Title: 13
Author: JOEG
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© 2001 Joe Griffin	                                   ▼                        01-12-13.JSH-585 /

The Inscrutable Question: Confidence in Biblical Infallibility Energizes Spiritual Advance; Confirmation of Inspiration, 2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:20-21
	12-	These two options are equally available to every believer in the Church Age.  No Church Age believer can come to know the plan, purpose, or will of God without utilizing these two options.
	13-	The first power option becomes operational following confession of one’s personal sins to God.  Such a prayer requires simply confession alone to God alone.  No penance, sorrow, or works are required and if added to confession or substituted for it they result in no forgiveness at all.  (1 John 1:9)
	14-	Under the filling of the Holy Spirit the believer has the option to make himself available to the teaching of the Word of God under the ministry of a pastor-teacher.  If he chooses this option often enough, he will grow in grace and begin to not only know the plan of God but be able to apply its principles to life and circumstances.  (John 14:26; 2 Peter 3:18; 1 Corinthians 2:6-16)
	15-	Consistent utilization of these two power options results in the development of spiritual skills.  Rebound becomes a daily function and inculcation of Bible doctrine becomes a consistent priority in the life.  This consistency leads to the acquisition of ten biblical problem-solving devices.
	16-	Knowledge of biblical revelation about who and what God is results in the development of reciprocity which becomes a motivation to continue the advance to spiritual maturity.
	17-	This entire system is called the Four Spiritual Mechanics culminating in the execution of the Sophisticated Spiritual Life.  The basic principle that undergirds this process and makes it work is a core belief that the Bible is the lone source of revelation from God, that it is infallible, inerrant, trustworthy, and true, and that its absolute principles are the only legitimate counsel for the management of one’s life on this earth.

	18-	Continued spiritual growth will eventually enable the believer to qualify as a witness for the Prosecution in the appeal trial of Satan.  All is dependent upon a first cause: the revelation by God to the writers of Scripture regarding those things He desires for us to know.
	19-	The human authors of Scripture, under the ministry of the Holy Spirit, wrote the books of the Bible under the principle of inspiration.
	20-	The biblical confirmation of inspiration is found in:
2 Timothy 3:16 -	All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness.
	21-	The phrase “inspired by God” is the Greek verbal adjective:
		qeÒpneustoj / theopneustos / -	Lit.: “God-breathed”
This word is a compound made up of the word QeÒj / Theos /, “God,” and the verb pnšw / pneo /, “breathe.”  This is obviously an anthropomorphism: language of accommodation that ascribes to God human physical characteristics He does not actually possess so man may comprehend His divine policy, character, and function.
	22-	God does not have a body with lungs and does not breathe through inhale and exhale.  However, so that we might be able to comprehend divine function related to divine inspiration, the Holy Spirit assigns the physical characteristic of breathing to the spiritual function of inspiration.
	23-	Breathing involves both inhale and exhale.  Inhale illustrates the ministry of the Holy Spirit in inspiration through which he directed the human writers.  Exhale illustrates what the human writers wrote down under the Spirit’s direction.  This is summed up in the statement:
God the Holy Spirit so supernaturally directed the human writers of Scripture, that without waving their human intelligence, vocabulary, individuality, literary style, personality, personal feelings, or any other human factor, His complete and coherent message to mankind was recorded with perfect accuracy in the original languages of Scripture, the very words bearing the authority of divine authorship.
24-	The principle of inspiration is noted in both Testaments, for example, Isaiah in the Old and Peter in the New:
Acts 28:25 -	And when they did not agree with one another, they began leaving after Paul had spoken one parting word, “The Holy Spirit rightly spoke through Isaiah the prophet to your fathers.”
2 Peter 1: 20 -	Knowing this first: that no prophecy of Scripture originates from one’s own disclosure.
v. 21 -	No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.
	25-	Verse 20 approaches inspiration from the negative viewpoint: no man on his own ever originated Scripture.  The positive concept of the origin of Scripture is given in verse 21 where the word “moved” brings in the ministry of the Holy Spirit.  It is the present passive participle of the Greek verb:
		fšrw / phero / -	“to bear; to carry; to be borne along; impelled”
		present:	Historical; takes a past event and views it as a present reality.
		passive:	Biblical writers “carried along” by the Holy Spirit received the action of inspiration.
		part.:	Causal; denotes that which is the ground of action in the main verb.  Thus this causal clause is introduced by the conjunction “because.”
2 Peter 1: 21 -	No prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, because men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. 
	26-	The application of the doctrine of inspiration is found in:
	Hebrews 10:35 -	Therefore, do not throw away as worthless your confidence, which keeps on having rich distribution of blessing.
v. 36 -	For you keep on having need of perseverance [ consistent advance in the spiritual life ], in order that when you have accomplished the will of God, you may carry off for yourself the promise [ escrow blessings ].
	27-	The only true confidence in life is based on knowledge of divine thought from which decisions are made and problems are solved.  Confidence built on any other system of thought results in a false confidence that cannot stand up under the pressures common to cosmos diabolicus.
	28-	True confidence is able to defend the soul against all assaults from outside adversity and thus prevent their conversion into internal stress.
	29-	This ongoing, unshakable confidence is built up by spiritual growth but is able to endure trial and testing because of one’s core belief that the Bible is the inspired record of God’s message to man for life and practice.
	30-	Although around 40 men composed the Scripture through inspiration, your knowledge that they were directed by the Holy Spirit while writing their compositions is a constant boost to your confidence about its veracity.
	31-	From this comes the confidence and courage enjoyed by Joshua:
Joshua 1:7 -	“Be confident and courageous!  Perform extraordinary diligence to do according to all the Law which Moses My servant commanded you.  Do not turn from the wheel-tracks of righteousness to the right into legalism or to the left into licentiousness, so that you may act wisely wherever you go.
v. 8 -		“The book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth but you shall facilitate its content day and night so that you may be extraordinarily diligent to do according to all that is written in it; for then your lifestyle will accomplish what I intend and you will act wisely.
v. 9 -		“Have I not commanded you?  Be confident and courageous!  Do not fear to the point of panic nor allow dismay to destroy your courage.  The Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

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