Inspiration and authority of Scripture (2)

Introduction

Welcome back. It’s good to see everyone still here It’s a good thing that I could step on sacred golden calves last week and still be here. Tonight, let’s go ahead and move on for some in depth scriptural study about Scripture, and what the Bible says about itself.

Recognition of a body of sacred writings

In the OT

Nehemiah 8:1 NASB 95

And all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the Lord had given to Israel.

See also Ex 24:7; Jos 8:34; 2 Ki 22:8; 2 Ki 23:2; 2 Ch 35:12; Ezr 6:18; Ne 8:8; Ne 9:3; Ne 13:1

I think far too much emphasis is given on some to the Torah. Others too much on the prophets but not the Psalms or the writings. The term Tanakh refers to the Torah - the law - the Nevi’im - the prophets - and the Ketuvim - the writings.

That’s basic stuff in most Messianic synagogues. I don’t know how much my old Rabbi’s habit of trying to re-invent everything himself has spread, or whether that habit died out. However, Messianics tend to accept the inspiration of Scripture to varying levels - mostly, whatever supports your theology.

This is really unfortunate, because this isn’t how theology is derived. We derive theology from the Scripture.

A bottom line is this - if you have erroneous beliefs all the way from slightly off to tin foil hat to utter heretic, the problem ultimately lies with your view of Scripture. If you took the fear of God route, with utter reverence for Scripture as the words and thoughts of God, your theology is going to be more Godly and less whackadoo.

If your theology is man centered, you will exalt man and diminish God.

If your theology is God centered, you will exalt God and His word, and diminish man.

Here’s the big one - if you are Trinitarian and exalt God, you will have an utterly God centered theology where you bow the knee not only to God, to Christ, to the Holy Spirit, but also will bow the knee to the Scriptures as the divine will of God revealed to man.

This is the focus I have. This is the focus that R. C. Sproul had, that Charles Spurgeon had, that John MacArthur and James White have, that Voddie Baucham has.

Nehemiah 8:8 NASB 95

They read from the book, from the law of God, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading.

Nehemiah 8:8 gives us another several levels of understanding.

We can use logic, but logic is not our guide. Let me delve into it just a bit, but ultimately we’re going to see the word of God is what it is - the word of God.

If there is a universe - which we’re in - then either it always existed or it was created. Those are your three choices - no universe, eternally existing universe, created universe.

an eternally existing universe is not an option, because nothing can exist that exists without a source. The only exception to this is God, because God exists outside of creation. Concepts of “when” “Where” “Why” all have their origin in God’s creation.

So we posit that the universe exists, and thus God exists, because the universe must have a source and that source is God.

God’s focus then will be in revealing His existence and will to His creation.

There is right and wrong. God has revealed His will to us, by the very existence of right and wrong. We minimize sin, trivialize it, and that in itself is sin. Viewed against a background of God’s rightness - which He calls Holy or holiness - we who are wrong, not holy, exist in a state of cosmic treason against our creator.

God wishes us to live. We are fallen, caught up in rebellion. God sets before us life - yet we by nature are fallen, betrayers, rebels, determined to set ourselves either equal to God or dethrone God and place ourselves in God’s place.

We deserve destruction eternally for such. Wiping us out in an act of annihilation is insufficient - since God is eternal, our punishment must also be eternal.

Thus, the word of God speaks of God as lord of Creation. It begins with that. And just so we understand our place in things, the first thing we learn is that we were given very little responsibility, very little that God wanted us to do - name the animals, tend and keep His garden. Not a whole lot there. Oh, and don’t eat of the fruit of that tree. Everything else is wonderful for you. Go, enjoy. And first chance we get, we’re violating every requirement He gave us.

The immediate reaction we have once we realize this - and this in itself takes an act of God to make us realize this - we turn to God’s word. God revealed His will to us. We died because we violated that. So He writes it down for us, revealing His will to us a step at a time.

When Israel went into captivity, there was no doubt that Israel had completely neglected God’s word to the point that some of the Bible was hidden away in the depths of the Temple, and unrecovered until the reign of Josiah. While He understood the effects of this, apparently it was lost on the people until Babylon. After Babylon, they understood because God sent prophets. “I sent you into Captivity because you violated my word and turned to the idols of the pagans.”

lesson learned. Idols rejected. Mostly. The people asked for the law. “Teach us, so we don’t lose this again.”

This is what they called the Kehillat Hagadol, the great synagogue. Ezra and Nehemiah set up a pulpit, ascended, read the Bible to the people and explained the meaning of it. This is why my focus is expository preaching - open the Bible up, read it and give people the sense of it.

I do not criticize anyone when I say this, but topical sermons run a risk of two major errors - the emphasis of some topics taught and others never taught at all, and unintentional errors introduced because Scripture is not compared with scripture.

To make sure this did not happen, Nehemiah stood and read the text, and gave the sense of it.

Why is this important?

Nehemiah was demonstrating sola scriptura. There is an unwarrented reading into the text here by the Rabbis of the existence of an oral torah, the torah She’be’al peh. I shouldn’t need to remind you, I’m sure you’ve heard this defense BUT - let me say it now. The Pharisees never debated the oral Torah’s existence with Christ - but He debunked it.

If you have a high regard for Scripture, that will settle it. Christ said they did not know Scripture, attempted to make it null and void by their tradition, neglected the weightier matters of the law, upbraided them publicly as fools, blind guides, hypocrites, and children of Hell. He warned His disciples to beware the leaven of the pharisees, and furthermore warned the Pharisees they faced the greater condemnation. Christ warned them that they faced an eternity in Hell, and when He felt their anger, decreed them to fill up their measure of torment in Hell to the utmost by putting to death the only sinless and innocent man who ever lived, the God Man Jesus Christ.

I’ll say this again, Yeshua Ha’’Netzaret is not only Melekh hamoshiakh, (l’olam vayed) but also Adonai God. And oh, yes, we’re going to talk about that next Shabbos.

By Jesus Christ

Matthew 22:29 NASB 95

But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God.

See also Lk 4:21; Lk 24:27; Lk 24:45; Mt 21:13

Christ demonstrated Sola Scriptura. He always appealed to Scripture to make His case. He demonstrated the highest regard for Scripture, even citing it as the very spoken word of God. “Have you not read what God said in the beginning...” and “every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” He spoke in the most convincing way that the Scriptures needed to be fulfilled, indeed, must be fulfilled. Those that were in error, Christ asked pointed questions, “have you not read?” and “you do err, not knowing the Scriptures.”

See also Is 56:7; Je 7:11; Mt 4:4; Dt 8:3; Mt 4:7; Dt 6:16; Mt 4:10; Dt 6:13; Mt 21:42; Ps 118:22–23; Mt 26:31; Zec 13:7; Mk 7:6–7; Is 29:13; Lk 7:27; Mal 3:1; Jn 7:38

By the apostles

2 Timothy 3:14–15 NASB 95

You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.

See also Ac 1:15–17; Ro 1:1–2; Ro 15:4; 1 Co 15:3–4; 2 Ti 3:16–17

By the early church

Acts 17:11 NASB 95

Now these were more noble-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.

The inspiration of Scripture

2 Timothy 3:16 NASB 95

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;

See also 2 Ki 17:13–14; Ne 9:30; Mt 22:43–44; 1 Co 2:13; Heb 1:1–2; 1 Pe 1:10–11; 2 Pe 1:20–21

The authority of Scripture recognised in the OT

Ps 119:89; Jos 23:6

See also Jos 1:8; 2 Ki 22:11; Ezr 10:1–4; Ezr 10:9–12; Ne 13:1–3; Is 40:8

The authority of Scripture recognised in the NT

John 10:34–36 NASB 95

Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law, ‘I said, you are gods’? If he called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?

See also Mt 5:17–19; Lk 21:21–23; Lk 16:17; 1 Th 2:13

Jesus Christ claims scriptural authority for his own words

Matthew 24:34–35 NASB 95

Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.

See also Jn 12:47–50; Jn 14:10; Jn 14:23–24