Absolute Essentials Of Christianity - Part 2 Series

The writers of the New Testament lived in poverty. They suffered tremendous persecution by the two most powerful cultures of the day. They willingly endured political disgrace, beatings, stonings, imprisonment, and execution about the claims of Jesus and what He did while boldly insisting to their last dying breath that they had physically seen Jesus bodily raised from the dead.

The vast majority of New Testament books were written by numerous eyewitnesses, and there is no record of anyone alive at the time questioning their accuracy. There were indeed many deeds and sayings of Jesus not recorded in Scripture. However, the letters and writings chosen to be included in the New Testament were required to meet three primary criteria points.

First, the author had to be an eyewitness to the events they wrote of or directly taught about them by the Apostles.

Second, the writings had to be consistent with church practice and tradition.

Third, each writing had to already be in use by the church for teaching and accepted as the divine Word of God.

"But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:14-17 NIV)

In the Apostle Paul's letter to Timothy, he reminds him that he was taught from the "Holy Scriptures" (the Old Testament). In the next verse, he says that ALL "Scripture is God-breathed," indicating he was differentiating between the Old Testament and the writings which now make up the New Testament which are also inspired.

Paul is ultimately making a logical statement pointing out that all Scripture in the Bible as it is known originates from God and can teach and equip Christians for good works. Ultimately this must be accepted by faith that the Old and New Testaments are inspired by God.

Paul also quoted Luke 10:7 as Scripture to Timothy, placing Luke's Gospel on the same level as Moses' writings (1 Timothy 5:18). In prior writings, Paul stated that he wrote "by the word of the Lord" (1 Thessalonians 4:15; also 1 Timothy 5:18; Galatians 1:12). Paul emphatically believed that he was preaching the very Word of God.

"And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe." (1 Thessalonians 2:13 NIV)

The Apostle Peter affirmed that Paul's writings were Scripture given by God:

"Bear in mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, just as our dear brother Paul also wrote you with the wisdom that God gave him. He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction." (2 Peter 3:15-16 NIV - See also 3:1-2)