A Framework for Life – Part 3
June 20, 2004
Dear Friends,
The first of the three basic questions that we need to ask ourselves in order to build a framework for life is “Do you believe that the Bible is the unerring, inspired word of God?” What might seem like a simple, straightforward question is really not that easy to answer with conviction.
While in college, I had a college professor and ordained minister with many initials after his name say in class that the Bible was inspired by God. While continually talking about the Bible as inspired, he would tell how this writer contradicted that writer, how this writer was wrong about this piece of information, and so forth. It was very confusing to hear how the Bible was inspired by God and then full of mistakes and outright fabrications of truth.
One evening after class, I asked the college professor exactly what he meant when he said the Bible was inspired. After about 30 minutes of questions from me, the college professor/minister finally put his cards on the table. He thought that the Bible was inspired like Shakespeare was inspired. He felt that a little piece of God resided in each one of us which allowed us to create. Painters, poets, authors and Biblical writers all practiced their art under the “inspiration of God.” Needless to say, this was not at all my conception of the Bible being written by inspiration.
When I talk about the Bible being inspired by God I mean that God moved those men to write what they wrote. This being the case, every word of the Bible is how it should be. There are no mistakes except those that have crept in from translation or transcription errors. The Bible is therefore 100% reliable. The Bible says this of itself when Paul wrote “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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Tim. 3:16)
If you cannot agree that the Bible is inspired, then what do you have? If the Bible is inspired like Shakespeare is inspired then why not choose to base your life upon the works of the bard of Stratford-Upon-Avon rather than the Bible? Or Plato? Or Hemingway? Or Marx? (Groucho or Karl….take your pick!) If the Bible is partially inspired, then what parts can we take to the bank and which can we discard? The point being that if we deny the full, unerring inspiration of the Bible we have no agreed upon basis for truth and no basis to move forward. We can’t reason together from the Scriptures if I think the Bible to be completely true and you think it to be a compilation of myths and mistakes.
It is absolutely critical then that you gain agreement to the answer to the first question before moving on to the second. It must be clear what the term “inspiration” means. It must be agreed that it is entirely inspired. You must also understand that gaining this agreement is not a given. The vast majority of people will be very reluctant to give complete credence to the Bible. Even those who do assent to the inspiration of the Bible needed to be prodded a little to make sure that they really do agree.
Next week, Lord willing, we will go on to the second question.
Have a great week!
