Word of Salvation – Vol.51 No.46 – December 2006

 

Is the Bible Sufficient?

 

Sermon 3 of 3, by Rev Martin Geluk

on 2 Timothy 3:16-17

Scripture Readings:  Ephesians 1:15-19a; Philippians 1:3-9

 

Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We have looked at these two verses from 2 Timothy 3 twice already and now we do so once more. And the reason for one more sermon on ‘sola Scripture’, the Bible alone, is to deal with the question: is the Bible sufficient?

We have already dealt with the Bible being God-breathed. That means Scripture is inspired, and because Scripture is from the mouth of God it is also error-free, as well as having authority. Then last time we looked at tradition, the church’s authority, and reason, and we said that when properly considered, tradition, church authority and reason are all given by God and we can benefit greatly from them as we apply the ‘Scripture alone’ principle to all of life. We can’t throw out tradition, we can’t ignore the authority God has given to the church, and we can’t go without reason, but all three are subordinate to Scripture. When tradition, church authority, and reason are given more importance than Scripture then man places himself above God. In fact, then man has pushed God out. That has disastrous results and for that reason we must hold on to the ‘Scripture alone’ teaching.

But we still need to look at the question: is Scripture sufficient?

Our text says that Scripture is able to thoroughly equip the man of God for every good work, but what does one do when the Bible does not speak specifically to a particular situation you are facing? Like, should you study law or medicine? Should you speak for or against a synodical report? Should the church change the times of its worship services? How many children should a husband and a wife have? Should you go out – or not go out – with that boy or girl who is Christian and is keen on you, but you’re not sure about him or her? There are many such questions in life on which the Bible does not speak specifically. So whilst we say that the Bible alone should be our guide, what do you do when it says nothing about the situation you face?

1. The Bible is sufficient but this is not accepted by some

When we say that the Bible is sufficient then we are saying that all we need for sound doctrine, good morals, and a healthy church, is found in Scripture. Yes, more than that. The Bible in its entirety is sufficient to equip the people of God “for every good work.” Not just ‘some good works’. Not just ‘most good works’. No, the Bible equips us for every situation. That’s what we mean when we say Scripture is sufficient.

But some do not accept this. They either intentionally or unintentionally compromise the ‘Scripture alone’ principle. They do so by adding something to the Bible or by taking something away from it. Take the sects for instance.

For Christian Science it is the Bible plus the writings of Mary Baker Eddy. For the Mormons it is the Bible plus the Book of Mormons. For the Jehovah Witnesses it is the Bible plus the Watchtower. For Roman Catholics it is the Bible plus tradition and the teaching of popes and cardinals. For modernists (and by that we mean liberalism in the church), it is the Bible plus reason, or the claims of science. For some Protestant churches it is the Bible but they go light on the Bible’s teaching on sin and God’s justice, and focus a great deal on peoples’ felt needs by means of popular psychology. The language of the gospel is still used but it has really become a new gospel or a different gospel. For churches with an Arminian interpretation of the Bible it is the emphasis on man’s ability to respond to the offer of salvation and a glossing over of the Bible’s teaching that man is dead in sin and will never come to God unless God’s grace enables him first.

In all these cases the Bible is really regarded as being insufficient. Something else is appealed to, something else is added or something else has to happen. The Reformation was an attempt to have people recognise these compromises to the ‘Scripture alone’ teaching. And every denomination and every local church must constantly examine its teaching and practices and see if it still seeing the Bible as sufficient for every situation.

Why this emphasis on Scripture being sufficient for every situation? What makes it so important?

Well, when we believe that the Bible is sufficient then we are trusting God that He will do what He says, that He will fulfil His promises, that He is almighty and all-powerful to so rule over every situation that all His purposes will be accomplished. When we think that God needs a helping hand, when we also rely on reason, psychology, science, business marketing, and entertainment, then we are saying that things are just not going to happen without these extra things. But there is such comfort in relying on the Lord Almighty and not on man who is sinful and limited. You see, when we slip into thinking that God is not sufficient in all situations, then we have turned the Bible into a useless book unable to guide us where it really counts.

Let me give you an example. An organisation called Impact World Tour which is connected to Youth with a Mission (YWAM) is planning a major evangelistic campaign for Perth in 2007. The Christians organising this event are sincere, genuine, they love Christ and have a concern to reach the lost with the gospel. In their pamphlets you will find many biblical aspects of the gospel highlighted. They are going to teach these. But in addition there will also be performances of physically strong and powerful people who will shatter concrete bricks and ice blocks with bare hands and forearms, blowing up hot water bottles, snapping steel handcuffs in two and bending steel bars. The staging of these feats is designed to bring in people who normally would never attend a Christian gathering. After having seen these incredible feats the onlookers will hear a hard-hitting gospel message. Also, musicians and dancers from Polynesia will present a cultural extravaganza of authentic costumes, traditional music and intricate dances. It will include the Maori haka and Samoan knife dance. Again, the aim is to attract people and then bring them the gospel and call on them to make decisions for Christ. And to add weight to the campaign, there are written commendations of Christian celebrities like Billy Graham, Bill Hybels and others.

But isn’t this reliance on things spectacular in order to bring people in and soften them up for the gospel presentation, a denial of the sufficiency of Scripture? Listen to what Moses said when God told him to go to Egypt’s Pharaoh and demand the freedom of God’s people, “‘O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.’ The Lord said to him, ‘Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now go: I will help you speak and will teach you what to say'” (Ex 4:10-12).

And hear what the apostle Paul said: “When I came to you brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear, and with much trembling. My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith may not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (1 Cor 2:1-5). We see here that Moses was told to rely on God alone and Paul had every intention to do just that. God is saying that His Word is sufficient.

2. The Bible is sufficient but we do need to work with it

What do we mean when we say that we need to work with the teaching about the Bible being sufficient? We mean this: only God can help us understand His Word, so we need to pray for the illumination of the Holy Spirit. Is the Bible then so difficult that we need to do this? Didn’t we say in an earlier sermon that the Bible is clear in all its teachings? Well you see, the problem is not with Scripture, the problem is with us. All of mankind has fallen into sin and even as Christians, who have been given the nature and mind of Christ, we ourselves are a long way off from being made completely holy. Our minds are still influenced by sinful inclinations. We are to think God’s thoughts after Him but we are unable to do so in our own strength.

It makes perfect sense, therefore, for us to pray for God’s Spirit to help us understand Scripture, to pray that we may understand God’s will and purpose for every situation. When Paul prayed for the church at Ephesus, he asked that God grant the believers “the Spirit of wisdom and revelation” so that they may know God better (Eph 1:17). He prayed a similar prayer for the church at Philippi: “that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight” (1:9). The same again with the church at Colossae: “we have not stopped praying for you and asking God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all spiritual wisdom and understanding” (Col 1:9).

We, also, must pray that God will help us understand His Word when it is read and preached in church. And indeed, we all need to do this when we read the Bible in our homes with the family and by ourselves. So Scripture is sufficient for all situations but we do need to humbly ask the Lord to make the Word sufficient for us through His Spirit.

Then we also need to realise that some aspects of God’s Word of truth are further revealed in God’s general revelation. Those attending the catechism classes will know that this is God revealing Himself through nature, history and conscience. God also reveals Himself in special revelation, which is the Bible. So take Psalm 19:1, “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.” Now that statement from the Bible, God’s special revelation, contains the whole truth about God being the Creator of the sun, moon, the stars, yes, of all what is out there in space. Even if someone was shut inside a room all their life and never saw the sky, or a person blind from birth, they would still have to believe that the sky and all that is up there is the work of God’s hands. The Bible is sufficient in what it says. But by actually seeing what is out there above us in the heavens we begin to see more clearly the glory of God. So nature is where we see the works of God and it helps us see and understand more clearly the mighty works of God that the Bible speaks about.

The same with what God reveals in history. God’s Word speaks about the sinfulness of human nature. I have to believe that because the Bible says so, even if I were to never meet other people, or only meet nice people. The Bible is sufficient for me to have to accept that people are sinful. But when we look at history and see what sinful man has done and is still doing, then general revelation further reveals what Scripture says.

And the same with your conscience. Everyone knows the difference between right and wrong. It underscores what the Bible says. In His Word God says that I am guilty because I have broken His commandments. And it’s true. When we knowingly disobey God, then our conscience accuses us. We experience guilt when we do things that we know are wrong.

So you see that the Bible is sufficient to reveal the truth of God for every situation, but some aspects of His truth are further revealed in general revelation. This of course is especially true for the scientist – yes, for everyone who in their work has to observe the laws of nature. The Bible does not give us exhaustive medical knowledge. It does not tell the chemist which chemicals to use to make up a certain drug. The Bible does not tell us how to do mathematics. But as doctors, chemists, mathematicians in their fields uncover new truths in their fields, then they are gaining more knowledge about God’s revelation in creation. And scientists who believe in God will stand more in awe of God when they look closely at the work of His hands.

Another thing we need to note is that while the Bible is clear in what it says, there are nevertheless difficult parts as well. With these difficult parts we must not say that the Bible is not sufficient, for that would imply that God is confused, otherwise He would have made it clearer. We must try to interpret the difficult parts in the light of other passages that reveal the same things more clearly. Now that needs careful thought and study. So the fact that the Bible is sufficient does not mean we need not work with the Bible. At our Bible studies are not too quick to say that the passage is difficult and you’ll never know what it means, if you haven’t first made a real effort to think about it and study it.

3. The Bible is sufficient to reveal God’s will and truth but we also need biblical wisdom

We can know what God’s will is and we can know what His truth is for every situation. But there is not always a verse or passage that tells us exactly what to do. The Bible is not a book providing answers on every problem or question that we have. Some, of course, wish that the Bible is like that. They would love it if they could find a chapter and verse to justify every action or non-action. But the Bible is not like that. You cannot proof-text everything. And we must not limit the Bible’s teaching to only what it says specifically. For if you do that then you will think you can do anything that the Bible does not speak on.

So how do we go with situations about which the Bible does not say something directly? Well, we may continue to believe that the Bible is sufficient but we will need biblical wisdom to grasp the general principles the Bible teaches. Remember, Scripture is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness and will thoroughly equip us for every good work. To allow Scripture to teach us, rebuke us, correct us, train us in righteousness, we will need biblical wisdom to understand the nature of things, to understand the nature of people, and to understand the nature of a situation. In other words, we need to look at things, at people, at a situation, in the light of what we know from the Bible about God and His creation. To know God and how all that He has made functions, will help us as we try to work out the “ins and outs” of things and people. The book of Proverbs is full of biblical wisdom

Let’s try and be practical here. The Bible shows us how not to be tossed back and forth by waves. It’s referring to being blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming (Eph 4:14). How do we stop that from happening to us? The answer is, by “speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Him who is the Head, that is, Christ” (vs 15).

Let’s just concentrate on “speaking the truth in love”. The Lord requires us to do that. Now if I am going to speak the truth in love, then I will have to know the truth. It’ll be a waste of everyone’s time to speak a lot of nonsense in love. I have to know the truth. Knowing the truth of the Bible will help me see if someone’s teaching is true or not, or to what extent there may be shades of truth in it. Then in working out if something is truthful, I have to do my speaking, my debating, in love. And here I have to understand the nature of things. What situation am I in? Am I in a Session meeting? Classis meeting? At Synod? Am I talking with a fellow church member? With my unbelieving neighbour? Perhaps with someone at work who doesn’t like me and wants to put me down?

If it is a church situation and I am speaking to an older man, then the Bible tells me “not to rebuke an older man harshly”. I have to speak with him as if he were my father. If I am speaking to a younger man, then I am to see him as a brother. If to an older woman, then I am to see her as a mother. If a younger woman, then as a sister, with absolute purity (1 Tim 5:1-2). To do all that I need to understand who I am and who they are. If they are not from the church then I need to understand if I am dealing with a gracious unbeliever or a foul-mouthed hater of Christianity.

In other words, to speak the truth in love in a situation that the Bible does not specifically speak to, I need biblical wisdom to speak as a Christian, to treat people with respect, so that they may see that the Lord whom I love and serve has worked His graciousness and patience in me. And should the situation call for plain speaking, no beating about the bush, then the age and position of the person I am speaking with has to be considered.

Biblical wisdom, we need it. The Bible doesn’t tell the farmer when to plant and when to harvest, but he has come to understand how God works in nature and he acts accordingly. The Bible does not tell us when righteous anger becomes unrighteous anger. Nor does it tell us at what exact point the admiring of someone from the opposite sex crosses the line into sinful desire. Or when modesty crosses the line into immodesty. Or when a joke is appropriate or inappropriate.

There are many situations in life where we are not told by Scripture exactly what to do or not do. We can only know through biblical wisdom and seeking the guidance of the Holy Spirit. That’s why it is so important that we pray for wisdom, for God revealing to us His will, for enlightenment (Eph 1:17-18). In order to know the nature of things, to understand people, we must often ask God to give us knowledge, depth of insight and discernment (Phil 1:9-10). Yes, the Bible is sufficient; thank God for that. But Lord, in all what it says, give me spiritual wisdom and understanding (Col 1:9), so that as a Christian I may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Lack of a Bible passage or verse for a specific situation can cause people to make foolish decisions if they lack spiritual wisdom. When they cannot find a Bible verse that forbids a certain choice of lifestyle, then they go ahead and do it. In this way foolish decisions are made in bringing up children, or wearing inappropriate clothing in public, or participating in questionable entertainment, and the list can go on and on.

Yes, we live in a world that comes at us with many conflicting voices. We are put in situations where there are many choices. What is true? What is right? What is important? God has given us His Word. It is an infallible standard. It is absolutely trustworthy and reliable. It gives us the truth from God about God, about human nature, about sin, salvation, eternity, morality, and an outlook on life that glorifies God.

The Bible does not do all this through thousands of rules. But Scripture does give us, in addition to specific rules, many general truths which the Holy Spirit applies in such a way as to guide us wisely in every situation, circumstance and decisions we make in life.

Amen.