God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.
Parallel translations
- WEB that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
- KJV That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
- BSB so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.
- NKJV that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
- NASB so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Scripture equips the man of God to be complete and thoroughly furnished for every good work. God's word fully prepares his servants for faithful ministry and life.
Overview
Paul states the goal of inspired Scripture: to make the believer, and especially the minister, complete and fully equipped. This affirms the sufficiency of Scripture for every good work God calls his people to. No supplementary authority is needed to furnish the man of God for his task.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 10
- 2 Tim 2:21If anyone therefore purges himself from these, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, and suitable for the master’s use, prepared for every good work.
- 2 Cor 9:8And God is able to make all grace abound to you, that you, always having all sufficiency in everything, may abound to every good work.
- Eph 2:10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared before that we would walk in them.
- 1 Tim 6:11But you, man of God, flee these things, and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.
- Heb 10:24Let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good works,
- Titus 2:14who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify for himself a people for his own possession, zealous for good works.
- Acts 9:36Now there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which when translated, means Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and acts of mercy which she did.
- Titus 3:1Remind them to be in subjection to rulers and to authorities, to be obedient, to be ready for every good work,
- Neh 2:18I told them of the hand of my God which was good on me, as also of the king’s words that he had spoken to me. They said, “Let’s rise up and build.” So they strengthened their hands for the good work.
- Ps 119:98–100Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, for your commandments are always with me.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Christ Jesus 'abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel' — the risen Lord whose word and kingdom endure to the end.
How 2 Timothy 3:17 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.