THE CLARITY AND PURITY OF SCRIPTURE

Psalm 85:8

I will hear what God the Lord will speak,
For He will speak peace
To His people and to His saints;
But let them not turn back to folly.

The lesson to be learned from the Hubble telescope is that space, as far as measurement is concerned, is infinite.  There are millions, even billions of galaxies and billions of stars in each galaxy.  Faced with this staggering fact, non-creationists cannot believe our small insignificant planet can be the only residence of life as we know it.

If there is no Creator, if there is no intelligent design, I must agree with the materialist.  But the same sheer magnitude of the universe that requires the thought of other spots of life must also, with the information we have, deal with our uniqueness.  And until we get an intelligent answer that there is someone else, this uniqueness holds the floor.

So we say, “yes there is a God.”  “It is He that has made us and not we ourselves.”  That brings us to the next question, “Has He communicated with us?”  It seems until this is answered the first question is meaningless.

There are two sides to communication from God and with God.  The Psalmist speaks of both.  “I will hear” and “He will speak.”  So we must know that to those who have no intention of hearing--God is not speaking.

The Psalmist in this verse describes those to whom God speaks, “His people and His saints.”  The sheer magnitude of information in Scripture that supports this description of those who receive God’s communication is overwhelming.  The understanding of this fact and the answer of the question that follows that of God communicating, can we understand Him, is given us in I Corinthians 2:9-11, 14.  Paul’s description of those who hear and receive the speech of God is not difficult.  It is really quite clear.  There is a prerequisite to hearing God.  That is a spiritual one.  Jesus tells what this is in John 3:3, ³ Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  Jesus continues this heavenly instruction in vs 12, ¹² If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?  There is in this well- known discourse an absolute.  This is in vs 7, ⁷ Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’  The “must” stated to Nicodemus is a universal necessity.  Without a Spiritual birth there will be no communication from God.  The natural man can think as he chooses, it does not affect God or our holy religion.  The God of holy writ has spoken and He does not change. 

I am including again Westminster Confession of Faith I:5.  Please read it carefully.

5. We may be moved and induced by the testimony of the church to an high and reverent esteem of the Holy Scripture. And the heavenliness of the matter, the efficacy of the doctrine, the majesty of the style, the consent of all the parts, the scope of the whole (which is, to give all glory to God), the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation, the many other incomparable excellencies, and the entire perfection thereof, are arguments whereby it doth abundantly evidence itself to be the Word of God: yet notwithstanding, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.