Articles
Inspiration of the Bible
2 Timothy 3:16-17 teaches, “All Scripture is given inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (NKJV). The word “inspiration” refers to God guiding and leading the writers of Scripture to write the things they did. “Inspiration” would look at it from the vantage point of the writer who has God’s word breathed into him. From the vantage point of God’s work in the process, God is breathing out His word into the writer of the Scripture. Scripture is therefore the product of the breathing out of God or contains the words of God. Other places in the Bible give us more insight into what is involved in Scripture being given by inspiration of God.
God calls Jeremiah to be His prophet to the people. In the process we read, “Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: ‘Behold, I have put My words in your mouth’” (Jeremiah 1:9, NKJV). God was giving the prophet Jeremiah the words which He would have him present to the nation and be recorded in the book of Jeremiah.
1 Corinthians 2 tells how Scripture is not the product of human wisdom but rather contains the wisdom revealed by God through the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 2:9-13 says, “But as it is written: ‘Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.’ But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual” (NKJV). Man is incapable of knowing what is on the mind of God without God revealing it to us. God has revealed His mind to us through His Spirit. Scripture contains not “words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches,” meaning the Holy Spirit gave the writers of Scripture the very words which God would have them write. Later, in 1 Corinthians 14:37 Paul would write, “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord” (NKJV). When Paul wrote a letter like 1 Corinthians, Paul was not giving his own personal opinions on the topics but was giving what the Lord commands regarding those topics (see also 1 Thessalonians 2:13).
Ephesians 3:3-5 gives us some insight into how this process of inspiration and revelation works. It says, “how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets” (NKJV). God took things which previously were unknown (a mystery) and revealed them by His Spirit to inspired men (apostles and prophets). These inspired men wrote this revelation down so you and I can read it and understand the things God would have us to understand (Ephesians 5:17). Inspiration works in such a way that the person being inspired has no greater knowledge about the things they were saying than you or I can have by reading the things they wrote down (1 Peter 1:10-12; Daniel 8:15; 12:8-9).
Hebrews 1:1-2 speaks about God’s revelation throughout time, saying, “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (NKJV). God revealed things to different people throughout time and He revealed things in different ways (dreams, visions, etc.). While men like David would write down certain passages of Scripture (Psalm 95:7-8; Hebrews 4:7), it was really God through the Holy Spirit speaking in David or these other men (Hebrews 3:7; 4:7). In these last days, God has spoken through His Son. Such would include when Jesus was on the earth and directly spoke to individuals. It would also include the revelation sent to the apostles by Jesus through the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 16:13-15). Jesus has all authority today (Matthew 28:18) and so we need to listen to His word revealed by the Holy Spirit to the apostles and prophets and wrote down for us in the New Testament scriptures.
2 Peter 1:16-21 points out Scripture is not a collection of “cunningly devised fables” (NKJV). Scripture provides the testimony of eyewitnesses (2 Peter 1:16-18) being guided by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21). 2 Peter 1:20-21 perhaps provides one of the clearest descriptions of inspiration when it says, “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (NKJV). Scripture is not the private interpretation of some man but rather is the word given to holy men being moved by the Holy Spirit.
Since Scripture contains the word of God which will judge us on the last day (John 12:48), we need to take it seriously and follow it closely.
