A recent Gallup poll found this:
“A record-low 20% of Americans now say the Bible is the literal word of God, down from 24% the last time the question was asked in 2017, and half of what it was at its high points in 1980 and 1984. Meanwhile, a new high of 29% say the Bible is a collection of "fables, legends, history and moral precepts recorded by man." This marks the first time significantly more Americans have viewed the Bible as not divinely inspired than as the literal word of God.”
Truth, however, isn’t determined by opinion polls. If 95% of people believed that Mickey Mouse was a real being who lived in Minnesota, it wouldn’t make it so.
The truthfulness of the Bible is, in part, connected to its own claim for itself. Does the Bible claim to be inspired by God? And if so, how do we assess those claims?
The word "inspiration" itself can evoke various images — a spark of creativity, a breath of fresh air. But in the context of 2 Timothy 3:16, it carries a weightier significance.
The Greek term "theopneustos" used by Paul translates to "God-breathed," emphasizing the divine origin of Scripture. It's as if God exhaled His very essence onto the pages of the Bible.
From this starting point, there have been various theories of inspiration. I’ll mention five (I am indebted here to Robert Plummer’s excellent work 40 Questions About Interpreting the Bible).
1. Intuition theory. According to this view, the writers of the Bible have a “natural religion intuition.
This really is not much of a theory of “inspiration” because the more conservative of this view simply believe that the writers of Scripture had great artistic ability and religious insight.
But Moses, Luke, John, Paul, etc., are qualitatively no different than Plato, Mohammed, Buddha, or any other religious author.
Sum: Moses had a special religious insight.
2. Illumination Theory. This view does hold that the Spirit of God did work on the minds of the authors but not in any way different than how he communicates with the rest of humanity. The degree of the Spirit’s influence is different but not its kind.
Sum: Out of his own spiritual life and understanding, Moses writes about his experience.
3. Dynamic Theory. This is sometimes called the concept theory — because this view holds that God gave “definite, specific impressions or concepts” to the biblical authors but allowed them to communicate these concepts in their own words. The phrasing of the Bible is human, but the overall message is determined by God.
Sum: God gave Moses ideas, and Moses wrote them in his own words.
4. Dictation Theory. This is sometimes called the mechanical or type-writer theory because it believes that God dictated the exact words to human authors. The authors of Scripture exercised no human will in the composition of their writings.
Sum: God told Moses what to write, and he wrote it exactly.
5. Verbal Plenary Theory. That is a pretty fancy way of saying, “God inspired the complete text(s) of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, including both historical and doctrinal details. This view holds to dual authorship of the Scriptures.
The authors of the Bible wrote as thinking, feeling, human beings, but God “mysteriously superintended the process that every word written was the exact word he wanted to be written —free from all error” (Plummer, 32).
Sum: Supernaturally, Moses freely wrote exactly what God wanted him to.
The fifth option reflects my own. It implies the dual authorship of the Bible — meaning that God used human authors, and yet they wrote what God wanted them to write.
This means that the “breath of God” does not erase the human element, but rather it coexists in remarkable harmony. The writers weren't mere automatons transcribing heavenly dictation.
Their unique voices, cultural backgrounds, and life experiences shine through. Yet, we still believe as 2 Timothy 3:16 says that the Scriptures are breathed out by God.
Paul’s words in 2 Timothy 3:16 pretty definitively answer this question. He believed that “all Scripture” was “breathed out” by God.
But even without this verse, the Bible certainly reads as if it carries for itself the authority of being God’s Word. The scriptures consistently assert their divine origin.
In essence, the Bible's claim to divine inspiration isn't a single, isolated statement but is woven throughout its pages.
It's a consistent theme that runs through the entire text, affirming its origin and authority. Consider all of the prophetic utterances in the Old Testament — prophets often punctuated their messages with a “Thus says the Lord.”
And we see this in the way that both New Testament writers and even later Old Testament writers/prophets used the sacred text. In Daniel 9, the prophet hearkens back to Jeremiah and treats his words as having the authority of God.
But more than this, the Lord Jesus considered Scripture to be of divine origin. In Mark 7:13 and Matthew 22:29-31, Jesus refers to it as the Word of God, and in John 10:35, he spoke of the unbreakable scriptures.
One might claim that this is something reserved for the Old Testament, but in 2 Peter 3:15-16, the apostle speaks as if Paul’s words are on par with OT writings considered to have divine authority.
When we consider how Jesus spoke about His own authority and the way in which He imparts this authority to the apostles, it becomes a pretty strong case that their writing is also inspired.
Another piece of evidence is the unifying thread of Scripture. It reads as if it's one piece with multiple volumes written by human authors, but it also points to higher authorship.
There is a consistent message of redemption, and a consistent portrayal of God’s character, throughout.
Reading through the scriptures, one would not walk away thinking it is a book of mere suggestions or fairy tales compiled by human authors.
Nor would one assume it is merely a group of humans with an agenda of control. An honest reading of the scriptures would lead one to believe that it is claiming for itself the type of authority reserved for God. It reads as if it believes itself to be the very Word of God.
I will admit up front that some will reject this statement as circular reasoning. Why do we believe the Bible to be inspired? Because it claims for itself divine authorship, it claims to be inspired, and God cannot lie. It is self-authenticating.
There is actually a bit of divergence here between Roman Catholic and Protestant arguments. From a Roman Catholic perspective, the Scripture is God’s Word because the church has identified it as such.
But Protestants will argue that the Bible is the Word of God because it is the Word of God; the church merely recognizes and acknowledges that reality.
It would be argued that it is the inward witness of the Spirit who testifies to this. This is how the Westminster Confession of Faith states it:
“We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church to a high and reverent esteem of the holy Scripture; and the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man’s salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God; yet, notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.”
This might appear to be circular reasoning, but self-authenticating is actually a bit different. Have you ever had to argue with a child who keeps asking, “Why”?
Eventually, you get to the spot where you simply say, “Because I said so.” There are some things for which we must say that’s the way things are.
The claim being made here, then, is that Scripture is God’s Word because God says it is His Word. You can reject that — just as you might reject a seal of authenticity — but it doesn’t change the claim being made.
The Bible is inspired because God says that it is His Word.
One may not necessarily have to embrace all of the claims of inspiration or inerrancy to believe that the Bible is helpful.
I would even argue that one does not by necessity need to believe this in order to be a follower of Jesus (though that’s a bit more complex argument than we have time for here). But I believe that we interact with the Bible better when we understand it to be inspired.
Understanding the inspiration of Scripture has far-reaching implications for how we approach and engage with the Bible. It transforms the way we read, interpret, and apply its words to our lives. Here are a few of those implications:
1. Authority and trustworthiness: The concept of divine inspiration underscores the Bible's authority as a reliable guide for faith and life.
It's not a collection of human opinions but a divinely sanctioned roadmap. It is helpful in our day of “truthiness” to have an objective standard.
2. Relevance and universality: The Bible's inspiration speaks to its timeless relevance. Its teachings transcend cultural and temporal boundaries, offering guidance that speaks to every generation. The Bible is for you.
3. Depth and unity: When we recognize the divine inspiration, we see the Bible as a unified whole rather than a disjointed collection.
We can look for a unified thread and come to the conclusion that the human author might have meant something on one level — but there is a deeper meaning from the Divine Author.
This, I would argue, is how the New Testament authors approached the Old Testament.
4. Transformation and application: Knowing that the scriptures are God-breathed invites us to approach them with humility and expectation. It's not a static text but a dynamic force that has the power to shape and transform our lives.
It is living and active. And God’s Word shapes us. When we find ourselves disagreeing with the Bible, if it’s God’s Word, then we must conclude that it is we who must change and not the sacred text.
For further reading:
What Does it Mean That the Bible Is Divinely Inspired?
What Does it Mean that the Bible Is Infallible?
What Does it Mean That the Word of God Is Alive?
Photo Credit: ©iStock/Getty Images Plus/D-Keine
Mike Leake is husband to Nikki and father to Isaiah and Hannah. He is also the lead pastor at Calvary of Neosho, MO. Mike is the author of Torn to Heal and Jesus Is All You Need. His writing home is http://mikeleake.net and you can connect with him on Twitter @mikeleake. Mike has a new writing project at Proverbs4Today.