"The Ghostwriter"

“The Ghostwriter”

(Thanks to Karen for suggesting the subject and title)

When the late action novelist Tom Clancy was unable to keep up with the public’s demand for his books his publishers hired others to write in his style. This is known as ghostwriting, a practice by which one person writes for and gives credit for authorship to another. I don’t know how widespread this is but my guess is that it’s used more often than we might realize, especially in “autobiographies”.

While ghostwriters are engaged to enhance the quantity and quality of writing there’s One whose work cannot be improved upon. In 2 Peter 1:21 (KJV) Jesus’ friend makes a bold statement: “…The prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” The term “Holy Ghost” appears some 90 times in the KJV New Testament but in several other versions I checked it’s always translated “Holy Spirit”. So Peter is declaring that Scripture isn’t the product of human imagination but the working of God’s Spirit through people to communicate His truth. The Apostle Paul agrees: “All Scripture is God-breathed….” (2 Timothy 3:16—see the earlier article “Coining Words” for the significance of this expression). Since the Bible comes from our Perfect God through His Perfect Spirit we know that “Every word of God is flawless….” (Proverbs 30:5).

There are a number of reasons I believe the Bible in its entirety is the inerrant Word of God. One is its own claims (e.g. “Thus saith the Lord” {KJV}/”This is what the Lord says” {NIV} occurs some 415 times). Another is the testimony of history which recognized the 66 books of the Old and New Testaments as authoritative at the Council of Carthage in 397 AD. And let’s not forget the thousands of biblical manuscripts (someone has said more than all other ancient writings combined). Finally, a “logical” argument might be stated in this way: God’s Word is made up of 66 books written by about 40 individuals over 1500 years conveying one consistent message surrounding God’s plan to restore sinful humanity to Himself through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ (“He is coming” in the Old Testament; “He has come” in the New).

Scripture is the product of God’s Ghostwriter. It tells me what I must know and do. Am I ready to listen and obey?

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan