.webp)
(from our series “Is the Bible Unique, or just Another Religious Book?”
The Bible claims to be the Word of God literally hundreds of times. It says, “Thus saith the Lord,” and “The word of the Lord came to me....” This is summarized very beautifully by two New Testament Scriptures:
2 Timothy 3:16: “All Scripture is inspired by God.”
Now, to be inspired means “to breathe into,” not to breathe out. It’s the Greek word theopneustos. All Scripture is breathed out of the very mouth of God.
Matthew 4:4: “A man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”
David on his deathbed in 2 Samuel 23 said, “His word was on my tongue.”
So, the Bible claims to be the Word of God.
If the New Testament is Scripture and the Bible is said to be inspired Scripture, then the New Testament is also inspired Scripture, not just the Old Testament. So what is true of the Old Testament is also claimed in the New Testament.
For example, Peter said in 2 Peter 3:16 that Paul’s writings were inspired.
“[Paul] writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.”
1 Timothy 5:18 quotes the Gospels as being inspired Scripture right alongside the Old Testament.
“For Scripture says, ‘Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain,’ [Deuteronomy 25:4] and ‘The worker deserves his wages.’” [Luke 10:7]
So, it’s not just referring to the Old Testament when it says “inspired.” It’s referring to the New Testament as well.
Leave a comment