2 Timothy 3:16 – Understanding God’s Inspiration: The Divine…

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2 Timothy 3:16

(16) All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
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The phrase “inspiration of God” is in Greek theopneustos, literally “God-breathed.” Scripture, then, is a direct product of God’s mind and being. The words “all Scripture” (pasa graphe) can be rendered “every text,” “every scripture,” “the whole scripture,” “all the writings,” etc., meaning the whole canon of Scripture. In other words, nothing crept into the Bible that God did not want there, and conversely, nothing He wanted to be in it has been left out.

This is backed up by II Peter 1:21: “. . . for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” God employed His Spirit to inspire His servants, the prophets and apostles. At some point, they wrote down what God had revealed through them, passing His Word on to successive generations.

Hebrews 1:1-2 informs us that God’s inspiration occurred in a number of ways: “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets has in these last days spoken to us by His Son.” God is not limited to revealing Himself in any one manner. Sometimes, He spoke directly (see Genesis 12:7; 16:7; Exodus 3:2; etc.). At other times, He spoke in visions and dreams (see Isaiah 1:1; Ezekiel 1:1; Daniel 2:1, 19; Acts 10:10: Revelation 1:10; etc.). He once even spoke through a donkey (Numbers 22:28)! On one occasion, He spoke through the casting of lots (Acts 1:23-26), much as He did through the Urim and Thummim to Israel (Numbers 27:21).

Most importantly, He spoke through His Son, Jesus Christ, who came to reveal the Father (see John 1:18; 14:7-11; 17:25-26). He is uniquely qualified to speak for God because, as the apostle John describes Him in John 1:1-2, 14, 17, He is God! As the Word (Greek logos), He is the Spokesman for God, communicating to humanity, and specifically to His people, the will of God and the way to live in a relationship with Him.

Since He came to reveal the Father, Jesus must have been the God Being that the Israelites worshipped in Old Testament times, who spoke to them and led them. In this vein, John 1:3 specifically claims that the Word is also the Creator (see also Colossians 1:16; Ephesians 3:9). The Being, then, who made all that exists is the same One who inspired the words of Scripture! Since we owe our existence to Him, we also owe obedience to His Word in our Bibles.

As for its content, the Bible claims that it provides truth to humanity. Jesus Himself says in His great prayer to His Father on the night He was arrested, “Your word is truth” (John 17:17). This is an echo of Psalm 119:160: “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.” God considers every word He speaks or inspires to be true. It is His guarantee that we receive only the best instruction from Him. In fact, He would not be God if He spoke anything other than the truth (Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18).

The Bible also claims, “Every word of God is pure” (Proverbs 30:5). David writes in Psalm 12:6, “The words of the LORD are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times” (see Psalm 19:8; 199:140). The Hebrew word behind “pure” means “tested,” “refined,” or “proven of the highest quality.” Our God has given us only the best information to propel us along the path to His Kingdom. We can take great confidence in that.

Jesus comments on the authority of Scripture in Matthew 5:18: “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” The jot (iota) and the tittle (keraia, “little horn” or “point”) are the smallest parts of written Hebrew. Christ was so sure of Scripture that He claimed that all of it would be fulfilled—down to the minutest parts. He affirms in John 10:35 that “the Scripture cannot be broken,” which means its authority cannot be “loosened,” “unbound,” “destroyed,” “annulled,” or “taken away.” Our Lord and Savior says that no one can diminish the authority of God’s Word!

The Bible presents many proofs of its validity and authority; what we have seen so far only scratches the surface. The most convincing and most lasting proof, however, resides in the relationship we build and foster with God. In a way, we can say that our proving of Scripture extends throughout our Christian lives as we see God in action, working in and through us to bring us into His Kingdom. The real proof is in the doing.

— Richard T. Ritenbaugh

To learn more, see:
The Bible’s Claims About Itself