The Inspiration of Scripture get_app
The Baptist Faith and Message states, “The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man.” What does that mean? How can the Bible be the Word of God if it was written by men? What is inspiration?
First, we need to understand that the inspiration of Scripture is not simply an acknowledgement of the human authors’ insightfulness or skill in writing. Some would say the works of Shakespeare are inspired in that sense. Biblical inspiration is different. It is the idea that God himself is behind every word that the human authors wrote in the Bible. The Bible uses the word “God-breathed” to refer to this type of inspiration.
Read
- How does verse 16 describe the inspiration of Scripture?
(All Scripture is breathed out by God) - Who is the author of Scripture according to these verses?
(God)
Read
- How does this passage describe the inspiration of Scripture?
(men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit) - Who is the author of Scripture according to these verses?
(both God and men!)
There are three basic views regarding the inspiration of Scripture, but these verses help us find the biblical view. Some believe that the human authors of the Bible were completely passive instruments dictating without any agency. Others believe that the Holy Spirit simply inspired the basic ideas of the Bible, but the words themselves are not inspired. These passages help us to understand that both of these are flawed views. Instead, Scripture itself teaches us that its human authors used their own writing styles and personalities, but at the same time the Holy Spirit was working through them to inspire each and every word. Nothing is missing. Nothing is included that should not be. The Bible is the very Word of God written by men who were “carried along by the Holy Spirit” – that is, inspired.
Close in a time of prayer, thanking God for the Bible, which is the very Word of God, every word fully inspired by the Holy Spirit.