The Bible plainly makes the claim of being inspired of God. But to what extent does the Bible claim inspiration? If one were to look up the word 'inspired' in an Dictionary, you would find definitions such as, 'any stimulus to creative thought or action, an inspired idea, being inspired mentally or emotionally'. Most religious people and even some non-religious would probably agree with the above verse. The problem is that not everyone has the same idea as to what 'inspired of God' means. Therefore, let us look at some misconceptions concerning how the Scriptures are inspired of God.

I. Liberal or Modernist Views:

Views that have been placed in this category would consider the biblical writers inspired only in the sense that from time to time their natural religious insight and genius ( great natural ability, mental capacity, creative talent, or inventive ability.) were deepened and heightened to discover 'divine truths' for their own day. The Bible itself, is only a kind of religious scratch pad of the scribes. The emphasis of the views in this category are upon mans discovery of 'divine truth' and not upon God's disclosure of divine truth. It is human intuition rather than divine revelation.

A. It assumes that man is the most active agent in the process of the Bible's development.

The Bible presents a very different picture. Instead of man actively seeking the secrets of Divine Truth, the Bible presents God actively seeking mankind to reveal His will unto them. (Hebrews 1:1)

B. The Scriptures are not the product of 'human creative thought' or 'man stumbling upon divine truth' or 'the human mind stretching itself to discover divine truths' (2 Peter 1:20-21).

Those that recorded the Scriptures were not moved by 'their own religious insight or natural abilities'; but rather by the Holy Spirit. Such men did not even fully comprehend the full impact of their message. (1 Peter 1:10-12)

C. Man Centered:

Many false views of inspiration make human reason or intuition the final judge of determining which part of the Bible is truth (God's Word) and which part is error (misconceptions of the writer). These views eventually have man determining where God is actually speaking in the Bible. Man is granted power over the Bible rather than taking a place under it. All such views have lost sight of the purpose for the Bible in the first place. Why did God have to communicate to mankind? Because man cannot find the truth on the basis of his own human wisdom! (Proverbs 16:25; Jeremiah 10:23; 1 Corinthians 1:21;1 CORINTHIANS 2:9 'THINGS WHICH EYE SAW NOT, AND HEARD NOT, AND WHICH ENTERED NOT INTO THE HEART OF MAN..' -'and no human heart ever conceived' (Nor) 'things beyond our hearing, things beyond our imagining' (NEB)

III. Neo-Orthodox Views:

A. THE EXISTENTIAL VIEW: Karl Barth, a German theologian had embraced the misconception that the Bible was filled with errors, even in the original autographs, and yet he still wanted to believe that the Bible was the word of God. His solution was that the Bible 'becomes the word of God'. In this 'existential experience, or crisis encounter', the meaningless ink blots on the pages leap from the Bible to speak to man concretely and meaningfully. At this 'moment of meaning', the Bible becomes the Word of God to the individual.

1. It is based on the misconception that the Bible contains error. Psalm 119:151; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:23 'incorruptible'-not liable to corruption or decay. 1:23 'abideth'-not to perish, to last, stand, remain, persist. Here is the promise of God to preserve His Word for all generations. Man and his accomplishments will fall by the wayside, but the Word of God is more enduring than man himself.

(2) EVENTUALLY ANY THEORY OF INSPIRATION MUST CONFRONT JESUS' OWN VIEW OF THE SCRIPTURES.

(a) Jesus considered the Old Testament and New Testament to be the Word of God in written form (John 17:17; 16:13).

(b) Jesus understood that His apostles would not be depending upon their own fallible memories as the New Testament was being preached and complied. (John 14:26)

(c) Jesus understood that His words, the very words that He spoke while upon this earth would outlast the creation. (Matthew 24:35) They would not become lost, corrupted, or forgotten.

(d) Jesus viewed the smallest details in the Law (O.T.) as having religious significance. Matthew 5:18 '..one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished'. 'Jot'-iota, the tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet; 'Tittle'-the apex of a Hebrew letter (like the dot of an i or the cross of a t). Jesus considered the "Law" (O.T.) that was in existence in His day was still the Word of God, and therefore 'in force and binding' upon the Jewish people right down to the smallest letter and mark of punctuation. Clearly, Jesus had absolute confidence in the Scriptures. He argued from them, quoted them often, answered arguments from them, and constantly appealed to them. Over and over Jesus will say, 'It is written'.

(e) Jesus considered the O.T. Scriptures to be the Word of God, even if people rejected them. Matthew 22:31 '..HAVE YE NOT READ THAT WHICH WAS SPOKEN UNTO BY GOD' (then He quotes from Exodus 3:5). The Sadducess had never really fully understood the full significance of 'I am the God of...'; and yet that didn't make Exodus 3:5 any less inspired. What makes something the word of God is not some 'experience' man has when he reads it, but that God said it in the first place! (See also John 12:48-49; 5:46-47).

IV. The Demythologizing View:

Is the view that the Bible must be stripped of culture in order to get to the core of truth. It must be divested of religious myth in order to get at the real message and one must look through and beyond the historical record with all its myth and error.

A. 'Myth' is what you encounter when you depart from the Bible-2 Tim. 4:2-4

B. It is interesting to note, that the events in the O.T. that many religious and learned men and women consider today as myth; Jesus considered them 'real'. Jesus believed in: The Flood of Noah-Matt. 24:37-39; The existence and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah-Matt. 11:23-24 'IT WOULD HAVE REMAINED UNTIL THIS DAY'. Jonah in the belly of the fish-Matt. 12:39-41; the fate of Lot's wife -Luke 17:32; the Burning Bush incident-Matt. 22:32; the 'truthfulness' of Genesis chapters 1 and 2-Matthew 19:4ff. WELL, WHO SHOULD BE BELIEVE?

V. The Inspired Concept View:

Some have suggested that it is not the words but the thoughts and ideas that God inspired. To them, God gave the thought and the prophet was free to record it in his own words. Sometimes this is called 'Dynamic Inspiration'.

A. Jesus made arguments from Scripture based upon the 'tense' of a word. (Matthew 22:32 'I am of the God of'). The whole argument was based on how God addressed His present relationship to men long dead.

B. Paul based a whole argument upon whether a word was plural or singular. (Galatians 3:16 'and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ'

C. 1 Corinthians 2:13 'not in words which man's wisdom teacheth'-one class of words was eliminated in the inspiration process-i.e. those words that offer man's explanation..BUT WORDS WERE GIVEN IN THE REVELATION/INSPIRATION PROCESS..'but which the Spirit teacheth'. Spiritual truth was revealed, ALONG WITH THE CORRECT WORDS TO EXPRESS IT.