12-13 All who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14-15 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man (messenger) of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:14-16 English Standard Version

Lifestyles that reflect God's standards aren't always welcome in the world! Whether it's missionaries who took the gospel to pagan lands, or ministers today who preach from the Bible to modern society, God's message of holy living isn't popular. But what word in vs 12-13 describes a deeper danger the apostle Paul was warning Timothy about?

I'd say it's the word 'impostors'. The implication is that there will be people posing as preachers of the gospel who are fakes. They will not be preaching God's word but their own ideas of what they think the Bible should teach. So what was Paul's urgent plea to Timothy? (vs 14-15)

He urges Timothy to not deviate from the true message he had heard from faithful people such as his own mother and grandmother, as well as from Paul himself. The 'sacred writings' he mentions refer to the Old Testament – and possibly any first gospel accounts that were in circulation. We know that the Bible is essentially about God. But what does Paul say in vs 14-15 is another important reason for reading it – even the Old Testament?

It's message reveals how people whose lives fall hopelessly short of God's standards, and are therefore living under God's judgement, can be forgiven and saved from eternal condemnation through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. The Old Testament told of priests and sacrifices that were needed to atone for sins, and it foretold a coming Messiah who be the perfect priest and sacrifice which the previous ones had pictured. This is also an unpopular message for modern man. The idea of a sacrifice to blot out their guilt and shame doesn't sit well with them. But Paul reminds Timothy why it's the Bible and not the opinions of man, both then and now, that we should take to heart. What's the vital thing he says of the Bible that puts it way above man's ideas? (vs 16)

The Bible is a collection of words that were given to the minds and hearts of men by God Himself! God made His thoughts known to men like Moses, David, Isaiah, and many others. Yes we see their own personalities coming through in their writings. Jeremiah was different to a man like Ezra. But it was the same God who was 'breathing' His truth into their lives. They didn't invent the message – they faithfully passed on what God had revealed to them.

Apart from showing us the way of salvation, as vs 14-15 said, what else is the message of the Bible intended to do in our lives as we read it for ourselves, or hear it proclaimed? (vs 16)

Paul says it will profit our lives through its teaching. He's not talking about making money – though many impostors twist the Bible to mean that – he's talking about enriching our lives with things that are worthwhile. Things such as stable marriages that reflect God's love, and relationships with other people where gentleness and forgiveness play a big role. He also says that God's word is able to reprove and correct our lives where they are wrong, and teach us how to live in ways that are pleasing to God.

We don't like being told that things we're doing are wrong. We don't like others correcting us. Yet that's what good parents do for little children. Not to make their lives miserable, but because they love them and want the best for their lives. That's what God's word does for us. It equips pastors, and the people to whom they preach, how to be competent in life for doing what's good.