THEORIES OF INSPIRATION
Prof. Jowett objects that there are various views of inspiration, all contradictory, and therefore if even those who believe inspiration and teach it, do not really understand what they mean by it, are we not justified in saying it is an elusive—a non-existent phantasm? Now this argument has no force whatever. When we sit down to read the Bible, we believe it to be inspired. In what way it was inspired matters nothing. Faith accepts that it is inspired, and is satisfied with that.
Now the disputes of the doctors of theology on inspiration are futile. Some hold, says Prof. Jowett, an inspiration of superintendence, others an inspiration of suggestion. I believe both. When the apostles wrote as eye-witnesses of events, the Spirit directed, taking care that they wrote according to His mind, putting down what He saw fit, leaving out what He wished to be left out: it is the inspiration of superintendence. Then there is the inspiration of suggestion—the history of creation, or prophecy, the Revelation in part, for instance. Here the Spirit guides more directly by revelation, as the writers were writing of things of which in themselves they knew nothing. And Jesus Christ expressly promised both: “The Spirit of truth will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself, but what he shall hear that shall he speak, and he will show you the things to come” (John 16:1313Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. (John 16:13)). Also in another place: “He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance” (John 14:2626But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. (John 14:26)). The views therefore are not contradictory but complementary.
THE UNITY OF THE BIBLE
One of the most striking proofs of inspiration is the fact that the Bible is a collection of books by different authors, written at different times, the first and last books differing by a period of many hundreds of years. And yet there is a perfect unity of design running right through the whole Bible, the separate parts being perfectly linked up with each other, so that it is evidently the work of one mind producing the harmonious whole—even the work of the Spirit of God. The various authors lived and died, and yet the true Author remains from the first book to the last, all being fitted in according to His mind. I hope to show later, more in detail, how the various parts fit in one with the other, each filling its place so naturally that, until removed, one is not aware how important it is. The existence of a Master Mind guiding the hand of the various writers must be admitted by all serious students of Scripture.
VERBAL INSPIRATION
Now, not only do we hold the inspiration of the Bible, but also the verbal inspiration of it. If the words are not infallible—that is, the original Greek and Hebrew (in copying, mistakes doubtless have crept in) —then we cannot rest with security on the statements of the Bible. But if the Holy Spirit inspired the men to write what they did, surely we must believe that He inspired the words also: we have seen that the Lord promised that the Spirit should guide them into all truth: the inspiration of superintendence cannot allow verbal inaccuracies. But what has the Bible itself to say on this question? Paul, as we have seen, emphatically states that the words he uses are those given him by the Holy Ghost (1 Cor. 2:1313Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (1 Corinthians 2:13)). Then again, the Lord Himself said, “When they deliver you up, be not anxious how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak” (Matthew 10:1919But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. (Matthew 10:19)). This is the promise of true verbal inspiration, and if in speech, how much more in writing! Again, on the day of Pentecost they “began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance” (Acts 2:44And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (Acts 2:4)): this is an example of the fulfillment of the promise quoted above.
We must believe in verbal inspiration, or no inspiration, but it is blasphemous to suppose the Spirit guiding the apostles and writers, and yet overlooking mistakes. Indeed, not only must we believe, on the Lord's testimony (and what testimony could be more sure?) that the apostles were given what to speak, but also that the Spirit Himself spoke and not the apostles. “For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh through you” (Matthew 10:2020For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. (Matthew 10:20)). What a terrible thing, then, to believe verbal inaccuracies!
THE STYLES OF THE VARIOUS WRITERS
At first sight it may seem impossible to have verbal inspiration, and yet have, as is undoubtedly found, variety of style. But this may be made clear from a musical analogy. If I sit down to a piece of music and play it on a certain piano, not allowing a single discordant note to come in, the tone or—scientifically—timbre of the instrument remains unchanged. The tone was settled in the making of the instrument, and it remains passive so that, as I will, harmonious or discordant notes will be played, and the music will have a distinctive sound due to the tone of the instrument. Played on another piano, the tone being different, the music will have a different sound, although both pianos were tuned correctly. Similarly, the style of the writer remains distinctive whilst the choice of words remains entirely in the hands of the guiding Spirit.
THE BIBLE AND SCIENCE
It is stated that the Bible cannot be inspired, as the language is inconsistent with modern science. It cannot be too often stated that the Bible is not a scientific treatise, and since that is so, an inspired instructor will only speak in the common language of men. An inspired man would say the sun rises, like any other. It is the grossest and flattest stupidity to question this—to think that the Holy Ghost, speaking to immortal souls, would stop to explain astronomy, or to avoid current expressions: the whole effect of what He said would be destroyed. Apart from that, do men stare at you as ignorant if you speak of the rising of the sun, unless you are addressing an astronomical society?
But remember at the same time, the Lord would not sanction popular errors. For example, He would not use the phoenix, as Clement did, as a proof of the resurrection. Prof. Jowett says that chemistry and geology have proved the Bible wrong, but when the whole aspect of all the sciences changes so completely in so few years, who is to say what are scientific facts, and what will be contradicted in a few years' time? But even apart from that, I say, when God has spoken, let Him “be true, and every man a liar"(Romans 3:44God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. (Romans 3:4)).
THE VALUE OF SCRIPTURAL EVIDENCE OF INSPIRATION
Now it is proposed to adduce certain internal evidences of inspiration from the Scriptures them-selves, and in doing this it is necessary to make a few preliminary remarks. We may take it that if the writers declare themselves to be inspired, their evidence is sufficient: is this so? Ordinarily, it would not be-it would be merely begging the question: this case is certainly unique, but to be on the safe side, we may take up one position which is unassailable. That position is the authority of the Son of God, which none can consistently call in question. If we can show that He states that the Old Testament Scriptures are inspired, then it must be acknowledged to be unassailably true.
Our next inquiry must be whether the Lord states anything as to the power conferred on the apostles, and here we must take the Evangelists as historical writers, and they are as much to be believed as any biographers. If He shows that the apostles were endued with power by Him, then their own statements as to their infallibility must equally be accepted. With these few remarks it will be seen that our statements are perfectly logical when we adduce Scriptural evidence of its own inspiration.
Now it is also evident that inspiration of part involves the inspiration of the whole. In Cor. 14:36, 37, Paul definitely states that he is speaking “the commandments of God,” as all acknowledge. “But,” he says, “if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.” Will anyone say that the apostle, acting in the same character, and addressing himself in the same manner, in virtue of his apostolic authority to the Romans, is less inspired than when he addresses the Corinthians? Such argument deserves no other refutation than “if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant.” To say that God has willed that the faith of the Corinthians should rest on divine inspiration, and that of the Romans on a human basis, deserves no serious answer.
We will deal with the inspiration of the Old Testament and of the New Testament separately as far as possible, though many of the references are applicable to the whole Bible.
The inspiration of the Old Testament is more directly stated, for the prophets and writers constantly use the authoritative expression, “Thus saith Jehovah.”
The inspiration of the New Testament is different: here the Holy Ghost dwells in the writers, who speak by Him, and do not therefore so often state their authority.
Finally, to those who would limit the truth and inspiration of the Bible to those passages which definitely state their inspiration, I say that I have nothing but contempt for those who would turn the Bible to a checkered patch-work of inspired and non-inspired portions, following one after the other. It is the foolish suggestion of those who unexpectedly find themselves in a wholly untenable position.
L. H. H.
(Continued from page 232)