The Ohio Independent Baptist, May 1972

• i , • • by Thomas A. Thomas, M.A., Th.M. Baptist Bible College Clarks Summit, Pa . 1h c n 1\.,, l c tl c t 1, t: , , a ~ t t) <l c t r o) ,l bl tl\.ltn~ 1 tu t1ndern11ne and de- - ,tr~.1, 1t, tl t111J,1t1on : the n1 \t effe tive , , ~1, t ) k. ti I a p I ant i ~ to <.J I g up i t. r,)L)t, ,r at <)nl, the structt1re i · de- • ,tr\.,\CLJ anJ the f undat1on i. left in– t~1Ll. <)fit the plant i JU t ctat off and th~ rut)t~ ,ire ·till 1n the ground, the trticture n1a) he reht1ilt upon the t t1ndc.1 t1on ,1nJ the plane n1a} grow dgain. The e are in a very real ense li~e the Bible. the foundation or root of our Chri tian Faith . The Bible i~ under attac k h) the ,er, ant: of a tan toda) a perhap ne, er hetore in it hi tory for if the)' ,,ould de. tro\ Biblical hri tianitv ~ . the) n1u t undermi ne and de troy it fot1n<lat1on. the) n1u t dig up and kill 1t. root . ..The traditional view ot 1n p1ration. re,·elation, authority, a nd ~anonicat) are being , everely criticized and conten1porar 1 lihera)i 01 and neo– ortho<lo\.} are vigorou Jy. a nd in many theologica1 circle , . ucce.. fully. pro– n1oting a ) tern of theology in refer– ence to the Bihle 'Ai hich is qu ite foreign to ftJ n<lamen tal. orthodox Ch ri ti anity. E\en certain theologian. of a con- er, at1\e, e\angelical tripe are urging U\ to re-e\aluate and re-think our \le\\S of \UCh crucial doctrine a. the ,erhal. plenar) 1n~piration of the crapture,. and th1\. it would 5eem. v. 1th a , 1ev. to accomn1odating our Chr1,t1anit)' to the n1odern unregener– J te n1an . But th i 'Ai e can ne" er do. tor ~e n1u\t n1ainta1n at all co t the di,1ne or1g1n and un1quene , of otir Chra t1c1n Faith and the ,erba)ly. plcnarll) n,p1re<l. in cripturated Word o t C.1 ocl. th t: 81 h Ie.' · I t I of Lt t n1 o t importance that the founJat1on of ot1r F a i t h ren1 c.11 n \ ti re a n<.J , tea<.J ta\ t • for it the foundation he Je\lfO)e<.J all the re I \. f Chri stia nit) \\ Ill con1e tun1bl1ng do,.. n on top of it. 10 MAY, 1972 But ,vhal kind of a hook is the B1hle '? We would like to n1enti o n hrief- 1) a few of tho e charac teri sti cs or qtaalitie ,vhich it po ses e. . 1. T he Bib le i the Word o f God. How ca n we be o ure of thi '? How can we ta te it o dogmatically? ert ai nl y the va t majorit y of people would not ag ree with thi . It would be unu ual to find any non- hri tian philo opher or sc ienti t who would give the lighte t credence to it. And even many o-called theologi an h ave no place for a written Word of God in their thinking. Wh y then doe the Chri ti a n believe that which the non– Chr i. ti an o vigorou ly reject ? The answe r is certa inl y not th a t the Chri - ti a n is more intelligent but that the hri . tian i different. The un aved per on, according to the Bible, i , piritually dead "dead in tre pa. e and s ins" ( Ephe ians 2: I ) . He i al..o , piritually blind, hi understanding is darkened ( II Corinthi ans 4:4: Ephe. – ian 4: 18). He cann<J t receive or un– derstand the "thing of the Spirit of Gou' ' , th ey are fooli hne .. to hin1 ( I Corinthi a n. 2: 14). He is one who love darkne s r ather than li ght be– cause hi s deed a re ev il ( John 3: 19). In othe r words, he i. a tota ll y-de– praved sinner. Thi . i~ why he cannot recognize th e Bihle a~ the Word of God. But Gou, in Hi . ove reign grace. ha. done something ve ry wonderful fo r the ( ' hri sti an. Once we too were dead in our ins but Hi Ho ly Spirit ha . rege ner ated u . He has given us <;pi ritt1al life, we have been '"horn again'·. We a lso were once spi ritt1 a ll y hi ind a nu cou Id not see. or know. or under tand the truth of Gou. But hy Hi grace He ha · ripped tho e piritu– al blinder\ fron1 ot1r eye . We have heen given piritual \ight . ow we t (I ll I C~CI\' clllU lllltlcrst;1ntl the " tl,1ngs <> I tl1c S1 ir1t (>f •Oll'' ; no,v we CHn l'CCl1gnizc th· ll1l)le f r ,v l1 a t it 1s, the v ·r ' W<llll <)f ,od . ,otl is ll(l\J (1t1r f· atl1cr . ,,vc arc Hi s c l1ilurcn . n<.J ,vc k t1 llW the V< >ice o f ott r l "' nthcr 2. The llil>lc is crl>11II a11cl f>lc11- aril~ Inspired of (;od. 1·hc\c ter111\ pc rhap~ ncc(J to be tJc– fi ncd . Wl1cn we '"Y that the lii hlc is ve rbally in 'ip1rcd we n1can tl1at every wor<.1 in the original text of cripturc ,~ c actly that word which (1od in– tcnlfcd ~hould he there . he words o f criplt1rc arc inspired of God. To ,ay that the Bih1c i\ plcnarily in- ·pired , o n the other hand , i\ to \ay th at the Bihle in it s entirety, all o f 1t , i~ in the ~a n1c ·ense and to the . an1e degree inspired of Go<.J. And it is of utmost in1portance that we recog– nize the truth of hoth of the<;c a~pect<; of in. piration . There are two ver. e. of Scripture which en1phasize the nature of in– spiration , II Timothy 3:16 and JI Peter I : 2 1. The fir. t part of I I Timo– th y 3: 16 states...All Scripture j given hy in pi ration of God". Really what it is saying i , HAii Scripture L God– breathed '', it has been breathed forth fron1 God, it ha its origin, its source, in Him. It is not the expre . ion of n1en's mind , it is not the figment of their imaginations, but rather it ex– pres. es the mind, the heart of God. He ha breathed it forth. And note carefully, it i all Scriptttre which i God-breathed. In piration is a quality which the Scripture po ses . It doe, not de cri be a proce , nor does it appl y to the writer . Neither Paul , nor John, nor 1 aiah, nor Moses, nor any other Bible writer was in pired. It i. not the writers but the writing which po ses thi. qu a lity of having heen in. pire<.J of God. And (1// of thi. particular group of writings called ,';<·rip t 1, re have t hi q tt a I ity of i n pi r a- tion. The Bible i plenaril y in. pired. I I Peter 1.2 1 de c ribe. the work o f the Holy Spirit in in pira tion . We read, ' ' Fo r the prophecy can1e not j n oId time by the wi 11 of n1 an : but ho 1 y n1en of Gou pake a. they were moved hy th e Hol y Gho. t". The key word here i. "n1ove<.J". It ha the idea of t o– he c·c1rriecl c1l<)n,f.!, or borne al<Jn,£.?. The write r. of the Sc ripture were carried or borne a lo ng compl etel y under the con trol or don1ina tion of the Holy pirit of Gou. The}' wrote a the H o I)' p irit d i rec t e d then1 to \\I rite . ve ry word wa. e ' ac tl y that which the Hol 1 pirit intended hottld he there. Wh a t they· wrote 'v\ a the Word of God. The Bihl e i ve rba ll y in pire<.J. (Continued on page 17) THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIST