All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness … - 2 Timothy 3:16

Today’s Scripture Reading (February 17, 2012): 2 Timothy 3

There are a lot of misconceptions about how the Bible came to be. One that I have heard postulated is that the Bible is essentially a product of one of the early councils. According to this theory, the early church fathers sat down and chose the writings that supported their own religious theories. The Bible, and much of the Christian faith, is seen as the creation of those men.

And it isn’t that such a scenario wasn’t tried. Different men and groups have tried to shape Christianity by influencing the writings it accepts as holy. Even today, the argument rages on as different books are considered for inclusion in the Bible – or are questioned as to why these books haven’t already been included.

But the truth is a little different. For the first three and a half centuries that Bible was in flux, it was argued over, the authors of the writings were examined and the purposes of the writings were explored. There was very little agreement. Soon some of the writings began to be excluded because they weren’t really written by the people that they purported to be. Some of the excluded writings were good, but they just weren’t God. Partial groupings of the Biblical books were circulated. Even the Hebrew Bible, which had just settled the question of inclusion and exclusion in the group of its accepted writings, was once again opened up for discussion. And the question that was continually asked was this – which ones would be included?

Often when we read Paul’s instruction to Timothy, it is with a modern understanding of the group of writings that came to be known as the Bible. But the truth is that Paul didn’t know the Bible as we know it today. Nor did he, or any of the other New Testament writers, know that he was writing the scripture.

But the faith stand of the church has always been that God did. And it was God that had inspired the writing of the words, and God that guided the discussion and the argument over inclusion and exclusion. And that God protected the writings that he had chosen.

All Scripture is God breathed. These are words that were written before the Scripture was even chosen. But God knew what writings he was protecting. And in the end that is really all that matters.

Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading: 2 Timothy 4