The Doctrine Word of God
Notes
Transcript
Handout
This morning we embark on a new adventure. We are beginning a series titled KNOW WHAT YOU BELIEVE. As we do so, we will look at our church’s articles of faith from a theological standpoint. We will only scratch the surface of this series this month, because our Easter series will begin next month. After Easter we will return to this present series.
Just to give you a head’s up, in preparation for Easter we are going to be looking at selected passages in the Old Testament book of Isaiah. We will be studying what has been called the Servant Songs. This is a group of four or five passages which scholars have historically called songs, though to the best of my knowledge they were never sung. Poems might be a better description of them. Anyway, they all point to the One who is Called the Servant of Yahweh, whom we know, from a New Testament perspective, is Jesus Christ. For the first three songs we will give a weeks worth of attention to each; but for the fourth song, we will slow down the pace and look at it in depth. This fourth song is often referred to as the Gospel of Isaiah, since it speaks of Christ’s rejection, substitutionary death, and resurrection. We will spend several weeks on this passage, which is Isaiah 53. We will finish this study on Easter Sunday with a passage that at least hints at the resurrection of the Servant of Yahweh.
Enough about what lies ahead. Let’s begin to consider the Doctrine of the Word of God. As we go through this message we will look at the various ways the phrase “Word of God” is used in the Bible. Then we will consider the origins of Scripture, the usefulness of Scripture, and the completeness of Scripture. But let’s begin by looking at our church statement about the Word of God in our Articles of Faith.
We believe that the Holy Bible was (a) written by men controlled by the Holy Spirit;
(b) that it has (is) truth without any admixture of error for its matter;
I want to point out an area which needs correction in our statement. It is the statement that the Bible “has truth.” I’m sure that the original author of this statement did not intend to create confusion in this statement. However, the statement as it is, is confusing. If the Bible simply has truth, it could be interpreted that somethings in the Bible are truthful, but others are not. However, all of the Bible is truth. Therefore, I have in parenthesis the word “is.” The Bible is truth.
and (c) therefore is and shall remain to the end of the age, The only complete and final revelation of the will of God to man; the true center of Christian union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and opinions should be tried.
For this message there will be a lot of passages from a lot of places to look at. So, I have put them all on the screen for your convenience. Of course, as always, you are more than welcome to turn to them in your Bible. You just might have a hard time keeping up.
Let’s look at
The Usage of the “Word of God”
The Usage of the “Word of God”
Note first that,
The Phrase “Word of God” is sometimes used about a Person — Jesus Christ
If you are familiar with John’s writings, which you should be if you have attended this church for any length of time, you will recognize the fact that this apostle likes to refer to Jesus as the Word of God.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life—
He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which he is called is The Word of God.
To the best of my knowledge, these are the only times in the Bible in which Jesus is referred to as the Word of God. What does this use of the phrase indicate to us?
Note that,
Jesus, in His Person and in His words has the Role of Communicating the Character of God to us and Expressing the will of God for us
Jesus is the great communicator from God to man since He is the Mediator between God and man.
Note next that,
The Phrase “Word of God” is sometimes used to refer to the Decrees of God
You might be asking me, what is a decree of God? Let me tell you:
A Decree of God is a Word of God that Causes Something to Happen
The first decree of God is found in the third verse of the Bible.
And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Wayne Grudem noted that “These decrees of God include not only the events of the origins of creation but also the continuing existence of all things, for Hebrews 1:3 tells us that Christ is continually ‘upholding the universe by his word of power.’”
Note next that,
The Phrase “Word of God” is sometimes used about God’s Communication with a Specific Person
God spoke directly to Adam. He spoke directly to Noah. He spoke directly to Job. He spoke directly to Abraham. And He spoke directly to Moses.
Note next that,
The Phrase “Word of God” is sometimes used in Reference to a Message He Sent through Human Lips
This would be the case of the many “speaking prophets” who did not write down their message from God, but spoke the message God gave them. I’m thinking of prophets like Elijah or Elisha. Now, some of their messages were recorded by others in the Bible. But we do not have a book of Elijah in the canon of Scripture.
Finally, our main concern for today is that
The Phrase “Word of God” is sometimes used in Reference to the Written Word of God
The first time we find a reference to the written Word of God was when God gave Moses the two tablets with the Ten Commandments written on them by the finger of God.
For the remainder of this message our focus will be limited to the written Word of God. Another way to refer to the written words is to call it Scripture. The term Scripture literally means writings.
Let’s consider now,
The Origin of the Scriptures
The Origin of the Scriptures
How did a person come to the point of writing the Word of God with pen and ink? Did they wake up one day and decide that they are going to write something that would canonized as Scripture? Can you and I write Scripture today?
Note that,
The Scriptures Originate with the Triune God
The Holy Spirit superintends the process so that the writers of Scripture accurately convey the message of God. Though sometimes the message is like a dictation from God, most of the time the Holy Spirit allows the writer to let his personality be seen in his writing. That is why we can refer to something as being styled after an author’s other writings. For instance, Paul had a unique style which comes shining through in his writings. And John had his own unique style. And so on, and so on.
Peter wrote about the origins of the Scriptures; more specifically about the apostolic gospel. It was given, first of all, by those who were eye witnesses of Jesus. Peter, James, and John were also eye witnesses of the Transfiguration of Christ, in which they caught a glimpse of Jesus in His glorified body. It was an awesome experience. But then Peter went on to say that the written Word of God is more certain than even the most awesome experience.
Look at
And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts,
knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.
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.
The written Word of God did not come by a decision of human will, (such as the writing of this sermon), it came from the Holy Spirit who drove men to write the Word of God. This reflects on both the written Word and the spoken Word of the various prophets.
The term translated carried along was used in Acts 27 to describe the ship which Paul was sailing on being driven by the winds of a great storm. That is how the men God used to pen the words of Scripture were driven by the Holy Spirit to write what they wrote. They had no control of the situation … the Holy Spirit was compelling them to write the Word of God. And yet He allowed them to write in such a way that their own unique personality comes shining through.
Let’s look at one more passage before moving on.
All Scripture is breathed out by God ...
Many English translations use the word “inspired” instead breathed out. The Greek term literally means breathed out. Thus, we should have confidence in the accuracy of the Bible, knowing that its origin is from God. And since God is incapable of doing anything wrong … and since He has all knowledge, we can have great confidence that everything written in the Bible is accurate and true.
MacArthur wrote,
“Sometimes God told the Bible writers the exact words to say, but more often He used their minds, vocabularies, and experiences to produce His own perfect infallible, inerrant Word.”
The question sometimes arises as to what was inspired. Was it the prophet who was writing the Scriptures? Or was it the words of Scripture that was inspired. MacArthur addressed that as well.
The MacArthur Bible Commentary B. Defeating Apostasy (3:10–17)
It is important to note that inspiration applies only to the original autographs of Scripture, not the Bible writers; there are no inspired Scripture writers, only inspired Scripture.
Let’s turn now to consider
The Usefulness of the Scriptures
The Usefulness of the Scriptures
Look again at
All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching ...
Paul described four ways in which the Holy Writings of Scripture are profitable for our walk with Christ.
Note first that
The Scriptures are Useful in Educating God’s People how to Live a Life which is Pleasing to God
Most of you probably know that when I went to Bible College I was not a Bible or Pastoral Major — I was a Church Music Major. Though I wasn’t a Bible Major I had to take several Bible classes. Most of my fellow music majors considered the Bible classes as secondary in importance to the music classes. I, however, felt that regardless of what a person’s major was, learning how to live a pleasing life before God was the most important thing in any believers life — regardless of vocation. So, I worked harder in my Bible classes than I did in my music classes (although I worked pretty stinking hard at music as well).
Did you know that Christ gives certain people to the local church as a gift? They are given for the purpose of educating God’s people in how to become mature believers in Jesus Christ.
Look at
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers,
The first two categories mentioned in verse 11 are no longer functioning, and yet they have left an irreplaceable gift to the church. The apostles, and the prophets are the ones who God used to write the Scriptures for our present benefit. Divine revelation is no longer happening today. It ended when John wrote the last words of the book of Revelation. But we have their written Scripture which we can study and grow thereby.
Evangelists are obviously those whom God has gifted in sharing the Gospel of Jesus with others. We have some within our own midst whom I think God is using in this very specific way.
The word shepherds is more commonly translated pastors. That’s what a pastor is — a shepherd. What does a shepherd do? He leads his flock of sheep to green pastures so that they can be nourished. And a pastor is to lead his flock to be nourished on the Word of God. A shepherd also protects his sheep to the best of his ability. And pastors are to protect their flock from false teachings which can decimate the church.
Notice that there is no comma between the word shepherd and teacher. That is because it is not two distinct people. The gift is pastor-teacher.
Look at the next verse
12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,
The term pastor is synonomous with the term elder and overseer. These words, in a sense are interchangeable. And yet they provide a slightly different emphasis on the responsibility of church leaders.
The main responsibility of the leaders of the local church is to equip the people in the church for the work of the ministry. Did you notice that it is not only the church leadership which is supposed to be ministering. All believers who are a part of the church are to be engaged in the work of the ministry.
The goal of ministry is to bring the people in the church into a mature relationship with Christ. Look at verses 13-14.
13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,
14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
Back to
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable … for reproof,
Note next that,
The Scriptures are Useful for Reproving a Believer who is Wandering Away from the Narrow Road
The word reproof has to do with rebuking a person who is falling into sin, either by their actions or by embracing a wrongful doctrine. The Scriptures expose sin so that it can be dealt with through confession and repentance.
12 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.
13 And no creature is hidden from his sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to whom we must give account.
You see, it is not my words which are powerful — it is the Word of God which is powerful. If you happen to be a friend of mine of Facebook (if you are on Facebook and we aren’t friends, feel free to send me a friend request), you may notice that I frequently share passages of Scripture without saying anything about the passage. My reason for doing so is that it is God’s Word which is powerful, not mine. If a person wants to hear my words and thoughts on the Scriptures then they should be attending here on Sunday mornings.
Have you ever had the Word of God convict you when you read or hear it? I certainly have. Because I have hidden large portions of the Word of God in my heart, I often have a passage pop into my mind that addresses a specific issue in my life. That is the power of the God-breathed text of Scripture!
Look again at
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable ... for correction,
Note that
The Scriptures are not only Useful for Rebuking Wrong Behavior, they are also Useful for Restoring those who have Fallen into Sin
The word translated correction is only used here in the New Testament. But in secular Greek it is used of righting an object that has fallen.
Look at our verse again.
16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable ... for training in righteousness,
Note that,
The Scriptures not only Rebuke and Correct but they are Useful for Training a Child of God in the Way they Should Live
Why is it so important that a believer be corrected in wrong living, and trained in right living? Because our chief goal in life should be to glorify God in everything we say and do. And yet, we are so prone to wander from the right way of living.
Paul finished his thought in verse 17.
17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
So far, we have looked how the term “Word of God” is used in the Bible, the origin of the Bible, and the usefulness of the Bible.
Let’s turn now to consider
The Completeness of the Bible
The Completeness of the Bible
Wayne Grudem wrote,
Where did the idea of a canon begin — the idea that the people of Israel would preserve a collection of written words from God? Scripture itself bears witness to the historical development of the canon. The earliest collection of written words of God was the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments thus form the beginning of the biblical canon. God himself wrote on two tablets of stone the words which he commanded his people.
And he gave to Moses, when he had finished speaking with him on Mount Sinai, the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written with the finger of God.
Again we read:
The tablets were the work of God, and the writing was the writing of God, engraved on the tablets.
The tablets were deposited in the ark of the covenant and constituted the terms of the covenant between God and His people. (Gruden, Wayne, SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY, pg. 55).
Throughout the history of the nation of Israel, God had other men put His Word into written form. For a period of around eleven hundred years God moved in the hearts of men to pen His word. The last of the books in the Old Testament were written around 435 B.C. Then there was a period of silence until the coming of John the Baptist, who some refer to as being an Old Testament prophet.
It should be noted that all whom God used to write the Old Testament can rightly be referred to as prophets. Hence, the statement by Paul that the church was built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. It was built on the foundation of God’s Word.
How do we know that the Bible is a completed project? I mean it took nearly 1,500 years for it to be written. What’s to say that books aren’t presently being written which will one day end up in the canon of Scripture?
Note that,
All of the Books of the New Testament were Written under the Authority of an Apostle
It was to the Apostles that Christ empowered to right the New Testament.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.
Again, in
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.
He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.
All of the books which make up the New Testament Canon had some sort of apostolic authority behind them. The only books that were not written by an Apostle are Mark, Luke, Acts, Hebrews? James, and Jude.
Mark wrote under the authority of Peter.
Luke, who wrote the book of Acts as well as the Gospel account which bears his name, wrote under the authority of Paul.
The book of Hebrews was placed in the canon because it was traditionally viewed as being written by Paul. Most modern scholars do not believe that Paul wrote this epistle. I tend to believe that he did.
James was not one of the original Twelve Apostles, but his unique position as the Lord's brother and head of the early church in Jerusalem gave his writings significant weight, connecting them to the broader apostolic teaching and authority.
Jude was also a brother of Jesus, and James, and his association with both James and Peter gave his writings authority.
Wayne Grudem wrote,
It should not surprise us that the early church should have been able to recognize Hebrews and other writings, not written by apostles, as God’s very words. Had not Jesus said “My sheep hear my voice” (John 10 :27)? It should not be thought impossible or unlikely, therefore, that the early church would be able to use a combination of factors, including apostolic endorsement, consistency with the rest of Scripture, and the perception of a writing as “God-breathed” on part of an overwhelming majority of believers, to decide that a writing was in fact God’s words (through human author) and therefore worthy of inclusion in the canon. Nor should it be thought unlikely that the church would be able to use this process over a period of time — as writings were circulated to various parts of the early church — and finally to come to a completely correct decision, without excluding any writings that were in fact “God-breathed” and without including any that were not. (Gruden, Wayne, SYSTEMATIC THEOLOGY, pgs. 63-64).
Still, how do we know that this is a finished project? We know it is finished, first of all, since all of the Apostles have died. John was the last living Apostle, whose writings span the last couple of decades of the first century. Once John died, there was no more apostolic authority to be found, contrary to the doctrine of the Catholic church who claims that the apostolic authority is passed down to the Popes.
Wayne Gruden contends that Hebrews 1:1-2 indicates that no more writing can be added to the Bible after the time of the New Testament.
Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets,
but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
A similar kind of consideration may be drawn from
18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,
19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
While this warning is specifically for the book of Revelation, by extension it refers to the canon as a whole. The Bible chiefly records God’s redemptive plan. Hence, Genesis, which means beginnings, and tells us about the beginning of God’s redemptive plan, is the first book of the Bible. And Revelation, which prophecies the final culmination of God’s redemptive plan is the last book of the Bible.
I was told by a man and his wife, who began attending our former church a couple years before we moved up here, that I was more like a seminary professor than a preacher. I didn’t agree with them on that, but that’s okay. Today, for the first time I do feel more like a seminary professor than a preacher. This type of message is way outside of my comfort zone. And yet, it is needed.
There are many in our church who, no doubt, have read our church’s articles of faith and are familiar with them. But I doubt that anyone reads them very often. I am sure that there are some here who have probably never read them. It is good for you to know what we, as a church, believe. Even more important, it is good for you as individuals to know what you believe. And that is why we have embarked on this journey.
What can we take away from this message?
We can be confident in the Bible being the Word of God which was delivered to us without error.
While I didn’t mention this, we can also be confident in the preservation of the biblical text, since it is the communication from the Almighty, All-knowing God to His people. His very nature will not allow for His written Word to be corrupted.
We can be confident that God’s Word brings with it the knowledge of salvation, and godly living in Christ Jesus.
My greatest desire is that if you have not yet developed the habit of daily spending time in God’s Word, that this message will prompt you to do so. If you have never read through the entire Bible before, that is a good place to start. And if you are looking for a good reading plan, I can help get you set up with one.
I would like to close with these thoughts from David about the preciousness of God’s Word.
The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
Let’s pray.
Holy Father,
We bow before You thanking You for the gift of Your Word. If it were not for Your Word we would not know about Your Son, and the salvation that we find in Him.
Lord, I pray that we each would treasure Your Word in our hearts. That we would read it, study it, meditate on it, memorize it, and live it. May we truly desire Your Word more than gold.
Father, I pray for any here who are not believers. This message has not been geared towards them, but I pray that Your Holy Spirit would plant within them the desire to read Your Word. And that through the reading of Your Word they would come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.
In His Precious Name I pray. Amen.
Closing Song: #275
How Firm a Foundation
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,
to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
