How Does Divine Inspiration Operate?

 The Bible comes to us by the inspiration of God.

 “First of all you must understand this, that no prophecy of scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” [1 Peter 1:20, 21 NRSV]

  “...Continue in what you have learned and firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it, and how from childhood you have known the sacred writings that are able to instruct you for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired by God and is useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, so that everyone who belongs to God may be proficient, equipped for every good work.” [2 Timothy 3:14-17 NRSV]

 Where and how did the inspired messengers get their information?

 Some had visions of God.

 “After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, ‘Do not be afraid, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great.’” [Genesis 15:1 NRSV]

 “I was among the exiles by the river Chebar, the heavens were opened, and I saw visions of God.” [Ezekiel 1:1]

 “And the one who was seated on the throne said, ‘See, I am making all things new.’ Also he said, ‘Write this, for these words are trustworthy and true.’” [Revelation 21:5 NRSV]

 Some heard a gentle whisper.

  “‘Go out and stand before me on the mountain,’ the LORD told him. And as Elijah stood there, the LORD passed by, and a mighty windstorm hit the mountain. It was such a terrible blast that the rocks were torn loose, but the LORD was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake there was a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire there was the sound of a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he wrapped his face in his cloak and went out and stood at the entrance of the cave. And a voice said, ‘What are you doing here, Elijah?’” [1 Kings 19:11-13 NLT]

 Some inspired writers used the library:

 “Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, all that he did as well as his wisdom, are they not written in the Book of the Acts of Solomon?” [1 Kings 11:41 NRSV]

 “Now the acts of King David, from first to last, are written in the records of the seer Samuel, and in the records of the prophet Nathan, and in the records of the seer Gad, with accounts of all his rule and his might and of the events that befell him and Israel and all the kingdoms of the earth.” [1 Chronicles 29:29, 30 NRSV]

 “Now the rest of the acts of Solomon, from first to last, are they not written in the history of the prophet Nathan, and in the prophecy of Ahijah the Shilonite, and in the visions of the seer Iddo concerning Jeroboam son of Nebat?” [2 Chronicles 9:29 NRSV]

 Some inspired writers used multiple sources.

 “Since many have undertaken to set down an orderly account of the events that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed on to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the truth concerning the things about which you have been instructed.” [Luke 1:1-4 NRSV]

 Some were informed by personal reports:

 “For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters.” [1 Corinthians 1:11 NRSV]

 “It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not found even among pagans; for a man is living with his father’s wife.” [1 Corinthians 5:1 NRSV].

 Inspired writers have created many different forms of literature. These include prose, poetry, dialogue, drama, proverbs, parables, acrostic, chiasm, apocalyptic and other symbols.

 “Long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets.” [Hebrews 1:1 NRSV]

 The inspired messenger usually did his own writing.

 “In the fourth year of King Jehoiakim son of Josiah of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from the LORD: ‘Take a scroll and write on it all the words that I have spoken to you against Israel and Judah and all the nations, from the day I spoke to you, from the days of Josiah until today.’” [Jeremiah 36:1, 2 NRSV]

 “Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God,” [Romans 1:1 NRSV]

 “See what large letters I make when I am writing in my own hand!” [Galatians 6:11 NRSV]

  “I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. This is the mark in every letter of mine; it is the way I write.” [2 Thessalonians 3:17 NRSV]

 Some inspired writers employed a secretary or stenographer.

 “Then Jeremiah called Baruch son of Neriah, and Baruch wrote on a scroll at Jeremiah’s dictation all the words of the LORD that he had spoken to him.” [Jeremiah 36:4 NRSV]

 “Then they questioned Baruch, ‘Tell us now, how did you write all these words? Was it at his dictation?’ Baruch answered them, ‘He dictated all these words to me, and I wrote them with ink on the scroll.’” [Jeremiah 36:17, 18 NRSV]

  “I Tertius, the writer of this letter, greet you in the Lord.” [Romans 16:22 NRSV]

 Sometimes the writer published with little or no editing:

  “What I mean is that each of you says, ‘I belong to Paul,’ or ‘I belong to Apollos,’ or ‘I belong to Cephas,’ or ‘I belong to Christ.’ Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?

 —I thank God that I baptized none of you

—except Crispus and Gaius, so that no one can say that you were baptized in my name.

—(I did baptize also the household of Stephanas;

—beyond that, I do not know whether I baptized anyone else.)” [1 Corinthians 1:12-16 NRSV]

 Sometimes a writer published only after careful compilation and editing:

 “I too decided, after investigating everything carefully from the very first, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,” [Luke 1:3 NRSV]

 Of many parts of the Bible, we do not know the authors:

 “And Jeremiah said to Seraiah: ‘When you come to Babylon, see that you read all these words....and say, “Thus shall Babylon sink, to rise no more, because of the disasters that I am bringing on her.”’

—Thus far are the words of Jeremiah.” [Jeremiah 51:61-64 NRSV]

 “Then Moses, the servant of the LORD, died there in the land of Moab, at the Lord’s command. He was buried in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth-peor, but no one knows his burial place to this day. Moses was one hundred twenty years old when he died; his sight was unimpaired and his vigor had not abated. The Israelites wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days; then the period of mourning for Moses was ended. Joshua son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom, because Moses had laid his hands on him; and the Israelites obeyed him, doing as the LORD had commanded Moses. Never since has there arisen a prophet in Israel like Moses, whom the LORD knew face to face.” [Deuteronomy 34:5-10 NRSV]

 We do not know for sure who were the human authors of Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings, Chronicles, Ruth, Esther, and many other books.

 An inspired book may have several inspired writers, plus inspired editors and compilers:

 “The proverbs of Solomon son of David, king of Israel:” [Proverbs 1:1 NRSV]

 “These are other proverbs of Solomon that the officials of King Hezekiah of Judah copied.” (200 years after Solomon’s death) [Proverbs 25:1 NRSV]

 “The words of Agur son of Jakeh.” [Proverbs 30:1 NRSV]

 “The words of King Lemuel. An oracle that his mother taught him:” [Proverbs 31: 1 NRSV]

 Inspired parallel accounts may differ from each other.

 Who incited David to number Israel?

 “Again the anger of the LORD was kindled against Israel, and he incited David against them, saying, ‘Go, count the people of Israel and Judah.’” [2 Samuel 24:1 NRSV]

 “Satan stood up against Israel, and incited David to count the people of Israel.” [1 Chronicles 21:1 NRSV]

 This is one of the very few references to Satan in the Old Testament. In the Hebrew scriptures God is generally held responsible for both good and evil:

 “I am the LORD, and there is no other; besides me there is no god... I form light and create darkness, I make weal and create woe; I the LORD do all these things.” [Isaiah 45:5-7 NRSV]

 In David’s census, how many were counted?

 “Joab reported to the king the number of those who had been recorded: in Israel there were eight hundred thousand soldiers able to draw the sword, and those of Judah were five hundred thousand.”

[2 Samuel 24:9 NRSV]

 “Joab gave the total count of the people to David. In all Israel there were one million one hundred thousand men who drew the sword, and in Judah four hundred seventy thousand who drew the sword.”

[1 Chronicles 21:5 NRSV]

 Whose threshing floor was it?

 “The angel of the LORD was then by the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite.”

[2 Samuel 24:16 NRSV]

 “The angel of the LORD was then standing by the threshing floor of Ornan the Jebusite.”

[1 Chronicles 21:15 NRSV]

 How much did David pay for what?:

  “So David bought the threshing floor and the oxen for fifty shekels of silver.” [2 Samuel 24:24 NRSV]

 “So David paid Ornan six hundred shekels of gold by weight for the site.” [1 Chronicles 21:25 NRSV]

 Why are there differences between the stories of Samuel-Kings and the parallel accounts in Chronicles? Perhaps these accounts were written for different purposes. Some suggest that Samuel-Kings was written to show how completely God’s people failed him, and why they had to go into exile. Chronicles was written later to comfort the exiles, to emphasize that God will forgive and restore.

 What exactly was the inscription Pilate had placed on Jesus’ cross?

 “Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’” [Matthew 27:37 NRSV]

 “The inscription of the charge against him read, ‘The King of the Jews.’” [Mark 15:26 NRSV]

 “There was also an inscription over him, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’” [Luke 23:38 NRSV]

 “Pilate also had an inscription written and put on the cross. It read, ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.’” [John 19:19 NRSV]

 Did God first create plants, then people? Or was it the other way around? In Genesis chapter 1, plants are created first on day three, then humans on day six.

 “Then God said, ‘Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.’ And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.” [Genesis 1:11-13 NRSV].

 “Then God said, ‘Let us make humankind in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the wild animals of the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.’

 “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.’

  “God said, ‘See, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food.’ God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.” [Genesis 1:26-31 NRSV].

 Now compare Genesis 2:5-7. Here man was created before there were plants:

 “When no plant of the field was yet in the earth and no herb of the field had yet sprung up...then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being.” [Genesis 2:5-7 NRSV]

 When God gave Israel the Ten Commandments, what was precisely His wording? What exactly did He write on stone?

 “Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work—you, your son or your daughter, your male or female slave, your livestock, or the alien resident in your towns. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day and consecrated it.” [Exodus 20:8-11 NRSV]

 “Observe the sabbath day and keep it holy, as the LORD your God commanded you. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God; you shall not do any work—you, or your son or your daughter, or your male or female slave, or your ox or your donkey, or any of your livestock, or the resident alien in your towns, so that your male and female slave may rest as well as you. Remember that you were a slave in the land of Egypt, and the LORD your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm; therefore the LORD your God commanded you to keep the sabbath day.” [Deuteronomy 5:12-15 NRSV]

 “These words the LORD spoke with a loud voice to your whole assembly at the mountain, out of the fire, the cloud, and the thick darkness, and he added no more. He wrote them on two stone tablets, and gave them to me.” [Deuteronomy 5:22 NRSV]

 One God spoke the ten commandments on one occasion. Moses twice wrote the same story, but himself offers two different accounts of God’s words.

 When we use the term “inspiration,” Seventh-day Adventists understand that God did not generally dictate the exact words to his messengers, but He did guide their thoughts. We call this “thought inspiration,” in contrast with the “verbal inspiration” taught by some Christians.

 The following are classic SDA statements on how inspiration works, by Ellen White, one of the founders of our church:

 “There are men who strive to be original, who are wise above what is written; therefore, their wisdom is foolishness. They discover wonderful things in advance, ideas which reveal that they are far behind in the comprehension of the divine will and purposes of God. In seeking to make plain or to unravel mysteries hid from ages from mortal man, they are like a man floundering about in the mud, unable to extricate himself and yet telling others how to get out of the muddy sea they themselves are in. This is a fit representation of the men who set themselves to correct the errors of the Bible. No man can improve the Bible by suggesting what the Lord meant to say or ought to have said.

 “Some look to us gravely and say, ‘Don’t you think there might have been some mistake in the copyist or in the translators?’ This is all probable, and the mind that is so narrow that it will hesitate and stumble over this possibility or probability would be just as ready to stumble over the mysteries of the Inspired Word, because their feeble minds cannot see through the purposes of God. Yes, they would just as easily stumble over plain facts that the common mind will accept, and discern the Divine, and to which God’s utterance is plain and beautiful, full of marrow and fatness. All the mistakes will not cause trouble to one soul, or cause any feet to stumble, that would not manufacture difficulties from the plainest revealed truth.

 “God committed the preparation of His divinely inspired Word to finite man. This Word, arranged into books, the Old and New Testaments, is the guidebook to the inhabitants of a fallen world, bequeathed to them that, by studying and obeying the directions, not one soul would lose its way to heaven.

 “Those who think to make the supposed difficulties of Scripture plain, in measuring by their finite rule that which is inspired and that which is not inspired, had better cover their faces, as Elijah when the still small voice spoke to him; for they are in the presence of God and holy angels, who for ages have communicated to men light and knowledge, telling them what to do and what not to do, unfolding before them scenes of thrilling interest, waymark by waymark in symbols and signs and illustrations....”

—Manuscript 16, 1888 (written at Minneapolis, Minn., in autumn of 1888).

 “The writers of the Bible had to express their ideas in human language. It was written by human men. These men were inspired of the Holy Spirit. Because of the imperfections of human understanding of language, or the perversity of the human mind, ingenious in evading truth, many read and understand the Bible to please themselves. It is not that the difficulty is in the Bible. Opposing politicians argue points of law in the statute book, and take opposite views in their application and in these laws.

 “The Scriptures were given to men, not in a continuous chain of unbroken utterances, but piece by piece through successive generations, as God in His providence saw a fitting opportunity to impress man at sundry times and divers places. Men wrote as they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost. There is ‘first the bud, then the blossom, and next the fruit,’ ‘first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear.’ This is exactly what the Bible utterances are to us.

 “There is not always perfect order or apparent unity in the Scriptures. The miracles of Christ are not given in exact order, but are given just as the circumstances occurred, which called for this divine revealing of the power of Christ. The truths of the Bible are as pearls hidden. They must be searched, dug out by painstaking effort. Those who take only a surface view of the Scriptures will, with their superficial knowledge, which they think is very deep, talk of the contradictions of the Bible, and question the authority of the Scriptures. But those whose hearts are in harmony with truth and duty will search the Scriptures with a heart prepared to receive divine impressions. The illuminated soul sees a spiritual unity, one grand golden thread running through the whole, but it requires patience, thought, and prayer to trace out the precious golden thread. Sharp contentions over the Bible have led to investigation and revealed the precious jewels of truth. Many tears have been shed, many prayers offered, that the Lord would open the understanding to His Word.

 “The Bible is not given to us in grand superhuman language. Jesus, in order to reach man where he is, took humanity. The Bible must be given in the language of men. Everything that is human is imperfect. Different meanings are expressed by the same word; there is not one word for each distinct idea. The Bible was given for practical purposes.

“The stamps of minds are different. All do not understand expressions and statements alike. Some understand the statements of the Scriptures to suit their own particular minds and cases. Prepossessions, prejudices, and passions have a strong influence to darken the understanding and confuse the mind even in reading the words of Holy Writ....

 “The Bible is written by inspired men, but it is not God’s mode of thought and expression. It is that of humanity. God, as a writer, is not represented. Men will often say such an expression is not like God. But God has not put Himself in words, in logic, in rhetoric, on trial in the Bible. The writers of the Bible were God’s penmen, not His pen. Look at the different writers.

 “It is not the words of the Bible that are inspired, but the men that were inspired. Inspiration acts not on the man’s words or his expressions but on the man himself, who, under the influence of the Holy Ghost, is imbued with thoughts. But the words receive the impress of the individual mind. The divine mind is diffused. The divine mind and will is combined with the human mind and will; thus the utterances of the man are the word of God.”

—Manuscript 24, 1886.

 “There is variety in a tree, there are scarcely two leaves just alike. Yet this variety adds to the perfection of the tree as a whole.

 “In our Bible, we might ask, Why need Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John in the Gospels, why need the Acts of the Apostles, and the variety of writers in the Epistles, go over the same thing?

 “The Lord gave His word in just the way He wanted it to come. He gave it through different writers, each having his own individuality, though going over the same history. Their testimonies are brought together in one Book, and are like the testimonies in a social meeting. They do not represent things in just the same style. Each has an experience of his own, and this diversity broadens and deepens the knowledge that is brought out to meet the necessities of varied minds. The thoughts expressed have not a set uniformity, as if cast in an iron mold, making the very hearing monotonous. In such uniformity there would be a loss of grace and distinctive beauty. . .

 “The Creator of all ideas may impress different minds with the same thought, but each may express it in a different way, yet without contradiction. The fact that this difference exists should not perplex or confuse us. It is seldom that two persons will view and express truth in the very same way. Each dwells on particular points which his constitution and education have fitted him to appreciate. The sunlight falling upon the different objects gives those objects a different hue.

 “Through the inspiration of His Spirit the Lord gave His apostles truth, to be expressed according to the development of their minds by the Holy Spirit. But the mind is not cramped, as if forced into a certain mold.”

—Letter 53, 1900.

 “The Lord speaks to human beings in imperfect speech, in order that the degenerate senses, the dull, earthly perception, of earthly beings may comprehend His words. Thus is shown God’s condescension. He meets fallen human beings where they are. The Bible, perfect as it is in its simplicity, does not answer to the great ideas of God; for infinite ideas cannot be perfectly embodied in finite vehicles of thought. Instead of the expressions of the Bible being exaggerated, as many people suppose, the strong expressions break down before the magnificence of the thought, though the penman selected the most expressive language through which to convey the truths of higher education. Sinful beings can only bear to look upon a shadow of the brightness of heaven’s glory.”

—Letter 121, 1901.

 “The Bible points to God as its author; yet it was written by human hands; and in the varied style of its different books it presents the characteristics of the several writers. The truths revealed are all ‘given by inspiration of God’ (2 Timothy 3:16); yet they are expressed in the words of men. The Infinite One by His Holy Spirit has shed light into the minds and hearts of His servants. He has given dreams and visions, symbols and figures; and those to whom the truth was thus revealed have themselves embodied the thought in human language.

 “The Ten Commandments were spoken by God Himself, and were written by His own hand. They are of divine, and not of human composition. But the Bible, with its God-given truths expressed in the language of men, presents a union of the divine and the human. Such a union existed in the nature of Christ, who was the Son of God and the Son of man. Thus it is true of the Bible, as it was of Christ, that ‘the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.’ John 1:14.

 “Written in different ages, by men who differed widely in rank and occupation, and in mental and spiritual endowments, the books of the Bible present a wide contrast in style, as well as a diversity in the nature of the subjects unfolded. Different forms of expression are employed by different writers; often the same truth is more strikingly presented by one than by another. And as several writers present a subject under varied aspects and relations, there may appear, to the superficial, careless, or prejudiced reader, to be discrepancy or contradiction, where the thoughtful, reverent student, with clearer insight, discerns the underlying harmony.

 “As presented through different individuals, the truth is brought out in its varied aspects. One writer is more strongly impressed with one phase of the subject; he grasps those points that harmonize with his experience or with his power of perception and appreciation; another seizes upon a different phase; and each, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, presents what is most forcibly impressed upon his own mind—a different aspect of the truth in each, but a perfect harmony through all. And the truths thus revealed unite to form a perfect whole, adapted to meet the wants of men in all the circumstances and experiences of life.

 “God has been pleased to communicate His truth to the world by human agencies, and He Himself, by His Holy Spirit, qualified men and enabled them to do this work. He guided the mind in the selection of what to speak and what to write. The treasure was entrusted to earthen vessels, yet it is, nonetheless, from Heaven. The testimony is conveyed through the imperfect expression of human language, yet it is the testimony of God; and the obedient, believing child of God beholds in it the glory of a divine power, full of grace and truth.

 “In His word, God has committed to men the knowledge necessary for salvation. The Holy Scriptures are to be accepted as an authoritative, infallible revelation of His will. They are the standard of character, the revealer of doctrines, and the test of experience. ‘Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness; that the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.’ 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, R.V....”

—GC (1911) introduction pp vi - xii.

 “The Bible is its own expositor. Scripture is to be compared with scripture. The student should learn to view the word as a whole and to see the relation of its parts. He should gain a knowledge of its grand central theme, of God’s original purpose for the world, of the rise of the great controversy, and of the work of redemption...He should see how this controversy enters into every phase of human experience; how in every act of life he himself reveals the one or the other of the two antagonistic motives; and how, whether he will or not, he is even now deciding upon which side of the controversy he will be found.”

—Ed. 190 (1903); CPTS 462.

 —complied by R. Wresch, M.D., 2003.