2 Timothy 3:10-17

Psalm 33

Verses 10-13
“You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me. Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived”
1."Timothy, you are not like the false teachers. The truth of Christ is evident in all aspects of your life. Christ is so evident in your life that you were even willing to support me in all of my persecutions. Although I went through many hardships, the LORD saw me through all of them. The persecutions I suffered are not something strange or random that will happen just to me; all people who live in the pursuit of knowing God will have trouble follow them. Godless people hate anything that has to do with God, so don’t be surprised when what has happened to me happens to you; godly people will be persecuted and all the while godless people will continue to become sicker and more twisted. Just as Christians grow more like Christ as they continue to know God, the longer that godless people do not know the truth the more evil they will become. The longer that godless people have sin in their lives the darker their minds will become so that they are all the more taken captive by evil and are unable to see the truth.”
2. Timothy has followed Paul’s teaching not only in holding to sound doctrine, but in ways that show Timothy’s wholehearted devotion to following Christ. Why would Paul be reminding Timothy of what he has done in the past and how he has lived?
3. 3 cities mentioned are in Galatia. Paul visited these three cities on his first and second missionary journeys. Paul was actually stoned by some of the people in one of these cities.
4. How many people who desire to live a godly life will be persecuted?
5. Why will people who seek the things of God be persecuted?
6. John 15:18-25
7. Why will evil people and imposters go from bad to worse?
8. In what sense are evil people themselves being deceived?

Verses 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.”
1. Paul wants Timothy to continue in not just what he has learned but what he also firmly believes. Why does Timothy need to continue in the things he is sure of?
a. What might happen if Timothy teaches on things he is not sure of?
2. “We must add to our faith the discernment to distinguish between God’s Word and man’s word so that we do not accept everything that is offered to us indiscriminately. There is nothing more alien to faith than a [gullibility] that accepts everything unquestioningly, no matter what source it comes from. For the basis of faith is knowing that its origin and authority are in God.” (Calvin, Commentary on 2 Timothy)
3. Timothy grew up learning the books we know today as the Old Testament.
4. How is the Old Testament able to make us wise for salvation?
5. How were people in the Old Testament saved?
a. Romans 4:1-15
6. If people do not truly know what it means to be saved or why they need salvation, do they have true faith?

Verses 16-17
“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 competent, equipped for every good work.”
1. Is all of Scripture truly useful and important?
2. What does it mean for Scripture to be God-breathed or inspired?
a. What does breath allow us to do?
3. How important is it to believe that Scripture comes from God?
4. How is Scripture profitable…
a. For teaching?
b. For reproof?
c. For correction?
d. For training in righteousness?
5. Why is having all of our knowledge of God and of ourselves coming solely from the Scriptures important?

Overview
1. How would verses 10-17 of this chapter best be summarized?
2. How could these verses be applied to our lives?