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INSPIRATION
Biblical inspiration is the concept that the words of the Bible were not only written by human authors but were also influenced and guided by God. This belief, which is central to many Christian denominations, asserts that the writings found in the Old Testament were divinely inspired and should be regarded as authoritative and trustworthy.
In the context of the formation of the Old Testament, biblical inspiration means that God played an active role in the composition of its various books and texts. Even though these texts were written by different authors over a span of many centuries, believers consider them to have been guided by the Holy Spirit, ensuring the accuracy and reliability of their content.
There are several key aspects to consider when discussing biblical inspiration as it applies to the formation of the Old Testament:
1. Human Instrumentation: Although the Old Testament was divinely inspired, it was still written by human authors who used their own unique styles, languages, backgrounds, and experiences. These authors were not mere passive instruments but actively participated in the writing process. God worked through their personalities, cultural context, and historical circumstances to convey His message.
2. Divine Oversight: While humans played a role in writing the Old Testament texts, they were not solely responsible for their content. According to the belief in divine inspiration, God ensured that the authors wrote exactly what He intended while allowing their individuality to shine through. This means that the divine influence extended to the smallest details, ensuring the accuracy of the message being conveyed.
3. Authority and Inerrancy: The concept of biblical inspiration imparts profound authority to the Old Testament. As divinely inspired writings, they are considered authoritative and inerrant, meaning they are free from error in all matters to which they pertain. This belief establishes the Bible as the ultimate guide for faith and practice in the lives of believers.
4. Recognition and Canonization: The process of recognizing and canonizing the inspired texts of the Old Testament involved a collective recognition by the faith community. Over time, the Jewish community and later the Christian church recognized and accepted certain books as divinely inspired, while others were excluded from the canon. The process was guided by the belief that these books carried the leading of the Holy Spirit and were indispensable for understanding God's revelation.
However, it is essential to note that interpretations of biblical inspiration may differ among different theological traditions and individuals. Some may hold more literal views, seeing every word as directly dictated by God, while others recognize the influence of divine inspiration while acknowledging the human element and cultural context of the authors.
Biblical inspiration holds that the Old Testament, as the Word of God, was divinely inspired and written with the guidance of the Holy Spirit, even though it also reflects the individuality of its human authors. This belief grants immense authority and reliability to the Old Testament texts, making them foundational to the faith of many believers.
Theories Of Biblical Inspiration
The doctrine of Biblical inspiration is the teaching that the Bible is God-breathed and is therefore our infallible rule for faith and practice. If the Bible is simply the work of the human imagination, then there is no compelling reason to follow its doctrines and moral guidelines.
The Bible itself makes the bold claim to be God-breathed: “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16–17). We notice two things regarding Scripture in this verse: 1) it is “inspired by God,” and 2) it is “profitable” for Christian living.
The following are some of the common biblical inspiration theories:
Neo-Orthodox theory
The neo-orthodox view of inspiration emphasizes the transcendence of God. Neo-orthodoxy teaches that God is so completely different from us that the only way we could ever know Him is through direct revelation (Trembath, 1987). This view of the transcendence of God denies any concept of natural theology (i.e., that God can be known through His creation).
Furthermore, neo-orthodoxy denies that the Bible is the Word of God. Rather, the Bible is a witness, or mediator, to the Word of God, Jesus. The neo-orthodox theory of inspiration is that the words in the Bible aren’t God’s words, but they are fallible words written by fallible men. The Bible is only “inspired” in that God can sometimes use the words to speak to individuals.
Dictation Theory
The dictation theory of inspiration sees God as the author of Scripture and the individual human agents as secretaries or amanuenses taking dictation. God spoke, and the man wrote it down. This view has some merit since we know there are portions of Scripture in which God essentially says, “Write this down” (e.g., Jeremiah 30:2), but not all Scripture was created that way. The Pentateuch is essentially a chronicle of the Jewish people before settling in the Promised Land.
While Moses is the primary author, much of the Pentateuch required editorial work on Moses’ part, as he undoubtedly compiled earlier records for some of the history (Geisler, 1968). Luke states in the preamble to his gospel that he performed detailed research into the events of the life of Jesus before writing (Luke 1:1–4). Many of the prophetic books read like journals of the prophets’ lives. The bottom line is that the dictation theory only explains certain portions of Scripture, but not all of it or even most of it.
Limited Inspiration Theory
The theory of limited inspiration is the opposite view of the dictation theory. Whereas the latter sees Scripture as primarily God’s work with minimal human contribution, the former sees Scripture as primarily man’s work with limited help from God. The theory of limited inspiration says that God guided the human authors but allowed them the freedom to express themselves in their works, even to the point of allowing factual and historical errors (Basinger & Basinger, 1983).
Fortunately, the Holy Spirit prevented doctrinal errors. The problem with this view is that, if the Bible is prone to error in its historical accounts, then how can we trust it in doctrinal matters? With limited inspiration, the reliability of the Bible is called into doubt. This view also seems to ignore the fact that the Bible’s story of redemption from Genesis to Revelation is told against the backdrop of human history—the doctrine is woven within the history. We can’t arbitrarily say that the history is inaccurate and then state it contains a kernel of doctrinal truth.
Plenary verbal Inspiration
The final view, and the view of orthodox Christianity, is the theory of plenary, verbal inspiration. The word plenary means “complete or full,” and verbal means “the very words of Scripture.” So plenary, verbal inspiration is the view that every single word in the Bible is the very word of God (Abraham, 1982). It’s not just the ideas or thoughts that are inspired, but the words themselves. Second Timothy 3:16–17 uses a unique Greek word, theopneustos, which means “God-breathed.” Scripture is “breathed out” of the mouth of God. The Bible’s words are God’s words.
Plenary verbal Inspiration
The final view, and the view of orthodox Christianity, is the theory of plenary, verbal inspiration. The word plenary means “complete or full,” and verbal means “the very words of Scripture.” So plenary, verbal inspiration is the view that every single word in the Bible is the very word of God (Abraham, 1982). It’s not just the ideas or thoughts that are inspired, but the words themselves. Second Timothy 3:16–17 uses a unique Greek word, theopneustos, which means “God-breathed.” Scripture is “breathed out” of the mouth of God. The Bible’s words are God’s words.