Scripture Confirmation

I’m not sure whether you’ve ever thought about it or not, but Jesus confirmed the truth that he taught by the scriptures. And the apostles? Ditto. Ever read the new testament writings in the Bible? You may have noticed that it is almost all old testament quotes and references. Why’s that? Because of this: “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: THAT the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (II Tim. 3:16). When God gives utterance to someone for the preaching of his word, he confirms it by, well, God. Only God can confirm God. His word is from his mouth, and a true understanding of the scriptures will always confirm what comes out of his mouth. Oh yeah, a true understanding of the scriptures comes by means of God’s word being ‘heard’ by those whose ears are open to hear what comes out of his mouth: “He that hath an EAR, let him HEAR what the Spirit SAITH unto the [congregations]” (Rev. 3:6). Jesus quoted scripture so much when he preached because the Spirit of truth that was in him gave him scripture after scripture to confirm the words that he was speaking, which things were from his Father (Jn. 8:48; Jn. 2:49,50; Jn. 14:10). ANYONE who is speaking for God, especially in doctrine, will confirm what they are saying by the scriptures; and they will do it repeatedly and spontaneously. And they will do that for the same exact reason that Jesus did it, because the Spirit of truth that is giving them utterance will also give them scriptures on the spot to confirm their words. The Pharisees, scribes, and Saducees that resisted Jesus knew the scriptures as well as he knew them; but when they tried to dispute with Jesus they were not able to use scriptures to back up their words. The reason they couldn’t use scriptures to back up their errors was because God was AGAINST what they were saying, and therefore he BLOCKED them from being able to recall scripture for their evil purposes. God was with Jesus and he was against them for being against Jesus. The same rule still applies, and I’ve been in that circumstance more times than I can count.

When someone tries to put some erroneous doctrine over on me or someone around me, and I refute their error with simplicity of truth, it is done with a continual flow of scriptures. When I ask them to do the same, it’s always the same sad story. Either they just “can’t think of the scriptures at the moment,” or they “haven’t been studying enough lately;” or the big kahunah - “It’s really deep.” If I were to try to explain things that God has not revealed to me personally, the same thing would happen to me, because God is not with ANYONE who is expounding ANYTHING that he is not empowering them to speak. That’s one of the reasons that I don’t do that. There’s a lot of joy in sticking with what you have experienced, or what God has actually revealed to you. Jesus told us the one way to know how to tell if someone is speaking for God, or whether their going it on their own steam: “Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself” (Jn. 7:16,17). That is who has “an ear to hear what the Spirit saith;” those who are doing God’s will in their lives. Anyone who is inclined to doing their own will rather than denying themselves and doing God’s will, is just not going to be able to make sense out of the truth. Everyone hears what agrees with their spirit, whether it be truth or error. Jesus told the believing Pharisee Nicodemus the same: “For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God” (Jn. 3:20,21). The apostle John was also in agreement: “They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error” (I Jn. 5:5,6). The bottom line is that which I say so often, that nothing ever changes. And that is exactly why those who are speaking for God will speak with authority, with power, with life, and with an abundance of scriptures that are given to them spontaneously by the holy Ghost. Amen.