contra copy 1

I'm not sure what happened to Robert Ivy. I really liked his posts dealing with some of the typical "anti-gifts of the Spirit" arguments. Ivy has not posted since mid-December and I'm afraid he may not make the 6 month average life-span for a blogger. To ensure the Contra DJP series does not get lost, I will repost them in their entirety here and hope that he will not judge me negatively. I also know that some of you are lazy and won't bother to click over to Ivy's site.

Contra DJP #1

His article:
The dangerous vulnerability of discontentment

His argument:
1. God says that scripture alone is sufficient. (Deuteronomy 29:29, Psalm 119, 2 Timothy 3:15-17)
2. Belief in or desire for modern day revelation denies that scripture is sufficient.
3. Therefore there cannot be modern-day revelation

My rebuttal:
First, let me say that for me to really tackle this argument, I desperately need an accurate definition for “sufficient” from Dan. But in the absence of such a definition allow me to propose a definition that I think would be accepted by both of us: that of the Westminster Confession of Faith, which states:

The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men. Nevertheless, we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word: and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the Church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature, and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed (Westminster Confession 1.6).

Now, this says that scripture (with inward illumination of the Spirit of God, which he consistently fails to mention - more to come on this) is totally sufficient, “concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, [and] faith and life.” Amen! I believe that a man could live his whole Christian life, chock-full of hard, ambiguous decisions, uncertainty, suffering, etc., and never ever receive anything more than the Bible in his hands and a little help from the Spirit and could live according to whole counsel of God. I do not see how believing in or desiring God’s modern-day revelation negates this at all.

I’ll put it another way. Scripture is certainly sufficient in the way in which Dan, along with all orthodoxy, describe – that it gives every Christian everything they need to live the life that God calls each one of us to live. We do not need anything besides scriptures (with the illumination of the Holy Spirit) to live a life that magnifies the glory of God in every aspect. But these very scriptures, which are sufficient to teach us everything we need to know, don’t teach that Bible study is all that the Christian life is composed of.

Does sufficiency of scripture mean that we don’t need to pray? (i.e. If we need to pray then examination of Scripture alone must not be sufficient to live a Godly life.) No, it means that scripture is sufficient to teach us how to pray. Does it mean we don’t need fellowship with other believers? No, it means scripture is sufficient to teach us how to have Godly fellowship.
In the same way does it mean we don’t need the power of the Holy Spirit? No, it means scripture is sufficient to teach us how to seek and receive the power of the Spirit. Does it mean we don’t need to seek to hear what God is saying to us today? No, it means that scripture is sufficient to teach us how to seek after, listen to, and test any revelation we receive.

SO! The battle is not on the grounds of whether or not Scripture is sufficient, IT IS! The battle is on the grounds of what Scripture teaches to live a Godly life (which is the very thing we both say that scripture is sufficient for)! And I argue that Scripture teaches that we need to seek to hear the voice of God today (a.k.a. the first step of prophecy) to live a Godly life (1 Cor 14:1 most clearly).

Again, I do not need these things. However, in believing the full counsel of God, I seek these things, which is really all I can do. Should I never receive them, God will not be less glorious and I will not be lacking some necessary part of Christian life, but should I receive them! Oh the joy and wonder of seeing the face of my King! Of hearing that voice that is like thunder! Of being a vessel for that power that nothing in this universe can withstand! That is the passion, the faith, and the hope, that my Scripture teaches.

A sub-note: just as discontentment leaves us dangerously vulnerable to Satan, so does it demonstrate the spiritual health in our lives. The soul that is completely content with its current spiritual state is the soul that knows neither the true sickness of its sinful condition nor the wealth of glory that is in God.

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