Page 32 - Ecclesiology Textbook Masters

The word for inspire in 2 Timothy 3:16 is the Greek word geopneustos. It is derived from geos
“God” and pnew, “to breath.” It literally means “God-breathed” and expresses the idea that God
exhaled the very words to us. It tells us that the Bible is the product of God’s breath.

So, a good definition for Biblical inspiration is this: God’s superintendence of the human authors of
Scripture so that using their own individual personalities, they composed and recorded without
error His revelation to man in the words of the original autographs.

To fully understand inspiration, we must break it down into parts:

1. God superintended the human authors of Scripture. His superintendence varied in degree, but
it was always included so that the Spirit of God guaranteed the accuracy of what was written.

2. The word “composed” shows us that the writers were not mere robots acting as stenographers
and wrote as God dictated the words to them. They were actively involved in using their own
vocabulary, personalities, experiences and backgrounds in the words they wrote. But again, their
words were superintended by God.

3. “Without error” expresses what the Bible claims to be true regarding itself: it is God’s word and
the words are true.

4. Inspiration can only be ascribed to the original autographs, not to
the manuscripts copies or the translations based on those copies.
While we do not have any of the originally inspired autographs, we
have enough copies to know that the copy we have today is totally
trustworthy as being God’s authoritative book.

The value of Inspiration

2 Timothy 3:16 Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction which is in righteousness: (ESV)

From 2 Timothy 3:16 we can derive four great values from God’s inspiration of the text:

1. Teaching - “Teaching” is the Greek word, didaskalia, and means “doctrine” or “teaching”. It is
used in the active sense of teaching others and in the passive send of “what is taught” or doctrine.
This verse says that the value of inspiration is that we receive guidance in knowing what to believe
and how to pass those beliefs on to others.

2. Reproof – “Reproof” is the Greek word, elegmos, which means “proof or conviction.” It tells us
that the Scriptures are handy to keep every man walking the true path, and when a person deviates
from that path, the Scriptures will bear down to expose sin through personal conviction.
Scripture’s purpose to bring us back to the correct path as we will see next.

3. Correction – This is the Greek word, epanorqwsis, which means “setting up straight or setting
something right.” It stresses the restorative nature of Scripture and the capacity of the words to

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