Allow a bit of a correction, please.  At the 04:30 mark and for the next 90-seconds of this sermon, it appears I may be blind to the Scriptures.

I keep saying, “the word of God” is not mentioned in these verses. Ironically, the passage I read just before making these comments is Ephesians 1:13, which says, “when you heard the word of truth.”  No, I was not having a spell.

I am making a point about the ubiquitous nature of references to the Holy Spirit in the New Testament.  I am opposed to the view that we should use the phrase, “representatively through the word” every time the Bible mentions the Spirit indwelling, witnessing, strengthening, sealing, etc.

Many within churches of Christ believe something like this, “The Spirit inspired the apostles to write the inerrant word of God (amen BTW).  The gospel is contained withing the inspired pages of the New Testament (ditto).  Therefore, when you see “the Spirit” doing anything in the NT, it is really the word of God acting on the Christian…  I’m sorry, What?

To counteract that bit of sophistry, I always point out it was the Spirit himself who inspired the words of the New Testament.  The phrase “representatively through the word” never appears in Scripture.  So, their position is based on the proposition that the Spirit incorrectly inspired the apostles to use the word “Spirit” without any qualifying phrase.

All of that is true, and it true in Ephesians 1:13.  The use of the phrase, “the promised Holy Spirit.” means the Holy Spirit, and nowhere does it say, “by the word.” etc.  Where I make a laughable mistake is in saying, “the word, ‘word’ is not in this text.”  It is not in a description or a dismissal of the Spirit.  But it is a circus clown kind of mistake to say the word is not in a verse that plainly says, “when you heard the word of truth!”

Feel free to contact me if I need to further explain myself, or if you just want to laugh heartily!

Thanks,

Jason