A Blog Inspired by God?

Have you ever heard the Bible called the inspired Word of God? Perhaps you have even repeated this line to others with only the slightest understanding of its meaning. If you research the use of this doctrine, then you will find that many organizations incorporate this belief in their primary values. Even within my home town of Anderson, Indiana, one can read many such statements of faith online.

“The basis of our belief is the Bible which is the inspired Word of God and, therefore, is the final authority in matters of faith and practice.” Source: Bethany Christian Church

“We believe the Bible to be the inspired and only infallible, authoritative Word of God (II Timothy 3:16, II Peter 1:21).” Source: Liberty Christian School

“We believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and that none may add or take away from it (2 Timothy 3:15-17).” Source: Glad Tidings Church

“We believe that the Bible is God’s authentic and inspired written communication for all people — full of truth, with no mistakes in it. Source: The Christian Center

“The Bible is inspired by God, and is fully authoritative and sufficient for Christian life and practice.” Source: Anderson University

“We are a people of the Bible—the Old and New Testaments, supernaturally inspired, preserved across time, cultures, and continents, delivered to us, useful for reproof and instruction, for righteousness.” Source: Church of God Ministries

“All scripture is given by the inspiration of God.” Source: New Life Worship Center

But what does it mean for Scripture to be inspired by God? Is inspiration merely the ideas God places in the author’s head or does God inspire the actual words that he writes? Does the inspiration of God protect the integrity of those words during the copying and translating processes? And is this inspiration the same thing as God’s Spirit revealing what is meant for you to understand when you read those words? We read in the above quotations of the liberty taken by different ministries to further define what is meant by inspired, with some choosing to support their statements with Bible passages. Would it interest you to know that an author in the Bible made it clear that he had NOT received any special inspiration from God?

"30 The words of Agur the son of Jakeh, the pronouncement.

The man declares to Ithiel, to Ithiel and Ucal:

2 I am certainly more stupid than any man, And I do not have the understanding of a man; 3 Nor have I learned wisdom, Nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One. 4 Who has ascended into heaven and descended? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has wrapped the waters in His garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name or His Son’s name? Surely you know!

5 Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. 6 Do not add to His words Or He will rebuke you, and you will be proved a liar."

Proverbs 30:1-6 (NASB)

Agur has an oracle, literally a burden: a message that is apparently too heavy upon his soul to go unwritten. Verses 2-3 preempt the body of his message by letting his audience know that he has received no special insight, knowledge, or, we could say, inspiration from God. In fact, Agur claims to have less intelligence than "any man," let alone God. Are we to ignore this and say that he was inspired by God when he pointedly tells us he is not? As stupid as Agur believes he is, verse 6 informs us that he even knows not to add to “His words.” Again, are we to ignore this reference to “His words” and believe that Agur is inspired to write God’s words, but does not know or believe that he is? The NIV takes the word “oracle” in verse 1 out of context and translates it into “an inspired utterance.” This is completely misleading since verse 3 reads, “Nor do I have the knowledge of the Holy One.” This abuse by the NIV is the mistake made by believers who force God-inspired Scripture to apply to the entire Bible. For another example, read how Paul divides his teaching between what instructions are from the Lord and what is his opinion (1 Cor. 7:10-12, 25).

So is the entire Bible inspired by God? It does not claim to be because it did not exist as the Bible when the separate books were written. In the above statements of faith, two Bible passages were referenced.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness.” 2 Timothy 3:16 (NASB).

“For no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” 2 Peter 1:21 (NASB).

When Paul writes to Timothy, “All Scripture is inspired by God,” he is likely referring to the Law and the Prophets. This view is supported by Peter’s passage which explains that true prophecy is empowered through men by the Holy Spirit. There is little reason to believe that Paul considered that very letter to Timothy to be included in “All Scripture.” Furthermore, he would have no way of knowing about the future New Testament writings.

Does Jesus speak the inspired Word of God in the Gospels? If He is the Son of God, which all existing evidence supports, then yes. Evidence includes His fulfillment of prophecy, His authority over creation, and His unique effect on mankind. Since He and the Father are one, the Word of the Son is the Word of the Father. But does Jesus call any Old Testament writings inspired or are His words alone from God? Although Jesus does not use the word inspired, we can place more confidence in the writings that He teaches from. These are limited to the Jewish books of the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms.

You may ask, “What difference does it make if the Bible is the inspired Word of God or not?” The difference it can make in the defense of our beliefs is monumental. For if I claim that the Bible is unquestionably perfect, despite historical evidence, scientific evidence, and extra-biblical sources, then I am being unreasonable. God would not set up a universe in motion along with laws of science and nature, but instruct His followers to believe against the evidences of their senses and logic. On the contrary, He requires us to believe what is logical and knowable as opposed to what our hearts may want to be true.

In other words, believers need to have Reasonable Faith: believe the Bible because it is true in a knowable sense and not in blind faith. Not only do we, as Christians, appear insane when telling the world to just have faith in creation, Noah’s Ark, the resurrection of Christ, and judgment day, but we are insane if we believe in those biblical teachings with no more rationale than, “It’s in the Bible.”

But again, you ask, “Why does it matter Steven? If the Bible is true, then why does it matter if I take it at face value or understand the supporting evidence for it?” But is the Bible true? We answer, “Yes.” But how do we know? Because we believe it to be true. That is cyclic reasoning. Many Christians lack a reasonable faith in Christ and have a deplorable understanding of the Bible’s authenticity and reliability, so they have dumbed down their faith to something weak and grotesque.

If we do not understand our faith, then we are ignorant. As individuals, we risk calling ourselves Christians for what is beneficial to us for practical gain. As churches, we would rather prevent discord than pursue potentially confrontational truth. In our naivety, we promote our version of weak faith to others, risking damage to the gospel. Let us rely less on our manmade ideas of what is inspired, and, instead, draw attention to what we can support as true.

21 June 2018