The Doctrine of Inspiration
The act of God self-disclosing or revealing himself to man would be accomplished through a process of dual authorship, otherwise called the doctrine of inspiration. It is a “concept of revelation according to which God’s biblical word comes to his people first by live teaching, combined with divine leadership and marvelous deeds, from which verbal communication and spiritual enlightenment emanate and prompt these or other individuals to engage in literary activity, and maybe even to receive divine dictation.”[4]
The apostle Peter attests to this in teaching about the prophetic word of God: “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20-21). The term “biblical inspiration” can also be defined as “the charism or special impulse of the Holy Spirit given to particular authors to compose and preserve in writing certain experiences of the event of divine revelation.”[5]
Essentially, the doctrine of inspiration means God influenced men to pen his sacred book. Farkasfalvy summarizes the process with the following points[6]:
1. Scripture has divine origin and authority.
2. Scripture is the word of God and the work of the Holy Spirit.
3. Scripture was written by men through whom God communicated His thoughts and will to his people.
4. Scripture’s central focus is the revelation of Jesus Christ.
In light of the Holy Spirit’s role in the process of God’s self-disclosure in Scripture, it is important to note that “the content of Scripture was not conceived of as some abstract theoretical system of truth but as a spiritual reality reproduced in the minds and soul of the faithful under the actual influence of the Holy Spirit. The preservation and the interpretation of such is directly linked to all facets of sacramental practices, ecclesiastical teaching and government, and the spiritual experiences of Christians at large.”[7]