2 Timothy 3:14-17

We have been on an eight week excursion in the sacred writingsI thought it would be good today to return to where we began– Paul encourages Timothy to continue in what he had learned and believed• his spiritual education was rooted in the sacred writings◦ “sacred,” because they come from God and reveal God◦ “sacred,” because All Scripture is breathed out by God• what I want to emphasize in this talk: the sacred writings are profitable◦ for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness◦ and by the sacred writings we are fully equipped for every good work– one difficulty we have with scripture is that we do not know how to read the sacred writings• reading other writings we question, we argue, we disagree with the author◦ it’s okay to read Bible that way when we’re studying it• but as sacred writings, we must suspend judgment◦ we accept these writings exactly as they are, letting God speak to us◦ but having said that, a mere reading of the sacred writings is not the endgame