God determined that His revelation should be committed to writing, so that it might be preserved pure and uncorrupted throughout all future time; therefore He has deposited it in the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. These are, therefore, defined to be the written Word of God.
The Holy Scripture is the Word of God recorded in the Holy Scriptures. Between these and the Word of God, there is, then, no distinction, inasmuch as they contain nothing more than this very Word of God, which was also orally proclaimed; and they contain it entire and complete, so that, aside from them, no Word of God is anywhere to be found.
By being the Word of God, the Holy Scriptures are distinguished from all other books, for, in consequence of this, they are, in respect of all their contents, entirely divine; and this by virtue of the fact that they were communicated by inspiration from God to the prophets and apostles. God is therefore their author (principal cause), and the prophets and apostles only the instruments (instrumental cause) which God employed in their production.
We are, therefore, to ascribe the origin of the Holy Scriptures to a peculiar agency of God, by means of which He impelled the prophets and apostles to the production of the Holy Scriptures, and communicated to them both the matter and the form of that which was to be written. This agency of God, by means of which the Holy Scriptures were produced, we call Inspiration. Divine inspiration was that agency by which God supernaturally communicated to the intellect of those who wrote, not only the correct conception of all that was to be written, but also the conception of the words themselves and of everything by which they were to be expressed, and by which He also instigated their will to the act of writing.
Hence it follows, that everything that is contained in the Holy Scriptures is altogether, and in every particular, true and free from all error.[1]
“Paul, a servant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, for the sake of the faith of God’s elect and their knowledge of the truth, which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life, which God, who never lies, promised before the ages began and at the proper time manifested in his word through the preaching with which I have been entrusted by the command of God our Savior;” (Titus 1:1–3)
[Jesus said] “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me,” (John 5:39)
“Much in every way. To begin with, the Jews were entrusted with the oracles of God.” (Romans 3:2)
“but the word of the Lord remains forever.”(1 Peter 1:25)
“If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord.” (1 Corinthians 14:37)
“and Scripture cannot be broken” (John 10:35)
“And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Peter 1:19–21)
“Concerning this salvation, the prophets who prophesied about the grace that was to be yours searched and inquired carefully, inquiring what person or time the Spirit of Christ in them was indicating when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the subsequent glories. It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look.” (1 Peter 1:10–12)
“All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).” (Matthew 1:22–23)
“But Jesus answered them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God: ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not God of the dead, but of the living.”” (Matthew 22:29–32)
“Therefore, as the Holy Spirit says, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness,” (Hebrews 3:7–8 cf. Ps. 95:7-11)
“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16–17)
“And when they heard it, they lifted their voices together to God and said, “Sovereign Lord, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and everything in them, who through the mouth of our father David, your servant, said by the Holy Spirit, “‘Why did the Gentiles rage, and the peoples plot in vain?” (Acts 4:24–25)
“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which He promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 1:1–4)
““Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus.” (Acts 1:16)
“The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD: “Thus says the LORD, the God of Israel: Write in a book all the words that I have spoken to you.” (Jeremiah 30:1–2)
“And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.” (1 Thessalonians 2:13)
“For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name.”
And again it is said, “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with his people.”
And again, “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol him.”
And again Isaiah says, “The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in him will the Gentiles hope.”” (Romans 15:8–12)“But it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away than for one dot of the Law to become void.” (Luke 16:17)
“Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.” (Mark 13:31)
“Forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.” (Psalms 119:89)
“The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God will stand forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)
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[1] HEINRICH SCHMID, D. D., The Doctrinal Theology of the Evangelical Lutheran Church Third Edition, revised Translated from German and Latin by CHARLES A. HAY, D.D. and HENRY E. JACOBS, D.D., Augshurg Publishing House, 1875, p. 38-39
