Verbal Plenary Inspiration
The doctrine of the authority of the Bible is often described with the phrase “Verbal Plenary Inspiration.” What does this phrase mean? What are Christians talking about when they speak of the verbal plenary inspiration of Scripture?
1. Verbal Means Every Word Verbal inspiration means that every word of Scripture is God-given. The idea is that every single word in the Bible is there because God wanted it there. There are no exceptions.
2. Plenary Means Fully Authoritative Plenary means that “all parts” of the Bible are divinely authoritative. This includes such things as the genealogies of the Old Testament. All parts of the Bible are of Divine origin.
Jesus said the following of the Old Testament: It is easier for heaven and earth to disappear than for the least stroke of a pen to drop out of the Law. Luke 16:17
Paul testified to the church at Rome that the entire Old Testament was written for our instruction: For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. Romans 15:4
3. Inspiration Means That God Guided the Process
The idea behind the word inspiration is that God supernaturally guided the biblical authors to write the exact things that He wanted expressed. The result is Holy Scripture.
Therefore, the phrase “verbal plenary inspiration” means that all parts of the Bible, as well as every Word of the Bible, says exactly what God wanted said. He guided the entire process so that the end result would be His Words.
This means that we don’t have to wonder what parts of the Bible are of human origin, and what parts are from God. Each word is from the Lord. And though some of those words might be in the form of history, some of prophecy, some of metaphor or allegory, they are ALL from the Lord.
The Bible stresses that every part of Scripture is inspired. Psalm 119:160 states, “All your words are true; all your righteous laws are eternal” (emphasis added).
2 Timothy 3:16 tells us, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
Interestingly, our English word “inspire” also means “to breathe in.” It comes from the Latin root “inspirare,” meaning “to breathe or blow into.” This gives us a look into what we mean when we say the Bible was inspired by God.
The word translated here as “God-breathed” is “theopneustos,” from the Greek “theós,” meaning God, and “pnéō,” meaning “breathe out.” It’s likely that Paul coined this term himself to convey his meaning. The idea here is of God breathing out Scripture into being.
When we say the Bible is inspired, we mean it was breathed out by God. He didn’t just give the writers inspiration how we might say we were inspired by a sunset to write a poem, or by literature to paint a picture. The inspiration of Scripture doesn’t mean God simply spurred the writers on toward writing it. It literally means that God supernaturally guided the precise words.
The original manuscripts of Scripture are of course perfectly inspired and fit the idea of verbal plenary inspiration. However, most of us don’t know how to read Greek or Hebrew. So, does verbal plenary inspiration apply to the Bibles we read today, thousands of years later, translated into our native languages?
Our Bible translations, ARE reliable if translated by the “Word for Word method” and from the original manuscripts and not from mutated copies. An enormous amount of scholarship and prayer went into these translations, but some translation work will inevitably be a matter of interpretation, trying to find the best words in our language to convey the meaning of the original. Not all translations have been created in this manner.
Verbal plenary inspiration gives us assurance. We can always return to the absolute truth of the Bible. We may be uncertain about how we feel God leading in specific areas of our life, but we can always compare our thoughts, actions, and feelings to the absolute of the Bible
The Bible is a unique gift that God gave to His people. Through it, He speaks clearly to us. We, as humans, are able to return to the text to learn exactly what the God of the universe wants us to know.
It is also important for us to know about verbal plenary inspiration since the Bible covers so many diverse topics, is written by so many authors, and was written in so many different styles. We might be tempted to pick and choose what parts of the Bible to believe, but we can’t do this! The Word of God has authority over us. We do not have authority over it!
Deuteronomy 4:2 says, “Do not add to what I command you and do not subtract from it, but keep the commands of the Lord your God that I give you.”
Revelation 22:18-19 adds, “I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.”