Our Final Authority
Notes
Transcript
I have this app on my phone. It’s called the YouVersion Bible app. On Monday part of the verse of the day was Matthew 7 1
“Judge not, that you be not judged.
Good verse!
We were going to Saskatoon that day, and I don’t fully remember what happened, but as usual there were some drivers that didn’t quite meet my standards for driving excellence. And as usual, I was getting snippy with them, and might have said some not so nice things. And then I look at my phone… oh… “Judge not…” If that wasn’t conviction then I don’t know what is!
What is this sort of conviction, application all about? And why does one book have such power over my life? If you hold up your Bible, take a look at it for a minute. It’s made of ink, and paper. Maybe you’re a hard-cover person, or soft cover. Maybe you have genuine leather. Maybe you’re cheap and bought the knock-off version of leather. But it’s not about the material that covers the pages that these precious words were printed on. It’s not about how nice of a book the Bible is even. At the end of the day, the Bible is different for us. Why is that?
The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the written revelation of God’s character and saving purposes for humanity and for all creation. As God’s revelation, the entire Bible is true and trustworthy, and is the final and absolute authority for belief and conduct. The Holy Spirit who inspired the Bible enables its interpretation and application.
Our SOET does a great job of summing up our fundamental belief about the Word of God. But, we don’t actually believe this because we read it here. Now, maybe at this point you’re getting really tired of hearing me say this, but now more than ever we need to be on the same page as a church. It is the Bible that is our final authority. It is the Bible that is our guide. It is the Bible upon which our faith is based. And it is the Holy Spirit ultimately that enables its understanding and interpretation. If we are not united on our understanding of the authority and place of Scripture, we cannot fully unite on anything else. Thus it is vitally important that we understand the place and authority of Scripture, and recognize its place in our life.
The whole Bible is God’s authoritative Word for us.
The Bible is God’s written revelation
The Bible is God’s written revelation
When we talk about the Bible, we need to start with understanding where it came from. Yes, human writers wrote the words in their languages with their writing styles over the course of many centuries and period of history. However, we recognize that God’s Word - if it is our final authority - is God’s revelation!
SOET: The Bible, both Old and New Testaments, is the written revelation of God’s character and saving purposes for humanity and for all creation.
The Bible is God’s written revelation to us. This sets it apart from every other book, text, manuscript, or anything else that we have. It is fundamentally different. Regarding the authenticity and genuineness of Scripture, the Bible has this to say about itself:
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness,
This idea of Scripture being “breathed out by God” is fundamental. This word meaning breathed out in Greek means to be inspired by God, God-breathed, or produced by the Spirit of God.
For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
So did God use human writers to write down Scripture? Oh most certainly! Yet Scripture testifies for itself that - from Genesis 1 to Revelation 22 - it is all the work of the Holy Spirit.
When we say Scripture, we mean the Old Testament, and the New Testament. Sometimes it has been suggested that the New Testament is better than the Old, or that the Old is now no longer needed. This is certainly not the case. We see the New Testament directly quote the Old Testament over 280 times. It alludes to the OT over 800 times. The Old Testament is extremely important as we consider the plan of salvation, and see the unfolding of God’s plans and working throughout history. Jesus Himself fulfilled all the OT prophecies pertaining to the Messiah. Incidentally, though we affirm the assertion of 2 Tim 3:16, the ALL Scripture is inspired by God for both the OT and NT, Paul was most likely talking about the Old Testament Scriptures as we understand them today. In his time, there was no New Testament canon yet. So Scripture would have been the OT.
Why would God do such a thing? Why would God choose to give us the Bible? Both to reveal His character and reveal the path of salvation. We see within Scripture the revelation of the character and being of God - which we have explored in depth in the last two weeks. Think about the attributes of His holiness, love, justice and so on that we explored together. Or the different ways in which the Father, Son, and Spirit all work together in salvation. Scripture shows us who our God is. God has revealed Himself to us. It’s not that we somehow made all these big discoveries about God. Rather that God in His love chose to show Himself - to pull back the curtain - and show us who He is. Certainly we can understand some of who God is simply by observing creation. This is known as general revelation. Yet special revelation - all the words of Scripture plus those words spoken by Jesus or the apostles or prophets that were not recorded is needed for us to accurately understand truth. So we see that God chose to provide this revelation through Scripture.
Scripture shows us the character and persons of our God. Yet it also shows us the purpose of God to save humanity and all creation. We find in Genesis 3:15 the very first promise of the Messiah, even as we see the sad reality of a now sin-twisted world.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
This foreshadows the coming of Christ - born of a virgin and both fully human and fully God, to save us. Moreover, within the New Testament we see the entire purpose for writing down the gospel is so that we might believe.
Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.
The Bible is God’s written revelation, given to us so that we might understand the character of our God and his plan of salvation.
The Bible is True and Trustworthy
The Bible is True and Trustworthy
If we believe that the Bible is God’s authoritative Word, that means we must believe that the entire Bible is true and trustworthy. We must be convinced both of Scripture as the truth, and that we can trust the principles and directions it gives us.
SOET: As God’s revelation, the entire Bible is true and trustworthy, and is the final and absolute authority for belief and conduct.
How does Scripture show itself to be true and trustworthy, and therefore the final authority for belief and practice?
To start, let’s go back to 2 Timothy 3:16-17
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
If all Scripture is breathed out by God - the revelation of God as we have seen, then we see that on top of revealing God’s character and his plan of salvation, it is useful for teaching, correction, and walking in the way that is pleasing to God. If Scripture really is the Word of God, that means that our standard for living, our foundation of faith, and our understanding of truth, come from one source: God and His Word.
And indeed, Scripture is true, and profitable for understanding the truth!
For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
So we should read and study not just the gospels, or the prophets, or maybe the book of Romans. No, the entire Bible is what we should study. Because the entire Bible is God revelation, and true and trustworthy.
So this begs a question: The identity we have as a church is Pentecostal. This is not to say other denominations or fellowships are lessor or wrong. Simply that this is who we are, and this is where we “hang our hat” theologically. Within that, we might identify heavily with say the book of Acts, and the story of the experience of the apostles and early Christians as the Holy Spirit is poured out. But this can never mean that we elevate one book above another. Thought we may identify with a particular book - as the SOET commentary notes:
Christians should read and study the entire Word of God and thereby avoid the error of establishing a “canon within a canon”—that is, privileging or regarding certain parts of the Bible as more authoritative, although certain sections may be more readily applicable.
So we see that the entire Bible is true and trustworthy. It gives an account for itself with this. In Psalm 119, in quite a few areas we see how God’s Word is acknowledged to be the truth by which we live our lives.
How can a young man keep his way pure?
By guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you;
let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart,
that I might not sin against you.
Your word is a lamp to my feet
and a light to my path.
These verses show us the value of Scripture as the final and absolute authority for belief and practice. We’ve talked heavily about the SOET, and we will talk about it more. But my prayer for you and for our church is that we will be grounded on the Word of God, and turn to it for answers regarding everything from money, to church, to family, to conflict. The reality is that even within this some will view certain things differently than others. That’s ok, there’s room for disagreement! But we must keep ourselves stuck to the Word.
So, if you come to church one Sunday and hear something that is out of line with Scripture, come talk to me afterwards. I will - with God’s help - always strive to handle God’s Word carefully and rightly. But I’m a human too. So if you hear something that gives you pause, come talk with me. Test everything you hear according to God’s Word.
Do not quench the Spirit. Do not despise prophecies, but test everything; hold fast what is good.
This verse tells us to not quench the working of the Spirit. We know - and will explore later - that the Spirit does give prophecies and words for the church. But with everything, it should be tested according to the standard of Scripture. If it is in contradiction to Scripture, throw it out. But as this verses says, hold fast to what is good.
And the reality is that with some passages and secondary issues like this one, there will be difference in interpretation and implementation. For this topic especially, there’s good evidence to support both sides of the argument. That is 100% ok. Our church has chosen to be non-restrictive. Other churches choose to be restrictive. All good. Moreover, the Bible doesn’t address every single issue that has ever been or will be. But I want to address this so as to help us see, when we make a decision or follow a certain pathway, we need to do so based on God’s Word, and our best handling of it.
How then - if we understand God’s Word to be our final authority for belief and practice - can we interpret and apply it? Only with the agency of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit Inspired, Interprets, and Applies.
The Holy Spirit Inspired, Interprets, and Applies.
The Holy Spirit illuminates the Word of God to us. (Turn lights off and on)
I told you about my little escapade in Saskatoon on Monday. :Judge not lest you be judged” sure hit home when I was busy judging others driving!
Let’s look again at our SOET:
SOET: The Holy Spirit who inspired the Bible enables its interpretation and application.
When it comes to the Word of God, the Holy Spirit enables our understanding, convinces us ultimately of its truth, and applies it to our lives!
When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
Sometimes that understanding and application comes in the form of those gentle but firm cuffs - like mine on Monday. Sometimes, it looks like the enablement of wonderful scholars to produce commentaries and works that help us gain insight. These of course are not Scripture itself, but they can provide valuable insight. This is another example of the Spirit providing understanding and application.
Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.
But the reality is that all understanding of Scripture is the result of the Spirit’s work in our hearts. Even, I could stand up here and go on and on to you about how great God’s Word is, that it’s historically accurate, and that it is inerrant (which means to be without error), or different such assertions. These are true, but to be convinced of the truth of Scripture is the direct result of the inner working of the Holy Spirit. So, as we prayerfully approach Scripture, the Spirit makes it come alive to us.
The Spirit inspired Scripture. This we have already clearly seen demonstrated in Scripture.
Secondly the Spirit interprets Scripture. We receive understand and depth of knowledge from the Spirit as we study Scripture. The Spirit make it come alive. The Spirit gifts certain people to write down the insight He gives. As we have also seen from Scripture, we should test everything to make sure it aligns with Scripture.
Third, the Spirit applies Scripture to our lives! How is Scripture profitable for teaching correction reproof, and training in righteousness? Because it is revealed truth that the Spirit applies to us. Sometimes application looks like the cuff on the back of the head I had Monday. Other times, it is the gentle whisper of God bringing peace, comfort, or strength through Scripture. At times, God can bring Scripture to mind or lead us to a passage that ends up being heavily applicable to our current lives - or down the road. All of these circumstances come from one and the same Spirit. Truly, the Spirit guides us into all truth, and it is the Spirit who convinces and convicts us of the truth of God’s Word.
Conclusion
Conclusion
Take a look at your Bible for a minute - if you’ve got one anyway. Otherwise… look at the app on your phone! It’s more than just a collection of words bound in leather. It’s more than just a bunch if nicely curated text on a screen. It’s more than just a really good, thought-provoking read. This book that we hold in the written revelation of God to us.
The whole Bible is God’s authoritative Word for us.
Ultimately, the Bible is the foundation upon which our faith rests. It contains the testimony of the Living Christ - Jesus Christ. It shows us the way of salvation and reveals to us God! It is truth - truth by which we are able to live our lives. And the inspiration, interpretation, and application of God’s Word all comes through the Holy Spirit.
The Word of God is alive, active, sharper than any sword. It is truth. The reality in our world is that truth is thought to be relative. Right and wrong are at the mercy of whatever party hold power on parliament hill. Euthanasia - medically assisted death - is a normalized part of our culture. So is abortion. Our children are taught in school that truth can be whatever you want. Just be tolerant of everyone else’s truth too. So really, you can think and do whatever you want, so long as it doesn’t offend or endanger anyone else. Is there one way to heaven? Ah, who knows? Whatever is good for you is fine.
Is that how we are to live? My friends, truth is not the construct of the human mind, subject to the winds of change. Truth is an absolute - found in this book; inspired interpreted, and applied by God’s Spirit! Now more than ever, we as a church must be united together on our stand that the Word of God is our final and absolute authority for both belief and practice. As the world shifts increasing father away from a Biblical view of right and wrong, this book will seem more and more out of place in some contexts. You might get ridiculed for backwards ideas and out-of-date thoughts. The early Christians - believing the testimony of this book - died for their faith. Satan has deceived this world, tricking them into think that the Bible is just some book. But it is THE book - God’s revelation to us. We must understand and hold fast to it at all cost.
We left two weeks ago having spent time asking God to give us a fresh sense of how awesome He is. We left last week with the challenge to go proclaim the great act of our great God: the gospel message! This week, the challenge is to ask the Spirit of God to illuminate God’s Word to you as you read it. If you’re feeling brave, you could even specifically look into a topic or passage that maybe is confusing, and ask the Spirit to help you understand. Keep in mind that sometimes understand comes through additional research. It isn’t usually just a download. Even if it is, it is wise to check yourself with Scripture and trusted sources to be sure. But the idea as we walk together this week is to ask God’s Spirit to help us understand the Word better. Moreover, to get firmly implanted in our heads and hearts - if it isn’t already - the understanding of God’s Word as our final authority on belief and practice. Maybe the is something you’ve never questioned. If so, then this challenge still applies! Understand why you hold that long term foundational belief. Maybe this is something that is new to you, or your not so sure on. Be encouraged to rest your faith and life firm on Scripture, before anything else.
If you don’t know Jesus as personal Lord and Saviour here today, I pray you will hear this message: God’s Spirit can show you and help you understand the truth. The truth found in God’s Word that Christ is the only way to salvation. You need Jesus, because without Him you are on a path to eternal death - hell. Yet with Jesus, you gain hope for life now and to come! God loves you so much He died for you, and He rose again to make you right with Himself. Accept the free mercy and grace of God, and ask Jesus to be your Saviour. That is the message you will find in this book - the greatest book. It’s God’s revelation, and it is for you. This book will tell you how to be saved, and what God, in Christ, has done for you.
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
Again, as we go from here, I pray your faith will rest solidly upon the rock of Jesus, rooted and grounded in His Word. Know it, study it, live by it. This is truth, so be encouraged this week to dive deep for yourself into God’s Word, and ask Him to reveal what He is saying to you.
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