Oct 16

John 10:27
Memorise 2 Peter 1:21
“…Today if ye will hear my voice,harden not your hearts.”

The Word of God has been and will always be under attack by the devil. If the devil succeeds in destroying God’s Word, he would have destroyed man’s only hope at salvation, and he knows it. One of his crafty ways is to cast doubt on the canonicity of the Bible, meaning to make people doubt if the 66 books are truly 66, no more, no less. The canonicity of the OT is not debated as much as the NT. Most if not all accept the 39 books of the OT as canon. The canonicity of the NT was officially established by the Council of Carthage in AD 397. The council consisted of godly men who were led by the Spirit. The leader was the preeminent theologian named Augustine, a godly man who was one of the greatest scripture scholars of his day. Prior to the convening of the council, most believers of that time already accepted the 27 books as the Word of God while rejecting others that were proposed. The Council merely made it official. One may argue, but how could this group or even the early Christians be so sure? Our passage for today holds the answer. Christ said that His sheep will hear His voice, and they will follow Him. The ability to recognise which books were true was more than just intellectual, but also spiritual in nature. We must not underestimate the power of the Holy Spirit and His work in the believer. He is able to give discernment to believers and they will have the divine wisdom to tell the difference. The unbeliever, on the other hand, does not have this ability. He cannot tell what belongs to God and what does not. He is foolish in the things of God. Hence, the Holy Spirit worked among the early Christians to help them discern and confirm the 27 books of the NT. There were other books written, but with the help of the Spirit, they were soundly rejected.

The Holy Spirit continues to work in believers today. However, if the believer sins and refuses to repent, he grieves the Spirit. If in sin, the believer must quickly identify his sin and seek God’s forgiveness and resolve never to commit it again. Only then will your relationship with God and the influence of the Holy Spirit be restored in your life. However, if you find that you have never felt the working of the Spirit in your life before, then it is possible that you may never have been saved. Search your heart and if that is the case, you must quickly come to the saving knowledge of the Lord Jesus before it is too late.

Thought: Can you identify when was the last time you were aided by the Holy Spirit?
Prayer: Lord, help me to see how You work in my life.