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NASB | 2 Peter 1:12 ¶ Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them, and have been established in the truth which is present with you. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | 2 Peter 1:12 ¶ Therefore, I will always be ready to remind you of these things, even though you already know them and are established in the truth which is held firmly in your grasp. |
Subject: Authority of Scripture over Experienes |
Bible Note: "'The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul. The Testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The Statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandments of the Lord are pure, enlightening the eyes. The Fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever. The Judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether' (Psalm 19:7-9). "In short, Scripture, in and of itself, is completely sufficient for every need. One of the most wonderful and valuable possessions God has given His people is Scripture, which is His Word. It provides for every need and answers every question. A Christian, then, does not judge an experience on its own merits but by the Word of God! Scripture is not only infallible, but it is enough! It is all we need, and it is all God wants us to consult in settling all matters of faith and practice. To appeal to anything else is an affront to the very character of Scripture. "Now why is it so important to consider 'Scripture alone' in matters of faith and practice? The answer is obvious: simply because it 'cannot be broken' (John 10:35); it is sure and unerring in every detail (Matthew 5:17-18). As such, it and it alone is the standard; nothing else can be, for everything else is fallible and subject to error. To interpret Scripture by experience is to invite doctrinal confusion, disaster, and contradiction; to interpret experience by Scripture is to find truth. What the Christian is required to do is first of all look into God's Word to see what it teaches about a matter; with that established he can then properly understand his experience. He must look to Scripture first, because it is sure. With that settled he can then evaluate experiences, which are by themselves unsure, and weigh out all the alternatives concerning them. "Peter addresses this very issue in a fascinating way in 2 Peter 1:16-21. He is speaking of his experience on the Mount of transfiguration where he saw and heard the testimony of God the Father to the majesty of Jesus Christ. It was unquestionably a truthful and God-sent experience. Yet Peter does not leave us to trust his experience; he rather points us to Something 'more sure' (verse 19). Scripture, he says, is given by God (verses 19-21), and so it is much more reliable than experience! This is fascinating, because it is precisely contrary to common thinking today. We tend to think that Scripture is confirmed by experience. Peter says, 'No, experience is confirmed by Scripture.' "Now there is no question that what Scripture teaches will be born out in our experience, but it is Scripture that is normative, not experience. Our experience may be real and wrong at the same time. Furthermore our experience may be misunderstood and/or misinterpreted. But Scripture is 'more sure' and 'cannot be broken'; it cannot fall down at any point. Scripture alone is the guide to truth, nothing else and nothing less. God intends for faith to rest on something much more credible than even miraculous experiences; He requires faith to rest on His Word alone! 'We walk by faith, not by sight' (2 Corinthians 5:7) or signs or any other experience." --Dr. Fred Zaspel, from "A Question of Authority: Scripture vs Experience" |
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DocTrinsograce | ||
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PJSR |