SavedByGrace
Well-Known Member
Biblical Inspiration as defined, means:
“The Supernatural action of the Holy Spirit on the mind of the sacred writers whereby the Scriptures were not merely their own but the word of God. Scripture not merely contains but is the Word of God.”
2 Peter 1:20-21 and 2 Timothy 3:15-17 are two important passages that deal with Biblical Inspiration.
“Above all else, however, remember that none of us can explain by ourselves a prophecy in the Scriptures. For no prophetic message ever came just from the human will, but people were under the control of the Holy Spirit as they spoke the message that came from God” (GNB)
“And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (NKJV)
I believe the Inspiration of the Holy Bible is Dictational. This is from the website, GotQuestions, which defines it well.
“The dictation theory states that God “dictated” His Word to the writers of Scripture, who were nothing more than human stenographers for the Holy Spirit. The dictation theory says that the Spirit wrote through the agency of human writers who were fully under God’s control. With the authors in a state of relative passivity, God dictated every word written with pinpoint accuracy. In this way, human personality and human error could not interfere with God’s intended message. The human writers did not personally contribute anything to the content of Scripture since they were passive instruments of God’s will”
This is what the Apostle Peter says in the passage that I have quoted above. The words “under the control”, or as other translations have it, “moved”, etc, come from the Greek, “φερόμενοι”, which is a present passive participle, which is from the verb φέρω. A good example of this verb in the passive voice, can be found in Acts 27:15 and 17, “And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along (ἐφερόμεθα)… After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along (ἐφέροντο)” In both cases the ship was “driven” by the wind. Likewise, the Writers of the Books of the Holy Bible, were “passive” in what they wrote, as they were “dictated” to by the Holy Spirit. Because the Words that they wrote, “came from God” (ἀπὸ θεοῦ)., with God being the “source” of what they wrote. John Trapp, in his commentary on 2 Peter 1:21, says, “As they were moved] φερομενοι. Forcibly moved, acted, carried out of themselves to say and do what God would have them”
We accept that the Writers of the Original Autograps, were directly Inspired by God the Holy Spirit, and wrote down they very Words that they were told to. So that the Holy Bible is only The Word of God, and not a mixture of, The Word of God, and the word of humans.
This Inspiration means, that when we read in the Holy Bible, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”, as in Genesis 1:1, we accept this is “The Word of God”, that they are also “Inerrant”, which is, “free from any error”, and because of this, they are “Infallible”, that is, they are “completely trustworthy and dependable”. The Words of the Holy Bible as in the Original Autograps, are The Inspired Word of God, “once for all time”, which makes the Holy Bible Unique, without any equal or comparison.
I would like to propose the “theory” of “continued Inspiration”. By which I do not mean that any of the ttranslations of the Original Autographs, like the King James Version, etc, are “Inspired” by God, as the Originals are “God-breathed”, which is impossible, as this phenomenon, is unrepeatable, and only applies to the Original Autographs. However, the very Words of the Holy Bible, that were written in the Original Autographs, like Genesis 1:1, are the same in the King James Version, which is a translation made by men, without the same “Inspiration” given to the Writers of the Original Autographs, as they are in the the originals. If the translations that are faithfully made from faithful manuscripts of the Original Autographs, do have “The Word of God”, and are Infallible and Inerrant. Then, even though these “translations” are not in themselves “Inspired” by God the Holy Spirit, are nonetheless products of the Original Autographs, which were so Inspired. Is it possible, that since these “translations” and “manuscripts”, are indeed very faithful in reproducing the Original Autographs, that the “Inspiration” that is in these Original Autographs, in some way “continues”, or “transfers” to these “copies”? Though we may used a “Version” of the Holy Bible, like the King James, yet we accept this as “The Word of God”, and build our theology on it. We read verses like John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”, and we can say with confidence, that this verse teaches, that Jesus Christ existed from all eternity, with the Father, Who is a distinct Person from “The Word”, and is “God”. And that “The Word”, is also in this verse said to be “God”, equally to the Father. We believe and accept this, because it says so in our Bible, even though this Bible is a “translation”, made by human beings. But, it is a very faithful translation, unlike, for example, the New World Translation, made by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, which cannot be considered a “faithful” translation, because of its deliberate changes, in places, to suit their theological bias.
This confidence that we have when we read and teach from the Holy Bible, is based on the fact that they are very faithful “translations” made from very faithful “copies” of the manuscripts of the Original Hebrew and Greek Books of the Holy Bible. If these “translations” are very faithful in what they have produced, as being true to the Original Autographs, which were “God-breathed”, then, I believe this this “Inspiration” is “preserved” in these faithful “copies”, by God the Holy Spirit. And we can say with the greatest of confidence, when we read our Bible, that we are indeed reading the Word of God!
Just some thoughts. I would like to hear what others think of this?
“The Supernatural action of the Holy Spirit on the mind of the sacred writers whereby the Scriptures were not merely their own but the word of God. Scripture not merely contains but is the Word of God.”
2 Peter 1:20-21 and 2 Timothy 3:15-17 are two important passages that deal with Biblical Inspiration.
“Above all else, however, remember that none of us can explain by ourselves a prophecy in the Scriptures. For no prophetic message ever came just from the human will, but people were under the control of the Holy Spirit as they spoke the message that came from God” (GNB)
“And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” (NKJV)
I believe the Inspiration of the Holy Bible is Dictational. This is from the website, GotQuestions, which defines it well.
“The dictation theory states that God “dictated” His Word to the writers of Scripture, who were nothing more than human stenographers for the Holy Spirit. The dictation theory says that the Spirit wrote through the agency of human writers who were fully under God’s control. With the authors in a state of relative passivity, God dictated every word written with pinpoint accuracy. In this way, human personality and human error could not interfere with God’s intended message. The human writers did not personally contribute anything to the content of Scripture since they were passive instruments of God’s will”
This is what the Apostle Peter says in the passage that I have quoted above. The words “under the control”, or as other translations have it, “moved”, etc, come from the Greek, “φερόμενοι”, which is a present passive participle, which is from the verb φέρω. A good example of this verb in the passive voice, can be found in Acts 27:15 and 17, “And when the ship was caught and could not face the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along (ἐφερόμεθα)… After hoisting it up, they used supports to undergird the ship. Then, fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis, they lowered the gear, and thus they were driven along (ἐφέροντο)” In both cases the ship was “driven” by the wind. Likewise, the Writers of the Books of the Holy Bible, were “passive” in what they wrote, as they were “dictated” to by the Holy Spirit. Because the Words that they wrote, “came from God” (ἀπὸ θεοῦ)., with God being the “source” of what they wrote. John Trapp, in his commentary on 2 Peter 1:21, says, “As they were moved] φερομενοι. Forcibly moved, acted, carried out of themselves to say and do what God would have them”
We accept that the Writers of the Original Autograps, were directly Inspired by God the Holy Spirit, and wrote down they very Words that they were told to. So that the Holy Bible is only The Word of God, and not a mixture of, The Word of God, and the word of humans.
This Inspiration means, that when we read in the Holy Bible, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”, as in Genesis 1:1, we accept this is “The Word of God”, that they are also “Inerrant”, which is, “free from any error”, and because of this, they are “Infallible”, that is, they are “completely trustworthy and dependable”. The Words of the Holy Bible as in the Original Autograps, are The Inspired Word of God, “once for all time”, which makes the Holy Bible Unique, without any equal or comparison.
I would like to propose the “theory” of “continued Inspiration”. By which I do not mean that any of the ttranslations of the Original Autographs, like the King James Version, etc, are “Inspired” by God, as the Originals are “God-breathed”, which is impossible, as this phenomenon, is unrepeatable, and only applies to the Original Autographs. However, the very Words of the Holy Bible, that were written in the Original Autographs, like Genesis 1:1, are the same in the King James Version, which is a translation made by men, without the same “Inspiration” given to the Writers of the Original Autographs, as they are in the the originals. If the translations that are faithfully made from faithful manuscripts of the Original Autographs, do have “The Word of God”, and are Infallible and Inerrant. Then, even though these “translations” are not in themselves “Inspired” by God the Holy Spirit, are nonetheless products of the Original Autographs, which were so Inspired. Is it possible, that since these “translations” and “manuscripts”, are indeed very faithful in reproducing the Original Autographs, that the “Inspiration” that is in these Original Autographs, in some way “continues”, or “transfers” to these “copies”? Though we may used a “Version” of the Holy Bible, like the King James, yet we accept this as “The Word of God”, and build our theology on it. We read verses like John 1:1, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God”, and we can say with confidence, that this verse teaches, that Jesus Christ existed from all eternity, with the Father, Who is a distinct Person from “The Word”, and is “God”. And that “The Word”, is also in this verse said to be “God”, equally to the Father. We believe and accept this, because it says so in our Bible, even though this Bible is a “translation”, made by human beings. But, it is a very faithful translation, unlike, for example, the New World Translation, made by the Jehovah’s Witnesses, which cannot be considered a “faithful” translation, because of its deliberate changes, in places, to suit their theological bias.
This confidence that we have when we read and teach from the Holy Bible, is based on the fact that they are very faithful “translations” made from very faithful “copies” of the manuscripts of the Original Hebrew and Greek Books of the Holy Bible. If these “translations” are very faithful in what they have produced, as being true to the Original Autographs, which were “God-breathed”, then, I believe this this “Inspiration” is “preserved” in these faithful “copies”, by God the Holy Spirit. And we can say with the greatest of confidence, when we read our Bible, that we are indeed reading the Word of God!
Just some thoughts. I would like to hear what others think of this?
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