Friday, February 28, 2014

"The Son, the Scriptures, the Spirit"


      Only the Lord Jesus Christ perfectly represents and reveals the person of God to us.  "No man hath seen God at any time.  The only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him" (John 1:18).

     Moreover, only the Bible perfectly presents the Lord Jesus to us.  "Search the Scriptures... for they are they which testify of Me" (John 5:39).

     Finally, only the Holy Spirit perfectly interprets and explains the Bible's revelation of God in Christ.  "When the Comforter is come... the Spirit of truth, He shall testify of Me... The things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God" (John 15:26; I Corinthians 2:11).

    Recognizing that spiritual enemies exist - "many deceivers are entered into the world" - means that we must go directly to the Sources of Divine truth if we are to genuinely know and respond to the living and true God (II John 1:7).  Others may and do help us in our understanding, but only the Son of God, the Scriptures of God, and the Spirit of God reveal the character, nature, and way of God in perfect purity.  Thus, we must "try the spirits, whether they are of God" (I John 4:1).  Our enemies are more than willing to use the name "Jesus" as a tool of deception.  Satan's purveyors of darkness teach and preach from Scripture more than any other source (as in the Lord's own wilderness temptation).  Spiritual illumination and experience may originate in unholy influence, as opposed to the Holy Spirit.  In days of exponentially expanded communication of ideas and images, we have no choice but to remember that we will inevitably be deceived if we fail to realize that somebody is always attempting to deceive us.

    Again, the Son of God, the Scriptures of God, and the Spirit of God - only in these holy beacons of light can we find our way to God as He is.  Moreover, only thereby can we avoid the deadly worship of God as He is not.  May our Lord lead us to Himself by the gifts He has given to ensure our walk in Truth.  And may we avail ourselves of those gifts, while at the same time turning away from influences of which the Apostle Paul warned in no uncertain terms...

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."
(II Corinthians 11:3-4)

Weekly Memory Verse
    For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.  But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
(Romans 5:7-8)

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