StirItUp/WilliamThank you for your kind response. A good friend of mine said that the meanest, most ornery people he ever met were fundamentalist southern baptists. Indeed the Spirit and the Word are in perfect agreement BUT neither ever supplant each other as this writer suggests. The Spirit always bears witness and testifies to the truth of the Word.
There are some good posts on here, in particular Apollos and William's last post. Thank you for articulating the truth so well.A few years ago I would probably have been one that was quick to criticise the OP and defend the position of scripture that seemed to be being made less. However I don't think that is what was meant by the article, even though the title suggests it.I would say that the scriptures are indeed the 'Word of God' and are all truth. However the probem is how we understand the written word. Textulism is a great problem in the church, in all streams of it. Textulism takes particular texts fron scripture and makes them an authority on their own to impart life or something from God. Textulism takes scriptures like 'if you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart Jesus is Lord you will be saved' as a method to get saved independent of really coming to Jesus Christ himself for life..
_________________Dave
Is anyone familiar with storying? That is telling the story of Jesus orally to those poeople who do not have a written tradition. But have a tradition of storytelling.-bro blaine-
Amen Frank.Thank God the written words preached or read with faith in the power of the Holy Spirit reveal to us the living Word, Jesus Christ!I thought of Paul's words as well: " Therefore we know no one after the flesh from now on. Even though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now we know him so no more"We know the living Word by revelation of the Holy Spirit within, through faith.Blessings,
_________________William
Thanks for the kind words Dave.Textualism as explained by you can be a real obstacle to true faith, which denotes a living relationship with the living Christ.I think the scripture Frank ( Apollus) quoted speaks to that:John 5:39-40 ..You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life, and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life.May all our teaching and preaching always aim at portraying and ministering the living Word, Jesus Christ the Lord. May our prayers also be alive and filled with the power of true intimacy with our Heavenly Father through our Lord Jesus Christ.Blessings,
Amen to this thread! Good words brother Frank and others!Here is just a few thoughts I have on the subject:2 Corinthians 3:6 (KJV) 6 Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life.It is the Spirit that gives life in the Word. Jesus said my words are Spirit and they are life.The words of scripture without the Spirit can be used as a dead letter that kills instead of giving life to the one that hears it.Psalm 138:2 (KJV) 2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.The Word comes before all things and all things by it exist. Thy Word is thy Truth. The name or names of God comes from thy Word. Nothing is greater than the Word of God for by the Word all things are made.Now the true Word is Spirit because God is Spirit. It is very important that the Word be proclaimed or spoken by the Spirit of an anointed messenger in order to promote the life of God instead of it being a dead letter.Now the Word exists from God who is Spirit and life. So we say that the written Word was from the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. That means that the written Word can only truly be interpreted by the Holy Spirit from which it came. In that respect would the Spirit be superior to the written Word because without the Spirit we would not be able to interpret the true Word.Blessings to all!