God's Inspiration of the Scriptures (Understanding Christianity)

William Kelly (1821-1906) was an outstanding classical scholar in his generation, preacher, teacher, editor of several influential religious magazines and of John Nelson Darby's "Collected Writings", and a prolific author in his own right. He was a major figure in the late nineteenth century return to basic biblical teaching usually known as the Brethren movement, often seen as the cradle of dispensationalism. A Canadian contemporary described him as "second only to Mr Darby in knowledge of the Truth, and first in ability to state the Truth clearly". A frequent lecturer, he subsequently revised and published many of his lectures in book form. His familiarity with the original languages of the Bible led to well-researched expositions of both Old and New Testament books, which were widely read and highly regarded by Christians in his own time, and still today. With a genius for exposition, he combines scholarship and spirituality so that his readers gain a real sense of his unrestrained love for the Lord of whom the inspired pages of scripture speak. This book exhibits with unanswerable faith and proof the perfection of Divine revelation. It considers the great subject of the Inspiration of the Bible under the main headings of Divine Authority, Apostolic Doctrine, Its Uniformity, The Human Element and Divine Design. The latter topic, which occupies the major part of the book, consists of an introduction to each book of the Bible in turn, demonstrating the evidence of its inspiration, and relating it to the inspired themes of the whole. The author's purpose in writing the book was to present "the positive proofs that God speaks in it (the Bible) to every conscience and heart, more particularly of Israel in the Old Testament, and of the Christian in the New". He shows us that "one directing Author presides over each several part, imparting a special character to it, and at the same time causing all to contribute to the common purpose of revealing His counsels of glory and His ways of grace, while fully making known the weakness or the wickedness of the creature in resisting His will and doing its own." William Kelly's desire was that this work should be of help to "the spiritual understanding of all who value the Bible from beginning to end."