Scripture, God's Greatest Gift to Mankind

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Anthony D'Arienzo

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https://www.tms.edu/m/tmsj15g.pdf
Peter looked to Scripture as a higher and more trustworthy authority than even such a dramatic experience. Commentator Samuel Cox has written, Peter knew a sounder basis for faith than that of signs and wonders. He had seen our Lord Jesus Christ receive honor and glory from God the Father in the holy mount; he had been dazzled and carried out of himself by visions and voices from heaven; but, nevertheless, even when his memory and heart are throbbing with recollections of that sublime scene, he says, “we have something surer still in the prophetic word.” . . . It was not the miracles of Christ by which he came to know Jesus, but the word of Christ as interpreted by the spirit of Christ.3 Scripture is the product of God’s Spirit moving upon its human authors to produce His Word in written form (2 Pet 1:20-21). As such, it supersedes even apostolic experiences with Jesus Himself. Perhaps that is why Jesus prevented the disciples on the Emmaus Road from recognizing Him as He “explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures” (Luke 24:27). He wanted their faith and preaching to be based on Scripture, not merely on their own personal experience—no matter how moving or memorable that experience might be. If that was true of the apostles, how much more should believers today seek to know God’s Word rather than seeking supernatural or ecstatic experiences. Experience can be counterfeited easily, but not Scripture. It is once-for-all delivered! God’s sure Word makes the simple wise (v. 7). The Hebrew word translated “simple” comes from an expression meaning “an open door.” It evokes the image of a naive person who does not know when to shut his mind to false or impure teaching. He is undiscerning, ignorant, and gullible. But God’s Word makes him wise. “Wise” speaks of one who not merely knows some fact, but of one who is skilled in the art of godly living. He submits to Scripture and knows how to apply it to his circumstances. The Word of God thus takes a simple mind with no discernment and makes it skilled in all the issues of life. This, too, is in contrast to the wisdom of men, which in reality is foolishness (1 Cor 1:20).
 

Anthony D'Arienzo

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Scripture Is Pure, Enlightening the Eyes Psalm 19:8 gives a fourth characteristic of Scripture’s utter sufficiency: “The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.” “Commandment” stresses the Bible’s non-optional nature. It is not a book of suggestions. Its divine mandates are authoritative and binding. Those who treat it lightly place themselves in eternal peril. Those who take it seriously find eternal blessing. “Pure” could better be translated “lucid”—Scripture is not mystifying, confusing, or puzzling. The synonym “clear” is best. God’s Word is a revelation—a revealing of truth to make the dark things light, bringing eternity into bright focus.
Granted, some things in Scripture are hard to understand (2 Pet 3:16). But taken as a whole, the Bible is not a bewildering book. Scripture, because of its absolute clarity, brings understanding in place of ignorance, order in place of confusion, and light in place of spiritual and moral darkness. It stands in stark contrast to the muddled musings of unredeemed men, who themselves are blind and unable to discern truth or live righteously. God’s Word clearly reveals the blessed, hopeful truths they can never see.
 

Anthony D'Arienzo

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The Authority, Sufficiency, Finality of Scripture | Monergism

But this pathway of pursuing detailed obedience to extra-biblical revelation always has the same tendency. One day it will lead to complete paralysis—not putting on either sock because the Spirit has not 'spoken'. Or it will lead to guilt when things go awry and then the individual fears that she may have disobeyed the Lord by putting on the wrong sock at the beginning of the day.

This is not to say that our inner promptings and 'feelings' are unimportant. They are, after all, superintended by the providential rule of God. But unlike Scripture, providential experiences do not come with their own built-in interpretation and we cannot claim for them 'thus says the Lord'. They are the result of processes within our own minds—even if they seem to come to us without prior conscious reflection.
 

Anthony D'Arienzo

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Yeah, forget about your encounter with Christ... You must follow the letter...

Yikes!
Jesus the living word taught from scripture,[graphe] the word of God written...He did not use the men you spoke of.

Lk.24:
25 Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:

26 Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?

27 And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.


Jesus taught the value of scriptural revelation as it revealed His person and work.
44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

45 Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,

46 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:

47 And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

48 And ye are witnesses of these things.
 

Jane_Doe22

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when you answer what you call the rhetorical questions, then we can progress.
Antony, you're completely ignoring the actual point of disagreement here.

You call scripture the greatest gift.
John and I and others call Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God and Savior of the world, the greatest gift

The messenger is not more important than the message.
 
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Anthony D'Arienzo

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Antony, you're completely ignoring the actual point of disagreement here.

You call scripture the greatest gift.
John and I and others call Jesus Christ, the divine Son of God and Savior of the world, the greatest gift

The messenger is not more important than the message.
I only answer honest posters, so you need to answer for yourself.
Scripture is the greatest gift to humanity.
You have not responded line by line.
You have given your opinion.
you avoid my questions back to you.
Answering these questions will change your perception.
 

Anthony D'Arienzo

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Jesus and grace are the greatest gift given to mankind, when did the bible become greater than the one who is the Word of God.
How do you know about Jesus?

How do you know about grace?

How do you know Jesus is the word of God?

How do you know there is a God?
 

Jane_Doe22

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I only answer honest posters,so you need to answer for yourself.
I have addressed your flawed premise multiple times now: a person is not saved by their ability to pass a theology test.

A four-year-old who's never read a word of the Bible, and has a terrible academic understanding of God, can indeed have their heart touched by the Spirit & accept Christ. They have given their heart to Him, and that is the foundation of everything.

Conversely: a person with a hard heart can read the Bible and (due to their hard heart) get zero out of it or reject it as being a contradictory fairy tale. That happens frequently. The ultimate teacher and testifier of God is the Spirit, not the ink on the page.




The message is more important than the messenger. Jesus Christ is the greatest.
 

Anthony D'Arienzo

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"Jane_Doe22,

[I have addressed your flawed premise multiple times now: a person is not saved by their ability to pass a theology test.]
You avoid a clear answer


[A four-year-old who's never read a word of the Bible, and has a terrible academic understanding of God, can indeed have their heart touched by the Spirit & accept Christ. They have given their heart to Him, and that is the foundation of everything.]

This non biblical answer does not answer any of the questions here;

Without a bible no one knows about God.
Without a bible they do not know about the Spirit.
There is no such thing as "accepting Christ.
Without a bible no one knows anything about a "Christ".
No one gives their heart to Jesus.

[Conversely: a person with a hard heart can read the Bible and (due to their hard heart) get zero out of it or reject it as being a contradictory fairy tale. That happens frequently. The ultimate teacher and testifier of God is the Spirit, not the ink on the page.]


That is not the concern of the OP.


[The message is more important than the messenger. Jesus Christ is the greatest.]

Again, without a bible describe what is a "Christ"
 

Heart2Soul

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"Jane_Doe22,

[I have addressed your flawed premise multiple times now: a person is not saved by their ability to pass a theology test.]
You avoid a clear answer


[A four-year-old who's never read a word of the Bible, and has a terrible academic understanding of God, can indeed have their heart touched by the Spirit & accept Christ. They have given their heart to Him, and that is the foundation of everything.]

This non biblical answer does not answer any of the questions here;

Without a bible no one knows about God.
Without a bible they do not know about the Spirit.
There is no such thing as "accepting Christ.
Without a bible no one knows anything about a "Christ".
No one gives their heart to Jesus.

[Conversely: a person with a hard heart can read the Bible and (due to their hard heart) get zero out of it or reject it as being a contradictory fairy tale. That happens frequently. The ultimate teacher and testifier of God is the Spirit, not the ink on the page.]


That is not the concern of the OP.


[The message is more important than the messenger. Jesus Christ is the greatest.]

Again, without a bible describe what is a "Christ"
Hey brother, no man cometh to the Father except that he is drawn by the Holy Spirit...so the Power of the Holy Spirit to touch our hearts is the start...God may choose to send an Angel to minister to someone....it is the spoken word that has power...
John the Baptist never had a Bible...he simply went from place to place testifying and calling people to repent and be baptized for the Messiah has come.
 
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Jane_Doe22

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"Jane_Doe22,

[I have addressed your flawed premise multiple times now: a person is not saved by their ability to pass a theology test.]
You avoid a clear answer


[A four-year-old who's never read a word of the Bible, and has a terrible academic understanding of God, can indeed have their heart touched by the Spirit & accept Christ. They have given their heart to Him, and that is the foundation of everything.]

This non biblical answer does not answer any of the questions here;

Without a bible no one knows about God.
Without a bible they do not know about the Spirit.
There is no such thing as "accepting Christ.
Without a bible no one knows anything about a "Christ".
No one gives their heart to Jesus.

[Conversely: a person with a hard heart can read the Bible and (due to their hard heart) get zero out of it or reject it as being a contradictory fairy tale. That happens frequently. The ultimate teacher and testifier of God is the Spirit, not the ink on the page.]


That is not the concern of the OP.


[The message is more important than the messenger. Jesus Christ is the greatest.]

Again, without a bible describe what is a "Christ"
I'm sorry, but this theology.... I can't give a respectful reply to this. Suffice it to say I passionately disagree, and find to it be contradictory to God's Truth.

It's Christ that saves a person. It's God that testifies of Truth.
A person is not saved by their ability to ace a theology test.
 
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Enoch111

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Jesus and grace are the greatest gift given to mankind, when did the bible become greater than the one who is the Word of God.
There is absolutely no doubt that the Lord Jesus Christ is God's UNSPEAKABLE GIFT to mankind. That means that He is God's gift above all gifts. Therefore Paul says "Thanks be unto God for His Unspeakable [ἀνεκδιηγήτῳ (anekdiēgētō) = indescribable) Gift".

But this thread is not meant to dispute the supremacy of Christ and God. It is meant to confirm that among all things that exist on earth, the Holy Bible is God's greatest gift, since it causes sinners to receive the gift of eternal life through the Gospel.

NO BIBLE = NO GOSPEL = NO OFFER OF ETERNAL LIFE

And it is through the preaching of the Gospel that saving faith is generated in human hearts (Rom 10:17). And that saving faith brings men to Christ. See the entire chapter of Romans 10.
 

Giuliano

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I think God's greatest gift to mankind is Love. I think that explains the reason behind giving of the Scriptures -- God wanting us to know things which will help us. I think it explains too why Jesus came.
 
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Jane_Doe22

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There is absolutely no doubt that the Lord Jesus Christ is God's UNSPEAKABLE GIFT to mankind. That means that He is God's gift above all gifts. Therefore Paul says "Thanks be unto God for His Unspeakable [ἀνεκδιηγήτῳ (anekdiēgētō) = indescribable) Gift".

But this thread is not meant to dispute the supremacy of Christ and God. It is meant to confirm that among all things that exist on earth, the Holy Bible is God's greatest gift, since it causes sinners to receive the gift of eternal life through the Gospel.

NO BIBLE = NO GOSPEL = NO OFFER OF ETERNAL LIFE

And it is through the preaching of the Gospel that saving faith is generated in human hearts (Rom 10:17). And that saving faith brings men to Christ. See the entire chapter of Romans 10.
God >> scripture.

if the title of this thread was "the second greatest gift to man", then there would be much fewer protests.
 
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Heart2Soul

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God >> scripture.

if the title of this thread was "the second greatest gift to man", then there would be much fewer protests.
I am thinking his intention is to say the Word Is the Greatest Gift because in the beginning was the Word ....and the Word was with God...and the Word Was God....and the Word was made flesh....and the Word is a living Word.
So the Word and Jesus are the same...Amen?