The Authority & Reliability of God-Breathed Scripture
In a pivotal statement at the heart of what would be his final letter to Timothy, the Apostle Paul writes:
All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. - 2 Tim. 3:16
This well-known quote is probably the best known passage for discussing the inspiration of the Bible, or in the words of Paul, the “scripture [that] is breathed out by God”. But imagine this passage was torn out of the Bible, would we have any evidence to support the idea of scripture’s authority (God’s own thoughts recorded in written form) and reliability (giving trustworthy insight and knowledge)? Did Jesus and the apostles view scripture in this way?
Here are 16 lines of evidence from the New Testament figures and authors underscoring their perception that both Hebrew scripture and the Apostolic writings were “breathed out by God” and therefore profitable for “teaching, reproof, correction, and for training in righteousness” with the result of producing spiritually mature disciples of Jesus.
JESUS
Jesus used phrases like “have you not read” 12 times in relation to the Hebrew (OT) writings (e.g. Matthew 12:3) to refute his Jewish detractors or to validate his own speech and actions. The sarcastic edge of these questions implied the Pharisees and scribes (the keepers of the law and traditions) were unaware of and were themselves breaking the OT.
Out of the 192 New Testament occurrences of “grapho”―often translated, “it is written― around 160 are in reference to quotations from the OT and are given as the reason why something has or will take place.
The related term “graphé” (the writings, i.e. “scripture”) appears 51 times, every occurrence indicating how OT scripture is, has been or will be fulfilled in Christ and the church.(see Luke 24:27).
The authority of Scripture is always assumed by Jesus and the NT writers who often modify the word :scripture” with phrases like “says”, “proven by the”, reasoned from” “fulfilled”, and “can’t be broken”.
Jesus quotes Psalm 82 to prove his identity as the Son of God and then says “and Scripture cannot be broken”. In other words, scripture cannot be contradicted. (John 10:35)
Jesus “pre-authenticated” the writings of the apostles in John 16:12-15 through the Holy Spirit:
I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
Paul writes: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope (Romans 15:4).”
In his gospel, John indicates that the miracles he recorded were chosen and written specifically, “so that you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.” These written words are reliable, true, and have a very specific effect when read and trusted. (John 20:30-31)
PETER
Peter considers Paul’s letters as originating in “the wisdom given him” and says that some have twisted his words “as they do the other Scriptures”. Peter considered Paul’s writings to be from Jesus, through the Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 3:15-16)
In his second letter, Peter faces his nearing death but says he will “always remind you of these qualities...so that after my departure you may be able to recall these things”. Then he identifies himself and the apostles as eyewitnesses of Jesus, and urges his readers to “pay attention” to scripture as to a “lamp shining in a dark place”, because men “spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:12-10 see also 1 Cor. 2:10-13)
PAUL
Citing Psalm 116:10, Paul equates the same “spirit of faith” possessed by himself and his fellow ministers with that of the Psalmist, offering that is the reason for speaking/writing (2 Cor. 4:13).
“Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.” As Jesus’s own words, there is a practical benefit to paying heed to John’s writing. (Revelation 1:3)
Paul explicitly says that the written accounts of the Israelites in the OT were given to benefit those “on whom the end of the ages has come.” (1 Cor. 10:11)
Paul reminds the church of his two-fold mission from Jesus: to bring the gospel to the gentiles, and to “to bring to light for everyone what is the οἰκονομία (oikonomia) of the mystery hidden for ages in God”. (Ephesians 3:8-11) Paul uses a word meaning “household rules”, the root of our word “economy”, how things in God’s household are supposed to run. Paul’s letters have this two-fold “grace” in mind. This is why he can write: ” If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.” (1 Cor. 14:27)
Paul states that Jesus gave the church the Apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all have attained maturity.”. Ephesians 4:10-15) Jesus superintends and authenticates the communication by the apostles and teachers which would include writings like the epistles.
Paul expected his letters to be distributed and read throughout the churches (Col. 4:16)
Paul grounded his gospel in the OT as an authenticating witness to its truth (1 Cor. 15:1-11). In the same passage he equates his message as being interchangeable with that of the other apostles, in agreement with OT scripture. His message is authoritative and reliable and effective based on what he has preached: “the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you”. (see also 1 Peter 1:10-12).
REVELATION
In the Revelation, Jesus instructs John 12 times to “write”, including the messages to the seven churches. Therefore, John’s letter is an expression of Jesus’s authority.
CONCLUSION
There is ample proof that the New Testament writers viewed the Kingdom of God inaugurated by Jesus as a fulfillment of the Hebrew scriptures. Both Jesus and the Apostles based their ministry on what had be written and on King Jesus’s words and new commands as part of that fulfillment. Jesus pre-authenticated the writing ministries of the apostles and they viewed their preaching and writings in this way. Paul and the apostles expected the churches to read and respond to their writings as coming from King Jesus through the Spirit. For these reasons, we have confidence that as we read and respond to the God-breathed scripture, we will be “complete, equipped for every good work.”