Inspiration’s Implications (Part 1 of 2)
Last week I said that scripture is inspired. That’s the big picture category. Today, I’m going to show you a couple of truths that flow from inspiration.
Or, to say it a different way,
Because of Inspiration, the Bible is…
True
You might want to use the words “Inerrant” (without error) or Infallible (unable to fail) here. I’m not denying those, but I like just saying “True,” partly because Jesus says to the Father, “Your word is truth.” (Jn 17:17). It’s the category the Bible puts on itself.
And, I think people either wrongly deny inerrancy claiming it’s a 19th century concept (Though it’s not. It’s a 19th century word to describe an ancient concept). [1] Or, people wrongly affirm it and go a little bit crazy in their good-hearted claims.
But let me just say two things and move along.
1) Since God cannot lie and is completely truthful, His word is completely truthful.
2) Inerrancy must be paired with reading well.
The common objections to it come from reading poorly.
It’s like when I went to the history museum. I asked the tour guide, “How old is that T-Rex?” And he said, “70 million and 6 years old.” I follow up, “Wow, how do you get such a specific number?” And he said, “Well, they told me on my first day working here it was 70 million years old.”
You should be laughing. That’s a hilarious joke. It’s funny because everyone knows that’s not how you answer that question. That’s not how communication works.
No reasonable human actually believes the T-Rex is 70-million years old to the day, or the month, or even the year. We don’t claim it was born (or died? I don’t know when you date skeletons) in 69,997,976 BC. And yet at the same time, no one is saying 70-million is wrong, or a lie.
It’s not precisely true, but not a false either. It’s simply the way language works.
A lack of precision isn’t error.
A generalization isn’t error.
Poor grammar ain’t error.
You must read the book in a literarily informed way. We judge it based on what it is and what it’s doing, not some arbitrary, western, post enlightenment standard that’s foreign to the Bible’s original authors and intentions.
Here’s an example. Jesus says, in John 10:7, “I am the door.” Based on that statement, you must believe one of two things:
Somewhere on Jesus’s person are hinges, a locking mechanism, and a doorknob.
Jesus is a liar and the Bible’s not true.
Which of those is correct? Obviously, neither. I asked a terrible question. Because everyone knows how to understand that statement, it’s a metaphor, an analogy.
But, it’s not just these kind of obvious statements that are analogical, the whole Bible is when it speaks about God.
In scripture, God speaks true things about Himself, but in a way we can understand. It’s called Analogical language.
I almost burnt my eyes out last month, but at the last minute, I gave in to “Big Solar” and bought the Eclipse Glasses. I figured I could just briefly glance at the eclipse and be fine. But apparently, that’s not the case. Even in an eclipse, you can’t stare at the sun. It’s too bright and will burn through your skull (or something).
1 Timothy 6:16 speaks of God, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.
We can’t see God directly, so Scripture speaks analogically. Truly, but in a way we can understand. The enormous glory of God can’t be contained to words on paper. The Bible speaks truly of God, but not fully. It speaks in analogous language.
That’s analogical language – reality communicated with condescension, with compression.
And since the Bible is written analogically, we need to read it with the proper literary lenses. When God is said to be long of nose, or changes His mind, or any of the kind of human language put on Him, we understand that this is what we understand, and it’s true, but also – we’re just looking at a level that we can understand, and not the full actuality of who God is.
That’s how God communicates Himself through a book. A book of complete and total truth – Jesus Himself said “Your word is truth.” And we need to know how to understand His communication, because the Bible is also
Authoritative
This is the tension we talked about in the Beginning. The words of men and women are also the words of God and carry all His authority.
Look at Matthew 10. This is when Jesus sends out the disciples to preach.
Read the whole thing in your Bible, I’ll just give you a few relevant verses.
[14] And if anyone will not receive you or listen to your words, shake off the dust from your feet when you leave that house or town. [15] Truly, I say to you, it will be more bearable on the day of judgment for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah than for that town…
[19] When they deliver you over, do not be anxious how you are to speak or what you are to say, for what you are to say will be given to you in that hour. [20] For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you.
[26] “So have no fear of them, for nothing is covered that will not be revealed, or hidden that will not be known. [27] What I tell you in the dark, say in the light, and what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.
[40] “Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.
Matthew 10:14-15 shows the seriousness of refusing to listen to those Jesus had sent.
19-20 clarify, why - because it’s the Spirit of the Father speaking through these human messengers.
And the message is so important that God’s going to prove it true. Even if they’re maligned for it, God will reveal the truth (26-27).
Finally, there’s a summary in verse 40 – whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”
“God has identified himself both with Jesus Christ in person and with the passing on by his disciples the words Jesus brought from the Father, with the result that those who reject those human words spoken by the disciples is to reject God.”[2]
I’ll take this a step further.
Even books not written to us are still for us. They still have authority.
The Bible was written to a particular people in a particular place in a particular time. The book of Deuteronomy was not written to us, and thus it doesn’t “fit” on a one-to-one basis. But it was written for us and is thus authoritative. [3]
I get this from verses like Romans 15:4
For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.
So as you’re reading Exodus and get to the dimensions of the tabernacle – Exodus 26ish, I think the vast majority of us are going to start reading a little bit faster. Start skimming. And you’ll think, “Wow, I should care, but I really don’t.”
Let’s just be frank, those dimensions are a lot more important for the carpenters that it was written to than they are for us. But does that mean there’s no weight, no gravity, no authority behind them? Of course not. We have those dimensions, according to Romans 15:4, to give us hope.
Perhaps a hope that God wants to dwell with His people, and He’s going to tell them exactly what’s needed for that to happen. Hope that says God is going to initiate it – we don’t figure out how to get to God, He figures out how to get to us.
(That was analogous language about God, by the way. Given that God is eternally all-knowing, God never figures things out. That would imply change and at one point He wasn’t all wise and all knowing).
It should instruct us, with authority, that God is very particular about the way He’s worshiped. And surely that’s relevant for what we do as the church gathers….
Just because it wasn’t written to us, it’s still written for us. And holds all of God’s Authority.
Those two concepts took longer than expected. I have 3 more implications, but we’ll wait until next week for them.
Until then,
Dan
[1] Letham, 190–91.
[2] Thompson, The Doctrine of Scripture, 56–57.
[3] Thompson, 98.