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II Timothy 3:16a

11 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God …

Martin Luther once said, “it is no more possible to be a Christian without prayer than it is to be alive without breathing”.  We are thankful for the fact that “respiration” continues constantly throughout the day, but tend to not give it much thought.  The base word “re-spire” denotes the process of “inspire” and “expire”; otherwise known as breathing in and breathing out.

Our passage indicates that God has given us His Word by means of “inspiration”.  Theologically speaking, we know that it was the Bible writers who experienced this “inspiration” though the Holy Spirit.  These men were “inspired” because God had “expired”.  Sounds funny saying that God had “expired” since we don’t typically think of “expiration” as describing “exhalation”.  But is was the expiration of God’s Word through the Holy Spirit that led to the inspiration of God IN the hearts and souls of those who wrote Scripture down and passed it along to us.

God never inhales; at least not in the same sense that you and I do as a matter of necessity for life.  He is Life itself and He breathes Life into those who have it.  Without His Life there is no life at all.  I find it interesting that the way to spiritual life is by breathing in the breath of God.  Has it ever occurred to you that without “breathing” you cannot Live the Life that God has created for you?  In this physical life it is the combination of inspiration (taking in of oxygen) and expiration (removal of carbon dioxide) that makes the blood tingle with life.

The worship song “Breathe”₁, by Marie Barnett, has the following lyric that more than adequately characterizes the message herein …

This is the air I breathe

This is the air I breathe

Your holy presence living in me

 

This is my daily bread

This is my daily bread

Your very word spoken to me

And I … I'm desperate for You

And I … I'm lost without You

No matter how you slice it, whether physical life or spiritual Life, it is God alone who provides the “inspiration”.