The Living Word Christ Jesus is MORE THAN SUFFICIENT.
If by that you mean the Bible, how is an inanimate book, in any sense "living?"
I believe there is some mystery there that no mortal can answer. Perhaps Alamo-Girl or betty boop can do a better job than I.
2. I'm speaking of the words--THE CONTENT.
3. And THE WORDS, THE CONTENT are inextricably, somehow, indivisively VERY CONNECTED to--INDEED--PART AND PARCEL OF--THE LIVING WORD JESUS THE CHRIST.
Our task was to STAND ON THE WORD OF GOD--STAND ON THE PROMISES OF GOD--AND BELIEVE FOR HER FATHER'S LIFE. We did so and prayed accordingly.
Did She have some sort of obtuse pagan faith in the ink and wood pulp? Not at all. It was her very demonstrative way of showing God and satan both that she was going to STAND ON GOD'S PROMISES--TRUST GOD FOR HER FATHER'S LIFE.
BTW, he lived. 5-6 years later, the evening after we'd caught him his favorite--a catfish, by our bare hands in a shallow part of the San Juan river . . . he came down to chat a bit and watch me while I fed the cow. He'd never done that before. I KNEW instantly and forcefully (no doubt)that it would be the last time I'd see him alive. Sure enough, he fell over dead walking across his dining room floor the next morning at age 57.
The ink on paper is not the issue. The CONTENT, THE DEMONSTRABLY LIVING WORDS !ARE! SOMEHOW PART AND PARCEL OF JESUS THE CHRIST. CERTAINLY The Father, His angels and Holy Spirit insure that the WORDS ARE LIGHT AND LIFE to all who trust THE WORDS AS THE LIVING WORDS, CHRIST JESUS' SPOKEN LIFE--VERY LIFE.
There is more than sufficient Biblical justification for a very close identification of the written text with THE LIVING WORD CHRIST JESUS.
No. I'm sorry. There isn't. The Bible is a book. It is not alive. Christ is alive. Christ is The Word. Christ is not a book. Making a book that can not speak or reason into Christ's voice on earth is not what He instituted: it's what men instituted.
THAT'S CRUCIALLY INACCURATE, WRONG, FALSE, NOT TRUE . . . whether I can articulate it, well, or not.
Man had nothing to do with instituting it. It's just a fact of CREATION, OF ALL THAT IS. It's a fact of The Father's design vis a vis The Son without Whom was nothing Created.
The CONTENT of Scripture IS indivisively, inextricably, evidently somewhat mysteriously, part and parcel of THE LIVING WORD CHRIST JESUS.
Such a brazen all-inclusive statement against the SUFFICIENCY of the Written text . . . is an outrageously brazen affront to God's Word and thereby to The Living Word Christ Jesus--WHO IS OUR ALL SUFFICIENCY as Scripture makes clear.
Nope. I'm sorry. It's a book, not Christ.
Of course the book is not Christ. Yet, somehow, THE CONTENT IS PART AND PARCEL OF CHRIST And Fathers Angels and Holy Spirit INSURE that child-like faith confidently trusting the CONTENT OF SCRIPTURE results in the same dramatic effects as trusting Gods spoken Word in Jerusalem and Capernum 2000 years ago.
The Book is not Christ. Yet, Christ is IN the CONTENT. The CONTENT is IN Christ. The CONTENT TRUSTED IN CHILD-LIKE FAITH is the same as trusting CHRIST FACE-TO FACE. Actually, ScriptureGOD SAYSITS GREATER.
Throughout His Word, He affirms folks treating His Word as straight from His mouth with great blessedness.
When they did so in obedience.
It doesnt USUALLY take miraculous obedience to simply READ GODS WORD; TAKE GODS WORD AT FACE VALUE AS HOLY SPIRIT LEADS AND TRUST GODS WORD AS GODS WORD. That takes Child-like faith and, often enough, stepping out of the boat in Child-like faith.
Those who use Scripture and God's Word to subvert obedience to God are known as apostates.
I have not observed any Prottys doing such a thing regarding any of the Mary/RC org issues on this thread. Ive frequently observed some RCs do that. And to the degree that such a judgment has been ungodly, they shall likely stumble or even fall, greatly lacking, by their own judgment.
He was fiercely harsh with the RELIGIOUS BUREAUCRATIC MAGICSTERICAL 2000 years ago which PRESUMED TO TELL GOD what GOD meant and how their mangling of His Word was more righteous than God was.
But they didn't have the Holy Spirit: we do. Now those who would fancy themselves as walking in Christ's sandals are simply malcontent rebels.
All who earnestly seek Gods face find Him. All who have received Christs Blood covering as Salvation and covering for their sins have some measure of Holy Spirit leading them; seeking to lead them into closer fellowship and obedience to Him.
I observe no malcontent rebels amongst the Prottys on this thread.
There do appear to be some RCs who might fit that label. It is rebellious to invest worship, undue focus, undue attention, undue affection toward any Created thing, ritual, organization, idea, practice, tradition or person save GOD ALONE.
THAT'S CRUCIALLY INACCURATE, WRONG, FALSE, NOT TRUE . . . whether I can articulate it, well, or not.
If you can't articulate it, why should anyone give heed to you? Gratuitous assertions can be just as gratuitously denied: by definition. I believe St. Paul referred to such conceits as a "banging gong or clanging cymbal."
Man had nothing to do with instituting it. It's just a fact of CREATION, OF ALL THAT IS. It's a fact of The Father's design vis a vis The Son without Whom was nothing Created.
Excuse me? Are we talking about the Bible here, or Manna? Denying man's involvement with the formation of the Bible is simply a denial of reality on par with CS Lewis' proverbial man claiming to be a poached egg.
All who earnestly seek Gods face find Him. All who have received Christs Blood covering as Salvation and covering for their sins have some measure of Holy Spirit leading them; seeking to lead them into closer fellowship and obedience to Him.
Again with the Korahish conceits.
I can't think of a better response than that already given by markomalley:
Sola Scriptura is absolutely unscriptural. The words of Our Lord testify to this themselves:John 16:13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
To whom was He speaking there? The discourse began in John 13...the last supper. With whom was He speaking? The 12. This wasn't the Sermon on the Mount, where He spoke to thousands. And just think about it: if this promise was to all, then there would be NO divisions. All of us would be speaking from the same page. But it wasn't.
Then think about St. Paul's constant preaching to the particular churches. He constantly taught that they should get back to the Truth. If the Holy Ghost were to guide ALL into the Truth, there would be no need for him to do so. They would automatically do so. Why were there cautions about false teachers? Because some would take people away from the Truth and lead them into error.
2Ti 4:3-4 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own likings, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths.
ping