Savings Account
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; 2 Timothy 3:16 NASB
Profitable – When Paul writes that the Tanakh is profitable, what does he mean? Before we take a run at this question, we should probably remind ourselves of a few obvious things: (1) in this verse, “Scripture” cannot mean what Paul is writing, or anything written in the first century. Paul’s view is historic. Scripture is what we call the Tanakh. Of course, even that needs qualification since there were a handful of books whose status was still debated during Paul’s time. Furthermore, if Paul was really an orthodox Pharisee, he might also include the oral Torah. He certainly followed it. We don’t know for sure that he has this in mind, but he might. (2) “inspired” is the best-guess, theological translation of a word Paul coined. It is literally “God-breathed.” Since Paul is the only one to use this word, we need to talk to him about what he really meant. But theópneustos has been pressed into service by the Church to support its doctrines. Whether or not these doctrines are Paul’s doctrines is an open question, particularly when we think about (1) above. Finally, (3) Paul is writing in Greek about a Hebrew view of his Bible, the Tanakh. We will have to be careful we don’t import our Greek ideas of truth, authority, and historical continuity when we examine Paul’s rabbinic context.
Now, let’s look at ōphelimos, the Greek word translated “profitable.” It comes from ŏphĕllō, “to accumulate, to gain, to have benefit.” “Profitable” is probably a good choice, as long as we keep in mind that there is a cumulative effect here. The “profit” is not a short-term, and neither is the required due diligence. This is a lifetime venture. Perhaps we capture that idea more accurately if we use the translation, “All Scripture is God-breathed and accumulates for the benefit of teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.” Maybe that helps us recognize the extension of Paul’s idea. If that helps, then we learn something important. Reading God’s word, searching it out, has long-term benefits. It’s not just today’s devotional comfort. It’s what happens year after year, the slow substitution of God’s thinking for our own. Maybe that’s why the Torah portion can be read each year with new insight. It accumulates in our minds until something new occurs.
We are often instructed to read some part of the Bible every day. It’s a good habit to form. Paul’s statement clarifies the reason why this activity is so vital to spiritual growth. We pile up God-thinking by adding a little bit more treasure to our reserves each time we examine the text. And since Paul was thinking in terms of the Tanakh, it seems to me that serious reading of that portion of our canon must be a priority. That doesn’t mean we neglect Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It means that we probably won’t get the accumulated insights we need to have unless we are grounded in the Tanakh like they were. They could write because they piled up God’s ways for years beforehand. Maybe in order to read Matthew we must first read Jeremiah. You get the idea, I’m sure.
So, what’s your reading plan?
Topical Index: profitable, ōphelimos, reading, 2 Timothy 3:16
