In my last post, I wrote on the confidence that we can have in the Bible. This is not based on subjective truth, which makes something “true” simply because we believe it to be true. In contrast, we believe in the Bible because the evidence gives us many proofs that the Bible can be trusted.
In this post, we want to turn our attention to Bible’s divine inspiration. In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, the Apostle Paul wrote that “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.”. The Greek word “theopneustos” is tranlated “God-breathed” or in some cases “inspired”. This describes the process by which God gave His message to human authors (more than 40 of them!) who wrote it down.
Describing the process of inspiration, theologian Dr. R.C. Sproul said, “The Holy Spirit guided the human authors so their words would be nothing less than the Word of God. How God superintended the original writings of the Bible is not known. But inspiration does not mean that God dictated his messages to those who wrote the Bible. Rather, the Holy Spirit communicated through the human writers the very words of God.”
That’s a powerful thought, and one that I’ve wrestled with in my own life. At the end of my high school years, I took a world religions course and our teacher had the class read most of the great religious books throughout the centuries. I found these books to be great works of literature, but they seemed to be lacking the power and transformational nature that I experienced when I read the Bible. This experience guided me, and at age 18 I pursued the Word of God with openness and willingness to believe it and let it transform me. Slowly, the Bible began to change the very way I saw the world around me (2 Timothy 3:1-5) and the way my personal life went as well (Romans 7:14-25).
The truth of 2 Timothy 3:16-17, that all Scripture is “profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” was true in my life and others who open their lives to the penetrating nature of the Bible. In my early years as a Christian, I had a horrific relationship with my mother and stepfather (both were alcoholics and abusive to me and my siblings). I hated them and felt confused that the Bible told me to love others, even my enemies. But how do I love someone that is inflicting so much pain in my life?
Just when I was feeling most conflicted about my tumultuous relationship with my parents, I remember reading Ephesians 6:1-3: “Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother that it may be well with you and you might live long on the earth.”
As I read this passage, I realized that how I habitually interacted with my parents was not working and I needed to yield to the transformational truth of the Bible. I began to not only obey my parents but I also began to appreciate the little things they had done for me. My heart softened toward them as I strove to obey what I was reading, and I forgave them for the wrong that they had done and the abuse they had inflicted on me. The healing between us took place over several years but I believe it was the catalyst to both my mom and stepfather becoming Christians seven years later – yet more proof of the incredible life-changing power of God’s Word.
I found, as millions of other people have, that the Bible is true and it can be trusted. It’s true because we have strong evidence for its divine inspiration, and because we’ve seen its impact on our lives and others. As I share this story of the Bible’s impact on my life, I am blown away by the wisdom and of God and the power of His Word. I am thankful the Word of God is how Psalm 19:7-11 describes it: “perfect, trustworthy, right, clear, pure, true, sweet, and a great reward for those who obey”.
Where do you go for wisdom, correction, understanding, and knowledge about life? If not the Bible, why do you avoid it? If you turn to the Bible, how has God’s Word impacted your life?
Q. Why do you suppose so many people avoid reading, studying, and applying the Bible to their lives?
Check Out Our Post About Trusting the Bible Here