Here's a compelling question: Did the apostle Paul know that when he was writing his letters to the churches that it was Scripture? Did he think that what he was penning by the inspiration of the Holy Ghost would one day be canonized as Scripture and read by billions of people over centuries of time? I think not. And I don't think the other apostles and writers of the New Testament knew it either. They were given revelation and inspired to write it and express it according to how it took shape within them. In fact, many of them wrote the same thing but from different perspectives and angles.
I agree that the bible gives no indication that Paul knew what he was writing would one day become the bible but Farias is incorrect that the others did not see his writings as such. Consider these words from Peter
Therefore, beloved, since you are waiting for these, be diligent to be found by him without spot or blemish, and at peace. And count the patience of our Lord as salvation, just as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you according to the wisdom given him, as he does in all his letters when he speaks in them of these matters. There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures. - 2Peter 3:14-16 (ESV)
As they do the other scriptures. Here is Peter clearly referring to Paul's letters as scripture. Farias' definition of divine inspiration is equally troubling here. God inspired the writers to write exactly as HE wanted. Not how it took shape in them. Farias continues at this point by showing the different representations of the Great Commission in the four gospel accounts. To which he summarizes:
"Can you see the similarities of the commission of Jesus to His disciples, and yet can you also see how different aspects of it were emphasized by the different writers? The same thing could be said about the writers of the epistles. There were many similar things written differently. That's because it was written by the same Spirit. My point is that even though the Bible is complete and we cannot add to it, men today are still speaking and doing things by the inspiration of the Spirit of God. Men who do not know the Spirit and are not familiar with Him are at a great disadvantage. Some who are strictly of the "letter" of the Bible are often quick to exclaim, "If it's not in the Bible, it's not God!" But what does that mean? What they usually mean is that if the example of it is not in the Bible then it's not of God. Others say that if it disagrees with the Word, you should throw it out." - Bert Farias
Beloved, go read the four accounts and you will find they are the same. Yes the language used might be different because each Gospel account was meant for different audiences but the fundamentals truths remained the same. God is not the author of confusion. Yet Farias wants to create these differences to excuse his belief that because people are speaking today under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit are somehow advantaged or better than. He is making the same mistake we already discussed. The Holy Spirit will NEVER inspire someone to speak outside the boundaries that scripture has already set up. A perfect example would be the Toronto blessing where people rolled around on the floor laughing uncontrollably and making animal noises. This sort of behavior is found nowhere in scripture. That is how we know it is not of God! To Farias it is just a "move of the spirit" but he cannot see that it must be a demonic spirit moving because he has separated the Holy Spirit from the word of God. So yes, if it disagrees with the word, we throw it out.
"Examples. Can you find an example of Jesus or the apostles punching someone and seeing them be healed? Yet, men like Smith Wigglesworth have done it. I've done it. One time I slapped a young woman on the ear, and she was healed of deafness. Where do we find that example in the Bible?" - Bert Farias
The Wigglesworth was wrong. The notion that Farias is suggesting here is what led to the rise of Todd Bentley who once punched a man with stage four pancreatic cancer in the stomach to allegedly heal him. He claimed the Holy Spirit spoke to him once and told him to kick an old lady in the front row, in her head, with his steel tipped boot in order for the "spirit to be loosed." Are you getting the picture here? So then what do we do with the "experience" Farias had with the deaf woman? It never even occurred to him that God wanted to heal the woman regardless of the antics of Bert Farias. Is he suggesting that if he did not slap her and only prayed that God would have not healed her? That is what Charismania does to rational people.
