2 Peter 1:20-21 (NLT) Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophets own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God. INTRODUCTION 1:16-21 This section is a strong statement on the inspiration of Scripture. Peter affirms that the Old Testament prophets wrote God's messages. He puts himself and the other apostles in the same category because they also proclaim God's truth. The Bible is not a collection of fables or human ideas about God. It is God's very words given through people to people... "Those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God" means that Scripture did not come from the creative work of the prophets' own invention or interpretation. God inspired the writers, so their message is authentic and reliable. God used the talents, education, and cultural background of each writer (they were not mindless robots); and God cooperated with the writers in such a way to ensure that the message he intended was faithfully communicated in the very words they wrote. [Life Application SB] COMMENTARY PEARL An Inspired Book Why are the Scriptures described as a sword provided by the Holy Spirit? Quite simply, it is the Holy Spirit who has given us the Scriptures. They come altogether from Him. It was the Holy Spirit who inspired men to write them: "Moved by the Holy Spirit, men spoke from God" (2Pt 1:21). Again in 2 Timothy 3:16 we read: "All Scripture is inspired by God" - a statement which assures us that the Scriptures come from the Holy Spirit. The Bible is not a mere human document. The Holy Spirit breathed into men and inspired them to write the way they did. This does not mean that the people who wrote the Scriptures did so mechanically, in the way that a dictating machine would record someone's dictation. The Holy Spirit used their natural way of expression but gave them an additional ability to write without error. It is vital, if you are to win the battle against Satan, that you not only see this truth but believe it. When you consider how powerful Satan is, you need something that is even more powerful. The Bible, the inspired Word of God, is your strength. One step further - only the Holy Spirit can enable us truly to understand God's Word: "We have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, in order to know what has been freely given to us by God" (1Co 2:12). Without the Holy Spirit, we would be no more able to understand the Scriptures than a blind man could judge a beauty contest. Gracious Holy Spirit, just as You breathed into the Bible to give it its life and power, breathe also into my heart today so that I might know and understand its truth. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. [Every Day With Jesus Bible with Selwyn Hughes devotional re Deu. 11:18] COMMENTARY Soon after evangelist Billy Sunday became a Christian, an older believer gave him some advice on how to grow spiritually. He said, William, there are three simple rules I can give to you, and if you will hold to them, you will never write backslider after your name. Take 15 minutes each day to listen to God talking to you; take 15 minutes each day to talk to God; take 15 minutes each day to talk to others about God. How does God speak to us? He speaks to us primarily through His Word, the Bible. Yet a lot of people arent opening their Bibles today. Instead, were looking at things like social media. Every day, 66 percent of evangelical believers are looking at Facebook, 39 percent are looking at YouTube, and 32 percent are opening their Bibles. We have a problem. We need to open up the Bible and discover what it has to say, because a successful Christian will be a Bible-studying Christian. On the other hand, a failing Christian will be someone who doesnt open the Word of God. I remember the first time I started to read the Bible. I couldnt believe that I had finally found the users manual of life. The words were so relevant to what I was facing as a 17-year-old, and theyre still relevant to what Im facing today. Theyre relevant for every phase of life. The Bible is the most amazing book ever written. Its literally Gods message to us. Technically speaking, its not one book but actually 66 books written over a span of 1,500 years. The words of Scripture were inspired by God and written by 40 authors from every walk of life, including kings, peasants, philosophers, fishermen, poets, statesmen, and scholars. And all of them write about Gods redemption of humanity. The Word of God is perfect, and its completely trustworthy. [Greg Laurie from Harvest Ministries; https://www.harvestdaily.com] LINK FOR FURTHER STUDY ON THIS TOPIC 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 - The Bible: Gods Owners Manual for Life. http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210319-1124.html YOUR COMMENTS If anyone has a paraphrase, commentary or testimony on this passage of Scripture, either personal or otherwise, I would be interested in hearing from you. Thanks in advance and let's keep uplifting Jesus that all might be drawn to Him. Fred Gibbs LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT Most Important Decision in Life: http://www.youtube.com/embed/WGnEuGwvXqU?rel=0 A Man without Equal by Bill Bright: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NiVa7UoruIo Steps to Peace by Billy Graham: https://stepstopeace.org/ Seeking God Made Real: http://vimeo.com/31489782 Prayer Made Real: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tc8VdMV26VE LINKS FOR BIBLE STUDIES Lifting Up Jesus Bible Studies: http://www.liftingupjesus.net/ Amazing Facts Bible Studies: http://www.amazingfacts.org/bible-study/bible-study-guides.aspx Voice of Prophecy Discover Bible Study Guides: https://www.voiceofprophecy.com/study/discover Glow Tract Video Bible Studies: http://www.bibleresearch.info/ LINKS FOR BIBLE PROPHECY SEMINARS Unlocking Bible Prophecies by Cami Oetman of Adventist World Radio: https://www.awr.org/bible Panorama of Prophecy with Pastor Doug Batchelor: https://www.panoramaofprophecy.com/ Hope Awakens by John Bradshaw of IIW: https://itiswritten.tv/programs/hope-awakens Prophecies Decoded by Pastor Ron Clouzet: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL1A435C5373550657 Islam and Christianity in Prophecy, The Third and Final Conflict by Tim Roosenberg: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHSJB-fuHLU&list=PLWhQIHGTHlkaGg5Cwe3NDzWtFX8vNSpsE