The Holy & Inspired Writings of God

TITLE:  The Holy & Inspired Writings of God

GREEK WORD WITH ENGLISH TRANSLITERATION: γραφή  (graphe)

PRONUNCIATION:  graf-AY

STRONG’S CONCORDANCE #: 1124

MEANING: writing; the Holy Scriptures

ENGLISH WORDS DERIVED FROM: graph; graphite

BACKGROUND OF WORD (ETYMOLOGY): while in ancient times this word meant "writings", in the New Testament, every single time this particular Greek word is used it is always in reference to the Holy Scriptures; the Bible became known as "the writings"

HOW TRANSLATED IN KJV, NASB AND/OR ESV:  writings; Scriptures

# OF TIMES USED IN THE GREEK NEW TESTAMENT: 51

KEY VERSE IN THE BIBLE WHERE GREEK WORD USED:

2 Timothy 3:16 - "All Scripture (γραφή) is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness."

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:

When Paul wrote 2 Timothy 3:16 to young Timothy, "All Scripture (γραφή) is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness", at the time the completed “Scriptures” were basically the Old Testament and the Gospels.  Paul was still writing his letters.  But today we have the whole of Scriptures, the writing of God, which consists of 39 Old Testament books and 27 in the New Testament for a total of 66 books.  God’s writings are inspired, which means literally “God-breathed” (a word we will look at another day).  God’s Word was and is provided to use for our benefit.  Yet most of us put more credit in other “writings”.  The only true “writing” that should be our primary focus is the Word of God, these 66 books. 

Before we examine the sanctifying power of Scripture, this crucial statement by Paul must be considered. Some scholars suggest that All Scripture is inspired should be translated, "All Scripture inspired by God is . . ," which would leave open the possibility that some Scripture is not inspired by Him. But that rendering would make the Bible worthless as a reliable guide to divine truth, because we would then have no way to determine which part of it is inspired by God and which is not. Men would be left to their own finite and sinful devices and understanding to discover what part of the Bible may be true and which may not, what part is God's Word and what part is human conjecture. Paul's thought is that the Scripture that gives salvation must therefore be inspired by God. The words of men could never transform the inner person (Psalms 19:7).

In addition to the many other specific biblical references to the inspiration and authority of Scripture — some of which are mentioned below — it is important to note that similar Greek constructions in other parts of the New Testament (see, e.g., Romans 7:12; 2 Corinthians 10:10; 1 Timothy 1:15; 2:3; 4:4; Hebrews 4:1-7) argue strongly from a grammatical perspective that all Scripture is inspired is the proper translation. Scripture is the revelation conveyed, inspiration is the means of that conveyance. In the words originally revealed and recorded, all Scripture is God's inerrant Word.

   

It is of utmost importance to understand that it is Scripture that is inspired by God, not the men divinely chosen to record it. When speaking or writing apart from God's revelation, their thoughts, wisdom, and understanding were human and fallible. They were not inspired in the sense that we commonly use that term of people with extraordinary artistic, literary, or musical genius. Nor were they inspired in the sense of being personal repositories of divine truth which they could dispense at will. Many human authors of Scripture penned other documents, but none of those writings exist today, and, even if discovered, they would not carry the weight of Scripture. We know, for instance, that Paul wrote at least two other letters to the church at Corinth (1 Corinthians 5:9; 2 Corinthians 2:4), but no copies of those letters have ever been found. The letters doubtless were godly, spiritually insightful, and blessed of the Lord, but they were not Scripture.

Many men who wrote Scripture, such as Moses and Paul, were highly trained in human knowledge and wisdom, but that learning was not the source of the divine truth they recorded. David was a highly gifted poet, and that gift doubtless is reflected in the beauty of his psalms, but it was not the source of the divine truths revealed in those psalms.

Scripture first of all and above all is from God and about God, His self-revelation to fallen mankind. From Genesis through Revelation, God reveals His truth, His character, His attributes, and His divine plan for the redemption of man, whom He made in His own image. He even foretells the eventual redemption of the rest of His creation, which "also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God" and which "groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now" (Romans 8:21-22).

The Bible is not a collection of the wisdom and insights of men, even of godly men. It is God's truth, His own Word in His own words. The psalmist declared, "Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven" (Psalms 119:89). God's Word is divinely revealed to men on earth and divinely authenticated in heaven. Peter declares unequivocally, "Know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one's own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Peter 1:20-21). Those God-given, humanly recorded words became God's written Word, inerrant and authoritative as originally given. ‎Propheteia ‎("prophecy")is not used here in the sense of prediction but in its basic and broader meaning of speaking forth, of proclaiming a message. It carries the same inclusive idea as "the oracles of God," with which ancient Israel had the marvelous privilege of being entrusted (Romans 3:2). "Interpretation" (2 Peter 1:20b) translates ‎epilusis‎, which refers to something that is released, sent out, or sent forth. In this verse the Greek noun is a genitive of source, indicating origin. In other words, no message of Scripture was originated and sent forth by men's own wisdom and will. Rather, the godly men through whom Scripture was revealed and recorded were divinely instructed and carried along by the Holy Spirit.

CHALLENGE FOR THE DAY:

Are you spending time every day reading God’s Word?  What about studying it?  How much time do you commit weekly to diligently studying the word of God?  One of my desires is to entice you through these word studies to get a greater understanding of God’s Word.   But this is just part of studying.  Would you make a commitment to God to be more diligent in studying God’s Word?  Commit today to set aside one day this week to spend one hour studying the Word of God and begin to build on that. 

PRAYER FOR THE DAY:

Thank you Father for your holy and inerrant Bible.  Thank you for how you have preserved it through the years for me not only to read, but also to study.  Help me to be more faithful in reading your word and studying it on a regular basis.  Cause your Scriptures to come alive for me in a real and genuine way.  I ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.