(This is an excerpt from Ben's book The Divine Chase: Responding to a Pursuing God.)
God’s written word is a document inspired by him.[i] He is the great composer who has written the music that accompanies our moves on this great dance floor. And he has written it for us to know deeply. He does not want us lip-syncing the latest preacher. He wants us to know his Word intimately, personally, thoroughly, and as completely as he has enabled us. He expects us to know his Word and to know it well. He tells us directly in the words themselves. For example, in Paul’s second letter to Timothy, he states,
You, however, must continue in the things you have learned and are confident about. You know who taught you and how from infancy you have known the holy writings, which are able to give you wisdom for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work (2 Tim. 3:14–17, NET).
Paul is simply telling Timothy the nature of God’s Word, that he inspired it. The Greek word for “inspire” here is theoneustos, meaning “God-breathed.” All of the words and thoughts in the original autographs of scripture originated in the heart of God, and he chose this description of the inspiration process himself, not us. This is the way he wants us to know the nature of his Word, which he himself in a process beyond our comprehension, a supernatural event of inspiration,[ii] caused and allowed, in this case, Paul, to communicate these truths to a young preacher named Timothy. The teaching of these verses tells us more of the dance we are engaged in, for in them we find the cadence and timing of the music itself. It is for “teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness,” the notes that will bring our steps into harmony with the heart of God.
Peter echoes these thoughts in his second letter, “No prophecy of scripture ever comes about by the prophet’s own imagination, for no prophecy was ever borne of human impulse; rather, men carried along by the Holy Spirit spoke from God” (2 Peter 1:20–21, NET).
We can know, therefore, that God is so interested in us that his pursuit of us, the divine
chase of God, includes his self-revelation to us in his book. It is an objective statement of God to
us, an invitation to the dance floor. We cannot enter the dance floor properly without it, for the
divine choreographer has composed this manuscript for us to follow, to live out in following his
self-revelation to us in our response to him.
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[i] Bounds, Ben. The Divine Chase: Responding to a Pursuing God, 69–71. Bloomington, IN: Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan, 2017. Reprinted by permission.
[ii] It is beyond the scope of this book to deal in detail with all relevant issues concerning the nature of the Bible. My assumptions are its inerrancy in verbal inspiration in which one can find a thorough treatment of that discussion in the work Inerrancy edited by Norman Geisler, published by Academie Books, Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan. We can also be confident of both the veracity of its status as God’s Word and its reliability throughout its transcriptional process. See Paul Little, Know Why You Believe, chapters 5 and 6 (Downers Grove Ill.: IVP Books, 1968). See also F.F. Bruce, The Books and the Parchments (Old Tappan, N.J.: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1984).
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We can come to know Christ through confession of our sins and repentance (turning away from sin). Let me encourage you to do this by talking to God through prayer. Here is an idea of how you might do that:
"Dear God, I believe your son Jesus Christ died in my place on the cross and rose from the dead on the third day following his death. I confess my sins, all of them, to you now with a humble heart. I repent of those sins and ask you to empower me with your Holy Spirit in overcoming further sin. Amen”
If you prayed this or a similar prayer committing your life to Christ and becoming one of his followers, let me encourage you to find a good, Bible-believing church. If you live in the Weslaco/Rio Grand Valley area of Texas, let me invite you to the church I attend, Mid-Valley Assembly (www.midvalleyassembly.com).
Begin talking to God in prayer and reading the Bible daily. A good way to begin to read the Bible is to start with the Book of John in the New Testament.
Feel very free in connecting with me if you need any further help in your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ. You can do this via the above email or facebook page or this web page.
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Mercy Road Ministries was founded and now led by Ben Bounds. Ben has pastored churches across Texas for over thirty years and is an ordained minister with the Christian and Missionary Alliance (C&MA). He holds a BA in Pastoral Ministry and Biblical Studies from Southwestern Assemblies of God College and did graduate theological studies at the BMA Theological Seminary.
Ben's first book, The Divine Chase: Responding to a Pursuing God, was released on 12.08.2017 through Westbow Press, a division of Thomas Nelson and Zondervan. It is available in paperback and hardback through your preferred bookseller (Mardels, Barnes and Noble, etc.) and paperback, hardback as well as ebook through online book retailers (www.christianbook.com, www.cokesbury.com, www.amazon.com, www.booksamillion.com, www.barnesandnoble.com, etc.).
Ben is the host of Staying in Bounds, an on-air Bible devotional broadcast multiple times daily on KWJV 103.7 FM Weslaco, TX which can also be heard worldwide online at www.kwjvthestar.com.
Ben and his wife, Linda, together have four adult children and nine grandchildren. They live in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas.
Ben can be contacted for preaching engagements at benbounds695@gmail.com or 903.441.3279. Ben can also be contacted via his website @ www.benbounds.com, which is also his blog and contains more information about his ministry.
Follow Ben @ https://www.facebook.com/mercyroadministries/ and this website www.benbounds.com.
©2022 by Ben Bounds. All rights reserved.
Keep up your great work here brother, I enjoy every post. Still learning this social media apps.