The line between Divine and Human comes through here.
Inspiration. It's a funny thing.
It comes out of nowhere, it seems.
You might be watching a movie or see a couple walking through the park.
Where does it come from? This desire to go do what we think need to be just so?
I can't start writing a new blog post until I think I have some inspiration.
I need something to work with, something not of my own conjuring.
And, even when I do get started, I still need stories, illustrations, things that help elevate the reasons behind what I am writing.
Well, I have to know what Webster's says about the word.
Definition of INSPIRATION
1 a : a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation
b : the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions
c : the act of influencing or suggesting opinions
2: the act of drawing in; specifically : the drawing of air into the lungs
3 a : the quality or state of being inspired
b : something that is inspired - a scheme that was pure inspiration
4: an inspiring agent or influence
In so much as the context of Christianity, we can take the subject to the extent that the Holy Spirit of God inspired the writers of our scriptures to put what they did down on paper and thus state that it is infallible.
In almost robotic fashion, God told them what to write and that's what they wrote.
It is never wrong.
No contradictions. Inerrant.
OR
We can go to the place of inspiration being what drove the writers to pen what they did.
Not that God was standing over their shoulder instructing them to pen this exact way, however, what they saw and heard and experienced led them to write the way they did.
It is historical. It is personal. It is filled with human expression.
Paul wrote some words pertaining to the message of scripture.
2 Timothy 3:14-17
New International Version (NIV)
I would plead the case that we do not trust the human element enough to suggest inspiration over infallibility, and those who believe that way would most likely agree with me on that point and rightfully so.
Look at the world we live in, and you wouldn't have any problem not trusting the human element.
Our political world is a mess.
Our social world is chaotic.
Our financial and healthful well-being in jeopardy of collapsing.
Why is the world would God mix in His divine truth with the cesspool of humanity?
The issue before us is...that's exactly what he did.
I hope speaking on another subject might bring clarity to this one.
The matter deals with the time of Reformation.
This period of time was all about trying to break free from the established church and start something brand new.
During this time many different groups had an idea about how to 'reform' the church in to the image they felt God wanted it to be.
My history instructor at MTSO would use a 'swimming pool maintenance' method of explaining this.
Imaging the the whole of humanity and the world of the church as a swimming pool.
How are we going to change this dirty mess in to what God wants it to look like?
The Catholics of the time felt is was just 'normal pool maintenance'. Chlorine.
Trying to clean the pool without breaking the whole down in such a harsh manner
There were the 'Radical Reformers' of the time, the Anabaptists and others, who felt that the 'pool' was so bad that what needed to happen was to just start all over.
John Calvin had a similar method in that his view point was we should just 'drain the pool' of all unnecessary things.
The view I identified with the most during our instructor's presentation was that of Luther.
Between Luther and Calvin there is a gulf of ambitious personality.
Both wanted reform in the church and both had starkly different ways of pursuing it.
Calvin had a laid back, more easy going, moderate approach to it all.
Luther's idea of reformation was to 'shock the pool' - hydrochloric acid mentality.
Pour on the 'word' and don't stop till it's all clean.
But when Luther said 'word', he did not use the same context as we say 'Word' today, in reference to the Bible.
Luther spoke of 'the word', the Son of God.
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
The Word transforms our lives as we experience Him and come to know Him, not the book in itself.
People like to cling to things they can put their hands on, touch it, hold it, put it in front of others and say, "Here this is it."
God seeks to come inside of our lives and transform us. And, there in, He can show the world what this is all about.
God sent His One and Only Son into this world, in human form, mixing his divine reality with the marred form of humanity and took all of it to the cross.
He hoped he could reform it and turn the people into the image of His Son.
I would plead the case that over time men have changed the focus on the 'word' to speak about that book we read from in order to meet their own desires; to have something they can hold over other peoples heads and say 'We are right and you are wrong'.
Most generally this is done with people of other religions.
It happens in the church as well when we handle matters of translation and interpretation.
"We are right, you are wrong, the word says this..."
Even among Bible translations there is a discrepancy.
In the verse I quoted earlier from 2 Timothy there is different wordings.
The NIV and the ESV are really the only two who come right out and say that scripture is "God-breathed".
The NRSV, ASV, CEB, GNT, and even the good ol KJV uses the words "inspired by" or "inspiration of" God.
The NASB, a very rigid word-for-word translation, would use the phrase "inspired by God" while making a foot note about "God-breathed" (just to cover all their bases).
And, while I am a very rigid NIV person (I'm sure you've seen it all over my blog posts) I appreciated the footnote I saw in the HCSB. (Holman Christian Study Bible)
Even consider a minor prophet such as Amos.
If you read the message in the NIV, there were certain words translated one way.
Then go read it in the NRSV and it's completely different.
Read your footnotes. Certain translators decide what manuscripts they want to adhere by, what language they chose to translate from. There are Greek manuscripts, Arabic, Hebrew (Masoretic), and in some cases Syriac (dialect of Aramaic), Latin, and possibly Ethiopian.
(Those instances in scripture of translations reading vastly different are few. The message of who God is and what He is all about is pretty much consistent throughout the canon of scripture no matter what the translation.)
I stated all of that to make this point - we are at the mercy of the men and women who are doing the translating.
They can state things however their group or organization wants them to read.
If their group has a heavy conservative stance, you will see it.
If they have a very liberal stance, you will see it.
And yet, somehow, God is at work through His Holy Spirit making it all come out in a way that speaks to all people so they can understand who He is and what He wants for them.
Do we truly understand what it means to let the Holy Spirit guide us?
Do we truly understand what it means to be human?
I doubt many of us really grasp what it means to let God take our humanity into His hands and turn it into His image.
To be 'inspired' by what we have read in our Bibles and want to seek out the relationship we can have with the One who is spoken about in our Bibles.
I want to make this point, if I am making any point or sense through this message today; our Christian faith in not about this book.
It is about the God who is spoken about in the book.
There is a fine line there between relying too much on the book we carry around and actually knowing the One who is spoken about in that book.
Luther never said it wasn't infallible. It just wasn't the central part of his focus.
Luther had trouble with parts of the Bible like any other person does.
He didn't like James, because he felt it centered too much on works, which was his central problem with the Catholic church.
He also did not like Jude, Hebrews and Revelation either.
Interestingly, he did not ask that they be removed from the canon of scripture.
Luther simply chose to speak from other books that clearly focused on the gospel message and justification by faith.
He wanted to focus his energy on the inspiration of scripture through the Person of Jesus Christ, and in that, bring forth the authoritative nature.
And, finally, I come to my own opinion and experience.
Who am I inspired by?
I am inspired by guys like Max Lucado and Ken Gire.
If I could preach like they write...man oh man.
Who do I inspire?
I hope I inspire my kids.
To live life with passion and to go after what they believe in.
To live life with humor and laugh as much as possible.
To eat fried chicken and burritos until they can't get no more.
What does the Bible say to me?
It says to me that all those centuries ago, people were struggling with the same issues we still struggle with today.
And, somehow, that makes me feel easier.
Because in response to those problems they found a God who could inspire them with hope.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-4
New International Version (NIV)
Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith
2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Somehow, I hope I can "inspire" someone else to live for Jesus Christ.
Not because I told them that it had to be this way or that and they took what I said authoritatively.
But, because they saw something here that made them think, "Wow. God must really be with that person."
Inspiration. It's a funny thing.
Inspiration is one of the most ungraspable concepts of all. It is so subtle that it leaves many speechless when it comes to share it. The artist strives on it. Writers, painters, poets, visionaries and more seek it like they seek the holy grail because it is the fuel of their very expression. - Aline Hanle from the blog post "What Does It Mean To Inspire?"Who inspires you? And, what does it mean to be inspired?
Inspiration. It's a funny thing.
It comes out of nowhere, it seems.
You might be watching a movie or see a couple walking through the park.
Where does it come from? This desire to go do what we think need to be just so?
I can't start writing a new blog post until I think I have some inspiration.
I need something to work with, something not of my own conjuring.
And, even when I do get started, I still need stories, illustrations, things that help elevate the reasons behind what I am writing.
Well, I have to know what Webster's says about the word.
Definition of INSPIRATION
1 a : a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation
b : the action or power of moving the intellect or emotions
c : the act of influencing or suggesting opinions
2: the act of drawing in; specifically : the drawing of air into the lungs
3 a : the quality or state of being inspired
b : something that is inspired - a scheme that was pure inspiration
4: an inspiring agent or influence
In so much as the context of Christianity, we can take the subject to the extent that the Holy Spirit of God inspired the writers of our scriptures to put what they did down on paper and thus state that it is infallible.
In almost robotic fashion, God told them what to write and that's what they wrote.
It is never wrong.
No contradictions. Inerrant.
OR
We can go to the place of inspiration being what drove the writers to pen what they did.
Not that God was standing over their shoulder instructing them to pen this exact way, however, what they saw and heard and experienced led them to write the way they did.
It is historical. It is personal. It is filled with human expression.
Paul wrote some words pertaining to the message of scripture.
2 Timothy 3:14-17
New International Version (NIV)
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.Why are some people so adamant about the infallibility of scripture?
I would plead the case that we do not trust the human element enough to suggest inspiration over infallibility, and those who believe that way would most likely agree with me on that point and rightfully so.
Look at the world we live in, and you wouldn't have any problem not trusting the human element.
Our political world is a mess.
Our social world is chaotic.
Our financial and healthful well-being in jeopardy of collapsing.
Why is the world would God mix in His divine truth with the cesspool of humanity?
The issue before us is...that's exactly what he did.
I hope speaking on another subject might bring clarity to this one.
The matter deals with the time of Reformation.
This period of time was all about trying to break free from the established church and start something brand new.
During this time many different groups had an idea about how to 'reform' the church in to the image they felt God wanted it to be.
My history instructor at MTSO would use a 'swimming pool maintenance' method of explaining this.
Imaging the the whole of humanity and the world of the church as a swimming pool.
How are we going to change this dirty mess in to what God wants it to look like?
The Catholics of the time felt is was just 'normal pool maintenance'. Chlorine.
Trying to clean the pool without breaking the whole down in such a harsh manner
There were the 'Radical Reformers' of the time, the Anabaptists and others, who felt that the 'pool' was so bad that what needed to happen was to just start all over.
John Calvin had a similar method in that his view point was we should just 'drain the pool' of all unnecessary things.
The view I identified with the most during our instructor's presentation was that of Luther.
Between Luther and Calvin there is a gulf of ambitious personality.
Both wanted reform in the church and both had starkly different ways of pursuing it.
Calvin had a laid back, more easy going, moderate approach to it all.
Luther's idea of reformation was to 'shock the pool' - hydrochloric acid mentality.
Pour on the 'word' and don't stop till it's all clean.
But when Luther said 'word', he did not use the same context as we say 'Word' today, in reference to the Bible.
Luther spoke of 'the word', the Son of God.
In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God.
The Word transforms our lives as we experience Him and come to know Him, not the book in itself.
People like to cling to things they can put their hands on, touch it, hold it, put it in front of others and say, "Here this is it."
God seeks to come inside of our lives and transform us. And, there in, He can show the world what this is all about.
God sent His One and Only Son into this world, in human form, mixing his divine reality with the marred form of humanity and took all of it to the cross.
He hoped he could reform it and turn the people into the image of His Son.
I would plead the case that over time men have changed the focus on the 'word' to speak about that book we read from in order to meet their own desires; to have something they can hold over other peoples heads and say 'We are right and you are wrong'.
Most generally this is done with people of other religions.
It happens in the church as well when we handle matters of translation and interpretation.
"We are right, you are wrong, the word says this..."
Even among Bible translations there is a discrepancy.
In the verse I quoted earlier from 2 Timothy there is different wordings.
The NIV and the ESV are really the only two who come right out and say that scripture is "God-breathed".
The NRSV, ASV, CEB, GNT, and even the good ol KJV uses the words "inspired by" or "inspiration of" God.
The NASB, a very rigid word-for-word translation, would use the phrase "inspired by God" while making a foot note about "God-breathed" (just to cover all their bases).
And, while I am a very rigid NIV person (I'm sure you've seen it all over my blog posts) I appreciated the footnote I saw in the HCSB. (Holman Christian Study Bible)
16 All Scripture is inspired by God[a]
a. 2 Timothy 3:16 Lit: breathed out by God; the Scripture is the product of God’s Spirit working through men; 2Pt 1:20-21.(I especially liked that foot note, as it makes the whole process of scripture sound much less robotic on man's part. God through His Spirit is working through men, with them, and not just commandeering them.)
Even consider a minor prophet such as Amos.
If you read the message in the NIV, there were certain words translated one way.
Then go read it in the NRSV and it's completely different.
Read your footnotes. Certain translators decide what manuscripts they want to adhere by, what language they chose to translate from. There are Greek manuscripts, Arabic, Hebrew (Masoretic), and in some cases Syriac (dialect of Aramaic), Latin, and possibly Ethiopian.
(Those instances in scripture of translations reading vastly different are few. The message of who God is and what He is all about is pretty much consistent throughout the canon of scripture no matter what the translation.)
I stated all of that to make this point - we are at the mercy of the men and women who are doing the translating.
They can state things however their group or organization wants them to read.
If their group has a heavy conservative stance, you will see it.
If they have a very liberal stance, you will see it.
And yet, somehow, God is at work through His Holy Spirit making it all come out in a way that speaks to all people so they can understand who He is and what He wants for them.
Do we truly understand what it means to let the Holy Spirit guide us?
Do we truly understand what it means to be human?
I doubt many of us really grasp what it means to let God take our humanity into His hands and turn it into His image.
To be 'inspired' by what we have read in our Bibles and want to seek out the relationship we can have with the One who is spoken about in our Bibles.
I want to make this point, if I am making any point or sense through this message today; our Christian faith in not about this book.
It is about the God who is spoken about in the book.
There is a fine line there between relying too much on the book we carry around and actually knowing the One who is spoken about in that book.
[From Luther's viewpoint] Given this biblical understanding of the Word of God, what makes the Bible the word of God is not that it is infallible, nor that it can serve as a source of authority for theological and religious debate. The Bible is the Word of God because in it Jesus, the Word incarnate, comes to us. Any who read the Bible and somehow do not find Jesus in it, have not encountered the Word of God.
Gonzalez, Justo L. (2010-07-25). Story of Christianity: Volume 2: The Reformation to the Present Day (Kindle Locations 782-785). Harper Collins, Inc.. Kindle Edition.(Luther had some interesting views on the subject of human interaction with the divine in the inspiration of scripture. Feel free to check out some material that was given to me. Click Here.)
Luther never said it wasn't infallible. It just wasn't the central part of his focus.
Luther had trouble with parts of the Bible like any other person does.
He didn't like James, because he felt it centered too much on works, which was his central problem with the Catholic church.
He also did not like Jude, Hebrews and Revelation either.
Interestingly, he did not ask that they be removed from the canon of scripture.
Luther simply chose to speak from other books that clearly focused on the gospel message and justification by faith.
He wanted to focus his energy on the inspiration of scripture through the Person of Jesus Christ, and in that, bring forth the authoritative nature.
And, finally, I come to my own opinion and experience.
Who am I inspired by?
I am inspired by guys like Max Lucado and Ken Gire.
If I could preach like they write...man oh man.
Who do I inspire?
I hope I inspire my kids.
To live life with passion and to go after what they believe in.
To live life with humor and laugh as much as possible.
To eat fried chicken and burritos until they can't get no more.
What does the Bible say to me?
It says to me that all those centuries ago, people were struggling with the same issues we still struggle with today.
And, somehow, that makes me feel easier.
Because in response to those problems they found a God who could inspire them with hope.
1 Thessalonians 1:2-4
New International Version (NIV)
Thanksgiving for the Thessalonians’ Faith
2 We always thank God for all of you and continually mention you in our prayers. 3 We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.
Somehow, I hope I can "inspire" someone else to live for Jesus Christ.
Not because I told them that it had to be this way or that and they took what I said authoritatively.
But, because they saw something here that made them think, "Wow. God must really be with that person."
Inspiration. It's a funny thing.
