What does Scripture say as to the way in which the subject matter of these holy

writings was given? Paul answers in one word, Theopneustos. Theos is the Greek word

for "God" and is too well known to need comment here. Pneustos is the third person

singular, perfect, passive, of pneo, to breathe. This also gives us pneuma, which is

usually translated "spirit". The close association of pneuma with breath is seen in our

words pneumatic and pneumonia, while to inspire, to respire, to perspire and to transpire

are all processes of breathing either in or out by nostril, pore or cell. Let us now put

together the two parts of Paul's great utterance. All Scripture that is written, is given by

inspiration of God, that is God-breathed.

Now if what is written is what was breathed by God, there is no interval for the

prophet or the writer to give a vision of his own heart. However intelligently the writer

might cooperate with the divine Spirit, or however mystified he might be by the words

given him to write, when it was a question of the making of Scripture, and the receiving

of the oracles of God, the writers ceased to act merely in the capacity of thinkers,

theologians or philosophers, and became instruments. Thus while personality is stamped

upon every page of Scripture, Moses differing from Isaiah, Paul from Peter, Matthew

from Luke, yet all its writers are instruments in the hand of God. The reader of The

Berean Expositor will never see the actual words written by the Editor that later appear

on its pages, neither will the printer nor the proof readers. The manuscript will be turned

into type-script, to save the time and temper of the compositors, and the type-script into

the printed page. Each stage will have had its peculiar characteristics, yet each will

convey the same thing. It would be but a quibble to say that the Editor did not actually

write the article.

So with the writing of Scripture, "God, at sundry times and in divers manners, spake

in time past by the prophets" (Heb. 1: 1). However divers the manners, one thing

remained constant, it was God Who spoke. Moses was peculiarly favoured by God.

"Hear now My words: If there be a prophet among you, I the Lord will make Myself

known unto him in a vision, and will speak with him in a dream. My servant Moses is

not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak apparently, and not in

dark speeches: and the similitude of the Lord shall he behold" (Numb. 12: 6-8).

Into the question of how the revelation of truth was given we will not enter further

here, but turn to the testimony of Peter, as given in II Pet. 1:  Speaking of the second

coming of the Lord, Peter declares first of all: "We have not followed cunningly devised

fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ"

(II Pet. 1: 16). His testimony now divides into two parts:  (1) His own personal

experience, and (2) The testimony of the word of prophecy.

Peter's experience on the mount of transfiguration was blessedly real and true. So far

as Peter was concerned nothing could remove the impression he there received. But he

was commissioned to preach, not his experiences, but the Word.  Experiences are

worthless, compared with one clear statement of Scripture. Yet many a child of God is

misleading himself and others by experiences. While we may be ready to grant that the

experience is real and true, the fallibility of the interpreter of those experiences is