Subject: The Bible written in code ? |
Bible Note: Mark, I agree, of course. Faith does come from God. But HOW does it come from God? Does it come through dreams, visions, angels, voices, personal revelation -- what? What did you have in mind when you wrote that the word of God will not necessarily produce faith, that faith comes from God. Don't you think that Kalos hit the nail on the head when he quoted Romans 10:17? Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, that is, Scripture, all of which is God breathed (2 Tim. 3:16), and it is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb. 4:12). Why did John write his gospel? He wrote it so that he who reads it may believe (have faith) that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God and that, believing, he may have life in His name (John 20:31). How did you learn about Jesus Christ? How did you learn that you were a sinner? How did you learn that the scarlet thread that runs from Genesis through Revelation is the thread of redemption. Redemption. Redemption. That is God's message. But how did you learn about it? What is the seminal source of Christian faith? If it is not God's word, what is it? ...... It's troubling to see the word of God being played down these days in favor of some special sign or revelation or "miraculous experience" of one kind or another that false prophets claim to have been blessed with. There is nothing more authoritative than the word of God, and we deceive ourselves when we think or act as if there is. But plenty of people do. They behave as if the word of God were superfluous, and incidental to their personal feelings and experiences. It matters little to these people what the Bible teaches. What matters is how they "feel" about spiritual matters. --Hank |