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Scripture Lesson:
2nd Peter 1:20-21
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We've been reminded many times that we live in an era plagued by skepticism and
doubt.
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We've already said that skeptics target the Bible because it claims to be God's
authoritative word.
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But let's be honest, many people don't want an authority outside of themselves
for their lives.
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In a time where the individual is the ultimate authority, it is only natural
for people to reject God's authority.
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Generally speaking, people don't want to hear about sin, righteousness, or
judgment.
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Most of us just want to live our lives the way we want without anyone telling
us how to live.
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People just want to think, 'If I'm a good person, then I'll go to heaven.'
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The Bible, for many, is irrelevant. Since it is a book that's thousands of
years old it is out of touch with 21st century realities, so they think and
speak.
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But there is a flaw in that kind of thinking. It assumes that because something
is thousands of years old its claims no longer apply, that it is boring,
untrue, or irrelevant.
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In a world that is predominantly atheist or agnostic, most people assume that
if God exists, and he probably doesn't, that this nonexistent God does not
speak.
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Therefore, it is assumed that the Bible is of human origin.
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But what if the Bible's origin is not human?
- Instead, what if... while the Bible has human authors, the
Bible's origin is of God.
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Let's explore some simple questions. Can we trust the Bible? Is it a human
book? Is it a divine book?
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These are questions that Peter appears to be addressing with his readers.
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What did Peter tell his readers about
the origins of prophecy and, therefore, the Bible?
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To answer Peter's question, let's dig into the two verses of Scripture that are
before us.
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"First of all you must understand
this, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation,
because no prophecy ever came by human will, but men and women moved by the
Holy Spirit spoke from God."
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First of all, wrote Peter, you must understand this. Above all, we need to get
this.
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Peter wanted to draw his readers' attention to what he was about to write
because it was critically important.
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What he was about to write was an important truth that every Christian must
grasp.
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Here's the first part of what he had to say that every Christian needs to have
a handle on:
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No prophecy of Scripture was a matter of the prophet's own interpretation.
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The origin of the Scriptures, Peter was saying, was not with the prophets
themselves.
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Their prophecies were not just something that they wanted to say. Their words
were not merely their words.
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That's what false prophets did. False prophets produced messages that were just
their messages.
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Peter continues, "no prophecy ever came by human will."
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What Peter was telling his readers was that prophecy does not have a human
origin.
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The Scriptures are not simply words to humanity from humanity. The Bible isn't
FUBU, i.e., for us, by us.
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Prophecy that we find in the Bible is not creative writing on the part of the
prophets.
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They were not simply doing their own thing. It wasn't human initiative that
caused them to write or to speak.
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Their inspiration was completely unlike the inspiration of poets and
songwriters, painters and sculptors.
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Their inspiration was not of this Earth.
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As Peter wrote, "but men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from
God."
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Every prophecy, and thereby the Scriptures themselves, had its origin in God.
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According to the first chapter of Peter's previous letter, the prophets
themselves did not understand everything they wrote so they wondered, inquiring
of God about the grace that was to come through the sufferings of Christ.
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However, it was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves as they
prophesied, but spoke for our sake (see 1Peter 1: 10-12).
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This fact demonstrates that the prophecies of Scripture did not have their
origins in the prophets themselves, but in the Holy Spirit.
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The prophets, Peter told his readers, were "moved" or "carried
along" by the Holy Spirit.
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The Scriptures do not come to us, according to Peter, by human whims, but by
the guidance and direction of the Holy Spirit.
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Peter agrees with what Paul wrote to Timothy regarding the inspiration of
Scripture, that the Scriptures are God-breathed, 2 Timothy 3:16.
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This fact is significant because in both Hebrew and Greek we find two words,
one Heb the other Gk, for breath or wind in both the Old and New Testaments, these
are also the very same two words which mean spirit.
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The breath or Spirit of God is the one who inspired and directed the prophets
to speak and write.
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Peter and Paul agree that the Scriptures are Holy Spirit inspired,
God-breathed.
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"Men and women moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."
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Scripture, therefore, has dual authorship. The Bible didn't simply fall from
heaven or appear like golden tablets.
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The Bible is not simply a human book; rather God used human authors to
communicate his words.
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As David said, "The Spirit of the
Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue" (2 Samuel 23: 2).
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Isaiah had a similar experience, "Then
I heard the Lord asking, 'Whom shall I send as a messenger to this people? Who
will go for us?' I said, 'Here I am. Send me.' And he said, 'Yes, go, and say
to this people...'"(Isaiah 6:8-9 a).
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The same may be said of Jeremiah. "The
Lord replied, 'Don't say, I'm too young, for you must go wherever I send you
and say whatever I tell you. And don't be afraid of the people, I will be with
you and will protect you. I, the Lord, have spoken!' Then the Lord reached out
and touched my mouth and said, 'Look, I have put my words in your mouth!'"
(Jeremiah 1:7-9)
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These brief examples tell us that while the Scriptures have human authors, they
are of divine origin.
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God used the language, culture, and experience of individual human beings to be
the vehicle by which he revealed his nature, character and plans.
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Just as Peter told his readers, the human authors of Scripture were moved or
carried along by the Holy Spirit.
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God did not suspend or supersede the personalities or experiences of the human
authors, rather he moved or carried them so that they spoke and wrote according
to his will.
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Therefore, the message of Scripture is reliable, authentic, and trustworthy.
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The Scriptures are not fanciful stories, fables, or myths.
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No, the Scriptures have their origin from God. They are his very words.
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As Peter wrote, "Above all, you
must realize that no prophecy of Scripture ever came from the prophet's own
understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the
Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God." (2 Pet. 1:20-21, NLT)
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While the Bible has human authors, the Bible's origin is of God.
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Let's go back to our original question. Can we trust the Bible? Yes, we can
trust the Bible.
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The Bible is totally trustworthy because God gave guidance and direction to
human authors to the Holy Spirit.
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Because the Bible's origin is of God,
while having human authors...
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We can trust everything the Bible says
about creation, sin, the accounts of Israel's repeated falling away and
returning to God, the salvation available in Jesus, the coming judgment, and the
renovation and renewal of all things.
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We can trust everything the Bible says to
help us to recognize and refute false teaching.
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We can trust everything the Bible says
to prepare and equip Christians to serve God and his kingdom.
- We can trust everything the Bible says to
be true.
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We can trust everything the Bible says
to be relevant, wise, and even exciting.
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Don't let the world influence your thinking about the Bible.
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Let the Holy Spirit and the Bible influence your thinking about the Bible.
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Why? Because... While the Bible has
human authors, the Bible's origin is of God.
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