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NASB | John 1:12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 1:12 But to as many as did receive and welcome Him, He gave the right [the authority, the privilege] to become children of God, that is, to those who believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) His name-- [Is 56:5] |
Subject: Are we presenting the gospel scripturaly |
Bible Note: Dear Brother Mark, Here is what I meant: Revelation, of course, is how God has revealed Himself to mankind. In theology we distinguish between general revelation and special revelation. General revelation is the kind that is available to every human being that has ever lived. Paul wrote, "For His invisible attributes, namely, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they [all humanity] are without excuse." (Romans 1:20 ESV) The Scriptures are the special revelation of God (Hebrews 1:1-2; 2 Peter 1:18-19, 20-21; 2 Timothy 4:3-4, etc.). Although we are all accountable due to general revelation, only special revelation contains "the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience." (This is the doctrine of the necessity of Scripture. Note that the Scripture must be illumined by the Holy Spirit for its salvific purposes to be effectual.) "God has specially revealed Himself to man and preserved that propositional revelation in his written word. Just as our fallen nature demands special revelation, so also our fallen nature demands the work of the Holy Spirit if that propositional revelation is to be understood. The hearer must be regenerated and illumined. This yields great hope and encouragement to all who are called to the ministration of the word of God. Not only do we possess, by the gracious providence of God, an objective and inerrant word, but we also have the promised attendance of the person of the Holy Spirit to enliven dead hearts and open blinded eyes. By the power of the Spirit in the ministry of the word we see lives transformed. We see fallen men who were aliens from God gathered into the kingdom of Christ. In this ministry of the Spirit in the word we witness God glorified in the efficacy of His eternal plan. We are assured that whatsoever He purposed to do would of certainty be done. In this, we are privileged to take part!" --Robert Burridge Now, let's look at the passage you cited: "But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'" (Luke 18:13 ESV) The publican's prayer was extremely simple, but think about the presuppositions implicit within it. He would have had to understand that God was to be approached through His temple. That God was holy and righteous. That God was his sovereign judge. That God had a holy and righteous law in which mirror his own imperfections had been clearly manifest. That he was dependent on the mercy of God for redemption. That God was infinitely valuable and that he himself was infinitely needy. (I'm sure I've only scratched the surface.) How did the publican know these things? Simply put, he could not have known them without special revelation. Hence my comment: The publican's prayer was elegantly simple and to the point. But it was built upon the eternal truths of God's special revelation. I believe it was Kay Arthur who said, "God's provision always precedes our need." God had answered the prayer of the publican even before he prayed! Thank you for asking and for the opportunity to explain. In Him, Doc |