INSPIRATION by R. F. Cottrell

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 14, 1876

INSPIRATION

By R. F. Cottrell

Inspiration signifies breathing into. There is an inspiration that is common to all men. “There is a spirit in man; and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding.” Job 32:8. When man was created, God “breathed into his nostrils the breath of life,” and as a consequence, man became a living and intelligent being.

But there is an inspiration given to the children of God—those who are his children in a higher sense than by creation only—an inspiration that gives spiritual life and understanding.

By this sort of inspiration the Holy Scriptures were given. 2 Tim. 3:16. “Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” 2 Pet. 1:21. This inspiration was given to the Christian church. Upon the chosen apostles Jesus breathed, saying, “Receive ye the Holy Ghost.” John 20:22. But they were to wait in Jerusalem until the promised Spirit should come upon them and fully prepare them for the work of being the “witnesses” for Jesus to all the inhabitants of the earth. Luke 24:48, 49; Acts 1:8. This inspiration was not confined to the first apostles. The promised Comforter was for the church in general. While under its influence upon the notable day of Pentecost, Peter said, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.” Acts 2:38, 39. Miraculous powers were not confined to the apostles; but they were promised to those who should believe their testimony. “These signs shall follow them that believe; in my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” Mark 16:17, 18.

There are numerous instances on record of the exercise of the gift of prophecy in the church; and all the gifts of the Spirit belong to the established order of the church—“God hath set” them there. 1 Cor. 12:28. And at the time when the great commission for the gospel age was given and the gifts of the Spirit promised, the Lord added, “And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.” The end has not yet come, therefore the promise of the Spirit, sent in the name of Christ, still remains good, and we may reasonably expect its manifestation in the closing work of the gospel.

We believe that the time is come for the closing messages of the gospel to be given. And as this is a special work, the importance of which language is inadequate to express, it must be accompanied by divine inspiration and power. Should it be otherwise, it would be unlike all of God’s dealing in the past; for we are ready to affirm and prove that since man sinned and the great plan of redemption and salvation was devised, Every step of progress in the work of God among men has been accompanied by inspiration of God.

In the first family of man, the bleeding sacrifice was offered and accepted of God. This sacrifice was a type of Christ, and must, to be accepted, be offered by faith in him; but this duty could not have been learned, but by revelation. By faith the apostle affirms, Abel made his offering. This step was taken by inspiration.

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of the second advent of Christ, when he shall come to execute judgment, giving to every man according as his work shall be. It will not be denied that this was by inspiration of God—that he spake as he was moved by the Holy Ghost.

“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” He was “a preacher of righteousness” and of warning; and no believer will deny that his message was given by inspiration of God.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were chosen men of God, and acknowledged as prophets. The Spirit testified of them through David, saying, “He reproved kings for their sakes, saying, Touch not mine anointed, and do my prophets no harm.” Jacob prophesied that Judah should be the ruling family in Israel till Christ should come. Gen. 49:10.

None will deny that Moses was moved by divine inspiration in the performance of the work allotted to him, in the fulfillment of the divine plan and promises; or that Joshua and the several judges of Israel were moved by the same Spirit.

And, when the kingdom of Israel was established, Samuel, by inspiration of God, anointed Saul, and afterward David, to be their king.

Solomon’s temple was built by inspiration of God. God revealed his design to David and to Solomon. And even the workmen, in the work of the tabernacle and the temple, were inspired by the Spirit of God with wisdom to do their work. Ex. 31:3; 36:1; and 1 Kings 7:14. And when the temple was rebuilt, after the captivity in Babylon, the work was carried forward by inspiration. “And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo.”

John the Baptist was inspired of God to preach his message, foretold by Isaiah and Malachi, and to do the work assigned him of preparing a people for the reception of the Lord Jesus. Though he did no miracle, yet he could not have fulfilled his mission without the divine aid.

As we have already seen, the Holy Spirit was given to the first apostles to qualify them for their work; and down into the present dispensation, as far as the record of revelation extends, we have the record of the exercise and manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit.

And all who will acknowledge that the Reformation of the sixteenth century was a reformation, must believe that the reformers were inspired and upheld by the Spirit of God, when called to stand before emperors and kings, pope, cardinals, bishops, and priests, to bear testimony for the truth, amid the dense crowds of their malignant and blood-thirsty enemies. If the Reformation was a reformation, it was inspired of God.

This brings us down near to our own times, when the closing messages of the everlasting gospel are to complete the work of reformation, and prepare the people of God for the second coming of Christ; for it is evident to the discerning mind that the work is not yet completed. The false doctrines of the great papal apostasy have not all been abandoned by Protestant churches; the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus are not restored in their purity and entirety, but by the last message of the gospel. Rev. 14:9–12.

Now since every step in the development of the truth and the fulfillment of the work of God among men, from the beginning of the world to the present time, has been accompanied by inspiration of God, to suppose that the gospel work shall close, and the last warning be given without it, is a most manifest absurdity. And yet there are those who say they do not object to the work of Seventh-day Adventists—they could accept, or at least tolerate, all, but for the visions. These they cannot receive. This is about equivalent to saying that they could receive the message as from Heaven, if there was no God, or inspiration, in it! To such I wish to say that nothing aside from the testimony of inspiration, as recorded in the Bible, has caused me to believe as I do. I did not believe the visions, and on their testimony believe the third angel’s message; but I believed, from the prophecies of the Bible and their fulfillment, that the message of the third angel was present truth, and this shut me up to the only reasonable and unavoidable conclusion, that the inspiration which had accompanied the proclamation from its very beginning, and was in harmony with every word of God, which had preceded it, was of God.

This leads me to notice the test of inspiration; for, since there are many false prophets gone out into the world, we are to try the spirits, whether they be of God. Bring their teachings to the standard of the word of God. “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” The words and works of God are in perfect harmony from beginning to end. Each succeeding prophecy must be in perfect accordance with those that have gone before. The New Testament, though it presents new facts in the fulfillment of God’s promises, is built upon the prophecies of the Old. Everything not in harmony with the Old is false. The Bereans were right in hearing the apostles with readiness of mind, and searching the Scriptures daily whether these things were so. They had an infallible test, in what God had said in the Old Testament (for the New was not yet written), to try the new message of the gospel whether it were of God. Thus they became believers in Jesus. The prophecies were fulfilled in him. Noble Bereans! Oh! that there were more of this noble stock at the present day! There would be more believers in present truth.

In concluding this writing, I wish to say that, Inspiration is not infallibility. Some persons, could they be convinced that one spoke by inspiration of God, would look upon such a one as an infallible guide in all things, and, like the beloved disciple, would fall down to worship the one through whom the truth was communicated. I know of no one who claims infallibility, but the pope of Rome. None of the men of God of old who spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit, were infallible. Are there no sins and errors recorded against Noah, Abraham, Jacob, Moses even, the judges of Israel, David and Solomon? Some of these were guilty of the most grievous crimes. But their only hope of pardon and salvation was in deep and thorough repentance, like that of David, described in the fifty-first psalm.

And were the apostles infallible men? Although Peter denied his Lord, yet God made choice of him to preach the first sermon under the great commission, to the Jews, on the day of Pentecost, Acts 2, and afterward the first to the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius. Acts 10. See Acts 15:7. The Catholics claim Peter as the first pope; but if the popes are infallible, they have become so since his day. Paul says, “But when Peter was come to Antioch, I withstood him to the face, for he was to be blamed.” He says that he and “the other Jews dissembled,” and that Barnabas, through their influence did the same. And in that sharp contention between Paul and Barnabas, it is almost certain that one, and probable that both, were to blame.

God is infallible; but he has not given this attribute to any mortal man. All of human kind are liable to mistakes, errors and faults. But God inspires fallible men to fulfill his word and to aid in the accomplishment of his work. All the praise belongs to God. He works in all his truly consecrated sons and daughters both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

But many professed Christians who suppose they are walking in the Spirit, are deceiving themselves. They make their inspiration a shield against truth and duty. Present to them duty, as clearly revealed in the word of God, and they will tell you that they know that they are saved, and they are saved now; God blesses them with his Spirit, and he would not do so, if they were in default in regard to duty. They make the word of God of none effect through their inspiration. Such inspiration is spurious. “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

Some, because that God gives a degree of inspiration to all his true children, infer that each can take an independent course, and not be subject to discipline and rule. To those who would correct their faults they reply in substance, “The whole congregation is holy, every one of them; ye take too much upon yourselves.” Their inspiration leads them to disregard the injunctions, to “obey them that have the rule,” and to “submit to one another in the fear of God.” The by-path they chose does not lead to Heaven.

But all who will renounce self, obey God’s word, and truly consecrate themselves to his work, shall share in the inspiration of the Spirit of God, and by patient perseverance to the end, shall share also in the glory which is about to be revealed. Would that all the Lord’s people were prophets! R. F. Cottrell.