How to Study the Bible

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Inspiration

In what sense is the Bible "the Word of God?" Paul told Timothy that the Bible was "inspired" (Θεόπνєυστος)¹, but what does this mean? Is there a difference between the Bible being inspirational and its being inspired? And, if the Bible is inspired, does that mean that every single word has been inspired? Further, if the Bible was inspired by God when God gave it to man, does that mean that God has kept a constant vigil over the work of every translator, every editor, every printer, and every publisher?²

³

When we talk about how men know there is a God, we are talking about revelation.⁴ 

The Word Most often Translated "revelation."

And as we look a history, we can talk about two different ways that God has revealed Himself to mankind: general revelation, as how God reveals Himself to all men through His creation (Romans 1:18-32); and specific revelation, such as the time when Christ revealed Himself to Saul on the Damascus road (Acts chapter 9).

General Revelation

The heavens are telling the glory of God: and the firmament proclaims His handiwork-----Psalm 19:1

Just as a piece of art reflects the artist, so the creation reflects the Creator. We can know there is a God because of the testimony of the earth and stars and even because of life itself. In this respect the creation is inspirational, revealing generally that there is a God. Paul follows this theme on three occasions in the New Testament. First, Paul shouts to a hollowing, awe-struck mob:

Men, why are you doing this? We also are men, of like nature with you, and bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them. In past generations he allowed all the nations to walk in their own ways; yet he did not leave Himself without witness, for He did good and gave you from heaven rains and fruitful seasons, satisfying your hearts with good and gladness---Acts 14:15-17

In other words, God expected men to recognize His existence because of the gifts He gave them. But, that is the problem with general revelation---sin can obscure the knowledge of God. This is the theme of Paul in the second passage, Romans 1:18-32:

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and wickedness of men who by their wickedness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. Ever since the creation of the world his invisible nature namely, his eternal power and deity, has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made. So, they are without excuse; for although the knew God they did not honor him as God or gave thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking and their senseless minds were darkened...

Romans 2:14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law do instinctively the things of the Law, these, not having the Law, are a law to themselves: What is it then to do "instinctively" Look at the Word. φύσις (phusis, 5449), -εως, ἡ, (fr. φύω, q. v., as Lat. natura fr. nascor, ingenium fr. geno, gigno), fr. Hom. Od. 10, 303 down; nature, i. e. a. the nature of things, the force, laws, order, of nature; as opp. to what is monstrous, abnor mal, perverse: ὁ, ἡ, τὸ παρὰ φύσιν, that which is contrary to nature's laws, against nature, Ro. i. 26 (οἱ παρὰ φύσιν τῇ Ἀφροδίτῃ χρώμενοι, Athen. 13 p. 605; ὁ παιδεραστὴς... τὴν παρὰ φύσιν ἡδονὴν διώκει, Philo de spec. legg. i. § 7); as opposed to what has been produced by the art of man: οἱ κατὰ φύσιν κλάδοι, the natural branches, i.e. branches by the operation of nature, Ro. xi. 21, 24 [W. 193 (182)], contrasted with oἱ ἐγκεντρισθέντες παρὰ φύσιν, contrary to the plan of nature, cf. 24; ἡ κατὰ φύσιν ἀγριέλαιος, ibid.; as opposed to what is imaginary or fictitious: οἱ μὴ φύσει ὄντες θεοί, who are gods not by nature, but acc. to the mistaken opinion of the Gentiles (λεγόμενοι θεοί, 1 Co. viii. 5), Gal. iv. 8; nature, i. e. natural sense, native conviction or knowledge, as opp. to what is learned by instruction and accomplished by training or prescribed by law: ἡ φύσις (i. e. the native sense of propriety) διδάσκει τι, 1 Co. xi. 14; φύσει ποιεῖν τὰ τοῦ νόμου, naturâ magistrâ, guided by their natural sense of what is right and proper, (Ro. ii. 14) b. birth, physical origin: ἡμεῖς φύσει Ἰουδαῖοι, we so far as our origin is considered, i. e. by birth, are Jews, Gal. ii. 15 (φύσει νεώτερος, Soph. O. C. 1295; τῷ μὲν φύσει πατρίς, τὸν δὲ νόμῳ πολίτην ἐπεποίηντο, Isocr. Evagr. 21; φύσει βάρβαροι ὄντες, νόμῳ δὲ Ἕλληνες, Plat. Menex. p. 245 d.; cf. Grimm on Sap. xiii. 1); ἡ ἐκ φύσεως ἀκροβυστία, who by birth is uncircumcised or a Gentile (opp. to one who, although circumcised, has made himself a Gentile by his iniquity and spiritual perversity), Ro. ii. 27. c. a mode of feeling and acting which by long habit has become nature: ἦμεν φύσει τέκνα ὀργῆς, by  nature we were exposed to the wrath of God, Eph. ii. 3 (this meaning is evident from the preceding context, and stands in contrast with the change of heart and life wrought through Christ by the blessing of divine grace; φύσει πρὸς τὰς κολάσεις ἐπιεικῶς ἔχουσιν οἱ Φαρισαῖοι, Joseph. antt. 13, 10, 6. [Others (see Meyer) would lay more stress here upon the constitution in which this “habitual course of evil” has its origin, whether that constitution be regarded (with some) as already developed at birth, or (better) as undeveloped; cf. Aristot. pol. 1, 2 p. 1252b, 32 sq. οἷον ἕκαστόν ἐστι τῆς γενέσεως τελεσθείσης, ταύτην φαμὲν τὴν φύσιν εἶναι ἑκάστου, ὥσπερ ἀνθρώπου, etc.; see the exx. in Bonitz's index s. v. Cf. W. § 31, 6 a.]). d. the sum of innate properties and powers by which one person differs from others, distinctive native peculiarities, natural characteristics: φύσις θηρίων (the natural strength, ferocity and intractability of beasts [A. V. (every) kind of beasts]), ἡ φύσις ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη (the ability, art, skill, of men, the qualities which are proper to their nature and necessarily emanate from it), Jas. iii. 7 [cf. W. § 31, 10]; θείας κοινωνοὶ φύσεως, (the holiness distinctive of the divine nature is specially referred to), 2 Pet. i. 4 (Ἀμενώφει... θείας δοκοῦντι μετεσχηκέναι φύσεως κατά τε σοφίαν καὶ πρόγνωσιν τῶν ἐσομένων, Joseph. c. Ap. 1, 26).*

Paul refers a third time to the concept of natural revelation in his speech at Athens in Acts 17:22-31. There are many other places in the Bible that refer to general revelation, but general revelation alone is not sufficient to save men so God has revealed Himself to us in other ways.

Specific Revelation

In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son.___Hebrews 1:1

Because of the inadequacy of general revelation, God has spoken to us in three very specific ways: theophanies (when God appears to man, such as Christ taking the form of a man in the Gospels), through the prophets, (someone who speaks for God), and finally through the written Word (Or Bible).

In a theophany, every word and action of God is authoritative. Thus since the finger of God inscribed the Ten Commandments on tablets of stone, they are as authoritative as God Himself. They are "God breathed" or "inspired." Likewise the words of Jesus carry all of the force and authority of God since Jesus was God-incarnate.

But what about when God speaks through a man? We call these people "prophets" because they are spokesmen for God (not because they predict the future, see Exodus 4:10-17 and 7:1-7). But, how much of the message is from God and how much of their message is their own interpretation of that message? Further, is their interpretation inspired, that is, "authoritative?" Jesus answers that question for us in the book of John when he says, "Scripture cannot be broken" (John 7:35). The Scriptures were the writings of the Old Testament. In other words, the entire Old Testament is authoritative, inspired. Paul says that the Jews "were entrusted with the oracles of God" (Romans 3:2) and Jesus said, just before he returned to heaven, that "everything about me in the Law of Moses and the prophets must be fulfilled" (Luke 24:44). This is a clear reference to all three sections of the Jewish Old Testament: the Law, the Prophets, and the Holy Writings or Psalms. Peter affirms that the writings of the New Testament are just as important as the writings of the Old Testament, when he gives the same importance to Paul's letters as he did to the inspired works of the Old Testament.

How did the Bible come to us?

However, isn't there a difference between something being authoritative and its being inspired? Not necessarily. The inspired revelations are authoritative by virtue of their origin. And so the question becomes, "What was the origin of the books of the Bible?" Did they fall from the sky like Artemis of the Ephesians? Or was the Bible handed down to man by God like the tablets of stone given to Moses? In the apocryphal book of 2 Esdras, Ezra the Scribe was said to have had a very special inspiration from God. This theory of inspiration is called the Dictation Theory.

I took with me the five men as I had been told, and we went to the field and there we stayed. On the next day I heard a voice calling me, which said, "Ezra, open your mouth and drink what I give you. "So I open my mouth and was handed a cup full of what seemed like water, except that is color was the color of fire, I took it and drank, as soon as I had done so my mind began to pour forth a flood of understanding, and wisdom grew greater and greater within me, for I retained my memory unimpaired. I opened my mouth to speak, and I continued to speak unceasingly. The Most High gave understanding to the five men who took turns at writing down what was said, using characters which they had not known before. They remained at work through forty days, ninety-four books were written. At the end of the forth days the Most High spoke to me. " Make public the books that you wrote first," he said, "to be read by good and bad alike. But at last seventy books are to be kept back,and given to none but the wise among your people. They contain a stream of understanding, a fountain of wisdom, a flood of knowledge." And I did so. 2 Esdras 14:27-48

There are parts of the Bible that were written by dictation, but this story cannot explain all of the differences in style, education, background, research, and reason we find in the New Testament.

Inspired Thoughts

Many people think that God gave the writers of the Bible a good thought and then the author wrote it down as best he could. However, Jesus and the prophets themselves quoted the very words themselves as being authoritative: King David said-----

The Spirit of the Lord speaks by me, his word is on my tongue__2 Samuel 23:2

We have already stated that the entire Bible is authoritative because it is inspired. But what theory of inspiration can account for all the variations in style and reason? The answer is that God superintended the writings of the Bible. When Luke consulted with eye-witnesses (Luke 1:1-4) the Spirit of God helped him to choose only what was true. Often the writers were conscious of the presence of the Spirit aiding them (1st Corinthians 7:10). But is it so hard to believe that a God who was able to speak the world into existence can also guide the men who wrote the Bible in every facet of their work?

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof and correction, and for training in righteousness__2nd Timothy 3:16

Evidences of the Inspiration of the Bible

by Dr. Fumann Kerly

1. The supernatural accuracy of the scientific and pre-scientific statements of the Bible.

2. The supernatural historical accuracy of the Bible.

3. The supernatural accuracy of the geographical references in the Bible.

4. The supernatural accuracy of the economic and agricultural references in the Bible.

5. The supernatural prophecies and their fulfillment.

6. The impartiality of the Bible in its account of the leading characters and the nation of Israel.

7. The high, pure, exalted, distinct, concepts of Monotheism, Morality, Ethics, etc.

8. The origin of Judaism and Christianity in Palestine.

9. The supernatural preservation of the Biblical text.

10. The supernatural doctrines of the Bible concerning God, man, and Christ.

11. The supernatural preservation of the Bible and Christianity through persecution and criticism.

12. The supernatural motivation and dedication of the apostles, New Testament writers and early Christians.

13. The supernatural background of the New Testament in prophecy and figures.

14. The unity of the Bible through 1600 years of history.

15. The supernatural origin of the Bible is seen in its ability to meet the needs of humanity.

10:21:32 AM 05/18/08