Carried Along!

Many see the Word of God. . .few observe!

2 Peter 1:21 (ESV)
21 For kno prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God las they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Prophecy has become a difficult matter for many churches around the world. We see many false prophets today just as they did during the time of Jesus and Moses. Today we will focus on the origin of prophecy. How does it come to be?

21 Each prophecy originated in God (apo theou), not in the will of man. To understand each prophecy, one must interpret it not according to one’s own “private” ideas. Verse 21 is notable for the light it sheds on how Scripture was produced. Peter’s statement “men spoke from God” implies the dual authorship of Scripture. This is also implied in the OT. For example, David said, “The Spirit of the Lord spoke through me; his word was on my tongue” (2 Sam 23:2); or as Jeremiah was told, “You must … say whatever I command you.… Now, I have put my words in your mouth” (Jer 1:7, 9). Men spoke, but God so worked in them so that what they said was his word. It was not through a process of dictation or through a state of ecstasy that the writers of Scripture spoke but through the control of the Spirit of God—“as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (For other texts on Inspiration, cf. 1 Cor 14:37; 2 Tim 3:16.)

Blum, E. A. (1981). 2 Peter. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Hebrews through Revelation (Vol. 12, p. 275). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.

It is like a wind that sustains a ship with a sail. The movement of the boat is not self contained, propelled or driven. It is completely dependent on the wind to move it along. This is the origin of prophecy. The Holy Spirit is the energy to propel men and send them in a particular direction.

Cathy and Danny Sartin

k  2 Tim. 3:16
l  1 Pet. 1:11; [2 Sam. 23:2; Luke 1:70; Acts 1:16; 3:18]
  The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (2 Pe 1:21). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.

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