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"IT IS WRITTEN!"

AMEN,Quix. I appreciate every time you write the words "IT IS WRITTEN" for they remind us how God speaks to us.

This fact cannot be over-stated. The writing down of Christ's words and teaching is the method God determined to employ to reach His children.

We can wonder why He didn't choose to use fortune cookies or Morse Code or fallible tradition, but He didn't. He ordained that the Holy Spirit would indwell the writers of the Scriptures and guide their writing so that God Himself is speaking directly to each of us in a consistent, unchanging way, and perceived by us with the guidance of that same Holy Spirit.

THE INSPIRATION OF SCRIPTURE

"...William Whitaker, who was Queen’s Professor of Divinity in the University of Cambridge, and whose Disputation on Holy Scripture is the one extensive work on the subject of the Bible written by an English Reformer, speaks as follows: “Scripture hath for its author God himself; from whom it first proceeded and came forth. Therefore the authority of Scripture may be proved from the author himself, since the authority of God himself shines forth in it.” 4...
Whitaker enumerates the evidences which, as given by Calvin (Institutes, I, viii), are a testimony to the divine origin of the biblical writings; but then he adds the following admonition. “These topics may prove that these books are divine, yet will never be sufficient to bring conviction to our souls so as to make us assent, unless the testimony of the Holy Spirit be added….In order, therefore, that we should be internally in our consciences persuaded of the authority of Scripture, it is needful that the testimony of the Holy Ghost should be added. And he, as he seals all the doctrines of faith and the whole teaching of salvation in our hearts, and confirms them in our consciences, so also does he give us a certain persuasion that these books, from which are drawn all the doctrines of faith and salvation, are sacred and canonical.” 8 In this assurance too, of course, Whitaker and Calvin are entirely at one with each other. “The blind cannot perceive even the light of the sun,” says Whitaker again; “nor can they distinguish the splendour of the scriptures, whose minds are not divinely illuminated. But those who have the eyes of faith can behold this light. Besides, if we recognise men when they speak, why should we not also hear and recognise God speaking in his word?…But they [the papists] object that we cannot recognise the voice of God, because we do not hear God speaking. This I deny. For those who have the Holy Spirit, are taught of God: these can recognise the voice of God as much as anyone can recognise a friend, with whom he hath long and familiarly lived, by his voice.” 9...
As the Word of God, the Scriptures are, of course, the Word of God to man. But the Reformers repeatedly emphasize the truth that it is only through the grace of the internal operation of the Holy Spirit in heart and mind that the message of Scripture can be understood and appropriated. The Divine Spirit is both the author of Scripture and the interpreter of his own Word. “The scripture speaketh many things as the world speaketh,” William Tyndale, the honoured father of our English Bible instructs us; “but they may not be worldly understood, but ghostly and spiritually: yea, the Spirit of God only understandeth them; and where he is not, there is not the understanding of the scripture, but unfruitful disputing and brawling about words... After citing 1 Cor 2:11f and Rom 8:14 and 9, Tyndale proceeds: “Now ‘he that is of God heareth the word of God’ John viii. And who is of God but he that hath the Spirit of God? Furthermore, saith he, ‘Ye hear it not because ye are not of God;’ that is, ye have no lust in the word of God, for ye understand it not; and that because his spirit is not in you. Forasmuch then as the scripture is nothing else but that which the Spirit of God hath spoken by the prophets and apostles, and cannot be understood but of the same Spirit, let every man pray to God to send him his Spirit.” 7

Dr. Eckleburg, it is late and you are probably tired, but I would love to have a discussion on The sermon on the mount, with particular attention to Matthew 5:17. Along with the generally called "the great commission" and Gospel of the Kingdom I believe there is so much misunderstanding and wrong conclusions reached that churches get bogged down in believing they are operating still today under the dispensation of law and the gospel of the circumcision. And not under the correct dispensation of Grace which is our calling today.

It would be interesting to compare the ending of one and the beginning of the other. And the differences in their inheritances.

The Book of Acts would play a major part between the Kingdom Gospel and the Gospel of the Grace of God.

.The differences are great and in my mind, seemingly one of constant arguing. I think we could make a compelling case that cannot be refuted. Ignored, maybe. But not refuted. This could open some eyes that really need opened. Maranatha!