Inquiry:
Is all Scripture inspired by God? 2 Timothy 3:16 says yes, but 1 Corinthians 7:12, 25 indicate otherwise. Is there a contradiction?
Response:
The English phrase in 2 Timothy 3:16 “inspiration of God” is from the Greek word theopneutos. It is a compound word, from theos, meaning God, and pneuma, meaning spirit or breath. So, the thought is that Scripture has come from the breath of God, or is God-breathed.
Various writing styles are found in the Scriptures. There are historical records (Genesis, Acts); Law (Exodus, Deuteronomy); poetry (Proverbs; Psalms); prophecy (Joel, Isaiah); gospels (Mark, John), and letters (Jude, Ephesians).
What about 1 Corinthians 7:12, 25 makes the questioner think Paul’s words there are not Scripture? Is it because his words there are not a command of the Lord, but his judgment on topics dealing with marriage? Does that negate it from being Scripture? On what basis? Scripture is not of necessity a law or command. Earlier in the epistle, he told the Corinthians that he spoke so that their faith would be in God, not man (2:4-5). Presumably this was also his manner of writing.
Just a few verses earlier (1 Corinthians 7:10), the apostle wrote, “..to the married I command, yet not I but the Lord..” The words in 1 Corinthians 7:12 are as much by inspiration as these. The difference is that verse 10 cites a command that had been given by the Lord, whereas in verse 12, it is not a command but advice from a Spirit-led apostle.
There is no contradiction.
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