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ONLINE CHURCH BULLETIN
Is the New Testament, Scripture - Part 2 LESSONS FROM TIMOTHY’S EARLY YEARS Though it is true that Timothy’s mother and grandmother taught him from the Old Law, it is also true that he heard the Gospel message and became obedient to the doctrine by the preaching of missionaries of Christ and local elders long before he met Paul or even received this letter from him. Timothy was a young Christian man when Paul met him. The time frame alluded to in Timothy’s life in verses 10-17 is NOT confined to the boyhood training received by his mother and grandmother, but rather also includes his early Christian training. The timeline begins with his mother and ends with Paul. To say, “from a child you have known the Holy Scriptures” is to make an all encompassing claim about the full body of knowledge that was imparted to this young evangelist. Notice what else we learn from the record of Timothy’s early years. We are introduced to Timothy in Acts 16:1-5 when, “…Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted this man to go with him; and he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in those parts, for they all knew that his father was a Greek. Now while they were passing through the cities, they were delivering the decrees which had been decided upon by the apostles and elders who were in Jerusalem, for them to observe. So the churches were being strengthened in the faith, and were increasing in number daily.” How old was Timothy when his mother was converted? How long was his mother a Christian before Timothy was baptized? We do not have the answer to these questions, but we do learn that New Testament decrees were already in place. Paul and his missionary companions were delivering...what was it? Oh! Decrees! Decrees are “…rules or doctrine, such as an ordinance of public decrees of the Roman Senate or of rulers; the rules and requirements of the law of Moses; carrying a suggestion of severity and of threatened judgment; of certain decrees of the apostles relative to right living.” That sounds like the distribution of written rules of conduct for citizens of the Kingdom, rules to be observed! The Gospel was delivered as rules and doctrine to the churches already established! Imagine that! The Gospel Paul preached and that was endorsed by the elders consisted of rules and doctrine! Remember, we are told by some today that the Gospel is not a set of rules. But, oh, yes it was…and is. IMPORTANCE OF WRITTEN SCRIPTURE The reason that scripture was to be so closely studied was because it is the mind of God spoken through inspiration. A fact that these proponents seem to overlook is that written scripture is not the only conveyer of inspired words. The reason scripture is to be used to establish doctrine is because it is inspired and, being written, would be a record of what was said. Inspired words that were spoken orally were just as authoritative, but were indisputable only as long as the speaker, i.e. apostle or prophet, was still present and could supply explanation and proof of their authority and content. Oral messages were equally inspired to those written. Divinely inspired sermons could just as authoritatively establish doctrine. This happened on Pentecost. But, spoken messages were written as soon as possible to document the message and enable more people to hear the message without requiring the presence of the speaker. The written word was the goal all along enabling more people to learn and obey. If it is to be understood that doctrine does not exist unless it is written, then we can know nothing of Jesus. It is well understood that Jesus wrote nothing. He spoke His entire message and left it to be recorded by inspired men in the latter half of the first century A.D. We are left with the conclusion that no one who lived in the first 20-30 years of the early church could have known Jesus. We, today, would be more ignorant of the true Jesus because the message would have modified many times by over zealous religious people. If Jesus’ spoken message was authoritative, then so was the retelling of it by the apostles and so was the spoken doctrine of the apostles. All words spoken or written from persons inspired of God were of equal value and authority. The short point on this is that doctrine could be established from the spoken word just as easily as from the written word and was equally profitable for reproof, rebuke and instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good work.” Those who labor to make the point that the Old Scripture is the only scripture Paul had in mind when he wrote 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 labor in vain. It is interesting that the passage (2 Timothy) these proponents use to define scripture as being only the Old Scripture is accepted without accepting the letter itself as being scripture. If this passage is not scripture, its definition of scripture should not be accepted. Non-inspired writings should not be accepted to teach any spiritual doctrine. There is no basis in scripture to conclude that the Old Testament writings were the only scripture available to Timothy or to the Ephesian church. On what scriptural basis can the argument be made that the Old Law was the only scripture available? Where is the book, chapter and verse? Remember, you would have to find the answer in writings that are established and recognized as inspired. If a writing is inspired of God, it is scripture. Paul’s writings were inspired of God, therefore they are scripture (and were understood to be scripture by Paul, Timothy and Peter). Either the writings of the New Testament are wholly inspired or not at all. There is no in between. There is no such thing as partial inspiration. The entire New Testament either stands together or it falls together. Paul argues that scripture is the only authority for (1) establishing doctrine (teaching), (2) reproof, (3) correction, (4) training in righteousness, (5) perfecting the saints and (6) equipping for every good work. If the writings of the Old Law were the only scripture available, then the only source for doctrines would be the Old Law. That would radically change the worship and life of Christians from the first century onward. 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 to save and His church would have no authority to exist if the New Testament was not already fully revealed by the time of the writing of 2 Timothy, yet Matthew says that Jesus has all authority in Heaven and earth. If Christ has all authority in Heaven and earth then that authority must be available for review by both believers and critics. The only means by which it could be available for review is in written form, otherwise His full authority would be unenforceable because His law could not be known, reviewed or understood. It can only be known by being available to all for review so that its authenticity, integrity, content and doctrine could be examined by all. Only then could Jesus claim the ability to judge all by His word (John 12:48). CONSEQUENCES OF THIS DOCTRINE No one could be held accountable. The argument seemingly focuses on what is thought to be the only accepted compiled collection of inspired writings and defines them as scripture. Paul does not go there. If he did, then New Testament doctrine could never be established without argument because it could never be known what words were inspired and what were not since an accepted and settled collection of New Testament inspired writings did not exist for about 300 more years, according to history. Another consequence is that Jesus could never hold man accountable for his life. We could never set us free because Jesus’ doctrine could not be known. His life would have been lived in vain and His sacrifice would be without purpose. Maybe, just maybe, this is the consequence intended by these advocates. They don’t want modern society being held accountable by an ancient religion. 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. It discredits the work of the Holy Spirit. 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 handiwork 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. 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. What is inspired of God is “God breathed,” meaning He personally spoke the words. If this is true, that 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. This gives 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 John 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.” 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. It’s integrity has not been compromised. There is no law. The New Testament places an unmistakable importance on the epistles written by the apostles (cf. Ac 15:30; Ac 23:33; Ro 16:22; 1Co 5:9; 2Co 3:2; 2Co 3:3; 2Co 7:8; Col 4:16; 1Th 5:27; 2Th 2:15; 2Th 3:14; 2Th 3:17; 2Pe 3:1). There were delivered; conveyed orders regarding morality; to be written on the heart; evoked repentance; shared with other churches; ordered to be read; delivered Holy traditions; ordered Christians to withhold company from those who did not obey the word delivered by them; written to stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance.” Paul acted and wrote like his words were scripture, and so should we. 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. The message presented on the day of Pentecost is described as doctrine and, if doctrine, then law. The word “law” is used 171 times in the New Testament and refers 164 times to the Old Testament and 7 times to the New Testament. These passages are: Ro 3:27 – “Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith.” Ro 7:22 – “For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man….” Ro 7:25 – “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin.” Ro 8:2 – “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (Ro 8:3 - For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God {did:} sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and {as an offering} for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh….”) Ga 6:2 - Bear one another's burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ. (This is not a law spirit regarding the spirit of behavior, but the law of the member of the Godhead known as the “Spirit,” and the law of the member of the Godhead known as “Christ.”) Php 3:9 – “and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from {the} Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which {comes} from God on the basis of faith….” NOTE: In order for one code to stand in contrast to another, they must be of the same type, in this case that of law. That which is contrasted to the Law of Moses is the law of faith. Jas 1:25 -But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the {law} of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. (Jas 2:12 -So speak and so act as those who are to be judged by {the} law of liberty.) (NOTE: The behavior that is expected of Christians toward this letter is that they listen, obey, hear, not forget, speak and act.) Heb 7:28 - For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, {appoints} a Son, made perfect forever. NOTE: The word of the oath is set in contrast to the Law of Moses, and by virtue of the fact that it replaced the Old Law, then this yet another expression for the Law of the Gospel. The word of the oath is simply the fulfillment of the promise to Abraham. CONCLUSION 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. It cannot be taught without returning to the Old Law for worship, salvation and obedience. It cannot be taught without denying salvation to the world 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 ignorance. Praise God for His good law and good work and be careful to not discount His work. We should disregard the effort of those who would undermine His love and authority and instead believe and obey the New Testament. The premise of 2 Timothy 3: 16 is that scripture establishes doctrine and is profitable for reproof, correction, instruction, perfectly equipping the child of God. The writings of the New Testament are doctrine. The New Testament perfectly fills the bill in all facets of this verse, therefore, it is scripture. In His Service |
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