The Bible and why our belief in it.

The Bible and why our belief in it.

The purpose of this article is to expound the belief of Most Pentecostal concerning the Bible. To make it clearer, certain terminologies and actions used in relation to the origin of the Bible will be expatiated to give meaning to the Church’s understanding of the Scriptures.


It is hoped that it would make its members, all who would want to know God’s truths about His word and all who seek to know more about the Church, appreciate the Church’s doctrine on the Bible. More significantly, it is expected that it would encourage greater confidence in the Bible as the only word of God for humanity and that by living by its precepts and principles, one is certainly assured of God’s salvation (John 20:30-31; Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:11; 1 Tim. 3:14- 15; Ps. 19:7-11) as against other religious beliefs and literature (Acts 4:10-12; John 10:9-10; 14:6). To realise this goal, the first section of this chapter seek to analyse the word, “Bible”. In it we will explain how the English word “Bible” was derived and then identify the covenant relationship between the Old and the New Testaments. The next section discusses the Bible’s supernatural origin, touching on its divine revelation and inspiration, followed by the Bible’s infallibility and inerrancy. The section after deals with the divine authority and canonisation of the Bible, noting how the sixty-six books of the Bible were derived from a list of other writings also claiming inspiration and why no one should add or subtract from these books. The subject of illumination of the Bible is then considered, drawing readers’ attention to the fact that revelation and inspiration as it relates the writing of Scripture has ended. What Christians need today is for the Holy Spirit to enlighten us to receive insight from the Scriptures as we interact with it. We will then reflect on issues pertaining to the numerous translations of the Bible and how to choose a version of the Scriptures. Additionally, concerns about omitted verses in modern Bible versions are reflected upon. Finally, some principles of interpreting the Bible are explored. In all, it is expected that the Lord will create in us a love for the Bible, leading us to constantly read it, study it and practice its content for spiritual growth and maturity, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Then as Paul puts it, “We will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming” (Eph. 4:14 NIV).



THE WORD “BIBLE”



The English word, Bible, has been rightfully described as “the great-grandson” of the Greek word biblios (the plural form is biblia – originally meaning “books”4 ), which was the name given to the outer coat of a papyrus reed in Egypt during the 11th Century BC. Biblios, in practice, denoted any kind of written document; but originally one written on papyrus. Out of the Greek word biblia, came the Latin word of the same spelling, biblia, which was also transliterated biblia, into the Old French. The modern English word Bible is derived from the Old French.5 By the 2nd Century AD, Christians were using the Greek form, biblia, to describe their writings. It was, however, in the 5th Century AD that the term was applied to both the Old and the New Testaments. The term “the Bible” is used synonymously with “the Scriptures” (Gk: graphe; Matt. 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 24:25-27; 2 Tim. 3:15; 2 Pet. 3:16), or “Holy Scriptures” (Gk: hagious graphe; Rom. 1:2), or “the writings” (2 Tim. 3:15 RSV “… the sacred writings” Gk. hiera grammata or NET “… the holy writings”). It is also referred to as “the word of God” or “the word of the Lord” (Ex. 24:3; Deut. 5:5; Isa. 2:3; 8:1; Ps. 33:6; Matt. 15:6; 1 Thess. 2:13; Heb. 4:12).6 The description “holy” or “sacred” for the Scriptures is due to its divine origin.7 Other names are, “the word of Christ” (Col. 3:16), “the word of life” (Phil. 2:16), “the word of truth” (Eph. 1:13), “the word of faith” (Rom. 10:8), “the word” (James 1:21-23; John 1:1-3; Luke 4:4; 1 Tim. 4:5; Rom. 10:17; Acts 4:31; 6:4), “the Scriptures of truth” (Dan. 10:21) and “the oracles of God”, His speaking place (Rom. 3:2). In brief the word, “Bible”, designates the collection of the Scriptures of the Old Testament and the New Testament recognized and in use in the Christian churches. It is regarded as the depository and authoritative record of God’s revelations of Himself and of His will to the fathers by the prophets, and through His Son Jesus Christ and by the Holy Spirit to the early apostles and prophets of the church (Eph. 3:5; Rom. 16:25-26; Heb. 1:1-2; John 16:12-15; 2 Pet. 1:20-21). It, thus, contains the precepts and principles of the Christian faith (John 5:39; Col. 1:3-6; 1 Thess. 2:11-13; 2 Tim. 3:15-17; Heb. 4:12; Jude 3). The Bible has been described as the manual of the believer since it contains all that a Christian needs for His life journey on this earth (both spiritual and physical). It has also been called the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16) and the voice of the Spirit (Heb. 3:7). The Bible is divided into two sections, the Old Testament with thirty-nine books and the New Testament with twenty-seven books. Together, they form a Divine library of sixty-six separate but related books. The word “Testament” simply means “Covenant”, making the entire Bible God’s covenant with His people or humanity. These two divisions are respectively made relative to the two major covenants of the Bible, “the Covenant of Law” through Moses (Ex. 19 – 24) and “the Covenant of Grace” through Jesus Christ (Heb. 8:6; 9:15; 12:24). The prophet Jeremiah in the Old Testament spoke of the coming New Covenant (Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:6-13; 10:15-17) and Jesus in establishing the New Covenant fulfilled the Old Covenant (Lk. 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25; Mark 14:24; Matt. 26:26-28; Heb. 9:15; 12:24; 2 Cor. 3:6, 14; Matt. 5:17-18; 11:13; Rom. 3:21). Consequently, there is a harmonious relationship between both testaments, well summarised as following: The New is in the Old contained The Old is in the New explained; The New is in the Old enfolded, The Old is in the New unfolded’ The New is in the Old concealed The Old is in the New revealed.8 That is, it is in the New Testament that the message of the Old Testament is well understood and vice versa. This harmonisation between them covers various themes such as the Creator (Gen. 1:1; Neh. 9:6; Eph. 3:9; Col. 1:16; Rev. 4:11), Noah’s flood (Gen. 7:6-7; Luke 17:27; 2 Pet. 2:5), the resurrection of Christ (Ps. 16:10; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; John 2:19, 22) and the New Creation (Isa. 65:17; 2 Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1; John 14:2-3), only to mention few. There are about 6,600 cross references between the Old and New Testaments. Accordingly, though each has its unique emphasis, each is incomplete without the other and each perfectly complements the other.9 For the Christian, however, Christ (His person and work) is the greatest theme for both covenants (Heb. 10:7; Lk. 24:27, 44; John 5:39).10 2 SUPERNATURAL ORIGIN OF THE BIBLE By origin of the Bible, it is meant the “primary source” of the Bible. The following questions come to mind: Where did the Bible come from? Who wrote the Bible or who is the author of the Bible? How was it written and how did it reach us? These are not easy questions to answer, but the Bible itself is there to guide. Christians generally accept the supernatural origin of the Bible. By supernatural, it is meant that which is beyond what is natural or a happening which cannot be explained by natural laws or human senses. Usually, it is related to actions by one who is supreme in nature and in this sense, God. That is, supernatural happenings are related to the character of God. For Christians, the supernatural origin of the Bible normally means that the source of the Bible is God Himself; He is the one who gave the words and ideas in it to human beings. He was with and behind the human writers of the Scriptures, leading them by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:19-21) who inspired them (2 Tim. 3:16). As a result, though the Bible was written by human beings in human language for human consumption, it must be seen as God’s own words given to His creatures to lead and guide them in their earthly journey and how to relate to Him. If, therefore, one reads the Bible, it is equivalent to listening to God speaking directly to them. 2.1 Divine Revelation of the Bible If God did not choose to make Himself known, there was no way humanity would have known Him (Matt. 11:27; 16:17; John 17:25-26; 1 Cor. 1:20-21; 2:10; 2 Cor. 4:4). Revelation is a word used in explaining how God has made Himself and His words known to humanity in the form of the Bible. The Bible is, therefore, a revelation from God. The word, “Revelation” means an “uncovering” or “unveiling” of something hidden; a “revealing” of it so that it is understood by man, and a “manifestation” of it. It is making known something hidden or secrete (Eph. 1:17; 3:3-5, 8-9; Rev. 1:1; Gal. 1:12; 3:23; 1 Pet. 1:5; 2 Cor. 12:1, 7). Theologically, revelation simply refers to God making Himself known to His creation, and communicating truth to them which could not be discover in any other way. It is imparted truth which could not be discovered by natural reasoning alone (Matt. 11:27; 16:17; 1 Cor. 2:10; also, Amos 3:7; 1 Sam. 3:21; Dan. 2:19-30, 47; Deut. 29:29; 1 Pet. 4:13; Luke 2:26).11 This explains what is meant by God being self-disclosing in nature. He takes the initiative to communicate His being and message to human beings. This indicates that the Bible in our hands represents a means by which God has made Himself and His words (or will) known to all humankind. Accordingly, whatever is said in the Bible has come from God through His human writers and not from the human writers themselves. As they were guided or inspired by the Holy Spirit, they wrote what God made known to them. This is one area that makes Christianity unique among all religions. It is God who decides to make Himself known to human beings and not humans trying to reach God who is somewhere unknown. Pentecostal theologians, William W. Menzies and Stanley M. Horton puts it this way, “The Key difference between other religions and Christianity is that other religions see humanity in the dark seeking for something within themselves or beyond themselves. Christianity [on the other hand,] reveals God bringing light into the darkness as He comes down into the stream of human life and history and reaches out in love for fallen human beings.”12 Like many Pentecostals and Evangelicals, The Church of Pentecost uphold the divine revelation of the Bible, though the word, “Revelation” is not specifically mentioned in its tenet on the Bible as some of the earlier statements of faith of Pentecostals indicate. However, the use of the phrase, “We believe in the divine inspiration ... of the Holy scriptures” in the tenet shows the Church’s acceptance of the divine revelation of the Bible since inspiration has to do with God’s authoritative selfrevelation. That is, if God had not unveiled Himself (divine revelation), one could not speak of divine inspiration (the receiving and recording of divine revelation). Subsequently, for the Church to “believe in divine inspiration” of the Bible implies it has already accepted its divine revelation.



2.1.1 Necessity of Divine Revelation The initiative of God to unveil Himself and His words to humanity was necessary for the following reasons13: a) Human beings, like all other things, were created by God at a point in time (Gen. 1:1, 27; 2:7; 5:1-3; 9:1f; Acts 17:24-28). This condition of being created entities makes us finite and limited in our understanding compared to God who is infinite in knowledge (Ps. 139:6; Job 11:7). In this state, we can only know something about ourselves and not God, the creator, who is infinite in His being (1 Cor. 2:11). Science and technological advancement cannot discover truths about God. Similarly, philosophy cannot prove truths about God because to do that the human mind would have to be greater than God’s (1 Cor. 1:20- 21). It was, therefore, imperative for God to disclose Himself to us in ways that we can know and fellowship with Him, and understand Him clearly. b) Again, the Bible points to the fact that due to Adam’s sin (Gen. 3), all humanity have become sinners and fallen in nature (Rom. 3:23; 5:12). Both the sin and fallen nature of humanity has damaged our moral and spiritual perceptions, leading to spiritual blindness and ignorance of God (Rom. 1:18; 1 Cor. 1:21; 2 Cor. 4:4; Eph. 2:1-2; 4:17-18; Col. 1:21). In our fallen state therefore, human beings are totally depraved in spirit, soul, and body and is incapable of knowing God. Simultaneously, our selfish attitude, which resulted from the fall of Adam (and Eve) (Gen. 3:6-7; Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:21-22), has also alienated us from God (Eph. 2:3). So, the revelation of God was necessary if humans can adequately know Him. c) Furthermore, God had to take the lead in making Himself and His will known to us as a result of divine judgement on humanity (Rom. 1:18-28). When human beings sinned, God decreed divine sentence on them, removing them from His presence (Gen. 3). In fact, human beings became spiritually dead due to the fall (Rom. 6:23a; cf. Gen. 2:15-17; 3:2-3; Rom. 5:12-14), not enjoying the relationship he had with God before (Gen. 3:1-12). In that state, there was no way humanity could know Him apart from the self-revelation of God that has come through Jesus Christ (John 3:36) and His word. It was therefore essential for God to reveal Himself to His creation. 2.1.2 Two Forms of Divine Revelation The question here is that, if human beings are created by God, separated from Him due to sin and are under His judgment, making it impossible for them to know God unless He takes the initiative, then what provision has God made available for humanity to know Him. According to the Bible, the means God has provided to unveil Himself has progressively14 come to us in two main ways, namely, general revelation and special revelation. a) General Revelation By general revelation (also called natural revelation), it is meant the means by which God has made Himself known to all human beings all over the world. By this, God has made it easy for all to know His existence universally, through the following ways: i) In creation and nature Since God is the creator of the universe, it is possible to learn something about Him in His creation. Creation points out to an intelligent Creator, who is God (Gen. 1:1; Job 12:7-10; Ps. 104:24; Prov. 3:19-20; Acts 14:15-17). This is mainly seen in the beauty, order and wonder of nature. The psalmist says, The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world. In the heavens he has pitched a tent for the sun, which is like a bridegroom coming forth from his pavilion, like a champion rejoicing to run his course. It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is hidden from its heat. (Ps. 19:1-6). Paul also writes, What may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Rom. 1:19-20). As a result, the psalmist declares, “The fool says in his heart, ‘There is no God’” (Ps. 14:1). Sadly, due to sin, humanity failed to recognise God in His creation (Rom. 1:21; 3:11, 18). But this does not negate that fact that nature speaks about God. What nature voice about God is that, He is Creator (Gen. 1:1; Col. 1:16-17) and Sustainer (Col. 1:17; Heb. 1:2-3) of all things. As Creator, He is the originator or source of the universe and as the Sustainer, He supports and operates the universe (Ps. 104:10, 14). Norman L. Geisler, an Evangelical theologian, notes, “He was active not only in the universe’s coming to be but is also active in its continuing to be.”15 ii) In human nature The Bible indicates that, “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (Gen. 1:27). By this act, God has left His finger prints (something of Himself) in humans that point to Him. That is by God making us in His image, certain actions and activities of us becomes a means by which He unveils Himself to humanity. Firstly, our sense of morality and conscience teaches us about God since He has written His moral laws in our hearts. Paul states, Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law, they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law, since they show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts now accusing, now even defending them (Rom. 2:14-15). This passage simply say that, though Gentiles (non-Jews) do not have the Mosaic laws as the Jews, some of their actions such as, justice, telling truth, condemning adultery and fornication, respect for parents, caring for the sick and charity, which conforms to the laws of God, reveals that they have the requirements of God’s moral laws in their hearts. That is, human beings’ natural ability to judge between right and wrong (Gen. 3:22; Rom. 1:32) reflects the will of an ultimate Lord to whom we are finally responsible. God, through these acts of human beings, gives witness of Himself to all humanity as the righteous judge and by that, even warns us of His judgment (Rom. 2:1-13). Thus, our natural moral senses have become a means that God, the supreme law-giver, has chosen to make Himself known. Again, Psalm 94:9-10 reads, “Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge?” This passage clearly reveals that God, though does not have physical ears or eyes as humans, hears, sees, punishes and teaches since He possess knowledge, just as we do. These human parts used to describe God in the Bible are referred to as anthropomorphism (Ex. 33:23; Num. 6:25-26; Isa. 14:27; 59:1; Jer. 32:21); they are figures of speech that help us to understand and related to God as humans. They do not in any way indicate that God is like us in physical form and appearance as some people teach; they only help to teach us some things about God at our human level of understanding. Thus, by the mere physical appearance of fellow human beings, God communicates His nature to us.16 In addition, human beings’ ability to appreciate beauty in arts reveals God’s nature as one who is beautiful (Ps. 27:4; Isa. 28:25) and has made all things beautiful (Ps. 50:2; 139:14; Eccl. 3:11; Ezek. 31:7-9). The psalmist declares, “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth! You have set your glory above the heavens” (Ps. 8:1). Isaiah notes, “In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of his robe filled the temple” (Isa. 6:1). We are also admonished to “worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Ps. 29:2 KJV; cf. 96:9; 1 Chron. 16:29; 2 Chron. 20:21). As creatures in God’s image, His beauty is seen in our numerous inventions and arts. Thus, as we behold, appreciate, enjoy and praise man’s beautiful handiworks, they speak to us of the God who has created us. In fact, human creativity in general reveals our God who is the ultimate designer and creator. Thus, He chose to deposit in humans special creative gifts and skills that reveal something about His wonderful nature.17 Furthermore, work done by human is another means by which God makes Himself known. Genesis 1:1 informs us of a God who created the heavens and the earth. In six days He made the world and humanity and rested on the seventh day (Gen. 2:2). Jesus also spoke of God as, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I, too, am working” (John 5:17). That is, our God works and He has put into humans the ability and desire to work. In creating man in His own image and likeness, Genesis 3:15 reveals, “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it” (cf. Gen. 1:26-28; Ps. 8). Christian Professional Economists, Victor V. Claar and Robin J. Klay have indicated that, “[Work] is a calling in which men and women apply and expand their God-given talent, thereby reflection the image of God (who was at ‘work’ in creation).”18 In the wisdom of God therefore, He created man to work to reveal Himself to us as the God who works. Human nature is, therefore, a general means by which God has made Himself known to us. iii) In the universal awareness of religion Out of all humans, is the universal awareness of religion or, at least, religious values. In Romans 1:21-25, the apostle Paul clarifies that when human beings, who though knew God’s existence from His creation, decided to go their own way and separate from Him without giving Him the worship He deserved, they went away to worship images they made in the likeness of mortal man and animals like birds and reptiles. In their refusal to give the one true God the worship He deserves, man could not help but find something to reverence. This is affirmed in the findings of Anthropology, the study of humans that, in every human being is the desire to worship a supreme being, higher than them. This is an innate longing God has set in humanity to motivate them to look for Him, seeing His providential goodness and control (Gen. 14:18-20; John 1:14; Acts 14:15-17; 17:23-28). Thus, the struggle of humanity to worship a higher being, demonstrate to us the existence of the one true God (the creator God) and something of His nature, as One who must and deserves to be worshiped by all. iv) In God’s providential goodness and control of the Universe In God’s goodness He supplies sunshine and rain to all humanity as a witness of Himself (Matt. 5:45; Acts 14:15-17; 17:24-26). He sets times and seasons (Gen. 8:22; Acts 17:26). He deals with nations, raising some to power, judging and restoring (Dan. 2:21, 31-43). He even disciplined His own nation Israel when they disobeyed (Deut. 28:15-68). All these are means by which God uses to make Himself known to His creation. Although, general revelation declares the existence of God and gives us a glimpse of His nature, it does not make it possible for individuals to have a personal knowledge or relationship with Him. Human beings do not respond to it and they are thus guilty before God in the light of it (Rom. 1:18-2:11). General revelation is, therefore, limited since it cannot lead humans to have a meaningful relationship with God. This calls for a clearer and fuller revelation (1 Cor. 1:21), called special revelation. This does not mean that general revelation is of no value since it is another means God has chosen to be unveiled. Its limitation is that it is inadequate by itself if fallen humanity is to be helped in redemption. A benefit, however, of general revelation is that it stabilizes society by giving a universal moral sense of right and wrong (Rom. 13:2-5). a) Special Revelation The most definite means by which God makes Himself personally known to human beings individually is referred to as special revelation. By this, the wonderful news that God has intervened in humanity’s situation to offer redemption and the way to be redeemed through Jesus Christ alone is revealed. Through this means, He makes Himself and His will known to specific individuals. Natural revelation does not disclose this hence the importance of special revelation. This revelation comes to us in two main ways, Jesus Christ, and the word of God. i) Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, is the embodiment of the word of God (Gk: Logos – the living word); the Incarnation of God at a particular time and place (John 1:1, 14, 18). In Jesus, God is present in person, and His character, essential nature and will are made known to us (John 14:9-10; 2 Cor. 4:4, 6; Col. 1:15; 2:9; Heb. 1:3; 10:7, 9). Christ is indeed, the ultimate revelation of God since He is God who appeared in human form (John 1:1, 14, 18). Thus, as the Son of God, a glimpse of His personhood manifests God to us. ii) The word of God, that accompanied God’s acts in biblical history and made known to us through the Bible (2 Tim. 3:16), is the next means by which God makes Himself know more clearer to us. Jesus Christ is the “Living Word” of God, the Word made flesh (Jn. 1:1) and the Bible is His written word, the word inspired and recorded (Ex. 31:18; 32:16; Josh. 24:26; Isa. 30:8; Jer. 30:2; 1 Cor. 14:37; cf. 2 Pet. 3:2). The written word was necessary to be a reliable, permanent and universal expression of God available to all humanity in the absence of all the other forms of revelation. This written word is what is called the Bible, Gk: Graphe – the Scriptures, made available to all nations (Rom. 16:26). In them the infallible nature, being and will of God is revealed. A relationship between the Living Word (Jesus) and the written word (Bible) is that, “The Living Word is revealed in the Written Word and the Written Word leads us to the Living Word. They are one”19 . iii) Although revelation through Jesus Christ and the Scriptures are the ultimate means by which God is made manifest fully to the world, God’s special revelation has also come to us in His actions in history. History has been referred to as His-story. It shows the footprints of God in the sands of time (Acts 17:26-27; Dan. 4:17). The nature of God is thus, known in historical events such as, in the pre-Christian era in the call of the patriarchs, the Exodus, the history of Israel, the Exile and the ministries of the prophets, among others. That is, as one studies God’s dealings with the Israelites in these historical events as recorded in Scripture, His character and how He wants humanity to be related to Him or He wants to be related to them becomes apparent. The call of Abraham by God to establish a nation for Himself in the midst of the existence of other nations whom He saw as living in sin demonstrates clearly His holiness and righteousness. The call of Moses and the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and the numerous deliverances of the Israelites from their enemies reveal His faithfulness as a covenant keeping God who does not abandon His promises made to His people. Even their captivities into exile indicate aspects of His self-disclosure as a God who hates and punishes sin. Another historical event that supremely manifests God to us is seen in His acts in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The New Testament reveals Jesus as the manifestation of God in bodily form (John 1:1-2, 14, 15; 1 Tim. 3:16; Heb. 1:1-3; 1 John 1:1-3; 4:2). The book of Hebrews declares Jesus as superior to all the patriarchs, angels and the sacrificial events that took place in the Old Testament. In effect, the works of Jesus can only be best appreciated in union with God’s dealings with the Israelites. The happenings in their history, especially in their numerous sacrifices, burnt offerings and the atonement, all pointed to Jesus’ death and resurrection as God’s climax of unveiling Himself clearly to the people He had created.20 In addition, the activities of the Holy Spirit from the first Day of Pentecost onwards in inner illumination within the Christian, in empowering them for Christian service and in the ministries of the church such as miracles and prophecies and their fulfilment (the book of Acts) are all self-disclosures of God to His church. The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on His church sealed the disclosure of God as Trinity; Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Before then, He had shown Himself as Father and Son in Jesus Christ. But in the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the revelation of the fullness of God as triune was made manifest and complete. As indicated, though these historical events do not surpass God’s unfolding of Himself in Scripture and Jesus’ personhood, a following of God’s acts in History manifests Him in a special way to humanity. The fact that God and His will are known to us in Scriptures, which is a revelation of Himself to us, gives an indication that the Bible has a supernatural source. By reading the Bible and hearing messages from it, the Holy Spirit enlightens the human mind and spirit to give meaning to it. It is only under His influence that we are able to receive God’s revelation in the Scriptures since without the Spirit, they would be meaningless, even foolishness (1 Cor. 2:10-14) to us. It is by this act of God through His Spirit that creates the personal relationship with Him. v) Divine Inspiration of the Bible The next thing to note under the supernatural origin of the Bible is its divine inspiration. Aside the fact that the Bible is recognised as a divine revelation from God to humanity, The Church of Pentecost affirms its “divine inspiration” as follows: “We believe in the divine inspiration ... of the Holy Scriptures”. The doctrine of inspiration unfolds the way the self-revelation of God has come to us in the words of the Bible. It answers the question, if God has made Himself and His will known to us in the pages of the Bible through revelation, how did the writers receive it and recorded them? Webster’s dictionary defines inspiration as “the supernatural influence of the Spirit of God on the human mind, by which the prophets and apostles and sacred writers were qualified to set forth Divine truth without any mixture of error.” Inspiration, therefore, stresses the activity of the Holy Spirit within the human authors of the Bible so that they conveyed the word of God to humanity. The Scriptures declare that the hidden things of God are made manifest to men through the Holy Spirit who searches “even the deep things of God” (1 Cor. 2:9-11). Divine inspiration then is another means by which the supernatural origin of the Bible is authenticated. The most important Scripture that deals with inspiration is 2 Timothy 3:16, where Paul wrote, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God ...” (KJV) or “All Scripture is God-breathed” (NIV). Three biblical terms come into play in trying to grasp the full meaning of inspiration. a) The first is the Latin word, inspirare, meaning “to breathe upon or into something”. This term is closely related to a third term, theopneustia since it has the idea of being directly under a divine influence (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16). b) The second is the word “enthusiasm”, derived from the Greek, enthusiasmos (en + theos), signifying the notion of “being possessed by a god” or the possession by a divine spirit (pneuma). The nearest approach in Scripture is in 2 Peter 1:21 since it speaks of a “complete surrender of the mind and will to the overpowering Holy Spirit” just as a ship is “driven along” by a storm (cf. Acts 27:15). c) The third term is the Greek word theopneustia, meaning “God-breathed” (from theopneustos), is the most important when dealing with the biblical definition of inspiration. In its only usage in the New Testament in 2 Timothy 3:16, it is translated “inspired by God” thus, the words were breathed out by God (cf. Gen. 2:7; Matt. 4:4), indicating that God breathed out Scripture into His human writers. The word does not imply dictation or a suspension of the normal cognitive faculties of the human authors though it stresses a distinction from poetic inspiration which is based on natural or human instinct and not on divine guidance. This term also emphasis that the entire Scriptures, not some portions of it, is the mind of God which He breathed as His revelation resulting in their practical outworking in life (2 Tim. 3:16-17).



From these terms then, inspiration conveys the idea of God taking full control and breathing directly upon or into the human authors of the Bible, so that they communicated exactly what He wanted them to inscribe for humanity under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. Inspiration, therefore, is a process whereby God placed His words into the heart and minds of His chosen human writers and guided them in recording the ideas in human language and in their own understanding under the full supernatural influence of the Holy Spirit. It is



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1 Wonsuk Ma, “Biblical Studies in the Pentecostal Tradition: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow”, in Murray W. Dempster, Byron D. Klaus and Douglas Peterson (eds), The Globalization of Pentecostalism: A Religion Made To Travel (Oxford: Regnum Books International, 1999), 54; also, F. D. Macchia, “Theology, Pentecostals”, in Stanley M. Burgess, (ed.), The New Dictionary of Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2002), 1121. 2 Walter J. Hollenweger, The Pentecostals (London: SMC Press Ltd, 1972), 291.

3 The Church of Pentecost, Constitution (Accra: Pentecost Press, 2016), 7; also, The Church of Pentecost, Ministerial Handbook (Accra: Pentecost Press Limited, June 2016), 11.

4 “Books” refer specifically to those acknowledged by the Christian church as canonical. F. F. Bruce, J. I. Packer, et al., The Origin of the Bible (Wheaton Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers Inc, 2003), 3. 5 Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible (Chicago, Moody Press, 1986), 21; Bruce, Packer, et al., Origin of the Bible, 3.

6 Irenaeus (b. 120 A.D.) calls it, the “divine writings”, while Clemens Alexandrinus (d. 220 A.D.), calls it the “Scriptures, the God-inspired Scriptures”.

7 Geisler and Nix, A General Introduction, 257