2 Timothy 3:14–17 ‘From infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.’ (v15)
As has been pointed out many times, the Bible doesn’t say: train up young people in the way they should go’ (Prov. 22:6), it says train up children.
Evidently Timothy’s parents (and grandparents) knew the verse, for he had been taught the Scriptures from infancy.
The introductory words on Timothy in the book of Acts (16:1) suggest that it may have been just his mum doing the teaching. (We are told that the father is Greek, but not whether he had faith.)
By the time of Acts 16, Timothy had a good reputation amongst the Christians in his hometown of Lystra, suggesting his elders had done a good job.
Maybe modern approaches to teaching underestimate a child’s capacity to learn and grow. They are occasionally nervous about foisting a particular lifestyle, forgetting that any lifestyle, including atheist or agnostic are an influence for good or ill.
Certainly, we have never had so many tools for study and been so biblically illiterate! But note this is not the kind of knowledge designed to get top marks in a specialist round of Mastermind.
Timothy learned the Scriptures that they might make him ‘wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ’. The Scriptures point to Jesus and encourage faith in Him.
Plenty know the Bible (even in the original languages) but don’t move on to understand and appropriate the purpose of the Scriptures, which is that we may have a living relationship with its author. That’s the kind of training we need, whatever our age.
A Prayer To Make:
Thank You, Lord, that Your Word gives life. Help me to share life
with the children I know. Amen.
An Action To Take:
Make sure the children you know have excellent Bibles and tools to understand it.
Scripture To Consider:
Deut. 6:1–25; Ps. 19:7–14; John 5:31–40; Acts 16:1–5
