The Great Doctrines of the Bible Part 31

THE DOCTRINE OF THE SCRIPTURES.

I. THE BIBLE--ITS NAMES AND t.i.tLES.

1. "THE BIBLE."

Our English word _Bible_ comes from the Greek words _biblos_ (Matt. 1:1) and _biblion_ (diminutive form) (Luke 4:17), which mean _"book."_ Ancient books were written upon the biblus or papyrus reed, and from this custom came the Greek name _biblos,_ which finally came to be applied to the sacred books. See Mark 12:26; Luke 3:4; 20:42; Acts 1:20; 7:42.

The Bible is not merely _a_ book, however. It is THE BOOK--the Book that from the importance of its subjects, the wideness of its range, the majesty of its Author, stands as high above all other books as the heaven is high above the earth.

2. "THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS."

See Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25; 2 Cor. 3:6, 14; Heb. 9:15; 12:24.

The word _Testament_ means _Covenant,_ and is the term by which G.o.d was pleased to designate the relation that existed between Himself and His people. The term _Covenant_ was first of all applied to the relation itself, and afterward to the books which contained the record of that relation.

By the end of the second century we find the "Old Covenant" and the "New Covenant" as the established names of the Jewish and Christian Scriptures; and Origen, in the beginning of the third century, mentioned "the divine Scriptures, the so-called Old and New Covenants."

The Old Testament deals with the record of the calling and history of the Jewish nation, and as such it is the Old Covenant. The New Testament deals with the history and application of the redemption wrought by the Lord Jesus Christ, and as such it is the New Covenant.

3. "THE SCRIPTURE," AND "THE SCRIPTURES."

The Bible is also called "The Scripture" (Mark 12:10; 15:28; Luke 4:21; John 2:22; 7:38; 10:35; Rom. 4:3; Gal. 4:30; 2 Pet. 1:20), and "The Scriptures" (Matt. 22:29; Mark 12:24; Luke 24:27; John 5:39; Acts 17:11; Rom. 1:2; 2 Tim. 3:15; 2 Pet. 3:16). These terms mean that the Scriptures are "Holy Writings." By the early Christians the most common designation for the whole Bible was "The Scriptures."

4. "THE WORD OF G.o.d."

Of all the names given to the Bible, "The Word of G.o.d" (Mark 7:13; Rom. 10:17; 2 Cor. 2:17; Heb. 4:12; 1 Thess. 2:13) is doubtless the most significant, impressive, and complete. It is sufficient to justify the faith of the weakest Christian. It gathers up all that the most earnest search can unfold. It teaches us to regard the Bible as the utterance of divine wisdom and love--as G.o.d speaking to man.

II. THE INSPIRATION OF THE BIBLE.

1. WHAT IS MEANT BY THE TERM "INSPIRATION."

This question is best answered by Scripture itself. It defines its own terms. Let us turn, then, "to the Law and to the Testimony."

In 2 Tim. 3:16--"All Scripture is given by inspiration of G.o.d."

The word "inspired" means literally "G.o.d-breathed." It is composed of two Greek words--_theos=G.o.d;_ and _pnein=to breathe._ The term "given by inspiration" signifies, then, that the writings of the Old Testament, of which Paul is here speaking, are the result of a certain influence exerted by G.o.d upon their authors.

The meaning of the word "breathed," as here used, is brought out very forcibly by the comparison of two other words translated in the same way. The one is the Greek word _psuchein=to breathe gently,_ while in 2 Tim. 3:16 the term denotes a forcible respiration. The other is the Hebrew word _ah-ayrh=to breathe unconsciously,_ while 2 Tim. 3:16 denotes a conscious breathing.

Inspiration, then, as defined by Paul in this pa.s.sage, is the _strong, conscious inbreathing of G.o.d into men, qualifying them to give utterance to truth. It is G.o.d speaking through men, and the Old Testament is therefore just as much the Word of G.o.d as though G.o.d spake every single word of it with His own lips._ The Scriptures are the result of divine inbreathing, just as human speech is uttered by the breathing through a man's mouth.

2 Pet. 1:21--"For not by the will of man was prophecy brought at any time, but being borne by the Holy Spirit, the holy men of G.o.d spoke." (This is a literal rendering, and brings out the sense more clearly.)

The participle "moved" may be translated "when moved," so this pa.s.sage teaches that holy men of G.o.d wrote the Scripture _when_ moved to do so by the Holy Spirit.

Further, the participle is pa.s.sive, and denotes "to be moved upon."

This distinctly teaches that the Scripture was not written by mere men, or at their suggestion, but by men _moved upon_, prompted, yea indeed, driven by the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

This declaration of Peter may be said to intimate that the Holy Ghost was especially and miraculously present with and in the writers of the Scriptures, revealing to them truths which they did not know before, and guiding them alike in their record of these truths, and of the transactions of which they were eye and ear witnesses, so that they were enabled to present them with substantial accuracy to the minds of others.

The statements of the Scriptures regarding Inspiration may be summed up as follows: Holy men of G.o.d, qualified by the infusion of the breath of G.o.d, wrote in obedience to the divine command, and were kept from all error, whether they revealed truths previously unknown or recorded truths already familiar. In this sense, "all Scripture is given by inspiration of G.o.d," the Bible is indeed and in truth the very Word of G.o.d, and the books of the Bible are of divine origin and authority.

2. THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN INSPIRATION, REVELATION, ILLUMINATION, AND VERBATIM REPORTING.

a) The Distinction Between Inspiration and Revelation.

It is of the greatest importance, in considering the theme of Inspiration, to distinguish it clearly from Revelation.

The most cursory perusal of the Scriptures reveals the fact that they consist of two different kinds of records: first, records of truth directly revealed and imparted to the mind of the writer by G.o.d, and which he could have learned in no other manner (such, for example, as the story of Creation); and second, records of events that occurred within the writer's own observation, and of sayings that fell upon his own ears (such as Moses' account of the Exodus, Paul's account of his interview with Peter at Antioch). In the one case, the writer records things that had not been revealed to man before; in the other case, he records facts which were as well known to others as to himself.

Now, Revelation is that act of G.o.d by which He directly communicates truth not known before to the human mind. Revelation discovers new truth, while Inspiration superintends the communicating of that truth.

All that is in the Bible has not been "directly revealed" to man.

It contains history, and the language of men, even of wicked men.

But there is absolutely no part of the Bible record that is not inspired. The history recorded in the Bible is true. The sacred writers were so directed and influenced by the Spirit that they were preserved, in writing, from every error of fact and doctrine.

The history remains history. Things not sanctioned by G.o.d, recorded in the Bible, are to be shunned (2 Tim. 3:16). Nevertheless, all these things were written under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

This is Inspiration.

This distinction should be definitely and clearly understood, for many of the most plausible arguments against the full inspiration of the Scriptures have arisen from the fact that this has been either unrecognized or ignored.

Though all Scripture is inspired, it does not stamp with divine authority every sentiment which it reports as uttered by the men of whom it speaks, nor does it mark with divine approval every action which it relates as performed by those with whose biographies it deals. In the book of Job, for example, Inspiration gives with equal accuracy the language of Jehovah, the words of Satan, and the speeches of Job and his three friends; but it does not therefore place them all on the same level of authority. Each speaker is responsible for his own utterances. Neither Satan, Job, nor his three friends spoke by inspiration of G.o.d. They gave utterance to their own opinions; and all that Inspiration vouches for is that no one of them is misrepresented, but that each one spoke the sentiments that are attributed to him in Scripture. So, again, the fact that David's cruelty to the Ammonites is recorded in the book of Kings does not imply that G.o.d approved it any more than He approved the king's double crime of murder and adultery, which "displeased Him." The inspiration of the Book vouches only for the accuracy of the record.

b) The Distinction Between Inspiration and Illumination.

Spiritual Illumination refers to the influence of the Holy Ghost, common to all Christians. No statement of a truth about G.o.d or spiritual things can be understood by a man unless the Holy Spirit takes it and reveals it to him. It is only the spiritual man who can understand spiritual things. "The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit" (1 Cor. 2:14). No learning of the schools can lead him to know G.o.d. Flesh and blood cannot reveal G.o.d to men (Matt. 16:17).

There is a vast difference between "a divine revelation of the mind of G.o.d" and "a divine action on the mind of man." The former is Revelation; the latter is Spiritual Illumination.

Those who hold to the illumination theory to account for the origin of the Bible revelation claim that there is in every man an intuitive faculty that grasps the supernatural, that lays hold of G.o.d and spiritual things; and that whatever insight into the nature and being of G.o.d is given man, is produced by the divine Spirit playing upon this spiritual faculty in man, illuminating and irradiating it, so that it sees the perfection of G.o.d and is enabled to penetrate into His will.

According to this view, the Bible is the result of the meditations of G.o.dly men whose minds were acted upon by G.o.d. Any revelation of divinity of which man is the recipient, comes in this manner.

Subjective illumination G.o.d has carried on since the world began, and is still carrying on by a great variety of methods. The Scriptures are not in any way the oracles of G.o.d, nor do they come to us as direct, logical utterances of the divine mind. The patriarchs, prophets and apostles of old so deeply meditated on G.o.d and the things of G.o.d that their spiritual faculties were enlarged and illuminated to such a degree that they conceived of these visions of G.o.d, His nature, His will, etc., as recorded in the Scriptures.

Now, it is true, doubtless, that a man may be granted a very deep insight into the nature and being of G.o.d by spiritual meditation.

That a fire does burn in the Bible, we do not deny. Throughout all ages of the Jewish and Christian churches men have lit their spiritual torches at this fire, and in their light they have seen Him who is invisible. This fire still burns, and to-day the devout student may catch its flame if, with uncovered head, with shoeless feet, and with humble spirit, he stands before the bush that ever burns and yet is never consumed. But this working of the truth of G.o.d on the mind of man is not G.o.d's revelation of His mind to man which the Bible professes to be. The Bible must of necessity be not merely a repository or receptacle of spiritual influences fitted to act upon the mind; it must be--it is--G.o.d making Himself known to men. It is G.o.d speaking to man through men.

In contradistinction to the illumination theory we have instances in the Bible in which G.o.d made revelations of Himself, His truth, and His will to men who were by no means at the time meditating upon G.o.d. See e.g.:

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 G.o.d that were scattered abroad." See also Num. 22:34, 35.

c) The Distinction Between Inspiration and Verbatim Reporting.

Inspiration is not necessarily Verbatim Reporting.

It is not absolutely necessary to make such a claim to prove the inspiration of the Scriptures. Verbatim Reporting is, in a sense, a mere mechanical operation. It would have robbed the writers of their individuality, and made them mere machines. But no; the Holy Spirit used the memories, the intuitions, the judgments, and indeed the idiosyncrasies of the writers, so that while each recorded that part of the event or discourse which (as we may express it) adhered to himself, he was enabled to give it with substantial accuracy.

3. VARIOUS THEORIES OF INSPIRATION.