Continue in What You Have Learned

2 Tim. 3:14-15, “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.” Most Christians know 2 Tim. 3:16-17, and many can recite it from memory, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Still, few make use of the edifying words in the previous two verses.

Paul is writing to Timothy and encouraging him to continue in what he had learned, probably from his mother and grandmother and Paul himself, but I want to apply it to the present. If Paul said that to you, how would it apply to you? Did a parent or grandparent teach you the scriptures when you were young? Did a favorite aunt or uncle, a cousin or a friend, or did you learn it in church? Were you taught it at all? Let’s assume you were taught it by someone, and you developed a growing knowledge as you aged. You were lucky, my friend, but will you continue on in what you have learned, or will you abandon it for the lies and false promises of the world? Pro. 1:8, “Hear, my son, your father’s instruction, and forsake not your mother’s teaching….” Will you waste their efforts to teach you God’s truths?

If you were not taught the scriptures but found them yourself and are thus “self-taught,” the same applies to you. Luckily, the Bible does not need a teacher for it to make sense to us. It just takes an open mind and the willingness to accept, in obedience, its instruction. Either way, the question above applies to you as well. One of my all-time favorite verses (and one I probably use more than any other) is Jos. 1:8, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” I love that particular verse because it is as applicable today as it was then and is about the best advice anyone can give you.

Many people who were brought up with the teachings of the Bible will have less passion by the time they are adults than those who recently found their salvation in its pages. That is almost human nature because the longer we are involved in a particular relationship, the easier it is to become bored, worn out, or even disenchanted by it. It is then that the words of Paul should touch one’s heart and revive one’s spirit. It is a sad reality that verses like this are overlooked for the “major” ones because there is wisdom in every word in the Bible, not only the verses we use as “pithy nuggets.” The very real danger is that those teachings will make way for the false teachings of the world or self-centered preachers and teachers.

You will notice that Paul says staying the course will make you “wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Someone once said, “…salvation lies not in the Scriptures themselves, but only as they are properly understood to point to Christ. Always for Paul, salvation is through faith in Christ Jesus.” The more you study the word, the more its meaning becomes clear to you, and the more your wisdom in matters of your salvation grows. The Bible is a source of incredible knowledge. Not knowledge that will make you famous, secure a world-class, high-paying job, or anything like that (although developing the traits of the Bible will certainly not hurt you in those regards either), but the knowledge that transcends earthly matters. The knowledge, or better still, the wisdom you learn from the “Good Book,” will set you up for the ultimate success – an eternity in heaven.

But be warned, all the promises of God, culminating in the hope of salvation to all who love Him and are obedient, will only be awarded to those who continue in what they have learned, whether from childhood or last month. Doing so will not guarantee you a life free of trials, but its end will be better than you could ever imagine. 1 Cor 2:9, “But, as it is written, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.”