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Theories of Inspiration (Conservative-Liberal) 

1. Verbal Dictation (i.e., Robot View) – God dictated every word using the voice of the author
   1. Inerrant 
2. Verbal Plenary Inspiration – “Verbal” = words; “Plenary” = full or completely
   1. Inerrant 
3. Inspired Concepts – God gave the writers the concepts and allowed them to put them in their own words
   1. May or may not be inerrant 
4. Personal Encounter (Karl Barth) – the Bible has some errors, but through it the reader encounters God. Barth says that just as the dog hears his master’s voice through the imperfect phonograph recording, so the Christian can hear God speak through errant Scripture. 
5. Demythological View (Rudolf Bultmann) – Scripture has a kernel of truth and history wrapped in the shell of pre-modern myth (e.g., miracles). The goal of the modern interpreter is to strip off the myth to determine the kernel of truth. 

What is the Purpose of Scripture? (i.e. what is Scripture trying to do?)

• Scripture is primarily theological (i.e., about God) not historical or scientific.
  • Original authors wrote based upon their knowledge of the universe. 
• Certain historical truths are necessary for the theological implications of Scripture, but others are not.
  • Necessary: Creation by God, Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Resurrection
  • Unnecessary: Creation in 7 days, Noah, Jonah, Job 

• God, by his very nature, is beyond our human understanding and language. Therefore,  even Scripture is unable to fully encapsulate who God is. Additionally, God is only able to be known through the ways he has revealed himself to humankind. Scripture is the human witness, authorized by God, to the ways God has revealed himself in human history through his interactions with humanity, the pinnacle being his ultimate self-revelation in Jesus Christ.
  • Encounter God more fully through Scripture and the his church 
  • The Holy Spirit is active in our reading, interpreting, and applying of Scripture. 

• The purpose of God’s self-revelation is to put the entire creation to rights and enter into an eternal relationship with humanity. 
  • Scripture witnesses to a bigger story than that which its pages contain. 
  • Therefore, once again, Scripture is not primarily to provide us with a textbook of historical and scientific information. 
  • Scripture points us to God’s grand story, his plan for the entire creation, and how we take part in this plan. 
  • Even if every word is inspired by God, the true inspiration is found in the meaning of the words for the salvation of the entire cosmos. 
  • The authority of Scripture is not in the words, but in the authority of the God whom the words point us towards. 

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