Thursday, June 9, 2016

Another Reformed Apologist Sounding very "Mormon"

Dr. K. Scott Oliphant recently said in a presentation:

I didn't [believe the Bible] either, I didn't, I could say, and what changed me was that I opened it and I read it and the power of God was in it . . . and then God changed me and I saw it for what it was." (beginning at the 59:48 mark)

Now, if the speaker were talking about the Book of Mormon, that would be wrong because, well, "nuh-uh" and *insert a priori assumption of sola scriptura here* In reality, there is nothing wrong with the Latter-day Saint view that one knows Scripture to be true is through the witness of the Holy Spirit. As two other Protestant authors wrote:


Reformed theologians also believe that the Spirit of God brings divine assurance that the Bible is the Word of God. This is known as the witness of the Spirit. Only the God of the word can bring full assurance that the Bible is the Word of God.. Further, Reformed theologians acknowledge that aid of the Holy Spirit in understanding and applying the Scriptures to our lives. But he does not do this contrary to the Bible or contrary to good rules of biblical interpretation. (Norman Geisler and Ralph MacKenzie, Roman Catholics and Evangelicals: Agreements and Differences [Baker, 1995], 179 n. 6)

See also my post, Appealing to the Internal Witness of the Holy Spirit: Not uniquely "Mormon."