by Benedict Pictet
FROM what has been said concerning the divinity of the scriptures, it will abundantly appear, what we ought to say of their inspiration. No one will deny this, who attends to the following arguments. The sacred books contain a great number of prophecies, which could not have proceeded from the prophets, or the apostles, had they not been influenced by the Holy Spirit. In these books many things are recorded, which, although they were past at the time they were written, no one could have known, had not the omniscient God condescended to reveal them. These books also teach many things too sublime, and too far exceeding human comprehensions, to have been the fictions of the most subtle genius, much less of unlettered apostles. These books also were written for the purpose of being a perpetual rule of faith and practice, which they could not be, if the apostles had written any thing without the influence, or, at least, without the direction, of the Holy Spirit, and if they had committed any error in their writing. Moreover it is to the last degree improbable, that Galilean fishermen, or publicans, wrote so many excellent things without the guidance of the Spirit. Christ also promised to the apostles the Holy Spirit, to "guide them into all truth," (John 16:13,) and it would be impious to say, that the Saviour of men did not perform his promises. Once more; the apostles themselves, whom no sane person will call impostors, declared that they preached and wrote under the influence of the Holy Ghost. "We thank God without ceasing, because when ye received the word, which ye heard of us, ye received it, not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God." (1 Thess. 2:13.) "Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God, which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth." (1 Cor. 2:12, 13.) "Who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ." (1 Cor. 2:16.) "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge, that the things I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord." (1 Cor. 14:37.) On this last passage we must observe, that there were at that time men, who had the gift of discerning spirits. Now Paul subjects himself to their examination. Add (1 Cor. 7:40.) "I think, also, that I have the Spirit of God;" where we must take notice that this is said in the same chapter, in which the apostle had said, that he had taught something, not the Lord, (verse 12,) meaning, that on this particular subject Christ had not expressly laid down any thing before his ascension to heaven.
But that the whole subject may be properly understood, several things are to be noticed. First, it is not necessary to suppose, that the Holy Spirit always dictated to the prophets and apostles every word which they used. Nevertheless those holy men wrote very many things under the immediate suggestion of the Spirit, such as prophecies. Hence Paul says, "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly;" (1 Tim. 4:1,) and many other things. Again: they wrote some things in which there was no need of the Spirit's suggestion; such as those things with which they were already acquainted, which they had seen and heard, or those which related to their own private affairs. Yet they wrote nothing without the Spirit either inspiring them, or influencing them to write, or directing them, so as not to suffer them, while writing, to commit even the least error or mistake. Hence it ought not to appear strange to us, if we hear the apostles drawing conclusions from what they had either seen or heard by revelation; as when Peter, after what he had heard from Cornelius, and learned from the vision of the sheet, thus expressed himself, "Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons;" (Acts 10:34.) which conclusions, however, they did not draw except under the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit, which prevented them from erring. Neither is it strange, if we see in the sacred books forms of expression merely human: for although we may say that the Holy Spirit uses such forms from mere condescension to us, yet perhaps he allowed the apostles to adopt their customary style of speaking.
From what has been advanced, we cannot draw the inferences which follow: first, that the apostles knew all things as soon as they were baptized with the Holy Ghost on the day of Pentecost; we do not imagine this; hence it is not strange, if Peter, before Cornelius's baptism, did not know of the calling of the Gentiles; for the Spirit increased the knowledge of the apostles as the circumstances of the times, and the improvement of the church, required. Secondly, that the apostles were entirely free from sin; for this was not needful, but it was altogether needful that they should not fall into the least error in that doctrine, which was to be the rule of faith and practice. Therefore it is not strange that Peter should do any thing deserving Paul's censure, as in the matter of his unseasonable compliance, out of regard to the Jews. (Gal. 2.) Thirdly, that the Holy Spirit revealed to the apostles whatever they might wish to know, though it were not necessary to be known; hence it is no wonder, that, in their relation of some historical facts, they do not accurately show the time in which they took place, but say that such an event occurred about such a time; thus Luke (3:23) observes that Jesus, when he was baptized, was "about thirty years of age."
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From Christian Theology by Benedict Pictet