2 Timothy 3:14-17
So, I'd like to talk a little about a passage from 2 Timothy that I feel gets taken out of context like...a lot.
2 Timothy 3:16-17 is the main passage in question, but I want to speak to it including the two preceding verses (full passage here). Go ahead and read it.
In this passage, the author (traditionally ascribed to Paul, so I'll refer to the author as such throughout), speaks about “sacred writings.” Paul says that the reader, traditionally Timothy, is to remember what was learned in the past from these sacred writings as they help point to his faith in Jesus. It then goes onto verses 16 and 17, where a lot of Christians take it entirely out of context. Here, Paul says that all scripture is inspired by God or “God breathed” in more flowery translations. He then says that it is helpful for teaching, preaching, reproof, and correction. By reading said scripture, Paul says that a person can be better equipped to do good works for the Lord and others. Let's stop here.
Ask yourself this quick question – what would a 1st Century ethnically Jewish, religiously Christian writer have considered scripture? Would it have been the entirety of the modern Christian Bible? Nope. Apart from a number of the letters, most of it wasn't transcribed at this point. Therefore, Paul was pointing to the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh or in a Christian sense, the Old Testament). He was saying that the Hebrew Bible was critical for teaching, for preaching, for reproof, for correction. He was saying that these old stories were important for understanding and equipping yourself to do good works for the Lord. He, in the passages prior, was also saying that these things pointed to and helped bolster his faith in Jesus.
Let's go back again to the passage. He says that these ancient, traditional, sacred writings are important for helping you learn about the faith and that they point to Jesus. However, what does Paul not say here? He says nothing about his own letters, about the Gospels that would be compiled later, or really about anything in the New Testament. He also does not say that every article of scripture is to be taken literally.
This passage is often used, especially in Evangelical circles, to claim that the entire Bible is to be taken literally and that the entire New Testament is being referenced here. When taken in context, it becomes very clear that neither of those things are mentioned in this passage.
Context matters.