5 Benefits of Scripture

Jan 7

Reading and studying the Bible isn’t just something Christians are told to do—it’s something God designed to shape us, correct us, and equip us for life. Scripture itself explains why it matters.

One of my favorite passages is 2 Timothy 3:16–17:

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17 | ESV)

That passage clearly lays out what Scripture does and why reading and studying it matters. From it, we can see five specific benefits.

1. Scripture Teaches Us Truth

The first benefit is teaching, sometimes translated as doctrine.

Scripture teaches us where we came from. We didn’t come from monkeys or single-cell organisms billions of years ago. The Bible teaches that God created the world in six days and rested on the seventh.

It also teaches us why the world is broken. Why is there suffering, sickness, death, corruption, and war? Scripture explains that sin entered the world through Adam and Eve, and those consequences followed.

Beyond that, the Bible teaches us about God—who He is, what He desires, and how He wants a restored relationship with us. It shows us that we don’t have to spend eternity separated from Him, but instead can live eternally with Him.

Scripture also provides a moral compass. It tells us what is right and wrong, what we should do, and what we should avoid. But none of that helps unless we actually take it in.

We do that by reading or listening to Scripture, listening to sermons and lessons, memorizing it, and meditating on it. When God’s word gets into our hearts and minds, it changes how we think, believe, and live.

2. Scripture Rebukes Us When We Are Wrong

The second benefit is reproof, or rebuke.

None of us enjoys being told we’re wrong, especially as adults. Sometimes, correction feels insignificant, like being corrected over something trivial. But other times, correction is critical.

When we did mission work in Indonesia, people drove on the opposite side of the road. If I ignored that and drove the way I do in the United States, correction wouldn’t just be helpful—it would be necessary for survival.

Scripture’s rebuke is even more important. When the Bible tells us we’re wrong, it’s dealing with matters of eternal consequence. That’s why we need to listen, even when it’s uncomfortable.

3. Scripture Shows Us How to Correct Our Lives

God doesn’t rebuke us without giving us a way forward. Along with reproof, Scripture provides correction.

If someone is not a Christian, the Bible teaches the gospel. You hear the message and believe it, but belief alone isn’t enough. Even demons believe, and faith without works is dead.

Scripture shows us the proper response. We must repent, deciding in our hearts and minds to turn away from sin and toward obedience. Repentance produces action and visible change. We must confess Jesus as Lord and be baptized into Christ, which is when our sins are forgiven, as shown in passages like Acts 2:38, Mark 16:15–16, Acts 22:16, and 1 Peter 3:21.

The Bible also teaches that the Christian life requires faithfulness. Scripture does not teach once-saved-always-saved. We must live faithfully until death, as Revelation 2:10 explains.

For Christians who stumble or drift, Scripture again provides correction. First John chapter 1 teaches that as we walk in the light, the blood of Christ continually cleanses us, and God is faithful to forgive us when we confess our sins.

4. Scripture Trains Christians in Righteousness Over Time

The fourth benefit is training in righteousness.

Training is a process. Teaching may happen quickly, but training takes time. I once worked at a company that manufactured airbags. We were taught the basics, but real training happened over time through repetition, mistakes, correction, and growth.

The Christian life works the same way. When we’re born again, we are babes in Christ, a new creation. From there, we are meant to grow toward spiritual maturity, as described in Ephesians chapter 4.

That growth happens through continual exposure to God’s word. Scripture teaches us, corrects us, and shapes us over time, training us to live righteously.

5. Scripture Equips Us for Every Good Work

The final benefit explains the purpose of the first four. Scripture teaches, rebukes, corrects, and trains us so that the man of God may be complete and thoroughly equipped for every good work.

If we want to serve God well—as husbands, wives, parents, employees, evangelists, or worshipers—we need the Scriptures. The Bible may not teach you how to perform brain surgery or repair a modern vehicle, but it teaches you how to be the kind of person who does those things with honesty, integrity, discipline, and reverence for God.

Technical skills can be learned, but Scripture focuses on character, and character matters most.