No book has more of an impact on human history than the Bible. And certainly, no book is more significant to Christians than the Bible. And in this series, we answer the most important questions about the Bible.
What is the Bible?
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul declared:
But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that 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. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
Paul the Apostle, II Timothy 3:14-17
According to Paul, any writing that is “scripture” is “given by inspiration of God” (or, as other translations say, “God-breathed”). Those Christians with a high view of the Bible regard the Bible as “Scripture.”
Of course, the Bible was not written as a single book or volume. It is a collection of ancient writings. At the time Paul wrote the letter above, the New Testament was still coming together. Nevertheless, Paul’s statement applies to any writing that represents divine revelation to humanity. And those Christians who have a high view of the Bible (including yours truly) see the ancient writings of the Bible (including Paul’s writings) as a written record of God’s revelation to mankind. Thus, we see them as Scripture. As one scholar puts it:
Nearly 2,000 years later, these God-inspired revelations from ancient Israelites and Christ-commissioned eyewitnesses remain the main means that God uses to unveil his truth to humanity.
Timothy Paul Jones, ‘How We Got the Bible’ (Rose Publishing – 2015)
Does this mean that God took over the bodies of the human authors?
No.
The doctrine that God inspired the very words of Scripture is called “verbal plenary inspiration,” but it doesn’t mean psychography was involved. The process by which the books of the Bible were written was not some kind of “automatic writing.” The Holy Spirit didn’t take over the minds and bodies of the authors. He didn’t have to.
Those who ask questions like this don’t really understand the nature of God’s sovereignty. Here’s Timothy Paul Jones again:
Verbal-plenary inspiration does not mean that God turned writers into robots, controlled from heaven through a cosmic keyboard. The biblical authors used their own free expressions, and God providentially guided their lives so that they would choose the words that conveyed his truth.
Ibid
The Chesapeake Bay Bridge is near where I work and live. I don’t like driving across it. But thankfully, there are guardrails. If there weren’t, you couldn’t pay me enough money to drive across it!
Picture God’s sovereignty as the bridge and the guardrails. There’s room in between those guardrails for some driver’s choice and individuality — including what car you’re driving, what lane you drive in, whether you have one or two hands on the steering wheel, whether you wear sunglasses or not, whether you have the visor down, whether you’re sipping a bottle of water as you drive, etc. But you need to stay within the confines of the bridge if you want to get safely across.
God didn’t extinguish the creativity, personality, or individuality of the Bible’s authors. But, in His sovereignty, He made sure they stayed in between the guardrails — so that we would have an accurate representation of His revelation today.
Are the right books in the Bible?
Contrary to allegations made by the Bible’s critics, there were reasonable standards that drove the decisions as to which books belong in the Bible — both with respect to the Old Testament and the New Testament.
In the case of the Old Testament, there was general agreement on which books were considered authentically inspired. The variations mainly involve how the books have been organized.
The Hebrew Bible has 24 books. This list, or “canon,” was affirmed at the Councils of Jamnia in A.D. 90 and 118. The Protestant Old Testament includes exactly the same information, but organized into 39 books. For example, the Hebrew Bible has one book of Samuel, while the Protestant Bible has I and II Samuel—same book, but divided into two parts.
Elesha Coffman, “Why Are Protestant and Catholic Bibles Different?” – Christianity Today (August 2008)
When the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek, a debate began over some books — so-called “apocryphal books” — that some believed should be included in the Old Testament canon.
In addition to these 39 books [included in the Protestant Old Testament], the Catholic Old Testament includes Tobit, Judith, Wisdom of Solomon, Ecclesiasticus (Sirach), Baruch (includes the Letters of Jeremiah), I and II Maccabees, and additions to Daniel and Esther. These books were included in the Septuagint, a Greek translation of a different Hebrew canon. Early church fathers, who relied on the Septuagint (they could read Greek, but not Hebrew), sometimes quoted these books as Scripture. The status of the books continued to be debated throughout the Middle Ages.
Ibid
According to Timothy Paul Jones, the New Testament writers never cited the deuterocanonical books considered “scripture” by Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Christians. What’s more, the Jewish community didn’t recognize them as Scripture.
The Jewish people never recognized the Apocrypha as Scripture. According to Jewish historian Josephus, the Jews did not consider these later writings “of equal value” with Scripture because of “the failure of the exact succession of the prophets.”
Timothy Paul Jones, “How We Got the Bible” (Rose Publishing – 2015)
While there is historical and literary value in the apocryphal or deuterocanonical books, it seems the weight of evidence is with the Protestant Bible on which canon most accurately constitutes Scripture.
This series will continue with Part 3
