Lesson 7 (part 1): THE BIBLE AUTHORSHIP NAMES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

The Bible is unique in all of literature. It is eternal in content - containing the actual words of God, and thus is perfect - without error. What a marvelous treasure!

This is my new Bible (well, relatively "new" - I've been using it for almost 5 months).
It's PURPLE. And pretty. And I'm just prissy enough to love the fact that publishers have begun binding the Word in feminine colors with beautiful designs! But does the cover actually make any difference in it's value and function? Not really.

Here's what I like best about my new Bible - though you can't really tell from this picture

it's LARGE PRINT! Yep, that's right - I have reached an age and stage in life where the size of the print is one of the first things I look for in a Bible - or any other book. LOL This particular Bible is a New King James translation. I have used the New International Version for years and have found that sometimes familiarity with the way a passage is phrased can cause me to glide right past what it says. I switched translations to give fresh phrasing the opportunity to catch my attention and "slow me down" when I'm reading. I'm loving thinking about the differences in wording and seeing how much added dimension it gives at times.

We're so fortunate as believers today to have so many different translations available to us, aren't we? Just glancing at my bookcase from where I sit I can readily see King James Version, New King James Version, New American Standard, New International Version, The Amplified Bible, The Living Bible, The Message, Today's English Bible, English Standard Version, and Holmon Christian Standard Bible. And there are two or three kinds of Bibles in some of the translations. For instance, I have NIV Bibles in thin line, study Bible (with commentary), large print, giant print, and even a loose-leaf binder (that one probably weighs 20 pounds!)

All these Bibles - do they make any difference in my life by sitting on the shelf in my bookcases? No! And that's the major problem with many believers today. We may own every translation available. We may spend a lot of time talking about how wonderful the Bible is. How it is unique. How it's words are eternal because they came straight from God. How it is inerrant and infallible ... us conservative Christians tout those two words a lot. We may piously proclaim how precious our Bible is to us . . . but, at the same time, I think we have to ask:

Is it?

Really???

How many believer's Bibles lay where they are tossed, gathering dust, from one Sunday to the next?

How much of this Word we claim to love makes a difference in the way we live?

When the Bible outlines one course of action and our personal desires express another, which action do we choose?

How many of the words in this holy book are actually stored in our memory banks because we have consciously chosen to invest in the work of memorization?

For the vast majority of believers today, the Bible may be the most widely acclaimed book and at the same time, the most universally neglected!

This passage tells us that ALL scripture is inspired by God. The word inspired means "God-breathed" and describes the divine action of "out-breathing." The Holy Spirit, who is called the Breath of God, literally breathed out God's Word for us. It teaches us what is right (doctrine), what is wrong (reproof), how to get it right (correction) and how to live right (instruction in righteousness).

The Holy Spirit Authored the Scriptures.

A number of names of the Holy Spirit pertain to His authorship of the Bible. As The Spirit of Revelation (Eph. 1:17), He revealed truth to the men He used to pen God's message. As the Wind (John 3:8), He blew the human writers of the Bible in certain directions the same way the wind blows a kite. As The Spirits of the Prophets (1 Cor. 14:32), He infused the holy men of God with energy to express God's message within the confines of their own personal uniqueness. As the Spirit of Prophecy (Rev. 19:10), He communicated and insured the accuracy of God's message. As the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13), He led the human writers into all truth so that the content of the Bible includes God's full revelation of Himself.

The Holy Spirit has not only authored God's Word - He is also involved in helping believers understand what He has written. When a Christian opens the Bible and begins to discover truths of Scripture, the Holy Spirit's ministry of illumination enables him/her to understand the message of the Word.

As the Anointing (1 John 2:28), He removes our spiritual blindness so that we can see truth. And as the Fullness of God (Eph. 3:19), He helps us understand scripture on an experiential level.

Anyone can apply good study habits to reading and studying the Bible and make conclusions concerning the meaning of what they have read. But those conclusions do not necessarily result in any change in their lives. Change takes place as the Holy Spirit, the Fullness of God, applies the scriptures to our daily experiences.

• When we experience temptation, He provides the spiritual power to resist it.



• He gives us wisdom to know how to apply spiritual truth.



• He fills us with spiritual understanding to interpret events in our lives from God's perspective.



• He fills us with spiritual knowledge so that we know what to do.

Oh my sweet sisters, may we feel towards God's Word the way the prophet expressed in this scripture:
Your words were found, and I ate them.

And Your word was to me the joy

and rejoicing of my heart.

Jeremiah 15:16