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Study Section 2: Theories of Inspiration

2.1 Connect.

There are a lot of skeptics out there today. Many believe that the Bible is just a book of
fables and nice stories. They deny that many of the actual characters existed. They say that
it is a good book and presents some nice stories which help us become better people. Is that
what the Bible is -- a nice book of fairy tales? Did Adam and Eve really exist? Was there a
world-wide flood? Can the words of the Bible be trusted? Today we are going to look at
what it means for the Bible to be inspired by God. We will discover it is God’s very Words
and true cover to cover. Let’s get started….

2.2 Objectives.

1. The student should be able to explain that the Bible inspiration is verbal (every word) and
plenary (totally accurate) and will look into the verses that help us understand this.

2. The student should be able to describe what inerrancy is.

3. The student should be able to explain how the correct books in the Bible were selected to be in the
Bible.

2.3 Theories of Inspiration

There are many views of how God inspired the book to be written. Here are a few:

1. Natural inspiration – There is no supernatural element. The Bible was written by great men who
often erred.
2. Partial inspiration – The Bible contains God’s words but must be sorted out (“demythologized”)
to find them. Other parts are purely human and may be in error
3. Conceptual inspiration – The thoughts of scripture are inspired, but the actual words used are
not. There are factual and scientific errors.
4. Dictation theory of inspiration – The writers passively recorded God’s words without any
participation of their own styles or personalities.
5. Verbal, plenary inspiration – All of the actual words of the Bible are inspired and without error
(see definition). This fits the Bible’s description.

Defense for verbal, plenary inspiration
The Bible claims verbal, plenary inspiration in 2 Tim.3:16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be
thoroughly equipped for every good work. The Bible is “God-breathed” writings (2 Tim.3:16) and “Spirit-
enabled” writings (2 Pet.1:20, 21). It was God superintending the writers and writings (2 Pet. 1:21).

The Scripture describes the “God-Spirit-Man” interaction of verbal inspiration in the following verses:

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