Page 319 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

INSPIRATION

the smallest details of the Bible are from God. This is things about Himself, salvation, and His plans (vv.
called “verbal inspiration.” (5) The Bible is one book 10-12). (3) God chose the very words of this revelation
with an all-encompassing theme: Salvation in Jesus (v. 13). God did not give the Bible writers general
Christ (v. 15). The Bible is not just a group of unrelated, thoughts only; He gave them the very words. Some
disconnected religious writings. It is a unified Book sneeringly label this the “mechanical dictation theory,”
planned by God for the purpose of teaching man the but we don’t care what mockers call it, and we are not
way of salvation (compare Lk. 24:44-45; Jn. 1:45; 5:39; concerned about whether we can understand how God
Ep. 3:11). (6) The Bible can protect Christians from could have given a perfect Book through imperfect men.
error (vv. 13-15). If the Bible is full of myths, mistakes, That is His business! The Bible claims to be the perfect,
and untrue claims concerning authorship, miracles, and verbally inspired Word of God, and I don’t have any
prophecies—even if it contains some errors—it certainly problem with that, since I worship a God who can do
is not a book which can give sure protection from false anything.
teachings! (7) The Bible is sufficient to make the 1 Peter 1:10-12 — (1) The Bible writers wrote by the
Christian complete and mature (v. 17). An imperfect Spirit of God that was in them. (2) The main subject of
book could not produce perfection. the Bible is Jesus Christ and His salvation by the cross
2 Peter 1:19-21 — (1) The Bible is a light shining in a (“the sufferings of Christ”) and His coming kingdom
dark place (v. 19). The dark place is the world. It is dark (“the glory that should follow”). This refers to Christ’s
because of man’s sin and spiritual blindness and the first coming and second comings. (3) The Bible contains
work of the devil (2 Co. 4:4). Man is not able to know prophecies of the future. This also proves that it is of
spiritual truth without a revelation from God. The Bible God, for only God knows the future. (4) The prophets
is that revelation that shines in the darkness. (2) The did not understand everything they wrote, because they
Bible is a “sure word.” It is the infallible Word of God. It were not writing their own thoughts. This passage
is trustworthy. (3) The Bible contains prophecy of the refutes the doctrine that the Bible was always relevant
future, which proves that it is the Word of God. (4) The to the times of the prophets. Attempts are made, for
Bible is not a product of man’s will (v. 21). Other books example, to figure out what situation David was
are the product of the will of the human author, but not describing in his own day in Psalm 22. The answer is
the Bible. It is the product of God’s will. According to that he was not describing any situation in his own day.
the context, the phrase “private interpretation” refers to Rather, by divine inspiration he was describing Christ’s
the giving of revelation, rather than to the agony on the cross 1,000 years in the future (“not unto
understanding of it. (5) The Bible writers were holy themselves, but unto us they did minister the things”).
men chosen and prepared by God for His work. (6) Acts 3:18, 21 — “But those things, which God before
Those who take heed to the Bible are wise. This passage had showed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ
explains the method whereby the Bible was given. God should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. ... Whom the heaven
used men, but He used them in such a way that what must receive until the times of restitution of all things,
they wrote was precisely God’s Word. When the Bible which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy
touches on inspiration and revelation, it focuses on God. prophets since the world began.”
We are told very little about the actual mechanism. The (1) The Bible prophets spoke and wrote God’s words.
details of the method of inspiration is an unrevealed (2) The Bible’s main subject is Jesus Christ and His
mystery. It was accomplished mysteriously by the Holy suffering and kingdom. (3) The Bible prophets were
Spirit. We are not supposed to fret about the method of holy, meaning they were chosen by God and set apart
inspiration; we are supposed to believe God’s testimony for His work. (4) The Bible was written by many men in
that it happened and we are to have faith in the finished many different times, but it is one Book. All of the Bible
product, the Holy Scriptures. Modern Bible scholars prophets spoken with one voice.
usually do just the opposite of what the Scriptures do in
reference to inspiration. They focus on man’s part rather Psalm 12:6-7 — Common sense would dictate that if
than upon God. That is because most modern scholars God has given an accurate revelation to men, He could
do not operate by the principle of faith. They are and would preserve it for them. This truth is not left to
operating by their own intellect and by the means of our common sense, though. Ps. 12:6-7 promises that
human scholarship. No man can know the perfect Word God will preserve His pure Word for every generation.
of God through scholarship, for “without faith it is Ps. 12:6 refers to the perfect inspiration of Scripture. Ps.
impossible to please him” (He. 11:6). 12:7 refers to the preservation of this pure Word. Many
say that the Bible must surely contain error because of
1 Corinthians 2:9-13 — (1) The Bible conrtains truth the imperfections of the men who wrote it and the men
that man cannot know by his own investigation and who have copied it through the centuries. Not so,
intellect (v. 9). (2) God, by His Spirit, has revealed according to the Psalmist. I have no problem with any of

Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity 319