A response out of context #2

The following interaction occurred on another format, and I have moved it here.  This was linked to an online version of J. Gresham Mechan's Christianity and Liberalism, that is linked again here, and is now permalinked in the right column.

This is a challenge, but it is very readable. Start here if you want to understand what I've been saying about The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit was to sent to testify about Jesus and His redemptive work on the Cross. You know there is a different Jesus and a different Gospel at work when people tell you the spirit is telling them about ANYTHING else.

And now the comment:

I couldn't disagree more.

   John 14:26 tells us: But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you.
   Holy Spirit talks to those who have received Him on a daily basis about ALL things. Those who don't seem to hear him, ever, should question whether they ever received Him.
   Furthermore, 1 John 2:27 tells us the same thing - the anointing being Holy Spirit.
   As for you, the anointing you received from him remains in you, and you do not need anyone to teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about all things and as that anointing is real, not counterfeit—just as it has taught you, remain in him.
   It saddens me that you don't hear Holy Spirit talking to you about anything other than Christ and the Gospel. He talks to me about how to care for my children, my husband, my body (health), and how to treat others. He speaks daily about EVERYTHING on my life.
   I hope that you will consider really allowing Holy Spirit to open your mind to this one.

When someone accepts a challenge, one of the conditions is to actually read the material.  Commenting without reading requires unsubstantiated assumptions, and proves nothing.  Making a declaration without offering a sufficient proof is merely asserting, and it does not convince.  Let’s start at the top and go down.  First, you think you are disagreeing with me.  That’s the problem.  You are actually disagreeing with Jesus, John, Peter, Luke and Paul. And please read the book, regardless of your anger with Ogre.

John 14:28.   When you quote Jesus, be sure you include the whole quote.  If you were to quote the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, and only quoted one line, you might think that the Pharisee was actually righteous before God.  When you quote a verse, it is probably good not to leave out phrases.  What will the Holy Spirit teach the Apostles, and later us?  Jesus calls the Holy Spirit the Spirit of Truth.  He is comparing what the Holy Spirit will teach to what the reprobate can know without the Holy Spirit.  The difference between the elect and the reprobate is that the elect believe in Jesus and His redeeming work on the cross because the Holy Spirit gave them the gift of this belief, while the reprobate considers this talk folly.  It's all about Jesus.

1 John 2:27.  The irony of this passage is that it absolutely proves my point without a shadow of a doubt unless you remove it from context.  This passage is about deception from Antichrists.  So, in the context of deception about Antichrists, the anointing of the Holy Spirit will abide in you so that you do not need these false teachings.  We know this because the Holy Spirit has already taught us everything about the true Christ.  The Holy Spirit teaches us about the true Christ, and helps us to discern false teachings.  This is powerful truth that I can and do receive. 

I’m very sorry that Biblical truth saddens you.  The Holy Spirit doesn’t need to tell me anything about that other stuff, stuff that is not in the Bible, and here is why.  The Holy Spirit was sent to witness to Jesus and His redeeming work on the Cross.  The Holy Spirit gives us the gift of belief in the revealed Scripture.  There is no other revelation required.  I believe that the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is wholly sufficient for my salvation.  I believe that the Scripture alone testifies to this truth.  I believe this because the Holy Spirit has made me believe this.  The Holy Spirit has enabled me to believe in the truth of Scripture.  There is no continuing revelation.  There is no additional scripture.  There are no amendments.  There is no second holy book.  If you believe in any of that stuff, then you are denying the sufficiency of the resurrection.  I’m not going to put myself in such a position.  It isn’t because I’m all that clever, I’m not.  I’m going with the Scripture and Jesus as revealed, because Peter did.  As Peter said, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.”

But so that I am not guilty of mere assertion, let us study the Holy Spirit according to Jesus.  How about in Luke 24?  He opened their minds to understand Scripture.  You are witnesses of these things.  He sent the promise of the Father upon them.  Notice that He didn’t say he was going to send more Law.  John 16 has a section called the Work of the Holy Spirit.  Perhaps we should read that together.

The Work of the Holy Spirit

“I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. 5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ 6 But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. 7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 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. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Jesus thought that the Holy Spirit was going to “convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.”  All three of these issues Jesus explains in terms of himself.  Powerful stuff!  I believe that the Holy Spirit does what Jesus said the Holy Spirit does.  Put your proof texts back into context and see if you can see them afresh in terms of Jesus.  The whole Bible is about Jesus, all of it.  That is what I believe.  The Holy Spirit does what?  The Holy Spirit convicts the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.  Now look at verse 14:  He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.  That looks pretty straight forward either in context or out of context.  Some verses are just more important than others.  Those are the ones that usually have clear and obvious meaning, like John 16:14.

I’ll take Jesus’ Word on what the Holy Spirit does and doesn’t do.  Sola Scriptura is a part of my belief set.  It is a part of the Reformation.  It is a part of a systemic theology that I happen to believe is correct.  The Holy Spirit has opened my mind completely, to a faith in the fullness and Grace of Jesus, in His redemptive work on the Cross, on my need for Salvation from a wrathful and just God, of His propitiating atonement on the behalf of those elect to whom the Holy Spirit has given the gift of belief.  I know that you have been given that gift.  I just hope that you will hold fast to the singularly important issue and let go of all of the chafe.  

--Ogre--