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The Double Authorship of the Bible - The View of John R. W. Stott
I wonder sometimes what it must of been like for the Apostles to write the New Testament. What it must of been like and how it all happened. We read the Scriptures and know that it is "God-breathed" and the very words of God, yet we also know that humans wrote it down. Therefore, in a sense, there is this double authorship of the Scriptures. John Stott explains it amazingly in his book "The Contemporary Christian:"
"The same Scripture which says 'the mouth of the Lord has spoken' also says that God spoke 'by the mouth of the holy prophets'. Out of whose mouth did Scripture come, then? God's or man's? The only biblical answer is 'both'. Indeed, God spoke through human authors in such a way that his words were simultaneously their words, and their words were simultaneously his. This is the double authorship of the Bible. Scripture is equally the Word of God and the words of human beings. Better, it is the Word of God through the words of human beings."
He goes on to say this: "Thus on the one hand God spoke, determining what he wanted to say, yet without smothering the personality of the human authors. On the other hand, human beings spoke, using their faculties freely, yet without distorting the truth which God was speaking through them."
Therefore, because of this double authorship, we should approach Scripture in two ways. First, we must come before it in acknowledgment that it is the Word of God. We should read it like no other book. Second, we should read it like we read every other book, "using our minds, thinking, pondering and reflecting, and paying close attention to its literary, historical, cultural, and linguistic characteristics."
I love what Stott says here. I love the fact that he reminds us that Scripture is the Word of God, but it was given to us through the words of humans. I think some critics will try to say that Stott gives too much credit to humans; however, on the contrary, I believe this truth he presents shed even more light on the power of our God and His incredible nature that He would use fallen creatures to communicate His truth. We serve an amazing God! Wouldn't you agree!
In all, present in this truth stated by Stott is the need for balance. One cannot neglect the fact that human words were employed here, but also cannot take it to the extreme where the fact that it is God's Word is neglected. On the other hand, one cannot take it so far to the side of being God's Word that one rejects the participation of humans in the process. Just like with many other areas of our faith, there must be a balance, and we, as fallen creatures, have to rely on the Holy Spirit's guidance to live in this balance.
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