WHAT IS the basis for regarding the Bible as being a divinely inspired revelation? And in what sense and to what extent is the Bible the Word of God?

The Bible claims for itself divine origin of the ideas that are contained in it – “Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost” (2 Peter 1:21). Such persons through whom the divinely originated ideas were conveyed were judged as being holy based on a combination of their having and manifesting wholehearted love for God and impartial and selfless love for their fellowmen (Matthew 22:37-40). This is not to say that these persons were perfect or sinless, indeed, they were neither, but holiness characterised their lives.

Being “moved by the Holy Ghost” was certainly not in the sense of receiving a dictation or a specific formula of words which one could then attribute to God. Rather, these “holy men” (who were sometimes women and were called prophets) received visions and dreams from God, as God is reported as saying: “If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known unto him in a vision, and I will speak unto him in a dream” (Numbers 12:6). The prophet would then, upon returning to full consciousness, recall the experience and relate that which was seen and heard (or rather, that which was perceived to have been revealed) using the inadequate medium of human language, subject to his/her limitations in communicating via such medium. Limitations are further introduced as a result of the copying of manuscripts and the translation from one language to another.

Thus, the scriptures in its purest form is a combination of the divine and the human – the perfect and the imperfect. The ideas are from God and contain no error, but the human channel is imperfect and the medium of human language through which communication is done is inadequate as a means of conveying realities which are infinite in scope. It is not surprising, therefore, that God has given revelations to many individuals who differ widely in age, background, education, status and calling and were not all chosen from one particular era, but lived in widely different circumstances and culture spanning many centuries.

The testimony of one individual, being limited by various human inadequacies and circumscribed by the thinking and prevailing conditions of a particular era, will not necessarily, convey a completely accurate and detailed picture in every particular. However, the combined weight of evidence of several witnesses to whom the same (or similar) revelation was given, will enable the honest and sincere seeker after truth to obtain a reasonably clear picture of the divine truth. Accordingly, we are admonished to study the scriptures “precept upon precept; line upon line…. Here a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:10). Thus, rather than building an elaborate system of doctrine and philosophy upon the foundation of one or two Bible verses, individuals should seek to determine the weight of evidence in scripture on a particular subject. By so doing, one will find the Word of God (the ideas that God seeks to convey) clearly outlined as “an highway” – “the way of holiness”, such that “the unclean shall not pass over it,” but “the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err therein.” Isaiah 35:8.

The Bible did not come about by human beings counselling together and conjecturing in respect of things of which they are ignorant. Holy men to whom God revealed Himself in supernatural ways, recorded that which was conveyed to them by God. The veracity and authenticity of these testimonies are attested to by the accurate fulfilment of the prophetic utterances which often accompany them – fulfilments which are beyond human capabilities to have contrived beforehand.

Even though God has specially guarded the Bible (as can be seen in the history of its preservation, notwithstanding the numerous efforts that have been made to adulterate and destroy it), he has not removed the human element which is fallible. Thus, individuals should be guided by the weight of evidence and they will find the scriptures, taken as a whole, a complete, consistent and harmonious chain of truth which outlines a vast framework that encompasses and shows the connections between the realities of both the natural and supernatural realms.
In summary, the truth is not the Bible, but rather, the truth is in the Bible. In order to arrive at truth, one must therefore search diligently and with intelligence seeking divine guidance for the essence or substantial elements of the overall story (or truth) that God designs for us to receive.