02.02 - Chapter 11 - Our God Breathed Book: The Bible
Chapter 11 OUR GOD BREATHED BOOK: THE BIBLE The Inspiration of the Scriptures
"If we have in the Word of God no infallible standard of truth, we are at sea without a compass, and no danger from rough weather, without can equal to this loss within. ’If the foundation be moved, what can the righteous do?’ And this is a foundation loss of the worst kind." (Unknown) The study of inspiration includes many facets as the following points illustrate.
• There is inspiration without revelation as in Luke or Acts Luke 1:1-3 • There is inspiration including revelation as in the Apocalypse Revelation 1:1, Revelation 1:11 • There is inspiration without illumination as in the prophets 1 Peter 1:11 • There is inspiration including illumination as in the case of Paul 1 Corinthians 2:12 • There is revelation without inspiration as in the word of God from Mt. Sinai Exodus 20:1, Exodus 20:22 • There is illumination without inspiration as in preaching Ephesians 2:20 The Bible declares simply enough that, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of [Gk. theopneustos, lit., God-breathed]." What does that mean? Various views have been offered to help guide the understanding.
• “Inspiration is such an influence over the writers of the Bible that all their teachings which have a religious character are trustworthy.” E. A. Park
• “Inspiration is help from God to keep the report of divine revelation free from error.” W. C. Wilkinson
• “Inspiration was an influence of the Spirit of God on those powers of men which areconcerned in the reception, retention and expression of religious truth—an influence so pervading and powerful that the teaching of inspired men was according to the mind of God.” Alvah Hovey
• “God has first revealed Himself and then has inspired men to interpret, record and apply this revelation.” Christmas Evans Negative Theories of Divine Inspiration Men who deny the infallibility of the Bible are usually ready to trust the infallibility of their own opinion.
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David Clark ♦ It is argued that there has never been any divine inspiration of Scriptures.
Response. The argument has tried to be made that the Bible is only a human book.
Believing this, the Atheist, Pantheist, Deist, Liberal Theology and the ordinary unbeliever has no use for the Scriptures for they do not have a correct concept of inspiration.
♦ It is argued that the events were inspired but not the record of the event. Response. This is a careless concept. If God is truly sovereign and decrees all things that come to pass, then there cannot be a separation between what happens by Divine will and what is faithfully recorded to have happened. It is an dubious position to admit that God might inspire an event and then deny that He would inspire the recording of that event.
♦ It is argued that the thoughts of the Bible were inspired, but not the words.
Response. This is not possible. As Dr. W. G. T. Shedd points out, "An idea is an internal word. A word is an external idea." They are intrinsically united. The Scriptures recognize this in various passages.
Psalms 14:1 "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God."
Luke 3:8 "Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our Father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham."
Thought and words are bound together and cannot be separated the one from the other. Words are "the clothes of ideas". Moses was told, "I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak." (Exodus 4:12) God charged Ezekiel saying, "And you shall speak my words to them." (Ezekiel 2:7) Of the Ten Commandments it was said, "And God spoke all these words" (Exodus 20:1)
Conservative Christian scholars have always insisted that the men who wrote the Bible were inspired; their thoughts were inspired, and their words were inspired. “The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the author thereof; therefore it is to be received because it is the Word of God.” (The Baptist Confession Of Faith Of 1689, Chapter 1, Section 4; study 2 Peter 1:19-21; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; 1 John 5:9).
♦ It is argued that the writers were preserved from error in matters necessary to salvation, but not as to other matters like history, chronology, science etc.
Response. It is impossible to tell what is and what is not necessary to salvation. If the history is false, the doctrine cannot be true. If the gospels are mythical, we have no Saviour. If the resurrection of Christ is a fabrication, our faith is in vain. Such vital matters as the incarnation (God in the flesh), atonement, regeneration, calling, salvation, resurrection, and future rewards and punishments require the guidance of an infallible (unerring) Spirit to avoid any doctrinal statement that would be misleading.
Plenary And Verbal Inspiration The historic doctrine of the Church is that the Scriptures assert a plenary and verbal inspiration.
♦ Plenary inspiration means that the Bible is inspired in all its parts in the original autographs. Christ never distinguishes between the books of the Bible as to their divine origin and authenticity, but applies the term, "Word of God," to the whole canon of the Old Testament. The Apostles do the same (2 Timothy 3:16).
♦ Verbal inspiration means that in the making of the Scriptures the guidance of the Holy Spirit extended to the precise words that were used and not merely to the thoughts or concepts. The Scriptures constantly claim that their words were given or directed by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21; Acts 4:25; 1 Corinthians 2:13).
Inspiration and Inerrancy In discussing the inspiration and inerrancy of the Bible, care should be taken to remember that inerrancy does not mean that the writers themselves were faultless in life. What the doctrine does teach is that the writers were preserved from error in their teaching while they were writing the Scriptures. Individual authors may have embraced wrong conceptions about many things as Peter did at Antioch and had to be rebuked by Paul (Galatians 2:11-17). However, the Holy Spirit sovereignly restrained Peter and all the authors of the Scriptures from teaching error through their scriptural writings.
• Inerrancy does not mean that a wrong interpretation could not be put on the text, or that it could not be misunderstood. The Pharisees misquoted the Old Testament and Peter found the writings of Paul difficult to understand (2 Peter 3:16).
• Inerrancy does not deny the flexibility of language as a vehicle of communication. It is often difficult to convey an exact statement because language is flexible. It is also possible for words to have a variation of meaning that is why conservative Christians have argued for plenary verbal inspiration in the original autographs (i.e., the first documents).
• What inerrancy does means is that truth is conveyed in words which, understood as they were meant to be understood, express no error in the original autographs. The Autographs
"The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native tongue of the people of God of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the writing of it was the most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and by His singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentic; so as in all controversies of religion, the Church is finally to appeal to them. But because these original tongues are not known to all the people of God, who have a right unto, and interest in the Scriptures, and are commanded in the fear of God to read and search them, therefore they are to be translated into the vulgar language of every nation unto which they come, that the Word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship Him in an acceptable manner, and through patience and comfort of the Scriptures may have hope." (The Baptist Confession Of Faith Of 1689, Chapter 1, Section 8; study Romans 3:2; Isaiah 8:20; Acts 15:15; John 5:39; 1 Corinthians 14:6, 1 Corinthians 14:9, 1 Corinthians 14:11-12, 1 Corinthians 14:24, 1 Corinthians 14:28; Colossians 3:16)
Technically, authenticity and inerrancy is a doctrine that applies only to the autographs (i.e., original manuscripts) in Hebrew and Greek. The Church has maintained that those documents were immediately inspired by God the Holy Spirit. According to the will of the Lord, none of the autographs have survived the passage of time. The Scriptures have come down to us in manuscripts of the original languages, in quotations of early writers, and in translations into other languages. Nevertheless, the text is singularly, or at least comparatively, pure. Some alterations and mistakes of copyists have occurred. Our difficulties are chiefly due to these mistakes of transmission, and failure to understand idioms and idiosyncrasies of other ages, and to render them properly. Prior to 1948, the oldest extant Hebrew manuscripts date from the ninth or tenth century AD. The oldest Greek manuscripts of the New Testament are from the third or fourth century. This is not unusual. It is said that there are no manuscripts of Cicero, Caesar, Tacitus, and Josephus within eight hundred years of their time. The most recent and most thorough investigation of the text of the Scriptures entirely vindicate the trustworthiness of the record.
What About the Various Readings?
Some make the various readings of different manuscripts an objection to verbal inspiration. Certainly the various readings do not touch the fact of the original. If God gave us an inspired original, nothing can undo the first act. But the various readings, though numerous, make no vital change in the text, which has been kept pure by the power of God in all ages. The Jew counted the number of words and letters. They could tell how many times aleph or beth occurred in the Bible; which was the middle letter in the Pentateuch; or in any particular book. With such care, has the text been handed down. This fact has been verified by the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls. The Scrolls show only a few and insignificant variations between all the known texts.
What do the Scriptures say as to their own Inerrancy?
Concerning itself, the Bible declares that it is the Word of the God who cannot err. "Thus saith the Lord," is a consistent phrase throughout the authorized text. Matthew 5:18 Of the Bible, Jesus said, "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." John 10:35 The Lord also affirmed that, "The Scriptures cannot be broken."
♦ Galatians 3:16. The importance of even a single letter is found in this passage for Paul’s argument turns on the singular or plural number of a word--seed. “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.”
! Special note. All of this does diminish the realization that at times the Bible does use the language of common speech with all of the characteristics of everyday conversation. It is to be readily acknowledged that the Bible often uses round numbers in estimating armies, the number of people killed in battle or a plague, periods of years, and the approximate hour the time of day. Such things do not negate the authenticity of Divine inspiration.
Old Testament Claims to Divine Inspiration
♦ Deuteronomy 4:2 "Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you."
♦ Deuteronomy 4:5 “Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it.”
♦ 1 Samuel 23:2 "The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue."
♦ Isaiah 1:10 "Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah."
♦ Jeremiah 1:9 “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 1:2 "To whom the word of the LORD came in the days of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, in the thirteenth year of his reign."
♦ Ezekiel 3:1 "Moreover he said unto me, Son of man, eat that thou findest; eat this roll, and go speak unto the house of Israel."
♦ Ezekiel 3:4 "And he said unto me, Son of man, go, get thee unto the house of Israel, and speak with my words unto them."
♦ Hosea 1:1 “The word of the LORD that came unto Hosea, the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash, king of Israel.”
♦ Joel 1:1 "The word of the LORD that came to Joel the son of Pethuel."
♦ Amos 1:3 "Thus saith the LORD; For three transgressions of Damascus, and for four, I will not turn away the punishment thereof; because they have threshed Gilead with threshing instruments of iron:"
♦ Amos 3:1 "Hear this word that the LORD hath spoken against you, O children of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying,"
♦ Obadiah 1:1 "The vision of Obadiah. Thus saith the Lord GOD concerning Edom; We have heard a rumor from the LORD, and an ambassador is sent among the heathen, Arise ye, and let us rise up against her in battle."
♦ Micah 1:1 "The word of the LORD that came to Micah the Morasthite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, which he saw concerning Samaria and Jerusalem." The New Testament Affirms the Inspiration of the Old Testament ♦ Luke 1:70 "As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:"
♦ Acts 4:25 "Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things?"
♦ Hebrews 1:1 "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets,"
♦ 2 Timothy 3:16 "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:"
♦ 1 Peter 1:11 "Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow."
♦ 1 Peter 1:21 "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." The Inspiration of the New Testament
♦ Matthew 10:19 "But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak."
♦ John 14:26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."
♦ John 15:26 "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:"
♦ John 15:27 "And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning."
♦ John 16:13 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come." Because inspiration was promised to the Apostles, they do not hesitate to present their words as the words of the Holy Spirit
♦ Acts 2:33 "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear."
♦ Acts 15:28 "For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things;"
♦ 1 Thessalonians 1:5 "For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake."
♦ 1 Corinthians 2:13 "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual."
♦ 1 Corinthians 13:3 "Since ye seek a proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you-ward is not weak, but is mighty in you."
♦ 2 Peter 3:16 "As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction."
♦ 1 Thessalonians 2:13 "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectual worketh also in you that believe."
♦ 1 Corinthians 14:37 "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord."
Proof of Inspiration from General Consideration The trustworthiness of the Scriptures is the foundation stone of all argument for inspiration. If can be proven that the Bible is historically credible; if, beyond all reasonable controversy, the authors of the Bible are to be trusted; if their records are Found to be trustworthy; if what they say can be accepted, then we are justified in believing what they say about their inspiration. Only on the ground that the Scriptures are unworthy of acceptance, should the claims of the biblical authors to divine inspiration be discarded. The Scriptures are freed from absurdities. The Scriptures avoid the absurdities of their contemporaries--the Chinese, the Hindus, the Persians, the Greek philosophers--and even the views of over zealous early and medieval Christians, and followers of Mohammed. For example, the ancient Egyptians believed that the earth came from an egg with wings, which flew around in the heavens until the process of mitosis was completed and the earth came forth. The fact that Moses, who was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, (Acts 7:22) and did not teach that the sun, stars, and elements were endowed with intelligence, speaks of divine inspiration. Every prophecy whose fulfillment can be verified is proof of supernatural guidance. Every scientific expression that has transcend the age in which it was written is evidence of inspiration. Consider the following texts.
♦ Job 26:7 "He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing."
♦ Psalms 135:7 "He causeth the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightning for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries."
♦ Ecclesiastes 1:7 "All the rivers run into the sea; yet the sea is not full; unto the place from whence the rivers come, thither they return again."
♦ Isaiah 40:22 "It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:” Only through Divine inspiration could such statements be made. The evidence for inspiration continues in the life of Christ for Jesus fulfilled every single Scripture concerning Himself. THE MAJESTY OF THE MESSIAH MANIFESTED IN PROPHECY FULFILLED • Genesis 2:13 cp. Galatians 4:4 The Messiah would be born of a woman • Genesis 12:3 cp. Matthew 1:1 The Messiah would be of the seed of Abraham • Genesis 17:19 cp. Luke 3:34 The Messiah would be of the seed of Isaac • Numbers 24:17 cp. Matthew 1:2 The Messiah would be of the seed of Jacob • Genesis 49:10 cp. Luke 3:33 The Messiah would be from the tribe of Judah • Isaiah 9:7 cp. Luke 1:1-33 The Messiah would be heir to the throne of David • Micah 5:2 cp. Luke 2:3-4, Luke 2:7 The Messiah would be born in Bethlehem • Daniel 9:25 cp. Luke 2:1-2 The Messiah would be born after 490 years • Isaiah 7:14 cp. Luke 1:26-31 The Messiah would be born of a virgin • Jeremiah 31:15 cp. Luke 2:16-18 Many would time at the birth of the Messiah • Hosea 11:1 cp. Matthew 2:14 ff The Messiah would flee to Egypt • Malachi 3:1 cp. Luke 7:24, Luke 7:27 A Messenger Would Announce The Messiah • Psalm cp. Matthew 3:17 The Messiah would be honored as the Son of God • Isaiah 9:1-2 cp. Matthew 4:13 ff The Messiah would minister in Galilee • Deuteronomy 18:15 cp. Acts 3:20, Acts 3:22 The Messiah would be a Prophet • Isaiah 61:1-2 cp. Luke 4:18-19 The Messiah would minister to the weak of society • Isaiah 53:3 cp. John 1:11; The Messiah would be rejected by His own Luke 23:18 • Psalms 110:4 cp. Hebrews 5:5-6 The Messiah would be an eternal Priest • Zechariah 9:9 cp. Mark 11:7, Mark 11:9, Mark 11:11 The Messiah would come in glory to Jerusalem • Psalms 41:9 cp. Luke 22:47-48 The Messiah would be betrayed by a familiar friend • Zechariah 11:12 cp. Matthew 26:15 The Messiah would be sold for thirty pieces of silver • Psalms 35:11 cp. Mark 14:57-58 The Messiah would be falsely accused • Isaiah 53:7 cp. Mark 15:4-5 The Messiah would not defend Himself • Isaiah 50:6 cp. Matthew 26:67 The Messiah would be publicly humiliated • Psalms 35:19 cp. John 15:24-25 The Messiah would be hated without a cause • Isaiah 53:5 cp. Romans 5:6, Romans 5:8 The Messiah would suffer a vicarious death • Isaiah 53:12 cp. Mark 15:27-28 The Messiah would be crucified with criminals • Zechariah 12:10 cp. John 20:27 The Messiah would be wounded in His body • Psalms 22:7-8 cp. Luke 23:35 The Messiah would be laughed at and scorned • Psalms 69:21 cp. Matthew 27:34 The Messiah would be given vinegar to drink • Psalms 109:4 cp. Luke 23:34 The Messiah would pray for those who hurt Him • Psalms 22:17-18 cp. Matthew 27:35 ff Soldiers would gamble for the Messiah’s garments • Psalms 34:20 cp. John 19:32-33 ff No bones of the Messiah would be broken • Zechariah 12:10 cp. John 19:34 The side of the Messiah would be wounded • Isaiah 53:9 cp. Matthew 27:57 The Messiah would be buried with the rich • Psalms 16:10; Psalms 59:15 cp. Mark 16:7 The Messiah would live again after death • Psalms 68:18 cp. Mark 16:19 The Messiah would ascend into glory for ever
• 1 Corinthians 15:4; Ephesians 4:8 Another evidence for inspiration is found in all the Words of the Old Testament which are quoted by and attributed to God.
♦ Acts 1:16 "Men and brethren, this Scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake before concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus."
♦ Hebrews 1:8. "But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy kingdom."
♦ Hebrews 3:7 "Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,"
♦ Hebrews 8:8 "For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:"
♦ Hebrews 8:13 "In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away."
♦ Hebrews 10:15 "Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before." Following this statement in Hebrews 10:15 there is a long quotation from the Old Testament. "Passages are quoted from the Old Testament as predictions verified in New Testament history, the relevancy of which depends upon the assumption that they are correct--a verbally correct--report of divine communications." (Francis L. Patton) The unity of the Scriptures concerning the Saviour offers another evidence of divine inspiration. “The Bible tells one story, exhibits one plan, opens with the fact of a ruined race, and the promise of a Deliverer, proceeds to trace the plan of salvation and the history of God’s kingdom, and comes to a conclusion that is absolutely fitting and logical. The obvious conclusion is that a divine superintendent wrought out the plan and the record of it; every design implies a designer; and the design in the Scriptures must have had one overruling designing mind.” (David Clark) Because of the unity of Scriptures we find Christ from Genesis to Revelation. The Man who Changed the World, In Genesis He is the Seed of the woman In Exodus He is the Passover Lamb In Leviticus He is the Atoning Sacrifice In Numbers He is the Smitten Rock In Deuteronomy He is the Prophet In Joshua He is the Captain of the Lord’s Hosts In Judges He is the Deliverer In Ruth He is the Heavenly Kinsman In 1-2 Samuel, 1-2 Kings, and 1-2 Chronicles He is the Promised King In Nehemiah He is the Restorer of the nation In Esther He is the Advocate In Job He is my Redeemer In Psalms He is my Saviour In Proverbs He is my wisdom In Ecclesiastes He is my Goal In the Song of Solomon He is my Satisfier83 In the Prophets He is the coming Prince of Peace In the Gospels He is God in Christ Jesus come to redeem In Acts He is Alive in the Church In the Epistles He is Christ at the Father’s right hand In Revelation He is the mighty conqueror
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Herbert Lockyer
Further proof of Divine inspiration is found in the fact that the Word of God was supreme in Israel. From the earliest days of Israel’s life, the word of the prophet, God’s spokesman, delivered as God’s word, was regarded as of divine force, and above all question (study Deuteronomy 4:2; Deuteronomy 18:15-20; Deuteronomy 17:8-20). Josephus bears witness to this fact. "Never, although many ages have elapsed, has any one dared either to take away or to add, or to transpose in these, anything whatever; for it is with all the Jews, as it were an inborn conviction from their very earliest infancy, to call them God’s teachings, to abide in them, and if necessary, to die joyfully in maintaining them. They are given to us by the inspiration that comes from God." The Testimony of Jesus Christ
Whoever accepts Jesus Christ as Lord must also accept His understanding of the Scriptures. Only by denying the deity of Christ can one dispute the value of His testimony. And the testimony of Christ is this: Jesus always referred to the Scriptures as the Word of God! "Have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God?" (Matthew 22:31 cp. Matthew 19:4-5; Mark 7:9-10, Mark 7:13). In Mark 12:36, Christ quotes Psalms 110:1-7and attributes the reference to God. In Christ’s prayer in John 17:17, the Lord says to His Father, "Thy word is truth," referring to the Scriptures (cp. Luke 16:31 and Luke 24:25). It is absolutely unworthy of the Majesty of the Messiah to suggest that Jesus merely voiced the sentiments of His day. It is a disgrace to declare that Jesus was not ignorant of prevailing error but He simply accommodated His teaching to current beliefs in order to communicate better. That is not true. Christ professed a knowledge and authority far beyond the men of His day that embraced the past as well as the future. Jesus could speak knowingly of Abraham and Moses, and just as positively of the judgment day and the scene beyond the horizon of time. Because of His knowledge and authority of the Scriptures, the Lord did not hesitate to correct the wrong views of the Scribes, lawyers and Pharisees. Jesus pointed out the fallacy of many rabbinical teachings; but He never corrected anyone for believing that the Scriptures were divinely inspired and absolutely authoritative.
If Peter was wrong in declaring Jesus to be the Son of God, based upon the Scriptures, Jesus should have disavowed it. If the Jews were mistaken in regarding the Old Testament as the Word of God and of supreme authority, Jesus should have set them right for He said: "To this end was I born and for this cause came I into the world that I should bear witness unto the truth." (John 18:37) The conclusion is that when Christ referred to the Old Testament as the law, the prophets, and the psalms, He referred to a canon that was complete in His day and was without dispute.
Christ’s Appeal to the Scriptures
It is instructive to realize that Christ regarded an appeal to the Scripture as final. To the tempter, Satan, Jesus said, "It is written." (Matthew 4:1-10) That settled the matter. What the Scriptures said could not be controverted or broken. "It is written" (no matter in what part) was sufficient authority for Him. The Lord frequently said to the scribes and Pharisees: "Have ye never read?" This was an appeal to the Scriptures as the final arbiter that settled all disputes.
Jesus said to the Sadducees: "Ye do err not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God." (Mark 12:24) What the Scriptures said of any question of concern was the last word. No need of any other appeal, and no higher appeal could be made. "In all of this it is seen that Jesus Christ took the Scriptures as the law of His life and the supreme test of human conduct. What Christ did and said all must accept who call Him Master and Lord." (David Clark) Inspiration and the Prophets The prophets did not always understand their own writings. Instead of their own minds being the source from which they drew their wisdom, the Bible reveals that they themselves, "inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you, searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when he testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow." (1 Peter 1:10-11) In answer to their diligent search and inquiry, "it was revealed that not unto themselves but unto us they did minister the things that are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you" (1 Peter 1:12). " Here is the evidence of a directing divine Mind that guided the writings of the prophets to an end beyond their own times and beyond their natural source of information. Another Mind wrought through their minds and wrote His message to generations then unborn." (David Clark) The Dead Sea Scrolls
Until the recent discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls (1948), the oldest extant Hebrew manuscript was about dated to the year AD 900. Since the Hebrew Old Testament was completed about 400 BC there was a time gap of 1300 years. The exciting news is that when the Dead Sea Scrolls were found two important things were discovered. First, the scrolls were well preserved having been carefully sealed and placed in jar in a dry climate c. AD 68 prior to the fall of Jerusalem (AD 70). While the scrolls were sealed in AD 68, some of the actual scrolls dated back to 125 BC. Most of the biblical manuscripts were dated as being written between 200 BC and 68 AD. What all of this meant is that instead of relying upon copied manuscripts 900 years old, Hebrew scholars could look at manuscripts closer to the historic events. They could also see how well the copyists have preserved the texts which is the second great discovery.
Thanks to the work of the Talmudists (AD 100-500) with their strict rules for copying the Scriptures, and thanks to the work of the Massoretes (AD 500-900, from massora, "Tradition") the Hebrew texts were very well preserved. The evidence proved that the Bible had been transmitted with the minutest accuracy. “The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself; and therefore when there is a question about the true and full sense of any Scripture (which is not manifold, but one), it must be searched by other places that speak more clearly)." (The Baptist Confession Of Faith Of 1689, Chapter 1, Section 9; study 2 Peter 1:20-21; Acts 15:15-16) The Septuagint
Following the fall of Jerusalem to the Babylonians in 586 BC, the Jews were scattered throughout the Middle East. Many never returned home as one empire after another dominated the land of Palestine. Because of this Diaspora, the scattered Jews (cp. James 1:1) need a copy of the Hebrew Scriptures in the new international language. During the reign of King Ptolemy Philadelphia of Egypt (285-246 BC), seventy (LXX) scholars in gathered in Alexandria, Egypt to translate the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. The LXX, being very close to the Massoretic Text (AD 916) we have today, helped to confirm the reliability of the transmission of the Scriptures through the years. There are other documents that could be appealed to for verification of the genuine of the Old Testament manuscripts and their reliability of being faithfully transmitted down through the centuries.
" The Samaritan Text (fifth century BC). This document contains the Pentateuch.
" The Targums (c. AD 500 onward; lit. "interpretation"). These documents contain paraphrases of the Old Testament based upon the Hebrew text. Some of the major Targums date to 60 and 30 BC: The Targum of Onkelas and the Targum of Jonathon Ben Uzziel.
" The Mishnah (AD 200; lit. "explanation, teaching"). These documents contain Jewish traditions and explanations of the oral law. They are written in Hebrew and have been called "The Second Law." The Authority of the Scriptures
Historically, the Church has always stood for the authority of the Scriptures. Irenaeus said, "Being most assured that the Scriptures are indeed perfect since they were spoken by...the Holy Spirit." Augustine said, "I believe most firmly that not one of these authors has erred in any respect in writing." Luther declared, "The Scriptures have never erred." Calvin stated that, "The Scriptures are the certain and unerring rule." John Wesley said, "If there be any mistake in the Bible there may very well be a thousand. If there be one falsehood in the Book, it did not come from the God of truth."
If the Scriptures are the word of God, they are of absolute authority. There is no appeal from the Word of God to any higher court. All importunity from the Scriptures to the Church, or tradition, or reason, or public sentiment is illogical and destructive. The foremost cry of the Reformation was sola Scriptura or Scripture alone. [Other Reformation principles were sola gratia, grace alone; and sola fide, faith alone] ♦ 1 John 5:9 "If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater."
♦ 1 Thessalonians 2:13 "When ye received the word of God, which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of man, but, as it is indeed, the word of God."
“The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelation of the Spirit, or traditions of men. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word, and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the Church common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed.” (The Baptist Confession Of Faith Of 1689, Chapter 1, Section 6; study 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Galatians 1:8-9; John 6:45; 1 Corinthians 2:9-12; 1 Corinthians 11:13-14; 1 Corinthians 14:26, 1 Corinthians 14:40) The Perspicuity [Clearness] of the Scriptures The Protestant faith has always maintained that the Scriptures, designed for personal use, can become sufficiently clear to those who have been born again. The Bible may be read and understood by those with little or no formal education. To this end, every believer is commanded to study the Scriptures in order to come to a conclusion that is compatible with his own conscience and is consistent with the doctrines of the apostles (Acts 2:42; Jude 1:3). The Bereans searched the Scriptures daily. "All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of ordinary means, may attain to a sufficient understanding of them. " (The Baptist Confession Of Faith Of 1689, Chapter 1, Section 7; study 2 Peter 3:16; Psalms 19:7; Psalms 119:130) Is Formal Education Necessary to Understand the Bible?
It is obvious that there are definite benefits to be found in any formal study of the Bible which takes into account the languages of the Bible, culture, history, and comparative religions.
Progress in Scriptural understanding can be enhanced by appealing to and understanding the original texts and by knowing something about systematic theology. But there are practical dangers in formal studies as well, not the least of which are intellectual pride (1 Corinthians 8:1) and spiritual blindness (Matthew 15:14). The Scribes and the Pharisees were experts in the Scriptures.
They were also spiritually blind and full of intellectual and self-righteous pride (Matthew 23:13-39). In light of this, the lack of any formal academic training should discourage no-one. The same Spirit who wrote the Scriptures, the same Spirit who has preserved His Word, is the same Spirit who can interpret what He has written to the humble heart that desires to know the will of the Lord. But there is a word of caution. Those who are without academic skills, those who are not students by temperament, and those who are without resources to engage in formal Bible study, should never belittle or dismiss those who can study and who do give themselves to the Word (cp. Acts 6:2 with 2 Timothy 4:13). As there is unholy intellectual pride, so there is an unholy humility that glories in ignorance. Both passions, intellectual pride and feigned humility, are to be crucified as part of the fleshly nature. The Church Fathers
While the evidence for a reliable Old Testament canon of Scripture is impressive, the evidence of primary source material for the New Testament is overwhelming. No scholar should ever doubt the New Testament as being a competent primary source document from the first century. In addition to the written testimonies of individuals who wrote as eyewitnesses or from first hand information (Luke, Peter, John, Paul etc.), there is supporting evidence of the extra biblical authors such as Eusebius, the bishop of Hierapolis (AD 130), Papias, Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons (AD 180), Clement of Rome (AD 95), Polycarp (AD 70-156), and Flavius Josephus, the Jewish historian. Each of these authors quoted profusely from the gospels and epistles and thus verified their factual and doctrinal contents.
It should be noted that not all of the extra-biblical authors that could be appealed to were Christians. For example, Aristides was a philosopher at Athens and addressed an apology to the emperor Hadrian in 125 AD. This manuscript was recovered in 1889. Aristides does not quote from the New Testament but he does give a summary of Christian doctrine including the divinity of Christ, His incarnation, virgin birth, resurrection, and ascension. Aristides says that these doctrines are taught in the gospels where men can read it for themselves.
Early in the second century, there were some heretics known as Gnostics (Gk. "knowledge"). One Gnostic was a man named Marcion. Even though he held to unorthodox views, Marcion proves that the Scriptures were in prior existence by the fact that he rejected many of the epistles of the apostles. In fact, it was the teachings of Marcion that compelled the Church to formally decide which books were to be canonical and which ones were spurious.
Moving beyond the early years of the second century, we come to the work of Ignatius (AD 70-110). He was the Bishop of Antioch and was martyred for Christ. Ignatius was a pupil of Polycarp who was a disciple of the apostle John. As a gifted writer, Ignatius quotes the gospels.
Clement, who may have been the same Clement which Paul mentions in Php 4:3, quotes the gospel of Luke in his writings (Luke 17:1-2) as did Origen, Eusebius, and Jerome. The date assigned to the First Epistle of Clement is about 95 AD though some would argue for an earlier date of 68 BC or 64 BC.
Another work, the Epistle of Barnabas (c. AD 100), is included in one of the oldest manuscripts of the New Testament as if it were a canonical book. This epistle bears witness to the existence of the New Testament by quoting Matthew 22:14. The Epistle of Barnabas enjoyed great popularity in the second century for it took the part of Paul against the Judaizers, with whom Paul had so much contention, and is thoroughly versed in the Pauline positions, which would indicate a very early date. Many of the early fathers accepted it as a genuine writing of Barnabas, though it was later not placed in the canon of Scripture. The point of all of this evidence is that there is tremendous support for reliable original documents that were copied and preserved in great numbers by the early church fathers in order to be faithfully passed on to the next generation. "The foundations of our faith," wrote Clement of Alexandria (c. 155-215 AD), "rest on no insecure basis. We have received them through God Himself through the Scripture, not one jot or tittle of which shall pass away till all is accomplished, for the mouth of the Lord, the Holy Spirit, spoke it." Were the Apostles Deceived?
Liberal theologians have suggested that even though the early Church fathers quoted and preserved the writings of the Apostles, it means nothing because the Apostles were themselves deceived. But is that really possible? Did the Apostles write what they knew was false? Or, granted that the books are genuine, is there any chance that we have been imposed on by men who wrote what they knew was not true? What is the likelihood of that having happened? The first question in response to such unholy suggestions is to ask, Why? Why would the Apostles want to perpetuate such a fantastic lie? What had they to gain? The answer to these questions is simple. The Apostles had nothing to gain by continuing the work of a disgraced and discredited Messiah if they knew He was really dead. It was their unshakable belief that they saw the resurrected Christ that compelled them to believe in the deity of Christ and they gave their lives for that faith.
Nearly all of the Apostles were martyrs. “These men sealed their testimony with their blood. Since the world began, it has never been heard that a man gave his life for a known lie when he could save it by telling the truth. The Apostles do not exhibit the character of deceivers.
They seem to be honest men telling a true story. Moreover, would they utter such appalling judgments upon falsehood and liars if they were guilty of it themselves? ‘All liars shall have their part in the lake that burneth with fire and brimstone.’ No, it is not rational to suppose that the world has been regenerated by a lie.“ (David Clark) The conclusion is that Christianity is rationally defensible. The results of historical inquiry validate the Scriptures. We have not followed cunningly devised fables. Therefore, "The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentences we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Scripture delivered by the Spirit, into which Scripture so delivered, our faith is finally resolved." (The Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, Chapter 1, Section 10; study Matthew 22:29, Matthew 22:31; Ephesians 2:20; Acts 28:23) “Here is my test of orthodoxy: Do we pray to Jesus? Do we call upon the name of Christ, as did Stephen and all the early church? Is He our living Lord, omnipresent, omniscient, omnipotent? Is He divine only in the sense, in which we are divine, or is He the only-begotten Son, God manifest in the flesh, in whom is all the fullness of the Godhead bodily?
What think ye of Christ?”
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Augustus Strong