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1 Corinthians 7:12 New International Version
To the rest I say this (I, not the Lord): If any brother has a wife who is not a believer and she is willing to live with him, he must not divorce her.
2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
Is 1 Corinthians 7:12 God-breathed? If yes, then what is the meaning of God-breathed? If not, is it contradicted by 2 Tim. 3:16?
There is no reason to believe there is any contradiction within the scriptures.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers makes this point:
Speak I, not the Lord.—The Apostle has no word of Christ’s to quote on this point, it being one which did not arise during our Lord’s life. (See Note on 1Corinthians 7:10.)
It is to be noticed that the Apostle, in giving his own apostolic instruction on this point, does not use the word “command,” which he applied to our Lord’s teaching, but the less authoritative “speak.”
The study note for this verse in the New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition) also attests to this:
It seems that Paul was humbly reminding his readers that on certain questions, he was unable to quote directly from a teaching of Jesus Christ. However, Paul was able to offer his opinion as one of Christ’s apostles who was filled with holy spirit. As Jesus had promised, that spirit would guide his followers “into all the truth.” (Joh 16:13) Paul’s counsel was thus inspired of God and, like the rest of the Scriptures, provided authoritative and helpful direction for all Christians.—2Ti 3:16.
Yes, it is God-breathed. Even Deuteronomy 24:1 is God-breathed:
If a man marries a woman, but she becomes displeasing to him because he finds some indecency in her, he may write her a certificate of divorce, hand it to her, and send her away from his house.
It wasn't what God desired according to Matthew 19:8:
Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning.
Still, Moses was inspired by God to write Deuteronomy 24:1. Similarly, Paul was inspired by God to write 1 Corinthians 7:12. Moses let men divorce their wives. Paul wanted you to keep your unbelieving wife and not to divorce her. These instances show the grace and patience of God toward man.
