all around us that is the cause of the landslide in spiritual and moral standards,

bringing so many personal problems, besides giving the opportunity for many false cults

to flourish.