GOD'S COMPLETE REVELATION!
BY STEVE FINNELL
We have God's complete revelation to all mankind, it is called the Bible. There are sixty six books. There are no more books. God's direct revelation to mankind was finished, completed with the death of the last apostle. The church of Christ had all the information it needed to preach the gospel, teach the church about faith in Jesus Christ, and to instruct men to obey God's commands.
Jude 1:3 Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.
Jude wrote in his letter, in about 65 A.D., that Christians already had a common salvation. He said contend for the faith which had been handed down once for all. The faith was not being added to nor were parts of the faith being deleted by new revelation. Jude knew nothing of so-called new revelations being written in books of catechisms nor were there any extra-Biblical books of so-called new revelations from God.
There is no 21st century new revelation, new prophecy, nor new knowledge. We already have the completed Scriptures, the BIBLE.
1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.
Direct prophecy and special knowledge from God have ceased. There is no more prophecy or knowledge that is equal to Scripture. The Bible was completed long ago.
1 Corinthians 13:10 But when what is complete comes , then what is incomplete will no longer be used. (God's Word Translation (1995).
We have a completed Bible. We do not need new revelation. We do not need modern-day apostles nor prophets.
2 Peter 1:3 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.
The apostle Peter said, in about 66 A.D., that Christians already had true knowledge. What kind of knowledge are the modern writers of catechisms, or other of the so-called modern-day apostles, and prophets disseminating? A question that is worth pondering.
1 Thessalonians 2:13 For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.
The apostle Paul said their word was God's word. For men today to claim that the catechisms they write, and, or, the so-called new books of revelation, are directly from God; is at best, a case of self-delusion. The worst case scenario is willful deception or purposeful ignorance.
Acts 20:27 For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.
The apostle Paul declared the whole purpose of God to the Ephesians. How could Paul have declared the whole purpose of God in the first century if modern day prophets and apostles are still being given new purposes from God today? There are no new, direct revelations, from God that are equal to Scripture.
John 16:13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative , but whatever He hears, He will speak; and will disclose to you what is to come.
Jesus said, to the twelve apostles, that the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth. The apostle heard all the truth. THERE IS NO NEW TRUTH TO BE ADDED! The Bible is completed, it is finished.
Ephesians 3:3-5 that by revelation there was made know to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief. 4 By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which in other generations was not known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit;
The mystery of Christ was revealed to the apostle Paul as well as the other apostles and prophets. It is not continually being revealed, it was revealed. We have that revelation, it is in the Bible.
We have God's completed word. We have the BIBLE!
HOW MUCH PRIDE WOULD IT TAKE FOR MEN, TODAY, TO CLAIM THAT THEIR WORDS ARE, IN FACT, EQUAL TO SCRIPTURE?
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Does the meaning of God's word evolve over time? The apostle John wrote the book Revelation about 95 AD. Do men have the authority to add to or take away from God's word? NO, they do not.