# Does this agree with the confessions of faith?



## Johan (Jan 12, 2011)

The following was said regarding the Word of God during sermon towards the end of last year. What would your reaction on this be? Does it agree with eg. the WCF and the Belgic Confession of Faith? 



> God's revelation is through individuals but luckily also greater than man. Consider that in His greatness God make himself known in Creation but also through the written word, the Word of God, which, in essence, is stories by men through which God makes himself known but which, in his greatness and through the Holy Spirit, He makes His own stories. It is not just stories of men. God makes it His stories to man through the authority of the Holy Spirit.



I don't really want to discuss this at length but need to know how others interpret/evaluate this statement.


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## Phil D. (Jan 12, 2011)

It does seem to equivocate somewhat on the plenary (word-for-word) inspiration of Scripture.


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## MarieP (Jan 12, 2011)

Johan said:


> The following was said regarding the Word of God during sermon towards the end of last year. What would your reaction on this be? Does it agree with eg. the WCF and the Belgic Confession of Faith?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


 
I don't know the context, or the man saying this, but it almost sounds like he's saying that God took the words of man that were already there, and He made them His own words after the fact. It's also odd that he says through the "authority" of the Holy Spirit. I've heard those who reject inerrancy claim the Bible is "authoritative" as well.

At any rate, it's a hard concept to fully explain, that the Bible was written by man and at the same time by God. But yeah, those words struck me as deficient as well. I'd ask him what he meant by it.


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## Jimmy the Greek (Jan 12, 2011)

At best, sloppy thinking is evident. No, it does not agree with the Confessions.


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## Peairtach (Jan 12, 2011)

> luckily



Everything that happens including particularly the inspiration, inscripturation and transmission of God's Word is in His providence. There is no such thing as luck.



> is stories by men through which God makes himself known



Not (fallible) "stories by men" but God the Holy Spirit inspired men to write down the things which He wanted them to write down, such that God's Word (the Bible) is infallible, inerrant and pure.

The above quote sounds possibly Barthian/Neo-Orthodox Theology or otherwise Liberal Theology. He's leaving the door open to say - or he's saying it without being explicit - that the Bible isn't always infallible and inerrant, because after all it's "stories by men".


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## Scott1 (Jan 12, 2011)

> Westminster Confession of Faith
> 
> Chapter I
> Of the Holy Scripture
> ...



The Divines summary of the doctrine of Scripture is far, far superior to the quoted musings.


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## Johan (Jan 18, 2011)

Thanks for your replies. 

I asked the person who made the statement and he said it was a bad choice of words.


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## JP Wallace (Jan 18, 2011)

Sounds Barthian...that the Scriptures are not inherently, by design,supernaturally the Word of God, but only "become" the Word of God to us supernaturally. I'd say that was definitely a bad choice of words!


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