Have you ever heard someone say that another person was inspired? What do we mean by that? Generally speaking, we are expressing that something is going on inside the subject. For this reason, to speak of the Bible as being inspired creates a bit of confusion. Second Timothy 3:16 clearly says (in KJV English) "All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is...." The problem here is the word translated inspiration actually means to breathe out . The point is not what happens in the recipient but rather what is being done or given by the communicator. The emphasis is on what God is doing, not on what is happening to or in the one receiving the communication. As we think about inspiration we must realize how important it is to keep our focus on God. In the Old Testament we are constantly told, "the word of the Lord...." Sometimes we pick up Bibles with color coding, i.e. the words of Jesus in red or a scheme such as blue=heaven, red=blood/death, green=eternal life, etc. The coding may be somewhat helpful but also tends to focus us only on the type of text or the speaker of the text rather than the author--God.
Individuals choose to look for guidance in many directions. Using culture as a guide, they sometimes accept what is being accepted by the current generation. Some would take tradition, which is simply the cultural guidelines of the past locked into place by certain respected people and their work. Another might tend toward philosophy, which is the wisdom of one or more individuals rolled into a supposedly life-explaining worldview. In the generation immediately preceding today's, science and technology were used to explain and interpret life and its situations. In every age, the older presents the younger with guidelines based upon his or her own experiences. The changeability and contradictions these guidelines produce are not long a focus of attention because of the shortness of human life, the tendency of individuals to forgetfulness, and the continually changing flow of the stream of history. Since life moves at a more hectic pace today than at any time in the past, the guidelines become subject to more frequent changes.
Here are some great indicators of the God-given nature of the Word of God. The Bible provides time-tested yet pertinent guidelines. These statements are all biblical and are also supported by great masses of evidence.
Finally, there is the matter of authority. If the burning issue of the '60s and '70s was inspiration, the issue of the '90s is the issue of authority. We live in a day in which logic and reason are falling into disrepute. We live in a time when evidence demands no verdict. We live in a time in which the current whim of the majority is deemed to be the authoritatively correct viewpoint. Homosexuality and abortion are cases in point. Because society has declared them to be acceptable, they are. The Bible, with its strong view of the sanctity of life and the propriety of sexual relationships, has no recognized authority in the world. The strange thing is that during the days of reason, even though it opposed the Scripture, man still saw the Bible as authoritative in matters of morals and spirit.
We believers need to understand these three things: the Bible was given by God; it is totally credible; it is fully authoritative. Without the Word of God there is only the word of man. Any lesser view destroys the very basic truths of Christianity. So embrace the positive, regenerating, life-changing power of God's Word.
Reprinted with the author's permission from the August 1996 edition of "Truth."
"Truth" is a bi-monthly magazine emphasizing the distinctive doctrines of the Dispensation of Grace. Subscriptions are available from Grace Gospel Fellowship, P.O. Box 9432, Grand Rapids, Michigan 49509. The subscription price is $12.00 to receive "Truth" for one year (six issues).
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Last Updated: 12/20/1999
Continuity: 1 Peter 1:24-25
Isn't it amazing that the Isaiah scroll found in the cave at Qumran fully supported the book of Isaiah in our possession? Can you imagine finding something 1,500 years older than the book in your hand and seeing there is no material difference in content even though it has gone through hundreds, maybe thousands of transcriptions and translations? The theories of science have no such longevity. Creativity: Romans 10:17
Philosophy does not make a changed life. It does not produce faith. It seeks to explain what "is" by what "was". No philosophy has changed lives for more than two thousand years, producing beings with a new nature. Capability: Hebrews 4:12
No culture pierces the heart of men and changes them. Culture is the sum of the actions of the individuals comprising it. It only rebukes the action taken in opposition of the collectively approved activities. This text affirms that the Word of God can cause a man to see the motives that produce his action and then do something about them. Prominent secular psychological principles tend to cause a man not to face the problem, but to simply accept the condition as valid. Certainty: 2 Peter 1:19
The greatest earmark of the current post-modern culture is its loss of hope and certainty. The Bible continues to offer both to those who will accept it by faith. Should we run into opposition we need always keep in mind that the world's culture, scientific, and philosophical systems are also accepted by faith. We have been badgered with the idea that these systems are reasoned and provable while the Bible demands an incredible amount of foolish faith. This is nonsense, to say the least. Consultability: 2 Timothy 3:15
If we wish to consult a doctor today, we must decide what kind of doctor to see. The interesting point Paul makes here is that the Bible is a well-rounded general practioner of life. It is profitable for doctrine (teaching or the basic tenets of life), correction (the ability to help the student steer a new course of life), reproof (the ability to call a spade a spade and to demonstrate in a no-nonsense way that the student is in error), and to offer instruction in righteousness (or to act as a how-to manual for doing the right thing). What a marvelous book this is! Credibility: John 17:17
The Word of God is true and truth. Pilate asked the famous question--"What is truth?" Had he listened to the teaching of the Lord he would already have known the answer. After all the charges laid against the Bible and all its antagonistic probings through the centuries, it still stands as the most credible piece of literature ever written. I once was given a book by Thomas Jefferson that listed the many errors of the Word of God. One of the most berated was the existence of a people called the Hittites. In Jefferson's day they were unknown to man. I challenge you to look them up in a current encyclopedia and see whether the Bible or Jefferson was correct. Competency: Hebrews 4:12
Competency is the ability to do the job assigned. The question is--is the Bible able to do all it claims? The answer is a resounding Yes! It still pierces minds and hearts. It still changes both external actions and the inner core thoughts of a believer. It still has the same consultive value it has always had. It speaks to basic issues of life with authority and accuracy. No other book has stood as long under so much opposition, having been scorned so frequently. The Word of God is as capable as ever of doing exactly what God intended it to do.