4 Minute Read

Prepare Your Heart

To the best of your ability, get rid of all distractions. Take a few minutes to breathe deeply and quiet yourself in the Lord’s presence. Then, ask the Lord to speak to you in this time. Let Him know that you will listen and make whatever adjustments He will reveal to you.

Read God’s Word

Ezekiel 33-34
2 Peter 1

A Verse for Today

Slowly and reflectively read the following verse(s) and listen to what God will say to you through His written Word. Consider writing down any insights He reveals to you.

2 Peter 1:20-21 (CSB): “Above all, you know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Reflecting on God’s Word

Who wrote the Bible?

Some would respond: “About 40 men over a period of about 1,400 years wrote the Bible.”

… and they would be right!

Others would respond: “God’s Holy Spirit wrote the Bible.”

… and they would be right!

The verses I have chosen for today explain this reality that we cannot fully comprehend. It tells us how the Old Testament prophets spoke with authority and accuracy. And this tells us how the Bible was written.

2 Peter 1:20-21 (CSB): “Above all, you know this: No prophecy of Scripture comes from the prophet’s own interpretation, because no prophecy ever came by the will of man; instead, men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Peter stated that the Old Testament prophets didn’t come up with their own words. What they said did not originate solely in their hearts and minds.

We are told that they spoke “as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

Rather than reinvent the wheel, let me share what John MacArthur says about this phrase in his MacArthur Study Bible:

Grammatically, this means that they were continually carried or borne along by the Spirit of God (cf. Luke 1:70; Acts 27:15, 17). The Holy Spirit thus is the divine author and originator, the producer of the Scriptures. In the OT alone, the human writers refer to their writings as the words of God over 3800 times (e.g., Jer. 1:4; cf. 3:2; Rom. 3:2; 1 Cor. 2:10). Though the human writers of Scripture were active rather than passive in the process of writing Scripture, God the Holy Spirit superintended them so that, using their own individual personalities, thought processes, and vocabulary, they composed and recorded without error the exact words God wanted written. The original copies of Scripture are therefore inspired, i.e., God-breathed (cf. 2 Tim. 3:16) and inerrant, i.e., without error (John 10:34, 35; 17:17; Titus 1:2). Peter defined the process of inspiration which created an inerrant original text (cf. Prov. 30:5; 1 Cor. 14:36; 1 Thess. 2:13).

We understand that 2 Peter 1:20-21 tells us that the Bible is literally God’s Word because it was divinely directed and overseen by His Holy Spirit. The men He used may not have felt any different as they used their own language, ideas, and lines of reasoning. We learn from Luke that he actually had to study and then compile what he learned to write his book (see Luke 1:1-4). Yet, in all of this, God’s Holy Spirit directed each man in such a way that the Bible, in its original form, contained absolutely no errors in anything it said.

So, my friend, when you read your Bible (assuming it’s a very good translation of the original languages), realize that you are reading God’s Words. And since we believe it is a living book (Hebrews 4:12), it isn’t merely what God said, it’s what God is saying. Realize that God is speaking to you every time you read His Word. So, why not ask His Holy Spirit (who authored the Bible) to make it understandable to you and show you how to apply it?

There are enough “Christians” who claim to be people of the Book, but they aren’t making consistent adjustments to their thinking and behavior as they engage with God’s Word. Don’t be like them! Get into God’s Word, and let God’s Holy Spirit get God’s Holy Word into you.

Spend Time in Prayer

  • Ask God to help you hear Him speaking to you as you read and study His Word.
  • Ask God to help you make the necessary adjustments each time your thinking or behavior doesn’t align with the Bible’s standard.

Going Deeper

If you want to dig a little deeper into what it means that the Bible was written without any errors by God’s Holy Spirit, consider reading the following GotQuestions article:

“What does it mean that the Bible is infallible?”

Sharing

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Matt Ellis is the pastor of White Hall Baptist Church in Richmond, Kentucky (whitehallbaptistchurch.org)