You wrote:"""There is no concept in the NT of "We have to wing it for now since we Have No Truth In Scripture"."""
Do you really in your heart believe what you think I was saying about scripture and God's word?
I was referring to your position that "they had no NT to draw truth from" as the reason they tolerated God's gift of Prophecy.
My point is simply that EVEN in the NT - the Saints considered the OT to be their written scripture and when they said "ALL scripture is given by inspiration from God and profitable for doctrine" they meant primarily - the OT.
What I was saying is that God's truths concerning Jesus were being revealed at that time. Whether those truths made it to scripture is not the point. God used the Prophets (those of which Ephesians says layed the foundation for the "body") to reveal things about Jesus specifically that were not written down yet.
At the time of 1Cor 14 - the events of Christ's life "were past - not future". The writings of Paul are a good example of "NOT" expanding at all on the life of Christ. The details provided in the Gospels are far more extensive than the occassional mention that Paul gives to events in the life of Christ.
OF course Paul also dwells a lot on the heavenly ministry of Christ in the book of Hebrews but He is the only one to do so. The NT authors were not adding more details about His life and death and to a great degree they were not expanding much on the Heavenly work of Christ that Paul describes in such detail in Hebrews 7-10.
As the NT was written the need for new revelation was eliminated.
As it turns out - we have no text for that saying "by 100 Ad there will be no more need for revelation" or "The Spiritual gift of Prophecy ends when the 27th letter of the NT is complete" or "in about 200 years that spiritual gift is ending" or any such thing.
But we do have the statement in Ephesians 4 that all these gifts remain UNTIL the saints grow into the fullness of the stature of Christ.
The OT is God's word and every bit as much absolute truth as the NT.
I am glad you can say that. Many Christians today take an "either-or" approach to God's Word - but it would be like saying "you can EITHER read Matthew OR you can read Galations".
The gift of prophecy, "speaking before others" will be active until that which is perfect comes.
Clearly then "That which is perfect" is not "Christ" in your view - since Christ came long before 1Corinthians 13.
I believe the "perfect" has not come so the gift of prophecy remains.
Agreed.
So why the difference?
If the gift remains - it remains.
1Cor 12, 1Cor 14 - good to go - asis, no changing God's Word. I like it.
God chooses who to give the gift to
and the user chooses when to use it.
Problem - the human can not "inspire himself".
The human can not "give himself a message from God".
"Holy men of Old Spoke From God" as Peter says when describing the way the gift of prophecy has always worked. And this applies to ALL prophecy according to Peter for He says "NO Prophecy is a matter of ONE individuals interpretation".
There is - only one form of prophecy. And that is why in 1Cor 14 Paul is so comfortable with the rule that "IF a REVELATION is made to one who I SEATED" then let whoever is standing and speaking - CEASE (sit down) and the one who has just received the revelation will speak.
The is not simply "having the good feel to start talking" nor is it "inspiring one's self while being seated".
We live in a different dispensation now and Prophets, capital P are no longer part of the the local assemblies.
Again - no scriptural support for that.
And once you argue that the spiritual gift of prophecy "continues" you only have scripture to "define it".
Prophets as mentioned in 1 Cor. 14 are not what we see today as those with the gift of Prophecy.
In fact - there is only one gift of prophecy as listed in 1Cor 12 and as we see in 1Cor 14. It is not up for revision. No edit of the text is possible.
Bob, you agree that the Apostles are no longer with us right?
Agreed. Apostles were by definition those that saw Christ.
Pretty hard to "come up with a new one".
But that is the only way to "get out of that spiritual gift" - ALL the others listed in 1Cor 12 stand as you stated before regarding prophecy - "still in full force" as far as "the promise" is concerned.
But just as in the days of Israel - apostacy lead to 400 years of "silence", the "falling away" of 2Thess 2 has lead to a great deal of "silence" in God's church.
In Christ,
Bob
[ March 25, 2003, 11:05 PM: Message edited by: BobRyan ]