LESSON 2 – THE BIBLE AS THE WORD OF GOD
The Bible – Gods Word
John 1:1-18
John 14:16,17
John 16:7-15
Hebrews 1:1-3
1Corinthians 13:8-13 Lamb
Holy Spirit Teacher
Maturity
GOD REVEALS HIMSELF
Bible is from the Greek word biblos (pronounced Vivlos) meaning a book.
Christianity teaches that God has deliberately stepped into history and revealed himself to man. Christianity is different to any other religion because of this. This revelation of God reached its peak with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ as shown in John 1. Later in John 14 he states that the Holy Spirit will inform us of more things when he comes.
Much of the knowledge of God was given when Jesus Christ was on earth, this complementing and amplifying material already given in the Old Testament. We have now what revelation God wishes us to have this side of eternity. There was an unfolding of Gods Word with the unfolding of doctrine in the Old Testament, unfolding of doctrine in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and the unfolding of doctrine by the Holy Spirit through people such as Paul.
Hebrews 1:1-3
Hebrews 1:1 3 shows that the Lord Jesus Christ is at the right hand of God from where he sent the Holy Spirit to complete the canon of Scripture.
"God in sundry times and in many ways [polumeros]" indicates the progressive nature and fragmentary ways in which God's Word came into being. Under His guidance they were all brought together in diverse manners, [proutropos].
Methods - The various ways in which it was put into the canon in the Old Testament : they cast lots, they used the urim and thummim in conjunction with the High Priest's breastplate, visions, dreams, theophanies the preincarnate person of the Lord Jesus Christ, prophets, angels and events.
However when the Word (Logos) became ‘Immanuel’ (God with us) he demonstrated the full power of God through the many miracles he performed. Jesus said he would send the Holy Spirit to baptise them with the same power, so that they would do works greater than his.
The second chapter of Acts records how in the ‘last days’ the Lord would pour out his Spirit on ALL people and many would have dreams and visions occurring during the end times, so that they can bring many to righteousness. We are now living in that time period.
In Hebrews 1:2 we note that in the recent days God has spoken to us through His Son. The word "by" is a poor translation of a Greek preposition which can be rendered "in" or "through". The translations of the Greek prepositions are a weakness in the K.J.V. which has been clarified in the last one hundred years.
The Bible Revealed As The Word of God.
The Bible claims to be the Word of God and if you adopt any other position on its nature you have its own verses challenging you.
It is the internal and external evidence which proves to the open minded person that we are dealing with what is clearly claimed to be God's Word. It is written over a period of nearly 2000 years yet it all ties together. All the so called contradictions melt away if you look at the subject in context and the content of the Word.
There may be a language problem or a problem of comprehension but no contradictions will stand up to thorough study.
TWO LINES OF EVIDENCE
Internal – the facts in the Bible and its own claim as to its divine origin. Joshua 1:8, 2 Samuel 22:31, Psalm 1:2, Luke 16:17, 2 Timothy 2:15 Revelation 1:2
There is a constant claim from the Old and New Testament writers as well as the Lord Himself about the divine nature of the Bible. Psalm 19:7-11 Jesus Christ claimed that the law of God was to be fulfilled Matthew 5:17, 18. See also Hebrews 1:1-2
External - The nature of the facts given in Scripture which supports its supernatural character.
[a] Continuity - Written over a period of 2000 years by over 40 authors from totally different backgrounds, cultures, characters. The Biblical subjects range from Creation to Eternity. There is also an amazing continuity and harmony in the Biblical accounts.
Progress from the less complicated to the more complex – the Lamb is sacrificed, but it stands for the ultimate “lamb”. Types are used; prophecies are given and later fulfilled.
There is Much Evidence of the Holy Spirit’s Guidance in the Writing of the Bible.
[b] The extent of revelation – Like a telescope it sweeps the universe from the height of heavens to the depths of hell, like a microscope it looks into the minutest details of the plan of God, like a stereoscope it brings all items into harmony.
It presents information from eternity past to eternity future. We need not fear what archaeologists may dig up because if the Bible says something happened it did.
[c] The Influence and Publications of the Bible – it is far more widely published in more languages than any other book. It was among the first books to be printed in the West. It continues to be printed in ever increasing numbers.
It is classified as the sword of the spirit, Eph 6:17, it also has other features in John 17:17, 2 Cor 3:17, 18, Eph 5:25-26
[d] Subject matter of the Bible – the supernatural character of the Bible is seen in the treating of unknown and otherwise unknowable matters in exactly the same was as that which is known. In all subjects presented its statements is final accurate and timeless. Its contents allow the reader to be wise in the truth both in time and eternity.
[e] The Bible as literature – considered from this viewpoint the Bible is supreme from history to poetry, stories of love and war, speculations of philosophy versus the truth.
[f] Unprejudiced Authority – the human authors have not prejudiced the Bible in favour of man as it deals with his sin and weaknesses. Some of the authors themselves such as Solomon in Ecclesiastes show themselves as frail.
It reveals with authority things from heaven, things seen and unseen revealing facts about God, man angels, time and eternity, life and death, sin and salvation, heaven and hell.
Supreme Character – it is a supernatural book revealing the person and glory of God as shown in His Son Jesus Christ could not have been an invention of mortal man as His perfect character could not have been comprehended by those on earth without Divine assistance.
We therefore see the relation between the written word and the Lord Jesus Christ as the living Word.
They both are supernatural and they transform the lives of those who believe. The revelations are understandable by the child and are as complex as the divine wisdom and knowledge and as enduring as the God whom they reveal.
THE SCOPE OF THE BIBLE
God's hand is clearly on every page of the written word as it is totally ‘unique’ in history. It took around 40 people to write the 66 books over such a length of time that it must have had Divine inspiration. The Bible looks at everything. No other book has been published so widely or has come under such great scrutiny. This subject matter has a supernatural stamp on it. It is the greatest literature in the world. It is completely authoritative. It has supreme power, beauty and uniqueness as God's written Word.
In 1 Corinthians 13:8–10 verse 8 we see that men had ‘prophecies and words of knowledge’ as a means of obtaining God’s Word long before it was completed with the Book of Revelation in 96AD. But notice that verse 10 tells us that eventually when that which is ‘perfect’ comes; these things will be done away with. Some theologians claim that this verse proves that when the Bible was completed that the prophecies, tongues, words of knowledge and healings would all be done away with.
However it is not that simple, because Colossians 1:20 talks about ALL things being reconciled by Jesus Christ. He will do this fully when he brings all things back to perfection and hands back the perfect world to his Father.
God’s written word is complete for this side of eternity since the book of Revelation was completed. But we also need to understand that God still speaks to His people through His Word and by ‘divine guidance’ by means of the Holy Spirit. So anyone who claims to be guided by the Lord today must be totally guided in accordance with the written Word and his Spirit. We have a closed canon of Scripture and have not had any further new inspired revelation since the completing of the Book of the Revelation.
Therefore the subject of ‘gifts’ within the Church has become rather a contentious issue, with some denominations and streams calling their fellow believers ‘Satanists’ if they speak in tongues and use any of the other gifts.
These groups argue that the gifts were just temporary and that they ceased after the Apostles died. They claim that the temporary gifts were going to cease as indicated in verse 8. The gift of tongues would cease [tousontai] is in the future middle indicative.
This would mean to cause to cease or rest or to cease to function. Future tense indicates that in 55 AD this ceasing would be in the future, the Greek word used does not mean that the function was bad but that the purpose for which it had been created would be completed at some time in the future.
Some religious people in the Church claim that if a Born Again Christian has a vision or prophetic word of any kind even if it harmonizes with the Bible ‘that they have had a mystical experience which is without any spiritual reality, even though there may be spiritual things experienced’. They even claim that the people having visions or prophetic words are delusional or worse. These people are known as cessationists and make up a large part of the Church. They even claim that because ‘unbelievers’ can have spiritual visions and prophecies, they must all be from the enemy and not from God.
Admittedly there are problems within the extremes of the Charismatic movement where some seem to have an ‘open ended Bible’ to which experiences and prophecies can still be added. This potentially leads them into error, unless they allow the prophets to be corrected by the prophets. 1 Corinthians 14:32.
There is therefore a difference between revelation which is the basis of God's Word and guidance by God which always has to be judged against the Word of God. At the time Paul was writing the first letter to the Corinthians in 55 AD there were dramatic gifts that would draw attention to the legitimacy of the authors of the written Word. They were also there to aid evangelism and to get the church started very quickly.
These dramatic gifts included miracles, prophecy, knowledge and the true gift of tongues. The gift of tongues was also a sign to the nation of Israel that their time as custodians of the Word of God was coming to an end and that Jesus Christ would now be the only way to the Father. These sign gifts were to indicate that something dramatically new was happening and that they would be unusual and amazing. Church history records the fact of this.
The other two gifts mentioned in verse 8 those of prophecy and knowledge are said to fail [katergeo] but love never fails. These are in the future passive indicative. The passive voice shows that it will be rendered inoperative, it will cease eventually. No one will need to have the gift of prophecy or knowledge to add to scripture when that which is perfect arrives. In the meantime this does not mean that God cannot give a word of knowledge or prophecy now; but it cannot add to Scripture. Therefore the ‘word or prophecy’ must be tested by scripture and totally harmonize with it.
Verse 9 tells us that which is ‘perfect’ will replace these dramatic gifts and as yet we are not sure what Paul meant by ‘perfect’. So if a person has a prophecy today it has to be tested by the scriptures to ensure its origin is of God. Some claim that the written word of God is what Paul meant by ‘perfect’ but this view is open to debate.
Paul says, for we know in part and prophecy in part, which was the case in 55 AD. There are three sections involved here. What the situation was in 55 AD, what it was when the canon was completed in 96 AD and what it will be like in eternity. Often you will find that with a prophecy there will be an initial fulfillment with a future complete fulfillment yet to come. As in all things we need discernment and wisdom that comes from above.
We are going to have a tremendous revelation when we see the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. This is the next thing for the church, until we see him face to face and have all our questions answered we are to take all doubtful things to the scriptures and check them out for truth against the biblical model. We are also to remember that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are verified by the fruit of the Holy Spirit in the “gifted” person’s life. If there is no fruit of the Spirit in their life then we must suspect that their “gifts” do not have a Holy Spirit origin.
DOCTRINES
LAMB
The lamb is a central feature of typology in the Bible as a symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here we see the developing topic of the Lamb from the sacrifice by Abel to the Lord of Glory
It shows the importance of a word study when examining the Scriptures
1. Genesis 4:3-5a
a) Abel brought a lamb from his flock.
b) Propitiation emphasised - covering.
c) The lamb was an offering for sin.
2. Genesis 22:7-14
a) Abraham was provided with a ram.
b) Substitution emphasised.
c) The lamb was an offering for one person.
3. Exodus 12:3-7
a) The lamb had to be slain.
b) Protection emphasised.
c) The lamb was an offering for one family.
4. Leviticus 1:10-13, 16:15
a) The lamb without spot or blemish.
b) Character of the lamb emphasised.
c) The lamb was an offering for the nation Israel.
5. Isaiah 53:4-8
a) Shows that the lamb to be provided is a person.
b) Expiation emphasised.
c) The lamb was an offering for the elect.
6. John 1:29
a) Shows that the lamb was Jesus.
b) Complete removal of sin emphasised.
c) The lamb was an offering for the whole world.
7. Acts 8:30-37
a) Shows that Jesus is the Christ the promised Messiah.
b) Individual salvation emphasised.
c) The lamb was an offering for whosoever.
8. 1 Peter 1:18-21
a) Shows the resurrection of the lamb.
b) Redemption emphasised.
c) The lamb was an offering for all generations.
9. Revelation 5:6-10
a) Shows the glorification of the lamb.
b) Government of the lamb emphasised.
c) The lamb of the whole universe.
10. Revelation 22:1-5
a) Shows the everlasting kingship of the lamb.
b) Eternal glory of the lamb emphasised.
c) The lamb for all eternity.
The developing topic of the lamb shows how Jesus Christ is the central figure in all the Scriptures and how the inspired writers of the Bible gradually developed the revelation of his character, work and glorification from a lamb to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
HOLY SPIRIT: TEACHER
1. He is the Spirit of Wisdom. (Isaiah 11:2, 40:13-14)
2. He reveals the things of God. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
3. He reveals the things of Christ. (John 16:14)
4. He guides into all truth. (John 14:26, 16:13)
5. He enables ministers to teach. (1 Corinthians 12:8)
6. He teaches the saints to answer persecutors. (Mark 13:11, Luke 12:12)
7. He directs in the way of godliness. (Isaiah 30:21, Ezekiel 36:27)
8. He brings the words of Christ to remembrance. (John 14:26)
MATURITY
CATEGORIES OF BELIEVERS
1. Standpoint of Spirituality:
a) Spiritual believer - the Holy Spirit controls the inside of the believer (Romans 8:6b).
b) Carnal believer - the flesh/carnal controls the inside of the believer (Romans 8:6a).
2. Standpoint of Growth:
a) Baby - one who has just received Christ as Saviour.
b) Adolescent - one who has learned some doctrine but is not yet in the application state.
c) Mature - one who knows and applies doctrine and spends a maximum amount of time in the filling of the Holy Spirit.
3. Relationship of Maturity and Spirituality:
a) Spirituality is an absolute. The Holy Spirit either controls or He does not. One cannot be a ‘little bit’ spiritual. If he is living totally fleshly by his desires and actions he is NOT spiritual. A person who is truly ‘Spirit Filled’ cannot ‘switch’ on genuine spirituality for a couple of hours on Sunday and live a fleshly immoral life the rest of the time.
b) Maturity is speeded up by spirituality, but a baby believer can be either carnal or spiritual, and a mature believer can be carnal or spiritual.
MATURITY: CROSS TO THE CROWN
1. Salvation is only the beginning of the plan for man. After salvation the believer's objective is to advance in stages of spiritual growth on the path from the Cross to the Crown.
2. At each stage the believer faces increasing intense tests that can only be passed by faith. Paul in Romans 1:17 say’s believer’s progress from faith to faith. The five Hebrew words for faith illustrate the five stages of growth described in the New Testament.
a) The Babe - 1 Peter 2:2 - AMEN - the leaning faith of Genesis 15:6
All believers enter the family of God as infants when they exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
After the tremendous stress of birth, of coming from darkness into the light the infant's impulse is to nurse. The objective is nourishment but the baby also receives great comfort in feeding. God's objective for the spiritual infant is for growth, but He commences this with comfort. Not much is expected of a baby in his first few years. He cannot feed or change himself. Spiritual infants are just as helpless and need a great deal of nurturing, encouragement and patient encouragement and patient instruction.
b) The Adolescent - 1 John 2:13-14 - BATACH - the wrestling faith of Psalm 37:3
Adolescents are usually young, strong and eager believers. This is the stage where people have grown to the point at which they understand some of the principles of truth and are beginning to apply them to their lives. But like most adolescents, they have the growing pains of arrogance and rebellion against authority; they are sometimes too eager to act on their own, and this often gets them into trouble. They have knowledge which they mistake for wisdom, but they lack the experience. Their tendency is to want to apply the truth to other people's lives. Adolescents may be troublesome, but at least they are
not apathetic. They must be patiently trained and encouraged to channel their energies. No one makes it to maturity without passing through adolescence.
c) The Mature - Hebrews 5:14, 6:1 - CHASAH - the confident faith that takes refuge in the Lord - Psalm 57:1
The mature believer is able to take meat, the advance doctrine of the Word. A believer who has arrived at spiritual maturity knows enough about the Bible to take responsibility for his own life. He knows how to apply the Word of God to himself so rather than airing all his problems he knows how to solve them. He is not ready to take on every one else's problems but he can take control of his own life. He understands that God has a plan for his life and sets about fulfilling that plan. He gives himself to training and discipline, exercising himself and building spiritual muscle.
d) The Hero of Faith - Isaiah 53:12, Hebrews 11 - YACHAL - the healing faith of Job 13:15
Heroes of faith are men and women who have gone beyond maturity and have learned to fight the good fight. They have advanced beyond simply taking responsibility for their own lives to becoming responsible for the lives of other people.
They are always willing to pick up fallen comrades, to treat their wounds, to encourage them and supply their needs. Heroes of the faith still make mistakes, they still fail but they always stand back up and go back into battle.
e) The Friend of God - James 2:23-25 - QAWAH - the enduring faith of Isaiah 40:31
The highest of all possible achievements in life is to become a friend of God. Every believer has the potential and the assets necessary to reach this point, but very few Christians do. It takes persistency and tenacity. The only people who make it this far are those who absolutely refuse to quit.
The Bible – Gods Word
John 1:1-18
John 14:16,17
John 16:7-15
Hebrews 1:1-3
1Corinthians 13:8-13 Lamb
Holy Spirit Teacher
Maturity
GOD REVEALS HIMSELF
Bible is from the Greek word biblos (pronounced Vivlos) meaning a book.
Christianity teaches that God has deliberately stepped into history and revealed himself to man. Christianity is different to any other religion because of this. This revelation of God reached its peak with the person of the Lord Jesus Christ as shown in John 1. Later in John 14 he states that the Holy Spirit will inform us of more things when he comes.
Much of the knowledge of God was given when Jesus Christ was on earth, this complementing and amplifying material already given in the Old Testament. We have now what revelation God wishes us to have this side of eternity. There was an unfolding of Gods Word with the unfolding of doctrine in the Old Testament, unfolding of doctrine in the person of the Lord Jesus Christ and the unfolding of doctrine by the Holy Spirit through people such as Paul.
Hebrews 1:1-3
Hebrews 1:1 3 shows that the Lord Jesus Christ is at the right hand of God from where he sent the Holy Spirit to complete the canon of Scripture.
"God in sundry times and in many ways [polumeros]" indicates the progressive nature and fragmentary ways in which God's Word came into being. Under His guidance they were all brought together in diverse manners, [proutropos].
Methods - The various ways in which it was put into the canon in the Old Testament : they cast lots, they used the urim and thummim in conjunction with the High Priest's breastplate, visions, dreams, theophanies the preincarnate person of the Lord Jesus Christ, prophets, angels and events.
However when the Word (Logos) became ‘Immanuel’ (God with us) he demonstrated the full power of God through the many miracles he performed. Jesus said he would send the Holy Spirit to baptise them with the same power, so that they would do works greater than his.
The second chapter of Acts records how in the ‘last days’ the Lord would pour out his Spirit on ALL people and many would have dreams and visions occurring during the end times, so that they can bring many to righteousness. We are now living in that time period.
In Hebrews 1:2 we note that in the recent days God has spoken to us through His Son. The word "by" is a poor translation of a Greek preposition which can be rendered "in" or "through". The translations of the Greek prepositions are a weakness in the K.J.V. which has been clarified in the last one hundred years.
The Bible Revealed As The Word of God.
The Bible claims to be the Word of God and if you adopt any other position on its nature you have its own verses challenging you.
It is the internal and external evidence which proves to the open minded person that we are dealing with what is clearly claimed to be God's Word. It is written over a period of nearly 2000 years yet it all ties together. All the so called contradictions melt away if you look at the subject in context and the content of the Word.
There may be a language problem or a problem of comprehension but no contradictions will stand up to thorough study.
TWO LINES OF EVIDENCE
Internal – the facts in the Bible and its own claim as to its divine origin. Joshua 1:8, 2 Samuel 22:31, Psalm 1:2, Luke 16:17, 2 Timothy 2:15 Revelation 1:2
There is a constant claim from the Old and New Testament writers as well as the Lord Himself about the divine nature of the Bible. Psalm 19:7-11 Jesus Christ claimed that the law of God was to be fulfilled Matthew 5:17, 18. See also Hebrews 1:1-2
External - The nature of the facts given in Scripture which supports its supernatural character.
[a] Continuity - Written over a period of 2000 years by over 40 authors from totally different backgrounds, cultures, characters. The Biblical subjects range from Creation to Eternity. There is also an amazing continuity and harmony in the Biblical accounts.
Progress from the less complicated to the more complex – the Lamb is sacrificed, but it stands for the ultimate “lamb”. Types are used; prophecies are given and later fulfilled.
There is Much Evidence of the Holy Spirit’s Guidance in the Writing of the Bible.
[b] The extent of revelation – Like a telescope it sweeps the universe from the height of heavens to the depths of hell, like a microscope it looks into the minutest details of the plan of God, like a stereoscope it brings all items into harmony.
It presents information from eternity past to eternity future. We need not fear what archaeologists may dig up because if the Bible says something happened it did.
[c] The Influence and Publications of the Bible – it is far more widely published in more languages than any other book. It was among the first books to be printed in the West. It continues to be printed in ever increasing numbers.
It is classified as the sword of the spirit, Eph 6:17, it also has other features in John 17:17, 2 Cor 3:17, 18, Eph 5:25-26
[d] Subject matter of the Bible – the supernatural character of the Bible is seen in the treating of unknown and otherwise unknowable matters in exactly the same was as that which is known. In all subjects presented its statements is final accurate and timeless. Its contents allow the reader to be wise in the truth both in time and eternity.
[e] The Bible as literature – considered from this viewpoint the Bible is supreme from history to poetry, stories of love and war, speculations of philosophy versus the truth.
[f] Unprejudiced Authority – the human authors have not prejudiced the Bible in favour of man as it deals with his sin and weaknesses. Some of the authors themselves such as Solomon in Ecclesiastes show themselves as frail.
It reveals with authority things from heaven, things seen and unseen revealing facts about God, man angels, time and eternity, life and death, sin and salvation, heaven and hell.
Supreme Character – it is a supernatural book revealing the person and glory of God as shown in His Son Jesus Christ could not have been an invention of mortal man as His perfect character could not have been comprehended by those on earth without Divine assistance.
We therefore see the relation between the written word and the Lord Jesus Christ as the living Word.
They both are supernatural and they transform the lives of those who believe. The revelations are understandable by the child and are as complex as the divine wisdom and knowledge and as enduring as the God whom they reveal.
THE SCOPE OF THE BIBLE
God's hand is clearly on every page of the written word as it is totally ‘unique’ in history. It took around 40 people to write the 66 books over such a length of time that it must have had Divine inspiration. The Bible looks at everything. No other book has been published so widely or has come under such great scrutiny. This subject matter has a supernatural stamp on it. It is the greatest literature in the world. It is completely authoritative. It has supreme power, beauty and uniqueness as God's written Word.
In 1 Corinthians 13:8–10 verse 8 we see that men had ‘prophecies and words of knowledge’ as a means of obtaining God’s Word long before it was completed with the Book of Revelation in 96AD. But notice that verse 10 tells us that eventually when that which is ‘perfect’ comes; these things will be done away with. Some theologians claim that this verse proves that when the Bible was completed that the prophecies, tongues, words of knowledge and healings would all be done away with.
However it is not that simple, because Colossians 1:20 talks about ALL things being reconciled by Jesus Christ. He will do this fully when he brings all things back to perfection and hands back the perfect world to his Father.
God’s written word is complete for this side of eternity since the book of Revelation was completed. But we also need to understand that God still speaks to His people through His Word and by ‘divine guidance’ by means of the Holy Spirit. So anyone who claims to be guided by the Lord today must be totally guided in accordance with the written Word and his Spirit. We have a closed canon of Scripture and have not had any further new inspired revelation since the completing of the Book of the Revelation.
Therefore the subject of ‘gifts’ within the Church has become rather a contentious issue, with some denominations and streams calling their fellow believers ‘Satanists’ if they speak in tongues and use any of the other gifts.
These groups argue that the gifts were just temporary and that they ceased after the Apostles died. They claim that the temporary gifts were going to cease as indicated in verse 8. The gift of tongues would cease [tousontai] is in the future middle indicative.
This would mean to cause to cease or rest or to cease to function. Future tense indicates that in 55 AD this ceasing would be in the future, the Greek word used does not mean that the function was bad but that the purpose for which it had been created would be completed at some time in the future.
Some religious people in the Church claim that if a Born Again Christian has a vision or prophetic word of any kind even if it harmonizes with the Bible ‘that they have had a mystical experience which is without any spiritual reality, even though there may be spiritual things experienced’. They even claim that the people having visions or prophetic words are delusional or worse. These people are known as cessationists and make up a large part of the Church. They even claim that because ‘unbelievers’ can have spiritual visions and prophecies, they must all be from the enemy and not from God.
Admittedly there are problems within the extremes of the Charismatic movement where some seem to have an ‘open ended Bible’ to which experiences and prophecies can still be added. This potentially leads them into error, unless they allow the prophets to be corrected by the prophets. 1 Corinthians 14:32.
There is therefore a difference between revelation which is the basis of God's Word and guidance by God which always has to be judged against the Word of God. At the time Paul was writing the first letter to the Corinthians in 55 AD there were dramatic gifts that would draw attention to the legitimacy of the authors of the written Word. They were also there to aid evangelism and to get the church started very quickly.
These dramatic gifts included miracles, prophecy, knowledge and the true gift of tongues. The gift of tongues was also a sign to the nation of Israel that their time as custodians of the Word of God was coming to an end and that Jesus Christ would now be the only way to the Father. These sign gifts were to indicate that something dramatically new was happening and that they would be unusual and amazing. Church history records the fact of this.
The other two gifts mentioned in verse 8 those of prophecy and knowledge are said to fail [katergeo] but love never fails. These are in the future passive indicative. The passive voice shows that it will be rendered inoperative, it will cease eventually. No one will need to have the gift of prophecy or knowledge to add to scripture when that which is perfect arrives. In the meantime this does not mean that God cannot give a word of knowledge or prophecy now; but it cannot add to Scripture. Therefore the ‘word or prophecy’ must be tested by scripture and totally harmonize with it.
Verse 9 tells us that which is ‘perfect’ will replace these dramatic gifts and as yet we are not sure what Paul meant by ‘perfect’. So if a person has a prophecy today it has to be tested by the scriptures to ensure its origin is of God. Some claim that the written word of God is what Paul meant by ‘perfect’ but this view is open to debate.
Paul says, for we know in part and prophecy in part, which was the case in 55 AD. There are three sections involved here. What the situation was in 55 AD, what it was when the canon was completed in 96 AD and what it will be like in eternity. Often you will find that with a prophecy there will be an initial fulfillment with a future complete fulfillment yet to come. As in all things we need discernment and wisdom that comes from above.
We are going to have a tremendous revelation when we see the Lord Jesus Christ face to face. This is the next thing for the church, until we see him face to face and have all our questions answered we are to take all doubtful things to the scriptures and check them out for truth against the biblical model. We are also to remember that the gifts of the Holy Spirit are verified by the fruit of the Holy Spirit in the “gifted” person’s life. If there is no fruit of the Spirit in their life then we must suspect that their “gifts” do not have a Holy Spirit origin.
DOCTRINES
LAMB
The lamb is a central feature of typology in the Bible as a symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Here we see the developing topic of the Lamb from the sacrifice by Abel to the Lord of Glory
It shows the importance of a word study when examining the Scriptures
1. Genesis 4:3-5a
a) Abel brought a lamb from his flock.
b) Propitiation emphasised - covering.
c) The lamb was an offering for sin.
2. Genesis 22:7-14
a) Abraham was provided with a ram.
b) Substitution emphasised.
c) The lamb was an offering for one person.
3. Exodus 12:3-7
a) The lamb had to be slain.
b) Protection emphasised.
c) The lamb was an offering for one family.
4. Leviticus 1:10-13, 16:15
a) The lamb without spot or blemish.
b) Character of the lamb emphasised.
c) The lamb was an offering for the nation Israel.
5. Isaiah 53:4-8
a) Shows that the lamb to be provided is a person.
b) Expiation emphasised.
c) The lamb was an offering for the elect.
6. John 1:29
a) Shows that the lamb was Jesus.
b) Complete removal of sin emphasised.
c) The lamb was an offering for the whole world.
7. Acts 8:30-37
a) Shows that Jesus is the Christ the promised Messiah.
b) Individual salvation emphasised.
c) The lamb was an offering for whosoever.
8. 1 Peter 1:18-21
a) Shows the resurrection of the lamb.
b) Redemption emphasised.
c) The lamb was an offering for all generations.
9. Revelation 5:6-10
a) Shows the glorification of the lamb.
b) Government of the lamb emphasised.
c) The lamb of the whole universe.
10. Revelation 22:1-5
a) Shows the everlasting kingship of the lamb.
b) Eternal glory of the lamb emphasised.
c) The lamb for all eternity.
The developing topic of the lamb shows how Jesus Christ is the central figure in all the Scriptures and how the inspired writers of the Bible gradually developed the revelation of his character, work and glorification from a lamb to the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
HOLY SPIRIT: TEACHER
1. He is the Spirit of Wisdom. (Isaiah 11:2, 40:13-14)
2. He reveals the things of God. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
3. He reveals the things of Christ. (John 16:14)
4. He guides into all truth. (John 14:26, 16:13)
5. He enables ministers to teach. (1 Corinthians 12:8)
6. He teaches the saints to answer persecutors. (Mark 13:11, Luke 12:12)
7. He directs in the way of godliness. (Isaiah 30:21, Ezekiel 36:27)
8. He brings the words of Christ to remembrance. (John 14:26)
MATURITY
CATEGORIES OF BELIEVERS
1. Standpoint of Spirituality:
a) Spiritual believer - the Holy Spirit controls the inside of the believer (Romans 8:6b).
b) Carnal believer - the flesh/carnal controls the inside of the believer (Romans 8:6a).
2. Standpoint of Growth:
a) Baby - one who has just received Christ as Saviour.
b) Adolescent - one who has learned some doctrine but is not yet in the application state.
c) Mature - one who knows and applies doctrine and spends a maximum amount of time in the filling of the Holy Spirit.
3. Relationship of Maturity and Spirituality:
a) Spirituality is an absolute. The Holy Spirit either controls or He does not. One cannot be a ‘little bit’ spiritual. If he is living totally fleshly by his desires and actions he is NOT spiritual. A person who is truly ‘Spirit Filled’ cannot ‘switch’ on genuine spirituality for a couple of hours on Sunday and live a fleshly immoral life the rest of the time.
b) Maturity is speeded up by spirituality, but a baby believer can be either carnal or spiritual, and a mature believer can be carnal or spiritual.
MATURITY: CROSS TO THE CROWN
1. Salvation is only the beginning of the plan for man. After salvation the believer's objective is to advance in stages of spiritual growth on the path from the Cross to the Crown.
2. At each stage the believer faces increasing intense tests that can only be passed by faith. Paul in Romans 1:17 say’s believer’s progress from faith to faith. The five Hebrew words for faith illustrate the five stages of growth described in the New Testament.
a) The Babe - 1 Peter 2:2 - AMEN - the leaning faith of Genesis 15:6
All believers enter the family of God as infants when they exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
After the tremendous stress of birth, of coming from darkness into the light the infant's impulse is to nurse. The objective is nourishment but the baby also receives great comfort in feeding. God's objective for the spiritual infant is for growth, but He commences this with comfort. Not much is expected of a baby in his first few years. He cannot feed or change himself. Spiritual infants are just as helpless and need a great deal of nurturing, encouragement and patient encouragement and patient instruction.
b) The Adolescent - 1 John 2:13-14 - BATACH - the wrestling faith of Psalm 37:3
Adolescents are usually young, strong and eager believers. This is the stage where people have grown to the point at which they understand some of the principles of truth and are beginning to apply them to their lives. But like most adolescents, they have the growing pains of arrogance and rebellion against authority; they are sometimes too eager to act on their own, and this often gets them into trouble. They have knowledge which they mistake for wisdom, but they lack the experience. Their tendency is to want to apply the truth to other people's lives. Adolescents may be troublesome, but at least they are
not apathetic. They must be patiently trained and encouraged to channel their energies. No one makes it to maturity without passing through adolescence.
c) The Mature - Hebrews 5:14, 6:1 - CHASAH - the confident faith that takes refuge in the Lord - Psalm 57:1
The mature believer is able to take meat, the advance doctrine of the Word. A believer who has arrived at spiritual maturity knows enough about the Bible to take responsibility for his own life. He knows how to apply the Word of God to himself so rather than airing all his problems he knows how to solve them. He is not ready to take on every one else's problems but he can take control of his own life. He understands that God has a plan for his life and sets about fulfilling that plan. He gives himself to training and discipline, exercising himself and building spiritual muscle.
d) The Hero of Faith - Isaiah 53:12, Hebrews 11 - YACHAL - the healing faith of Job 13:15
Heroes of faith are men and women who have gone beyond maturity and have learned to fight the good fight. They have advanced beyond simply taking responsibility for their own lives to becoming responsible for the lives of other people.
They are always willing to pick up fallen comrades, to treat their wounds, to encourage them and supply their needs. Heroes of the faith still make mistakes, they still fail but they always stand back up and go back into battle.
e) The Friend of God - James 2:23-25 - QAWAH - the enduring faith of Isaiah 40:31
The highest of all possible achievements in life is to become a friend of God. Every believer has the potential and the assets necessary to reach this point, but very few Christians do. It takes persistency and tenacity. The only people who make it this far are those who absolutely refuse to quit.
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