A notoriously difficult doctrine is the inspiration of Scripture, often incapsulated in the Greek term theopneustos, which is a combination Greek word for God (theos) and breathing (Pnue). The challenge lies in the fact that all Scripture comes from God, but it came in a variety of forms, packaged in and through man. There is no denying that human personality comes through the pages of Scripture. If we understand the human person to be a theomorphism, the challenge is hugely reduced–I’ve written much on theomorphism, but the shorthand is “features of humanity that owe to their divine semblance.” There have been some great theologians who have handled this topic, but I believe too much ground is ceded to secular humanist ideology at the starting point of much of their thought.

To set the stage, it is a controversial point–supposedly suggesting the Bible to be nothing but another book–to say that a biblical author has development in their thought or have too much personality come through the scriptural words (I wonder who decides what is too much?!). To have a problem with human personality or cognitive abilities shown in the pages of Scripture is already to be a secular humanist at the starting point. The presupposition that needs exposed is this: it assumes the human person to be an animal or mostly just a biological entity. This is sizably darwinian. It assumes that all there is to human personality is that it is enhanced animality, autonomous or largely autonomous from God. We should instead understand human personality to be an image bearing quality (Imago Dei, humans are made in the image of God). Before continuing, let’s add a bit more to the discussion.

A side comment on Deists is in order: those who believe God set the universe running and then stepped out of the equation. Not to be missed, but this understanding of man’s autonomy from God precludes the presence or power of God contained in humanity in terms of theomorphisms. Deists are resoundingly in the secular humanist camp since their starting point for man already has humankind isolated from God. Scripture, however, understands the human person to be theomorphically composed: made in the Image of God. Thus, human personality is built from God’s Personhood. Cognitive growth/development is part and parcel to the human’s ever growing need to have those abilities to appreciate God more and more, evermore. Anything limited must grow. Anything limited must have development of thought. Anything limited does not have its continued existence in itself (Aseity). Thus, the objection that human development of thought or human personality being contained in Scripture shows its non-divine origin is question begging. This assumption already shows a darwinian or deist starting point (maybe agnostic too); why would those who affirm humanity to be God’s divine image bearers cede this ground?

Therefore, human personality and human thought development is an expression of God’s gracious Presence, not evidence of His absence. How could it be otherwise? If humanity is limited–and it is–no human will escape having development and growth as part of his or her identity and formation. It is odd, isn’t it, that the pages of Scripture make sure to inform us that Jesus “increased in wisdom and in years . . . (Lk. 2:52).” This is fitting since Jesus was fully human and fully divine and for a time willingly “emptied himself” of his divine prerogatives (Phil. 2:7-8). How could Jesus be like us in every respect (Heb. 2:17, 4:15) if He did not partake in human limitations, which limitations are the very makeup of what it means to be a creature (contingent)? If Jesus popped out of the womb speaking Latin, it would be very obvious He was not human. Scripture wants us to know that even Jesus, the incarnated God-man, underwent growth and increases while He was incarnated. Therefore, for those persons who wrote Scripture to have increases in their thought across Scriptures’ pages, and to have their personality shine through, is not a renunciation of God’s presence or that those words did not originate from God. Instead, growth in thought and personality shining through is precisely the kind of thing we should expect since both human personality and human limitations are part of how God made humankind and how He made humans in His image. Humans transcend their limitations time and time again, and this is why advancements of any type in any field are possible at all. Humans can become the stories they tell, and no other species can do this.

Two side of one puzzle: God condescends to speak in the limitations proper to all things created; humankind ascends through their transcending growth abilities to pursue God and all Who He is. I am certain there is not enough fanfare about human growth capacities, at least not from a rich theological view. Amazingly, crowds pay huge dollars to see athletes demonstrate these upgraded abilities. There is something else driving the premium on professional athletes’ abilities as a fan-favorite: scarcity. Our short life spans, and our even shorter physical improvement time-frames, makes these abilities scarce. The takeaway is that humans have the ability to break through their limitations, and humanity recognizes this ability as extremely valuable. This instinct is right because it is only humans, among all God’s creatures, that can do this. I describe this unique feature of humanity the “ability to transcend ideological confines.” We could also say it is the “ability to reframe our epistemic limitations.” For my larger purpose here, we must be realistic about how Scripture comes to us. God deemed it appropriate to come to us through humans, involving all that is proper in human growth and various personality factors. We have allowed the secular humanists and others to set the stage, implying that “if something is human then it is not of the divine.” The point is that the humanity of something does not necessarily imply the lack of divine influence; quite the opposite may be true, to be human is to have the divine image built into you. The incarnation of the Son of God should have made this point long ago: the divine comes to us humanly. If God had wanted it otherwise, it would be otherwise.

The inspiration of Scripture must involve personality for personality belongs first and properly to God. If God speaks to humanity as being creatures, He speaks in the framework of our nature, which involves growth, which is quite proper to what and where we are. There is no way this could be otherwise. Why, you ask. How could what is finite (humans) hear He who is infinite if the Infinite spoke to us in perfect infinitude? No, love would suggest that the Speaker speak in a way the listener can discern. Indeed, only a very cruel being would drop infinite articulations onto extremely limited humans, in which there would be no starting point for them to transcend upward.

Dr. Scalise