Chapter 3 — Revelation/Inspiration and the Witness of Scripture

Ángel M. Rodríguez

What the Bible says about itself is as important as the message it contains. The value and particularly the authority of the message are directly dependent on the Bible’s self-testimony. This highlights the importance of having a biblically based understanding of revelation and inspiration. Traditionally the word “revelation” has been used to designate the supernatural self-disclosure of God, His will, truth, and plans to a human being called to be a prophet. ^{1See David A. Pailin, “Revelation,” in The Westminster Dictionary of Christian Theology, ed. Alan Richardson and John Bowden (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1983), 503.} “Inspiration” usually refers to the process by which that information was communicated to others by the prophets in a trustworthy form. ^{2See Nigel M. de S. Cameron, “Bible, Inspiration of,” in Baker Theological Dictionary of the Bible, ed. Walter A. Elwell (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1996), 60, 61.} These definitions are useful but will need to be examined in the light of Scripture itself. In this study we will summarize some of the biblical evidence on the topic of revelation and inspiration and Ellen G. White’s contribution to it, and will conclude with a brief discussion of the phenomena of Scripture itself.GOP 84.1