Dean wrote:
> but didn't those same disciples give us those things
> "to come" in the bible-
No. This is a classic cessationist viewpoint given by Baptists and many
others, but it is as much a false teaching as anything you have heard
from the Mormons.
The fact is that most of the New Testament was written by those who were
not even being spoken to by Jesus in this passage of John. Furthermore,
even of those who did write Scripture for us, they received much more
revelation than what they wrote in Scripture.
Dean wrote:
> to bring something new is in my opinion
> the building blocks of a cult.
It depends on what that something new is. Clearly the new things being
brought into the church by the apostle Paul was not a cult, and neither
were the Corinthians headed that way even though they obviously had
revelation apart from Scripture expressed within the church.
Dean wrote:
> Later we are told not to add nor remove any thing
> from this book-which is to being about severe punishment
> (Rev.22:19). So if i-in my limited view-make a statement
> in the area that God said"..." then this statement must
> be backed up by prior teachings of the bible.
Not everything God says becomes Scripture, so a person can prophesy
("Thus says the Lord...") yet not be adding to the book. A person might
have a dream and be taught something that is not in the Bible at all.
One thing we should recognize is that revelation would not contradict
the revelation of Scripture. That is not the same thing as saying that
the revelation must be something that is already taught in the Bible.
Keep in mind that revelation often has nothing to do with doctrine. For
example, when Agabus revealed that Paul would be bound in Jerusalem,
that was a revelation apart from Scripture. Nevertheless, it really had
nothing to do with doctrine, and it was not adding to Scripture in any
way. Same thing could be said concerning the prophecy that famine would
come.
Dean wrote:
> To add a new thing is a mistake. How do we know truth
> spoken on this site-all here use the bible to support
> their claims-(with the exception of Mormons and Pagans-
> no offence intended). To bring a "new thing" is suspect.
You seem to have the premise that truth cannot exist outside of the
Bible, and that the Bible contains all the truth that can be known. In
my opinion this is an extremely absurd presupposition. I'm not trying
to be offensive. I'm just trying to help you understand how strongly I
disagree. Do you think we should discuss this premise in more detail?
Dean wrote:
> So yes we can have revelations outside the bible -
> but those revelations must be supported from inside
> the bible. What think ye?
I think we can go beyond the Bible with revelations in the same way that
you go beyond your fifth grade math book. We don't expect those
revelations to contradict the building blocks taught, but we surely
would hope for them at times to go beyond it.
The point is that the Bible teaches us to expect such revelations by the
Holy Spirit. If we do not believe this, then we really do not believe
the Bible. Just look at the passage that Peter quoted when the church
of Jerusalem was born:
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out
of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall
prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall
dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out
in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy. (Acts 2:17-18 KJV)
The Bible is not what Jesus promised would guide us into all truth. The
Holy Spirit is the promised teacher, counselor, comforter, advocate, and
the one that will guide us into all truth. The Bible certainly has
functioned in the lives of many of us to bring us to truth, but
ultimately the Bible points us to the Holy Spirit which is the true
promise of Christ. We are to receive the Living Word not the Written
Word. Our lives should be focused upon the Spirit rather than the
Letter. Use the Letter for correction and instruction, and in all
matters pertaining to sound doctrine, but let our lives be focused upon
the Spirit of Christ that we may live and walk in the Spirit.
Peace be with you.
David Miller, Beverly Hills, Florida.
----------
"Let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you
ought to answer every man." (Colossians 4:6) http://www.InnGlory.org
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