Inspiration

Inspiration
Senior Bible
Semester 2
Thursday, January 7, 2010

The Bible is Inspired
That’s why we’re taking this course.
In scriptures’ original forms, they are inspired by God.

Inspiration
God had a supernatural, providential influence in human authors which caused them to write what God wished to be written, for the communication of revealed truth to others.
Inspiration (cont’d)
2 Peter 1:20-21
Men “carried along by the Holy Spirit” as they wrote the Bible.
2 Timothy 3:16-17
All scripture is “God-breathed”

The Bible…
…does not deceive or mislead us. It is wholly true.
…is reliable. You can count on it and base your life upon it.

Inerrant vs. Infallible
Inerrant
Means “without error.” It is wholly true.
Infallible
Means not leading people astray in areas of faith and practice but allowing for factual errors
The Bible is infallible because it is inerrant.

However…

…Not all Christians believe this!
Some say that the Bible is infallible but not inerrant.
They are trying to defend the Bible against people who say it is full of factual errors.
Jesus does not make this distinction, however.

Old Testament History
Jesus quotes extensively from the Old Testament stories.
Noah’s flood, Jonah in the big fish, etc.
Jesus apparently believed these stories to be true.

Infallible but not inerrant?
This asks people to throw away their brains.
“Where can test the Bible, it might be wrong. But where we cannot test it, you’ve just gotta believe, man.”

This idea is…

…ridiculous!
The idea that the Bible can be infallible without being inerrant is crazy.
What about Mr. Settecase?
If I were crazy, you would throw away what I say.
Shouldn’t I prove myself to be sane all the time?
The same goes for the Bible

But don’t we just have the copies?
Now, it is true that we just have copies. However, copies aren’t necessarily unreliable. Think about this: we don’t have the original syllabus for this very class! You have copies! It doesn’t make them unreliable.

What about “errors” in the Bible?
A lot of the “errors of the Bible” come from the fact that modern day skeptics try to impose 20th century culture on the Biblical authors. For example:
Shame and honor

Approximation
Biblical authors use approximation a lot, without qualifying it.
They used the language of observation.
“sunrise and sunset”—the sun isn’t actually “rising.”
Approximate ≠ inaccurate
What is the author’s intention?

How can we prove the Bible is inspired?
One approach: some books claim to be inspired.
But some of the books do not claim to be inspired.
And then, even if you could show it, it’s just a claim. It does not necessarily mean that it is true.

Another Approach
Show that the Old Testament (OT) is the inspired word of God, and therefore by implication the New Testament is too.
The Old Testament and New Testament complement each other in the forms of promise and fulfillment.
But… how do you prove the OT is true?

What about Jesus?
Jesus believed in the Old Testament.
The question comes down to, “what do you do with Jesus?”

Avez-vous des questions?