The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible

At Access Theology, we believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that it is our most important source of Theology because it is inspired by God Himself and fully authoritative in all matters of life and faith. But what does it mean that the Bible has got full authority? What does it mean that it is inspired by God?  

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The Authority of the Bible 

In Know the Truth, Bruce Milne has written that “Authority is the right or power to require obedience. There is a widespread crisis of authority in contemporary society where the only authority acceptable to many is one consciously self-imposed.” Perhaps this is found no more clearly than in respect of the Bible. For many hundreds of years, the Bible was accepted as the Word of God and therefore authoritative in matters of faith and practice. However, since the time of the Enlightenment (or Age of Reason) in the 17th and 18th Centuries, the idea of biblical authority has been questioned and, in some cases, rejected altogether. 

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Before investigating how believers come to accept the Bible as authoritative, it is worth noting some differences in view: 

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• The Roman Catholic tradition recognises the authority of the Bible but in it alone. Catholicism accepts a hierarchy of authority. Besides the Bible, they accept the (church) traditions and the church’s magisterium (teaching authority). The magisterium includes the Pope, councils and the Bishops.  
• Some Christians believe that the Bible contains the Word of God but is not itself the Word of God. And they may accept or reject some sections. For example, the words of Jesus in the Gospels may be held as more authoritative than, say, St Paul’s in his epistles.  
• Other Christian traditions believe that while the Bible is not itself the Word of God, it becomes the Word of God to the reader when it is read and studied.  
• Today we find that people raise culture, reason, education etc. above Scripture arguing that the teachings of the Church need to change to accommodate society today.  
• Still today, vast numbers of Christians, usually of the conservative, evangelical and Pentecostal traditions and beyond, accept the Bible in its entirety as God’s Word and seek to apply it in all matters of faith and life. The believer who accepts this position understands the fundamental teaching of Scripture that Jesus Christ lived and died to reconcile sinful humanity back to God. Besides this they seek to apply the teachings of the Bible to all aspects of life – faith, finances, marriage, honesty etc... 

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Why do Christians believe that the Bible is the Word of God? 

This is an important question to ask when talking about the inspiration and authority of the Bible. The answer to this question is that the Bible itself makes this claim. That God communicates (speaks) is a given in the Bible. More than 3,800 times it is recorded “God said.” A useful exercise is to enter the words “God said” or “the Lord said” in a Bible database/concordance and see how many references are shown. The results will be overwhelming! The Bible is authoritative because it is the Word of God.  

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The Inspiration of the Bible 

What we consider here is the Doctrine of the Inspiration of Scripture or in other words, what the Bible teaches about its inspiration. It is the matter of inspiration that leads us to understand the Bible to be the Word of God and to apply it in our lives. However, it is important to understand that when we speak of inspiration in this context, we do not mean in the way a painting may inspire us or rugby match might inspire to play rugby! 

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Alongside the many passages that reveal God speaking and His words being recorded, there are two particular passages of Scripture that we appeal to in regard inspiration: 2 Timothy 3:14-17 and 2 Peter 1:20-21.   

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But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and 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.  

2 Timothy 3:14-17 ESV 

It is important to note that God is the object of this passage, not inspiration. It is God and what He has done that makes Scripture authoritative. The passage points us back to God. Rearranging the words, we can say that “God breathed out all Scripture.” Some translations such as the King James Version say, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” So, the Bible is authoritative because it comes from God. 

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What does “breathed out” mean? The Greek word in this text is θεόπνευστος (theopneustos). This is made up of two parts: θεός (God) and πνευστος (breathed or blow).  

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Notice that it is “all scripture” that is inspired, not just parts of it. Clearly when Paul wrote these words, only the Old Testament existed, but by the time Peter is writing his second letter, New Testament books are being accepted as part of the Word of God. Here Peter includes Paul’s letters as “Scripture”: 

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And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. 

2 Peter 3:15-16 ESV 

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What are the benefits or effects of the Word of God in our lives? 

1. It will make us wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. 

2. It will teach us the things of God. 

3. It will reprove us – show us where we are going wrong. 

4. It will correct us – show us the right way when we have been going wrong. 

5. It will train us in righteousness. 

6. It will ensure we are complete, equipped for every good work (in all of life). 

The Word of God is not of human origin 

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.  

2 Peter 1:20-21 

This verse simply affirms that Scripture does not originate in the human will. Rather the prophets and writers were carried along by the Holy Spirit. This carries the same idea as 2 Timothy 3:16-17 

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It may now be important to briefly understand how this inspiration works: 

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1. First and foremost, God works through human beings using their personality, character etc. Some people think this a reason to reject the authority of Scripture. But the opposite is surely true – the humanity and experience of the writers' shines through. God used their frame of reference, cultural background, historical perspective, emotions and experiences. 

2. We believe that God inspired the very words used (though we normally attribute this to the original documents). We also believe God was active by HIs Spirit in the process of canonisation of Scripture, and their protection through translation etc.  

3. Inspiration is not dictation – rather the writers were free (though Spirit guided) to use their own words and ideas.  

4. Inspiration is not accommodation – that God did not accommodate Himself to the limitations of the writers. 

5. God did however supervise the work - “exercising control over” but ensuring it is stamped as the writer's work. 

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Conclusion 

Inevitably anything to do with God is beyond human understanding and reason. It is a matter of faith. So it is with the authority and inspiration of the Bible. By God’s doing we can reason and understand aspects of the authority and inspiration of the Bible, but ultimately the truth surpasses our understanding.  

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The Bible is not authoritative simply because it is inspired, it is authoritative because it was God who inspired it. Because of this, we can trust it and humbly submit to God’s revelation.