Paul Gives a Command to Timothy

10But you know all about my teaching. You know how I live and what I live for. You know about my faith and love. You know how patient I am. You know I haven’t given up. 11You know that I was treated badly. You know that I suffered greatly. You know what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra. You know how badly I have been treated. But the Lord saved me from all of my troubles.

12In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be treated badly. 13Evil people and pretenders will go from bad to worse. They will fool others, and others will fool them.

14But I want you to continue to follow what you have learned. Don’t give up what you are sure of. You know the people you learned it from. 15You have known the Holy Scriptures ever since you were a little child. They are able to teach you how to be saved by believing in Christ Jesus.

16God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right. 17By using Scripture, a man of God can be completely prepared to do every good thing.