The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper

The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper

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This assignment consists of two (2) parts. Both parts are to be written and submitted as a single Word document.

Part 1: Provide an eight (8) page double-spaced treatment of the Bible which includes the following information:

A summary of biblical inspiration, inerrancy, infallibility, and perspicuity (one (1) paragraph each) based on the assigned articles from Vanhoozer, as well as various other sources of your choosing.
A discussion of how these four aspects of the doctrine of Scripture are interrelated, as well as how they are related to the formation of the canon. Answer the following questions:The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper

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What is the relationship between inspiration and inerrancy, inspiration and infallibility, and inspiration and perspicuity?
What is the difference between inerrancy and infallibility?
How does the canonicity of a given book relate to its inspired status? Does canonicity “prove” inspiration or does inspiration result in canonization?

Part 2: Provide a two-to-three (2-3) page double-spaced evaluative summary of the articles listed below: The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper

Douglas W. Kennard’s “Evangelical Views on Illumination of Scripture and Critique”

Be sure to include the following in your evaluative summary:

A one (1) paragraph summary of the author’s major argument with a statement of the author’s thesis if available.
A brief discussion of those points in the article with which you agree.
A critique of the article with a discussion of those points in the article with which you do not agree.

Christians consider the Bible as the word of God’s most appropriate guide in their lives. Thus, they study the Bible during Bible study sessions and daily or Sunday church services to understand it better. Roman Catholics’ Sunday masses consist of three readings from the New Testament, Old Testament, and gospel from one of the evangelists, including Mark, Matthew, Luke, and John. However, the Bible’s evangelical doctrine remains a significant concern among Christians. This paper covers controversial Biblical aspects, including inspiration, inerrancy, infallibility, and perspicuity; the interrelationship between the four aspects; and how they relate to canon formation. Additionally, the paper presents a summary of the provided article The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper.

Part 1: A Summary of Biblical Aspects

Biblical Inspiration

The Bible is divinely inspired since God guided its authors. Inspiration gives the Bible power, authority, and supremacy (Vanhoozer 725). Additionally, inspiration from the Bible is evident in 2 Tim 3:16, which states, “God-breathed.” The Lord breathed words and messages presented in the Scripture, although human instrumentality is not excluded. Secondly, the inspiration of the Bible by God is demonstrated in Samuel 23:2, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.” Furthermore, “They made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets,” (Zechariah 7:12)The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper. Lastly, God’s inspiration from the Bible is evident in 2 Peter 1:21, “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” Thus, God used men to reveal His Word by empowering them to receive and understand His truth and will. God protected and provided for the authors as they wrote the Bible to ensure His message was delivered as intended.

Additionally, the inspiration of the Scripture is justified by the following techniques. First, God revealed Himself through ancient cultures. The authors’ culture, assumptions, and backgrounds are reflected through various features of the Scripture, including words, themes, imagery, arguments, and concepts. Additionally, the Old Testament borrows from and adapts the culture and practices of the ancient people, especially the Near Eastern covenant. For instance, the writers of the Scripture used the covenant-signifying practice of circumcision among Israelites to demonstrate the relationship between God and Israel (John 64). Secondly, God’s revelation is experienced in all nations. Paul states that the Scripture is written for his original audience and other nations, justifying the Biblical perspective of divine inspiration. Lastly, the Bible demonstrates inspired even emphasis. Christians accept God’s word as inspired and authoritative. For this reason, the significance of emphasis cannot be ignored. Biblical writers aimed to express specific ideas in particular passages and books. The ideas are primary or secondary, depending on the context. For example, the new creation is the most significant theme in John’s Gospel (Andreas 351)The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper.

Biblical Inerrancy

Inerrancy is one of the terms most commonly used in describing the nature of the Scripture. It emphasizes that the teaching taught by the Bible to Christians and the church has persisted from the beginning. Inerrancy describes the Scripture as God’s word without errors (Vanhoozer 726). Additionally, inerrancy describes the inability of the Scripture to err. According to Graham (2016), Scriptural inerrancy is categorized as without error since it is not erring (errant) or “without error,” implying that God is true (13). Additionally, inerrancy in the Bible is supported by some verses. For instance, Jesus replied to His disciples, “You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God,” (Matthew 22:29). In another example, Jesus said, “Your Word is truth,” (John 17:17)The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper. Scriptural inerrancy demonstrates infallibility in the orthodox and traditional sense. The authors were inspired by God when writing Bible. Inerrancy focuses on the quality of the Scripture’s original text, written by apostles and prophets. Thus, the Scripture does not have affirmations of any information that contradicts facts. The Biblical concept of inerrancy means that the Scripture is reliable if every sentence is interpreted correctly without altering the original meaning. However, the new versions of the Biblical might contain errors, which occur during translations due to misunderstanding of the original message and need for appropriate words to replace original terms.

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Biblical Infallibility

Scriptural infallibility is another significant aspect of the Bible. This concept focuses on the inability of the Bible to teach any error. Therefore, infallibility presents the perfect nature of the Scripture. The concept of infallibility arises from Scriptural inerrancy. The apostles and prophets who authored the Bible did not err when writing the Scripture since they were inspired by God and guided by Holy Spirit. The Scriptural infallibility is supported by some Bible verses that indicate that the word of God cannot fail. First, infallibility is supported by the Bible’s divine authority. Mathew 4:7 states,”It is written: “Man does not live on bread alone, but [must live] on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” Therefore, the word of God is the truth and light for all His followers. Secondly, the Scripture presents the word of God as the truth based on its inability to perish. Matthew 5:17-18 states, “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfil. For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one title will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.” Lastly, the Scriptural infallibility is depicted by the inability of the word of God to be broken (infallible). John 10: 35 states, “If he called them ‘gods,’ to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken.” Therefore, Biblical doctrines do not support false teachings. Regrettably, some church leaders and theologians in contemporary society have redefined the Scriptural infallibility to promote a lower view of the Bible The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper.

Biblical Perspicuity

Biblical perspicuous is also used to describe the nature of the Scripture. The term was derived from the Latin “Perspicare,” meaning “to See through.” Perspicuity refers to the clarity of the Bible. The concept of perspicuity in the Scripture refers to conviction through the Holy Spirit, which enables Biblical texts to guide the believers sufficiently in pleasing their God (Vanhoozer 728). The original version of the Scripture needed to be clarified since it did not use plain language. Instead, it was based on the culture and practices of the local communities; hence, it could only be understood by the ancient people. For instance, parables based on the ancients’ culture and daily practices were commonly used to express the messages in the Scripture. For example, vines were common trees during ancient times. As a result, the parable of the vine and vinedresser was used in the Bible to demonstrate the relationship between God, Jesus, and the believers. John 15:2 states, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunesso that it will be even more fruitful.” Therefore, basing the Biblical message on the culture and practices of the ancient people reduced its clarity, limiting understanding of Biblical teachings to a small population The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper.

Additionally, the clarity of the Bible was compromised by its original language, Latin (Ruel 249). The Roman Catholic Church was against translating the Bible into vulgar language during Medieval Times. Instead, the Bible was to be retained in the original Latin Vulgate to control the church and the people. Only the learned Christians who understood Latin read and interpreted the Bible during this period. On the contrary, common attended Mass on Sunday would only understand the sermon if they understood Latin. For this reason, the reformers advocate for the clarity of the Scripture, to enhance its clarity. They claim that the Bible was written for all; therefore, it should consider unlearned and common people, which will reduce potential misinterpretation. Most believers in ancient times attended church services and listened to a sermon or joined Bible study groups to understand the Bible. Others bought a commentary and read it or sought clarification from people who studied theology for them to understand the Bible. These challenges were associated with ordinary means of original versions of the Bible, which limited sufficient understanding of the Scripture. Nonetheless, the Bible was later translated into English in Britain (Daniell 39)The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper. The Scripture was further translated into various local languages in past decades, making it easy for individuals to read the Scripture in the most convenient language. Thus, translating the Bible has enhanced its clarity and reduced dependence on reading and understanding the Scripture.

Interrelation between Four Aspects of the Biblical Doctrine and how they are related to the Canon Formation

Relationship between Inspiration and Inerrancy

The Bible’s divine nature is associated with its authors’ inspiration. Several Bible verses indicate that the apostles and prophets were inspired by God and guided by Holy Spirit when writing the Bible. God’s inspiration to the writers of the Scripture is evident in Samuel 23:2, which states, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke by me, and His word was on my tongue.” Additionally, the inspiration of the authors of the Bible is evident in Zechariah 7:12, which states, “They made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets.” Furthermore, 2 Peter 1:21, “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit,” indicates that authors were inspired by God. On the other hand, Scriptural inerrancy emphasizes the inability of the Scripture to err (Graham 13)The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper. Inspiration and inerrancy are related since apostles and prophets were inspired by God while writing the Bible, eliminating the possibility of errors.

Inspiration and Infallibility

Inspiration presents the Bible as a reliable source of religious teaching for Christians. The Lord communicated His word to His people through the writers of the Bible. Despite using their language and grammar while writing the Bible, apostles and prophets expressed God’s will through writing. On the other hand, infallibility is the inability of the Bible to teach any error. Scriptural infallibility is attributed to the authors of the Bible being inspired by God. The apostles and prophets wrote the Bible under the influence of God and the Holy Spirit. According to Vanhoozer, the Holy Spirit guides Scriptural inspiration and infallibility (726). The Holy Spirit guided the Bible’s authors when writing the Scripture (Vanhoozer 726). Additionally, the Holy Spirit is responsible for illumination, enabling the believers to apprehend and understand the divine truth in inspired Biblical passages (Vanhoozer 726)The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper. Therefore, inspiration and infallibility are related since inspired Biblical texts are highly reliable and credible; hence, they teach the truth.

Inspiration and Perspicuity

Inspiration justifies the divine nature of the Bible. The authors of the Bible did not use their words while writing the Scripture but relied on God’s inspiration. Prophets expressed God’s inspiration in their books. For instance, Zachariah stated that people were unwilling to receive the word God had sent to His prophets. “They made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words, which the Lord of hosts had sent by His Spirit through the former prophets,” (Zech. 7:12). Additionally, the writers were guided by the Holy Spirit. “For prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit,” (2 Peter 1:21)The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper. On the other hand, perspicuity describes the clarity of the Bible. The Bible lacks clarity despite the authors being inspired by God since they wrote the Bible based on the local people’s language, culture, and practices. Consequently, it is challenging for most Christians to read, understand, and interpret the Bible independently. Additionally, inspiration is unrelated to perspicuity since the authors expressed words inspired by the Lord. On the contrary, perspicuity depends on Biblical interpretations based on the “words of men.”

Differences between Inerrancy and Infallibility

In most cases, inerrancy and infallible are used interchangeably. However, slight differences exist between the two terms. Scriptural inerrancy means that the Bible is free from errors. This term was recently introduced to emphasize that the Bible does not have errors in its message or contradictory statements. Bible is described as inerrant, meaning that God used human authors to pen the intended message without any error. God used prophets and apostles with their writing styles, personalities, knowledge and skills, accumulated vocabularies, illustrations and metaphors, and experience to express His words in a way others would express without error. Thus, the Scripture has a dual authorship. God is behind the Bible’s authority and message since he inspired the authors to ensure His word was delivered without errors. Therefore, inerrancy focuses on the content and details of the Scripture.

On the other hand, infallible is a term used to present the Bible as reliable and trustworthy. Scriptural infallible implies that the Bible does not have a defect in teaching God’s word. Thus, individuals who rely on infallible teachings will never go astray. “My word that comes from My mouth will not return to Me empty, but it will accomplish what I please and will prosper in what I send it to do” (Isaiah 55:11)The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper. Infallibility in the context of the Bible is broader than inerrancy. It focuses on an individual’s knowledge of the word of God rather than details. Thus, individuals who believe in inerrancy also accept infallibility.

The Relationship between the Canonicity of a Book and its Inspired Status

Canonicity is a set of writings that are divine, unique, and authoritative for God’s people. Canon forms the foundation of the Christian faith since it defines the relationship between God and His people. The canonicity of a particular book is attributed to its inspired status since the authors were guided by God when writing it (Farkasfalvy 19)The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper. God would lack authority and lordship over His people if no revealed words were availed to them. Inspiration results in canonization since theological writings are considered canonical if the authors were guided by God when writing them.

Part 2: Summary of the Article

The Author’s Major Argument

The article focuses on the evangelical perspective of illumination in contemporary society. The author emphasizes liberalism-based illumination on inspiration. Holy Spirit guides believers on how to apply Biblical teachings appropriately in their lives (Douglas 797). Additionally, the spirit illuminates the letters, which imposes its force on the reader. Consequently, illumination of the Spirit enables Christians to understand God’s message, including warnings, commands, assertions, promises, and implicit claims on their hearts and minds. The author also states that the difference between “letter” and “spirit” involves reading the words and understanding what one has read. Additionally, he differentiated between a “natural” and an “illuminated” understanding (Douglas 799)The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper. The first one involves an individual’s opinion concerning a particular reading, while the latter deeply understand the reading. Furthermore, the article emphasizes that Holy Spirit illuminate the believers to help them understand biblical passages and apply them in their lives. For this reason, Jesus left His eleven disciples with the Holy Spirit, who would illuminate them to understand the hidden meaning of God’s word and continue with Jesus’ ministry on earth. Lastly, the author presents different views concerning an illumination aid among commentators. Some godly commentators reject features, while others claim they lie within the text’s meaning (Douglas 804).

Supported Article’s Points

I agree with several points presented in the article. First, I agree that the Holy Spirit enhance Christians’ understanding of the biblical text. I also support the claim that Holy Spirit enables Christians to apply Biblical teaching appropriately (Douglas 802). The Bible presents Holy Spirit as an inspiration for all believers through Jesus’ words to His disciples before leaving them. “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach all of you all things, and bring to all your-all remembrance all that I said to you all,” (John 4:26). Additionally, Jesus assured His disciples that Holy Spirit would continue teaching them the true gospel. “I have many more things to say to you all, but you all cannot bear them now. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you all into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own initiative, but whatever he hears, he will speak; and he will disclose to you all what is to come” (John 16:12-15)The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper. Lastly, I agree that individuals perceive the gospel differently depending on their faith. Strong and mature Christians view the gospel as the source of God’s wisdom, while scholars and academics consider the gospel as foolishness.

The Article’s Critique

I disagree with some views presented in the article. First, I disagree with the Bible’s revelatory status, which claims that message of the Bible does not depend on its wording but rather on the Spirit of God that gives the word meaning and authority. This statement is wrong since the authors of the Bible were inspired by God while writing it; therefore, its wording contributes to its message. Additionally, Scriptural inerrancy eliminates the possibility of errors, making the wording of the Bible correct (Douglas 800). Secondly, I disagree with the claim that a natural man can discern the biblical message spiritually without being guided by the Holy Spirit. On the contrary, the Holy Spirit illuminates believers, which enables them to understand Biblical passages and interpret them. Individuals without the Holy Spirit can read the Bible but cannot understand the hidden meaning. I also disagree with the statement that Christians are not doing better than skilled unbelievers in understanding Biblical text (Douglas 803). Understanding and interpreting Biblical passages depends on illumination by the Holy Spirit. Therefore, skilled non-Christians cannot interpret the biblical text better than Christians despite studying the Bible. Furthermore, I disagree with the claim that superior non-Christian commentaries do not depend on illumination (Douglas 804). An illumination aid enables Christians to produce superior commentaries to non-Christians. Lastly, I disagree with the perspective that illumination aid in uniting Christians (Douglas 805)The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper. The inability of Christian commentaries to unite the believers is independent of illumination aid but rather on the level of faith, thought forms, sensitivity to the Biblical texts, theological construct, and grammar. Thus, disagreement on commentators does not imply that the illumination aid does not guide them.

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Work Cited

Andreas Kostenberger, A Theology of John’s Gospel and Letters: The Word, the Christ, the Son of God, Biblical Theology of the New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2009), 336–54.

Daniell, David. The Bible in English: Its History and Influence. Yale University Press, 2003. 17-56.

Douglas W. Kennard. “Evangelical Views on Illumination of Scripture and Critique.” Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society, 2006. 797–806.

Farkasfalvy, O. A Theology of the Christian Bible: Revelation-Inspiration-Canon. The Catholic University of America Press, 2018.

Graham, Michael. “The inerrancy of Scripture: a doctrine under fire.” Diligence: Journal of the Liberty University Online Religion Capstone in Research and Scholarship 1.1 (2016): 13.

John J. Davis, Paradise to Prison: Studies in Genesis (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1975), 192; John Meade, “Circumcision of the Heart in Leviticus and Deuteronomy: Divine Means for Resolving Curse and Bringing Blessing,” SBJT 18 (2014): 59–85.

Ruel, Malcolm. “Christians as believers.” Ritual and Religious Belief. Routledge, 2017. 242-264.

Vanhoozer, Kevin J., et al., eds. Dictionary for theological interpretation of the Bible. Baker Books, 2005 The Doctrinal Treatment Assignment Paper