I nspiration is usually defined as a supernatural influence exerted on the sacred writers by the Spirit of God, by virtue of which their writ ings are given Divine trustworthi ness. When Paul declares that “ every scripture,” or “ all scripture” is the product of the Divine breath, “ is God-breathed,” he asserts with as much energy as he could employ that Scripture is the product of a specif ically Divine operation. The necessity of the fulfillment of all that is written in Scripture is frequently adverted to by our Lord. He repeatedly explains of occur rences occasionally happening that they have come to pass “ that the scripture might be fulfilled” (Mark 14:49; John 13:18, 17:12; cf. 12:14; Mark 9:12, 13). On the basis of Scriptural declarations, therefore, He announces with confidence that given events will certainly occur: “All ye shall be offended [literally ‘scandalized’ ] in me this night: for it is written . . .” (Matt. 26:31; Mark 14:27; cf. Luke 20:17). Al though holding at His command ample means of escape. He bows be fore on-coming calamities, for, He asks, how otherwise “ should the scriptures be fulfilled, that thus it must be?” (Matt. 26:54). It is not merely the two disciples with whom He talked on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24:25) whom He rebukes for not trusting themselves more per fectly to the teaching of Scripture. “ Ye search the scriptures,” He says to the Jews, in the classical passage (John 5:39), “because ye think that in them ye have eternal life; and these are they which bear witness of me; and ye will not come to me, that ye may have life!” These words surely were spoken more in sorrow than in scorn: there is no blame im plied either for searching the Scrip tures or for thinking that eternal life is to be found in Scripture; ap proval rather. What the Jews are blamed for is that they read with a veil lying upon their hearts which He would fain take away (II Cor. 3:15f.). “Ye search the scriptures” — that is right: and “ even you” (emphatic) “ think to have eternal life in them” — that is right, too. But “ it is these very Scriptures” (very emphatic) “which are bearing witness” (continuous process) “ of me; and” (here is the marvel!) “ ye will not come to me and have life!” — that you may, that is, reach the very end you have so properly in view in searching the Scriptures. Their failure is due, not to the Scrip tures but to themselves, who read the Scriptures to such little purpose.
INSPIRATION
by Dr. B. B. Warfield
Thus clear is it that Jesus’ occa sional adduction of Scripture as an authoritative document rests on an ascription of it to God as its author. His testimony is that whatever stands written in Scripture is a word of God. Nor can we evacuate this tes timony of its force on the plea that it represents Jesus only in the days of His flesh, when He may be sup posed to have reflected merely the opinions of His day and generation. The view of Scripture He announces was, no doubt, the view of His day and generation as well as His own view. But there is no reason to doubt that it was held by Him, not because it was the current view, but because, in His Divine-human knowledge, He knew it to be true; for, even in His humiliation, He is the faithful and true witness. And in any event we should bear in mind that this was the view of the resurrected as well as of the humiliated Christ. It was after He had suffered and had risen again in the power of His Divine life that He pronounced those foolish and slow of heart who do not believe all that stands written in all the Scrip tures (Luke 24 :25 ); and that He laid down the simple “ Thus it is written” as the sufficient ground of confident belief (Luke 24:46).
That the Scriptures are through out a Divine book, created by the Divine energy and speaking in their every part with Divine authority di rectly to the heart of the readers, is the fundamental fact concerning them which is witnessed by Christ and the sacred writers to whom we owe the New Testament. What must be understood in estimating the tes timony of the New Testament writ ers to the inspiration of Scripture is that “ Scripture” stood in their minds as the title of a unitary body of books, throughout the gift of God through His Spirit to His people; but that this body of writings was at the same time understood to be a growing aggregate, so that what is said of it applies to the new books which were being added to it as the Spirit gave them, as fully as to the old books which had come down to them from their hoary past. It is a mere matter of detail to determine precisely what new books were thus included by them in the category “ Scripture.” They tell us some of them themselves. Those who received them from their hands tell us of others. And when we put the two bodies of testimony together we find that they constitute just our New Testament.
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THE KING'S BUSINESS
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