When it comes to Scripture, we have something far more reliable than the guarantee of a government—we have the promises of Almighty God that His Word is perfect and pure. God promised to preserve His Word for us. That means that, according to the promise of God, we can have complete faith that every word in the Bible is there on purpose.
Proverbs 30:5 say, “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.”
The Bible’s authority is the final word concerning matters of faith. If someone is preaching a doctrine and that doctrine does not line up with the Word of God, reject that doctrine. If someone gives you a personal prophecy and it runs contrary to Scripture, reject that prophecy. If someone is acting contrary to Biblical morality and claims God told them to do so, then they are being deceived.
Many today question whether the Bible is true and trustworthy. We live in a day wered, there is an eroding of the credibility of the Bible. Without a doubt this is a work of Satan. The tools he uses is our secular/humanistic society, our media, atheist/agnostic university professors, and others.
394 times the OT calls this book “The Word of God.”The Bible did not come from the best religious ideas of the apostles or prophets.
This is how the Bible describes itself: “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness…” (2 timothy 3:16)
When we talk about the inspiration of scripture, what does the phrase “inspired” mean? This phrase “God-breathed” in the Greek language means inspired, but I don’t want us to confuse this with the common use of the word “inspired.” We might say Shakespeare was inspired and he wrote good plays. We might say Beethoven was inspired and composed great symphonies. You might get inspired some night and decide to paint your living room. This is not what we are talking about when we say God’s Word is inspired.
In the biblical sense inspiration is unique. God was the author of the Bible; He was the One who inspired the writers to speak truths. He was the initiator. God was the source, the writers were the recipients.
Peter said (2 Peter 1:21) “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
This phrase “carried along” is the same Greek word that Paul used in Acts 27 to describe the “ship being driven along by a strong wind.” It was no longer under the control of the sailors, but the wind. The sailors were active, but not in control. The human authors of scripture were active, but under the control of the Holy Spirit.
The Bible is the product of God himself. The ideas are not human thoughts but come from God’s will. We also need to understand though, that the writers of the Bible were not just writing machines. God did not punch them like keys on a keyboard. His Holy Spirit prompted their hearts and minds, but it is clear that each writer had a style of his own.
Today’s Challenge: There are solid reasons for you to trust the Bible. If you haven’t made a decision about the trustworthiness of Scripture, let me plead with you. Please do not make your decision without reading it. Begin in the gospels and read about the life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Read with an open heart. Ask God to reveal himself to you. I believe He will.
