|
1. Revelation and Scripture.
The term 'special revelation' may be used
in more than one sense. It may denote the direct self-communications of
God in verbal messages and in miraculous facts. The prophets and the apostles
often received messages from God long before they committed them to writing.
These are now contained in Scripture, but do not constitute the whole
of the Bible. There is much in it that was not revealed in a supernatural
way, but is the result of study and of previous reflection. However, the
term may also be used to denote the Bible as a whole, that whole complex
of redemptive truths and facts, with the proper historical setting, that
is found in Scripture and has the divine guarantee of its truth in the
fact that it is infallibly inspired by the Holy Spirit. In view of this
fact it may be said that the whole Bible, and the Bible only, is for us
God's special revelation. It is in the Bible that God's special revelation
lives on and brings even now life, light, and holiness.
2. Scripture Proof for the Inspiration
of Scripture.
The whole Bible is given by inspiration
of God, and is as such the infallible rule of faith and practice for all
mankind. Since the doctrine of inspiration is often denied, it calls for
special consideration.
This doctrine, like every other, is based
on Scripture, and is not an invention of man. While it is founded on a
great number of passages, only a few of these can be indicated here. The
Old Testament writers are repeatedly instructed to write what the Lord
commands them,
Ex.17:14; "And Jehovah said unto
Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears
of Joshua: that I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from
under heaven. (Exodus 17:14)"
34:27; "And Jehovah said unto
Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have
made a covenant with thee and with Israel. (Exodus 34:27)"
Num. 33:2; "And Moses wrote their
goings out according to their journeys by the commandment of Jehovah:
and these are their journeys according to their goings out. (Numbers 33:2)"
Isa. 8:1; "And Jehovah said unto
me, Take thee a great tablet, and write upon it with the pen of a man,
For Maher-shalal-hash-baz; (Isaiah 8:1)"
30:8; "Now go, write it before
them on a tablet, and inscribe it in a book, that it may be for the time
to come for ever and ever. (Isaiah 30:8)"
Jer. 25:13; "And I will bring
upon that land all my words which I have pronounced against it, even all
that is written in this book, which Jeremiah hath prophesied against all
the nations. (Jeremiah 25:13)"
30:2; "Thus speaketh Jehovah,
the God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken
unto thee in a book. (Jeremiah 30:2)"
Ezek. 24:1; "Again, in the ninth
year, in the tenth month, in the tenth [day] of the month, the word of
Jehovah came unto me, saying, (Ezekiel 24:1)"
Dan. 12:4; "But thou, O Daniel,
shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many
shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. (Daniel 12:4)"
Hab. 2:2. "And Jehovah answered
me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tablets, that he
may run that readeth it. (Habakkuk 2:2)"
The prophets were conscious of bringing
the word of the Lord, and therefore introduced their messages with some
such formula as, "Thus saith the Lord," or, "The word of the Lord came
unto me,"
Jer. 36:27, 32; 27 Then the word of
Jehovah came to Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and
the words which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, ... 32
Then took Jeremiah another roll, and gave it to Baruch the scribe, the
son of Neriah, who wrote therein from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words
of the book which Jehoiakim king of Judah had burned in the fire; and
there were added besides unto them many like words. (Jeremiah 36:27,32)
Ezek., chapters 26, 27, 31, 32, 39.
Paul speaks of his words as Spirit-taught
words, I Cor. 2:13,
claims that Christ is speaking in him,
II Cor. 13:3,
and describes his message to the Thessalonians
as the word of God, I Thess. 2:13.
" Which things also we speak,
not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth;
combining spiritual things with spiritual [words]. (1 Corinthians 2:13)
seeing that ye seek a proof of Christ
that speaketh in me; who to you-ward is not weak, but is powerful in you:
(2 Corinthians 13:3)
And for this cause we also thank God
without ceasing, that, when ye received from us the word of the message,
[even the word] of God, ye accepted [it] not [as] the word of men, but,
as it is in truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe.
(1 Thessalonians 2:13) "
The Epistle to the Hebrews often quotes
passages of the Old Testament as words of God or of the Holy Spirit, Heb.
1:5; 3:7; 4:3; 5:6; 7:21. The most important passage to prove the inspiration
of Scripture is II Tim. 3:16, which reads as follows in the Authorized
Version: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable
for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness."
" For unto which of the angels
said he at any time, Thou art my Son, This day have I begotten thee? and
again, I will be to him a Father, And he shall be to me a Son? (Hebrews
1:5)
Wherefore, even as the Holy Spirit
saith, To-day if ye shall hear his voice, (Hebrews 3:7)
For we who have believed do enter into
that rest; even as he hath said, As I sware in my wrath, They shall not
enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation
of the world. (Hebrews 4:3)
as he saith also in another [place,]
Thou art a priest for ever After the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews 5:6)
(for they indeed have been made priests
without an oath; but he with an oath by him that saith of him, The Lord
sware and will not repent himself, Thou art a priest for ever); (Hebrews
7:21) "
3. The Nature of Inspiration.
There are especially two wrong views of
inspiration, representing extremes that should be avoided.
a. Mechanical inspiration.
It has sometimes been represented as if
God literally dictated what the human authors of the Bible had to write,
and as if they were purely passive like a pen in the hand of a writer.
This means that their minds did not contribute in any way to the contents
or form of their writings. But in view of what we find this can hardly
be true. They were real authors, who in some cases gathered their materials
from sources at their command,
I Kings 11:41; "Now the rest of
the acts of Solomon, and all that he did, and his wisdom, are they not
written in the book of the acts of Solomon? (1 Kings 11:41)"
14:29; "Now the rest of the acts
of Rehoboam, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of
the chronicles of the kings of Judah? (1 Kings 14:29)"
I Chron. 29:29; "Now the acts
of David the king, first and last, behold, they are written in the history
of Samuel the seer, and in the history of Nathan the prophet, and in the
history of Gad the seer, (1Chronicles 29:29)"
Luke 1:1-4, "1 Forasmuch as many
have taken in hand to draw up a narrative concerning those matters which
have been fulfilled among us, 2 even as they delivered them unto us, who
from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word, 3 it seemed
good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from
the first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus; 4 that
thou mightest know the certainty concerning the things wherein thou wast
instructed. (Luke 1:1-4)"
in other instances recorded their own
experiences as, for instance, in many of the Psalms, and impressed upon
their writings their own particular style. The style of Isaiah differs
from that of Jeremiah, and the style of John is not like that of Paul.
b. Dynamic inspiration.
Others thought of the process of inspiration
as affecting only the writers, and having no direct bearing on their writings.
Their mental and spiritual life was strengthened and raised to a higher
pitch, so that they saw things "18" more clearly and had a more
profound sense of their real spiritual value. This inspiration was not
limited to the time when they wrote the books of the Bible, but was a
permanent characteristic of the writers and affected their writings only
indirectly. It differed only in degree from the spiritual illumination
of all believers. This theory certainly does not do justice to the biblical
view of inspiration.
c. Organic inspiration.
The proper conception of inspiration holds
that the Holy Spirit acted on the writers of the Bible in an organic way,
in harmony with the laws of their own inner being, using them just as
they were, with their character and temperament, their gifts and talents,
their education and culture, their vocabulary and style. The Holy Spirit
illumined their minds, aided their memory, prompted them to write, repressed
the influence of sin on their writings, and guided them in the expression
of their thoughts even to the choice of their words. In no small measure
He left free scope to their own activity. They could give the results
of their own investigations, write of their own experiences, and put the
imprint of their own style and language on their books.
4. The Extent of Inspiration.
There are differences of opinion also
respecting the extent of the inspiration of Scripture.
a. Partial inspiration.
Under the influence of Rationalism it
has become quite common to deny the inspiration of the Bible altogether,
or to hold that only parts of it are inspired. Some deny the inspiration
of the Old Testament, while admitting that of the New. Others affirm that
the moral and religious teachings of Scripture are inspired, but that
its historical parts contain several chronological, archaeological, and
scientific mistakes. Still others limit the inspiration to the Sermon
on the Mount. They who adopt such views have already lost their Bible,
for the very differences of opinion are "19" proof positive
that no one can determine with any degree of certainty which parts of
Scripture are, and which are not inspired. There is still another way
in which the inspiration of Scripture is limited, namely, by assuming
that the thoughts were inspired, while the choice of the words was left
entirely to the wisdom of the human authors. But this proceeds on the
very doubtful assumption that the thoughts can be separated from the words,
while, as a matter of fact, accurate thought without words is impossible.
b. Plenary inspiration.
According to Scripture every part of the
Bible is inspired. Jesus and the apostles frequently appeal to the Old
Testament books as 'scripture' or 'the Scriptures' to settle a point in
controversy. To their minds such an appeal was equivalent to an appeal
to God. It should be noted that of the books to which they appeal in this
fashion, some are historical. The Epistle to the Hebrews repeatedly cites
passages from the Old Testament as words of God or of the Holy Spirit
(cf. p. 16). Peter places the letters of Paul on a level with the writings
of the Old Testament, II Pet. 3:16,
"as also in all [his] epistles,
speaking in them of these things; wherein are some things hard to be understood,
which the ignorant and unstedfast wrest, as [they do] also the other scriptures,
unto their own destruction. (2 Peter 3:16)"
and Paul speaks of all Scripture as
inspired, II Tim. 3:16. "Every scripture inspired of God [is] also
profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
which is in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)"
We may safely go a step farther and say
that the inspiration of the Bible extends to the very words employed.
The Bible is verbally inspired, which is not equivalent to saying that
it is mechanically inspired. The doctrine of verbal inspiration is fully
warranted by Scripture. In many cases we are explicitly told that the
Lord told Moses and Joshua exactly what to write,
Lev. 3 and 4; 6:1, 24; "And Jehovah
spake unto Moses, saying,... And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, (Leviticus
6:1,24)
7:22, 28; "22 And Jehovah spake
unto Moses, saying,...28 And Jehovah spake unto Moses, saying, (Leviticus
7:22,28)"
Josh. 1:1; "Now it came to pass
after the death of Moses the servant of Jehovah, that Jehovah spake unto
Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister, saying, (Joshua 1:1)"
4:1; "And it came to pass, when
all the nation were clean passed over the Jordan, that Jehovah spake unto
Joshua, saying, (Joshua 4:1)"
6:2, "And Jehovah said unto Joshua,
See, I have given into thy hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the
mighty men of valor. (Joshua 6:2)"
and so on. The prophets speak of Jehovah
as putting His words into their mouths,
Jer. 1:9, "Then Jehovah put forth
his hand, and touched my mouth; and Jehovah said unto me, Behold, I have
put my words in thy mouth: (Jeremiah 1:9)"
and as directing them to speak His words
to the people,
Ezek. 3:4, 10, 11. "4 And he said
unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak
with my words unto them. ... 10 Moreover he said unto me, Son of man,
all my words that I shall speak unto thee receive in thy heart, and hear
with thine ears. 11 And go, get thee to them of the captivity, unto the
children of thy people, and speak unto them, and tell them, Thus saith
the Lord Jehovah; whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear.
(Ezekiel 3:4,10-11)"
Paul designates his words as Spirit
taught words, I Cor. 2:13, "Which things also we speak, not in words
which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; combining
spiritual things with spiritual [words]. (1 Corinthians 2:13)"
and both he and Jesus base an argument
on a single word, Matt. 22:43-45; "43 He saith unto them, How then
doth David in the Spirit call him Lord, saying, 44 The Lord said unto
my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Till I put thine enemies underneath
thy feet? 45 If David then calleth him Lord, how is he his son? (Matthew
22:43-45)
John 10:35; "If he called them
gods, unto whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken),
(John 10:35)"
Gal. 3:16. "Now to Abraham were
the promises spoken, and to his seed. He saith not, And to seeds, as of
many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (Galatians 3:16)"
5. The Perfections of Scripture.
The Reformers developed the doctrine of
Scripture as over against the Roman Catholics "20" and some
of the Protestant sects. While Rome taught that the Bible owes its authority
to the Church, they maintained that it has authority in itself as the
inspired Word of God. They also upheld the necessity of Scripture as the
divinely appointed means of grace over against the Roman Catholics, who
asserted that the Church had no absolute need of it, and some of the Protestant
sects, who exalted the "inner light," or the word of the Holy Spirit in
the hearts of the people of God, at the expense of Scripture. In opposition
to Rome they further defended the clearness of the Bible. They did not
deny that it contains mysteries too deep for human understanding, but
simply contended that the knowledge necessary unto salvation, though not
equally clear on every page of the Bible, is yet conveyed in a manner
so simple that anyone earnestly seeking salvation can easily gather this
knowledge for himself, and need not depend on the interpretation of the
Church or the priesthood. Finally, they also defended the sufficiency
of Scripture, and thereby denied the need of the tradition of the Roman
Catholics and of the inner light of the Anabaptists.
To memorize.
Passages bearing on:
a. The inspiration of Scripture:
I Cor. 2:13. "Which things also we
speak, not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit
teacheth; combining spiritual things with spiritual words."
I Thess. 2:13. "And for this cause
we also thank God without ceasing, that, when ye received from us the
word of the message, even the word of God, ye accepted it not as the word
of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God."
II Tim. 3:16. "All Scripture is given
by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for
correction, for instruction in righteousness."
b. The authority of the Bible:
Isa. 8:20. "To the lay and to the testimony!
if they speak not according to this word, surely there is no morning for
them."
c. The necessity of the Bible:
II Tim. 3:15. "And that from a babe
thou has known the sacred writings, which are able to make thee wise unto
salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus."
a. The clearness of Scripture:
Ps. 19:7b. "The testimony of Jehovah
is sure, making wise the simple."
Ps. 119:105. "Thy word is a lamp unto
my feet, and a light unto my path." Also verse 130. "The opening of Thy
words giveth light; it giveth understanding to the simple."
e. The Sufficiency of Scripture. Cf. the
passages under c. above.
For Further Study:
a. Do the traditions of men have authority?
Matt. 5:21-48; 15:3-6; Mark 7:7; "But
in vain do they worship me, Teaching [as their] doctrines the precepts
of men. (Mark 7:7)"
Col. 2:8; "Take heed lest there
shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain
deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world,
and not after Christ: (Colossians 2:8)"
Tit. 1:14; "not giving heed to
Jewish fables, and commandments of men who turn away from the truth. (Titus
1:14)"
II Pet. 1:18. "and this voice
we [ourselves] heard borne out of heaven, when we were with him in the
holy mount. (2 Peter 1:18)"
b. Did the prophets themselves always
fully understand what they wrote?
Dan. 8:15; "And it came to pass,
when I, even I Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought to understand
it; and, behold, there stood before me as the appearance of a man. (Daniel
8:15)"
12:8; "And I heard, but I understood
not: then said I, O my lord, what shall be the issue of these things?
(Daniel 12:8)"
Zech. 1:7--6:11; I Pet. 1:11. "searching
what [time] or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them
did point unto, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ,
and the glories that should follow them. (1 Peter 1:11)"
c. Does II Tim. 3:16 teach us anything
respecting the practical value of the inspiration of Scripture? If so,
what?
"Every scripture inspired of
God [is] also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for
instruction which is in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16)"
Questions for Review
1. What is the relation between special
revelation and Scripture?
2. What different meanings has the term
'special revelation'?
3. Can we say that special revelation
and Scripture are identical?
4. What Scripture proof can you give for
the inspiration of the Bible?
5. What are the theories of mechanical
and dynamical inspiration?
6. How would you describe the doctrine
of organic inspiration?
7. What about the theory that the thoughts
are inspired but not the words?
8. How would you prove that inspiration
extends to every part of Scripture, and even to the very words?
9. How do Rome and the Reformers differ
on the authority, the necessity, the clearness, and the sufficiency of
Scripture?
|
