Bible Doctrine – Bibliology and Inspiration

Conservative Christians believe in what is called the plenary verbal inspiration of the Bible. I know that is a mouthful, but in order to understand it, we must break down what each of those words mean. We are going to look at the words and their meanings in this order: inspiration, verbal, and then plenary.

The word inspiration means “God-breathed”.

Understand that the inspiration that we are talking about is not the same thing as a musician or artist being inspired to create something. The inspiration of the Bible was a unique event in which God spoke His words to man who then wrote them down.

2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;"

The Apostle Peter said something very interesting in this regard in 2 Peter. He refers to the time when he, James, and John were with and years earlier on the Mount of Transfiguration as recorded in Matthew.

Matthew 17:1-5 "Six days later Jesus took with Him Peter and James and John his brother, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish, I will make three tabernacles here, one for You, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah." While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased; listen to Him!"

Here is what is said in 2 Peter:

2 Peter 1:16-21 "For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, "This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased"-- and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain. So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."

The point that I believe that Peter is making in 2 Peter is that while there is no doubt that he knows what he saw up on that mountain with James and John, his eyewitness is still secondary to the inspired Word of God. The Bible has the final say in all matters whether he saw it or not. The application is that even if we see it and hear it just like he did that day on the mountain, the Bible is still the final say and not what we see or think. That is a powerful statement with strong implications and should not be glossed over.

That is exactly what the problem is in much of the church today, we have become convinced that our experiences trump the Word of God. No, my dear friend, your experiences are secondary to the Word of God. Why? – Because we are sinful creatures and can’t trust our experiences to be fact. Our senses often lie to us and lead us astray. They simply can not and should not be trusted above the inspired Word of God.

Jeremiah 17:9 "The heart is more deceitful than all else and is desperately sick; Who can understand it?”

James speaks of a wisdom that is "earthly, sensual, devilish” (KJV) that should not be relied upon (James 3:15). The Bible actually has strong words to say in regards to our tendency to lean toward sensuality or to lean on our senses. Our senses include look, touch, taste, hearing, and smell. We are not to be driven by these, but instead the more sure Word of God.

Blessings,
Dwayne