2 Peter 1:21
For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
This week we are finishing our four part series on “Why I Believe the Bible is True?” I think this is such an essential question for you to consider if you’re a believer in Jesus Christ in order to know what you believe and why you believe it. If you are a skeptic or doubt the reliability of the Bible, then asking this question could lead to the answers you have. There are many resources out there, one being the sermon by Voddie Baucham that presented this answer from 2 Peter 1:16-21:
“I choose to believe the Bible because it is a reliable collection of historical documents, written by eyewitnesses, during the lifetime of other eyewitness, that report of supernatural events that took place in fulfillment of specific prophecies and claimed that their writings are Divine rather than human in origin” (Why I Believe the Bible).
In week one, we looked at the importance of laying a good foundation. An inadequate answer to this question could lead to unnecessary doubts and fears. The Bible has reasoned answers for us if we dig deep and study it. We have talked about three of four pillars for our foundation: eyewitness accounts, supernatural events, and fulfilled prophecies. Today we will conclude with the pillar of “Divine Origin.”
Really this is where we could have started, but following along 2 Peter 1:16-21, this is our concluding point. The eyewitness testimonies given during the lifetime of other eyewitnesses means that it was a corroborated testimony. They reported of miracles, which point us to the supernatural. Prophecies given hundreds of years earlier than their fulfillment definitely point to the fact that God was involved. But how?
No prophecy, or could we say book of the Bible, was given by man’s will. Peter said this in verse 16, “we did not follow cleverly devised myths,” meaning that nobody sat around making these stories up. Rather, they were given by God through men who were “carried” along by the Holy Spirit.
What we are delving into tonight is the doctrine of inspiration, that God chose to speak through humans to deliver and preserve His Word for us. The claim is this: the Holy Spirit spoke through men, using their personalities, characteristics, and education, to bring forth the Holy Scriptures.
Notice, God didn’t dictate to someone to write in isolation. Rather, God involved the writers whole person, inspired them to write the Words of God. It wasn’t a trance like state, or ecstatic utterance, it was the results of men in close relationship with God writing to others about God, in which God inspired and preserved those Words.
Why?
2 Timothy 3:16–17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
God chose to inspire His Word for our good. It is profitable to us! One of my Bible teachers used to always summarize this verse with “what is right, what is not right, how to get right and how to stay right!”
The claim that the Bible is of divine origin, that it is inspired by God, is to claim that it is profitable for our lives, to make us mature believers and equip us to do God’s work.
Hebrews 4:12
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
The claim that the Bible is of divine origin, is to claim that the Bible is alive, it is unlike any other book. Being the Words of God, they speak to our very hearts by cutting through the walls we build up, the lies we believe, and clearing away the fog of uncertainty.
Romans 1:16–17
For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.”
The claim that the Bible is of divine origin gives us confidence that it’s message is true and God has provided salvation for all who believe. It effects change, both in this life and for our eternity. You cannot read a claim like this and dismiss the Bible as a good book. If it is not the Word of God, divinely inspired, then it is lying to you, therefore not a good book.
On the flip side, if it is divinely inspired, as it claims to be, then it is the very Words of God! This means we are accountable to it, to read it, memorize it, live it and love it. When you truly know that the Bible is of divine origin and you experience the blessings it brings, you will sing out like the Psalmist:
Psalm 19:7–11
7The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; 8the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. 10More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
This song states that the Word of God affects the soul, the mind, the heart, the eyes, our conduct in this life and forever. It revives our soul, it makes us wise, it brings joy to the heart, it enlightens our eyes, it shows us the way of righteousness and eternal life. Because of this, it is to be desired more than gold and its truth is sweeter than honey.
Notice again that in keeping them there is great reward. God has given us His Word, for our good, that we might know Him and experience His salvation. The evidence is laid before us, eyewitness accounts, miracles, and fulfilled prophecies all point to the fact that this Book comes from the very breath of God, you can trust it.
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