Our Bible Reading

Pacific Press Publishing Association · Mountain View, California · May 3, 1910

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 37, No. 17.

Our Bible Reading

The Holy Scriptures

Their Inspiration

1. In what had the disciple Timothy been instructed? "From a child thou hast known THE HOLY SCRIPTURES, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." 2 Tim. 3:15.

NOTE.—Timothy had a Jewish mother and grandmother, both of them devout souls with faith in God. 2 Tim. 1:5. They had faithfully instructed Timothy in the Old Testament Scriptures, the canon of which in their day was identical with ours.

2. What does the apostle say of these Scriptures? "All SCRIPTURE is given BY INSPIRATION OF GOD [literally, God-breathed], and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." 2 Tim. 3:16.

NOTE.—The statement is not that the mind is illuminated, or that the thought is inspired, but the scripture, the writing, the word is inspired.

3. Whose are the words thus uttered? "The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and HIS WORD was in my tongue." 2 Sam. 23:2. "Hear the WORD of the LORD" (Isa. 1:10); "The word which came to Jeremiah from the Lord" (Jer. 18:1); "The word of the Lord came expressly unto Ezekiel the priest" (Eze. 1:3); "The word of the Lord that came to Joel" (Joel 1:1).

NOTE.—These examples might be greatly multiplied. Over and over are we assured that the messages of the prophets are not merely their word, but "the word of Jehovah." They were but the instruments of God through which He gave His messages to the people, even as a master musician expresses himself through various instruments, the sounds always characteristic of the instrument, yet the music that of the master.

4. By what power were these men moved to speak? "Holy men of God spake as they were moved by THE HOLY SPIRIT." 2 Peter 1:21.

5. Whose Spirit was this that moved the prophets? "The SPIRIT OF CHRIST which was in them did signify." 1 Peter 1:11. See context.

6. Did the prophets themselves, or any, apart from Deity, understand all that was given through inspiration? "And I heard, but I UNDERSTOOD NOT. . . . The words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end." Dan. 12:8, 9. See 1 Peter 1:10. "Which things ANGELS DESIRE to look into." 1 Peter 1:12.

NOTE.—The very fact that the prophets themselves did not understand their own writings is clear evidence that they wrote the words of God rather than their own ideas or conceptions of His truth.

7. How did Jesus regard these early writings? "THE SCRIPTURE CAN NOT BE BROKEN." John 10:35. "If ye believed Moses, ye would believe Me; for he wrote of Me. But if ye believe NOT HIS WRITINGS, how shall ye believe My words?" John 5:46, 47.

NOTE.—Three times Jesus meets the attacks of the devil by words from the books of Moses, all from Deuteronomy. See Matt. 4:3-10. The Higher Critics have cataloged Genesis as fable, as parable; but the traditions of nations, written and oral, confirm the story of the Deluge; the stone libraries of the Orient have shown that Genesis 14 with its lists of kings is historical, and the Higher Critics have been discomfited. When the nation of the Jews would not receive Jesus, the children witnessed to His divinity. Unbelief wished Jesus to rebuke them, but He replied, "If these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." The stone books of heathen nations are witnessing to the inspiration of the Old Testament Scriptures.