In the case of the three persons of the Trinity, there is equality with diversity. The Father is equal to the Son, and the Son is equal to the Holy Spirit. All three persons within the Godhead are equally and fully God. However, differences arise when one begins to discuss something such as their roles.
For instance, in salvation, they all played their part, but they each embraced a different role. In salvation, the Father elects, while the Son died, and the Holy Spirit regenerates/brings life out of death. However, throughout history, the Holy Spirit had also been guiding men along in the production of His Word.
God-breathed authorship
The Bible says, “All scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Tim. 3:16a).
The ESV and NIV say that Scripture is “God-breathed.” What this means is that every book of the Bible was brought about by the inspiration of God Himself. What is also true is that God used man to write His Word; therefore, when considering the authorship of the Bible, there is both a human component and a God component.
At this point, this truth can become confusing. However, sometimes illustrations can help. Say one Saturday morning that you decide to take a trip from home to go to the mall. You figure it’s about time to buy your children some toys. As you enter the mall, you walk along the walkway, and eventually you see that the toy store is on the upper level of the mall. As a result, you walk over to the escalator.
So far in your life up to this point, you have been doing all the walking and looking and searching. The same is true for the authors of the Bible. For vast portions of their lives, there was not some kind of inerrant component that just so happened to go with them wherever they went. It is not as though everything the authors of the Bible did was perfect.
However, in thinking back to our illustration, as you approach the escalator and take the first step onto it, you begin to notice that while you continue to walk up this escalator, it is also guiding you to its desired end. The escalator has a path that is set for you to follow from start to finish, while at the same time you are also walking up it.
You are doing the walking, but the escalator is also taking you where it wants you to go. Some people may walk faster than others as they walk up the elevator. Some may walk with a limp. Some may run.
As the authors of the Bible began to write, the Holy Spirit guided them in their writing. The Holy Spirit had an intended start and finish for each of the authors. However, what is interesting is that just like those who might walk, run, or limp up the escalator, each book of the Bible is unique.
The authors’ writing styles and educational backgrounds are all on display in the writing of the Bible. It is not as though they were all imparted with an extremely high IQ or a doctorate in Greek or Hebrew that resulted in nearly identical 66 books of the Bible. Rather, the Holy Spirit met them where they were at and used what they knew to write a perfect work.
As you get to the end of the escalator, you take a step off, and you begin walking without the aid of the escalator to the toy store. For the authors of Scripture, this is in essence what took place. Yes, the Holy Spirit is always with the believer and helps him in varying ways. Nevertheless, something special was happening each time these authors sat down to write a book of the Bible. God was truly bringing about perfection. Those moments were divine. There was nothing else quite like them.
Application
So why is all this important to know in the life of the Christian? It is important to be able to see God behind the authorship of man. The reason for this is that God is seeking to speak with you every day of your life. The Bible is called God’s Word. When people communicate one to another the way they typically do, it is through words.
Therefore, God calls the Bible His Word. He wants to speak to you each day. He wrote the Bible, and in it, far above every other way, God wants to talk to you.
There is a reason why the Bible is a Book that seems to be alive when the Christian reads it. While there can be dry times as the Christian comes to the Bible, there are also times as the Christian reads the Word that he experiences the very manifest presence of God in his life. The words on the Book in front of him impart life.
Jesus spoke of His sheep in John chapter 10 as ones who hear His voice and follow Him. As you sit down to read God’s Word, you will hear the voice of Jesus. The Holy Spirit will make Jesus’ voice clear.
Final prayer
Father, I thank You for Your Word. Give me a passion to read Your Word and to seek to listen to Your voice. I pray that the Holy Spirit would make the words of Scripture bring life into my life. In Jesus’ name, Amen