Do the red letters “count” more than the rest?

I remember once sitting in a worship gathering and listening as the pastor explained that, when push came to shove, he’d choose Jesus’ words over the others. I was a relatively new believer at the time, maybe a couple of years since Jesus saved me, so it sort of made sense to me. After all, why wouldn’t you put Jesus ahead of Paul and Luke, James and John?

But, the longer I thought about it, the less sense it made. It seemed like a distinction made out of convenience, a way to explain away inconvenient passages as merely cultural, or even error. It didn’t flow with a natural reading of the Bible. After all, as Paul wrote to Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

All Scripture, not just some. All Scripture is profitable for us, not just the words printed in red text. All are written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, using the unique personalities, writing styles and vocabularies of the individuals who wrote them. All of the Old Testament is inspired by God and profitable for us. All of the New Testament is inspired by God and profitable for us. There is not a single passage that doesn’t in some way grow us in godliness, giving us “wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Timothy 3:15). Their source is the same; their purpose is the same. The ink color doesn’t really matter.

All Scripture is profitable.