That is a question one needs to consider, seriously, IF one is going to use it to determine one’s faith and practice. So, then, is the Bible inspired by God?
I do NOT believe it is. That may sound strange coming from someone who claims to be a Christian, but, before you brand me a heretic or an atheist, give me a chance to explain why I say that.
First, let us consider the many versions of the Bible that now exist. Are they all inspired? Is each of them the word of God? They all say different things; the texts are all different. If they are all inspired, then why don’t they all say the same thing? Why are the texts all different? If they are not all inspired, then which one is inspired? Which one contains the inspired text?
Second, let us notice that the question is referring to “The Bible”, not to The Scriptures.
Thirdly, let us notice that the question asks if the Bible IS inspired, not if the Bible WAS inspired.
So, what’s the point in pointing out that? Simply this: To say that the Bible IS not inspired is not to say that the Bible WAS not inspired … and, more importantly, to say that the Bible is not inspired is not to say that The Scriptures were not inspired. In other words, when I say I do not believe the Bible is inspired, I am not saying I do not the believe The Scriptures were inspired … because I do.
To be clear, while I do not believe The Bible is inspired by God, I do believe the Scriptures were inspired by God. 2Timothy 3:16 makes that very clear.
Let us understand, however, that The Bible is NOT the same as The Scriptures. When Paul told Timothy that the Scriptures were inspired (literally, “God-breathed”), he was referring to what some scholars call the autographs — original documents, written on skin or papyrus, whether directly or indirectly, as through a scribe, acting as a kind of secretary. When we refer to “scripture”, we refer to the words that were actually written by Old Testament prophets or New Testament writers, such as Paul and Peter, or gospel writers, such as Matthew and Mark. When we talk about The Scriptures, we refer to the actual words being written down, or dictated, by persons who were actually being inspired by God at the time of writing (2Peter 1:19-21).
The Bible, on the other hand, as we have it today, is really just a version of a translation or a version of a manuscript, at best. In some cases, it may only be a version of a version … and, in some other cases, it may be nothing more than a paraphrase of a version. When we speak of The Bible, we are talking about a book that was put together by a committee or a group of persons, some of whom may, or may not, have had the Holy Spirit at the time of compilation. When we refer to The Bible, we may very well be talking about “writings” that may very well have been inspired, not by God, but by personal beliefs, preferences and world views. In short, we may be referring, not to the word of God, but the word of men.
So, is The Bible inspired by God? NO, The Bible is not … but The Scriptures were.