<p>3:17 <i>S</i><i>o that the man of God may be complete</i><i>- </i>Note how Peter says that the prophet was a &lsquo;man of God&rsquo; who was moved by God&rsquo;s Spirit to write Scripture; whereas Paul says that the Spirit-inspired Scriptures are what makes a &lsquo;man of God&rsquo;- us- who he is (2 Tim. 3:17 cp. 2 Pet. 1:21). There is a mutuality here, in which even we in this age can have a part.</p><p><i>Completely empowered to every good work</i>- Yet we so often blame our lack of good works on a lack of resources or abilities. But the Scriptures speak to us, if we let them and read them in faith, and thus inspire us to good works. The Lord later commended the Ephesus ecclesia on their &quot;good works&quot;, so it would seem that Timothy really obeyed the spirit of all this. He pursued the teaching ministry he had been given, even if it was initially against the grain of his character. And it did indeed empower others to good works. Sadly, this was all done without <i>agape</i>, and this was the Lord's serious criticism of the later Ephesian church.</p>