Before we begin this
study we should clarify that the intended scope is not a comprehensive study of
all available evidences on the topic at hand. To attempt such in this brief space would obviously
be an insurmountable task. Our goal
instead is to provide a few foundational evidences that will aid in the
building of faith in God and/or intrigue the reader enough that they to continue
their study of the Bible.
While it is possible to
look at the world around us and derive that there must be an intelligent
designer, this observation alone cannot reveal the mind of that intelligent
designer to us. No matter how well we
may know another person, we cannot truly know what they are thinking unless
they tell us. Many people today will say
that if God exists, than He MUST accept certain things based on their own
preconceptions rather than looking to the Bible to see what God has revealed
His will to be. In 1 Corinthians 2:11,
the Apostle Paul establishes the principle that we cannot know the mind of God
unless He reveals it to us, just like we cannot know the mind of another person.
There is a rich history
of God speaking at various times to various men and women by various
methods. In Hebrews 1:1-2, we are told
that God “at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the
fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son…” The
idea, as expressed by the writer of Hebrews, is that God has not left us to
wonder what He wants of us, but rather has told us. Consider 2 Timothy 3:16-17 where the Apostle
Paul writes that “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.”
What is inspiration?
How has God revealed His will to us? God the Father used the prophets, His own
Son, and the Apostles to convey His will.
Consider, for instance, what is said in Deuteronomy 18:18, “I [God is
speaking through Moses] will raise up for them a Prophet like you from among
their brethren, and will put My words in His mouth, and He shall speak to them
all that I command Him.” The “Prophet”
spoken of here is a prophecy not only about the coming of the Christ, but also
of how and what Jesus would speak. In
John 12:49-50, Jesus says, “For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the
Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should
speak. And I know that His command is
everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I
speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.” Essentially, we have Jesus confirming that He
was the Prophet prophesied about in Deuteronomy 18 and that He spoke only the
things given to Him by God the Father to speak.
Refer back to Hebrews
1:1 where we were told that God spoke through the prophets in time past, then
turn to Isaiah 59:21 where God is speaking to Isaiah the prophet: “As for Me,’
says the Lord, ‘this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and
My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your
mouth…” Note the similarities in what is
said to the prophet Isaiah here and what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians
2. Like the prophets of the Old Testament,
the Apostles were inspired both to speak and to write. In 1 Corinthians 2:12-13, Paul writes that
now “we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from
God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by
God. These things we also speak, not in
words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing
spiritual things with spiritual.” Paul
is informing us that he spoke not of his own volition! Like Jesus, he spoke only what the Father had
given him to speak. Consider a statement
earlier in the same chapter where Paul writes, “And my speech and my preaching
were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the
Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in
the power of God” (1 Corinthians 2:4-5).
The Bible has been
provided for us through the inspiration of the writers of Scripture. In many instances, these writers were passing
on eye witness testimony. In 1 John
1:1-4, John writes,
“That which was from the beginning, which we have
heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked
upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life – the life
was manifested, and we have seen, and bear
witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us –
that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us;
and truly our fellowship is with the Father
and with His Son Jesus Christ. And these
things we write to you that your joy
may be full.”
He speaks frequently
about how they were bearing witness of the things which they had seen and
handled. Likewise, in Luke 1:1-4 it is written, “Inasmuch as
many have taken in hand to set in order a narrative of those things which have
been fulfilled among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses
and ministers of the word delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also,
having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to
you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus, that you may know the
certainty of those things in which you were instructed.” To clarify, the passages from 1 John and Luke
1 show us that in addition to being inspired by God, these writers were
conveying their eye witness testimonies.
Again, this article is
not meant to be a comprehensive study of the inspiration of the
Scriptures. There are many, many
secondary texts dedicated to showing how we have compiled the manuscripts now known
as the Bible and there is far too much to examine here. It is fair to ask questions about how we
obtained the Bible, how it has been translated, and how it has successfully
maintained its validity over the course of thousands of years. Consider, however, that if God is the
intelligent designer of the world, is anything too difficult for Him? Would it
be impossible for God to ensure that we have His complete will? How would the
rather simple task of translation be too much for Him?
Because God has
provided us with His will, we must strive to live within it and to do as He
commands us. In Colossians 3:17 we read,
“And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father through Him.”
The term “in the name of” means, essentially, “by the authority of” the
person (in this case, Jesus) named, such as the modern term “open up in the
name of the law.” Like Jesus and the
Apostle Paul (and all other inspired prophets and authors), we must speak in
accordance with the word of God (1 Peter 4:11, 2 Timothy 2:15).
As Peter has written,
“If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God” (1 Peter 4:11).
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