ET101, You are right to have faith in the scriptures as being complete. To defend it is to simply proclaim it. Col 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; Isa 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. Jer 23:29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.and1Pe 3:15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear: God Almighty knew that our primary means of communication would be speech and written word. So of course He would preserve HIS WORD as a testimony to all mankind!
Hi ET101Hi sorry for my earlier reply I completely misunderstood your post please forgive me. I thought you were questioning if God's word is really God's word. I believe you are asking for wisdom on how to prove the Word of God is indeed the Word of God to those who may not be enlightened is this correct ?: )Love in Christ Jesus
_________________Lindi
That's ok, Lindi1208. Yes, that's correct, and I'm one of those who feels I am not sufficiently enlightened. Here is my position better-put: I hold wholey that the word of God written is in fact the word of God. But if you ask me 'why?,' then I begin to give you unconvincing answers about faith, about a council selecting them because they were widely known to be God's word, about 2Tim 3:16. . .and finally, I don't convince even myself.Paul, thank you. I'm very encouraged by your post. That is my overall leaning too.You see, Blayne, I think you're right on the point. I think what I'm trying to do with this post is make sure that I am not a mindless fundamentalist with the word. I believe it and my life is being shaped by it - there is no question of that. The thing is, I don't have a satisfyingly solid-enough intellectual underpinning for why these sixty-six books should constitute the done-and-said-for written word of God.Going back to Paul's and openairboy's comments, I think ultimately I can come to terms with the intellectual reasonings but in the end, it's a spiritual matter. I hvae to take a spiritual approach to it. Otherwise, as Paul put it, I'll fall into a spiral of 'flesh-on-flesh' combat: ie. using carnal means to try and disect a spiritual matter. I think in here is also a sense for why the arguments ultimately become circular.Yes, I did watch the Ludy sermon and I marvel at his strong convinction and that's exactly the positon I want to come to. Hence, the post. .. but I think more now that it wont come necessarily from having all my intellectual arguments lined-up.Jesus-is-God: I'll read the Torrey article. I think it will help me along a lot. Thank you.
Darn! ET101I was editing the previous Post of mine when you replied.After it was Posted I felt an urgent need to review and correct it. I'm sorry.
Darn! :-)Not to worry, whatsover. I feel very understood :-)Thanks.
hellow ET101, I would highly recommend a book by eta linnemann an ex student of Rudolf Bultmanneta linnemann Historical Criticism of the Bible: Methodology or Ideology