Picturing Theology

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P i c t u r i n g T h e o l o g y

Theories of Inspiration Rev. Terry G. Cornett

Theory of Inspiration

Explanation

Possible Objection(s)

The human author is a passive instrument in God’s hands. The author simply writes down each word as God speaks it. This direct dictation is what protects the text from human error.

The books of Scripture show diverse writing styles, vocabularies, and manners of expression which vary with each human author. This theory doesn’t seem to explain why God would use human authors rather than giving us a direct written word from himself.

Mechanical or Dictation

Gifted people with exceptional spiritual insight were chosen by God to write the Bible

The Bible indicates that Scripture came from God, through human authors (2 Pet. 1.20-21).

Intuition or Natural

The Holy Spirit heightened the normal capacities of human authors so that they had special insight into spiritual truth.

The Scriptures indicate that the human authors expressed the very words of God (”Thus saith the Lord” passages; Rom. 3.2.)

Illumination

Certain parts of the Bible are more inspired than others.

The biblical authors never indicate that some of Scripture is more inspired or treat only one kind of biblical material

Sometimes this position is used to argue that portions dealing with key doctrines or ethical truths are inspired while portions dealing with history, economics, culture, etc. are less inspired or not inspired.

as inspired in their use of it. Jesus speaks about the entire

Degrees of Inspiration

scriptural revelation up to his day as an unchanging word from God (Matt. 5.17-18; John 3.34-35).

Both divine and human elements are present in the production of Scripture. The entire text of Scripture, including the words, are a product of the mind of God expressed in human terms and conditions, through human authors that he foreknew (Jer. 1.5) and chose for the task.

It seems unlikely that the human elements which are finite and culture-bound could be described as the unchanging words of God.

Verbal-Plenary