Inspiration Of Scripture

by R.L Shaw, Kirkintilloch, Scotland | Category: The Holy Spirit | Feb 1993

"How can we know that Scripture is from God without taking refuge in the book itself? It is as if we asked how we can distinguish between light and darkness, white and black, sweet and bitter. Scripture bears in itself no less evidence of its truth than white and black things of their colour or sweet thin~q of their taste" - Calvin.

"All Scripture is inspired by God" (2 Tim. 3:16 RSV). "All Scripture" means the whole of that Scripture the whole both in its organic unity and in the perfection of all portions of the book.

The Scriptures, comprising Moses and the prophets and the Psalms (Luke 24:44) alongside the gospel narrative (Gal. 3:8; Rom. 16:26) and the writings of the apostles (2 Peter 3:16) are the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 5:39). If then we have in Scripture a full and adequate testimony of Christ, who but the divine Spirit of God could be the Author? The world did not understand Christ because He was from heaven. Row could they if they did not know Him? Not even Paul, regenerated by divine revelation and the indwelling Spirit, could say that he knew Him, but that he desired to know Him (Phil. 3:10). Whatever knowledge Paul had was by the Spirit. The more the supremacy of the Holy Spirit is acknowledged, the more the Word is fixed in our heart. God's Words are not merely letters. They are spirit and life. They are not only a power to be felt but a voice to be

heard (See Acts 15:28; 1 Cor. 14:36,37).

If the work of the Holy Spirit is to enlighten minds and renew hearts then His special work towards men is the Scriptures. A consideration of the Old Testament writings reveals that it was not the meditation of the writers that elevated them to see marvellous and future things. It was the Spirit of the eternal God that came upon them. "Thus saith the LORD", said the prophets. Again, "The mouth of the LORD hath spoken it" (Is. 58:14).

Nor are those expressions confined to the Old Testament writings. In every age of development of the Scriptures "men spake from God being moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21). If the gospels had been written by man's recall rather than by being God-breathed, how could they adequately describe the life of Jesus Christ and His profound sayings, so perfect in every expression? How could men, of themselves, adequately write of events unseen, such as Christ's temptation in the wilderness? The character of their presentation:

Matthew describing Him as Messiah

King, Mark as the perfect Servant, Luke as Son of Man and John as Son of God, produces a divine wholeness of which man's thought is incapable. The Spirit of God alone can give adequate representation of the life of Christ. As we enter the epistles we find for instance, that in Hebrews both quotations and the drawing out of an important truth are attributed to the Holy Spirit (3:7; 9:8).

How, then, did this all come about? Let us focus attention on a few key passages of Scripture. These are 2 Timothy 3:16; 1 Peter 1:10; 2 Peter 1:21. We must differentiate clearly between inspired men, as some are sometimes described, and the inspired or God-breathed writings. We do not rest our faith on men. With the inspired Word we rest our faith on a divine testimony, believing that it is received from God (1 Thes. 2:13).

It is evident from the passages of Scripture referred to above that the Holy Spirit and not their own spirit revealed to chosen men what they wrote. Their writings, they confessed, were high above their own measure of spiritual insight. Men spoke (and wrote) from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit that was in them was the Spirit of Christ, testifymg to Him. He revealed to them what they did not understand although they searched and enquired about it. See 1 Peter 1:11 in this respect. David said, "The Spirit of the LORD spake by me" (2 Sam. 23:2). David was aware of expressions of thought too lofty for him to generate or to grasp. Peter testi

fied to the Spirit's words through David when he said, "it was needful that the scripture should be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spake before by the mouth of David" (Acts 1:10).

Yet, how wonderful are the ways of God! How marvellous that the Spirit's work in forming the Scriptures took account of man's individuality, history and experience. Job wrote in very ancient times; Moses was skilled in Egypt's wisdom; Amos was a humble shepherd; Daniel was a statesman in Babylon; Peter was a fisherman; Paul wrote in times of Roman authority. Throughout, the Spirit used the circumstances, natural endowment and experiince o~f men in His work.

Being Spint-given, the Scriptures are an eternal book, a record of the past and a guide for the present and future.

The inspiration of Scripture through the Holy Spirit extends to its very form of expression. As perfect harmony in music includes the silent pause, so the divine Composer has enlightened our minds by what is not spoken as well as by what is spoken. For example, silence in Genesis about Melchizedek's genealogy is used later to emphasize the everlasting nature of the priesthood of the Lord. Other gems appear. Peter's experience at Joppa when he fell into a trance emphasizes for us how the gracious Spirit was prepared to take up Peter's physical

and mental state to reveal precious truth. This was not something Peter had dreamt up. Peter leamed from his experience that the blessing of God in salvation is universal.

It is clear from 2 Timothy 3:16 (RSV), not that Scripture was inspired but that it is inspired. We are listening to the voice of God as often as we read. The Spirit has breathed here and in no other book. It is the Word proceeding out of the mouth of God. In obeying its precepts we know that we are acting in obedience to our heavenly Father.

Being Spirit-given, the Scriptures are an eternal book, a record of the past and a guide for the present and future. Being written by the Spirit through men, it cannot fulfil its purpose in our lives except by the continual guidance and blessing of the self-same Spirit. It requires a quickened heart and an exercised conscience. In general, books may present things logically and imaginatively, addressing conscience and feeling, but Scripture alone speaks to the whole man - to "all that is within" (See Ps. 103:1). This penetrating power is another feature of its divine origin.

I low impossible for the i~~tur~tl man to understand God-breathed words! Men may understand the structures of the book, its grammar, its language, but they cannot understand the soul of Scripture. It is spiritually discerned, the Psalmist said, "Open Thou mine eyes" (Ps. 119:18).

flow striking is the unity of Scripture and how impossible to account for it, considering the diversity of the authors, unless we realize that alt Scripture is one great organic whole, possessed of the same spirit and life, inspired by the holy Spirit who knows the end of all things from the beginning.

The testimony which so solemnly concludes the book of Revelation we believe can be viewed as having reference to all Scripture.

If any man s/ia/I add unto i/te ni, God shall add tin to hint the p/ag ties which are wfltten in this book: And if any man s/ia/I take away front the words oft/te book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are wntten in this book (Rev. 22:18,19).

Solemn words!

Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be the glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen (Eph. 3:20,21).

R.L Shaw, Kirkintilloch, Scotland | Feb 1993
The Holy Spirit