2 Timothy 3:14-17

Knowledge without action is worthless. The Bible teaches that to know what you ought to do and not do it is sin; it is also tragic.

Paul knew that Timothy had a thorough working knowledge of righteousness. He had been taught from an early age by both his grandmother and his mother to read Scripture and put into practice what the Scripture taught about living right. What Timothy had learned from his grandmother and mother had been validated by his own personal experiences and by the evidence of the lives that they lived before him.

From his youth, Timothy had been trained not only to know Scripture, but to put that knowledge into action. He put that knowledge into action when he allowed it to guide him into belief when he first heard the gospel of Jesus Christ. That is what Paul was referring to when he said that Scripture had made Timothy wise for salvation.

Scripture had been used to teach Timothy, and he had been faithful in his preaching ministry. Now he must use his knowledge of Scripture to teach and prepare others to continue that work when he was no longer able to. It is foolish to believe that anybody can do the work that God has prepared for them without being prepared themselves with knowledge and training. In spite of all of his knowledge and his preparation, there was one thing that could have stopped Timothy and his ministry. That one thing would have been Timothy’s failure to act. In the midst of opposition by false prophets, and persecution by the Roman empire the temptation to stop would have been powerful. That is why Paul told Timothy that he must continue.

Christians living righteous and doing God’s work are still tempted to stop. They can become discouraged, fearful, tired, distracted, or even lazy. The ways they are tempted to stop are not important; the consequences of that failure is what matters. We must continue because to do nothing lets evil win.