The Inspiration of the Bible: A Hill Worth Dying On

In a world of shifting beliefs and relative truths, certain foundational principles remain non-negotiable for people of faith. Among these “hills worth dying on” stands one central doctrine that protects believers from countless heresies and false teachings: the inspiration of the Bible.

The doctrine of biblical inspiration affirms that Scripture is not merely a book about God or a witness to God, but God-breathed revelation through human writers. This means the Bible is without error and contains everything needed for life and godliness.

Why a Book?

Before exploring the doctrine itself, it’s worth considering: why would God choose to communicate through a book? There are several compelling reasons.

First, books use language — the primary way humans communicate. Unlike subjective “gut feelings” that might be mistaken for divine guidance, written language provides clarity.

Second, books are publicly accessible. If God were to speak only privately to individuals, there would be no objective way to resolve disagreements about what He said. A book presents a standard that all can examine.

Third, written communication is preserved for future generations. Imagine if important documents like constitutions were only transmitted orally — their meaning would quickly become distorted.

Some might ask why God doesn’t speak verbally or perform spectacular miracles instead. But verbal communication would be limited in time and scope. As for miracles, Scripture itself addresses this objection through the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus, where Abraham says, “If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.” (Lk 16.31)

Why This Book?

Among all religious texts, only Judaism and Islam (besides Christianity) claim to have direct revelation from a personal transcendent God via a sacred text. Judaism’s Old Testament, while valuable, is incomplete — like half a bridge. Islam’s Quran inaccurately characterizes the core teachings of both testaments.

The Bible stands unique among religious books. It wasn’t created by a single author but written by many holy men, writing at many different points through centuries, while maintaining a unified theme. Its manuscripts have been miraculously preserved, and its accounts align with confirmed historical records.

Understanding Inspiration

Several false theories of inspiration exist:

• The degrees theory claims some portions of Scripture have higher degrees of inspiration than others
• The moral theory argues that only moral and spiritual content is authoritative
• The dynamic theory suggests only the authors’ thoughts were inspired, not their word choices
• The dictation theory incorrectly depicts writers as passive robots recording God’s words

The problem with most of these theories is they place the final authority on the subjective opinion of fallible humans.

The Bible defines its own inspiration in 2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Note that it is the Scripture itself — not the authors — that is inspired. The phrase “breathed out by God” translates a single Greek word, “theopneustos,” meaning God-breathed. This inspiration extends to all Scripture and to the very words themselves — what theologians call verbal plenary inspiration.

As for how this occurred, 2 Peter 1:19-21 explains that “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” This same Greek word for “carried along” describes ships driven by wind — indicating the Holy Spirit worked through the writers’ personalities and vocabularies while ensuring the words were divinely inspired.

The Importance of Inspiration

While salvation doesn’t depend on fully understanding this doctrine (Christians can struggle with questions about inspiration), salvation has no reliable basis without it. If the Bible isn’t God’s revelation, we cannot be confident in its gospel message.

Sanctification also has no power without this doctrine. Jesus prayed, “Sanctify them by thy truth. Your word is truth.” How can believers be sanctified without truth, and how can they have truth without God’s Word?

Perhaps the most practical reason this doctrine matters is that heresy often begins with a modified understanding of biblical inspiration. Virtually every denomination or group that has veered into serious error began by compromising on this foundational belief.

Denominational Views

Different Christian traditions view inspiration differently:

• Roman Catholics affirm inspiration but place Scripture alongside church tradition
• Traditional Lutheran churches (Missouri Synod) hold to divine inspiration and infallibility
• Modern Lutheranism (ELCA) sees Scripture as authoritative but with varying degrees
• Anglican/Episcopal views range widely from evangelical inerrancy to liberal approaches
• Presbyterian churches split between conservative (PCA) and progressive (PCUSA) views
• Methodist positions similarly range from historic conservatism to the more liberal UMC

Not coincidentally, the denominations with looser views of inspiration — ELCA, Episcopalian, PCUSA, and United Methodist — have experienced the most theological drift. When Scripture’s complete inspiration is questioned, any doctrine can be modified or rejected.

Implications of Inspiration

If the Bible is truly God’s inspired Word, we would expect it to be free from error. While critics claim the Bible contains contradictions, these objections typically dissolve under careful study. When Scripture is approached with the commitment that its parts are coherent because God is the primary author, supposed contradictions disappear.

We would also expect Scripture to present a message with a distinctly divine source — and it does. Only the Bible makes complete sense of the human condition: that we are beautifully unique yet horribly flawed. While man-made religions typically cast humanity as the hero, Scripture portrays our fundamental problem and need for rescue.

Similarly, while all other religious systems place the burden of salvation on human effort, the Bible uniquely places that burden on God alone. God initiates salvation and rescues sinners who cannot save themselves.

The Blessings of Inspiration

Psalm 19:7-11 reveals the practical impact of believing the Bible is God’s Word:

• It revives the soul because it’s perfect
• It makes the simple wise because it’s dependable
• It rejoices the heart because it’s right
• It enlightens the eyes because it’s pure

If God designed our hearts to find joy, enlightenment, peace, and instruction through His Word, the implication is that without it, we become joyless, darkened, restless, and ignorant.

This is truly a hill worth dying on. The Bible’s inspiration isn’t merely an academic doctrine to defend but a life-changing truth to embrace. With God’s inspired Word in our hands, we can confidently believe it and faithfully obey it — finding in it more value than gold and greater sweetness than honey.

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Aaron Berry is the pastor of Faith Baptist Church of Palm Bay. This article was produced by asking Claude.ai to turn a sermon transcript into a magazine article. You can listen to the original sermon here: The Inspiration of the Bible. Pastor Berry has reviewed and approved the publication of this version.