The Holy Bible is God Inspired.

 

This is a basic Christian doctrine, not a doctrine of non-believers. I think it is necessary to state this fact at the beginning. To the one who chooses to believe that there is no God, it cannot be shown that the Bible is God inspired. This is not because there is a lack of supernatural and natural evidence for its authenticity, but because God has allowed us to choose to refuse to believe.
This is only generally speaking, and there are numerous exceptions. God can and does reveal own his presence, and the authenticity of his written word, how and when he chooses. Often, he does it quite forceably, over the objections of an individual. But, if and until that happens, it is true that we can choose to refuse to believe.
Many others choose to approach the subject with a more open and receptive attitude. Of these, some are perhaps too undiscerning, and accept too much of what they are told without adequate study and common logic. They "choose to believe", but their faith may be easily shaken and may not be firmly grounded. Another type of person is also open and receptive, and careful not to dismiss testimony and evidence before it is carefully examined. This person tries to avoid a hostile and challenging stance, and listen carefully to see if this is indeed the voice of their Creator.
That said, it is apparent that this article must speak to many different kinds of people, with many different states of mind and varying opinions about the Bible. Therefore, it makes sense to approach the subject by first explaining the phenomenon of "choosing to disbelieve" the authenticity of the Bible. This will prepare the way so the subject of Biblical inspiration can be more thoroughly explored.
As an example, if someone who enjoys excursions into extremely radical thought believes that I, John Davis, am a mere figment of their own imagination, they would be able to find ample argument to deny my existence. However, since I am "self-aware," I know that I exist... "Cogito, ergo sum," or, "I think, therefore I am" (Descartes), that is, I know, myself, that I am not a figment of his imagination. But, if he is convinced that he is right in his mis-perception, he can choose to remain ignorant of the truth. He can choose to refuse to consider seriously, honestly, and sincerely the other alternatives to his own pre-established and cherished theory that I am a figment of his imagination!
I use this example to illustrate that the "person who knows", and knows that he knows, may be quite unconvincing to the one who insists and persists in believing a fallacy. You may be a very reliable witness to an absolute fact, but if someone else believes that same fact to be outlandish and improbable, then their prejudice and bias will prove to be a daunting obstacle to their ever receiving the truth concerning that fact.
As an interesting aside to this example, it is enlightening to consider how much that the unbeliever accepts on faith on the one hand, while, on the other hand and at the same time, rejects the concept of Christian faith as "blind faith." (Which it is not, by the way.)
For example, not very many of us have been to Timbuktu. But, we accept the fact that Timbuktu exists because we have read or heard about it from people who have been there. Actually, we have probably accepted Timbuktu as a factual place from mere hearsay , or second, third, fourth, or fifth-hand evidence...sources, such as books, movies and other accounts written by those who have never been to Timbuktu, but believe (have faith) that it is an actual place.
Worse than that, we do not personally know the reliability and truthfulness of the people that profess to know that Timbuktu exists. We cannot prove, short of going to Timbuktu and checking it out, that the "evidence" about the existence of Timbuktu is not a lie, and is not rather a vast conspiracy constructed by evil people trying to deceive us into thinking that far off and exotic places exist, so they can write about them and earn a good living by their deceitfulness. This is a far-out example, but it illustrates my point.
It is interesting to note how much we rely on the word of people we do not know to teach us things about facts we can not verify by personal observation. This information may come from physics professors, statisticians, newscasters, theorists of various disciplines, geologists, astronomers, medical doctors, and so forth. We read or hear something, we accept it as fact, we may even alter our life-style to conform to what we have been told, and then we find out some years later that what we accepted is not true, and then we accept something else just as unreliable to take its place, and on and on it goes.
We all tend to accept much of what is presented as fact at face value.
We grasp at weight-loss fads and fallacies that lead to the avoidance of healthful foods, and extreme over-indulgence in other foods that later prove harmful to the health.
We jump on various food band-wagons. We avoid certain foods that certain "expert" dieticians and medical doctors insist are not good for us, even though the "facts" are often disputed by other "experts" who are equally as well educated and informed.
We extol and pursue the virtues of certain regimens of exercise that are supposed to benefit us, and that later prove to be damaging to many of us. How many older people's hip joints, knees, and ankles, are still paying for "jogging", a highly-touted exercise fad that was in full swing not long ago. How many of us grew up doing "military-style" push-ups and set-ups in physical ed classes, only to learn much later that these exercises are damaging to the back?
Then we fall for the latest "truth" all over again, when new "proof" or "evidence" comes along to convince our ever-trusting minds of some new and wonderful "fact".
And yet, many remain unwilling to accept any first-hand evidence of spiritual matters from people who have witnessed the truth by personal experience, from countless witnesses who have "been there," so to speak. They quickly dismiss the testimony of people they know to be sincere and truthful in all other regards. This is what I mean by choosing to disbelieve.
 We have the freedom, unless God's purpose is otherwise, to choose to believe, or disbelieve, evidence. The difference with spiritual truth is that God has agreed to give it to those who are willing to seek it and live by it. God has the ability to give first-hand evidence of truth. In fact, that is the only way you are going to know spiritual truth. You are not allowed to "dig it out" by hard study and intellectual pursuit. It is privileged information, so to speak, but you may decide, God willing, to receive it when you receive it. (I say " when you receive it", because it is my personal belief that God's truth will be known by all, eventually. I believe that we can make it easier or harder, and that if we insist on making it harder our lives will be empty of real meaning for much too long, and the road that we travel will be unnecessarily difficult and sorrowful.)
God can put you in a place where you can see it, feel it, sense it and observe it, intellectually as well as spiritually. "If any man is willing to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself" (Jesus, as recorded in John 7:17) It is critical to understand this. It is the one who seeks God's will who will be given truth. Truth is spiritual, and God must give it. God will not give truth to his professed enemies. He likens this in his word to "throwing pearls before swine" to be gobbled up and destroyed (Matthew 7:6). For those who do not desire to know and live by truth, there will remain a "way out", a path to unbelief. The Bible itself speaks of people "falling because of unbelief," even in the face of overwhelming evidence. Witness the Israelites in the wilderness.
For those who would honestly seek to know if the Bible is God-inspired, they will find the answer. God will see to it. When the evidence is weighed, the Bible is indeed able to stand up to the most well-studied criticisms. I would recommend reading some of the good books that have been written, or, visiting some of the Internet sites that cover the subject. I will here recommend to the sincere seeker the volumes 1 and 2 by Josh McDowell entitled, Evidence That Demands a Verdict. Mr. McDowell covers the subject in great detail, using information from a great variety of resources. If you also decide to read the bibliographical sources of the information in these two books, you will undoubtedly have before you many years of stimulating and revealing studies.
For the sincere, but doubting and unsure seeker of truth in a confusing world of conflicting claims and counter-claims, these books offer a good beginning to establishing probable cause regarding the issue of whether or not the claims of Christianity, and the Bible, are true. From there God will lead you on to the understanding you seek.
For the Christian, studies of this type help us to "...be ready to give an answer to every person that asks you for a reason of the hope that is in you...." (1 Peter 3:15).
Another fact that we must know is that a good understanding of spiritual truth, whether it is a small, beginning understanding, or a more mature and complete understanding, is the property of believers. It is given to those who ask, and are willing to do whatever the truth requires of them. Truth is life-changing and life-saving. It is not given to the one who intends to trample on it. Thus is the truth of the word, the Bible.
But, the main thing to remember is this: truth is given, not taken. No amount of study on our part will reveal the truth of the word unless it is God that is revealing it to us. The Bible itself records that the people of God, his spiritual sons and daughters, have known this to be so since ancient times. David, in Psalm 119:144, wrote, "The righteousness of your testimonies is everlasting, give me understanding and I shall live." Paul, the apostle, wrote to Timothy, the evangelist, "Consider what I say, and may the Lord give you understanding in all things" (2 Timothy 2:7).
Some people seek a complete knowledge of God without faith. Since spiritual things are spiritually discerned, there are things that are withheld from the unbeliever by his unbelief... "But the natural man receives not the things of God, for they are foolishness unto him, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned "(1 Corinthians 2:14) Also, in Jesus' own words: "In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, 'I thank you, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hid these things from the wise and prudent, and have revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in your eyes. All things are delivered to me by my Father, and no man knows who the Son is but the Father, and who the Father is but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him" (Luke 10:21-22).
God has nothing against the wise and prudent. He is saying here that it is God, and only God, who reveals spiritual truth, and he is saying that he reveals it to "babes" rather than to further the knowledge of the naturally wise and prudent. He is saying that they cannot find truth by the mere exercise of their own wisdom, but that the unlearned and naive can understand truth, if God reveals it. It is entirely within God's power and God's will to give or to withhold truth, and not in our power to take to ourselves truth apart from his revealing it.
Those who take undue pride in human intellect chafe at the proposition that they are unable to discern this kind of knowledge by intense intellectual effort. It is our nature to become very proud of our ability to devise grand theories and deep philosophical formulas. Yet Jesus said we must become as little children, teachable and humble (Mark 10:14-15; Matthew 19:14; 18:3). "But he gives more grace. For this reason he says, 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble," (James 4:6)
Satan's lure to Eve was the discovery of knowledge apart from God (Genesis 3:1-6). Philosophy means "love of wisdom." God encourages us to get wisdom, but then he lets us know that he is the only source of true wisdom. ("Trust in the Lord with all you heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all you ways acknowledge him and he will direct your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes. Fear the Lord, and depart from evil." - Proverbs 3:5-7)
The unbelieving person with a philosophical bent can be gravely offended that there is esoteric knowledge that cannot be ferreted out by cerebral sleuthing. The crowning insult is that this knowledge can be possessed by others of less mental capacity and little secular achievement.
God does not respond to the arrogance borne of the worship of one's own intellect. The erroneous belief that some alternate, human-devised, philosophical way exists to second-guess and gainsay the revelations of God was instrumental in the first sin of mankind in the garden of Eden, and the same error still persists today.
However, God is good and just. He speaks to mankind when mankind is ready to listen. There are countless ones who have heard his voice, and bear witness to the truth. It is through the Bible that the truth is revealed, and it is through the Bible that the Christian is fed the bread of life. The Bible also speaks about its own authority.
For the comfort of the believer, and for a beginning study for the seeker of truth, I offer the following scriptures:

 

(Please click on any of the highlighted boxes ( ) below to go to the in-depth study of each statement.)

The Bible: A Message of Salvation The Holy Bible contains all the truth necessary for salvation.
God is Greater than Bible Translators Different translations of the Bible, and various interpretations of scripture and doctrine, may contain errors, but in all major translations the errors are not a barrier to salvation.
Salvation by the Grace of God Salvation is by grace, a gift from God.
Jesus Works in and Through His Church Christian works are the acts of Jesus dwelling in us.
The Church is the Body of Christ Jesus lives in the members of the church, and the church is his body in this age.
All Commit Sin - Even Christians Everyone sins and breaks the spiritual law, even Christians.
Fulfilling the Spiritual Law of Love To love God and to love our neighbor is the fulfillment of all spiritual law.
God's Infinite Mercy God's forgiveness is ongoing and limitless, and available to all who truly accept Jesus Christ as their personal savior.
God Will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You God will never leave us, nor forsake us.

 

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