There is an erroneous belief that every word of God is contained in the bible. What,
you do not believe this? Then how can the reasoning which says that there cannot be prophecy because
the bible is finished hold up under scrutiny? Every belief we have has an end result, every single one. If
we believe that the bible is the final, finished and complete revelation of God, then we also believe that it
contains all of the knowledge of God, along with every word He has spoken. For the belief says that
there is no prophecy, because the bible is finished.
And yet, even in scripture we see that if all the words of Jesus, and all of His deeds, were written down,
that there would not be enough room in the whole world to contain them. Do you see the problem? Each
belief we have must be examined in the light of God's wisdom to see the end of that belief.
I once believed that I was saved because Jesus had died and rose again on my behalf. And while it is true
that He did give Himself for me, that alone did not save me. For while I believed in His forgiveness, I did
not draw near to Him with a sincere heart, to see sand know Him. I did just as the children of Israel did,
and hardened my heart towards God, claiming His salvation while holding myself out of His light. And who
could deliver me from my own lies? God did. It was not pretty.
If all that we know of God is what we read, and if all that we have of Him is knowledge gained by study
and teaching; then we do not know God. And if we do not know God, we have believed in vain, and the
sacrifice that Jesus made in order to purchase us from slavery has done us no good.
No, all knowledge of God is not in the bible. And all of His words are not contained therein. For God has
not lost His mouth, and He has not stopped talking. We have stopped listening. And just as God judged
those who hardened their hearts towards His voice, so He will judge us for the same thing, because He
does not change, ever; else He is not God.
Friend, What is the message of the Bible. Summed up in just three words: Christ is Risen!
Because Christ is Risen, salvation of those who believe in Him (John 3:16) is possible.
Here's some Good News writing for all of us:
"One day, we all shall die, for it is appointed unto me once to die, but after this the
judgment (Hebrews 9:27). Yet, we know that the sting of death has been removed
through Christ's resurrection. Orthodox Christians, therefore, face death with the security
that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor
things to come, no height nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus Our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).
"The Transfiguration of the Universe" "The life that God grants to the world through the
resurrection of Christ is not limited to human beings, however. The death and
resurrection of Christ also prefigures the transfiguration of the entire created order. The
women who went to Jesus' tomb early on Sunday morning to anoint His body found that
His tomb was empty; His body was not there. Yet, on several occasions when the risen
Lord appeared to the women and to His other disciples they did not immediately
recognize Him. This fact tells us two very important things about the resurrection f Christ
and about the life He grants to the world.
"First of all, it tells us that Christ arose in His body. Some people believe that man is
essentially an immaterial soul or spirit imprisoned in a body. But we have already seen
that man was originally created not only for an eternal relationship of love with God, but
also with the entire created order. God created man as a physical being in a physical
world. The spiritual aspect of man's existence cannot really be separated from the
physical. Therefore, for God to save man and give him the possibility to live life as God
originally intended, He must save the material world as well. The risen Christ is not a
ghost or disembodied soul. Jesus Christ arose in the flesh so that the entire physical
universe would share in the unending life of God.
"At the same time, however, we must not think that the risen Christ was simply a
reanimated corpse in the sense of someone who dies on the operating table and is
brought back to life. The second thing that Jesus' resurrection tells us about the life to
come is that it is a transfigured life. Jesus' resurrected body was transfigured by the
glory of God. To use the words of the Apostle Paul, it had put on immortality. That is why
the disciples did not recognize Jesus at first. When Jesus returns in glory to judge all
people according to their works and to abolish even physical death, the entire created
cosmos will be filled with the presence and life and glory of God -- and so will all who trust
in Him and willingly share in His life. Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it doth not
yet appear what we shall be: but we know that when He shall appear, we shall be like Him,
for we shall see Him as He is (1 John 3:2)."
(pages 51-53: Carlton, Clark. (2000). THE LIFE: The Orthodox Doctrine of Salvation -- An
Orthodox Catechism. Salisbury, MA: Regina Orthodox Press.
Regina Orthodox Press Online Store
God save us: Lord have mercy - Amen. In Erie PA USA April 2011 AD Scott R.
Harrington
Take care.