Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that, "All scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work." God breathed: how did God breathe the scriptures. I see two ways that God breathed scripture. First, God whispered into the ear of the writer. Well, maybe not literally. But there are passages of scripture where God told the author what to write. A couple of examples would be the book of Leviticus, the Ten Commandments, some of the Prophets, and the book of The Revelation. We see God interrupting the course of natural events to speak through one of his prophets. Second, God influences the pen of the author. I
t is not like God took control of the hand of the person writing, it is more like he influenced their life in such a way that their words were his words. God used history, poetry, and narrative to tell His story in an inspired fashion.Some would ask, "How do we know that the words we have today are even close to the words written so many years ago?" That is a good question. I don't know about you but I get e-mails that are not right and we have spell check. I have seen the same joke using doctors, lawyers, and preachers. if you read a texts, one word can be spelled in a variety of ways. Maybe the answer comes in understanding that God did not use these faulty levels of communication to instruct people in his word. Instead, he took studious individuals that were driven to perfection to copy his word. During my trip to Israel, I went to where the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered. I spent a little time learning about the Khirbet Qumram community. This group of avid followers of God were so precise at what they were doing. Hours with a pen and parchment in a small room preserving the word of God. It still amazes me that the text that had been copied for over a thousand years survived with such accuracy.
The point of this post is not to prove the accuracy of scripture or to expound on the historical reliability of God's word. If you don't believe the bible is God's word then just ignore these words and go back to surfing a world wide web full of inaccuracy, lies, and half truths. But, if you believe that the bible could be something more, then spend some time testing it for yourself. See if you find the words in the Good Book to be helpful in living a better life. And if you claim to be a follower of Christ, then study to show yourself approved. If the bible is the Good Book inspired for the human race then we as his followers should read it. So how about closing this blog down and pulling out a Good Book. Pick up that old bible you got for a wedding present or given to you by a Sunday school teacher and reading a portion of it. See what the Book of Psalms, the Gospel of John, or the Letter to the Corinthians has to say. And if you don't have a bible just click here and spend a little time with the Good Book.
