Is the Bible Actually From God?
“All Scripture is
inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction,
for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped
for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16–17).
God’s Word is inspired.
Second Timothy 3:16
speaks of the inspiration of Scripture. “Inspired” is the translation of a
Greek word that literally means “God-breathed.” Every word of Scripture is
from the mouth of God!
Theologians speak of
inspiration as the mysterious process by which God worked through the
authors of Scripture to produce inerrant and divinely authoritative
writings. Inspiration is a mystery because Scripture doesn’t explain
specifically how it occurred. The only glimpse we have is from 2 Peter:
“Know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s
own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will,
but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (1:20–21).
“Interpretation” speaks
of origin. Scripture didn’t originate on the human level but with the Holy
Spirit, who “moved” upon the authors to write it (v. 21). “Moved” is the
translation of a nautical term that describes the effects of wind upon a
ship as it blows against its sails and moves it through the water.
Similarly, the Spirit moved on the Biblical writers to produce the Word of
God in the language of men.
The human authors of
Scripture knew they were writing God’s Word, and they did so with confidence
and authority. Often they cited or alluded to one another as authoritative
agents of divine revelation (e.g., 2 Peter 3:15–16).
On a personal level, inspiration guarantees that what Scripture says, God says. It’s His counsel to you; so you can study and obey it with full assurance that it is true and will never lead you astray.