What Does All Scripture Is God Breathed Mean? Part Five
Remember, we are seeking to understand what Paul meant when writing to Timothy about all Scripture is God-breathed.
When Paul uses the word scripture, he is referring to Jewish Scripture, the 39 books in the Jewish Bible (the other 27 books and letters were not compiled into one volume at this time) that contained the prophecies about the coming of the Christ and that teach righteousness is by faith (Genesis 15:6; Habakkuk 2:4).
Paul consistently used the Jewish Scriptures to teach that Jesus was the Christ and that righteousness came through faith in him (see Acts 17:1-4; Romans and Galatians). Paul is now encouraging Timothy, as a servant of God in communicating the gospel of grace (2 Timothy 1:8-13), to equip himself with the Jewish Scriptures so that he can teach the truth about Jesus being the Christ and that righteousness comes by faith in Jesus.
Remember, this message was being opposed by the false teachers who had infiltrated the church in Ephesus, just as Paul told the leaders of the church in Ephesus they would (Acts 20:16-32). Paul was now exhorting Timothy to use the Jewish Scriptures to teach that Jesus is the Christ and through faith in him, one is justified (receives forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life).
Timothy was also to use the Jewish Scriptures to rebuke those teaching incorrectly about Jesus, correct (kindly and gently) them in their teaching, and then consistently teach on the truth that Jesus is the Christ (Acts 17:2-3) and righteousness comes by faith, just as the Jewish Scriptures declare (see Genesis 15:6 Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:16-17; Romans 4; Galatians 3).
The Jewish Scriptures, which Paul writes to Timothy about in 2 Timothy 3:15-16, are the same Scriptures Jesus referred to when he told the Pharisees and the teachers of the law that the Scriptures pointed to him. Jesus also referred to Jewish Scriptures many other times to reveal that he was the Christ. These are the same Scriptures Jesus used to teach the two men on the road to Emmaus that the Scriptures about the Christ were fulfilled by him (Luke 24:13-35).
Matthew, throughout his book, used these same Scriptures to prove that Jesus was the Christ of the Jewish Scriptures. In Acts 2, Peter used the Jewish Scriptures to convince the Jewish people that Jesus was the Christ. Philip used the Jewish Scriptures to explain to the Ethiopian that Jesus was the Christ and salvation is through belief in Jesus (Acts 8:26-39). Apollos also used the Jewish Scriptures to convince people that Jesus is the Messiah (Acts 18:28).
These are the same Jewish Scriptures that Timothy had first learned from his mother Eunice and grandmother Lois, then from Paul. Now Timothy was to use the Jewish Scriptures to teach that Jesus was the Christ and that righteousness is by faith in Jesus. He was to use the Jewish Scriptures to rebuke the false teachers who rejected Jesus was the Christ and righteousness was by grace through faith in Jesus. Timothy was to use the Jewish Scriptures to correct them in their false teaching. Then Timothy was to use the Jewish Scriptures to explain that righteousness was by faith in Jesus – which is exactly what he would have learned from Paul (see Romans and Galatians).
So with this historical and biblical setting, what did Paul mean when he wrote to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that all scripture is God-breathed?
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
The Scripture refers to the Jewish Scripture which points to Jesus as the Christ and through faith one is declared righteous. God breathed-out these Scriptures (the 39 books contained in the Jewish Bible) – the Scriptures that Timothy’s mother and grandmother used to teach him about salvation by faith in the coming Christ, Jesus.
Timothy was to equip himself with the Jewish Scriptures (as did Jesus, Matthew, Philip, Paul, and Apollos) to educate people (teach) about Jesus being the Christ and that salvation is by grace through faith in Jesus. Timothy was to use the Jewish Scriptures to expose the teaching of the false teachers (rebuke), by explaining the truth about Jesus as the Christ and righteousness by faith (correct), and by consistently expounding upon the Scriptures to others concerning righteousness that is by faith in Jesus (training others in this truth).
So what does God-breathed mean?
Seeking to understand God-breathed in context, God-breathed means that God provided the Jewish Scriptures (writings) to give revelation of salvation/righteousness through faith in Jesus as the Christ. Paul used the word Scripture in Romans and Galatians to teach that the Jewish Scriptures convince all people they are sinners in need of grace. This grace has come to us through Jesus, the Christ of the Jewish Scriptures.
Paul used the Jewish Scriptures to teach that righteousness is by grace through faith/belief and not through the works of the law or any works at all. Just as Paul equipped himself to use the Jewish Scriptures in this way, he is exhorting Timothy to do the same.
We know for sure, according to the historical and biblical context of 2 Timothy, God-breathed means that God provided the Jewish Scriptures to give revelation of salvation through faith in Jesus as the Christ. The method that God used to breathe the Jewish Scriptures into existence is up for debate among those who have formulated different theories (see Part One). However, in their formation of their theories of inspiration, it seems that many of the theorists have missed the major point of Paul in writing to Timothy, which is that Timothy was to use the Jewish Scriptures to expose the false teachers in Ephesus by explaining that Jesus is the Christ and by grace through faith in Jesus, a person is saved (justification - receives forgiveness, righteousness, and eternal life).
Click Below For Part One.
