I received this question not long ago and thought it deserved some attention…

“Were the authors of the Bible actually inspired directly by God or were they just “motivated” by things around them, or by a desire to make sense of the world by connecting their readers to a Higher Being?”

The question basically boils down to the meaning of the word “inspiration.” On the one hand, it’s perfectly acceptable to say “Shakespeare was inspired.” He was. He was inspired by the War of the Roses in his writings (notably “Henry V”). David Bowie was inspired by “Over the Rainbow” when he wrote the song “Starman.” Lots of people take inspiration from other things when they create art. To that end, someone might conclude that the writings of the Bible were inspired, not in a miraculous way, but in a Shakespearean way.

Is that so? No.

David said: “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me and His word was on my tongue” (2 Samuel 23:2). Paul said that the things which he spoke did not come by the wisdom of men, but by way of the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 2:13).  The Holy Spirit is the author of the Bible; the men who put pen to paper were merely the instruments through which He delivered His message. That doesn’t mean the writers of the Bible walked around, 24/7, under the inspiration of God. It just means that, when God willed it, He moved them to write on His behalf. He inspired them to speak or write His word.

On that point, someone might wonder if there’s a difference between written inspiration and verbal inspiration. In other words, David says God “spoke” through Him. Paul talked about the things he “spoke.” What about writing? Does the Bible specifically say it was WRITTEN by inspiration? It absolutely does. Jeremiah was told to write down the things which God delivered to Him (Jeremiah 30:2). Paul offers the clearest answer to the question…

All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 

(2 Timothy 2:16)

All Scripture (that’s the written-down texts) is given by inspiration, not inspired current events, per se, nor of interesting moments in history, but by the inspiration of God. The Lord sifted through the minds of the writers, drawing from their experiences, and selecting from their vocabularies what words He wanted written down.

The Bible is not just inspired; it is INSPIRED.

~Matthew