INTRODUCTION
There are various views of inspiration. The Bible says and shows about itself, a definition of divine inspiration can be formulated. The ultimate source of divine inspired God Himself for the Scripture are God “breathed” (inspired) by Him (2 Tim. 3:16): “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.” (Matt. 4:4). Scripture did not originate from human impulse, “for prophecy never had it origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:20-21).
The answer is best understood in terms of what is meant by inspiration, whatever the Bible affirms what is true. In this case, there can be no degrees of inspiration any more than there can be degrees of truth: Something is either true or false. This message will define, explain and weight prospective strengthens and weakness from various inspiration theories.
Natural Inspiration
Natural inspiration is the understanding that writers of the Bible are individuals with exceptional insight were chosen by God to write the Bible. The biblical text represents the Scripture coming from God through men (2 Peter 1:20-21). This kind of inspiration can apply to books other than the Bible, “But the line of demarcation between Bible and other religious writings is not sharp and final as to establish a qualitative difference between all other writings and every part of the canonical Scriptures”
The strengths of this view suggest, those who are exceptional artists, musicians, and poets have produced masterpieces which have not been excelled. It is contended by spiritual insight because of their gifts, could write the Scriptures. Perhaps, the weakness of this view could prove to be true inspiration from men, then why cannot geniuses today write books that would be just as inspired as the books of the Bible. Such a view of inspiration does not, of course, include infallibility of the product. According to this theory, all direct and miraculous intervention of God in the affairs of the world is denied except in two cases.
The Creation of man, that is, of man the incarnation of Christ. Everything else, the Bible includes, is exclusively natural. Natural inspiration is the higher potency of what every man possesses in some degree. The overall view makes the Bible really no different from other inspirational religious of philosophical literature.
Barthian Inspiration
Barthians theories generally align themselves with the liberal school of biblical criticism. Yet they preach like evangelicals. Barthians embrace the strength that of liberalism regarding the Gospels, which teach that there are errors in those records. For, the Barthian, revelation is center in Jesus Christ. Perhaps, if He is the center of the circle of revelation, then the Bible stands on the periphery of that circle. Jesus is the word; however the Bible serves as a witness to the Word, Christ. Barthians charge evangelicals with holding a dictation view of inspiration.
The Bible’s witness to the Word is uneven; that is, some parts of it are more important in their witness about Christ. The weaknesses of this theory suggest Barthianism teaches that the Bible points to Christ the Word. However in reality they do not know anything about the Christ apart from the Bible. Actually the Bible is the painter of Christ; that is, what we know about Christ comes from the Bible. Therefore if the Bible has errors in it, the portrait of Christ is bogus.
Verbal Plenary Inspiration
Verbal inspiration is meant, that, in the original writings, the Spirit guided in the choice of the words used. However, the human authorship was respected to the extent that the writers’ characteristics are persevered and their style and vocabulary are employed, but without the intrusion of error.
Plenary inspiration is that the accuracy which verbal inspiration secures is extended to every portion of the Bible. Therefore all of its parts are both infallible as to truth and final as to divine authority. This is the traditional doctrine of the church and that set forth by Christ and the apostles. This teaching preserves the dual authorship in a perfect balance, ascribing to each that consideration which is accorded it in the Bible.
Mystical Inspiration.
Mystical inspiration means the human authors who were enabled by God to write the Scriptures. It is the characteristic conception is the Christian man has something within himself, called enlighten reason, spiritual insight, and the Christian consciousness witness of the Spirit-to test of which every “external revelation.” It is strengthened by expressing that the Holy Spirit heightened their normal powers. The biblical teaching came through special divine communication, not through heightened capacities of men. The human authors expressed the very words of God, not of their own words.
The view point conceives of the writers as more than natural geniuses but they were Spirit-filled. However the inspiration of the books of the Bible does not suggest the view point that they were produced or written in any manner generically for other writers of the Bible. In fact there is a wide range of Christians literature which can propriety be described as inspired by the Holy Spirit in the same sense as were the books of the Bible. Therefore other Christian writings are as inspired as the Bible; secondly, the Bible books are not infallible, and they represent great religious literature that may even contain messages of God.
Since Christians are empowered of God for various tasks God working in them “both to will and to do manner, the human authors were enabled to write the Scriptures. Schleiermacher a genius himself express that inspiration is “an awakening and excitement of the religious consciousness, different in degree rather than in kind from the pious inspiration or intuitive feelings of holy men.” Dr. B.B. Warfield, writings of the mystical view of inspiration, states:
In its extremer manifestations, it has formerly tended to sever itself from the main stream of Christian thought and even to form separated sects. But in our own century, though the great genius of Schleiermacher it has been broken in upon the church like a flood, and washed into every corner of the Protestant world. As a consequence, we find men everywhere who desire to acknowledge as from God only such Scripture as “find them,” who cast the clear objective enunciation of God’s will to the mercy of the current thoughts and feelings.
Since Christians are empowered of God for their various tasks, God working in them “both to will and to do of his good pleasure” (Phil 2:13), it is held by some that, in like manner, the human authors were enabled to write the Scriptures. If this theory were true, any Christian might at any time by special divine energy write Scriptures.
Degree Inspiration
The Degrees of inspiration view point is certain portions of the Bible are more inspired or
differently inspired than other portions. Therefore this view allows for error of various sorts in Scripture. The Degree inspiration simply means that within the inspired Bible some parts are more inspired than other parts. This view also suggest the entire Bible is inspired but not to the same degree. However, the entire Scripture is incorruptible and cannot err.
Advocates of this theory attempt to strengthen and classify the degrees they propose by such words as “suggestion, direction, elevation, superintendence, guidance, and direct revelation.” This theory is classed as one in which some parts of the Bible are claimed to be inspired to a greater degree than others, giving latitude for the contention to be made that the Bible is infested with errors. Perhaps the weakness of this view suggests there is no degree of inspiration found in the text (2 Tim.3:16).
Mechanical Inspiration
Mechanical inspiration concept is contrast to the true doctrine of inspiration, which allows human authorship and personality writing under the direction of God. The biblical author is a passive instrument in the transmission of the revelation of God. The personality of the author is set aside to preserve the text from fallible human aspects. It also would be the diction and vocabulary of the divine Author, and free from the idiosyncrasies of men. All evidence of interest on the part of the human authors would be wanting. Some have held that God actually dictated the Scripture and that the writers of the Bible were only stenographers.
The weakness of this view suggests, If God dictated the Bible; any authors would express themselves concerning fears, feelings, and emotion. Such feeling would reject the “wages of sins is death” along with other Scriptures which God command men to reject his own flesh. Perhaps, it is true that the human authors did not always realize the purport of their writing. Moses could not have understood the significance latent in history, so as, Enoch, Abraham, and Joseph. A message which is dictated is obviously the product of the one who dictated, but it one is left free to write in behalf of another and then it is discovered that, while writing according to his own feelings, style, and vocabulary. Under this theory, the human author is given a full scope for this authorship, yet the exalted message is itself secured.
Partial Inspiration
Partial inspiration concerns only the doctrines of Scripture that were unknowable to the human author. God provided the general ideas and trends of revelation but gave the human author freedom in the manner of expressing it. Different theories suggest that only parts of the Bible are inspired. Some have claimed that the revelatory portions of the Bible dealing with divine truth are accurate. Therefore we cannot accept historical, geographical or scientific statements in Scripture. Perhaps partial inspiration is the idea that some portions of Scripture are more inspired than others, therefore the truth become a matter of degree.
Partial inspiration is sometimes applied as “mystical inspiration,” or the idea that God is varying degrees, which assist man but failed short of giving them the capacity to write Scripture without error. The view of partial inspiration leaves all readers with the authority to make a final judgment. The authority of Scriptures becomes the authority of the person reading the Scripture, with no two readers agreeing exactly as what is truth and what is not. It is not possible to inspire general ideas infallibly and yet not inspired the words of Scripture. The manner of giving words of revelation to the prophets and the degree of conformity to the very words of Scripture by Jesus and the apostolic writes indicate inspiration of all the biblical text, even the words.
Concept Inspiration
The Concept theory attempts to reduce the complete inspiration of the Bible. It allows human authorship by saying that God inspired the concept but no the precise words. There are very few, if any strengths what the view that human authors may have only partial understanding what God was revealed to them. God continues to emphasis in the Bible that the Scriptures are inspired. The important of words frequently mentioned in the Old Testament. “Then God spoke all these words, saying” (Exod. 20:1). Through Christ God emphasized the Scriptures are inspired, “For the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them and truly understood that I came forth from You, and they believed that You sent Me” (John 17:8).
It is frequently assumed the word is inspired by God mention the Bible as His word. “And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Gal. 3:16). This concept theory falls short of what the Scriptures claim to be true doctrine of inspiration. It is also a curse pronounced upon anyone who takes away from the Word of God, “I testify to everyone who hears the word of the prophecy o this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues which are written in this book” (Rev. 22:18).
Personal View
I personally believe that verbal and plenary is the correct view of inspiration.
There are countless theologians who reject and or deny that God’s word is infallible thus, in this present age the Word of God has been tainted by the allusion that the Word of God is not the very words spoken through man of Himself. Thus, it is the reliability of the Scriptures that supports my claim of verbal and plenary inspiration. Firstly its internal case, “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:16-17).
The Scriptures says, God said, “And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen 12:3). Then there is the extent of divine authority, 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 authority of the scripture depends upon God who is truth itself, and therefore it is to be received, because it is the Word of God.
Therefore it is indestructibility, unbreakable, and ultimate supremacy. God’s words is historical reliable, “ For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matt. 12:40). The fulfilment of literal prophecy: 20% of Scripture is prophetic. The Old Testament 6,641 verses out of 23,210 (28.6%) are predictive. The New Testament 1,711 out of 7,914 verses (21.6%) are predictive. In the entire Bible 8,352 verses out of 31,124 (27%) are predictive. Over ½ of all these prophecies have already been literally fulfilled.
Its bibliographic manuscripts case, there are more manuscript than any other word or collection of ancient antiquity. We have over 5,800 manuscripts and portions of. We have 7 copies of Plato’s work compared to 5,800 New Testament manuscripts. We have more copies closer to the original than any other work of antiquity. We have 99% accurately copied as opposed to any other work. Its uniqueness case as it relates to its circulation, translation, survival, teaching, literature, and civilization. Over a 1,500 year span by more than 40 authors from every walk of life. Written in different places, Moses in the wilderness, Jeremiah in a dungeon, Daniel on a hillside and palace; Paul inside prison walls; Luke while traveling; John exiled on the isle of Patmos. Address hundreds of controversial subjects yet with amazing harmony to the extent that a little over ½ of specific prophecies have been literally fulfilled.
Finally, it’s historical case, the testimony, written testimony, physical testimony. The writers wrote as eyewitnesses accounts. They appealed to the knowledge of the audience of whom they were writing. Many writers died martyrs death: they truly believed God’s word was truth.
CONCLUSION
As we consider various inspirations, John assures us that much more could have been written, but these are written, “that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing we might have life through his name” (John 20:31). We have to conclude that historical study and biblical evidence give us a definite assurance by the early Christians. The books did not become authoritative by church decision or as a result of the veneration attaching to things of antiquity. They were authoritative when written because God inspired them.
Therefore in the times of the founding of the Christian Church the apostles were God’s chosen instruments appointed expressly by Christ for the purpose and endued by Him with the Holy Spirit for their revelation activity. So they were conscious of such a holy gift, and as they write to us the Word of God they attach to it a suitable blessing for all who receive it in faith and practice it: “Blessed is he that read, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand” (Rev. 1:3).
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Chafer, Lewis Sperry. Major Bible Themes. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1974.
Chafer, Lewis. Systematic Theology Volume 1 and 2. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1952.
Geisler, Norman L. Systematic Theology Volume 1. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2011.
Harris, Laird. Inspiration and Canonicity of The Bible. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1971.
House, Wayne. Chart of Christian Theology and Doctrine. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1992.
Ryrie, Charles. Basic Theology. Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1999.
Warfield, Benjamin Breckinridge. The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible. Philadelphia: The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company, 1970.
