**If you've not yet read Part 1, you can find it here
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."
2 Timothy 3:16 makes clear that the Bible, although written by man, is directly from the mouth of God. We generally call this "inspiration." The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines inspiration as "a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation."
The question at hand is: Is the Bible the only inspired word of God ever to be recorded? Moreover, how do we know if a message is from the mind of man or from the heart of God?
I do not believe that all of God's revelations for man are contained in the Bible. In saying that, however, I DO believe that any message that is inspired by God should be tested for Biblical accuracy and strength. If you've ever heard a prophecy being declared, you will agree that what I'm saying is true. As Pastor Babatunde Bello writes, God still communicates with His people, not just through His Word (the Bible), but also through dreams, visions, fellowship, prophecy, and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. In other words, God is STILL trying to talk to us, STILL trying to open our eyes, STILL trying to show us His way.
I say all this to lead up to a point: The first five books of the Bible, known as the Books of Moses, the Pentateuch, or the Torah, are the books of law that Israel was commanded to follow. Given what 2 Timothy 3:16 states, it can be inferred that this law was directly breathed by God. God directly gave His people the law so that they would not become separated from Him. Now, if God gave Israel the Law, would it be fair to say that He would do the same for His people in the United States?
Founding Father Noah Webster said, "The moral principles and precepts contained in the scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evils which men suffer from: vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war,
proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible."
Or how about, “We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build
the House, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also
believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political
building no better than the builders of Babel.” This is Benjamin Franklin speaking to the Constitutional Convention.
Maybe this: “God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be
thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the
minds of the people that these liberties are a gift of God? That they are not to
be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect
that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.” This is a quote from Thomas Jefferson in 1781.
I could go on with quotes from John Adams, James Madison, Patrick Henry, etc., but I know you have other things to do. Keep in mind, though, that the quotes above are from those that we are told did not subscribe to religious values. Could our modern "thinkers" be incorrect?
Our Founding Fathers relied on God's Word and His wisdom as they attempted to formulate a document that would ensure the United States would be ruled by Godly principles while keeping any single person or group from gaining enough power to overrule the basic laws of the nation. What flowed forth from their toils was the Constitution for the United States of America. It was written in such a way that the laws of man should never be allowed to usurp the laws of God. How could a document like this be written without help from the Lord?
So we have arrived at the two core beliefs that one must have to keep alive any hope for redemption of our great nation:
1. America has been ordained, chosen by God, to be a beacon of light for His people throughout the world (see What Do You Believe, Pt. 1 "God Bless America")
2. The Constitution is a document inspired by God; its sole purpose is to establish a covenant between God and man that America will rise to God's call of being that beacon of hope for the world.
I will list the evidence of God's Word in the Constitution at a later date (call it Part 2.5); in the meantime, continue to pray about the information you have received here, and continue to pray for our nation's return to God.
to be continued
"All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for
teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness."
2 Timothy 3:16 makes clear that the Bible, although written by man, is directly from the mouth of God. We generally call this "inspiration." The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines inspiration as "a divine influence or action on a person believed to qualify him or her to receive and communicate sacred revelation."
The question at hand is: Is the Bible the only inspired word of God ever to be recorded? Moreover, how do we know if a message is from the mind of man or from the heart of God?
I do not believe that all of God's revelations for man are contained in the Bible. In saying that, however, I DO believe that any message that is inspired by God should be tested for Biblical accuracy and strength. If you've ever heard a prophecy being declared, you will agree that what I'm saying is true. As Pastor Babatunde Bello writes, God still communicates with His people, not just through His Word (the Bible), but also through dreams, visions, fellowship, prophecy, and the conviction of the Holy Spirit. In other words, God is STILL trying to talk to us, STILL trying to open our eyes, STILL trying to show us His way.
I say all this to lead up to a point: The first five books of the Bible, known as the Books of Moses, the Pentateuch, or the Torah, are the books of law that Israel was commanded to follow. Given what 2 Timothy 3:16 states, it can be inferred that this law was directly breathed by God. God directly gave His people the law so that they would not become separated from Him. Now, if God gave Israel the Law, would it be fair to say that He would do the same for His people in the United States?
Founding Father Noah Webster said, "The moral principles and precepts contained in the scriptures ought to form the basis of all our civil constitutions and laws. All the miseries and evils which men suffer from: vice, crime, ambition, injustice, oppression, slavery, and war,
proceed from their despising or neglecting the precepts contained in the Bible."
Or how about, “We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that ‘except the Lord build
the House, they labor in vain that build it.’ I firmly believe this; and I also
believe that without His concurring aid we shall succeed in this political
building no better than the builders of Babel.” This is Benjamin Franklin speaking to the Constitutional Convention.
Maybe this: “God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be
thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the
minds of the people that these liberties are a gift of God? That they are not to
be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect
that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.” This is a quote from Thomas Jefferson in 1781.
I could go on with quotes from John Adams, James Madison, Patrick Henry, etc., but I know you have other things to do. Keep in mind, though, that the quotes above are from those that we are told did not subscribe to religious values. Could our modern "thinkers" be incorrect?
Our Founding Fathers relied on God's Word and His wisdom as they attempted to formulate a document that would ensure the United States would be ruled by Godly principles while keeping any single person or group from gaining enough power to overrule the basic laws of the nation. What flowed forth from their toils was the Constitution for the United States of America. It was written in such a way that the laws of man should never be allowed to usurp the laws of God. How could a document like this be written without help from the Lord?
So we have arrived at the two core beliefs that one must have to keep alive any hope for redemption of our great nation:
1. America has been ordained, chosen by God, to be a beacon of light for His people throughout the world (see What Do You Believe, Pt. 1 "God Bless America")
2. The Constitution is a document inspired by God; its sole purpose is to establish a covenant between God and man that America will rise to God's call of being that beacon of hope for the world.
I will list the evidence of God's Word in the Constitution at a later date (call it Part 2.5); in the meantime, continue to pray about the information you have received here, and continue to pray for our nation's return to God.
to be continued
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