How God's Word Was Given

Notes

1. The Holy Scriptures which Timothy had known from a child (2 Tim. 3:15) were no doubt those writings now collected under the general name of the Old Testament, but the New Testament books are by their own statements put on an equality with them. Thus we learn (2 Peter 3:15, 16) that some wrest the epistles of Paul as they do other scriptures. Paul writes to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 14:37), demanding that he who is a prophet or spiritual should acknowledge that the things which he writes are the commandments of the Lord. The words spoken by the prophets and the commandment of the Lord through the apostle (2 Peter 3:2, Revised Version) are to have equal authority. Thus "all Scripture" is given by inspiration of God (God-breathed). It is entirely unnecessary to construct any theory of inspiration. We simply know that all Scripture is inspired of God. It may be well to note, however, that there can be no such thing as different degrees of inspiration. Such a view destroys the authority of God's word and gives to each one a Bible made by himself. Having been tried at the bar of his own reason, it contains only that authority which he has allowed to it. The historical books, as well as the prophetic books, are inspired. A prophet is one who speaks for God (John 1:23; Luke 7:28), and it makes no difference whether he is dealing with the past or future. It requires inspiration to select such events of history as will convey valuable lessons to all persons for all time, and make an absolutely truthful record of them, just as it requires inspiration to tell what will happen in the future. This inspired history is full of comfort for us (Rom. 15:4). These things happened to them, but are written for us (1 Cor. 10:11), that we might have the lessons from their experiences rather than from similar ones of our own.

2. The Revised Version of 2 Peter 1:21 may make the meaning clearer: "For no prophecy ever came by the will of man; but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Ghost." The word "prophecy" covers the same ground as the word "Scripture." What was called the Scripture was known under three general divisions (Luke 24:44), and those who wrote each division are designated as prophets. Moses was a prophet (Deut. 34:10); David was a prophet (Acts 2:29, 30), and the same is true of all through whom God has spoken (Luke 1:70; Acts 3:18). As no person can be converted simply by his own will (John 1:12, 13), so one who speaks for God cannot do so at will. Men are the instruments, but they must be moved by the Holy Ghost. Sometimes the Holy Ghost is represented as speaking (Acts 28:25), but some man is the mouthpiece. That this is so, and yet each writer preserves his individuality in a style of his own, presents no more difficulty to the believer than does his own Christian experience. This divine paradox (Phil. 2:12, 13) appears in many phases, but can always be understood by faith. The case of Balaam (Num. 22-24) and that of Caiaphas (John 11:49-51) will illustrate this text.

3. God has promised to speak to prophets (Num. 12:6), that they might act as his spokesmen to the people (Jer. 1:7), and they were to speak the words as his words (Eze. 3:10, 11). The prophet was to be very careful not to change God's message (Jer. 26:2), and was held responsible to God for the faithful proclamation of what had been said to him (Eze. 33:7-9). It was necessary that the prophets should study their own writings (1 Peter 1:10, 11) in order to know what had been revealed through them. Christ was a prophet (Luke 24:19), through whom God had promised to speak (Deut. 18:18), and through whom he did speak (John 17:8), and he was always only a mouthpiece for God (John 12:49). So it was with David (2 Sam. 23:2), and so it was with all through whom the word of God was given.