Steve Ray has a list of more than 35 loaded Questions for "Bible Christians" (quotation marks his)(link to the whole list). I originally planned to respond to just 35 of them, but the series seems to have been of interest, so in this extension, I'm responding to three more numbered questions in his list, plus fourteen "bonus questions" that take the form "Where does the Bible say ... ." I'm trying to provide the answers in the same common format as the original series, for easy reference. This is number 6/17.
Where does the Bible . . .
. . . tell us how we know that the revelation of Jesus Christ ended with the death of the last Apostle?
Simple Answer(s):
1)
Revelation 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:
...
Revelation 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
2) Hebrews 1:1-4
God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
3) 1 Corinthians 13:8-10
Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
Important Qualification(s):
1) The historical reality of the matter is that the dramatic sign miracles that accompanied the prophets from Moses to John ceased after John's death. No one today is healed by the shadow of any of the believers, nor can the believers raise people from the dead as Peter and Paul did. B. B. Warfield's Counterfeit Miracles provides a more thorough explanation of this.
2) We don't necessarily think that all the revelation of Christ has ended forever. We expected to be illuminated by the light of the Lamb in the ages to come:
Revelation 21:23 And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.
3) While God has ceased speaking through prophets, God continues to provide the light of nature that renders all men excuse-less.
Romans 1:20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
- TurretinFan
Friday, February 19, 2010
2 comments:
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10. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you; and abstain from doing to others what you would not wish upon yourself.
There is an area here within the scope you have laid out that I would differ with slightly, if it differs at all?
ReplyDeleteHere is a reasoning that I believe the Church needs desparately brought into; and how this is done, it seems to me, is by anointed men at the pulpit and the street, anointed by the Holy Spirit, Who is here and has been here from the beginning? cf. Genesis 1:2.
We read these verses and I would, for one, would love to read how you would exegete them as I find myself learning a lot from your understandings of the Word and how they are enjoyed here on earth through the things you teach in here:::>
Eph 4:11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
Eph 4:12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
Eph 4:13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
Eph 4:14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Eph 4:15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ,
Eph 4:16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
We also see something similarly expressed by this Apostle, here:
Rom 15:13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.
Rom 15:14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
Rom 15:15 But on some points I have written to you very boldly by way of reminder, because of the grace given me by God
Rom 15:16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
To gain the full impact of each portion, the Ephesians' citation and the Romans' citation, one would need to read the whole chapters and then some to put over the best understanding in them?
I would "connect" the dots to the hard to understand and very much argued portion of Scripture found in James' epistle, here:
Jas 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights with whom there is no variation or shadow due to change.
Jas 1:18 Of his own will he brought us forth by the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.
Jas 1:19 Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
Jas 1:20 for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God.
Jas 1:21 Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.
Jas 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Jas 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.
Jas 1:24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.
Jas 1:25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
And here:
Jas 2:14 What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him?
Jas 2:15 If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food,
Jas 2:16 and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and filled," without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that?
Jas 2:17 So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
more continued
continued from
ReplyDeleteAlso, it seems to me, that if we are so fortunate by the Spirit of Grace to "be equipped" as Paul writes at Ephesians 4, we ought to experience the same as Paul writes at Philippians 4:9:::>
Php 4:9 What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me--practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.
So I differ slightly in that I believe, because with God, "all" things are possible, He can, through His willing servants, heal the sick, raise the dead, cure the cripples and cast out the demons as we see done by those men of the Gospel and the book of Acts. Maybe not nearly as dramatic or profound or maybe dramatic or profound; but, anything God does, however slight I might judge it to be through His servants today, is dramatic and profound in my view, even to the saving of the souls of men!
We need a dramatic and profound revival today all across the world, devils full. :)
1Ch 16:31 Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice, and let them say among the nations, "The LORD reigns!"