Why We Believe and Teach the Verbal, Plenary, Inerrant Doctrine of Inspiration

The Holy Scriptures stand as the most remarkable revelation ever given to humanity. They are not a product of human imagination or religious tradition, nor are they a compilation of wise sayings or moral reflections born from cultural wisdom. The Bible is the Word of God, divinely breathed, fully authoritative, and eternally true. At the Hannibal church of Christ, we unashamedly affirm and teach the verbal, plenary, inerrant doctrine of inspiration because it forms the foundation of all that we believe, teach, and practice. Our mission is not to offer human philosophy or theological speculation but to train faithful servants who will handle the Word of truth with reverence and precision, knowing it to be the very breath of God.

When we say verbal inspiration, we mean that every word in Scripture, not merely the general ideas or overarching themes, was directly guided by the Spirit of God. The writers of Scripture were not left to themselves to guess or record impressions about divine truth. They were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21), ensuring that the final product contained exactly what God intended to reveal. Paul declared, “All Scripture is God-breathed” (2 Timothy 3:16), using the term theopneustos, meaning that every word came forth from the mouth of God Himself. Inspiration did not erase the writers’ personalities or experiences, but it overruled human error so that what was written was fully divine in origin. The Holy Spirit superintended the process so that the thoughts, vocabulary, and expressions chosen by each writer conveyed precisely what God wanted said, no more, no less.

This is why we insist that the Bible does not contain the Word of God, it is the Word of God. It is not inspired in part, nor are only certain doctrines or “spiritual” portions inspired while others are human additions. Every command, prophecy, genealogy, and historical record is part of the unified revelation of God’s will. As Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” (Matthew 4:4). Each word has purpose, each phrase bears authority, each sentence carries divine weight. When the prophet spoke, “Thus says the Lord,” he was not expressing an opinion or suggestion, but proclaiming the infallible Word of the Almighty.

When we speak of plenary inspiration, we mean that all of Scripture, every book, every chapter, every verse, is equally inspired. No portion of the Bible is more divine than another, and no section is less trustworthy. The entire canon, both Old and New Testaments, comes from one Author, and therefore all of it stands on equal footing. The same God who spoke in Genesis is the God who speaks in Revelation. Jesus affirmed this when He declared that “Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35) and that not even “one jot or one tittle” would pass away until all was fulfilled (Matthew 5:18). From the creation account to the final visions of heaven, every word is bound together by the breath of God and upheld by His authority.

The apostles themselves regarded both Old Testament and New Testament writings as equally inspired. Paul quoted from Deuteronomy and Luke side by side and called both “Scripture” (1 Timothy 5:18). Peter acknowledged the writings of Paul as part of the inspired Word (2 Peter 3:15–16). This uniform view of Scripture as a complete and unified revelation shows us that plenary inspiration is not a theological theory, it is the biblical testimony about itself. To question this is to divide what God has united and to elevate human judgment above divine revelation.

When we affirm inerrancy, we declare that Scripture is without error in its original writings. This is not a matter of opinion or denominational preference, it is a necessary consequence of who God is. Because God is truth (John 17:17) and cannot lie (Titus 1:2), His Word cannot contain error. If a single falsehood could be found in Scripture, then God’s character would be compromised. The doctrine of inerrancy defends the moral integrity of God’s revelation. The Bible is not true because it proves itself accurate through human reasoning, it is true because God spoke it, and His nature guarantees its truthfulness. Whether Scripture speaks about moral law, historical detail, or prophecy, it speaks with perfect reliability.

Some argue that the Bible may err in minor factual or historical details but remains true in spiritual matters. Such a position is both illogical and unbiblical. Jesus based entire arguments on single words and even tenses of Scripture (Matthew 22:32; John 10:35), proving that divine truth extends to every detail. The early church accepted Scripture as inerrant, not because they idolized the text, but because they revered the Author. If God cannot err, His Word cannot err. Therefore, our confidence in salvation, moral truth, and eternal hope depends upon the inerrancy of the Scriptures that reveal these truths.

Believing in verbal, plenary, inerrant inspiration changes how we read and teach the Bible. It means we approach it with reverence, not as critics or editors, but as disciples seeking to understand the mind of God. It means that preaching is not a creative art but a sacred stewardship. The preacher’s task is not to innovate or reinterpret but to faithfully proclaim what has already been revealed. Paul told Timothy, “Preach the word…for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2–3). To preach the Word faithfully, one must believe that the Word is inspired, complete, and sufficient.

This doctrine also shapes how we interpret Scripture. Because it is verbally and plenarily inspired, every passage must be studied in its context, harmonized with the rest of Scripture, and respected in its grammar and meaning. We do not impose modern philosophies upon the text or bend its meaning to fit human agendas. Instead, we let the text speak for itself, trusting that God has already spoken perfectly. The Bible is not a living document that changes with culture, it is the eternal Word of the living God, which stands forever (Psalm 119:89; Isaiah 40:8).

Furthermore, this belief guards the church from error. Many religious movements have drifted into apostasy because they abandoned confidence in the absolute authority of Scripture. When human reason or experience becomes the measure of truth, false doctrine soon follows. But when God’s Word is held as verbally inspired and inerrant, the church stands firm upon unshakable ground. This is why we teach that every sermon, every doctrine, every practice must have book, chapter, and verse authority. Only by clinging to the inspired Word can we remain faithful to Christ and His pattern for the church (2 Timothy 1:13).

At the Hannibal church of Christ, we instill in every Christian the conviction that Scripture is not to be debated, diluted, or doubted, it is to be believed, taught, and obeyed. Our mission is to raise up a congregation of faithful servants who understand that when they open their Bibles, they are not handling the words of men but the words of God Himself. The world does not need a new message, it needs renewed confidence in the old one. The church does not need redefinition, it needs restoration to the faith once delivered to the saints (Jude 3). That faith is contained in the inspired Word, and it alone is sufficient to equip the man of God for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17).

We teach this doctrine because it is not merely academic, it is life-giving. Through the inspired Word, sinners are convicted, souls are saved, and the church is built up. Through its truth, the lost find direction, the faithful find encouragement, and the confused find clarity. The Word of God reveals the mind of Christ, the plan of redemption, and the hope of eternal life. If it were not inerrant, we could not trust its promises; if it were not plenary, we could not trust its completeness; if it were not verbal, we could not trust its precision. But because it is all three, we can hold it in our hands and know that we possess the revealed will of the Almighty God.

Therefore, we believe and teach that the Scriptures are verbally inspired, every word breathed out by God; plenarily inspired, the whole Bible equally from Him; and inerrant, utterly free from error and contradiction. This is not a mere theological preference, but a divine necessity. It is the difference between preaching opinions and preaching truth. It is the difference between human authority and divine authority. And it is the foundation of faith for every soul that seeks to know God through His revealed Word. For the same breath that spoke the universe into being has also spoken through the prophets and apostles, and that breath still speaks today through the pages of Scripture, living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, and powerful to save those who believe.