Inspiration Job 32:8 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

What is inspiration?  Inspiration is God telling you what the scriptures say so that you can understand them.

Many scholars have defined “inspiration” as God telling the authors what to write back when the original books and letters were written.  They’ll say, “We believe that God inspired the originals,” or “We believe that God inspired the original authors.”  But they won’t say, “We believe that God inspired the translators of a particular translation.”

They define “inspiration” as pertaining to the authorship of the originals.  But the problem with limiting inspiration to the autographs is that we don’t have the originals today.  They don’t exist.  So, many preachers and scholars who believe that the originals were “inspired,” don’t believe that we have the words of God in any translation today.  Because they don’t believe God’s words are in writing today, they often talk you out of your faith in the words you have in your Bible today.

By their definition, you are left to trust them, other scholars and a conglomeration of modern translations to understand what God “originally” said, or meant to say, since the originals do not exist today and since, per them, no translation is God’s word.  Now that’s a problem, because you don’t know who to trust.

In truth, inspiration is not God telling men what to write.  We cannot find one time where God telling the authors what to write is called “inspiration.”  That’s because the word inspiration is not about “dictation” or anything like that.  The word inspiration is about understanding (Job 32:8).

We can find examples of God telling men what to write and we believe that the men certainly wrote God’s words.  There is no doubt about it.  For example, He said to the following men, “Write.”

• Moses in Ex. 34:27. “And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words…”
• Moses in Deut. 31:19. “Now therefore write ye this song for you…; Deut. 31:22 “Moses therefore wrote this song the same day…”
• Isaiah in Is. 30:8. “Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever.”
• Jeremiah in Jer. 30:2. “Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book.”
• Habakkuk in Hab. 2:2. “And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.”

The question, then, pertaining to “inspiration” is not a question concerning authorship.  The question of authorship was settled by God.  We have God’s words: Deut 8:3; Matt. 4:4; Jn. 14:23; Jn. 12:48; Ps. 12:6-7; Matt. 24:35; etc.

Rather, the question of “inspiration” is a question regarding the understanding, profitability, and interpretation of scripture.  Let’s see exactly what the Bible has to say about inspiration.

2 Tim 3:16 says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.”  This verse doesn’t say, “All scripture was given…” It says, “All scripture IS GIVEN…”  That’s because the Holy Spirit’s work in inspiration is to give you the scripture so that it will be profitable for the four things God uses to perfect and furnish you: doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness.

Job 32:8 says, “But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.”  You see, inspiration is about understanding, not authorship.  Inspiration is the Holy Spirit giving you the proper understanding of the scriptures.  Therefore, an unsaved man can’t understand the scriptures because he doesn’t have the Holy Spirit and the natural man cannot receive the things of the Spirit of God.  A saved man will misunderstand the scriptures when he doesn’t rely upon the inspiration of the Almighty (1 Cor. 2:10-16).

Therefore, not everyone who goes to the scripture for doctrine comes away with the correct doctrine.  How many people do you know that have botched the scripture by private interpretation and are now literally on their way to hell?  They used the Bible to prove their doctrine but they came up with a heresy.  I have books full of these heresies in my library and they all quote the Bible to “prove” their false doctrine.

They have no understanding of the truth because the Holy Spirit didn’t give the scripture to them by inspiration.  All heretics can point to the Bible to prove that they are right.  But they have simply violated the scripture by private interpretation (2 Pet. 1:20-21) and have rejected the inspiration of God.

Remember, the Holy Spirit came to “guide you into all truth,” (Jn. 16:13) and to “teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance,” (Jn. 14:26).  The Holy Spirit does this work by “inspiration.”  Therefore, when a preacher, teacher, or friend tells you that you need a modern Bible, or a modern scholar, or a better translation, or one of their trained teachers, or their commentaries to help you understand God’s words, don’t pay any attention to them.

Conclusion: You need scripture (found in a King James Bible) and the Holy Spirit because “the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.”  Prayerfully consider what you are reading in the Bible.  Trust the Holy Spirit to guide you and teach you.  Read all the scripture.  Study the passages by comparing them with each other.  Take your time and learn as the Lord teaches you.  Approach the scripture with a humble mind and a believing heart.  And beware of men!