Page 25 - Inspired Nutrition e-magazine

Word-for-Word, or “Inspired”? When more than one of the gospel writers gave

an account of the same event, did they agree on all things, or were there any

items of disagreement? We wondered if the gospels would survive a detailed ac-

counting of the comparison of their stories. Would they be a unified story in

which we might have even more confidence in? The answer has been a very con-

fident and reassuring “Yes”!

However, for those few willing to look at evidence in formulating their theology

of the nature of inspiration, a detailed harmony of the gospels does present some

challenges in the word-for-word approach to the Bible. Regardless of a person’s

persuasion, the existence of these differences is real. They make it painfully clear

that word-for-word accuracy in not necessarily the case in the entire Bi-

ble! However, it is equally clear that all theological declarations and principles are

in agreement in the Gospels.

There are also those who believe the Bible was inspired by God, but not neces-

sarily in a word-for-word fashion. There are explanations and conclusions that

can be made on both sides of the issue. This work was an effort to simply line up

the gospels so as to be able to compare them better. The results also spawned an-

other work, The History and Inspiration of the Bible – which is incorporated in the

Putting the Pieces Together seminar materials.

A more gratifying surprise was in discovering that this Harmony of the Gospels

has brought assurance to Christians who believe the Bible is inspired by God but

not necessarily accurate in every word. They are learning that reading the Bible is

a process of being before God to find what He will quicken to their heart. The Bi-

ble is a tool, God is the Creator and Savior and our faith belongs towards Him. (All

this can certainly lead to interesting discussions for those willing to think.)

References in Harmony For students of the Bible, the Table of Scripture Refer-

ences at the end is a valuable resource. There are also sections in the Appendix

about the methodology used in evaluating the Four Gospel Writers and a listing of

possible Differences in the Gospels. Credentials:

Terry Roshau is a graduate of Ministries Institute and holds lifetime ordinations

in The International Church of the Foursquare Gospel and Calvary Ministries. He

was involved in Home Missions, starting churches and pastoring.

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