2 Timothy 3:14

But abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them;

"The Latin translations blunder here,"[22] making the meaning to be that tradition and Scripture (which really means tradition superimposed upon Scripture) are both basically authoritative; but as Hendriksen declared:

It is clear that those who nurtured Timothy are not viewed as independent authorities apart from the word, but as secondary and intermediate sources of knowledge, and even this only because they had accepted Scripture![23]

It is true of all men who have the good fortune to come from godly homes, that the teaching and example of Christian parents is a priceless advantage; but such parents always teach their children that the authority is not in themselves but in the word of the Lord.

Still, there was powerful motivation for Timothy in that three generations of his family had accepted Scriptural authority, consenting to walk in the light of it; and in this probably lies the reason for Paul's appeal here.

[22] Ibid., p. 174.

[23] William Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary, 2Timothy (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1957), p. 296.