God Breathed

The Chicago Gathering: October 26, 1978

A remarkable gathering of minds met in Chicago on October 26, 1978. For three days, they met, studied, prayed, and deliberated—268 participants, including representatives from thirty-four seminaries, thirty-three colleges, forty-one churches, and thirty-eight Christian denominations. They gathered to address a critical topic: the inerrancy of Scripture.

The 1960s were a time of crisis in the church, one that centered on the doctrine of the authority of Scripture. Among many Baptists, Lutherans, and Presbyterians, there was a drift away from the position of inerrancy, which states that the Bible is without error. This drift threatened to untether the church from her moorings and move her out from under her authority in life and worship. The implications of moving away from the inerrancy of the Bible are vast. Therefore, these theologians, pastors, and missionaries gathered in Chicago to define inerrancy and to make a statement warning of the dangers of drifting from it.

The authority of Scripture is a key issue for the Christian church in this and every age. Those who profess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior are called to show the reality of their discipleship by humbly and faithfully obeying God’s written Word. To stray from Scripture in faith or conduct is disloyalty to our Master. Recognition of the total truth and trustworthiness of Holy Scripture is essential to a full grasp and adequate confession of its authority.

Paul’s Final Charge

Paul is on his fourth missionary journey. He is in jail in Rome, writing to Timothy, his "son in the faith," who is still in Ephesus serving as one of the pastors of the church. Timothy is facing much controversy, and Paul is writing to encourage him to remain steadfast. As he continues to advance the gospel work in the area, Paul encourages and commands him to stay true to the Scriptures because they are the source of wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

Paul encourages him to "rightly divide the word of truth." Since Paul was a tentmaker, the word he uses for "divide" (orthotomeō) actually means "to cut straight" or "to cut equally." Paul is encouraging Timothy to stay true to the Word because many people will come teaching falsely—always learning but never coming to the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Paul commands Timothy to stay true to the preaching of the Gospel and the good news of Jesus Christ. He charges Timothy to preach the Word in good times and in bad; to preach the Word and stay true to the biblical text whether it is what people want to hear or exactly what they do not want to hear.

Our focus today is: ALL SCRIPTURE IS INSPIRED BY GOD!

To explore this, we will look at three main points:

You must trust the Source of Scripture.

You must know the Strength of Scripture.

You must let the Scriptures be the Scriptures.

1. You Must Trust the Source of Scripture!

What is the Scripture?

The Holy Scriptures are contained in the 66 books of our Bible: 39 books of the Old Testament and 27 books of the New Testament. The Old Testament contains the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The New Testament contains the four Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles, the 21 Epistles (Letters), and the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Who wrote the Bible?

The Bible was written by approximately 40 different men from all different backgrounds: prophets, shepherds, fishermen, priests, tax collectors, and a tentmaker. Despite the variety of authors, the sacred Scriptures contain one story that does not contradict itself. It is one message about one God who will save for Himself one group of people to spend eternity with Him in paradise, for His glory and our good.

How long did it take to write?

The Bible was not written at one time or in one place. It took about 1,500 years for the entirety of the Scriptures to be penned, across three separate continents. Between the Old and New Testaments, there is a time span of 400 years where there was no new revelation from God.

How can I trust the Source?

You may ask: "How can I trust a book written by 40 men over 1,500 years on three continents?" In 2 Timothy 3:16, Paul assures Timothy that "All Scripture is inspired by God." But what does this mean? The word "inspired" today often means being moved by a sunset or a speech. But in the Bible, inspiration is not "breathing in"—it is "breathing out." Some translations more accurately depict this as "God-breathed." It is not inspiration but expiration—God pouring out who He is and what He requires.

The Greek word is Theopneustos (Theos meaning God, pneustos meaning breathed). This does not mean the authors were "automatons" or lost control of their pens. God used these 40 men, their personalities, their circumstances, and their life experiences to breathe out exactly what He wanted us to know. It is often said the B-I-B-L-E stands for "Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth," but it is much more; it contains commands that all people of all generations must follow.

Breath Out By God’s Spirit

John 16:13 “13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own, but he will speak whatever he hears. He will also declare to you what is to come.”

General vs. Special Revelation

General Revelation: The existence of God is plain to everyone through creation. If we see a tree, we know there is a tree-maker. While this shows there is a God, it is not enough to truly know Him or how to be right with Him.

Special Revelation: God reveals Himself specifically through the Scriptures to let us know who He is and what He requires. Without this, we would remain condemned in our sin. Special revelation tells us how to become sons and daughters of God.

Every author pointed toward one Savior, progressively revealing Him until He arrived in the person of Jesus Christ. Hebrews 1:1-2 says, "Long ago God spoke to our ancestors by the prophets at different times and in different ways. In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son."

Christian Quotations Authority of > Bible

God the Father is the giver of Holy Scripture; God the Son is the theme of Holy Scripture; and God the Spirit is the author, authenticator, and interpreter of Holy Scripture.

James Innell (J.I.) Packer

Jesus Trusted the Source

Jesus did not quote from every book of the Old Testament.12 He cited passages from four of the five books of Moses, along with the Psalms, Isaiah, Malachi, and Zechariah3, and he referenced Moses, David, Isaiah, Daniel, and Jonah by name1—but this represents only a fraction of the Old Testament’s 39 books.

However, the absence of quotations from every book doesn’t indicate Jesus rejected the remaining texts. Though Jesus did not quote from every book, he quoted from all three major divisions of the Old Testament, demonstrating his acceptance of the entire collection as canonical.1 In Luke 11:49–51, Jesus references the arrangement of Old Testament books customary among Jews, speaking of persecutions from Genesis through Chronicles—spanning the entire scope of Scripture from Abel’s murder to Zechariah’s death.1

You must trust the Source because Jesus did. He believed every word of the Old Testament. He knew Abel, Noah, Abraham, and Isaac were real people. He believed the stories of Sodom and Gomorrah, Jonah and the big fish, and the prophecies of Daniel and Isaiah.

2. You Must Know the Strength of Scripture!

The Bible is not just another book or a tool for control. It is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness.

It is "living and active," sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4:12).

It is the "Sword of the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:17).

It is a fire and a hammer that crushes stone (Jeremiah 23:29).

It is a lamp to your feet and a light to your path (Psalm 119:105).

The Word of God is strong enough to withstand the to bring light to the dark world around us.

Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my word will remain forever" (Matthew 24:35).

The Word of God is strong enough to withstand the test of time.

Jesus Trusted the Strength of Scripture

When tempted by Satan in the wilderness, Jesus responded with Scripture, showing it is powerful and effective. If Jesus believed it, we should too.

Scripture and Science

Some claim the Bible isn't scientific, but Scripture is often ahead of science.

Time, Space, and Matter: Genesis 1:1 established "In the beginning (time) God created the heavens (space) and the earth (matter)" long before modern physics.

The Earth: Job states the earth hangs upon nothing (Job 26:7) and Isaiah speaks of the "circle of the earth" (Isaiah 40:22) when people thought it was flat.

Hygiene: Scripture commanded washing in running water (Leviticus 15) centuries before medical science discovered germs in 1845.

Oceanography: Scripture speaks of the "paths of the sea," which led to the discovery of ocean currents.

Dinosaurs: Job 40:15 says, "Look at Behemoth, which I made along with you."

The Word of God is strong enough to withstand the harshest scrutiny.

Matthew 22:29 “29 Jesus answered them, “You are mistaken, because you don’t know the Scriptures or the power of God.”

Christian Quotations Inerrancy Of

I will put down all apparent inconsistencies in the Bible to my own ignorance.

3. You Must Let the Scriptures be the Scriptures.

Charles Spurgeon once said, "Defend the Bible? I’d sooner defend a lion. You don’t defend the Bible; you open its cage and let it roar!"

Christian Standard Bible Chapter 1

20 Above all, you know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, 21 because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

We must use the "Analogy of Faith"—letting Scripture interpret Scripture. If there seems to be a contradiction, it is not the Scripture that is wrong, but our understanding. We must use a grammatical-historical perspective:

Grammatical: We believe in verbal plenary inspiration, meaning every word in the original languages was intended by God.

Historical: We must look at the author’s original intent for the original audience. The Bible cannot mean something to us today that it did not first mean to them.

We don't need church councils to determine if the Scripture is true; the Spirit of God inside you recognizes its truth. The Scriptures are the supreme judge for all religious controversies and the whims of pop culture.

John 5:39–40 “39 You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me. 40 But you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.”

ConclusionI am not ashamed of the Gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation. The Scriptures show us that we are sinners, but they also show us the Savior. Jesus fulfilled the Scriptures perfectly. The Word of God is a mirror to our souls; it shows our faults, but it also shows that if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us. Search the Scriptures daily to see if these things are true, for in them, the path of eternal life is laid out before you.

In the Scriptures, our faith finds its final word.