Authority of Scripture

1. inspiration- "to breathe in"
   a. General
      1) " To affect with an emotion or thought and thus influence or stimulate to action"
      2) can be positive or negative, i.e.; 'inspired poem' , 'inspired with fear'
   b. Special
      1) Process by which God caused His Special Revelation to be communicated to man
      2) Scripture:

Jer 1:9 Then the LORD put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the LORD said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth.

2 Tim 3:16,17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

1 Cor 2:13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.

2 pet 1:20 Knowing this first, that no prophecy of scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.

2. Incorrect ! views on Special Inspiration
   a. Thematic inspiration- they think only the idea is inspired. but we know..."No private interpretation"
   b. Partial inspiration - they think only certain parts are Insp.( and they determine WHICH parts!) but we know..."All scripture is inspired..."
   c. Incomplete inspiration - they think of ongoing Revelation. but we know..."Perfect, thoroughly furnished"
   d. Mechanical inspiration - they think God possessed the writers or something. but we know..."spoke as they were moved"

3. Verbal- having to do with words
   a. definition - each word of the original text is inspired
   b. Scripture -- (Jesus said "not one jot or tittle will pass from the law...)
      1) each word

prov 30:5,6 Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar.

2) each tense

Matt 22:31,32 But as touching the resurrection of the dead, have ye not read that which was spoken unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living.

3) each singular or plural

Gal 3:16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds, as of many, but as of one, And to thy seed, Which is Christ.

4) each gender

2 Tim 2:2 And the things thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men who shall be able to teach others also.

1 Tim 2:12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.

5) each number

Rev 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.

4. Plenary- the whole enchilada
def.- the whole of scripture is inspired both in substance and in structure
a. Scripture

Ex 34:27 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel.

1 Chr 28:19 "All this," David said, "I have in writing from the hand of the LORD upon me, and he gave me understanding in all the details of the plan."

Luke 1:1-4 Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of the things which you have been taught.

2 Tim 3:16 - All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

5. Proofs
   a. Internal ( 1 Thess 2:13 )
      1) declarations of Inspiration
      2) manifestations of Inspiration
         a) Unity of theme-extent of scope-diversity of human authorship-first mentions- LIGHT, FAITH, HOPE, LOVE, BLOOD, GRACE, WORD, JUST, PERFECT, ATONEMENT, COVENANT, ALTAR, SHED, WINE, DRUNKEN, PRAISE, PEACE, TITHES, VISION, SHIELD, REWARD,I AM,IMPUTED,RIGHTEOUSNESS, WORSHIP, MERCY, FIRE, OBEY, SOW, SALVATION, ANGEL OF THE LORD
(Any of the above words can be found in Genesis and followed all thru Scripture to their fruition in Revelation; These make for great topical studies...more on that in study methods....)
         b) Prophecy fulfilled - we see most O.T. prophecies fulfilled, including 300+ about Christ. The only ones left are at the very end...
      3) Purity of doctrine & ethics - doesn't become watered down
      4) History of mankind - (the good, the bad, the ugly) Man wouldn't make himself look bad
      5) Christ - who could invent this stuff? No one could ever dream up this....
      6) person of Christ & the Doctrine of Salvation is THE greatest internal proof of Holy Inspiration.
   b. External
      1) the Church
      2) the Believer
      3) the Bible
6. Methods of special inspiration ( scripture )
   a. Divine guidance in selection of facts and narration of observed scenes
   b. Enlightenment in moral & doctrinal subjects
   c. direct special revelation concerning unknown or unknowables ( prophecies )
   d. direct dictation ( "write this down !" )
   e. direct inscription ( God writes it himself )

7. word is inspired, not the men. - these were not supermen, or somehow on a higher spiritual plane; they were fishermen, shepherds, farmers, kings, tentmakers, etc.

definitions

General revelation- there for everyone

Special revelation- only for some

Special Inspiration- process by which God caused His special revelation to be communicated to man.

Illumination- process by which God ( the holy spirit ) makes His special revelation (scripture) known to the human heart.

Authority of the Bible - Infallible, Inerrant, & Immutable

1. Infallible- cannot fail
2. Inerrant- without error - ALL of God's word is trustworthy
3. Immutable- cannot be changed - cannot change
4. Inspiration & Authority
   a. Authority- the power and perogative belong to God - flow to us from His Word (make sure to get the order correct; we don't want to impose our interpretations of the bible on God and try to fit him into our box...)
   b. Authority for faith
      1) Faith as belief - trust put in the Infallible, Inerrant, Immutable Word of God
      2) Faith as doctrine - taught by the Infallible, Inerrant, Immutable Word of God
      3) Faith as religion - built upon the Infallible, Inerrant, Immutable Word of God
   c. Authority for Practice - be not mere hearers of the word, but doers...
5. Supposed contradictions- result of human ignorance
   a. Factual discrepancies
      1) Historical discrepancies - Hittites, Jericho - believe it or not, there was a time when people did not think that Jericho really existed...they tried to explain away any literal meaning in the bible, and re-interpret it as a "spiritual lesson"; That is, until they dug up the city....
      2) Scientific discrepancies - old earth, evolution, sun standing still for a day, etc.
      3) Internal discrepancies - Judas...did he hang himself, or fall headlong and burst open?
   b. Ethical discrepancies
      1) Humanistic vs. Biblical ethics - Jacob & Esau - is it fair for God to chose one person over another? ABSOLUTELY!
      2) Moral contradictions - Jeptha; Judg. chp. 11
      3) Doctrinal contradictions - election or free-will?;pre- , mid-, post- , or NO rapture? ; salvation....Christ alone or Christ +? just a few examples; but obviously only one can be correct.