Inspiration and Revelation

by Jon W. Quinn

The New Testament is God’s instructions to us on how to live. The promises of Jesus to His faithful disciples are wonderful, but His word also includes commandments which are to be obeyed. Jesus had promised the apostles that they would be guided “unto all the truth” after His resurrection and ascension. This occurred as promised, so we know that God’s written revelation was delivered in the first century through these apostles and their companions. Following the initial delivery, the writings were collected and compiled into the Bible. This inspiration by which these things were written has been complete since the first century when the apostles lived and died. The careful collection of these writings into one volume soon followed. We can only know God’s will and intentions through reading what He has revealed to us.

The last apostle Jesus chose was Paul. He wrote concerning these things as follows: “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words (1 Cor. 2:12-13).

Another apostle, Peter, also wrote about the adequacy and thoroughness of this process. “Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence” (2 Pet. 1:2-3).

We see that “all things pertaining to life and godliness” has already been received. The Scriptures lack nothing and are able to equip us for every good work (see 2 Timothy 3:16,17).

What is the point of all this? The point is that God’s word is completely reliable and worthy of our efforts to know it better and to apply its teachings. What is true and right has already been settled, not by the mind of man but of God. Every single one of us is headed for eternity, and the Scriptures of God are the only guide available that will lead us to eternal victory, and they do so by leading us to God’s Son. We should not and cannot easily cast God’s book aside and assume that everything will work out all right anyway. It won’t.

Many are the attempts of Satan to destroy your confidence in the New Testament Scriptures. There is a reason for that. Does not the New Testament itself declare that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17)? Our confidence in the Scriptures directly relate to our faith in Jesus. Our salvation and hope of eternal life are secure in the grace of God and our living and active faith in His Son. We come to know Him and His purpose for us in the pages of the New Testament. We do not need to guess what will lead us to victory in Jesus. He has revealed that to us. We best listen to Him!

Gospel Meetings for 2023:

March 12-16 – Paul Smithson

June 18-23 (Song service on Friday Night)- Jim Deason

October 22-27 – Jarred Jacobs

Let’s be making our plans now to be in attendance and planning to invite others to these meetings.

The Great Reversal

Jeff Curtis

“Regret” is one of the saddest words in the English language. It speaks of something we wish we had done differently, some failure to live up to an ideal or accomplish something we should have. Sometimes we can make amends for failure; but most of the time, we cannot go back and make things the way they were or should have been.

Luke’s reference to “Adam, the son of God” in Jesus’ genealogy (3:8) reminds us of Paul’s references to Adam and Christ in Romans 5 and 1Corinthians 15. Adam was blessed to live in the creation that God had said was “very good (Gen. 1:31). But he failed the test brought to him by his wife and the devil; he sinned against God. His failure had consequences that adversely affected his spiritual life and the world in which he lived. The glorious creation, including humanity, was no longer what it once was (Gen. 3:14-19; Romans 8:20-22). Adam’s failure, imitated by every person’s sin, was cause for regret.

Like Adam, Jesus had a unique relationship with God. He was also the beginning of a new creation where God would make right the things that had gone wrong (2Corinthians 5:17). Paul declared this great revival in three passages: Romans 5:14-15 – “¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. ¹⁵ But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many.” 1Corinthians 15:22 – “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.” and 1Corinthians 15:45 – “And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.” The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.”

Romans 5:15 acknowledges the difficulty of reversing the consequences of Adam’s failure. We might even say a reversal was impossible. However, we should notice the words “grace” and “gift.” Where mankind had lost the way forward, God made a way. What seemed impossible, God accomplished through Jesus, the Son of God. The angel said, “For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:37). He overcame temptation, defeated death, and gives the eternal life with God that He always intended us to have.

Use Your Bible ......

Robert F. Turner

The Plan of Salvation ---

1. WHY DID JESUS DIE ON THE CROSS? Isa. 53:1-12 Rom. 3:23-26 Heb. 2:14-18
2. FOR WHOM DID JESUS DIE? Heb. 2:9-10 John 12:32-33
3. HOW ARE WE DRAWN TO JESUS? Jn. 6:44-45 Acts 2:37-41 2 Thess. 2:14 Acts 26:17-18
4. WHO WILL JESUS SAVE? Jn. 3:16 Matt. 7:21-29 Heb. 5:9
5. WHAT DID JESUS COMMAND US TO DO? Jn. 8:23-24 Lu. 13:3 Mat. 10:32 Mk. 16:16
6. WHEN DOES JESUS FORGIVE OUR SINS? Mk. 16:16 Acts 2:38 Acts 22:16 Rom. 6:4
7. HOW DOES JESUS REGARD THOSE WHO OBEY HIS CALL? Jn. 15:10 Acts 2:47 1 Pet. 2:9-10 Col. 1:12-13 Gal. 3:26-27 Eph. 1:22-23 Eph. 2:19-22 1 Tim. 3:15
8. HOW MAY WE BE FAITHFUL TO THE LORD AFTER BAPTISM? 2 Pet. 1:5-11 Phil. 4:8-9 Heb. 10:23-27 Jn. 4:24 1 Cor. 11:23-29 1 Cor. 16:2 Rom. 12:1-21 Rev. 2:10
9. ARE YOU WILLING TO PAY THE COST OF DISCIPLESHIP? Lu. 14:26-33 Mat. 10:34-39
10. HAVE YOU HONESTLY READ THESE SCRIPTURES? DO YOU SINCERELY BELIEVE THEM? CAN YOU CONSCIENTIOUSLY IGNORE YOUR OBLIGATIONS BEFORE GOD TO OBEY HIS WILL?

Plain Talk; January 1964