A major source of disagreement about the Bible has to do with the issue of how God inspired it. While that may not seem like much of a "red light" issue to be concerned about if you are unfamiliar with the subject, it is a major problem.

Remember Rodney King? He was the black man whose videotaped beating by police officers sparked riots in Los Angeles back in 1991. King has since won a $3.8 million lawsuit,(1) but that is not what is most remembered about him. Probably most remembered thing about Rodney King is the phrase, "Can’t we all just get along?" Remember that? Who could have dreamed back in 1991 how far and wide those words would go or how many times they would be used by journalists, comedians, and the everyday man or woman on the street to refer to humankind’s propensity for disharmony.

At the risk of sounding trite, this morning I’m going to use Rodney King’s words once again, this time in the context of the Christian religion.

"Why can’t we all just get along?"

Most of us have probably asked some version of that question to ourselves or out loud at some point in our Christian walk. Why can’t the various groups and denominations in Christendom agree? Why are there so many divisions? Isn’t there just one God? Isn’t there just one Jesus? Isn’t there only one Bible? Why don’t people who consider themselves Christians just put aside their differences and agree?

Yet is it really that simple? What of those "Christian" groups who promote the homosexual agenda even though the Bible says that such behavior is an abomination(2) worthy of death?(3) What of those groups who condone and encourage consumption of alcoholic beverages and even own the breweries and distilleries that produce them? What of those groups who forbid marriage to their leaders, though the Bible clearly labels such ill-conceived teaching as "doctrines of demons?"(4) Are we to agree with those who teach that Jesus was merely a man but not God in the flesh?(5) Should we line up with those who teach that Jesus didn’t really rise from the grave?(6) If I had time I could list many other differences as serious as these. Are we to just sweep it all away like it doesn’t matter?

It does matter. As uncomfortable as it makes us in these days when it isn’t fashionable to stand up for any kind of standard for anything, we Christians simply must hang on to the teaching of the Bible. It is that standard that will judge us in the last day.(7)

But don’t all of these groups believe in the Bible?

That depends on what you mean when you say, "believe in the Bible." The problem is not always two people reading the same passage and disagreeing on the meaning of some word. The problem is whether or not they believe the Bible has much that is relevant to say to us today at all. The problem is that even after people do understand the Bible’s teachings, they somehow believe that it does not apply to us today.

A major source of disagreement about the Bible has to do with the issue of how God inspired it. While that may not seem like much of a "red light" issue to be concerned about if you are unfamiliar with the subject, it is a major problem. In the course of this message I want to help you see just how far some people who say they believe the Bible is inspired go in nullifying the its teaching.

Let’s begin with a look in our New Testament at two very important passages of Scripture.

These verses sound rather straight forward, don’t they? All Scripture is inspired by God and is sufficient to equip us for every good work. God’s Spirit moved certain men to speak. What could be clearer? If we all believe these things, then there should be some common ground, right? Yet the way these verses are understood (or misunderstood) leads to a world of controversy and division.

Perhaps the easiest way for us to get a lock on this issue and its effects on unity is for me to make you familiar with some of the different ways people understand the inspiration of the Bible.

Each of the views of Biblical inspiration that I’m going to share with you this morning is false, so don’t get me or the church here mixed up with any of them. I present to help you understand where some of the division comes from and also to show you what is wrong with each one.

Our text in 2 Timothy says that all Scripture is inspired by God, but how is it inspired? What does inspiration mean?

There are religious leaders and theologians who shape the views of entire denominations who believe that the Bible is no more inspired than the great writings of mankind. Their idea is that the writers of the Bible were "inspired" in the same sense as great poets and speechwriters and novelists. Due to a heightened level of human genius, the writers of such works have produced something worthy of a place among the volumes of great human literature. Milton, Homer, Shakespeare, Dante, and the Bible – all put on the same level. But a product of the mind and revelation of God? No. They don’t believe that. Shakespeare’s Hamlet is every bit as "inspired" as the Bible according to this view.

While this belief yields a certain respect for the Bible as a great work and exalts the authors of the Bible, it denies that God had anything to do with its authorship. In other words, God wasn’t behind the writing of the Bible. Smart men were.

Of course, smart men make mistakes. We all understand that. Consequently, according to this view, the Bible is full of the same kinds of errors found in other ancient literature. Yes, it’s morals and insights into human nature are useful to some people in some circumstances. But you cannot trust it much beyond that, and if it ever disagrees with some view of modern thinking, well, hey, we know a lot more today than they did back then, so it only follows that we should set aside the Bible’s teaching in those areas.

Would the writers of the Bible themselves have agreed with this view? Surely they would take credit for their human achievement if there is credit to be had. Let’s try it on a few of the writers of Scripture and see what they would say…

When God called Moses in the Midian desert to go deliver His people from Egyptian bondage, you might recall that Moses resisted. In Exodus 4:10 we read,"Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since Thou hast spoken to Thy servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue." (Sounds like a real genius, doesn’t he?) Did God say, "That’s OK, Moses. You’re a smart man. You’ll do fine?" No. Here is what He said: "Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say." God was behind what Moses spoke and wrote. God inspired him.

Did King David of Israel claim genius in his writings? Hardly. Here is what he said about what was behind his words in 2 Samuel 23:2: "The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue."(8)

Did Isaiah believe that his speaking and writing were the result of his own ability? Here is what he said in Isaiah 8:11: "For thus the Lord spoke to me with mighty power and instructed me not to walk in the way of this people…" In Isaiah 38:4 we read, "…the word of the Lord came to Isaiah, saying…."

What about Jeremiah? Now there is a self-confident man who was sure of his great abilities! Yeah, right. In Jeremiah 1:6-7, he wrote: "‘Behold, I do not know how to speak, because I am a youth.’ But the Lord said to me, ‘Do not say, 'I am a youth,'Because everywhere I send you, you shall go, and all that I command you, you shall speak.’"

I could go on,(9) but I think you get my point. Smart men don’t often admit dependence upon anyone. Yet again and again the writers of the Bible admit their own helplessness and inability, then state clearly that God spoke through them. Were they lying? If so, I say throw out this book because it is the product of liars. Were they mistaken? If so, then throw out this book because they must have all been fruitcakes.

Sorry. I don’t buy this false view of "inspiration." While it is held by some of the liberal denominations around us, in reality it denies that the Bible is the word of God. It is patronizing nonsense and it should be exposed for what it is and rejected by all Christian people who love God and want to do what He says.

We can’t have religious fellowship with people who deny that the Bible is the word of God. We can live next to them as their neighbors and serve together with them on the Neighborhood Watch, but there is nothing we share in common about faith in Jesus Christ if they don’t believe the Bible comes from God. We can’t accept that.

2. Some View Inspiration as God Working on the Concepts of the Writers but Not their Words.

This is often referred to as "concept inspiration." According to those who hold it, God gave His thoughts to the writers and permitted them, sometimes many years afterward, to express them in their own words. For instance, God gave Paul some general ideas about love and later, Paul wrote 1 Corinthians 13 based on the generalities God gave him. Of course, this view of "inspiration" is also subject to all the possibilities of human error. Men forget. They struggle with communication. While they do their best perhaps, surely we understand the limits of human ability. This is why those who hold this view also believe the Bible is full of human errors. Thus, the inerrant God becomes the Author of an errant book.

This is a favorite view among those who love to show the supposed "inaccuracies" and so-called "contradictions" in the Bible. Yet it is very deceptive in that it allows them also to say, "Yes, I believe the Bible is the word of God."

The Bible flatly contradicts concept inspiration. After telling his readers in 1 Corinthians 2:1 that he did not come to them "with superiority of speech or of wisdom," Paul explained God’s revelation to himself and the other Apostles this way in verses 12 and 13 of that same chapter: "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words.

Jesus said in John 17:8, while praying to God the Father about his soon-to-send Apostles, "…the words which Thou gavest Me I have given to them…" He didn’t just give them the concepts to work out in their own minds.

Jesus said in Matthew 24:35, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words shall not pass away."

Again, the Master said in Mark 8:38, "Whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Those who hold the view of concept inspiration would do well to re-read that verse. But then again, those words don’t really mean what they say anyway.

Proverbs 30:5-6 says, "Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words lest He reprove you, and you be proved a liar."

Can you understand why a faithful teacher of the Bible will spend time, when necessary, studying and clarifying the meaning of even individual words in the Bible?

You can’t have geology without rocks. You can’t have anthropology without men. You can’t have ice without water. Neither can you have the divine word of God without words.

"Why can’t we just get along?"

I hope you are beginning to see the answer to that question.

When Satan deceived Eve, he did so by changing a single word God had spoken. God’s warning to Eve, before she ate from tree of the knowledge of good and evil was this: "You shall surely die." When Satan made his fatal pitch to her, he added a single word: "You shall surely not die."People have been dying ever since. God inspired the words as well as the concepts.

3. Some View Inspiration as an Act of Mechanical Dictation.

The idea here is that God dictated His word to the writers of Scripture as someone might dictate to a secretary. The various apostles and prophets, according to this view, were nothing more than stenographers taking dictation from God.

Those who hold to the importance of inspiration of the actual words of Scripture often espouse this view, so in a sense, I am a little sympathetic toward some of its results. It is held by many who would consider themselves "conservative" in their views of the Bible. If you are not well informed, it might even be held by some of you. But I still must tell you that it isn’t the correct view of inspiration of the Bible.

The main difficulty is that it doesn’t take into consideration that in every book of the Bible we find the writer’s personality. Each author has a different style of writing and speaking. Paul’s style of writing is different than Peter’s. John’s is different than James’. Their terminology, their ways of speaking, are different in the same ways as yours and mine might be. Paul, for instance, is fond of saying, "This is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance…" None of the other writers use this expression.

"OK," says someone who holds this view. "Maybe the Holy Spirit used different styles with different men." Maybe, but there are still serious problems with the mechanical dictation view.

First, it would not require any "inspiration" on the part of the Bible writers. All it would require would be some secretarial skills. There was a class of men who did this better than anyone else in their day. They were called scribes and there were lots of them at various times when the Bible was being written. Yet I can recall only one Bible writer who was a scribe and that was Ezra. The rest were from all different kinds of occupations. Moses was a slave who became a Pharaoh’s kid in the first part of his life. Solomon was a king. David was a shepherd. Elisha was a farmer. Peter, James and John were fishermen. Matthew was a tax collector. Luke was a doctor. Not all of these men would have made good secretaries.

Furthermore, if inspiration were mere dictation, would not the original manuscripts be subject to error? Secretaries make mistakes.

If inspiration were mere dictation, with such a volume of Scripture, would we not find many scenes in the Bible with God talking and men writing? Yet such scenes are largely absent. The Apostle John was told by Jesus in the book of Revelation to "write" the things he saw and heard. While this might be the closest thing we find to verbal dictation, we still find that John said four times in that book that he was "in the Spirit," when he saw various visions and heard various things.(10)

Well then, if inspiration wasn’t verbal dictation, what was it?

Be patient. We’ll take that up in due time. For now I want to mention several other views.

4. Some View Inspiration as Only Partial.

The Bible is only inspired in spots, according to this view. Some parts are inspired while others are not. If you ever hear someone say something like, "The Bible contains the word of God," you’ve probably encountered someone who holds this view.

The main problem with it is that those who promote it don’t agree on which portions are inspired and which are not. If they are skeptical of the Bible’s mention of miracles, for instance, then those parts obviously aren’t inspired. If they don’t agree with a certain moral teaching, then those places obviously aren’t inspired and are merely the teaching of men. Holding that view you can make the Bible say whatever you want it to say and people do just that.

About 15 years ago, when I was still running road races, I ran with a group of preachers from a couple of very liberal denominations. I was frequently the target of their jokes about "fundies" (short for "fundamentalists," apparently one of the dirtiest words in their vocabularies.) I put up with their ribbing for a time, hoping to be an influence for good. Occasionally though, I got my chance to lower the boom on one of them. Maybe you can imagine how I reacted the day I found out that one of them, a single guy who was the associate minister of a local church, was shacked up with his girlfriend, who was the church choir director.

"You hypocrite!" I said. He informed me that he wasn’t a hypocrite. Those prohibitions of fornication were obviously from those parts of the Bible that were uninspired – put there by a repressed culture that was backward about human sexuality. Isn’t that handy?

The problem with the partial view of inspiration is that it would take someone inspired to sort out which parts of the Bible are and aren’t inspired! Unless, of course, you wanted that to be dictated by your own preference and convenience, which is often what happens. We cannot simply set aside differences like these. It’s part of why we can’t just get along.

This view may be a little more difficult for us to grasp. It is sometimes referred to as "existential inspiration." Those who hold it believe that the Bible is full of errors with its writing bound up in an ancient, bygone, mostly irrelevant time. Yet somehow, in spite of all the errors and irrelevance, God manages to "break through" to communicate with the reader in a special way. If you’re reading the Bible and something gives you a heightened sense of awareness or enlightenment, a kind of shiver up your spine, then that particular passage is inspired – to you. The next person might not find it inspired at all to him or her.

According to this view, the writers of Scripture were not "inspired" in the sense that they were guided to write the thoughts and words that God intended. What they wrote down were their own existential breakthroughs and enlightenment – the shivers in their spines, so to speak. When something in the Bible somehow moves those that hold this view, then that is the miracle of inspiration. It is only "inspired" at these so-called "crisis" moments.

I find it amazing that such a view diligently and forcefully denies the Bible’s many accounts of miracles, yet somehow God manages to do a miracle in transmitting truth from what they believe is a very flawed book. In essence, it rejects miracles yet its very system of theology requires a miracle! P-l-e-e-e-a-s-e!

People like this often speak of taking the "myths" out of the Bible. According to them, things like the virgin birth of Jesus, the deity of Christ, the miracles, the resurrection, are all myths that formed over time as the stories were handed down and embellished. God had no part in guiding the writers.

Conclusion

If, in the course of my explanations, it has seemed to you that these theories of inspiration have become increasingly more bizarre as we have moved along, I agree with you. But let’s get back to Rodney King’s question.

Why can’t we just get along?

Can you see why? If we can’t agree on how the Bible is inspired, it is futile to try to find agreement on anything it says.

So what is the correct view of inspiration? What is the Biblical view?

My friends, we have run out of time. I’ll take that issue up, Lord willing, very soon.

May God bless you in your understanding and with a proper view and respect of His word.

Footnotes: Use your "back" button to return to your place.

1. http://www.weht.net/article.php?sid=4
2. Leviticus 18:22
3. Romans 1:26-32
4. 1 Timothy 4:1-3
5. Matthew 1:23
6. 1 Corinthians 15:13-20
7. Revelation 20:12
8. 2 Samuel 23:2
9. Some other passages to consider: Isaiah 48:16; Ezekiel 2:207; Hosea 1:1; Joel 1:1; Amos 7:14; 1 Corinthians 2:13; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; Ephesians 3:5.
10. Revelation 1:10; 4:2; 17:3; 21:10

Dave Redick is Minister of the Hwy 20 Church of Christ in Sweet Home, Oregon and Editor of The Preacher's Study. He may be reached at pstudysupport@comcast.net.

Copyright © 1996-2008 by The Preacher's Study. Permission is granted to subscribers to use this document in total or in sermon preparation in the context of the local congregation only. Publishing it in a book, on the Internet, or anyplace beyond the local congregation is prohibited.

All Scripture quotations and references are from the New American Standard Version unless otherwise stated.

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