very good

1. The Inspiration of the New
Testament
 REVELATION – Step 1 in process of
bringing the Bible from God to man.
 We know God because God himself
decided to reveal Himself to man.
 Greek word apokalupsis meaning
“disclosure” or “unveiling.”
 The pinnacle of God’s revelation is in
the person of the Lord Jesus Christ.

2. The Inspiration of the New
Testament
 DEFINITION of Revelation:
 That act of God whereby He discloses Himself or
communicates truth to the mind, whereby He makes
manifest to His creatures truth which could not be
known in any other way. (Jn 17:17)
 Truth is not discovered, but revealed!
 Revelation is both General and Special

3. The Inspiration of the New
Testament
 General Revelation
– Nature (Creation)
– The Events of History (Providence)
– Human Conscience
 Special Revelation
– The Holy Bible
– The Lord Jesus Christ

4. The Inspiration of the New
Testament
 General Revelation – Nature
 Romans 1:20 TRUTHS REVEALED:
– God’s Power
– The Godhead (Trinity)
 Time
 Space
 Matter
– Let’s do the Math:
 NOT 1 + 1 + 1 = 3
 BUT 1 x 1 x 1 = 1

5. The Inspiration of the New
Testament
 God Created a Trinity of Trinities!
 Time
– Past – Present – Future
 Space
– Length – Width – Height
 Matter
– Solid – Liquid – Gas

6. The Inspiration of the New
Testament
 General Revelation – Providence
 TRUTH REVEALED: God is in control
 Isaiah 46:9-10
– “I will do all my pleasure.”
 Acts 14:15-17
– All physical and emotional things
 Deuteronomy 8:18-19
– Wealth
 Proverbs 21:1
– Politics!

7. The Inspiration of the New
Testament
 General Revelation – Conscience
 TRUTH REVEALED: God’s Moral Law
 Romans 2:14-15
– The law written in their hearts
– Conscience bearing witness  God is holy
 John 8:9 – Story of the adulteress woman
– Accusers convicted in their own conscience
 1 Timothy 4:2
– Conscience seared with a hot iron (last days)

8. The Inspiration of the New
Testament
 Special Revelation – The Son of God
 TRUTH REVEALED: Nature of Christ
 The Lord Jesus Christ
– John 1:18
 No man has seen God at any time
 The Father has declared the Son
– John 10:30
 I and My Father are One
 Jesus Christ is God in human flesh!

9. The Inspiration of the New
Testament
 Special Revelation – The Word of God
 The Holy Bible
– God-breathed Words (2 Timothy 3:16)
– Spirit-moved Holy Men (2 Peter 1:21)
 TRUTHS REVEALED: Doctrines:
• Redemption • Justification
• Reconciliation • Sanctification
• Regeneration • Propitiation
• Forgiveness … and so much more!

10. The Work of the Spirit
The close connection between Christ and the Scriptures
Spirit “moved” Holy Men Spirit “came upon” Mary
to write the inspired to conceive and give birth
Scriptures: to Jesus Christ:
The Word of God The Son of God
Which is the … Who is the …
Living Living
Written Incarnate
Word Word

11. The Process
God
Man
• REVELATION
• INSPIRATION
• CANONICITY
• TRANSMISSION
• TRANSLATION
• INTERPRETATION
God determined
to make himself
known to man

12. The Inspiration of the New
Testament
 INSPIRATION – Step 2 in process of
bringing the Bible from God to man.
 Inspiration ensures the accuracy and
trustworthiness of God’s revelation.
 Inspiration is what gives the Bible its
authority.
 Revelation is communication from God.
 Inspiration guarantees its accuracy
and gives the revelation its authority.

13. The Inspiration of the New
Testament
 “Inspiration” means “God-breathed”.
 Example: Genesis 2:7 “God … breathed …
living soul.”
– God breathed into clay  a living soul
– God breathed into words  a living book
 Greek theopneustos translated “given
by inspiration of God.”
 The book is inspired, the holy men were
moved (born along) by the Holy Spirit

14. The Inspiration of the New
Testament
 God the Holy Spirit
– Superintended the writers every moment
– Guaranteed the integrity of the product
– Ensured the finished work is God’s Word
– Gives the Bible its authority
 Holy Men
– Carried along (moved) by the Holy Spirit
– Greek: phero to carry, move by carrying,
to bear up, uphold (eg. a ship on water)

15. The Inspiration of the New
Testament
 Verbal
– Each word written is exactly the word God
wanted.
– God allowed each writer to reflect his own
personal style, vocabulary, experience.
 Plenary
– Means “full inspiration” in every part
– There are not degrees of inspiration
– Every word, every part, is equally inspired

16. The Inspiration of the New
Testament
 Inerrant
– A “new” term from early 20th century
– Means “without error”
– Refers only to the original manuscripts
 Infallible
– Traditional term applied to the text
– Means “accurate without fail”
– Refers to all good copies and translations
– The Bible is trustworthy and reliable
– All discrepancies are resolved by study

17. What exactly is Inspired?
Evidence of the Doctrine of Preservation
 Westminster Confession 1646: states that “the
Word of God has been kept pure in all ages.”
 London Baptist Confession 1689: Autographs
are inspired and the copies are infallible.
 John Owen (1616-1683) believed in “the purity of the present
copies (apographs) in the original languages, which the Church of
God doth now and hath for many ages enjoyed as her treasure.”
 Francis Turretin (1623-1687) wrote in his Theology, “By original
texts, we do not mean the autographs written by the hand of
Moses, of the prophets and of the Apostles, which certainly do not
now exist. We mean their apographs which are so called because
they set forth to us the word of God in the very words of those who
wrote under the immediate inspiration of the Holy Spirit.”

18. The Inspiration of the New
Testament
 ILLUMINATION
– The work of the Holy Spirit in bringing
understanding to our hearts.
 Colossians 1:9
 2 Timothy 2:7
 1 John 2:27; 5:20
 INTERPRETATION
– The science of determining the meaning of
the text by using proven biblical principles.
 Nehemiah 8:8
 1 Corinthians 2:12-13, 1 Thessalonians 2:13
 Acts 17:11