Christianity Without Christ (Part 4)

Christianity without Christ

by Charles Hodge (1823-1886)

Originally published in the Princeton Review, April 1876 (Vol. 5, Issue 18).

The doctrine which makes benevolence, the desire or purpose to promote the happiness not of our fellow-men merely, but of being in general, or all beings, logically, and often actually, results essentially in the same thing. All religion, all moral excellence consists in benevolence, Our only obligation is so to act as to promote the greatest good. This is the motive and the end of obedience. According to the New Testament, the motive to obedience is the love of Christ, the rule of obedience is the will of Christ, and its end the glory of Christ. Every Christian is benevolent; but his benevolence does not make him a Christian; his Christianity makes him benevolent. Throughout all ages the men who have labored most and suffered most for the good of others, have been Christians — men animated and controlled by Christ's love to them, and by their love to Christ. It is evident that the spiritual life — the inward religious state — of the man to whom it is Christ to live, is very different from that of the man who lives for the happiness of the universe. A man might thus live if there were no Christ.

Another form of religion in which Christ fails to occupy his proper position, is that which assumes God to be merely a moral governor, of infinite power and benevolence. Being infinitely benevolent, he desires the well being of his kingdom. To forgive sin without some suitable manifestation of his disapprobation of sin, would be inconsistent with a wise benevolence. Christ makes that manifestation in his sufferings and death. Then he retires; henceforth we have nothing to do with him; we have to deal with God on the principles of natural religion; we must submit to his authority, obey his commandments, and expect to be rewarded, not merely according to, but for, our works. Christ merits nothing for us, we are not to look to him for sanctification, or any other blessing. All he has done, or does, is to make it consistent with the benevolence of God to forgive sin. Forgiveness of sin, therefore, is the only benefit which God bestows on us on account of Christ.

This theory changes everything. Men me rebellious subjects. It is now consistent in God to forgive them. He calls on them to submit, to lay down their arms, then he is free to deal with them as though they had never sinned. They must merit, not forgiveness — for that is granted on account of what Christ has done — but the reward promised to obedience; justification is simply pardon. Conversion is that change which takes place in a man when he ceases to be selfish, and becomes benevolent; ceases making his own happiness the end of his life, and determines to seek the happiness of the universe. The essence of faith is love, i.e., benevolence. It is hard to see, according to this theory, in what sense Christ is our prophet, priest, and king; how He is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; what is meant by our being in him as the branch is in the vine; or, what our Lord meant when He said, "without me, ye can do nothing;" what was in Paul's mind when he said, it is Christ for me to live, "it is not I that live, but Christ liveth in me," and so on to the end. This is a different kind of religion from that which we find in the Bible and in the experience of the church. As the religion (in the subjective sense of the word) is different, so is the preaching different, and so are the modes of dealing with sinners, and of promoting reformation among men. Some go so far as to hold, that there can be morality without religion; men are exhorted to be moral bemuse it is right, because it will promote their own welfare, and make them respected and useful. They we to become morally good by a process of moral culture, by suppressing evil feelings and cherishing such as are good ones, by abstaining from what is wrong and doing what is right.

Others take the higher ground of theism, or of natural religion, and bring in considerations drawn from our relation to God as an infinitely perfect being, our creator and preserver and father, who has rightful authority over us, who has prescribed the rule of duty, and who rewards the righteous and punishes the wicked.

All this is true and good in its place. But it is like persuading the blind to see and the deaf to hew. This is not the gospel. Christ is the only Saviour from sin, the only source of holiness, or of spiritual life. The first step in salvation from sin is our reconciliation to God. The reconciliation is effected by the expiation made by the death of Christ (Rom. 5:10). It is his blood, and his blood alone, that cleanses from sin. As long as men arc under the law, they bring forth fruit unto death; it is only when freed from the law, freed from its inexorable demand of perfect obedience and from its awful penalty, that they bring forth fruit unto God (Rom. 7:4-6). Christ delivered us from the law as demanding perfect obedience, by being made under the law, and fulfilling all righteousness for us; and he redeems us from the curse of the law, by being made a curse for us — dying the just for the unjust, and bearing our sins in his own body on the tree. Being thus reconciled unto God by his death, we are saved by his life. He sends the Holy Spirit to impart to us spiritual life, and transforms us more and more into his own image. The Spirit reveals to us the glory of Christ and his infinite love. He makes us feel not only that we owe everything to him, but that he himself is everything to us — our present joy and our everlasting portion — our all in all. Thus every other motive to obedience is absorbed and sublimated into love to Christ and zeal for his glory. His people become like him, and as he went about doing good, so do they. All this of course, is folly to the Greek. God, however, has determined by the foolishness of preaching to save them who believe. Pulmonary consumption is more destructive of human life than the plague. So Christianity without Christ, in all its forms, the phthisis of the church, is more to be dreaded than skepticism, whether scientific or philosophical. The only remedy is preaching Christ, as did the apostles.

Two important facts are to be home in mind. First, the inward religious life of men, as well as their character. and conduct, am determined by their doctrinal opinions. Even the Edinburgh Review, years ago, said, "The character of an age is determined by the theology of that age." Therefore, any system of doctrine which assigns to Christ a lower position than that which he occupies in the New Testament, must, in a like degree, lower the standard of Christianity — that is, the religious life of those calling themselves Christians. Second, nevertheless, it is equally true that men are more governed by their practical than by their speculative convictions. The idealist does not feel and act on his belief that the external world has no real existence. In like manner, the religious life of men is often determined more by the plain teaching of the Scriptures and by the common faith of the church than by their theological theories. Hence, men have often more of Christ in their religion than in their theology. It is, however, of the last importance to remember, that sound doctrine is, under God, our only security for true religion and pure morals. If we forsake the truth, God forsakes us.

Christianity Without Christ (Part 3)

Christianity without Christ

by Charles Hodge (1823-1886)

Originally published in the Princeton Review, April 1876 (Vol. 5, Issue 18).

The experience of one Christian is the experience of all. This is the conscious bond of their union. The hymns which live through all ages, are hymns of praise to Christ. All Protestants can join with St. Bernard, when he says: "Jesus, the very thought of Thee, With sweetness fills my breast; But sweeter far Thy face to see, And in Thy presence rest. When once Thou visitest the heart, Then light begins to shine, Then earthly vanities depart; Then kindles love divine. Jesus, our only joy be Thou, As Thou our prize shalt be; Jesus, be Thou our glory now, And through eternity." "JESUS, OUR BEING'S HOPE AND END." They can also join with that other Bernard, who says of heaven: "The Lamb is all thy splendor, The Crucified thy praise, His laud and benediction, His ransomed people raise." What is true of the Christianity of the mediaeval saints, is true of believers now. Toplady's hymn "Rock of Ages, cleft for me," finds a response in every Christian heart, So does his hymn... "Compared with Christ, in all besides, No comeliness I see; The one thing needful, clearest Lord, Is to be one with Thee." "Thyself bestow; for Thee alone, I absolutely pray." "Less than Thyself will not suffice, My comfort to restore: More than Thyself I cannot have; And Thou canst give no more." Cowper expresses the hopes and feelings of every believer in his hymn, "There is a fountain filled with blood, Drawn from Immanuel's veins; And sinners Plunged beneath that flood, Lose all their guilty stains."

Every Christian can join with Newton in saying, "How sweet the name of Jesus sounds, In a believer's cars; It soothes his sorrows, heals his wounds, And drives away his team. It makes the wounded spirit whole, And calms the troubled breast; 'Tis manna to the hungry soul, And to the weary rest." "He is a rock, a shield, a hiding-place, a never-failing treasury." "Jesus, my Shepherd, Husband, Friend, My Prophet, Priest, and King, My Lord, my Life, my Way, my End, Accept the praise I bring." "When I see Thee as Thou art, I'll praise Thee as I ought." In like manner, Keble makes Christ everything to the believer. "Sun of my soul, Thou Saviour dear, It is not night, if Thou be near." "Abide with me from morn to eve, For without Thee, I cannot. live; Abide with me when night is nigh; For without Thee, I dare not die." "Come near to bless-us when we wake, Ere through the world our way we take; Till, in the ocean of Thy love, We lose ourselves in heaven above."

Wesley's hymn, "Jesus, lover of my soul," is on the lips of every English- speaking Christian. All look up to him as a guide, as their refuge, their trust, their only source of strength, as their all, more than a1l — as the source of spiritual and eternal life. In another hymn he says: "I thirst, I pine, I die to prove, The wonders of redeeming love, The love of Christ to me. Thy only love do I require; Nothing on earth beneath desire, Nothing in heaven above. Let earth, and heaven, and all things go, Give me Thy only love to know, Give me Thy only love." Again, "Oh, for a thousand tongues to sing, My dear Redeemer's praise, The glories of my God and 'King, The triumphs of his grace," etc., etc. So Dr, Watts, "Dearest of all the names above, My Jesus and my God." "Till God in human flesh I see, My thoughts no comfort find." "But, if Immanuel's face appear, My hope, my joy begins." "Jesus, my God, Thy blood alone, Has power sufficient to atone; Thy blood can make me white as snow; No Jewish type could cleanse me so." 'To the dear fountain of Thy blood, Incarnate God I fly, There let me wash my guilty soul From sins of deepest dye." "A guilty, weak, and helpless worm, On Thy kind arms I fail, Be Thou my strength and righteousness, My Jesus and my all." Volumes might be filled with such proofs of what Christianity is in the hearts of Christians. It will be observed, it is not mainly Christ as a teacher, as an example, nor even as the expiator of our sins — it is not mainly what He has done that is rendered thus prominent; but what He is. He is God clothed in our nature, ever with 'us, ever in us — our life, our present joy, our everlasting portion; the one to whom we owe everything, from whom we derive everything, who loves us with a love that is peculiar, exclusive (that is, such a, he entertains for no other class of beings), and unspeakable.

In painful contrast with the Christianity of the Bible and of the church, there is a kind of religion, very prevalent and very influential, calling itself Christianity, which may be properly designated Christianity without Christ. It might be all that it is, though Christ had never appeared, or, at least, although our relation to him were entirely different from what it really is.

The lowest form of this kind of religion is that which assumes Christ to be a mere man, or, at most, merely a creature. Then, of course, He cannot be an object of adoration, of supreme love, of trust, and of devotion. The difference is absolute between the inward religious state of those who regard Christ as a creature, and that of those who regard him as God. If the one be true religion, the other is impiety.

It The second form of this religion admits of higher views of the person of Christ, but it reduces Christianity to. benevolence. And by benevolence is often meant nothing more than philanthropy. The gospel is made to consist in the inculcation of the command, Love your neighbor as yourself. All who approximately do this are called Christians. Hence it is mid, that if all records concerning Christ should be blotted out of existence, his religion could be evolved out of our own nature.

And hence, too, an avowed atheist is told, that if he sits up all night with a sick child, he is a Christian, whatever he may think. A popular poem — popular because of the sentiment which it teaches — represents the recording angel as placing at the head of those who love God, the name of the man who could only say; "Write me as one who loves my fellow-men." The love of our fellow-men is thus made the highest form of religion. This is below even natural religion. It ignores God as well as Christ. Yet this is the doctrine which we find, variously sugared over and combined, in poetry, in novels, in magazines, and even in religious journals.

Christianity WIthout Christ (Part 2)

Christianity without Christ

by Charles Hodge (1823-1886)

Originally published in the Princeton Review, April 1876 (Vol. 5, Issue 18).

It does not need to be proved that Jehovah was the God of the Hebrews; the object of their worship, of their love, gratitude, and trust. They recognized him as their absolute and rightful sovereign, whose authority extended over their inward As well as their outward life. On him they were dependent, .And to him they were responsible. His favor was their life, and they could say, "Whom have we in heaven but thee, and there is none on earth we desire beside thee."

As little does it require proof that Christ is the God of Christians. In the New Testament all divine titles are given to him. He is called God, the true God, the great God, God over all, Jehovah. He is declared to be almighty, omnipresent, immutable, and eternal. He created heaven and earth; all things visible and invisible were made by him and for him, and by him all things consist. He upholds all things by the word of his power. This divine person became flesh; he was found in fashion as a man, and in the form of a servant. Having been born of a woman, he was made under the law, and fulfilled all righteousness. He redeemed us from the come of the law by .being made a come for us. He bore our sins in his own body ,on the tree. He died the just for the unjust, to bring us unto God, and having died for our offenses, and risen again for our .justification, has ascended to heaven, where lie is seated on the right hand of God, all power in heaven and earth being committed to his hands, and where he ever lives to make intercession for his people. This Christ, God and man, in two distinct natures and one person forever, was to the writers of the New Testament all and in all. He was; their wisdom; from him they derived all their knowledge of divine things, and to his teaching they implicitly submitted. He was their righteousness; renouncing all dependence on their own righteousness, they trusted exclusively on the merit of his obedience and death for their acceptance with God. He was their sanctification. Their spiritual life was derived from him and sustained by him. They were in him as the branch is in the vine, or the members in the body, so that it was not they who lived, but Christ who lived in them. Without him they could do nothing; they could no more bring forth the fruits of holy living separated from him than a branch can bear fruit when separated from the vine, nor than the body can live when separated from the head. They felt themselves to be in him in such a sense, that what he did, they did. They died with him. They rose with him. What he is, they become. What he has, they receive, all in their measure — that is, as much as they can hold. They are filled with the fullness of God in Him.

This being so, it follows, of course, that Christ was to them the object of divine worship and of all the religious affections, of adoration, of supreme love, of trust, of submission, of devotion He was their absolute sovereign and proprietor by the double right of creation and redemption. Love to him was the motive, his Will the rule, his glory the end of their obedience. it It was Christ for them to live. Living or dying, they were the Lord's. They enforced all moral duties out of regard to him; wives were to obey their husbands, children their parents, servants their masters, for Christ's sake. Christians were commanded not to utter a contaminating word in a brother's ear because he belonged to Christ; they endeavored to preserve their personal purity, because their bodies were the members of Christ. The blessedness of heaven in their view consisted in being with Christ, in beholding his glory, enjoying his love, in being like him, and in being devoted to his services. It is a simple fact, that such was the Christianity of the writers of the New Testament Their religious life terminated on Christ, and was determined by their relation to him. He was their God, their Saviour, their prophet, priest, and king; they depended on his righteousness for their justification; they looked to him for sanctification. He was their life, their way, their end. If they lived, it was for him; if they died, it was that they might be with him. They did not attempt to reform or to save me, on the principles of natural religion, or by a process of moral culture. These had their place, but they are inadequate and absorbed in a higher moral power. Paul, in writing to Titus, speaking of Christians before their conversion, says: "They were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving diverse lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating me another. But after the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy, he saved us, by the washing of regeneration and the renewing of the Holy Ghost, which he shed on us abundantly, through Jesus Christ our Saviour, that, being justified by grace, we should be heirs according to the promise, of eternal life." They, therefore, labored for the reformation and salvation of men, by going everywhere preaching Christ as the only Saviour from sin.

What Christianity was in the hearts of the apostles, it has been in the hearts of Christians of all ages, and in all parts of the world. Of this, every Christian has the evidence in his own experience. Christ is to him both God and man-God manifest in the flesh; God surrounded by the rainbow of humanity, which softens, diversifies, and beautifies his rays. Christ he worships, trusts, loves, and obey,. Christ is his wisdom, his righteousness, his sanctification, his redemption. Christ is ever near him, so that he can be spoken to, appealed to, and communed with; a present help in every time of need Christ is the Christian's portion for time and for eternity. With Christ he has everything, and without him he has nothing.

Christianity Without Christ (Part 1)

Christianity Without Christ

by Charles Hodge

 

Originally published in the Princeton Review, April 1876 (Vol. 5, Issue 18).

In one sense of the word, Christianity is the system of truth taught by Christ and his apostles. In this sense the question, what is Christianity? is simply a historical one. It may be answered intelligently and correctly by a man who does not profess to be a Christian, just as he may answer the question, what is Brahmism? or, what is Buddhism?

In another sense, Christianity is that state of one's mind produced by faith in the truths revealed concerning Christ. In this sense, Christianity without Christ is an impossibility. It would be an effect without its proximate cause. Nevertheless, there is a form of religion, widespread and influential, which is called Christianity, in which Christ fails to occupy the position assigned to him in the Bible.

The Bible teaches us, that the same divine person by whom God for whom the universe was created, is the Jehovah of the Old Testament and the Jesus of the New. And as natural religion (in the subjective sense of the word) is that state of mind which is, or should be, produced by the revelation of God in the works of nature, and by our relation to him as his rational creatures; and as the religion of the devout Hebrew consisted in the state of mind produced by the revelation of the same God, made in the law and the prophets, and by their relation to him as their covenant God and Father; so Christianity is that state of mind produced by the knowledge of the same God, as manifest in the flesh, who loved us and gave himself for us, and by our relation to him as the subjects of his redemption.

Three things follow from this: first, as the same divine person is the Creator of heaven and Earth, the Jehovah of the Old Testament and the Jesus of the New, there can be no inconsistency between the religion of nature, the religion of the Hebrews, and the religion of Christians. The one does not assume that to be true, which either of the others assumes to be false. The only difference is that which arises from increased knowledge of the object of worship, and the new relations which we sustain to him.

The Hebrews, in worshiping Jehovah, did not cease to worship the God of nature; and the Christian, in worshiping Christ, does not cease to worship the God of the Hebrews.

Second, it is impossible that the higher form of religion should be merged into a lower. It is impossible that the religion of a Hebrew should sink into natural religion. That would imply that he ceased to be a Hebrew, that he rejected the revelations of Moses and the prophets, and that he renounced his allegiance to Jehovah as the God of his fathers. In like manner, it is impossible that the religion of a Christian can sink into that of the Old Testament, or into that of nature. That would imply that he ceased to be a Christian; that he rejected or ignored all that the New Testament reveals concerning God and Christ. There could be no true religion in the mind of a Hebrew that was not determined by his relation to Jehovah as his covenant God; and there can be no true religion in the mind of a Christian that is not determined by his relation to Christ as God manifested in the flesh.

Third, the Christian, in worshiping Christ, does not cease to worship the Father and the Spirit. He does not fail to recognize and appreciate his relation to the Father, who loved the world and gave his Son for its redemption; nor does he fail to recognize his relation to the Holy Spirit, on whom he is absolutely dependent, and whose gracious office it is to apply to men the redemption purchased by Christ. In worshiping Christ, we worship the Father and the Spirit; for these three are one — one only living and true God, the same in substance and equal in power and glory. Christ says, I am in the Father and the Father in me. I and the Father are one. He that hath seen me, hath seen the Father; and therefore, he that worships the Son, worships the Father. Hence, it is written, "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father," but, "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God." "He that hath the Son hath life; he that hath not the Son of God, hath not life." It is to be remembered, however, that in the mysterious constitution of the Godhead, the second person of the Trinity is the Logos, the Word, the Revealer. It is through him that God is known. He is the brightness of his glory, revealing what God is. We should not know that there is a sun in the firmament, if it were not for his (apaugasma). So we should not know that God is, or what he is, were it not for his Son. "No man knoweth the Father but the Son, and he to whom the Son shall reveal him." In having Christ, therefore, we have God; for in him dwelleth the fullness of the Godhead.

Charles Hodge on Augustinianism

The Calvinistic soteriology, though always held by the true Church, was first clearly formulated in a thorough manner by Augustine of Hippo. Charles Hodge states the Augustinian position quite beautifully when he writes: “The Augustinian scheme includes the following points:

1. That the glory of God, or the manifestation of his perfections, is the highest and ultimate end of all things.

2. For that end God purposed the creation of the universe, and the whole plan of providence and redemption.

3. That He placed man in a state of probation, making Adam, their first parent, their head and representative.

4. That the fall of Adam brought all his posterity into a state of condemnation, sin, and misery, from which they are utterly unable to deliver themselves.

5. From the mass of fallen men God elected a number innumerable to eternal life, and left the rest of mankind to the just recompense of their sins.

6. That the ground of this election is not the foresight of anything in the one class to distinguish them favorably from the members of the other class, but the good pleasure of God.

7. That for the salvation of those thus chosen to eternal life, God gave his own Son, to become man, and to obey and suffer for his people, thus making a full satisfaction for sin and bringing in everlasting righteousness, rendering the ultimate salvation of the elect absolutely certain.

8. That while the Holy Spirit, in his common operations, is present with every man, so long as he lives, restraining evil and exciting good, his certainly efficacious and saving power is exercised only in behalf of the elect.

9. That all those whom God has thus chosen to life, and for whom Christ specially saved Himself in the covenant of redemption, shall certainly (unless they die in infancy), be brought to the knowledge of the truth, to the exercise of faith, and to perseverance in holy living unto the end.” *

* Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology - Part 3 (Soteriology), Volume 2, § 8

The Inspiration and Authority of Scripture Pt 1

The Bible’s Inspiration and Authority Pt 1

In this post we will look at issues pertinent to the subject of Inspiration. Tomorrow, God permitting, we will look at the Scripture's authority. It should be fairly obvious that if the Bible is inspired by God, then it is authoritative.

The first step we should take in demonstrating the authority of Scripture is the affirmation of its inspiration. Against Pantheists and Intuitionalists, we affirm the possibility of supernatural revelation. Against Deists, we affirm the necessity of supernatural revelation. Against so-called Christian rationalists, we affirm its supreme authority. And against Mystics and Roman Catholics, we affirm its completeness.

The classical Protestant position regarding supernatural revelation affirms that the Bible, and the Bible alone – comprised of the Old and New Testaments – is the source and rule of a true theology. The Protestant Confessions are replete with declarations to this effect.

Any writing that is inspired by God is, of course, of divine origin, of infallible authority and is, ipso facto, entitled to be placed as an integral part of supernatural revelation. Before discussing the Nature, Degree and Proofs of Inspiration we should first discuss the reasons for considering the subject of Inspiration in the first place.

First of all, supernatural revelation is necessary to the religious interests of mankind. It is necessary in order to correct and reinforce the doctrines of natural religion that have been marred and obscured by sin. It is necessary to disclose the facts and truths of redemption without which there would be no deliverance from the effects of the Fall.

Secondly, the Bible asserts its own inspiration. The Bible claims to deal authoritatively with all questions of religion and morality.

Thirdly, it has been the uniform testimony of the universal Church. This has been the position of Jews and Christians. Even granting that this does not provide insurmountable proof for the inspiration of Scripture, it does merit consideration. It would be redundant to show that the Divine inspiration of the Bible has been the faith of scholars, philosophers, scientific men as well as that of countless saints from all walks of life.

Fourthly, study of this question has been necessitated by the attempts made by many to represent the Bible as of coordinate value with the sacred texts of other religions.

Fifthly and lastly, assaults upon the Scriptures have not only been made by avowed infidels. Most of these attacks have come from professing Christian scholars. This is at least true of the doctrine of Plenary Inspiration. The anti-supernaturalists have wide representation even in the institutions under the care of orthodox churches.

What is the Nature of Inspiration? To answer this, the first question we must face is what is our source of information on this subject? I embrace Dr. Hodge’s answer to this question: “The nature of inspiration is to be learnt from the Scriptures; from their didactic statements, and from their phenomena.” (Systematic Theology, Volume 1 Chapter 6, § 2)

The Old Testament claims, “Thus saith the Lord,” 413 times. There are numerous direct quotations and allusions throughout by the Old Testament authors to each other. The New Testament gives its familiar “It is written,” sixty-three times. The New Testament also cites itself on many occasions. Peter classes all of Paul’s epistles with the inspired Scriptures (2 Pet. 3:15-16). Paul quotes Luke’s gospel as Scripture in 1 Timothy 5:18 (cf. Luke 10:7). Luke refers to his previous work (Acts 1:1). Jude cites 2 Peter 3:2-3 in verse 18 of his Epistle. John alludes to his own gospel. Paul mentions another letter he had written to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 5:9). Some of these examples are not formal quotations, but they do illustrate the fact that within the New Testament there is recognition of one inspired book by another.

The clincher though is in Revelation 1:2, where the Word of God is identified with the testimony of Jesus Christ! This statement runs in both directions. Firstly, it means that the testimony of Jesus Christ in the New Testament in as fully God’s Word as the Old Testament. Secondly, it means that the Old Testament is equally the testimony of Jesus Christ.

The Prophets and Apostles claimed to be commissioned by God to declare His will, which is the same thing as to be inspired. This was no arbitrary claim either. It was not addressed to an implicit faith. They backed up such claims with extraordinary credentials. The inspiration was proven by miracles, if not by the author himself by another author who recognized the inspiration of the other’s work. These miracles were not random. Pay attention and you'll notice the consistency of focus and inherent unity of the Biblical miracles. The inspired messages were recorded; these records are the Scriptures.

I. What then, according to the Scriptures, is Inspiration? Inspiration is:
• It is an influence of the Holy Spirit affecting a human mind.
• It is an influence exerted by the Holy Spirit. (See Acts 1:16, Acts 2:4, Acts 28:25, Mark 12:35,36; 1 Peter 1:10,11)
• It is an influence either strictly revealing unknown truth to the mind or presenting to it known truth.
• It is an immediate influence. By this I mean to say that it is not exerted through any medium. It brings truth directly into contact with the mind.
• It is a supernatural influence; meaning to say that there are no naturalistic factors that can account for it. It is above and beyond all natural faculties of the human mind.
• It is an objective influence. It comes from outside the mind and communicates an external revelation of God’s will to it.
• It is an influence that is intended to produce teachers. It is not intended to produce saints. Both Balaam and Caiaphas were subjects of this influence when they spoke their extraordinary prophecies. Even among the true Prophets and Apostles, we see less-than-ideal behavior when they were not under this influence (Peter at Antioch, Paul and Barnabas, Moses striking the rock, etc).
• It is an influence that guarantees infallible teaching. The inspired writer, as long as he was inspired, could not err. Without this influence they could and did err (see previous point), but with it, they could do or say no wrong.
• It is an influence that guarantees the teaching of God’s will in regard to the spiritual interests of mankind. This is its main purpose. It is not a textbook on physics, math or politics. If it does address these issues, it does so incidentally, not as its primary concern
• It is an influence whose didactic inerrancy is not affected by the degree of emotional intensity that accompanies it.
• It is an influence whose exertion upon the mind of others is attested by miraculous proof. Either the announcements themselves were accompanied by miracles or they were vouched for by others whose inspiration was attested to by miracles.

So we must conclude that revelation as the product of inspiration is common to the Prophets and the Apostles on one hand, and to us on the other. Their specific difference is inspiration, ours is faith. They communicate the Scriptures; we receive them. Therefore, revelation does not come before inspiration.

II The next concern is the Relation of Revelation to the Scriptures. By this we mean to discuss the extent of the inspiration and coterminous nature of the words Special Revelation and Scripture.

Dr Martin Lloyd-Jones addressed this issue in this way, “There is no question at all that the falling away…in this country is the direct consequence of the Higher Criticism. The man in the street says, 'What do these Christians know?’ We all therefore have to face this ultimate and final question: Do we accept the Bible as the Word of God, as the sole authority in all matters of faith and practice, or do we not?…Do I accept Scripture as a revelation from God, or do I trust to speculation, human knowledge, human learning, human understanding and human reasons?…Do I pin my faith to, and subject all my thinking to, what I read in the Bible?…The Protestant position, as was the position of the early Church in the first centuries, is that the Bible is the Word of God. Not that it 'contains' it, but that it is the Word of God, uniquely inspired and inerrant. The Protestant Reformers believed not only that the Bible contained the revelation of God's truth to men, but that God safeguarded the truth by controlling the men who wrote it by the Holy Spirit, and that He kept them from error and from blemishes and from anything that was wrong…It is either this Book, or else it is ultimately the authority of the Church of Rome and her 'tradition'!” (From a sermon on Ephesians 6.14)

The error Dr. Lloyd-Jones is refuting is the belief that the Bible “contains” the Word of God but is not coterminous with it. But there is a further consideration to be made in this respect. I am referring to the extent of the inspiration, or put another way: Is the inspiration transferred to subsequent copies? Our reply is that the original manuscripts, also known as the autographs were inspired. Mistakes in copy and translation cannot make claim this original inspiration. A copy or translation is only authoritative inasmuch as it faithfully reproduces the autograph. The accuracy of the copies is a subject for further study, but it can be honestly said that although our 20th century translations do not possess original inspiration, they do possess a derived inspiration insofar as they are faithful to the original.

Critics have asserted that since the autographs are not extant, it cannot be held that the originals were inerrant. Our response is that Inerrancy is not an empirically known fact. It is a belief based upon what the Bible teaches regarding its own inspiration. Even though no infallible originals have been discovered, neither have any fallible originals been discovered. What we do have are very accurately copied manuscripts that have been adequately translated into other languages. Thus for all matters of doctrine and practice, toady’s Bible is an adequate representation of the authoritative word of God.

III What is the degree of inspiration?
There are four general theories with their own differing variations.

1. There is what is called the Mechanical theory. This theory claims that the inspired persons were involuntary, passive instruments. This has also sometimes been referred to as the Verbal Dictation method of inspiration.

2. There is a Differing Degrees of Inspiration theory. According to this theory, the degree of inspiration is greater or less depending upon the importance of the matter addressed.

3. There is the theory of spiritual insight. This is the theory of the rationalists and the so-called “higher critics.” The “inspiration” of this theory simply puts the writer into sympathy with the truth to be communicated. This does not guard him against liability to error in communication.

4. There is, lastly, the Dynamical theory. It asserts that both the thought and language are imparted by inspiring influence to the inspired author but in such a way as not to exclude or override the voluntary faculties of the human mind, which include the individual peculiarities of thought and language unique to the human authors.

As far as orthodox evangelical Protestants are concerned, the first and fourth theories are the only viable ones.

The biggest problem with the verbal dictation theory is that it seems a bit underhanded of God to let books be written in the names of authors who were really nothing more than photocopiers. On top of this there are the obvious characteristics of the individual writers’ styles. How is this to be accounted for without charging God with some sort of play-acting? The only verbal dictation theorist who has evaded this charge openly is John R. Rice. In his book Our God-Breathed Book – The Bible, he disclaims that this theory must necessarily be mechanical. Rice argues that God gave the dictation through the distinct personalities of authors, who God had providentially formed for this very purpose. God was then able, according to Rice, to give word-by-word dictation using the predetermined vocabularies of the different authors. This does not remove the above difficulty; it only hides it under a deeper layer. Proponents of this theory have appealed to recent phenomena like the so-called Bible Code. This is a weak appeal, in my opinion. The codes are necessarily arbitrary – as codes frequently are. This Code theory has been debunked by numerous scholars, many of whom are Jewish. Furthermore, if the fourth theory is correct, this appeal is not needed, even if the Bible Code theory were true.

On this fourth theory, A.H. Strong, in his Systematic Theology takes the view that is sometimes called conceptual inspiration. Strong means that God inspired the concepts, but not the particular literary expression. In other words, God provided the inspiration and the men of God gave it a verbal expression characteristic of their own styles. This resolves all the difficulties raised by the verbal dictation theory. It explains why the writings repeatedly tell us what, “saith the Lord,” while they claim to be the words of this or that prophet. Both are true. God is the Author of Scripture in the primary sense; but the human authors are true authors in a secondary sense. This does not violate the Divine or the human causality; both are real and are not contradictory to each other or exclusive of each other.

III Support for the Biblical Claim for Inspiration.

There are two lines of evidence to be considered on this question: the internal evidence and the external evidence. The internal evidence may be delineated as follows:
• Evidence of self-vindicating authority. This means that the Bible can vindicate its own authority once its voice is heard.
• Evidence of the testimony of the Holy Spirit. God’s Word is confirmed to His children by His Spirit.
• Evidence from the transforming ability of the Bible. It has the ability to convert the unbeliever and build up the believer in the faith
• Evidence of the unity of the Bible. Despite the fact that it was written by forty authors over the course of fifteen hundred years in several languages, it has an obvious unity of theme and exposition. Not a single point anywhere is contradicted by any other passage.

The external evidence may be listed as follows:
• Evidence from the historicity of the Bible. The Bible is historical and is therefore open to verification. This is done through archeological artifacts and written documents. Donald Wiseman writes, “The geography of Bible lands and visible remains of antiquity were gradually recorded until today (1958) more than 25,000 sites within this region and dating to Old Testament times, in their broadest sense, have been located.” (Revelation and the Bible). The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls makes an important point: there are more manuscripts of the Old and New Testaments than from any other book from antiquity.
• Evidence from the testimony of Christ. If Christ possesses any authority or integrity as a religious teacher, then the Scriptures are inspired. This can be demonstrated by His use of Scripture:

1. He knew the Scriptures thoroughly, even to words and verb tenses. He obviously had either memorized vast portions or knew it instinctively: John 7:15.
(Jesus need not verify every passage in the Canon or else we would find the whole Old Testament re-quoted in the New Testament, which is unnecessary. He verifies enough of it to assure us of complete approval of it all, including passages from all but a few books. Yet those also were in His Canon. He did not refute any of them.)

2. He believed every word of Scripture. All the prophecies concerning Himself were fulfilled, and He believed beforehand they would be.

3. He believed the Old Testament was historical fact. This is very clear, even though from the Creation (cf. Genesis 2:24 and Matthew 19:4, 5) onward. Much of what Jesus believed has long been under fire from the critics as being mere fiction. Here are some examples of historical facts from the Old Testament attested to by Jesus:
• Luke 11:51 Abel was a real individual
• Matthew. 24:37-39 Noah and the flood (Luke 17:26, 27)
• John 8:56-58 Abraham
• Matthew 10:15; 11:23, 24 (Luke 10:12) Sodom and Gomorrah
• Luke 17:28-32 Lot (and wife!)
• Matthew 8:11 Isaac and Jacob (Luke 13:28)
• John 6:31, 49, 58 Manna
• John 3:14 Serpent
• Matthew 12:39-41 Jonah (vs.42 - Sheba)
• Matthew 24:15 Daniel and Isaiah

4. He believed the books were written by the men whose names they bear:
• Moses wrote the Pentateuch (Torah): Matthew 19:7, 8; Mark 7:10, 12:26 ("Book of Moses" the Torah); Luke 5:14; 16:29, 31; 24:27, 44 ("Christ's Canon"); John 1:17; 5:45, 46; 7:19; ("The Law [Torah] was given by Moses; Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ.")
• Isaiah wrote Isaiah: Mark 7:6-13; John 12:37-41.
• Jonah wrote Jonah: Matthew 12:39-41.
• Daniel wrote Daniel: Matthew 24:15.

5. He believed the Old Testament was spoken by God Himself, or written by the Holy Spirit's inspiration, even though the pen was held by men: Matthew 19:4, 5; 22:31, 32, 43; Mark 12:26; Luke 20:37.

6. He believed Scripture was more powerful than His miracles: Luke 16:29, 31.

7. He actually quoted it in overthrowing Satan! The O.T. Scriptures were the arbiter in every dispute: Matthew 4; Luke 16:29, 31.

8. He quoted Scripture as the basis for his own teaching. His ethics were the same as what we find already written in Scripture: Matthew 7:12; 19:18, 19; 22:40; Mark 7:9, 13; 10:19; 12:24,29-31; Luke 18:20.

9. He warned against replacing it with something else, or adding or subtracting from it. The Jewish leaders in His day had added to it with their Oral Traditions: Matthew 5:17; 15:1-9; 22:29; (cf. 5:43,44); Mark. 7:1-12. (Destroying faith in the Bible as God's Word will open the door today to a "new" Tradition.)

10. He will judge all men in the last day, as Messiah and King, on the basis of His infallible Word committed to writing by fallible men, guided by the infallible Holy Spirit: Matthew 25:31; John 5:22, 27; 12:48; Romans 2:16.

11. He made provision for the New Testament by sending the Holy Spirit. We must note that He Himself never wrote one word of Scripture although He is the Word of God Himself (the living Torah in flesh and blood, see John, chapter 1). He committed the task of all writing of the Word of God to fallible men guided by the infallible Holy Spirit. The apostles' words had the same authority as Christ's: Matthew 10:14, 15; Luke 10:16; John 13:20; 14:22; 15:26, 27; 16:12-14.

12. He not only was not jealous of the attention men paid to the Bible (denounced as "bibliolatry" by some), He reviled them for their ignorance of it: Matthew 22:29; Mark 12:24.

13. Nor did Jesus worship Scripture. He honored it even though written by men.
The above leaves no room but to conclude that our Lord Jesus Christ considered the canon of Scripture as God's Word, written by the hand of men.

• Evidence from prophecy. Hundreds of prophecies, given hundreds of years in advance have literally been fulfilled.
• Evidence from the Bible’s influence. No book has been more widely disseminated or has more greatly influenced the events of world history. It has influenced more thought, inspired more art and motivated more discovery than any other book. It has been published in billions of copies. There are no close seconds as an all-time best seller.
• Evidence from the Bible’s apparent indestructibility. No book has sustained more violent attacks. As early as 303, Diocletian tried to exterminate it. The Bible remains strong as ever after every attack. Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Mark 13:31)
• Evidence from the integrity of the human authors. There is no good evidence to doubt that the authors were honest and sincere men.
There are other possible arguments, but the weight of the case can rest on these.

Tomorrow we will deal with the Bible's authority.