inspired by God

In the Second Letter to Timothy 3:16 (NABRE), Paul emphasizes the importance of Scripture for growing in the spiritual life when he writes that “all Scripture is inspired by God.”

This phrase, “inspired by God,” comes from a single Greek word, θεόπνευστος (theopneustos). This Greek word appears only in this one instance in the New Testament and is a joining of the Greek word meaning “God” and the Greek word for “breath.” It can be rendered literally as “God-breathed,” though the word for breath also is the word used for the Holy Spirit.

The idea of spirit and its interplay looks back to the Creation of the first person who was made of clay and given life as God breathed his spirit into him. Scriptures also are a meeting of a creation that is earthly and human, and the divine, life-giving power of God. That meeting, as Paul tells us, makes the Scriptures uniquely valuable for granting life to those who follow what they teach.

related topics: Advocate; inspiration; order & chaos; Paraclete; spirit; wind & spirit

you also may like our two-part study of the prophets
Thus Says the LORD: God Speaks Through His Servants the Prophets—Volume I: A Kingdom Divided examines the prophets in their historical context using the First and Second Books of the Kings and other Old Testament passages written before the Babylonian Exile in 586 B.C. Volume II: Restoration & Redemption looks at the post-exilic prophets. This 51-lesson Catholic Bible study builds on The United Kingdom of Israel: Saul, David & Solomon Foreshadow Christ the King. Click on the books’ covers to view a sample lesson from each volume.

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