VERBAL INSPIRATION
Not only does the Bible claim to
be a Divine revelation but it also asserts that its original manuscripts were
written
“not in the words which man’s
wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth” (1 Corinthians 2:13).
The Bible nowhere claims to have
been written by inspired men—as a matter of fact some of them were very
defective characters—Balaam for example—but it insists
that the words they uttered and recorded were God’s words. Inspiration
has not to do with the minds of the writers (for many of them understood not
what they wrote (1 Peter 1:10-11), but with the writings themselves.
“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God,” and “Scripture” means “the
writings.” Faith has to do with God’s Word and not with the men who wrote
it—these are all dead long since, but their writings remain.
A writing that is inspired by
God self-evidently implies, in the very expression, that the words are the
words of God. To say that the inspiration of the Scriptures applies to their
concepts and not to their words; to declare that one part of Scripture is
written with one kind or degree of inspiration and another part with another kind or degree, is not only destitute of any foundation or
support in the Scriptures themselves, but is repudiated by every statement in
the Bible which bears upon the subject now under consideration. To say that the
Bible is not the Word of God but merely contains the Word of God is the
figment of an ill-employed ingenuity and an unholy attempt to depreciate and
invalidate the supreme authority of the Oracles of God. All the attempts which
have been made to explain the rationale of
inspiration have done nothing toward simplifying the subject, rather have they
tended to mystify. It is no easier to conceive how ideas without words could be
imparted, than that Divinely revealed truths should be communicated by words.
Instead of being diminished the difficulty is increased. It were as logical to
talk of a sum without figures or a tune without notes, as of a Divine
revelation and communication without words. Instead of speculation our duty is to receive and believe what the Scriptures say of
themselves.
What the Bible teaches about its
own inspiration is a matter purely of Divine testimony, and our business
is simply to receive the testimony and not to speculate about or seek to pry
into its modus operandi. Inspiration is as much a
matter of Divine revelation as is justification by faith. Both stand equally on
the authority of the Scriptures themselves, which must be the final court of
appeal on this subject as on every question of revealed truth.
The teaching of the Bible
concerning the inspiration of the Scriptures is clear and simple, and uniform
throughout. Its writers were conscious that their
utterances were a message from God in the highest meaning of the word.
“And the Lord said unto him
(Moses), 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” (Exodus
4:11-
12).
“The Spirit of the Lord spake
by me, and His word was in my tongue” (2 Samuel 23:2).
“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” (Jeremiah 1:9).
The above are only a sample of
scores of similar passages which might be sighted. What is predicted of the
Scriptures themselves, demonstrates that they are entirely and absolutely the
Word of God. “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting
the soul” (Psalm 19:7)—this altogether excludes any place in the Bible for
human infirmities and imperfections. “Thy Word is very pure” (Psalm
119:140), which cannot mean less than that the Holy Spirit so superintended the
composition of the Bible and so “moved” its writers that all error has been
excluded. “Thy Word is true from the beginning” (Psalm 119:160)—how this
anticipated the assaults of the higher critics on the Book of Genesis,
particularly on its opening chapters!
The teaching of the New
Testament agrees with what we have quoted from the Old.
“Take ye no thought how or
what thing ye shall answer, or what ye shall say: for the Holy Spirit shall
teach you in the same hour what ye ought to say” (Luke
12:11-12),
—the disciples were the ones who
spake, but it was the Holy Spirit who “taught them what to say.” Could any
language express more emphatically the most entire inspiration? and, if the
Holy Spirit so controlled their utterances when in the presence of
“magistrates,” is it conceivable that He would do less for them when they were communicating the mind of God to all future generations
on things touching our eternal destiny? Assuredly not.
“But those things, which God
before had showed by the mouth of all His prophets, that Christ should suffer,
He hath so fulfilled” (Acts 3:18).
Here the Holy Spirit declares
through Peter that it was God who had revealed by the mouth of all His
prophets that Israel’s Messiah must suffer before the glory should appear.
“But that I confess unto thee,
that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing
all things which are written in the law and in the
prophets” (Acts 24:14).
These words clearly evidence the
fact that the Apostle Paul had the utmost confidence in the authenticity of the
entire contents of the Old Testament.
“And my speech and my
preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but
in demonstration of the Spirit and of power” (1 Corinthians 2:4).
Could any man have used such
language as this unless he had been fully conscious that he was speaking the
very words of God?
“The prophecy came not at any
time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the
Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21).
Nothing could possibly be more
explicit.
Dr. Gray has strikingly and
forcefully stated the necessity of a verbally inspired Bible in the following
language:—“An illustration the writer has often used will help to make this
clear. A stenographer in a mercantile house was asked by his employer to write
as follows:
“Gentlemen: we misunderstood
your letter and will not fill your order.”
Imagine the employer’s surprise,
however, when a little later this was set before him for his signature:
“Gentlemen: we misunderstood
your letter and will not fill your order.”
The mistake was only of a single
letter, but it was entirely subversive of his meaning. And yet the thought was
given clearly to the stenographer, and the words, too, for that matter,
Moreover, the latter was capable and faithful, but he was human, and it is
human to err. Had not his employer controlled his expression, down to the very letter, the thought intended to be conveyed
would have failed of utterance.” So, too, the Holy Spirit had to superintend
the writing of the very letter of Scripture in order to guarantee its accuracy
and inerrancy.
Many proofs might be given to
show the Scriptures are verbally inspired. One line of demonstration
appears in the literal and verbal fulfillment of many of
the Old Testament prophecies. For example, God made known through Zechariah
that the price which Judas should receive for his awful crime was “thirty
pieces of silver” (Zechariah 11:12). Here then is a clear case where God
communicated to one of the prophets not merely an abstract concept but a
specific communication. And the above case is only one of many.
Another evidence of verbal
inspiration is to be seen in the fact that words are used in Scripture
with the most exact precision and discrimination. This is particularly
noticeable in connection with the Divine titles. The names Elohim and Jehovah
are found on the pages of the Old Testament several thousand times, but they
are never employed loosely or used alternately. Each of these names has a
definite significance and scope, and were we to substitute
the one for the other the beauty and perfection of a multitude of passages
would be destroyed. To illustrate: the word “God” occurs all through Genesis 1,
but “Lord God” in Genesis 2. Were these two Divine titles reversed here, a flaw
and blemish would be the consequence. “God” is the creatorial title, whereas
“Lord” implies covenant relationship and shows God’s dealings with His own
people. Hence, in Genesis 1, “God” is used, and in Genesis
2, “Lord God” is employed, and all through the remainder of the Old Testament
these two Divine titles are used discriminatively and in harmony with the
meaning of their first mention. One or two other examples must suffice. “And
they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the
breath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as
God had commanded him”—“God” because it was the Creator commanding, with respect to His creatures, as such; but, in the
remainder of the same verse, we read, “and the Lord shut him in”
(Genesis 7:16), because God’s action here toward Noah was based upon covenant
relationship. When going forth to meet Goliath David said,
“This day will the Lord
deliver thee into mine hand (because David was in covenant
relationship with Him); and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and
I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day unto the
fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth
(which was not in covenant relation with Him) may know that there is a God in
Israel. And all this assembly (which were in covenant relationship with Him)
shall know that the Lord saveth not with sword and spear” etc. (1 Samuel 17:46-47).
Once more:
“And it came to pass, when the
captains of the chariots saw Jehoshaphat, that they said, It is the king of Israel.
Therefore they compassed about him to fight: but
Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him; and God moved
them (the Syrians) to depart from him” (2 Chronicles 18:31).
And thus it is all through the
Old Testament.
The above line of argument might
be extended indefinitely. There are upwards of fifty
Divine titles in the Old Testament which are used more than once, each of which
has a definite signification, each of which has its meaning hinted at in its first
mention, and each of which is used subsequently in harmony with its
original purport. They are never used loosely or interchangeably. In every
place w ere they occur there is a reason for each variation. Such titles are
the Most High, the Almighty, the God of Israel, the God of
Jacob, the Lord our Righteousness, etc., etc., are not used haphazardly, but in
every case in harmony with their original meaning and as the best suited to the
context. The same is true in connection with the names of our Lord in the New
Testament. In some passages He is referred to as Christ, in others as Jesus,
Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus, Lord Jesus Christ. In every instance there is a
reason for each variation, and in every case the Holy Spirit
has seen to it that they are employed with uniform significance. The same is
true of the various names given to the great adversary. In some places he is
termed Satan, in others the devil etc., etc.; but the different terms are used
with unerring precision throughout. A further illustration is furnished by the
father of Joseph. In his earlier life he was always termed Jacob, later he
received the name of Israel, but after this, sometimes we read of Jacob and
sometimes of Israel. Whatever is predicted of Jacob refers
to the acts of the “old man;” whatever is postulated of Israel were the fruits
of the “new man.” When he doubted it was Jacob who doubted, when he
believed God it was Israel who exercised faith. Accordingly, we read,
“And when Jacob had
made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his
feet into the bed, and yielded up the ghost” (Genesis 49:33).
But in the next verse but one we
are told, “And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his
father: and the physicians embalmed Israel (Genesis 50:2)!! here then we
see the marvelous verbal precision and perfection of Holy
Scripture.
The most convincing of all the
proofs and arguments for the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures is the fact
that the Lord Jesus Christ regarded them and treated them as such. He Himself
submitted to their authority. When assaulted by Satan, three times He replied,
“It is written,” and it is particularly to be noted that the point of each of His quotations and the force of each reply lay
in a single word—“Man shall not live by bread alone” etc.; “Thou shalt
not tempt the Lord thy God;” “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and
him only shalt thou serve.” When tempted by the Pharisees, who asked
Him, “Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause?” He
answered, “Have ye not read?” etc. (Matthew 19:4-5). To the Sadducees He
said, “Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures” (Matthew 22:29).
On another occasion He accused the Pharisees of
“Making the Word of God of
none effect through their tradition” (Mark 7:13).
On another occasion, when
speaking of the Word of God, He declared “The Scripture cannot be broken” (John
10:35). Sufficient has been adduced to show that the Lord
Jesus regarded the Scriptures as the Word of God in the most absolute sense. In
view of this fact let Christians beware of detracting in the smallest degree
from the perfect and full inspiration of the Holy Scriptures.