182. I. Inspiration Of The Scriptures.

I.

Inspiration Of The Scriptures. The question of inspiration concerns the agency of the Holy Spirit in the authorship of the Scriptures. What was that agency? The true answer to this question must give us the true doctrine of inspiration. The fact of such an agency we accept on the ground of the Scriptures. In the books of the Old Testament a divine original of the truths set forth is often asserted. Further, both Christ and his apostles witness to the divine authorship of those books. Also, in the New Testament there are both the promise and the open profession of an inspiration of the Holy Spirit. With this statement of the fact Ave proceed with the doctrine. Not a few have attempted a proper distinction between inspiration and revelation; and the question seems to have been regarded as one of perplexity. We must think that such perplexity arises only from a lack of thorough analysis. For the same reason, in many instances, the true distinction has not been made. The true and simple view is, that inspiration is a mode of the divine agency in the communication of religious truth, and that such truth is the product of the inspiration. Now, if we restrict revelation to the literal sense of the term, that is, a disclosure of unknown truths, and as here meaning such truths of religion as we receive only through the Scriptures, the same distinction between inspiration and revelation fully remains; and such is the only true distinction. But there may be a revelation through some other mode of the divine agency, as, for instance, the oral teaching of our Lord; and in such case there must be the same distinction between such agency and revelation as the product.

There is as much need of a proper distinction between inspiration and the Scriptures as between inspiration and revelation. If we restrict revelation to the literal sense of the term, and particularly to religious truths super naturally made known, it is much narrower than the Scriptures, because they contain many things which were naturally known by the sacred writers. But there is no reason to restrict the agency of the Spirit in inspiration to the supernatural truths which the Scriptures contain. When that agency is properly interpreted in its several modes we shall find a place for it, in some mode, in all the contents of the Scriptures. We do not except even the oral teachings of our Lord. The sacred writers needed such help of the Spirit that they might give these lessons to the world in a truthful and authoritative form. And our Lord himself definitely promised them such help for this very service (John 14:26). But as inspiration is thus common to all the Scriptures, there is still the same distinction between such agency and its product.

Whatever the theory of inspiration, it is clearly the sense of the Scriptures that there was a special agency of the Spirit in their authorship. It is thus discriminated from other offices of the Spirit in the illumination and regeneration of men; in the Christian life of believers; in the effective ministry of the Gospel. These offices are directly in the interest of personal salvation, not for the original communication of truth. In inspiration the definite purpose is an authoritative communication of truth from God, whether by the spoken or written word. For the purpose of a revelation there must be an immediate operation of the Spirit in the mind of the mediate agent. The fact is the same whether the operation is to prepare the mind for the reception of the truth, or for the communication of the truth to the prepared mind, or for its guidance in the publication of the truth. An immediate agency is not peculiar to this office of the Spirit, but is common to all his offices in the work of our personal salvation, whether of conviction, regeneration, assurance, or guidance and help in the Christian life. Such is the fact, whatever the exterior means. There is such an agency of the Spirit in the inspiration of the Scriptures. As the purpose of this inspiration is definite, it must be special to some, not common to the many. The recipients must fulfill a special office in the divine revelation. A consideration of the functions of this office belongs to the question of theories of inspiration. A proper human agency is entirely consistent with the divine agency. An immediate agency of the Spirit is not necessarily absolute, and hence may give place for the agency of the inspired mind in the conscious use of its own faculties.