“Inspiration” is what makes the Bible different than all other books that are known to mankind. By “inspired” I do not mean merely that the writers were highly motivated or stimulated, but that they were miraculously guided by God. The word “inspired” is from the compound Greek word theopneustos, which means God-breathed. The Bible says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The expression “inspired of God” emphasizes the divine origin of the scriptures. This inspiration is so perfect that Jesus built an entire argument upon the verb tense of “I AM” in Matthew 22:32. When one reads the Bible he reads the very words of God. Humans wrote the Bible, but they functioned as mere penmen. The Bible was actually authored by God. It is the product of divine wisdom and knowledge.
The apostle Peter said, “For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Peter 1:16). He went on to explain this process whereby God’s will was expressed to mankind in human language. He said, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:20-21).
This passage teaches that God used human instrumentality to convey His thoughts, wishes, and will to mankind. Those who spoke for God did not merely presume to speak and write on His behalf: Rather, they spoke and wrote at His command. The mark of a true prophet was whether or not he had the words of God in his mouth. Those who spoke presumptuously were to be put to death (Deut. 18:18-20). True prophets and apostles spoke and wrote as they were carried along and directed by the Spirit of God. The end result was God’s words in human language. Inspired men did not have to worry about what they would say when faced with opposition, because “the Spirit of the Father” would give them the information that they needed. The Spirit would speak through the Apostles (Matthew 10:19-20). Regardless of how He chose to do it, whether by dreams, revelations, visions (Acts 2:17; 2 Cor. 12:1; Gal. 1:12) or other methods, the words were from God.
Both Testaments of the Bible speak to this process. Zechariah 7:12 says, “Yea, they made their hearts as an adamant stone, lest they should hear the law, and the words which the LORD of hosts hath sent in his Spirit by the former prophets: therefore came a great wrath from the LORD of hosts” (see also Nehemiah 9:30). Here we see the entire process of revelation. Information was received from God by the Holy Spirit, who used the mouths and pens of the prophets. The end result was that the written law and the spoken word were from God.
The New Testament teaches the same thing. In 1 Corinthians 2:9-16, Paul shows that man could not know the mind and will of God apart from divine revelation. Man could not see, hear, or even imagine the things of God apart from God’s revelation (v. 9). The next few verses tell us that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit used human instrumentality to reveal His will to mankind. The end result is that “we have the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16). That is, we have “the things of God” (the record of His thoughts, actions, plans and purposes for man). They have been expressed in human terminology in the words of the Bible.
Tim Haile