corollaries of inspiration.

INTRODUCTION




Corollaries of inspiration are those doctrines which flow naturally from an understanding and belief of the Bible’s divine inspiration. The ultimate source of the Bible is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The fact God wrote the Bible necessitates the inerrancy of the message within. This belief was further developed in a previous paper. Within the next few paragraphs definitions of authority, sufficiency and canonicity will be presented. Each definition will ultimate find it’s foundation upon the adherence to divine inspiration.


Authority


The words within the Bible are from our creator, the God of heaven and earth. If we fully grasp this concept than the authority of scripture is obvious. If the president of the United States came and asked us for a drink of water we wouldn’t sit around and wonder if we should obey his request. We would scramble and get the water as fast as possible. Even if we do not agree with our president, we respect his authority. God is the ultimate authority, and thus what he reveals to his creation should be received and respected. The entire Bible is authoritative, although it should be noted that not all passages will apply to our lives in the same manner.


Sufficiency

God is infinite and we, his creation, are finite. God reveals himself to us. One of the ways he has chosen to reveal himself is through the Bible. The Bible holds truths to be applied to our lives today, and holds all the information pertinent for God’s creation to know and fear him. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 states: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” Through the divinely inspired Word, God’s people will be equipped for every good work. All truth is not contained within the Bible, but what is sufficient for God’s people to know his will for their lives.


Canonicity

The books contained within the Bible are inspired by God and because of this they have been collected and passed on from generation to generation. The qualification for canonization is inspiration. Through tradition of people adhering to certain works and through recognizing the hand of God behind texts, writings have been collected and preserved for the Church today.



CONCLUSION

The Bible is divinely inspired and thus these books are worthy to be collected and preserved, contain the information we need to respond to God, and demand ultimate authority in our life. As we open up the Word may we have a new found appreciation for the sufficiency and authority of God’s words to his people.