2.7 Chapter Summary
2.7.1 These findings have been found from our discussion on the inspiration of the Scriptures.
The inspiration of the scriptures is defined as the accurate recording of revelation. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 is a central passage on the inspiration of the scriptures. It points the reader to the divine origin and purposes of scripture. The “all scripture” is “God-breathed” in 2 Timothy 3:16 refers to the New Testament apostolic doctrine in 3:14 and the Old Testament writings in 3:15. The word God breathed is made up of two greek words “theos” and “pneustos.” The divine origin of scripture is traced to the expirations of the divine breath. Scripture is traced in its origins to the breathing out of God. The apostle Paul moves next to the divine purposes of scripture. Scripture is profitable for teaching (doctrine), for reproof (refuting falsehoods), correction (to correct one’s life and the lives of others), and for instruction in righteousness (3:16). The word instruction is “paideia” which is used in the area of child training and discipline. The scriptures teach the child of God all that they need to know concerning righteousness. The ultimate purpose of the Word of God is found in 2 Timothy 3:17. It is that the man of God may be equipped for every good work. The word “equipped” is used of a supply sergeant who gives the soldier all that was necessary for his victory in battle. The apostle Paul wrote under the divine superintendence and guidance of the Holy Spirit to remind Timothy of the divine origin and purposes of scripture.
Scripture originated with God the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:20-21). This passage confirms that there is a dual authorship behind scripture. Scripture is a genitive of apposition. The apostle refers to all which has a right to be called scripture. The inspiration of the scriptures extends to all parts, the very words, and the letters.
Inspiration extends to both the Old and New Testaments (1 Tim. 5:18). Paul quotes Deuteronomy 25:4 and Luke 10:7 calling both scripture. The inspiration of the Word of God extends to the choice of the words of scripture (1 Cor. 2:13). Jesus taught that inspiration extends to the very letters of scripture as well (Matt. 5:18). The Bible is completely reliable and trustworthy (2 Pet. 1:16-19). The scripture can’t be broken. The Word of God can not be abolished or annulled. The Bible teaches the verbal plenary inspiration of the scriptures. Verbal inspiration means the words are inspired. Plenary inspiration means that inspiration extends to all of scripture. Oral prophecies are recorded in the Word of God (John 11:51). The inspiration of the scriptures is important because it means that the Word of God is free from error in the writing of the scriptures. The role of the Holy Spirit in the writing of scripture kept the writers from errors (2 Pet. 1:20-21). The Bible is the Word of God (1 Thess. 2:13). The infallibility of the Word of God relates to inspiration. The Bible is free from all error. The Holy Spirit can not lie. The mechanical theory of inspiration, conceptual view, natural inspiration, the mystical view, and the verbal inspiration view are false views of inspiration of the scriptures. The mechanical view of inspiration argues that God dictated and men wrote the scriptures. This ignores the fact that God the Holy Spirit used holy men of God to write the scriptures which included using their personalities (2 Pet. 3:15-16). The conceptual view is not accurate since 1 Corinthians 2:13 teaches that inspiration extended to the choice of words. The natural inspiration view argues that the Hebrews had a genius for writing religious literature. The mystical view argues that God worked in the writers of scriptures as he does in us today. The verbal inspiration view of the scriptures argues that inspiration extends to the words but not to all parts of scripture. Plenary aspect of the definition of scripture is omitted. Each book of the Old and New Testament had to pass the test of canonicity. These standards are the Bible’s testimony and the book’s testimony to itself, the early church recognized the authority of the books, the book had to be written by a recognized leader in Israel, a prophet, an apostle or one who wrote under the supervision of an apostle. Mark wrote under the supervision of Peter. Luke wrote his gospel and the book of Acts under the supervision of Paul. The content of the book must be consistent with the rest of scripture, and the book must have a life changing power.
The Holy Spirit illuminates the Word of God for the born again Christian (1 Cor. 2:12). This ministry of the Holy Spirit was predicted as future by Jesus during the last week of his ministry on earth (John 14:26, 16:13-15). The Holy Spirit illuminates the Bible to the born again Christian so that they will have insight into the meaning of a particular passage of scripture. The grammatical evidence of the New Testament points to the fact that the Holy Spirit is a person. The relative masculine pronoun is used in referring to the Holy Spirit in John 15:26 and Ephesians 1:14. John 16:7 uses “auton” which is to be translated him. In John 16:8, “ekeinos” is used. Grammatical rules follow the gender of the noun rather than the grammar of the text. The apostle John in his first epistle calls the illumination ministry of the Holy Spirit a teaching ministry to the believer (1 John 2:27).
A verbal plenary inspired Bible is a Bible without error. This idea that the Bible can only be trusted in matters of faith came out of Germany as early as 1650. This is the limited inerrancy position. It should be remembered that we have a great wealth of manuscripts. The science of textual criticism helps us to clear up any internal or external difficulties with a textual reading. The Bible was written over a period of 1600 years by different authors from different cultures during different time periods (Chafer). This is a miracle. The writing of the scriptures took place under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
The concept of errancy is misunderstood by many evangelicals. The concept of errancy is both a philosophical faith and belief. The subjectivity of human authority sitting in judgment on the Word of God must be discarded. This is a philosophical question. Common Sense Philosophy established the fact that by induction both facts and self-evident truths are arrived at. Francis Bacon is remembered for his inductive method to arrive at facts and self-evident truths. Bacon (1561-1626), an English philosopher, popularized the scientific method. His Novum Organum was a departure from Aristotle’s Organon. Bacon observed nature. He recorded his observations. He formulated principles from the data. The final step was to test the experiment (Gillett 1966:130-131). Scottish Common Sense Philosophy was traced to Thomas Reid (Rescher 2005:16). Reid accepted facts rather than the conjecture of the rational school of philosophy. Reid argued that we perceive objects rather than the ideas of these objects (Harris 1998:14). It is not the idea of the past but the past itself that we remember. Scripture points to events themselves rather than the mere ideas of the events. Memory and testimony to past events are both reliable and trustworthy. The subjectivity of modern attempts to destroy the biblical record has been thwarted by Reid’s realistic thought on language, testimony, and events (ibid:14). Reid countered the German thought of both Kant and Hegel that truth was not a rational function of the mind (ibid:14). It might be added that those who believe in the errancy of the Bible have been taken captive by philosophy (Col. 2:8). Scottish Common Sense Philosophy was transported to America in the mid 18th century. This philosophy prevailed until the middle of the 19th century (Broadie 1907). Reid used Newton’s idea that thought which contradicted common sense was to be rejected (Harris 1998:118). John Witherspoon (1723-94) brought Scottish Common Sense Philosophy to America in the 18th century as did McCosh (1811-94) in the 19th century. America, after the revolution, welcomed the fact that humanity had a new theory of knowledge which became the basis for public morality of a new world order (ibid:126). The Bible and Bacon’s inductive