—Disclaimer—awaiting editing.
INTRODUCTION
All scripture have been brought to us, and through us by the Divine Revelation, Inspiration and Authority of God Almighty. It is described in the following:
- Revelation—the word “revelation” in the Holy Scriptures is a Latin noun meaning “unveiling” (God reveals Himself to us, we cannot “unveil” Him).
- Inspiration—the inspiration described in the Bible when it refers to all scripture being “God breathed” or “God inspired” is not simply an “inspiration of an idea”. This word inspiration is used to describe a “verbal communication” (not just “God breathed”, but God’s direct word).
- Authority—The Power behind the words given/spoken. Behind every word that anyone speaks, stands the one who speaks it. The words used by God’s “spokesmen” were God’s very words, therefore carrying God’s authority.
All scripture is based on and proven by three balancing factors. (1) God is all knowing and we are finite, thus He must reveal Himself to us. We cannot “unveil” God ourselves, (2) Scriptures are divine, not human in origin, by the inspiration of God’s spoken word to His chosen people/spokesmen. This inspiration is not an “idea,” but rather a verbal communication between an individual and God Himself and (3) since the Scriptures are God’s word and it is God who has “unveiled” it to us, it carries His authority, thus God being the speaker of His word which is written through His “spokesmen”.
I. Revelation
We have been first and foremost given what is called a “general revelation” to prove the existence of God. This is the natural knowledge, or intuitive knowledge, of His existence that is revealed to us by nature, science, the universe, ect. By God revealing His existence to us through creation and the image of man, we are left without excuse of His existence, but rather as a creation, have acknowledged His existence, yet chose to live according to our own desires. Although this “general revelation” does not address God’s gracious purposes, man knowingly declines the evidence of a creator.
It is only by and through God’s “special revelation” that we would ever receive a message pertaining to His gracious purposes, like salvation. Special Revelation is a term used to identify specific, yet distinct ways He has unveiled this great knowledge to us. Some specific ways are the following: Direct speaking, angels, burning bush, clouds, fire, dreams, visions, and inner prompting. God, by all these means, have illuminated the hears and minds of those chosen spokesmen to give them utterance of His purposes, promises and Word. Not only was this special revelation knowledge of history and the present, but also for future happenings and fore comings; for time and eternity.
The Scriptures that we have, not in part, but in whole, are in complete harmony with each other and the character God reveals Himself to be along with creation. It is only by this that God has disclosed Himself to us in the past, present and future. All this holds together and stands firm by the authority of it, which is, His very Word, by Him being the one who has unmasked it to us though Divine inspiration and revelation.
MODERN THEOLOGY CONCERNING REVELATION
Modern Theology says that we don’t need special revelation. Modern liberal theologians believe that God can be comprehended and apprehended though self efforts, or “inner illuminations”. The only revelation that a person receives, concerning modern theology, is that by a personal experience with self and God. This experience would be apart from His written Word. By believing this, one is saying that it’s not true to them if it hasn’t been “personally revealed” to them.
However, God did choose a way to reveal His purposes to mankind aside from what we as individual wish to think. This type of thinking rejects these truths due to a disbelief in the Bible being the Divine Inspiration of God, even though it is in our best interest. We, as Christians theologians, believe that the Bible is a product of human authors under Divine Inspiration, while modern theology believes it’s merely recordings of God’s mighty acts. But the contradiction by admitting it is simply a recording of God’s mighty acts, is that the Bible is a mighty act in itself by God entrusting His Word in the hands of mankind.
This way of thinking is absurd. If on one hand one does believe in God’s mighty acts, it is possible to apprehend God, but impossible to “comprehend”, while admitting God’s existence. Secondly, to reject the truth that the Bible is Divine Inspiration, leaves the individual who rejects it with an inner conflict of trying to reason it’s accountability (as an accurate ‘history book’), let alone it’s authority.
II. Inspiration of Scripture
Nature of Inspiration
There are 2 factors of why the early church accepted the Old Testament as being Divinely inspired. It is that (1) throughout the text, Old Testament Scripture often says that “God spoke” or “God said”. Along with this, many of the Old Testament prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus and (2) plain and simply put, Jesus’ attitude toward it. Jesus always validated the Old Testament as being divine through the way he lived his life and the way He taught.
The New Testament writers understood the Old Testament as being divine by the use of words such as “It is written”, and “God said”. Descriptions such as these put the New Testament equal with the Old Testament for the simple fact that the inspiration of the New Testament was mainly through the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we see that the evidence of the New Testament is as plainly inspired as that of the Old Testament, making it the Word of God.
As time progressed to most recent centuries, the focus of God and inspiration moved from an objective view of God, to a subjective personal experience. This typically originated from a misuse of a specific biblical message, or the following of a “religious genius”. However, these views don’t affirm the Bible’s own view and origin of its inspiration. The New Testament clearly states that the Old Testament writers spoke according to the message that was given to them through the work of the Holy Spirit, making them the actual words of God. Also, it’s clearly described as the same Spirit in both New and Old Testament that compelled them to write. Paul puts it main and plain when he said all scripture is “God breathed” (2 Tim. 3:16). But it isn’t just “breathed on,” it is his very breath. This in turn would make it life in itself, thus calling the Bible the “Living Word of God”.
Paul gave a good definition of this when he said in 1 Corinthians 2:13, “which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit” (NASB). When using the term “breath”, the Bible is referring to God’s Spirit. The same breath described in the New Testament is the same breath used in the Old Testament. We can see this in the accounts of creation and even in prophecy. So, when God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being”, it is the same breath that “God breathed” into scriptures, and created them with that same life. So, by the Holy Spirit being the sending force of God’s word being proclaimed, when the Bible says “the Holy Spirit said” or “Scriptures says,” it is referring to one and the same. It is inspiration that opens our understanding to this. However, theologians generally refer to this as “illumination” and base it off of the personal experience as described in the explaining of Revelation.
CONSEQUENCES OF THE BIBLICAL VIEW
There are a few given by-products of adhering to this Biblical view. First, is that the Scriptures are complete, or whole, in itself. By definition, it is called plenary and is separated from the theory of illumination and far from “insight theory” which says inspiration is simply a natural activity. Secondly, inspiration is verbal. The Holy Spirit was concerned with the words of Scripture, therefore his active roll in it made the inspiration verbal communication. Now, not to confuse this with a mechanical influence, this is rather an influence that prompted man to use his own language under the Holy Spirit’s divine inspiration.
The actual process is ultimately indescribable. It’s like attempting to describe the whole nature of God within our limited understanding. So, we use the term “verbal”, not as a machinelike nature, but as a best way found to describe the Holy Spirit’s activity while allowing man to be part of a flawless outcome. You could call this “linking arms”. On one hand you have a distinct human author and on the other, you have a result of God’s creation. This is the partnering way God chose to bring forth His Word. Not by human wisdom, but by His divine wisdom inspiring the hearts and minds of His chosen people.
This is how we know that the Word of God is infallible. It is accredited by the way Jesus spoke “the Words of his Father”, the prophets spoke “God’s Word” and the New Testament spoke in “the name of Jesus Christ” and by the power and conviction of the Holy Spirit. God is the primary author while choosing to use humans to have an active role. Simply put… our language; His message: thus being, the Word of God.
All in all, this divine inspiration is what validates the Bible being the Word of God. Many evangelical Christians have observed this truth in the past, while we continue to do the same to this day.
III. Authority of Scripture
Authority has been, and more recently so, used in such a liberal fashion that society is at deep hunger for a solid answer to the question: Is there an absolute authority and who holds it?
Secular philosophers view the supernatural and God as a mythical idea and accredits all happenings to a natural process of ultimate reality. This means that everything would be relative, including the Bible and the absolute truths of God. It is said that these historic and present truths can be described as merely cultural phenomenon. This would bring one to the conclusion that humans, within themselves, are the source of their own destinies and values. Their understanding of the universe and creation is that they are accidents of the cosmos. Therefore, there would be no pre-existing standard of way of life, leaving the individual with the freedom to declare whatever living standards they so please.
Not only does this philosophy decline divine truth, it insists upon self-fulfillment and opposes any external authority. It is evident that the human race has dealt with this since its origin; Adam and Eve. The difference is that this revolt was recognized as sin, not a philosophical “special knowledge”.
Interesting enough, if the universe and all within is a meaningless, purposeless cause, how could one find a self-fulfillment in something that has no purpose? There can only be a sense of fulfillment in an individual if that individual was created with that desire; a purpose. Ultimately, this desire can only be satisfied in Spirit, that is, the Spirit of God. This is the fulfillment in Christ Jesus; His gift of life and hope of final glory.
Though the Bible is the clearest reminder of our responsibility to account for ourselves, let us not forget God’s authority is revealed in the most intricate aspects of the universe. This flows from the beginning of time to now and will continue to, as well as in our own inner conscience.
The Bible (not ourselves) is the most understandable resource when it comes to our significance and the purposes of God. All this is revealed in the messages of God’s comprehendible Word. It is the sole source by which we have an understanding of a “divine revelation” and a Creator-Redeemer God who holds supreme authority. An opposition to this creates a rebellious state of mind and centers itself on “personal preference”.
THE BIBLE IN THE MIRROR
The bottom line of the Bible’s authority rests on God’s valid truths made known to man. To take the Bible’s text and messages in doses of isolated concepts isn’t enough. There must be a world view and a distinct nature in which we recognize God speaking to us. Some common examples of sentences are such as, “Thus saith the Lord” and “I say unto you”.
Though the New Testament doesn’t speak in words that are “verbatim” to the Old Testament, it carries the same authoritative weight. It reveals this to us throughout the New Testament and does so in more than just a “suggestive” way. It aligns itself with “other Scriptures” (2Pet. 3:15-16), let alone Jesus’ statements of how he speaks only what the Father has spoken (John 14:24b).
Never did Jesus nor the apostles distinguish between their spoken and their written teaching, but proclaimed their inspiration and authority to be the Word of God. It is clear that the Bible views itself as the authoritative Word of God; both New and Old Testament combine.
THE QUESTION OF INFALLIBILITY
The original Biblical authority has been severely mishandled by those who (1) question its accuracy, divinity and (2) extremists who submerge the Bible into their view of true and false Christianity. Evangelical Christian orthodox should uphold divine inspiration with sound criticism of legitimacy and waiver personal presumptions. It should embrace the infallibility of Scripture as the Bible views itself. What it should not do is refuse those who don’t share the same commitment of doctrine, nor should it pronounce them heretic.
Even so, adhering to Jesus’ teaching, one would automatically assume Jesus’ view of Scripture. Jesus’ teachings cannot be accepted partial to personal preference. A reluctancy to the full view and reliability of Scripture may cause an unhealthy world view of Jesus and the Bible. His purpose, that is: he died and bodily rose for the redemption and forgiveness of sinners.
The world view of the Bible is fully divine and fully trustworthy. It proves so in its very own nature. To compromise its truthfulness is to compromise its authority. With it being the “fulfillment” (Matthew 5:17) of the Old Testament, Scripture holds itself high above mere allegations and assumptions.
RECENT CHALLENGES
Scripture has been recently compromised by the allowance of a “cultural relevance” teaching. Some of Paul’s teachings were considered “cultural relevant”, therefore it would open a door for an individual to view Paul’s teachings as a limited perspective. Some of the traditions were recognized as just traditions, as to some, they were elevated to a norm. Some of these traditions were clearly stated that they were crucial to reflect on God’s Word. Whatever the case, the Biblical writers taught out of divine inspiration, not human initiation.
The problem lies in the belief that the Bible is merely “culture dependent”, leaving no clear distinction between authoritative and non-authoritative teaching and/or doctrine. Another perspective remains that Scripture is only relative to “inner transformation”, aside from its over all authority. This view says that Scripture is not all complete, yet all equal. It denies an external authority outside of self. Needless to say, this view is contradictory to itself. On one hand you have complete and incomplete Scripture, and on the other hand they are all equal. Evidently, by default, it throws out the Bible’s objective truth. Then this remains; no apparent reason for life transformation whatsoever.
It is impossible to dismiss authority from the Bible while adhering to any of its teachings. The history and making of the Bible is completely distinct from any other religions or philosophy. It is the Word of God. Throughout history and to this day, it has been the most printed, most translated and most read book ever. It has proven its accuracy in multiple peoples and its redemptive message time and time again. The ministry that the Bible proclaims has grown, is growing and will continue to do so (Matthew 24:25) by the doctrine in which it stands and by the power of the Holy Spirit.
See also: Canon of Scripture