Transfiguration Sunday

Transfiguration Sunday THE DIVINE ORIGIN OF SCRIPTURE 2/3&6/05

Over the centuries, with the 21^st century serving as no exception, people have spoken for the Bible…spoken on behalf of the Bible…interpreted the Bible…critiqued the Bible. People venture forth to determine what is true in Scripture and what is false…what Jesus actually said and meant & what Jesus did not say…which miracles occurred and which miracles did not. Often when an account in Scripture cannot be scientifically proven or comprehended by mortal minds, the account is dismissed as untrue or, at least, unlikely. Such miracles as the virgin birth, Jonah digested and deposited by the whale, the resurrection, and The Transfiguration, described or referred to in our Epistle and Gospel lessons this week, are biblical accounts people question. The Bible, because of its age, its claim, and its impact, is the most examine, interpreted, and scrutinized book ever written…and, despite all of this, the Bible stands tall and strong!

People deprecate and diminish the message of Scripture with such inane comments as: “The Bible is no longer relevant because it was written so long ago” and “We cannot trust the teaching of Scripture because the writers did not know then what we know now” and “The Bible is just what some men wrote!” I am increasingly disinterested or influenced by what other people say about the Bible. I am increasingly disinterested in what I might think the Bible says! My primary and increasing interest pertains to what the Bible says about itself. The Bible is not mute, a sort of hand puppet depending upon us to give it voice! The Bible is not written in some unknown language dependent upon the interpretation and preferences of all who read it. We read about the Bible within the Bible…so, when the Bible speaks about itself, what does it say?

Listen carefully as fellow worshipers read a portion of our Epistle lesson from various translations: HAVE PEOPLE READ 2 PETER 1: 20-21

No matter how you read, or from what translation you read, these verses, Scripture is identified as “from God”, as in the Revised Standard Version: “Men, moved by the Holy Spirit, spoke from God.” The verbs contained in these various translations are wonderful, such as “moved by the Holy Ghost,” “carried along by the Holy Spirit,” and “impelled by the Holy Spirit.” The Greek verb used here is descriptive of a pregnant woman, “carrying along and giving birth,” as well as some object “carried along by the wind.” This does not involve a conclusion that the biblical writers were unconscious instruments or mere machines; but it does most emphatically involve a “carrying” power quite beyond anything that the human will or imagination can claim for itself! It’s been said that the Holy Spirit used the prophets as a writer uses a pen or as a musician uses a musical instrument. Here is a basis not only for the doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture, but also for the doctrine of the entire trustworthiness…or truth…of Holy Scripture! Since God is the author can God be trusted?

In every translation, God is the author and power behind the proclamation and men are merely the scribes. St. Paul in 2 Timothy 3:16 makes the declaration that all Scripture is “given by inspiration of God” and so asserts the divine origin of the writings. Reading Galatians 1:11-12, Paul tells “I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preached is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it; rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ.” In our Epistle this week, Peter declares that holy men of God were “born” or “carried along” by the Holy Spirit, thus asserting the divine inspiration of the writers. This does not mean that individuals cannot interpret Scripture, but that we must take into account the divine origin of Scripture. The prophets spoke not by human will, but because they were moved---inspired---by God’s Holy Spirit. They not only received God’s message, but they reported it accurately in the Spirit. Since the Holy Spirit continues to be active in the Church, we can be assured that what we have received from eyewitnesses like Peter and Paul is, in fact, rooted in the true experience of God!

Looking at 2 Peter 1:16, Peter must defend the proclamation, identifying himself (and others) as “eyewitnesses of his (God’s) majesty.” It is evident that people were accusing the apostles of following “cleverly invented stories” because some evil men were interpreting Scripture to suit themselves and twisting the prophetic messages to fit their own views. Peter states that the message he offers is true and authentic and, reading 2 Peter 1:20, instructs: “No prophecy of scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation…for prophecy never had its origin in the will of man.” It is Peter’s insistence that Scripture does not consist of any person’s private opinion or interpretation, but is the revelation of God to His people, inspired and interpreted through the Holy Spirit alone! May we approach Holy Scripture with awe and prayerful humility, seeking not a defense of our pre-conceived preferences, but the truth of the Bible as the Bible speaks for itself! Amen.

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