There are different views amongst professing Christians regarding the inspiration of the Bible: –
- Liberal views take into consideration modern knowledge, science and ethics and emphasize the importance of “rational” thinking. Scientific or natural explanations are often sought for supernatural events. Those parts of the Bible that are viewed as “irrational” may be “downplayed”. The Bible is not considered to be fully inspired or without errors.
- Some see the Bible as “containing” the Word of God as opposed to “being” the Word of God. While the Bible may reveal truths about God and his purposes for humankind, it is also seen as containing historical and scientific errors.
- Conservative views see the Bible as the Word of God and as such inspired by the Holy Spirit. The views within this category range from “a belief that every word in the Bible is literally as God dictated it” to “a belief that God used (inspired) humans to convey the message using their own individual writing styles”.
Conservative views are sometimes criticized as being close minded and out of touch with modern “rational” thinking. However, not every conservative approach warrants this criticism. Some encourage the use of reason and common sense to better understand the Bible’s message for its original recipients and from this its application for today.
The view adopted is that, although the Bible has been written by human authors, its authors were inspired and wrote under the supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit. As such the writings are accurate and their intended meaning can be relied upon just as if God himself was speaking.
