Is the New Testament Inspired Scripture?

The claim is sometimes made that the “scripture” Paul referred to in 2 Timothy 3: 16 are the writings of the Old Law.  The reasoning is that the writings of Moses and the prophets were the only scripture available at the time Paul wrote these words.  This reasoning prevents the New Testament from being placed in the category of “scripture” and consequently restricts what can be taught as “doctrine” by believers today. 

Other arguments claim that since the New Testament writings were not collected into a body until much later that we cannot know what the first century church taught nor can we be certain what words or letters are inspired of God because men of nefarious character were responsible for the collection and assimilation of “scripture” in later centuries.  Who knows what deletions or insertions these men made? 

If New Testament scripture was not available to the early church and what was collected was altered over time, then the consequence is that “believers” today are free to make doctrine to be whatever they want it to be, binding and/or loosing at will because no one can know what was in the original autographed writings.

Let’s assess these claims together using the context of this passage and reviewing the consequences of these doctrines.  Paul wrote 2 Timothy 3: 10-17 saying, “But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra what persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”  (NKJV)

(1)   A fact that these proponents seem to overlook is that scripture does not have to be written to be scripture.  All that is required is that it be inspired of God.  This is the definition that Paul gave in this very passage.  It is interesting that a passage these proponents use to define scripture is accepted for what it says without accepting it as being scripture.  If this passage is not scripture itself, its words should not be accepted to teach any spiritual doctrine.  On what basis, then, can the argument be made that the Old Law was the only scripture available?  How can we know what is scripture?  If it is inspired of God it is scripture; if it is scripture it is inspired of God, even if it exists only in spoken form (i.e. Peter’s sermon in Acts 2 was inspired of God, therefore it was scripture at the very moment it fell from Peter’s lips).  Let’s not forget that the books of Moses, the Law, the prophets, history and poetry of the Old Scripture was spoken before it was written and was not officially compiled into its current collection until after the Babylonian captivity by faithful men like Nehemiah and Ezra, yet it was accepted as scripture by the Jews from the beginning.

(2)   The writings of the Old Law simply gave Timothy wisdom that lead to salvation in Christ, but did not give him that salvation.  Salvation through Christ cannot come through the Old Law, but must come through the New Law, therefore, if Timothy was saved in Christ, the scripture of the New Law already existed.  The scripture Timothy heard must have also included the words spoken by Paul (which were later written and collected).  Timothy had already heard and learned the scripture and doctrine of Christ by the time this letter was penned, therefore it must have already existed.

(3)   Paul argues that scripture is the only authority for establishing doctrine (teaching), for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, for perfecting the saints and for equipping for every good work.  If the writings of the Old Law were the only scripture available, then the doctrines, worship and life of Christians from the first century onward would have to be established from the Old Law.  We would still be sacrificing animals for atonement of our sins instead of being baptized into Christ for remission.  Old Law worship would be the only worship with any authority.  Christ would have no authority since His law was not yet compiled and established, yet Matthew says that Jesus has all authority in Heaven and earth.

(4)New Testament doctrine could never be established without argument because it could never be known what words were inspired and what were not.  Man could never be held accountable for his life by Jesus.  Jesus’ words would never set us free because His doctrine could not be known.  Jesus’ life would have been lived in vain and His sacrifice would be without purpose.

(5)   Paul’s admonition to Timothy was to, “…continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of…”  When Timothy was converted to Jesus it was through a process of learning and convincing, a process that would have been illicit without written and settled scripture if the argument stated in the beginning of this article is true.  Timothy would have been an apostate in his belief and Paul would have been an apostate in his teaching without it.  The apostles would not have been able to teach anyone without first sitting down and writing out the entire body of New Testament scripture.  In fact, all of Paul’s letters were written before this one, with 2 Timothy apparently being his last.  The letters of Peter and John and the biographies of Christ are all given later dates, but this does not mean they are not scripture.  Remember, all that is required for a writing to be scripture is that it be inspired of God.

The attempt to discredit some of the biographies of Christ by asserting they are copies of the one written first and are not original documents is a blow to the Holy Spirit’s work of inspiration.  It replaces inspiration with human thinking and diminishes the authority of these books.  The inspiration of the New Testament is under fire by the heretical actions and thinking of those who would lessen the power of its authority by diminishing its status as inspired scripture.

(6)   The process of inspiration is described in John 16: 12-15, "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you. (NKJV)

The authority of inspiration is self-evident.  If God personally spoke the words believed and taught by His disciples, then we are obligated to believe and obey these words without question or dispute, giving them the power of law.  Inspired words were handled by all members of the Godhead as it was passed down for revelation through human spokesmen.  Jesus extended this authority in Joh 13:20 to the apostles who spoke in his behalf, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth me; and he that receiveth me receiveth him that sent me.”

The problem with inspiration is that it is wholly obligating of mind, heart and soul, not allowing for escape from any precept of Jesus

(7)   Jesus declared in John 12: 48-50, “He who rejects Me, and does not receive My words, has that which judges him. The word that I have spoken will judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak." 

How can we know what word will judge us and escape the wrath of God if the inspiration of the New Testament cannot be proven or its integrity was not preserved?  How can we have peace and receive salvation if the inspiration and integrity of the scripture establishing God’s grace and love cannot be proven?  The fact remains that Jesus’ words will judge us in the last day.  How can God judge if He cannot hold man accountable to a law that was never preserved with full integrity?  Figure it out.

(8)   Paul argued in 1 Corinthians 2: 9-13 that the Spirit revealed the word of God, combining spiritual words with spiritual things.  The detail of the depth of Divine inspiration is down to the word used.  Jude 3 defends that inspiration by arguing that there would never need to be a second revelation nor a repair of what was once revealed.  It was “once for all delivered unto the saints.”  It was revealed once for all time.  God’s word has not been lost in the preservation nor in the translation.

(9)   The letters of the New Testament were shared by the churches.  Once letters were read they were to be sent to other churches and the letters received by other churches were to be obtained and read to the local church.  This process of copying and circulating was to preserve the letters written by preparing and presenting the preponderance of copies, creating an undefeatable mountain of evidence of the original revelation of God’s word.  This was the same process of collection that the Old Law underwent.  Jesus did not refute the integrity of the copy of old scripture available to the Jews of the first century, during His ministry.  This is in itself an attestation to the quality of this process.  God has used the same process of collection and copying for 2000 years.  Once copies are made and circulated and made and circulated again and again, there can be defendable argument against the integrity of that scripture. 

Over 24,000 extant copies of scripture exist dating back to the middle of first century itself.  (Many “scholars” would date the earliest manuscript copy to the third century.)  Some of these are fragments – being bits and pieces of their original source, some are whole copies of letters quoting scripture, or whole copies of translations, or whole copies of commentaries.  Verses of scripture are repeated over and over so that the integrity of the original verbage can be defended.  Scripture is quoted approximately 86,000 times by early church fathers.  The Bible and be and is irrefutably accurate in its preservation and accuracy.

(10)   The apostle Paul argued in Ephesians 3:1-12 that he had been given dispensation/authority by Jesus to make known the mysteries which were before veiled in the prophecies of old.  He assured us that when we read his writings that we can perceive his understanding.  We can have the same understanding as Paul about the fulfillment of Old Law prophecy, Jesus, the New Testament church and doctrine.  This understanding would have been a false assurance if New Testament scripture was not available.  In fact, the writings of Paul and the other apostles were bound upon it’s readers as law.  Dispensing a correct understanding of the place and purpose of the Old Law v. the New Law was imperative.  The Old Law could not make the worshipper of God perfect, could not make the conscience clean, and could not save through grace.  These are messages of the New Law, messages concerning which the New Testament church could not have been assured of if New Testament scripture was neither available nor confirmed in the first century A.D.  There would be no purpose in being a Christian.

(11)   Inspired New Testament law was presented on Pentecost for the salvation of those present and since it was inspired it is scripture.  Scripture continued to be revealed and confirmed during the decades to come.  Several times within the New Testament writings, this new doctrine was even called law, cf. Galatians 6: 2 – law of Christ; James 1: 25; 2:12, - the law of liberty; Romans 8:2, law of the Spirit; et. al.

In fact, Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians 3: 14, “If anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may ashamed.” This is hardly the correct attitude toward writings that were not scripture (which is the conclusion one must reach regarding this letter as it was written before 2 Timothy).  The actions of reproof and rebuke are actions belonging to doctrine according to 2 Timothy 3:16, 17.  If Paul’s writings were not doctrine by the time they were penned, then Paul was out of line and needed to be reproved himself.  Eight times in the letters of 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus Paul referred to his own writings as doctrine (cf. 1 Timothy 4: 6; 6: 1, 3; 2 Timothy 4: 3; Titus 2: 1; 2: 7, 10).  They could not be doctrine if they were not scripture.  Scripture is doctrine.  Paul’s writings were doctrine.  The fact remains that Paul’s writings were scripture and were also available to every church.  Therefore, they were included in the comments in 2 Timothy 3: 16, 17.

(12)   The apostle Peter wrote in 2 Peter 3: 15, 16, “and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.”  Peter’s letter was written after all of Paul’s, with the exception of 2 Timothy, and Peter called Paul’s writings scripture.  If Paul’s writings were considered scripture while Peter was still penning his, then it was not necessary that all scripture be completely recorded and collected before it could be Divinely authoritative so as to be “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect and thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”  If all of Paul’s letters were already written and Peter calls them scripture, then they were included in Paul’s statement in 2 Timothy 3:16, 17. 

The argument that New Testament scripture was not available when Paul wrote 2 Timothy 3:16-17, is wholly fallacious and untenable.  It cannot be taught without impugning the God of Heaven who promised to lead the apostles into all truth so that the world might be saved and has revealed His truth in the Holy Scripture of the New Testament.  What good did it do for God to reveal all truth, but not act responsibly in its collection and preservation?  This is not the action of a responsible God and is not the behavior of the God of the Bible.  Timothy had access to the fully inspired, wholly authoritative and fully revealed word of Jesus and so do we.  The only logical reasons for denying that we have a complete revelation of God’s word is either to claim liberties in life and doctrine that God has not granted or else it shows our own lack of information.  Praise God for His good law and good work and do not discount His work but rather disregard the effort of those who would undermine His love and authority and believe and obey the Book.