The passage
      v10. Unlike the false teachers, Timothy has "followed" (better than "know all about") Paul's ministry example, and by implication, Paul encourages Timothy to continue along this path. Paul firms up Timothy with examples of ministry qualities evident in Paul's own apostolic ministry: i] Teaching that is apostolic, true to the gospel; ii] Conduct that reflects the gospel; iii] A single-minded concern for gospel principles; iv] A firm reliance on Christ; v] Patience in the face of human frailty; vi] Compassion; vii] Perseverance.
      v11. Paul expands on his exhortation toward "perserverance", "endurance" during troubled times. He reminds Timothy of the troubles he faced in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, Act.13:45, 50, 14:1-5, 19. Timothy was not present on these occasions, but the events would be well known to him. Paul came through these times of trial, since the powers of darkness could not frustrate God's will exercised through Paul's ministry.
      v12. Paul wants Timothy to identify with these troubles, and this he does by presenting a general principle. Believers who behave in a godly way will inevitably create trouble for themselves. Evil, by its very nature, rises up against the good, particularly if the good has some association with Christ.
      v13. The false teachers and their disciples will not face this type of negative reaction, for their lives easily fit with the world around them. Being themselves deceived, they deceive those who follow them, and so the lives of both teacher and disciple continue to degenerate.
      v14. Paul has warned Timothy of false teachers and so he now encourages him to hold firmly to the truth taught him by believers of good character, rather than get caught up in the new ideas of the "impostors".
      v15. The scriptures support these truths. The word "holy" is not used elsewhere in the New Testament of the scriptures, but it does appear in the Old Testament as an honouring title. So, the phrase means "sacred writings." As to what sacred writings are being referred to, they are most likely the Old Testament scriptures. Paul defines the purpose of these scriptures as making us "wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus". The Old Testament gives us information which can lead to our salvation; it prompts faith in Jesus Christ.
      v16. Paul now gives us a creedal statement about the scriptures. He states that "all" the separate parts of the scriptures (the Law, Prophets and Writings) are inspired and thus, are useful. He points to four uses: a negative and positive teaching use and a negative and positive life-style use. The Old Testament scriptures are useful to teach sound doctrine and to expose untruth. They are also useful for ethics, correcting evil behavior and training in right behavior.
      v17. Biblical truth serves to equip Christian ministers. The term "man of God" may apply to all believers, but is most likely referring only to the prophet, pastor/teacher. The "good Work" is the work of proclamation - the ministry of the Word.

The Word of God
      This passage has much to say about the Word of God.

1. The Bible communicates the way of salvation
      The prime purpose of scripture is to reveal the way of salvation. cf. John 20:30-31. The Bible introduces us to Jesus who is the only way to God.

2. The Bible, as a whole, is inspired
      The scriptures are God-breathed. Some suggest that the Bible contains God's truth, but it is better to say that the whole of it is God's truth. The truth the writer intends to tell us is the truth God wants us to know. God breathes the writer's words such that the revealed truth is His truth. Our task is to rightly interpret those words.

3. The Bible is the source of right thinking and right doing
      God designed our minds to function intelligently and so we can trust much of the wisdom of our age. Yet, the full substance of truth, of how we should understand our world and how we should act within it, comes from scripture, not human reasoning. We need to be very careful when our reasoning doesn't fit with scripture.

4. Biblical truth is to be proclaimed
      What we like to hear is teaching which affirms our feelings, tickles our ears. Yet, it is best if we let God set the agenda. We must support the "good work" of Biblical exposition, carefully prepared Biblical teaching, teaching which corrects, rebukes and encourages.

v11
      oiJa "what kind of things" - which / such things [happened to me]. Relative pronoun referring to the troubles which Paul has endured, v10.
      errusato (rJuomai) aor. mid. "rescued" - delivered. The Lord delivers his servants from the powers of darkness. Such deliverance does not necessarily entail a deliverance from harm, nor even death. It is just that evil does not prevail over God's will enacted through his servants.
      ek "from" - [rescued] out of. The sense is of Paul being brought through the troubles.

v12
      kai panteV de "in fact, everyone" - and also, all. The "all" being "all Christians." Timothy is here identified with Paul's troubles by means of a general principle, namely, that all believers face persecution because of their association with Christ.
      qelonteV (qelw) pres. part. "wants" - desiring, wanting. Those wanting to live in a godly way will be persecuted. Evil always rises up in the face of goodness.

v13
      gohteV (hV htoV) "impostors" - A hapax legomenon (once only use in NT) meaning "sorcerer", but probably used here of one who habitually fools or deceives people through pretense*, an imposter, swindler, cheat. The false teachers "deceive" members of the fellowship through their faulty theology and so lead them into sin. They are themselves deceived and so deceive, ie. they are blind guides.
      prokoyousin (prokoptw) fut. "will go [from bad to worse]" - will advance, progress [to the worse]. It is extremely difficult to identify what is driving this advance into sin. Verses 1-9 give us a good description of the "evil men" (false teachers), but are they libertines, or nomists (Nomism is the belief that law-obedience both restrains sin, thus maintains a believer's standing before God, and promotes holiness, thus progresses a believer's standing before God), or even legalists (legalism is the belief that salvation can be earned by obedience to God's law)? It is likely that these "deceivers", these false teachers, are nomists - pietists like the Pharisees. Paul, working from the words of Jesus, has certainly gone to great lengths to make the point that those who shape "the way" by means of the law undermine the way of grace, in that the law not only exposes sin, but promotes sin, making the believer more sinful. To counter this consequence, the nomist buries their rebellion, redefining the laws demands and covering their guilt by exposing the sin of others. This scenario certainly fits Paul's words here.

v14
      epistwqhV (pistow) aor. pass. "have become convinced of" - were convinced of, firmly believed. What Timothy believed he held to firmily.
      tinwn (tiV ti) pro. "whom". Here plural, although some manuscripts have a singular, implying Paul is the teacher.

v15
      iJera grammata "holy Scriptures" - A very Jewish reference to the Old Testament. They are "holy" in that they have divine authority.
      sofisai (sofizw) inf. "to make you wise" - to give wisdom. Used here in the sense of "teach", "instruct".
      eiV "for" - to. The instruction of scripture has as its end "salvation". The teaching does not achieve salvation, but rather points "to" it, leads toward it, enabling a person to grasp it "through faith in (believing, trusting) Christ Jesus."
      dia + gen. "through" - Carrying an instrumental sense, faith is the means by which salvation is achieved.

v16
      pasa grafh "all scripture" - "Scripture" here is best taken as a collective noun indicating the whole of scripture rather than sellected passages. The "scripture" referred to is obviously the Old Testament. The adjective "all" underlines the idea of a single whole, but it could also mean "every", in the sense of "every individual part", ie., The Law, Prophets and Writings. For the numerous questions of grammar that arise in this verse, see Knight.
      qeopneustoV adj. "[is] God-brethed" - The adjective takes a passive sense, ie. scripture is a consequence of God's inspirational act. It is generally accepted that it is a predicate adjective (as opposed to an attributive adjective, "god-breathed scripture") with the verb "is" understood. With the use of this word, Paul has defined the divine character of scripture.
      kai wfelimoV "and is useful" - and profitable. Given that "useful" is probably also a predicate adjective, kai is best taken as a conjunction, "and", rather than an adverb, "also" ("god-breathed scripture is also profitable"). Paul is saying that scripture is God's word and is therefore useful for ...... and as such serves to equip "the man of God" for his ministry.
      didaskalian (a) "teaching" - The scriputre is useful for sound instruction because of its inspired content.
      elegmon (oV) "rebuking" - reproof. Scripture is useful for refuting error.
      epanorqwsin (iV ewV) "correcting" - correction. Setting right, probably in regard to truth, but possibly conduct.
      paideian (a) "training [in righteousness]" - instruction, discipline. Stott and others see this phrase as promoting a growth in right living, that we might "grow in holiness." The word "correcting" tends to take the sense of training to promote right behavior, but "instruction in righteousness" could also mean instruction in the way to righteousness, in the sense of right standing in the sight of God. So, a means of justification may be the intention here, rather than a means of sanctification, and in any case, sanctification as a growth in holiness is, in itself, fallacious. Sanctification is commonly defined as "the progressive realization of the person we are in Christ." Yet, the word "progressive" leads to error where obedience to the law is used as the mechanism to "progress" Christ-likeness, holiness. We are on safer ground if we hold that, as a product of justification, sanctification is a state of holiness, which, in the renewing power of the indwelling Spirit of Christ, we seek to realize in our daily life; albeit, always imperfectly.