By Louis Berkhof
Part 1: Introduction
Chapter 3: Scripture
1. Revelation and Scripture. The term 'special revelation' may be used in
more than one sense. It may denote the direct self-communications of God in verbal
messages and in miraculous facts. The prophets and the apostles often received
messages from God long before they committed them to writing. These are now
contained in Scripture, but do not constitute the whole of the Bible. There is
much in it that was not revealed in a supernatural way, but is the result of
study and of previous reflection. However, the term may also be used to denote
the Bible as a whole, that whole complex of redemptive truths and facts, with
the proper historical setting, that is found in Scripture and has the divine
guarantee of its truth in the fact that it is infallibly inspired by the Holy
Spirit. In view of this fact it may be said that the whole Bible, and the Bible
only, is for us God's special revelation. It is in the Bible that God's special
revelation lives on and brings even now life, light, and holiness.
2. Scripture Proof for the Inspiration of Scripture. The whole Bible is
given by inspiration of God, and is as such the infallible rule of faith and
practice for all mankind. Since the doctrine of inspiration is often denied, it
calls for special consideration.
This doctrine, like every other, is based on Scripture, and is not an
invention of man. While it is founded on a great number of passages, only a few
of these can be indicated here. The Old Testament writers are repeatedly
instructed to write what the Lord commands them, Ex, 17:14; 34:27; Num. 33:2;
Isa. 8:1; 30:8; Jer. 25:13; 30:2; Ezek. 24:1; Dan. 12:4; Hab. 2:2. The prophets
were conscious of bringing the word of the Lord, and therefore introduced their
messages with some such formula as, "Thus saith the Lord," or,
"The word of the Lord came unto me," Jer. 36:27, 32; Ezek., chapters
26, 27, 31, 32, 39. Paul speaks of his words as Spirit-taught words, I Cor. 2:13,
claims that Christ is speaking in him, II Cor. 13:3, and describes his message
to the Thessalonians as the word of God, I Thess. 2:13. The Epistle to the
Hebrews often quotes passages of the Old Testament as words of God or of the
Holy Spirit, Heb. 1:6; 3:7; 4:3;" 5:6; 7:21. The most important passage to
prove the inspiration of Scripture is II Tim. 3:16, which reads as follows in
the Authorized Version: "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and
is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness."
3. The Nature of Inspiration. There are especially two wrong views of
inspiration, representing extremes that should be avoided.
a. Mechanical inspiration. It has sometimes been represented as if God
literally dictated what the human authors of the Bible had to write, and as if
they were purely passive like a pen in the hand of a writer. This means that
their minds did not contribute in any way to the contents or form of their
writings. But in view of what we find this can hardly be true. They were real
authors, who in some cases gathered their materials from sources at their
command, I Kings 11:41; 14:29; I Chron. 29:29; Luke 1:1-4, in other instances
recorded their own experiences as, for instance, in many of the psalms, and
impressed upon their writings their own particular style. The style of Isaiah
differs from that of Jeremiah, and the style of John is not like that of Paul.
b. Dynamic inspiration. Others thought of the process of inspiration as
affecting only the writers, and having no direct bearing on their writings.
Their mental and spiritual life was strengthened and raised to a higher pitch,
so that they saw things more clearly and had a more profound sense of their
real spiritual value. This inspiration was not limited to the time when they
wrote the books of the Bible, but was a permanent characteristic of the writers
and affected their writings only indirectly. It differed only in degree from
the spiritual illumination of all believers. This theory certainly does not do
justice to the biblical view of inspiration.
c. Organic inspiration. The proper conception of inspiration holds that the
Holy Spirit acted on the writers of the Bible in an organic way, in harmony
with the laws of their own inner being, using them just as they were, with
their character and temperament, their gifts and talents, their education and
culture, their vocabulary and style. The Holy Spirit illumined their minds,
aided their memory, prompted them to write, repressed the influence of sin on
their writings, and guided them in the expression of their thoughts even to the
choice of their words. In no small measure He left free scope to their own
activity. They could give the results of their own investigations, write of
their own experiences, and put the imprint of their own style and language on
their books.
4. The Extent of Inspiration. There are differences of opinion also
respecting the extent of the inspiration of Scripture. a. Partial inspiration.
Under the influence of Rationalism it has become quite common to deny the
inspiration of the Bible altogether, or to hold that only parts of it are
inspired. Some deny the inspiration of the Old Testament, while admitting that
of the New. Others affirm that the moral and religious teachings of Scripture
are inspired, but that its historical parts contain several chronological,
archaeological, and scientific mistakes. Still others limit the inspiration to
the Sermon on the Mount. They who adopt such views have already lost their
Bible, for the very differences of opinion are proof positive that no one can
determine with any degree of certainty which parts of Scripture are, and which
are not inspired. There is still another way in which the inspiration of
Scripture is limited, namely, by assuming that the thoughts were inspired,
while the choice of the words was left entirely to the wisdom of the human
authors. But this proceeds on the very doubtful assumption that the thoughts
can be separated from the words, while, as a matter of fact, accurate thought
without words is impossible.
b. Plenary inspiration. According to Scripture every part of the Bible is
inspired. Jesus and the apostles frequently appeal to the Old Testament books
as 'scripture' or 'the Scriptures' to settle a point in controversy. To their
minds such an appeal was equivalent to an appeal to God. It should be noted
that of the books to which they appeal in this fashion, some are historical.
The Epistle to the Hebrews repeatedly cites passages from the Old Testament as
words of God or of the Holy Spirit (cf. p. 18). Peter places the letters of
Paul on a level with the writings of the Old Testament, II Pet. 3:16, and Paul
speaks of all Scripture as inspired, II Tim. 3:16.
We may safely go a step farther and say that the inspiration of the Bible
extends to the very words employed. The Bible is verbally inspired, which is
not equivalent to saying that it is mechanically inspired. The doctrine of
verbal inspiration is fully warranted by Scripture. In many cases we are
explicitly told that the Lord told Moses and Joshua exactly what to write, Lev.
3 and 4; 6:1, 24; 7:22, 28; Josh. 1:1; 4:1; 6:2, and so on. The prophets speak
of Jehovah as putting His words into their mouths, Jer. 1:9, and as directing
them to speak His words to the people, Ezek. 3:4, 10, 11. Paul designates his
words as Spirit taught words, I Cor. 2:13, and both he and Jesus base an
argument on a single word, Matt. 22:43-45; John 10:35; Gal. 3:16.
5. The Perfections of Scripture. The Reformers developed the doctrine of
Scripture as over against the Roman Catholics and some of the Protestant sects.
While Rome taught that the Bible owes its authority to the Church, they
maintained that it has authority in itself as the inspired Word of God. They
also upheld the necessity of Scripture as the divinely appointed means of grace
over against the Roman Catholics, who asserted that the Church had no absolute
need of it, and some of the Protestant sects, who exalted the "inner
light," or the word of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of the people of God,
at the expense of Scripture. In opposition to Rome they further defended the
clearness of the Bible. They did not deny that it contains mysteries too deep
for human understanding, but simply contended that the knowledge necessary unto
salvation, though not equally clear on every page of the Bible, is yet conveyed
in a manner so simple that anyone earnestly seeking salvation can easily gather
this knowledge for himself, and need not depend on the interpretation of the
Church or the priesthood. Finally, they also defended the sufficiency of
Scripture, and thereby denied the need of the tradition of the Roman Catholics
and of the inner light of the Anabaptists.
To memorize.
Passages bearing on:
a. The inspiration of Scripture:
I Cor. 2:13. "Which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom
teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; combining spiritual things with
spiritual words."
I Thess. 2:13. "And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing,
that, when ye received from us the word of the message, even the word of God,
ye accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of
God."
II Tim. 3:16. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is
profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness."
b. The authority of the Bible:
Isa. 8:20. "To the lay and to the testimony! if they speak not according
to this word, surely there is no morning for them."
c. The necessity of the Bible:
II Tim. 3:15. "And that from a babe thou has known the sacred writings,
which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in
Christ Jesus."
a. The clearness of Scripture:
Ps. 19:7b. "The testimony of Jehovah is sure, making wise the
simple."
Ps. 119:105. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my
path." Also verse 130. "The opening of Thy words giveth light; it
giveth understanding to the simple."
e. The Sufficiency of Scripture.
Cf. the passages under c. above.
For Further Study:
a. Do the traditions of men have authority? Matt. 5:21-48; 15:3-6; Mark 7:7;
Col. 2:8; Tit. 1:14; II Pet. 1:18.
b. Did the prophets themselves always fully understand what they wrote? Dan.
8:16; 12:8; Zech. 1:7 -- 6:11; I Pet. 1:11.
e. Does II Tim. 3:16 teach us anything respecting the practical value of the
inspiration of Scripture? If so, what?
Questions for Review
1. What is the relation between special revelation and Scripture?
2. What different meanings has the term 'special revelation'?
3. Can we say that special revelation and Scripture are identical?
4. What Scripture proof can you give for the inspiration of the Bible.?
5. What are thee theories of mechanical and dynamical inspiration?
6. How would you describe the doctrine of organic inspiration?
7. What about the theory that the thoughts are inspired but not the words?
8. How would you prove that inspiration extends to every part of Scripture,
and even to the very words?
9. How do Rome and the Reformers differ on the authority, the necessity, the
clearness, and the sufficiency of Scripture?