Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first and, and also to the Greek.”
The gospel of Jesus is not a dead book. It is as alive and effectual and powerful today as when Peter preached it in face for the first time, along with the other inspired apostles, on Pentecost of Acts 2. Of this marvelous Book the writer of Hebrews said: “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, piercing even to the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of thought and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12). We are pointed to the importance of obedience to the teachings of the New Law by the same inspired writer earlier in his treatise: “Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard (i.e., the things of the New Testament), lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels (the Law of Moses) was steadfast (and it was), and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompense of reward (and it did); How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation...(Hebrews 2:1-3a). These are high and lofty claims for a volume, whatever the origin and purpose of it. Are they justified? Is there really that much power in the Bible? Of course, the answer is yes. And this article deals with one of the reasons these claims are true. We shall give our attention briefly to a consideration of inspiration.
The word of God is powerful because it is inspired. The Bible claims to be perfectly and completely inspired of God. Paul wrote: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instructions in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works (II Timothy 3:16-17). Notice that the word first appearing in this scripture is “all”. This is from the Greek word meaning just what the English word means, “every one of”. The scriptures, of holy writings, every one of them, are inspired of God. When we speak of inspiration we are speaking of the inspiration of every part of every Book of the Bible. Indeed every word of every Book. There has been some controversy by the ignorant and unlearned concerning the meaning of “inspiration”. They turn to the etymology of the English word. learn that it is from the Latin word meaning “to breathe into”, and thereby conclude that when the Bible claims to be inspired of God it is really claiming that men wrote it and God later “breathed into it” His Will. But the Bible was written in Greek, not English or Latin. The Greek word for “inspired” is actually theopneustos, meaning theo - God, pneustos - To blow, puff. Thus the word means that the Bible is God-breathed, God spoken. The Bible is the word God spoke forth. It claims to be from Him: “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to his glory and virtue (II Peter 1:3). God gave these things to us, it doesn’t say that he allowed us to come up with them and then approved them! God gave the Bible in the form of words, as Paul said: “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. (I Corinthians 2:9-13). No one saw on his own what God wanted in the New Testament and wrote it down, no one ever heard it on his own without and apart from the miraculous inspiration of the Holy Spirit and wrote it down and called it the Bible, no one “thought it up” and wrote it down, God prepared them. As a cook prepares the stew, so the Lord formulated the particulars of the Law of Christ and put those particulars into words. God not only prepared them, but He also revealed them to the apostles and other inspired writers who in turn recorded them on the pages of the New Testament and preserved them for us. The Spirit is employed to reveal them to us because of the intimate relationship of closeness shared by the Father and the Spirit. The Spirit knows the Father like none other could, just as our spirit knows us better than any one else could. Paul claimed that the Spirit of God was given to himself and the other apostles, (such was promised in John 14-16), and that this Spirit revealed the things of the Father to him (and the other inspired men) not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth. How was the Bible “inspired“? God, by the Spirit, gave the words of the Bible to the inspired writers thereof. Plain and simple, God gave the Bible in the form of words to men who wrote the words down. It is by these words that we are to live our lives: “But he answered and said, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the Mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4). To those who claim that the Bible is only “generally or naturally, inspired”. as were the works of the “great classical writers” and that they never came from God in the form of words -- what about Matthew 4:4? The only way for the “thought inspiration” theory to be right is for Jesus to have been wrong. I don’t know about all the rest of you, but I am more inclined to believe Jesus than those men who lately come along attacking His precious word! Where does the Bible come from? Did these verses say that man thought it up and God later approved it? No, it says that it proceeded out of the mouth of God. It was inspiration that Jesus promised those of the “limited commission” in Matthew 10:19 -- “But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.” They were not to worry about “thinking it up”, God would give it to them! God’s powerful word is inspired, spoken forth of God.
Tim Smith, 1272 Enon Road, Webb AL 36376 (334) 899-8183
For questions or comments about this article, contact Tim Smith or email Don H. Noblin. If you decide to email me, please include the title of the article. Thank you.