Smoke Screens And Divine Inspiration
"At the end of the day, what many people are arguing against is not divine inspiration, but either the existence of God or the content of the Scriptures..."
Throughout the centuries the divine authorship of the Bible has been attacked. It is well known in Christian circles that the Bible was written by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. What critics cannot tolerate is that the Bible claims to be the very words of God written by human hands. Many successful arguments for divine inspiration have been presented, but critics remain resistant. Thinking on this topic, I was wondering: why does this issue persist?
When talking with people about this important issue I have noticed something very interesting. As critics present their best arguments, I listen carefully and wait for them to be finished; then I ask them a simple question: are you opposed to the inspiration of the Bible because you do not believe that God exists, or because of the Bible’s content?
The response has been interesting and typically there are two camps: those who have purposefully read the Bible, and those who have not.
The answer to this question begins to expose the real issue. For those who do not believe in God or any god, the issue is not the divine inspiration of the biblical text. The real issue for them is God Himself, yet it is masked in the question of divine inspiration.
For the second group, those who have intentionally read the Bible, their main issue has not been the inspiration of the text either, but its content. They are deeply offended when their fallen nature is put under the divine microscope of the Word of God. When their hearts are confronted by the piercing truth of God, there is only one option left for them…shooting the messenger. They erroneously believe that if they destroy divine inspiration then the content of the Scriptures does not apply to them.
At the end of the day, what many people are arguing against is not divine inspiration, but either the existence of God or the content of the Scriptures; or perhaps a combination of the two.
Once the heart of the critics has been exposed, one needs to proceed with love. We must carefully explain that the purpose of the Bible is not simply to make them feel guilty, but to show them how desperate their situation is and how badly God wants to save them. Listening carefully is something that believers need to do when responding to those who disagree with them. Let us listen not only to their words, but to their hearts as well.
Throughout the centuries the divine authorship of the Bible has been attacked. It is well known in Christian circles that the Bible was written by men who were inspired by the Holy Spirit. What critics cannot tolerate is that the Bible claims to be the very words of God written by human hands. Many successful arguments for divine inspiration have been presented, but critics remain resistant. Thinking on this topic, I was wondering: why does this issue persist?
When talking with people about this important issue I have noticed something very interesting. As critics present their best arguments, I listen carefully and wait for them to be finished; then I ask them a simple question: are you opposed to the inspiration of the Bible because you do not believe that God exists, or because of the Bible’s content?
The response has been interesting and typically there are two camps: those who have purposefully read the Bible, and those who have not.
The answer to this question begins to expose the real issue. For those who do not believe in God or any god, the issue is not the divine inspiration of the biblical text. The real issue for them is God Himself, yet it is masked in the question of divine inspiration.
For the second group, those who have intentionally read the Bible, their main issue has not been the inspiration of the text either, but its content. They are deeply offended when their fallen nature is put under the divine microscope of the Word of God. When their hearts are confronted by the piercing truth of God, there is only one option left for them…shooting the messenger. They erroneously believe that if they destroy divine inspiration then the content of the Scriptures does not apply to them.
At the end of the day, what many people are arguing against is not divine inspiration, but either the existence of God or the content of the Scriptures; or perhaps a combination of the two.
Once the heart of the critics has been exposed, one needs to proceed with love. We must carefully explain that the purpose of the Bible is not simply to make them feel guilty, but to show them how desperate their situation is and how badly God wants to save them. Listening carefully is something that believers need to do when responding to those who disagree with them. Let us listen not only to their words, but to their hearts as well.
