Peter writes to equip his audience to continue to grow in relationship with God even while facing opposition, likely including persecution. In our text for today he is reassuring them of the truth and reliability of his message.
Here are two important phrases from this Scripture text that are related to what we will study in the Gospel of John this week: 1) “men spoke”; and 2) “they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” The Gospel of John, just like all of the Bible, was written by a man under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The words we read in this Gospel are John’s words written out of all his own life experiences in his own unique writing style, AND at the same time they are also God’s Word. Additionally, John – just like Peter – was a close friend of Jesus, and wrote as an actual eyewitness of the events of Jesus’ life and ministry.
Consider the following as you reflect on this week’s devotional:
- How does Peter seek to assure his readers that he is a reliable source of information about Jesus, and how would this apply to John’s writing about Jesus as well?
- What difference will it make in our study of the Gospel of John if we are able to have confidence that what we are reading is in fact not just the ideas of men but the very Word of God?
- If we believe that the following words from v. 21 apply to The Gospel of John, “men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit,” then who is really the author of The Gospel of John, the Holy Spirit or John? Please explain your answer.
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