"Verbal" inspiration means that every word is exactly where & what God wants it to be.

Some think that God inspired just the thoughts and concepts. But we need to remember that successful communication of thoughts and concepts requires words. Choose the wrong words and your thoughts may be misunderstood.

 

By the way, Verbal inspiration does not require that God dictated His words to men. Sometimes, He did (eg. the Ten Commandments, Ex 20:1). But usually, as we observed earlier, He used men in their weakness and diversity. Some well educated writers used very proper classical language, while others, like Peter the fisherman, seemed to struggle with grammar. If God had dictated, we would expect His literary style to be constant. Instead, God in His infinite wisdom & power, spoke through many styles, yet with exactly the right words.
For example:

• Jesus said that God's Word is accurate down to the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet (jot), and even to the smallest part of a letter (tittle). Mat 5:18
• A proper understanding of a passage often hinges on a single word, its tense or its number (singular or plural). Examples: "am" not "was" Mat 22:32, "Lord" Mat 22:41-46, "seed" not "seeds" Gal 3:16
• The OT prophets faithfully recorded the things which God had revealed to them, even though they did not fully understand His message. They wrote of Messiah's suffering, and death (Isa 53, Psa 22). They also wrote of Messiah's eternal Kingdom (Isa 11, Psa 45). They could not comprehend how these contradictory concepts could both be true. But they believed that God's words were true, though His thoughts were beyond theirs. They made no attempt to edit the message to resolve the conflicts that were beyond their understanding. (1Pet 1:10-12)

 

Verbal inspiration applies to the words as originally given, through the pens of the writers "in old time" (2Pet 1:21). The OT was written in Hebrew (and some Aramaic). The NT was written in Greek. There is always something lost in translation into another language. Often, there are shades of meaning to words or idioms (figurative expressions) in the original language which have no equivalent in the language of translation. For this reason, we cannot say that a particular English translation is "inspired." However, there are differences between translations. Some are more "literal" than others, and attempt to preserve the original word order & idioms. Others tend to paraphrase (or restate) the thought in the idioms of the readers. Where translations distort the message or differ from one another, a study of the Hebrew or Greek text often provides clarification of the intended meaning.

 

There are two basic methods of translation:

• Formal Equivalency - often referred to as "Literal" translation, attempts to translate 'word for word,' with relatively minor adjustments for grammatic differences between languages.
• Dynamic Equivalency - attempts to provide a more "Natural" reading in the target language, by transfering 'thought for thought.' The idea is to convey the meaning and purpose (as intended in the source culture), by making textual adjustments to improve understanding in the target culture.

 

Here are a few examples of the differences between these translation methods:

Example A:

Source (Pennsylvania Dutch): 'Throw the cow over the fence some hay.'
    [Note that the Germanic word order, above, is easily misunderstood by an English reader.]

1. Formal Equivalency - 'Throw some hay over the fence for the cow.'
        [Here, the translator has faithfully brought the words from the source language, with adjustments to the grammar of the target language. For better understanding, the word 'for' was inserted and italicized to show that it was an insertion. The KJV and some other 'literal' English versions italicize inserted words for this purpose.]
2. Dynamic Equivalency - 'Feed some hay to the cow, on the other side of the fence.'
        [Readers who are unfamiliar with farming might not understand the reason for throwing hay at cows. Therefore, the translators have changed the verb 'throw' to 'feed' in order to make the purpose clear to the target audience. This can be helpful. However, it may be a source of confusion for the student, who attempts to study the underlying words in the source language (eg., using a concordance of the Greek or Hebrew): How does 'feed' correspond to 'throw'?]
3. Excessive Dynamic Equivalency (Paraphrase) - 'Cows get hungry, just like people do, so feed them.'
        [In some cases, the 'thought for thought' translator takes liberties to express his own viewpoint or agenda, which may go far beyond the intended meaning of the original. In this example, a simple instruction (to feed an individual cow) has become a statement on animal rights, through the use of the plural (cows), and through the symbolic interpretation of the 'fence' as an unnecessary philosophical barrier (separating men and animals) which must be overcome. Obviously, such changes to the meaning can be dangerously misleading. God's thoughts are above our thoughts. We ought not to distort His thoughts by imposing ours upon His Words.]

Example B:

Source (Romans 16:16):

1. Formal Equivalency (KJV) - 'Greet one another with an holy kiss.'
2. Dynamic Equivalency (Philips) - 'Give one another a hearty handshake all around.'
        [The first reading follows the Greek text closely. However, the second reading is in keeping with the culturally accepted practices in the American church. Although we may prefer the more literal reading, we do not follow the practice of the first century church in this area. Yet, if the reader takes time to learn a little about the culture of NT times, the literal reading is perfectly fine, without adjustment.]

Example C:

Source (Psalm 1:1):

1. Formal Equivalency (KJV) -

   'Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly,
   nor standeth in the way of sinners,
   nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.'

2. Excessive Dynamic Equivalency, Paraphrase (the Message) -

   'God must really like you --
   you don't hang out at Sin Saloon,
   you don't slink along Dead-End Road,
   you don't go to Smart-Mouth College.'

   [Here, the paraphraser has taken liberties which change a solemn warning into flippant sounding congratulatory remarks. The use of slang conveys a tone of disrespect, which is not appropriate to the Word of God. This is only one minor example of the way 'The Message' distorts the message intended by God. Sometimes the distortion is even more severe.]

While all English translations use some degree of Dynamic Equivalency, those that lean toward Formal Equivalency are more faithful to 'the words' written under verbal inspiration.

 

"Plenary" inspiration means that the whole Bible is God's Word ("all Scripture is given by inspiration of God", 2Tim 3:16).

In contrast, some people say that the Bible merely "contains" God's Word. Saying this, requires that we consider ourselves superior to the Book, because we become judges of what is or is not of God. Who are we to judge God's Word? It is God's Word that judges us (Joh 12:48). We are on dangerous ground when we start to edit the Bible. See Isa 55:8,9; Rev 22:18,19.

 

However, plenary inspiration does not mean that every voice in the Bible is God's voice. The Bible also records the words and actions of Satan and of wicked men. God does not endorse their ways, but neither does He hide them. He accurately records these things because He wants us to see the difference between the kingdoms of darkness and of Light.

 

"Infallible" inspiration means that the Bible is accurate and true.

Faith in the Bible cannot be called 'blind faith,' because there is overwhelming internal and external evidence that the Bible is true. These evidences will become increasingly clear to the believer who studies God's Word, as he grows in his understanding. Internal evidence involves the consistent agreement and explanation of any passage within the Bible by other passages which touch the same subject. External evidence involves the confirmation of the Bible's testimony, by secular sources outside of the Bible. By these evidences, it is evident that:

• The Bible is historically accurate. The Bible's historical accuracy has been verified and demonstrated repeatedly by archaeological discoveries. [Example: Skeptics used to criticise the Bible's mention of the Hittite nation as a fabrication (Gen 15:20; 2King 7:6), because this nation was unknown in secular history. However, in the early 1900's, monuments and documents were found in Egypt and in Syria, which clearly identified this nation as a prominent power, in the region, now known as Turkey. Their prominence peaked in two periods (2000-1800 BC and 1400-1200 BC), corresponding to the biblical narrative.]
• The Bible is scientifically accurate. Skeptics have often seen conflicts between the Bible and natural science. However, where the Bible speaks on such matters, it has stood the test of time, while contradictory scientific theories have come and gone. It stands to reason that the One who created all things, will speak with greater comprehension, of His creation, than His creatures. [Example: In ancient times men thought the world rested on the shoulders of Atlas, or on the backs of great elephants. But modern science understands what God's Word said all along, even in its oldest book (Job 26:7).
• The Bible is prophetically accurate. The Bible, unlike any other human literature, speaks accurately concerning the future. Approximately one third of the Bible consists of prophecy about things which were yet future, at the time of writing. About half of those prophetic statements have already been fulfilled. We will look at some of them in future chapters. Fulfilled prophecy is one of the evidences of the veracity of God's Word. (Isa 45:20-22; Isa 46:9,10)

God's promises, whether of judgment or of blessing, will be fulfilled down to the smallest detail. (Mat 5:18; Num 23:19; Psa 119:89)
Jesus Christ gave witness to the inspiration of Scripture. When His own disciples were slow to believe it, He reproved them, calling them "fools." (Luk 24:17-27)

 

Early in the twentieth century, in response to a growing tide of skeptical theologians,
Bible believing pastors identified Five Fundamentals of Biblical Christianity:

1. The Inerrancy of the Autograph.
2. The Virgin Birth of Christ (or, The Deity of Christ).
3. The Substitionary Atonement of Christ.
4. The Bodily Resurrection of Christ.
5. The Historic Fact of Miracles (or, The Second Coming of Christ).

As the movement grew, some of the points changed slightly (as shown above). But the first point was always that the Autographs were Inspired of God and, therefore, Inerrant. We can be sure that what God has said, He will do, regardless of what men do with His written Word. Though men disregard it, attempt to destroy it, or distort it, God's Word is sure. During the future Great Tribulation, Satan and the Antichrist will seek to rid the world of believers and the Bible. They will be efficient and effective in their work. Yet, the Lord knows and keeps those who are His. During that terrible time, when it may be very difficult to find a copy of God's Word on earth, the Lord will encourage His people with the fact that His Word is eternally secure (Rev 15:5).

    Document Name       Number of Manuscripts    Date of Oldest
    Caesar, Gallic Wars         10               900 AD
    Livy, History of Rome       20               400 AD
    Thucydide, History           8               900 AD
    Herodotus, History           8               900 AD
    The New Testament       14,000 +             125 AD

    Family Name       Where Found?    Number of MSS    Oldest
    Alexandrian            Egypt       	    30          125 AD
    Byzantine (Majority)   Turkey         5000 +        500 AD

• But why didn't God preserve the original documents? Perhaps He knew that men would revere the ancient pages as sacred, while missing the significance of their message. (Man's tendency to this kind of error is illustrated by the improper worship of Moses' brass serpent, and its greater significance. Num 21:8,9, 2Kin 18:4, Joh 3:14,15) God cannot bless the worship of paper. He wants us to hear and heed His Word.
• Why didn't God await the invention of the printing press, before committing the NT to paper? In His wisdom, He chose to have it transmitted by hand copying for fourteen centuries. As manuscripts were taken into every corner of the world, and copied over and over again, each copy provided a cross witness against all others. If someone had purposely attempted to alter the text, it would be readily evident by comparison with manuscripts from other times and places. No entity would have the ability to mass produce and distribute an erroneous text to replace copies that were faithful to the original autographs.

• The natural human heart is blind to God's truth. 1Cor 2:14; Joh 16:7-11; Joh 3:3-12
• The regenerate (born again) human heart is hard of hearing. God's children are dependent upon the Holy Spirit to teach them to understand God's Word aright. 1Cor 2:9-13; Joh 16:12-15
• We hinder the Holy Spirit's work by:
  1. neglect of His Word (eg., Heb 5:11-14),
  2. carnal living (1Cor 3:1-3),
  3. failure to pray for opened eyes (Eph 1:15-23), and
  4. failure to use proper methods of interpretation (2Tim 2:15).
• God's Word is essential for spiritual life. Deu 8:3; Mat 4:4; Jer 15:16; 1Pet 1:23; 2:2,3; Josh 1:8