4 Quotes by James C. Wilhoit

Too often we seem to have the idea that submission to Scripture means that we first come to see it as reasonable and then submit to it, but submission means, in part, a willingness to bend the knee in faith to things that are not fully resolved in our mind.

The Spirit of God, being divine, oversees this inspiration process such that the words and expression of Scripture are both naturally and authentically the words of the different writers and just what God wants to say. We listen through the words of people to the voice of God. And because it is the word of God, we must listen to these human words with profound care.

As we read the Bible, we find instructions, moral teachings, images and history. In and through these different writings, we learn of God’s active involvement in human affairs. We can perceive God acting with relationship to us even as we read the writings of Scripture. We not only read about God’s blessings, we receive blessing; we do not just overhear the Father telling Jesus that he is the beloved of God, we also hear those words about Jesus spoken to us.

We describe people who reveal something of themselves to us as “open.” Open captures an important dimension of what we call revelation. The term revelation is derived from the Latin word revelatio, and it means “uncovering.” Something that was hidden has been opened or uncovered for us to see. We are unable to know God directly through our observations-unless he makes the first move, and he has done just that.