Sep 18, 2026 · 19 min · 6 segments
In this Oak Hill College Chapel talk, Thomas Renz explores 2 Timothy 3:10–17 to unpack how Scripture is profitable for ministry. Rather than focusing solely on what Scripture is, Paul emphasises how…
Thomas RenzGuest
But four, to talk about the usefulness of Scripture, I want to focus on 2 Timothy 3.16. A well-known verse, often used in doctrinal discussions, and rightly so, but it is not actually a verse that is, first of all, about Scripture, about the nature of Scripture.
But these are not the terms used because it's about Timothy's ministry to others.
And I was wondering, as I reflected further on that, whether it is quite specifically for Timothy, whether those four nouns are chosen really because of the specific circumstances in Ephesus with Paul about to die and passing on his role to Timothy.
And those four terms are inspired, I think, by what Jesus says about the role of the Holy Spirit in John 16.
And therefore I reckon that those four nouns are not just specifically for Timothy's situation.
Of course, in other contexts, if we talk about the usefulness of Scripture, we might choose three, five different terms, and that would still be true.
And we could move from there doctrinally to the truthfulness, reliability of Scripture, which is all perfectly true.
But I think the reason that Paul talks about Scripture being God-breathed here is...
That wouldn't really help us, would it, if God breathed out gobbledygook? It would be inerrant gobbledygook, presumably.
But what's the use of that? No, because God is who he is, a loving God who wants to communicate with us what is God-breathed is not going to be gobbledygook.
But four, to talk about the usefulness of Scripture, I want to focus on 2 Timothy 3.16. A well-known verse, often used in doctrinal discussions, and rightly so, but it is not actually a verse that is, first of all, about Scripture, about the nature of Scripture.
But these are not the terms used because it's about Timothy's ministry to others.
And I was wondering, as I reflected further on that, whether it is quite specifically for Timothy, whether those four nouns are chosen really because of the specific circumstances in Ephesus with Paul about to die and passing on his role to Timothy.
And those four terms are inspired, I think, by what Jesus says about the role of the Holy Spirit in John 16.
And therefore I reckon that those four nouns are not just specifically for Timothy's situation.
Of course, in other contexts, if we talk about the usefulness of Scripture, we might choose three, five different terms, and that would still be true.
And we could move from there doctrinally to the truthfulness, reliability of Scripture, which is all perfectly true.
But I think the reason that Paul talks about Scripture being God-breathed here is...
That wouldn't really help us, would it, if God breathed out gobbledygook? It would be inerrant gobbledygook, presumably.
But what's the use of that? No, because God is who he is, a loving God who wants to communicate with us what is God-breathed is not going to be gobbledygook.
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