A study a few years back said that one in three Brits would want to take a Bible with them if they were about to be stranded on a desert island. Now why would that be?
The Bible does not give instructions on how to build a boat. It does not tell you what plants are edible or not. It doesn’t teach you how to fish. At least how to fish for fish. So why would one in three persons in the UK want to take the Bible with them.
I think the answer comes from understanding that when you are alone on a deserted island the questions of meaning, life, destiny come up. If I know these are my last days what book do I want more than any other? I want something that can encourage in the face of death, not something that will entertain the reality of death away.
If only people would realize that the live they are living is lived now on a sinking ship. If only 30 percent would appreciate that same Bible now – it would transform a nation.
It is unfortunately a book that is deeply appreciated and greatly neglected. But one Bible in the hand is worth more then ten on the shelf. You need the Bible. Trust me.
The sufficiency of God’s Word.
- It contains all that must be believed.
- No creed but the Bible?
- The Bible alone is complete and perfect Psalm 19:7-9
It contains all that must be believed.
It is enough! Now that we have come to this point: Let me simply say: Believe this book of God, every letter of it, or else reject it. There is no logical standing place between the two. Be satisfied with nothing less than a faith that swims in the depths of divine revelation. Because a faith that paddles about the edge of the water is poor faith at best – and unbelieving at worst. You might as well be on the dry land.
It is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for rebuke, for correction, for training in righteousness. It is truth (Psalms 119:160). It makes free (John 8:32). It produces faith. (Rom. 10:17). It judges (Heb. 4:12). There is not other book that does this.
If the first line of the confession is true, “"We believe that this Holy Scripture fully contains the will of God and that all that man must believe in order to be saved is sufficiently taught therein. The whole manner of worship which God requires of us is written in it at length." This gives immense comfort. God doesn't just teach me a fraction of what I need to know. As if he thinks, I will give them just a little bit, and have them figure the rest out on their own. No ways. He loves us. He is our Father. A father wants to have the best for their children, wants to share everything that His children can make the decisions that need to be made to live a beneficial life. For all of life!
We often think that word worship only extends to the actual Sunday worship but that is only part of it – this is about the worship of our life. Heart, head, and hands!
So I don’t know where you are at today. Some of you may be at a fork in the road. Wondering where you are at, why you are here, what this is all for. Some of you may feel like you are on a deserted island. But the last thing you want to do is open the Bible. Some of you are so busy that you are running the rat race of life without thinking twice why you are doing it, and who you are doing it for. You have been trying to save yourself. Stop it. Take some time. Get into a quiet space. And read and pray. And pray and read. Start with the psalms or John. And see how God will not speak to you. Teaching you guiding you in the rich pastures of his word.
Take it and read it not because you have always done so, but because you are desperate for answers. You desire to know God more than anything. Read it meditatively. Let the words sink in. Repeat them. Memorize them. Let them be part of your thoughts. So ingrained that you make not decisions without the scriptures.
No, it does not tell you everything there is to possibly know about God. But it does tell you what you need to know. It does not give you an answer to every ethical or relational problem, but it does give principles to every ethical or relational problem. It does not tell you what time church should start, but it does tell us how it should be organized. It does not tell us if we can sing hymns but does tell us the basic elements of worship.
- It tells us all we need to know about God. All things we say about God must agree with scripture.
- It tells us all we need to know for Christian practice. Scripture provides fully adequate and sufficient general principles which can be applied in life in any area of work.
- Third, at the level of the church as an institution, Scripture is again sufficient for the principles of both organization and public worship.
- fourth, in terms of public worship, Scripture is sufficient for establishing its elements: singing of praise, prayer, the reading and preaching of God’s Word, the giving of tithes and offerings for the work of the church, baptism, and the Lord’s Supper. Scripture is also sufficient to regulate the agenda and content of sermons, worship songs, prayers, what the money is spent on, who is baptized, and who receives the Lord’s Supper.
In short, one can tell a lot about how a church understand this doctrine, by looking at her form of government, the content and emphases of corporate worship, and the way in which the elders pastor the congregation.
No Creed but the Bible
Does this mean we should get rid of the creeds, and that that anthem of the church should be no creed but scripture? No we shouldn’t and I will tell you why. Because that creed is used to undermine the very word it wishes to uphold.
When I started to dig into the history of this doctrine primarily around the 4th and 5th centuries I was surprised to find out how heretics used this doctrine of the sufficiency of scripture against scripture.
When the Nicene Creed was written heretics protested most loudly over the non-scriptural language of the orthodox creed. They pointed out that the phrases, “of one essence with the Father,” and “one substance with the Father” were not in the Bible. The heretics demanded “no creed but the Bible” precisely so that they could use biblical language to escape biblical truth. For example, they would happily call Christ “Son of God,” and then argue that, like all sons, he must have had a beginning.
There are many today who would demand “no creed but the Bible” the same way the Arians did. But we should learn from history that biblical language is not enough when it comes to defending Biblical truth. One theologian explains it as follows: “The Christian Church were slowly driven to a realization that the deepest questions which face Christianity cannot be answered in purely biblical language, because the questions are about the meaning of biblical language itself.” In other words, we have confessions and creeds because we believe the Bible is enough, and we want to define the language in the Bible. So we need the creeds and confessions to uphold the doctrine of the suffiencey of scripture.
Furthermore, its clear that the sufficiency of the Bible is not saying the Bible is the only book you should ever read. The sufficiency of Scripture does not mean that the Scripture is all we need to live or work. To be a good scientist you need to read science and study nature. To work in economics, we need to read economics and observe the world of business. To play sports we need to know the rules of the game. To be married well we need to know the personality of our spouse. To be pilot we need to know how to fly a plane. In other words, the Bible does not tell us all we need to know in order to be good stewards of this world. But it does tell us how to be a good steward in all these fields.
What does this imply for the doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture? The sufficiency of Scripture meaning the Bible God has given us, we have the perfect standard for judging all other knowledge. All other knowledge stands under the judgment of the Bible even when it serves the Bible.
SO in the end even the most revered creed or confession is not perfect or complete. And always stands under the standard which is serves. For as the confessions so directly states, “all human beings are liars by nature and more vain than vanity itself.”
Its lovely how the confessions insults all of humanity while elevating the word of God. Dear church we must always be comparing what we believe to Scripture, and not hold the confessions up as truth in the same way as we hold scripture up, but inly in so far as they serve scripture.
A walk through Psalm 19
To conclude this mini-series on scripture I want to have a walk through Psalm 19:7–9. I believe beautifully capture this doctrine. In this passage David makes six statements, each highlighting some characteristic of Scripture and describing its effect in the life of the one who embraces it.
First: “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul.” The Bible is perfect restoring the soul. This word “perfect” could be translated as “whole,” or “complete.” David’s implied contrast here is with the imperfect, insufficient, flawed reasoning of men. Scripture is so powerful and whole that it can transform the entire person, changing someone into precisely the person God wants him to be. His word can even restore the most broken life—a fact to which David himself gave abundant testimony.
Second “The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.” David’s use of the word “sure” means that the Lord’s testimony is unwavering, immovable, unmistakable, reliable, and worthy to be trusted. It provides a foundation on which to build one’s life and eternal destiny. God’s sure Word makes the simple wise (v. 7). The Hebrew word translated “simple” comes from an expression meaning “an open door.” Someone that just lets everything through the door without thinking. He is ignorant, and gullible, but God’s Word makes him wise. Such a man is skilled in the art of godly living.
Third: “The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart.” The word translated “right” has the sense of showing someone the true path. The truths of Scripture lay out the proper path through the difficult maze of life. That brings a wonderful confidence. There are so many people who are distressed because they lack direction and purpose, and most of them seek answers from the wrong sources. God’s Word not only provides the light to our path (Ps. 119:105), but also sets the route before us. Because of this it brings great joy. Divine truth is the fount of true and lasting joy.
Fourth: “The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.” This word “pure” could better be translated “clear” and shows the Bible is not confusing, or puzzling. God’s Word makes the dark things light. Granted, there are things in Scripture that are hard to understand (2 Pet. 3:16), but taken as a whole, the Bible is not a bewildering book. It is clear and lucid. Scripture brings understanding where there is ignorance, order where there is confusion, and light where there is spiritual and moral darkness.
Fifth, “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever.” This “fear”, or knowledge of God as we find it in the Bible, is the awe for God that compels us to worship Him. Scripture, in this sense, is the divine manual on how to worship the Lord. The Hebrew word “clean” speaks of the absence of impurity, filthiness, defilement, or imperfection. Scripture is without sin, evil, corruption, or error. And so it endures forever (Ps. 19:9). It needs no updating, editing, or refining, for it is God’s revelation for every generation. The Bible was written by the omniscient Spirit of God, who is infinitely more sophisticated than anyone who dares stand in judgment on Scripture’s relevancy for our society, and infinitely wiser than all the best philosophers, analysts, and psychologists.
And Finally, “The judgments of the Lord are true; they are righteous altogether.” The word “judgments” in this context refers to decisions handed down from the bench of the Supreme Judge of the earth. The Bible is God’s standard for judging the life and eternal destiny of every person. Because Scripture is true, it is “righteous altogether” (Ps. 19:9). The implication of that phrase is that its truthfulness produces a comprehensive righteousness in those who accept it.
Dear church we come to the end of the section on scripture. I Spent so much time here because I think it is vital in your live of faith and to the life of this church. All other doctrines are based on or flow from the doctrine of scripture. So Lets never let tradition, custom, or even confession stand over this word. The confession itself warns us against this.
Any substitute to Gods word will never be sufficient. So if anyone ever comes to you (I don’t care if its an angle from heaven) do not listen. Let God alone speak in this building – and may his word alone be the shaper and molder of all our hearts as we read his word, preach his word, sing his word, respond in prayer to his word, and see his word in sacraments. May He keep us and guide us forever.
Amen.