Reference: Inspiration
American
That supernatural influence exerted on the minds of the sacred writers by the Spirit of God, in virtue of which they unerringly declared his will. Whether what they wrote was previously familiar to their own knowledge, or, as in many cases it must have been, an immediate revelation from heaven; whether his influence in any given case was dictation, suggestion, or superintendence; and however clearly we may trace in their writings the peculiar character, style, mental endowments, and circumstances of each; yet the whole of the Bible was written under the unerring guidance of the Holy Ghost, 2Ti 3:16.
Christ everywhere treats the Old Testament Scripture as infallibly true, and of divine authority-the word of God. To the New Testament writers inspiration was promised, Mt 10:19-20; Joh 14:26; 16:13; and they wrote and prophesied under its direction, 1Co 2:10-13; 14:37; Ga 1:12; 2Pe 1:21; 3:15; Re 1:1,10-19.
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but when they take you up, be not sollicitous how, or what ye shall say; for ye shall be taught in that very instant what ye shall speak: for it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh by you.
But the comforter, that is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said unto you.
But when the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that will He speak, and will shew you things to come.
But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knoweth the things of a man, but the spirit of a man which is in him? so also the things of God no one knoweth, but the Spirit of God. read more. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit of God; that we might know the things that are graciously bestowed upon us by God: which we also speak of, not in words dictated by human wisdom, but in those which are dictated by the holy Spirit; explaining spiritual things by spiritual words.
If any one seem to be a prophet, or acted by the Spirit, let him acknowlege that what I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.
For I neither received it, nor was taught it by man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
and is profitable for doctrine, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness;
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew to his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John,
Here I was in the Spirit on the Lord's-day: and heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last; and, What thou seest write in a book, and send it to the seven churches in Asia, to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. read more. And I turned to see the voice that spake to me: and when I turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like the Son of man, clothed with a long robe, and girded about the breasts with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like white wool, as white as snow; and his eyes as a flame of fire; and his feet like fine brass, as if they were glowing in a furnace: and his voice as the sound of many waters: and He had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun when he shineth in his strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at his feet as dead; and He laid his right hand upon me, and said to me, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, who live, though I was dead; and behold, I am alive for ever and ever, Amen, and have the keys of hades and of death. Write what thou hast seen, the things which are, and which are to be hereafter."
Easton
that extraordinary or supernatural divine influence vouchsafed to those who wrote the Holy Scriptures, rendering their writings infallible. "All scripture is given by inspiration of God" (R.V., "Every scripture inspired of God"), 2Ti 3:16. This is true of all the "sacred writings," not in the sense of their being works of genius or of supernatural insight, but as "theopneustic," i.e., "breathed into by God" in such a sense that the writers were supernaturally guided to express exactly what God intended them to express as a revelation of his mind and will. The testimony of the sacred writers themselves abundantly demonstrates this truth; and if they are infallible as teachers of doctrine, then the doctrine of plenary inspiration must be accepted. There are no errors in the Bible as it came from God, none have been proved to exist. Difficulties and phenomena we cannot explain are not errors. All these books of the Old and New Testaments are inspired. We do not say that they contain, but that they are, the Word of God. The gift of inspiration rendered the writers the organs of God, for the infallible communication of his mind and will, in the very manner and words in which it was originally given.
As to the nature of inspiration we have no information. This only we know, it rendered the writers infallible. They were all equally inspired, and are all equally infallible. The inspiration of the sacred writers did not change their characters. They retained all their individual peculiarities as thinkers or writers. (See Bible; Word of God.)
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and is profitable for doctrine, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness;
Fausets
The supernatural action of the Holy Spirit on the mind of the sacred writers whereby the Scriptures were not merely their own but the word of God. Scripture not merely contains but is the word of God. As the whole Godhead was joined to the whole manhood, and became the Incarnate Word, so the written word is at once perfectly divine and perfectly human; infallibly authoritative because it is the word of God, intelligible because in the language of men. If it were not human we should not understand it; if it were not divine it would not be an unerring guide. The term "scriptures" is attached to them exclusively in the word of God itself, as having an authority no other writings have (Joh 5:39; 10:34-36). They are called "the oracles of God" (Ro 3:2), i.e. divine utterances.
If Scripture were not plenarily and verbally sanctioned by God, its practical utility as a sure guide in all questions directly or indirectly affecting doctrine and practice would be materially impaired, for what means would there be of distinguishing the false in it from the true? Inspiration does not divest the writers of their several individualities of style, just as the inspired teachers in the early church were not passive machines in prophesying (1Co 14:32). "Where the Spirit of the Lord is there is liberty" (2Co 3:17). Their will became one with God's will; His Spirit acted on their spirit, so that their individuality had free play in the sphere of His inspiration. As to religious truths the collective Scriptures have unity of authorship; as to other matters their authorship is palpably as manifold as the writers. The variety is human, the unity divine. If the four evangelists were mere machines narrating the same events in the same order and words, they would cease to be independent witnesses. Their very discrepancies (only seeming ones) disprove collusion.
The solutions proposed in Harmonies, being necessarily conjectural, may or may not be the true ones; but they at least prove that the differences are not irreconcilable and would be cleared up if we knew all the facts. They test our faith, whether on reasonable evidence we will unreservedly believe His word in spite of some difficulties, designedly permitted for our probation. The slight variations in the Decalogue between Exodus 20 and its repetition Deuteronomy 5, and in Psalm 18 compared with 2 Samuel 22, in Psalm 14 compared with Psalm 53, and in New Testament quotations of Old Testament, (sometimes from Septuagint which varies from Hebrew, sometimes from neither in every word), all prove the Spirit-produced independence of the sacred writers who under divine guidance and sanction presented on different occasions the same substantial truths under different aspects, the one complementing the other.
One or two instances occur where the errors of transcribers cause a real discrepancy (2Ki 8:26, compared with 2Ch 22:2). A perpetual miracle alone could have prevented such very exceptional and palpable copyists' mistakes. But in seeming discrepancies, as between the accounts of the same event in different Gospels, each account presents some fresh aspect of divine truth; none containing the whole, but all together presenting the complete exhibition of the truth. Origen profoundly says: "in revelation as in nature we see a self concealing, self revealing God, who makes Himself known only to those who earnestly seek Him; in both we find stimulants to faith and occasions for unbelief." The assaults of adversaries on seemingly weak points have resulted in the eliciting of beautiful and delicate harmonies unperceived before; the gospel defenses have been proved the more impregnable, and the things meant to injure "have fallen out rather unto the furtherance of the gospel."
When once it is admitted that the New Testament writers were neither fanatics nor enthusiasts, (and infidelity has never yet produced a satisfactory theory to show them to have been either,) their miracles and their divine commission must also be admitted, for they expressly claim these. Thus, Paul (1Co 14:37), "if any man think himself a prophet, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord." And not only the things but the words; (1Co 2:13) "we speak not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth." The "discerning of spirits" was one of the miraculous gifts in the apostolic churches. His appeal on the ground of miracles (1Co 2:4) which are taken for granted as notorious rather than asserted, (the incidental mention being a clear mark of truth because it excludes suspicion of design,) and to persons whose miraculous discernment of spirits enabled them to test such claims, is the strongest proof of the divine authority of his writings.
Peter (2Pe 3:16) classes Paul's epistles with "the other Scriptures"; therefore whatever inspiration is in the latter is in the former also. That inspiration excludes error from Scripture words, so far as these affect doctrine and morals, appears from Ps 12:6, "the words of the Lord are pure words, as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times." As our Lord promised the disciples His Holy Spirit, to teach them how and what they should say before magistrates (Mt 10:19-20), much more did the Spirit "abiding" with the church "for ever" (Joh 14:16) secure for the written word, the only surviving infallible oracle, the inspiration of the manner as well as the matter. So (Joh 16:13) "the Spirit of truth will guide you into all (the) truth," namely, not truth in general but Christian truth.
Also (Joh 14:26) "the Holy Spirit shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you." "He shall testify of Me" (Joh 15:26) "He will show you things to come ... He shall receive of Mine and shall show it unto you" (Joh 16:13-14). Paul (2Ti 3:16) declares that no part of the written word is uninspired, but "ALL" (literally, "every scripture," i.e. every portion) is "profitable" for the ends of a revelation, "doctrine, reproof (conjuting error: the two comprehending speculative divinity; then follows practical), correction (setting one right, 1Co 10:1-10), instruction (disciplinary training: De 13:5; 1Co 5:13) in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works"; as it makes him "perfect" it must be perfect itself.
Some parts were immediately communicated by God, and are called "apocalypse" or "revelation," as that to John, and to Paul (2Co 12:1; Ro 16:25). Others, as the historical parts, are matter of human testimony. But inspiration was as much needed to write known facts authoritatively as to communicate new truths; else why should certain facts be selected and others be passed by? Inspired prohibition is as miraculous as inspired utterance. Had the evangelists been left to themselves, they doubtless would have given many details of Jesus' early life which our curiosity would have desired, but which divine wisdom withheld, in order to concentrate all our attention on Christ's ministry and death. The historical parts are quoted by Paul as God's "law," because they have His sanction and contain covert lessons of God's truth and His principles of governing the world and the church (Ga 4:21).
Considering the vast amount of Mariolatry and idolatry which subsequently sprang up, the hand of God is marked in the absence from the Gospel histories of aught to countenance these errors. Sacred history is like "a dial in which the shadow, as well as the light, informs us" (Trench). The Spirit was needed to qualify the writers for giving what they have given, a condensed yet full and clear portraiture of Messiah, calculated to affect all hearts in every nation, and to sow in them seeds of faith, hope, and love. The minor details, such as Paul's direction to Timothy to "bring his cloth and parchments," and to" drink a little wine for his stomach's sake and his infirmities," are vivid touches which give life and nature to the picture, making us realize the circumstances and personality of the apostle and his disciple, and have their place in the inspired record, as each leaf has in the
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for verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass away, not one jot nor one tittle shall pass from the law, till all be compleated.
but when they take you up, be not sollicitous how, or what ye shall say; for ye shall be taught in that very instant what ye shall speak: for it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh by you.
For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law:
For I assure you that in the whole human race there hath not risen a greater than John the baptist: though the lest in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he:
And He answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that He, who made them at first, made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother,
saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.
He saith unto them, How then does David by inspiration call Him Lord,
Ye search the scriptures; for ye think that in them ye have eternal life:
Jesus replied, Is it not written in your law, "I have said, ye are gods?" And if it stiled them gods, to whom the word of God came, (and the scripture cannot be made void,)
And if it stiled them gods, to whom the word of God came, (and the scripture cannot be made void,) do ye say of Him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, thou blasphemest, because I said, I am the Son of God?
nor do ye consider, that it is better for us that one man should die for the people, than that the whole nation should perish.
and He will give you another comforter to abide with you for ever:
But the comforter, that is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said unto you.
But when the comforter is come, whom I will send to you from the Father, (even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father,) He shall testify of me.
But when the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that will He speak, and will shew you things to come.
But when the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that will He speak, and will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me, for He shall take of mine and shew it unto you.
and said, Men and brethren, it was necessary that this scripture should be fulfilled, which the holy Ghost spake by the mouth of David, concerning Judas, who was guide to them that apprehended Jesus:
And suddenly there was a sound from heaven as of a strong rushing wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
For David saith concerning Him, "I set the Lord always before me, for He is at my right hand, that I should not be moved: therefore my heart rejoiced, and my tongue was glad; and my flesh shall rest in hope, read more. that Thou wilt not leave my soul in the invisible state, nor suffer thine holy one to see corruption. Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; and Thou wilt fill me with joy by the light of thy countenance." Men and brethren, allow me to speak with freedom to you concerning the patriarch David, that he is dead and buried, and his sepulchre is among us to this day. Therefore being a prophet; and knowing that God had sworn to him with an oath, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up the Messiah, to sit on his throne; foreseeing this he spake of the resurrection of Christ, when he said, that his soul was not left in the invisible state, nor did his flesh see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up from the dead, of which we all are witnesses. Therefore being exalted by the right hand of God, and having received of the Father the promise of the holy Spirit, He hath poured forth this gift, which ye now see and hear.
but thus hath God accomplished those things which He had foretold by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer.
whom heaven must indeed receive till the times of settling all things, of which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets from the beginning.
who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
Much, every way: chiefly, because they were intrusted with the oracles of God.
Now to Him that is able to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, (conformable to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret in former times, but is now manifested, and made known to all nations by the writings of the prophets, according to the appointment of the eternal God,
And my discourse, and my preaching was not with the persuasive words of human wisdom, but in the demonstration of the Spirit and of power;
which we also speak of, not in words dictated by human wisdom, but in those which are dictated by the holy Spirit; explaining spiritual things by spiritual words.
Do not withdraw from one another, unless by consent for a season, that ye may attend to fasting and prayer: and come together again, least Satan tempt you through your incontinency. But I say this by way of permission, not of command:
But those that are married, not I command, but the Lord, that the wife be not separated from her husband;
But to the rest say I, not the Lord, If any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she like to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And if any wife hath an unbelieving husband, and he like to dwell with her, let her not leave him. read more. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified in the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified in the husband: else were your children unclean; but they are holy. But if the unbeliever depart, let them depart; a brother or a sister is not bound in such cases.
But concerning single persons I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgement as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful. I think then, that it is---better on account of the present distress,---that it is better, I say, read more. for a single man to be so. Art thou bound to a wife indeed? seek not to be loosed: but art thou loosed from a wife? seek not a wife. Though, if thou marry, thou hast not sinned; and if a virgin marry, she hath not sinned: such however will probably have more trouble in life: but I spare you. But this I say, brethren, that the time is short: it remains therefore, that even those, who have wives, be as though they had none; and they, that weep, as if they wept not; and they, that rejoice, as if they rejoiced not; and they, that buy, as if they possessed not; and they, that use this world, as not abusing it: for the fashion of this world passeth away. And I would have you without anxiety. Now he, that is unmarried, careth for the things of the Lord, how he may please the Lord; but he, that is married, is in care about the things of the world, and how he may please his wife. There is a difference also between a wife and a virgin: she, that is unmarried, careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and spirit; but she, that is married, is in care about the things of the world, and how she may please her husband. And this I say for your own benefit, not that I may cast a snare upon you, but in order to recommend that which is fit and becoming before the Lord without distraction. But if any one think that he acts unbecomingly towards his virgin, if she pass the flower of her age, and that it ought to be so, let him do what he will; he doth not sin: let them marry. But he, that is stedfast in his heart, having no necessity, but hath power over his own will, and hath determined in his heart that he will keep his virgin, doth well. So that he, who giveth her in marriage, doth well; but he, that giveth her not in marriage, doth better.
Now I would not have you ignorant, brethren, that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all baptized into Moses by the cloud and by the sea; read more. and did all eat the same spiritual food; and did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of the spiritual rock that followed them: and that rock was an emblem of Christ. But with the greater part of them God was displeased: for they were destroyed in the wilderness. Now these things were examples for us, that we might not lust after evil things, as they also lusted. And be ye not idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written, "The people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to play." Neither let us commit whoredom, as some of them committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted Him, and were destroyed by serpents: nor murmur, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed by the destroyer.
And let but two or three of the prophets speak, and the others judge.
And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets:
And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets:
If any one seem to be a prophet, or acted by the Spirit, let him acknowlege that what I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.
For we write no other things to you, but what ye own and acknowledge, and I hope ye will always acknowledge.
For we are not like many who adulterate the word of God: but as with sincerity, but as from God, and in the sight of God, we speak concerning Christ.
now the Lord is that Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.
To boast indeed does not become me: but I will come to visions and revelations of the Lord.
since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, who is not weak toward you, but is powerful among you.
But I assure you, brethren, that the gospel preached by me is not of human invention. For I neither received it, nor was taught it by man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Now the promises were made to Abraham, and to his seed. He doth not say, "and to seeds," as of many; but as of one, "and to thy seed," which is Christ.
Tell me, you that are so desirous to be under the law, do ye not hear the law?
that by immediate revelation He made known to me the mystery, (as I wrote before in brief, by which,
which in other generations was not made known to men, as it is now revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; that the Gentiles should be co-heirs,
for all the fulness of the deity dwelleth personally in Him. And ye are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
and is profitable for doctrine, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness;
For in putting all things under Him, He left nothing which was not to be in subjection to Him: though we do not yet see all things subjected to Him.
since He that sanctifieth, and they that are sanctified, are all of one. For which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren,
Let us therefore fear least a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of us should seem to fall short of it: for we are graciously offered it, as they also were. But the word, which they heard, did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it. read more. For we who believe shall enter into rest, as He said above, "So I sware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest:" though the works of creation were finished from the foundation of the world: for it is thus said concerning the seventh day, "And God rested the seventh day from all his works." And yet in this place, "They shall not enter into my rest." Seeing therefore it remaineth that some are to enter into it, and they to whom it was at first offered did not enter because of their unbelief, He appoints a certain day, called To-day, saying by David so long after, (as it is recorded) "To-day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts." For if Joshua had given them the rest, He would not afterwards have spoken of another day. There remaineth therefore a rest for the people of God: for he that is entered into his rest, hath also himself ceased from his works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, least any one fall after the same example of unbelief.
searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ in them did declare in testifying beforehand the sufferings that were to come upon Christ, and the glories following them:
knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation; for prophecy was not delivered of old at the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Spirit.
as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things: in which are some things hard to be understood, which the illiterate and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, to their own destruction.
and if any one take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things that are written in this book.
Hastings
The subject comprises the doctrine of inspiration in the Bible, and the doctrine of the inspiration of the Bible, together with what forms the transition from the one to the other, the account given of the prophetic consciousness, and the teaching of the NT about the OT.
1. The agent of inspiration is the Holy Spirit (see p. 360) or Spirit of God, who is active in Creation (Ge 1:2; Ps 104:30), is imparted to man that the dust may become living soul (Ge 2:7), is the source of exceptional powers of body (Jg 6:34; 14:6,19) or skill (Ex 35:31); but is pre-eminently manifest in prophecy (wh. see). The NT doctrine of the presence and power of the Spirit of God in the renewed life of the believer is anticipated in the OT, inasmuch as to the Spirit's operations are attributed wisdom (Job 32:8; 1Ki 3:28; De 34:9), courage (Jg 13:25; 14:6), penitence, moral strength, and purity (Ne 9:20; Ps 51:11; Isa 63:10; Eze 36:26; Zec 12:10). The promise of the Spirit by Christ to His disciples was fulfilled when He Himself after the Resurrection breathed on them, and said, 'Receive ye the Holy Ghost' (Joh 20:22), and after His Ascension the Spirit descended on the Church with the outward signs of the wind and fire (Ac 2:2-3). The Christian life as such is an inspired life, but the operation of the Spirit is represented in the NT in two forms; there are the extraordinary gifts (charisms)
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All things are delivered to me by my Father: and no one knoweth the Son, but the Father; nor does any one know the Father, but the Son, and he to whom the Son is pleased to reveal Him.
He saith unto them, How then does David by inspiration call Him Lord,
And He said unto them, O people void of understanding and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken.
But the comforter, that is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said unto you.
But when the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that will He speak, and will shew you things to come.
And when He said this, He breathed upon them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the holy Spirit:
And suddenly there was a sound from heaven as of a strong rushing wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them divided tongues, as it were of fire, and it sat upon each of them:
But having different gifts, according to the grace conferred upon us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of our faith: or ministry, let us attend to the ministry: or he that teacheth, on teaching: or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: read more. he that distributeth, let him do it with integrity: he that presideth, with diligence: he that sheweth mercy, with chearfulness.
And God hath placed you accordingly in the church, first apostles, secondly prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miraculous powers, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, and various kinds of tongues.
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, fidelity, meekness, temperance: against such things there is no law.
and is profitable for doctrine, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness;
for prophecy was not delivered of old at the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Spirit.
Morish
Though this word occurs in the Bible but once in reference to the scriptures, yet the one statement in which it is found is important and full of deep meaning: "Every scripture is divinely inspired literally, 'God-breathed', and is profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, fully fitted to every good work." 2Ti 3:16-17. This places all scripture on one basis as to inspiration, whether it be historical, doctrinal, or prophetic. We learn by this passage that not simply the persons who wrote were inspired, but the writings themselves are divinely inspired. Cf. 2Pe 1:21.
All writings are composed of words, and if these writings are inspired, the words are inspired. This is what is commonly called 'verbal inspiration.' Other passages speak of the importance of 'words:' Peter said, "To whom shall we go? thou hast the words (??????) of eternal life," Joh 6:68: and we find those words in the Gospels. When it was a question of Gentiles being brought into blessing without being circumcised, James in his address appealed to the 'words' of the prophets. Ac 15:15. Paul in writing to the Corinthian saints said, "Which things also we speak, not in the 'words' (?????) which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth." 1Co 2:13. The Holy Spirit taught Paul what words to use. The whole of scripture forms the word of God, and both in the O.T. and in the N.T. we read of 'the words of God.' 1Ch 25:5; Ezr 9:4; Ps 107:11; Joh 3:34; 8:47; Re 17:17. Neither must His word be added to, or taken from. De 4:2; 12:32; Re 22:18-19.
The above passages should carry conviction to simple souls that every scripture is God-inspired. As nothing less than this is worthy of God, so nothing less than this would meet the need of man. Amid the many uncertain things around him he needs words upon which his faith can be based, and in the inspired scriptures he has them. The Lord Jesus said, "The words (??????) that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." Joh 6:63. He had the words of eternal life; and, through the grace of God, many a soul has found them to be such, and has no more doubt of the plenary inspiration of scripture than of the existence of God Himself.
It may be noted that scripture records the sayings of wicked men, and of Satan himself. It need scarcely be said that it is not the sayings but the records of them that are inspired. Paul also, when writing on the question of marriage, makes a distinction between what he wrote as his judgement, and what he wrote as commandments of the Lord. "I speak this by permission," he says; and again, "I give my judgement." 1Co 7:6,10,12,25. He was inspired to record his spiritual judgement and to point out that it was not a command.
Some have a difficulty as to what has been called the human element in inspiration. If the words of scripture are inspired, it has been asked, how is it that the style of the writer is so manifest? John's style, for instance, being clearly distinguishable from that of Paul. The simple answer is that it is as if one used, so to speak, different kinds of pens to write with. God made the mind of man as well as his body, and was surely able to use the mind of each of the writers He employed, and yet cause him to write exactly what He wished. God took possession of the mind of man to declare His own purposes with regard to man.
Further, it has been asserted that the doctrine of verbal inspiration is valueless, because of diversities in the Greek manuscripts, which in some places prevent any one from determining what are the words God caused to be written. But this does not in any way touch the question of inspiration, which is, that the words written were inspired by God. Whether we have a correct copy is quite another question. The variations in the Greek manuscripts do not affect any one of the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, and only in a few places are the words doubtful.
Another objection to the value of verbal inspiration is that most persons read scripture in a translation, the words of which cannot, it is alleged, be said to be inspired. But if the translation conveys exactly the same meaning as in the original, the words can be said to be inspired: for instance, the words 'God is love,' may surely be said to be the same as ? ???? ????? ?????, or Deus caritas est, Dieu est amour, or Dio ? carit?, to those who can read them. It may be that the translations from which the above are taken cannot in all places be said to be the same as the Greek; but this only shows the great importance of each having a correct translation in his vernacular tongue. And it must not be forgotten that the Lord Himself and those who wrote the New Testament often quoted the Septuagint, which is a translation from the Hebrew; and they quoted it as scripture.
Nothing can exceed the importance of having true thoughts of the inspiration of scripture. As no human author would allow his amanuensis to write what he did not mean, so surely what is called the word of God is God's own production, though given through the instrumentality of man. Though there were many writers, separated by thousands of years, there is a divine unity in the whole, showing plainly that one and only one could have been its Author. That One can only have been the Almighty
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for He, whom God hath sent, speaketh the words of God: for God giveth the Spirit to Him not by measure.
The spirit is the principle of life, the flesh availeth nothing: now the words that I speak unto you are spirit, and therefore life.
Then Simon Peter answered Him, Lord, to whom shall we go?
He, that is of God, receiveth the words of God; but ye therefore receive them not, because ye are not of God.
And to this agree the words of the prophets,
which we also speak of, not in words dictated by human wisdom, but in those which are dictated by the holy Spirit; explaining spiritual things by spiritual words.
But those that are married, not I command, but the Lord, that the wife be not separated from her husband;
But to the rest say I, not the Lord, If any brother has an unbelieving wife, and she like to dwell with him, let him not put her away.
But concerning single persons I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgement as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful.
and is profitable for doctrine, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly fitted for every good work.
for prophecy was not delivered of old at the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Spirit.
For God hath put it into their hearts to do according to his mind, and to perform one and the same purpose, even to give their kingdoms to the beast, till the words of God be accomplished.
I testify to every one that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any one add to these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: and if any one take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his part from the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things that are written in this book.
Smith
Inspiration.
Dr. Knapp given as the definition of inspiration, "an extra-ordinary divine agency upon teachers while giving instruction, whether oral or written, by which they were taught what and how they should write or speak." Without deciding on any of the various theories of inspiration, the general doctrine of Christians is that the Bible is so inspired by God that it is the infallible guide of men, and is perfectly trustworthy in all its parts, as given by God.
Watsons
INSPIRATION, the conveying of certain extraordinary and supernatural notices or thoughts into the soul; or it denotes any supernatural influence of God upon the mind of a rational creature, whereby he is formed to a degree of intellectual improvement, to which he could not have attained in his present circumstances in a natural way. In the first and highest sense, the prophets, evangelists, and Apostles are said to have spoken and written by divine inspiration. This inspiration of the Old Testament Scriptures is so expressly attested by our Lord and his Apostles, that among those who receive them as a divine revelation the only question relates to the inspiration of the New Testament. On this subject it has been well observed:
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but when they take you up, be not sollicitous how, or what ye shall say; for ye shall be taught in that very instant what ye shall speak: for it is not you that speak, but the Spirit of your Father that speaketh by you.
Go ye therefore and instruct all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son,
Go ye therefore and instruct all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Ghost, and teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the world. Amen.
and He appointed twelve to be with Him, and that He might send them forth to preach the gospel,
he that believeth and is baptized, shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be condemned.
Whereas many have undertaken to compose a narrative of the things, which have been fully certified among us; as they delivered them to us, who were from the beginning eye-witnesses of them, and ministers of the word; read more. it seemed good to me also, having thoroughly traced them all from the very first, to write an account of them in order to thee, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mayst know the certainty of the things wherein thou hast been instructed.
---He, that heareth you, heareth me; and he, that rejecteth you, rejecteth me; and he, that rejecteth me, rejecteth Him that sent me.
which all your adversaries shall not be able to contradict nor withstand.
and He will give you another comforter to abide with you for ever: even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him, because He abideth with you, and shall be in you.
But the comforter, that is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I have said unto you.
This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you.
I have yet many things to say to you, but ye cannot bear them now. But when the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He will not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that will He speak, and will shew you things to come.
Nor do I pray for these only, but for them also that shall believe on me through their word. That they all may be one, as Thou, O Father, art in me, and I in Thee; that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
And indeed Jesus wrought many other signs also in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book: but these things are written, that ye may believe, that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye may have life through his name.
This is the disciple that testifieth of these things, and that writeth them: and we know that his testimony is true.
and said, Men and brethren, it was necessary that this scripture should be fulfilled, which the holy Ghost spake by the mouth of David, concerning Judas, who was guide to them that apprehended Jesus:
who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?
On which accounts as I was going to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests---at mid-day, O king, as I was on the way thither I saw a light from heaven exceeding the splendor of the sun, shining round about me and those that were going with me. read more. And when we were all fallen down to the earth, I heard a voice speaking to me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me? It is hard for thee to kick against the goads. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And He said, I am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand on thy feet: for to this end have I appeared unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness both of the things which thou hast seen, and of those for which I shall hereafter appear unto thee: delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, to whom I now send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of satan unto God; that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among them that are sanctified by faith in me.
And so disagreeing one with another they separated, when Paul had said one word, to wit, that the holy Spirit spake rightly by Esaias the prophet to our fathers,
But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, even the deep things of God.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit of God; that we might know the things that are graciously bestowed upon us by God: which we also speak of, not in words dictated by human wisdom, but in those which are dictated by the holy Spirit; explaining spiritual things by spiritual words.
If any one seem to be a prophet, or acted by the Spirit, let him acknowlege that what I write to you are the commandments of the Lord.
Paul an apostle (not from men, nor by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised Him from the dead),
For I neither received it, nor was taught it by man, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
But when it pleased God, (who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace,) to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach Him among the gentiles; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood, read more. nor went I up to Jerusalem to those that were apostles before me, but I departed into Arabia, and afterwards returned again to Damascus.
being built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner-stone:
And when this letter has been read amongst you, cause it to be read also in the church of the Laodiceans; that ye may also read that from Laodicea.
For this also we thank God continually, that when ye received the word of God, which ye heard from us, ye received it not as the word of men, but (as it is in truth) the word of God, which also worketh effectually in you that believe.
and is profitable for doctrine, for conviction, for correction, for instruction in righteousness;
searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ in them did declare in testifying beforehand the sufferings that were to come upon Christ, and the glories following them:
for prophecy was not delivered of old at the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the holy Spirit.
that ye may be mindful of the words formerly spoken by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: knowing this first,
and account the long-suffering of our Lord salvation, as our beloved brother Paul also, according to the wisdom given to him, hath written unto you;
We are of God: he, that knoweth God, heareth us; but he, who is not of God, heareth not us. By this we know the Spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew to his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and He sent and signified it by his angel to his servant John,
Here I was in the Spirit on the Lord's-day: and heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last; and, What thou seest write in a book, and send it to the seven churches in Asia, to Ephesus, and to Smyrna, and to Pergamos, and to Thyatira, and to Sardis, and to Philadelphia, and to Laodicea. read more. And I turned to see the voice that spake to me: and when I turned, I saw seven golden candlesticks; and in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like the Son of man, clothed with a long robe, and girded about the breasts with a golden girdle. His head and his hairs were white like white wool, as white as snow; and his eyes as a flame of fire; and his feet like fine brass, as if they were glowing in a furnace: and his voice as the sound of many waters: and He had in his right hand seven stars, and out of his mouth went a sharp two-edged sword: and his countenance was as the sun when he shineth in his strength. And when I saw Him, I fell at his feet as dead; and He laid his right hand upon me, and said to me, "Fear not, I am the first and the last, who live, though I was dead; and behold, I am alive for ever and ever, Amen, and have the keys of hades and of death. Write what thou hast seen, the things which are, and which are to be hereafter."
And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.