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All Scripture Is Inspired
All Scripture Is Inspired
From reading 2 Tim. 3:14-17 we learn that Timothy had known the Sacred writing: a rather obvious allusion to the Old Testament. But what did Jews like Paul understand about the OT being the WORD of God? One writer commented: "Paul used a rare term in his reference to the “holy Scriptures.” Used only here in the New Testament, the phrase literally means sacred writings (hiera grammata). Josephus used the identical term in referring to the Old Testament."*
This led directly into vs. 16: “All Scriptures is breathed out by God”. The question that gets asked: “Should this be translated 'All Scripture' or 'Every Scripture'? BOTH {compare KJ, ESV, ASV, etc} - for one speaks of them as a unit (which they are) and the other addresses them distributively but completely. Everyone of all of them, but that is a rather awkward translation.
All Scripture? While such can mean ANY writing, that is not so understood in the context of the Bible. The word ‘scripture(s) is found over 50 times in the ESV New Testament and each time it speaks of the Old Testament.
Should it read: "Every scripture IS inspired?”; or "Every scripture inspired of God IS profitable?”; or "Every scripture IS inspired of God and IS profitable?” The first and third ideas really are the same.
The problem with the 2nd idea is that it leaves open (not a necessary inference, but a possible one that some HAVE taken!) that some scripture is NOT inspired and hence those are NOT profitable for our completion. Of course this then leaves an open debate on which ones ARE inspired and which ones are NOT inspired. That debate then centers upon guidelines of how one would distinguish between them. Lenski, after discussing WHY he took the position he did, basically translated it like the third idea. Every scripture is inspired and is profitable.
God-breathed. “Every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” … Hence when one quotes a scripture one can affirm ‘God said…” as did Jesus in Matt. 19:4-5). The disciples said that “God..through the mouth of our father David, you servant, said by the Holy Spirit…” (Acts 4:24-25, cp. also Mark 12:36; Acts 1:16). Such words of David are to be found in the written word where it is thus preserved for us.
THEN, can this ‘principle’ of inspiration apply to the NT writings? Were the writings of the apostles considered scriptures? Were they considered the word of God? The answer to these questions is a simple yes. Jesus promised that their speech would be ‘given by the Spirit’ (Matt. 10:19-20; John 14:26; 16:13-14). This is another way of speaking of inspiration. Hence to reject the apostles was to reject God (Luke 10:16).
The apostles teaching (whether verbal or written) was not the word of man but in truth the word of God (2 Thess. 2:13). Paul as an apostle could write: "If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord” (1 Cor. 14:37). What the apostles wrote were inspired of God. Paul hence wrote: "So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions that you were taught by us, either by our spoken word or by our letter” (2 Thessalonians 2:15).
To this we also note that Peter did apply the word ‘Scripture’ to Paul’s writings in 2 Pet. 3:15-17. Paul wrote by the wisdom given to him (inspired, acknowledging that such was not innate with Paul). Those writings were collected and Peter had read them. (while we don’t know which, we know that SOME were). We know that some people had already begun ‘twisting’ and ‘perverting’ those writings of Paul. Peter then affirmed that this is also what they had done to the OTHER scripture. Peter concludes that perverting Paul’s writings leads to condemnation.
When we get to the bottom of all this, I basically end up with the long understood concept as it is simply translated in the ESV / KJ: All scripture IS inspired of God [breathed out by] and is profitable…
The profit however comes not from hearing / reading such scripture but by reading with understanding that results in applying it to our lives. The gospel is the message that is the power of God which can transform our very character, but such gospel message is recorded in the sacred writing - the Scriptures. We then need to read, understand, and obey.
Hugh DeLong
*New American Commentary on 1,2 Timothy, Titus, Logos edition, on 2Tim. 3:15.
