Inspiration of Scripture: 2 Peter 1:16-21
Scripture Study
We invite you to use these scripture studies for personal enrichment, group study or discipleship.
Context
The apostle Peter seemed to understand that his time was short and he had great concern for God’s people who were in danger from false teachers (1 Peter 1:13-14; 2:1-3). In large part, this letter was written to expose, thwart and defeat the false teachers invading the church who were causing the people to stray from the basic truths of the faith and into immoral and greedy lives. Peter wanted to teach Christians how to defend themselves from false teachers. In 2 Peter 1:16-21 Peter points believers to the authenticity and reliability of the prophetic writings of Scripture as the source of the gospel. Peter contrasts the truth about Christ as revealed by God in Scripture with the man-made myths of the false teachers. All we know about the majesty and glory of Christ is rooted in the certain and trustworthy words of the Bible. The words of Scripture are trustworthy and certain because God is the ultimate author, not man.
“For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain. And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
Key terms
Verbal Plenary Inspiration
Inspiration refers to the act of the Holy Spirit directing the writers of Scripture to the thoughts or concepts God wanted recorded and conveyed. In the verbal view of inspiration, the Holy Spirit not only directed the thoughts the writer recorded, but also the very words that were used to convey the message. This was a cooperative operation in which God and the human authors wrote together and the Holy Spirit guided and controlled the writers while allowing them to use their own styles and vocabulary, but the writers wrote only what the Holy Spirit intended.
Inerrancy
Inerrancy is the doctrine that the Bible is fully truthful in all of its teachings. Full inerrancy holds that the Bible is completely true. This applies to the religious/theological/spiritual messages of the Bible being true and without error. Full inerrancy also affirms that though the Bible does not primarily aim to give scientific and historical data, such statements as it does make are fully true. However, these references are sometimes regarded as phenomenological; that is, they are reported the way they appear to the human eye.
Study questions
- How did Peter know that the gospel of Jesus was true and not just a myth?
- What is Peter referring to when he says “we were eyewitnesses of his majesty”?
- In what ways did Jesus fulfill prophecy?
- How does Jesus’ fulfillment of biblical prophecy lend credibility to those prophecies?
- What is Peter referring to when he writes “until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts?” Why is this important?
- Where did prophecy not come from?
- Who is the ultimate source of Scripture?
- What role did men play in producing Scripture?
- What does this passage teach us about God and his desire to be known by his people?
- Why does Peter point to Scripture in his effort to combat the false teachers in the church?
Application Questions
- What difference does it make that Christianity is not based on a myth, but is instead rooted in actual history?
- What is the relationship between the doctrines of inspiration and inerrancy?
- If God truly is the Author of Scripture, how should that affect the way we value it and give it our attention?
- Write down one action you will take because of what you have learned from this passage.
“Inspiration: 2 Peter 1:16-21,” The Advent Christian Witness, Spring 2021