GOD'S WORD OR MAN'S OPINION? - BY STEVE FINNELL

Found here. My comments in bold.

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Mr. Finnell receives regular attention on my blog, because he presents himself as the authoritative voice regarding matters of doctrine. Thus it is correct to hold him to a higher standard.

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Should God's word be the rule for salvation and living the Christian life or is man-made doctrine the way to have sins forgiven and enter the kingdom of God?

2 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;(NASB)

(...)

Do you really want to depend on contemporary man-made versions of the truth?

GOD'S TRUTH

John 12:44-50 And Jesus cried out and said, "He who believes in Me does not believe in Me but He who sent Me......50 I know that His commandment is eternal life; therefore the things I speak, I speak just as the Father has told Me." (NASB)

When Jesus spoke He was speaking as the Father had told Him.

Jesus was not speaking as the Pope, Billy Graham, Moses, Binny Hinn, John MacAthur, Joel Osteen nor Paul Washer had told Him. Jesus was not speaking what the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, the Baptist Church, the Methodist Church nor the Mormon Church had told Him. (Might we ask, Mr. Finnell, who are you speaking as? I notice your name does not appear in the list. Should we simply disregard your teaching as man-made, or are you exempt from your own criticism?)

John 14:25-26 These things I have spoken to you while abiding with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you. (NASB)

Who was Jesus abiding with? The disciples, who later became the apostles. (This is a false claim. We know that Jesus had many disciples: 

Jn. 6:66-67 From this time many of his disciples turned back and no longer followed him. 67 “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Jesus asked the Twelve.

Why is this important? Because Mr. Finnell would have us believe that only the Twelve were with Him as He was speaking. This is important to further Mr. Finnell's line of thought below.)

Who was the Holy Spirit going to teach all things? The apostles. Jesus was not abiding with the Pope, Billy Graham, modern day Pentecostals, any denominational churches nor Latter Day Saints. Jesus was talking to the apostles. (So now we see why. Mr. Finnell has switched to the term "apostles," even though John never uses the word. Therefore, since we don't know how many disciples were in the room that day, we cannot say that Jesus was only talking to the apostles.

Mr. Finnell is trying to set us up to make the claim that the apostles had a unique relationship with the Holy Spirit, not available to anyone else. He has made this claim before, that only the apostles had "all truth" [Jn. 16:13]. I deal with the issue here. 

He now adds to the claim, that the status of abiding was also unique to the apostles. Unfortunately, his claim is based on the same false assumptions as the "all truth" claim. He tries to attribute these promises to the apostles alone, but this cannot be true.

Jesus began his discourse in chapter 13, and continues all the way through to the end of chapter 17. This means that if we are to accept Mr. Finnell's claim that Jesus was talking to the Twelve alone, then this entire passage must be that way as well. Think a moment about that. Some of the most precious of promises, the most treasured words of conviction and comfort, were only directed to the apostles, and have no relevance for us today. 

Just to pick one Scripture from this passage, Jn. 14:12: 

I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

We find this verse only a few verses away from Mr. Finnell's quote [John 14:25-26]. Notice that Jesus uses the word "anyone." It is therefore  impossible to claim that this passage is only for the disciples, since this broad group "anyone" who has faith in Him [not just the disciples] will do even greater things than Jesus.

Further, we find this in 1Jn. 2:20,27: 

But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things... 27 As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit — just as it has taught you, remain in him.

Clearly there were more than just the apostles who had all truth.)

If men today want to be guided into all truth, a prayerful reading of the Bible is the only place to find God's complete truth. (And now we have Mr. Finnell's conclusion, that the only source of truth is the Bible. This conclusion drops out of thin air, without documentation or a logical procession of ideas.)

WHERE DID THE FIRST CENTURY CHURCH LOOK FOR THE TRUTH?

Acts 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching..(NASB)

The apostles teaching came from Jesus, the Holy Spirit and it was all teaching that came from God the Father.

The the Lord's church of the first century was not teaching from man-made church creed books, man-made Bible commentaries, nor church catechisms that contradicted the Scriptures.

Contemporary believers who claim they are receiving new revelation from God are practicing self deception, as well as deceiving others. (Another conclusion that drops out of thin air.)

God inspired the Bible and the Bible alone. (Ho boy. These things just pop up out of nowhere. What does this mean?)