Divine Inspiration

We have noted that God’s special revelation has been written and collected in the 66 books of the Bible, which orthodox Christians see as the “inspired” Word of God. Our passage for today uses the noun form of this very word, saying, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” This is a foundational tenet of the Christian faith. But what does it mean to say that God “inspired” Scripture?

Since the Reformation, this question has been answered in various ways. Some have put forth the theory of “mechanical” inspiration, the idea being that God the Holy Spirit came upon the writers of Scripture, basically took over their minds, and “dictated” His words to them so that their own writing styles and experiences were negated. However, the wide variations in the styles of the Biblical books argue against this. Another view is sometimes called “dynamical” inspiration. It is the idea that inspiration consisted merely of the ordinary work of the Spirit in illuminating the understanding of His people, so that the writers of the Scriptures wrote based on their own grasp of truth, without direct supernatural input. By contrast, Scripture puts forth a view that might be called “organic” inspiration. It is the idea that God worked in and through the writers of Scripture, such that their own backgrounds, education, experiences, and so forth color the writing but God’s message is communicated as He desires.

The latter point is important, for the words “given by inspiration of God” in our text translate a single Greek word that has major implications for the nature of Scripture. The word is theopneustos, which combines the Greek words for “God” (theos) with the word for “breath” (pneustos). It literally means “God-breathed.” Therefore, Paul is saying that Scripture is something that has been breathed out by God. It actually consists of His words. The prophets, bearing their messages from God, would invariably say, “Thus says the Lord.” But when their proclamations passed into the written Scriptures, they did not cease to be God’s words, and all other writings in Scripture are equally of Him. The Reformers recognized this truth and spoke of Scripture as the vox Dei, the “voice of God.” Therefore, your pastor is standing on solid ground when he declares, upon reading the Scriptures in public worship, “This is the Word of the Lord!”