“Ancient Words, Ever True” – 2

 

 

                                      THE INSPIRATION OF THE SCRIPTURES

 

1.                  Most of us start with the assumption that the Bible is the word of God.

 

a.                   That’s a noble assumption (Acts 17:11).

 

b.                  The problem – and one of the reasons for this study – is that more and more it’s not where our neighbors start.

 

c.                   The Scriptures themselves call for us to be ready to explain why we believe in their message (1 Peter 3:15).

 

2.                  The factor which makes the sacred writings Scripture is _________________.

 

a.                   2 Timothy 3:15-16 – “...All Scripture is __________ _____ by God...”

 

b.                  The initiative in this process rests with God.

 

c.                   His action determines whether something is Scripture, not man’s.

 

3.                  Inspiration has to do with the guidance God gave to the writers of the scriptures.

 

a.                   Hebrews 1:1-2 – “...________ _________ to our fathers by the ____________...”

 

b.                  2 Peter 1:21 – “...as they were ___________ __________ by the Holy Spirit.”

 

c.                   2 Samuel 23:2-3; Acts 4:25

 

d.                  Hebrews 3:7

 

e.                   1 Peter 1:10-12

 

f.                   2 Peter 3:2, 15-16

 

g.                  Luke 1:1-4 – “...eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have ___________ them to us...to me also, having ____________ all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account...”

 

4.                  Taken together, these texts teach a particular view of the concept of inspiration.

 

a.                   It is not the writers of the scriptures were especially ___________ like artists who produce masterpieces.

 

 

b.                  It is not that their works contain, among other things, ________ that are in keeping with God’s will.

 

c.                   It is not that they took _______________, letter by letter, from the Lord.

 

d.                  It is that the Holy Spirit so prompted, oversaw and guided the apostles and prophets that what they wrote is the word of God.

 

5.                  Here are some definitions of the concept of inspiration that may be helpful.

 

a.                   “Inspiration is a supernatural influence exerted on the sacred writers by the Spirit of God, by virtue of which their writings are given divine trustworthiness.”  (Warfield)

 

b.                  Inspiration is the doctrine that:

 

i.                    God gave and guaranteed all that the Bible writers had to say on all of the subjects they discussed, and

 

ii.                  He determined for them (by inward prompting plus providential conditioning and control) the manner in which they should express His truth, and

 

iii.                In so doing He led them to express His Word in terms of their own outlook, interests, literary habits, and peculiarities of style, in the context of real life events.   (Packer and others, The Bible Almanac, 66)

 

6.                  This claim is made for the ________ ____________ of the scriptures.

 

a.                   Only the original manuscripts (often called _______________ ) were produced by the apostles and prophets who were inspired by the Holy Spirit.

 

b.                  The _________________ of the scriptures since then has been through uninspired copyists and translators who have sought to pass along the inspired Word.  Their efforts must be checked for accuracy.

 

7.                  The “qualification” for inspiration in the writer is whether he was empowered through the Spirit of God.

 

a.                   The prophets of the Old Testament were either _____________ or __________ to their office.

 

 

b.                  The apostles of Christ were promised the Holy Spirit to bring to their remembrance what Jesus had taught and to guide them into all the truth (Matt. 10:19-20; Jn. 14:26; 15:26; 16:13; Acts 1:8; 2:4; etc.)

 

c.                   The prophets of the New Testament appear to have been men who had been empowered through the laying on of the apostles’ hands.  (Eph. 3:5; Acts 8:17-18; 2 Tim. 1:6; 1 Tim. 5:18; Luke 10:7)

 

8.                  What inspired men said or wrote is to be taken as the word of God.

 

a.                   1 Thes. 2:13

 

b.                  2 Thes. 2:15