Featured Scripture dictation, mechanical or otherwise

No mechanical dictation

God inspired these men to write inerrantly. It is obvious that their education and ability is evident in word choice, structure, and eloquence.

 

I personally think that’d be dictation whereas mechanical would be forced like a robot. However that is just my “current” take on it (not set in stone) so far and am curious myself as to how it’s viewed by others.

 

I figure mechanical dictation would be in the old days when the boss spoke into a dictaphone, which made a little record, which the secretary would then listen and type out. Or nowadays with some other recording device.

 

So hypothetically speaking, from your description, if one were to believe in mechanical dictation, it’d be as if God spoke audibly and his words were recorded somewhere for the authors to then copy?

 

It depends. Can dictation also mean it’s not just audibly and but also by way of writing only? If so, and I’m going with no bias on this quote, I would think yes the person believed in dictation. If I assumed it to be audible, that description would seem a bit vague to me to make a determination. “He made certain,” then I’d ask myself how?

 

You believe God physically forced the hands in which they couldn’t control if they wanted to, to write down the Words of God?
Just trying to follow your understanding here.

 

Also, to add to yours rlvaughn, J. B. Myers added to the description you shared that:

It seems I had the right idea from his quote about it being robotic, but not so sure on the forced part, yet.

Another viewpoint here:
W. H. Griffeth Thomas in 1929 said on dictation:

 

The Holy Spirit made sure that the Words written by the Writers of the 66 Books of the Holy Bible, are from Him. His Words, His grammar, His fully control in every respect. If there are differences in style and grammar, which there are, like in the Four Gospels. Even this detail is what the Holy Spirit told them how to write, and gave them the choice of the words and grammar. The Holy Bible IS The Word of God, as if God Himself Wrote the very Words Himself, as He did with the Ten Commandments. I cannot see any valid argument that can show that the Dictation by the Holy Spirit, is flawed in any way. He must have complete control of what is written, and how it is written.

Take, for example Titus 2:13, where the Greek, "της δοξης του μεγαλου θεου και σωτηρος ημων ιησου χριστου", has been translated in versions like the KJV, "and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ". This says that "the Great God", can be someone other than, "our Saviour Jesus Christ" (see also 2 Peter 1:1). However, the so called "rule" in Greek grammar as fomulated by Granville Sharp, only in the 18th century, shows that grammatically, this Greek refers to only One Person, the Lord Jesus Christ. This was rightly corrected in the 1881 Revised Version to, "appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ".

My point being, that even though it might have taken us 1800 years to fully understand what Paul actually wrote, yet, the Holy Spirit made sure that the Greek grammar is perfect. John 1:1, and other places is the same. The Holy Spirit has "determined" the very "jot and tittle", of the Writings in the Holy Bible. This ensures that what we have, IS The Word of Almighty God, and not a mixture of the Word of God, and the word of man.

 

says you!

 

2 Samuel 23:2, "The Spirit of the LORD spoke by me, And His word was on my tongue"

The words that David spoke, were the very Words that the Holy Spirit put in his mouth. David is the "instrument" of God's Words to humans. Likewise all the Writers of the Bible.

Luke 12:12, "for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.”

Jeremiah 1:9, "Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth"

Numbers 22:38, " And Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I have come to you! Now, have I any power at all to say anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I must speak.”

Exodus 20:1, "And God spoke all these words, saying..."

 

Exactly! well said.

 

Well, I wrote that somewhat with tongue in cheek. There might or might not be an audible voice. It might just be a voice in the mind. At any rate, a truly "mechanical dictation" would take place in such a way that the human author had nothing to do with it. He would not choose the subject, the words, the arguments, etc. It would all be God and not at all man's. But that is not what the evangelical doctrine of verbal plenary inspiration teaches. God prepared the human authors so that everything they wrote would be 100% what they wanted to write and 100% what God gave them to write. In other words, inspiration was a miraculous process.

 

Would I be correct that this is in opposition to SBG’s position in post #4? Which would contradict post #35? Apologies SBG, am not trying to “call you out,” but simply trying to understand here.

 

I don't mind, as it is what I have written, which I believe the be what the Bible actually says, regardless of any "Evangelical" doctrine on this subject. Just look at what John says in this reply in #36, "He would not choose the subject, the words, the arguments, etc. It would all be God and not at all man's". Give just ONE reason from the Bible that says that this is wrong? In #33 I gave some examples, where God did indeed actually put the words in the mouths of those He was Speaking through, so that when they spoke, they were the very Words of God! The OT is full of the expression, "Thus says the Lord", and this is just that, The Lord doing the Speaking through His Prophets, as though He were Speaking Himself. In Acts chapter 6, when Stephen begins his great speech, we read in verse 6, "And they were not able to withstand the wisdom and the Spirit by which he spake" (ASV. ESV, etc).. The Holy Spirit was Speaking His Words through Stephen. Every single Word in the Original Autographs, ARE The Word given by God the Holy Spirit, to each Writer of the 66 Books that we have. 2 Timothy 3:16, and 2 Peter 1:21, both use the passive voice in the Greek, which means that the Holy Spirit IS the actual Author of the entire Holy Bible, not simply guiding the Writers, but actually giving them the very Words that they were to write. This is the ONLY way that the Holy Bible IS The Word of God, and NOT that of God and man. I can see no Biblical objection to this. I do know of the arguments in theology, but theology is man-made and prone to error. Balaam's response is what I believe to be true for the entire Holy Bible;

Numbers 22:38, " And Balaam said to Balak, “Look, I have come to you! Now, have I any power at all to say anything? The word that God puts in my mouth, that I must speak.”

They were the very Words of God that he had to speak. This is known as "dictation". God puts the very Words that He wants us to have from Him, and the Writers faithfully write them down, and this IS the Infallible, Inerrant Word of God, The Holy Bible. This is what the Bible says, nothing to do with "theology"

 

Well, I wasn't trying to contradict SBG there, but simply explaining what a "mechanical" form of dictation would be. I think SBG and I pretty much agree theologically about verbal inspiration.

The whole thing with SBG started with me, unfortunately, making a point of basic grammar (verb or adjective?) about the Greek for "God-breathed in 2 Tim. 3:16. I wasn't differing with him on exegesis, only on grammar but I'm not sure he gets that. I should have simply left him alone.

To be more clear, I do not object to the term "dictation" being used for the process of verbal inspiration. After all, my own grandfather, John R. Rice, believed in using the term. He followed 19th century Swiss theologian Louis Gaussen in that.

I do object to using the term "mechanical" in reference to verbal inspiration. God does not do things "mechanically." Every single word of the original manuscripts was given exactly by the Holy Spirit, making it 100% the Word of God. At the same time, 100% of the Word of God was given through human instruments, prepared by God.

The term "mechanical" is used by liberals to mock evangelicals. Harry Emerson Fosdick mocked the Biblical doctrine as "mechanically inerrant" (John R. Rice, Our God-Breathed Book, the Bible, 262). Even Neo-Orthodox theologians use the same term to mock us, with Emil Brunner saying that the churches "are still suffering from the incubus of the old mechanical theory of inspiration" (Ibid., 263). Karl Barth spoke of "The historic conception of the Bible with its cult of heroes and the mechanical doctrine of verbal inspiration..." (Ibid., 265). So the accusation that verbal inspiration is "mechanical dictation" is an invention of liberals, mocking us Bible believers. However, the term "dictation" in reference to verbal inspiration is acceptable.