2 Peter 1:20-21 - The Bible and Gods Word.
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
God's Law Is Clear
In the wonders of nature we see God's
laws in operation. Who has not looked up at the
stars on a cloudless night and marveled in silent
awe at the glory of God's handiwork? Even our
astronauts have lauded the Lord as Creator of the
vastness of space. Who has not felt his heart lifted
in the spring of the year as he sees all
creation bursting with new life and vigor? In it we
see the magnitude of God's power and the
infinite detail of His planning, but nature tells us
nothing of God's love or God's grace. We do not find
the promise of our personal salvation in
nature.
Conscience tells us in our innermost
being of the presence of God and of the moral
difference between good and evil, but this is a
fragmentary message, in no way as distinct and
comprehensive as the lessons of the Bible. It is only in
its pages that we find the clear and
unmistakable message upon which all true Christianity is
based.
Do you feel close to God in nature?
[Peace for Each Day by Billy Graham]
COMMENTARY
You Can Trust the Bible
The Bible is the most-read book in
history. Its also the best-selling book in history
and the most-translated book in history.
Yet its much more than that. Its
also Gods Word - Gods very breath. The
Bible says in 2 Timothy 3:16, All Scripture is
God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking,
correcting and training in righteousness (NIV).
That means the Bible isnt just a good
idea. It is Gods Word to us. One of the reasons
I can know that the Bible is true and
trustworthy is that it has thousands of prophecies that
have come true. Thats right - every one of the
Bibles prophecies has either come true exactly as
God predicted or will come true sometime in the
future.
The Bible contains more than 300
prophecies about Jesus alone - all written a thousand
years before he was born. People in the Bible
prophesied about when Jesus would be born, where hed
be born, and how hed be born. He couldnt
have manipulated his birth to fulfill those
prophecies.
It also predicted how he would die. A
thousand years before Jesus died, David described
Jesus death on the cross in one of the psalms. He
didnt use the word crucifixion, because no
one knew that word then. But long before the
Romans were even thinking about crucifying people,
David described it.
Only God could have known that.
What are the odds that I could make 300
predictions about you and have every one of them come
true? The odds are so astronomical that you
couldnt write the number down. It takes more faith
to believe that the Bibles prophecies were a
coincidence than to believe that God planned them.
The Bible says, No prophecy ever
originated from humans. Instead, it was given by the
Holy Spirit as humans spoke under Gods
direction (2 Peter 1:21 GW).
During Bible times, nobody wanted to be a
prophet. The law in Israel was that a prophet of God
had to be correct 100 percent of the time. If
you were wrong just once, then you were
considered a false prophet and would be put to death. A
prophet better be right!
And the biblical prophecies were right -
every one of them. You can trust the Bible,
because what the Bible predicts always comes true.
[Daily Devotional by Rick Warren:
https://pastorrick.com/devotional/]
LINKS FOR FURTHER STUDY
2 Peter 1:20-21 - The Most Amazing Book Ever
Written!
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2022/20220112-0938.html
2 Timothy 3:16, 17 - The Bible: Gods Owners
Manual for Life.
http://www.abible.com/devotions/2021/20210319-1124.html
LINKS WORTH CHECKING OUT
https://abible.com/links/