W.E. Vine – författare

"The Scriptures are the voice of God to the soul of man," said W.E. Vine, and therefore they are, in the words of the apostle Paul, "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness." This little book is an explanation and exposition of that statement by combining three works of W.E. Vine. . First, "The Divine Inspiration of the Bible" explains and gives evidence for the inspiration of the Bible. The Scriptures are God-breathed, and so "by whatever media that Word reaches men, whether in the original autographs or in faithful copies or in the resultant texts, or in a faithful translation, it is in reality God''s own voice to our souls." W.E. Vine points out the importance of this doctrine because "to lose certainty here is to be exposed to every wind of doctrine." To lose confidence in the unchanging authority of God''s Word opens up the possibility of relying on the ever-changing authority of human opinions. The author explains the doctrine of inspiration and what it means. He then gives evidences in Scripture for inspiration by looking at key passages in both the Old and New Testaments and reviews objections to the doctrine and various misunderstandings. For instance, is the Bible inspired when it quotes the mistaken arguments of Job''s friends or the falsehoods of Peter when he denied Jesus? The author also shows the effects of the Bible, which has "won the souls and molded the lives of millions."Second, "The Scriptures and How to Use Them" looks at those who teach the Bible—their responsibilities and their qualifications. It also examines "guiding principles" of teaching the Word of God. Vine challenges those who are called to "the holy and solemn yet blessed work of teaching" to "give ourselves to teaching by speaking—in the words of the apostle Peter—"as it were oracles of God: . . . that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, Whose is the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen."Third, "Bible Predictions and the Critics" shows how Higher Criticism attempts to minimize the Bible''s own testimony of its supernatural character, particularly when it comes to the predictive prophecies of the Bible. A.S. Peake''s Commentary on the Bible is represented as a moderate example of Higher Criticism.

Isaiah, the longest prophetic book in the Old Testament and the prophetic book most quoted in the New Testament, is a book of prophecies, promises, and warnings. W.E. Vine''s commentary seeks to unfold the message of Isaiah and also "to bring to bear upon the lives of believers the practical effects of the book of Isaiah."Isaiah is a book rich in history and promise. It is a book of judgment and includes messages of woe to nations around Judah—Babylon, Assyria, Egypt, and Tyre, for instance—and a warning of judgment on Judah itself. But it''s also a book of promise of the restoration of the righteous and includes the servant songs that are a picture of Jesus Christ. F.F. Bruce commented that "the most valuable feature of W.E. Vine''s exposition is the way in which, at the end of each section, its moral and spiritual lessons are summed up and applied in a practical way to the conditions of the people of God today. Although W.E. Vine does not dwell on critical questions surrounding Isaiah, he indicates his belief in the unity of the authorship of the book and lists sixteen features common to both its earlier and later parts. His interpretation of the prophetic sections is marked by a futurist element. For example, the tenth chapter of Isaiah refers not only to the Assyrian monarch reigning at the time, but also, he says, "relates to the future time of ''the Day of the Lord.''" "Omitting critical and historical questions," says F.F. Bruce, "the author has concentrated on the moral and spiritual lessons of Isaiah, and presented them in a way which will prove very helpful to the general reader."