Bible Sunday 2009: The What, Why and How on Scripture

As far as evangelical Christians are concerned, the Doctrine of Scripture is probably the most important of all Christian beliefs. Why? Because all our other doctrines flow from it. What one believes about Scripture will determine the content of one’s Christian faith. Even further, it will also determine the shape of one’s Christian life.

I. The Necessity of Scripture.

1. God is beyond natural human knowing.

Consider passages like Genesis 1, Exodus 3, Exodus 34, Isa 6.

2. Creation only tells us so much about God. (Rom 1)

3. Our human sin suppresses and distorts what may be known about God (Rom 1)

So given both the majesty of God’s being and the distortion caused by human sinfulness, we cannot know God if left to our own devices.

Therefore God must reveal Himself.

Scripture says that this is indeed what God has done.

Exodus 3, Exodus 30, Psa 19, Psa 119, John 1, Col 1, Hebrews 1

God’s supreme revelation was in His eternal Word made flesh, Jesus. However, how do we know about this Jesus? The only Jesus we have is the Jesus of the Bible! The one who the gospels declare, the Old Testament predicts and foreshadows, and the rest of the New Testament explains, clarifies and applies. There is no Jesus other than the Jesus of the Bible.

So God has revealed Himself: by His eternal Word Jesus, and His written word, Scripture.

Indeed, the written word reveals the eternal Word.

II. The Inspiration of Scripture.

More accurately, the expiration of Scripture! That is, Scripture is breathed-out by God. 2 Tim 3:16

III. The Inerrancy of Scripture.

If Scripture is indeed breathed-out by God, if it is His revelation of Himself, supremely through His Son, Jesus Christ, if it contains the message of salvation, then it stands to reason that God is not going to lie, nor is He going to mislead, nor is He going to speak errors.

The inerrancy of Scripture is really saying that the Bible tells the truth and that it does not mislead. It is not saying that every statement in the Bible has the same degree of accuracy as one would find in an academic text book!!

IV. The Authority of Scripture.

If the only final and reliable revelation of God is Jesus, and the only true revelation of Jesus is in the Bible, then it follows that the Bible must be our ultimate and final authority for deciding what we do and do not believe about Jesus. It also follows, giving the centrality of Jesus for the Christian faith, that the Bible effectively becomes our final authority in all matters of faith.

Put another way, one cannot say “Jesus is Lord” without swearing allegiance to the Bible!

V. The Sufficiency of Scripture.

If the Bible is the ultimate authority, then it also follows that one cannot demand as being necessary for salvation or for faithful Christian living anything that is not clearly taught in the Scriptures or may be obviously deduced from them. This is what is meant by the Sufficiency of Scripture.

VI. The Clarity of Scripture.

This, again, can be misunderstood. It does not mean that every passage of the Bible is blindingly obvious in its meaning! Rather, it means that the Bible’s central message—the gospel—is clear to anyone who reads it. Thus even an uneducated person could read from Genesis to Revelation and understand the basic Christian framework of;

Creation by God --> Mankind’s Rebellion and Fall --> God’s Rescue Mission through Abraham and the Jewish Nation --> The Coming of Jesus as the Fulfilment of God’s Rescue --> Jesus’ Death, Resurrection, Ascension and Pouring Out of the Holy Spirit --> The Call to Repent and Believe --> The Mission of the Church to Proclaim and Model this Message --> The Return of Christ at the End of Time --> Final & Eternal Judgement --> The New Heavens & Earth.

VII. The Power (Or Usefulness) of Scripture.

Let us consider 2 Tim 3 – 4.

3:15 Scripture is able to make us wise for salvation. How?

>>It predicts Christ (Luke 24)

>>It convicts us of our sin and need (Gal 3:22-25)

>>It contains the gospel (Luke 24)

3:16 Scripture is useful for

>>Teaching (=> correct doctrine)

>>Reproof (=> false doctrine)

>>Correction (=> wrong morality/lifestyle)

>>Training in righteousness (=> correct or godly living)

So Scripture enlightens us to Christ, and then equips us to think and to live for Him.

HOWEVER…

Scripture itself does not save us! (John 5:39f)

Scripture itself is not God!

Thus we do not worship the Bible.

But we do worship the God of the Bible.

How Can We Best Use The Bible Today?

Remember, until the time of the Reformation and the printing press, people did not have copies of the Bible for themselves. Thus, for the first 1600 years of the Christian faith, personal Bible reading was not a requirement for faithful, godly living!!!

1. They LISTENED to the Bible.

The Bible is not so much to be read, as it is to be heard.

Consider Rom 10:17, Col 4:16

2. They MEMORIZED the Bible.

Consider Jesus’ experience of being tempted in the wilderness.

3. They MEDITATED on the Bible. Joshua 1, Psa 1

4. They PRAYED the Bible.

Especially the Psalms, but also other parts too.

5. They did many of these things TOGETHER not as Individuals.

During the Reformation there were services every day and they all included expositional teaching from the Bible. The 1662 Book of Common Prayer expected Daily Church worship and made provision for an OT reading, Gospel reading, other NT reading, and a Psalm for every day. Thus “seven whole days not one day in seven will we praise God.”

6. They were TAUGHT the Bible.

Why Are We So Poor Today When It Comes To Bible Knowledge?

· Loss of confidence in the Bible

· Never been taught how to read and study the Bible

· Evangelicals have been over intellectual in their use of the Bible

· Loss of daily, corporate worship

· Our salvation does not demand it

· Change in pattern of services and patterns of attendance