February 1, 2023
By Elijah McSwain, Sr.
Historically there has been much dialogue over who is the author of Scripture. This same topic of conversation is up for debate in our modern day. Some people solely give credit to the human agents of Scripture as claims are made that it was written merely by men. While others ascribe the divine element of Scripture being credited to God as the Supreme Being.
The narrative of Scripture itself points to its author as many concrete truths reveal the ultimate mastermind behind Scripture. The Holy Scriptures have a vertical authoritative origination that stem from God and was made manifest through the hands of holy men as they were guided by the Holy Spirit.
God Is The Author
The origin of the Bible is that which stems from the divine knowledge of God, the wisdom of God, and the person of God.
The Holy Scriptures are a written compilation of sacred writings that reveal the mind of God, the creative order of God, the plan of God, the holy standards of God, the futuristic state of man in eternity, and much more. The Holy Scriptures are an integral part of the Christian faith because it is the basis of the framework as to what we believe and hold fast to according to God’s Word.
The Bible is such a crucial component to our livelihood since it helps to shape our faith and empowers us to live holy before God. In understanding the Scriptures, we affirm that God is the author of the perfect treasure of heavenly instruction known as the Bible that was given to instruct believers in the things of God. This belief is rooted in the heart of Scripture and in other foundational documents like the Articles of Faith that points to God as the One who established the Scriptures.
The Bible is very specific that God is the divine author of Scripture. The canon of the Bible is filled with references that points to God being its divine author.
In the Scriptures, many passages contain phrases such as thus said the Lord or that God has spoken. The very core of these statements regard that God is the One who is speaking to mankind from the pages of Scripture. Isaiah 48:17 is a prime example of God speaking through Scripture as the author. The words of Isaiah are penned as thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: I am the LORD your God, who teaches you to profit, who leads you by the way you should go.
The imprint of God as the author of Scripture is seen because His voice is being transmitted to mankind as the authority figure behind what is spoken through the written canvas of the Bible.
When Scripture speaks, it is God who is speaking since everything in Scripture originated from Him. The origination of His standard, His thoughts, and His ways are lifted from the pages of Scripture as to what is best suited for mankind.
Hence, the origination of Scripture is credited unto God as the author, even though He used men to pen the divine inspiration of Scripture (more on this will be discussed later).
Hebrews 1:1-2 is written as God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets has in these last days spoken to us by His Son. Whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds.
Since the creation of time, God has been speaking through various means. God has chosen to speak through antitypes, symbols, visions, prophecies, poetic dialogue in His Word, instructions, commands, percepts, statutes, parables, and the like from Scripture to reveal Himself as the source from which the holy writ flows. Romans 11:36 highlights that everything flows from God, through Him, and is directed back to Him. The passage itself is penned, for of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen.
John MacArthur quoted, “God is the source, the sustainer, and the rightful end of everything that exists.”3
Isaiah 55:11 is reflective of that which is spoken directly from the mouth of God. The words of Isaiah 55:11 is recorded, so shall My Word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.
God's Word is a perfect treasure of heavenly instruction that will fulfill its purpose, guide the minds of its followers, reveal the nature of God, unfold the mandate of God, and mold the people of God; as God is the source, God is the mastermind, and God is the originator of its holy composition.
The Apostle Paul would contribute to this sentiment by stating that the Word of God is God-breathed (2 Timothy 3:16). 2 Timothy 3:16 is written that all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.
Glory Dy asserted “when we talk about God-breathed, we refer literally to God’s breath. The exhale from His mouth. God-breathed means that a specific thing or person is directly from God.”1
The Word of God is directly from God. It is the embodiment of His Person, His Being, His mindset, and His standard for human living. The Holy Scriptures gives inference as to how mankind should live as deemed by the breath or mouth of God. Matthew 4:4 declares, it is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.
As aforesaid, what is spoken in the Scriptures has God as its source, God as its authority, God as its cause, God as its authorship, and God as its derivation. John Calvin concluded “we owe to the Scripture the same reverence which we owe to God, because it has proceeded from Him alone.”4
Thus, to disregard reverence for Scripture is a means to disregard God since God is its author, authority, and the premise from which Scripture flows.
Composed By Men Under The Guidance Of Holy Spirit
The writing of 2 Peter Chapter 1 informs us of the human element in the production of the material matter of Scripture.
2 Peter 1:20-21 is written, knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.
It is imperative to note that Scripture did not derive from human origin, human motive, human will, human intellect, human initiative or any other horizontal platform of human reasoning or thinking. “Those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God which means that Scripture did not come from the creative work of the prophets’ own invention or interpretation. God guided 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 He cooperated with the writers in such a way as to ensure that the message He intended was faithfully communicated in the very words they wrote.”2 The prophets of old, along with the New Testament writers dared not to take the credit for the work performed through them. They very well understood that the penmanship done at their hands stemmed from God as the Holy Spirit guided their minds on what would be written in the Bible.
Richard Phillips insinuates, “we consider the nature of what the Bible reveals, it can only have come to us from God. Holy Scripture is not a catalogue of human thoughts regarding God and eternity, but the record and explanation of God’s redemptive acts in history. The Bible tells the story of how God created the world, how mankind fell into sin, and then what God has done in history to redeem a people for Himself. Given the redemptive-historical nature of this material, who else could have authored the Scriptures but the God whose actions are recorded in it? Despite its clear statements to divine authorship, full conviction that Scripture is God’s Word can be given only by God Himself”.4
As aforementioned earlier, Paul understood in 2 Timothy 3:16 that the Word of God is divinely inspired and God-breathed. 2 Timothy 3:16 says that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness according to the New King James Version. The English Standard Version records the words of 2 Timothy 3:16 this way, all Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness. The power of Scripture is rooted in the authoritative person of Scripture, God, as the Word of God is active and living (Hebrews 4:12), as a result of it being inspired by the eternal God of heaven and earth.
Its origin and breathe is rooted in the eternality of God for Psalm 119:89 concludes, forever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed or settled in the heavens.
It is safe to say in accordance with the omniscience of God, that the mind of God in relation to His Word was firmly affixed in eternity past. Even when He allowed His eternal thoughts to transcend into creation, time, space, and matter; His thoughts were settled in heaven before the use of the penmanship of mankind. God’s standard of morality, holiness, and purity did not come into play solely at the fall of man, but the fall of mankind and the events surrounding The Fall displayed the totality of who God has always been.
God's use in utilizing the human element of using mankind to perform the task of bringing His eternal Word into a physical construct of material being showcases His power. God used holy men under direction of the Holy Spirit to write to the narration of His Word.
Grant Richison quoted that “approximately thirty different men wrote the thirty-nine books of the Old Testament. About eight men wrote the twenty-seven books of the New Testament. God used holy men to write Scripture. These men were not automatons or robots. They used their own personality and vocabulary to write Scripture. The Holy Spirit, however, guarded them against error as they wrote Scripture. He superintended each word they wrote. Therefore, the authors of Scripture made no mistakes. The Holy Spirit upholds or bears the writers of Scripture as they write Scripture. The writers of Scripture wrote better than they knew. That is why the Bible is not full of fables. The Holy Spirit governed the human author as he was in the process of writing Scripture (2 Peter 3:16). The human author was aware of the content he wrote, but the Holy Spirit “carried” him. The Holy Spirit originates Scripture. The Holy Spirit so supernaturally superintended Scripture writers that without circumventing their intelligence, personal literary style, or personality, He enabled them to record Scripture with perfect accuracy. We have the Bible exactly as God intended for us to have it. We can place our confidence in Scripture. That is why Scripture is certain. Therefore, we can trust Scripture because it is the very words of God”.5
References
Glory Dy. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/bible/what-does-it-mean-that-the-bible-is-god-breathed.html
Life Application Study Bible (App Version). Insert from 2 Peter 1:20-21.
John MacArthur. The MacArthur Study Bible page 1564.
Richard Phillips. https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/essay/scripture-as-a-divine-and-human-book/
Grant Richison. https://versebyversecommentary.com/1998/06/04/2-peter-121/