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Dr. Jack L. ArnoldBibliology
Lesson 2
THE BIBLE IS INSPIRED BY GODI. INTRODUCTION
A. Once a person has de er!ined ha "od has disclosed #i!sel$ o
!en in special re%ela ionhro&gh he Bible' he ne( !a)or *&es
ions are' +#o, can I r&s he Bible i$ i ,as ,ri en by!en- +Is he
Bible inspired o$ "od and are he ,ri en ,ords o$ he Bible a&
hori a i%e-
B. Liberals ,o&ld like &s o hink ha belie$ in an
in$allibly inspired Bible in his scien i$ic age isin ellec &al
s&icide. /e i is he liberals ,ho ha%e co!!i ed spiri &al
s&icide' $or all ha ,ekno, abo& Chris is $o&nd in he
Bible' and' i$ he Bible is $illed ,i h errors and o ally&n
r&s ,or hy' hen ,e can ha%e no ass&rance abo& any hing
he Bible says and ,e are$orced o re)ec he eachings o$ Chris . To
re)ec he eachings o$ Chris is o re)ecChris iani y' $or Chris iani y
is Chris .
II. T#0 01AN"0LICAL O3ITION ON IN3 IRATIONA. The his oric %ie,
o$ inspira ion held by he Ch&rch in general has been ha he
Bible' in i s
original !an&scrip s' ,as %erbally 4,ords5 and plenerily
4$&lly5 inspired by "od in anob)ec i%e $or!. NOT06 This posi
ion ,as ne%er e%en serio&sly challenged &n il he age o$cri
icis! 4789:;7
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he #oly 3piri . B& he ,ork o$ he 3piri is al,ays o,ard so!e
p&rpose. This in%ol%eshe gi%ing o$ reasons $or belie$ and he
e(plana ion o$ he 3crip &re !essage i sel$.4 Know Why You
Believe 5
1. LIB0RAL O3ITION3 ON IN3 IRATIONA. ?odernis! 4Liberalis!56 The
Bible ,as ,ri en by sin$&l !en and here$ore $&ll o$
errors
e%en in he original !an&scrip s and is no reliable in !a ers
o$ $ai h and prac ice. I is he$ines book e%er ,ri en b& i is
)&s ano her book. The Bible gi%es people a good se o$ e hicso
li%e by' b& so do o her grea religio&s books. The Bible is
inspired in ha inspired !en,ro e i Hinspired in he sense ha any
grea book' sec&lar or religio&s' is ,ri en by
inspireda& hors.
B. Neo;or hodo(y6 The Bible ,as ,ri en by sin$&l !en and has
errors in he original!an&scrip s. I is no reliable in so!e
hings b& i is s ill he @ord o$ "od beca&se i is "odFs@ord.
Tha ,hich he #oly 3piri eaches a person is he @ord o$ "od o ha
person alone. Ino her er!s' he Bible beco!es he @ord o$ "od ,hen he
#oly 3piri eaches he person heho&gh s o$ 3crip &re. The
Bible is a h&!an prod&c $&ll o$ errors' b& ,hen "od
&ses i oo%erpo,er he reader' i beco!es he @ord o &s.
1I. 01AN"0LICAL O3ITION ON 0RROR3 IN T#0 BIBL0A. 0%angelicals
speak o$ inspired scrip &re in he original !an&scrip s.
0%angelicals ad!i
proble!s and di$$ic&l ies in rans!ission o$ he e( b& no
hing ,arran s hro,ing o& heconcep o$ inspira ion in he original
!an&scrip s. They ad!i he possibili y o$ error inrans!ission o$
he e( and see in a $e, cases apparen con radic ions' b& he
proble! is no,i h "odFs inspired @ord b& ,i h o&r li!i ed
kno,ledge. Daily Biblical cri icis! andarcheology are hro,ing ne,
ligh on he reliabili y o$ he @ord. a&l Li le says'
There are so!e o her proble!s ,hich as ye do no yield a ready
e(plana ion.@e !&s $reely ad!i his' re!e!bering ha !any i!es'
in he pas ' proble!s resol%edhe!sel%es ,hen !ore da a beca!e a%ail;
able. The logical posi ion' hen' ,o&ld see! o
be ha ,here here are areas o$ apparen con$lic ' ,e !&s hold
he proble! in abeyance'ad!i ing o&r presen inabili y o e(plain
b& a,ai ing he possibili y o$ ne, da a. The
presence o$ proble!s does no pre%en o&r accep ing he Bible
as he s&perna &ral @ordo$ "od. 4 Know Why You Believe 5
B. 3ince here are so!e corr&p ions o$ he original e( in
rans!ission o$ he Bible' Chris ianshro&gh lo,er cri icis!
sho&ld ,ork %ery hard o res ore he r&e e( . NOT06 3o!e ask
,hyi is necessary o arg&e abo& inerrancy o$ he original
!an&scrip s ,hen ,e do no ha%e anye(is ing original
!an&scrip s oday. The ans,er is ha he $o&nda ion $or
belie%ing ininspira ion is so&nd ,hen one belie%es in an
errorless Bible in he original !an&scrip s andoday ,e can prac
ically recons r&c he Ne, Tes a!en and !&ch o$ he Old Tes
a!en .
NOT06 There is no corr&p ion or apparen con radic ion ha has
any e$$ec &pon any !a)orChris ian doc rine' so he proble! is no
as se%ere as !any liberals ,o&ld like &s o belie%e.
1II. CONCLU3IONA. Eor an e%angelical he iss&e o$
%erbal;plenary inspira ion is a !a er o$ li$e and dea h $or he
Chris ian Eai h. Liberals o$ en resor o slander ,hen hey canno
in ellec &ally p& do,n a
learned e%angelical and call hi! a +Bible; h&!per or
+Bibliola or' and clai! hae%angelicals are g&il y o$
,orshipping a paper pope.
B. /e he e%angelical kno,s ha ; he Chris o$ his ory is in i!a
ely bo&nd &p in he Chris o$scrip &re. Tha is' one can
kno, no !ore abo& Chris han ,ha he scrip &res each.
C. 1erbal;plenary inspira ion is essen ial o ha%e an a& hori
a i%e Bible' $or' i$ he Bible is $&ll orerrors' hen no !an can
be s&re ha he Bible can be r&s ed in any par . To lea%e
%erbalinspira ion is he $irs s ep o,ards liberalis! beca&se he
a& hori y o$ scrip &re is ,eakened.
D. The e%angelical clearly sees ha behind he iss&e o$
inspira ion lies he possibili y o$ denyinghe so%ereign y o$ "od and
s&perna &ralis!. I$ "od is "od' hen #e ,o&ld ha%e no
ro&ble,ri ing he Bible in he originals in a per$ec $or!. 0d,ard
J. /o&ng says'
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I$ he 3crip &ral doc rine o$ inspira ion ,ere be er kno,n'
he ne,er %ie,s,o&ld ha%e !ore di$$ic&l y lodging he!sel%es
in he !odern Ch&rch. I ,ill benecessary here$ore o e(a!ine in
!ore de ail ,ha hy Bible i sel$ eaches concerninginspira ion. I$
,ha ,e ha%e been saying' in he preceding' chap er is r&e' he
grea iss&e
be$ore he Ch&rch oday is ,he her o lis en o he %oice o$ "od
or o$ !an. Tha
e(presses i sel$' ,e ha%e seen' in he *&es ion ,he her one
!ay any longer regard heBible as a r&s ,or hy eacher o$ doc
rine. Thro&gho& he co&rse o$ Ch&rch #is ory
heCh&rch has deri%ed her doc rines $ro!. he Bible. Is she no,'
a long las ' ,hen so !anyal erna i%es and s&bs i & es are
being proposed' o re)ec he es i!ony ,hich he Biblegi%es concerning
i sel$- 3ince he Bible is "odFs @ord' o re)ec ,ha he Bible has osay
abo& i sel$ is o re)ec he %oice o$ "od #i!sel$. @ha lies be$ore
he Ch&rch a he
presen i!e is he old iss&e o$ s&perna &ral
%ers&s !an;!ade religion. 4 Thy Word isTruth 5
0. I$ he Bible is no %erbally inspired' hen ,e can no longer
say' +Jes&s lo%es !e' his I kno,'$or he Bible ells !e so.
