All quotations are from the New King James Version unless otherwise stated.

The Bible
“All scripture is given by inspiration of God”
2 TIMOTHY 3:16

 

The Bible
The Bible we hold in our hands today has an amazing history and is nothing short of a miracle.  It claims to be the Word of God and presents us with a challenge to search out the Truth of its message and to confirm for ourselves that this is indeed the only revelation available from our Creator.

God’s Spirit
God’s spirit was seen at work in the creation:

• “By His Spirit He adorned the heavens’ (Job 26:13)

The spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters to bring about the present creation (Genesis 1:2).  Yet we also read that “by the word of the Lord” the world was made (Psalm 33:6), as Genesis records, “God said” things were created, and it happened.
God’s spirit, therefore, is very much reflected in His Word.  Likewise our words express our inner thoughts and desires – the real’us’ – very accurately.  David spoke of how God’s Word and “own heart” are parallel:

• “For Your word’s sake, and according to Your own heart.  You have done all these great things.” (2 Samuel 7:21).

God’s mind / spirit is expressed in His Word.  God achieved the miracle of expressing His spirit in written words by the process of inspiration.  This term is based around the word “spirit”.

In-spirit-ation
“Spirit” means “breath” or breathing.  “Inspiration” means “in-breathing”.  This means that the words which men wrote while under “inspiration” from God were the words of God’s spirit.
Paul encouraged Timothy not to let his familiarity with the Bible lead him to forget the wonder of the fact that it is the words of God’s spirit, and therefore provides all that we need in order a true knowledge of God.

• “From childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus.  All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:15-17).

The Bible Fully Inspired
This unwillingness to accept the huge spiritual power which is in God’s Word has led many Christians to question whether all the Scriptures are fully inspired by God.  They have suggested that much of what we read in the Bible was just the personal opinions of the writers.  But Peter effectively disposes of such erroneous reasoning.

• “We have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it … above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation.  For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:19-21 NIV).

We must “above all” believe that the Bible is inspired.  The doctrine of inspiration is so often emphasised in the Bible text:

• “For God commanded, saying …” (Matthew 15:4)
• “For David himself said by the Holy Spirit …” (Mark 12:36;)
• “… which the Holy Spirit spoke before by the mouth of David …” (Acts 1:16);
• “The Holy spirit spoke rightly through Isaiah the prophet …” (Acts 1:16);
• As the Holy Spirit says …” (Hebrews 3:7; see also 9:8; 10:15).

If these men were only partly inspired, we do not have access to the true Word or spirit of God.  If what they wrote really was the Word of God, then it follows that they had to be completely taken over by God’s spirit, during the period of inspiration – otherwise the product would not have been God’s Word in purity.
Inspired  Words Can Motivate
An acceptance that God’s Word is completely His, provides us with more motivation to read and obey it.

• “Your word is very pure, therefore Your servant loves it” (Psalm 119:140).

A comparison of 2 Timothy 3:16 with 4:2,3 shows how an appreciation of an inspired Bible can motivate action from us:

• Because the inspired word is profitable …

for doctrine therefore
preach the word; be ready in season and out of season (i.e; whether you naturally fell in the preaching mood or not).
            for reproof therefore
                         convince (reprove)
            for correction therefore
                        rebuke
            for instruction in righteousness therefore
                        exhort with all long-suffering and teaching.
What it can Mean to Us
If we believe that the Bible is inspired, we will feel the passion and power of it the more, and thereby its impact upon us will be the greater.  Take for example the quote from the Old Testament:

• “You have seen that I have talked with you from heaven (therefore) you shall not make anything to be with Me – gods of silver …”(Exodus 20:22,23).

Because of the wonder of having heard God’s voice, therefore idolatry of any form will be meaningless for us.  The God of Heaven, great and powerful beyond all imagination, cannot be contained in any temple or enshrined in any man-made figurine.  Neither can anything be put before Him in a true believer’s life, “Love the Lord the God with all they heart, and with all they soul, and with all thy mind” (Matthew 22:37).
The Apostle Paul felt the passion of God’s word.  It wasn’t just black print on white paper to him.  Thus he speaks of how “Isaiah is very bold and says … Isaiah also cried out concerning Israel …” (Romans 9:27; 10:20).  Paul had meditated deeply upon Isaiah’s words, even to the point of considering the tone of voice in which he first spoke them.
It was because the rulers of Israel “did not know … the voices of the prophets which are read every Sabbath” (Acts 13:27) that they crucified the Lord.  Paul speaks of the prophets’ “voices” rather than merely their words.  They had heard the words, but not felt and perceived that these were the actual voices of men who, although they are dead, yet they speak through the pages of Scripture.  The men who crucified Jesus didn’t feel the wonder of inspiration in their attitude to Bible study – even though they would have devoutly upheld the position that the Bible texts were inspired.  Here we have a lesson for ourselves.
Although we might agree that the Bible is the inspired word of God, it is quite possible that we might fail to feel this as we should when we read it.  Moses trembled and Sinai shook the people fled when they heard God’s word.  God’s voice was heard at Sinai: the same voice spoke in the Psalmist’s words.
The appeal stands written in Scripture and therefore Paul can say that “Today” is a time with limits, but it was yet “today” when the Hebrews was written and Paul repeats the word of the Psalmist as God’s voice to the Hebrews of his day.

• “Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts” (Hebrews 4:7, quoting Psalm 95:7-8)

It is significant that Paul immediately adds that “the world of God is living and powerful” (Hebrews 4:12).  The words he quoted were no dead message but God’s living voice.
The exhortation “My son, do not despise the chastening of the Lord” (Hebrews 12:5) was God speaking “to you”, says the writer to the Hebrews.  Is it less so to sons of any generation?