BD #6 - God’s Preserved Word | Psalm 12:6-7

Introduction: Continuing in our series on Baptist Doctrine. The last couple of sermons have been spent looking at the attributes of God’s Word.

Inspired  2 Tim 3:16 says “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God.”

Inspiration means that the Words of Scripture were given by the breathing out of God. They came from God. And what came from God became the written Word of God.

Inerrant 2 Peter 1:20-21 says “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

Inerrancy deals with Scripture’s recording. It is free from error. What God inspired was accurately recorded by the human authors. From God to man to page is error free.

Infallible 2 Tim. 3:17 “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God; and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”

Infallibility is similar to inerrancy but also different. Inerrancy means it was recorded without error, and infallibility means the Bible is perfect in its teaching. It never leads us astray or is inadequate to help us. God inspired His Word, it was recorded perfectly, and its impact in teaching and application is everything we need to be complete in our Christlikeness.

The summary? The Bible is God’s authoritative, trustworthy, and wholly sufficient revelation of Himself to mankind. We can trust it. We can depend on it. It can’t hurt us or deceive us. It can only help us to grow to be like Christ.  

When we started the “Why Baptist” series I began with an acronym using the word Baptist, and the first letter “B” is Biblical Authority. I believe that’s the right way to start, because everything we believe is established within the pages of the Bible. So even though we’ve looked at the doctrine of Biblical Authority for a number of weeks, I’m going to spend a couple more on it before moving on. Even then, this is not an exhaustive study. I hope you’ll study some of these things for yourself so the roots of your faith in God’s Word grow as deeply as possible.  

So to add to the study on the doctrine of Gods’ Word, tonight we’ll be taking a simple look at the doctrine of Preservation.

USE ANOTHER ROUTE THAN PSALM 12:6-7

https://seminary.bju.edu/theology-in-3d/do-we-still-have-gods-words-the-preservation-of-scripture-part-1/

I.     Preservation

A.   Many Christians will use this expression, “I believe in the divine, verbal, plenary, and inerrant inspiration of the original Scriptures.” This is a true statement, to be sure.

1.     The only issue with that statement is we don’t have the original Scriptures in our possession. Over the course of history they’ve been lost, destroyed or deteriorated.

2.     And that has led to other issues.

a.     First, it has caused many to believe that only the originals carry God’s authority and therefore downplay the significance of what we have today.

b.     Second, since many believe only the originals were inspired, they have taken license to “correct” the Bible when it suits their purposes.

3.     It’s not rare these days to read or hear someone say:

a.     “That’s what the Bible says…but…the Greek really means this.”

b.     Or “A better translation is this.” Or “This verse isn’t found in the most ancient manuscripts.”

c.     And those kinds of phrases aren’t only coming from critical academics or modern movements. Even conservative and fundamental circles – including Independent Baptists – have really latched on here.

B.    We need to answer some simple yet important questions:

1.     Do we believe the Bible is intended for every man or only scholars?

We have to be careful if we believe that God’s Word can only be fully understood by academics. John 16:13, “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”

a.     According to Jesus Christ, if we have God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, that’s all we need.

b.     Some might argue against the KJV use of ancient language and say, “It’s so hard to understand the thee’s and thou’s.”

c.     Three things. First: The KJV English was written in high English, which is very precise form of our language. The thee’s and thou’s let us know if it’s plural or singular. It’s much more accurate than simply saying “You,” which could mean a group or an individual. It’s actually a huge help in interpretation.

d.     Second: Why isn’t there an uproar to update William Shakespeare simply because it requires thinking? In school it’s good for us but if it’s the Bible it needs to be updated? That seems strange to me.

e.     Third: The Constitution is guarded rigorously. It takes something like two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of the states to change one sentence in the Constitution because it’s viewed that importantly.

f.      This is a pretty important document and God says don’t add or take away, so we ought to be careful of this mindset that says, “Let’s change what’s not easy or convenient.”

g.     The Bible is intended and accessible for every man, it just may require some digging.

2.     Do we need to know Hebrew and Greek to fully understand the Bible?

If that’s the case, why would God, who wants to make His Word available to everyone, veil Himself in those difficult languages? Should we assume that God is out to make life and salvation difficult? 1 Cor. 14:33 says, “God is not the author of confusion,” so He obviously doesn’t rejoice when we have difficulty understanding things.

a.    Are there things we don’t understand? Sure, there are plenty of mysteries in God’s Word. But the basics of salvation and Christian are not mysterious. Those things are usually only difficult because it’s something we don’t want to hear.

b. 2 Peter 1:3-4, “According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.”

c.    We have everything we need to be everything we should be. There are times when Greek and Hebrew help us add color or understanding in the same way a dictionary might, but you don’t have to be a scholar to understand and grow in God’s Word.

3.     If some verses in the Bible are questionable in their translation, can we really be sure of any? Casting doubt on one verse casts doubts on it all. We’ve already talked about that in this series plenty. If we take it upon ourselves to correct, criticize, or question just one verse, how much confidence does that provide in the rest of it?

 II.   A Belief in the Doctrine of Preservation helps settle many of these questions.

A.   Without this doctrine and the doctrine of inspiration, we would likely not ever be 100% sure that we have God’s Word.

B.    The doctrine of Preservation is taught in Scripture and evidenced by internal and external proofs:

1.     Psalm 12:6-7 – “The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times. Thou shalt keep them, O Lord, thou shalt preserve them from this generation for ever.”

2.     Three things about the preservation of God’s words.

a.     The extent of preservation – “Words.” This is important because we believe in “verbal” inspiration. God inspired every word, even accounting for the personalities and experiences of the human authors.

b.     The agent of preservation – “Thou.” If it was up to mankind to preserve God’s Word, me would have reason to doubt it. But God promised to do it Himself.

c.     The period of preservation – “Forever.” I can’t think of a more permanent sounding word.

4.     Plenty of other verses point to preservation.

a.     Psalm 33:11 – “The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.”

b.     Psalm 100:5 – “For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”

c.     Psalm 111:7-8 – “The works of his hands are verity and judgment; all his commandments are sure. They stand fast for ever and ever, and are done in truth and uprightness.”

d.     Matthew 24:35 – “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.”

e.     Matthew 28:19-20, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

f.      John 12:47-47 “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day.” The Word is the basis for judgment.

If judgment takes place on the last day, after heaven and earth have passed away, then God’s Word still exists at that time.

5.     II Timothy 3:15-16 – “And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine (right teaching), for reproof (conviction through rebuke), for correction (setting things right) , for instruction (discipline or training) in righteousness:”

a.    Paul is saying that Timothy had the Scriptures. He didn’t have just a reliable duplicate. And yet, Timothy did not have the original autographs.

b.     In his day the Old Testament Scriptures were between 450 and 1500 years old and were copies of copies of copies of copies, etc. The copies Timothy had access to are called Scripture and are said to be inspired.

c.    These verses contradict the idea that only the originals were inspired. The originals were inspired and they were preserved as the Holy Scriptures.

d.    I don’t believe God double inspired the Bible. There’s no evidence that the translators were inspired, but I do believe God has supernaturally made sure that His Word is preserved for His people.

e.    Missing the originals doesn’t mean we don’t have God’s Word. He’s more than capable of preserving His Word.

6.     Look over at I Peter 1:23-25. Peter says about God’s Word:

a.     It is incorruptible - the promise of continued purity; so there’s a pure Bible today.

b.     It lives forever – The promise of continued effectiveness. Meaning, God’s Word is so alive even still that it impacts those who still hear it. If God’s Word has even done a work on you – convicted you, moved you, changed you – then that’s all the evidence you need to believe that God’s Word is preserved.

c.     It also abideth forever and endureth forever. It will be in existence forever. The same word (25b) that was preached to Peter’s audience.

7.     If God’s Word carries His authority, we can believe what it says about itself. He’s preserved it.

Conclusion:

In short, our church’s position is we believe that God’s Word has been divinely preserved for English speaking people in the Authorized King James Version.

1. We only use the KJV in teaching and from the pulpit.

2. While it’s definitely a practical matter of unity and a way to avoid confusion, I also believe this is God’s Word.

3. And there are many choices out there, but things that are different are not the same, so we need to be careful.

 Question: God has gone to such great and supernatural lengths to make sure His Word is preserved, what lengths are you going to in order to let it change you? How sad that God would go to such lengths to preserve His written Word for people that don’t really pursue it.

I heard someone say one time that you either hold God’s Word in your hands, in your head, or in your heart. In which place is God’s preserved Word being held in your life?

In your hands only? Carry it; have multiple copies of it; but not reading or seeking to learn it; no change.

In your head only? Head knowledge; academic; just checking off a list; no change.

In your heart? It is in our hearts that God’s Word changes us.

Ps. 119:11 “Thy word have I hid in my heart…”

Heb 4:12 “For the word of God is quick and powerful...”

Closing Question: If God has kept His Word on earth, we should keep His Word in our hearts for Him.