Recently, I have noticed questions and an array of answers, in different places and on different platforms, about why we as Christians accept the Bible as the word of God.  I haven’t written an article for the website in a long time, and I decided that it seems to be the right time to publish the answer to this question that I believe the Lord gave me when I wrestled with this about 30 years ago.  This answer came when I battled through the worst faith crisis of my life, albeit not in these exact words.  Without further ado, I am going to summarize my answer as short as possible, but I also need to state that this “short” answer was the result of a much longer, more tedious process than what I can do justice to in this article.  The answer came at a price and required a surrender that changed me from the inside out. The result of the longer journey is that I can probably answer this question from several angles.  However, today I am choosing to answer it from the following angle:

2 Peter 1:16-20

¹⁶ For we did not follow cleverly devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. ¹⁷ For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such a declaration as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory: “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.” ¹⁸ And we ourselves heard this declaration made from heaven when we were with Him on the holy mountain.  ¹⁹ And so we have the prophetic wordmade more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star arises in your hearts.²⁰ But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture becomes a matter of someone’s own interpretation, ²¹ for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (NASB)

The Old Testament prophecies about both the first and the second coming of Jesus.  In the New Testament, the eyewitnesses testify as to how Jesus fulfilled those prophecies of old.  Both the Old and New Testaments still have prophecies about Jesus that clearly speak of His return towards the end of this age.  However, if the prophecies about His first coming were fulfilled by Him, then there is precedent to say that the prophecies about His second coming will also be fulfilled by Him in the fullness of time.

When we as humans negate or de-validate the Bible’s validity, truth, and inspiration as the word of God, then we are negating the written testimony of Jesus, who is the Living Word of God.  We are then negating the work of the Spirit of Prophecy in believers like Luke and Isaiah, etc.  We are negating and questioning the work of the Spirit of Prophecy in the hearts of the prophets and eyewitnesses of old.  No prophecy was ever made by the act of a human being’s will.  It is the Spirit of Prophecy that moves the hearts and minds and fingers of the prophets to write down the testimony of Jesus throughout all the ages.  It is the Spirit of Prophecy that inspired the eyewitnesses to put pen to paper to write down their firsthand accounts of what they and those they knew witnessed.  The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Prophecy (1 Cor 12).  He is the Spirit of Truth, of Knowledge, Wisdom, Understanding, Counsel, Might and the fear of the Lord.

For me – that settles the case.  I pray that the Lord Jesus Christ, who is The Living Word, will give you your own immovable revelation of the truth. That the godly inspiration behind the written testimony of the Spirit of Prophecy about Him Who is The Living Word will become a reality to you.  That He who is the substance of the written testimony in the Bible will meet you and reveal Himself to you.  The written word, or Bible, is the testimony of Jesus from Genesis to Revelation, written by human hands but inspired by the Spirit of Prophecy.

Revelation 19:10 “Then I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Do not do that; I am a fellow servant of yours and your brothers and sisters who hold the testimony of Jesus; worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”  (NASB)

Article: © Copyright all rights reserved:  August 2026 HG Venter

Photo:  © Oct 2026 Riané Venter.  All rights reserved