That the writers of the Scriptures claimed to write under the
direct influence of the Spirit of God there can be no doubt. The
_quality_ or _degree_ of their insspiration may be called
into question, but surely not the _fact_ of it. Let us examine
the testimony of the writers themselves.
a) The Claims of Old Testament Writers to Inspiration. (We use
the word Inspiration here as including Revelation.)
Compare and examine the following passages:
Exod. 4:10-15--"And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not
eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy
servant; but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the
Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the
dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord?
Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what
thou shalt say. And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the
hand of him whom thou wilt send. And the anger of the Lord was
kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy
brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh
forth to meet thee; and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his
heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth,
and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach
you what ye shall do."
Deut. 4:2--"Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you,
neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the
commandments of the Lord your God which I command you."
Jer. 1:7-9--"But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child:
for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I
command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces; for
I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then the Lord put
forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me,
Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth." Also Ezek. 3:4; Micah
3:8.
These are but a few of the many passages in which the inspiration
of the writers is affirmed and claimed.
Note further that the words "God said" occur ten times in the first
chapter of Genesis. It is claimed that such expressions as "The
Lord said," "The Lord spake," "The word of the Lord came," are
found 3,808 times in the Old Testament. These writers, claiming to
be the revealers of the will of God, almost always commenced their
messages with the words, "Thus saith the Lord." That they were not
deceived in their claims is evident from the minuteness and detail
as to names, times and places which characterized their messages,
and from the literal fulfillment of these oracles of God.
b) The Claims of the New Testament Writers to Inspiration.
It is worthy of note here to observe that inspiration is claimed
by New Testament writers for Old Testament writers as well as for
themselves. Read and compare the following passages:
2 Pet. 1:20, 21--"Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the
Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came
not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as
they were moved by the Holy Ghost."
1 Pet. 1:10, 11--"Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and
searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come
unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of
Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand
the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow."
Acts 1:16--"Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been
fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before
concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus." Acts
28:25--"And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed,
after that Paul had spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Ghost by
Esaias the prophet unto our fathers."
1 Cor. 2:13--"Which things also we speak, not in the words which
man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing
spiritual things with spiritual."
1 Cor. 14:37--"If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual,
let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the
commandments of the Lord."
1 Thess. 2:13--"For this cause also thank we God without ceasing,
because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us,
ye received it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the
word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe."
2 Peter 3:1, 2--"This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto
you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance:
that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by
the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of
the Lord and Saviour."
Matt. 10:20--"For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your
Father which speaketh in you."
Mark 13:11--"But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take
no thought beforehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate;
but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye, for
it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost."
See also Luke 12:12; 21:14, 15; Acts 2:4.
It is evident from these and many other passages of Scripture that
the writers of both the Old and New Testaments were conscious of
having received revelations from God, and considered themselves
inspired of God to write the Scriptures. They felt while writing
that they were giving expression to the infallible truth of God, and
were conscious that the Holy Spirit was moving them to the work.
5. WHAT IS THE NATUEE OF THE INSPIRATION THAT CHARACTERIZED THE
WRITERS OF THE SCRIPTURES, AND IN WHAT DEGREE WERE THEY UNDER ITS
INFLUENCE?
Much has been said and written in answer to this question. Were
the _thoughts_ or _concepts_ alone inspired, or were the
_words_ also inspired? Were the words dictated by the Holy
Spirit, or were the writers left to choose their own words? These
are the knotty questions current today regarding the Inspiration
of the Bible. We may say with certainty that
a) At least Some of the Words of Scripture are the Identical Words
Written or Spoken by God Himself.
Note Exodus 38:16--"The writing was the writing of God"; Exodus
31:18--"Written with the finger of God." Compare also Deuteronomy
10:2, 4; 9:10; Exodus 24:12. See also 1 Chronicles 28:19 (R. V.)--"All
this, said David, have I been made to understand in writing from
the hand of Jehovah"; Daniel 5:5--There "came forth the finger of
a man's hand and wrote."
In the New Testament God is heard speaking both at the baptism and
the transfiguration of Jesus, saying, "This is my beloved Son, in
whom I am well pleased; hear ye him."
It is clearly evident from these passages that some part of the
inspired record claims to be a record of the exact words of God.
b) It is Also very Definitely Stated in Scripture that God Put
into the Mouths of Certain Men the Very Words They Should Speak,
and Told Them What They Should Write.
Exod. 4:10-15--"And Moses said unto the Lord, O my Lord, I am not
eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy
servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue. And the
Lord said unto him, Who hath made man's mouth? or who maketh the
dumb, or deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? have not I the Lord?
Now therefore go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what
thou shalt say. And he said, O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the
hand of him whom thou wilt send. And the anger of the Lord was
kindled against Moses, and he said, Is not Aaron the Levite thy
brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, behold, he cometh
forth to meet thee: and when he seeth thee, he will be glad in his
heart. And thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his mouth:
and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach
you what ye shall do."
Exod. 34:27--"And the Lord said unto Moses, Write thou these words:
for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with
thee and with Israel." Num. 17:2, 3--"Speak unto the children of
Israel, and take of every one of them a rod according to the house
of their fathers, of all their princes according to the house of
their fathers, twelve rods: write thou every man's name upon his
rod. And thou shalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi: for
one rod shall be for the head of the house of their fathers."
Isa. 8:1, 11, 12--"Moreover the Lord said unto me, Take thee a great
roll, and write in it with a man's pen concerning Maher-shalal-hash-baz.
For the Lord spake thus to me with a strong hand, and instructed
me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying, Say
ye not, A confederacy, to all them to whom this people shall say,
A confederacy; neither fear ye their fear, nor be afraid."
Jer. 1:7--"But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child:
for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I
command thee thou shalt speak."
Jer. 7:27--"Therefore thou shalt speak all these words unto them;
but they will not hearken to thee; thou shalt also call unto them;
but they will not answer thee."
Jer. 13:12--"Therefore thou shall speak unto them this word: This
saith the Lord God of Israel, Every bottle shall be filled with
wine: and they shall say unto thee, Do we not certainly know that
every bottle shall be filled with wine?"
Jer. 30:1, 3--"The word that came to Jeremiah from the Lord, saying.
Thus speaketh the Lord God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the
words that I have spoken unto thee in a book."
Jer. 36: 1, 2, 4, 11, 27-32--"And it came to pass in the fourth
year of Jehoiakim the son of Josiah king of Judah, that this word
came unto Jeremiah from the Lord, saying, Take thee a roll of a
book, and write therein all the words that I have spoken unto thee
against Israel, and against Judah, and against all the nations,
from the day I spake unto thee, from the days of Josiah, even unto
this day. Then Jeremiah called Baruch the son of Neriah; and Baruch
wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord, which
he had spoken unto him, upon a roll of a book. When Michaiah the
son of Gemariah, the son of Shaphan, had heard out of the book
all the words of the Lord. . . . Then the word of the Lord came to
Jeremiah, after that the king had burned the roll, and the words
which Baruch wrote at the mouth of Jeremiah, saying, Take thee
again another roll, and write in it all the former words that were
in the first roll, which Jehoiakim the king of Judah hath burned.
And thou shalt say to Jehoiakim king of Judah, Thou saith the Lord;
Thou hast burned this roll, saying, Why hast thou written therein,
saying, The king of Babylon shall certainly come and destroy this
land, and shall cause to cease from thence man and beast? Therefore
thus saith the Lord of Jehoiakim king of Judah; He shall have none
to sit upon the throne of David: and his dead body shall be cast
out in the day to the heat, and in the night to the frost. And I
will punish him and his seed and his servants for their iniquity;
and I will bring upon them, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem,
and upon the men of Judah, all the evil that I have pronounced
against them; but they hearkened not. Then took Jeremiah another
roll, and give 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." Also Ezek. 2:7;
3:10, 11; 24:2; 37:16; Hab. 2:2; Zech. 7:8-12.
1 Cor. 14:37--"If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual,
let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the
commandments of the Lord."
Rev. 2:1, 8, 12, 18--"Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write;
These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right
hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candle-sticks
. . . . And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These
things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive
. . . . And to the angel of the church in Pergamos write; These
things saith he which hath the sharp sword with two edges . . . .
And unto the angel of the church in Thyatira write; These things
saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire,
and his feet are like fine brass." Also 3:1; 7:14.
Rev. 10:4--"And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices,
I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto
me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and
write them not."
To sum up these two arguments, then, let us say, regarding the
nature of the inspiration of the sacred writings, that part of them
claim to be the very words and writings of God Himself, spoken by
His own mouth, or written by His own hand: that another part claim
to be the record of words spoken to certain men who wrote them
down just as they were spoken. And yet if this is all that is
involved in inspiration, shall we not be robbed of a very beautiful
and helpful fact, namely, that the Holy Spirit saw fit to preserve
the characteristics of the writers? Do not the works of James,
the faith of Paul, and the love of John appeal to us in their own
peculiar way? This leads to the statement that
c) In a Certain Sense, and in Respect to Some Parts of the Scripture,
the Authors Were (Humanly Speaking) Left to Choose Their Own Words
in Relating Divine Truth.
This was by no means true of all the sacred writings. There are
instances recorded of men who spoke without knowing what they were
saying; and of men and animals speaking without knowledge of the
substance of their message:
John 11:49-52--"And one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high
priest that same year, said unto them, Ye know nothing at all, nor
consider that it is expedient for us, that one man should die for
the people, and that the whole nation perish not. And this spake
he not of himself; but being high priest that year, he prophesied
that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation
only, but that also he should gather together in one the children
of God that were scattered abroad."
Num. 22:28-30--"And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass, and she
said unto Balaam, What have I done unto thee, that thou hast smitten
me these three times? And Balaam said unto the ass, Because thou
has mocked me: I would there were a sword in mine hand, for now
would I kill thee. And the ass said unto Balaam, Am not I thine
ass, upon which thou hast ridden ever since I was thine unto this
day? was I ever wont to do so unto thee? And he said, Nay."
Dan. 12:8, 9--"And I heard, but I understood not: then said I,
0 my Lord, what shall be the end of these things? And he said, Go
thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the
time of the end."
And yet the gift of inspiration admitted of personal, diligent,
and faithful research into the facts recorded--Luke 1:1-4.
This fact allowed the expression of the same thought in different
words, such differences (by no means discrepancies) between
the accounts of inspired men as would be likely to arise from the
different standpoint of each. Examples: Matt. 26:26, 27--"And as
they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it,
and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.
And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
Drink ye all of it."
Luke 22:19, 20--"And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it,
and gave unto them, saying, this is my body which is given for you;
this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper,
saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed
for you."
1 Cor. 11:24, 25--"And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and
said, Take, eat; this is my body, which is broken for you; this do
in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup,
when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my
blood; this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me."
Matt. 3:17--"And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Mark 1:11--"And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art
my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."
Luke 3:22--"And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a
dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art
my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased."
The Spirit employed the attention, the investigation, the memory,
the fancy, the logic, in a word, all the faculties of the writer,
and wrought through them. He guided the writer to choose what
narrative and materials, speeches of others, imperial decrees,
genealogies, official letters, state papers or historical matters
he might find necessary for the recording of the divine message of
salvation. He wrought in, with, and through their spirits, so as to
preserve their individuality to others. He used the men themselves,
and spoke through their individualities. "The gold was His; the
mould was theirs."