What is Biblical Inspiration?

Biblical Inspiration is the belief that the words of the Bible were written by man but inspired by God. This belief is grounded in what the Bible says about itself. The most common set of verses people look to in order to prove biblical inspiration is 2 Timothy 3:16 , "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." (NIV) The apostle Paul was writing to his apprentice in the faith, Timothy, when he shared this verse about the Inspiration of Scripture pointing out it's extreme importance. When Paul wrote "God-Breathed" he didn't mean that God dictated the words to the people who actually wrote the Bible. In some places He did, but most of the time people were motivated by God to write psalms, record history, teach lessons, and give instructions. Because of this fact, the Bible is filled with the unique style of it's individual writers while maintaining it's common theme throughout.

The first five books of the Old Testament are called the Law and were written by Moses. John 1:17a says, "the law was given through Moses". (NIV) This gives us a picture of how God used Moses as an instrument in getting His words to mankind. God could have dropped a book out of the sky for us to read and learn about Him but he chose to use people to convey His message to the rest of the world. In nearly everything God does on the earth, he does it through mankind. It is how He likes to do things. He used around 40 authors to record the Bible we have today, but He has used thousands, possibly even millions to preserve, translate, make copies, and uphold the integrity of His written Word. Without the catholic monks who copied Bibles by hand, the scholars who translated it into common language, and the countless thousands who fought to ensure it's message was not changed or compromised we would not have the Bible that we have today. God didn't just inspire the authors of the Bible, He inspired those who preserved it, translated it, shared it, and upheld it's integrity throughout history.

There are many other places in the Bible that confirm the doctrine of Biblical Inspiration. In the Old Testament there are several places where God spoke directly to people and instructed them to write down what He told them. Now these are example of God dictating His Word through Scripture but this is not the norm. An example of God directly speaking and it being recorded would be the Ten Commandments. (Exodus 20) Also the Old Testament prophets would many times use the phrase, "Thus says the Lord", to indicate that what they were sayings were the words of God and not their own ideas. Second Peter 1:20-21 says, "Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (NIV) The Bible is not a collection of man's ideas about God. It is a collection of God's ideas recorded through man.

Outside sources also point to Biblical inspiration. Archeology has proven time and time again that the historical record of the Bible is accurate. Many people throughout history have sought to discredit its validity by claiming the people, cities, nations, and landmarks that are described in the Bible did not exist, only to find out by later by archeological finds that they really did. The Bible has proven to be the most historically accurate ancient document in existence today.

The Bible has endured through intense persecutions. Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (NIV) This Biblical prophecy is still being fulfilled today. Two thousand years have gone by since Jesus walked the earth. His words are still alive and well today and they show no sign of disappearing into oblivion any time soon.

The greatest outside source that points to Biblical inspiration is it's transformative power. Countless millions throughout history and around the globe today testify that the message of Scripture has transformed their life. In the pages of the Bible they have experienced God, found hope, broken addictions, and went on to do great things. They are God's witnesses that the Bible was inspired by Him. In the court of law a good witness can turn an entire case around. For those who doubt Biblical inspiration they need only to hear the testimonies of those who have been changed by it's power.

There are many things in Scripture and outside of Scripture that point to Biblical inspiration. It's transformative power, it's endurance in the face of intense persecution, Biblical archeological finding, and fulfilled prophecies are just a few things that prove that the Bible is inspired by God himself just as His Word says. In this site I will seek to Glorify God by sharing Biblical fact in order to build faith in Biblical inspiration. I will also seek to follow 2 Timothy 3:16 by using the inspired Word of God for what it was meant for, by teaching, correcting, rebuking, and training in righteousness. (All done in a spirit of love of course) I hope you enjoy this site and come back often to learn more about Biblical Inspiration.

Table of Contents