The Bible is Inspired
*Taken from the sermon, “What Christians should believe about the Bible” in reference to John 7:53-8:11
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."
2 Timothy 3:16
The doctrine of inspiration tells us something breathtaking. The Bible you hold in your hands did not begin with human imagination. It began with God Himself. When Paul said that all Scripture is breathed out by God, he used a word that means God breathed His very life into the words of Scripture. The authors wrote with their personalities, vocabularies, and experiences, but the Author behind the authors was God. Their thoughts were guided by His thoughts. Their words were carried along by His Spirit. What Scripture says, God says.
This means that when you open the Bible, you are not beginning with human opinion. You are beginning with the voice of God who speaks with love, truth, authority, and clarity. You do not have to wonder if the Lord is distant or silent. The God who flung galaxies into place also reached into time to speak through prophets, apostles, shepherds, fishermen, tentmakers, kings, and exiles. He spoke through history and poetry, through lament and praise, through letters and vision, through miracle and mystery, and every time He spoke it was His breath moving through human words.
Inspiration does not mean God dictated every sentence like a boss giving orders. It means He oversaw the writing so that every word in the original manuscripts perfectly communicated His heart. Peter tells us that men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Spirit. Carried along. Not pressured. Not erased. Not overridden. God used real people to produce a real book that reveals the real God.
This is why the Bible is alive. This is why ordinary words become extraordinary when you read them. This is why a sentence can comfort you in sorrow, correct you in sin, strengthen you in weakness, and anchor you in storms. God breathed these words out so that they would breathe life into you.
Pause and think about that. The God who rules heaven and earth wanted you to know Him so clearly that He gave you a book that carries His breath. A book that reveals His character. A book that points to His Son. A book that will never fail to show you the way home.
Maybe today you feel dry or tired.
Maybe you feel like the voice of God is hard to discern.
Maybe you feel like prayer is difficult and faith is thin.
The invitation is simple. Open your Bible again. Read slowly. Ask the Lord to speak. You are not reading ink on a page. You are receiving the breath of God.
Let it fill you. Let it shape you. Let it comfort you. Let it strengthen you. Let it correct you. Let it awaken you. He breathed these words out because He wants to draw you near.
"All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."
2 Timothy 3:16
The doctrine of inspiration tells us something breathtaking. The Bible you hold in your hands did not begin with human imagination. It began with God Himself. When Paul said that all Scripture is breathed out by God, he used a word that means God breathed His very life into the words of Scripture. The authors wrote with their personalities, vocabularies, and experiences, but the Author behind the authors was God. Their thoughts were guided by His thoughts. Their words were carried along by His Spirit. What Scripture says, God says.
This means that when you open the Bible, you are not beginning with human opinion. You are beginning with the voice of God who speaks with love, truth, authority, and clarity. You do not have to wonder if the Lord is distant or silent. The God who flung galaxies into place also reached into time to speak through prophets, apostles, shepherds, fishermen, tentmakers, kings, and exiles. He spoke through history and poetry, through lament and praise, through letters and vision, through miracle and mystery, and every time He spoke it was His breath moving through human words.
Inspiration does not mean God dictated every sentence like a boss giving orders. It means He oversaw the writing so that every word in the original manuscripts perfectly communicated His heart. Peter tells us that men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Spirit. Carried along. Not pressured. Not erased. Not overridden. God used real people to produce a real book that reveals the real God.
This is why the Bible is alive. This is why ordinary words become extraordinary when you read them. This is why a sentence can comfort you in sorrow, correct you in sin, strengthen you in weakness, and anchor you in storms. God breathed these words out so that they would breathe life into you.
Pause and think about that. The God who rules heaven and earth wanted you to know Him so clearly that He gave you a book that carries His breath. A book that reveals His character. A book that points to His Son. A book that will never fail to show you the way home.
Maybe today you feel dry or tired.
Maybe you feel like the voice of God is hard to discern.
Maybe you feel like prayer is difficult and faith is thin.
The invitation is simple. Open your Bible again. Read slowly. Ask the Lord to speak. You are not reading ink on a page. You are receiving the breath of God.
Let it fill you. Let it shape you. Let it comfort you. Let it strengthen you. Let it correct you. Let it awaken you. He breathed these words out because He wants to draw you near.
Posted in The Word Made Flesh
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