The Scriptures are God's Greatest Gift to Mankind

[justbyfaith]

The Bible is Christ's love letter to us.

We don't have the privilege of seeing Him face to face anymore (2 Corinthians 5:16); so we read His love letter to us; and His Spirit interprets it to us and He speaks to us in this way.

 

[John Caldwell]

You have of course done what was prophesied about in 2 Timothy 4:3-4; you have gone to a different translation in order to deny the clear message of holy scripture; and in this you have heaped for yourself a teacher (the translator of the faulty Bible that you are quoting) to tell you what your itching ears want to hear.

The passage clearly says that God has magnified His word above all His name. This would indicate that His word is exalted above His very nature and character.

Sorry, you lose.

No. I do not "lose".

You misinterpret Scripture. It does not say God has exalted the Bible above God Himself. You are misreading Scripture.

You have chosen a translation that can be misinterpreted in saying God is less superior to the Bible. You are wrong. It is idolatry.

I am constantly amazed at the level of depravity in some doctrines professing Christians believe. I never imagined any Christian could possibly deny the worth and value of Scripture. But at the same time I never imagined any believer would choose to worship the Bible rather than God by elevating it over God Himself.

I came to the realization such people exist a couple of months ago as this exact thread appeared on another board where it was quickly denounced and rejected. That was on a Baptist only section. Since we have professing Baptists that deny Baptist theology I should not be surprised that broader professing Christians have departed from the faith (from traditional Christianity) . But every time it seems shocking.

God has not elevated Scripture over Himself. Scripture testifies of Christ. The verse is speaking of the greatness of God and His Word (not Scripture but God's own word, what God expresses, God's "faithfulness").

I pray that one day you will be able to see not only Scripture but the eternally superior Object of Whom Scripture testifies.

 

[mjrhealth]

We don't have the privilege of seeing Him face to face anymore (2 Corinthians 5:16); so we read His love letter to us; and His Spirit interprets it to us and He speaks to us in this way.

We can you just choose to not believe it. Many saw Him after His resurrection even today. Just look at Paul

 

[mjrhealth]

I provided a passage saying that God has magnified His word above all His name (Psalms 138:2).

I'm sorry, I didn't see what passage you provided in order to substantiate your pov.

He never said teh "bible".

 

[mjrhealth]

(the translator of the faulty Bible that you are quoting) to tell you what your itching ears want to hear.

Is that not what you are doing???

 

[justbyfaith]

You have chosen a translation that can be misinterpreted in saying God is less superior to the Bible. You are wrong. It is idolatry.

Jesus said to the Father, Thy word is truth (John 17:17).

That's good enough for me, to know that the Bible is the word of God and that it is the truth of God.

It is not idolatry to hold the truth of God's word as God proclaims it to be...the truth!

He has magnified His word above all His name.

That is the bottom line.

 

[justbyfaith]

He never said teh "bible".

So, what are you suggesting is the word of God?

 

[Anthony D'Arienzo]

Jesus said to the Father, Thy word is truth (John 17:17).

That's good enough for me, to know that the Bible is the word of God and that it is the truth of God.

It is not idolatry to hold the truth of God's word as God proclaims it to be...the truth!

He has magnified His word above all His name.

That is the bottom line.

One mark of spiritual perversion is dishonest posters who lie openly on Christian forums. They do not hesitate to lie, misrepresent facts, twist peoples words to try and elevate themselves and their defective views above Gods word and His people.

Jude described such persons well:
3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

4 For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.

12 These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;

13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
The words used convey the idea are hidden wreaths lying under the surface until they cause damage to ships passing by;
12 These are in your love-feasts craggy rocks; feasting together with you, without fear shepherding themselves; clouds without water, by winds carried about; trees autumnal, without fruit, twice dead, rooted up;

13 wild waves of a sea, foaming out their own shames; stars going astray, to whom the gloom of the darkness to the age hath been kept.

You see such trolls who come in among sheep and try and accuse those who love God and His word. They try and put a wedge between God and His word!
It is no surprise that they try and divide God and His people.

On this thread the scripture is spoken of as the greatest gift to mankind.

The word superior is substituted by evil-minded, jealous posters, who want to attack professing Christians suggesting that God is not the object of their worship???

Scripture is called a "dead letter"???

Heb.4:12 For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

It is no surprise to see such ungodly wanderers going from site to site, as stalker trolls....no interest in truth...just trying to undermine the good works of others.

Gospel light dispels such darkness. Scripture shines through as God speaks to us, His voice being heard in and through the scriptures as the Spirit freely gives us all things that God has for us.
1cor2:
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

A clear contrast of believers and those void of the Spirit. We are warned here and in Jude to withstand such wicked attacks, and stand in faith as these foul attacks come.

 

[Anthony D'Arienzo]

How is God's wrath appeased through Christ's suffering on the Cross; if it is not in that Christ took the penalty for our sins?

Bible believers understand this and are thankful for such mercies.
That this is even questioned shows the beginning of Apostasy.

 

[Anthony D'Arienzo]

When God says that the holy scripture is magnified above His name, for us to magnify the word in the same manner would not be in fact idolatry.

From CHS, Treasury of David;
For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
The word of promise made to David was in his eyes more glorious than all else that he had seen of the Most High.
Revelation excels creation in the clearness, definiteness, and fulness of its teaching.

The name of the Lord in nature is not so easily read as in the Scriptures, which are a revelation in human language, specially adapted to the human mind, treating of human need, and of a Saviour who appeared in human nature to redeem humanity.

Heaven and earth shall pass away, but the divine word will not pass away, and in this respect especially it has a preeminence over every other form of manifestation.

Moreover, the Lord lays all the rest of his name under tribute to his word: his wisdom, power, love, and all his other attributes combine to carry out his word. It is his word which creates, sustains, quickens, enlightens, and comforts.

As a word of command it is supreme; and in the person of the incarnate Word it is set above all the works of God's hands.

The sentence in the text is wonderfully full of meaning. We have collected a vast mass of literature upon it, but space will not allow us to put it all into our notes.
Let us adore the Lord who has spoken to us by his word, and by his Son; and in the presence of unbelievers let us both praise his holy name and extol his holy word.

 

[John Caldwell]

Jesus said to the Father, Thy word is truth (John 17:17).

That's good enough for me, to know that the Bible is the word of God and that it is the truth of God.

It is not idolatry to hold the truth of God's word as God proclaims it to be...the truth!

He has magnified His word above all His name.

That is the bottom line.

False argument.

No one is saying Scripture is not truth. We are denying God is less than Scripture.

 

[amadeus]

Psalm 138:1-2
give you thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing your praise; I bow down toward your holy temple and give thanks to your name for your steadfast love and your faithfulness, for you have exalted above all things your name and your word.

I provided the Col. passage a few posts back.

You mistake the passage to mean God exalted Scripture over God Himself. That is a wrong interpretation.

Then also there is first this:

"I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." Psalm 138:1-2

Followed by this which indicates that His name is equal to His Word:

"And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God." Rev 19:13

Hmmm? Seems to be a flaw in the KJV itself. Both my German Luther and the Spanish Revised Valera slight older than the KJV approximate equal the version you @John Caldwell quoted. I have been reading the three Bibles together since 1978 and the Lord showed me that a very long time ago. I would still not read any other English version regularly. God does help us understand...

 

[icxn]

For what is worth, in the Greek that verse from Psalm 138 (137 in the Septuagint) reads:

I will worship toward thy holy temple, and give thanks to thy name, on account of thy mercy and thy truth; for thou hast magnified thy holy name above every thing.​

 

[Anthony D'Arienzo]

For what is worth, in the Greek that verse from Psalm 138 (137 in the Septuagint) reads:

I will worship toward thy holy temple, and give thanks to thy name, on account of thy mercy and thy truth; for thou hast magnified thy holy name above every thing.​

Here is Matthew Henry;
What he would praise God for. 1. For the fountain of his comforts—for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth, for thy goodness and for thy promise, mercy hidden in thee and mercy revealed by thee, that God is a gracious God in himself and has engaged to be so to all those that trust in him.
For thou hast magnified thy word (thy promise, which is truth) above all thy name. God has made himself known to us in many ways in creation and providence, but most clearly by his word.

The judgments of his mouth are magnified even above those of his hand, and greater things are done by them. The wonders of grace exceed the wonders of nature; and what is discovered of God by revelation is much greater than what is discovered by reason.

In what God had done for David his faithfulness to his work appeared more illustriously, and redounded more to his glory, than any other of his attributes.
Some good interpreters understand it of Christ, the essential Word, and of his gospel, which are magnified above all the discoveries God had before made of himself to the fathers. He that magnified the law, and made that honourable, magnifies the gospel much more.


2. For the streams flowing from that fountain, in which he himself had tasted that the Lord is gracious, v. 3. He had been in affliction, and he remembers, with thankfulness, (1.) The sweet communion he then had with God. He cried, he prayed, and prayed earnestly, and God answered him, gave him to understand that his prayer was accepted and should have a gracious return in due time. The intercourse between God and his saints is carried on by his promises and their prayers. (2.) The sweet communications he then had from God: Thou strengthenedst me with strength in my soul. This was the answer to his prayer, for God gives more than good words, Ps. 20:6 .

 

[mjrhealth]

So, what are you suggesting is the word of God?

What you read the bible and you dont know, And the word became Flesh, who do you think ???

The words that I speak they are spirit and they are life, God is Spirit, We are called to worship in Spirit and in truth. All that study see what it does. Nothing.

 

[John Caldwell]

Then also there is first this:

"I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods will I sing praise unto thee.
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name." Psalm 138:1-2

Followed by this which indicates that His name is equal to His Word:

"And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God." Rev 19:13

Hmmm? Seems to be a flaw in the KJV itself. Both my German Luther and the Spanish Revised Valera slight older than the KJV approximate equal the version you @John Caldwell quoted. I have been reading the three Bibles together since 1978 and the Lord showed me that a very long time ago. I would still not read any other English version regularly. God does help us understand...

I typically use the Greek when possible (I studied Greek as a graduate student). But I cannot work with Hebrew well at all.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

Some hold this plays on Greek paganism. I do not. I believe it refers to the Word (as in God's Word in the Old Testament going out to the ends of the earth).

 

[John Caldwell]

For what is worth, in the Greek that verse from Psalm 138 (137 in the Septuagint) reads:

I will worship toward thy holy temple, and give thanks to thy name, on account of thy mercy and thy truth; for thou hast magnified thy holy name above every thing.​

The verse (by context) is not speaking of Scripture but God's Word. This should be obvious given the human writer God used.

 

[amadeus]

I typically use the Greek when possible (I studied Greek as a graduate student). But I cannot work with Hebrew well at all.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.

Some hold this plays on Greek paganism. I do not. I believe it refers to the Word (as in God's Word in the Old Testament going out to the ends of the earth).

To me it boils down to Jesus is the Word of God, but it is much more complicated than that. Jesus is the name given to the born Messiah [Christ]. That verse I quoted [Rev 19:13] is saying that his name is the Word of God. The Word became flesh. And God had already put a name to that Word, that flesh, Jesus [ Jehovah is salvation]. Without understanding all of the original languages should I or should anyone rely on a single translator [even if I were the qualified one] of a single word in a single verse written? I've done enough translations [not Greek or Hebrew] to understand the difficulty at times to convey exactly the same meaning as the original speaker or writer of a complex thought. It is not difficult for God to do it nor for a hungry heart to receive it. The carnal heart will find it very difficult indeed, if even possible. I will find it very difficult indeed when I try to explain correctly something from the scripture that God has not explained to me. [There is a lot that falls into that category for me.]

It is difficult [impossible?] for us to understand in our carnal minds is even just what the Word of God is. People want to confine it to a book, the Bible, but I believe God effectively spoke the Word before any man ever wrote down any part of what we now call scripture. It is definitely a helpful book, but without proper Interpretation who can understand God's message in it? Without the help of the Holy Spirit will not our efforts result in a private interpretation? The Message was contained in Jesus. The Word that became flesh was/is Jesus. The proper Interpretation is ours when and if the Word is written in our heart. God does not write a verbatim copy of a Bible verse or verses in any language [including the first human languages in which it was written] in or on our hearts. What He writes in us, when He does, is much deeper and more comprehensive than that.

Sometimes we may be given one thing which corresponds to one part of a verse or group of verses of the written scripture. At other times He may and probably will [if we are walking with and in Him] give us other things with other meanings and/or connotations corresponding to exactly the same verse or verses of written scripture.

I believe you understand what I am saying. The Bible can be a very important tool, but without the Holy Spirit interpreting/writing it for/in us it may be absolutely dead as far as God is concerned. Just ask any well-studied atheist for his interpretation of the Bible.

I

 

[Anthony D'Arienzo]

Not one person here has seen Jesus face to face.
To say that we just need Jesus sounds wonderful but does not get to any of the truths that are needful for all of mankind to know.
The scripture indeed informs us on all we need in life.
Some have given lip service to this, but are in complete denial.
Christians know that the life of faith , communion and service to God is possible only because of special revelation.

 

[justbyfaith]

All that study see what it does. Nothing.

Actually, the reality is this:

Isa 55:10, For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
Isa 55:11, So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

Not one person here has seen Jesus face to face.

As much as I know this is detrimental to what we are trying to preach here, I have to say that I have seen Him face to face in the form of a vision.