Inspiration of Scripture, 1of2

~ Internal Evidence of Inspiration ~

This is the first of two postings about the inspiration of the Holy Bible. Today’s focus is on what the Bible says about its inspiration. The second post will focus on the empirical evidence of the inspiration of the Holy Bible.

Scripture’s Divine Origin  ~  “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).

Scripture’s Human Channels  ~   “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue” (2 Samuel 23:2). “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:20-21). 

Scripture Claims to be The “Word of God”  ~  “And Moses turned and went down from the mountain, and the two tablets of the Testimony were in his hand. The tablets were written on both sides; on the one side and on the other they were written. Now the tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God engraved on the tablets” (Exodus 32:15-16). Phrases translated as “The Lord said,” “The Lord spoke,” or “The Word of the Lord came” occur frequently in Scripture. They occur over 700 times in the first five books, about 1,200 times in the prophetical books, and about 3,800 times throughout the Old Covenant. The New Testament speaks of the Old Covenant authority over 50 times.

Scripture’s Absolute Purity  ~  “The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart;

The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Psalm 19:8). “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him” (Proverbs 30:5).

Scripture’s Supreme Authority  ~  “Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right” (Psalm 119:128a).  “I will worship toward Your holy temple, and praise Your name for Your loving kindness and Your truth; for You have magnified Your word above all Your name” (Psalm 138:2).

Scripture’s Acceptance by the Lord Jesus  ~  “Then He said to them, ‘These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me’ And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures” (Luke 24:44-45). 

Scripture’s Eternal and Imperishable Nature ~  “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away” (Matthew 24:35). “But the word of the Lord endures forever” (1 Peter 1:25a).

Scripture Can Be Corrupted by Men  ~  “For we are not, as so many, peddling the Word of God; but as of sincerity, but as from God, we speak in the sight of God in Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:17). “As also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:16).

Scripture Can Be Made Void by Tradition  ~  “Making the Word of God of no effect through your tradition which you have handed down. And many such things you do” (Mark 7:13). “And they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables” (2 Timothy 4:4).  

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW