2 Peter 1:21: For No Prophecy Was Ever Produced By The Will Of Man, But Men Spoke From God As They Were Carried Along By The Holy Spirit.

2 Peter 1:21

[21] For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (ESV)

Many a skeptic will make accusation that the Bible is just a man-made book. They will suggest that all religion is man-made. People want to control other people, so they write a religious book to keep people in check. The Bible goes out of its way to counter that erroneous notion. Peter informs us of the actual origin of the words of Scripture.

No prophecy originated in man's will. In fact, there are times when the Old Testament prophets were reluctant to even speak the words that God gave them. There were ungodly kings who would kill the prophets of God who spoke words from God that were against them and their immoral behavior. The prophecies that were recorded in Scripture are from God, and often got the prophet in great trouble.

God chose to give us his perfect word, delivered by imperfect people. The fact that humans were used to deliver a holy message does not mean that the message has flaws. The great prophet Isaiah, when he saw the Lord, had a reaction that informs us of how sinful and flawed Isaiah was in comparison to a holy God. Yet, God gave the words to Isaiah that he spoke, as he was carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Isaiah 6:5 gives us the words of Isaiah: "And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!” Imperfect men, like Isaiah, were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Their words were not their own. Their words were not even their own idea. God is the author of the Bible. Every word.

When a skeptic makes the claim that the Bible is a man-made book, you can refer them to this very verse from the Apostle Peter. Take courage, and know that the word of God is true. He is the author of his Word, which gives you the message of salvation.