Friday: Further Thought – The Holy Spirit and Revelation

Read Ellen G. White, The Great Controversy, “The Scriptures a Safeguard” pp. 593-602. Read also Ellen G. White, The Desire of Ages, “Let Not Your Heart be Troubled,” pp. 662-680.

Think about all the truth that we know only because it has been revealed to us in the Bible. Think, for instance, about creation. What a contrast between what the Word of God teaches about how we were created and how humanity teaches we were created-that is, through the process of what is now called “the neo-Darwinian synthesis.” Look at how wrong humans have it! Think, too, about the Second Coming of Jesus and the resurrection of the dead at the end of the age. These are truths that we could never learn on our own. They have to be revealed to us; and they are, in the Word of God, which was inspired by the Holy Spirit. In fact, the most important truth of all, that Jesus Christ died for our sins, and that we are saved through faith in Him and His works for us, is a truth that we could have never figured out on our own. We know it only because it has been revealed to us. Think about other truths that we know only because they have been told to us through the Word of God. What should the fact that such crucial truths are found only in the Bible tell us about how central the Word of God needs to be in our lives?

Discussion Questions:

Why is the Bible a safer guide in spiritual questions than are subjective impressions? What are the consequences when we do not accept the Bible as the standard by which we test all teachings and even our spiritual experiences? We often hear the word “truth” used in a variety of contexts. In class, talk about the concept of “truth,” not just what is true or what is not true but about what it means when we say that something is “true.” What does it mean for something to be “true”? How should your church react if someone claims to have “new light”? Flesh out the radical difference between how the Bible teaches we were created and what human wisdom teaches. What human wisdom teaches, that is, the latest understanding of evolutionary theory, is completely contrary to the Bible message. What should that tell us about why we must trust the Bible above everything else?