Don't Get Side-Tracked by Speculation

2 Timothy 3:12-17 Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 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.

Faith is what we KNOW about God. Verse 14: "continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed." This is our assurance, our stability, our confidence, as we survive in the devil's world. The more we know about God, the more we love and trust Him, for protection, for provision, for fulfillment of His promises to His people through the ages. Doubting, guessing and what-iffing never advanced anyone's spiritual growth. "Continue in what you have learned." No ifs, ands or buts. The final authority is the Word of God. We learned that from the men who walked with Jesus, and from the writer of this epistle, whose close communion with the risen Christ was the source of much New Testament teaching.