"Inspire" comes from Latin root spirare, which means "breath," and literally means "to breathe in." This is the same root word for respire (to breathe again), expire (to breathe out), and spirit (breath). So to say the Bible is divinely inspired is to say it is God-breathed. What does this mean? The Holy Spirit worked, supernaturally, in and through human authors throughout history, such that their writings reveal the oracles of God to mankind. God has spoken by His Spirit, through His prophets and apostles, to make His ways known unto us. The Biblical Canon is the sum total of that revelation.

"All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works." II Timothy 3:16-17.

"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." II Peter 1:20-21

Infallible means "incapable of being wrong," "unfailing," and "never deceiving." All of these apply to the Word of God. To put it in the positive, to say the Bible is infallible is to say it is always perfectly true. To say the Bible is infallible is to necessarily affirm it is inerrant (without error) as well. However, it is important to note that these affirmations apply to the original manuscripts and not to translations or interpretations of the text; and also with respect to authorial intent, which gives due consideration to genre and the use of literary devices such as idiom, metaphor, allegory, symbolism, and so on.

"[Father], Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17

There are more (5,000+) and older (1st century) copies of Biblical manuscripts than any other text in the historical record. The consensus of contemporary scholarship has concluded that the ancient manuscripts we have in possession today are sufficient to establish a 99.5% confidence in the purity of the New Testament text, with the remaining 0.5% having no impact on anything of doctrinal significance. We have a comparable level of confidence that our Old Testament today reflects the Old Testament as received in 1st Century. Recent archeological discoveries (such as the Dead Sea Scrolls) have only further strengthened the scholarly confidence in the accuracy of the Bible.

"The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever." Psalm 12:6-7

Perspicuous literally means "clear, transparent." Today it means "clearly expressed, easy to understand." While this may not be among the first things people think about the Bible, its message and instruction is remarkably simple when studied regularly, carefully, thoroughly, and prayerfully. This is because the message of the Gospel is clear and consistent from Genesis to Revelation. One part of the Bible does not contradict another part. Rather, each part helps to understand the whole. The fundamental principle is that the central message and themes of the Bible are neither arcane nor ambiguous. Scripture interprets Scripture—what is very clear should be used to interpret what seems less clear.

"The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes." Psalm 19:7-8

The Bible contains all things we need to know about God, His Law, and His Gospel. There is nothing required to be believed by any person for their salvation beyond what is contained in the Holy Scriptures. There is nothing that ought to be required of a person to be believed or done that cannot be proven by the Holy Scriptures. The Word of God is sufficient to provide instruction on everything we need for salvation, worship, morality, and holy living.

"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ." Colossians 2:8

"As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed." Galatians 1:9

While the Bible was written throughout specific ages, places, and cultures of human history (and chronicles the same), its truth is not relegated to any specific time, geography, or cultural context. As God is timeless and unchanging, so too is what God reveals about Himself through His Word. This is most notable as it pertains to His eternal attributes, His moral law whereby the Creation is governed, and His gracious Gospel through which He has redeemed His people.

“For I am the Lord, I change not..." Malachi 3:6

"The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” Isaiah 40:8

The Word of God bears His authority. Thus, what it clearly teaches and commands we are obligated to observe—in doctrine, worship, ethics, and wholesome living. It is never acceptable to add or subtract from it, nor disregard or selectively heed its instruction. As such, some pertinent instructions we find the Bible to clearly teach are as follows:

• Marriage is a divinely ordered covenantal institution to be made between one man and one woman for a lifelong union. While divorce is permitted, it should only be pursued secondary to clear and severe violation of the marital covenant. Any contrivance or act to redefine or dishonor this holy institution is sin before God.

• Sexual Intercourse outside of the covenant of marriage (for which it was exclusively intended) is sin before God.

• Biological Sex is an inalienable and immutable attribute of a person's created being, providentially established by God at conception. In the beginning, God created humanity as male and female. Any attempt to artificially augment one's anatomy, physiology, appearance, or behavior to deceive oneself and one's neighbor is sin before God.

• Ministers of Word & Sacrament (i.e. Priests/Pastors) are to be called and ordained exclusively from among men. While being a man is not a sufficient criteria to ordination, it is a necessary prerequisite. This is not due to any inherent superior quality in men and/or inherent inferior quality in women—we recognize and affirm that men and women are of equal dignity and worth in the eyes of God, and together share His Image. Rather, this exclusivity is established in the pattern and order of male covenant headship which was established at the beginning of Creation, and clearly reaffirmed in the New Testament by Jesus and His Apostles.

• The Civil Magistrate is a common office instituted by God for maintaining civil justice and order in society, to the end that evil may be restrained and the good may flourish. While all Christian people are called to live quiet and peaceful lives in humble submission to regularly and legitimately constituted civil authority in matters of temporal justice, the magistrate has no power or authority over matters purely spiritual. Moreover, should the civil authority seek to upend justice and suppress righteousness in clear contradiction to God's Word AND/OR exert power illegally beyond its legitimately constituted prerogatives, then Christian people have sufficient warrant for peaceful noncompliance pertaining to those matters.

• Forgiveness and Reconciliation with God is made available to all people by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Anyone guilty of any sin is never beyond God's boundless grace and steadfast love. Anyone who repents (returns to God) and confesses their sin with a humble heart, and professes faith in Jesus Christ will surely receive God's forgiveness. We ought never bring attention to a person's sins in order to alienate, ridicule, or condemn; but rather to lovingly call broken people (as all are) to repentance so that they may be reconciled with God their Father and with their fellow men.

"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you." Deuteronomy 4:2

"Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar." Proverbs 30:6

Within the pages of Scripture God reveals His Law—His standard of righteousness by which all Creation is governed. In the Old Testament, The Decalogue (The Ten Commandments) were the summary of the Law of God. In the New Testament, Jesus distills the summary further:

“Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” Matthew 22:37-40

In the Protestant Traditions, we have understand the the Law to have a three purposes, collectively referred to as "The Threefold Use of the Law."

1. The Civil Use. The Law of God is revealed through His Word, but also through general revelation and nature (common moral sense), to maintain justice and order in society. It ensures that evil is restrained and good may flourish. It ensures that everyone receives their due (civil justice).

2. The Pedagogical Use. The Law of God serves as a teacher or mirror, which by showing us the righteous demands of God necessarily shows us also that we are miserable sinners in desperate need of His grace, mercy, and forgiveness. In showing us God's righteousness, it also points us to Christ who is made our perfect righteousness by faith.

3. The Normative Use. The Law of God serves as a norming guide for those who have put their trust in Christ and His perfect work for salvation, to show us how we ought to labor (by the help of the Holy Spirit) to bare good fruit in this life—as an act of thanksgiving to His glory and the proclamation of the Gospel in thought, word, and deed. It shows us how we are now called to live as adopted children in the household of God.

“Therefore thou shalt love the Lord thy God, and keep his charge, and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, always." Deuteronomy 11:1

The Bible is an internally coherent, consistent, and cohesive composite of historical narratives, covenants, prophecies, poetry, wisdom, letters, and gospels written and passed down over millennia, which reveals and elaborates God's plan for the redemption of humanity through Christ Jesus. This redemptive history is fulfilled in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. A quick summary of the Gospel is as follows:

1. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who descended from God the Father, and was incarnate by the Holy Ghost through the Virgin Mary, in which He truly assumed our humanity unto Himself.

2. He lived the perfect life, fulfilling God's Law and all righteousness through His obedience and selfless sacrifice upon the cross.

3. Because He was without sin, death had no hold or claim upon Him. He resurrected Himself on the third day in glory, and ascended to the Father to rule over all creation to this day.

4. The Grace of God—the forgiveness of sins and Jesus' perfect righteousness—has been offered to mankind as a free gift to be received by faith: to trust in Jesus' finished work and the promises of God for our salvation.

5. Those who place their trust in Christ and turn to God with humble hearts will surely receive forgiveness for their sins, justification before the judgment of God, and eternal life in resurrection and the world to come.

6. Our LORD will return again in glory, at the end of the age, to judge the living and the dead. He will bring about the renewed Creation where the heavenly and earthly realms are united together in perfection forevermore.

The Gospel runs throughout the entire Bible, not only the New Testament. In the Old Testament we see God's mercy poured out through the Gospel promise when He spares Adam and Eve and covers their nakedness, when he saves Noah's family from the flood, when He promises Abraham will be the father of many nations, when He delivers Israel from the Egyptians, etc. Every account in the Bible points to the promised Messiah (Christ, Savior), Jesus the Son of God. The entire testimony of the Bible is for one ultimate purpose: proclaiming the Salvation of Mankind through Christ Alone.