The Inspiration of Scripture Part 1
Last week we saw that the written Scriptures are the Word of God. Today I want to look at the idea of inspiration. This is critical, because the reason the written Scriptures are actually God’s Word is because they are divinely inspired.
As I begin, it is important to note what is meant by the term ‘inspiration’. Perhaps it is best to begin by stating what is NOT meant. Sometimes we speak of a piece of literature, such as a poem, as being ‘inspired’. At other times we may speak of an idea or performance as being ‘inspired’. In all of these instances we mean that the writing, idea, or performance are really moving and exemplary. This is NOT what is meant when one speaks of Scripture as being ‘inspired.’
When Christians say the Bible is ‘inspired’ we mean that its source is none other than God Himself. This is why it is proper to refer to the written Scripture as ‘The Word of God’. Thus, God speaks and the result is the written Word of God, the Bible. What the Bible says, God says.
We see this in a number of texts in the Bible itself. Consider the following:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 2 Timothy 3:16
(Paul uses a Greek term composed of two words, God and breathed, to refer to the source of Scripture. Paul tells us that God breathed out through humans and the result was Scripture, the written Word of God.)
Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:20–21
(The prophecies contained in the Old Testament were not simply the words of men. Rather, ‘men spoke from God’ as they were carried or guided by the Holy Spirit. Thus, their words were inspired by the Spirit Himself.)
The Spirit of the LORD spoke through me; his word was on my tongue. 2 Samuel 23:2
(David is quite clear – the Spirit spoke through him. This is what we mean by saying the Scripture is inspired – God is speaking through humans by His Holy Spirit.)
David himself, speaking by the Holy Spirit, declared: “‘The Lord said to my Lord: “Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies under your feet.”’ Mark 12:36
(Jesus declares that David’s words were the Spirit speaking through him. Also, note that the words in question are the written Scriptures, in this case Psalm 2. Thus, the written Scripture is the inspired Word of God.)
Summarizing the biblical teaching on inspiration, theologian Millard Erickson defines inspiration this way:
“By inspiration of Scripture we mean that supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit upon the Scripture writers which rendered their writings an accurate record of the revelation or which resulted in what they wrote actually being the Word of God. – Millard Erickson, Christian Theology, 199.”
Thus, when you and I pick up our Bibles to read, what we have is not the writings of men, but the very words of God. The human authors were not writing their own ideas or experiences; they were speaking the words God gave to them by His Spirit. We look more at this idea next week.
In Christ,
Bret