Biblical Inspiration

Definition and Meaning

Biblical inspiration is the teaching that although the Bible was written by human hands, its writing took place under the inspiration and guidance of God's Holy Spirit. Most Protestants regard this doctrine as the basis for the Bible's authority as the standard for faith and life.

There are several views on the mode and extent of inspiration:

• Verbal inspiration: holds that inspiration extends to every individual word.
• Plenary inspiration: holds that the whole of Scripture, not merely parts of it, is inspired.
• Organic inspiration: holds that the Holy Spirit made use of the writers' own personalities, styles, knowledge, and research into sources.
• Mechanical inspiration: holds that the writers merely took dictation. Few Protestant theologians today hold this view.

The doctrine is often treated together with biblical inerrancy. However, one's understanding of the extent of inspiration also shapes one's understanding of the extent of inerrancy.

Biblical and Historical Background

The passage most often cited is 2 Timothy 3:16: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God." The phrase "given by inspiration of God" translates the Greek theopneustos, meaning "God-breathed." 2 Peter 1:20–21 likewise states that prophecy came as "holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." In Luke 1:1–4 the writer states that he carefully investigated his sources before writing, and the passage is therefore cited in discussions of the human process by which Scripture was written, such as the Synoptic Problem.

Since the Reformation, Protestantism has placed the authority of Scripture at the center of faith. The first chapter of the Westminster Confession of Faith confesses Scripture to be the Word of God given by inspiration of God. As historical-critical scholarship spread from the nineteenth century onward, fundamentalist and evangelical circles emphasized verbal and plenary inspiration, while liberal theology placed greater emphasis on the human and historical character of the Bible. Karl Barth taught that Scripture bears witness to the Word of God and becomes the Word through the work of the Holy Spirit.

In the Korean Church

In Korean Presbyterianism, the question of inspiration is closely bound up with denominational divisions. In the 1930s, the authorship of the Pentateuch is reported to have been taken up by the Presbyterian General Assembly. In the early 1950s, controversy over the view of Scripture held by Kim Chae-jun led to the separation of the Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea in 1953.

Denominations differ in emphasis as follows:

• The Presbyterian Church in Korea (HapDong), the Presbyterian Church in Korea (Kosin), and others have, since Park Hyung-ryong, strongly confessed verbal and plenary inspiration and inerrancy.
• The Presbyterian Church of Korea (TongHap) also confesses inspiration but is regarded as relatively more open to historical-critical scholarship in biblical interpretation.
• The Presbyterian Church in the Republic of Korea tends to combine an understanding of the Bible as a book bearing witness to Christ with acceptance of critical scholarship.
• Methodists, following the tradition of Wesleyan theology, hold Scripture to be the primary standard of faith. Their approach to interpretation is also described as taking tradition, reason, and experience into account.
• Pentecostal groups emphasize, alongside inspiration, "illumination," by which the Holy Spirit grants understanding to those who read the Bible today.

Ordinary church members commonly encounter the confession that "the Bible is the Word given by inspiration of God" in sermons and Bible studies. Detailed theories about the mode of inspiration are addressed mainly in seminary education.