CHRISTIAN SCRIPTURES: WHAT IS THE LOCUS OF INSPIRATION

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Clear

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One hears the common Christian claim that "Scriptures are Inspired".
IF this is a true statement, Where is the locus of inspiration and its effects?

Is the locus of inspiration in the actual paper and ink of the text (such as in the manner of a magical object)?
Or is the the effect of the inspiration on the reader of the text by some operation of the text itself?
Or Is the inspiration in the moral/religious principles themselves independent of the Holy Spirit?
Or is the locus and effect of inspiration outside of the text but inside the individual reading the text?
Or is the saying an idiom and metaphor for the personal inspiration/revelation given to a person by the Holy spirit that occasionally accompanies reading sacred texts and the locus is not in the text at all.
Or is the locus of inspiration and its effect somewhere else?

 
Faith in God helps me find a profound sense of peace that is beyond my understanding.

In 2011 I had tests for cancer, about a month later the doctor phoned and said he urgently wanted to see me, I had non – Hodgkin Lymphoma. This was a name I recognised, our friend had this cancer, and died about a year later.

A few minutes after putting the phone down; I prayed for the wisdom, strength and peace to do God’s will, whether the cancer was a death sentence, or just an inconvenience. I can only say that from the moment of making this prayer, I have experienced a profound sense of peace and the thought of cancer has never troubled me for a moment. I only made this prayer once in faith, then the prayer turned to thank you for another day of peace.

I believe my peace and the lack of worry and stress helped my healing. Recognising this profound sense of peace comes from God, gives me reasons to be thankful.
 
Hi EricPh

This is a wonderful story Eric.

Can you clarify regarding the locus or source of peace and reassurance you felt in this case?

While ”faith” in God exists within your personal heart and mind (independent of others), where do you think the actual sense of peace came from?

Do you feel the sense of peace you felt came from your personal faith and recognition that your life or death is in the hands of a God who wants your best interest or do you believe that the sense of peace came from an external source that offered you this reassurance (i.e. revelation/inspiration)?
 
Clear said:
Do you feel the sense of peace you felt came from your personal faith and recognition that your life or death is in the hands of a God who wants your best interest.
Click to expand...
Belief in God is profound and beyond my understanding. I have tried many times to help people find the peace I experience.

I have been a volunteer Street Pastor since 2008. We will be walking round our town tonight, possibly until 3 - 4 tomorrow morning, to care, listen and help when we can. We can encounter all kinds of drunk, happy, depressed, angry or violent people.

Before we go out, we thank God for all the good things that happen. We pray that God will place in our path the people he needs us to see. We pray that God will help us to do his will with every situation we encounter. Once we have placed everything in God's hands, I have nothing to worry about.

When we walk in the middle of drunken angry violent fights, I experience the profound sense of peace that is beyond my understanding. I know I could be hurt, but that has never been on my mind. You will never look into the eyes of anyone who does not matter to God. The solutions we seek are based on kindness. The majority of fights end with people shaking our hands and giving us a hug.

In theory, the things we do, should not work, we don't do self defence or carry any protective gear. I am now 76, we have volunteers in their eighties.

All I know, is that my peace comes from trusting in God and giving thanks. If you asked how or why me, then I don't know.
 
Hi @Thomas

Clear asked: One hears the common Christian claim that "Scriptures are Inspired".
IF this is a true statement, Where is the locus of inspiration and its effects?

Thomas replied: “I'd say the heart, in the classical understanding of the term.”


I think you are right Thomas.

The actual ink and paper of the bible are not, as inanimate objects, “inspired” by God, nor does the ink and paper have any magical qualities to “inspire” individuals.

The inspiration, when it occurs, seems to be an interaction between the Spirit of God as the actor of inspiration and the mind and heart of the individual themselves as those being acted upon, rather than inspiration being an experience given to us by the physical bible and the person reading it.

If this tentative model is correct, then, when we say “The Bible is the inspired Word of God”, the claim is merely a metaphor that means when one reads an “inspired” narrative or story, the Spirit of God can inspire the readers “mind and heart”.

Thus, in this tentative model, it is only the spirit that inspires the individual reader and not the text or story itself.
The locus for the inspiration is a working of the Spirit of God on the “heart” of the reader and not, specifically, the text itself.

This model explains why multiple types of textual narratives and personal experiences to be "inspirational" since individuals often feel inspired by non-biblical and secular narratives and personal experiences which inspire.
 
Hi, Clear —

Clear said:
The inspiration, when it occurs, seems to be an interaction between the Spirit of God as the actor of inspiration and the mind and heart of the individual themselves as those being acted upon, rather than inspiration being an experience given to us by the physical bible and the person reading it.
Click to expand...

It seems to me that your 'tentative model' is the most likely.
 
Clear said: “The inspiration, when it occurs, seems to be an interaction between the Spirit of God as the actor of inspiration and the mind and heart of the individual themselves as those being acted upon, rather than inspiration being an experience given to us by the physical bible and the person reading it.”

Thomas replied: “It seems to me that your 'tentative model' is the most likely.”

I agree.

This recognition regarding where revelation/inspiration lies, is an important distinction since individuals are able to receive personal revelation/inspiration from multiple sources and different types of experiences such as an "off hand" remark someone made, or a poem, or a sunset, or other personal experiences and secular literature..

IF the experience of personal inspiration lies, not in the actual biblical text in the manner of a magical object, but instead, inspiration lies OUTSIDE of the text and INSIDE the hearts and minds of individuals, then this insight helps explain why individuals experience revelation/inspiration in multiple ways and multiple sources and multiple texts.

This distinction allows us to label any text as "inspired" IF the person writing the text was inspired by the Spirit of God when writing what they wrote, and a reader can be "inspired" regardless of the text if they are under the influence of the Holy Ghost as they read and discover and/or clarify religious principles the Holy Spirit is able to teach them.

IF this principle is correct, then does an "inspired text" simply mean the person writing was under the influence of the Spirit of God when they wrote?
 
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