Ps 19.7-9 - The Sufficiency of Scripture part 2
The Sufficiency of God’s Word, Part 2 (Psalm 19:7-11)
Preached by Pastor Phil Layton on Dec. 31, 2006 at Gold Country Baptist Church
Scottish pastor Thomas Guthrie has said, “The Bible is an armory of heavenly weapons, a laboratory of infallible medicines, a mine of exhaustless wealth. It is a guidebook for every road, a chart for every sea, a medicine for every malady, and a balm for every wound. Rob us of our Bible and our sky has lost its sun.”
For over a thousand years, the church of Rome had robbed the common people of the Bible, and the light had gone out in the dark ages. Tradition had destroyed the sufficiency of Scripture in the mainline church, and had really replaced it. Martin Luther and a few others managed to get past all the rituals to a real relationship with Christ and stood up to the Catholic system and sought to bring things back to the Bible as our supreme authority. Things came to head in the familiar story of the Diet of Worms.
Pope Leo had demanded that Martin Luther retract his teachings. Luther responded by burning the papal orders, and this act forced Emperor Charles V to convene an Imperial Congress in 1521. As a result his friends thought his burning the Pope’s order would result in him being burned to death like John Hus was.
Luther’s arrival in Worms was heralded by city watchmen blowing horns, and thousands gathered. Stepping from his wagon, Luther whispered, “God will be with me.” Shortly, he stood before Emperor Charles V and the congress. The tension was thick as fog, and Luther, appearing to lose his nerve, mumbled and seemed near collapse. But the next day, fortified by prayer, this time his voice did not quake or quiver.
LUTHER: Since then Your Majesty and your lordships desire a simple reply, I will answer without horns and without teeth. Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason—I do not accept the authority of popes and councils, for they have erred contradicted each other—my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and I will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe. Here I stand, I cannot do otherwise. God help me. Amen. (from Sproul, The Holiness of God)
The Reformation motto was “sola scriptura” – scripture alone, scripture is sufficient, we do not need to add to it, God’s Word is all we need to know Him, and to live godly lives in Christ Jesus. The sufficiency of scripture alone is a doctrine that the Catholic church rejected for centuries.
We can be thankful that many were willing to go to the mat, to fight for this doctrine, to even die for it. But I am afraid that in the broader Protestant church, this doctrine that so many died for, this doctrine of scripture’s sufficiency is itself dying. In doctrinal statements of many, affirmations of the sufficiency of scripture have been disappearing for decades, and even in many ministries who say they affirm it, in practice they don’t.
They say scripture is our authority and is God’s Word, but in day-to-day life they supplement it with and sometimes substitute it with:
- Tradition
- Secular experts opinions
- Emerging dialogue or conversation
- “New revelations”
Just because we don’t add extra false books to our canon like the Apocrypha, or Book of Mormon, or writings by Ellen G. White or Mary Baker Eddy, doesn’t mean we are faithful to the sola scriptura principle.
Does the Bible contain all truth necessary to please God in our personal life, our family life, and our church life, or must we supplement it with humanistic [theories], corporate business models, etc.?
In the book Sola Scriptura: The Protestant Position on the Bible, we are warned “that the Evangelical churches have been duped into believing that marketing techniques are required to build the church, entertainment is needed to communicate the Gospel, psychology is essential to solve people’s problems, and social theory must redefine the role of women and homosexuals in the church … Most pastors would deny the charge that they don’t really believe in the sufficiency of Scripture.” [But what you do in church and in life shows what you really believe] (above 2 paragraphs adopted from John Thompson of Vision Forum)
We don’t need to criticize other churches today – we need to look in the mirror. Although we would applaud Luther’s stance for scripture alone, do we act like we really believe sola scriptura? Where do we turn FIRST for answers? It’s one thing to believe the Bible is inspired, or that we should read it, but do we really believe it is sufficient? Does it actually give us everything we need to know for salvation and spiritual life? Is the Bible enough for us to learn how to please God in all the areas of life?
Westminster Confession of Faith (1646): “The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.” (WCF, 1:6).
2 Tim. 3:16-17 — “All Scripture is inspired [breathed out] by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate [sufficient], equipped for every good work.”
2 Pet. 1:3-4 — “His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life [salvation] and godliness [sanctification], through the true knowledge [in the Bible] of Him
1 Tim. 3:15 — “I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God [church life and order]”
Deut. 4:2 — “You shall not add to the word which I am commanding you, nor take away from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you.” [Cf. also Deut. 12:32; Prov. 30:6; Rev. 22:18-19.]
Psalm 19:7-9 — “The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the LORD is pure, enduring forever. The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous.”
Is the Bible sufficient? According to God, the answer is a resounding YES.
OUTLINE:
- RESULTS OF SCRIPTURE (7-9)
- REWARD OF SCRIPTURE (10-11)
- RESPONSE TO SCRIPTURE (12-14)
Context – Transition from v. 6-7
The key clause, as Lewis has pointed out, is in v 6b: “there is none hidden from its (the sun’s) heat.” The clause marks the transition between the two parts of the psalm and at the same time links them intimately together.
- Just as the sun dominates the daytime sky, so too does [Scripture] dominate human life.
- And as the sun can be both welcome, in giving warmth, and terrifying in its unrelenting heat, so too the [Scripture] can be both life-imparting, but also scorching, testing, and purifying.
- But neither are dispensable. There could be no life on this planet without the sun; there can be no true human life without the revealed word of God in the Scripture (Craigie, Word Biblical Commentary, 19:183)
RESULTS OF SCRIPTURE:
There are six of them we see in verses 7-8, and we’ll use those phrases for our outline
- Restoring / Converting the Soul, v. 7a
“Soul” is a little misleading, better to translate as the whole being or person (Wilson, 366)
English translations of the verb:
“Converting” (NKJV) – Wilson, 366, says the force is “causing to repent”
“Reviving” (NIV, ESV, HCSB)
“Restoring” (NASB, NKJV marg.)
to bring back any one’s life, i.e. to refresh him (Gesenius, 808)
** Note: Same phrase in Ps 23:4 “He restores my soul”
Implication: The way the Good Shepherd restores the soul is through His Word
NOTE: The world can only attempt to change the outside, it is only the Word of God that can totally transform the inner man
The Bible is “whole, complete, sufficient, lacking nothing, or comprehensive … so perfect that it can convert, transform, and refresh the entire inner person” (Lawson, 100).
It is the BIBLE and the Bible alone that is sufficient for conversion, for transformation, for restoration, for spiritual birth and growth to perfection for the whole person.
2. Making Wise the Simple, v. 7b
This is verbatim in all major English translations
"and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:15, NKJV)
“The Hebrew word for simple comes from a root meaning ‘an open door’ or one who is gullible to false teaching, failing to shut his mind to error” (Lawson, 100-101).
The world thinks one of the greatest virtues is being “open-minded” but in contrast, biblically minded people want wisdom. Leaving the door open to your house all the time is not a virtue because anything can come in and anything can come out – we need to be careful not to do that with our minds, to let in all of the worlds ideas.
The Word of God can make wise even the most naïve and undiscerning
Prov. 1:1 " The proverbs of Solomon the son of David, king of Israel to know wisdom …
Prov. 1:4 “To give prudence to the naive, To the youth knowledge and discretion"
"Your commandments make me wiser than my enemies, For they are ever mine. I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. I understand more than the aged, Because I have observed Your precepts." (Psalm 119:98-100)
"The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple." (119:130)
This is an amazing promise – that God’s Word can take the most undiscerning and by study and application of it, they can be wise, skilled in living.
3. Rejoicing the heart, v. 8a
"I have rejoiced in the way of Your testimonies, As much as in all riches." (119:14)
Jeremiah had one of the most difficult and tearful assignments of any prophet, but notice what he said:
"… Your words became for me a joy and the delight of my heart; For I have been called by Your name, O Lord God of hosts." (Jeremiah 15:16, NASB95)
"These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete." (1 John 1:4, NASB95)
One pastor has said well:
Those who might be depressed or anxious or fearful or doubting not knowing what direction to go, if not sufferings from some physical malady or ailment, can they not turn to the Word of God for the solution and the answer and the guidance and the direction that turns their sorrow into joy?
I believe the testimony of Scripture is that our true pleasure and delight comes from following the path laid out by the Word of God, not from selfishly seeking for self-esteem, self-fulfillment and indulgent pursuits. In fact, I fear that people who run from the Word of God to the psychiatrists of the world and to the sources that the world offer and to all of the material things in the world, run away from joy, not into joy. And they find less than they thought and find themselves further from the source than before they left. The testimony of Scripture itself is that it is a source...in fact, THE source of the believer's joy. (MacArthur, GTY, 80-19)
- Enlightening the eyes
TURN TO Ps 119:105 “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path”
v. 18 “open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things from they law”
- Fear enduring forever, v. 9a
The phrase “fear of the Lord” probably refers here to the law, which teaches one how to demonstrate proper reverence for the Lord. See Ps 111:10 for another possible use of the phrase in this sense. (NET Bible Notes)
"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; A good understanding have all those who do His commandments; His praise endures forever." (Psalm 111:10, NASB95)
fear. This is not technically a word for the Word, but it does reflect the reality that Scripture and the fear of the LORD are closely connected
"the Lord said to me, ‘Assemble the people to Me, that I may let them hear My words so they may learn to fear Me all the days they live on the earth, and that they may teach their children.’" (Deuteronomy 4:10, NASB95)
J. Vernon McGee: We are told that this word fear means “reverential trust.” I believe it cleans more than that. It means fear. We do well to fear God, my friend. I loved my Dad, but I sure was afraid of him. He kept me in line, and I think, in the final analysis, that is what kept me out of jail. I knew that when I did wrong there would be trouble. The fear of the Lord is clean; the fear of the Lord will clean you up. Fear of my Dad made me a better boy, but I still loved him. (Through the Bible, 2:701)
Why is the revelation of God called “the fear of the Lord”? There are at least two answers to this question. First, when God reveals His will, it is awesome. The law comes from Sinai with thunder, smoke, and fire. God is holy. To encounter His will is a numinous experience (see Ex. 20:18–21). Second, God’s will is fearsome because of our sin. When God reveals Himself in His holiness we cry out with Isaiah, “Woe is me!” (Is. 6:5). [Preacher’s Commentary, 13:162]
Clean, enduring forever.
NIV & ESV have “pure”
Jesus: “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away.” (Mt. 24:31)
- Sufficient for all righteousness, v. 9b
“they are righteous altogether”
The judgments of the LORD are true
Wilson, 369: The “ordinances” (mispatim) of YHWH is a legal term, which describes a judge’s statement of what should have taken place in a particular case. As a description of Torah, it implies that this instructive guide to life is God’s own statement of what is appropriate in human conduct. A mispat is not just a divine or royal demand – that is, what God wants. Rather, a mispat is a judgment – by no less than God himself – of what ought to occur, of what is right.
Judgments looks upon God’s Word as conveying His judicial decisions.
They are righteous altogether
They are altogether righteous” can also be taken in the sense of “They make completely righteous” in the sense of “sanctify.” My Hebrew professor wrote an article on this meaning “they make completely righteous” – i.e, The ordnances of YHWH justify completely. The initiation of salvation is found in the first phrase and the progression of sanctification is found in the rest of the phrases. God’s Word is not only sufficient for salvation, but for sanctification, all of life
Do we really believe this? How much do we love the Word and spend time in it? How much of our thinking is based on worldy wisdom? When an issue or difficult question comes up, where is the first place you turn?
What difference should sola Scriptura make in our daily lives?
I agree with the author who said it will transform your trust. For personal life, family life, church life — indeed, for ALL of life: vocational, political, community, etc. — the comprehensive principles, precepts, practices, and prudence of the Word of God is your safe and sure guide.
[Lastly], sola Scriptura will bring about a revolution in your reading, studying, and living of Scripture. Knowing now the incredible life-changing resource that God has put into your hands, you will
· develop a specific plan to read and study the whole Bible through
· listen to the Bible on tape
· listen to sermons on tape
· help your spouse and children read and study more
· memorize God’s promises that help you escape the corruption of the world
· pray through the Scriptures asking God for help in applying them
· write specific applications that God wants you to do
· meditate on special portions of God’s Word
· remove those things from your life that quench your thirst for Scripture
· get involved in a church where God’s Word is faithfully taught as “the complete, perfect, all-embracing, and all-sufficient revelation from God that will never need amendment, correction, or supplementation.”
As it was in the days of the judges, the kings, and the prophets, so it is in our day: there is a famine in the land for the Word of God. But like food to a starving man is the spiritual plenty of God’s fully sufficient Word. “How sweet are Thy words to my taste! Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Ps. 119:103).
-- Above application is indebted to “The Sufficiency of Scripture: By What Standard?” by John Thompson, April 3, 2003 (http://www.visionforumministries.org/issues/uniting_church_and_family/the_sufficiency_of_scripture_b.aspx )