Samson's Jawbone

  The prominent Southern Baptist continuationist scholar says in his SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine  says," We can define the sufficiency of Scripture as follows: The Sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contained in all the words of God he intended his people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains all the words of God we need for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and for obeying him perfectly. This definition emphasizes that it is the Scripture alone that we are to search for Gods words to us. It also reminds us that God considers what he has told us in the Bible to be enough for us, and that we should rejoice in the great revelation that he has given us and be content with it [italics mine]."  If Grudem's definition represents the Biblical doctrine of the sufficiency of scripture, then why do we need the revelatory gifts of tongues, knowledge and prophecy? Doesn't it make senses that the "...

Recently  at a church I attended one of the pastoral staff commissioned a team of youth leaving for a mission trip. He commissioned them based on something "God had told him," when he was a young man. He sent the team out in fulfillment of what God had spoken to him many years prior. I cringed!  It seemed to me that such a statement gave the impression that the team was going out in fulfillment of God's plan for that pastor, and that God's purpose for them individually was secondary. Wasn't the Great Commission the team's authority? No mention of it. Why did the congregation need to know about a specific "prophetic word," that had come to a pastor 30-years before? This "word-from-God," affirmation gave greater significance to his experience, then to the command of Christ. It essentially elevated the words and experience of that pastor above the word of God. Such statements diminish the authority of Christ and His word.  It is the authority ...

I admit it: I grew up thinking charismatics were weird or worse lunatics, but after getting to know some of my Pentecostal brothers and sisters hearing their scriptural defense and testimony, I later changed my mind. However, after many years of considering myself a continuationist, I am now a convinced cessationist. I just believe charismatics are wrong because of either ignorance or neglect of good hermeneutical principles.  Now after nearly 50 years as a believer and 30 years in ministry and studying God's word, I no longer believer charismatic are weird or lunatics. I just think they are wrong.  For the sake of clarity some definitions: A continuationist believes that the Holy Spirit will continue his revelation of himself, and divine truth in the same ways he has throughout scripture. In fact, Pentecost, means he has come in full measure and is active and available in full measure. Although the frequency of manifestations of the so called revelato...