How We Received the Bible pt. 2
What We Believe, and Why We Believe It! • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
What is Inspiration?
What is Inspiration?
Consider this definition:
“God so supernaturally directed the writers of Scriptures that without waiving their human intelligence, literary style, or personal feelings, or any other human factors, His completed and coherent message to man was recorded with perfect accuracy, the very words of the original bearing the authority of divine authorship.”
Why is Inspiration Important?
Why is Inspiration Important?
If the Bible is not divinely inspired, there is no basis of authority upon which to build any doctrinal teachings.
A good example would be cogs in a machine. If one is out of place, or broken, or backward, the entire machine will fail
If we begin with a wrong premise, we will never reach the right conclusion.
For instance, if you approach the Bible as simply the work of man full of mistakes and contradictions, you will conclude it is a work of man full of mistakes and contradictions.
If, however you approach with an open mind, believing it is in fact the Word of God you will only be able to conclude the Bible is in deed the Word of God.
Some Distinctions:
Some Distinctions:
Revelation is Different from Inspiration
Revelation is Different from Inspiration
Revelation has to do with God communicating truth to man
Inspiration has to do with God’s influence which secures an accurate transferance of God’s truth into language
In other words, inspiration deals with what is recorded and its accuracy
There can be revelation from God which is not inspired or recorded, examples include:
3 And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices. 4 And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.
2 Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. 3 Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost. 4 Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
False Views of Inspiration
False Views of Inspiration
The following are the prevailing wrong views of inspiration and the best biblical refutation:
Natural inspiration
Belief that the authors of the Bible were men of great literary genius who did not require supernatural help. Bible writers were inspired in the same way artist, poets, and musicians are inspired.
Refutation - why can’t we find such geniuses today to write books of equal inspiration?
Universal Christian Inspiration
Suggests that all Christians of all times have been inspired. The only difference is the degree to which men are inspired, not the kind of inspiration.
Refutation - the question is, where is this kind of inspiration demonstrated by the Biblical authors? This view holds the writers to be inspired; God said the Scriptures were inspired 2 Tim. 3:16 “16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
Endorsement view of inspiration
Holds that God left human authors to their own devices without any divine assistance and simply endorsed what they had written after the fact.
Refutation - the Bible says the Holy Spirit was in the writers 1 Peter 1:11 “11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.” And the Spirit moved them to write what they wrote 2 Peter 1:21 “21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
Mechanical/Dictation Theory
The Bible authors were essentially robots and had nothing to do with the message they wrote
Refutation - the Bible displays the feelings of the writers:
Psalm 51.
Luke 1:1-4 “1 Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, 2 Even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; 3 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4 That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.”
Romans 9:1-3 “1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, 2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. 3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:”
There is an example of dictation however in God’s message to Moses:
Exodus 20:1 “1 And God spake all these words, saying,”
Exodus 21:1 “1 Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them.”
Exodus 24:3 “3 And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judgments: and all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the Lord hath said will we do.”
Exodus 25:1 “1 And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,”
This example was very rare and necessary in this instance
Partial Inspiration
Only parts of the Bible are inspired. What the writers had knowledge of, such as historical events is not inspired. The only inspired portions are those that they did not know.
Refutation - the Bible states ALL Scripture is inspired (2 Ti. 3:16).
Thought/Concept Inspiration
Holds that God gave the writers of Scripture the concept or idea, but left them to express it in their own writing. It leaves room for the authors words then to be inaccurate.
Refutation - the Bible states that the Holy Spirit gave the very words 1 Co. 2:13 “13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.”
The Correct View of Inspiration
The Correct View of Inspiration
Two words we should learn
Verbal = words
Plenary = completion/fullness
Verbal inspiration meaning the very words of Scripture are inspired.
In some portions of Scritpure God Himself is speaking or writing
1 And God spake all these words, saying,
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
God gave specific words for men to record
10 And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. 11 And the Lord said unto him, Who hath made man’s mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord? 12 Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say. 13 And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send. 14 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his heart. 15 And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth: and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do.
1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
Also Revelation 2: 8,12, 18
18 And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass;
In some portions men are using their own words
1 The former treatise have I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began both to do and teach,
In some cases the authors did not understand what they were writing about
10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: 11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. 12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.
8 And I heard, but I understood not: then said I, O my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? 9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.
In some portions different words were used by different authors to record the very same events
26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;
19 And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20 Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.
This is done for a different purpose of perspective and is NOT a discrepancy.
Plenary Inspiration – means full and complete, all Scriptures are inspired of God
The Bible emphatically claims to be fully inspired of God
16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
Repeatedly through the entire Bible it is claimed to be the message of God (“thus saith the LORD”)
Paul testified that what he had said was God’s Word 1 Thess. 2:13
13 For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.
Peter testified that Paul’s writings were “scripture”
15 And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; 16 As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.
Take Away
Take Away
There are two sides to the coin of Inspiration:
The Divine side - The Scriptures are the Word of God and are the supernaturally directed record of God’s mind.
The Human side - they are the results of divinely chosen instruments who were used to record God’s Word into written form.
We may conclude that the Scriptures came from God through man, so that every word was actually an utterance of God recorded by a human author, and that neither the divine authorship nor the human authorship impaired the other.
What you have in front of you is the reliable, undeniable, unquestionable Word of God.