THE INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURE

Religion and Revelation as we have seen, indicate the particular sphere in which the material of theology is to be sought. They must, therefore, in their application to religious faith in general, be regarded as more inclusive than Christian Theology. But these must be regarded in the broader sense of religious faith in general, rather than that of Christian Theology. The latter, as the science of Christianity, is based upon the documentary records of God's revelation of Himself in Christ Jesus. The Holy Scriptures are thus recognized by all schools as the fons primarius or true source of Christian Theology. They are the documents of the Christian religion, the depository of the Christian revelation. It is evident, therefore, that we should direct our inquiry to the nature and authority of the Holy Scriptures, which contain both the records of historical development and the finished result of divine revelation. This authority lies in the fact that they are an inspired revelation of God to man. They are divine in their origin-the product of the Holy Spirit's inspiration. In a theological sense, then, inspiration signifies the operation of the Holy Spirit upon the writers of the books of the Bible in such a manner that their productions become the expression of God's will. It is by this means that the Scriptures become the Word of God. 

Definitions of Inspiration. Having pointed out the general nature of inspiration, it remains for us to define it more specifically, and to point out the varying uses of the term. The term "inspiration" is derived from the Greek word theopneustos, which signifies literally, "the breathing of God," or "the breathing into," and is therefore "that extraordinary agency of the Holy Spirit upon the mind in consequence of which the person who partakes of it is enabled to embrace and communicate the truth of God without error, infirmity, or defeat" (DR. HANNAH). And this must be understood to apply to the subjects of communication whether immediately revealed to them, or with which they were before acquainted. "By inspiration," says Farrar, "We mean that influence of the Holy Spirit which, when inbreathed into the mind of man, guides and elevates and enkindles all his powers to their highest and noblest exercises." Pope defines it as "the inbreathing of God and the result of it." Strong shifts the emphasis of inspiration from a mode of the divine agency to the body of truth which is a product of this agency; and further, he holds that inspiration applies only to the whole body of Scripture when taken together, each part being viewed in connection with what precedes and what follows. His definition is as follows: "Inspiration is that influence of the Spirit of God upon the minds of the Scripture writers which made their writings the record of a progressive divine revelation, sufficient when taken together and interpreted by the same Spirit who inspired them, to lead every honest inquirer to Christ and salvation." In an earlier but scholarly work entitled, The Inspiration of Scripture, William Lee takes essentially the same position, maintaining that "the various parts of Holy Scripture, in order to be rightly understood, or justly valued, must be regarded as the different members of one vitally organized structure; each performing its appropriate function, and each conveying its own portion of truth. . . . . Had there been but one Gospel, the Church's teaching might have been, in like manner, one-sided. From the Gospel of St. Matthew the higher nature of Christ could not have been so clearly proved to the Ebionites, as from that of St. John; while the former was better 

      

"By Inspiration we understand that actuating energy of the Holy spirit, guided by which the human agents chosen by God have officially proclaimed His will by word of mouth, or have committed to writing the several portions of the Bible.-FIELD, Handbook of Christian Theology, p. 53.  "On this subject the common doctrine of the Church is, and ever has been, that inspiration was an influence of the Holy spirit on the minds of certain select men, which rendered them the organs of God for the infallible communication of His mind and will. They were In such a sense the organs of God, that what they said, God said."-HODGE, Systematic Theology, p. 154.

 

calculated to oppose the dreams of the Gnostics. But the four Gospels, having been combined in the Canon, the Church has thus been defended on all sides. Hence the Gospels were well termed by an early father (Irenaeus) the four pillars of the Church, each supporting its own portion of the structure, and guarding it from subsiding into any of those forms of false doctrine to which partial views of the truth had given rise" (pp. 31, 32). While the views of the Church concerning the theories have varied widely, there is no subject on which there has been a closer agreement as to the fact of inspiration itself. This we may summarize in this general definition, Inspiration is the actuating energy of the Holy Spirit by which holy men chosen of God have officially proclaimed His will as revealed to us in the sacred Scriptures. 

Inspiration and Revelation. By Revelation we understand a direct communication from God to man of such knowledge as is beyond the power of his reason to attain, or for whatever cause was not known to the person who received it. By Inspiration we mean the actuating energy of the Holy Spirit through which holy men were qualified to receive religious truth, and to communicate it to others without error. The disclosure of the mind of God 

 

"But whence the title Holy Scriptures?" inquires William Lee. "Traced to its true source, this notion depends upon the fact, that the ideas of the Eternal word, and of the Divine Spirit, are here to a certain degree correlative. The Word as divine and eternally creative, has the Spirit as the divine and eternally animating principle, in and with Himself. By. the agency of the Divine Spirit the meaning and will of the Eternal word are introduced into the real being of things. All divine activity In the world is organic. So also the arrangements of God's Revelation form a system which comprehends all things; which aids In bringing light into darkness; whose center is Christ, to whom every revelation in earlier times must be referred, and from every revelation, of a later period, has proceeded, by virtue of that Holy Spirit imparted through Him to the world. This agency of the Holy Spirit, by the very force of the term, forms the essence of the idea of inspiration; and the two conceptions thus pointed out, of the Eternal word as the Divine Person who reveals, and of the Holy Spirit as the Divine Person who inspires, are the pillars upon which must rest any theory respecting the Bible and its origin which can deserve serious notice.-WILLIAM LEE, The Inspiration of the Scripture, pp. 25, 26. In God as Logos, Word and Act are ever united: He spake, and it was done, He commanded, and it stood fast (Psalm 33:9).  The transition to a written document, composed according to God's will, can detract in no respect from the power and efficacy of His Word. On this assumption rests the whole notion of Inspiration.-RUDELBACH (Cf. LEE, Inspiration, p. 25).

 

to man is Revelation when viewed from the standpoint of the truth unveiled; it is Inspiration when viewed in relation to the methods of its impartation and transmission. These distinctions find their deepest meaning in the differences of office as it pertains to the Son or to the Spirit. The Son is the Revealer, the Holy Spirit is the Inspirer. The Son is the living and eternal Word of God in whom dwelt the fullness of grace and truth (John 1:14), and in whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col. 2:3). Jesus as the Divine Word was both Revealer and Revelation. As Revealer, our Lord declared that no man knoweth the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him (Matt. 11:27 cf. Luke 10:22). As Revelation He is God manifest in the flesh (I Tim. 2:16). The Holy Spirit is the inspirer, whose office work is to make known to men the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. Jesus is the Truth, the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. Hence it is said, He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you (John 16:14). There are some expressions in Scripture which exhibit both revelation and inspiration, as in Hebrews 1:1, 2. God who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past to the fathers by the prophets; hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son. Here there is a reference to revelation as the body of truth received by the prophets, and also to inspiration as the method by which they received and administered this truth. The "sundry times" can only refer to the progressive nature of revelation and indicates the successive stages in which God revealed the truth to the ancient prophets. The "divers manners" refers more especially to the fact of inspiration which includes visions, dreams, ecstasy or other forms of manifestation found in the Old Testament. Here then revelation and inspiration are conjoined, and what was implicit in the Old Testament comes to its perfection in the New Testament, and this as it concerns both content and method. 

 

The Possibilities of Inspiration. Unquestionably the Father of spirits may act upon the minds of His creatures, and this action may be extended to any degree necessary for the fulfillment of the purposes of God. This truth has given rise to what is known as degrees in revelation, but which more strictly should be regarded as factors in all revelation. The first is "superintendence," by which is meant a belief that God so guides those chosen as the organs of revelation, that their writings are kept free from error. Following this is the factor of "elevation" in which the minds of the chosen organs are granted an enlargement of understanding, and an elevation of conception beyond the natural measure of man. The highest and most important is the factor of "suggestion," by which is meant a direct and immediate suggestion from God to man by the Spirit, as to the thoughts which he shall use, or even the very words which he shall employ, in order to make them agencies in conveying His will to others. These factors in varying degrees must enter into any clear thought of inspiration, but to regard them as different degrees of inspiration, as if the several portions of the Scripture were in different degrees the Word of God is necessarily to weaken the authority of the Bible as a whole. The error springs from a failure to distinguish between revelation as the varying quantity, and inspiration as the constant; the one furnishing the material by "suggestion" when not otherwise attainable, the other guiding the writer at every point, thus securing at once the infallible truth of his material, and its proper selection and distribution. For this reason we conclude that the Scriptures were given by plenary inspiration, embracing throughout the elements of superintendence, elevation and suggestion, in that manner and to that degree that the Bible becomes the infallible Word of God, the authoritative rule of faith and practice in the Church. 

 

Nor can our inability to explain this extraordinary 

 

Abstract the idea of the Inspiring Spirit guiding the pen of the sacred writer in every sentence, word and letter, from the holy Gospels, and the heavenly unction-the divine power of the Book is gone. It is no longer the record of heaven we trace - no longer the voice of God which we hear. The Shekinah has left the mercy seat; the divine sacrifice ceases to smoke upon the altar, and the glory has departed from the Christian temple.-RALSTON, Elements of Divinity, p. 600.

   action of God upon the human mind be an objection to the doctrine of inspiration. Psychology cannot satisfactorily explain the interaction between the mind and body in human personality, nor the manner in which ideas are impressed upon the mind. But it would be impertinent to deny the existence of such interaction. If men can communicate their thoughts by means of language and thus make themselves understood by others, most certainly the Author of our being can reveal Himself to men. It is unreasonable to suppose that God as the "Father of spirits" does not have it in His power to communicate truth to the minds of men, or to instruct them in those things which concern their eternal wellbeing.   

The Necessity of Inspiration. That inspiration is necessary, grows out of the nature of the subjects which the Scriptures unfold. First, there are truths which could not otherwise be known except by special inspiration. There are historical truths, past facts, which if God had not revealed them in a supernatural manner could never have been known, such as the creation of the world and the history of antediluvian times. Granting that there were written sources and oral traditions which had been handed down from former times, even then the inspiration of superintendence would have been necessary in order to a true and inerrant account. Second, 'the authoritative language of the Scriptures argues the necessity of inspiration. The writers do not present to us their own thoughts but preface their communications with a Thus saith the Lord. On this ground alone they demand assent. It follows, then, that either the sacred writers spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, 

 

It is reasonable that the sentiments and doctrines developed In the Holy Scriptures should be suggested to the mind of the writers by the Supreme Being himself. They are every way worthy of His character, and pr6motive of the highest interests of man; and the more important the communication is, the more it is calculated to preserve men from error, to stimulate them to holiness, and to guide them to happiness, the more reasonable it is to expect that God should make the communication free from every admixture of error. Indeed, the notion of Inspiration enters essentially Into our ideas of a revelation from God, so that to deny it is the same as to affirm that there is no revelation. - WAKEFIELD, Christian Theology, p. 72.

 

or they must be acknowledged as impostors, a conclusion invalidated by the quality and enduring character of their works. Again, if the Scriptures were not divinely inspired, they could not claim as they do, to be the infallible standard of religious truth. Only as we are convinced that the writers were aided by a supernatural and divine influence, and this in such a manner as to be infallibly preserved from all error, can the sacred Scriptures become a divine rule of faith and practice. 

 

THEORIES OF INSPIRATION

 

Various theories have been advanced, in an attempt to harmonize and explain the relation of the divine and human elements, in the inspiration of the Scriptures. Christianity, however, is based upon the fact of inspiration, and is not dependent upon any particular theory as to the origin of its sacred writings. The rationalistic explanations emphasize unduly the human element, while the supranaturalistic theories minify it, maintaining that the sacred writers were so possessed by the Holy Spirit as to become passive instruments rather than active agents. The dynamical theory is advanced in an attempt to mediate between the two extremes, and is the theory most generally accepted in the Church. The so-called erroneous theories it will be noted, are such, not because they are essentially wrong, but because by unduly emphasizing one' particular element, they thereby become inadequate as explanations of the wide range of Scripture phenomena. We shall classify these theories as follows: (1) The Mechanical or Dictation Theory which emphasizes the supranaturalistic element; (2) the Intuition and Illumination Theories which stress the human element; and (3) the Dynamical or Mediating Theory. 

 

The Mechanical or Dictation Theory. This theory emphasizes the supranaturalistic element to such an extent that the personality of the writer is set aside, and he becomes under the direction of the Holy Spirit a mere amanuensis or penman. As a representative of this extreme position, Hooker says, "They neither spake nor wrote any word of their own, but uttered syllable by syllable as the Spirit put it into their mouths." In order to account for the peculiarities of individual expression on this theory Quenstedt says, "The Holy Ghost inspired his amanuenses with those expressions which they would have employed, had they been left to themselves." An extravagant doctrine of mechanical inspiration grew up among the Jews after the exile and prevailed in the time of Christ. Some of the Talmudists held that Moses wrote all the Pentateuch including the description of his own death which he did with tears. By most Talmudists the last eight verses are attributed to Joshua. Christ's freedom in the use of the Scriptures shows how far He rose above the bondage of the letter. If He said, "It is written," He also said, "But I say unto you." Against the weakness of this theory may be urged the following objections. First, it denies the inspiration of persons and holds only to the inspiration of the writings; whereas the Scriptures teach that holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (II Peter 1:21). It is for this reason that Dr. I. A. Dorner in his System of Christian Doctrine (I, p. 624) speaks of this as a "docetic theory," in that the writers were only so in appearance, all second causes being done away in the pure passivity of the instruments. Second, the Mechanical Theory does not comport with all the facts. 

      

According to Philo, "A prophet gives forth nothing at all of his own, but acts as interpreter at the prompting of another in all his utterances, and as long as be is under the inspiration he is in ignorance, his reason departing from its place and yielding up the citadel of the soul, when the divine Spirit enters into it and dwells in it and strikes at the mechanism of the voice, sounding through it to the clear declaration of that which he prophesieth." "Josephus holds that even the historical narratives were obtained by direct inspiration from God," so that as the Rabbis said, "Moses did not write one word out of his own knowledge."  Dr. Charles Hodge, who holds that the inspiration of the Scriptures extends to the words, says that "this is included in the infallibility which our Lord ascribes to the Scriptures. A mere human report or record of a divine revelation must of necessity be not only fallible, but more or less erroneous. The thoughts are in the words. The two are inseparable. If the words priest, sacrifice, ransom, expiation, propitiation by blood, and the like, have no divine authority, then the doctrine which they embody had no such divine authority." It is evident, however, that in so far as Dr. Hodge's statement is true, it belongs rather to the dynamical than to the mechanical theory of Inspiration.

 

It is evident from the Scriptures themselves that the writers were actuated in different ways-though by the inspiration of one Spirit. Some of the disclosures of truth were in audible words. And when Moses was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation to speak with him, then he heard the voice of one speaking unto him from off the mercy seat that was upon the ark of testimony, from between the two cherubim, and he spake unto him (Num. 7:89). Again in Acts 9:5 Paul exclaims, Who art thou, Lord? and the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. These Scriptures can mean nothing else than a revelation in audible words. (Compare also Exod. 2:4, 20:22, Heb. 12:19, Dan. 4:31, Matt. 3:17, 17:5, Rev. 19:9 also 1:10, 11.) But the writers in a number of instances referred to sources, or they used their own knowledge of history, or recorded their own experiences. Such is the case in Luke's Gospel and also in the Acts of the Apostles. Third, and perhaps the strongest argument against this theory is the fact that it is out of harmony with the known manner in which God works in the human soul. The higher and more exalted the divine communications, the greater the illumination of the human soul and the more fully does man come into possession of his own natural and spiritual faculties. The Mechanical Theory may apply in a few instances, but it is too narrow and insufficient to establish a general theory of inspiration. 

 

The Intuition Theory. According to this theory, inspiration is only the natural insight of men lifted to a higher plane of development. It is rationalistic in the extreme, and virtually denies the supernatural element in the Scriptures. Its weakness lies in this, that man's insight into truth is vitiated by a darkened intellect and wrong affections. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they' are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned (I Cor. 2:14). He cannot therefore of himself penetrate the divine mysteries, and needs a direct communication of truth through the Spirit. "The Intuition Theory," says Sheldon, "disparages the notion of the direct operation of the Holy Spirit, and implies that the educated faculties of the scriptural writers, by their own virtue grasped all the truth which they conveyed." 

 

The Illumination Theory. This theory differs from the preceding in that it holds to an elevation of the religious perceptions instead of the natural faculties. It has been likened to the spiritual illumination which every believer receives fr6m the Holy Spirit in Christian experience. The inspiration of the writers of sacred Scripture, according to this theory differs only in the degree not in kind, from that which belongs to all believers. While illumination through intensification of experience may prepare the mind for the reception of truth, it is not in itself a communication of that truth. It will be seen that the element of "elevation" mentioned previously is here expanded beyond its rightful place, and thus becomes the basis of an erroneous theory of inspiration. 

The Dynamical Theory. This is a mediating theory and is advanced in an effort to explain and preserve in proper harmony, both the divine and human factors in the inspiration of the Scriptures. It maintains that the sacred writers were given extraordinary aid without any interference with their personal characteristics or activities. It preserves the scriptural truth that God speaks through human agencies, but insists that the agent is not reduced to a mere passive instrument. Against this theory little objection can be urged. It has been held by such standard theologians as Pope, Miley, Strong, Watson,  

 

Among those who have held to the Illumination Theory may be mentioned the following: E. G. Robinson, "The office of the Spirit in Inspiration is not different from that which he performed for the Christians at the time when the Gospels were written"; Ladd, "Inspiration, as the subjective condition of biblical revelation and the predicate of the word of God, is specifically the same illumining quickening, elevating and purifying work of the Holy Spirit as that which goes on in the persons of the entire believing community."  A. A. Hodge rejects the Illumination Theory. "Spiritual illumination," he says, "is an essential element in the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit common to all true Christians. It never leads to the knowledge of new truth, but only to the personal discernment of the spiritual beauty and power of truth already revealed in the Scriptures."-HODGE, Outlines of Theology, p. 68.

 

Wakefield, Summers, Ralston and Hills, and with some modification by Curtis, Sheldon, Martensen and Dorner. In opposition to the Intuition Theory, it maintains there is a supernatural element in inspiration, as over against mere intuitive natural reason. In harmony with the Illumination Theory, it maintains that there was an "elevation" on the part of the sacred writers which prepared their minds and hearts for the reception of the message, but insists that the theory is inadequate, in that to the prepared agencies there must be in addition a divine communication of truth. 

 

 

SCRIPTURAL PROOFS OF DIVINE INSPIRATION

 

The Scriptures claim to be divinely inspired. Since the term inspiration denotes the specific agency of the Holy Spirit as Author of the sacred Scriptures, it is required of us to give first place to the testimony of the Bible itself. Pope points out that it is not arguing in a circle to receive the witness of the Bible concerning itself, if we remember that in things divine credentials are always First, and must be sustained by their own evidences. These credentials will be considered in the following order, First, the Witness of the Old Testament; Second, the Declaration of our Lord; and Third, the Testimony of the Apostles. 

 

The Witness of the Old Testament. Communications of divine truth were given at sundry times and in divers manners, to the writers of the Old Testament. The patriarchs received revelations from God, and some of these were written down, but it is evident that these records were not by themselves officially declared as Scripture. Moses seems to have been given a special prerogative as the founder of Israel as a nation, for it is recorded of him that there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face (Deut. 34:10). To him was granted the privilege of creating the first body of literature known as sacred Scripture. Knowing that he was inspired of the Spirit, Moses frequently reminded those whom he addressed, that his messages were given by divine authority and no phrase is of more frequent recurrence than the well-known words, The Lord spake unto Moses. David laid claim also to divine inspiration, saying, The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue (II Sam 23:2). The later prophets delivered their predictions, not only in the name of the Lord, but as messages immediately inspired by the Spirit. Isaiah frequently introduced his prophetic messages with the words, Thus saith the Lord; while Jeremiah, Ezekiel and a number )f the minor prophets used such expressions as The word of the Lord came unto me, The Lord said unto me, or Thus saith the Lord. Moses seems to have anticipated in his prophecy the coming of a new age, in which the Holy Spirit should be communicated in His prophetic offices to all the people of God. Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them! (Num. 11:29). This is doubtless a prophetic reference to Pentecost, and must be understood in a different sense from that by which original revelations were given to men. Christ is the true and highest revelation of God, and the coming of the Spirit is the realization and interpretation of the truth as it is in Him. 

 

The Declaration of Our Lord. Christ declared the Old Testament to be of divine authority, and His testimony must be the final word as to the nature and results of inspiration. His witness is perfect in meeting the demands of Christian faith. He regarded the Old Testament as a completed canon, and expressly declared that the least ordinance or commandment must have its perfect fulfillment. This is the meaning of the words one jot or tittle (Matt. 5:18). To this we may add that the nature of our Lord's testimony is such, that while sanctioning the whole body of sacred writers, he speaks as one above them. He never claims for Himself the limited inspiration of the prophets for it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell (Col. 1:19) and again, For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily (Col. 2:9). In this connection, also, we have the testimony of John the Baptist to the supreme authority of Christ. He that cometh from above is above all; he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. . . . . For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him (John 3:31, 34). Here the fullness of revelation and the highest form of inspiration are conjoined in the words of Christ. 

 

To the Jews who opposed Him, He said, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by' your tradition? (Matt. 15:3, 6). Here the Old Testament is expressly stated to be the Word of God. To the tempter in the wilderness, Christ replied, It is written, a formula which among the Jews signified that the quotation was from one of the sacred books and therefore divinely inspired. Jesus quotes from four out of the five books of Moses, from the Psalms, from Isaiah, Zechariah and Malachi. He recognized the threefold division of the Scriptures which was common among the Jews-the law, the prophets and the psalms (Luke 24:44, 45), and declared that these testified of Himself. This is brought out again in a controversy with the Jews, in which He says, Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me (John 5:39). He further asserted that the Scriptures were the Word of God, and that the Scriptures cannot be broken (John 10:35). In His post-resurrection exposition to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, it is said that beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself (Luke 24:27). Here He recognized the whole content of Scripture in its unity and declares specifically that it refers to His own Person and work. 

 

The Testimony of the Apostles. It remains for us to consider now, the testimony of the apostles concerning the inspiration' of both the Old and the New Testaments. First, consideration must be given to the testimony of the Apostle Peter, who immediately before Pentecost stood up among the apostles and other disciples and said, 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 (Acts 1:16). This statement has been regarded by some as a general definition of inspiration-the Holy Ghost spake, the mouth of David was the instrument, and the result was Scripture. (Cf. POPE, Compend. Chr. Theology, I, p. 164). St. Paul quotes the Old Testament constantly in his writings, using a wide variety of terms, such as the scriptures of the prophets (Rom. 16:26), the holy scriptures (II Tim. 3:14), and other similar expressions. He asserts the unity of the scripture in the text, All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and declares its purpose as profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works (II Tim. 3:16, 17). The nature of the Epistle to the Hebrews is such that the whole composition depends upon the Old Testament as Holy Scripture. This it regards as the oracles of God, spoken by the Holy Spirit and preserved to the Christian Church in a book quoted as authoritative and infallible. Another peculiarity of this epistle lies in the fact that the same expression is used to indicate both the testimony of the Spirit and the personality of the writer. In quoting Jer. 31:31 the writer of the epistle says, The Holy Ghost also is a witness to us; for after that he had said before, This is the covenant that I will make with them after those day's, saith the Lord, I will put my' laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them (Heb. 10:16, 17). A further contribution of this epistle is to be found in the fact that it regards the Old Testament as a rudimentary phase of divine revelation, and the Christian or New Testament as the completion of that previously begun. Hence we read the injunction of the writer that ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God, that is, the Old Testament (Heb. 5:12). 

 

We must consider also the testimony of the apostles as to the inspiration of the New Testament Scriptures. As a body of men, they are united in their belief that their messages are from God their Saviour and by His Holy Spirit. Everywhere the fact of inspiration is implied. But there are direct assertions also which form indisputable evidence of inspiration. Referring to St. Peter we have the exhortation to be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour (II Peter 3:2). Here the revelation made to the Old Testament prophets, and that made to the New Testament apostles, are placed side by side as being of equal authority. This thought is further developed later on in the chapter, where he speaks of some things hard to be understood in the writings of St. Paul, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction (II Peter 3:16). Here is a direct and definite testimony to the inspiration of the writings of St. Paul, which are classed with "other scriptures" as of equal authority. St. Paul himself, ascribes his revelations to Christ, and his inspiration to the Holy Spirit. Of the first he testifies that God called him by His grace, to reveal his Son in him, that he might preach Him among the heathen (Gal. 1:16); and again that it was by revelation that the mystery was made known unto him (Eph. 3:3); while of the second he testifies, Now we have 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 of God. 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 (I Cor. 2:12, 13). Nor can we omit the testimony of St. John, who in his First Epistle speaks of an unction from the Holy One (I John 2:20), a privilege which in some measure belongs to all true believers, but in its highest degree, as before pointed out, belongs only to the company of apostles and prophets as the writers of the Christian Scriptures. However, in the Apocalypse, it is expressly stated that he was in the Spirit (Rev. 1:10), which in connection with a verse in the last chapter indicates that the writer was thinking of the expression in the sense in which it was used of the Old Testament prophets who spoke by inspiration. Consequently we read, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done (Rev. 22:6). As to the two historical evangelists, St. Mark and St. Luke, these did not share directly and immediately in the promise to the apostolate, but only indirectly and mediately through St. Peter and St. Paul. Further consideration will be given to these writers in the study of the Canon. 

 

 

 

VALUE OF THE SUBJECT FOR THEOLOGY

 

No subject has been of greater importance in the study of theology, than that which has been under consideration-the Inspiration of the Scriptures. Referring again to the verse, the Holy Ghost spake through the mouth of David (Acts 1:16) we may consider the theological value of the subject from three aspects: First, the Holy Spirit as the Source of Inspiration; Second, holy men as the organs of inspiration; and Third, the Holy Scriptures as a divinely inspired body of truth. 

The Holy Spirit as the Source of Inspiration. As paternity is the property of the Father and filiation the property of the Son, so procession belongs to the Spirit. As the Son is the revealer of the Father and therefore the eternal Word, so the Inspiring Spirit proceeding from the Father and the Son, is the sole basis of communication between God and man. It is seen, therefore, that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth, and as such, presides over the impartation of all truth. As it relates to the revealing work of the Son, He alone is the Author of Inspiration. We may say, then, "that while the Scripture is God-inspired, only the Spirit is the inspiring God." 

 

The Organs of Inspiration. In stressing the fact that the Bible is the Word of God, and hence inspired by the Spirit which gives it divine authority, we must not overlook the fact, also, that the Bible has in it a human element. Not only did the Holy Spirit speak through David, David also spoke. Holy men, we are told, spake as they' were moved by the Holy Ghost, a better rendering being, "Holy men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Ghost." The two Scriptures are not opposed to each other, but together express the full-orbed range of inspiration. As Jesus the Word of God was at once divine and human, so the written Word of God must be viewed in the same light. To overlook the two natures in Christ is to turn to unitarianism on the one hand or docetism on the other. To overlook the two elements in the written Word, is to undervalue either its divine authority or its human appeal. As Jesus was crucified through weakness, yet lived by the power of God, so the Bible has been ceaselessly and bitterly attacked by its enemies, yet ever lives as an enduring monument of divine truth. As it was necessary for Jesus to become a partaker of our infirmities in order to appeal to the hearts of men, so also the Bible is extremely human in its character, searching the hearts of men, quick and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12). 

 

The organs of inspiration had both character and preparation. They were holy men. They were sanctified through the truth and thus prepared for their office and work. As moral and spiritual truth can be understood only by moral and spiritual men, the organs of inspiration must of necessity have been holy in heart and life. Their faculties were prepared by the immediate influence of the inspiring Spirit, and He used them for the accomplishment of the end in view, the formation of the sacred Scriptures. They were not merely passive instruments, but active agents in the full range of their powers. Their natural characteristics and endowments were not submerged but elevated and strengthened. 

 

The Holy Scriptures as a Divinely Inspired Body of Truth. It follows that if God spake through holy men, their utterances must constitute a body of divine truth. It is to this body of truth that we apply the term Holy Scripture. As such we must regard the Bible as given to us by plenary inspiration. By this term we do not refer to any one of the particular theories of inspiration already cited, but to the character of the whole body of truth. By plenary inspiration, we mean that the whole and every part is divinely inspired. This does not necessarily presuppose the mechanical theory of inspiration, as some contend, or any particular method, only that the results of that inspiration give us the Holy Scriptures as the final and authoritative rule of faith in the Church. 

 

In this connection the question sometimes arises as to what assurance we have that Christ intended to preserve and continue His teachings in a new volume of sacred Scripture. All that we need is given to us in one comprehensive promise made to His disciples. I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 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. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you (John 16:12-14). Our Lord sanctioned the Old Testament Scriptures as the preparatory records of His own gospel and kingdom. It was necessary, therefore, that these be brought to their perfection by the New Testament Scriptures, which should fill out their meaning, and set upon the entire body of Scripture the seal of His perfect revelation.      

 

Christ made full provision for the preservation of His perfected doctrine. All that we need to assure our hearts was given In one large promise, which declared that His sayings should be revived in their unbroken unity In His disciples' memory. He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you; that which He could not yet speak concerning His Person, His Spirit should reveal, He will guide you Into all truth; and that the same Spirit should show them things to come. The Spirit was no other than Himself by His Agent reuttering His own words, revealing His own Person and work, and filling up His prophecy of the future. Hence, lastly, our Lord's sanction makes the complete scriptures the finished revelation, never to be superseded. Nothing can be more plain that the entire fullness of what the Revealer had to say to the world was to be communicated to the apostles by the Holy Ghost; and that, not as a further disclosure on the part of the Spirit, but as the consolidation of the Saviour's teaching into its perfect unity, and its expansion Into its perfect meaning. No future streams of revelation were to rise higher than the fountain-head of truth opened in Himself. Hence we may repeat concerning the Book what has been said concerning our Lord's teaching; the Bible means all revelation, and all revelation means the Bible.-POPE, Compend. Chr. Th., I, pp. 40, 41.