Going deeper
Inspiration of Scripture
In plain words
God guided the human writers of the Bible so that what they wrote is truly His word.
The Bible was written by about forty people over many centuries: shepherds, kings, fishermen, a doctor. Christians believe God was at work in all of it. He did not usually dictate, but He guided each writer so that their words were also His words. That is why Christians trust the Bible and read it to hear God speak.
Go further Growing
Paul says all Scripture is God-breathed and useful for teaching, correcting and training in righteousness (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Peter says the prophets spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:20-21). Inspiration does not mean every verse is a command for you, or that the writers lost their personality. You can see each writer's style, yet God speaks through them all.
This changes how you read. You come to the Bible expecting God to speak, not just to collect information. Read it regularly, read whole passages in context, and let it correct you when it disagrees with you. The Psalms say God's word revives the soul and gives joy to the heart (Psalm 19:7-8).
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The Greek theopneustos in 2 Timothy 3:16 means breathed out by God. The emphasis is not that God breathed into a finished human book, but that Scripture comes from Him. Jesus treated the Old Testament as God's word down to the smallest letter (Matthew 5:18), and the apostles placed their own teaching alongside it.
Christians have long held that Scripture is inspired, true and trustworthy. Many evangelicals use the word inerrancy: without error in all it affirms, rightly interpreted. Others prefer infallibility: fully reliable in what it teaches about faith and life. Christians differ on these terms and on some questions of interpretation, but historic faith agrees the Bible is God's word and the final authority for belief and practice.
My verses
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for instruction, for conviction, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, fully equipped for every good work.
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture comes from one’s own interpretation. For no such prophecy was ever brought forth by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
The Law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, bringing joy to the heart; the commandments of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
For I tell you truly, until heaven and earth pass away, not a single jot, not a stroke of a pen, will disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished.