2 Timothy 3:15

The context

Second Timothy is a farewell letter, written in Paul's name to a young coworker left in Ephesus. Chapter 3 opens with a forecast of hard times and a catalogue of vices, then turns to Paul's own example, which Timothy is said to have followed closely. Verse 15 reaches back to Timothy's upbringing and to scriptures he has known since childhood.

What it establishes

The verse says those writings are able to make a person wise for salvation, and it locates that wisdom through faith in Christ Jesus. The claim is about sufficiency for that purpose. It does not say the writings do this apart from the faith it names in the same sentence.

What it does not establish

It does not define the canon. The writings in view are Israel's scriptures, the ones a child in that setting would learn. The verse does not list books, does not describe a process of recognition, and does not by itself settle which writings belong in the collection.

Short note, first pass, October 2026. Corrections welcome.

Cited in these answers

• The existence of so many Christian denominations indicates the Bible is inherently unclear. If truly God's revelation, could we not expect Him to reveal Himself clearly?

Part of Scripture, Opened — the exegetical layer behind every citation on this site. Scripture quotations are from the ESV.