Bible Interpretation, Student Workbook, SW05

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B I B L E I N T E R P R E T A T I O N

B. Intuition or Natural Theory: gifted human authorship

1. The Holy Spirit selected gifted people of deep spiritual wisdom to write the Bible.

2. The authors wrote the Bible informed by their own experience and insight.

3. Reaction to the Intuition or Natural Theory : the Scriptures claim that God, the Spirit, is the author of the Scriptures, not humans, however chosen or gifted, 2 Pet. 1.20-21.

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C. Illumination Theory: heightened human authorship

1. The Holy Spirit heightened the normal capacities of human authors.

2. This heightened ability enabled the authors to have and express special insight into spiritual truth.

3. Reactions to the Illumination Theory : the Scriptures reveal not just human authors who wrote with added giftings, but those who spoke the very words of God (“Thus saith the Lord,” and Rom. 3.2).

D. Degrees of Inspiration Theory: more-and-less inspired human authorship

1. Certain parts of the Scriptures are more inspired than others.