But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, that the Father will send in My name, He is the One Who will teach you everything and remind you of everything that I told you.

It’s a good thing that God provided the Spirit to give all remaining revelation to the apostles, as well as to enable them to remember Jesus’ ministry so as to write inerrant Gospel accounts (See also John 12:16). We know that He met with them for forty days following His resurrection talking to them concerning the things that pertained to the church (Acts 1:3), but it was only after the Spirit of truth came upon them that they were given “all truth” (John 16:13), including prophetic understanding of the future. To know that they received all the truth that the church will ever have is important for many reasons, among which are the following:

1. We can be sure that claims to additional revelation are false, and know, therefore, to reject them.
2. We can know that there are no more prophecies to be forthcoming.
3. We can know that the Scriptures, in which all truth is deposited, are sufficient for our lives.
4. We can know that the more that we study the Bible and come to know the truths therein, the closer we come to knowing all the truth that God has disclosed (not that any of us gets all that far).
5. We can know that there is a source of truth available to those who ask the Spirit to enable them to access and appropriate it as they study the Bible.
6. We can know that God has completely provided a fixed rule of faith and practice for us in a world where everything else seems uncertain.

How richly God endowed us when in the coming of the Spirit, we also received all truth through the apostles!

Check out our online course, Theology and Counseling taught by Jay Adams!

Books related to dealing with problems:

1. A Theology of Christian Counseling by Jay Adams
2. Sanctification and Counseling by Jay Adams
3. A Call for Discernment by Jay Adams

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post All Truth appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

I have heard what the prophets who prophesy a lie in my name have said: I had a dream! I had a dream! How long will this continue . . . the prophets prophesying lies, prophets of deceit of their own minds? . . . The prophet who has only a dream should recount the dream, but the one who has My word should speak My word truthfully, for what is straw compared to grain?                      Jeremiah 23: 25ff.

Of course we have no prophets today—there is no need for further revelation (since the apostles received all additional revelation that God would give us [John 16: 13])—which is what true prophets brought to Israel. But there were also an abundance of false prophets as well. If a supposed prophet arises, claiming God is revealing truth through his dreams, be careful—you are listening to a false prophet. Of that you can be sure.

Notice the standard by which to determine whether a message is from God or not is to determine whether it is straw or grain—a prophetic dream or God’s Word!

Which of the two would you trust? Read the rest of the passage in Jeremiah to learn more about this important matter of dreaming false prophets.

Check out our online course, Theology and Counseling taught by Jay Adams!

Books related to dealing with problems:

1. A Theology of Christian Counseling by Jay Adams
2. Sanctification and Counseling by Jay Adams
3. A Call for Discernment by Jay Adams

The Christian Counselor’s New Testament and Proverbs, translated by Jay Adams

Visit our online bookstore for all your biblical counseling resource needs.
For biblical counseling training, check out our list of INS Online Courses.

Follow INS on Social Media:
– Facebook: noutheticstudies
– Twitter: @noutheticstud
– Instagram: @noutheticstudies

The post Dreams . . . ? appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

You must prophesy again about many peoples, nations, languages and kings.

After the letters to the seven churches, there are two great sections to the Book:

Section One: The First Enemy of the Church and its destruction.

Section Two: The Second Enemy of the Church and its destruction.

This verse stands between them.

If the second section deals with all sorts of peoples of various languages (hint, hint), what do you think the first section deals with?

Just a few thoughts to get you searching. Have fun!

The post A Key to the Book of Revelation appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.

Perhaps it’s time to listen to what God says about the matter:

Without revelation people run wild, but one who keeps the law will be happy (Proverbs 29:18 HCSB).

Apart from a divinely-given standard, and the acknowledgement of it, there will never be a society that is peaceful, happy and genuinely civilized.  The Scriptures, of course, are just such a revelation. God knows what leads to peaceful living, and has told us in the Bible. As less and less people submit to God’s Word, things get worse and worse. That it should faithfully be preached and believed more and more is the only answer to the present chaos.

Christian, what are you doing to bring this about?

The post The Only Real Answer to Violence appeared first on Institute for Nouthetic Studies | Biblical Counseling.