answersLogoWhite

0

A:It means that they Bible was written by men who were listening to God and writing down what he said. B:The Bible has two verses relevant to this question.
  1. 2 Peter 1:19, where it says that the Old Testament prophets spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
  2. 2 Timothy 3:16, where it says that all scripture is "God-breathed."

Both verses carry a similar message, but there is a subtle difference between them.

The passage in 2 Peter only talks about prophecies. Here the writer was convinced that these prophecies could only have been true if they came directly from God, which is a reasonable proposition.

The passage in 2 Timothy is more general. While it is possible to interpret this to mean that all of the Old Testament (which Paul was talking about here) was dictated by God, it also possible to interpret this to mean that "God-inspired" people wrote down what they knew, rather than God dictating the words they should write.

For the scriptures to be "God-breathed" suggests that Paul was teaching that the Old Testament was written by people who were inspired by the Holy Spirit (literally the "holy breath"). In this regard, we should be aware that Paul was not so interested in the literal words of scripture, but in the underlying meaning. This can be seen in the treatment of the story of Sarah and Hagar in Galatians 4:23-31, which is the antithesis of a literalistic interpretation. Therefore, he was not talking about the modern idea of "literal inspiration" but about the "inspired" nature of the work, and more specifically, about its message.

Some Christians demand that all Christians should accept the doctrine of the "literal inspiration" of the scriptures. However, those who argue this position should also bear in mind that Paul taught that "the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:6). It is the Spirit that leads us into the right way of living, as Paul said, "Those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their mind set on what the Spirit desires" (Romans 8:5).

We can learn what the Spirit requires by reading the Bible, but also by being open to the Spirit's leading.

Taking these two things together is the path to a Spirit-inspired life.

User Avatar

Wiki User

13y ago

What else can I help you with?

Related Questions

What was a title given to God because he inspired the Bible?

The title given to God because he inspired the Bible is "Divine Author" or "Holy Spirit." God is believed to have inspired the writers of the Bible, guiding them in the creation of the sacred text.


Name reasons why Christians respect the Bible?

Christians respect the Bible because it is the inspired word of God.


Who inspired The Bible?

The Holy Bible was written by men of this earth. It was inspired by the Holy Spirit which is the third person of the Holy Trinity.


Was the Bible a title given to God?

No, The Bible is the inspired word of God. Meaning , God inspired the writers to write what they did. In other words, it is God spreaking to you when you read the Bible.


Who inspired the books of the bible?

jesus


What would be different if the Bible were not inspired?

If the Bible is inspired - then that's how it is. We believe it is inspired - none of the authors have said that they were inspired - that came later, and from other people. If the Bible is not inspired, we wouldn't know. So, nothing would be different.... with the actual book itself What "might" be different is how people regard the book. As it is, many people don't believe the bible to be inspired - and some of them disregard the book, others of them just look on it as a book containing incredible wisdom and life-advice.


What title given to god because he inspired bible?

God is the author of The Bible.


How do you know Isaiah was married to Rebekah?

isaiah was not married to rebekah ,her husband was isaac and if that is what you mean in your question that is because it is in the Bible an inspired book


Was Narnia inspired by The Bible?

no! that's silly


How was Jesus determined?

He read the bible, and was inspired.


What is The Bible composed of?

The bible is composed of 63 books (Christian bible not catholic) and each are inspired by God


What does it mean that the Bible was inspired?

AnswerIt is claimed that, if the Bible was not actually written by god himself, at least its authors were inspired by God to write exactly what he wanted them to write. The difficulties with this are outlined by Raymond E Brown who, commenting on the gospels, says, "Inspiration does not guarantee historicity or reconcilability; otherwise God should have inspired the two evangelists to give us the same record."