The Inspiration Of Scripture

by John Baird, Methil | Category: Contending For The Faith | Mar 1971

The exhortation of the aged apostle Paul to his beloved younger friend Timothy was "Abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of", and with this exhortation he stated the basis of the assurance: "Every scripture is inspired of God" (2 Tim. 3:14,16; R.V.M.). On this doctrine faith can rest with full confidence. We do well to hold it without reservation and to be careful to avoid the error of some professing Christians who are prepared to concede that in the Bible there may be passages not inspired by God. Indeed, we must be prepared to give answer to those who in unbelief deny, in whatever degree, the divine inspiration of the Scriptures.

The Meaning of the Term

"Inspiration" (A.V.) and "inspired" (R.V.) can be read in senses other than the true sense of 2 Timothy 3:16. As is frequently the case, reference to the Greek text is helpful. "Given by inspiration of God" (A.V.) and "inspired of God" (R.V.) are both given as renderings of the single Greek word theopneustos, a compound word which can be translated literally as "God-breathed", which is strictly parallel to the Greek. It is to be regretted, perhaps, that the translators of the Authorised and Revised Versions did not keep strictly to literal translation and render the verse as does Dr Marshall in his interlinear literal translation in the Nestle text of the Greek New Testament: "Every scripture is God-breathed", a rendering that has the great advantage of being accurate, direct and unambiguous.

One of the merits of this rendering is that it readily calls to mind passages of Scripture that throw light upon its implications. Genesis 2:7 reads, "The LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul". This is not merely the Holy Spirit's description of how respiration and physical life were generated in the yet lifeless form that God had made. There is a much deeper significance. The breath from God imparted to Adam spiritual life, constituting him a living creation having not only body but also soul and spirit, a circumstance unique to God's work in the creation of Adam and making Adam unique among the living creatures God had made. From that sixth day of creation Adam, as a living soul, was dependent upon the God-breathed word. That this remains true of the sons of Adam's race, fallen though they be, is confirmed by the LORD through Moses and by the Lord Jesus Himself. For Moses warned Israel that "Man doth not live by bread only, but by every thing that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live" (Deut. 8:3), and the Lord Jesus, resisting the temptation of the devil, said, "It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matt. 4:4). Note too that Elihu had a measure of understanding of this very thing, for he said, "There is a spirit in man, and the breath (inspiration, A.V.) of the Almighty giveth them understanding" (Job 32:8). Clearly, then, that which proceeds out of the mouth of God is the word of God, spoken through men like Moses in the past dispensation and through His Son in this dispensation (Hebrews 1:1,2). Further, Moses and others were commanded to write in a book: and so we are privileged to have in the Old and New Testament writings the word given through men who "spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21). The weight of these considerations as indicating the sense in which to read theopneustos cannot be lightly regarded: the Scriptures are the life-giving and life-sustaining breath of God.

The Test

Whereas the scriptural injunction is "Prove (test) all things; hold fast that which is good" (1 Thess. 5:21), it should be borne in mind that we do not prove the divine inspiration of Scripture by deductive logical argument. Such procedure is ruled out by the question posed by Zophar: "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?" (Job 11:7). Through Moses the LORD gave Israel the true test: When a prophet speaketh in the name of the LORD, if the thing follow not, nor come to pass, that is the thing which the LORD hath not spoken: the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously" (Deut. 18:22). Proceeding on this basis, we observe that Israel's period of bondage in Egypt and the consequent judgement on Egypt were foretold to Abraham (Genesis 15:13,14) and at the end of the specified time the LORD raised up Moses as a deliverer (Exodus 12:40,41). Similarly, Jeremiah foretold Judah's seventy years in captivity in Babylon (Jer. 25:12) and these years were fulfilled in strict accord with the prophecy (Daniel 9:2). Still in the historical vein, the things foreshown in Nebuchadnezzar's dream (Daniel 2) and the visions given to Daniel (7 and 8) are now largely authenticated history, and the present-day course of events, especially those events directly affecting Israel, is consistent with the approach of the fulfilment of those parts that clearly lie in the future.

We refer now to two further desiderata of prime importance and which are very precious to disciples of the Lord Jesus. These are the notable Old Testament chain of prophecies of the things concerning the Christ, and the Lord's own use of the Old Testament Scriptures in the days of His flesh. In the day in which Adam sinned the Seed of the woman was promised (Genesis 3:15). Later Abraham received the promise of the Seed through whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed (Genesis 12:3), and this promise was confirmed to Isaac (Genesis 26:4) and to Jacob (Genesis 28:14). A like good promise was made to David (2 Samuel 7:11-16; Psalm 89:35,36), and through Isaiah Israel received that precious and revealing promise of Immanuel (Isaiah 7:13-16). Considerably many more prophecies could be cited in respect of the Lord's birth, life and death (from the messianic psalms, for instance), but to all the final word is, "When the fulness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law" (Gal. 4:4). All the promises, without exception, concerning Messiah's first coming have been fully met.

The Lord Jesus in the days of His ministry made much use and frequent reference to the Old Testament Scriptures. In the temptation He used the writings of Moses to repel the advances of the devil (Matt. 4:4,7,10). He also used the Scriptures for correction of error, saying to some, "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures" (Matt. 22:29). Denial of His Lordship and of His Sonship He refuted by reference to Psalm 110 and Psalm 82 (Matt. 22:41-46; John 10:33-36), and in the latter instance He stressed the authority of the Scriptures, saying, "The scripture cannot be broken". This abiding nature of the word of God and the certainty of its fulfilment are assured by the Lord's own saying, "Till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law, till all things be accomplished" (Matt. 5:18). We observe that He acknowledged the authenticity of the Scriptures and on no occasion did He cast the slightest doubt on even a single word of the Old Testament. In these passages we have examples of how the word of God may be used for our defence. Happily for us, the Lord also provided examples of its operation in bringing good news and comfort to others, as on the occasion of His ministry in the synagogue in Nazareth, when He proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord (Luke 4:16-22), and also by His discourse on the way to Emmaus, when He opened the Scriptures to the two sad disciples (Luke 24:1332). Only God-breathed Scripture can be unfailingly effective in speaking to the hearts of men in conviction or comfort.

By Faith we believe

We turn now to a consideration of a very different nature. There are those today who raise as an objection the fact that the claim to divine inspiration is made in Scripture itself. But where else should we expect to find such claim? for there is none greater than God. It cannot be otherwise in God's dealings with men, for then there would be no need to appeal to faith. When the Lord Jesus was here upon earth, unbelief and lack of faith moved some to challenge the veracity of His witness concerning Himself (John 8:12-20), and He dealt effectively with His accusers by pointing out that He had better witness than that of John the Baptist; He had the witness of the Father, and of the Holy Spirit and of His own works, works which the Father had given Him to do: but they knew not God. Therein lay the source of their unbelief. On our part, by faith we believe God and the word of God. Our faith should gather strength from such emphatic words of God as "I am the LORD; and there is none else. I have not spoken in secret, in a place of the land of darkness; ... I the LORD speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.... By Myself have I sworn, the word is gone forth from My mouth in righteousness" (Isaiah 45:18-23).

The greatness of God sets the pattern in God's dealings with fallen man. God says, "I am God, and there is none like Me; ... My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure" (Isaiah 46:9,10). But for the great grace of God this His greatness would be a barrier between. God and man: it was so even in Abraham's day, "since He could swear by none greater, He sware by Himself" (Hebrews 6:13). In such circumstances, to ask external witness to the God-breathed nature of the Scriptures is to depose God, and we live in a day when, as never before, men make bold to do that very thing in their hearts. It behoves us to be alive to the grave danger that in the presence of such unbelief children of God may thereby be caused to waver in their faith. As an integral part of our contending for the Faith we should not hesitate to let it be known that we accept the entire Scriptures as the God-breathed word. To this end we shall be much helped if we grasp firmly that "every scripture is God-breathed", a positive statement applying in detail to the word of God, and that "no prophecy ever came by the will of man" (2 Peter 1:21), a negative statement that excludes in detail the possibility that any thing in the Scriptures is other than God-breathed.

When men assail our faith in God and His word, let us gather encouragement from the humbling thought that the profitability of the God-breathed Scriptures is "for reproof, for correction" (which we all need) and also from the upbuilding thought that it is also "for teaching, ... for instruction which is in righteousness" (which also we need). Happy are we if we at all attain to the great purpose of God: "that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work".

John Baird, Methil | Mar 1971
Contending For The Faith