The Book of Books
The Bible is the inspired Word of God, and as we read and meditate on it, it becomes the hidden spring of action, determining our conduct and character.
Selwyn Hughes emphasizes the eternal nature of God's Word, contrasting it with the temporary nature of earthly things. He delves into the concept of the Bible being 'inspired' and presents five views: natural inspiration, partial inspiration, dictational inspiration, verbal inspiration, and supervisal inspiration. Hughes aligns with the supervisal inspiration view, believing that every word in the Bible came from God and that the writers were guided by the Holy Spirit to ensure accuracy and honesty in their writings.
Text
"The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." (v. 8)
For reading & meditation:
Isaiah 40:1-11
What do we mean when we say that the Bible is "inspired"? There are various views. One is natural inspiration - that the Bible is inspired in the same way that any work of genius is, like Pilgrim's Progress for example. Another view is of partial inspiration, which claims that the Bible is not a scientific textbook and therefore cannot be trusted in scientific matters, such as the origin of the species. It is, however, to be trusted in matters that relate to salvation. The third view can be described as dictational inspiration - that God dictated the Bible to its writers verbatim, as a businessman would dictate a letter to a secretary. The fourth view is of verbal inspiration, which holds that every word in the Bible came from the mouth of God. The fifth and final view is of supervisal inspiration - that nothing is included in the Bible which God did not want there and nothing is omitted which was meant to have a place in the sacred book. I hold to the last view - supervisal inspiration. I rule out natural inspiration and partial inspiration, but not necessarily dictational inspiration, at least in part. Large sections of the Bible were personally dictated to men by God, the Ten Commandments being just one example. The writers of the Bible were, I believe, divinely indemnified against errors of observation, lapses of memory, and unintentional misrepresentation of facts. Their writings were honest, accurate, and supervised by the Holy Spirit before being compiled into this wonderful book we call the Bible. No wonder it is often referred to as the "book of books."
O God, I know Your Word is inspired, for it inspires me. Help me to have Your Word hidden in my heart so deeply that it becomes the hidden spring of action, determining my conduct and my character. In Jesus' Name. Amen.
Sermon Outline
- The Inspiration of the Bible
- The Supervisal Inspiration View
- The Authority of the Bible
- The Bible as the 'book of books'
- The importance of hiding God's Word in our hearts
- Partial inspiration
Key Quotes
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.” — Selwyn Hughes
“No wonder it is often referred to as the 'book of books'.” — Selwyn Hughes
Application Points
- We should strive to have God's Word hidden in our hearts, so it becomes the determining factor in our conduct and character.
- The Bible is a trustworthy source of guidance and wisdom, and we should rely on it for direction in our lives.
- As we read and meditate on the Bible, we can experience its inspiring power and allow it to shape our actions and decisions.