The Doctrine Of Scripture Series: The Old Testament Canon - Its Message, Why Our English Old Testaments Are The Way They Are, And Why It Matters To You

Introduction:

    In our last few posts we have devoted time to considering the Old Testament Canon. Theologian Wayne Grudem defines the canon as "all the books that belong in the Bible". In dealing with the topic of the "Old Testament Canon", we have defined it, explored how it came to develop, and considered its initial arrangement as the Hebrew Bible. The last post may be accessed by readers here  http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2022/10/the-doctrine-of-scripture-series-old_6.html.

    At the beginning of this series of posts on the Old Testament canon, I cited three New Testament passages that speak of the Old Testament (Luke 24:27; Romans 15:4; 2 Peter 3:14-18), which readers may access here for the initial post http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2022/09/the-doctrine-of-scripture-series_28.html. To understand the overall message of the Old Testament enables us to see why it matters to us today. In short, the Old Testament’s message is about preparing for the arrival and first coming of Jesus. A fifth century Church Father by the name of Augustine once wrote “The New Testament in the Old is concealed; and the Old Testament in the New is revealed”. The revelation in the Old or New Testament “canon” points the way to the Lord Jesus Christ. 

A. Why our English Old Testament is arranged differently than the Hebrew Old Testament.

Let me deliver on a promise from a couple of posts back. I noted the arranging of the Old Testament books in the Hebrew Bible which Jesus knew of in His day. Copies of the Hebrew Bible, called “The TaNaK”, can still be purchased. However, we find that our English Old Testaments arrange the Old Testament books differently. Why? In Jesus’ day there was an ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament that He and the Apostle most likely used. This translation, known as “The Septuagint”, is quoted more in the New Testament than its Hebrew counterpart. The arranging of the Old Testament books differs from the Hebrew Bible. 

As Church history would march forward, Jerome would issue his Latin Vulgate, used by the Roman Catholic Church of the Middle Ages for 1,000 years. The Vulgate’s ordering of the Old Testament books took its cue from the Septuagint (Greek translation of the Old Testament). Jerome was a first-rate Bible translator, utilizing the underlying Hebrew manuscripts to translate a fresh Latin translation (along with help from the ancient Latin translation, known as the "Old Latin", which he had available to him). So, even though he did use the Hebrew text to do his translation work (for the Apocryphal books, which Jerome didn't want to include, he utilized the current copies of the Septuagint), he nonetheless chose to follow the canonical ordering of the Septuagint. As one studies the history of how the books of the Old Testament canon were arranged, it is interesting to note that among the manuscripts we have of the Greek Old Testament, the ordering may vary slightly. Nevertheless, what we have in our English Bibles today reflects that general ordering of the Septuagint, with almost all English Old Testaments translating from copies of the Hebrew Bible. 

    The chart below summarizes the differences between the Old Testament canonical ordering in the Hebrew Bible, Septuagint, and current Protestant Old Testaments.

    As English translations began to appear in the 15th century onwards, translators arranged the Old Testament books according to how they had observed in the Latin Vulgate, which in turn took its cue from the Septuagint. 

B. How the Old Testament points the way to Jesus Christ.

As we see how our Old Testament books are arranged in their “canonical order”, we find they tell the message of Jesus. Note with me.

1. Genesis,Exodus,Leviticus,Numbers, Deuteronomy = The Law points to Christ.

2. Joshua, Judges, Ruth, 1 & 2 Samuel, 1&2 Kings, 1&2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther = History prepares for Christ.

3. Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Songs = Poetic books picture Christ.

4. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi = Prophets predict Christ.

We can note that this “canonical ordering” of the Old Testament books in terms of Law, History, Writings, Prophecy, roughly corresponds to the four-fold division we find in the New Testament canon. We must realize of course that the individual books were inspired, rather than their canonical ordering. Nevertheless, how they were ordered by subsequent generations of God’s people does convey an overall message perceived. 

    The Gospels lay the foundation, as the Law laid the foundation in the Old Testament. Acts corresponds to the historical recounting of the early church, just as the historical books deal with Israel’s founding and history with God. The letters of Paul and others parallel the writings portion of the Old Testament. Lastly, the Book of Revelation is the most prophetic book in all the New Testament, pointing us to Christ’s second coming, as the 17 prophetic books of the Old Testament pointed to the first coming. 

3. The Old Testament Canon’s application, (or, why it matters to you).  

Closing thoughts:

We have covered much ground in this message. What I hope is that you have a greater appreciation for the Old Testament. In going back to those three New Testament passages I cited at the beginning, let me remind you of why the Old Testament Canon is so important to us. I mentioned three benefits of the Old Testament revealed in three New Testament texts. First, “knowing Jesus” (Luke 24:37). Second, “having hope”, (Romans 15:4). Lastly, “spiritual growth”, (2 Peter 3:14-18). 

The Doctrine of Scripture Series: The Old Testament Canon - How Did God’s People Recognize The Old Testament Canon?

Introduction:

    In our last post we start to look at the Old Testament canon, which readers may review here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2022/10/the-doctrine-of-scripture-series-old.html.

    In the last post we explored what we meant by "canon", how it came to be arranged, the authority of the canon, and a final section that traced the historical development of it. In today's post, we want to continue on with our survey by assessing how exactly God's people knew which books were inspired.

Illustrating canonicity and the recognition of which books were inspired by God.

    We must realize that it was the inspired books as God’s canon that formed God’s people, rather than God’s people formulating the canon. As each Old Testament book was composed, its recognition as inspired (and thus canonical) was immediate or nearly immediate. Just as Isaac Newton came to recognize the law of gravity already present in creation, God’s people would recognize certain books already revealed by their Creator. Just as Johannes Kepler, that great 16th century astronomer, discerned and calculated out his famous three laws of planetary motion that describe the movement of the planets around our sun, so did God's people discern the right books about which orbits the foundations of faith.

Dispelling some myths about canonization. 

    Several years ago a popular book called "The Davinci Code" spun a fictional tale with a fictional account of how the Canon came to be. In the preface of that book, Dan Brown took the premises of his fictional story to be actual history, which made the book a matter of controversy in Biblical scholarship. As Dan Brown and other skeptics would have us to believe, there were literally hundreds of books written and known of by the Jews and Christians. Per Brown's tale, when it came time to choose which books were their authoritative literature, the church chose the ones that best fit their orthodox agenda, and kicked out the remainder. As the story then goes, church councils, like Nicaea in 325 A.D, convened to officially decide "which books were in and which books were out". It is always important to ask this question of any claim, "Is that true?"

    Contrary to skeptics and authors like Dan Brown, the process of canonicity was not picking and choosing from hundreds of candidates to befit a certain theological agenda. Instead, the history of the Old Testament Canon and New Testament canon involved recognizing those books that bore the marks of Divine revelation for use in teaching, preaching, and the spiritual formation of the church. Canonization was not about "choosing which books were in  or out" but rather "which books were already in because they were inspired". Other books, such as the Apocrypha and especially the Old Testament Pseudepigrapha were never seriously considered. They simply never made it into consideration for the canon because they were not inspired.

    To illustrate the point I just made, I can recall the day one of my children were born. My father-in-law was with me when we walked up to look at all the babies in the maternity ward of the hospital. Now he had not yet seen my newborn son. When he walked up there with me, he did not say to himself "lets pick a baby, out of all these other babies, and call him 'my grandson'". Rather, as soon as we walked up to the maternity ward and saw all of those babies in their cribs, my father-in-law picked out my son immediately. The other babies never made it into his consideration, since they did not bear the marks of recognition like my son. My father-in-law could see that the little boy had his mother's eyes and facial features common to their side of the family. So it was with the selection of the books of the Canon - Old or New Testament. Divinely inspired books have certain "family resemblances" in the realm of Divinely inspired literature. The people of God could recognize which books were inspired by certain features they possessed (which I'll get into in a little bit).   

    A quick reading on the history of the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. reveals it dealt with matters of Christology (the doctrine of the Christ), and in particular the Arian controversy (Arius denied the true deity of Christ, and Athanasius led and influence the condemnation of Arianism as a heresy). In my readings on the proceedings of the Nicaean Council (one can read in detail about the council in the Church History of Phillip Schaff), I never witnessed mention of the issue of canonization. At least for the Old Testament, the canon was well established. Certainly by the mid to late second century A.D (50-75 years after the death of the Apostle John), church fathers such as Melito of Sardis (roughly 170 A.D) were recorded as having listed the books of the Old Testament which are contained in our Protestant Bibles (compare Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History, Book 4, Chater 26, Section 13). 

    Then of course we have the famous "Muritorian Canon Fragment", dated to 170 A.D., which lists nearly all of our New Testament books (some we do not have in that list because of its fragmentary nature). Quotations from early Christian documents such as 1 Clement (90 A.D. and contemporary with the Apostle John) and the letters of Papias (110 A.D. and disciple of the Apostle John) quote all of our Old Testament books and many of the New Testament books as inspired Scripture. The books of the canon were certainly in use, treated as Scripture. The canon itself was already in circulation among the churches, with such lists as Melito's and the Muritorian fragment all but confirming what had become a long standing practice. To realize how careful and quickly the process of canonization occured shatters the myths spun by skeptics.

How did God’s people recognize the Old Testament canon?

    Whenever one reads resources like the ones I mentioned above, historical can draw inferences from such writings to arrive at how the early church came to identify the books of the canon. I glean five principles for how God’s people recognized the inspired books of the Old Testament Canon from insights gained from such scholars Normal Geisler’s “A General Introduction to the Bible” and Gleason Archer’s “A Survey of the Old Testament”. I have also included below certain Biblical texts which testify to instances where the books of the canon were instantly recognized an received. 

*Prophetic Test. Was the book written by a prophet or Apostle of God, or an associate? See Exodus 24:4; Luke 1:1-4.

*Miraculous Test. Was the writer confirmed by acts of God? See Exod. 4:1-9; Num. 16-17;
  1 Kings 18; Mark 2; Acts 2:22; Heb. 2:4.

*Truth Test. Did the message tell the truth about God? See Deut. 13:1-3; 18:21-22.

*Salvation Test. Can the book bring someone to saving faith? See Is. 55:11; 2 Tim.
  3:15-17; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Pet. 1:23

*Recognition Test. Was it recognized by the people of God? The Old Testament’s books
recognition is demonstrated by how quickly they went into use after their writing. See
Joshua 24:26.

    The Canon’s use would be used of God to call the people of God back to Himself. We read the following in 2 Kings 22:9-11

“Shaphan the scribe came to the king and brought back word to the king and said, “Your servants have emptied out the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of the workmen who have the oversight of the house of the Lord.” 10 Moreover, Shaphan the scribe told the king saying, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book.” And Shaphan read it in the presence of the king. 11 When the king heard the words of the book of the law, he tore his clothes.“

    This particular Biblical citation recorded events in the mid-seventh century b.c. Contrary to higher critical theories, which suggest that the books of the canon were being edited and re-edited to fit the agenda and reforms of the King of Jerusalem in that time (King Josiah), the text plainly tells us that "the book" found was already completed. We see no evidence of "redaction" or editing being done. Space does not permit me to go into the details of how we can know from archaeology and the study of the Hebrew text that Moses truly wrote the Pentateuch (Genesis - Deuteronomy) in the 15th century b.c. What we do know is this, that history tells us that we can rest assured that the books we have in our Old Testament are the right books, because they bore the marks of Divine inspiration. 
    

Closing thoughts for today.

    So, we’ve looked at how we got our Old Testaments by noting the process of canonization that stemmed from the Divine marks of authority in each of these books. But what overall message to they present? Why does it matter? That will be the focus of our next post.

The Doctrine of Scripture Series - The Old Testament Canon: Defining It, Its Arrangement, Its Authority

Introduction:

    In our last post we began to consider issues surrounding the subject of the "Old Testament Canon here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2022/09/the-doctrine-of-scripture-series_28.html. Theologian Wayne Grudem in his “Systematic Theology – 2nd Edition”, page 39, offers this crisp definition of the term “canon”, “The canon of Scripture is the list of all the books that belong in the Bible.” We noted three headings under which we can discuss this subject.

1. The Old Testament Canon (or, how we got 

   our Old Testament – recognizing its 

   authority).

2. The Old Testament Canon’s Message.

3. The Old Testament Canon’s application, 

    (or, why it matters to you).

      In today's post we will look at the first point - how we got the Old Testament Canon. In so doing, we will observe how the issue of "canon" is related to the issue of "authority" (whether it be the church as final authority in creating the canon or the canonical books forming and shaping the church).

The Old Testament Canon (How we got our Old Testament – recognizing its authority).

A. What is meant by “canon”?

    What do we mean by the term “canon” or “canonization”? We noted already the short definition above given by Wayne Grudem. Some further explanation is warranted. We know this term refers to the specific collection of Divinely inspired books we find in the Old and New Testaments. To lend clarity to this concept, it may surprise some to learn that this term is used quite a bit in discussions about current films. For example, in the Star Wars series, fans will often compare the movies, T.V. series, and games that have spun from those with the books based on George Lucas’ ideas. The question that often arises is this – “is that canon?” The concern of course deals with whether or not a movie, a T.V. series, or game fits in accurately with the original storyline conceived by George Lucas.

    Now, what I just described to you is a contemporary use of this term “canon”. If one goes back to the city of Alexandria Egypt before the days of Jesus, one will find the term “canon” used to describe an official listing of books. The term “canon” itself comes from a Greek word meaning “measuring rod”. When we apply this term to the Bible, we speak of the 39 books comprising the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament. 

    You will notice in Jesus’ words in Luke 24:37 we find Him mention the “Law and the Prophets”. Jesus elsewhere spoke of the Old Testament in this two-fold division (Law and the Prophets) in Matthew 5:17; 7:12; 11:13; 22:40; Luke 16:16,29,31; 22:47. This phrase designated the books of the Hebrew Bible (or what we call “The Old Testament”, see picture at the beginning of this post).

B. The first arrangement of the Old Testament Canon.

    In Luke 24:44, Jesus would sometimes refer to that same collection of books by the three-fold descriptor “Law, The Prophets, and the Writings”. This speaks of the arrangement of the books or “canon” of the Hebrew Bible. The Hebrew Bible, called by the Jews “TaNaK” for the three sections subdividing its contents, contains the following. (Note: the term "TaNaK" may have different spellings, due to it being a Hebrew acronym and English attempting to render it. Some variations include "TaNaCH").

    First, there are the "Law books", calls “Torah”, hence the “T” of “TaNaK” (Genesis-Deuteronomy). Then there was that middle consonant of “TaNaK”, the letter “N”, which stood for the “Neviim”, the Hebrew term for “Prophets” (arranged in differing order than our modern Bibles, Joshua-2 Kings and Isaiah-Malachi, known respectively as the “Former” and “Latter” Prophets). Then lastly, the final consonant of “TaNaK” or “K”, which the Jews called “Ketiviim”, that is, “The Writings (beginning with the book of Job and ending with the book of 2 Chronicles). 

In another post, I’ll explain why the ordering of the books in our Old Testaments differ from the Hebrew.

C. The authority of the Old Testament Canon.

    The notion of “canon” and “authority” go hand-in-hand. If we did not know which books were the inspired ones, we would have no idea which one to follow in living the Christian life, let alone in how to receive salvation which begins such a life. Norman Geisler comments on this in his book “A General Introduction to the Bible”, page 221.

“Canonicity is determined by God. A book is not inspired because men made it canonical; it is canonical because God inspired it. It is not antiquity, authenticity, or religious community that makes a book canonical or authoritative. On the contrary, a book is valuable because it is canonical and not canonical because it is or was considered valuable. Inspiration determines canonization, and confusion at this point not only dulls the edge of authority but it mistakes the effect (a canonical book) for the cause and (inspiration of God). Canonicity is determined or established authoritatively by God; it is merely discovered by man.”

    To get at what Geisler wrote, the issue of authority revolves around which came first? Did the Church create the Bible? Or did the Bible end up forming the church? This post argues for the latter point, namely that because of the canon of Scripture, which Christ recognized and which the Apostles preached, the Holy Spirit was so pleased to birth the church on the day of Pentecost in fulfillment of Christ's teachings and Old Testament expectation. It is this train of thinking which drives Geisler's remarks and echoes this post. 

    So, can we see the canon developing within statements made by the Biblical authors? We can. To see this process of canonization illustrated, we can observe the following.

1. It all began with the Ten Commandments.

    The beginnings of the Old Testament Canon and the recognition of its authority by God’s giving of the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai. Moses wrote of this experience in Exodus 31:18 “When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God” (See also Exodus 32:16 and Deuteronomy 4:13). 

2.  The Ten Commandments were immediately recognized and used as Divinely Inspired Scripture. 

    The Ten Commandments, once written, were carefully kept and set apart by Moses and the people. Deuteronomy 10:1-4 “At that time the Lord said to me, ‘Cut out for yourself two tablets of stone like the former ones, and come up to Me on the mountain, and make an ark of wood for yourself. 2 I will write on the tablets the words that were on the former tablets which you shattered, and you shall put them in the ark.’ 3 So I made an ark of acacia wood and cut out two tablets of stone like the former ones, and went up on the mountain with the two tablets in my hand. 4 He wrote on the tablets, like the former writing, the Ten Commandments which the Lord had spoken to you on the mountain from the midst of the fire on the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them to me.”

3. More revelation was written in the form of the Book of the Covenant.

    We can see by how the tablets were recognized, received, and set apart, that their authority was evident. The Ten Commandments would have further written revelation, called the “Book of the Covenant” (see Exodus 24:1-7). This is where the Old Testament canon sprouts from the root of the ten commandments. 

4. The Canon grows from the other books written by Moses (Genesis through Deuteronomy). 

    As each prophet penned further books after Moses and Joshua, the Old Testament Canon continued to grow. 

5. The total Canon of the Old Testament took 1,000 years for its total completion.

    The prophet Samuel likely wrote Judges, Ruth and major portions of 1 Samuel (see 1 Samuel 10:25). The remaining portions of 2 Samuel and the books of Kings were composed by other prophets like Nathan the Prophet, Gad the Seer and Jeremiah the Prophet (see 1 Chronicles 29:29; 2 Chronicles 20:34; 32:32 and Jeremiah 30:2). 

    Contrary to modern Higher Critical theories that espouse a naturalistic evolutionary process of canonical development, involving multiple editors and beginning in the far more recent past (as in the 7th century b.c.), history and the text itself attest to a more organic, supernatural, and providential process of canonization. The books of Moses, written in the 15th century b.c, and the final prophetic Book of Malachi, written in 400 b.c., represent roughly 1,000 years of time.

Consider the growth and development of the canon like chainmaille.

    Rather than treating this growing body of revealed books as a chain full of links, think of it more as chainmaille. Each book not only reinforces what was written, but also contributes to the overall message conveyed by God (see Amos 3:7). This brief history chronicles what really happened, based on textual evidence and archaeology.

The process of canonization: revelation, inspiration, recognition, then use. 
 

   The authority of the Canonical books shaped the life of the ancient Jews in the following way. First, their revelation. Then of course, their inspiration in writing. Thirdly, their recognition. Lastly, their use. As noted already, this process of “canonization” would take a millennium before the final completion of the Book of Malachi at roughly 400 b.c.

Closing thoughts:

    In the next post, we will continue on by noting what criteria were used to determine which books were inspired and thus included in the canon.

The Doctrine Of Scripture Series: Introducing The Old Testament Canon - Some Opening Thoughts

Introduction:

    I want to draw your attention to three New Testament texts that speak about the Old Testament. The first records the words of Jesus in Luke 24:37 

“Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.” 

    The second passage records the Apostle Paul’s words about the value of the Old Testament Scriptures, Romans 15:4, 

“For whatever was written in earlier times was written for our instruction, so that through perseverance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” 

    The third, 2 Peter 3:14-18, shows the Old Testament, designated “The rest of the Scriptures”, alongside the letters of the Apostle Paul, with both understood together as “Scripture”,

“Therefore, beloved, since you look for these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless, 15 and regard the patience of our Lord as salvation; just as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given him, wrote to you, 16 as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction. 17 You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men and fall from your own steadfastness, 18 but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.”

    All three New Testament texts speak on the Old Testament and the specific collection of books that comprise it, known as the “Old Testament Canon”. We could summarize these three as representing certain benefits that come with a better acquaintance with the Old Covenant or Old Testament Scriptures. Those three benefits are: knowing Jesus, having hope, and spiritual growth. Keep these three benefits in mind as we explore over the next couple of posts “The Old Testament Canon, its message, and why it matters”.

    Theologian Wayne Grudem in his “Systematic Theology – 2nd Edition”, page 39, offers this crisp definition of the term “canon”, “The canon of Scripture is the list of all the books that belong in the Bible.” As we just read, Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and Apostle Peter indicate the authority and message of the Old Testament. So, let us take each of those two headings (“authority” and “message”) and consider how we got our Old Testament and why it matters to you. Here is how we will develop this next .set of posts in our overall series we are calling "The Doctrine of Scripture". 

1. The Old Testament Canon (or, how we got 

   our Old Testament – recognizing its 

   authority).

2. The Old Testament Canon’s Message.

3. The Old Testament Canon’s application, 

    (or, why it matters to you).

More next time....

The Doctrine Of Scripture Series: Scripture Is The By-Product of Divine Inspiration

Introduction:

    Our last two posts have devoted time to understanding what is meant when we talk about "Divine Inspiration". We noted in the first post how Divine revelation is the source of inspiration, which readers can review at the following link here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2022/09/the-doctrine-of-scripture-series-how.html. We then devoted time in the last post on how Christ's work in His incarnation is the focus of the inspiration of the Scriptures, which readers can review here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2022/09/the-doctrine-of-scripture-series-how_21.html. As a final introductory note, our working definition of "inspiration" in the last two posts has been as follows: God’s revelation is put into written form by the Holy Spirit as He operates through the personalities and writing styles of the Biblical authors. Put another way, “revelation, put into writing, equals inspiration”. As we round out our series of posts on the doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture, we will focus today on how the Scriptures themselves are the by-product of inspiration.

The Writing of Scripture - The By-product of Inspiration.

    In this final point, I want to first define more in detail what we mean by inspiration, then explain why we need the inspired Scriptures. Let me repeat yet again a simple definition of inspiration: revelation, put into writing, equals inspiration. In 2 Peter 1:12-21, Peter has prepared us for these last remaining verses. It merits us illustrating what we mean by “Divine inspiration”, attempting to explain how it works, followed by a practical application of this doctrine.

A. Illustrating Divine Inspiration.

    Peter writes in 2 Peter 1:20-21 

“Understanding this first, that no prophecy of scripture is made by private interpretation. 21 For prophecy came not by the will of man at any time: but the holy men of God spoke, inspired by the Holy Ghost.”

    I think of those bicycles you see now that have little motors. On one of our main roads coming out of our city, there is a long and steep bridge. Over the years, I’ve watched bicyclists ride up and down on that bridge. Most people will walk their bikes up the bridge, due to its steepness, and due to what they are able to do in their own strength. The riders of those bikes, and the bikes themselves, may illustrate the Biblical authors, and their situations, giftings, abilities, and authorship. But now I’ve noticed what happens whenever some of those same bike riders have those little motors attached to those bikes. The bike riders are still the same – no different. They still have bikes, which they can pedal. Yet they zoom up and down that steep bridge, attaining speeds of up to 30 mph! How so? That little motor is aiding, enabling, moving upon the rider and his bicycle. That motor enables the rider to attain feats they could not otherwise accomplish. 

    So, it is with the Biblical authors in the Spirit’s work of Divine inspiration. He moves, works, enables the human authors of Scripture to produce written works without error, incapable of error, and authoritative for all time.

    Peter’s description of Divine inspiration is illustrative. In his day he would have witnessed sailing vessels on the sea of Galilee. Peter and his companions were often portrayed in simple little row boats, casting their nets for fish. They would row, and row, and row. But now, whenever they saw a boat with a sail, I can imagine their desiring to have a sail to get them across the Sea of Galilee. This imagery of wind filling a sail is what Peter uses to describe the act of Divine inspiration. The boat remained a boat. The sailors remained sailors. Yet, the wind in the sail enabled them to attain speeds they otherwise could not had achieved by mere rowing. Divine inspiration is the Spirit’s work of operating in and through the Biblical authors without divesting them of their personalities or writing styles. What resulted were documents free from error, and incapable of failure. They wrote as they did with natural pens, natural personalities, and natural situations. However, the Holy Spirit came alongside them, worked in them, through their personalities, and writing styles. The result? Supernatural documents. This is what makes the sixty-six books of the Bible unique.

B. What happened in Divine inspiration?

    I had mentioned at the beginning of this series on Divine inspiration that the doctrine  is found in two key tests in the New Testament. We’ve observed one of them – 2 Peter 1:19-21. Now we consider the second – 2 Timothy 3:15-17. Paul writes these words in 2 Timothy 3:15-17 

“and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.(ESV). 

    I chose the ESV translation due to its accurate rendering of the word we typically see translated “inspiration”. The underlying Greek word is “theopneustos”, a word crafted by Paul to describe God’s “outbreathing” of His words through the Biblical authors to produce the Scriptures. Just as a musician exhales to bring forth music from a woodwind instrument, God “exhaled” as-it-were through the writing styles, personalities, and words of the Biblical authors to bring forth Scripture.

    As I’ve stated already, revelation put into writing equals inspiration. We can define it. But can we explain it? Several minds, greater than my own, have attempted. Norman Geisler notes, 

“Inspiration is that mysterious process by which the Divine causality worked through the human prophets without destroying their individual personalities and styles to produce divinely authoritative and inerrant writings.” (A General Introduction to the Bible, pg 39).

    What is Geisler meaning here? To state it plainly, if God wanted sweeping narrative and history, he raised up a Moses, an Ezra, or a Luke. If God decided to convey His words through gripping poetry, he would work through the pen of a David or a Solomon. If God chose to foretell future events which had yet to occur, He would utilize the stately imagery of an Isaiah, the simple prose of a farmer named Amos, or the vivid imagination of an Ezekiel or a John. What if God decided to lay out His revelation of salvation in an airtight form of correspondence, complete with logic and exhortation to godliness? He would raise up a scholarly Paul or a zealous fisherman named Peter.

    Herman Bavinck notes this about inspiration, 

“Inspiration was always an action of God’s Spirit in the consciousness and was intended to guarantee the content of Scripture.” 

    B.B Warfield gives this clear explanation of what occurs in inspiration, 

“The Biblical writers do not conceive of the Scriptures as a human product breathed into by the Holy Spirit, and thus heightened in its qualities or endowed with new qualities; but as a Divine product, produced through the instrumentality of man.”

C. Applying the truth of Biblical inspiration.

    Look at 2 Timothy 3:16-17 again, "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work." (ESV)

    Why does it matter if the Bible is inspired? Divine inspiration is the only act that guarantees the Bible’s capability of carrying on its authority, its power to convert sinners and keep the saints. Notice….

*it is profitable for teaching, that tells me what is right. 

*it is profitable for reproof, that tells me that I need to get right.

*it is profitable for correction, that tells me when I am not right. 

*it is profitable for training in righteousness, that tells me how to remain right.

*then verse 17 reminds me that this quality about the Bible gives me the power I need to live right.

Conclusion: 

    As we have considered this important doctrine of Divine inspiration in these last three posts, we have looked at it from three important considerations:

1. Revelation is the source of inspiration. 

   2 Peter 1:12-15

2. Incarnation of the Son, the supreme focus 

    of inspiration. 2 Peter 1:16-18

3. Writing of Scripture, the by-product of 

    inspiration. 2 Peter 1:19-20

The Doctrine of Scripture Series: How Christ's Incarnation Is The Focus Of Divine Inspiration

Introduction:

    In our last post we began to discuss the doctrine of Divine inspiration here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2022/09/the-doctrine-of-scripture-series-how.html. We noted how Divine inspiration is rooted in Divine revelation. Revelation, if you will recall, is when God makes known what was previously unknown. When we speak of "Divine inspiration", we refer to how revelation, when put into writing, equals inspiration. 

    We continue on looking at the second main thought associated with our exploration of the Divine inspiration of Scripture - namely that Christ's incarnation is its focus. Let us begin with some words from the Apostle Peter.

2 Peter 1:16-18 "For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. 17 For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such an utterance as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory, “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well-pleased”— 18 and we ourselves heard this utterance made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.”

    Peter undeniably centers on the Person of Christ in his discussion of the inspiration of the Scripture. By "incarnation", we mean that act, whereby the Divine person of the Son became united to true humanity, to become the God-man, Jesus Christ (See Matthew 1:21-23; John 1:14).

    As Peter harkens back to Matthew 17 and Mark 9, he still is gripped by that glorious revelation of Christ’s deity through the veil of His humanity. As I noted earlier, God the Father made known Himself in theophany to speak about the Son. But notice how the voice of the Father works in concert with this pinnacle revelation of God the Son in the flesh. Hebrews 1:1-2 attests, “God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”

    Remember, revelation, put into writing, equals inspiration. Jesus Himself stated in Luke 24:44-47 “Now He said to them, ‘These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things which are written about Me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.’ 45 Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem.”

    Let me say here that the Divine act of the inspiration of the Scriptures is due to what theologians call "the super-intendance of the Holy Spirit". His main job is to shine the spotlight on Jesus Christ. Jesus says of the Holy Spirit’s work in John 16:14 “He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you.”

    Think of how Christ-focused the Divinely inspired Scriptures are in the realm of predictive prophecy. J. Barton Payne’s reference work “The Encyclopedia of Bible Prophecy” lists over 700 Biblical prophecies. To grasp how much material this covers, we are talking about between 20-25% of the Biblical text devoted to this unique literary type. Of those nearly 800 prophecies, over a third - some 330 prophecies - center upon the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever the remainder of those prophecies talk about, they are indirectly related to supporting those prophecies which pertain to our Lord. Over 100 were fulfilled in His first coming.  Over 200 awaiting fulfillment at His soon return.

    Why these statistics? To prove just how “Son-centered” Scripture is. All Peter is doing is following the lead of the Holy Spirit in centering his writing of Scripture upon the Person of the Son. 

Closing thoughts for today

    Let's review what we have covered today and in our last post. First, we’ve seen that God’s act of revelation is the source of inspiration. Today, we discovered that Jesus Christ the Son is the focus of inspiration. In our next post we will focus on our third main point about Divine inspiration - that its by-product is Scripture itself.

The Doctrine of Scripture Series: How Revelation Is The Source Of Divine Inspiration

Introduction:

    Last time we introduced this series on the  doctrine of Scripture, which readers may review here http://www.growingchristianresources.com/2022/09/the-doctrine-of-scripture-overview-part.html.  I recently began to preach a series by the same topic, which readers can link to here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4hxuKs7PejE&t=2512s 

    The doctrines of Scripture are like a fleet of ships, carrying the gold of Heaven, the pearl of great price in the Gospel, and the glory of Jesus Christ. In this post, we want to start considering the flagship truth of the doctrine of Scripture - “The Divine Inspiration of Scripture”. Our text will come from 2 Peter 1:12-21. This text, along with 2 Timothy 3:15-17, comprise the two greatest texts in all the Bible for establishing the doctrine of Scripture in general, and Divine inspiration in particular. 

    When I say “inspiration”, I mean God’s revelation put in written form by the Holy Spirit operating through the personalities and writing styles of the Biblical authors. To shorten this definition, we could plainly say “revelation, put into writing, equals inspiration”. In this section of 2 Peter 1:12-21, the beloved apostle lays out this wonderful doctrine of Divine inspiration. We will follow his train of thought by noting three truths, with today's post focusing upon the first.

1. Revelation is the source of inspiration. 2 Peter 1:12-15

2. Incarnation of the Son, the focus of inspiration. 2 Peter 1:16-18

3. Writing of Scripture, the by-product of inspiration. 2 Peter 1:19-20

    With those three headings before us, let us begin. First…..

1. Revelation is the source of inspiration. 2 Peter 1:12-15

    2 Peter 1:12-15 “Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. 13 I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder, 14 knowing that the laying aside of my earthly dwelling is imminent, as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will also be diligent that at any time after my departure you will be able to call these things to mind.”

A. Defining the term “revelation”.

    When we say “revelation”, we mean “unveiling, making known what was previously unknown”. In this first point we see that underlined word “made clear” refers to God making plain, clear, what was otherwise obscure and unclear. This verb is one of the words used in the Bible to describe what is called “God’s act of revelation”. The first time we see God revealing anything to human beings is in the opening act of their creation (Genesis 1:26-28; Genesis 2:16-17).

B. Revelation by language drives the inspiration of Scripture.

    God used varied forms of revelation throughout the history of His dealings with His people. Notice what Peter writes again in 2 Peter 1:14 "as also our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me." That same word behind the phrase “made clear to me” is found in Hebrews 9:8, wherein we read “The Holy Ghost signifying this, that the way into the holies was not yet made manifest, whilst the former tabernacle was yet standing.” We see that when God reveals something, as Peter describes it here in our main text, it is identical to saying God is “signifying something”, as stated by the writer of Hebrews.

    Now as we look back at what Peter is saying here, it is evident he is receiving revelation from God. It is by words that God speaks through the Apostle. Theologians describe God’s revelation through words as “propositional revelation”. This gets to the heart of understanding how revelation is the source of inspiration. A “proposition” refers to the truth content of a declarative sentence. If I say to you “It is sunny outside”, what I just stated to you is a proposition. That is, there is actual content in the statement that corresponds with something true. Furthermore, whether I convey that proposition in English, or in another language, it makes no difference.

    To illustrate, propositions are what makes a little child’s first words so important. A little one may convey what they feel in grunts, cries, symbolism, and in body language, with the meaning at times still a mystery. But once that little one begins to use words, the thoughts of their minds connect with our minds. The little toddler says “momma”, or “dadda” or “milk”. The mystery of the little one’s mind is removed, and thus “revealed”. This is why a child’s first words are such a milestone. We finally can unlock what is going on inside that little one’s mind. 

    This aspect of our physical and material make-up is due to God Himself being revelatory. His preferred manner of interacting with us is by words. Many theologians have compared God’s revelation in words to that of a mother speaking baby-talk to a little one. More could be said, but for now, let me offer a simple definition of inspiration that is tied to our first point of “revelation”. That is: revelation, put into writing, equals inspiration. 

We will look at our second thought about the focus of Divine inspiration in our next post....