There are many false views of inspiration, which undermine or completely discredit the Bible as God’s breathed out words.
Natural Inspiration teaches that the writers of the Bible were nothing more than men of unusual ability and insights. We reject Natural Inspiration. If the Bible is no different that any other secular book it cannot be trusted for matters of faith.
Spiritual Illumination teaches that certain believers, who have greater insights than others, wrote the Bible. We reject Spiritual Illumination. If greater insight is all that is needed to produce Scripture, than Scripture should still be in the process of being written.
Partial Inspiration teaches that only those parts of the Bible related to faith and practice are inspired; those parts related to history, science, and chronology may be in error. We reject Partial Inspiration. Can faith or doctrine be separated from history? For example, the narratives about the birth of Jesus contain both doctrine and history. Furthermore, can the Bible be trusted if it contains errors?
Conceptual Inspiration teaches that only the concepts or ideas of the Bible are inspired, not the words. We reject Conceptional Inspiration. Concepts and ideas can only be communicated by words. If the words are incorrect how can they communicate concepts or ideas correctly?
Divine Dictation teaches that God dictated the words to men, who passively recorded. We reject Divine Dictation. If the human authors were passive secretaries each book should have the same style of writing. However, there is no uniformity of style between the books of the Bible.
Neo-Orthodoxy teaches that the Bible becomes inspired as the believer experiences God. We reject Neo-Orthodoxy. If each believer experiences God differently, them the Bible varies in its inspiration. How can one be sure that what they are reading is from God?
Natural Inspiration teaches that the writers of the Bible were nothing more than men of unusual ability and insights. We reject Natural Inspiration. If the Bible is no different that any other secular book it cannot be trusted for matters of faith.
Spiritual Illumination teaches that certain believers, who have greater insights than others, wrote the Bible. We reject Spiritual Illumination. If greater insight is all that is needed to produce Scripture, than Scripture should still be in the process of being written.
Partial Inspiration teaches that only those parts of the Bible related to faith and practice are inspired; those parts related to history, science, and chronology may be in error. We reject Partial Inspiration. Can faith or doctrine be separated from history? For example, the narratives about the birth of Jesus contain both doctrine and history. Furthermore, can the Bible be trusted if it contains errors?
Conceptual Inspiration teaches that only the concepts or ideas of the Bible are inspired, not the words. We reject Conceptional Inspiration. Concepts and ideas can only be communicated by words. If the words are incorrect how can they communicate concepts or ideas correctly?
Divine Dictation teaches that God dictated the words to men, who passively recorded. We reject Divine Dictation. If the human authors were passive secretaries each book should have the same style of writing. However, there is no uniformity of style between the books of the Bible.
Neo-Orthodoxy teaches that the Bible becomes inspired as the believer experiences God. We reject Neo-Orthodoxy. If each believer experiences God differently, them the Bible varies in its inspiration. How can one be sure that what they are reading is from God?
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