The Origin: God Has Spoken
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
“The books of the Bible were chosen for political reasons.”
“The books of the Bible contain errors and contradictions.”
“Having multiple translations of the Bible is a problem.”
“There is no logical reason to believe the Bible.”
“Jesus was a wonderful teacher, but not God.”
“Outside of the Bible, history cannot confirm that Jesus existed.”
“The Bible is merely myths that explain how we should live.”
“The Bible and science are incompatible.”
The collection of sixty-six books we call “the Bible” is the most widely read and distributed book in the world. Therefore, we should not be surprised that it has faced immense skepticism and criticism. And not only faced, but endured the immense pressures put upon it by those who question it. However, when we hear accusations of errors, contradictions, fiction, incompatibility with modern science, etc., how should we respond? Can we respond? Are there answers to the questions Christians face? If there are, where do we find them? If we find them, how do we communicate them?
Starting today, we are going to begin a new series called Unshaken: Why Should I Trust the Bible? Over the next several months, we are going to examine some of the most common accusations levied against the Bible, especially ones that Christians often don’t know how to respond to.
How did we get the canon of Scripture?
Why are there so many translations, and can we trust them?
Does the Bible accept logic and reason?
Was Jesus a historical person, and can that be verified outside of the Bible?
Does history and archeology contradict the claims of the Bible?
How does the Bible deal with prophecy and the future?
Is the Bible incompatible with modern science?
Is experienced reality a suitable reason to believe the Bible?
And many more
The purpose of this series is not to convince the skeptic or to convert the unbeliever. The purpose of this series is to strengthen the faith of the believer. The purpose of this series is to better equip your faith to remain unshaken when it experiences outside pressure. However, our intended audience is the Christian, young or old, and giving that Christian further confidence that the Bible they read, study, hear, and live by is the Word of God.
As Christians, no question, accusation, or skeptical view of the Bible should surprise us. Equally, as Christians, we should not be shocked to discover that for every criticism of Scripture there exists plausible solutions to each “problem” presented.
However, it is important to state from the outset that we are beginning this series with a certain groundwork already laid: that God exists and has revealed Himself. As I said, the purpose of this series is not to convince the unbeliever, it is to strengthen the believer.
Christianity is a revealed religion. We believe that God invaded His creation, revealing Himself in undeniable, personable ways, so that the Apostle Paul under inspiration of the Holy Spirit was able to say:
27 “His purpose was for the nations to seek after God and perhaps feel their way toward him and find him—though he is not far from any one of us.
Our purpose here is not to explore and debate philosophical questions about the existence of God. As Christians, we know God exists because He has revealed Himself, through both the general revelation of His creation, and the special revelation of His Word. Our purpose here is not even to examine the text, the translations, the logic, the reason, the history, the prophecy, the science, or the experienced reality of the individual, determine them to be true, and then declare, “Therefore, the Bible must be the Word of God.”
Rather, we are beginning by saying, “The Bible is the Word of God. We believe that to be true, therefore:
the text has presented itself as accurate
the logic and reason has presented itself as sound
history has been revealed
prophecy has been fulfilled
science has been affirmed
and,
lives experiencing the reality of the gospel have been transformed.
Instead of saying, “These things are true, therefore the Bible is the Word of God,” let’s begin by saying, “The Bible is the Word of God, therefore these things are true.” These aren’t proofs friends; these are products.
John MacArthur, The God Who Speaks, September 15, 1974
The title of this introductory message is: The Origin: God Has Spoken. To begin, turn with me to 2 Peter chapter 1, beginning in verse 12, and please stand with me for the reading of God’s Word:
12 Therefore, I will always remind you about these things—even though you already know them and are standing firm in the truth you have been taught. 13 And it is only right that I should keep on reminding you as long as I live. 14 For our Lord Jesus Christ has shown me that I must soon leave this earthly life, 15 so I will work hard to make sure you always remember these things after I am gone. 16 For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes 17 when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy.” 18 We ourselves heard that voice from heaven when we were with him on the holy mountain. 19 Because of that experience, we have even greater confidence in the message proclaimed by the prophets. You must pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet’s own understanding, 21 or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.
I. Defining Inerrancy
I. Defining Inerrancy
We have begun this series by establishing what we have set out to do, that is, to give the Christian “even greater confidence” in the Word of God. We have also addressed the foundation we are beginning from, that is, that God exists and has revealed Himself to His creation. In essence, the foundation we are beginning from is the doctrine of inerrancy.
You have likely heard myself and other Christians refer to the Bible as inerrant, but what does that word truly mean? The most basic definition would be that “inerrancy is a statement on the origin of the Scriptures. The Scriptures come from God, and because God does not err, neither does His Word” (Wes Huff, “The Doctrine of Inerrancy is a Hill to Die On”, YouTube Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=31CX9uOT9I4)
29 But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. 30 “For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. 31 “But regarding the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God: 32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” 33 When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at His teaching.
However, for the purpose of our series, here is a working definition by which we will examine the products of God’s Word
Inerrancy
Inerrancy
Inerrancy means that [1] when all facts are known, [2] the Scriptures in their original autographs and [3] properly interpreted will be shown to be wholly true [4] in everything that they affirm, whether that has to do with doctrine or morality or with the social, physical, or life sciences.
Paul Feinberg, Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy, qtd. by Craig Blomberg in Can We Still Believe the Bible?: An Evangelical Engagement with Contemporary Questions, p. 123, emphasis added.
There are four parts to this definition:
“When all the facts are known”
Recognizes our finite ability.
There are no problems in Scripture that have not yielded at least plausible solutions.
Some solutions are better than others, and better answers to certain problems have been found with further scholarship and research, so there is no reason not to assume future research will not shed further light on particular problems.
“the Scriptures in their original autographs”
Because we have such high confidence in the way Scripture was copied (we will examine this more closely in a future sermon), we have exceedingly high confidence that the text we posses today is extremely close to the original unerring texts of Scripture.
Anything that looks to be an error can be attributed to:
Personal misunderstanding of the text (poor exegesis or hermeneutics)
Poor translation
Scribal error
“properly interpreted”
Ultimately, much of the debate over the Bible today, especially in Christian circles that hold a high view of Scripture, is a debate over how to properly interpret a portion of text.
When the Bible is properly interpreted, what it reveals, teaches, and proclaims is true. A view of inerrancy holds that there is proper interpretation. However, proper interpretation is not a matter of inerrancy, but of good hermeneutics and exegesis, both of which are ultimately possible because of inerrancy: the origin of the Word.
“in everything that they affirm”
This final statement appeals to both what Scripture affirms and what it does not affirm.
Scripture is inerrant, not because of the method(s) used to transmit it from its original context to us today, but because Scripture originated from God Himself. God has spoken.
He has spoken, and the universe exploded into existence.
He has spoken to His prophets, and revealed Himself to His people.
He has spoken through His Son, and revealed Himself to the world.
1 God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and in many ways, 2 in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.
Our God is a God who speaks.
God has spoken so that …
II. We May Have Confidence (2 Peter 1:12-19)
II. We May Have Confidence (2 Peter 1:12-19)
Jesus had shown Peter (how, we do not know) that his earthly life was coming to a close. And what was the burden that weighed heavily on the apostle? Nothing short of the fact that what he had experienced, and what his readers (disciples) had believed was true. In other words, it is dependable. It can be counted on. In fact, Peter recognizes his readers do know this and stand firm they have been taught, and still he makes it a priority to convey this message.
In this context, Peter is primarily referring to some future day when Jesus Christ will return. To back up this fact, Peter appeals to the transfiguration.
He (and the other apostles) were with Jesus
He witnessed the transfiguration
He witnessed the proclamation from God the Father that Jesus is God incarnate.
Peter takes that as evidence, not only of the OT as a whole, but of the messianic prophecies, and even more specifically of a future “Day of the Lord” when Jesus Christ will return.
In other words, because the Scriptures are the Word of God, everything they claim is true. In the person of Jesus, and the event of the transfiguration, Peter had witnessed the fulfillment of prophecies that gave him even greater confidence in the overall message proclaimed by the prophets, which included prophecies that had not yet been fulfilled.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
In fact, the fulfillment of prophecy is what God gives as the standard test to judge whether the Word originated with Him:
18 I will raise up a prophet like you from among their fellow Israelites. I will put my words in his mouth, and he will tell the people everything I command him. 19 I will personally deal with anyone who will not listen to the messages the prophet proclaims on my behalf. 20 But any prophet who falsely claims to speak in my name or who speaks in the name of another god must die.’ 21 “But you may wonder, ‘How will we know whether or not a prophecy is from the Lord?’ 22 If the prophet speaks in the Lord’s name but his prediction does not happen or come true, you will know that the Lord did not give that message. That prophet has spoken without my authority and need not be feared.
Later in this series we will spend intentional time examining some specific prophecies, that by their fulfillment confirm the Word of the Lord.
God has spoken so that …
III. We May Have Direction (2 Peter 1:19)
III. We May Have Direction (2 Peter 1:19)
Because the Word of God has demonstrated itself to be true, a product of its origin from the mouth of God, Peter instructs his readers to “pay close attention to what they wrote, for their words are like a lamp shining in a dark place—until the Day dawns, and Christ the Morning Star shines in your hearts.” 2 Peter 1:19
Peter has already demonstrated in the opening chapter of this letter that he is concerned with how those who are followers of Christ will continue to live:
v. 2 — “May God give you more and more grace and peace as you grow in your knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord”
v.3 — “God has given us everything we need for living a godly life”
v.4 — “These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires”
v. 5-7 — “supplement your faith” with your actions
v. 8 — “the more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be”
v. 10 — “work hard to prove that you are really among those God has called and chosen”
v. 11— “Then God will give you a grand entrance into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
v. 12 — “THEREFORE, I will always remind you about these things”
Peter is encouraging his readers in how they are to live because Jesus Christ is one day returning. When that happens, prophecy will no longer be needed because what has been prophesied will have been fully realized.
8 Prophecy and speaking in unknown languages and special knowledge will become useless. But love will last forever! 9 Now our knowledge is partial and incomplete, and even the gift of prophecy reveals only part of the whole picture! 10 But when the time of perfection comes, these partial things will become useless. 11 When I was a child, I spoke and thought and reasoned as a child. But when I grew up, I put away childish things. 12 Now we see things imperfectly, like puzzling reflections in a mirror, but then we will see everything with perfect clarity. All that I know now is partial and incomplete, but then I will know everything completely, just as God now knows me completely. 13 Three things will last forever—faith, hope, and love—and the greatest of these is love.
However, until that Day, the Word of God is the light which works to illuminate, and therefore guide and direct, how we are to live in this life. To see Jesus as the fulfillment of what the Bible accomplishes now is not contradictory, for John could ascribe no better title than that of the “Living Word”
14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
God has spoken so that …
IV. We May Know Truth (2 Peter 1:20-21)
IV. We May Know Truth (2 Peter 1:20-21)
All of Peter’s reasoning has led to verses 20-21, that is, the Revealer of the Word.
Peter is clear that interpretation of prophecy is not left to the whims of an individual to fit their perspective or their agenda. Rather, interpretation must always be filtered through what is true, and thus the standard is God.
This is not a verse that affirms the teaching of the Roman Catholic church, that individuals cannot interpret the Bible without the magisterium. Since the giving of prophecy required not just men, but men moved by the Holy Spirit who “spoke from God”, so also interpretation requires not just humanity, but human beings moved by the Holy Spirit to rightly interpret what God has instituted.
26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative—that is, the Holy Spirit—he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.
Through His Word, God speaks, and His sheep recognize His voice.
3 “To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out.
Through His Word, God speaks to proclaim truth.
In particular, God has spoken to proclaim that Jesus Christ is the exalted Son of God before whom every person, living or dead, will stand before one day in judgment. Without the blood of Christ, they will stand condemned. With the blood of Christ, they will stand accepted as sons of God and heirs according to the promise.
