Join us for an inspiring episode of the International Gospel Hour, where we explore the profound wisdom found in 2 Timothy 3:14-17. Our speaker, Jeff Archie, guides us through the teachings of Paul to Timothy, emphasizing the need to hold onto and continue in the learnings of the Scripture. This episode challenges us to question why we believe what we believe and encourages us to find assurance in the teachings of the Bible rather than tradition alone.
Continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of. Friends, that’s some awesome inspired advice and a command that we need in our lives. That’s our study coming up today from the International Gospel Hour. Welcome to our broadcast.
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It’s time for our broadcast from the International Gospel Hour. I’m Jay Webb, and welcome to our study today as we embrace God’s Word to help us meet the challenges of today. Let’s open our Bibles and open our heart for this time of Bible study with our speaker Jeff Archie of International Gospel Hour, a broadcast of the Churches of Christ. Here’s Jeff.
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Well, thank you to our J-Web and greetings to all of you. We are honored you’ve joined us today for our studies here from the International Gospel Hour. From time to time, I like to pause and welcome our new listeners and to update you and let you know a few things about our work here. Thank you for watching. And as I say at the end of the broadcast, friends, keep listening right here on this station or platform of your choice. Our website is internationalgospelhour.com, and you can go there and listen to all of our broadcast as well. Thank you for watching. You can find our programming options again at our website, internationalgospelhour.com. If you scroll down just a bit, you’ll see all of our programs and even our Hispanic podcast, Cristianos Fieles, with our friend and brother Marlon Ratana of SpanishBibleSchool.org. Our J-Web will have a few words about that work in a moment. We are thankful for every opportunity to speak the oracles of God as commanded in 1 Peter 4.11. and to declare the whole counsel of God, Acts 20 and verse 27. So we thank you for joining us, and stay right here where you listen to International Gospel Hour. Our text today is 2 Timothy chapter 3, verses 14 through 17. We’ll read this, have a few introductory remarks, and that will be our study for the remainder of the time together. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise unto salvation or for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work. In verse 14 of 2 Timothy 3 we see the conjunction, but. and that is flowing from the warning of false teachers and their instructions, Paul now reminds Timothy to continue or hold on to what he has learned, as well as look what is ahead to be of help to him. Not only should Timothy continue in what he had learned, but he must be assured of what he has learned and to know what he has learned. Friends, let’s ask a question here. Why do we believe what we believe? Do we believe something because, well, our preacher says so? Well, friends, preachers can be wrong. I’m one of them, and I can tell you there are occasions that I will study and look and think, my, I could have handled that better, or let me make certain that I understand that. We might think, well, my mother and my father taught me that. But in many ways, some of the things that moms and dads would teach us concerning God and His will may not be according to the Bible. Now, Timothy was taught by his mother and his grandmother, as we’ll note in a few moments. But we’ll mention that here, 2 Timothy 1 verse 5. But friends, we need to believe what we believe. because of what the Bible says. And when we learn it, we must be assured and continue to know what we are learning. That is our discussion today. We want to prove all things and to hold fast that which is good, according to 1 Thessalonians 5.21. And we must know why we believe, what we believe, so that we are continuing in the right way or we change to the right way. So, as we noted from our lesson text, we will use the Scriptures, the Holy Bible. The Bible is sufficient to help us continue in the things that we’ve learned or change what we have learned and change to what the Scriptures say. The Scripture will either affirm and we continue or will tell us you need to make some changes. Let’s think on this today with our study coming up in a few moments. However, just a little bit ago, I mentioned our Hispanic podcast, Cristianos Fieles. Well, I’d like to defer to our J-Web, who has a few other words about this good work and how you can use this work as well to share with your Spanish friends.
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International Gospel Hour, in collaboration with SpanishBibleSchool.org, presents a biblical podcast for our Spanish-speaking friends. Please join Marlon Rotana for Christianos Fieles, also known as Faithful Christians, at your favorite podcast platform. That’s Christianos Fieles with Marlon Rotana. You can also hear the broadcast at our website, internationalgospelhour.com.
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To continue or change our lives, first we must be about learning the Scriptures. That goes back to verse 15 of 2 Timothy chapter 3. That from a childhood, that from childhood he had known the Holy Scriptures. Now, when we discuss childhood or digging back deeper to this word, it’s interesting how the word child is used, and especially here in the Old King James Version, from a child you have known. Child would refer in the New Testament to an unborn child, Luke 1 verses 41 and 44. It could refer to a newborn child, Luke 2 and verse 12 and Luke 2 and verse 16. And even mentioned in Acts 7 and verse 19 as young children, but in that context, referring to the newborns during the time of Pharaoh and And that is during the birth of Moses, 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 2. It’s the use of a young child desiring a babe, if you will, desiring the milk of the word. It’s also referred to as infants in Luke 18 and verse 15. So when you take a look at this word child or from childhood, interestingly enough is all the research in recent years that a child learns while being carried by the mother prior to birth. Friends, I point this out to show where God’s word affirms something that is discovered centuries later. Isn’t it amazing? You see, one is never too young to learn of the things of God. Now, in 2 Timothy 1 and verse 5, we recall Timothy’s learning from both his grandmother and his mother. And, of course, Timothy learned from Paul. In 2 Timothy 2 and verse 2, The things that you have heard of me among many witnesses are from me the same commit to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also. As parents instruct children, this is a pattern and a command, not only in the Old Testament, but also in the New. In Deuteronomy 11, verses 19 through 20, Israel was commanded, You shall teach them your children, speaking of them, and that is the commands of God, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. And you shall write them upon the doorpost of your house and upon your gates. In other words, God and His instruction should permeate every household. I love to go into houses and see part of the wall painting and all, maybe a scripture that’s placed on a wall as a reminder of what that home is to be about. And so when we think about how this was commanded in the Old Testament… Even in the New Testament, especially in Ephesians 6 and verse 4, Even in this same book of 2 Timothy 1 and verse 13, Paul tells this young man Timothy, Hold fast the form of sound words which you have heard of me in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. And so friends, we understand and know that we must learn the scriptures. And while we have the power of parenting or good godly parents that should instruct us, therefore we also know that there are others who will influence our lives and our children’s lives. Now, when we look at the scripture here in verse 15, the scripture here within that context refers to the Old Testament. Now, that’s what Timothy’s mother and grandmother had available. But let’s recall also Galatians 3, 22 through 25 of the scriptures and what they are to us today to the Christ where salvation is found. Galatians 3.22, But the Scripture has confined all under sin that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor. So we understand how Jesus brought forth, not the command of the old covenant that we continue under, but the new. However, the scriptures from the end of Genesis to the Amen of Revelation are inspired as we read earlier from 2 Timothy 3.16. You see, friends, the law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple, Psalm 19, 7. And Jesus, as he walked on this earth, said in John 5, 39 and 40, Search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me. And you will not come to me that you might have life. Jesus said the Scriptures will bring you to me that you will have life. So friends, in learning the scriptures, which we understand we must do, will it convict the right we affirm? Or will it change the teaching that we have heard that we may be in line and in accordance with the scriptures? Are we going to continue or are we going to change? Now, friend, when we hear something taught, for example, from any religious broadcast you may listen to, when we hear something taught we have not heard before or not familiar with, then let us learn from the Scripture what we should do. Let’s see if it is correct or not. In Acts 17, verses 10 and 11, Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. When they heard something taught, they were going to seek the Scriptures. When they would hear teaching of Jesus, the Savior, the Messiah, they were going to search the Scriptures to see if this indeed was the one through whom would come. And friends, we need to be those that search the Scriptures. We don’t need to turn around and ask our preacher and what he says we’ll go with. We need to make certain what preachers say is in accordance with the Word of God. Friends, we always encourage good Bible study in between our broadcasts. That’s why we offer a number of tools, a number of online tools, tools that we mail to you, studies we share with you, so that you can search the Scriptures to see whether those things are so. And we want to help you toward that end each and every time from our broadcast here from International Gospel Hour. Now, let’s continue our study to verse 16. Not only do we learn the Scriptures, but it will bring us a conviction by the Scriptures. In other words, we will continue what we know, or if the Scriptures say otherwise, we will change what we know. Now, while verse 15 refers to the Old Testament as stated, When we come to verse 16 and we find all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, this would address the New Testament as several books were already penned and the apostles spoke as the Spirit directed. We note that promise of Christ from John 14, 26, John 15, 26, and John 16, verse 13, how the Spirit would guide those apostles into all truth. And what they would speak would come from God, through the Son, through the Spirit. In 2 Peter 1, verses 20 and 21, holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Spirit. They did not write down any private interpretation of what they thought. They were directed by the Spirit to write by inspiration. We continue this thought from 2 Peter 3, 15 and 16. When Peter says, An account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation, even as our beloved brother Paul, also according to the wisdom given unto him, hath written unto you. As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable rest, as they do the other scriptures. Did you catch that? As they do also the other scriptures unto their own destruction. So what Paul was writing at the time, Peter says they are scriptures because he compared them with the other scriptures. Let’s break down 2 Timothy 3.16 even a little more. All scripture is given by inspiration of God. Inspired of God. God breathed. That the scripture we have, it is from God. That was revealed unto man at the time that God wanted it revealed. We note that from 1 Corinthians chapter 2. A prophecy stated in Isaiah 64 and verse 4 fulfilled there in 1 Corinthians chapter 2. And also other passages concerning how the scripture being inspired of God. then we note it is profitable for doctrine or for teaching. Earlier in 1 Timothy 4 verse 16, Paul told Timothy, Take heed unto yourself and unto the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you shall save both yourself and them that hear you. Friends, what is taught is important. You just can’t accept anything. Doctrine is important. When there are those that say, well, you know, it really doesn’t matter where you go to church as long as you believe. But friends, the scripture teaches of the church of which we are to be a part. The scripture never teaches we are to be members of a denomination, but it does teach we are to be members or added to the church we read of in the New Testament, Acts 2, verse 47. We are members one of another, as Paul told the church at Corinth in 1 Corinthians 12, beginning with verse 12. And so when people say, well, it really doesn’t matter what you do as long as you believe. But friends, sometimes somebody may say, I believe in Christ, but also believe in something that the Bible doesn’t support. Therefore, our doctrine, our teaching needs to be put to the test. You know, there are people that say, well, doctrine doesn’t matter. But another word for doctrine is teaching. So when one teaches doctrine doesn’t matter, they’re teaching that teaching doesn’t matter. Now, friend, you and I can see through that as clear as anything. And that’s just not true. Doctrine matters because the Scripture matters. And from there, we should search the Scriptures. The word reproof or conviction, which means to reprove, to convict, to make those changes. And that brings us into the word correction, to be upright or an improvement. I love the late Adam Clark’s comment on this. Now, friends, when I quote someone, that doesn’t mean I affirm all that they may teach. But this point here is pretty valid. In digging at this word correction, Clark observed, for restoring things to their proper uses and places, correcting false notions and mistaken views. And is that not what we’re talking about today? Continue or change. So friends, let’s think on this a little more. Instruction in Righteousness When we look at this definition, it embraces everything concerning what is right. You know, the late Warren Wiersbe, and again, friends, when I quote someone, I’m not affirming all teaching. But I love the way that he broke this verse down. Doctrine, what is right. Reproof, what is not right. Correction, how to get right. Instruction in righteousness, how to stay right. Thus, our conviction. Should we continue or should we change? I’m going to pause for a moment, take a break from our study, and a few words from our J-Web.
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Since 1934, the International Gospel Hour has been heard over the radio. We are one of the longest-running weekly religious programs in the history of American radio. We are very blessed to continue over the air through gracious giving of congregations of Churches of Christ, faithful Christians, and devoted friends. That’s why you will never hear us asking for money from you, our listeners. Our study material is free, always has been, always will be. We appreciate you listening.
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From verse 17, learning from the Scriptures, then convicted by the Scriptures. One learns, one obeys. One learns, one changes. Then the knowledge and growth therein presses onward of the Scripture. You know, further, knowledge of the Scripture results in maturity. We have the equipment, the Scriptures. They are complete and sufficient to do the job. Therefore, whether we are desiring milk in early studies, as depicted in 1 Peter 2, 1 and 2, or we should have solid food by maturity, Hebrews 5, 12 through 14, where are we on that scale? Friends, there’s no doubt that there are things in our lives that we need to embrace our conviction if it is accordance with the Scripture. but we must also be willing to change if what the scripture teaches. To accept the word of God as our word of knowledge. 1 Thessalonians 2.13 says, For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard of us, You received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe. Again, 1 Thessalonians 2.13. God’s word is a working word. Friends, today we have issued, in light of Scripture, a challenge to you. To continue in things that you’ve learned, if those things are indeed taught by the Scripture. but if not, to change what you believe in light of Scripture. We are always interested in all of our listeners, and we love to share with you a number of tools to help you in your study of the Word of God. I’m going to defer once again to our J-Web with a very special study that’s available by mail or online. And Jay will have more details about that study. We’d love to send it to you. It’s one of our study options we offer from International Gospel Hour. And with everything we offer, it is free. Once again, our J-Web.
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An additional Bible study by mail is now available from International Gospel Hour. It’s titled, God and Man, How to Be Saved from Sin. This study booklet addresses a number of questions about the salvation from God to man. And friends, like all materials, it’s free. Call us toll-free at 855-444-6988 and leave your name, address, and just say, God and Man. Or you can go to our website at internationalgospelhour.com, click on the Contact tab, and leave us the same information, name, address, and type God and man in the message box. Another Bible study that is free from IGH. And our friends at godandman.com. That’s god-and-man.com. And, you know, since you can’t see it, let me just spell that out for you. We’d love to hear from you.
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Friends, we hope that you will find of interest that study, God and Man. We would love to send that to you. And again, it is optional, either online or also we can mail it to you, whichever works the best. A lot of our listeners do not have the Internet access, and we respect that. And we want to help you in other ways with a study of the Word of God. Friends, our study today from 2 Timothy 3, 14-17 issues a challenge to continue or to change. We hope that you will review these things and anything that you hear in light of the Word of God. For in 2 Peter 1, 3 and 4, according as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue, whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. Peter is writing there to Christians, and he is letting them know something better is there. To escape this old world, we need to reach out to the scriptures that teach us of salvation in Christ Jesus, Acts 4 and verse 12. How we can be added to His church, Acts 2 and verse 47. through simple faith commanded in Hebrews 11, 6, a heart that repents, Acts 2, verse 38, confession of Christ, Romans 10, verse 10, as well as Acts 8, 37, and baptism into Christ for the remission of our sins, Acts 2, verse 38. We hope we will help you toward that end. And we’re thankful you joined us for our studies today that will continue at another time. I’m Jeff Archie of the International Gospel Hour. Friends, thanks again for joining me, and keep listening.
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God be with you till we meet again.
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Thank you for listening to our broadcast today, and we hope you continue onward with your search and study of God’s Word. Please join us next time and visit our website at internationalgospelhour.org.
