In What Sense Is the Bible the Inspired Word of God?

Today, when we use the word inspire or inspiration, it has the idea of something challenging to the human heart. We speak of a person giving an “inspiring performance,” or someone looking for “inspiration” to begin a new project.

Yet when we talk of the Bible being inspired, we are speaking of an entirely different matter. Though millions of books have been written through the ages, and many of them have inspired the human heart, there was only one Book that has been written by divine inspiration, or with divine authority; the Bible. In this sense of the term, “inspiration” means divinely given, or divinely guided.

The Bible Is a God-Breathed Work

To begin with, it is important that we understand why we use the English word inspiration to describe the nature of the Bible. We use the word inspiration in the sense of “divinely given” because of a verse found in Second Timothy. The King James Version translates this verse as follows:

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16 KJV)

“Inspiration” is a translation of the Greek word theopneustos. Theopneustos literally means “God-breathed.” This translation found in the King James Version was derived from the Latin Vulgate Bible where the word inspiro is used in 2 Timothy 3:16 to translate the word theopneustos. The emphasis, however, is that Scripture has been breathed-out by God.

The Bible has been produced by God and hence it should be respected and valued for exactly what it is—God’s Word to humanity. As the prophetic messages of God’s designated spokesmen were spoken revelation, the Bible is God’s written revelation. It is God revealing Himself to us.

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