We've got the Bible because the Holy Spirit moved upon the apostles to write what is written. Dr. Tony Evans says the same Spirit who inspired Scripture helps you receive it. What is true of the Holy Spirit's work in the biblical writers to record God's Word is true in your Christian life to hear God's voice. This is the alternative broadcast featuring the timeless biblical teachings from the archives of Dr. Tony Evans.
There's a difference between human opinion and divine truth. Today Dr. Evans explains how the Bible wasn't just written by people, it was breathed out by God Himself. Let's listen as he unpacks how inspired Scripture equipses for everything God calls us to do. We've all known the feeling of being inspired. Perhaps it was hearing a choir sing and being lifted up because of the melodious voices that impacted us. Perhaps we know inspiration from a poem that was read or a speech that was spoken.
Encouragement is that feeling of exaltation you get because something lifts your spirit from where it was to a higher level, and you find encouragement and motivation and stimulation because you've been inspired. The Bible is inspired, but when the Bible talks about being inspired, it's not talking about simply a high level of human achievement. No, that word takes on unique, special meaning when applied to God's Word. That's why I would ask you to join me in 2 Timothy 3, verse 16. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching reproof correction and training in righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. The first line is our focus. All Scripture is inspired by God.
First of all, what do I mean? What does the Bible mean by inspired? The doctrine of inspiration, or the inspiration of Scripture, refers to the process by which God oversaw the composition of Scripture so that its message was recorded without error. Revelation is what God said. Contamination is the recording of what God said so that it was kept preserved without contamination.
The Bible declares to be the statement of God through men, not merely man's statement about God. Psalm 147 says this about God speaking and God's Word. Verse 15, he sends forth his command to earth. His Word runs very swiftly. He gives snow-like wool, scatters the frost-like ashes. He casts forth his ice as fragments, who can stand before the cold. He sends forth his Word and melts them.
He causes his wind to blow and the waters to flow. He declares his words to Jacob, his statutes, his ordinances to Israel. God speaks his words. The place, according to 2 Timothy 3, where these words were captured is called Scripture, the Greek word grafe, and that referred to that which was written. Over and over again, we see that the Word of God was written. First John 5, 13 says, these things have I written unto you.
God is for writing because the Bible says in Deuteronomy 9, 10 that the Ten Commandments were written with the finger of God. The Bible was written so that there would be a record of the very words of God. Therefore, there is nothing in Scripture that God did not say. It's Scripture that God holds to. Another important verse in this regard is Romans 16, verse 25, Now to him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which has been kept secret for a long time past, but now is manifested, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandments of the eternal God, has been made known to all nations, leading to obedience of faith. He says the scriptures of the prophets came by a commandment of the eternal God. So we start off by defining inspiration, the process by which God oversaw the composition of Scripture so that its message was recorded without error.
Now that raises a question. How did God do it? Do want you to turn here to 2 Peter chapter 1, because the implications of this are not only implications for the Scripture, but for your life. Verse 20, But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation.
But no prophecy was ever made by an act of the human will. In other words, John didn't get up and say, let me make Scripture today. But men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. How did we get Scripture? Here's how we got Scripture. We got Scripture because men were moved by the Holy Spirit to write it. What is true of the Holy Spirit's work in the biblical writers to record God's Word is true in your Christian life to hear God's voice. So Scripture didn't come because a man said, let me write the Bible. Scripture came because men were moved along, holy men, thus their cells were up.
They were moved along so that they recorded Scripture using their own styles, own vocabulary, own personality, but all expressing what God intended to be recorded from his revelation. Sort of like electricity in your house, the same source, but each appliance uses it differently. Toaster uses it to heat bread and pop it up. A refrigerator uses it to cool things down or to freeze them. A stove uses electricity to heat things up.
A can opener uses electricity to open something. In other words, all the appliances are different, but they use the same source to do what they were created to do. Paul is not Peter. Peter is not John. They're all different and Nehemiah is not Samuel and David is not Solomon.
But even though all the biblical writers were different, it was the same Spirit that moved in them so that the uniqueness of their personality was reflected in the recording of Scripture. Now, what's the application to your life? When the Holy Spirit moves on you, he's not going to move you to do what he's moving me to do because we have different roles. I'm a toaster, you're a can opener. So by application, you don't want to mimic me.
I don't want to mimic you. Put your sail up. Let me put my sail up because the Holy Spirit's leading us differently. But the Holy Spirit moves today in the application of divine truth so that you know exactly what he wants you to do. That's why in the Bible, there is this dynamic between what was written in the Spirit. For example, the seven churches of Asia in Revelation 2 and 3, it says that the Word of God was told to John to write, and he was told by God's Spirit to write in Revelation chapter 1 verses 10 and 11.
And when he wrote, he wrote to the seven churches of Asia. But at the end of each church, he says, he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches because it was written, but it was the words of the Holy Spirit that got written. In other words, if it wasn't the Holy Ghost's words, it never got written because he wouldn't remind them or guide them into something he didn't want recorded. So in the Bible, watch this now, you only have what God wants you to know.
Now, don't misunderstand this. You don't have everything in the Bible. You don't have everything in the Bible. God has not revealed everything about himself. Deuteronomy 29, 29 says, let the secret things of God remain secret.
In other words, don't get into stuff you don't know nothing about. If he didn't tell you, guess what? He doesn't want you to know it. Eternity is going to be filled with new revelation. New revelation. God, you ain't seen nothing yet. You look at all that we praise God for, all that God has done, all the animals, all the different races, you look at the universe and the stars and the sun, and this thing is going on for thousands and thousands and thousands and thousands of years. And to think that you could look at the universe, science is still studying the universe and you ain't seen nothing yet.
And the reason I can say ain't is that ain't is now in the dictionary. You haven't seen a thing yet about the new manifestations of the revelation of God. But what he wants us to know regarding life, relationship with him, the spiritual realm has been recorded in the word of God, and it is the word of the Spirit. It's not only the word of the book, it is the word of the Spirit that which God desired to be recorded. Dr. Evans will point us to a powerful verse that ties all those scriptural relationships together.
When he continues in just a moment, don't go away. The biblical roles of husbands and wives, the source of our authority as believers, understanding the concept of grace, winning spiritual battles, they're all important subjects but seem as different as night and day. Would it surprise you to know there's a common thread running through all four? You can discover what it is by taking the course on Ephesians in the Tony Evans Training Center. One by one, you'll dig into the powerful themes of this book and make new discoveries about what Jesus' death accomplished, how to maintain unity at home and at church, what spiritual armor is all about. The course includes custom content from Tony not available anywhere else. Work through it at your own pace, collaborate with other students, get your specific questions answered through our online forum, connect with the Tony Evans Training Center at tonyevans.org.
It's like having a seminary on your smartphone or other device. Start today, tonyevans.org. Before we get back to today's message, I want to quickly remind you that what you're hearing is part of Tony's eye-opening series, The Glory of God's Word. This ten-part audio set unpacks how Scripture reveals God's heart, His authority and His power to transform lives. And right now, we're offering the complete series as our gift when you support the ministry of the alternative. We'll also include Tony's book, The Transforming Word, a powerful resource that will help you internalize God's truth and experience real spiritual change. This limited-time offer won't be around much longer, so visit tonyevans.org or call 1-800-800-3222 to get all the details.
Again, that's tonyevans.org or call 1-800-800-3222. Now let's rejoin Dr. Evans for the second part of today's lesson. A great verse that brings these concepts together of the Word and the Spirit and the human author and the divine author is Acts chapter 1 verse 16. I'll read it to you, Acts 1, 16. Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus. The Scripture, the Bible, had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold, well, how did the Holy Spirit talk? I can't see him. Through David.
He used the man. When you come to church on Sunday, here's your request. Your request is, Lord, use the preacher for the Holy Spirit to talk to me.
See, that's your request. What you want is God used the human mouth to talk to me about what the Holy Spirit wants in me, in my life, for my direction. I want to hear from the Holy Spirit, not just a human mouthpiece.
Anybody can preach a sermon. You need to hear from the Holy Spirit so that you know God was talking to you. And so it says, when it came to recording of Scripture, David said it, but it was the word of the Holy Spirit. So then, what is the result of this Scripture that we have?
What's the bottom line? Because of inspiration, the Holy Ghost was the project manager of the recording of Scripture, you have a perfect and complete text, a perfect and complete Bible. Verse chapter 30, verses 5 and 6 says, every word of God is tested.
He is the shield of those who take refuge in Him. Do not add to His words, lest He reprove you and you be proven a liar. Don't be adding no more books to the Bible, verses to the Bible, or thoughts.
Everything He wanted said He tested it, and it got in just like He wanted it. So don't add to His words, or you're going to be the one proven wrong. Another benefit of Scripture, or nature of Scripture, all of Scripture is equally the word of God. Now, I know some of you got your red letter versions.
How many red letter versions we got? The red letter versions, for those of you who don't know, are versions of the Bible that highlight all the words of Jesus in red. In other words, they make the words that came directly out of the mouth of Jesus kind of like super special words. But all Scripture is inspired by God. So whether Jesus said it, or Paul said it, or Peter said it, or David said it, or Esther said it, it is an accurate rendition of what God wanted recorded. Or to put it in the words of John 1335, the Scripture cannot be broken.
You can't take part of it and skip the part you don't like. The bottom line is, when God has spoken, it is the final word. All other words must adjust to that word, because it is the final word. When we say that all Scripture is inspired, it's like saying all ducks waddle. That means ducks used to waddle in the old days, ducks waddle now, and the ducks that aren't born yet will waddle.
It's just the nature of ducks to waddle. Just as all ducks waddle, all Scripture is inspired. If it was in the Old Testament, it was inspired.
In the New Testament, it was inspired, because it was overseen by God. And then finally, from this passage, 2 Timothy 3, we find one of the great statements. All Scripture inspired by God is profitable for teaching reproof, correction, training in righteousness that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. Scripture is sufficient for all of life. Teaching, it'll tell you what you need to know. Reproof, it'll tell you where you've gone wrong.
Correction, it'll tell you how to get it right. Training in righteousness, it will tell you how to live life as God intended it to be lived. That the man of God, or woman of God, the person of God, may be adequate, have enough, equipped, have all the tools for every good work, all that God wants you to do. There is nothing related to your life God didn't cover in Scripture. You say, but I don't know what Scripture to turn to.
I don't know where to look. That's the job of the Holy Spirit. If you listen carefully, listen carefully, you'll hear things from the spiritual realm. You may turn on a Christian radio and be listening to a preacher, not knowing that God had that program that day for you. Many of you have already experienced that, because you knew God was responding to your question at that time, in that place, by His Spirit.
Everything you need to be all God wants you to do is already in Scripture. When I was a kid, we had these three alleys in the back of my house, and this was where we cut our teeth athletically. You had to be able to perform in the alley.
If you couldn't perform in the alley, you didn't get to the big field. You started off in the alley, and our great dream in the alley was knocking out somebody's window. We lived for that, because in order to knock out somebody's window, that meant you hit a home run over the garages to the houses on the other side of the garage, and to hear that glass crack. Of course, you were running, but to hear that glass shatter, bam, I'll never forget the first time I hit my first home run, and it went over the garage and right through the upstairs window. I was running the bases, I was jumping, yeah, yeah, yeah, yes, the thought that I hit the ball that far and run. Well, I was outside playing one day, and my brother came and said, I'm up at bat, I'm up at bat. It's like the ninth inning, and it's, you know, the winning run is on base, or I'm the winning run or something, and so I'm at this account like two and two, and my brother comes, and he says, mama said, stop what you're doing and come home right now. Now, this ain't no mama situation here. I'm out there with my boys, okay?
I'm at bat. The game rides on my shoulder, so I gave a response, I said, I'm coming. Mama said, come right now, and to tell her whether you stopped what you were doing. Now, mama wasn't out there. That was baby brother out there.
That wasn't no mama. It was baby brother, so I'm going to hit my home run, you know, yeah, I did. I'm going to hit my home run. I'm going to win this game, so I go home. Mama said, you punish for the rest of this week.
You can't go out in the alley and play. I said, but mama, why not? She said, because you didn't do what I told you. I told you to stop what you were doing and come home right away.
You late. I said, but mama, she said, I don't want to hear that. I don't want to hear that.
You didn't do what I told you, but now could I argue what you didn't tell me? My brother told me. If you were out there, I'd have responded differently, but since you weren't there and it was my brother, that doesn't carry the same weight. If my brother accurately communicated, my mother was nowhere to be found, but if he accurately communicated what mama said, mama didn't have to be out there. He was representing mama's voice, even though mama was living, but nowhere to be seen. And even though she wasn't there, his word carried her authority.
Why? Because he gave me the authorized version. She authorized him to take her word to me.
So even though it came through somebody else, I was accountable back to her, not to him, because it was the voice of mama communicated through brother to me. When you don't take seriously the word of God, it's not you reacting to the human author because they are authorized to speak on behalf of God. So when you skip them, you have skipped God, and therefore God is the one you have to deal with, because this book is both the word and words of the living God.
Amen? Dr. Tony Evans, reminding us that when we encounter the Bible, we're encountering the very voice of God. This message is part of Tony's compelling series, The Glory of God's Word, a ten-part look at the authority, clarity, and divine power of Scripture. It's designed to help you engage with the Bible on a deeper level and apply its truth to every area of your life. And right now, when you support the ministry of the alternative with a financial gift, we'll send you the entire audio collection, along with Tony's popular book, The Transforming Word, a powerful resource to help you receive God's truth into your heart and live it out each day. But don't wait! This exclusive package will only be offered for a few more days. Find out how to take advantage of this deal when you visit tonyevans.org or call 1-800-800-3222. Have you ever tried reading something over and over, and then one day it just clicks? On Monday, Dr. Evans explains how those aha moments come from the Holy Spirit, who brings Scripture to life and opens our eyes to God's truth. Be sure to join us!
