Were the Apostles’ Inspired? Or Was It Something They Wrote?

One of the doctrinal errors I warn our church about is found in the New Hampshire Baptist Confession of 1833. It says, “We believe that the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired…” According to 2 Timothy 3:16, God inspired the “graphe” or Scriptures, not the men. While the Holy Spirit carried along the human penman (2 Peter 1:21), the men themselves were never inspired. The word “inspired” is the Greek word theopneustos, which literally means “God exhaled” or “God breathed out.” It only shows up one time in the Bible, 2 Timothy 3:16. This error is not merely a matter of semantics, but several serious implications require us to correct it.

First, the Bible clearly says God inspired the Scripture and not the men. “All Scripture is God-breathed…” This should be enough evidence, but for some it is not. If your church doctrinal statement says something different, change it to match the Bible.

Second, if God inspired the men, their other writings should be inspired too. I cite the lost letter of Paul to the Corinthians. In 2 Corinthians 7:8, Paul referred to a letter that does not seem to fit 1 Corinthians. Why isn’t it in our Bible? The answer is that it was not an inspired Scripture. If God inspired Paul the man, 3 Corinthians could be a lost a book of the Bible.

Third, if God inspired the men, then inspiration died with them. If God inspired the text, we still have the inspired Word of God, which is preserved for all eternity (Psalm 119:89).

Fourth, “inspired men” opens the door for men to repeat this action today. The Charismatic movement abuses this to the utmost degree with claims of new, direct revelation from God, even though the canon of the Bible is closed and God clearly stated, “Do not add to the words of this book” (Revelation 22:18). Modern “prophets” claim to receive direct communication from God as messages to men. You may think this is silly, but it has run over Evangelicalism like a Mack truck. Just research the tragic death of Kalley Heiligenthal’s daughter last December. Kalley is a vocalist for Hillsong, one of the hottest Christian bands on the planet. She also is a “worship pastor” at the “Bethel School of Supernatural Ministry” that students refer to as “Christian Hogwarts” (a reference to Harry Potter’s Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry). The basic theological premise of the school is this: “that the miracles of biblical times — the parted seas and burning bushes and water into wine — did not end in biblical times, and the miracle workers did not die out with Jesus’s earliest disciples. In the modern day, prophets and healers don’t just walk among us, they are us.” It should come as no surprise that Kalley and her church tried to resurrect her deceased daughter from the dead. I genuinely grieve for those parents. They are facing the most horrific pain a human can bear, but they have very bad theology. Jesus did not promise to the church resurrection as a continuation of this life on earth. Rather, he promises us resurrection to eternal life in his kingdom.

These are the consequences of “inspired” men rather than “inspired Scripture.” Let’s get our doctrine correct. The 66 books of the Bible are the only things that Scripture calls “inspired.” Let’s build our doctrine on that.

---

Tim Lewis is the pastor of New England Shores Baptist Church of Hampton, NH.