“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

We are told that the Bible is God’s word because it is God-breathed. What the Bible says is what God says.

The word of God is useful for right teaching and rebuking. Today, we will look at correcting.

Thank God for correction!!!

Can you imagine if every encounter with God and God’s word ended with rebuking? That would be a total downer. In fact, if that’s the limit of God’s interaction with us, no one would want to be around God. Who would want to be with someone who is constantly pointing out and hammering us for our mistakes?

Sadly, this is how some people view God. They think God’s watching over us with his hammer lifted in his hand that he might bring down his wrath the moment he catches us sinning.

Yikes!

The purpose of right teaching and rebuking is for correction. The purpose for discipline is always for restoration. God never rebukes and disciplines for rebuke and discipline sake. It is always to restore and to correct.

Because we are sinners, every time we read God’s word it will convict us of our sin. When God tells us where we’ve gone awry, he doesn’t leave us there. He tells us how to correct it.

“Boy, James, you shouldn’t have said that to your wife. That was really dumb.” Just in case you missed it, that’s the rebuking part.

Now comes the correcting part. “Go to her and ask for forgiveness. Admit what you said was wrong, and show her that you’re going to do better to honor her and cherish her.”

You see, God never rebukes and disciplines for rebuke and discipline’s sake. It’s always for correction and restoration.

Because we are sinners, every time we read God’s word it will convict us of our sin. But the reason why God’s word convicts us is not to damn us but to make us more like Christ. It’s to make us better.

Thank God for correction!!!

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

Now that we have been looking at this verse for several days, you should have these verses memorized by now! Actually, this really would be another very good verse to memorize.

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching and rebuking.

Ok. What did you think when you saw rebuking?

Under most circumstances this would be a really bad word. No one likes being rebuked.

“I REBUKE YOU!!!”

Just looking at that sentence makes me cringe.

But there are times when a rebuke is absolutely necessary. There are times when a rebuke is a tremendous gift and an act of grace.

• Don’t go down that path. That pathway leads to death.
• Get your head out of the clouds. It doesn’t matter how he makes you feel. You are married and you are a mother. Act like it. This will ruin you and your family if you keep messing around!

When our selfish actions will result in devastating consequences, a good rebuke is a gift and an act of grace. If you are lucky enough to have someone who loves you enough to take the risk to rebuke you in such circumstances count yourself blessed!

Here’s the thing. Because we are sinners, and repeat sinners at that, when we open ourselves to the truth and the teaching of God’s word, it will rebuke us. We are sinners, after all.

But this rebuke is a gift and an act of grace. The rebuke of God saves us and those we love from heartache.

Open yourself to the truth revealed in scripture. Let God’s word tell you what you need to work on and what you need to change. You and all those around you will be better for it.

“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16).

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching…

There are four things that God’s word is useful for. The first of which is teaching.

God’s word teaches us the truth. God’s word teaches us the truth about why we exist, who we are, who’s we are, our ultimate purpose.

You see, truth matters. Knowing the truth matters.

One of the greatest fallacies of the post-modern world is that all opinions matter.

I have heart disease. Thus far in my life, I have had a quadruple bypass surgery, have had over a dozen angioplasty and angiogram procedures, and currently sixteen stents in my heart.

When it comes to advice regarding the treatment of my heart disease, do I give same weight to the advice of some guy I come across the internet or YouTube as to the heart surgeon who has studied all his/her adult life about heart disease? It would be ludicrous to give the same weight for the opinion of some random guy or even a doctor who hasn’t specialized in heart disease as I do with the heart surgeon.

Some opinions matter absolutely more than others. Not all opinions are of the same value.

When it comes to looking at the world around us, who we are, why we are here, and what we were created for, the ultimate and the only truth for the disciple is the God-breathed scriptures. God’s word is the standard and the ruler by which we measure all things else. When we give other things the same weight as God’s word, you will be forever confused about reality and truth.

All Scripture is God-breathed and the first thing it is useful for is right teaching.

God’s word is indispensable for the follower of Christ.