Scriptures Vital!

[tsth]

This caught my eye in my quiet time this morning:

2 Timothy 3:13 But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Can you be wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus, WITHOUT THE HOLY SCRIPTURES?

Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; 4 To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion-- 5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles.

7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, But fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Luke 8:11 "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. 12 Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13 But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. 14 Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. 15 But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[Sherman]

Abraham and Moses both were saved before there was "scripture" as we know it. And today there are many testimonies of God-seekers to whom Jesus appears in either visions or dreams pointing them towards relationships or the scriptures that will teach them of His goodness. Scripture is very important, being the accumulated revelation of God to, through, and in the community of faith (Jewish and Christian); but God is greater than scripture. In fact, one could say that scripture is the "reduced Word of God." What do I mean by that? For example, the Sermon on the Mount likely took all day, maybe a couple of days of Jesus' teaching and "reduced" it down to an outline of His teachings that can be read in about 15 minutes. John speaks of how the if all the things that Jesus did and taught were recorded, the world could not contain the books that would be written. Scripture is kind of like instant coffee, it has been reduced down to the bear essentials and needs to be re-hydrated to be injested. Thus we are dependent upon the Holy Spirit to rehydrate the Word of God so that it may bring life. Without this rehydration, it can be stale and useless. Ultimately we are dependent upon the present spiritual reality of God to reveal Himself to us through even Scripture.

So can a person be saved without the scriptures, yes; but scripture is a gift of God to help us receive salvation and learn from the revelation of God that others have received.

[salos]

Suzanne, thanks for your excellent post.

[tsth]

Matthew 22:29

Jesus replied, "You are in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God.

Mt 26:54

But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say it must happen in this way?"

Mr 12:24

Jesus replied, "Are you not in error because you do not know the Scriptures or the power of God?

Mr 14:49

Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled."

Lu 24:27

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.

Lu 24:32

They asked each other, "Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?"

Lu 24:45

Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures.

Joh 5:39

You diligently study the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life. These are the Scriptures that testify about me,

Ac 17:2

As his custom was, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures,

Ac 17:11 -

Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Ac 18:24

Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures.

Ac 18:28

For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

Ro 1:2

the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures

Ro 15:4

For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

1Co 15:3

For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,

1Co 15:4

that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,

2Ti 3:15

and how from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

2Pe 3:16

He writes the same way in all his letters, speaking in them of these matters. His letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[EricH]

Abraham and Moses both were saved before there was "scripture" as we know it. And today there are many testimonies of God-seekers to whom Jesus appears in either visions or dreams pointing them towards relationships or the scriptures that will teach them of His goodness. Scripture is very important, being the accumulated revelation of God to, through, and in the community of faith (Jewish and Christian); but God is greater than scripture. In fact, one could say that scripture is the "reduced Word of God." What do I mean by that? For example, the Sermon on the Mount likely took all day, maybe a couple of days of Jesus' teaching and "reduced" it down to an outline of His teachings that can be read in about 15 minutes. John speaks of how the if all the things that Jesus did and taught were recorded, the world could not contain the books that would be written. Scripture is kind of like instant coffee, it has been reduced down to the bear essentials and needs to be re-hydrated to be injested. Thus we are dependent upon the Holy Spirit to rehydrate the Word of God so that it may bring life. Without this rehydration, it can be stale and useless. Ultimately we are dependent upon the present spiritual reality of God to reveal Himself to us through even Scripture.

So can a person be saved without the scriptures, yes; but scripture is a gift of God to help us receive salvation and learn from the revelation of God that others have received.

In terms of special revelation (that is revelation that specifically describes for us God's will for our lives), scripture is the primary source. I am not sure your analogy of instant coffee is appropriate.

[Sherman]

In terms of special revelation (that is revelation that specifically describes for us God's will for our lives), scripture is the primary source. I am not sure your analogy of instant coffee is appropriate.

I completely agree that Scripture is our primary source of revelation, and I didn't mean to imply otherwise. And I hesitated to use the analogy of instant coffee because in no way did I wish to demean the importance of scripture, but to only show that we need the Holy Spirit to help us understand Scripture. Without the Holy Spirit, we end up with Law. The letter of the Law kills, but the Spirit gives life.

When I think of sources of God's Self-revelation, I see concentric circles like a target with Jesus as the bull's-eye. 1) Jesus is the primary perfect revelatation of God. 2) The next circle out is Scripture. 3) The next circle would be the extra-biblical writings like those of the Apocrypha, church fathers, and other theologians throughout church history (Luther, Calvin, etc.) 4) The next circle out from the center are the writings of more modern theologians (commentaries, dictionaries, other aids). 5) The fifth circle would be the body of Christ, the community of faith, fellowship. 6) The sixth circle would be mankind in general. 7) The seventh circle is the remainder of creation.

We can receive revelation from God through any means, but the center is the most briliant! As one moves from the center out, the light of God's revelation is increasingly filtered by the sin and selfishness of humankind. Ultimately we are dependent upon God to reveal Himself to us individually and corporately.

[tsth]

What a powerful testimony when you see it all at once!

Dear Peter,

I thought so too! Here's more:

Mark 12:10

Haven't you read this scripture: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;

Lu 4:21

and he began by saying to them, "Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing."

Joh 2:22

After he was raised from the dead, his disciples recalled what he had said. Then they believed the Scripture and the words that Jesus had spoken.

Joh 7:38

Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him."

Joh 7:42

Does not the Scripture say that the Christ will come from David's family and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?"

Joh 10:35

If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came--and the Scripture cannot be broken--

Joh 13:18

"I am not referring to all of you; I know those I have chosen. But this is to fulfill the scripture: 'He who shares my bread has lifted up his heel against me.'

Joh 17:12

While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled.

Joh 19:24

"Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."

Joh 19:28

Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."

Joh 19:36

These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken,"

Joh 19:37

and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."

Joh 20:9

(They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)

Ac 1:16

and said, "Brothers, the Scripture had to be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke long ago through the mouth of David concerning Judas, who served as guide for those who arrested Jesus--

Ac 8:32

The eunuch was reading this passage of Scripture: "He was led like a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before the shearer is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

Ac 8:35

Then Philip began with that very passage of Scripture and told him the good news about Jesus.

Ro 4:3

What does the Scripture say? "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."

Ro 9:17

For the Scripture says to Pharaoh: "I raised you up for this very purpose, that I might display my power in you and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth."

Ro 10:11

As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

Ro 11:2

God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don't you know what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah--how he appealed to God against Israel:

Gal. 3:8

The Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: "All nations will be blessed through you."

Ga 3:16

The promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ.

Ga 3:22

But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.

Ga 4:30

But what does the Scripture say? "Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman's son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman's son."

1Ti 4:13

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.

1Ti 5:18

For the Scripture says, "Do not muzzle the ox while it is treading out the grain," and "The worker deserves his wages."

2Ti 3:16

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,

Jas 2:8

If you really keep the royal law found in Scripture, "Love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing right.

Jas 2:23

And the scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called God's friend.

Jas 4:5

Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?

Jas 4:6

But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."

1Pe 2:6

For in Scripture it says: "See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame."

2Pe 1:20

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation.

(I believe this is why we are warned to hold on to what we heard in the beginning! We first heard the Word, when we believed, didn't we? If we depart from the Word, then we are likely to begin listening to the words of men, rather than God's Holy Word. As was mentioned previously by another poster, (seems as though the post is gone?), then mankind invents their own gods, of their own imaginations.)

1 John 2:24 See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father.

In His Love,

Suzanne

[Sherman]

Yes, very powerful. And just think, when the authors of the New Testament say scripture, they meant the Hebrew Scriptures, the Old Testament. How much more are we encouraged then to study the whole Bible as we know it, Old and New Testaments!

[EricH]

We can receive revelation from God through any means, but the center is the most briliant! As one moves from the center out, the light of God's revelation is increasingly filtered by the sin and selfishness of humankind. Ultimately we are dependent upon God to reveal Himself to us individually and corporately.

Agreed

[Fraught]

Proverbs 1:1 The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel: 2 To know wisdom and instruction, To perceive the words of understanding, 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, Justice, judgment, and equity; 4 To give prudence to the simple, To the young man knowledge and discretion-- 5 A wise man will hear and increase learning, And a man of understanding will attain wise counsel, 6 To understand a proverb and an enigma, The words of the wise and their riddles.

How incredibly privileged we are, huh?