And that from a child thou hast known the holy
Scriptures,
&c.] And therefore must know that the doctrines he had
learned were agreeable to them; and so is another reason why he
should continue in them. The Jews very early learned their
children the holy Scripture. Philo the Jew says F23,
(ek prwthv hlikiav) "from
their very infancy"; a phrase pretty much the same with this here
used. It is a maxim with the Jews F24, that when a child was
five years of age, it was proper to teach him the Scriptures.
Timothy's mother being a Jewess, trained him up early in the
knowledge of these writings, with which he became very
conversant, and under divine influence and assistance, arrived to
a large understanding of them; and it is a practice that highly
becomes Christian parents; it is one part of the nurture and
admonition of the Lord they should bring up their children in:
the wise man's advice in ( Proverbs
22:6 ) is very good. From hence the apostle takes occasion to
enter into a commendation of the sacred writings; and here, from
the nature and character of them, calls them the
holy Scriptures;
to distinguish them from profane writings; and that because the
author of them is the Holy Spirit of God; and even the amanuenses
of him, and the penmen of them, were holy men of God; the matter
of them is holy, both law and Gospel; and the end of writing them
is to promote holiness; the precepts, promises, and doctrines
contained in them are calculated for that purpose; and even the
account they give of the sins and failings of others, are for the
admonition of men: and next these Scriptures are commended from
the efficacy of them:
which are able to make thee wise unto
salvation.
Men are not wise of themselves; they are naturally without an
understanding of spiritual things; and the things of the Spirit
of God cannot be known by natural men, because they are
spiritually discerned; particularly they are not wise in the
business of salvation, of which either they are insensible
themselves, and negligent; or foolishly build their hopes of it
upon their civility, morality, legal righteousness, or an outward
profession of religion: but the Scriptures are able to make men
wise and knowing in this respect; for the Gospel is one part of
the Scriptures, which is the Gospel of salvation, and shows unto
men the way of salvation. The Scriptures testify largely of
Christ, the Saviour; and give an ample account both of him, who
is the able, willing, suitable, complete, and only Saviour, and
of the salvation which is wrought by him; and describe the
persons who do, and shall enjoy it: not that the bare reading of
the Scriptures, or the hearing of them expounded, are able to
make men wise in this way; but these, when accompanied with the
spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Christ, are;
when he who endited the Scriptures removes the veil from their
eyes, opens their understandings, and gives them light and
knowledge in them: and then may persons be said to be wise unto
salvation, when they not only have a scheme of it in their heads,
but are in their hearts sensible of their need of it, and know
that there is salvation in no other but in Christ; and when they
look to him for it, to his righteousness for justification, to
his blood for peace, pardon, and cleansing, to his sacrifice for
atonement, and to his fulness of grace for a continual supply,
and to him for eternal life and glory; when they rejoice in him
and his salvation, and give him all the glory of it: the apostle
adds,
through faith which is in Christ Jesus:
wisdom to salvation lies not in the knowledge of the law the Jew
boasted of; nor in the works of it, at least not in a trust and
confidence in them for salvation; for by them there is no
justification before God, nor acceptance with him, nor salvation:
but true wisdom to salvation lies in faith, which is a spiritual
knowledge of Christ, and a holy confidence in him; and that
salvation which the Scriptures make men wise unto, is received
and enjoyed through that faith, which has Christ for its author
and object; which comes from him, and centres in him, and is a
looking to him for eternal life.