SCRIPTURE IS INSPIRED - 2 Timothy 3:16

For the next few months, I want to run through some of the important Doctrines of the Church. We don’t talk about our core theological beliefs very often. I am confident that if I asked most people to name 5 important Christian beliefs I would get blank stares. You may ask, “it looks like the Church is doing fine, so why do we need to focus our time understanding age old teaching (doctrine)?” Great question…the simplest way I can put it is “what you believe determines how you live.”

We don’t believe in ideas just to defend them or cherish them. We believe because in believing we are motivated to live. Columbus believed the world was round so he sailed for the edge of the known world to prove the end would land him at the beginning. England stood against Nazi Germany because she believed it was wrong for Germany to capture her. Likewise, Germany felt it her duty to rid the world of Jews because of belief in an idea. We could spend hours talking about actions people have taken, both good and bad, because of their beliefs, instead let's talk about the first important Christian Belief - Scripture is inspiration by God.

The belief that the Bible is Inspired (Authoritative) is based on the conviction that God is self-disclosing. God wants to communicate with humanity. We are invited to know a God who speaks, to understand what He says and live accordingly. It says in Hebrews 1:1-2, “In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe.”

God has been speaking to humanity for a long time in a variety of ways. There are three main categories to think about when we say God speaks: Through Creation, Through Conscience, and Through Words. We will discuss all three of these ideas on Sunday. The third is most important because of its objective nature and its ability to bring correction in our lives. Paul writes Timothy, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…” 2 Timothy 3:16.

However, it is the third category of God’s conversation with us that is often hard to understand and thus believe. We find it agreeable to hear God in creation or through conscience but how does God speak through human authors? And can we trust them? This is what sets Christianity apart from other world religions – the claim of the Bible as ultimate authority.

There are a few misunderstandings about inspiration that I want to identify here because I will not have time in my sermon. First, when we talk about inspiration (God speaking verbally), we are not talking about what has been called Mechanical Dictation. This idea holds that God spoke through human beings to the extent that their individual personalities were suppressed. This is not a correct view of inspiration. We see in every book of the Bible the author’s personality, word choice, and grammar ability. The Bible gives us a little picture of the process of inspiration when it says, “Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation. For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Peter 1:17-21

This Scriptures speak of the prophet (author) being carried along by the Holy Spirit. The Word’s origin was not from the prophet, but God. He delivered it in writing by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Second, we are not talking about what is known as Dynamic Inspiration. This view claims the Bible is not intended to present absolute truth about God, because God is unknowable. Said another way, the Bible only discloses how we are to live. Again, if we look back at our scripture in 2 Peter, then we find that the prophets did not speak from their will, but God speaks about Himself. Romans 10:14 talks about people believing in God, yet the question is asked, “How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in?” The problem is solved in Romans 10:15 (or the question is answered) - by the preaching of the Word. The Bible is inspired by God to say something about God, so that you and I can know what we are to believe about God and how to live in a way that pleases Him.

Thinking of the Bible as Inspired from this advantage point changes everything. As Christians, we don’t make choices and conduct business through human reasoning (what I think is right or wrong) but through the authoritative Word of God. It is a light unto my path (Psalm 119:105).