EVIDENCES OF INSPIRATION (Continued)

The prophetic message of the Scripture gives evidence of the inspiration of the Bible.

When the average person, be he man in the pew or a completely secular individual, the word "prophecy" conjures up the idea of fortune telling, of foretelling the future. In reality, although foretelling is an aspect of prophecy, the real meaning is "forth telling." Prophecy is simply relating the message of God.

Every single preacher who steps into the pulpit should be engaged in a prophetic message as he gives forth the message of God to the congregation. His purpose in the pulpit is to break forth with the Words of God from the Book of God.

Schuyler (Companion to the New Scofield Reference Bible) writes of the fact that God does claim to be responsible for the predictions made in the Scripture. Beyond this, there are some other internal evidences of inspiration.

First of all, God claims to be the Ultimate Author of the Scripture. This is seen through the many "Thus saith the Lord’s" of the Old Testament.

The New Testament claims that it, and the Old Testament, are inspired. The unity of Scripture also speaks to this inspiration. A unified volume which speaks to such a vast array of subject matter, and whose construction covered such a long volume of time, could only be unified if there were but One Mind at the heart of its construction.

The production Koran, for instance, covered only part of the lifetime of one man. The Scripture was written over 1500 years.

Joseph Smith probably only used a few months to produce his "Book of Mormon." No one has ever been able to examine the "plates" from which he claimed to have transcribed it. There are well over 5000 pieces of evidence to the New Testament alone which stand which stand as silent witnesses to the construction and transmission of this twenty seven volume Book. There are even "pseudo gospels," forgeries for the most part, which sought admission to this canon and were denied entry by the Holy Spirit working upon the hearts of the faithful.

These facts also give evidence to the inspiration of the Scripture.

Simmons (A Systematic Study of Bible Doctrine) also finds the precise and fulfilled prophecies as witnesses to the truth and inspiration of Scripture. Specific prophecies relate to Cyrus. specific prophecies relate to the Babylonian Captivity of the Jewish people. Specific prophecies relate to the Person and ministry of Jesus Christ. Those to His first advent are fulfilled. Those to His second advent await fulfilment; but they are as certain as is the fulfilled promise of the sun warming the earth yesterday.

What has been was often prophesied long before it came to pass. What will be is also certain in the prophecies of God. He remains the God of History - to include that history which has not yet come to pass in this world of time.

Simmons goes on to explain that the, "Accuracy of the Bible in Scientific Matters Proves that it is Not of Human Origin..."

"The rotundity of the earth..." "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." (Isaiah 40:22)

The ancient person did not have the ability to examine the earth from any place except where his two feet were planted. He did not see the earth as round. He saw the earth as a flat expanse broken by mountain, valley, and sea. To have someone suggest that the earth was a "terrestrial ball" would have been inconceivable to him. Such a concept would have flew in the face of the science of the day.

"The gravitational support of the earth..."

"He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing." (Job 26:7)

The ancient societies believed that the earth rested upon something. Gravity was seen as something that always pulled "down." It was not understood, of course. But the science of the day argued that there had to be some support to uphold the earth. Whether it be the back of a tortoise, or the back of a fabled "god," the earth was most certainly not understood has hanging in space "upon nothing."

"The nature of the heavens..."

"And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters. And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so." (Genesis 1:6-7) "His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof." (Psalm 19:6)

The "Defined King James Bible" defines "firmament" as "sky, viewed poetically as a solid arch or vault; the vault or expanse of the heavens." When we consider this definition we are able to see that "a firmament in the midst of the waters" would be speaking of boundaries for the seas. The continents, the islands, these act as boundaries for the water. The water may not encroach upon the land completely. Man is given a place of refuge and a possession for his life by the "firmament" of the land.

The concept of underground water, known to anyone who has ever dug a well, is also explained as part of the plan of God.

Even the concept of the sky being a "boundary" between the earth and space is contained in this narrative.

In Psalms 19:6 the "Defined King James Bible" defines "circuit" as "going around; circular path; orbit." Verse 4 informs us that this verse is speaking of the sun. Here, many hundred years before Copernicus, the Bible says that the sun has its own orbit.

Again, the science of the day would have argued against these concepts.

(As an aside. I would urge you to obtain a copy of the "Defined King James Bible." The notes are simply used to explain the words which might be hard to understand in the Bible. It is valuable to one not versed in the Biblical languages. The Bible for Today Press, 900 Park Avenue, Collingswood, New Jersey 08108, USA)

"The northern empty expanse..."

"He stretched out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing." (Job 16:7)

To be honest, I went outside and did not notice an "empty space" in the North. I saw stars. Then I looked up the "northern, empty place" on my computer. It’s there! It is impressive. And, there is no scientific explanation for an empty place quite so large in the universe.

The science of the day probably wouldn’t have gotten this one, either!

"The weight of air..."

"To make the weight for the winds, and he weigheth the waters by measure." (Job 28:25)

While we don’t often consider the air as having any weight, we do put 32 psi in our tires, don’t we? The barometric pressure is a gauge of this weight with which we are all familiar.

Again, the science of the day had neither tire nor barometer. The scientist of the day wouldn’t have agreed with this one, either!

"The rotation of the earth..."

"I tell you, in that night there shall be two men in one bed; the one shall be taken, and the other shall be left. Two women shall be grinding together, the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two men shall be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left." (Luke 17:34-36)

At first glance this verse really doesn’t seem to say much. But, consider, two men are sleeping at night. Two women are grinding meal for the day’s food. Two men are working in the field during the heat of the day. This is a picture of the rotation of the earth through the cycle of the day.

The ancients had no concept of this. They could only go as fast as a horse could carry them. When it got dark it was night. When it got light it was day. They had no way to understand that the very light of day was in motion over the earth.

The science of the day would not have agreed with this statement of Jesus.

The number of the stars..."

"That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies." (Genesis 22:17) "As the host of heaven cannot be numbered, neither the sand of the sea measured: so will I multiply the seed of David my servant, and the Levites that minister unto me." (Jeremiah 33:22) "He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names." (Psalm 147:4)

I used to try to count the stars. Most of us have probably done so. Then I considered that if I just had a camera and could go completely around the world, I’d be able to mark them off and get an accounting.

I grew out of this phase!

Man cannot number the either the stars nor the grains of sand. There are stars that our best telescopes have not yet discovered. The sea is constantly wearing away rock to make more sand. But the power of God is such that He is able to not only number, but name these entities if He so chooses.!

Again, the science of the day would probably have not agreed - if they had even bothered to consider the counting of stars visible to them in their location. They would have reasoned, as their view was very ego centric, that if they could just keep from recounting, or missing a star or two, they could be counted. As for the erosion of the beach, this was far beyond their capacity to consider.

We haven’t even spoken of "sandstone" where sand is compressed into rock!

"The law of evaporation..."

"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." (Ecclesiastes 1:7)

The simple law of evaporation and rain. All the water, even the recent flood waters, will roll into the rives and go to the sea. Evaporation will then return the water to the clouds where the circuit will again repeat.

The scientist of the day might have understood the concept of evaporation as the drying up of standing water. But, would he have understood the concept of water vapor in the air? Probably not.

"The existence of trade winds..."

"The wind goeth toward the south, and turneth about unto the north; it whirleth about continually, and the wind returneth again according to his circuits." (Ecclesiastes 1:6)

The ancients, once again, did not have the rapid transportation and communication which we enjoy in this day. They knew the wind came from one side, generally speaking. But, they would not understand the concept of the jet stream, or the weather patterns. They would only understand the wind upon their tents or sails. They would not have understood the patterns of the wind on the macro level.

Once again, the science of the day would not have accepted the circuits of the wind. It was not observable to them.

"The importance of the blood..."

"But the flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.: (Genesis 9:4) "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul. Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you; which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is in the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off." (Leviticus 17:11-14)

At last, a concept which the people probably understood. They had seen animals, and probably not a few persons, bleed to death.

Even in this there was more than these people understood. The great respect given the blood was a prophecy of the Blood of Jesus. This they did not understand for they had no concept at this time of the Suffering Savior.

In this the science of the day might have concurred. But, in understanding the physical they would have no concept of the spiritual application thereof.

"The unity of the human race..."

"These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread." (Genesis 9:19) "These are the families of the sons of Noah, after their generations, in their nations: and by these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.: (Genesis 10:32) "And hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation." (Acts 17:26)

God first informs us that all the people of the earth come from the same family. The ancients would have understood this even beyond the understanding of modern mankind.

Then God speaks of all mankind of one blood. The science of transfusion is fairly new to humanity. The concept that it does not matter from which race, or to which race, the blood is taken and delivered, is a very new concept less than one hundred years old.

The science of the day would not have even begun to understand this concept!

An important concept to understand in the above is that the human penmen of Scripture often had no understanding of what they had written. This is a mark of the inspiration of God upon the writings themselves.

Another important concept to grasp is that the science of the day would have disagreed with the writings when they were penned. It was only later scientific discovery, sometimes much later, which confirmed that which God had communicated. The person of faith would have accepted it simply because God said so, not because man finally discovered that God was right!

It is good that Scripture and science are often in disagreement. If the Scripture had agreed with science in all pronouncements even back when I was in high school, Scripture would be wrong now. Science has changed in the last forty years. The Words of God have not!

Strong (Systematic Theology) says that the miracles of Jesus point toward the inspiration of Scripture. But, "Miracles ... Do not stand alone as evidences. Power alone cannot prove a divine commission. Purity of life and doctrine must go with the miracles to assure us that a religious teacher has come from God.."

The miracles of Jesus are an indication of the inspiration of Scripture in that these events are beyond the power of humanity. For the human penmen of the Bible to have included these miracles in the narrative is an indication of the Spirit moving upon them to produce His Own Words.

From the human standpoint, the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus are proofs of His Divinity which, itself, is a proof of the inspiration of Scripture. In actuality, it is the work of the Spirit upon our hearts which gives us the assurance that Jesus is Lord, and Scripture is the Word of the Lord.

In our next session we will look further at the fact that the Spiritual message of Scripture is an evidence of the inspiration of that Scripture.

EVIDENCES OF INSPIRATION (Continued)

In our last session we spent some time noticing that the record of Scripture, when it chooses to speak on scientific themes, will generally speak truths which would be discounted by the science of the day in which the original penmen put the information to paper. Later, often much later - hundreds or even thousands of years - that which was seen as "symbolic" or "poetic license" is found to be factually true.

Only the concept of inspiration by the God of Creation can give adequate explanation to the fact that the ancients wrote correctly that which they could not have known.

Strong (Systematic Theology) touches the really important issue when he asserts that the Spiritual message of the Scripture gives evidence as to the inspiration of the Words of God.

Strong points out the moral system, especially of the New Testament, is comprehensive in its scope. This moral system encompasses "all human duties in its code... While it permits no vice whatsoever."

No portion of human interaction is exempt from comment in the New Testament. Interpersonal concepts are addressed such as anger. (Matthew 5:22) Familial duties and religious considerations are confronted. (Mark 7:11) True sacrifice and alms is contrasted with mere religiosity. (Mark 12:42-44 & Luke 18:11-14) Even the issue of human slavery, and the relationship between the Christian slave and the Christian master, is addressed in the Book of Philemon.

These interpersonal relationships are indicative of the spiritual heart of humanity. Not forgotten is that the greatest good one human can do for another is to lead the unsaved to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. Jesus put this consideration at the top of His list: "For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." (Luke 19:10)

Strong also notices that the message of the New Testament considers a "background check," of sorts. The Spiritual message of the Bible goes beyond the mere actions of man. The spirituality of the New Testament accepts, "...no mere eternal conformity to right precepts, but [judges] all actions by the thoughts and motives from which it springs."

I have been in the position of hiring and firing in secular employment. One of the first things I did when considering a person for employment was to check the references. I recall the story about a man who didn’t wish to give a bad report about one of his former employee’s. Rather than saying that this person seemed lazy, or disinterested in performing his job duties, the man said, "You will be doing well if you can get this man to work for you." He hadn’t lied; but he hadn’t actually told the truth either.

This is one of the reasons that many companies perform background checks with the local court house. They check to see if the prospective employee has ever been in trouble with the law. The employer wants to know the persons fidelity in financial situations. Many will also insist on a physical to check the potential employee’s physical fitness for the tasks to which he will be assigned.

The church I attend is currently interviewing a man for the position of pastor. We are asking for a listing all of all churches he has attended and served since his conversion. A potential pastor might say that he left his last church due to "illness and fatigue." The church might argue that they were "sick and tired" of him.

We do these things in the natural because we understand that a person may be on his best behavior for a time. Eventually, however, his character will show itself forth. This is what Jesus was saying.

"And he saith unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive, that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man." (Mark 7:18-23)

Long before the concept of psychology, God’s Word informed us that man is evil from the inside. This is why the conversion experience is a necessity. No one deserves pardon from God. It is the Grace and Love of God which sent Jesus to the Cross for each of us.

Strong advises that the Spiritual message of the Scripture, since the fall of man in Genesis, chapter three, is at odds with mans basest desires. The Scripture "...judges the soul - contradicting its passions..."

Throughout the Dispensations of time mankind has failed every test which God has given. Man, as a race, has never been willing to be in subjection to the dictates of God. This is true even though God is the "Manufacturer" of humanity and what it is that is best for mankind. We can not be fully human without an understanding of the leading of God.

It might be expected, from a humanly produced religious tome, that some of humanity would be placed as "high examples" of what mankind can be. Instead, the failings of man are shown in every page. Moses was hesitant to follow the Lord in the rescue of his own people. Jonah tried to run away from the leading of God and never, even when he finally did the bidding of God, quit complaining that he didn’t agree with God’s purposes. Even David, the "Sweet Psalmist of Israel," was revealed to be an adulterer and a murderer.

It is only a Book inspired by the Great Creator God which would display the faults of humanity, the love of God, and the spiritual triumphs which are available to the man and woman who are willing to trust and follow God.

Our next session will begin to look at the fact that the message of Scripture is beyond the scope of the ability of mere man in it’s authorship.

EVIDENCES OF INSPIRATION (Continued)

In its authorship the Scripture is found to be far beyond the scope of the ability of mere man to accomplish.

Pendleton (Christian Doctrines) argues that the message of Scripture is beyond man’s intellect. The human intellect could not produce such a book as the Bible.

This is not to say that mankind could not have produced a book which had far ranging subject matter. Many books of this type have already been produced. In Pendleton’s day, he was born in 1811, there were probably many men who might have written books exploring many different subjects. This was a day when true "liberal arts" scholars were the rule. To be educated meant to be educated in a broad range of subject matter. In our day of exploding knowledge there are less men who are broadly educated. Specialization has become necessary for one to understand the depth of information available on just one subject.

The Bible, contrary to popular belief, is not a book which only speaks of spiritual matters. The Bible speaks of sociology, science, geography, history, and many other subjects. That the emphasis on these other subjects is placed so as to draw spiritual application is evident. Nonetheless, the Bible does speak on these subject. When the Bible does speak on these subjects it does not inject "footnotes," as needing scholarly verification for its facts. The Bible speaks as the supreme authority on any matter it touches. And, in the light of true scholarship, it always speaks correctly.

No other writer could make such a claim. Even if such a claim were made, it would be wrongly made as the depth of which the Bible speaks is beyond the depth of knowledge available to the human penmen of the day of original authorship.

It must also be admitted that man does not have the intellectual understanding of either spirituality or eternity to be able to speak on these subjects. In point of fact, all that man - a creature of physicality and time - will ever understand of either eternity or spirituality must come from the Bible. It is an impossibility that man would have places information within the pages of Scripture which man did not possess.

Pendleton also notes that the message of Scripture is beyond man’s imagination. "There are doctrines taught in the Bible of which the unaided intellect of man could have formed no conception ... [such as] God’s omnipresence ... Not that he is in different places at different times, but that he is in all places at all times."

The ancient "gods" of the heathen were understood as not much more than exalted men. The famous skeptic Voltaire once wrote, "If God did not exist, it would be necessary to invent Him." This, those ancient heathen’s did. Paul explains: "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind..." (Romans 1:28a)

The ancients did not "invent" God because there was no God, as Voltaire suggested. The invented a "substitute god" over which they had control rather than submit to the God to Whom they owed allegiance. Thus, the "gods" fashioned by humanity were gods fashioned after humanity.

Again, Paul explains: "Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen." (Romans 1:25) The "gods" created by the heathens resembled themselves. Those "god" walked, talked, ate, lusted, sinned, were petty and often jealous, and on and on. These false gods could be tricked, truth could be hidden from the, they could be harmed and even killed.

Even the spiritual concept of the True God of Creation was a construct not available to man. God is all powerful. God is all knowing. God is in all things and places at all times. "God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19) These were concepts and truths unknown, and unknowable, by the ancients. These concepts are equally unknowable by modern man, as well, except by the imparted wisdom of God, Himself.

Pendleton sees that the very message of Scripture is beyond the morality of man. "...Would man with his depraved heart be inclined to make such a book as the Bible?"

To humanity the Bible seems a very limiting book. To fully follow the precepts of the Bible is to limit ones natural greed and pride. To fully follow the precepts of the Bible is to honestly love others - all others. To fully follow the precepts of the Bible is to be spiritually attuned to the things of God.

These argue against the sin nature by which man is controlled.

The sin nature of man sees tolerance as the acceptance of error. Such is not the construct of Biblical teaching. Sin, the Bible says, is sin. False religion, the Bible says, is soul damning. God, the Bible says, teaches us doctrine; doctrine is not what we decide it to be.

Pendleton also argues that man would be too proud to produce a message such as that of Scripture. "Would he [man] produce a volume in condemnation of himself?"

The great "hero’s" of Scripture are all seen to be flawed. At some point each of these is seen to have weakness, sin, or error invade their life and actions. The only exception to this rule is He Who is no "hero" of Scripture; He is the Author of that Scripture - Jesus Christ.

Man, were he to write a book which purports to be a spiritual and moral guide for life, would not have listed the failures of those who were examples of his aspirations. True Scripture, with the total emphasis on the Glory of God, would include those examples as further proofs of God’s all sufficiency and man’s need.

The message of Scripture, Pendleton said, is even beyond the aspirations of man. "The Bible is not a human production. Man’s heart would not let him make such a book even if he had the intellectual ability."

Throughout the annals of history man has tried to destroy the Bible. Even the religious people have shown a hatred of the Bible. Scripture haters flow from antiquity, to the medieval times when those who sought to produce a translation of the Scripture for the people of their day were often burned and tortured, to our modern times when even any reference to the Bible is proscribed in the name of "tolerance."

Who could honestly argue that such a Book would be of human construction!

Bancroft (Elemental Theology) also argues that the message of Scripture is beyond the Spirituality of man.

The Bible represents things as man would not have done had the Scriptures not been inspired.

Had the Scripture been man produced I am rather certain that the little incident between David and Bathsheba would have been handled. It was God’s intention to show that even the best of men were not above the propensity to sin.

Had the Scripture been man produced I am rather certain that Peter would have been said to be searching for a way to "rescue" Jesus, rather than to deny Him, at the judgement hall.

Had the Scripture been man produced I am rather certain, especially in light of the male dominated society, that Eve would have been responsible for the Fall rather than Adam.

Space and time only fail in the considering of more and more evidences that a man produced Scripture would differ markedly from the actual God inspired and preserved Scripture.

The Scripture is a record of God as "infinite, sovereign, triune, holy, and loving." We have discussed the man "created" gods of the heathen. These false gods are not of the character as is God described.

Man is shown in Scripture to be "condemnable as debased in character and sinful in conduct." Again, we have discussed above the view of himself which man holds as countered by the actual picture of man as God discloses.

No person, no matter how evil he is in the eyes of others, would say that he was debased in his actions. A man will, to himself at least, justify his own actions as necessary in light of the situation in which he found himself.

The present world system is shown in Scripture to be "evil and opposed to God." In our politically polarized times, only the opposition party is described in such terms. Such is the "tunnel vision" of man toward his own, and his allies, faults.

Salvation is shown in Scripture to be "absolutely independent of human merit." Even in our day of "welfare" and "wealth distribution" the tendency of man in spiritual matters is to reason that he must "earn" salvation from God.

The difference between the welfare rolls and the Heavenly rolls lies in the pride of man. Man considers that it is his right to go to the welfare office and take "his" benefits. Still, there is that residue of reality within his soul which says that he does not deserve pardon from God. He must, he reasons, make himself "presentable" to God.

A corollary to the above might be explained by considering a trial before a judge. The accused’s lawyer will advise him to wear a suit and tie rather than going in his "low rider" jeans and beer soaked "tee." Respect for the one who might pass judgement in a court is easily understood and easily transferred to the One Who judges a soul.

Pendleton (Christian Doctrines), again, argues that the message of Scripture is one that is beyond the hope of man. He asks, "Could man have imagined ... that the guilty creature should be saved at the expense of the incarnation of the creator..?"

As we discussed above, a person who considers the holiness of God should consider that God is on a higher moral plane. In such a case the reasonably prudent man would consider that he must raise his own "game" to be able to interact with God.

If I read of a person winning a lottery I might decide that I will present a case to him that I need some of his new found wealth. If I do decide to approach him I will do so in my best clean clothing. I will show him this respect; after all, I do realize that I am looking for a hand out - some form of charity.

It would seem reasonable to approach God with the same mindset. We have to clean up and make our morality presentable when we ask for His favor. That would be our feelings as human beings. God, however, says that He understands our sin - and our need! "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)

This concept is beyond the scope of human imagination.

"Could man have imagined," Pendleton continues, "...that life should come to the sons of men through the Son of God..?"

This concept, the total forgiveness of sin and promise of eternal life, is nowhere within the fables of the heathen. It is a concept of which man is not capable of reasoning.

Pendleton, finally, says that the message of Scripture is beyond the limitations of man. "The person and character of Christ as revealed in the Bible prove the divine origin of the book."

All of the above discussion gives ample reason to believe that the Bible is inspired of God. It is not a book of human production. But, even more than the above arguments is the picture of the Person of Jesus Christ as described in the pages of Scripture.

The heathen sons of the gods were true sons in every respect. They were mischievous, sometime rebellious, often at odds with their parents. They were children of the deities. Jesus is none of these. He is the Son of God; yet He is God. Born of the Virgin, even His entrance - physically speaking - is different from the heathen fables, He retains His full Deity.

In His office as representative of humanity, He is fully obedient and respectful of the Father. In His Nature as God, He and the Father are One in the Triune Godhead.

Any book authored by mere man could not have considered, or invented, such a tale. Only the Book, inspired and preserved by the Spirit, could have revealed these truths to humanity.

In our next session we will consider the authority incumbent within Scripture as an evidence of the inspiration of the Bible.

EVIDENCES OF INSPIRATION (Continued)

When we consider the authority that is present within Scripture we must conclude that the Scripture is an inspired Message from God. John Calvin (Calvin’s Institutes) concurs when he says, "In vain were the authority of Scripture fortified by argument or supported by the consent of the Church, or confirmed by any other helps, if unaccompanied by an assurance higher and stronger than human judgement can give."

The simple meaning of the above is that is that Scripture has authority which is not derived from a simple reading of the words thereof. It is the Words, Themselves, which are given authority by the power of He Who uttered them via inspiration.

I could read the "Gettysburg Address" a thousand times. Not one of those times would give the flavor and emotion of the moment as did the recitation of these words by President Abraham Lincoln. His office, his authority, and the situation of the still fresh memory of the battle, and the many deaths, which has so closely been fought only a few short days before hand, these gave the words of Lincoln an immediate and powerful authority upon the people who heard them.

We often hear argued that the words of President Lincoln were not appreciated, when first spoken, to be a great as they were. But, I submit that those words were powerful or they would not have been as quickly remembered and reported. The greatness of the address may have grown in time, to be certain. But, the emotional impact of the address must have been felt by those who heard them uttered so soon after the terrible battle.

Also are the Words of Scripture active upon the souls of men and women. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

Truly, we do not assign authority to the Scripture by our arguments. These are weaker than the Words we may wish to defend. When we consider that the Scripture is a, No! THE!, spiritual Book of eternity placed within the hands and hearts of men in time, we must realize that the Scripture speaks to humanity in ways that we might not even understand, or feel within our being. The authority of the Scripture speaks to the soul and spirit of man with the message of God.

Strong (Systematic Theology) observes the message of Scripture is revealed by the Holy Spirit. "The chief proof of inspiration ... Must always be found in the internal characteristics of the Scripture themselves, as these are disclosed to the sincere inquirer by the Holy Spirit."

Understanding this should give increased incentive to our witness. The work of witness, while given us as a duty in the Great Commission, is not - at the final analysis - a work of ourselves. It is not the brilliance of our arguments, or our great knowledge of Scripture, or even the power of our prayer life, which energizes the relating of the Gospel Message.

The truth is that we should, as a simple matter of gratefulness to the Savior, engage all the above to the zenith of our abilities and piety. But, in the final analysis, it is the Spirit Who energizes and empowers the Gospel Message within the heart of the sinner.

We do need to study the Scripture. This is a command of God. We need to be always ready to answer the sinner with the message of God’s Word. "But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear." (I Peter 3:15)

But, even in this the power does not lie in our knowledge. The true power lies in the Words which God has imparted unto us.

We do need to be always in prayer. "Praying always will all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perserverance and supplication for all saints." (Ephesians 6:18)

In this we are asking God to assist us with the Power which is at His disposal. Again, this isn’t of us; this is of Him.

What we are saying is that even in soul winning, a command given us in the Great Commission, we are dependant upon the inspired and preserved Words of God as found in His Book to humanity - the Bible.

We can trust the Scripture partly because we have experienced the grace of which it speaks. But, more than this, as we read the Scripture we will find that the message of the Scripture is one which gives constant witness to its own inspiration.

The testimony of the Scripture is one of unity. This is a picture of the inspiration of the Scripture. We have already, and often, spoken of the amazing unity of the Scripture especially in light of the multiple human penman, from all manner of walks of life, covering a span of over a millennia and a half. Through this the Scripture presents one message, one God, one picture of humanity as a lost and fallen people.

The Scripture also gives a content message that God loves humanity so much that, as the Creator, He imparts His Own message of holiness and salvation.

The testimony of the Bible speaks of its inspiration in its representations. The way man is represented is not only consistent, it is accurate. Man is not shown as a great being, although God calls him to greatness via salvation. Man is shown to have flaws, due to the sin nature, while God is consistently shown as powerful, loving, gracious, and calling.

When the Bible speaks of history, it speaks correctly. Man may need to find the next spadeful from the archeologist to confirm what God has said, but what God has said is true.

When the Bible speaks of science, it speaks correctly. The science of man may often be at variance with the Scriptural record. But, time after time, the truth of the Scripture, even beyond the possible knowledge of man at the time the human penman put quill to parchment, is confirmed.

When the Bible speaks of geography, it speaks correctly. With a Bible in one hand and a compass in the other, a man can easily confirm the truth of the events in Scripture with the "lay of the land."

When the Bible speaks of sociology, it speaks correctly. Is this any wonder? God is the Creator of humanity and understands us more than we are capable of understanding ourselves.

The testimony of the Bible speaks of its inspiration in its fulfilled prophecy. This is borne out more and more even in the present time as we see the world readying herself for the prophecies of the end times as described in the pages of Scripture.

Strong (Systematic Theology) reminds us that the message of Scripture, which has been given by inspiration, flows from God, Himself. Inspiration does not say that man wrote the best he could; inspiration is the truth that human penmen wrote better than the best they could in that they wrote the very Words of God.

Since the Scripture is the actual Words of God, it is of eternity as God is of eternity. The Scripture cannot be "lost," or "corrupted," in history unless the same could be said of God. Neither can the Scripture change. The Scripture is an unchanging message even as God is The Unchanging God.

Therefore, we can expect the revelation of God to be evidenced as trustworthy. It is still not true that God said it; I believe it; that settles it. It still is true that God said it. Therefore it is settled whether I believe it or not. This trustworthiness of Scripture is testified to by "... a manifestation of God himself..."

Scripture, the very Words of God inspired and preserved for us, is a manifestation of God, given by Him into the world.

The trustworthiness of Scripture is testified to "...in the outward as well as the inward world..."

This simply means that we can trust God’s Words as we see the truth of those Words in the world at large, or as we experience the comfort and truth of His Words in the recesses of our souls during the times of our lives.

The trustworthiness of Scripture is testified to "...such as only God’s power or knowledge can make..." The Words of God are always true and always trustworthy. Our understanding may be lacking in a certain area. We may not be able to understand parts of the Scripture. We know the lack of knowledge stems from our imperfect understanding rather than from His Perfect Words.

The trustworthiness of Scripture is testified to "...such as cannot be counterfeited by the evil, or mistaken by the candid soul." What is being argued is that the Spirit will confirm the Word as we study the Words and pray for His guidance. When we submit to His will and Words, we are led by His will and Words. It is when we begin to trust in our own understanding and (presumed) power that false doctrine arises.

Bancroft (Elemental Theology) reminds us that the message of Scripture, because of its inspiration, will always be trustworthy. "...while credibility of the Bible means only that it takes is place with the best histories of human production ... Inspiration ... [holds that the Bible] is not only generally reliable but errorless and incapable of error..."

Again, inspiration argues that the Bible contains more than the "story" of God. Inspiration argues that the Bible is actually the very Words of God set down in print so that we might not err is seeking His will.

In our next session we will consider that inspiration was given by the action of God so that human penmen wrote His exact Words. The penmen were not inspired. They were led (Hebrews 1:1) to write His inspired Words so that His message could be placed into the human community. Thus, when we say that the Bible is the Word of God, this is exactly what we mean. God, from eternity, gave us His Eternal Words so that we could have a sure path back to Him even as we were stupefied by the burden of our sin nature.

God sent the Written Word to show us the way to come to the Living Word, Jesus Christ.

EVIDENCES OF INSPIRATION (Continued)

Chafer (Major Bible Themes) considered that Inspiration was given by the action of God upon men.

"How could God inspire Scripture while ... Allowing for human authorship...? ...the explanation is that they [the human penmen] were ‘moved by the Holy Ghost.’ The word translated ‘moved’ [in II Peter 1:21] is the word for carrying a burden ... the human authors [were] carried along to the destination intended by God much as a boar will carry its passengers to its ultimate destination. Although passengers on a boat have ... freedom and can move freely ... They nevertheless ... are carried to the destination of the boat itself."

I think it important to once again make the distinction we’ve made earlier concerning the placement of that inspiration. The inspiration was upon the Words, not upon the penmen. The human instruments were carried by the Spirit to write the very words of God.

This is not to say that the vocabularies and styles of the various human penmen were not used by God. But, this is to say that the finalized product, as guided by the moving of the Spirit, consisted of the very Words which God had spoken.

I don’t know if there is a way to harmonize the "nuts and bolts" of this operation so as to understand all with our human minds. But, we can accept it because God’s Book says that this is so. The Words of the Scripture are the very Words of God. As such, those words are endowed with the traits of infallibility and eternity. The Scripture can never be in error. And, this is very important in this day, His Words can never be lost or fatally corrupted in time.

The Concordia Self Study Bible makes this clear when, in reference to II Timothy 3:16, the study notes argue for the power which inspiration gives unto the Words of Scripture. "Paul affirms God’s active involvement in the writing of Scripture. ...so powerful and pervasive that which is written is the infallible and authoritative Word of God..."

Sadly, the note does not make reference to the power of God to eternally preserved His Own Words. Common sense tells us that we cannot have an infallible Bible if we have lost the original message and Words. Inspiration lay upon those Words. If the words were, as some allege, lost for one thousand years of history, how can we claim an inspired Book. We cannot.

Also, without the preservation of the Scripture this is no real authority in the Bible. The Words are either God’s Words, with the full power of His inspiration, or they are the words of man with only incidental contact with God.

History tells us that we have a preserved Word. Therefore we have a powerful Word. Therefore we have a certain Authority contained in those Words. All of this is to the glory and power of God Who both inspired and preserved His Words to humanity.

Inspiration also gives us, Chafer reports, a fully rounded and complete picture of man. Thus, not every word of the Scripture is from God in the sense that God has reported the words of others. This does not diminish the concept of inspiration as God is allowing man to see his own inability when contrasted with the Holiness of God. Therefore, when God sees fit to quote a person in the Scripture, this quotation is the very Words of God in that He is displaying His glory as compared with the folly and error of sinful humanity.

Those words are inspired, of God, as object lessons to humanity.

As a "for instance," the words of the tempter are accurately recorded even though they are a lie. In this the truth of God is shown superior to the lie of Satan.

In the Book of Ecclesiastes, we have recorded the experiences and reasoning of man. This is well within the purposes of God as He shows the best reasoning of man. Compare some of the conclusions reached in this Book with some of the other places in Scripture. The best reasoning of man if often quite insightful and correct. The reasoning of God is always insightful and correct. God’s reasoning is not based on man’s conjecture. The reasoning of God is based on His infinite knowledge as Creator.

The Bible may also, as with the false comforters of Job, record the philosophizing of man.

The point to be made about this is that we need to read the Scripture carefully. We need to make note of who was speaking, and why. We need to compare Scripture with Scripture to insure that we are seeking the will of God rather than the lie of Satan. Satan suggested to Eve that she could become a god. Satan was wrong. Doctrine can not be built upon error. Doctrine must be built upon the sure Words of God.

There may be other things which we do not understand, or seeming contradictions, these are because we lack all the information or complete understanding. The best guide against this sort of error on our part is that we consider all of Scripture. It might be comforting to stay with our favorite five or six passages. It is imperative, however, that we consider the entire record of Scripture which God has given to us.

He didn’t give us "Scripture Portions." He gave us The Bible.

The Philadelphia Confession of Faith tells us that in order to more fully understand Scripture we need to study and make use of the entire canon of the Bible. "The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture itself... when there is a question ... [is that] it must be searched by ... Other places that speak more clearly."

Paul tells us, through inspiration, that we should, "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." (II Timothy 2:15)

A surface understanding of the Scripture is sufficient to lead one to salvation. But, we are directed, by God!, to study His Words. There is much more that we can learn. We can spend a lifetime studying the Words of God and barely scratch the surface of His riches laid out for us. That is a simple reason to study His Word.

Beyond this, the more time we study the Scripture, the closer we become to the Author of the volume. A systematic study of the Scripture will make us a better person, a better Christian, a more fully human person in that we are filling that need to commune with the Creator. This need is part of our physical make up. We were created to have communion with God.

If I play golf (I don’t) every single day I might become tired of the game. But, I will become better at the game through the much practice. If I study the Scripture every single day I will never become tired of its pages. The Bible is such a Book that it draws us into a loving relationship with the Author of the Book. We will want to read more, the more we read!

Besides, the more we study God’s Book, the more we will gain in knowledge of His message for humanity.

Chafer also points out that inspiration means that God has written His Words to us. "...although written by human pen, the Bible is God’s message to man rather than a message of man to his fellow man."

Just stop and think about this for a minute. God wrote a letter to you! You should want to read the Scripture if for no other reason than curiosity. On a deeper plane, if God has written to you, this means that He cares for you.

Return that love. Rush to His Words and bathe in the refreshing message that Jesus Christ died in time so that you could live in eternity.

In our next, and final section of this study, we will begin to consider that the Words of God were written to man.