Any believer can be a “man of God”
Text: 2 Tim 3:17 That the man of God (any believer in Jesus!) may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Thoughts: Only a few people were ever called a “man of God” in the Bible. Some were never known; at least four were never named, and one, Igdaliah, is mentioned only by name. Timothy is the only person in the New Testament to be called a “man of God” and Paul seems to have had a bit of pride when he made that declaration. Now Paul is writing his last letter and for one more time mentions a “man of God”.
The immediate context for verse 17 begins with verse 14. Beginning with verse 1, Paul gave some insights into what was going to happen and a review of what had happened to him. Timothy had been one of Paul’s co-workers and may have seen some of those events as an eyewitness, according to the Book of Acts. Then in verse 14 Paul reminded Timothy to continue in what he had learned, emphasizing that Timothy had known the Scriptures from his childhood. What better place to start learning about God than in one’s childhood!
Finally Paul explains two reasons why Scripture—the “holy Scriptures”, as he called them—were so important. First, Paul said they were “given by inspiration of God” or as some Bible teachers have said, they were “God-breathed”. The Scriptures, then, were the very words from God Himself. Secondly, Paul said the Scriptures were important because they were “. . . profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, (t)hat the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (verses 16 and 17)”. The word “throughly” in verse 17 could be updated to mean “thoroughly” or “completely”.
What Paul seems to be saying is that being a man of God didn’t have anything to do with where one was born, his parentage, social status, or anything else besides having a love and respect for the Word of God. Note that he had called Timothy a man of God previously, but now he states that any man of God may be completely furnished for all good works.
Timothy may not have been sure of what the Lord had in store for him when he read this last letter from Paul, But one thing is for certain: Paul had called him a man of God, and that same potential exists for every believer. The question is, how many of us really want to do it.
Will one of them be you?
Scripture quotations taken from the King James Version of the Bible (KJV).