Found here. My comments in bold.
----------------------
Mr. Finnell is nothing if not doggedly consistent. He will latch onto something and not let go. He takes a topic and hammers it until it is beaten into submission, then writes dozens more posts making the same points over and over.
So when the situation warrants it, we shall be as tenacious as we can be in response. We will not be able to match Mr. Finnell in sheer volume of repetitious material, nor do we desire to, but we can match and even exceed him in rhetorical prowess.
----------------------
The apostle John wrote the book of Revelation in about AD 95. That was the last of God's written inspiration to mankind. There is no new revelation from God. (A subtle misdirection. "New revelation" is represented as "add to Scripture," which we will find will be equated with "twenty-first century prophets." Mr. Finnell mixes concepts as it suits him.)
There are some denominations who claim they are receiving new revelation directly from God. Examples are: Friends(Quakers), Mormons, Pentecostals and other charismatics, and the Roman Catholic Church. (Charismatics in particular make no claim of receiving new revelation.)
The Roman Catholic Church sometimes deny that they are receiving new revelation from God, however, an examination of their church doctrine reveals the opposite.
The Catholic Church teaches that sacred tradition is the oral teachings handed down through the church and was inspired by God. They teach apostolic succession in the Roman Catholic Church. The words of the apostles Peter, Paul and the rest of the apostles were in fact the inspired word of God, their words were Scripture. That would mean, if it were true, the Catholic apostles are teaching God's inspired word, new revelation from God.
IS THERE NEW REVELATION DIRECT FROM GOD TO MAN TODAY? NO, THERE IS NOT.
John 16:13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but what ever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. (NASB)
The New Testament apostles were guided into all truth. There is no new truth. ("Truth" is confused with revelation. The two words are not synonymous.)
Acts 20:20 how I, did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house, (NASB)
The apostle Paul taught everything that was profitable. Paul was taught directly by the Lord. Did the Lord forget to teach the important things?1 Corinthians 14:37 If anyone thinks he is a prophet or spiritual, let him recognize that the things which I write to you are the Lord's commandment.(NASB) (Mr. Finnell dishonestly substitutes the word "anything" with "everything," and then claims that this means there is nothing more. He thus imposes a meaning not taught by this Scripture. Paul simply said he did not withhold the truth from them.)
1 Pere 1:2-3 (Actually, this is 2 Peter.)
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord; 3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.(NASB)
The New Testament Christians of the first century already had everything pertaining to life and godliness. They did not have to wait for new revelation nor twenty-first century prophets to guide them into all truth. (Once again conflating truth and revelation.
But notice the quoted Scripture. The source of everything pertaining to life and godliness is His divine power. It's His power at work in us that gives us life and godliness. Do you notice that this passage makes no mention of revelation, truth, Scripture, or the canon, but instead refers directly to God empowering those believers?)
1 Timothy 3:16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for training in righteousness; 17 so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.(NASB)
The first century Christians were equipped for every good work. They did not have wait for the sacred tradition nor teaching from the so-called apostolic succession of the Roman Catholic Church. They did not have to wait on the Quakers nor the Charismatics to have the complete teaching of God. (Again, the charismatics make no claim of having to have new revelation that would be forthcoming." And we need to note, being equipped for every good work is not restricted to "first century Christians.")
We (Ah, so his artificial distinction with first century Christian is immediately obviated. Now it's "we" again.)
have everything we need for salvation and living the Christian life contained in the Bible and the Bible alone. (But now he inserts a foreign idea, the Bible, into the passage. They did not have the whole of the Bible.
So if "we" then have everything we need, i.e., the Bible, then we don't need pastors preaching. We don't need other Christians. And, ironically, we don't need Mr. Finnell's exhortations, do we?)
If there is new revelation from God it should be added to the Bible right after the book of Revelation. (I have begun to loathe this cessationist talking point, because it is so puerile. So let's go through it for the record:
1) The prophetic is not Scripture. There is no requirement to add prophetic utterance to the Bible. It wasn't done in the first century, it doesn't need to be done now.
2) Prophetic utterance is not new revelation. Everything God says today is exactly what He said thousands of years ago. Prophetic utterance simply restates what God has already spoken.
3) If there is no prophetic, there can be no sermons. Unless of course the sermon is made of nothing but Scripture.
4) The Bible requires prophecy in the church.)
THERE IS NO NEW REVELATION DIRECTLY FROM GOD TO MAN.
PROVERBS 30:6 Do not add to His words Or He will reprove you, and you will be proved a liar. (NASB)
No comments:
Post a Comment