September 30, 2007
Sun Oak Baptist Church
Introduction
We can trust the testimony of Scripture – we can trust God’s Word.
Verses 19-21 are critical to Peter’s defense of the doctrine of the Second Coming of Christ; by extension they are critical to confirming the trustworthiness of the rest of God’s Word; and they also happen to be some of the key verses that address the doctrine of inspiration – how we got the Bible.
3 statements that summarize what Peter says in verses 19-21.
I. The trustworthiness of prophecy (of Scripture) confirmed. See 1:19.
A. The trustworthiness of prophecy confirms the testimony of all of Scripture. See 1:19a.
B. What a Christian’s attitude toward Scripture should be as a result of its trustworthiness. See 1:19b-c.
C. The Jewish Christians Peter was writing looked upon the evidence of the prophets of the Old Testament with supreme importance – they knew they could trust prophecy.
II. The interpretation (or determination) of prophecy (or Scripture) clarified. See 1:20.
A. What isn’t Peter saying in verse 20?
1. The Roman Catholic Church position.
(Note: “Church” here is a collective term referring to priests, the Cardinals that rule the church from Rome, the scholars that define Roman Catholic doctrine and finally the Pope).
a. Any interpretation about what the Bible teaches that involves “private judgment,” meaning a judgment or interpretation that is reached outside of the Church must be excluded; it’s not valid – it can’t be correct. Examples.
b. In contrast to this position, Protestants (including Baptists), teach the universal priesthood of all believers.
2. Peter is also not saying that the prophets themselves were not capable of understanding their own prophecies. See 1st Peter 1:10.
The prophets themselves, the holy men that God called to prophesy, were not capable of understanding their own prophecies. Because prophecy isn’t a matter of private interpretation men like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Hosea, Zechariah and the other prophets couldn’t understand what they were prophesizing about and they use verse 20 and 1st Peter 1:10-12 to support this position.
B. 2 keys that unlock the meaning of this verse.
1. The meaning of some of the Greek.
“Knowing this first that no prophecy of Scripture comes into existence as the result of any private determination.”
2. The context.
C. So once we have done the legwork and looked up the Greek, and once we have put verse 20 into its context we see how naturally verse 20 flows into verse 21. “No prophecy of the Scripture arises or originates in the prophet’s own understanding of things – for prophecy came not in Old Testament times by the will of man: but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
Conclusion