Is 2 Timothy 3:16-17 speaking of the Old Testament when it says "all scripture"? The entire Bible as we know it wasn't even completed at that point, right? So is it logical for us to say from this passage that scripture states that all the Bible comes from God? -- Dave Lehman
You are right that the passage in question discusses the Old Testament, to which Paul had been referring in verses 14 and 15. You are also right that only part of the New Testament had been written by the time of 2 Timothy (c.68 AD). To apply this passage to the New Testament requires an extension of the principle, and this may not be obvious to everyone.
There are actually many lines of reasoning we can follow to understand why the whole Bible comes from God. As for 2 Timothy 3, when I teach from this passage I usually comment that in context it refers to the O.T.; yet I also mention that 1 Timothy 5:18 apparently quotes from the gospel of Luke -- or a logion in circulation which later became part of Luke's gospel -- as scripture. I remind people that Jesus himself promised in John 14:26 and 16:13 that there was more scripture to come--after his departure--and it would come through the apostolic ministry. As you know, the entire New Testament was written by the apostles and their immediate disciples.
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