The Profit of Scripture

In 2 Timothy 3:15-17 Paul reminds his child in the Lord, Timothy, regarding the worthiness of Scripture. He says, "...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 competent, equipped for every good work."
Timothy had obviously had the fortune of being taught the Scriptures from an early age. Apparently, it wasn't his father who taught him, but his grandmother and mother. (Praise God for all those who are faithful to pass on the faith even when the situation isn't ideal!) Paul saw this as great profit to Timothy because it was the Scriptures that "make one wise for salvation through faith in Jesus".
And how do the Scriptures make us wise for salvation? I believe it employs the 4 ways mentioned in verse 16: teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness.
1. Teaching - The Scripures will teach us the way of God. A simplified version of that way given to us by Jesus, is to say that we are to "love God with our all and to love our neighbor as ourselves."
2. Reproof - But having taught us the way of God, the Scriptures is also faithful to show us how we have not lived as we ought. It will expose the hidden sins of our hearts and show us all to be those who do not love God nor man as we ought.
3. Correction - But praise be to God, the Scriptures do not leave us there. They do not beat us down and then walk away. Instead they show us the way back to God, and that way is always through the cross of Jesus Christ. As one avails themselves to the Word Jesus will be held up high, and to those who are awakened to express faith in Christ, salvation will be theirs.
4. Training in righteousness - Having made us wise unto salvation the Scriptures is not done with its work. As we continue to avail ourselves to its wise ways we will learn to avoid that which leads to death and destruction (what we see in verses 2-7), and to embrace that which leads to life and godliness. The Scriptures will also equip us for every good work to which the Lord has called us.
Now that is profitability! To have something that will awaken us to our dead way of living, and lead us to the only One who can breathe new life into our souls, and then empower us to live in that newness of life, "fulfilling every good work", that is to have something of great value! And that is what we have in the Scriptures!
Bible readers, let us not grow weary in our reading! For the book we read is no common book. It is THE BOOK, the only book, which can, by God's Spirit, make us wise for salvation, helping us to live as we were meant to live.