The Bible is an amazing book. It is made up of two great divisions, called testaments, that claim to reveal the sacred will of God through the course of human history.
The first of these Bible divisions is called the old testament. Its 39 books inform us of many important subjects, beginning with the creation of the universe and man, the occurrence of the first sin and the flood. The majority of old testament history, however, focuses on God's choice of Israel as a people for His own possession (Lev 20:26), and how God would, through Israel, accomplish His purpose to provide for the salvation of all mankind (cf. Gen 3:15; 12:1ff).
Thus, events relating God's covenant with Abraham, the selling of Joseph into slavery, the Egyptian oppression of the Israelites, the deliverance of the Jews from bondage, their wilderness wandering and their eventual conquest of Canaan (the promised land) takes up quite a bit of the old testament narrative. God, through the Jewish nation, was preparing all mankind, Jews and non-Jews alike, for something that was far greater than what had been revealed to the Jewish people under the law of Moses. The law of Moses foreshadowed it. The prophets talked about it. The angels desired to learn more about it. But it was kept in store until God was ready for everything to be made known (Matt. 13:17; 1 Cor 2:6-10; Gal 4:4; 1 Pet 1:9-12).
The second division of the Bible is called the new testament. Its 27 books record the details of the birth, youth, life and teachings of Jesus, called the Christ (or Messiah). The new testament also tells of the death, burial and resurrection of Christ as well as the establishment of his kingdom, the church.
The growth of the church is chronicled in the book of Acts. The church, also known as the body of Christ (Eph 1:22-23; Col 1:18, 24), is made up of those who, by following the teachings of Jesus, are added to his body through baptism. In this act they not only exhibit obedience to the will of God, they participate in Christ's death, burial and resurrection. In doing so they put off the old man of sin by the circumcision of Christ, and are therefore risen with him through faith in the operation of God (cf. Acts 2:38; Col 2:10ff).
From the epistles of Paul, Peter, James, Jude and John we learn of the tremendous growth of the church and of the need for these baptized believers to maintain doctrinal and practical (moral) purity. The final book, Revelation, based upon a glimpse of heaven itself, provides early Christians an additional reason to hope for eternity and so endure the persecution of their faith in this life.
Throughout both testaments, and all 66 books, the Bible maintains a unity not found in any other book. Though written over a span of some 1600 years by about forty different authors, it portrays a consistency that is unparalleled.
The Bible is so extraordinary, in fact, that we call it the word of God, holy, divine, and inspired. These terms, and others too, indicate that the Bible is unique, or at the very least, they are indicators that many people think that the Bible is unique.
But is it really? Is the Bible really that different from any other book? And, if different, how is it different? What does it mean to say that the Bible is the word of God- to say that it is holy, divine, and inspired?
This question is the focus of our present study. Is the Bible inspired by God, or is it just another work of man?
The issue of the Bible's inspiration is not a new one. People have been discussing the subject - some for, some against and some undecided - for nearly two thousand years. It will be our goal, however, to examine it anew for your benefit so that you will be able to have some firsthand exposure to the subject and draw your own conclusions about the matter.
The central issue of inspiration is really quite simple. Either the Bible owes its ultimate origin to man, or it owes its ultimate origin to something, or someone, beyond man. This statement applies in principle, not only to the origin of the Bible, but to every religious writing that claims to be divinely inspired.
Is the Bible a work of man?
The word "inspired" is used in a number of ways that have no relation to divine claims. The original intent of the Latin term inspirare had to do with breathing, blowing, inhaling, etc. As such it had a secondary application by referring to the infusion of life as if by breathing. It also came to mean influencing, moving or guiding in other ways. An inspirator, then, is not only a device that causes something to be drawn in (e.g., air or some other gas), but it is also used of a teacher who moves (i.e., "inspires") the intellect or emotions of his students through teaching. Any instance of influence, emotionally or intellectually, is sometimes said to occur due to this form of inspiration. (e.g., "She inspired me to study harder and do better in school.")
It is in this vein that we speak of excellence in disciplines as varied as literature, art and athletics. The writings of Shakespeare, Keats and Thoreau are said to be "inspired" because of the way that they move us emotionally. The paintings and sculptures of Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Van Gogh cause us to be equally moved. Similarly, the accomplishments of great athletes captivate us and create within us a feeling of awe and inspiration.
Is the Bible inspired in this way? Is it inspired only because it rouses us intellectually and emotionally? Surely, we must admit that certain passages move us. The simplicity of the twenty-third Psalm, a favorite of many, renders the truths of God's providential care for us in a way not out of sync with the mastery of Shakespeare. The impassioned preaching of the early Christians and apostles stimulates within us a feeling of awe and inspiration, not outdone in the least by the greatest orators of the ages. Yes, the Bible is inspired in this fashion, but no, that is not the extent of Biblical inspiration.
The Bible is inspired in ways far beyond the literary and poetic masterpieces produced by the world's greatest writers. Its word pictures create visions and impressions of people, places and events that rival, if not exceed, the artistry of the finest artists. And its depiction of the race all Christians are involved in is not excelled by the feats of the swiftest and strongest of Olympic athletes. The Bible, as beautiful and inspiring as we might consider it to be (in this sense), is yet greater in its inspiration than even these illustrations depict.
Is the Bible a work of God?
Throughout the remainder of this article we will investigate the inspiration of the Bible on a different level, a level that surpasses all human levels of inspiration. We will examine the Bible's claim to be inspired by God, not man. We will see what that inspiration is, and we will demonstrate how that level of divine inspiration can be understood and defended.
To say that the Bible is divinely inspired is to say that God is the ultimate author of the Bible. This does not mean that men were not involved in its writings, for they were. Moses, Isaiah, Matthew and John were involved in the actual writing of the words that we now have translated and recorded in our Bibles today. To say that the Bible is divinely inspired is to say that these men (and others too) were instruments of God in the recording of God's will, not man's will. This is the thrust of 2 Peter 1:20-21 - "...knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." This verse declares that God the Holy Spirit moved (or carried) the writers of his word in such a way that God's will was recorded.
This claim is seen very clearly in the following verses: "The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue." (2 Samuel 23:2); "Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: 'Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.' " (Jeremiah 1:9)
This thought is also the intent of Paul's remark to the Corinthian church when he said: "Or did the word of God come originally from you? Or was it you only that it reached?" (1 Corinthians 14:36) This rhetorical, or self-answering, question plainly expresses Paul's point. It is obvious that the Corinthians were not the originators of God's word. They heard the word, but they did not create it. God did that. And that is the thrust of the claim for divine inspiration - God is the ultimate author of the Bible.
What is the importance of inspiration?
The issue of Biblical inspiration is an important one. Regardless of the position we advocate, we must realize that each has consequences that must be considered. Let's take a moment or two to think about these considerations.
Suppose we believe that the Bible is not divinely inspired. What are the consequences of this view? A few come to mind: (1) The Bible would be just another man made book and nothing more. (2) We would have no supernatural insight into the great questions: Where did we come from? Why are we here? Where are we going? (3) God (if there is a God) has left us (if He created us) with inadequate means to know who He is or what He wants. (4) There would be a questionable basis for an objective morality. All ethical decisions would be arbitrary, existing only by convention.
What would these consequences mean with regard to all of the claims made in the Bible? (1) The Bible would not be inspired. (2) The Bible would not be inerrant. (3) The Bible would not be reliable. (4) Its salvation claims would be no greater than its claims to accurately represent historical persons, places or events. (5) Our beliefs in its statements concerning prophecy, salvation or any other topic would be purely subjective. (6) There virtually would be no means of evidence possible to justify its claims.
What reason, then, would we have to believe Biblical accounts and teachings if men alone were its authors?
Certainly men can write reliable books. Authoritative works on mathematics, history, science and geography, etc. abound in our libraries and bookstores. Not every book that addresses these subject areas is accurate - some books are, some are not. But books about "salvation" history, and books that make claims about things beyond human knowledge - how can we expect them to be accurate if written solely by man? How can a man know, for example, hundreds of years before an event occurs, that such an event will happen? How can he know all of the particulars relating to that event? If the Bible is not inspired, then we must account for what the Bible is in contrast with what the Bible says it is.
On the other hand, if the Bible is divinely inspired - that is, if God is the ultimate source for its contents and claims - then the Bible must be viewed in a different light. If a supernatural and divine author can be attributed to the Bible, then its predictive claims make sense. After all, wouldn't an infinite God be able to record information through men that was beyond the knowledge of those men? If the Bible is divinely inspired in this sense, what would such inspiration provide for its teachings about salvation and man? If divinely inspired, is what the Bible addresses concerning salvation consistent with the nature of an infinite and all-loving God? Is all of this compatible with what we know about mankind - his origin, his nature, his needs, his future? Does the Biblical claim to inspiration make a difference in our acceptance of its statements made about facts of history, geography and biography as well as about salvation and godly living?
As you can see, the issue of Biblical inspiration is an important one. Regardless of what you might think about it presently, the question is one which forces us to further consider the matter. In order to continue our study of inspiration, we turn now to an overview of the Bible's claims.
Does the Bible claim to be inspired?
In our introductory paragraphs we noted that the Bible was composed of two major divisions, called testaments. In addition to being divided into the old and new testaments, each with 39 and 27 books respectively, the Bible is subdivided into chapters and verses. Though God never designated these divisions, they serve well as a simple means of locating passages quickly, and referring to them in a uniform manner.
There are 1189 chapters in both testaments; 929 in the old and 260 in the new. And verses? There are a lot of verses in the Bible. The 929 old testament chapters contain 23,214 verses and the 260 new testament chapters have 7,959 verses, for a total of 31,173 verses. These 31,000+ verses contain more than three quarters of a million words in the King James Version of the Bible, 773,692 to be exact, but then who's counting? (All figures used here and in the table to follow are based on the KJV. Figures for other translations convey the same point.)
These figures, though trivial in one sense, are most important in another. When we study the Bible, we study it by examining the testaments, the books, the chapters, the verses and even the words. We do this in order to learn the overall message of the Bible, or to learn its teachings about some specific subject. When we study the Bible's testaments, books, chapters, verses and words concerning the subject of inspiration, there is much that we can learn.
Within the pages of the King James Version of the Bible the word "inspiration" is found only twice: once in Job 32:8 and again in 2 Timothy 3:16. The passage in Job reads: "But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding." Interestingly enough, in Job the New King James Version uses the word "breath" rather than "inspiration." This accords with the way in which the term inspiration was defined earlier. 2 Timothy 3: 16 reads: "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness..."
The limited usage of the actual term "inspiration," however, is by no means a reliable indication of the Bible's development of the theme. Its teaching concerning inspiration is much more vast than the occurrences of the term itself depict.
The Bible makes thousands of tacit claims to inspiration in every passage that says God speaks to man. As proof of this, consider the following chart. It will give you an overview of these implicit claims. It is fairly simple to understand.
For example, from the third line of the chart we learn that the terms "God" and "said" are used together in 579 verses throughout the old and new testaments. Of those verses, 43 use the two terms together in the format "God said" (line 8). Numerous others address something that God said, even though they don't use the two terms right next to each other. As an example, note Genesis 3:9 which says: "And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?" As you can see, the words "God" and "said" are used in this verse, but not in the format "God said." Nevertheless, it is still a claim to inspiration.
Term/Phrase# of Verses/Uses*
Lord/LORD 1365/6470=7835*
God/GOD 4134/309=4443*
God, said 579
"thus saith the Lord" 413
"word of the Lord" 255
"Lord said" 221
"word of God" 48
"God said" 43
"Lord hath spoken" 30
For your benefit, and further study, the following lists of scripture references are provided so that you can look them up, think about them, and examine their claims concerning inspiration. Because there are thousands of verses which implicitly claim Biblical inspiration, only a brief selection will be presented from those listed in the chart. We will list and discuss only the following three phrases:
"Thus saith the Lord"
This phrase occurs 413 times in the Bible, with all occurrences found in the old testament. It is found most frequently in the books of Jeremiah and Ezekiel, where it occurs 147 and 126 times respectively. The listing below contains at least the first and last occurrence in the books where it is found. For example, the reference to Exod. 4:22; 32:27 indicates the first and last references to the phrase "thus saith the Lord" in Exodus occur in these two places. Where one reference is given per book, it indicates that the phrase only occurs one time in that book (e.g. Obad., Nahum, Mal.). Haggai only uses the phrase four times, all of which are mentioned below.
Exod. 4:22; 32:27; Josh. 7:13; 24:2; Judg. 6:8; 1 Sam. 2:27; 15:2; 2 Sam. 7:5; 24:12; 1 Kgs. 11:31; 22:11; 2 Kgs. 1:4; 22:18; 1 Chr. 17:4; 21:10-11; 2 Chr. 11:4; 34:26; Isa. 7:7; 66:12; Jer. 2:2; 51:58; Ezek. 2:4; 47:13; Amos 1:3; 7:17; Obad.1; Micah 2:3; 3:5; Nahum 1:12; Hag. 1:5, 7; 2: 6, 11; Zech. 1:3; 11:4; Mal. 1:4
"Word of the Lord"
This phrase occurs 255 times in the Bible. Like the phrase "thus saith the Lord," it is found in the books of Jeremiah (51 times) and Ezekiel (60 times) more than in any other books. Of the total occurrences, 242 of the verses are in the old testament and 13 are in the new. All of the references from the minor prophets in the old testament (Hosea to Malachi), and all 13 of the new testament references are listed below.
Hosea 1:1, 2; 4:1; Joel 1:1; Amos 7:16; 8:12; Jonah 1:1; 3:1, 3; Micah 1:1; 4:2; Zeph. 1:1; 2:5; Hag. 1:1, 3; 2:1, 10, 20; Zech. 1:1,7; 4:6, 8; 6:9; 7:1, 4, 8; 8:1, 18; 9:1; 11:11; 12:1; Mal. 1:1; Luke 22:61; Acts 8:25; 11:16; 13:48; 13:49; 15:35; 15:36; 16:32; 19:10; 1 Ths. 1:8; 4:15; 2 Ths. 3:1; 1 Pet. 1:25
"Lord hath spoken"
The phrase "Lord hath spoken" is found in 30 verses, all of which are listed below. It is used exclusively in the old testament.
Gen. 24:51; Exod. 19:8; Lev. 10:11; Num. 10:29; 15:22; Deut. 6:19; 2 Sam. 3:18; 1 Kgs. 13:3; 14:11; 22:23; 2 Kgs. 19:21; 2 Chr. 2:15; 18:22; Isa. 1:2, 20; 16:13, 14; 22:25; 24:3; 25:8; 37:22; 40:5; 58:14; Jer. 9:12; 13:15; 27:13; 48:8; Joel 3:8; Amos 3:1; Obad. 18
As we leave our inquiry into the Bible's claim to inspiration, it is significant that we repeat a thought earlier introduced. The chart citing terms referring to God (and their corresponding frequencies) is only a partial listing. There are dozens, if not scores, of additional terms/phrases that directly or indirectly relate to Deity. Furthermore, the three phrases we looked at in more detail ("thus saith the Lord," "word of the Lord," and "Lord hath spoken") were only given a cursory examination. The scripture references cited are just a sampling. Yet, we have accomplished something very important: First, we introduced verses that claim God spoke (and speaks) to man, and second, we have grasped some idea of the sheer number of verses making such a claim.
Hopefully, the questions raised concerning the Bible's claim to inspiration have been satisfactorily answered for you. It would seem obvious, to anyone honestly inquiring into the subject, that the Bible claims to be inspired. Through hundreds and thousands of verses, it claims that God is its ultimate author.
Conclusion
We have only introduced the subject of Bible inspiration. Beside discussing the importance of the issue, and noting some of the consequences of believing the Bible is or isn't inspired, our most important lesson so far focuses on the Biblical claim. In our next article we will address an even greater question: Can we actually prove the Bible's claim to be the inspired word of God?
This item originally appeared in The Good NewsPaper
