IN the last sermon on verses 16-18 Peter spoke strongly concerning the veracity and God inspired truth of the apostolic testimony given to the world particularly in the New Testament. For this Peter referred to the historical event he and two other of the apostles were granted to see. This was the transfiguration of Jesus, where the veracity of the Old Testament was made clear by the appearance in the heavenly realm of Moses and Elijah speaking to the transfigured presence of Jesus. These two Old Testament saints, representing the Law and the Prophets, enforced the God inspired reality of the Old Testament; which also testified to reality of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Son of Man, and the Saviour of the world, gathering together the whole of the New Testament as the inspired truth of God.

This testimony surely is enough to establish the God inspired reality of the whole Bible, but because Satan has caused so many doubts to be poured out on the infallible inspiration of the whole Bible, Peter writes these next verses to enforce the truth that the Bible is a book were God has spoken. These cogent and profound words of Peter in these verses, bringing to a close the first chapter of his second epistle, reinforce the truth of the Bible's unique reality as that which in reality is the result of the fact that God has spoken in it through all the Bible authors. Peter establishes firmly that the Bible is truly God's Word written. It also makes clear that all those who in anyway question that the Bible is God's Word, and simply speak of the Bible as only containing the word of God, are in fact accusing God of lying. This may be denied by those many in the visible church today who claim they have the right of questioning the truth that the Bible is God speaking in every part, yet Peter makes clear in these verses 19-21 that this is so.

What comfort and assurance do those have, who receive the Bible as the true Word of God. Our faith does not rest on human wisdom but entirely on the wisdom of God speaking his saving word. We have this gift of faith whereby the foundation of our living is on what God has made known, and not on the quick sands of human opinion. These verses before us enhance this assurance.

Verse 19 follows on from the verses before. The word of the prophets simply speak of the Old Testament writers, and which is also true of the New Testament writers. Both Moses and Elijah made known the word of God, and their appearance speaking with the transfigured Lord Jesus seals their authority as speaking from God, and seals the truth which Peter is declaring that the word of all the prophets, Old Testament and New Testament, as that God spoke through them. The truth that the whole Bible is from God is made more certain.

Peter goes on from this assurance to declare that this certainty is truly God speaking and God's word, and truth that we will do well to pay attention to as the Word from God.

The reason Peter gives is that the Bible is truly a light shining in a dark place. The world is a dark place because since Adam's sin, the world of fallen humanity has been taken over by Satan. The apostle John, at the close of his first general letter to the church of his time, recorded in 1 John 5: 19, expresses this truth 'We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one'. This was the choice which Adam made for all human beings when he believed the lie of Satan, and disobeyed the one command of God. The command was that neither he or Eve should eat or taste the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which God had placed in the Garden of Eden as a test of faith and obedience to him.

Because of Adam's choice all humanity, from the time they are born, live in the darkness which Satan has brought into the world. This darkness hides everything concerning the truth which God has made known in the Bible, concerning sin and salvation. Isaiah in chapter 9 and verse two declares this reality. He speaks of humanity walking (i.e. living) in darkness. The light which shines to dispel this darkness is when the Morning Star rises in our hearts.

Revelation 22: 14 is one of the places in the Bible which show us that this Morning Star is a reference to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Light of the world. This is made clear in the opening of John's Gospel, chapter 1 and verse 9 'The true light that gives light to every man has come into the world'. This is a reference to Christ coming into the world as Saviour who works perfect righteousness for all who are given faith in him as Saviour.

This truth is repeated by Jesus in John 8: 12 where we read Jesus saying 'I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life'. Then in Ephesians 5: 8 we read Paul telling the believer in Jesus as their sin-bearer and Saviour 'For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord'.

The whole of the Bible, being God's word written, brings to those who receive it, the light of the Gospel of salvation. Those who reject the inspiration of the Bible as the infallible and inerrant Word of God, remain in the darkness of Satan, and the light shining in Christ is darkness to them as if a dark cloud blots out the truth in Christ which shines in the darkness of this world.

Now coming to the consideration of the next two verse, verse 20 and 21, this light of the truth about the whole Bible is reinforced beyond any doubt.

Verse twenty tells something we must understand. This understanding Satan works hard to blind us to. Peter goes on to tell us what it is we must understand. If we do not understand this, or shut our eyes to this, then this darkness which pervades all humanity under Satan's dominion will remain to darken truth. Satan exalts human pride in its reason to question the divine origin of the whole Bible by applying the darkness in human nature and thought, and so to deny or question any part of the Bible that does not fit with what human reason deems as right.

What we must understand, that is if we would know the light of God, is that no prophecy of Scripture, which means the whole Bible, came about by the prophets (that is a reference to every writer of the Bible) own interpretation.

What Peter is saying is that every writer of every part of Scripture was not writing his own thoughts, but was writing thoughts which were given him by the Holy Spirit. This important truth is hard for us to contemplate. Plainly the writers of Scripture were not taken over by the Holy Spirit so that their whole mind and personality was overcome by God, and they were simply writing as a scribe recording what was dictated to them. If this was so every part of the Bible would seem the same. The personality of each writer and his stile in writing show a unique personal quality. What Peter is declaring is that each writer of the many books of the Bible retained their individuality and mind set, but that the Holy Spirit was so in control of what they wrote that in everything they wrote contained the meaning that was true to the mind and revelation of God. In other words the writers were not expressing their own ideas and perceptions, but the Holy Spirit was illuminating their minds with the truth that came from God.

Peter then explains this more perfectly. He writes 'For prophecy (that is all that is written in the Bible) never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit'.

This explains the difference between the writers of all the books of the Bible, and all other writings which are found in the world.

In the writings of the world we have the result of men and women who have a gift of writing in the particular sort of subject or way they are gifted in. Some are gifted in writing novels of various sorts. Some are gifted in philosophy, or some other skill, and so write to express their thoughts and understanding in their particular intellectual area. Some are gifted in writing history, and so on. They all express the different avenues of thought which express their own interests and understanding. Even though they show considerable expertise in their avenue of thought, none claim to be perfect in their skill of knowledge. They write also for their own audience of readers. They write according to their own will and expertise.

Peter tells us the truth about the Bible writers which is entirely different. They decide to write because the Holy Spirit carries them along. The Holy Spirit gives them the skill to write. He gives them subject to write. He gives them the thoughts to write. They decide to write because the Holy Spirit moves them to write, and they write and express the truths that have been given by the Holy Spirit.

So the origin of the writings of the biblical authors is not from themselves or from their human expertise, or from their own wish and will, but from God the Holy Spirit. As Peter declares, the writings of the biblical authors do not have their origin in their human wills, but they spoke from God.

These writings are, therefore, totally unique. It is God the Holy Spirit who is the motivation for writing. The thoughts and contents come not from the writers will, but they write as they are carried along by the Holy Spirit.

It is the Holy Spirit who prompts them to write. It is the Holy Spirit who governs the thoughts and content of what they wrote. Their own personality is expressed in the way they write, and their writing comes from the content of their minds, but the content is what God has filled their mind with.

Although the writers of the Bible write as fallible human beings; and although Satan was active to harass them as they wrote; and although they were still encompassed with human frailty; yet the Holy Spirit made absolutely sure that, as these writers actively wrote in their own personal way, what they wrote expressed accurately the truth of God without introducing any error. Thus Peter tells us that, although human beings were the ones who wrote, it was God really speaking and making known his truth. So we have in the Bible an entirely reliable word of God, which if believed and received is God's truth and instruction in grace and love.