I apologize for the length of the article, but most of what's written here is quotes from the Bible to support the concept, and I believe the content of the article, save those quotes, is not much. I tried, whenever possible, to use external links to what might be useful for the reader, and also to support the concepts herein.
Christians believe that the entire Old Testament and the entire New Testament of the Bible are inspired by God, as St. Paul said:
«All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness» (2 Timothy 3:16)
But the Christian concept of ‘inspiration’ is different than that in other religions. Let us start by explaining the wrong concept of inspiration in Christianity, then proceed with explaining what the right Christian concept is, and discuss the importance of why we should stick to this correct concept.
What is not inspiration in Christianity?
- Not merely literal dictation from God
- Not just tied to certain situations
- Not just ideas implanted in the minds of God's holy men
- Not limited to parts of the Bible, but applies to all of it
- Does not imply general infallibility of the writers of the Scriptures
- Not intended as a detailed historical account
- Not intended as a book of science
- Inspiration in Christianity is not merely literal dictation from God, in the sense that the words of the Bible did not ‘descend upon’ the holy men of God from Him to be conveyed as is directly from His mouth. In a more precise sense, not all the Bible is the literal words of God.
God did not want to erase the human factor in inspiration, because He created man dignified«in the image of God created He him» (Genesis 1:27)
. That who wishes to control man and erase man's personality completely is Satan, as we see when Jesus came to the country of the Gadarenes«And when he was come out of the ship, immediately there met him out of the tombs a man with an unclean spirit, who had his dwelling among the tombs; and no man could bind him, no, not with chains: because that he had been often bound with fetters and chains, and the chains had been plucked asunder by him, and the fetters broken in pieces: neither could any man tame him. And always, night and day, he was in the mountains, and in the tombs, crying, and cutting himself with stones.» (Mark 5:2-5)
And the Bible says that he«ware no clothes» (Luke 8:27)
, but when he was healed by Jesus, he was found«sitting at the feet of Jesus, clothed, and in his right mind» (Luke 8:35)
Therefore, we find that the style of writing is different, according to the personality and the culture or education of the writer: we find David, who loved music, writing the psalms, and in those psalms, we find a lot of worship and prostration before God, because in his time as king there were many wars; we find Solomon, his son, who was born son of a king, about whom the Bible said that he«passed all the kings of the earth in riches and wisdom» (2 Chronicles 9:22)
writing his wisdom in the books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes; we find St. Paul, a well-educated man, writing in a philosophical style; and we find St. Peter, a simple fisherman, writing in a simple style. - Inspiration in Christianity is not just tied to certain situations in which verses ‘descend’ from God to solve certain problems that face the prophets, but it is rather a message from God to mankind, telling the story of salvation and redemption on the cross, from the foundation of the universe and the creation of mankind until the death of Jesus Christ on the cross, His resurrection, the evangelization, and the foundation of the first church. It gives us a glimpse of what will be at the end of days in Revelation, the last book of the Bible.
Therefore, in Christianity there is no reason for verses to ‘descend’ on anyone; this concept is non-existent in Christianity. God, the omniscient, whose knowledge is not limited by space or time, had sent His words to His prophets, indicating the redemption on the cross, some fifteen or sixteen centuries before it happened. - Inspiration in Christianity is not just ideas that God implants in the minds of His holy men, leaving them absolutely free to express them with no intervention whatsoever from God. No human is infallible, and no human knowledge is perfect. God would never let His message to mankind be marred by error or faulted by ignorance.
We observe that God talked to Moses directly, and we find the phrase «the LORD talked with Moses» repeated many times in the Bible. We read«And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend» (Exodus 33:11)
. We find that God sometimes ordered that His words be written as He said them; for example when«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”.» (Exodus 34:27)
, and when He spoke to Jeremiah«Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, “Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book”.» (Jeremiah 30:2)
In some other places, we find that God ordered His holy men to write about events that they witnessed; for instance«And the LORD said unto Moses, “Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven”.» (Exodus 17:14)
We also find that they had written about events they witnessed without an explicit order from God; for example«And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God» (Joshua 24:26).
Under all circumstances, what the holy men of God wrote in the Bible is a true testimony of what they had witnessed and lived, and of what was revealed to them by God in visions. We find that St. Luke starts his gospel with:«Forasmuch as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us, even as they delivered them unto us, which from the beginning were eyewitnesses, and ministers of the word; it seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, that thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed.» (Luke 1:1-4)
We also find that St. John finishes his gospel with«This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.» (John 21:24)
We find that St. Paul opposes those who try to change the true evangelization of Jesus' apostles, saying:«I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.» (Galatians 1:6-9)
Perhaps one of the most expressing verses in the Bible that illustrates the concept of inspiration in Christianity is God's word to Jeremiah:«But the LORD said unto me, “Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the LORD.” 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. See, I have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant.”» (Jeremiah 1:7-10)
The Lord put His word in the mouth of His prophets and apostles, but He did not literally dictate to them what they should say, abolishing their personalities. David says«Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalmist of Israel, said, The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.» (2 Samuel 23:1-2)
and Isaiah writes about the same concept:«And I have put my words in thy mouth, and I have covered thee in the shadow of mine hand, that I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, and say unto Zion, Thou art my people.» (Isaiah 51:16)
«As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.» (Isaiah 59:21)
- Inspiration in Christianity entails the entirety of the Bible, not parts of it. Even when God's holy men wrote about things concerning their time only, or themselves only, they were also inspired in order not to make mistakes. For instance, we find that St. Paul asks for certain personal things from Timothy:
«Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me: for Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus. The cloke that I left at Troas with Carpus, when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments.» (2 Timothy 4:9-13)
And he also asks for Onesimus:«I beseech thee for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds... Whom I have sent again: thou therefore receive him, that is, mine own bowels: whom I would have retained with me, that in thy stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel: but without thy mind would I do nothing; that thy benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly. For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that thou shouldest receive him for ever; not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto thee, both in the flesh, and in the Lord? If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account.» (Philippians 1:10,12-18)
And he advises Timothy, according to the knowledge of his time, as he knew that Timothy suffered from stomach troubles:«Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach's sake and thine often infirmities.» (1 Timothy 5:23)
These previous quotations also demonstrate that the personal character of the writers of the Holy Scriptures appeared in their style of writing, as said before. - Those who wrote the Scriptures were not generally infallible in their lives, except when they were writing the Scriptures, and only when they were writing the Scriptures. This appears clearly several times in the Bible, which tells us how some of them sinned then repented, and was (or was not) punished by God for their sins. We find that Moses, who ‘spoke with God as a man would with his friend,’ disobeyed God, and was punished by not entering the promised land.
«And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, “Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.” And Moses took the rod from before the LORD, as he commanded him. And Moses and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he said unto them, “Hear now, ye rebels; must we fetch you water out of this rock?” And Moses lifted up his hand, and with his rod he smote the rock twice: and the water came out abundantly, and the congregation drank, and their beasts also. And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron, “Because ye believed me not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore ye shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.”» (Numbers 20:7-12)
We also find that David committed adultery with the wife of Uriah the Hittite (2Sam 11), and God sent him Nathan to rebuke him, then He punished him for his sin. We find that Solomon loved many strange women, who turned his heart away from God in his old days, so God punished him (1Kings 11). We find that Jonah disobeyed God when He ordered him to go to Nineveh, and he was reprimanded by God (Jonah 1). We find that Abraham, the patriarch, feared for himself and lied to Abimelech about Sarah, telling him that she was his sister, not his wife (Gen 20). The Bible tells us that God's prophets and holy men are mere humans, fallible like all others. St. Paul repeats the words of David in his psalm:«They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one.» (Romans 3:12)
and follows with saying«For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God» (Romans 3:23).
And as we saw Nathan rebuke David in the Old Testament, we also see St. Paul rebuke St. Peter in the New Testament:«But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, because he was to be blamed. For before that certain came from James, he did eat with the Gentiles: but when they were come, he withdrew and separated himself, fearing them which were of the circumcision. And the other Jews dissembled likewise with him; insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulation. But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, “If thou, being a Jew, livest after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compellest thou the Gentiles to live as do the Jews?”» (Galatians 2:11-14)
- Inspiration in Christianity is not intended as detailed description of historical events. Writers of the Scriptures rather write down what they were inspired by the Holy Spirit, in order to convey God's message to mankind. However, despite that the Bible is not considered a history book (in the sense that it is not intended to provide a detailed historical account), the historical content of the Bible should never be wrong, because it is the infallible inspiration from God. If facts and historical discoveries conflicted with the Bible, it would lose its credibility as a book inspired by God. In fact, many books have been authored about the agreement of what the Bible says with the historical discoveries and the historical accounts.
St. John the evangelist says in his gospel«And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book» (John 20:30),
and also«And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written» (John 21:25),
so that the reader would know that what was written in his gospel is not an exhaustive listing of the miracles of Jesus, but rather examples of the history of that period. - The Bible is not a book of science. However, just as much as the Bible is not a history book but the historical events mentioned in it should not contradict historical discoveries and accounts, it does not intend to teach mankind some mundane knowledge, and it should be wrong to use it as a scientific reference in any way, but what was mentioned in it should not contradict scientific knowledge. I am personally strongly against the idea of ‘the scientific marvels in the Bible,’ because God did not intend to teach his prophets some mundane knowledge. If that was the case, Jews—unto whom were committed the oracles of God—would have been the most knowledgeable people in the world! Nevertheless, we see in the Bible certain verses that are worthy of contemplation; that indicate that the Bible is the infallible inspiration from God. I will mention herein only one example of this, but there are several books that discuss the agreement of what's in the Bible with the scientific knowledge.
The concept of a spherical Earth has been historically attributed to the Greeks. The oldest mention of this concept is attributed to the philosopher and mathematician Pythagoras (circa 570 B.C. to circa 495 B.C.) Some attribute it to the philosopher and poet Parmenides (circa 515 B.C. to uncertain date of death), or the poet Hesiod (born 750 B.C. at most). In the Book of Job, we read«He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing.» (Job 26:7).
The Hebrew word for ‘nothing’ is ‘בְּלִימָה’, which translates into ‘nothingness.’ The Book of Job is thought to have been written somewhere between the sixth to the fourth centuries B.C. At that time, even with the introduction of the concept of a spherical Earth, ancient civilizations believed that something ‘carried’ the Earth. The most famous example of this is the Greek god Atlas, who carried the glove of the Earth on his shoulders. There was also the legendary creature Bahamut, which was portrayed as a huge fish carrying the Earth with its seven layers. However, the Book of Job speaks of an Earth that ‘hanged on nothing,’ contrary to the popular beliefs of that time.
The Christian concept of inspiration
St. Paul wrote «All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness» (2 Timothy 3:16)
. Going back to the Greek text of the Bible, for most of the New Testament was written in Greek, we read «πασα γραφη θεοπνευστος και ωφελιμος προς διδασκαλιαν προς ελεγχον προς επανορθωσιν προς παιδειαν την εν δικαιοσυνη.»
The phrase ‘given by inspiration of God’ is the Greek word ‘θεοπνευστος,’ which is formed by combining the word ‘θεός,’ meaning ‘God,’ and the word ‘πνευστιώ,’ meaning ‘pant,’ of which also is derived the word ‘πνεῦμα,’ meaning ‘spirit,’ and ‘πνεύμων,’ meaning ‘lung,’ and the word ‘πνευστά,’ meaning ‘wind,’ all of which from a stem meaning ‘air,’ ‘breath,’ or ‘blow.’ The Lating translation of that phrase is ‘divinitus inspirata,’ the first word of which is derived from Latin ‘divus,’ meaning ‘God,’ and the second from Latin ‘inspira,’ meaning ‘breathe.’ The bottom line is that the Bible is the ‘breath of God.’
St. Peter also wrote «Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the 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 Peter 1:20).
Going back to the Greek text of the Bible, «τουτο πρωτον γινωσκοντες οτι πασα προφητεια γραφης ιδιας επιλυσεως ου γινεται ου γαρ θεληματι ανθρωπου ηνεχθη ποτε προφητεια αλλ υπο πνευματος αγιου φερομενοι ελαλησαν οι αγιοι θεου ανθρωποι»
we find that the phrase ‘they were moved’ is the translation of the Greek ‘φερομενοι,’ from the origin ‘φέρω,’ meaning ‘bring’ or ‘fetch.’ God tells us that His Holy Spirit brings his holy men to write the Scriptures.
The closest analogy to illustrate the idea is to imagine as if God were the composer of an orchestral symphony for many musical instruments, and that for each of the musicians there was a certain tune to play. Those musicians are analogous to the writers of the Scriptures, and the sounds of their instruments is analogous to the various styles of writing we find in the Scriptures. The composer makes a certain tune for each of the instruments, and the musicians stick to playing that tune in order for all the tunes played by the orchestra to be harmonious. However, the sounds of the various musical instruments are different from each other. Similarly, the personal characters of the writers of the Scriptures are different, and are not abolished when they write the Scriptures. The various musical instruments with their different sounds combine to produce the harmonious symphony and, likewise, the various writers of the Scriptures with their different writing styles combine to produce the harmonious Bible, giving a single message, like the instruments play a single symphony, from the Book of Genesis to the Book of Revelation, which is the redemption of mankind. What is amazing is that such harmony exists despite that the Bible was written over a period of approximately 16 centuries!
This can be summarized as follows: inspiration in Christianity is the domination of the Holy Spirit over the writers of the Scriptures, guiding them to write God's message to mankind, making them infallible for the purpose of such writing; and the Scriptures are properly understood in the original language in which they were written. This is because translators are not made infallible by the Holy Spirit during the process of translation.
What is the importance of the correct definition?
- God is the source of the Bible
- The Bible has the commandments of God and the way to Him
- All books of the Bible are connected
- Every single word in the Bible is important
- The Bible is an integral unit
- We believe that the revelations and wisdom in the Bible come from God, and are not those of men. St. Peter says:
«And account that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given unto him hath written unto you; as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other scriptures, unto their own destruction.» (2 Peter 3:15-16)
And St. Paul also says:
A Christian believes implicitly that what is written in the Bible is the inspiration from the Holy Spirit, the wisdom of God, and His understanding, that was given to His holy men, enabling them to understand about God and His nature what was impossible to understand with the human mind alone. Therefore, proper understanding of Christianity cannot be attained only through mundane wisdom and philosophy, but it can be attained through prayers and asking God to reveal to the reader, with His Holy Spirit, the spiritual concepts in the Bible. A clear example of this is the story of the two disciples of Emmaus, for whom Christ appeared after His resurrection, taught them, and explained to them how God had revealed to His prophets about His plan for redemption of mankind.«Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: but we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 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 to us 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. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.» (1 Corinthians 2:6-16)
«For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.» (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
«Then he said unto them, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself. And they drew nigh unto the village, whither they went: and he made as though he would have gone further. But they constrained him, saying, “Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent.” And he went in to tarry with them. And it came to pass, as he sat at meat with them, he took bread, and blessed it, and brake, and gave to them. And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, “Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?”» (Luke 24:25-32)
We also read in the same chapter how Christ opened the understanding of His disciples when He appeared to them after His resurrection, so that they may understand the Scriptures.«And he said unto them, “These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.” Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, and said unto them, “Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”» (Luke 24:44-47)
We also read in St. Peter's epistle that God's prophets in the Old Testament prophesied about redemption by Christ through revelation by the Holy Spirit.«Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.» (1 Peter 1:10-12)
We also read in the Old Testament several times how the Spirit of the Lord guided His holy men, giving them wisdom, might, and knowledge.«And the Spirit of the LORD will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man.» (1 Samuel 10:6)
«The Spirit of the LORD spake by me, and his word was in my tongue.» (2 Samuel 23:2)
«And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD» (Isaiah 11:2)
- The Scriptures contain the words of God, His commandments, and the way to Him. The Bible does not contain historical events or spiritual philosophy only, but also the commandments of God to mankind, and their way to the eternal salvation through the blood of Jesus Christ the Saviour. Therefore, it is holy to Christians. St. Paul says:
«If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.» (1 Corinthians 14:37)
Going against the commandments of God is not taken lightly; teaching and preaching what conflicts with the Bible and the Church's dogma is not taken lightly, either. We clearly see this in St. Paul's epistle to the Galatians.«But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.» (Galatians 1:8-9)
In the Greek text of the Bible, the word ‘accursed’ is ‘ἀνάθεμα,’ or ‘anathema,’ meaning ‘dedicated,’ and in this context means ‘dedicated to evil.’ The early Church used the word to indicate excommunication. St. Paul distinguishes clearly in his first epistle to the Corinthians between God's commandment, which must not be disobeyed, and his personal opinion and advice as an apostle.«And unto the married I command, yet not I, but the Lord, Let not the wife depart from her husband: but and if she depart, let her remain unmarried, or be reconciled to her husband: and let not the husband put away his wife. But to the rest speak I, not the Lord: If any brother hath a wife that believeth not, and she be pleased to dwell with him, let him not put her away. And the woman which hath an husband that believeth not, and if he be pleased to dwell with her, let her not leave him. For the unbelieving husband is sanctified by the wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified by the husband: else were your children unclean; but now are they holy. But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace... Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment, as one that hath obtained mercy of the Lord to be faithful... The wife is bound by the law as long as her husband liveth; but if her husband be dead, she is at liberty to be married to whom she will; only in the Lord. But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God.» (1 Corinthians 7:10-15,25,39-40)
Therefore, all what's not understood as the opinion or advice of a human, or as literal quotation of a human, is considered the words and the commandments of God. Jesus tells us in St. John's gospel how the Scriptures testify to Him, and that we should ‘search’ them carefully to find the way to God.«Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.» (John 5:39)
In the Old Testament, we find that God strongly warns and firmly punishes those who falsely claim prophesy and falsely speaking in the name of God.«But the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.» (Deuteronomy 18:20)
Therefore, Jews did—and still do—exercise extreme caution during the process of copying the Torah, which is written on certain materials and with certain inks, and the scribe must copy the exact original shape of the letters, with the diacritics and even the decorations in the original scroll. Any error involving any word other than the word ‘God’ can be corrected by scraping off the letter with the error. Any error involving the word ‘God’ mandates removal of the whole page from the scroll. The page is then replaced with another, and the one with the error is respectfully buried rather than destroyed. Therefore, St. Paul tells about them:«What advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.» (Romans 3:1-2)
Because the Bible is the word of God, we find that Jesus, God incarnate, says with authority«Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33)
just like prophet Isaiah said about God's word in the Old Testament«The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.» (Isaiah 40:8)
- Inspiration in Christianity has a single source, and the New Testament is strongly connected to the Old Testament. All the Scripture is inspired by God; therefore, it is all connected. The Old Testament has prophesies indicating the New Testament and the redemption on the cross, and the New Testament indicates those prophesies and explains them. In the New Testament, we find that Jesus Himself uses the Scriptures to reply to the devil when He was being tempted.
We also find Him replying to the Sadducees from the Scriptures, too.«And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being forty days tempted of the devil. And in those days he did eat nothing: and when they were ended, he afterward hungered. And the devil said unto him, “If thou be the Son of God, command this stone that it be made bread.” And Jesus answered him, saying, “It is written, That man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God.” And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, “All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.” And Jesus answered and said unto him, “Get thee behind me, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, “If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence: for it is written, ‘He shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone.’” And Jesus answering said unto him, “It is said, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.» (Luke 4:1-13; Matthew 4:1-11)
«And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD doth man live.» (Deuteronomy 8:3)
«Thou shalt fear the LORD thy God, and serve him, and shalt swear by his name.» (Deuteronomy 6:13)
«If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only: and he will deliver you out of the hand of the Philistines.» (1 Samuel 7:3)
«Ye shall not tempt the LORD your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.» (Deuteronomy 6:16)
And He replied to the Pharisees using the Scriptures, too.«Then come unto him the Sadducees, which say there is no resurrection; and they asked him, saying, “Master, Moses wrote unto us, If a man's brother die, and leave his wife behind him, and leave no children, that his brother should take his wife, and raise up seed unto his brother. Now there were seven brethren: and the first took a wife, and dying left no seed. And the second took her, and died, neither left he any seed: and the third likewise. And the seven had her, and left no seed: last of all the woman died also. In the resurrection therefore, when they shall rise, whose wife shall she be of them? for the seven had her to wife.” And Jesus answering said unto them, “Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?’ He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err.”» (Mark 12:18-27)
«Moreover he said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God... And God said moreover unto Moses, “Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, ‘The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.’”» (Exodus 3:6,15)
And He repudiated the Pharisees, also using the Scriptures.«The Pharisees also came unto him, tempting him, and saying unto him, Is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause? And he answered and said unto them, Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female, and said, For this cause shall a man leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they twain shall be one flesh? Wherefore they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.» (Matthew 19:3-6; Mark 10:2-9)
«So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.» (Genesis 1:27)
«Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.» (Genesis 2:24)
We also find that He replied to the Jews who wanted to stone Him using the Scriptures.«While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus asked them, saying, “What think ye of Christ? whose son is he?” They say unto him, “The Son of David.” He saith unto them, “How then doth David in spirit call him Lord, saying, ‘The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool?’ If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?” And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions.» (Matthew 22:42-46)
«The LORD said unto my Lord, “Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.”» (Psalms 110:1)
And He also rebuked the Jews using the Scriptures.«Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. Jesus answered them, “Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?” The Jews answered him, saying, “For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.” Jesus answered them, “Is it not written in your law, ‘I said, Ye are gods?’ If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, ‘I am the Son of God?’ If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.”» (John 10:31-38)
«I have said, “Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.”» (Psalms 82:6)
And we find Christ's apostles pray together using David's psalms from the Scripture.«Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”» (Matthew 15:7-9)
«Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men» (Isaiah 29:13)
«And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, “Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, ‘Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ.’”» (Acts 4:24-26)
«Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD, and against his anointed, saying, &ldqou;Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.”» (Psalms 2:1-3)
We also read about what St. Paul said to the Jews in their synagogue in Antioch in Pisidia, and we find several quotations from the Old Testament.
- Individual words are no less important in understanding the meaning than whole sentences. Meticulousness in translating the meanings of the Bible, and going back to the original language in which the Scriptures were written is of utmost importance, because changing simple individual words can change the dogma or imply something false about the dogma. For instance, St. Paul explains the importance of this meticulousness by saying:
«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.» (Galatians 3:16)
Also, in the gospel by St. John, we find that Jesus says:«And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.» (John 3:13)
The importance of meticulousness here lies in the the use of the phrase ‘which is in heavn’ in the present tense, because Jesus Christ is God incarnate in the Christian faith, and God exists without limitation by space or time. Therefore, the Son of man (Jesus) is indeed in heaven at the same time in which He is on Earth. As another example, we find that Jesus asked the Pharisees about what David wrote in his Pslam«The LORD said unto my Lord» (Pslams 110:1).
If the word ‘my’ had been removed from the sentence, the meaning would have been dramatically changed, and the sentence would not have been a prophesy about Jesus Christ. - The Bible explains itself, and the Bible completes itself. Lots of non-Christians, and sometimes even some Christians, take verses from the Bible and try to understand them without reading the rest of the Bible, making the mistake of forgetting that the Bible is a single unit from a single source, who is God. Just as mundane texts are understood in their entirety and not as individual sentences, the Bible is also understood in its entirety. Examples for this kind of mistake are numerous; one of them is the saying of Jesus
«Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword.» (Matthew 10:34; Luke 12:51),
which is mistakenly understood by some to mean that Jesus promoted violence, and asked his disciples to arm themselves with weapons. They make the mistake of overlooking the context in which this sentence was said: Jesus said that in the context of sending his disciples to preach the faith, telling them they would suffer for that faith, yet comforting them that they will be supported by God. This context (Matthew 10; Luke 12) implies absolute peacefulness rather than violence. Those who make such mistake also overlook that when Peter struck and cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest's (Matthew 26:51; Mark 14:47; Luke 22:50; John 18:10), Jesus rebuked him and told him to put away his word (Matthew 26:52; John 18:11) and healed his ear (Luke 22:51). If Jesus promoted and condoned violence, that would have been the perfect opportunity to ask His disciples to draw their weapons and defend Him. Furthermore, Jesus told His disciples that they ‘shall be brought’ before governors and kings for his sake, and the expression does not suggest any violent resistance. Jesus told them they would be given what they ‘speak,’ not what they fight with. Many other examples exist in the Bible; for instance:«And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, “Lord, lay not this sin to their charge.” And when he had said this, he fell asleep.» (Acts 7:59-60)
«And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together. For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.» (Romans 8:17-18)
«For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain... For unto you it is given in the behalf of Christ, not only to believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake.» (Philippians 1:21,29)
«But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters... Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator.» (1 Peter 4:15,19)
We also find that St. Paul quotes the Old Testament in several locations in his epistles.«God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, “I will give you the sure mercies of David.” Wherefore he saith also in another psalm, “Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.”» (Acts 13:33-35)
«I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, “Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.”» (Psalms 2:7)
«Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.» (Isaiah 55:3)
«For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.» (Psalms 16:10)
We even find that St. Paul mixes quotations from the Old Testament and the New Testament in the same sentence, stating that the ‘Scripture’ says so, in a singular form rather than a plural one.«For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.» (Romans 4:3)
«And he brought him forth abroad, and said, “Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them:” and he said unto him, “So shall thy seed be.” And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.» (Genesis 15:5-6)
«For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith... As it is written, “I have made thee a father of many nations,” before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were. Who against hope believed in hope, that he might become the father of many nations, according to that which was spoken, “So shall thy seed be.”» (Romans 4:13,17-18)
«Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee.» (Genesis 17:5)
«And that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy; as it is written, “For this cause I will confess to thee among the Gentiles, and sing unto thy name.” And again he saith, “Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people.” And again, “Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles; and laud him, all ye people.” And again, Esaias saith, “There shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust.”» (Romans 15:9-12)
«Therefore will I give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and sing praises unto thy name.» (Psalms 18:49; 2 Samuel 22:50)
«Rejoice, O ye nations, with his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, and to his people.» (Deuteronomy 32:43)
«O praise the LORD, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people.» (Psalms 117:1)
«And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; to it shall the Gentiles seek: and his rest shall be glorious.» (Isaiah 11:10)
«And of the angels he saith, “Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.” But unto the Son he saith, “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.” And, &ldqou;Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: they shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.” But to which of the angels said he at any time, “Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool?” Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?» (Hebrews 1:7-14)
«Who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire.» (Psalms 104:4)
«Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.» (Psalms 45:6-7)
«Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.» (Psalms 102:25-27)
«Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, “To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, ‘They do alway err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.’ So I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest.”» (Hebrews 3:7-11)
«For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your heart, as in the provocation, and as in the day of temptation in the wilderness: when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and saw my work. Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, “It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known my ways:” Unto whom I sware in my wrath that they should not enter into my rest.» (Psalms 95:7-11)
«For the scripture saith, “Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth out the corn.” And, “The labourer is worthy of his reward.”» (1 Timonthy 5:18)
«Thou shalt not muzzle the ox when he treadeth out the corn.» (Deuteronomy 25:4)
«Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.» (Matthew 10:10; Luke 10:7)
I finally hope that this little effort will be of some value in elucidating the correct concept of inspiration in Christianity, because absence of such correct concept results in incorrect understanding of the Bible. All questions, comments, criticism and inquiries are welcome.
