What Does All Scripture Is God Breathed Mean? Part Three
We are continuing to examine the context of 2 Timothy 3:16 so we can have a better understanding of what Paul meant when he wrote to Timothy that all scripture is God-breathed.
In 2 Timothy, Paul tells Timothy not to be timid in teaching grace, nor ashamed of telling others about Jesus, or ashamed of knowing Paul (2 Timothy 1:8). Paul was not a person to associate with if Timothy desired to be accepted by the religious leaders of his generation, since grace was not a popular teaching to these leaders and was opposed fiercely by them.
Also, most of these religious leaders not only opposed the message of grace, but they also opposed the message that Jesus was the Christ of the Jewish Scriptures, which is the message that Paul proclaimed. Therefore, Paul told Timothy not to be ashamed of him or of Jesus being the Christ.
In writing to Timothy, Paul told Timothy that he would suffer for teaching the gospel, just as Paul suffered in the Galatian cities of Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe (2 Timothy 3:10-11 - see also Acts 13-14).
The gospel that Paul told Timothy he would suffer for was the gospel of grace that saves us. God provided this grace in Christ before the beginning of time. This grace was revealed in Christ when Jesus appeared (2 Timothy 1:9-10). It was this gospel of grace that Paul taught (2 Timothy 1:11) and that Paul urged Timothy to continue to teach (2 Timothy 1:13; 2;1-2).
Paul wrote to Timothy, telling him to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus and to teach others about grace who would then teach others (2 Timothy 2:1-2). Paul knew for the truths of grace to be preserved for future generations, Timothy would need to communicate the truths of grace effectively (2 Timothy 2:1-2) and guard them carefully (2 Timothy 1:13).
As Timothy taught the truths of grace, which was not limited to the death of Jesus but included the identity of Jesus as the Christ and the physical resurrection of Jesus (2 Timothy 2:8-9), he encountered resistance. Those who Paul said would arise from within the church in Ephesus to distort grace and lead people back to the law had surfaced (see Acts 20:13-32). Confusion, due to false teachers, about law, grace, and the resurrection abounded among those in the church in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3-7; 2 Timothy 2:14-18; 2 Timothy 3:8). Arguments erupted as a result.
Paul exhorted Timothy and the church to not get entangled in these arguments (2 Timothy 2:14, 23). Paul told Timothy that, as the Lord’s servant, he must not argue with others about what they believed or taught, but instead he should be kind to everyone, not resentful, and able to teach (2 Timothy 2:23-24).
As the Pastor/Teacher of the church in Ephesus, Paul told Timothy that rather than arguing, he should “Be diligent to present [himself] approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).
Paul, understood what opposition was like. He wrote to the Galatians that he did not need the approval of those who opposed his message of grace.
He wrote in Galatians 1:11-12:
Am I [Paul] now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God [with what I teach]? Or am I trying to please people [those who opposed grace and were of the Law of Moses, or who mixed law and grace]? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ [in sharing the gospel of grace].
Just as Paul didn't need the approval of the law teachers or the Galatians, neither did Timothy. The only one who needed to approve of what Paul and Timothy taught was God. That is why Paul encouraged Timothy to correctly handle the word of truth. The word of truth refers to the truths of grace (see Ephesians 1:13 and also Colossians 1:3-8) freely given to us in Christ. It also probably refers to the Jewish Scriptures that told of the Christ to come.
The word of truth is:
-understanding law and grace, as Paul taught in Romans, along with the old and new covenants (2 Corinthians 3:1-6:2; Hebrews). It is understanding what it means to not be under law but under grace, and to not be under the old covenant but under the new covenant.
-understanding our full forgiveness and righteousness in Christ.
-understanding we have died with Christ and have been raised and seated with him in heaven.
-understanding his Spirit now dwells in us, and we call God our Father.
-understanding we are led by the Spirit and not by the law.
-understanding the church does not follow the law with its commandments and regulations, since the law has been destroyed and abolished in Christ (Ephesians 2:14:15).
-understanding the prophecies of the Jewish Scriptures that pointed to Jesus’ coming, along with his life, death, resurrection.
Paul is telling Timothy to not waste his time arguing with others about the truths of grace. Instead, he should invest his time in putting forth maximum effort to consistently study and accurately interpret the word of truth. By doing this, he could be confident he was approved by God in what he taught, and therefore, he did not need to argue with others or need their approval of what he taught.
As one who diligently and consistently studied the word of truth and correctly interpreted it, Timothy could avoid arguments about law, grace, and the resurrection, and he could accurately, unashamedly, kindly, patiently, carefully, and gently teach these truths to others (2 Timothy 2:24; 3:2).
As Timothy did this, Paul hoped that God would grant repentance (see their error and turn to truth) to those who opposed Timothy’s teaching of grace so they could come to their senses and escape the trap of the devil who had taken them captive to do his will, which is to suppress the good news of grace (2 Timothy 2:25).
It is important to know the Bible was not in existence when Paul told Timothy to accurately handle the word of truth. So the word of truth is not referring to the Bible. Instead, in context, the word of truth refers to the gospel of grace that Paul had communicated to Timothy and told him to teach others. Paul used the phrase the word of truth in Colossians and Ephesians to refer to the gospel of grace (Colossians 1:3-8, see also Ephesians 1:13).
With this setting of the historical background, let’s continue to examine 2 Timothy 3:16-17 in context as we seek to understand what Paul means when he writes to Timothy that all scripture is God-breathed.
Click Below For Part Four.
