Adventists and Inspiration-4

Letting the Bible speak for itself

by Alden Thompson

Summary of series to date: Just as the church today has its difficulties understanding inspiration (part 1), so our Adventist forefathers also wrestled with the issue (parts 2 and 3). Part 2 focused on events growing out of the 1883 General Conference: the official vote to revise the Testimonies, the delay in the work of revision when some objected, and an urgent letter from Ellen White arguing that "the changes will improve the book."

Part 3 described the difficulties that grew out of W. W. Prescott’s "forceful" presentation of verbal inspiration at Battle Creek. He himself had to modify his views when asked to assist with the revision of the book The Great Controversy; but a tendency toward verbal inspiration persisted in the church, overshadowing the work of those who argued for the inspiration of the "person" rather than the inspiration of the "words."

This final installment deals with Scripture itself, seeking to illustrate why the inspiration of the "person" offers a more adequate means of describing the Biblical material than the inspiration of the "words." Though sometimes obscured by the practice of the church, this more realistic view of inspiration reflects the position adopted by the General Conference in 1883 and supported by Ellen White’s introduction to The Great Controversy (1888 and 1911) and an 1886 manuscript of Ellen White’s published in Selected Messages, book 1, in 1958.

The class was lively and responsive; but one student in particular was disturbed by the discussion of inspiration. When I talked with him privately, he told me his story.

A first-generation Adventist who had slipped away from the church, he had returned to college and was rebuilding his relationship with the Lord. Class had been going fairly well until an assignment required him to compare the two stories of David’s census (2 Samuel 24 and 1 Chronicles 21), noting any major differences between the accounts. In the face of a list that surprised even me, he was troubled.

"I grew up in the Bible Belt in the Deep South," he explained, "with an atheist father and a Bible-believing mother. One day I came home from school and proclaimed a belief in evolution. Dad didn’t care much, but Mother did. She grabbed her umbrella with one hand, and me with the other–and did she teach me to believe the Bible!"

"With reference to the assignment," I queried, "did our class discussion help?"

"If we hadn’t talked about inspiration in the class beforehand," he responded–and he wasn’t joking–"I probably would have gone out and shot myself."

Deeply ingrained habits, thought patterns, and beliefs cling stubbornly, even when we want to change. Habits nourished by religious conviction are even more tenacious. The proverb can be painfully true: "Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it" (Prov. 22:6). Childhood Sabbathkeeping stays by, but so does Sundaykeeping. I remember my amazement at the testimony of a devout Adventist who had switched her allegiance to the Bible Sabbath: seven years passed before the "feeling" of Sunday sacredness finally disappeared and the clammy fingers of guilt relaxed their grip for "working" on Sunday.

And that’s the problem we face when we deal with inspiration. "Find one mistake in the Bible and you can throw the whole thing out" is a popular line in some circles. Often well-intentioned and spoken in defense of the Bible, it nevertheless lays the foundation for tragic loss of faith when bright and perceptive young people actually read their Bibles. And even if they work their way through to a firmer foundation, often they are plagued by guilt for having seen what they have seen–all because a concept of inspiration has been drilled home that does not match the evidence in Scripture itself.

As I teach my students, I want them to read the Bible reverently, but also as a letter from a friend–and not be afraid of what they will find when they turn the page. New life surged into my own Christian experience when the last vestige of fear ebbed away, and I no longer dreaded that fatal "flaw" that could smash my house of faith.

Although Adventists don’t claim to believe in the "inerrancy" of Scripture, I have found the idea deeply embedded in my students and in my church, and at all levels of culture and education. Given the widespread belief in inerrancy in America, we shouldn’t be too surprised to find it among Adventists. And overcoming the problem is not easy. Imagine the difficulty of leading precious souls to Christ through God’s Word only to tell them that the Word was something other than what they had imagined it to be.

In this respect, I find Ellen White’s approach particularly helpful. While readily admitting that "there is not always perfect order or apparent unity in the Scriptures" and that "everything that is human is imperfect" (Selected Messages, book 1, p. 20), she does not dwell on the imperfections. She is aware of them in the same way that a devoted husband and wife are aware of each other’s weaknesses without constantly harping on them. And trust remains firm.

Believers stress the divine in Scripture; we call it the Word of God, not the word of man, Yet the occasional reminder of the human side of Scripture can prevent us from putting God on trial in words, logic, or rhetoric (cf. Selected Messages, book 1, p. 21) and causing others to stumble through our ignorance. Actually, in some instances, as we will note below, apparent inconsistencies in Scripture seem to be deliberate adaptations to human needs as the Spirit guides the writer in his work. This was the very point that Ellen White was making when she wrote: "The Lord gave His word in just the way He wanted it to come."–Ibid.

Most believers avoid as inappropriate such words as error and contradiction when talking about the Bible. If we handle our friends gently (calling them "slender" instead of "skinny" and "adaptable" instead of "wishy-washy"), shouldn’t we do as much for the Word of God? The right balance seems to have been struck by P. T. Forsyth, a well-known preacher who addressed the issue at the turn of the century: "I do not believe in verbal inspiration. I am with the critics in principle. But the true minister ought to find the words and phrases of the Bible so full of spiritual food and felicity that he has some difficulty in not believing in verbal inspiration." [P. T. Forsyth, Positive Preaching and the Modern Mind (New York: Methodist Book Concern, 1907), p. 38.]

Let’s turn now to some aspects of Scripture that devout believers are likely to overlook. None should be troublesome if we take the position that the "person" is inspired rather than the "words."

1. The use of secretaries. Jeremiah "dictated" at least some of this messages to Baruch (see Jeremiah 36). Paul often used secretaries; that’s why he seemed so pleased with himself when he actually took the pen in his own hand: "See with what large letters I am writing to you with my own hand" (Gal. 6:11, R.S.V.; cf. 1 Cor. 16:21). In Romans, the "writer," Tertius, slipped in his own greeting before posting the letter (Rom. 16:22).

Secretaries, like the authors themselves, undoubtedly variedwidely in their capabilities. But they were reliable enough, sometimes delightfully so–as when the secretary chronicled every step in Paul’s gradually improving memory (see 1 Cor. 1:14-16)! And the Holy Spirit did not overrule, for Paul’s short memory simply throws into bolder relief his deep passion for souls.

2. The collection and editing of sources. Both Testaments provide examples of inspired writers who visited the local library or the royal archives as they prepared their books. Sprinkled throughout Kings and Chronicles are references to royal records (1 Kings 11:41; 14:19, 29; 15:23; 16:27) and noncanonical prophetic books (1 Chron. 29:29; 2 Chron. 9:29) that have been excerpted in the preparation of Biblical books.

In the New Testament, Luke offers the clearest example of an inspired "researcher" at work. He bluntly tells us that he took up his task because the other "gospels" just didn’t tell the story right. George Rice’s recent book, Luke, a Plagiarist? offers an excellent study of what this "research" mode means for inspiration.

[George Rice, Luke, a Plagiarist? (Mountain View Calif.: Pacific Press, 1983). In the light of Luke’s procedure in writing his book, Rice suggests the need to recognize two models of "inspiration" in Scripture: (a) the "prophetic" with its basis in revelation; and (b) the "Lucan" with its basis in research.]

3. Development of compilations. In a sense, the Gospels represent "compilations" on the life of Christ. But some examples from the poetic and prophetic books are more self-evident. The book of Proverbs is especially explicit; one heading states outright: "These also are proverbs of Solomon which the men of Hezekiah King of Judah copied" (Prov. 25:1, R.S.V.). That would date the compilation some 200 years after the death of Solomon.

Proverbs is actually a compilation of compilations and includes proverbs from other authors besides Solomon. [See especially the headings in Proverbs 1:1; 10:1; 25:1; 30:1; and 31:1, the last two indicating authors other than Solomon.]

At first glance, a reader might take the title in chapter 1:1 as indicating Solomonic authorship for the entire book. But the appearance of a second title at chapter 10:1 alerts us to the fact that the title of chapter 1:1 applies only to chapters 1-9 rather than to the whole book.

Our book of Psalms probably circulated in parts before it was brought together as we now have it. That would explain why Psalm 14 and 53 are both included in Scripture, two psalms virtually identical except for the names for God, Elohim (God) being preferred in Psalm 53, Yahweh (Lord) in Psalm 14.

With apologies to a well-known Adventist institution, the book of Jeremiah was probably prepared by the "Jeremiah Estate." May of my students are temporarily stunned by the last line of Jeremiah 51:64: "Thus far are the words of Jeremiah." The final chapter, while part of Jeremiah’s book, obviously was written by someone else. It is, in fact simply the citation of 2 Kings 24:18-25:30, showing the fulfillment of Jeremiah’s prophecies. Under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, loyal followers of the true God brought Jeremiah’s oracles and letters together, organized them (non-chronologically, see especially Jeremiah 24-30), provided a publisher’s preface (chap. 1:1-3), and added the historical appendix (chapter 52) as the confirmation of Jeremiah’s ministry. The work of the Spirit in preserving this prophetic message is all the more remarkable in light of the bitter opposition against Jeremiah in his own day from kings, priests, and other prophets.

4. Differences in parallel accounts. In my judgment, the study of parallel passages in Scripture holds the key to our concept of inspiration. The Gospels in the New Testament, and the books of Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles in the Old Testament, provide us with abundant opportunities to compare the same stories as told by different authors.

Not unexpectedly, my students tend to block out the differences until they begin to understand why they are there. Ellen White argued that the differences were necessary "because the minds of men differ" (Counsels to Parents and Teachers, p. 432).

[Rice analyzes a number of differences between the Gospels, illustrating how these differences enabled the inspired writers to express a specific message more clearly.]

Rather than being a threat to faith, these so-called discrepancies are God’s ways of reaching us where we are. Just as parents, teachers, and pastors adapt Bible stories to the needs of their listeners, so the inspired writers have adapted the words of life to their listeners.

An excellent example illustrating this process of adaptation is provided by the story of Jesus’ healing of a father’s demon-possessed boy. Matthew, Mark, and Luke all place the story immediately after the Transfiguration. The disciples had proved to be powerless and were acutely embarrassed. Then Jesus arrived.

The story is a familiar one; and we tend to blend the three accounts into one, rather than listening to each author share his convictions about Jesus. Take a few moments to read each story, beginning with Luke 9:37-43 (the shortest version), followed by Matthew 17:14-21, and finally Mark 9:14-29 (the longest version). Using a synopsis or harmony of the gospels makes it easier to compare the stories. But just reading them out loud–for family worship, for example–highlights the differences. Then we hear Luke using the story in praise of God’s glory, see Matthew focusing on the disciples’ lack of faith, and watch Mark building the same story into a marvelous testimony of the father’s growing faith.

Ellen White comments perceptively on this unity through diversity, noting that because the writers "differed widely in rank and occupation, and in mental and spiritual endowments," the "superficial, careless, or prejudiced reader" may speak of "discrepancy or contradiction." But "the thoughtful, reverent student, with clearer insight, discerns the underlying harmony."–The Great Controversy, p. vi.

We need to be realistic with ourselves, however–even the "thoughtful, reverent student" sometimes struggles to grasp that underlying harmony. Ellen White observed: "Sharp contentions over the Bible have led to investigation and revealed the precious jewels of truth. Many tears have been shed, man prayers offered, that the Lord would open the understanding to His Word."–Selected Messages, book 1, p. 20.

Yes, studying Scripture can be a sobering and agonizing experience. This series began with a story illustrating that very point. Yet that story had a happy ending, one in which Ellen White’s statements on inspiration played a key role. In conclusion, I would like to further underscore the value of those statements by sharing the experience of another student from that same class in inspiration and revelation.

He was a new Christian and a new Adventist; he had been reading his Bible for only two years. Married, with teenaged children, and already holding a college degree, he was now preparing himself to teach in Adventist schools.

He expressed himself freely; and several times during the term I had talked with him about his experience. We both realized that the course was a bit advanced for someone only two years in the way. But only at the end of the term did I realize how difficult it had been for him.

At the time of the final examination, I asked my students to fill out a course evaluation form. And for the class in inspiration the form is comprehensive. Using a scale of 1 to 10, the students are to provide three responses for each topic covered: How new, how helpful, and how disturbing was each topic?

To encourage frank responses, the forms are designed to be anonymous; but in this instance the student left no doubt as to his identity. And clearly the term had been a tumultuous one for him–virtually every topic was brand new (9s and 10s), extremely helpful (8s, 9s, and 10s), and quite disturbing (some 10s, with most in the 5 to 9 range).

Quickly scanning down the columns full of 8s, 9s, and 10s, my eye was arrested by the one notable exception: his reaction to the Introduction of The Great Controversy and the material from Selected Messages, book 1.

How new was it? Brand new–a 10.

How helpful? Terribly helpful–another 10.

How disturbing? Not in the slightest–a 1–the only 1 on the whole page, firmly written, boldly circled and with a single handwritten word scrawled alongside: relief!

I can’t fully explain why a new Christian and a new Adventist would find those words from Ellen White so encouraging. But I’ve seen it happen enough now that I’m convinced of their value–not a substitute for reading the Bible, but as reassurance when we read the Bible.

We can expect "sharp contentions" and "many tears" as we study God’s Word; and "it requires patience, thought, and prayer to trace out the precious golden thread."–Selected Messages, book 1, p. 20. But God’s promise is immovable: "Ask and it will be given you: seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you" (Matt. 7:7, R.S.V.). With promises like that, how can we lose?

–Alden Thompson, Adventist Review, September 26, 1985.