“Give Thanks!” For What Exactly?

The epistle continues the commendation of scripture to us as a firm foundation for a life of faith and ministry, this time in a Christian key. In this first half of our reading, Paul counsels his mentee to recall the lessons he has learned from a lifetime of immersion in scripture. Earlier, in the opening of the letter, Paul invokes not only his own teaching and mentoring of Timothy but also the formation Timothy received from his mother and grandmother. Within this family, within this young man, the gospel message and the stories upon which it is based are deeply rooted indeed.

But anxiety abounds also. Wicked impostors are attempting to deceive weak minds and lead the flock astray. Scripture can function as a guide, as a source of right teaching, as a reproof and rebuke of those who would misinform and misshape the naïve. It can also be misused to corrupt and mislead. Scripture, then, requires prayerful and faithful reading. Its open-endedness and ambiguities require a critical reception—what interpretation is faithful and what teaching deceives? The two possible translations of verse 16 illustrate this. Is it, as the text of the nrsv says, “All scripture is inspired by God and is useful . . . for training in righteousness”? Or is it, as the critical note of the nrsv says it could be, “Every scripture inspired by God is also useful”?

Our gratitude for the received canon and the faithful witness of the church, therefore, is not simplistic but involves a lifetime of formation and discernment. Our seeking, again, is not for knowledge alone but for knowledge that clarifies and sustains our service to God, within the church, and for the increase of justice and mercy locally, nationally, and globally.