What Does All Scripture Is God Breathed Mean? Part Two
2 Timothy 3:15-16 says,
All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
By examining the context of these verses, I believe we can come to a reasonable conclusion to what Paul meant when he used the word theopneustos, meaning God-breathed, when writing to Timothy.
Timothy was the Pastor/Teacher of the church in Ephesus (1 Timothy 1:3). Paul wrote an earlier letter to Timothy while Timothy was in Ephesus (1 Timothy). In this letter, Paul explained why he wanted Timothy to remain in Ephesus:
“...to command certain men not to teach false doctrines." (1 Timothy 1:3-4).
These men were teaching the law, but they did not know what they were talking about (1 Timothy 1:7).
In the biblical, historical context, these men were probably teaching that in addition to faith in Jesus, the law of Moses must be observed for a person to be righteous. This was a common teaching error occurring among the churches and was in direct contrast to what Paul taught in Romans and Galatians.
Paul previously established the church in Ephesus in the gospel of grace...the word of truth as Paul called it in Ephesians 1:13. Paul used the word grace 13 times in his letter to the Ephesians.
To grasp the gospel of grace that Paul taught the church in Ephesus, we must understand Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, the church where Timothy was the Pastor. In this letter, we discover grace is the wisdom and work of God in Christ to save us (Ephesians 1-3). Through believing, we receive God’s salvation (Ephesians 1:13; 2:8-9).
Salvation is a gift we receive by grace through faith in Jesus apart from works (Ephesians 2:8-9).
This salvation, which comes by grace in Jesus and through faith in Jesus, is that we are loved by God, he is full of kindness and mercy to us, we are holy and blameless before him, adopted into his family, dearly loved children of God, our sins have been paid in full by the blood of Jesus, we are fully forgiven by God, been made alive with Christ, raised up with Christ, and seated with him in heaven (Ephesians 1-2).
Additionally, this salvation is that we are members of God’s family and God is our Father (Ephesians 2:18-22; 3:14; 4:6). The Spirit of God indwells us and seals our salvation (Ephesians 1:13; 2:18, 22; 3:14-19).
In Ephesians, we learn the law, with its commandments and regulations, has been destroyed and abolished through the death of Jesus (Ephesians 2:14-15). God, through grace in Christ, has now created one new body...one new group...one new family of all people that relates to God by grace (all that God did for us in Christ that is received by faith) and not by law (Ephesians 2:15-18). As members of God's family, we will enjoy his grace forever (Ephesians 2:7).
The teachers of those in Ephesus, who Timothy was to instruct to not teach certain things about the law (1 Timothy 1:3-4), evidently were teaching those in the church that the law had not been abolished but was to be observed for righteousness. This was in contrast to the gospel of grace, as Paul states in Galatians 2:21.
Paul knew that teaching the gospel of grace was not a popular teaching in his generation. It was a teaching he had to fearlessly communicate because it was opposed so fiercely by the religious leaders of his generation (Acts 13-15; Galatians 1:10-12; Ephesians 6:19-20; 2 Timothy chapters 2-3). Yet Paul was compelled to teach it because he received it directly from Jesus (Acts 20:24; Acts 26: 15-18; Galatians 1:11-12; Ephesians 3:1-5).
Paul loved the people of the church in Ephesus and was very concerned for them because false teachers would arise from within their own church and come from outside their church to draw them away from grace (Acts 20:17-38). His love and concern is seen when he met with the leaders of the Ephesian church for the final time, knowing he would never see them again (Acts 20:25, 38).
Paul knew false teachers would arise from within the church in Ephesus and descend from the outside upon the church in Ephesus and seek to draw believers away from grace, putting them under law (Acts 20:28-31). In tears, Paul told them to continue to teach the word of grace so others could be built up (Acts 20:32).
Paul was so concerned about the church in Ephesus staying true to the truths of grace and not falling back into the law, that he sent Timothy to Ephesus as the Pastor/Teacher (1 Timothy 1:3-7). Timothy was to protect the church from false teachers who were trying to get the church to move from grace to law, or were seeking to get the church to mix law and grace. We learn this in Paul’s first letter to Timothy (1 Timothy 1:3-7).
Seeking to persuade people to return to the law or mix law and grace for righteousness is consistent with Paul’s opponents in his ministry (see Romans, Galatians, and Philippians).
Paul writes his second letter to Timothy (the Pastor/Teacher of the church in Ephesus) which is the final letter Paul would ever write. Paul knew his own death was imminent (2 Timothy 4:6). He knew his time on earth was short. It was a matter of time before he would die under the rule of Nero. So he writes his second letter to Timothy to exhort Timothy to teach the truths of God’s grace, which were being attacked by false teachers, just as Paul said would happen when meeting with the leaders of the church in Ephesus in Acts 20.
Click below for Part Three.
