Doctrine Series: Inspiration of Scripture
Bodie Hodge, M.Sc., B.Sc., PEI
Biblical Authority Ministries, August 13, 2025 (Donate)
The debate over the doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture
has spanned centuries (if not millennia for Old Testament works) centering on
whether the Bible is (1) divinely inspired by God in its entirety or (2)
contains human error (God’s involvement was nil).
Obviously, this is a big deal. Either God’s Word is inspired
by God or it is simply a mis-identified fallible partial or whole work of man.
If the latter is the case, the Bible is ultimately meaningless to any major
topic and nothing matters in this life.
However, by God inspiring and being responsible for the Bible’s actually wording, then everyone better take note because judgment is coming on sinners who have committed high treason against God and deserve an eternal punishment. If you would like the answer to the doctrine of inspiration, it is simple.
God Word Is Inspired By God
With the first verse of Genesis, God begins revealing Himself and His doctrines to man. When we start with God and His Word, the 66 books of the
Bible are God’s inspired, written Word to man. God, who inspired His Word,
revealed it to us by both word and power. By what authority can someone object
to God’s infallible and absolute authority? By appealing their fallible and
errant authority? That is illogical.
Now notice something significant. I didn’t say, “hey let’s
look at these two positions and see which looks best to me and then make my
judgment call.” If I were to have done that or even tried it, then I would be
elevating my own thoughts and my own beliefs and my own judgment seat
above God. Do you realize the audacity
and pride I would have to have to do this?
In other words, had I tried to sit back and say “I’m going
to judge God’s Word for myself and I’ll be the authority over God and the doctrine
of His alleged inspiration then act on it (by living my life based on how I
judged)”, how would I have been any different from Eve when she ate (Genesis 3)
or Satan when elevated his own pride
to think he was going to greater than God?
This is why it is better to humble yourself and let God sit
in the position of power—even on this subject. To say it bluntly, don’t get
caught in a trap of thinking this is an issue where you are the authority and
set God and His Word aside to figure it out. God and His Word should be “front
and center” on this debate. Even on the doctrine of inspiration, God is the
authority on the subject—if you give that up at the onset of your argument,
you’ve probably already lost the debate. Don’t be deceived by such notions.
What Is Inspiration?
The Got Questions Website rightly states:
“It was written by human authors,
but God prompted and guided them to write what they did. Every word, word form,
and word placement found in the Bible’s original manuscripts was divinely and
intentionally written. This is the orthodox view of the church and is known as
verbal plenary inspiration.”[1]
Thus, the orthodox position on the doctrine of inspiration
is often denoted as verbal plenary inspiration, sometimes denoted simply
as VPI. This is why we can be confident in calling Scripture, the “Holy” Bible
or God’s “Holy” Word. It really has a purity that is of God.
Take note that verbal plenary inspiration (VPI) refers to the
original manuscripts of Scripture. It doesn’t refer to translations,
standard texts, or copies. Though these later texts and translations often reflect
the original Scriptures as an obvious means of preservation, the actual work of
the Holy Spirit was in the original autographs for inspiration.
Jesus repeated appealed to God’s authoritative Word (“it is
written”). Other Bible authors often quoted previously written Scripture and treated
them in the VPI fashion for what they were—the actual Word of God to be
followed and obeyed. Every “jot and tittle” was important!
“For assuredly, I say to you, till
heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from
the law till all is fulfilled. (Matthew 5:18, NKJV)
Also note that the text was what was inspired, not
the authors. This is a subtle point that often confused and caused a
misconception. God’s Word was inspired, not the authors. The godly men that God
used were carried along to write the inspired text using their own styles and
experiences. Keep in mind that this is not too hard for an all-powerful God.
False Doctrinal Views Of Inspiration
Naturally, sinful human beings get involved and this means
that there are other positions to which some hold. They are not the correct
positions, but are held nonetheless. They are:
1. Partial inspiration: where only some parts of the Bible are inspired by God.
2. Conceptual inspiration: where the concepts in the Bible are held as inspired, but not the actually words, phrases, or sentences—they are still considered mere human works.
3. Natural inspiration: demoting God’s Word to be mere human works, but mild inspiration by gifted persons.
4. Neo-Orthodox inspiration: it is not orthodox at all, but instead suggests that by personal experience with the Bible, then it can become the Word of God to you in a personal sense.
These views each take the tact of judging God’s Word by
their fallible human standard and demote part or all of God’s Word to a level
or mere human work. This compromise leads to God’s Word being undermined in its
authority.
The Doctrine Of Inspiration In Church History
In the early church, writers like Augustine affirmed plenary
inspiration—every part of Scripture being God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16)—while
addressing apparent contradictions through harmonization.[2]
The medieval church upheld this view, treating Scripture as infallible and
authoritative.[3]
During the Reformation (16th century), reformers
such as Martin Luther[4]
and John Calvin[5]
strongly defended verbal plenary inspiration against the Roman Catholic claim
that church tradition held equal authority. They emphasized Sola Scriptura—that
the Bible alone is the final standard.
Later, ungodly philosophers like Baruch Spinoza[6]
and even later Julius Wellhausen[7]
treated Scripture as a human document shaped by history, questioning Mosaic
authorship and miracles. This fueled the liberal–conservative divide. Christian
needed to refute these false ideas that were spreading throughout scholarly
circles.
In the 19th–20th centuries, more conservative
theologians (in some respects…but liberal in other respects) such as B. B.
Warfield and A. A. Hodge (“Inspiration,” The Presbyterian Review, 1881)
articulated biblical inerrancy—the belief that the original manuscripts were
free from error—against rising theological liberalism.
Today, the debate continues between Bible believes (VPI) and
those who don’t take the Bible as it’s written. Evangelicals generally affirm
verbal plenary inspiration and this leads to the doctrine of inerrancy (Chicago
Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, 1978), while others adopt “limited inerrancy,”
seeing Scripture as authoritative in faith and practice but not in all
historical or scientific details.
But even though the debate rages on, the solution has always
been and still remain that God’s Word is inspired (verbal plenary inspiration).
Brief Biblical And Proper Understanding Of VPI
The Bible is the written Word of God, fully inspired, inerrant,
infallible, and authoritative in all that it teaches—including history,
science, and theology.
1. What Is The Most Common Verse Denoting Inspiration?
Inspiration is based in large part on 2 Timothy 3:16, which
states:
“All Scripture is given by
inspiration of God…” (NKJV)
The term "inspiration" (Greek: theopneustos)
means “God-breathed.” This means that the very words of Scripture were breathed
out by God Himself, though written by human authors. From a biblical viewpoint,
this means that every word (verbal) and all parts (plenary) of Scripture are
inspired, not just thoughts or spiritual matters.
2. How Was Scripture Inspired?
According to 2 Peter 1:20–21,
“…holy men of God spoke as they
were moved by the Holy Spirit. (NKJV)”
This verse shows that Scripture did not originate from human
will or opinion, but from the Holy Spirit’s guidance. The Holy Spirit
superintended the writing process so that the human authors wrote exactly what
God intended, without error, while maintaining their own writing styles and
personalities—in the original autographs of course.
3. Scope Of Inspiration
Inspiration extends to all Scripture, not just theological, conceptual,
experiential, or moral truths. This includes:
- Historical
details (e.g., the global Flood, Tower of Babel, genealogies)
- Scientific
statements and framework (e.g., created kinds, basis for scientific repeatability,
a young Earth)
- Prophecy
and fulfillment
- Doctrinal
teachings
- Faith
and practice
Take note that the Bible is not only authoritative in “faith
and practice”. Instead, it includes faith and practice but also all other matters
to which the Bible speaks—including the natural world.
4. Inerrancy And Infallibility
Flowing from inspiration, the original manuscripts
(autographs) of Scripture were inerrant (without error) and infallible (unable
to be wrong)—i.e., the doctrines of inerrancy and the doctrine of infallibility
respectively. Since God is perfect and truthful, His Word reflects His
character (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18).
This also means that Scripture does not need to be corrected
or reinterpreted in light of modern models (like evolution, millions of years, big
bang), which contradict the plain meaning of the biblical text.
5. Preservation And Reliability
Though we no longer have the original manuscripts, God has
preserved His Word through careful transmission and thousands of reliable
manuscripts. This brings us to the doctrine of preservation and science of
textual criticism. Textual criticism—unlike higher criticism which tries to
undermine the Bible’s teachings—is a good thing and helps us compare texts
side-by-side. What this confirms is that the Bible today can be trusted as an
accurate record of God’s revelation.
6. Ultimate Authority
Sola Scriptura—Scripture alone as the final authority in all
matters. Church tradition, science, or human philosophy must not override the
plain teaching of Scripture. This brings us to the doctrine of authority
regarding God’s Word.
Conclusion
As one may have noticed, the doctrine of inspiration is
directly connected to other doctrines of the Christian faith. In fact, all
doctrines ultimately interconnect directly or indirectly. I hope that gives an awe to the brilliance of the mind of God regarding His design of doctrinal topics.
The doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture means that the Bible is the very Word of God, breathed out by Him, accurate in every detail, and authoritative over all matters including life, science, history, theology, and reality.
Because God cannot lie by His very nature, the revealed Scripture is completely trustworthy—from
Genesis to Revelation—and should be the foundation for Christian thinking in
every area.
Bodie Hodge, Ken Ham's son in law, has been an apologist
since 1998 helping out in various churches and running an apologetics website.
He spent 21 years working at Answers in Genesis as a speaker,
writer, and researcher as well as a founding news anchor for Answers
News. He was also head of the Oversight Council.
Bodie launched Biblical Authority Ministries in
2015 as a personal website and it was organized officially in 2025 as a
501(c)(3). He has spoken on multiple continents and hosts of US states in
churches, colleges, and universities. He is married with four children.
[1]
Got Questions Editors, What is verbal plenary inspiration?, January 4, 2022, https://www.gotquestions.org/verbal-plenary-inspiration.html.
[2]
Augustine, On Christian Doctrine, 2.8.12.
[3] Thomas
Aquinas, Summa Theologica I.q1.a10.
[4]
Martin Luther, Bondage of the Will, 1525.
[5]
John Calvin, Institutes, 1.7.1–5.
[6] Baruch
Spinoza, Tractatus Theologico-Politicus, 1670.
[7]
later Julius Wellhausen, Prolegomena to the History of Ancient Israel, 1878.
