“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).

God’s word is profitable for four things:

1. Right teaching
2. Rebuking
3. Correcting
4. Training in Righteousness

God’s word is profitable for training in righteousness.

What does this mean?

Great question.

Righteousness, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control, faithfulness, etc. are not normal to sinners.

When we become a Christ-follower we are to learn by training and practice how to take on these characteristics of the fruit of the Spirit. God’s word shows us what we are to become and how to get there. But it takes training. It takes practice.

You see, when sinners try our righteousness, it will feel unfamiliar, awkward, uncomfortable because righteousness was never our norm. But we have to keep practicing it. We have to keep working at it. The more we try out righteousness, love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, self-control, faithfulness, etc. the more it will become a part of us.

Can you remember the first time you tried to ride a bike? ski? get up on water skis? roller skate?

Every time it felt unfamiliar, awkward, and uncomfortable. But the more we practice, the better we get. In fact, with each of these skills there comes a point when riding a bike, getting up on water skis becomes second nature to us.

So it is with the fruit of the Spirit. The more we practice, the better we get.

God’s word is indispensable to shaping the character of the Christ-follower. God’s word shows us who and what we are to become, and shows us through right teaching, rebuking, and correcting how we become who God saves us to be.

This is the life of the disciple. This is the life of the follower of Jesus Christ.

“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.