“… 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.”
(2 Timothy 3:15)
In this passage Paul commends Timothy for the fact that even from the time he was a child he has been familiar with the Holy Scriptures which have made him “wise for salvation” (2 Tim. 3:15). God’s Word is the only path through which God’s wisdom for salvation is revealed.
God designed a means through which His Word is to be effectual to salvation, and this means is none other than His church – of which Christ is the Chief Cornerstone and Head. Further, He appoints ministers in the church to “accurately handle [His] word of truth,” (2 Tim. 2:15) and extend that saving power as a gracious command to believe the Gospel.
The wisdom of God for salvation, revealed in the Scriptures and accurately handled by the ministry of preaching is “the power of God to salvation to everyone that believes,” (Rom. 1:16; see also 1 Cor. 1:18). When God’s wisdom is shared in God’s way, He promises that “Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved,” (Rom. 10:13).
God charged His Apostles and the successive pastors of the church with the ministry of preaching. The Apostle says, “God has given to us the ministry of reconciliation… and has committed to us the Word of reconciliation,” (2 Cor. 5:18-19). Further, God ordained these ministers in the church and nowhere else (1 Cor. 12:28), for the gathering together and edifying of the saints which is to continue to the end of the world (Eph. 4:12-13).
God also ordained the sacraments – baptism and the Lord’s Supper – to be the church’s proper right as well. These seals of confirmation belong but to those that are under the covenant in Christ. Regarding baptism, the charge is to “go and baptize” those who are joined to the church by saving faith (Matt. 28:19, Acts 2:41). And regarding the Lord’s Supper, Christ instructed believers in the church to “do this in remembrance of Me,” (Matt. 26:26-27).
Prayer is also given to the church – the true body of Christ – “for how shall they call upon Him,” asks the Apostle, “in whom they do not believe?” (Rom. 10:14). None but His own can call God “Father” in prayer (Rom. 8:1-15, 1 Cor. 1:2, 2 Tim. 2:22).
God’s appointed ministers, the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s supper, and prayer are all attached to the Holy Scriptures, which in turn is attached to the church of Jesus Christ. “For to them are committed the oracles of God,” (Rom. 3:2). These are all of a piece. And it is God’s divine plan.
In Hebrews 10:23-24, Christians are admonished to “hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering … and to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
God’s has chosen to utilize His established church – the universal body of Christ that operates through the local assembly – and ministers He has appointed to preach and teach the Holy Scriptures, to disseminate the wisdom necessary for salvation and to support and strengthen His body of believers through His Word.
If you are God’s child, you belong to His church, and this is where His saving hand is found. You are a member of His body. And not only is Christ your Head, He is also your Mediator and the Mediator of His church (1 Tim. 2:5). Christ Himself said, “I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom You have given Me, for they are Yours,” (John 17:9).
So as the writer of Hebrews warns, “don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together,” for the church is God’s ordained conduit for delivering His wisdom for salvation and spiritual growth to those who are His. All of this is to say that there is no salvation outside the church of Jesus Christ. To adore God is to adore Him by the ministry of the church, by His prescription, and none can be saved that do not have Christ for their Mediator and Advocate (1 John 2:1-2).
- Lord, what a thought… that there is no salvation outside Your prescribed means: Your Word, Your Son, Your church, Your Spirit.
- We should, with great resolve, forsake everything and follow Christ (Mark 10:28). Though we may, along with Solomon, try all things under the sun: pleasures, riches, honors, and whatever the world can afford… if we are truly searching, in the end we will be driven to cry out, “Vanity of vanities!” When all our wandering is done, we will be left with nothing higher than to “hear the end of all, fear God, and keep His commandments, for this is all of man, all his duty, and all his dignity; and without this, all that a man is, or has, is but mere vanity,” (Eccl 1:2; 12:13).
- Lord, children are to be taught Your Word that they may come to know Your dear Son. As parents, we must instill into them the principles of righteousness. This is how Timothy was brought up; “From a child he knew the holy scriptures,” etc. (2 Timothy 3:15). Likewise, Christians should bring up their children in this way; “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,” (Eph. 6:4). Paul exhorts the Ephesians to teach their children to know You and Your Son and command them to walk in Your ways, “and they shall keep the way of the Lord,” (Gen. 18:19).
Further References for 2 Tim. 3:15
John 5:39, 20:31; Matt. 22:29; Acts 10:43; Rom. 1:2; 1 Cor. 1:21;
