Sermon Tone Analysis

We understand that there are core doctrines in our faith that unite us in following God’s will, but what can be known from scripture about where we find God’s revealed will?

What we can learn from created things

God’s invisible attributes: his eternal power and divine nature:

Creation around us demands that we accept that there is a creator who is outside of time and space with full power over time and space; this is something that all men are confronted with.

In other words, creation is not said to reveal a personal God that all men may come to know, but a majestic God who is Sovereign over all.

Verse 21 tells us that the proper response of a person is to honor him as God or be grateful to him, as wicked people refuse to do.

Paul preaches a sermon to pagans revealing what can be known from creation about God in Acts 17:23-30:

That creation reveals the glory of God is also seen in Psalm 19:1-3

The amazing thing, according to the Apostle Paul, is not simply that the glory of God is revealed, but that people look at it and still refuse to glorify God!

So Paul concludes that they are without excuse.

God’s wrath is revealed against them, Paul says, because they hardened their heart against what God made plain to them.

God reveals his glory through creation, but he also reveals himself more directly to humans.

Authority of the Old Testament Scriptures

Entire sections of the Old Testament were spoken by God

The phrase “Thus says the Lord” appears 417 in the ESV text of the Old Testament

God is said to “speak through the prophet” multiple times

When God sent a prophet, his message was considered God’s own words.

If one refuses to obey the words of a prophet speaking in God’s name, God himself is dishonored.

Certain sections of the Old Testament are happened as examples of wrong behavior, and are written down for Christian instruction.

The whole of the Old Testament is inspired by God

The New Testament declares the Old Testament to be inspired by God, and capable of instructing people toward salvation by faith in Jesus.

The inspired scriptures are specifically the sacred writings which Timothy has been made acquainted with from childhood.

Peter also tells us how prophecy works - the Holy Spirit does not give exact words, but men speak words as the Holy Spirit guides them, and the effect is a message that is called the words of God.

It’s not about exact words, but a message expressed by man, that God claims as his own because the Holy Spirit guided him to express it correctly, as we have already seen.

Jesus calls narration in Genesis “the word of God.”

The Psalms are inspired by the Holy Spirit, according to Acts 1:16

Many other verses in the New Testament show us that the Old Testament is definitely declared to be the authoritative word of God.

The Old Testament is the authority for informing Christian orthodoxy.

the Old Testament is profitable for teaching

the Old Testament is profitable for convicting the misguided

the Old Testament is profitable for correcting the errant

the Old Testament is profitable for training converts in righteousness

This does not give us the right to be careless in our understanding of the Law and the Prophets, but rather demands of us that we understand God’s will from the Old Testament, and use it carefully.

It contains a national law for the people of Israel that is not binding upon Gentile believers in Christ, nor upon exiled Jews.

As such, many prophecies of the Old Testament are to be understood as judgments upon Israel for breaking the covenant, or the laws within it.

However, with all of those and likely other similar exceptions noted, it is still profitable for teaching, convicting, correcting, and training in righteousness.

Therefore, it becomes important for us as a church to carefully seek to understand it.

Authority of the New Testament Scriptures

Revelation is flatly declared to follow the rules of prophecy

The gospels are considered scripture by the apostles

Paul’s quote of Mark

Paul refers to both Deuteronomy and Luke as “Scripture.”

The gospels (and Luke in particular) are considered “Scripture.”

The words of the apostles are considered authoritative.

Paul’s understanding of his own authority

Paul considers himself to be inspired in a similar sense as the prophets were inspired - filled with the Spirit of God and given understanding of God’s will, capable of making sound and godly judgments.

To a certain extent, this is something that is available to all believers, but there is a distinct difference between Paul and us: the nature of his mission (and by extension, the mission of all of the apostles).

Peter declares that the apostles gave his readers commandments from Jesus himself

While this doesn’t immediately mean that everything an apostle writes carries the authority of Jesus, we do get a fairly clear sense that everything an apostle says could be a command of Jesus, and ought to be treated with respect.

But when this idea is linked with all the New Testament says about itself, the conclusion starts to be inescapable.

The writings of Paul are considered authoritative, and on par with Scripture

The New Testament is the authority for Christian orthodoxy.

It is more applicable to us than the Old Testament, for it is written to shape orthodoxy for people like us, and can be used to shape our understanding of God’s will most accurately.

Application

If we want to understand God and his will properly, we must hear the gospel message.

This gospel message is recorded in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, applied in the letters of the apostles, concluded in the Revelation of Jesus Christ, and founded on the theology of the entire Old Testament.

If we want to love God rightly, we must love his word, for he is revealed there, even though his majesty can be seen in Creation all around us.

A Core Doctrine of our Faith is that God has revealed himself and his will to us in Scripture, and it is to be considered the source of all our doctrines.