Clearly, George, your study approach and mine, differ.
Take this passage here, again...
Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
He not only asserts that it is written, but what is written - every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God - and that it was preserved. No disagreement - except that preservation is only implied here, not explicitly stated.
It is written.
In other words, He had apparently not only believed not only that...
1 Said words had been preserved, but; Exactly
2 Every word; and not only that, but; Exactly
3 That they had proceeded out of the mouth of God. Exactly
Speaking of a written witness, here - "two more witnesses..."
Exodus 17:14 And the LORD said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and rehearse it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven.
Must be true, there the record of that is. Correct
And copies apparently carried the same weight and authority as the original... no arguement.
Deuteronomy 17:18 And it shall be, when he sitteth upon the throne of his kingdom, that he shall write him a copy of this law in a book out of that which is before the priests the Levites:
Again, the emphasis that those men were writing the very words of God... Correct
1 Corinthians 14:37 If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.
Else, how would this means of proper discernment of what was what, have even been possible? Absolutely!
Isaiah 8:19 And when they shall say unto you, Seek unto them that have familiar spirits, and unto wizards that peep, and that mutter: should not a people seek unto their God? for the living to the dead? 8:20 To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.
2 Timothy 3:16 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 3:17 That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.
Pray, tell, how would verse 17 there be even possible? Exactly
Your approach - that of reasoning one's own reasoning into a thing - leaves you ending up short of the actual truth of this issue... a complete fabrication of my position.
Here is another witness against your assertion that God neither gave them the words, nor expected said words to be preserved...I never asserted this - and never would
Isaiah 30:8 Now go, write it before them in a table, and note it in a book, that it may be for the time to come for ever and ever:
30:9 That this is a rebellious people, lying children, children that will not hear the law of the LORD:
30:10 Which say to the seers, See not; and to the prophets, Prophesy not unto us right things, speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits:
30:11 Get you out of the way, turn aside out of the path, cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us.
30:12 Wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel, Because ye despise this word, and trust in oppression and perverseness, and stay thereon:
30:13 Therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall, swelling out in a high wall, whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant.
Your assertions are basically calling for the prophesying NOT...of right things.
Again, clearly, your study approach and mine, differ.
Care to share what your study approach is, exactly? Sola Scriptura
At the risk of offending you, at this point your study approach appears to be the books based reasoning of book writers and their endless speculations, and the reasoning into a thing that over-relying on books "about" the Scripture too often ends up too many of their readers in - in the exact same practice. You can't offend me because you are not even close to describing my beliefs.
Rom. 5:6-8.
