scripture inspired and more ...

2 Peter 1.20-21; Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 2.13; We impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

Scripture is inspired by God Himself and the truths recorded relate to the questions man had both then and now.

The Word of the Lord is perfect and revives our souls. It is trustworthy and makes the simple wise (Psa 19.7). It cannot be misleading since the One who inspired it cannot lie (Titus 1.2). It is inerrant, i.e., it is wholly true. John Wesley wrote:

If there be any mistakes in the Bible, there may as well be a thousand. If there be one falsehood in that book, it did not come from the God of truth.

The Word is plenary in that it is full, complete and un-qualified. Paul states in Romans 15.4; "For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope."

It is verbal in that the inspiration of Scripture extends to the words themselves not just the ideas. And because it is verbal, we can know objectively who God is.

The Word is clear. The Psalmist writes that it is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths. This does not mean that every passage is easy to understand but there is enough clarity to live by.

Regarding the sufficiency of the Word of God, Clark Pinnock wrote, "to confess sufficiency and clarity is just to affirm that Scripture contains enough light to save sinners and direct the church." John Wimber wrote:

In 2 Timothy 3:15 Paul reminds Timothy that the Scriptures " are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." This is not to say that the Bible exhausts all possible or even all actual revelation (John 21:25) or that it reveals everything that can be known about God (1 Cor. 13:12). This means that modern revelations from God are not to be placed on a level equal to Scripture in authority; they are not to be used as yardsticks for judging other revelation. In other words, any source of "revelation" that contradicts Scripture is to be rejected.

And finally, the Word is efficacious, that is, through the power of the Holy Spirit, the Word overcomes unbelief and promotes salvation (Ro 10.17, 1 Pe 1.23, He 4.12)