How did God inspire the men who wrote the Bible?
Have you ever wondered whether the biblical authors simply wrote down what God dictated to them? Were they like students taking notes while a teacher spoke, carefully recording every word?
The answer is far better…
The apostle Peter explains:
“For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:21)
Notice that Peter doesn’t say the biblical authors stopped being themselves. God used real men, with different personalities, backgrounds, vocabularies, and writing styles. We can see those differences when we read men like Moses, David, Luke, Paul, and John.
Yet every word they wrote as authors of Scripture, under the Holy Spirit’s inspiration, was precisely what God intended.
Yes! And this raises an important question.
Some argue that because human beings are sinful and prone to error, the Bible must contain errors. After all, how could God’s perfect Word pass through imperfect people without becoming corrupted?
Is God limited by man’s weakness? Can human sinfulness prevent Him from accomplishing His purposes?
Certainly not!
The same God who spoke creation into existence, who rules over every detail of history, and who accomplishes all His holy will was perfectly able to use sinful men to produce His infallible Word.
God did not need perfect men to give us a perfect Bible. He sovereignly prepared and guided the men He chose so that they wrote exactly what He intended.
Paul reminds Timothy:
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
Not merely the important passages. Not simply the spiritual ideas. Not just the words of Jesus printed in red.
All Scripture is God-breathed.
This is what theologians call verbal plenary inspiration. That may sound complicated, but it simply means that inspiration extends to every word (verbal) and all of Scripture (plenary).
Because our confidence in the Bible rests not on the abilities of the men who wrote it, but on the faithfulness of the God who gave it.
Our church’s confession of faith, the 1689 London Baptist Confession, reminds us that Scripture’s authority depends entirely upon God, who is truth Himself and its author (1.4).
And because God cannot lie (Titus 1:2), His Word is altogether trustworthy.
Dear brothers and sisters, think about what this means.
When you read God’s promises, you are not reading the religious opinions of ancient men. You are hearing God Himself speak through His written Word.
When Scripture exposes your sin, God lovingly shows you your need for His grace.
When Scripture announces the forgiveness of sins through Jesus Christ, you can rest in that promise because the God who made it cannot lie.
We do not worship the Bible. We worship the God who has graciously revealed Himself through it. And through these sacred Scriptures, He makes us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus (2 Timothy 3:15).
So open your Bible with confidence. Read it with humility. Receive it with faith. And rejoice that the God who speaks in Scripture is the same God who saves sinners through His Son.