2 Timothy 3:16–17
Bible verses · Also called: 2 Timothy 3:16-17, 2 Tim 3:16-17, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, Inspiration of Scripture, God-breathed, Theopneustos
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16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
The text is the New Korean Revised Version (1998), shown under a licence from the Korean Bible Society. Wording may differ slightly from the Korean Revised Version and the Revised New Korean Standard Version. Read in the Korean Revised Version
A passage declaring that "all scripture is given by inspiration of God" and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness. It is the classic text on the inspiration and authority of Scripture and serves as the starting point for debates over the doctrine of Scripture, including biblical inerrancy.
Context
2 Timothy is traditionally understood as a letter that Paul wrote to Timothy near the end of his life. In chapter 3, Paul warns that perilous times will come in the last days and urges Timothy to hold fast to the Scriptures he had known from childhood (3:14–15). Verses 16–17 explain why those Scriptures are trustworthy and state their purpose: "That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Timothy 3:17). The "scriptures" that Timothy had read from childhood refer primarily to the Old Testament.
Interpretation
- The meaning of inspiration: "Given by inspiration of God" translates a single Greek word, theopneustos, which literally means "God-breathed." It is commonly understood to mean not that God later breathed into human ideas, but that Scripture proceeds from God himself.
- Verbal plenary inspiration: Many conservative Reformed and evangelical Christians hold that Scripture is inspired down to its individual words, a view that leads to the doctrine of biblical inerrancy, which holds that the original autographs are without error. The 1978 Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, produced by American evangelical scholars, represents this position.
- Infallibility in faith and practice: Another view emphasizes that Scripture is without error in matters of salvation, faith, and life, without treating the details of its scientific and historical statements in the same way.
- Scripture as witness: Some theologians, including Karl Barth, regard Scripture as a witness to God's revelation and hold that this witness becomes the Word of God when the Holy Spirit works through it.
- Catholic reading: The Catholic Church affirms the inspiration of Scripture while holding that Scripture, Sacred Tradition, and the Magisterium together transmit the Word of God.
Debates and Controversies
A translation question arises because the grammar permits the verse to be read either as "All scripture is inspired and is profitable" or as "Every inspired scripture is profitable." In Korean Presbyterianism during the 1950s, a conflict arose between Kim Chai-choon, who accepted biblical criticism, and the camp of Park Hyung-ryong, which upheld verbal inspiration. This dispute over the doctrine of Scripture was a major factor behind the Presbyterian schism and the founding of the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea.
Related Passages
- 2 Peter 1:20–21
- Psalm 19:7–11
- John 10:35
- Hebrews 4:12
See also 6
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