
The devil was certainly not speaking for God when he made the various statements that are attributed to him in Scripture. The statements are not given by divine revelation. There are statements in the Bible that are lies. We also have to distinguish between certain words of Scripture and the faithful recording of them. He alone explained the significance of what occurred. However, the interpretation of the meaning of the event could only come from God. The subject matter was not beyond human knowledge, but was there for any observer to record. These events were the actual source of his knowledge on the subject. To put it another way, we should not necessarily assume that everything in Scripture has been divinely revealed by God.įor example, Moses was divinely inspired by God to record events that he himself witnessed. Divine inspiration does not always imply revelation. The Bible is divinely inspired, but not every word was divinely revealed. It is important that we understand the difference. Revelation, therefore, is concerned with the giving of truth, while divine inspiration refers to the recording of truth. The words were actually said and the events actually happened. All of the things they recorded are accurate. It means that God preserved the writers from recording error when they wrote the various parts of Scripture. The understanding of Peter as to Jesus’ identity did not come from any human source, but rather was the result of God’s revelation to Peter through the Spirit it was divinely disclosed.ĭivine Inspiration: Humans Recording God’s Truthĭivine inspiration, on the other hand, refers to the recording of God’s truth. Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Barjona! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven.” ( Matthew 16:16-17 RSV)

It was not something that he concluded on his own. This is the idea behind the term revelation.įor example, when Peter confessed Jesus as the Messiah or the Christ, Jesus told Peter that his confession was something that was divinely revealed to him. It refers to God giving truth to humanity.

Revelation means, “God disclosing to humanity truths we would not otherwise know”-human beings could not find out these truths for themselves. Much confusion will be avoided if we have a proper view of how each of these terms are used. It is essential that we have a correct understanding of the terms revelation and divine inspiration. Understanding the Terms Revelation and Divine Inspiration Although the terms revelation and divine inspiration are often used synonymously, there are differences between the two concepts. Is the Bible the Authoritative Word of God – Question 9

Is There a Difference Between Revelation and Divine Inspiration?
