Other Questions Flashcards
What does the Bible teach about the Holy Spirits work in the OT?
- ) Life – in relation to the creation of the cosmos (Gen. 1:2, Psalm 104:30, Isaiah 40:12)
- - His bringing life out of nothing is a foreshadowing to his regeneration work in the NT - ) Knowledge – The Spirit illumines the mind with the knowledge of God and his Truth (Deut. 34:9, Ps. 143:10), particularly in prophetic insight (1 Sam. 10:10), but also in general capacity (Gen. 41:38)
- - Primary form of this is the production of the Scriptures (inspiration)
3.) Promise – The link between the Spirit and the Coming age is two-fold: (1) The Messiah who is to come is anointed by the Spirit (Is. 11:2, 42:1, 61:1); (2) IN the Messianic age God’s Spirit will be poured out in a special manner and degree (Ez. 36:27, Joel 2:28)
In the OT: the Spirit is the creative power of God, was responsible for empowering civil and military leaders in the nation of Israel, and anointed the kings of Israel to enable them to fulfill their calling.
What is the Holy Spirit’s function today? Is it different than in the past?
Since the miracle of Pentecost, the Christian church has received the Spirit in a democratized fashion (indwelling in the heart of every believer).
The gift of the Holy Spirit has always been God’s means of regenerating his people to new life and empowering spiritual leaders, but since the miracle of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit has been given to all believers to enable them to carry out the wide variety ministries God calls them to, to enable supernatural signs and gifts, and to guide Christians in their gospel proclamation.
What happened at Pentecost? How does this relate to the church today?
Pentecost is the day the Holy spirit was poured out on the followers of Christ. New and more expansive dimension to his activity and empowering presence. Pentecost marks the first appearance of the fullness of the Spirit to empower and permanently indwell and encourage and enable all of God’s people individually.
Today:
- ) We can trust the inspired words of the NT because of the effect of Pentecost on the Apostles.
- ) We have the indwelling of the Spirit, that gives us gifts for the edification of the church.
- ) We continue in the proclamation of the Gospel to all nations inaugurated at Pentecost.
Distinguish between the gifts and the fruits of the Spirit.
Fruit of the Spirit – Galatians 5:22
– Inward characters that mature
Gifts of the Spirit – Eph. 4
– Outward abilities given to the church for the equipping of the saints for the works of the service, the building up of the body of Christ.
Does the Spirit give gifts today? Explain.
Yes,
- Shepherds, Teachers
- Not apostolic, prophecy, the evangelists
- Not for establishing (the foundation), but sustaining/edification of the church – preaching, evangelism, teaching, prayer, helps, administration, etc.
- Gifts of speaking; gifts of serving (1 Peter 4:11)
Are there gifts mentioned in Scripture that are not given today? Explain and defend.
Yes, there are gifts that were given for the building of the foundation of the church. Those gifts associated with the affirmation of the message and witness of the Apostolic office which has now ceased.
- Prophecy
- Signs and wonders
- Miracles
- Speaking in tongues
The miraculous gifts of the Spirit, including apostleship, prophecy, tongues, healing, and miracles served the purpose of validating the message about Jesus during the early days of the church, but now that the apostolic foundation is laid and the canon of scriptural revelation is complete, the miraculous gifts do not characterize the normal and expected operation of the church body today.
The miraculous gifts have ceased because they played a particular role in redemptive history in accrediting the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:22; Heb. 2:4). The apostles and those closely associated with them performed “signs and wonders” and miracles to confirm the gospel they proclaimed (Acts 2:43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 14:3; 15:12; Rom. 15:19; 2 Cor. 12:12).
The church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets” (Eph. 2:20). The foundation for the church has been laid once-for-all, and thus there are no longer prophets and apostles functioning as authoritative messengers. As the epistle of Jude (v. 3) says, “the faith … was delivered to the saints once for all.” We read in the epistle to the Hebrews that “in these last days … God has spoken to us by his Son” (Heb. 1:2). The final and definitive word has been declared, and thus there is no need for apostles and prophets and tongues, nor do we need signs, wonders, and miracles to accredit the message.
What do NT passages teach us concerning the following work of the Holy Spirit? How he comes?
- Acts 2; John 14, 16;
- Like a dove (Matthew 3, Mark 1); in tongues of fire at Pentecost (Acts 2); through the hearing of the Word;
- Acts 2 – outpouring of the Spirit (Joel 2:28) to create the church and empowering it in mission into the world.
- sent by the Father and the Son (John 14, 16)
How does the Spirit Works?
Holy Spirit is a divine person, He (John 16:13)
- “Paraclete” – personal term, referring to personal agency (John 14:16, 1 John 2:1)
- Illuminates minds
- Indwells hearts
- Empowers service
What does the Spirit do?
- ) Enables believers to carry out the wide variety ministries God calls them to
- ) The Spirit gives gifts
- ) The Spirit guides Christians in their faith and is seal upon them that they will ultimately inherit all the blessings of Christ.
- ) Above all else, The Spirit is given to shine a light upon Jesus and direct the focus of our heart’s confidence and adoration to him alone.
What is the Spirit’s ministry today?
- Regenerates
- Prepares men for office
- Formation and increase of the church
- Teaches and guides the church
- Grants blessings which are our in Christ: regeneration, conviction of sin, adoption, the fruit of the spirit
- Glorifying Christ
How would you answer charismatic claims from Scripture?
Pentecostals and charismatics argue for the continuation of the gifts, and such a position has been advocated especially since the early 1900s with the arrival of Pentecostalism and has been furthered by second and third wave charismatics.
The miraculous gifts have ceased since they attest to the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
- ) Role of Apostles - The foundation of the church has been laid and is now preserved in the Scriptures, the canon of the OT and the NT. We do not expect any new revelation. Apostles built a foundation for the church (Eph. 2:20); the canon is now closed.
- ) Role of Miraculous Gifts/Tongues - We haven’t said much here about the gift of tongues, but the evidence in the NT is that the gift of tongues is speaking in foreign languages, not ecstatic utterances. We have no evidence that people are receiving such a gift today, and interpreted tongues seem to be equivalent to prophecy (1 Cor. 14:1–5). We have firm evidence that the gifts of apostleship and prophecy have ended, and thus a cessationist position is more credible.
- ) Role in Redemptive History - The miraculous gifts have ceased because they played a particular role in redemptive history in accrediting the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ (Acts 2:22; Heb. 2:4). The apostles and those closely associated with them performed “signs and wonders” and miracles to confirm the gospel they proclaimed (Acts 2:43; 4:30; 5:12; 6:8; 14:3; 15:12; Rom. 15:19; 2 Cor. 12:12).
Opposition: When we examine 1 Corinthians 13:8–12 “the perfect” is clearly the second coming of Christ. Continuationists point to these verses to argue that the gifts will continue until the second coming of Christ. Such a reading is of course possible. Still, 1 Corinthians 13:8–12 does not demand that the gifts remain until the second coming. We should not be surprised that we don’t have any direct teaching about the gifts passing away. Instruction about the cessation of the gifts would not apply to the Corinthians or to Paul since they lived in the time period when all the gifts were active.
How would you answer a Mormon from Scripture?
- ) Who is God?
- - God the father is not and has never been a man (Hos. 11:9); he is unchanging and has not progressed from lower reality - ) Who is God in Christ?
- - Jesus is “very God of very God”, not created God (John 1:1, Heb. 1, Phil. 2)
- - Jesus is not an example of what we can be as redeemers; we bear his image, but as he is God, there is a vital distinction between the Creator and the creature. He’s the vine, we;re the branches (John 15)
- - Lorenzo Snow: “As man is now, God once was. As God is now, man may become.
3.) Salvation is free gift (Ephesians 2:8-9, roman 5:8)
- ) Jesus is the final prophet, priest, king.
- - Mormons need a living prophet today
- - Hebrews 1:1-4; 2 Tim. 3:16-17
- - Even if the claim of angelic visitation were true (which I don’t grant), the “revelation” should have been evaluated by the standard of revelation already given. Since it does not line up, Paul’s anathema applies: Gal 1:8
- - There is no need for “another testimony of Jesus Christ”—warning of Rev 22. - ) There’s no need for another mediator
- - Mormons believe this was passed down to the church
- - 1 Tim. 2:5-6; Gal. 3:20
How would you answer a Jehovah’s witness from Scripture?
- ) Who is God?
- - Many names for God. Not just Jehovah
- - Trinity well-attested in Scripture (Matthew 28:19, 2 Cor. 13:14, Matthew 3, Mark 1) - ) Who is God in Christ?
- - Christ is the pre-existent son of God (Col. 1, John 1:1, Heb. 1:3, Heb. 1:6 – Jesus is worshipeed by angels)
- - Incarnation - Jesus Christ not mere human, but God made flesh (Col. 2:9) - ) Who is God in Spirit?
- - An impersonal force of God, not divine person
- - John 14, 16 – teaching, counselor, advocate, - ) Resurreciton – not physical
- - 1 Cor. 15
5) Salvation – by faith and works
- - Gal. 2:16-21
