February 23 - 1 Peter 1:20-21

February 23
2 Peter 1:20-21

2 Peter 1:20-21 knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, 21 for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit

The Apostle Peter is telling us to know this first! The words of God, spoken by the prophets and the apostles, who were moved and anointed by the Holy Spirit of God, heard directly from God, and the words they spoke came right from the heart of God.

The prophets, along with the apostles of Jesus were echoers of what God or Jesus taught them. That is the responsibility of every preacher and teacher even today – simply be re-echoers of what came from the words of holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Sadly, today many preachers and teachers allegorical interpret (man’s interpretation) Scripture to fit in with their understanding; thus, becoming believers of doctrines that no longer can be considered re-echoing of the Scriptures. Listeners are just as guilty - often following through the lenses of taught doctrines, thus being blinded to what is God’s truth from His Word.

So then, how can we, as listeners, be certain what is God’s truth? What is our responsibility as we listen to preachers and teachers as to what is truth? The Apostle John said it quite well:  1 John 2:27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him.

As believers in Christ, we each have the indwelling Holy Spirit to teach us what is truth. Then as we listen to any preacher or teacher, we must first and foremost check to see that they are simply re-echoing God’s Word, not giving allegorical interpretation. That means all believers, even preachers and teachers, are responsible to know God’s truth for themselves, as spoken by holy men of God as they were moved by the Holy Spirit and wrote it down in God’s Word.

That, of course, does not mean that we are not suppose to listen to godly preachers or teachers, because we are. We need to be teachable at all times to the Word of God because we are all on a learning curve, knowing that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. As preachers and teachers continue to re-echo God’s Word to us AND as we continue to study God’s Word for ourselves, the Holy Spirit keeps revealing God’s truth in a deeper way.  And as such, we grow in our faith.

I’ve been studying God’s Word now for 70 years and I have sat under thousands of preachers and teachers, and I will continue to do so till I reach glory. I actively study Scripture for myself, allowing the Holy Spirit to be my teacher. And what I teach, my heart’s desire is to always re-echo God’s Word.  Like you, I am continuously learning new revelations of truth as the Holy Spirit teaches me and is confirmed by other re-echoers of God’s truth. You see, none of us have all truth, but when we recognize that God’s Word is alive and inexhaustive, our hearts seek truth and get excited when God reveals new and wonderful things in His Word.

Remember, faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God. Test everything you see, hear and read by the Word of God – because that is God’s Truth!