The Spirit and the Word

2 Peter 1:20-21

“Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet’s own interpretation of things. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

2 Timothy 3:16

“All Scripture is God-breathed…”

Yesterday we learned that the breath of God, the Holy Spirit, carried forth the Word from the Father. The Hebrew word translated as Spirit in Genesis 1:2 means breath, or wind. Similarly, the Greek words translated as Spirit, and God-breathed, in today’s scriptures carry essentially the same meaning. That is, scripture comes from Divine inspiration, not the inspiration of men.

We know man can make mistakes; man is fallible. God is infallible, or without error. So, we can trust Scripture to be true and infallible because it was God-breathed, or Divinely given through the Holy Spirit.

The prophets and disciples who contributed to canonized scripture were powerfully anointed, led by the Holy Spirit, and totally committed to their calling. In fact, they were so submitted and set apart for God that they faced severe ridicule and persecution for speaking out. I am certain there were many times that they wished they could be silent but felt compelled to speak or write anyway.

A high price has been paid by many over the centuries to write, publish and share the Word of God. Surely, the Spirit of God continues to watch over His Word!

TODAY’S CHALLENGE:

Tell the Father how much you appreciate having access through your Bible to what He has chosen to reveal of Himself through the Spirit-inspired Scriptures.

Dive Deeper: Study 2 Peter 1; Romans 15:4; Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 2:13; John 10:34-36; Psalm 12:6.