02.02 - Inpiration of the Agents
(2) Inspiration of the Agents
Because inspiration primarily concerns the human agent, we shall treat first of the inspiration of the man and then of his work, or first of the writers and then of the writings. Inspiration denotes that action or influence of the spirit of God on the mind and heart of the human agent by means of which he is fitted and prepared to receive and declare the truth which God communicates to him, or to perform a certain work for the accomplishment of which God intends to use him.
Because the receiving, knowing, and declaring the word and will of God are spiritual, the preparation of the agent is also spiritual, and must be the work of the Spirit of God. Paul, speaking of this spiritual preparation and its necessity, says, “ The natural (or unspiritual) man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him, and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually discerned (or judged).” “ We received, not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us by God. Which things also we speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. Margin, R.V, “ Interpreting spiritual things with spiritual men.” (1 Corinthians 2:12-14) In these words the Apostle distinguishes between the things known, the knowing mind, and the process by which they are known. The things known are “ the deep things,” the “ hidden things,” the “things of the Spirit of God”; the knowing mind is the mind of man “ enlightened and renewed by the Spirit of God “; the way of knowing is through the revealing, searching, and teaching Spirit; the result is that “ we know the things freely given us by God.”
Peter says, “ Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of private interpretation. For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Ghost “ (2 Peter 1:20-21). We are here assured that prophecy is not of man’s own origination, it is not a matter of individual, subjective interpretation; but a something borne in upon the mind of man by the action of the Holy Spirit. The prophet docs not utter his prophecy because he wishes to utter it, or because lie has made up a message and wills to proclaim it; but be cause he is moved or carried along by the Holy Spirit, and is therefore constrained to speak. He speaks not of himself only, or from himself, but from God; and so he often utters a message the full import and meaning of which he does not understand, he being borne along by the movement of the Holy Ghost, as a ship is carried along by a strong wind “ being moved by the Holy Ghost.”