'All Scripture...' (Steve CR)
Steve Carson-Rowland kirra@powerup.com.au
Tue, 17 Feb 1998 08:16:06 +1100 (00887685366, 199802162210.PAA04004@maxwell.kumo.com)
STEVE CR
Why do you think that Matthew's Gospel is inspired by God and inerrant?
MATT
I believe the above for the same reason I believe all the Bible is inspired
by God and inerrant, i.e. my conviction that the God of the Bible and
Christianity is true and that the claims of passages like 2Timothy 3:16 are
true and extend to cover the completed canon.
STEVE CR
Ah ha, a starting point.
So give an explanation of 2 Tim 3:15 in conjunction with 2 Tim 3:16. After
all, I thought Biblical exegesis was supposed to explain the original
meaning of the verses. I personally think that Paul when he says all
'scripture', includes 'The Histories' by Herodotus - after all
'scripture' just means 'writings'. Do you agree?
I might start my discussions on the inerrancy of Herodotus quite soon.
MATT
2 Tim. 3:15,16 is in my opinion a foundational verse of what inspiration is
and how it works. Taken in its textual context the phrase 'all scripture'
can only be that of the OT which Timothy would be familiar with. However,
such is the workings of God that it does not only have application for the
immediate person it was written to i.e. Timothy but has a wider meaning
intended for believers from the time of writing to the present day and
indeed beyond. To Timothy the 'scriptures' were that of the OT, since the
completion of the Canon it is all that it contains. The Scripture has a
double-application, relevant for all believers, then, now and the future.
STEVE CR
Wow.
So the key to your whole understanding of how the New Testament should be
understood and applied, is contained in a verse which did not teach that to
the person to whom it was written. You, however, perceive the code and
realise that the verse has another meaning, so clear and powerful, that it
guides your whole approach to the New Testament.
I can see why you have been so reluctant to answer this question.
Steve Carson-Rowland
Brisbane, Australia
(Witty or incisive quote pending)