Skip to content
Credo House Ministries
  • Home
  • Theology Unplugged
  • Donate
  • About
  • Credo Courses
  • Close Search Form
    Open Search Form
Doubt
0Comments

Illustration of John the Baptist Doubting and What We Can Learn From Him

Each one of us carries doubts within our hearts, and it is those who deeply grapple with their faith who come to realize this truth. It often frightens us because we believe...

Continue Reading

Uncategorized
2Comments

Seminary in Your Pocket for $99 Right Now!

It doesn’t happen often anymore, but right now, this package is down to $99. Hurry! Included in Platinum Packages*: Christian Apologetics 101 by Doug Groothuis Digital...

Continue Reading

Anthropology
7Comments

The Subsistence of the “You” Argument for the Existence of God

Have you ever stopped to ponder the concept of personal identity? While our bodies are in a constant state of renewal, with every cell being replaced approximately every seven...

Continue Reading

Credo House Ministries
Christian Life
0Comments

Lessons From C. S. Lewis: Resting in God’s Forgiveness

The temptation of disbelief is never as strong as it is after a time—a substantial time—of panic attacks and/or hallucinations stemming from past trauma. The temptation to...

Continue Reading

Calvinism
6Comments

15 Things About John Calvin You May Not Know

John Calvin Had a Photographic Memory: It was said that he could recite long passages of Scripture and recall complex theological arguments with ease. His close friend and...

Continue Reading

Eschatology
2Comments

The Myth of “Abraham’s Bosom”

I remember when I was young, I was taught that there was a place called “Abraham’s Bosom.” The way it was explained to me made perfect sense at the time. You go to heaven if...

Continue Reading

Christian Philosophy
7Comments

A Mind-Blowing Christian Worldview

Continue Reading

Eschatology
43Comments

Quit Using the Word “Heaven”!

One of my pet peeves is the word “heaven.” I know it shouldn’t be. It is used in one form or another 457 times in the Bible (depending on your version). It...

Continue Reading

Church History
1Comments

15 Things You May Not Know About Zwingli

I am probably a Zwinglian in more ways in my theology than either Luther or Calvin. he is more influential to mainline Protestantism than most people realize. He was was a...

Continue Reading

« Older Articles Newer Articles »

NEW! Become a Patron of Michael Patton

Theology Unplugged

Theology Unplugged
Theology Unplugged

Get your weekly dose of one of the longest-running theology podcasts there is.

87. Through Theology in a Year: Evidencing Inspiration
byC. Michael Patton

How can we be certain that the Bible is inspired? What evidence supports the Christian claim that the Scriptures are uniquely the Word of God? In this episode of Theology Unplugged, Michael begins examining the cumulative case for biblical inspiration, including Scripture’s self-attestation, its uniqueness, its historicity, its prophetic character, the testimony of Christ, its life-changing power, and the testimony of the Holy Spirit.

Michael begins with Scripture’s testimony concerning itself. The Bible repeatedly claims to speak the words of God, but self-attestation cannot stand alone as the entire argument. Simply saying that the Bible is inspired because the Bible says it is inspired would appear circular. Nevertheless, self-attestation is a necessary part of the evidence. If Scripture truly is the Word of God, there can be no higher authority by which its divine inspiration may be authenticated. As Hebrews says of God, because He had no one greater by whom to swear, He swore by Himself.

The episode also considers the remarkable uniqueness of the Bible: a collection of 66 books, written by more than 40 authors from very different backgrounds, in three languages, on three continents, over approximately 1,500 years. Despite these differences, the books form a unified theological and redemptive story unlike any other collection of literature.

Michael then turns to the historicity of Scripture and explains the importance of examining both internal and external evidence. Christianity does not ask people to accept its historical claims merely because the Bible is inspired. Rather, the historical claims themselves—most importantly, the resurrection of Jesus Christ—must be investigated. If the resurrection occurred as a historical event, Christianity is true whether or not someone has already accepted a complete doctrine of biblical inspiration.

Finally, Michael begins considering the internal evidence for Scripture’s historical reliability, especially its striking honesty. The biblical writers consistently record the sins, doubts, embarrassments, and failures of their own heroes. David murders, Peter denies Christ, the apostles abandon Him, Abraham and Sarah doubt, Jonah runs, Noah becomes drunk, and Israel repeatedly rebels. These are not the kinds of carefully polished stories normally produced to glorify a nation, its leaders, or its founders. Scripture also preserves apparently incidental details that are difficult to explain as deliberate legendary embellishments.

This episode begins a larger cumulative argument. No single evidence by itself establishes everything Christians believe about inspiration, but together these evidences provide substantial reasons for believing that the Scriptures are what they claim to be: the written Word of God.

Get involved:
Michael’s public blog: https://credohouse.org
Courses and Manuscript Reproductions from Michael and other scholars: https://credocourses.com
Join us as we go through the great Fathers of the Faith in a year: https://throughthechurchfathers.com
Support Michael and receive exclusive podcasts, courses, and much more: https://patreon.com/cmichaelpatton

87. Through Theology in a Year: Evidencing Inspiration
87. Through Theology in a Year: Evidencing Inspiration
2026-07-15
C. Michael Patton
Will the True Church Please Stand Up?
2026-06-24
C. Michael Patton
Search Results placeholder

Every Credo Course On One Drive!

Or Send a Quick Tip

Subscribe

* indicates required

C Michael Patton’s discipleship book

Categories

RSS Theology Unplugged

  • 87. Through Theology in a Year: Evidencing Inspiration 2026-07-15
    How can we be certain that the Bible is inspired? What evidence supports the Christian claim that the Scriptures are uniquely the Word of God? In this episode of Theology Unplugged, Michael begins examining the cumulative case for biblical inspiration, including Scripture's self-attestation, its uniqueness, its historicity, its prophetic character, the testimony of Christ, its […]
  • Will the True Church Please Stand Up? 2026-06-24
    What happens when we become convinced that our church, our tradition, or our denomination is the official gatekeeper of the kingdom of God? In this episode of Theology Unplugged, Michael explores a surprising pattern that runs throughout the Gospels. Again and again, the disciples appoint themselves as the guardians of God's kingdom. They try to […]

Meta

  • Log in
  • Entries feed
  • Comments feed
  • WordPress.org

Address


Credo House 1209 Cedar Ridge Road Edmond OK 73013

Text

405-410-3039

Credo House Ministries

©2010-2017 SmartTheme. All Rights Reserved.

WordPress Theme by OptimizePress