We continue looking at the way Christians should think as God has allowed us to do so to understand the world from the lens of God’s Word and Truth. We are looking at the Holy Spirit and one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit for us is the inspiration of Scripture. This overlaps with our look earlier at the Bible itself, but it is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to give us the revelation of God. If we didn’t have this revelation from the Holy Spirit, what we call the Bible, then you and I would have no idea what a biblical worldview was. We would be floundering and groping after gods and deities and whatever understandings we might have of these things as Paul says in Acts 17, but we really wouldn’t know because we wouldn’t have the divine Word of God. Yet, the Holy Spirit is the instrument by which we understand the ways of God. We think like God, and we can understand God. We call this inspiration. We find the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, of God’s Word. The revealing of God’s Word, the inspired text all over the Bible. There are two central passages that narrow it down for us. These are the clearest and we want to look at those today.
You are probably familiar with 2 Timothy 3:16 which says, “All Scripture is inspired by God and beneficial for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness.” The Legacy Bible says, “God breathed.” That is the word inspired, it is breathed out by God. So, this is saying that all Scripture, not portions of it, all Scripture, Old and New Testament is breathed out by God. The only way you and I are going to know what to believe, is teaching. The only way we are going to know when we have gone astray, is reproof. The only way that we are going to know how to correct, is correction. The only way we are going to be able to grow in Christlikeness, is training for righteousness. Thisis through the means of the Scriptures inspired by God and the Holy Spirit. 2 Timothy 3:17 continues, “so that the man or woman of God may be fully capable, equipped for every good work.” So, the equipping of you and me to be the people of God that we are supposed to be is only possible through the ministry of the Word of God which has been given to us by none other than the Holy Spirit.
There is one other passage that really stands out in this regard. This passage clarifies that it is the ministry of the Holy Spirit Himself that inspires the Scriptures. It says in 2 Peter 1:19-20, “And so we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns the morning star arises in your hearts. But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture becomes a matter of someone’s own interpretation.” No Scripture is interpreted by us. No Scripture is made up by us. Even the prophets didn’t make this stuff up. Instead, it continues in 2 Peter 1:21, “for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.” We find that the Scriptures are inspired by the instrument of the Holy Spirit. The member of the Trinity responsible for the inspiring of the Scriptures. The revelation that we have in our hands today is none other than the Holy Spirit. When we look at the Bible and we read it, we realize this is not the opinion of people. Even prophets and godly people or apostles, as good and helpful as those individuals might be, this is not their opinion or ideas. This is God’s, and God has communicated to us His way of thinking . . .
