Reformed Theology: 2. Inspiration & Authority of Scripture

Welcome back to the Basics of the Reformed Faith. Today's topic is the inspiration and authority of the Bible. In Genesis 1 -1 we read, In the beginning was God. Echoing the opening declaration of the Bible, in John 1 -1 we read, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

But John goes on to say,. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory. The glory is of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth. The fact that God chose to reveal himself in the person of Jesus Christ, the eternal Word made flesh, brings us to the subject of the inspiration and authority of the Bible.

The Bible as God's Written Word

It is important to understand what the various human writers of the Bible say about the Bible itself. What kind of book is it and what do they testify about it? The Bible never claims to be an inspirational book which grants its readers some sort of spiritual insight or self-enlightenment.

Rather than a self-help book, it's more like a self-death book. We are to die to self. The Bible was not given to motivate us to live better lives or motivate us to do great things. As we have seen, the Bible is given by God as a testimony to the Word made flesh, Jesus.

The testimony of the biblical writers is paramount. As Paul says in his second letter to Timothy, All scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

Although the term inspiration of scripture is used to describe God's revelation of himself to us in written form, modern translations of the Bible, such as the ESV, which is the English Standard Version, correctly note that the verb which the King James Version famously translated as inspires, as inspired, is better translated as breathed out by God.

This emphasizes the fact that the various books of the Bible are given to us by God, breathed out by him, through the agency of human authors. This is why in Romans 3 -2, for example, Paul can speak of the Old Testament as the very words of God.

Peter on Eyewitness Testimony and the Prophetic Word

In 2 Peter 1 -16 -21, we read,. For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the majestic glory,.

This is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased, we ourselves heard this very voice born from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have something more sure, the prophetic word to which you will do well to pay attention to as a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Please notice that the Apostle Peter, who physically saw Jesus with his eyes, touched him with his hands, his senses knew Jesus existed, says that we have something more sure, the prophetic word. A word from God is more sure than any of our senses.

In this passage, the Apostle Peter claims to be an eyewitness to the key events of Jesus's life. In other words, his transfiguration and other things. And he denies inventing or following myths. For Peter, scripture is the product of men being carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Scripture does not arise in the will of man. I think I'll write a book of the Bible today. But only as men are carried along by the Holy Spirit, ensuring that human sin and frailty do not rob the Bible of either its divine authority or its factual accuracy in all that it addresses, also known as inherency.

Jesus' Testimony to Scripture's Authority

And then there is the testimony of Jesus himself. Our Lord states that scripture comes from the mouth of God, Matthew 4 .4. Scripture cannot be broken, John 10 .35. That it's God's truth, John 17 .17.

Jesus tells his disciples that the Holy Spirit will come, teach them all things, and remind them of all that Jesus taught them, John 14 .26. Indeed, Jesus says in John 16 .13, when the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears, he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.

Since the Bible is the very words of God, it doesn't merely contain the Word of God, it is the Word of God. It comes to us with the authority of God himself. The Bible is God's Word written, and must be seen as divine speech through human agency.

As one writer, B .B. Warfield, aptly put it, it says, God says. So let's do a quick review. God chose to reveal himself in the person of Jesus Christ, the eternal Word made flesh. The Bible is not merely an inspirational book, but one that's designed to teach, rebuke, correct, and train God's people.

The Bible is diapnostos, Greek for breathe out by God. Scripture does not arise in the will of man, but by men carried along by the Holy Spirit. Scripture is God's truth, cannot be broken, and comes with God's authority.

It says what God says. Well, thanks again for joining us in this lesson. We look forward to seeing you in the next one.