Theology: Inspiration of Scripture
Theology: Inspiration of Scripture
Definition of
Inspiration:
The inspiration of Scripture can be defined as the
supernatural influence the Holy Spirit had on the writers of Scripture that
made their writings accurate, and resulted in what they wrote being the Word of
God. [1]
Through reading of the Bible, one is faced with the claim
and assumption that Scripture is the Word of God. The goal of this post is to provide evidence
that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and provide readers with biblical
references supporting this claim. For
simplicity, this post will specifically use several portions of 2nd
Peter as a vehicle to support this claim (although there are other methods of
arguing for inspiration).
Peter provides evidence that New Testament authors
believed that the Old Testament was inspired by God. Peter states, “Knowing this first of all that
no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no
prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they
were carried along by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). First, it is important to note that as Peter
was writing 2nd Peter, the New Testament was being formed and
produced through inspiration. When Peter
refers to Scripture in this verse, he is referring to the Old Testament. It is also common for people during this time
to refer to “prophecy” or “the prophets” when referring to the Old Testament
(See Luke’s use: Luke 24:27, 44). Peter
explains that the Scriptures were not produced by man’s will, rather the
writers were moved by the Holy Spirit.
The Apostle Paul uses similar terminology when he states that all
Scripture is “God breathed” or “inspired by God” (2 Tim. 3:16). Luke also referenced Peter in the book of Acts
stating, “Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit
spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to
those who arrested Jesus” (Acts 1:16). Jesus also referred to the Scriptures,
or the Old Testament, as the “word of God” (John 10:34-35). This neatly and simply explains the
inspiration of the Old Testament, but what about the New Testament?
Peter, once again, helps the modern believer understand
inspiration in reference to the New Testament.
After Peter states that men were carried along by the Holy Spirit (2
Peter 1:20-21), as mentioned above, he then brings up the Apostle Paul’s
letters. Peter states, “Just as our
beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as
he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are
some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and
unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures” (2
Pet. 3:15-16). Peter states that Paul
writes with the wisdom given to him and it is safe to assume that this is a
reference to God giving Paul wisdom (Eph. 3:7-9). Peter also adds that some people were manipulating
these inspired words as they do the other Scriptures. This astounding assertion should not be
overlooked, Peter in this verse places Paul’s writings on the same plane as the
Scriptures, which readers at this time knew was referring to the Old
Testament. This also informs the modern
reader that at the time that Peter was writing this, Paul’s letters were in
circulation and being used by the early church.
Jesus also taught using a specific formula, and the
gravity of those statements can easily be overlooked by modern believers. Matthew records Jesus saying, “You have heard
that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’” (Mat. 5:27). Here, Jesus is quoting the Old Testament
(Exo. 20:14; Deut. 5:18). What Jesus
says next is significant, “But I say to you…” (Mat. 5:28). Jesus is placing His words on the same level
as the Old Testament Scriptures. Jesus
uses this formula multiple times (Mat. 5:22, 28, 32, 34, 39). Jesus ordering His words at the same level as
the Old Testament would have been shocking to the Jewish listeners at this
time. One can also argue that Jesus is
God and that Jesus’ words recorded in the Gospel accounts are therefore God’s
words. As stated above, there is
explicit evidence of this due to the fact that Jesus placed His words on the
same plane as God’s word recorded in the Old Testament. Luke also explains that Jesus gave commands
to the apostles through the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:1-2). John also explains that Jesus stated that He
would send the Holy Spirit (the Helper), to guide the Apostles in teaching and
remembrance of the things Jesus taught them (John 14:16, 26; 15:26).
One should consider the implications of the Bible being
inspired by God and being the Word of God.
If the Bible is the Word of God, then it is the revealed will of God in
one’s life. If the Bible is the Word of
God, then it is the authority in the lives of believers. Since the Bible is the Word of God, it is
living and active (Heb. 4:12). Since the
Bible is the word of God, one should examine their lives according to God’s
revealed will. In particular, the
believer should examine their thoughts and intentions according to the God’s
Word (Heb. 4:12). The believer should
not conform to this world (Rom. 12:2), but should endeavor to follow Christ’s
example (1 Cor. 11:1) of submission to God’s will (Luke 22:42, Mat. 6:10).
Scriptural
References for Further Study:
Gen. 1:3, Exo. 20:1-3; Deut. 18; Jer. 1:9 Mat. 3:17; John
14:26, 16:12-13; 1 Cor. 14:37; 2 Pet. 3:2; Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2;
17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8;
Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39;
16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17;
Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21.
Books for Further
Study:
Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology: Chapter 8 “The
Preservation of the Revelation: Inspiration”
Wayne Gruden, Systematic Theology: Chapter 2 “The Word of
God”
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