特殊性的啟示SpecialRevelation and the Bible

摘自《神學入門》《Essential Truths of the Christian Faith》13頁 , R.C. Sproul著/姚錦榮译，更新傳道會出版。

當耶穌在曠野面對試探時，祂斥責魔鬼說：「人活著，不是單靠食物，乃是靠神口里所出的一切話。」(太四4) 教會在歷史上對耶穌這句話作出了回應，確認圣經就是神的聲音(vox Dei)；或神的話(verbum Dei)。我們稱圣經為神的話，并非因為圣經是神親自用圣手寫成的，也不是因為圣經是一本由天降下的書。圣經本身很清楚地讓我們知道，它有很多不同的作者。只要留心閱讀圣經，我們便會發現，每一個寫作人都有他自己的特色、風格、詞匯、重點和觀念等等。圣經既是集眾人之力寫成的，它又怎能稱為神的話呢?

　　

圣經之所以稱為神的話，乃是基于圣經自己的宣稱——圣經的作者并不單是在表達自己的意見，他們所寫的話乃是出于神的默示——而教會也確信此一宣稱。使徒保羅寫道：「圣經都是神所默示的」(提后3：16)。默示(inspiration)一詞譯自希臘文，即「神呼氣」之意，也就是說，神呼出了這整本的圣經。正如我們說話時從口呼出氣來，神說話就呼出圣經。

雖然我們的圣經是出于人的手筆，但是圣經最終的源頭是神。正因如此，先知們才會用「耶和華如此說」這句話作他們信息的開始；也正因如此，主耶穌才會說：「你的道就是真理」(約17：17)；又說：「經上的話是不能廢的。」(約10：35)

默示一詞也說明，圣經是在圣靈的監督下寫成的。圣靈引導每位作者，使他們所寫的不多不少就是神的話語。我們不知道神是怎樣去監管圣經原著的寫作；但所謂默示，并不是指神向作者口授祂的信息，而是說，圣靈透過這些人傳達神的每一句話。

基督徒肯定圣經的絕對無謬(infallibility)和無誤(inerrancy)，因為神是圣經最終的作者，而神不可能默示錯謬，祂的話全都是真實可信的。任何一本出于常人的一般性作品，都可能會出現錯誤，但圣經并不是出于常人的一般性之作，它是神所默示和監督的，所以不會出錯。

但這并不是說，我們今天的圣經翻譯本不會出錯，我們只是說，圣經的原稿是絕對沒有錯誤的。這也不是說，圣經中所說的每一句話都是正確的，例如傳道書的作者曾說：「凡你手所當做的事，要盡力去做，因為在你所必去的陰間，沒有工作、沒有謀算、沒有知識、也沒有智慧。」(傳9：10)作者當時站在一個絕望的處境說話，若比較其它經文，我們便知道他這句話是不正確的。從圣經照實記錄一個絕望者錯誤的推理這點來看，也可知道圣經只說真話。

總結

1.默示是神呼出祂話語的方法。

2.神是圣經最終的源頭。

3.神是圣經最終的監督。

4.只有圣經的原稿是沒有錯誤的。

思考經文：

詩 119；篇約 17 : 17；帖前2 ：13；提後3 :1 5-17；彼後1 :2 0-21

Special Revelation and the Bible

When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness, He rebuked the devil with the words, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). Historically, the church has echoed the teaching of Jesus by affirming that the Bible is the vox Dei, the "voice of God" or the verbum Dei, the "Word of God." To call the Bible the Word of God is not to suggest that it was written by God's own divine hand or that it fell from heaven in a parachute. The Bible itself clearly calls attention to its many human authors. In a careful study of Scripture we notice that each human author has his own peculiar literary style, vocabulary, special emphasis, perspective, and the like. Since the production of the Bible involved human effort, how can it be regarded as the Word of God?

The Bible is called the Word of God because of its claim, believed by the church, that the human writers did not merely write their own opinions, but that their words were inspired by God. The apostle Paul writes, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16). The word inspiration is a translation from the Greek word meaning "God-breathed." God breathed out the Bible. Just as we must expel breath from our mouths when we speak, so ultimately Scripture is God speaking.

Although Scripture came to us from the pens of human authors, the ultimate source of Scripture is God. That is why the prophets could preface their words by saying, "Thus says the Lord." This is also why Jesus could say, "Your word is truth" (John 17:17), and "Scripture cannot be broken" (John 10:35).

The word inspiration also calls attention to the process by which the Holy Spirit superintended the production of Scripture. The Holy Spirit guided the human authors so that their words would be nothing less than the word of God. How God superintended the original writings of the Bible is not known. But inspiration does not mean that God dictated his messages to those who wrote the Bible. Rather, the Holy Spirit communicated through the human writers the very words of God.

Christians affirm the infallibility and inerrancy of the Bible because God is ultimately the Author of the Bible. And because God is incapable of inspiring falsehood, His word is altogether true and trustworthy. Any normally prepared human literary product is liable to error. But the Bible is not a normal human project. If the Bible is inspired and superintended by God, then it cannot err.

This does not mean that the Bible translations we have today are without error, but that the original manuscripts were absolutely correct. Nor does it mean that every statement in the Bible is true. The writer of the book of Ecclesiastes, for instance, declares that "there is no work or device or knowledge or wisdom in the grave where you are going" (Ecclesiastes 9:10). The writer was speaking from the standpoint of human despair, and we know his statement to be untrue from other parts of Scripture. Even in revealing the false reasonings of a despairing man, the Bible speaks truth.

1.Inspiration is the process whereby God breathed out His word.

2.God is the ultimate source of the Bible.

3.God is the ultimate superintendent of the Bible.

4.Only the original manuscripts of the Bible were without error.