Page 317 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

INSPIRATION

of Scripture arose and the Old Testament took its individual accepts the Bible as the infallible Word of
present form. ... The process by which the Jews God.)
became ‘the people of the Book’ was gradual, and the The Deception about Inspiration
development is shrouded in the mists of history and
tradition. ... The date of the final compilation of the We must warn that many today who use the term
Pentateuch or Law, which was the first corpus or larger inspiration, and who speak of an inspired Bible, do not
body of literature that came to be regarded by the Jews necessarily mean that the Bible is the absolutely perfect
as authoritative Scripture, is uncertain, although some Word of God. In writing of the condition in many
have conservatively dated it at the time of the Exile in evangelical seminaries, Richard Quebedeaux notes,
the sixth century. ... Before the adoption of the “It is a well-known fact that a large number, if not
Pentateuch as the Law of Moses, there had been most, of the colleges and seminaries in question now
compiled and edited in the spirit and diction of the have faculty who no longer believe in total inerrancy,
Deuteronomic ‘school’ the group of books consisting of even in situations where their employers still require
Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Samuel, and Kings, in them to sign the traditional declaration that the Bible
much their present form. ... Thus the Pentateuch took is ‘verbally inspired,’ ‘inerrant,’ or ‘infallible in the
shape over a long period of time” (Introduction to the whole and in the part,’ or to affirm in other clearly
Old Testament, New Oxford Annotated Bible). defined words the doctrine of inerrancy ... SOME OF
Genesis: “Nearly all modern scholars agree that, like THESE FACULTY INTERPRET THE CRUCIAL CREEDAL
the other books of the Pentateuch, [Genesis] is a CLAUSES IN A MANNER THE ORIGINAL FRAMERS
composite of several sources, embodying traditions that WOULD NEVER HAVE ALLOWED; OTHERS SIMPLY
go back in some cases to Moses” (Metzger’s Introduction SIGN THE AFFIRMATION WITH TONGUE IN
to Genesis, Reader’s Digest Condensed Bible). CHEEK” (The Worldly Evangelicals, p. 30).
Exodus: “As with Genesis, several strands of literary An example of claiming to believe in inspiration
tradition, some very ancient, some as late as the sixth while denying that the Bible is the perfect Word of God
century B.C., were combined in the makeup of the is found in the biography of Bible translator J.B.
books” (Metzger’s Introduction to Exodus, Reader’s Phillips: “As the years have passed—and it is now
Digest Condensed Bible). twenty-five years since I began translating the
Deuteronomy: “It’s compilation is generally assigned ‘Epistles’—my conviction has grown that the New
to the seventh century B.C., though it rests upon much Testament is in a quite special sense inspired. IT IS NOT
older tradition, some of it from Moses’ time” (Metzger’s MAGICAL, NOR IS IT FAULTLESS: human beings wrote
Introduction to Deuteronomy, Reader’s Digest Condensed it. ... although I believe in the true inspiration of the
Bible). New Testament and its obvious power to change human
lives in this or any other century, I should like to make it
Be careful about labels in this confused hour. The quite clear that I could not possibly hold the extreme
term “evangelical” is meaningless. It can refer to a ‘fundamentalist’ position of so-called ‘verbal
Modernist or a Roman Catholic or a drunk-in-the-spirit inspiration’” (Phillips, Ring of Truth, pp. 27,28,29).
Charismatic or a Psychobabbler who believes the key to
mental health is the recovery of hidden memories. I Another example of this was found in an interview
don’t care what label a man bears, if he denies the Christianity Today conducted with Arie Brouwer, former
perfect inspiration of Scripture he is an arch heretic and general secretary of the National Council of Churches in
an apostate (both of these are biblical terms) and God’s America. “Concerning Scripture, he uses the word
people should treat him as the dangerous false teacher ‘infallible’ rather than ‘inerrant.’ He says ‘the Gospels are
that he is. The Bible is the foundation for everything in a faithful record of Jesus’ teaching. Their historical
the Christian life and faith, and if the Bible is not quality is remarkable compared to other literature of the
infallible, Jesus Christ and the Apostles were either time. WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO ME IS NOT WHETHER
deceived or were liars and we are foolish people to THEY RECORD VERBATIM WHAT JESUS
follow them. SAID” (Calvary Contender, Feb. 15, 1986).
I repeat that Bruce Metzger is only one of hundreds This is deception of the highest order. If the Bible is
of examples we could give of Evangelical scholars who not inerrant it is not infallible! If the Gospels are a
deny the infallibility of Holy Scripture. Today’s faithful record of Jesus’ teaching, they contain an
Evangelicals are polluted with the Modernism from accurate record of what He said! If they do not contain
which they have refused to separate. A little leaven has an accurate record of what Christ said, they are not
indeed leavened the whole lump. (Remember these sad faithful! What wicked doublespeak!
facts the next time you hear about how “thoroughly Referring to the strange matter of evangelical
Evangelical” certain modern Bible translators are. Being scholars professing to believe in an inspired Bible while
“thorough Evangelical” today does not indicate that an at the same time claiming the Bible’s record is not

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