10/21/12- Word and Spirit: Tied Together

The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. (John 6:63)

(People watching 3-D Movie)

Thoughts:  God's Word is life in that it points to how to get eternal life. Spiritual truths are given to those who seek the truth by the Spirit. People full of the Spirit are the ones who can hear the Spirit speaking in the Word and experience the life that comes from that. If you want to have God's wisdom and truth (and life) then we must turn to Him. If you go to a 3-D movie and don't put on 3-D glasses, then you may not like the way the movie appears. The movie and the glasses are tied together. So the Spirit and the Word are tied together. If we want to be spiritual- getting close to God- we need the Word; we cannot have the Word without the Spirit.

Prayer: Help me, O Lord. Open my eyes and soften my heart to your Word.

(mainly from 40ditw video devotional- Today's (Day 20) devotion is from the Ryan Meeks pastor of East Lake Church, Bothwell, Washington).

1/7/12- Final Authority

Q. What standard from God directs us how we might glorify and enjoy Him? 
A. The Word of God, which is found in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, is the only standard to direct us how we might glorify and enjoy Him.  


"God is not a man that He should lie; neither the Son of Man that He should repent.  Hath He said and shall He not do it?  Or hath He spoken and shall He not make it good?  (Numbers 23:19 KJV)

(Book of Kells- 4 Gospels)


Thoughts: The Fellowship of Presbyterians has this statement in their essential tenets draft: 

The confessions are not fnal authorities; scrip- 

ture is the norm that measures all doctrinal, confessional, 

and theological expression.  The reformed tradition has 

always understood that “while confessional standards 

are subordinate to the scriptures, they are, nonetheless, 

standards.  They are not lightly drawn up or subscribed

to, nor may they be ignored or dismissed” (F-2.02).  be- 

ing questioned by the confessions is not an exercise in 

servitude but liberation from the tyranny of the present 

that enables us to live freely and faithfully within God’s 
will.as subordinate standards, the confessions are not 

free-standing authorities.  They are subject to the au- 

thority of Jesus Christ, the word of God, who is known 

through scripture, the word of God.  subordination 

to the lord and to scripture’s witness serves to locate

confessional authority, however, not diminish it.  The

confessions provide reliable guidance to our reading and

reception of scripture, protecting us from self-absorbed

interpretation, and opening us to Christ’s way, Christ’s

truth, and Christ’s life.

God, of course, is our final authority.  But the scriptures are the written Word of God.  They have been confessed by the church throughout the ages and throughout the world.  The Spirit speaks through scripture to our hearts.  

The Spirit does not speak against what He has already said. God does not promise something and then renig on the promise.  Sometimes, when we think of the Spirit like the wind, we may think it may blow west then east with no steadiness.  But the purpose and truth of the Spirit is constant, but the application and context is ever changing.  The person who may emphasize the gifts of the Spirit who thinks the Spirit can go against the Word misses out on the reliability of God, and the trusting in His Word.  While the liberal who thinks the Bible is unreliable while their own logic and context is more reliable, misses out on the blessings of obedience to God- for they do not trust the Word either.  The Word of God is not separated from the Spirit of God.  The Spirit inspired the Bible's beginning. He also illuminates and applies the Bible to us today.  The Word without the Spirit is dry and academic- and not the Word of God.  The Spirit without the Word may be a different kind of Spirit that should be tested by the Word of God.  

Prayer: May I learn to rely on your Word by the power of your Spirit, O Lord.