What Is God's Written Word?

It is very important to understand God's written Word!  There are those within the professing church today who attempt to make a distinction between the "written" Word and the "spoken" word as to be spoken within a person's [human] spirit. The written Word is what is reveal already in scripture, but spoken word is what is reveal in a person's [human] spirit as most Gnostics will have the Church to believe. The doctrinal depravity and the depth of Gnostics teaching speaks about the "rehema" word: that of the "revealed" or "spoken" word that only the "true" spirituals can unfold the depth of God's divine mysteries as opposed to the traditional Church that are fleshly who possess such sensory knowledge. Many Gnostics will contend, "The letter kills, but the spirit gives life." The exegetical approach of Gnostics within the professing church today is to look "beyond" the backdrop of a given passage of scripture to seek some esoteric, intuitive biblical insight so as to unravel the depth of God's divine mysteries (2 Tim. 2:17, 18).  The apostle Paul fought bitterly against Gnosticism in the church of his day (Col. 2:18, 19).  The basic belief of Gnostic theology, "Spirit is good; flesh is evil." When it comes to the Person of Jesus Christ as to be revealed in human flesh is that most Gnostics will contend that it is impossible for the Spirit Christ to indwell in the Man Jesus by which Jesus is not the Christ (contrast 1 John 4:1-2). For Gnostics to deny the incarnate Christ is to deny that of the substitutionary death of Jesus Christ on the cross (John 3:16, 17). Jesus Christ is both God-Man. Jesus is very much God as Man; Man as God.  The most dangerous of Gnostics is that of the appearance of Christ's resurrection: that of a "spiritual" resurrection; not a "glorified" bodily resurrection (2 Tim. 2:18). If in fact the Christ of scripture was not raised "bodily" as to His own resurrection that the future hope of the believer's resurrection will be at stake (1 Cor. 5:1-4).

    Throughout this article I will begin map out the difference between the written Word of God as oppose to the "spoken" or "revealed" word that many false spiritual leaders in the church today have cause confusion in the minds and heart of believers today. When it comes to the written revelation of the Bible is what is already revealed in scripture (2 Tim 3:15, 16). In 2 Timothy 3:16 it says, "All scripture is God-breathed..." All scripture is inspired by God by which God use 40+ human authors from different culture and religious backgrounds by which they were under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:19-21). The God of scripture did not dictate to them nor did God take away their own style and vocabulary, but also they were able to express their feelings (i.e. Rom. 10:1, 2).  These were holy men who were under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit. The words they wrote was intended by God in order to give the message to the church throughout the age. Many Gnostics will contend that God inspired parts of the Bible; not the whole of scripture by which neoorthodoxy and many neo-liberals espouse today even within many evangelical and "liberal" Protestant denominations today. In order to establish the legitimacy of the inspiration of the Bible is that God is the Author of scripture. God is divine Truth (Jn. 14:26). 

    There is an attack upon the Bible as to its own claim and testimony. There are sects and cults today who have their own so-called "sacred" text in competition with the authority and inspiration of the Bible. There are such books as the Book of Thomas, The Aquarian Gospel, The Gnostic Gospels that are an antithesis of the authority and inspiration of scripture by which they are "fraudulent" books of the Bible. To add or take away from God's Word is to incur God's divine judgment (Rev. 22:18, 19).

    When it comes to the "spoken," "revealed," or "Rehema" word is that many neo-Pentecostals and Word of Faith movement especially within the context of The African American "Word of Faith" religion espouse such belief.  The basic premise of the "Rehema" word is what is revealed in a person's [human] spirit without the aid of sensory knowledge. Reason and Faith is a antithesis of biblical faith. Most Gnostics within that of evangelicalism believe that in order to understand the Bible is through that of the "candlestick" of the [human] spirit; not through Sense Rule knowledge. The belief of Gnosticism believe that in order that a person can receive such "revelatory" knowledge is to (1) recognize the "spark" of divinity within them (e.g. "God in you.") And (2) salvation is attained through spiritual "gnosis," or knowledge apart from saving faith in Jesus Christ (Eph. 2:8-9).  Most Gnostics in the professing church today will "divide" the Church over the "have's and the haven't as to label themselves as "true" spirituals and the "traditional" Church as "fleshly" when it comes to attaining knowledge.  The Church possess such "true" spiritual knowledge (Col. 1:9, 10), but Gnostics (e.g. "spirituals") possess such "fleshly" knowledge (Col. 2:18, 19). The intrusion of mysticism have in fact sap the spiritual lifeblood of the Church today as to its purpose and mission (Matt. 16:18).  

    The Church today needs spiritual discernment in an age of deception by which the silent Enemy of Gnosticism have in fact reared its ugly head. In order to avert the crisis within Christianity is to name the name of Gnosticism and its proponents for what it is and to call it for what it is (2 Pet. 2:1, 2).

Rev. Darryl L. Miller is founder & Lead pastor of Contending for the Faith Church of Atlanta, Georgia. He is also the president and CEO of Darryl Miller International Ministries and travels extensively throughout the United States and the continents. Darryl is bestselling author of his book, "The Prosperity Gospel: Where Did It Come From? Gnostic Source? Or Spiritual Revelation?" As a apologist, evangelist, senior researcher/editor and lecturer he is in great demand both in the United States and around the world. Darryl lives with his wife Vivian outside metro Atlanta with their puppy "Little Baby."