The Word of God stands like a mighty mountain, steadfast amidst the shifting sands of human culture and philosophy. Yet, we see attempts at every turn to chip away at this divine edifice, to cast doubt upon its authenticity and to discredit its authority. Skeptics tirelessly assail its fortifications, seeking to find cracks in the walls, discrepancies in the testimonies, or contradictions in its messages. It’s a relentless endeavor to pit one part of Scripture against another, to create discord where there is harmony, and to cause confusion where there’s divine clarity.

Consider the ongoing cultural debates on issues such as homosexuality. Certain voices clamor, pointing out that Jesus Himself, in the Gospels, never spoke explicitly on this issue. They challenge the biblical stance, invoking the argument of silence. They subtly attempt to drive a wedge between the words of Christ and the teachings of apostles like Paul or the moral laws of the Old Testament. However, to pit the words of Christ against the rest of Scripture is to fundamentally misunderstand the nature of the Bible as a whole.

Here is just one example that I ran across this morning while perusing social media.

But this isn’t just happening in the far-left corners of the obviously fake realm of faux-Christianity—this is tolerated in Southern Baptist and other mainstream Evangelical circles. Here’s another from Beth Moore, attempting to pit the words of Paul against Jesus.

The Bible is not a hodgepodge of separate texts with different inspirations, but rather a divinely orchestrated, cohesive narrative. It is God’s grand story, communicated through human authors, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Every single verse, chapter, and book plays a vital role in this cosmic narrative.

This understanding brings us to the doctrine of plenary inspiration of Scripture, a cornerstone belief that sets the foundation for our approach to the Bible. Plenary inspiration holds that every part of the Bible is equally God-breathed. It affirms that, while Jesus may not have spoken explicitly on every issue, His silence does not imply indifference or approval.

After all, Jesus didn’t explicitly condemn various acts that are universally recognized as sinful, such as incest or human trafficking. Yet, no sane person would suggest His silence indicates approval. He didn’t need to. The moral laws established in the Old Testament and reaffirmed by His apostles suffice.

It is Jesus Himself who confirms the authority and continuity of the Scriptures. He unequivocally states that He came not to abolish the Law or the Prophets—referring to the Old Testament—but to fulfill them (Matthew 5:17). The meaning of this fulfillment is profound as Jesus doesn’t merely adhere to the Old Testament law. Instead, He embodies its ultimate purpose, its grand climax. He is the living Word, the perfect revelation of God’s character, the consummate expression of His will, and the definitive model of true righteousness.

But Jesus doesn’t stop at fulfillment. He further deepens our understanding of the law’s moral requirements. In the Sermon on the Mount, He goes beyond the mere outward observance of the law and plumbs the depths of the heart. Anger equates to murder, lust equals adultery; hatred is akin to the darkest of crimes (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28). In doing so, Jesus demonstrates the holistic inspiration of the law—it’s not just a set of do’s and don’ts, but a divine blueprint for the transformation of our inner being.

Further, the authority of the New Testament complements and continues the divine inspiration of the Old Testament. The apostle Peter unequivocally refers to Paul’s letters, which address issues such as homosexuality, as Scripture (2 Peter 3:15-16). This firmly cements Paul’s letters within the canon of divinely inspired Scripture.

Therefore, when we hold the Bible, we do not hold a disjointed collection of human thoughts or a mere historical anthology. Instead, we hold the unified, God-breathed revelation of Himself. The same Spirit who inspired Moses to pen the Pentateuch also moved Paul to write his epistles. The Spirit directed Isaiah’s prophecies and John’s apocalyptic visions. Every book, every chapter, every verse is intertwined in the majestic tapestry of God’s grand and perfect narrative.

To attempt to segregate the words of Jesus from the rest of Scripture is to sever what God has intimately woven together. It’s an attempt to deconstruct the unified voice of God reverberating through the centuries, resonating in our hearts and minds, and shaping our lives today and for all eternity. Yet, the Word of God remains unbroken, untouched by human skepticism.

The plenary inspiration of Scripture, that is, the inspiration of the entire Word of God as a cohesive narrative of God, is therefore an essential pillar of our faith. It stands firm against the onslaught of cultural critique and philosophical doubt. Every word, every sentence, and every concept in the Bible springs from the mind of God, offering us truth, comfort, correction, and the ultimate revelation of His love and grace in Christ—they are the very words of life itself.

No doubt, we live in a time where truth is constantly traded for tolerance, and the Word of God is replaced with the idle words of men. Yet, remember this: the same God who created the cosmos, who flung the stars into space and designed the delicate butterfly’s wings, is the God who inspired the Scriptures—all of it.

He is not a God of confusion, but of peace (1 Corinthians 14:33). He has given us a harmonious, coherent, and entirely inspired Word that stands firm. It speaks into our culture, our questions, and our deepest human needs with authority. No human critiques or cultural trends can diminish its power, its relevance, or its truth.