“We should remember at this point in time Paul and other apostles had some epistles in circulation, but the scriptures in which Paul tells Timothy “Holy Scriptures” would be what is now the OT.”
This is not totally accurate, as the Apostles believed that they were scripture producers, with all the rights and powers that every Prophet of God has ever had. Observe:
2Pe_3:16 As also in all his [Paul’s] epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Peter here calls the epistles of Paul to all be scripture.
1Ti_5:18 For the scripture saith, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn. And, The labourer is worthy of his reward.
In this case, Paul quotes the Gospel of Luke right alongside the Talmud. Compare:
Luk 10:7 And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the labourer is worthy of his hire. Go not from house to house.
To say that Paul was only speaking of the Old Testament is to ignore the point that Paul believed himself to be WRITING scripture TO Timothy.
“Arminians and Calvinists”
Neither the Arminian nor the Catholic position (which are both synergistic) can actually survive an examination of the scripture. In order for their claims to work, the saving grace of God must be universal, and it must be uniform in its application. Everyone must receive the same grace, and the same type of grace, in order to make God “fair” according to their positions. But, that is not what we see in scripture. For example:
“But there are some of you who do not believe.” (For Jesus knew from the beginning who those were who did not believe, and who it was who would betray him.) And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
(Joh 6:64-65)
All these men were standing before Christ, and hearing the same message. Yet, to those who do not believe, Christ specifically tells them that the reason they do not believe is because “it was not granted” by the Father. We are not told here that God foreknew, perhaps, their wickedness, or that God foreknew their faithlessness and therefore “did not give it” based on this knowledge. We are only told that God foreknew His own work, in giving it to some to believe, but not all.
Oops, I said “talmud” in the last post. I meant “Torah,” or, to keep it simple, Paul was quoting Deuteronomy next to Luke as scripture.