Bibliology
1. The Bible is spoken of as "inspired". What does this mean?
The Bible is a “God-breathed book”.[1]
“Inspiration” is often the English translation of a Greek word that is used to
define “God-breathed”. In 2 Timothy 3:16
we read, All
Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness (ESV). The term “breathed out” is the most
appropriate translation though other translations might read “inspired”. Jay Adams writes, “When God says that He
breathed out His Word, He means that what is written is as much His Word as if
He had spoken it audibly by means of breath.”[2]
In 1 Peter 1:10-11 we
read, “As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful searches and inquiries, seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow.” In these verses we see that the “Spirit of Christ” was “within” the writers of the books of the
Bible. We also see that the writers “made careful searches and inquiries, seeking
to know…”. With this Scripture we
can conclude that though these writers were prophesying about Christ in their
own thoughts and writing styles, they were not fully certain of their own
writings’ meanings. In other words, they
had to study their own Scriptures because the prophesies they had documented
were inspired by the Holy Spirit.
Peter gives greater understanding to this point in his second letter. In 2 Peter 1:19-20 (emphasis on v. 20-21 for sake of space) he states, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” This passage supports that the ultimate author of the Bible is the Holy Spirit. Men indeed wrote the sacred texts but God (through the Holy Spirit) breathed-out His Words perfectly through these men’s personal writing styles and experiences. It is with this confidence that we can place our complete trust in this infallible (without error) book, The Bible. We know that men who write alone can make mistakes and lie (Romans 3:23; James 2:10). Due to God’s holy nature He cannot lie or make mistakes (Isaiah 44:20; Titus 1:2). Men write fallible words but the Holy Spirit used men to record His infallible truth. God is eternal (Romans 16:26), alive (Deuteronomy 5:26), and immutable (does not change [Hebrews 13:8]). Therefore, His Word will never fade, perish, or be changed (Matthew 5:18; 24:35; 1 Peter 1:25) and is living, active, and powerful (Hebrews 4:12).
[1] Jay Adams, A Theology of Christian Counseling, p. 17
[2] Jay Adams, A Theology of Christian Counseling, p. 17
Peter gives greater understanding to this point in his second letter. In 2 Peter 1:19-20 (emphasis on v. 20-21 for sake of space) he states, “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” This passage supports that the ultimate author of the Bible is the Holy Spirit. Men indeed wrote the sacred texts but God (through the Holy Spirit) breathed-out His Words perfectly through these men’s personal writing styles and experiences. It is with this confidence that we can place our complete trust in this infallible (without error) book, The Bible. We know that men who write alone can make mistakes and lie (Romans 3:23; James 2:10). Due to God’s holy nature He cannot lie or make mistakes (Isaiah 44:20; Titus 1:2). Men write fallible words but the Holy Spirit used men to record His infallible truth. God is eternal (Romans 16:26), alive (Deuteronomy 5:26), and immutable (does not change [Hebrews 13:8]). Therefore, His Word will never fade, perish, or be changed (Matthew 5:18; 24:35; 1 Peter 1:25) and is living, active, and powerful (Hebrews 4:12).
[1] Jay Adams, A Theology of Christian Counseling, p. 17
[2] Jay Adams, A Theology of Christian Counseling, p. 17
2. What is the relationship between infallibility and authority?
Fallibility is defined by Webster’s
1828 dictionary as “liableness to err or to be deceived in one’s own judgment;
as the fallibility of men.” By contrast,
Webster defines infallibility as “not capable of erring… not liable to fail, or
to deceive confidence”. [1] Scripture teaches us that “all have sinned and fall short of the glory
of God” (Romans 3:23) and even if someone lied just once (or any sin for
that matter) that they would be guilty of breaking God’s “whole law” (James 2:10). All
men have sinned and as a result all men are fallible. The words of men cannot be infallible. As a result man’s words cannot be declared as
absolute authority or as absolute truth.
In contrast, God is holy. In Numbers 23:19 it is written, “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” In Titus 1:2 we read that “God… cannot lie”. This is simply a result of His holy nature. Holiness means separate from, or as Webster defines it, “perfect purity or integrity of moral character”.[2] He has perfection that is separate from our imperfection. Men are fallible because they are imperfect. God is holy, therefore, God is perfect, therefore, God is infallible. As described in the response to “The Bible is spoken of as ‘inspired.’ What does this mean?”, the Bible has been “breathed-out” (2 Timothy 3:16) by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is His words. The Bible is infallible because it is His truth (John 17:17).
Authority is “power; rule; sway” which gives “legal power”. [3] Authority is what people turn to in order to find out what/who rules. In Matthew 21:23-32 Jesus Christ’s words were challenged with the question, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You authority?”(v.23). The religious leaders of the time were challenging Jesus’ authority as He spoke of Godly things. Paul commended the Bereans for testing the validity of his teachings in Acts. 17:11 where he stated, “Now these (Bereans) were more noble minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things (his teachings) were so.” In both cases we have religious people (some fake [Mt. 21:25-27] and some genuine [Acts 17:11]) questioning the veracity of a teacher’s authority on God. How do we know who is right when we hear different things about God? This can only be answered by knowing what is the absolute authority and truth.
When confronted with questions about authority on God Jesus Christ is recorded as having said, “Have you not read…?” in the Gospels 7 times (Matthew 12:3, 5; 19:4; 22:31; Mark 12:10, 26; Luke 6:3). In each of these cases He was referring to Old Testament Scripture to answer their questions. Because 2 Timothy 3:16 teaches us that “all Scripture is God-breathed…” (emphasis mine) we know that Old and New Testament Scriptures are what are authoritative, infallible, and profitable for “for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Jesus modeled that our response to matters of authority must be to point people back to the truth of His Word. The inerrancy of Scriptures is an important Biblical doctrine because if His Word or His nature has error than we cannot trust the Bible as authoritative or absolute. Jay Adams says that “if the Bible were shot through with human error, and were no more dependable than any other composition – if it were not a God-breathed revelation – this note of authority would give way to opinion.” [4] His holiness shows his infallibility which gives way to His truthfulness and trustworthiness (authority). To trust in anything other than His Word is to put trust in “truth” that is not perfectly true.
[1] Webster’s 1828 Dictionary Search App, “Infallible/Fallible”
[2] Webster’s 1828 Dictionary Search App, “Holiness”
[3] Webster’s 1828 Dictionary Search App, “Authority”
[4] Jay Adams, A Theology of Christian Counseling, p. 18
In contrast, God is holy. In Numbers 23:19 it is written, “God is not a man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should repent; Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?” In Titus 1:2 we read that “God… cannot lie”. This is simply a result of His holy nature. Holiness means separate from, or as Webster defines it, “perfect purity or integrity of moral character”.[2] He has perfection that is separate from our imperfection. Men are fallible because they are imperfect. God is holy, therefore, God is perfect, therefore, God is infallible. As described in the response to “The Bible is spoken of as ‘inspired.’ What does this mean?”, the Bible has been “breathed-out” (2 Timothy 3:16) by the Holy Spirit. The Bible is His words. The Bible is infallible because it is His truth (John 17:17).
Authority is “power; rule; sway” which gives “legal power”. [3] Authority is what people turn to in order to find out what/who rules. In Matthew 21:23-32 Jesus Christ’s words were challenged with the question, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You authority?”(v.23). The religious leaders of the time were challenging Jesus’ authority as He spoke of Godly things. Paul commended the Bereans for testing the validity of his teachings in Acts. 17:11 where he stated, “Now these (Bereans) were more noble minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily, to see whether these things (his teachings) were so.” In both cases we have religious people (some fake [Mt. 21:25-27] and some genuine [Acts 17:11]) questioning the veracity of a teacher’s authority on God. How do we know who is right when we hear different things about God? This can only be answered by knowing what is the absolute authority and truth.
When confronted with questions about authority on God Jesus Christ is recorded as having said, “Have you not read…?” in the Gospels 7 times (Matthew 12:3, 5; 19:4; 22:31; Mark 12:10, 26; Luke 6:3). In each of these cases He was referring to Old Testament Scripture to answer their questions. Because 2 Timothy 3:16 teaches us that “all Scripture is God-breathed…” (emphasis mine) we know that Old and New Testament Scriptures are what are authoritative, infallible, and profitable for “for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Jesus modeled that our response to matters of authority must be to point people back to the truth of His Word. The inerrancy of Scriptures is an important Biblical doctrine because if His Word or His nature has error than we cannot trust the Bible as authoritative or absolute. Jay Adams says that “if the Bible were shot through with human error, and were no more dependable than any other composition – if it were not a God-breathed revelation – this note of authority would give way to opinion.” [4] His holiness shows his infallibility which gives way to His truthfulness and trustworthiness (authority). To trust in anything other than His Word is to put trust in “truth” that is not perfectly true.
[1] Webster’s 1828 Dictionary Search App, “Infallible/Fallible”
[2] Webster’s 1828 Dictionary Search App, “Holiness”
[3] Webster’s 1828 Dictionary Search App, “Authority”
[4] Jay Adams, A Theology of Christian Counseling, p. 18
3. What is the Bible’s authority on theological controversies?
Established in the last two
responses (see above), the Bible is the absolute authority
because it is the very words of God who is holy, perfect, and infallible. God’s Word is our only absolute truth because
God cannot make mistakes, contradict Himself, or lie (Num.23:19; Isaiah 44:20;
Titus 1:2). Controversies can be defined
as “dispute; debate; agitation of contrary opinions”.[1] “Theology is the comprehensive, holistic
interpretation of Scripture for the purpose of intimately knowing and
faithfully worshiping God”.[2] Paul instructs Timothy, “the sacred texts… are able to
give you the wisdom that leads to salvation…” (2 Tim. 3:15). God hasn’t
given us His Word merely for wisdom. If
we carry on thinking that it is to mainly know more about God than we
haven’t done theology. So what
are the Scriptures for? “For teaching, for reproof, for
correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be
adequate, equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16-17, emphasis
mine). “Sacred writings… which lead to salvation… are for every good work”.
His Word is for worship, hence, theology is a verb.
Theological controversies can occur
for several reasons. Unbelievers would
dispute truth about God’s word because in their natural state they are “blinded”, “held captive by him (the devil)
to do his will”, and cannot “understand”
His words (2 Cor. 4:4; 2 Tim. 2:26, John 8:43).
Another reason is that the devil and his demons work through false
teachers to pervert and distort the Gospel (Gal. 1:6-8; 1 Tim. 4:1). We know that Satan’s initial goal (which has
not changed) was to deceive Eve to not fully believe and accept God’s truth as
authoritative and trustworthy (“Indeed,
has God said…?”, Gen.3:1). Even
after salvation believers may struggle with proper theology because of in-dwelt
sin and pride (Rom. 7:14-24; Prov. 8:13).
Even regenerate believers of Jesus Christ can put their thoughts,
beliefs, desires, and perspectives above the authority of God’s word.
So how do we handle theological controversies with God’s truth? Christians must recognize the Bible has not been given to us to show greater knowledge or win debates (the Pharisees were guilty of this). When Paul speaks to the Ephesians (Ch. 4:14-15) about the need to be “speaking the truth in love” he is not merely saying to speak truth. The Greek word for “truth” is in verb form. It’s not just enough to speak the truth but rather being the truth. The pursuit of truth will bring people to better handle theological controversies.
Error results when the Bible is analyzed in terms of “I think it means…” or “What does it mean to you?” It doesn’t matter what it means to any of us personally because we are not authoritative. Careful hermeneutical studies are essential to a believer’s discernment. It is essential to ask oneself appropriate questions to know His truth over our own desires by pondering, “What does God mean by what He says, what does He not say, and what conclusions/questions can be drawn out from that?”[3] As essential as proper study is, proper study does not always lead to sincere worship. Knowing the Scriptures very well allowed the chief priests and scribes of Herod’s day to accurately tell him where Christ was going to be born. However, it was their indifference to God that allowed their mere knowledge to be void of worship (Matt. 2:4-8). The Lord will declare “I never knew you” to those who know Him as “Lord” but do not do the will of the Father (Matt. 7:21-23). We must humbly pray to the Holy Spirit to illuminate truth to us, trust in what it says (despite controversy), and respond with adoration in every area of our lives.
[1] Webster’s 1828 Dictionary Search App, “Controversy”
[2] From the syllabus of Dr. Andrew Snider of the Master’s Seminary, Theology 1, 2013
[3] Joey Newton explained hermeneutics to a small men’s Bible study this way at Newtown Bible Church, Newtown, CT.
So how do we handle theological controversies with God’s truth? Christians must recognize the Bible has not been given to us to show greater knowledge or win debates (the Pharisees were guilty of this). When Paul speaks to the Ephesians (Ch. 4:14-15) about the need to be “speaking the truth in love” he is not merely saying to speak truth. The Greek word for “truth” is in verb form. It’s not just enough to speak the truth but rather being the truth. The pursuit of truth will bring people to better handle theological controversies.
Error results when the Bible is analyzed in terms of “I think it means…” or “What does it mean to you?” It doesn’t matter what it means to any of us personally because we are not authoritative. Careful hermeneutical studies are essential to a believer’s discernment. It is essential to ask oneself appropriate questions to know His truth over our own desires by pondering, “What does God mean by what He says, what does He not say, and what conclusions/questions can be drawn out from that?”[3] As essential as proper study is, proper study does not always lead to sincere worship. Knowing the Scriptures very well allowed the chief priests and scribes of Herod’s day to accurately tell him where Christ was going to be born. However, it was their indifference to God that allowed their mere knowledge to be void of worship (Matt. 2:4-8). The Lord will declare “I never knew you” to those who know Him as “Lord” but do not do the will of the Father (Matt. 7:21-23). We must humbly pray to the Holy Spirit to illuminate truth to us, trust in what it says (despite controversy), and respond with adoration in every area of our lives.
[1] Webster’s 1828 Dictionary Search App, “Controversy”
[2] From the syllabus of Dr. Andrew Snider of the Master’s Seminary, Theology 1, 2013
[3] Joey Newton explained hermeneutics to a small men’s Bible study this way at Newtown Bible Church, Newtown, CT.
4. Compare and contrast the Bible and its authority to general revelation and its authority.
God has revealed Himself in a
“special” way (the Bible) as well as a “general” way (nature, God’s influence
in history, and our consciences). We can
compare special to general revelation in that they are both revelations from
God given to humanity so that we might know Him. When Paul speaks of unbelievers in Romans 1
he indicates, “the wrath of God is
revealed from heaven… that which is known about God is evident within them; for
God made it evident to them. For since
the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and
divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been
made…” (v.18-20). Paul is telling believers (through special revelation)
that God has revealed Himself through the general revelation of His creation
and His powers to uphold it. Psalm 19
tells us that “The heavens are telling of
the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands… (which) pours forth speech… (and) reveals knowledge” (v. 1-2). Paul records that even Gentiles (non-Jews)
who’ve never been given special revelation (in this case “the Law”) know “instinctively”
to obey “the Law” (Rom. 2:14-15). This is true because of the conscience God
has given us. Paul describes “conscience” in verse 15 as all people
having “the Law written in their hearts”. God provides this general revelation to
display that He is the Creator (everything created has a creator). He has given us laws of morality (conscience)
and logic (unique to humans to be able to discern). We see His all-powerful hand at work through
the fascinating details of all of our complex systems (DNA, pollination, water
cycle, etc.). All of this is from Him to
authoritatively declare to us that He is the Creator and that He is involved
with His creation so that we are “without
excuse” for not whole-heartedly acknowledging Him as God. This is as far as general revelation goes.
What is the point of general
revelation and why is it not enough? God
has revealed Himself generally so that we would recognize our need to know Him
more intimately through His special revelation.
General revelation is enough to declare all that was previously
mentioned but not enough to save a person’s soul from the “wrath of God” rightly laid upon those “who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom. 1:18). Righteousness
is a foundational understanding of God for every believer. However, it cannot be observed through
general revelation. Grudem noted that it
is the Bible that reveals God’s attributes with mankind.[1] The Bible (special revelation) is God
revealing Himself personally (answering the who, when, where, what, and why
questions) whereas general revelation is God revealing His general existence
and involvement. King David declared
God’s word as “my counselors” and testified
that they have “more insight than all my
teachers” (Ps. 119:24, 99). He
continued with “How sweet are Your words
to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to
my mouth, From Your precepts I get understanding… Your word is a lamp to my
feet, And a light to my path” (Ps. 119:103-105). David needed special revelation to truly know
God. We need to know God to glorify
God. We glorify God through a changed
heart and a lifestyle of worship. This changed
heart comes from salvation which comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Rom. 1:16). General revelation cannot explain the
specifics of God’s only Son dying on the cross for all who will repent and
believe. It is the hearing of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ that brings faith (Rom. 10:17).
Without God’s gracious preservation of His words we would only know Him
at a basic, general level. The Bible is
absolute truth and stands as our ultimate authority above all natural
revelation.
[1] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 123
[1] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p. 123
5. Many Christians today speak of continuing revelation. Relate this concept to inspiration and sufficiency of the Scripture. Relate this concept to the issue of miracles, prophecy, and tongues.
As previously established God’s word
is literally breathed-out by the Holy Spirit.[1] It would be impossible for Him to go against
His perfect nature by being incomplete in what He needed to communicate. Certainly He hasn’t revealed everything about
Himself to us. His ways are unfathomable
and infinite (Psalm 139:6). In many ways
He is still a mystery to us but He has graciously revealed to us that which He
intended to reveal (Deut. 29:29). Because
He is perfect His choice in how much He has revealed about Himself is
completely sufficient. “The sufficiency
of Scripture reminds us that we are to add
nothing to Scripture”.[2] Since Christ’s earthly ministry we no longer
have need for prophetic messages because Jesus is the Son of God who speaks words
of life (John 5:24). When Jesus asked
the apostles if they wanted “to go away”
Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go?”
They didn’t seek extra information from
or about God elsewhere, they knew to stay with Him and His word – there was no
other alternative. Angels and voices
from God no longer appear because we have His sufficient word collected for us
in the Bible. If we claim to receive personal
revelation from God it must be either for our personal benefit (which is
prideful) or for the whole Church’s benefit.
If something needs to be communicated to the whole Church from you or me
than the statement being made is that the canon of God’s word is incomplete
until we speak. Statements like these
should concern us because from the beginning of the Bible to the end we see God
sternly warning and commanding people not to add anything to His word (Deut.
4:2, 12:32; Prov. 30:5-6; Rev. 22:18-19).
Today’s Christian mysticism has caused some confusion regarding extra-biblical communication with God. Our English Bibles often translate the Greek word for languages as “tongues” and the Greek word for dialect as “languages”. In Acts 2:4 people were filled with the Holy Spirit and then began to speak with other “glossa”, aka, languages. Verse 6 says people from all over the world were “bewildered” because they could hear everyone else in their own “dialektos”, aka, dialect. It’s important to note that they were first filled with the Holy Spirit, and then He miraculously made this happen. Today people believe that if they babble (what they call tongues) that they will receive greater communication with God. God has told us that “if there are tongues (languages), they will cease” (1 Cor. 13:8) and they have. Nowhere after Corinthians do we read about this topic because God does not have current need for us to hear each other in our own languages. Today’s charismatic view of tongues adds no extra revelation from God. Teaching God’s truth has not ceased (we are told to make disciples) but prophesying of the future has ceased because God already revealed all He needs to. God still causes miracles to happen but not because of our physical act upon them. Indeed we are involved in the prayer for people who need help and God may choose to miraculously change circumstances. However, some still hold to the view that was temporarily given to the apostles of healings and miracles. These were done at a specific time (early apostolic Church) for a specific reason (show the power of Christ). It is no longer a gift given to believers otherwise Paul would have healed his friends throughout his missionary journeys (cf. Epahproditus, Phil. 2:27; Timothy, 1 Tim. 5:23; Trophimus, 2 Tim. 4:20). Much more could be said but what’s most important in our counseling and our own personal walks with the Lord is to truly lay hold of His infallible, sufficient word so that we would not look to a fallible source of information for comfort, hope, peace, or joy.
[1] See the response to question 1 about “inspiration”
[2] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p.131
Today’s Christian mysticism has caused some confusion regarding extra-biblical communication with God. Our English Bibles often translate the Greek word for languages as “tongues” and the Greek word for dialect as “languages”. In Acts 2:4 people were filled with the Holy Spirit and then began to speak with other “glossa”, aka, languages. Verse 6 says people from all over the world were “bewildered” because they could hear everyone else in their own “dialektos”, aka, dialect. It’s important to note that they were first filled with the Holy Spirit, and then He miraculously made this happen. Today people believe that if they babble (what they call tongues) that they will receive greater communication with God. God has told us that “if there are tongues (languages), they will cease” (1 Cor. 13:8) and they have. Nowhere after Corinthians do we read about this topic because God does not have current need for us to hear each other in our own languages. Today’s charismatic view of tongues adds no extra revelation from God. Teaching God’s truth has not ceased (we are told to make disciples) but prophesying of the future has ceased because God already revealed all He needs to. God still causes miracles to happen but not because of our physical act upon them. Indeed we are involved in the prayer for people who need help and God may choose to miraculously change circumstances. However, some still hold to the view that was temporarily given to the apostles of healings and miracles. These were done at a specific time (early apostolic Church) for a specific reason (show the power of Christ). It is no longer a gift given to believers otherwise Paul would have healed his friends throughout his missionary journeys (cf. Epahproditus, Phil. 2:27; Timothy, 1 Tim. 5:23; Trophimus, 2 Tim. 4:20). Much more could be said but what’s most important in our counseling and our own personal walks with the Lord is to truly lay hold of His infallible, sufficient word so that we would not look to a fallible source of information for comfort, hope, peace, or joy.
[1] See the response to question 1 about “inspiration”
[2] Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology, p.131