The Meaning of Theopneustos

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17).

These are well-known verses used as a proof-text to defend and describe the both the nature and purpose of the Judeo-Christian Scriptures. Specifically mentioned by many is the phrase “inspired by God” which is literally “God-breathed” (theopneustos). You may have heard either a preacher or speaker refer to the Bible as “God-breathed”. This is where that comes from. But what do the Biblical writers mean when they say Scripture (graphē) is “God-breathed”?

This is a very complex issue and I will strive to condense the matter down. First and foremost, when the New Testament writers refer to the “Scriptures” (graphē) they always refer explicitly to the Old Testament writings from which they are sourcing. The only exception to this is in 2 Peter 3:16 in which the author includes Paul’s writings within the Scriptural canon. The early Church generally viewed the writings of the apostles as being authoritative, prophetic, and thus on par with the Old Testament. The only discussion they really had was identifying which writings were genuinely written by an apostle and which were forgeries. Indeed, some side movements within the Church attempted to introduce heresies into the mainstream by falsely attributing their own ideas to an apostle.

Now the ancient Hebrew conception of reality is far different than what many people are used to, and it can appear quite strange to the modern mind. They thought that psychical functions had a physical basis, and that man is conceived not in terms of a “spirit” and “body” dichotomy, but synthetically as a psychical whole (nephesh). What is more, man’s vital power was thought to reach far beyond the mere contour of the body. For the purposes of this piece, this conception had two outworkings. First, the spoken word could be regarded as an effective extension of the personality. Second, the ancient Hebrews thought that under the right conditions spoken words could affect, shape, and change reality. An example of this would be the uses of speaking blessings or curses. The Hebrews really believed that such verbalizations could impact a person for good or for ill under the appropriate conditions. Speaking a curse could negatively impact an individual or community. Speaking a blessing could have a positive impact. Thus we have the story of the prophet Balaam (Numbers 23). Another example would be the importance of the naming of a child. The verbal announcement of newborn’s name could shape that person’s life. When applied to God the creator we have him speaking creation into existence (Genesis 1). He speaks and his Word (dabar) goes out from him creating, changing, and reshaping the world. Thus Jesus the Christ is called the Word (logos). He is the fullest extension of God’s personality and an active participant in creation (John 1:1-3, 14; cf. Colossians 1:15-17).

But what happens when you or I speak and utter a word? This is important. When we speak, when we utter a word, we also breathe. Every word we speak is carried on our breath. Word and breath come out simultaneously. This is a very important image. When God speaks his Word, his breath also comes out. His breath is his Spirit (ruach, pneuma). His Word and his Spirit work in concert.

Thus we have Jesus (the Word of God) working in concert with the Spirit (the Breath of God). This is the imagery used extensively by John in his Gospel, but we see it in other NT writings. Jesus and the Spirit working in tandem (John 14:26). Jesus is the Truth (John 5:33; 8:32; 14:6) and the Spirit is the Spirit of Truth (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13). We worship God the Father in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:23, 24). The Spirit is a Helper (paraklētos) (John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7) of the same kind (allos, not hetero) (John 14:6). And Jesus also is a Helper (paraklētos) (1 John 2:1). The Spirit descends upon Jesus (Matthew 3:16; Mark 1:10; Luke 3:22), the Spirit is upon Jesus (Luke 4:18), the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus (Philippians 1:19; 1 Peter 1:11). This is why Jesus can send the Spirit to this followers (Luke 3:16; John 15:26; 16:7; 20:22; Acts 1:8). This is why the Spirit helps believers recall Jesus’ teachings (John 14:26). The Word of God works in harmony with God’s Spirit-Breath.

And it is not just with Jesus and the Holy Spirit that this Word-Spirit relationship works. The Word is the mode of creation and the Spirit gives life (Psalm 33:6). Thus man is created by God’s spoken word (Genesis 1:26-27), but it is his spirit that gives man life (Genesis 2:7; cf. Job 33:4; Ezekiel 37:14; John 6:63; Romans 8:2, 6, 10). And when the Spirit comes upon prophets it enables them to proclaim the Word of the Lord (1 Samuel 10:6, 10; 2 Samuel 23:2; 2 Chronicles 15:1; 2 Chronicles 20:14; 24:20; Nehemiah 9:30; Isaiah 59:21; Joel 2:28; Zechariah 7:12). So Peter can say “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved (pheromenoi) by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20-21). This word pheromenoi, from phero (to carry, to move) is used by Luke to express the idea of wind driving a boat (Acts 27:17, 27). So God sends his Word and his Spirit to a prophet/apostle /etc. and he or she is able to speak or write what God wants them to speak or write.

So now we come back to “God-breathed” (theopneustos). This is a word used only once in the Bible. In pagan Greek writings it referred to divine dreams sent by the gods and the divine utterances of oracles or prophetesses such as the sibyls who spoke the revelations of the gods. Paul appropriates this word in order to express the origins of the Scriptures (which is from God), but he is drawing upon the whole Hebrew conception that when one reads the Scriptures one is drawing simultaneously upon God’s creative Word and his life-giving Spirit. When one reads the Bible, accurately understands its meaning, and appropriately applies it, one is transformed, changed for the better, because one participates in God’s divine nature, an extension of his personality. As the author of Hebrews says, “For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12, cf. Ephesians 6:17). This is why Scripture is helpful for teaching, correction, improvement, and education; so that the believer may be perfectly complete to do the work of God.

Now this does not in any way mean that the books of the Bible did not have human authors. Indeed, these very human authors poured their own personalities into their works. They all used personal vocabulary and sentence structure, particular phrases and exertions, peculiar themes and poetics, characteristic imagery, metaphors, source material, and edits. They also were men and women of their times with then contemporary views about history, cosmology, social order, and, as stated above, very unusual conceptions of reality. We can learn a lot about the Biblical authors’ personalities from their books. They presented their moods, their joys, their fears, their anger and sadness. They laughed, they wept, and they emptied themselves for their God. If the Word is an extension of God, then the Scriptures are also an extension of the human authors. Yet God is guiding all of this.