BIBLICAL INSPIRATION

Sun (Auckland), Volume II, Issue 615, 18 March 1929, Page 14

BIBLICAL INSPIRATION

CRITICISM OF SCRIPTURES INFLUENCE OF REFORMATION P ne of the fundamentals of the tible us laid down by the men of the ■Kttoij.iuLlon was that the Scriptures make their central theme intelUgible to the human heart. This leads on to an experience of fellow - ship with God,” said the Rev. F>. R. in the Onehunga Presbyterian Church last evening. Using: the text. -And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing wlien ye received from us the , of . tile message, even the word ot (..oil. be accepted if not as the word of men. but, as it is in truth, the word oi God which also worketli in you that believe”—l. Thess 11:13. hlr Scott pointed out that obviously St. Raul was referring to the authentic documents of the Jews, which contained the oracles of God, In the Old Testament narratives, the hand of God could be seen unfolding His revelation which was consummated in Jesus Christ, but the inspiration was not effective until the word was responded to by its hearers. Xo matter whether the Bible was read by the conservative method or by the light of modern criticism, it was admitted by all that it had but one purpose. The Old Testament led up to Jesus Christ and the New took its departure from Him. Some of the books of the Bible, such as the second epistle of Peter, lay long on the border land before being accepted into the canon, but such as were accepted bore their own stamp of authority. Before the Reformation the Church had decreed “which books” were to be accepted, but the reformers impugned the authority of the Church and threw out scuch a challenge that shook the whole of ecclesiastical Europe. This led to a restatement of the case embodied in the deliberations of the Council of Trent. Ever since then questions had been raised as to the real meaning of inspiration. Some teachers had contended that only the original text as written by the authors was inspired, but, argued Mr. Scott, had this view been held by the wirters themselves? Surely special measures would have been taken to preserve the original autographic text. The doctrine that a distinction must be drawn between the Scriptures and tlie word of God was formulated by the reformers, and still held good. They held that the Scriptures contained the word of God. and that this spiritual content was infallible. Even when it was said that Scripture is the word of God the sense was that it contained or presented the word of God and it was in this spiritual content that inspiration lay. This doctrine was on all fours with the views expressed by St. Paul. Faith having apprehended the spiritual content by the witness of God’s Spirit, a response was awakened in the heart. Mr. Scott acknowledged that criticism of the Bible was necessary, and no one need be panic-stricken because the Scriptures were being pulled to pieces. Minor errors in dates and authorship were in this way being discussed, but the Bible had a greater influence to-day than ever, and would continue to influence the believing heart.