TEEN TREE OF LIFE
THE DIVINE INSPIRATION
OF THE BIBLE
September 17, 2017
BEFORE we begin, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, take a moment to name your sins to God the Father. This will allow you to be filled with the power of The Holy Spirit as you read this booklet (EPH 5:18 & 1JO 1:9). IF YOU HAVE never believed in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have that opportunity right now. Simply tell God the Father that you are believing on His Son Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you make that decision, you are now a believer and will always be a child of God! When you die, you will spend eternity with Him forever in heaven! (JOH 3:16 & ACT 16:31).
We are going to look at the Divine Inspiration of the Bible, in order to come to a better understanding of this AMAZING book and to come to a closer and more intimate relationship with God Our Father and Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In this study, we are going to look at The Origin of the Bible, The Inspiration of the Bible, The Books of the Bible, The Authors of the Books of the Bible, the overall intent of each book and more! Our goal is to become more familiar with The Word of God and have a greater understanding of it and its message. Once we do, we will be better equipped to read, understand, and utilize it for the power it can create in our lives. This was God’s intention in giving us this precious book!
Overall, the Bible was written to give us the two-fold account of God’s Work. Everything that He has done, is doing, or will do, can be placed under one of two categories. The first is His Work in Creation and the second is His Work in Redemption.
We will start with the Origin of Scripture. All Scripture originates from God. God The Father spoke to men in the Old Testament. God The Son taught on earth. And God The Holy Spirit communicated to human writers who wrote the Bible that we have today. No Scripture originates from human volition, design, or purpose. This is important to know since without this knowledge, we could be fooled into thinking that Paul or Peter or King David are responsible for the verses they wrote. Peter said it very clearly in 2PET 1:20-21: 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. The main thing to remember is that no prophecy of Scripture is something concocted in the human heart. Prophecy resulted when The Holy Spirit prompted men and women to speak God’s Word. So, the origin of the written Word – the Bible – is God the Holy Spirit Who is a Perfect Source, Who provided us with a perfect book.
In 2TIM 3:16–17, the apostle Paul declares that All Scripture is inspired by God [God-breathed] and profitable for teaching [doctrine], for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate [mature], equipped for every good work. We are going to focus on four words in this verse. First is the word “all” which can be translated as “every, or all.” It refers to the entire Canon of the Old Testament, which Timothy had known from his youth. The New Testament had not yet been completed, but by extension, it now includes the New Testament.
The second word is “Scripture” which means “a piece of writing or a written document.” This term tells us that the focus of The Holy Spirit’s inspiration is in the written record rather than in the ideas, concepts, or even oral expressions of the writer.
The third word is “inspired.” Now, the New Testament was written in Greek so we are going to look at the Greek word for “inspired” which is “theopneustos.” It comes from the word “theos” (which means God) combined with the word “pneo” which means “to blow or breathe.” So, “theopneustos” is translated as “God-Breathed.” This tells us that God is the Author of all Scripture. MAT 4:1-4 says: Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. And the tempter came and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.” But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.’”
The fourth word we must look at from 2TIM 3:16–17 is “profitable.” In the context of this verse, it means “to help, benefit, or do good.” It also means “useful or profitable” or even “advantageous.” This tells us the reason why the Bible was given to man – to be useful, profitable, and advantageous to his life.
Now let’s look at the inspiration of the bible. The true Doctrine of Inspiration contends that God The Holy Spirit supernaturally directed the human authors of Scripture. And He did it without destroying their individuality, their literary style, their personal interests, their personal feelings, or their vocabulary! God’s complete and coherent message to mankind was recorded with perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture. The very words reflect the Authority of Divine authorship.
Inspiration was the power which enabled men of God to write the Divine revelation without error or defect. Man is the instrument, but NOT the author of the Word of God. David said in PSA 138:2: I will bow down toward Your holy temple [the temple in heaven] And give thanks to Your name for Your lovingkindness and Your truth; For You have magnified Your word according to all Your name [person].
Additionally, the Bible comes from The Trinity. The Bible is related to God the Father as the Author of the Plan and to God the Son as the Central Subject of Scripture. The Bible is the “Mind Of Christ.” It is formed through The Ministry of God the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit’s involvement in inspiration is very important, as taught in ACTS 28:25: “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers, saying, …” The Holy Spirit communicated to the human authors of Scripture, God’s complete and coherent message for both the immediate generation and all generations to follow. Inspiration guarantees that the Canon is accurate, especially when understood Dispensationally. What this means is you need to look at the Bible according to the period of time (dispensation) for which it was written. Inspiration guarantees that all believers in all dispensations will always have a clear revelation of the Plan of God for their lives. While the writers of Scripture had other messages for their own generation, which are not recorded in the Scripture, only what was pertinent to all generations of history was actually recorded in the Canon.
While it is admitted that the Bible is not a textbook on science, it is nevertheless a fact that every scientific statement in the Scriptures is absolutely true. This is amazing when you think about. Also, and this is very important, the Bible is absolutely true in all its doctrines and the statement of all kinds of words, idioms, and concepts related to the time in which it was written are accurate. Scriptural text concerning inerrancy includes: Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. (JOH 17:17)
PSA 12:6 states: The words of the Lord are pure words; As silver tried [purified] in a furnace on the earth, refined seven times. Look at PROV 30:5-6: Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar.
Let’s close with some interesting Bible statistics according to “Unger’s Bible Handbook.”
Old Testament Statistics:
There are:
- Thirty-nine books
- Seventeen historical books
- Five poetical books
- Seventeen prophetical books
- Nine-hundred twenty-nine chapters
- 23,214 verses
- 593,493 words
- The longest book is Psalms
- The shortest book is Obadiah
New Testament Statistics:
There are:
- Twenty-seven books
- Four Gospels
- One historical
- Twenty-one epistles
- One Prophetical
- Two hundred sixty chapters
- 7,959 verses
- 181,253 words
- The longest book is Acts
- The shortest book is 2 John
And that concludes a very interesting doctrine. It makes you look at the Bible in a different way, doesn’t it?