By O.S. Hawkins
We often speak of Paul writing the book of Romans, or John writing the Revelation, or Luke writing Acts. But the truth is, they, along with all the other Bible writers, were simply God’s instruments through whom he gave us his Word. The Bible declares that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16).
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Inspiration means the words are God’s words, but he chose to deliver them through human channels. Peter shared the key that unlocks this mystery when he wrote, “Holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:21). The Greek word translated moved is also found in the account of Paul’s shipwreck, when he found himself in the midst of a violent storm accompanied by raging winds. Paul tells us that the sailors on board “could not head into the wind, we let her drive” (Acts 27:15).
Just as the sailors were active on board the ship, even though they had no control over where it went, so were the Bible writers. Though their personalities and styles are apparent, the writings were not their own. They were “moved” by the Holy Spirit to write what they wrote. The Bible you own was not given to you by those writers but by God himself through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. No wonder we call it the Word of God!
[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, The Nehemiah Code: An Interview with O. S. Hawkins]
CODE: BOAT
When you see a boat or an image of one, let it always remind you that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God.” While the Bible writers were active in their writing, the words they wrote down were beyond their control. The Bible is God’s inspired Word.
PASSION PROCLAMATION
Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: “Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.” —JEREMIAH 1:9
Lord, Your Word is a lamp unto my feet today and a light unto my path. Thank You for sending this love letter to me personally. In Jesus’ name, amen.
[Read the Bible Gateway Blog post, The Daniel Code: An Interview with O. S. Hawkins]
The above article is excerpted from The Passion Code: 100 Days with Jesus by O.S. Hawkins. Copyright © November 2019 by Thomas Nelson. Published by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission of Thomas Nelson. www.thomasnelson.com. Pages 190-191. All rights reserved.
The Passion Code is published by HarperCollins Christian Publishing, Inc., the parent company of Bible Gateway.
Bio: O. S. Hawkins has served pastorates, including the First Baptist Church in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and the First Baptist Church in Dallas, Texas, for more than 25 years. A native of Fort Worth, Texas, he has three earned degrees (BBA, MDiv, and DMin) as well as several honorary degrees and is presently a PhD candidate at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the president of GuideStone Financial Resources, with assets under management of 16 billion dollars, serving 250,000 pastors, church staff members, missionaries, doctors, university professors, and other workers in various Christian organizations with their investment, retirement and benefit service needs. He is the author of more than 40 books, and speaks regularly to business groups and churches all across the nation. All of the author’s royalties and proceeds from the entire Code series go to support Mission:Dignity. You can learn more about Mission:Dignity by visiting MissionDignity.org.
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