The Inspiration And Authority Of The Bible

"In II Timothy 3:16, it is stated that "all Scripture is inspired by God." The Greek word , translated here "inspired by God," literally means "God-breathed." That is, the Scriptures are a product of the creative activity of the divine breath. As Alan Stibbs has observed, this "indicates that Scripture has in its origin this distinctive hallmark, that it owes its very existence to the direct creative activity of God himself."1 It is this same divine breath that brought about the creation of the heavens: "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, their starry host by the breath of his mouth" (Psalm 33:6). God's breath is "the irresistible outflow of His power."2 The divine breath also brought about the creation of man: "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7). The mystery of inspiration has often been compared to the mystery of the incarnation. Just as Jesus is both divine and human, so the Scriptures are both divine and human. To emphasize one at the expense of the other is to fall into heresy."