DOCTRINE OF INSPIRATION

Definition.
1. God the Holy Spirit so supernaturally directed the human writers of Scripture, that without waving their human intelligence, vocabulary, individuality, literary style, personality, personal feelings, or any other human factor, His complete and coherent message to mankind was recorded with perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture, the very words bearing the authority of divine authorship.
2. This is called verbal plenary inspiration of the Scripture.
  1. Verbal means that the Bible in its original words, from first to last, is the exact record of the mind and will of God as He intended it to be.
  2. Plenary means the entire text is equally from God but not necessarily equally important or equally indispensable; for the Bible quotes human and Satanic lies, and erroneous views of false prophets. Therefore, inspiration guarantees the accuracy of what is there, but it does not condone or sponsor errors, evils, or falsehood; it merely explains them in detail.
  3. Man is the instrument but not the author of the Word of God. 2 Pet 1:20-21, "Knowing this first, that all Scripture does not originate from one's own explanation; for no prophecy was ever made by the design [will or purpose] of mankind, but men communicated from God, being carried along by means of the Holy Spirit."
3. David's testimony is found in Ps 138:2, "I myself will worship toward Your holy temple [the temple in heaven], and I will give thanks to Your person because of Your grace and because of Your doctrine; because You have magnified Your word together with Your person.”
  1. a. Most believers have very little capacity for thanksgiving because they know so little about God as the Scripture portrays Him. God has placed the highest possible value on the Scripture.
  2. b. David was thankful for three things and this gave him capacity for life and happiness: because of Your grace, because of Your doctrine, and because God had magnified His word together with His person. You cannot glorify the person of God apart from the word of God.
4. 4. The faithfulness of God and inspiration is seen in Rom 3:3-4, "What then? If some did not believe, shall their unfaithfulness cancel the faithfulness of God? Definitely not! Rather, let God be found true though every person be found a liar. Even as it stands written, `That You might become vindicated by means of Your doctrine, and that You might become victorious even when You are maligned.'" It is the doctrine of the word of God that vindicates the policy of God and the grace of God toward each one of us.
5. 5. The biblical declaration of inspiration is found in 2 Tim 3:16-17,
  "All Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the person from God may be proficient [capable, complete, able to meet all demands of the spiritual life], having been equipped for every good of intrinsic value action."
  1. a. The Greek word THEOPNEUSTOS means "God-breathed."
  2. b. The inhale is the ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who so directed the human writers of Scripture, so that without waving their intelligence, their individuality, their personal feelings, literary style, or any other factor of human expression, and by use of their temporary spiritual gifts of prophecy and knowledge, the human writers received the accurate and exact message from God. The inhale is the ministry of God the Holy Spirit, who communicates to the human author God's complete and coherent message to that generation and all future generations of history. While the writers of Scripture had other messages for their generations, only what God wanted and what was pertinent to all generations was actually recorded and preserved, 2Sam 23:2-3; Isa 59:21; Jer 1:9; Matt 22:42-43; Mk 12:36; Acts 4:24-25, 28:25.
  3. c. The exhale is what the human writers wrote, communicating in writing the accurate, coherent, and partial knowledge in their stream of consciousness. The exhale is the divine message to man the human writer wrote down in his own language and within the framework of his own personality. God used the writers' vocabulary, intelligence, personality, feeling and individuality.
6. 6. The Holy Spirit's involvement in inspiration is very important, as taught in Acts 28:25, "The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, ..."
  1. a. The Holy Spirit communicated to the human authors of Scripture God's complete and coherent message for both that immediate generation and all generations to follow. Inspiration guarantees that the Canon is accurate. Variations are for believers in different ages; e.g., the ritual plan for Israel and the protocol plan with its mystery doctrine for the Church. But inspiration guarantees that all believers in all dispensations will always have a clear revelation of the plan of God for their lives. While the writers of Scripture had other messages for their own generation, which are not recorded in the Scripture, only what was pertinent to all generations of history was actually recorded in the Canon.
  2. b. Verbal inspiration applies only to the original languages of Scripture--Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, and therefore, the human writers wrote down in their own language the divine message to mankind under the power of the Holy Spirit. In so doing, the human authors did not wave their personality, their personal feelings, their literary style, their vocabulary, their intelligence, or any other human factor involved in communication. As a result, God's complete and coherent message to mankind is recorded in the canon of Scripture with perfect accuracy in the original languages, the very words bearing the authority of divine authorship.
7. 7. The application of the doctrine of inspiration is found in Heb 10:35-36, "Therefore, do not throw away as worthless your confidence, which keeps on having rich distribution of blessing. For you keep on having need of perseverance [persistence in perception, cognition, and inculcation of doctrine], in order that when you have accomplished the will of God, you may carry off for yourself the promise."
  1. a. When you neglect Bible doctrine, you are throwing away the only true confidence related to the spiritual life. Anything else is false confidence. This confidence is the extrapolation of the ten problem solving devices in your stream of consciousness and their application in your daily experience. This is confidence which avoids converting the outside pressures of adversity into the inside pressures of stress in the soul.
  2. b. Rich distribution of blessing comes only from Bible doctrine. Your cognition of doctrine is the basis for the distribution of your escrow blessings for time and eternity.
  3. c. Perseverance means maximum metabolized doctrine, taken in on a consistent basis, located in your stream of consciousness and ready for application. This is the basis for your capacity, the basis for understanding the person of God, the will of God, the grace of God, and everything related to God.
  4. d. "Carrying off God's promise" means receiving the escrow blessings for time and eternity which He has promised. Therefore, the only issue for the believer is: Are you going to execute the plan of God or become a loser?
B. The Writers of Scripture and the Formation of the Canon.
1. 1. The Old Testament writers were all prophets. There were three categories of prophets.
  1. a. The unique prophet, Moses. He wrote the first five books of the Old Testament, called the TORAH. He was unique because he had both the gift and office of prophet. Moses received all his information by dialogue directly from God.
  2. b. Those with the office of prophet, called the NEBI'IM. These men include Joshua, Samuel (Judges and Samuel), Nathan and Gad (parts of Samuel, Kings, Chronicles), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets: Hosea, Habakkuk, Zechariah, Malachi, Amos, Joel, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Zephaniah, and Haggai.
  3. c. Those with the gift but not the office of prophecy (they did something else by profession), wrote the KETHUBIM, which means the writings. They include David, Solomon, Job, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, and Chronicles.
2. 2. Every extant book of an acknowledged messenger of the Lord who was commissioned by God to make known His will was accepted immediately as the Word of God in the formation of the Old Testament Canon.
3. 3. The formation of the Old Testament was closed in the reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus I (465-425 B.C.). Ezra came to Jerusalem in the seventh year of Artaxerxes I; Nehemiah came in the twentieth year of his reign. These were the two last writers of the Old Testament.
4. 4. The New Testament was written primarily in Koine Greek. Prior to Koine, there were three major branches of Greek language in classical times: Aeolic, Doric, and Ionic (Attic). The conquest of Alexander led to the formation of a common Greek language, Koine, which became the lingua franca from around B.C. 300 until 500 A.D.
5. 5. New Testament writers were those with the gift of apostleship or closely associated with an apostle (Mark with Peter; Luke with Paul). Each of the writers of the New Testament only had partial knowledge of the canon of Scripture, 1 Cor 13:10.
6. 6. Only Luke and Paul break out in Attic Greek at times, showing their higher classical education. Most of the New Testament is in Koine Greek, so that the Word of God could be understood by the common man.
7. 7. The word Canon comes from the Greek work KANON, meaning rule, standard, or measuring rod.
C. The Problem of the Pre-Canon Revelation. Before Bibles were written there was revelation by God Holy Spirit, 2 Sam 23:2; Ezek 2:2, 8:3, 11:1, 24; Micah 3:8; Heb 3:7, by angels, through dreams, visions, trances, and the voice of God the Father. No one has ever lacked for doctrine. The gospel has always been available to those with positive volition.
D. Once the Canon began to be written, there were four categories of Old Testament revelation.
1. 1. God the Father spoke directly to men, Isa 6:9-10; Acts 28:25.
2. 2. Dreams, which are revelation while the person is in a sleeping state. Gen 15:12, 31:10-13; Num 12:6; Dan 10:9.
3. 3. Visions, in which the person is wide awake and in an ecstatic state, Isa 1:1, 6:1; 1 Kings 22:19.
4. 4. Angelic teaching, Deut 33:2, Ps 68:17; Acts 7:53; Gal 3:19; Rev 1:1, 5:2, 8:3.
E. Biblical Descriptions for the Canon of Scripture.
1. 1. Heb 4:12, "The Word of God."
2. 2. 1 Cor 2:16, "The mind of Christ."
3. 3. Heb 3:7, "The voice of the Spirit."
4. 4. Jer 1:9, "Behold, I have put My words in your mouth."
5. 5. Mk 12:36; Ps 51:4; Heb 10:35-36.
6. 6. Acts 28:28, "The Holy Spirit rightfully spoke to Isaiah."
7. 7. Ps 138:2, "I myself will worship toward the temple of Your holiness [the temple in heaven], And I will give thanks to Your name because of Your grace and because of Your doctrine; Because You have magnified Your word together with Your person." God has placed the highest possible value on the Scripture.
8. 8. Ps 31:5 states our Lord's last phrase on the cross, "In Your hands I have deposited My Spirit, for You have delivered Me, O Jehovah, God of doctrine."
9. 9. Rom 3:3-4, "What then? If some did not believe, shall their unfaithfulness cancel the faithfulness of God? Definitely not! Moreover, let God be truthful even though every person is a liar. Even as it stands written, `That You might become vindicated by means of Your doctrine, and that You might become victorious when You are maligned.'"
10. 10. Rom 9:6, "However, this is not to imply that the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are {descended} from Israel." The failure of people does not mean that the Bible has failed or been cancelled. People fail, but the Bible does not fail.
  1. a. Individual or collective failures of Israel does not cancel or hinder what the Bible has promised to Israel or the plan of God for Israel. Israel's failure does not cancel the plan, will, and the purpose of God for Israel.
  2. b. This applies to believers in the Church Age as well. Since Israel is a photograph of the believer's soul, the same principle applies to the Church.
  3. c. By application, the failure of the Church Age believer does not cancel or abrogate the divine plan, will, or purpose of God as revealed in the mystery doctrine of the New Testament epistles. The word of God and the plan of God move on with or without you. The word of God and the plan of God moves on for Israel whether in any given generation Jews fail or succeed, believe or reject Jesus Christ as savior.
  4. d. Jewish failure in any dispensation does not change or hinder the plan of God for Israel. The failure of the unbeliever or the believer does not imply any failure on the part of the word of God or the plan of God.
F. The Origin of Scripture. All Scripture originates from God. God the Father spoke to men in the Old Testament. God the Son taught on earth. God the Holy Spirit communicated to human writers. No Scripture originates from human volition, design or purpose. 2 Pet 1:21, "Knowing this first, that all prophecy of Scripture does not originate from one's own explanation." A perfect Source means a perfect book.
G. The Extent of Inspiration. These are the seven areas of dispute related to Scripture.
1. 1. Scripture deals with the unknown past, including eternity past and the prehistoric angelic conflict, as well as partially recorded or unrecorded parts of human history (though not much before Assyriology). In all these areas, the Bible is accurate.
  1. a. Early civilizations before the flood, Gen 1-9.
  2. b. Problems of the post-diluvian civilization, Gen 10-11.
  3. c. Gen 1-11 is the only accurate delineation of races and how they were combined.
2. 2. Historical content. The Bible is not an historical textbook, but it is the only accurate book on ancient history. The Bible's historical references, used for background material, are always accurate.
  1. a. So accurate are historical facts in Daniel, that many have assumed that Daniel was written after fact rather than before the fact, as it was.
  2. b. The Bible correctly interprets history.
  3. c. The hermeneutical principle says that the Bible must be interpreted in the time in which it was written.
3. 3. Legal content. The Bible teaches the true meaning of objective type law. The jury system is not taught. The Bible contains a complete and accurate definition of law.
  1. a. Laws given by God are condoned by God; this is not necessarily true of all human laws, unless they follow divine policy. So all human laws are not necessarily the will of God.
  2. b. The Mosaic Law said that first you must have an incorruptible judge. Then there must be bonafied evidence, witnesses, etc.
  3. c. Law must deal with protection of life, privacy and property of individuals. Law is designed by God to make sure that the human race will survive.
  4. d. The Bible also mentions the systems of jurisprudence found in other countries at the time of writing.
4. 4. Dictation. Certain portions of Scripture are direct quotations. The doctrine of inspiration guarantees that such quotations are properly recorded in the exact way that God spoke them or willed them to be recorded. Inspiration also guarantees that the mandates of God are accurate and follow the will of God.
5. 5. Plan of God for believers. Devotional literature such as Psalms, Esther, Job, Proverbs, and Song of Solomon are provided to teach man's relationship to God, to other men, and to materialistic things. God uses the relationships, the problems, the prosperity, the pressures, the failures, and the happiness of certain believers to reveal the principles, provisions, and blessings of His grace plan. However, the modus operandi for Israel under the ritual plan of God is much different from the modus operandi of the Church under the protocol plan of God.
6. 6. Prophecy. This includes both forth telling and foretelling. The first means preaching; the second includes predicting the future as well. Some foretelling was not even understood by the prophet himself, but under inspiration all information was accurate. Inspiration involves both the selection of prophetic materials and their complete accuracy, e.g. the First Advent, resurrection, ascension and session of Christ.
7. 7. The recording of false doctrine occurs with perfect accuracy, such as lies, untrue statements, blasphemies, and even false viewpoints. While these are recorded as fact, the Bible guarantees their accuracy but never condones them. It condemns rather than condones.

5139 West Alabama, Houston, Texas 77056

In the article above, the author has given a translation/interpretation of one of my most favorite verses, one that when correctly translated goes a long way to support the theological position of "Sola Scriptura, sole fide" of relying wholly on Christ, the Personified Word, as the single authority in teaching Who He Is, and what He wants of us.

The version offered above is as follows:

David's testimony is found in Ps 138:2, "I myself will worship toward Your holy temple [the temple in heaven]¹, and I will give thanks to Your person² because of Your grace³ and because of Your doctrine⁴; because You have magnified Your word together with⁵ Your person².”

This translation of Psalm 138:2, seemingly innocuous, actually changes the profound meaning of the verse, leaving the reader with a much poorer sense of the value of God's Holy Written Word. In comparison, here is the much better, accurate (though also uninspired) English translation of the inspired Hebrew of the verse:

"I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy namefor thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name" (Ps. 138:2 AV).

Notes:

¹ -- This word "temple" is not wrong in translation, but it is an interpretation that cannot be right, since (a) it was written by David, (b) the First Temple was not yet built, (c) the tabernacle tent and premises were the focus of religion for all Israelites, (d) in David's time God's Own Presence was in the Holy of Holies, (e) David would have bowed in homage toward the Presence of God, and (f) where in the Bible is any mention of a Temple in Heaven? Thus this verse has already become a private interpretation, and not even one faithful to a good translation, let alone to the Holy Inspired Word.

² -- the Hebrew word here שׁם (shem; Strong's Number H8034) refers not particularly to His Person or the word referring to Himself, but to the concept of His Total Authority as embodied in invoking that authority. to think it refers merely to His Being greatly minimizes His Fame, His Reputation, His administrative-executive-miraculous power that can create something out of nothing. Please note well what is at stake here in mistranslation and misrepresentation of the Truly God-Inspired Word.

³ -- The Hebrew word here, חסד (khesed; H3617) does not have the sense in translation of unmerited favor that is "grace," but of withholding of earned reproach, which is "mercy" (kindness instead of the punishment which is deserved)--according to the various concordances and of learned commentators. So its translation as "grace" is at least a bit "iffy."

⁴ -- Truth involves "doctrine" (sometimes λογος/logos, G3056, is translated "doctrine, Heb. 6:1 AV), but truth is far greater than just doctrine. The Hebrew אמת (emeth, H571) is better translated by "truth." Speaking of The Christ, He did not say, "I am the way, the doctrine, and the life," did He?

⁵ -- The expression here "together with" as a translation of על (ahl, H5921) is simply not acceptable. Here's the way Strong's Hebrew-English Lexicon defines it:

"Properly the same as H5920 used as a preposition
(in the singular or plural, often with prefix, or as
conjugation with a particle following); above, over,
upon, or against (yet always in this last
relation with a downward aspect) in a great variety of
applications: . . .

The commentary of Jamieson, Fausset, and Brown says:

"thy word above all thy name — that is, God’s promise (2 Sam. 7:12-16), sustained by His mercy and truth, exceeded all other manifestations of Himself as subject of praise."

Though Adam Clarke lends some credibility to the author's version by attributing error to the Masoretic Text (which one relying on inspiration of the Masoretic cannot accept):

"Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name -- All the Versions read this sentence thus: “For thou hast magnified above all the name of thy holiness,” or, “thy holy name.” Thou hast proved that thou hast all power in heaven and in earth, and that thou art true in all thy words. And by giving the word of prophecy, and fulfilling those words, thou hast magnified thy holy name above all things - thou hast proved thyself to be ineffably great. The original is the following: כי הגדלת על כל שמך אמרתך ki higdalta al col shimcha, imrathecha, which I think might be thus translated: “For thou hast magnified thy name and thy word over all,” or, “on every occasion.” Kennicott reads, “He preferred faithfulness to his promise to the attribute of his power.” I believe my own translation to be nearest the truth. There may be some corruption in this clause."

But in contrast, Albert Barnes contests this and offers:

"I will worship - I will bow down and adore.

Toward thy holy temple
- See the notes at Ps. 5:7. The word temple here undoubtedly refers to the tabernacle.

And praise thy name for thy loving-kindness - Praise thee for thy benignity; thy mercy; thy benevolence.

And for thy truth - Thy truthfulness; thy faithfulness to thy promises.

For thou hast magnified thy word - Thou hast made it great. Compare Is. 42:21. The reference here is to the promises of God, and especially to the promise which God had made to David that the Messiah would descend from him. Compare 2 Sam. 7.

Above all thy name - Above all else that thou hast done; above all the other manifestations of thyself to me or to the world. The word "name" here would refer properly to all that God had done to make himself known - since it is by the name that we designate or distinguish anyone; and, thus understood, the meaning would be, that the word of God--the revelation which he has made of himself and of his gracious purposes to mankind--is superior in clearness, and in importance, to all the other manifestations which he has made of himself; all that can be known of him in his works.

Beyond all question there are higher and clearer manifestations of himself, of his being, of his perfection, of his purposes, in the volume of revelation, than any which his works have disclosed or can disclose. Compare Ps. 19:1-14. There are very many points in relation to God, of the highest interest to mankind, on which the disclosures of science shed no light; there are many things which it is desirable for man to know, which calmer be learned in the schools of philosophy; there are consolations which man needs in a world of trouble which cannot be found in nature; there is especially a knowledge of the method by which sin may be pardoned, and the soul saved, which can never be disclosed by the blow-pipe, the telescope, or the microscope. These things, if learned at all must be learned from revelation, and these are of more importance to man as a traveler to another world than all the learning which can be acquired in the schools of philosophy - valuable as that learning is."

The conclusion I come to is that, though I appreciate the outline, and think it is fine in substance, has a couple of rather poor examples by the author of how to affirm the value of what the concept of "inspiration" means to the person who desires to preach expositionally.

Some denominations put their human opinions above the authority of the Scripture, denying the plain sense of the texts.

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With this in mind, that is why I asked for the source of the authors verses as incorporated in the lesson.

With respect . . .

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