Rev. Angus Stewart
Belgic Confession 3: The Written Word of God
We confess that this Word of God was not sent, nor delivered by the will of man, but that holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost, as the apostle Peter saith. And that afterwards God, from a special care, which He has for us and our salvation, commanded His servants, the prophets and apostles, to commit His revealed word to writing; and He Himself wrote with His own finger the two tables of the law. Therefore we call such writings holy and divine Scriptures.
Revelation and Inspiration
What do the theological words “revelation” and “inspiration” mean? And how are they related? Revelation is that act of God whereby He manifests Himself and makes Himself known. Revelation is either general or special (Belgic Confession 2). General revelation is God’s manifestation of Himself, especially His wisdom, power and justice, through creation and providence (which revelation can never contradict Holy Scripture). Special revelation is either non-verbal or verbal. Non-verbal special revelation includes God’s making the sun and the moon stand still (Josh. 10), the healing miracles of the prophets and apostles, and Christ’s virgin birth and resurrection. Verbal special revelation is either spoken or written (Belgic Confession 3) and it interprets general revelation and non-verbal special revelation.
The classic biblical text on inspiration is II Timothy 3:16: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” “Given by inspiration of God” is literally “God-breathed.” Note also that it is words, not people, that are inspired. Thus, inspiration is that act of God whereby He breathes forth the words of special revelation.
So what is the relationship between revelation and inspiration? Are they the same? No. Revelation includes all the ways in which God manifests Himself or makes Himself known, whereas inspiration is God’s breathing forth the words of special verbal revelation.
The Origin of the Word of God
Belgic Confession 3 deals with the spoken Word of God in its first sentence and the written Word of God in its final two sentences. The origin or source of the Word of God (spoken or written) is emphatically not man. Man and his will did not “send” or “deliver” it. God, especially God the Holy Spirit, is the origin or source of His own Word. Therefore, we call the spoken Word of God and the written Word of God, God’s Word, not man’s word, not even God’s and man’s Word.1
Belgic Confession 3 cites two Scriptures on God’s production of His Word (spoken or written). First, there is II Peter 1:21: “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” That the prophets and apostles were “moved by the Holy Ghost” indicates the important truth that the Most High powerfully operated upon them, like a wind blowing upon a sail and so moving the ship.
Second, Belgic Confession 3 quotes II Timothy 3:16, which I cited earlier. This verse adds to the preceding text the truth that God did not only powerfully work upon His prophets and apostles but also that He inspired (or breathed out) the words they used.
Three Characteristics of Inspiration
Turning now to a consideration especially of the written Word of God, the Scriptures, we note, first, that inspiration is plenary, that is, full or complete. Both testaments are inspired: the Old Testament as well as the New Testament. All 66 books of the Bible are inspired: I Chronicles and Philemon as well as Isaiah and Romans. All that the Bible teaches on all subjects is inspired: history, geography and science, as well as theology and ethics, for if we cannot believe God when He tells us of earthly things, how can we trust Him when He speaks to us of heavenly things (John 3:12)? Again, we return to II Timothy 3:16: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.” It is a good job, too, for how could we ever tell which parts of the Bible are inspired and which bits are not?
It is true to say that though all Scripture is inspired, it is not all equally inspiring. Most believers find that they are more encouraged and edified by the Psalms or Acts than by Nahum or III John. In other words, although all Scripture is inspired and profitable (II Tim. 3:16-17), and all parts of Scripture are equally inspired, not all parts are equally profitable, though all parts are to be read, believed and obeyed.
Second, inspiration is not only plenary; it is also verbal. Here we oppose the heretical idea that God merely inspired the writers’ ideas or thoughts. By verbal inspiration, we mean that the words of the Bible (in Hebrew, Aramaic and Greek) were breathed forth by God. Notice the careful use of “word” or “words” in the following three texts:
But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).
That ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour (II Pet. 3:2).
But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ (Jude 17).
Verbal inspiration is presupposed by the Lord Jesus in John 10:35, where His argument with His enemies hinges upon one word, namely, “gods”: “If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken.” Similarly, Paul’s defence of God’s one everlasting covenant of grace in Christ depends upon the singular “seed” in Galatians 3:16: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” Likewise, if you look up Matthew 22:43-45, you will see that our Saviour’s argument there rests on the word “Lord.” You see, God has ensured that His ideas and thoughts are conveyed accurately to us by inspiring the very words of the Bible.
Third, inspiration is not only plenary and verbal, but also organic. Here we oppose the notion of mechanical inspiration, as if the apostles and prophets were merely machines or typewriters. This view is a straw man created by higher critics and liberal theologians to misrepresent and discredit the orthodox doctrine and orthodox theologians, preachers and churches. I know of no orthodox theologian since the Reformation who has held this view.
By His decree and providence, God fashioned each penman of the Bible, including his experiences, marital situation, writing style, etc. For instance, Moses’ schooling in Egypt and 40 years of shepherding his father-in-law’s flock fitted him not only for his calling as the leader of Israel but also for his work of writing the Pentateuch. Similarly, Paul, a Roman citizen and converted Rabbi, was prepared and especially suited to write his epistles to the churches and other Christian leaders. Thus, the inspired letters of Paul have a different flavour from the writings of John or Ezekiel.
Homer Hoeksema summarizes “the truth of organic inspiration” in these four points:
1) Just as God conceived sovereignly and for eternity of His people as an organism in Christ, so He conceived in His eternal counsel of the whole of Scripture as an organism, the written revelation of Himself, with Christ as the heart and center of that entire revelation. Moreover, as God conceived of Scripture eternally, so He Himself brought it, sovereignly, into being in time.
2) God from eternity, and sovereignly, conceived of and determined upon special organs of Christ’s body, organs of inspiration, and ordained all the details of their personality, character, talents, education, mode of thinking, style of writing, personal experiences, and historical experiences in such a way that they were from eternity prepared to be fit instruments of divine inspiration, each in his own place in the organism of Scripture, and to the end that Scripture might be brought into being as the perfect, flawless Word of God written. And again, as He ordained them in eternity, so He realized them in time.
3) Thus, the Holy Spirit, and that, too, as the Spirit of Christ, called these divinely ordained organs of inspiration into existence in time, forming them and preparing them, both naturally and spiritually, for their divinely ordained task.
4) Thus also the same Spirit inspired, moved, illumined, guided, and actually caused these human instruments, thus ordained and prepared and called, to speak and to write infallibly God’s own Word.2
Three More Points
Three parts of Belgic Confession 3 remain to be explained. First, “God, from a special care, which He has for us and our salvation, commanded His servants, the prophets and apostles, to commit His revealed word to writing.” In other words, God’s having the Scriptures written down shows His love for His elect and will to save us. If one asks how this is the case, the answer is that the written record (rather than merely spoken words) serves better in the preservation and propagation of God’s Word and thus in the gathering and edification of His church. God committed His Word “unto writing,” as the Westminster Confession declares, “for the better preserving and propagating of the the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the Church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan and of the world” (I:1). God’s committing His Word to writing shows His wisdom and His fatherly care for us!
Second, what is the idea of this statement in Belgic Confession 3, alluding to the narrative in Exodus of God’s personally writing the ten commandments on two tables of stone, “He Himself wrote with His own finger the two tables of the law”? The answer is that the Bible is just as fully His Word as the Decalogue written by God’s own finger! What a book to have in one’s own hands!
Finally, what about the last sentence in Belgic Confession 3: “Therefore we call such writings holy and divine Scriptures”? They are “divine” Scriptures because they are wholly God’s Word. They are “holy” Scriptures because they are consecrated to Him and His glory, and so God consecrates us to Himself and His glory by His Spirit through the Bible (John 17:17). This is how we must view the Scriptures and this is what we must pray for and expect through their use in reading, discussion and hearing the preaching!
QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION
- Read the first paragraph of this article carefully in order to produce a diagram indicating the various divisions and subdivisions of “revelation.”
- What is meant by Scripture’s inspiration being plenary, verbal and organic?
- How do the truths of this article motivate you to read, hear, believe and obey the Word of God?
This article is based on part of the audio of this doctrine class: “The Written Word of God (II)“
