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#2.
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God."
pp. 17 - 19
No.1 of this series dealt with the statement, "I am satisfied with the words of Christ",
and proved, from John 16: 12-14, that the Lord Himself indicated a fuller
revelation after His resurrection, which is found in the epistles. The point
therefore of No.1 is that it is not a scriptural attitude to consider the Gospels as
sufficient in themselves for the seeker after "all truth".
A.--I have been thinking very much about John 16: 12-14 and your remarks upon it, but
I still feel that the words actually spoken by Christ Himself must come to the true
believer with greater force than those spoken by fallible men like ourselves, even though
inspired for the time.
B.--I honour the desire, dear brother, to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ, but I think a little
attention to one feature of His ministry will help you to see the subject of the inspiration
of both the Gospels and the Epistles in a clearer light. If Christ spoke His own words,
and taught His own doctrine, then we should possibly feel that His words were of greater
weight and authority than those of Peter and of Paul in the Episltes.
A.--But did He not speak as one having authority, and not as the Scribes? What do you
mean by speaking His own words?
B.--Do not let us misunderstand one another, let us rather "open the book".
A.--I suppose you are going to turn to the Epistles?
B.--No, we will turn once again to the Gospel according to John. First let us notice
John 14: 24:--
" . . . . . My sayings; and the Word which ye hear is NOT MINE, but the Father's which
sent Me."
Here is a distinct statement which should be enough for any who are "satisfied with
the words of Christ". Look again, this time at 13: 49, 50:--
"For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father Which sent Me, He gave Me a
commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak . . . . . whatsoever I speak
therefore, even as the Father said unto Me, so I speak."
This is added testimony to the same effect. One more verse will suffice us here, viz.,
John 7: 16:--
"Jesus answered them and said, My doctrine is not Mine, but His that sent Me."