Biblical inspiration

[Im slow please be patient]

Why do Christians believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God?

 

[Mark Quayle]

Because of how God talks to me, works on me, instructs, comforts, guides, changes me, and even entertains me through it.

Oh. And because there are just too many coincidences for it to be 'just another book'.

 

[durangodawood]

.....
Oh. And because there are just too many coincidences for it to be 'just another book'.

For example.....?

 

[FreeinChrist]

Advisor Hat

This thread was moved from The Kitchen Sink to General Theology. The Kitchen Sink forum is for fellowship type posts. Theology -type topics are not allowed there. ​

 

[sawdust]

Why do Christians believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God?

Because it says it is.

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

If that's not true, who/what will you believe?

 

[hedrick]

2 Tim 3:16 just says it's useful. That's not a very strong argument. ("God-breathed" is an absurd translation. It translates the roots, not the actual meaning of the word.)

 

[sawdust]

2 Tim 3:16 just says it's useful. That's not a very strong argument. ("God-breathed" is an absurd translation. It translates the roots, not the actual meaning of the word.)

His question wasn't how accurate the scriptures are but why we believed they are inspired by God. If you think "God breathed" doesn't mean inspired then why don't you inform us of it's meaning? Feel better if I use this version?

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

 

[hedrick]

His question wasn't how accurate the scriptures are but why we believed they are inspired by God. If you think "God breathed" doesn't mean inspired then why don't you inform us of it's meaning? Feel better if I use this version?

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

Yes, it means inspired. If that’s the only question, sure, Scripture is inspired by God. But there are very different ideas of what that means. In this case, I’m sure the author had faith in Christ, and that inspired him. But it led him to claim to be someone he wasn’t, and to give an absurd exegesis of Gen 2. Other books had stronger modes of inspiration.

 

[sawdust]

Yes, it means inspired. If that’s the only question, sure, Scripture is inspired by God. But there are very different ideas of what that means. In this case, I’m sure the author had faith in Christ, and that inspired him. But it led him to claim to be someone he wasn’t, and to give an absurd exegesis of Gen 2. Other books had stronger modes of inspiration.

I'm afraid I'm not following. I don't understand who you are talking about who gave an absurd exegesis of Gen. 2?

The question was asked:

Why do Christians believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God?

I responded "because the Bible says it is inspired". You might have other reasons as to why you believe the Bible is the inspired word of God and that's fine, but I'm not following what you are arguing here.

 

[hedrick]

I'm afraid I'm not following. I don't understand who you are talking about who gave an absurd exegesis of Gen. 2?

Sorry, I was way too brief. I'm thinking of 1 Tim 2:13-15.

 

[ViaCrucis]

Why do Christians believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God?

Because this is how the Christian Church has always spoken of the Scriptures. St. Paul in his letter to St. Timothy says "all Scripture is divinely inspired". While it is true that, when Paul said this, there wasn't a New Testament yet and it can be argued that there was not a formal Old Testament yet either; it is nevertheless true that Scripture, so understood as such, is inspired of God and therefore useful for the purpose of correction, instruction, rebuke, etc. St. Peter, likewise, states that in the case of the prophets, they did not merely speak their opinions, but rather they were carried by the Holy Spirit to speak what God wanted them to speak.

At the heart of all of this is Jesus Christ. Because it is Christ Himself who is the Eternal Logos, the very Word of God Himself; and all Scripture is about Jesus Christ. It is therefore Christ Himself who makes Scripture the word of God.

St. Augustine wrote that all Scripture contains but a single Utterance, and that single Utterance of all Holy Scripture is Jesus Christ Himself.

Martin Luther wrote that we believe the Scriptures for Christ's sake, not the other way around. That is, the Bible isn't an end unto itself, rather the Bible points to Christ and so the Scriptures are to be believed and trusted because they are the faithful word which always points to Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith.

So the Church has, from the beginning, inherited the Scriptures for they proclaim Christ. And as the Canon evolved and developed within the Church as the Church confessed and believed Christ, so have the Scriptures become our unyielding and uncompromising confession of Christ. The Scriptures are not merely the words of men, but are, because of Christ, the very true and holy word of God which is for us, that we might daily drink from them for our refreshment, that we might meditate upon them day and night and be comforted by what they say, to be instructed and corrected and rebuked by God's commandments, and soothed and comforted and have our consciences cleansed with the Gospel. That in all things Christ is made first, chief, He is the glory of all things.

The Bible is about Jesus, it contains Jesus Christ for us, it is therefore God's word. Inspired, infallible, enduring, never ceasing, never ailing, always faithful, always true.

-CryptoLutheran

 

[concretecamper]

Why do Christians believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God?

Great question.

1. The Bible is not self authenticating.
2. The Bible itself doesn't contain a list of books.

All Christians accept the Bible as inspired because His Church declared it.

 

[concretecamper]

2 Timothy 3:16
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness,

Let's post the verse right before this one.

3:15 And because from thy infancy thou hast known the holy scriptures which can instruct thee to salvation by the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

The scripture Timothy knew from his infancy is the Tanahk. This verse DOES NOT refer to the Bible.

 

[Bob Crowley]

Being Catholic I went looking for a Catholic explanation. A couple of examples are shown below.

Proving Inspiration

Is the Bible the sole authoritative source of religious truth? This is a Protestant teaching, but it can't be found in the Bible.

www.catholic.com

“Ask a Priest: Why Do We Accept Scripture as Divinely Inspired?” - RC Spirituality

Q: Why do we as Catholics believe that the letters and writings found in the Bible are divinely inspired? Clearly...

rcspirituality.org

The Bible didn't fall out of the sky. The church determined which books would form the Biblical canon, and they included what might be called the Jewish Scriptures or the Old Testament as we know it (with some rearrangement).

In the end we depend on the teaching authority of the church for a declaration of the Bible's inspiration.

As to exactly how God inspired it I'm afraid you'll have to ask God. Some parts of the Bible are downright boring eg. the long lists of genealogies in Leviticus for example. Who cares? I sure don't.

 

[sawdust]

Let's post the verse right before this one.

3:15 And because from thy infancy thou hast known the holy scriptures which can instruct thee to salvation by the faith which is in Christ Jesus.

The scripture Timothy knew from his infancy is the Tanahk. This verse DOES NOT refer to the Bible.

So who inspired the New Testament?

 

[concretecamper]

So who inspired the New Testament?

Irrelevant to my statement. Paul was referring to the Tanahk.

So, care to either agree or disagree with my statement you quoted?

 

[sawdust]

Irrelevant to my statement. Paul was referring to the Tanahk.

So, care to either agree or disagree with my statement you quoted?

I agree Paul most probably was thinking of the OT but I also know the word is prophetic so to include the NT testament writings in the body of inspiration is not outside the truth. Peter saw Paul's writings as Divinely inspired.

2 Peter 3:15&16
15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

 

[concretecamper]

I agree Paul most probably was thinking of the OT but I also know the word is prophetic so to include the NT testament writings in the body of inspiration is not outside the truth. Peter saw Paul's writings as Divinely inspired.

2 Peter 3:15&16
15 and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, 16 as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

So our first Pope held Paul's epistles in high esteem. That doesn't make Paul's epistles inspired.

The only chance that line of reasoning has is if you can prove 2 Peter is inspired text. Then you can make the leap that inspired text references Paul's epistles. And even then, that is a stretch at best.

 

[BBAS 64]

Good Day,

Being the very breath of God they are defacto inspired and authoritative ontologically.


Gregory of Nyssa:

"we make the Holy Scriptures the rule and the measure of every tenet; we necessarily fix our eyes upon that, and approve that alone which may be made to harmonize with the intention of those writings...And to those who are expert only in the technical methods of proof a mere demonstration suffices to convince; but as for ourselves, we were agreed that there is something more trustworthy than any of these artificial conclusions, namely, that which the teachings of Holy Scripture point to: and so I deem that it is necessary to inquire, in addition to what has been said, whether this inspired teaching harmonizes with it all. And who, she replied, could deny that truth is to be found only in that upon which the seal of Scriptural testimony is set?" - Macrina and Gregory of Nyssa (On the Soul and the Resurrection)


In Him

Bill

 

[BBAS 64]

Great question.

1. The Bible is not self authenticating.
2. The Bible itself doesn't contain a list of books.

All Christians accept the Bible as inspired because His Church declared it.

Good Day,

I really have to reject the name it claim it assertions of your denomination being His Church... good try on their part though many others sake the same claim.

The canon was known by God and he gave it to his people "the Church"

Now I understand that you denomination has it's own Canon, and the members look to and believe that the denomination has the authority to do so, because they claim it for themselves. I do not find their claims very useful, nor convincing. I do affirm that they have every right to do so, and understand that you believe what they tell you but I believe you have erred in doing so.

In Him

Bill