Plenary Divine Inspiration means that all of Scripture is inspired, not just part of it[1]. The term “plenary” emphasizes completeness—the “God-breathed” quality must be applied to all Scripture, not merely its concepts[2]. This differs from partial inspiration theories that claim only certain portions or themes carry divine authority. God the Holy Spirit brought Scripture into being through the process called inspiration[2], making the entire written text a product of divine agency working through human authors.
Inerrancy and Infallibility follow as consequences of this inspiration. As a consequence of divine inspiration, Scripture is infallible and thus completely trustworthy in all that it affirms, teaches, and communicates[3]. The Bible, when correctly interpreted in light of the level to which culture and the means of communication had developed at the time it was written, and in view of the purposes for which it was given, is fully truthful in all that it affirms[4]. Importantly, infallibility is especially connected with religious truth, and in the domain of religious truth and the kingdom of God among men, Scripture’s claim to authority and sufficiency is absolute[5].
Supreme and Final Authority means that Scripture is without error in all that it teaches and asserts, and is the final, sufficient, and magisterial authority for our knowledge of God, self, and the world[3]. The biblical writers and Jesus Himself claim that the written word is the final arbitrator in matters of faith and practice[1]. This authority is intrinsic to Scripture itself, not granted by the church or dependent on human interpretation.
[1] Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible (Chicago: Moody Press, 1986), 52.
[2] Harlyn Graydon Purdy, A Distinct Twenty-First Century Pentecostal Hermeneutic (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 2015), 120, 122.
[3] Stephen J. Wellum, Systematic Theology: From Canon to Concept, Systematic Theology (Brentwood, TN: B&H Academic, 2024), 1:225.
[4] Aída Besançon Spencer and William David Spencer, Christian Egalitarian Leadership: Empowering the Whole Church according to the Scriptures (Eugene, OR: Wipf and Stock, 2020). [See here.]
[5] William Burt Pope, A Compendium of Christian Theology: Being Analytical Outlines of a Course of Theological Study, Biblical, Dogmatic, Historical, Volumes 1-3 (London: Beveridge and Co., 1879), 1:174–175.
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