{Ghost Writer }

I was cruising the social network last night when I came across a friend's statement that her family needed prayer. It was evident to me from her tone that something tragic had happened, so I inquired. What I found out sent me immediately to my knees to beg God to provide healing to someone who may or may not know Him or even believe in Him.

The person I speak of is someone that I graduated from high school with, and the idea of someone so young possibly not making it into heaven, let alone through the night, sent my mind deep into thought.

First, I thought about how we never know how long we have been given by God to live. We can be joking around with our friend about what happened last night in one minute, and in the next minute we can be gone. We can be healthy in one instant, and have an aneurysm or a heart attack in the next.

It breaks my heart to think of all of the people that I know in this world who say that they know who God is and call themselves Christians, but in the same breath curse His holy name or chose to live in ways they consider "lifestyles" that completely go against His Word.

Which led me to my next thought: The Word of God...written by man, or by God? So many people use the excuse of "man wrote the Bible, so how do we know that it's God's word?" in order to excuse their lack of desire to read it and follow what it says. While pondering this excuse, I had a thought.

People write books every day. They are sold in bookstores across America. We don't question whether or not they are the author of those books. The cover tells us that they are the author of their book. So, why do we question that God wrote the Bible?

He tells us very clearly in 2 Timothy 3:16 that He wrote it. "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."

He even tells us why He wrote it, what it is good for. The problem is, we don't want to admit that we need reproof or correction, so we avoid it. We question His authorship. We say that He used men to write it, and we ask one another if we can trust that they didn't change His word as they copied it down.

Here's my next thought: What about ghostwriters? How many of those books that we so dearly love and cherish were written by people behind the author, ghostwriters.

A ghostwriter is someone who writes the book according to the author's outline, research, story, autobiography, etc. They write for the author. Rarely will a ghostwriter write a book without input from the accredited author. A ghostwriter uses the author's voice and style to write the story that the author wants written. Ghostwriters rarely have their name attached to the final publication. The author gets all of the credit.

The Word of God is physically written by ghostwriters. Moses, David, Isaiah, Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Paul...Paul even claims that he is not speaking in his voice of authorship, but in God's alone. In First Corinthians, Paul says: "And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified... And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God." (1:1-2,4-5 NKJV)

He wasn't speaking of from his own worldly wisdom or knowledge. He only said what God wanted demonstrated. In First Timothy 1:11, Paul writes, "according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust."

Paul didn't write what he wanted to write, but what the Holy Spirit committed to his trust. A ghostwriter trusts the person who is going to write his book. God trusted these great men to impart on paper what He was saying to the people.

So how do we know that they didn't change what He said? First of all, He commands it in Deuteronomy 4:2. "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you."

Secondly, He warns what will happen, if someone does: "For I testify to everyone who hears the words of prophecy in this book: if any one adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of this book of prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book. He who testifies to these things says, 'Surely I am coming quickly.' Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!" (Revelation 22:18-20)

If ghostwriters did not write in the voice of the actual author, the book would never go to publication. The official author wouldn't allow it. Just thinkin'...