2 Timothy 3:14-17; Hebrews 4:12-13
The 2000 Baptist
Faith and Message says the following about the Scriptures:
"The Holy
Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to
man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author,
salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.
Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the
principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end
of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by
which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself
the focus of divine revelation."
That is the doctrinal
statement of this church with regards to the Bible. You can read it on the
Pines Baptist Church website. Most evangelical denominations and churches adhere
to a similar high view of Scripture.
However, what is
disconcerting is the fact that, as Jeremy Weber reported a little over two
years ago, "In a fresh study of 'Bible
engagement' ...Life Way Research surveyed more
than 2,900 Protestant
churchgoers
and found that while 90 percent 'desire to please and honor Jesus in all I do,'
only 19 percent personally read the Bible every day." According to the
survey another 25% read the Bible a few times a week, 14% once a week, 22% once
or twice a month and 18% rarely/never. (Study:
Bible Engagement in Churchgoers' Hearts, Not Always Practiced by Russ Rankin 09-06-12)
Dr.
Albert Mohler, president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, the
flagship school of the Southern Baptist Convention, in an article entitled, "The
Scandal of Biblical Illiteracy: It's Our Problem," writes the following:
"While
America's evangelical Christians are rightly concerned about the secular worldview's
rejection of biblical Christianity, we ought to give some urgent attention to a
problem much closer to home--biblical illiteracy in the church. This scandalous
problem is our own, and it's up to us to fix it.... Secularized Americans should
not be expected to be knowledgeable about the Bible. As the nation's civic conversation
is stripped of all biblical references and content, Americans increasingly live
in a Scripture-free public space. Confusion and ignorance of the Bible's
content should be assumed in post-Christian America."
He
continues, "The larger scandal is biblical ignorance among Christians.
Choose whichever statistic or survey you like, the general pattern is the same.
America's Christians know less and less about the Bible. It shows."
Let me be
clear from the outset. I am not trying to lay a guilt trip on any of us. I cite
these facts because if these surveys are even remotely accurate we are at risk as
individuals, as families and as a church. At worse, at risk of sooner or later being
overwhelmed by false doctrine if not apostasy, and at best, a failure to walk
in the fullness of our salvation found in Jesus Christ and His Word. As Dr.
Mohler warns, "We will not believe more than
we know, and we will not live higher than our beliefs."
I believe,
from personal experience and the teaching of Scripture that our personal knowledge
and intimacy with God grows in direct proportion to our knowledge and intimacy with
His Word.
That is one
reason why the Bible is the most valuable book in the world. Why is that the
case? To answer that question, I am going to cover three things about the Bible
this morning: its origin, its nature and its purpose.
First of all, the origin of the Bible. It is
inspired by God - this answers these questions "Where did the Bible come
from?" "Who authored it?" or "Who wrote it?"
The Bible makes
the unambiguous claim that it is inspired by God. Therefore, we rightly refer
to the Bible as "God's Word." The Bible teaches that the Scriptures are
inspired by God. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) "All Scripture is breathed out by
God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training
in righteousness that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good
work."
When Paul said that Scripture was "breathed
out by God" he is referring to its origin. The word translated "breathed"
is the same word translated "spirit." So the breathing out of the
Scriptures describes the work of the Holy Spirit in the writing of the Bible. The
apostle Peter further clarifies this truth. 2 Peter 1:21 (ESV) "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."
There are many
examples in the Bible that illustrate this truth. For example, in Hebrews chapter
one, the writer in verse five says, "For to which of the angels did God
ever say, then he quotes from Psalm two, "'You are my son, today I have
begotten you?'" In other words, Psalm two represents what God said. He
goes on to quote from Psalm 45 and 104 in the same way attributing them to be words
from God. Similarly in chapter 3:7, the writer to the Hebrews attributes Psalm
95 to the work of the Holy Spirit saying, "Therefore, as the Holy Spirit
says," then quoting from Psalm 95, "'Today, if you hear his voice do
not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, on the day of testing in the wilderness."
In other words, the writer to the Hebrews is acknowledging the Scripture he
quotes to be the words of the Holy Spirit.
We see the role
of the Holy Spirit in the writing of the New Testament. Jesus said to his disciples,
John 14:26, (ESV) "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to you remembrance all
that I have said to you."
Dr. Merrill C.
Tenney writes, "The continuity of revelation is likewise guaranteed by the
Holy Spirit." (John, the Gospel of
Belief, pg. 224) Dr. R. V. G. Tasker further explains, "The very
existence of this Gospel of John, and indeed of the entire New Testament, would
have been impossible apart from this aspect of the Holy Spirit's work." (The Gospel According to St. John, pg.
168)
The Apostle Paul
made a similar claim of the gospel he proclaimed. As he wrote the church at
Galatia, warning them about deserting the message he had proclaimed to them, he
speaks of the origin of his gospel message. Galatians 1:11-12, "For I
would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not
man's gospel. For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I
received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ."
Dr. John R.W.
Stott writes, "His gospel...was neither an invention (as if his own brain
had fabricated it), not a tradition (as if the church had handed it down to
him), but a revelation (for God had made it known to him). (Only
One Way, pg. 30)
Notice that
Peter makes it clear that God used men as the instruments in writing the Scripture.
He writes, "but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit."
The term "carried along" is a maritime term used of the sailing ships
of that day as they were carried along by the wind. (Acts 27:15,17) To use the
metaphor here, the prophets "raised their sails," as it were, and
were carried along by the Holy Spirit writing under His inspiration and
direction.
You see God used men to write the Bible, men
of varied backgrounds and different experiences. Men with different
personalities who wrote in various literary styles. But they were all men who
wrote the words and the message under the sovereign control of the Holy Spirit,
without by passing their unique individuality in the process. Dr. Kenneth
Kantzer, one of my theology professors in seminary, has written of this human element
that is so apparent in the writing of the Scriptures.
"...the
full complete humanity of the Bible shouts at us from every page. The biblical
writers used their own language. They wrote from the context of their own
culture. Their style was their own. Their themes were those dear to their
hearts. Moses differs from Isaiah, John from Matthew, Paul from James. No
literary genre that is appropriate for good human literature is necessarily
inappropriate for the biblical authors. From first to last, the entire Bible is
a human book and can only be understood and righty interpreted as a thoroughly
human book."
He is saying
that the imprint of men is undeniable in the Scriptures even though each of
them wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. Donald Campbell writes, "...God
superintended the human authors so that, using their own individual
personalities, they composed and recorded, without error, His [God's]
revelation to man." (Kindred Spirits)
So, first of all
the origin of the Bible, it is inspired by God. Notice, secondly the nature of
the Bible. First of all I want us to see that the Bible is inerrant. Again, the
doctrinal statement of this church, the Bible, "...has God for its author,
salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter.
Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy."
We refer to this
as the "inerrancy" of Scripture. The word "inerrant" means
to be without error. If God is the author of Scripture as we have seen, what
does the Bible say about the veracity or truthfulness of God? Two examples: Titus
1:2 - "God, who never lies." Hebrews 6:18 - "it is impossible
for God to lie." The Bible is without error because of the impossibility of
its author to lie. Dr. Norman Geisler, "We dare not agree, therefore, with
those who would make inerrancy a minor or even trivial matter. Whether or not
the Bible has errors in it is as important as whether or not God can err."
(Evangelical Beacon, pg. 5, 01-16-79)
In Matthew 5:17-18, Jesus said,
"Do not
think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to
abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and
earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished."
Jesus taught the
infallibility of the Scriptures. They
would be fulfilled. In other words, they are incapable of error.
Do you know what
an "iota" is? The KJV translates it 'jot." It is thought to be
the "yod," the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet. So the New
International Version translates it "the smallest letter." It's about
the size of an apostrophe in the English language. See on this Hebrew alphabet
chart [PowerPoint] it is on the second row, the last letter on the far right. It
is the first and smallest letter, the "Yah," in the Hebrew word for
Lord - Yahweh. Remember Hebrew, unlike English, is read from right to left.
Do you know what
a "dot" is? KJV "tittle." It is the extension or swirl that
often differentiates one Hebrew letter from another. For example, the
difference between a Resh" and a "Dalet." Do you see [PowerPoint]
the slight extension at the top right corner of the Dalet? In other words, Jesus
is teaching that even the smallest part of the Law will not pass away. It will
be fulfilled. It is incapable of being wrong or mistaken. This is a very strong
statement regarding the infallibility of the Scriptures.
As D.A Carson
writes, "...Jesus here upholds the authority of the Old Testament Scriptures
right down to the 'least stroke of a pen.' His is the highest possible view of
the OT." (The Expositor's Bible Commentary, pg. 145) Jesus
said, John 10:35, "the Scripture cannot be broken."
The Bible also
teaches the "plenary" inspiration of the Scriptures. That is, Scripture
in its entirety is inerrant. You cannot limit the inerrancy of the Bible as
some attempt to do. For example, some claim that the Bible is not trustworthy
or infallible when it comes to some scientific or historical statements. In
Matthew 19:6 Jesus answered an ethical question about divorce, by making a
historical and scientific statement regarding human sexuality. On another
occasion Jesus affirmed the historicity of Noah and the flood, Matthew 24, (37-39)
and the prophet Jonah, Matthew 12. (40ff).
You cannot deny
the inerrancy or infallibility of the Bible when it speaks of history or
science without
impugning the testimony of Jesus Christ regarding the trustworthiness of
Scripture. As Dr. John R. Walvoord has written, "Those who attack the
written Word of God also attack the incarnate Word of God, Jesus Christ. If the
Bible is in error, then Christ is in error, too. The two stand of fall together."
Dr. Norman
Geisler, "...inerrancy is not a matter of scholarship; it is a matter of Lordship.
If Jesus is Lord, then Scripture is inerrant, and the Lordship of Christ is not
an insignificant matter." (The
Evangelical Beacon, 01-16-79)
The Word of God
is also permanent. Peter quoting Isaiah 40:6,8, "...all flesh is like
grass
and all its
glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but
word of the Lord remains forever." 1 Peter 1:24-25 (ESV) And the Psalmist
David wrote, "Forever, O Lord, your word is firmly fixed in the
heavens." (119:89 ESV)
The authority of
the Bible is timeless. It speaks to men in every age and time. To those in the
21st century, as it did in the first century, as it will in the centuries to
come if the Lord tarries.
So, as to the
nature of the Bible, first, it is inerrant. Secondly, the Bible is dynamic. In
other words, it is a living Word, alive with the power of God. Jesus said, "It
is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh is no help at all. The words that I
have spoken to you are spirit and life." John 6:63 (ESV)
Hebrews 4:12-13
(ESV) "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. 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."
Friends, if you
are a believer this morning; if you have been born again by the Spirit of God, it is because the Word of God living and
active like a two edged sword pierced your heart, exposing your sin, causing
you to cry out in repentance, and receive by faith the forgiveness only Jesus
Christ can offer. And the living and active word birthed new spiritual life into
your soul as you received the gift of eternal life through faith in the atoning
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Peter described
it this way, "since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of
imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God." (1 Peter 1:23
ESV)
F. B. Meyer
writes, "...when the Word of God enters the heart, it is not as a piece of
furniture or lumber. It asserts itself and strives for mastery, and compels men
to give up sin; to make up long-standing feuds; to restore ill-gotten gains; to
strive to enter into the strait gate. (The
Way Into the Holiest, pg. 90)
If on the other
hand, you are not a believer this morning. If your sin has never been forgiven,
covered by the shed blood of Christ, this morning receive the Word of God. It
is what God uses to discern the thoughts and intentions of your heart. Before
His Word, Hebrews says we "are naked and exposed to the eyes of him to
whom we must give account."
Again, F. B.
Meyer, "We must expect to have our most secret thoughts, relations, and purposes
questioned, criticized, and measured by the Word of God. No court of inquiry was
ever presided over by a more exact inquisitor than this. The corpses of the
dead past are exhumed; the old lumber-rooms with their padlocked boxes are
explored; the accounts of bygone years are audited and taxed. God is critic of
all the secrets of the heart. As each thought or intention passes to and fro, he
searches it. He is constantly weighing in the balance our thoughts and aims, though
they be light as air." (The Way Into
the Holiest, pg. 91-92)
You see the Holy
Spirit takes the Word of God and reveals our sin to us. We see ourselves as God
sees us. That is the place from which we can call out to Him for forgiveness
and salvation. If you have never done so, today can be your day of salvation. Call
out to God in repentance and faith and He will save you!
We have seen the
origin of the Bible. It is inspired by God. We have seen the nature of the
Bible, it is inerrant and dynamic. Notice lastly, the purpose of the Bible. Back
to 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (ESV) "All
Sripture is
breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for
correction, and for training in righteousness that the man of God may be
competent, equipped for every good work."
The Scriptures
are profitable says Paul, with regard to what we believe and how we live, or to put it another way, our creed and our
conduct. And of course, you probably recognize that the two always go together.
What you believe will always shape how you live.
In dealing with
what we believe and how we live, Paul gives us both a positive and a negative. Paul
begins with what we believe, our creed. Scripture "is profitable for teaching,'
verse sixteen. In other words the Bible tells us what to believe. It defines
our doctrine. But it is also profitable for "reproof." In other
words, the Scriptures will help us to refute error. It will help us to realize when
we have embraced false teaching, when we are being led astray. The New English
Bible says Scripture is profitable "for teaching the truth and refuting
error."
Again as the
Pines Baptist doctrinal statement reads, the Bible is "...the supreme standard
by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried."
Just a few
verses later, Paul warned Timothy of the danger of false teachers. In chapter
4:2-4, Paul wrote, "...preach the word; be ready in season and out of
season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort with complete patience and teaching. For
the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having
itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own
passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into
myths." (ESV)
In his first
letter to Timothy he wrote a similar warning. 1Timothy 4:1 (ESV), "Now the
Holy Spirit
expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting
themselves to deceitful spirits and teaching of demons, through the insincerity
of liars whose consciences are seared."
These are
sobering warnings. It matters what you believe. Doctrine does matter! I have
never seen a time in my lifetime when our doctrine, what we believe, what we
embrace as truth, is more important than it is today. Our greatest safeguard against
false doctrine and teaching is to personally know the Scriptures. To be
familiar with what the Bible teaches. I don't want to minimize the public
preaching or teaching of the Bible as we are doing right now. That is my
calling. But there is no substitute for each of us giving ourselves to the personal reading and study of
the Scriptures. Remember Paul's commendation of the Jews in Berea? Upon their
arrival in that city Paul and Silas entered the synagogue to preach the gospel.
In Acts 17:11 (ESV) Luke writes, "Now
these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word
with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were
so." These Jews to whom Paul and Silas preached the gospel got their
Bibles out and checked out Paul's message! We would do well to follow their
example today.
The purpose of
the Bible. It tells us what to believe, our doctrine. Secondly, the Bible tells
us how to live. Scripture is profitable, Paul writes, "for correction, and
for training in righteousness," verse sixteen. Again a negative and a
positive. This time Paul gives the negative first, "correction." This
refers to the Scriptures correcting our conduct. The Bible is given to us to
help us live right. And when we get out of line it will correct our behavior if
we read it, meditate on it, apply it and obey it.
Just this week, as
many times before, in my personal Bible reading the Scriptures spoke clearly to
me about an area of my life that needed attention. Not doctrine, but a heart issue.
The word was clear and timely, something I needed to hear that very day. I
don't know about you, but I am the kind of person that most every day needs to
give the Lord the opportunity to take that two-edged sword and divide my soul
and spirit, discerning the thoughts and intentions of my heart. I desperately
need that more regularly than I want to admit, so that I can know what is in my
heart, treat people right, make right decisions, walk in the Spirit and be
conformed into the image of Christ.
So, the Bible
will correct our behavior. Then the positive, "and for training in righteousness."
"Training" refers to "upbringing" or "child
training." The Word of God trains us how to live and act. Again the New English
Bible, the Scriptures are profitable "for reformation of manners, and discipline
in right living."
The purpose of
the Bible, first it tells us what to believe, our doctrine. Second it tells us how
to live. Thirdly notice, the Bible equips us for a life of ministry, verse
seventeen. The Bible tells us what to believe and how to live in order, "that
the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work."
As with many of
you, there have been many times in my Bible reading that the Lord has spoken so
clearly through His Word, not just words of correction but a word of encouragement,
a faith building promise, confirmation or direction regarding a course of
action, discernment regarding an issue, speaking to me right when I needed it. This
is so we may be prepared and equipped for every good work. Bible reading trains
us for living a life of good works.
There is a great
message for parents and grandparents here, the greatest ministry we can have is
to our children and grandchildren. In chapter one of 2 Timothy 1:5, Paul writes
this about Timothy's grandmother and mother. "I am reminded of your
sincere faith, a faith that dwelt first in your grandmother Lois and your
mother Eunice and now, I am sure dwells in you as well."
Then in 2
Timothy 3:14,15 (ESV) the Apostle Paul writes of the role Scripture played in
Timothy's upbringing, "...continue in what you have learned and have
firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you
have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise
for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."
That was
Timothy's heritage. From childhood the Scriptures had been poured into his life.
It is never too early to begin reading the Bible to your children. It is never
too early to make your children familiar with God's Word. Timothy became
acquainted with the Scriptures in his childhood, the text says. My guess is, this
led him to faith in Jesus at an early age.
Remember the
Baptist statement read, "The Holy bible...has God for its author,
salvation for its end" Then the last sentence reads, "All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is
Himself the focus of divine revelation." The greatest purpose of
the Bible is to reveal God's love for our world in sending His Son to die for
our sins. In that sense, it's God's love letter to us.
I close with this
illustration. This past week a Facebook friend posted these words. I will not
use their real names. A mother writes of
her seven year old son Tom.
"I
had the privilege of watching Tom's presentation to his class. Every week they
have to get in front of their class and present something, show and tell or a
small speech, to work on their public speaking skills.... Tom had chosen
something to speak about and put it in his backpack that morning. He wouldn’t
tell me what it was. It was a 'surprise' he said. When it was his turn he
pulled his beloved Bible out of his backpack. My sweet boy who finds whatever
quiet moment he can to read his Bible, who is always using my goBible to listen
to chapters while he falls asleep or does his chores and who loves the time we
spend reading it together, has such a love for the scriptures at only seven.
On
Wednesday he sat down in front of his class and read several verses in Matthew
and then proceeded to give a little 'sermon' or explanation about what the
verses meant. He wanted to read more but he ran out of time. He has told us
often that he feels the Lord is calling him to preach and has many times shared
the gospel with strangers when we are out and about. He began preaching to us
at two years old from his high chair. His boldness in faith is such an example
to us and such an incredible gift. It is such a privilege to be his mommy. I
often say that he is God’s grace to me. I wish I could have gotten a video but
my phone ran out of room. Still, I will treasure this memory always."
A Mom's
tribute to her seven-year old son who evidently believes the Bible is "The
Most Valuable Book In the World." How
valuable is it to you?
© James P
McGarvey All Rights Reserved
