This session, "The Doctrine of Scripture Part 2," is the seventh installment in a series exploring Christian doctrine, using the congregation's statement of faith as a guide. It follows previous discussions on the introduction to theology, the existence of God, and a three-part series on the Trinity. This particular session focuses on Article 2 of the statement of faith, which declares that the Old and New Testaments are the Word of God, fully inspired, without error in the original manuscripts, serving as the infallible rule of faith and practice, sufficient to guide us in every area of life, and the foundation upon which the church operates. The core emphasis is on man's essential response to God's Word.
The session reviews the fundamental characteristics of Scripture covered in "Part 1" and highlights their implications for believers:
• Inspiration: Scripture is "God-breathed" (2 Timothy 3:16), meaning it originated directly from God, with every single word and every part being divinely inspired. God deliberately willed to communicate these words and desires for us to hear them.
• Inerrancy: The Bible is completely without error in any part. The speaker emphasizes that Jesus Christ and the apostles themselves consistently upheld the inerrancy and absolute authority of Scripture, even relying on historical accounts often questioned today, such as Jonah's experience or the flood. To deny inerrancy is to question God's truthfulness and elevate human judgment above divine revelation.
• Infallibility & Irrevocability: Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35) and will not expire or pass away (Matthew 5:18), maintaining its eternal validity and promises without conditional clauses.
• Plenary (Fullness) & Authority: It contains the full and complete revelation of God's will for mankind, serving as the final court of appeal in all matters pertaining to life, faith, and doctrine. Jesus consistently turned to "It is written" as His ultimate authority.
• Necessity & Sufficiency: The Word of God is necessary for salvation, spiritual growth, and a complete and certain knowledge of God's will. Crucially, it is sufficient at all times, providing everything needed for salvation, growth, and obedience, meaning no other external guides (like psychology or self-help books) are needed to complete its message.
• Perspicuity (Clarity): Scripture is clear, understandable, and accessible to all who are willing to apply themselves to its study. While some parts may require effort and investment, its meaning is obtainable for anyone who genuinely seeks it.
The speaker deeply connects the Bible to Christ, stating it is "Christ reduced to written form", an extension of the incarnation and God's greatest expression of love. Therefore, to genuinely know Christ, one must comprehensively know and live by the entire book, strictly adhering to the commands not to add to or take away from its words. This commitment requires:
• Trusting it with our very lives, allowing our minds to be saturated with God's Word, mirroring Jesus and the apostles.
• Desperately endeavoring to exhaustively comprehend it, rejecting the modern "soundbite" approach to knowledge and faith.
• Conforming our lives to its teachings without selective obedience or integrating external, contradictory philosophies. Our lives become "living epistles" that reflect or misrepresent God's truth.
• Regularly ingesting and digesting it as essential spiritual sustenance, moving beyond infrequent, superficial engagement.
• Seeking its guidance first, understanding that it is we who must change to align with God's truth, not the other way around.
• Investing time and effort in its study, as God reveals himself to those who demonstrate genuine desire and prepare their hearts to hear His message. This entails a transformative shift in habits, priorities, and lifestyle.
Ultimately, our engagement with Scripture is not merely a theoretical exercise but a qualitative decision that powerfully reveals our character, faith, and the esteem we hold for God's living Word.