The Benefits 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, throughly furnished unto all good works.” -2 Timothy 3:16-17
In the above verses, we see the complete trustworthiness of the Bible: that it was given by the inspiration of God, and that it can be relied upon for a number of things in life.
The apostle Paul writes of four such uses of Scripture for the man (or woman) of God:
Doctrine—That is, for teaching. The Bible is used to teach a number of important life truths, (such as in Proverbs), as well as God’s plan of redemption for the human race. Jesus said, “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (John 5:39).
Reproof—To reprove something is to do just that, to re-prove it, or to prove it again. So if we come across a teaching that someone claims to be correct and true, and we aren’t quite sure of its authenticity, we can always go back to the Bible and reprove it. Scripture acts as a spiritual lie-detector, thwarting an errors before they grow out of control. “Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them” (Ephesians 5:10-11).
Correction—Very similar to reproof, the Bible is used to correct us when we are going astray. God can use specific verses in the Bible to help bring us back on God’s path. “But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed” (Galatians 1:8).
Instruction in Righteousness—Closely related to doctrine, to be instructed in righteousness is to use the Bible to understand and know God’s nature, His will, and His plan for salvation.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.” -Romans 1:16-17
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