Theology Position Topic One: Bibliology

(Doctrine of the Bible)

I believe the study of Bibliology, or the inspiration of the Bible, comes down to one of two truths: it is the Word of God; or it is not. Volumes have been written by a variety of scholars over the centuries both for and against the validity of the Bible as a written record of God’s Word to mankind. I do not wish to repeat all that has been written on the topic, nor do I seek to add to the larger discussion in some new insight not previously offered. Instead, I will seek to express my personal belief concerning the Bible which I share with Dr. Robert G. Witty: “I believe that the Bible itself, given the opportunity, proves its own validity beyond any reasonable doubt.” My discussion will be limited further to the following three subtopics of Bibliology: authority, inspiration, and inerrancy.

Authority of Scripture

The authority of the Bible is confirmed first in the confirmation of God through General Revelation [a theological term which refers to a universal aspect of God, his knowledge and of spiritual matters, discovered through natural means]. The Bible proclaims: “The heavens declare His righteousness, And all the peoples have seen His glory” (Psalm 97:6). But men took the truth of God and rejected it; “Because that which is known about God is evident within them [men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness] ; for God made it evident to them” (Romans 1:19). Because of the created universe man is without excuse conerning what is right and wrong; “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:20). Therefore, we can know that there is a God; He is righteous; He gives truth; He has invisable attributes and eternal power; and has a divine nature. Given that General Revelation is true, then it can be easliy believed that God would offer us a written form of His revelation to further offer explanation of Himself.

In Scripture we read that at times God specifically tells the author to write His words down: “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel, `Write all the words which I have spoken to you in a book’” (Jeremiah 30:2). The opening chapters of Revelation states ten times to “write” the words of Jesus. The Bible also records that in Exodus chapter 34 God himself wrote down His words on the stone tablets which Moses took as the Ten Commandments. In these examples alone it appears clear that God would have us to know Him through a written record. A record which, in addition to the general knowledge of his righteousness, glory, and power through the created universe, expresses some detail of Him.

Inspiration of Scripture

As I concluded in the previous section, God reveals himself in the created universe and in the written words of language we can understand. But how did God do this? How did He transmit his thoughts to paper? The Bible answers this in 2 Timothy 3:16 when it says “All Scripture is inspired by God.” Can we be sure that the words written by the original authors were inspired by God and not just the creation of their imagination? That being said let me consider the opposite declarative statement: If you could produce the original autographs of each book of the Old and New Testaments, then you could prove that they were inspired. I believe that a review of the original manuscripts would confirm that the books of the Bible were written in different languages, in different literary styles, by different writers, and over an extended period of time that includes a variety of countries and cultures. It is this very idea that a collected book written by so many, from so different a culture, language, and education could write a series of texts which fit so well together without contradiction that proves it must have a non-human author. It would be difficult to believe that even a group of men and women from the same age, country, culture, and education placed in separate rooms of the same building could collectively contrive a story independent of each other that is as well written as the Bible!

But we do not have the original manuscripts. In America we can debate the meaning of the founding fathers till we are blue in the face because many of their original letters and writings have been documented and preserved. We know exactly what the Declaration of independence says because it can be seen today in its original form in its original ink on its original paper. We are not as fortunate when it comes to the writers of the Bible and their original manuscripts. But we do have very ancient copies, and these copies tell us some important things about the original writings and their inspiration.

I agree with the author Dr. Leland Ryken, when he says “We can rest assure that the Bible as it was written is in the form God wants us to hear.” If we take this attitude in approaching a study of the original language texts (even the copies) I believe we can find evidence to show that the Bible we have was inspired by God and that it contains his words. Did God inspire only the form of the original writings, or did he influence and/or inspire the very words that the original writers penned? Or did the original writers of the Bible express God’s truth in their idea of His form and words that he laid on them to write? If the answer is yes to the first question and no to the last, then it is important that we understand the original words, and not just the thoughts expressed in them. And if it is the very words that are sacred, not just the message, then what does that mean for Godly inspiration?

Dr. Ryken has this to say concerning the proof of inspiration in the words: “The testimony of the Bible itself gives priority to the very words of the Bible…The formulas ‘the word of the Lord’ and ‘thus says the Lord,’ along with their variants, occur well over a thousand times in the Bible.” He continues, “Furthermore, the common formula by which Jesus and biblical writers appeal to an earlier part of Scripture is ‘it is written’ (or its variance), which calls attention to the very language [style and words] in which Scripture is expressed.” As Dr. Ryken points out, the Bible itself declares the importance of the words it is comprised of. The following are a few examples (emphasis added).

“Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses” (Exodus 4:30).

“And you shall speak my [God speaking] words to them” (Ezekiel 2:7).

“Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the lord said to me ‘Behold I have put my words in your mouth” (Jeremiah 1:9).

“And we impart this in word not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit” (1 Corinthians 2:13).

I think Dr. Ryken’s conclusion on the hermeneutics of the original texts reveals a clue to the verification that the original writings we inspired by God when he discusses the idea of the “otherness” of Scripture. When one reads the words of Scripture, one (who is open to the Spirit) can feel God’s presence in them. They are more than words, they are life. Jesus said this when he stated, “The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life” (John 6:63). So I believe that it can be argued conclusively that the Bible is the Inspired Word of God!

Inerrancy of Scripture

I begin my discussion of inerrancy by restating my opening belief concerning the Bible: it is the Word of God; or it is not. If the Bible is not the written Word of God, then it will be errant. Furthermore, it is irrelevant to debate the inerrancy of a document that is not divine. If the Bible’s origin is solely man, then it is destined to be in error. More importantly it would be a document that deceives us with a false hope. Paul writes: “If we have hoped in Christ [which is the central message of Scripture] in this life only, we are of all men most to be pitied” (1 Corinthians 15:19).

If the Bible is the written Word of God, then I would argue that it is possible all scriptures were written in their original manuscripts without error because He is all knowing (Hebrews 4:13) and all powerful (Matthew 19:26). Further, I believe that all subsequent copies and translations of those original manuscripts are without original error because He is present every where (Psalms 139:5, 7, 8, 9, 10) and sure to have been involved in the keeping of His Word. God testifies to this when speaking with Isaiah; “So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11). As proof that His word is true, consider the first chapter of John’s gospel: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1)…“And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). The Word, Jesus, came forth from God and did not return empty (John3:14-17, Hebrews 12:2, and Ephesians 1:19b-21)! So it is, I believe, with the written Word of God.