The Bible is God’s revelation to mankind.  This revelation is accurate, progressive, and purposeful.  All Scripture, the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament, is given by inspiration of God.  Inspiration refers to God breathing out His word and human authors recording it (2 Timothy 3.16).  Human authors did not direct the writing; the Holy Spirit did (2 Peter 1.21).  We are confident that we have the very words of God.  The actual words of all Scripture are inspired (1 Corinthians 2.13).  God breathed out the total product, carrying along the authors in various ways, and gave to mankind His revelation in the words of the Bible.  Inspiration is God superintending over the human authors of the Bible so that they composed and recorded His message to mankind without error in the words of their original writings.

The reason people dispute the historic fall of Adam and explain away the miracles of Jesus Christ is that they deny inerrancy.  When one denies the inerrancy of Scripture, he is susceptible to taking a very loose view of sinful practice such as adultery or homosexuality.  He tends to view the Bible through modern psychology.  Inerrancy demands that all Scripture is without error in all parts and with all words (Matthew 4.4, 7, 10; 5.17-18).  Simply put, inerrancy points up the fact that man has God’s words, and God’s words tell the truth (Romans 3.4).

The Old and New Testaments, as originally given by God, were plenarily (fully and completely) and verbally (word for word) inspired by God (God-breathed; 2 Timothy 3.16-17).  God preserved the Bible as His only absolute and infallible authority in matters of Christian living (2 Peter 1.19-21; Psalm 19.7-11).  Behind every word of God is the authority of God.

Summarily, the inspiration, inerrancy, and authority of the Word of God are interrelated themes.  Inspiration assures us that we have the very words of God.  These words are inerrant and preserved within the manuscript evidence, but not in any one translation.  Since we have the inspired, inerrant words of God, they are more than enough for us to authoritatively answer ultimate life-questions and meet our own needs along with
the needs of those we seek to help and counsel.

I believe that no translation available can bring out all the riches of God’s revelation.  Much truth and insight are gained through the study of Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, and sound translations, English and otherwise, of the Scriptures.  The God-breathed, inerrant Scriptures are found in the original autographs, and it pleased the LORD God to preserve His Word through thousands of manuscripts and more than one sound translation.