WHAT IS INSPIRATION? *

BY REV. J. M. GELSTON,†

Pastor First Presbyterian Church, Ann Arbor.

Text: "Ye shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and unto the uttermost part of the earth." Acts 1:8.

I

Most of the difficulties on this question of inspiration are due to a lack of clear ideas. As darkness flees before the light so there is a power in clear ideas to dispel error. The fact is the truth is often hampered, if not loaded, with the misconceptions of individuals. am more and more persuaded that a very large share of intellectual difficulty is explained by this fact. I shall content myself, therefore, with giving as clear an idea of this great truth as I can, and then let it speak for itself. Let us remember then at the outstart that there is such a thing as a general inspiration, which is common to all; and there is such a thing as a particular inspiration, or inspiration for a particular purpose.

* One of a series of discourses in answer to questions by young men.

J. M. Gelston was born in Rushville, N. Y., June 27, 1847. Took the degree of A. B. at Michigan University in 1869, and the degree of B. D. at Union Theological Seminary, N. Y., 1873. Accepted a call to Plymouth, Mich., Oct., 1873, and to Pontiac, Mich., April, 1875, and to Ann Arbor, Mich., Sept. 9, 1888, where he still is.

FIRST: What is general inspiration?

Answer: It is that "in breathing" of the Holy Spirit which is common to all Christians. The word inspiration means "inbreathing." Inbreathing of what? Of course nothing else than the Holy Spirit. As it is written, "He breathed on them, and saith unto them, receive ye the Holy Ghost." (John 20:22.)

General inspiration therefore, is being imbued, led and taught by the Spirit of God; which all the spiritually-minded are. Christians have this inbreathing of the Spirit in varying degrees, but they all have it. There have been a great many people since the days of the Apostles, who were "full of the Holy Ghost and of power." There have been many who have preached the gospel with the inanifest presence and influence of the Spirit of God. The fact is, the strongest testimony to the truth is the direct testimony which the Spirit of God, who is the spirit of truth, is giving all the time; yes, and a great many individuals, Christians, are asking daily to be led by this Spirit. It is their meat and drink to be subject to and abide in the Spirit. Are they not inspired? Certainly they are. Nothing is gained by denying such inspiration. They have the inbreathing of God's Spirit which is common to all who love God.

This is what the scriptures directly teach. "Know ye not [says the apostle] that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you!" (1 Cor. 3:16.) That is inspiration. Again, Christ said, "If a man love me he will keep my words; and my Father will love him and we will come unto him and make our abode with him." (John 14:23.) Considerable inspiration about that! "As many as are led by the Spirit of .God, they are the sons of God." We must not deny our inheritance. We all have the "inbreathing" of the Spirit of God, if so be we have given our hearts to God;

and in this sense inspiration is

common to all.

SECOND: What is particular inspiration?

Answer: It is inspiration for a particular purpose. What was the particular purpose for which the Apostles were inspired? Our text says it was that they might be Christ's witnesses-witnesses to the life, deeds, teachings, and revelations of Christ-not only in Jerusalem and Judea, but "unto the uttermost part of the earth." (Acts 1:8.) For this Christ called them to be his disciples. For this he trained them and taught them, setting them apart from all others who believed on him. For this he embraced them with his spirit, that they might communicate his revelations to all the world. Did Christ commission anyone else to do this? No. When Judas by transgression fell, Christ miraculously called Paul to the apostleship. But beyond this Christ never appointed any others to his work. They were inspired for the express purpose of preserving and conveying to all the world the revelation of God in Christ Jesus. No other persons in whatever sense they have been inspired can be said to have had this apostleship which Christ gave to the twelve.

I dare not deny that Luther, Zwingle and Knox were as truly called of God to their work as were the Apostles to theirs. But the Apostles were called to preserve, communicate and record for all the world the revelation of God in Christ. Theirs was a particular inspiration.

Notice what special help was given by the Spirit of God to the Apostles in the execution of this purpose. (John 14:26) Christ said, "The Comforter which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." Their memories were quickened. They also received

special revelations. John says he was "in the spirit on the Lord's day," when he had that vision of Christ and received those revelations he has recorded in the book called Revelation. Paul says he received so many revelations, there was given him a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet him lest he should be too much exalted. (2 Cor. 12:7.) The Apostles had the miraculous gift of tongues, and wrought miracles in the name of Christ. After the ascension of Christ, miracles by Peter, John and Paul are especially mentioned. If we read the account as bare history, it is very clear that these men were carefully selected by the Savior, as carefully trained, and still more wonderfully equipped for their special work. They were the Apostles of Christ. They were the responsible and authorized witnesses for Christ to the world.

Now the question arises, were there any irresponsible persons who also undertook to write concerning Christ? I suppose there were, for Luke in the preface of his gospel (1:1) says, "Many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us." So, too, we know after the Apostles were dead, their successors, the pastors of the churches, especially the most eminent, often wrote letters of advice, exhortation and warning. Their letters were read in the churches and often highly prized. Now the question naturally arose whether these letters and any similar writings should be given equal standing in the churches with the apostolic writings. The early church said, "No." The common sense of the church to-day says, "No." These other writers were neither apostles nor wrote by authority of the Apostles. They themselves never claim equality with the Apostles. The Apostles alone come to us as the chosen and ordained witnesses of Christ. This is

the historical basis on which the decision as to what rightly belongs in the New Testament Canon rests. Admit the historical fact that Christ called, authorized and commissioned certain Apostles to communicate his revelation to the world, and the question as to what should be in the New Testament settles itself. A decision is reached in each and every case by simply asking, is the writing either by the Apostles or by apostolical authority?

THIRD: Let us consider certain difficulties and questions.

So far I have spoken of inspiration simply as an historical tact. If you accept the statement as history that Christ did select and train these Apostles, that he gave them his Spirit for this purpose of communicating and preserving his revelation to the world-why then you have inspiration of course. You would not expect God to come into the world and make a personal revelation for the benefit of all mankind, and then take no pains to have that revelation communicated and preserved. Of course not. Inspiration then is an historical fact, if Christ and his life are historical facts.

Now, starting with this historical fact of the particular inspiration of the Apostles, men have gone to theorizing about it. This fact of inspiration all accept who fully believe the history. But when we come to the different theories about inspiration, the best of men differ. One man, for instance, will go so far as to say the Apostles in the execution of their appointed task were merely the amanuenses of the Spirit-mere typewriters through whom the Holy Spirit wrote.

I cannot accept any such theory as that. It is to me absurd. Another man will go to the opposite extreme and say inspiration is simply genius. It is that exaltation of soul which is witnessed in all displays of