| GOD’S WORD • Teen/Adult Teacher’s Manual • © Little Acorn, LLC; Apologetics Press, INC. Reproducible.10

PREPARATORY CONCERNSBe familiar with the facts in this lesson. One object of

this lesson is to impress the student with the fact that the Bible is inspired by God. To teach effectively, the instruc-tor needs to have a good grasp of the meaning of inspi-ration and how it relates to the Bible. Know the material! More material than can likely be covered is provided in

this lesson so that you will have some latitude on which subjects you would like to focus.

Extra Primary Source: www.apologeticspress.org; also, the PDF book Behold! The Word of God, http://apologeticspress.org/pdfs/e-books_pdf/Behold%20the%20Word%20of%20God.pdf.

When your students enter the classroom, get to know them immediately.

• Introduce yourself and give your students an op-portunity to ask questions about you. Tell them how happy you are to be their teacher. Ask them if they already know about some of the topics you will cov-er during the week. Perhaps give them a preview of the exciting material that you plan to cover. • To make your students more comfortable in their new surroundings, go around the room and allow students to introduce themselves. • Encourage your students to listen very carefully so that they will be able to defend their faith from Sa-tan’s attacks. Try to instill in them the significance of the Bible’s inspiration and how it affects them, their nation, and the church.

The Bible is Inspired

Memory Verses: 2 Timothy 3:16-17—“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Lesson SUMMARY: The Bible is the product of God communicating to certain humans the message He wanted preserved.

Lesson Aim: To define inspiration and show how it relates to the Bible.

GOD’S WORD • Teen/Adult Teacher’s Manual • © Little Acorn, LLC; Apologetics Press, INC. Reproducible. | 11

INTRODUCTIONIn America, as well as many countries all over the world,

the Bible is the most popular book that has ever been printed. It has been translated in whole or in part into over 2,000 different languages (“About the Bible,” 2005). The Bible was one of the first books mass produced on Gutenberg’s printing press in 1455 (“Johann Gutenberg,” 2006). In a single year, over 585 million Bibles or sections of the Bible were distributed worldwide by the United Bi-ble Society alone (“Worldwide Scripture,” 1999). To esti-mate a total number of Bibles and portions of it that have been pro-duced and distributed worldwide throughout history would be virtu-ally impossible, but the number stands well over tens of billions, since the United Bible Society alone has dis-tributed over nine bil-lion since 1947 (“God Facts,” n.d.). Without dispute, the Bible is the best-selling book of all time (“Best Selling...,” 2002). About 90% of American households have at least one copy of the Bible. Why is the Bible so popular and pervasive? The primary

reason given in response to this question is that the Bible is God’s Word. Millions of people print, purchase, read, and reread the Bible because they believe that the book they are reading is actually a product of the one true God. Oftentimes, when people are asked to prove that the

Bible is from God, they offer as “proof” the fact that the Bible claims to be from God. [NOTE: The Bible’s mere claim to inspiration does not stand as proof that it is in-

The Bible is inspired

The Bible Claims to Be Inspired

spired. Other non-inspired books claim to be from deity as well. See the other lessons for valid proof of the Bible’s inspiration.] Anyone who reads the Bible cannot help but be impressed with the fact that the Bible is replete with statements that suggest that it is a product from God. Second Timothy 3:16 states: “All Scripture is given by in-spiration of God....” In fact, were a person to search the entire Bible, he or she would discover that it contains ap-proximately 3,000 instances that claim inspiration. A quick perusal of the Old Testament book of Jeremiah uncov-ers the fact that, in this one book, inspiration is claimed

over 500 times by the use of such phrases as: “Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying” (1:4; 2:1); “Hear the word of the Lord” (2:4); “The Lord said also to me” (3:6); “For thus says the Lord to the men of Ju-dah and Jerusalem” (4:3); “Says the Lord”

(5:19). This list of inspiration claims in the book of Jeremi-ah could literally fill several pages. Other books such as Isaiah, Ezekiel, Psalms, and Micah, to name a few, are similarly packed with such claims. New Testament writers, as well, insist that their writings

are not the product of human invention, but instead are the work of God. In writing to the Thessalonians, Paul stated: “For this reason we also thank God without ceas-ing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effectively works in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13, emp. added). It certainly cannot be denied that the Bible claims to be inspired by God.

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God”

- 2 Timothy 3:16

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Along with their claim of inspiration, the Bible writers insisted that their writings were not based on imagi-nary, nonverifiable people and events, but were instead grounded on solid, verifiable facts. The apostle Peter, in his second epistle, wrote: “For we did not follow cunningly devised fables when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewit-nesses of His majesty” (1:16). In a similar statement, the apostle John insisted: “That which was from the begin-ning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life.... [T]hat which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us” (1 John 1:1,3).When Luke wrote his account of the Gospel of Christ,

he specifically and intentionally crafted his introduction to ensure that his readers understood that his account was historical and factual:

Inasmuch as many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the certainty of those things in which you were instructed (Luke 1:1-4).

This handful of verses reveals that the Bible writers in-sisted with conviction that their writings were not myth-ical, but were indeed based on factual events. Further-more, they specifically documented many proofs that could be assessed to determine the accuracy of their statements. The evidence is overwhelming that the Bi-ble writers understood and insisted that their information

was accurate and factual, and should be accepted, not based on a lack of evidence or a “leap in the dark,” but instead based on an abundance of documentable, ver-ifiable proof.We learn, then, that the the Bible’s inspiration has nev-

er rested on a “blind faith” (without adequate evidence). Instead, we can discover that there is sufficient evidence that would lead an unbiased, honest observer to the con-clusion that the Bible is the product of a divine Mind.

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The bible is inspired

The Definition of Inspiration

One of the first steps that must be taken in any discus-sion is to identify key terms and define them. Since the term “inspiration” is obviously one of the key terms in this discussion, what does it mean? The word is defined by Merriam-Webster as: “a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation” (“Inspiration,” n.d.). When the New Testament writer, Peter, discussed inspi-ration, he noted that “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21, emp. added). The New International Version translates the phrase “carried along.” In 1 Thessalonians, Paul com-mented that the Word he was speaking was not the word of men, “but as it is in truth, the word of God” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). Inspiration, then, means that the actual human writers were “carried” or “moved” by the divine Author to communicate His message.

FURTHER NARROWING OF THEDEFINITION OF BIBLICALINSPIRATIONThe idea that holy men of God were moved by the Holy

Spirit must yet be qualified further. Did these men com-municate ideas in their own words? Did they include ad-ditional information from their own ideas? Is the entire Bible inspired, or does it contain certain non-inspired sections as well? These questions and others similar to them hinge on the biblical definition of “inspiration.”

WORD-FOR-WORD INSPIRATIONSeveral times in the Bible, an argument is made by one

of the writers or speakers that hinges on the accuracy of a single word in the biblical text. For instance, when Paul wrote to the Galatians, he tried to show them that Christ was the Seed of Abraham through Whom the entire world would be blessed. Paul stated: “Now to Abraham

and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,’ as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ” (3:16). Paul’s entire argument rested on the fact that the Old Testament passage he is quoting has the word “seed” in the singular form and not the plural form. From this fact, it is evident that Paul considered even such a minor difference in the number of a noun as an important, inspired (divinely ordered) difference that could be trusted and used as evidence. In a similar way, Jesus made arguments based on word

order or tense. On one occasion, the Sadducees ap-proached Jesus in an attempt to trap Him in His words. Since they did not believe in the resurrection of the dead, they posed a scenario which they thought was sure to catch Jesus in some type of error. They presented the case of a woman who had seven husbands during the course of her life. “In the resurrection,” they asked, “whose wife of the seven will she be?” Jesus proceed-ed to explain to them that they did not understand the Scriptures or the power of God. In the resurrection, hu-mans would neither marry nor be married. As evidence of the reality of life after death, Jesus quoted a section of Scripture from Exodus 3, in which God stated: “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (emp. added). Jesus then concluded that “God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:23-33). How could Jesus conclude that God is the God of the living, even though Abraham, Isaac, and Ja-cob had been dead for many years prior to God’s con-versation with Moses?The answer lies in the tense of the verb recorded in the

text. God did not say “I was” the God of Abraham, or “I will be” the God of Isaac. God stated that at the pres-ent, “I am” the God of these patriarchs, meaning that even though their earthly lives had ended, they contin-ued to exist and God continued to be their God. [NOTE: The claim that Jesus made arguments based even on the tense of verbs is true. Nevertheless, such a state-

| GOD’S WORD • Teen/Adult Teacher’s Manual • © Little Acorn, LLC; Apologetics Press, INC. Reproducible.14

ment needs clarification. Hebrew actually has no past, present, or future tense. Rather, an action is regarded as being either complete or incomplete, and so verbs occur in the Hebrew as perfect or imperfect. No verb occurs in God’s statement in Exodus 3:6. Consequently, tense is implied rather than expressed. In this case, the Hebrew grammar would allow any tense of the verb “to be.” Jesus, however, clarified the ambiguity inherent in the passage by affirming specifically what God had in mind, which is why Matthew preserved Jesus’ use of the Greek present tense (ego eimi).]From these two instances, it is clear that not only are

the ideas of the Bible writers inspired, but even the very words used were a product of divine guidance—down to the tense of a verb or number of a noun. This word-for-word, or verbal, inspiration does not imply

divine dictation in which the writers were nothing more than human typewriters. In fact, anyone familiar with the Bible can bring to mind several instances in which an individual writer’s personal writing style or unique expe-riences are recorded. For instance, in the book of Philip-pians, Paul made several allusions to personal interac-tions that he enjoyed with the Philippians. He mentioned that their messenger, Epaphroditus, had safely arrived with the gift sent by the church there. Furthermore, Paul noted several helpers who had done a part to aid him in furthering the Gospel, including Euodia, Syntyche, and Clement. Obviously, Paul’s interactions with these people were real and personal. Verbal (word-for-word) inspiration does not mean that the writers could never include personal information or unique writing style. It does mean that the Holy Spirit guided the writers to in-clude only the information that would be relevant to the gospel message in some way, and only in the words per-mitted by the Holy Spirit.

COMPLETE INSPIRATIONAnother paramount aspect of biblical inspiration is the

idea that the Bible contains the entire Word of God, with-out additional, humanly devised material. This was Pe-ter’s point when he wrote that “no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation” [or origin] (2 Peter 1:20). It is not the case that the Bible “contains” the Word of God, or that His Word must be filtered out from other, non-inspired material inserted by the Bible writers. Paul stated that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). According to the biblical idea of inspi-ration, the Bible, in its entirety, is the Word of God. The psalmist wrote: “The entirety of Your word is truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever” (Psalm 119:160). Many modern liberal scholars have suggested that

some parts of the Bible are not the product of divine inspiration, but instead are simply human opinions or stories inserted by the Bible writers to make the book more interesting or relevant. This type of thinking lands the adherent in a hopeless mess. Which parts of Scrip-ture, then, are to be taken as inspired and which are to be deemed as human invention? One quickly realizes that the answer to that question basically consists of the idea that whatever information the liberal scholar likes or agrees with happens to be inspired, and what he or she does not like “must be” human invention. In truth, the biblical definition of “inspiration” includes the idea that all Scripture is inspired, and that the Bible writers did not “insert” anything into the text on their own.The idea of “complete” (or plenary) inspiration can

also entail the concept that the Bible is all that is now needed in order for a human to understand God’s will. In John 16, Jesus informed His apostles that He had many

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things to tell them that they simply were not yet ready to handle. He then promised to send “the Spirit of truth” Who would guide them “into all truth” (16:13). On another occa-sion, Jesus encouraged His apos-tles to be aware that they would be delivered up to leaders who would abuse them and persecute them. When this happened, Je-sus instructed the men not to “worry about how or what you should speak, for it will be given to you in that hour what you should speak; for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” (Matthew 10:19-20). In Acts 1:25-2:4, the text records the fact that the Holy Spirit came upon the apostles and they immediately were “moved” to preach the Word of God. Throughout the book of Acts, the apostles and other in-spired men made statements, preached sermons, and wrote epistles that laid out God’s plan of salvation for mankind. In one of his epistles, the apostle Peter noted that commandments which were spoken by the apostles were just as authoritative as the words spoken “by the holy prophets” (2 Peter 3:2). Peter further noted that the writings of Paul were inspired and deserved their place alongside “the rest of the Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:16). According to the New Testament, everything necessary

for human salvation has been recorded and included in the Scriptures. Peter verified this statement when he wrote that God’s divine power “has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness” (2 Peter 1:3). Paul’s statement to Timothy includes these sentiments as well, since he stated that the Scriptures were enough to make the man of God “complete, thoroughly equipped for ev-ery good work” (2 Timothy 3:17). Furthermore, Paul not-ed that even an angel from heaven would be cursed if he preached to the Galatians any other Gospel than the one that they had received (Galatians 1:8-10).

CONCLUSIONThe biblical definition of inspiration, then, is the idea

that the Holy Spirit moved the Bible writers to pen the words that He wanted, but allowed them to maintain their own unique style and personal experiences that fit the message. Furthermore, this text is complete in that it is God’s Word in its entirety, without additional, uninspired information by the biblical writers. And it is complete in that it contains God’s entire plan for human salvation without the need for additional inspired mate-rials. [NOTE: The verbal, plenary inspiration of the Bible applies to the original message that the writers penned in the autographs of their works—an autograph being the actual, original letter or book produced by the Bible writer. The previous lesson dealt with the transmission of the text from the original autographs to the present.]

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS1. If a man demanded the keys to your car, why would it make a dif-ference if he wore a badge or not? What relationship does power have to authority? In Matthew 21:23, the Pharisees were treating Jesus like

a “little brother” who had no authority to tell them what to do. How did Jesus prove that He had God’s authority? How does the Bible prove it has God’s authority?

2. List some verses other than the ones in the text that talk about the inspiration of the Bible. How would we react if God were talking directly to us, rather than through the Scriptures? How would our reaction compare to that of the Israelites in Exodus 20:18-20? Would our attitude toward the reading of Scripture change?

3. Just because the Bible claims to be the Word of God does not make it so. We must provide evi-dence to prove its inspiration. How is that simi-lar to the life of a Christian? What things can be used to “prove” one’s Christianity? Refer to John 13:35, James 1:27, 2:14-26, and 1 John 3:18.

4. What are some other books in the world that claim to be inspired? How could a person con-clude that the Bible is inspired, but the other books that claim to be are not?

5. What does the word “plenary” mean? Why is it important in a discussion of the Bible’s inspi-ration?

6. What does the term “verbal” inspiration mean? Tell how it fits into the discussion of the Bible’s inspiration.

7. What is the difference between dictation and verbal inspiration?

REFERENCES“About the Bible” (2005), http://www.ibs.org/bibles/about/19.php.“Best Selling Author Worldwide” (2002), http://answers.google.com/

answers/threadview?id=14.“God Facts” (n.d), http://www.wwj.org.nz/gfacts.php.“Inspiration” (no date), Merriam-Webster On-line Dictionary, URL:http://

www.m-w.com/dictionary/Inspiration. “Johann Gutenberg” (2006), http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johann_Guten-

berg.Worldwide Scripture” (1999), http://www.biblesociety.org/wr_340/

sdr_1998.htm.