All Scripture is God-breathed

II Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that God breathed all scripture. This is an amazing claim that should change the way that we look at the Bible. This collection of 66 books from antiquity is not just a story book, not just a history book, but the actual word of God!

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

To truly understand this verse we need to look at exactly what it is saying. First the verse refers to all Scripture. Does this mean just the Old Testament Scripture or both Old and New Testament? To answer that question we need to look at II Peter 3:16.

And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.

This verse makes no distinction between the Old Testament Scripture and the writings of Paul and the other epistles. In this verse Peter is addressing false teachers and tells the reader that some people twist the words of Paul and in this he likens Paul’s writings to the other Scriptures. Clearly Peter is writing here that the New Testament writings are to be considered Scripture as well as the Old Testament. This means that the New Testament would fall into the same category of Scripture as the Old Testament.

So All Scripture means – All Scripture. II Timothy 3:16 tells us that All Scripture (we’ll refer to this as the Bible) is God Breathed. God Breathed contains the idea that God’s words are contained in the Bible. God Himself expressed Himself in the writing s of the Bible. Easton’s Bible Dictionary explains it this way.

“…that extraordinary or supernatural divine influence vouchsafed to those who wrote the Holy Scriptures, rendering their writings infallible. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (R.V., “Every scripture inspired of God”), 2 Timothy 3:16. This is true of all the “sacred writings,” not in the sense of their being works of genius or of supernatural insight, but as “theopneustic,” i.e., “breathed into by God” in such a sense that the writers were supernaturally guided to express exactly what God intended them to express as a revelation of his mind and will. The testimony of the sacred writers themselves abundantly demonstrates this truth; and if they are infallible as teachers of doctrine, then the doctrine of plenary inspiration must be accepted. There are no errors in the Bible as it came from God, none have been proved to exist. Difficulties and phenomena we cannot explain are not errors. All these books of the Old and New Testaments are inspired. We do not say that they contain, but that they are, the Word of God. The gift of inspiration rendered the writers the organs of God, for the infallible communication of his mind and will, in the very manner and words in which it was originally given.

As to the nature of inspiration we have no information. This only we know, it rendered the writers infallible. They were all equally inspired, and are all equally infallible. The inspiration of the sacred writers did not change their characters. They retained all their individual peculiarities as thinkers or writers.”

Easton, M. G. “Inspiration”, Easton’s Bible Dictionary. Blue Letter Bible. 1897. 24 Jun, 1996 4 Jan 2014. <http://www.blbclassic.org/search/Dictionary/viewtopic.cfm?topic=ET0001884>

That pretty much sums it up. The Bible is the word of God! How valuable is this book that we carry with us to church and Sunday school – it is a letter from God Himself – To you!

Because the Bible is God’s word it carries authority. God’s word is not to be taken lightly, and II Timothy 3:16-17 tells us that this Bible is useful for, “reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” These are just some of the uses for God’s Word. Imagine that God’s word will correct us, teach us, and equip us for good works. God has a plan for each of us, and it is a plan for us to do good works. These works will not earn our salvation – Jesus paid the price for that, but these good works are a result of our salvation. Ephesians 2:10 tells us that,

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

So this means that God has a plan for every believer! A plan for us to do good works for others. This plan is made clear to us as we study God’s word, and immerse ourselves in this Bible. Through God’s word we learn about God, and only by better knowing Him can we look at the things around us with an eternal perspective. God’s Word should be the main focus of our studying and understanding. God has provided all of the resources we need to live the Christian life, and His word is that handbook of our faith.

God please help us to spend time in your word, and show us wonderful things out of your word.

Helping you to Hide God's Word in your Heart

Helping you to Hide God's Word in your Heart

II Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is God-breathed

Click here for a print formatted copy of these notes.

Click here for printable review questions to study further.