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The Bible’s Source—God or Man?

June 10 2019

The Bible’s Source—God or Man?

Where did the Bible come from? Are its words simply religious lore, written down by people over the centuries? Are they the product of the thoughts and imaginations of men? Or is the Bible the inspired Word of God? Did God write the Bible? Or did men?

Since our faith is based on this book, it’s crucial for us as Christians to know the source of the Bible.

Knowing the source is critical

When we want to find out how reliable something is, we check its source. For example, we definitely want to know where our drinking water comes from. If we know it comes from a pure source, we’re confident we can drink it without harm. In the same way, we trust certain news reports if we believe the reporters are reliable and their facts are checked.

For us to gauge the trustworthiness of something, it helps if we know its source. When we do, we can then determine whether we should disregard it or deem it valuable and reliable. So much depends on its source. The same is true with the Bible.

Where did the Bible come from?

Throughout the ages, many people from different cultures at different times have written down their thoughts, observations, and philosophies on life. But what about the Bible? Is it merely a collection of the thoughts, observations, and philosophies of pious men about God?

In 2 Peter 1:21, the apostle Peter says:

“For no prophecy was ever borne by the will of man, but men spoke from God while being borne by the Holy Spirit.”

Peter explains that although the Scriptures were written through men, these men spoke from God. The source of the Bible is God, not men.

We can see this when we consider the true and profound words in the Scriptures. Could any person write such words? At times, they defy our expectations by providing indescribable comfort or piercing light concerning our inner condition. Even if a person wanted to write something for or about God, all mankind is fallen, and the mind of man is darkened and limited, incapable of writing such words as those found in the Bible.

How did the words of the Bible get to us from God?

Men didn’t speak from themselves, but were used by God to record the words in the Bible. To understand how this could occur, we need to look more closely at this phrase: “men spoke from God while being borne by the Holy Spirit.”

Note 2 on 2 Peter 1:21 in the New Testament Recovery Version explains:

“No prophecy was ever borne by the will of man. Man’s will, desire, and wish, with his thought and exposition, were not the source from which any prophecy came; the source was God, by whose Holy Spirit men were borne, as a ship is borne by the wind, to speak out the will, desire, and wish of God.”

If you’ve ever watched a boat sailing on the water, you’ve seen its sails catch the wind. It moves not by its own power, but by the power of that wind. This picture demonstrates how the Bible came from God. Just as a boat is moved by the wind, certain men were borne, or carried along, by the Holy Spirit. By this Spirit these men could speak or write down the will, desire, and wish of God. This is what we mean when we say that the Bible is inspired by God.

So the words of the Bible didn’t originate from man’s own mind. But how did this “being borne by the Holy Spirit” happen?

The Holy Spirit and the human spirit

It’s important to see that God created human beings not only with a mind, but also with an inward part that’s deeper than the mind. The Bible tells us in Zechariah 12:1 that God “formed the spirit of man within him.” This “spirit of man” is our deepest part, and just like the other parts of our being, it has a particular function. Our eyes are for seeing, our ears are for hearing, and our human spirit is for contacting, receiving, and containing God.

John 4:24 says,

“God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit.”

The first Spirit in this verse refers to the divine Spirit, and the second spirit refers to the human spirit. With our human spirit, we can worship, fellowship with, and know God, who is Spirit.

So how does this relate to where the Bible came from? As certain men had fellowship with God in their spirit, they were borne, or carried along, by the Holy Spirit to write down not their own words, but the words of God. The Scriptures are God’s words, and they are holy because their source is God. They came to us from men who were borne by the Holy Spirit to speak and write words from God.

Why it’s important for us to know the source of the Bible

If we don’t see that God Himself is the source of the Bible, that all Scripture is God-breathed, then the foundation of our Christian life will be unsteady and vulnerable. Our faith rests solidly on the Bible. For us to have confidence in this book, we need to see clearly that God is the source of the Bible.

In our daily environment, we interact with people who don’t believe in God or value the Bible’s words as being from God. At work, at school, on television, in movies—nearly everywhere we look—we encounter things and people that may make us question the Bible, causing us to ask ourselves, “Is the Bible reliable?” “Is everything in the Bible true?” “How do I know the Bible is true?” And if we’re unsure about the Bible, our faith can be shaken.

However, if we’re clear that God is the source of the Bible, we’ll know its words are trustworthy, true, and pure because God is trustworthy, true, and pure. We’ll have confidence in the reliability of the Bible, and our faith will be strengthened by its words. God’s Word can sustain us in all situations, guide us to know God today, and be depended on for all eternity.

Because we know God Himself is the source of the Scriptures, we can trust the Bible wholeheartedly, without reservation or doubt. By trusting in and relying on the Bible, we’ll come to know God more and more deeply both in this book and in our lives.

All verses are quoted from the Holy Bible Recovery Version. You can order a free copy of the New Testament Recovery Version here.

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Memorial Day and the Price of Freedom

May 27 2019

Memorial Day and the Price of Freedom

A graceful sweep of white pillars gives shape to the World War II memorial in Washington, DC. At its center stands Freedom Wall, holding a field of 4,048 sculpted gold stars. Each star represents 100 Americans who died in the war; together they commemorate the more than 400,000 Americans who lost their lives. In front of the wall, engraved in granite, are the words, “HERE WE MARK THE PRICE OF FREEDOM.”

These symbolic stars are reminiscent of the gold stars displayed by families of fallen service men and women during the Second World War. The gold stars on Freedom Wall vividly bear witness to the fact that the ultimate price for freedom is paid both by those who serve and by their families.

In our nation’s capital, and in bustling city centers and quiet green parks across our country, stand monuments dedicated to great military leaders, service members who performed acts of valor, and singular moments of victory. Occupying their places of honor, these monuments proudly display the gratitude of a nation, and movingly bring to mind our solemn obligation to never forget those who gave their lives so we could live ours in peace and security.

On this Memorial Day, as we honor all U.S. service men and women who gave their last full measure of devotion, we also remember the countless personal monuments hidden from public view—the empty seat at a family dinner, the folded flag above a mantle, the memories that well up in a mother’s heart during quiet moments of reflection.

Behind the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice stand the living, resilient legacies of their loved ones’ service—the mothers and fathers, the husbands and wives, the siblings and children. In them we find our bedrock of patriotism, the continuing thread of our nation’s character, and an unbroken line of love and sacrifice for this country.

These family members understand the true price of freedom, as did their fallen loved ones, for they are the ones who have paid it. They carry on with solemn pride and resolve, despite unthinkable loss. America endures because of the sacrifice our troops have made to maintain our freedom, and because of the unending sacrifice their families continue to make.

Today, we at Bibles for America salute you, and we pray for you.

We know that our organization can exist because some have paid the price for freedom. This Memorial Day, we’d like to specially invite military service members and their families to order a free New Testament study Bible at biblesforamerica.org/free-bible.

From all of us here at BfA, thank you for your service.

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An Effective Way to Enjoy Christ’s Riches

May 13 2019

An Effective Way to Enjoy Christ’s Riches

Can you imagine being incredibly wealthy yet not knowing how to access your wealth?

This may be our case spiritually speaking. In Ephesians 3:8, Paul uses a wonderful phrase: the unsearchable riches of Christ. Jesus Christ is unsearchably rich in who He is and in all His accomplishments, and He wants us to enjoy all He is and has. Although in fact the riches of Christ are for us to enjoy, in experience we might feel as if we’re quite lacking, even spiritually poor, because we don’t know how to access all He wants to be to us. It’s like having a huge bank account and not knowing how to withdraw a single dollar.

So how can we access the riches of Christ? One very effective way is to call on His name. By calling on His name, we can enjoy everything that is in Him, and all He is.

Romans 10:12-13 show us the marvelous benefits of calling on His name:

“For the same Lord is Lord of all and rich to all who call upon Him; for ‘whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.’”

When we call on the name of the Lord Jesus, He is rich to us, in our experience. He’s rich to us as patience, love, kindness, endurance, peace, righteousness, holiness, and so many other positive things. And when we call on His name, we can also be saved from many negative things in our lives, like anxiety, fear, depression, anger, impatience, worldliness, and so on.

Note 1 on calls in verse 13 in the New Testament Recovery Version tells us calling on the Lord is the secret to enjoying all of Christ’s unsearchable riches:

“Calling on the name of the Lord is the secret not only to our salvation but also to our enjoyment of the Lord’s riches. Beginning with Enosh, the third generation of mankind, and continuing all the way down to the New Testament believers, God’s chosen and redeemed ones enjoyed Christ’s redemption and salvation and all His riches by means of this secret (see note 211 in Acts 2).”

Now we know how to access the riches of Christ: simply by calling on His name! We don’t need to compose a formal or elaborate prayer. We can simply call, “Lord Jesus!” Calling on His name gives us access to all His riches!

Cross-reference “d” in Romans 10:12 on call directs us to many verses related to calling on the name of the Lord. Just two of these verses reveal to us how we can experience love, peace, and God’s nearness by calling on Him:

“But flee youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”

—2 Timothy 2:22

“I called upon Your name, O Jehovah, from the lowest pit. You have heard my voice; do not hide Your ear at my breathing, at my cry. You drew near in the day that I called upon You; You said, Do not fear.”

—Lamentations 3:55-57

Note 1 of Romans 10:13 (quoted above) also references note 1 of Acts 2:21, which traces the history of those who called on the Lord throughout the Bible, beginning from Genesis. Surely the Lord was rich to them as they called on His precious name.

All of the verses and notes above are quoted from the Holy Bible Recovery Version. We encourage you to order a free copy of the New Testament here and read that substantial note on Acts 2:21 for yourself. It’s well worth taking the time to read, and even to study it. You can look up the verses it cites to get a fuller view of the matter of calling on the name of the Lord Jesus as seen in the Word of God.

The Lord Jesus is rich to all who call upon Him!

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