Lesson 53 August 17, 2003
Intro Review:
What are some of the things that we need to know and to consider as we seek to maintain our spiritual momentum as we're surrounded by a sea of teaching with content from good to mediocre to bad?
Basic Assumptions
1. That God exists; that there is but one true God; hwhy
- Psa. 19; Rom 1:18-23;
- Isa. 43:10; 44:8; 45:5
2. The Scriptures, Judeo - Christian Canon; is God's revelation and that the claims presented in it are true!
3. These Scriptures are capable of being understood!
Need to recognize some of the leading features of religious trickery by the tricksters - F/T.
** Every false teacher, whether cult or cultic type will fail into one of these 3 areas; some more; they will make a claim that the Bible says ; something that it does not make; or they fail to believe claims that it does clearly make.
a. about its nature, that is the nature of Scripture.
- It is verbally inspired; God communicated through words;
- Dt 18:15-18
"put My words in his mouth" = revelation - verbally;
"he shall speak to them all that I commanded" = proclamation
"all that I commanded Him" = limitation of the msg; only to what is revealed
*** What our postulate should be is this: I believe that the Scriptures are exactly what they claim to be! Verbally inspired, God breathed revelation.
** Inevitably the F/T or cult type will either misrepresent or attempt to overlook and disregard what the Bible claims!
b. The second false claim about Scripture is about its completeness.
Historic Christian view: The Word of God is confined to the 66 books that make up the Canon of Scripture.
This Causes us to part company with a number of people!
#1 Islam! look to the Koran.
#2 Mormon! look to the book of Mormon.
#3 Even have to part company with Roman Catholicism;
#4 So called Christian cults all add what is to them "authoritative texts"; writings that take precedence over Scripture;
- There is a statement of completeness: Rev 22:18-19 Primary application of the context is for the book of Revelation.
- Look at Jn 16:13 "all the truth"
This is not a generalized statement; it refers to a particular body of truth;