How Can We Get His Story?
Article 2
If you want to have a broad understanding of what is happening in Egypt now, what book might help you get the big story? A history like Alaf Marsot’s A History of Egypt? That might give you dates and facts and some analysis. Or would you look mmore to historical fiction like Alaa Al Aswany’s Yacoubian Building that is making some strong sociological and political judgments to help us understand the recent uprisings? Well, you would need to find the author and the book. And you would need to decide if the material is true and trustworthy. Right?
I we want to understand our world, then where do we turn. We have said that all history is “His story”, i.e., God’s story. So, how do we get a copy of it? Amazon? Borders? Barnes and Nobles? Vromans? Archives or Fuller bookstore? And then, we have to decide if we trust what it says.
Followers of Jesus have been in agreement that we really do get God’s good news story in a book, i.e., the Bible. And, we at LAC join with our brothers and sisters around the world and throughout history in affirming that the Bible is God’s book and that it speaks to us truthfully, with authority, sufficiency, and with life-giving and life-changing power. Here’s how we’ve put it:
We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. God, His work and His ways are revealed through the Bible truly though surely not exhaustively. As the inspired Word of God, it is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority for what we believe and for how we live. Therefore, the Bible is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
God’s gospel is authoritatively announced in the Scriptures
Let me just launch right into the challenge of this sermon today: I am fully aware that any discussion of the Bible always raises suspicions. Some of us are suspicious about whether our speaker is conservative enough about this issue. We have lived through days when the truthfulness of the Bible was severely under attack among professing Christians so that all sorts of words have had to be used to make sure the preacher or teacher is orthodox: words like inerrancy, infallibility, verbal plenary inspiration, literal hermeneutic… We plant all those words in our declarations – and then few understand what we’re talking about and, sometimes, the power and beauty of God’s Word is lost in the intellectual formulation.
Others of us question the Bible’s reliability ourselves -- on grounds that it is written by fully human authors so, at best it might be a spiritual guide or a religiously inspiring work. But we wonder how it could possibly be the Word of God – with all that phrase implies in terms of relevance, sufficiency, authority and even perfection. We know the Bible was written over centuries of time – its authors include kings, philosophers, peasants, poets, fishermen, statesmen, prisoners, and a doctor. The Bible includes history books, sermons, songs, letters and love letters. It includes architectural specifications, travel diaries, population records, and family trees. Most churchgoers know that Jesus-followers have said the Bible comes from God but was not dictated by God as the Koran claims. Instead, the Bible says the Bible came about because people “were carried along by the Holy Spirit – as Peter put it in 2 Peter 1.
So, how are we to understand this Bible that we say is God’s Word “through the words of human authors”? Personally, I believe this issue falls into the very same category as all the tough questions about how God relates to this world. For example:
*How could God have made the world and then entered into the world?
*How could Jesus be fully God (and thus “never truly be tempted”) and fully man (and thus “be anything but tempted”)?
*How can God be in control of all that happens and still allow us to make real choices?
So, how are we to understand a book that is fully from God and just as fully given through people?
Let Us Remember: God Speaks
God’s first act recorded in the Bible was a speech act: "God said, 'Let there be light,' and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). The Creator continues to speak through his creation, as "the heavens declare the glory of God; . . . Day after day they pour forth speech" (Psalm 19:1-2).
God spoke to create, but from the beginning God also spoke personally to communicate with those creatures uniquely created in his image. He blessed the first human beings in the good world he had made (Genesis 1:28-30). He commanded them not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and when they did, he spoke a word of judgment, casting them from the garden. As a result, free and direct communication with God as a norm – as In Genesis 2 -- ceased. But, God still spoke -- often through the prophets, his ordained "spokesmen."
Through chosen people God has spoken words to his people. Some of those words were preserved in writings ("Scriptures") that we now know as the Old Testament. Then, in Jesus Christ that prophetic word took a new turn. The Word of God became flesh! God spoke in the most personal way possible—in the person of his Son dwelling among us. Jesus spoke of the Old Testament Scriptures in the same way we do – as being true, authoritative and sufficient to guide his life and all of our lives.
According to Jesus in John 5:39, the Old Testament Scriptures all ultimately pointed to him and his coming. Now, the life, work and impact of God’s speaking in Jesus is included in the New Testament. God's gospel is the good news of his saving work in Jesus Christ. That message was entrusted to the apostles of Christ, and through them it has come to us in the New Testament.
Let Us Observe: What Happens When God Speaks
The Bible is the Word of God – and, through it, God’s people hear his voice. There is a reality about what it is – but we also must come to grips with what happens when we take time to hear God speak. Let me take you to Nehemiah 8-9 so that you might see if what happened there has ever happened to you. After being exiled from their homeland for a long time, many Jewish people returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the walls of the city. At the Feast of Tabernacles the people gathered together to hear God’s Word read by Ezra:
When the seventh month came and the Israelites had settled in their towns,
1 all the people came together as one in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the LORD had commanded for Israel. 2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon... And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law.
4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion… 5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the LORD, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, “Amen! Amen!” Then they bowed down and worshiped the LORD with their faces to the ground.
7 The Levites… instructed the people in the Law while the people were standing there. 8 They read from the Book of God, making it clear and giving the meaning so that the people understood what was being read. 9 Then Nehemiah the governor, Ezra the priest and teacher of the Law, and the Levites who were instructing the people said to them all, “This day is holy to the LORD your God. Do not mourn or weep.” For all the people had been weeping as they listened to the words of the Lord.
10 Nehemiah said, “Go and enjoy choice food and sweet drinks, and send some to those who have nothing prepared. This day is holy to our Lord. Do not grieve, for the joy of the LORD is your strength...”
12 Then all the people went away to eat and drink, to send portions of food and to celebrate with great joy, because they now understood the words that had been made known to them.
13 On the second day of the month, the heads of all the families, along with the priests and the Levites, gathered around Ezra the teacher to give attention to the words of the Law. 14 They found written in the Law, which the LORD had commanded through Moses (how they should celebrate the day)…15 and that they should proclaim this word and spread it throughout their towns and in Jerusalem… 16 So the people went out and (obeyed the word)… From the days of Joshua son of Nun until that day, the Israelites had not celebrated it like this. And their joy was very great.
18 Day after day, from the first day to the last, Ezra read from the Book of the Law of God. They celebrated the festival for seven days, and on the eighth day, in accordance with the regulation, there was an assembly.
Ch. 9: On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads. 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the LORD their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the LORD their God… 4 They cried out with loud voices to the LORD their God. 5 And the Levites… said: “Stand up and praise the LORD your God, who is from everlasting to everlasting.”
“Blessed be your glorious name, and may it be exalted above all blessing and praise. 6 You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you…”
You see it don’t you? God’s people confessed that what was in Scripture (and it was the part that many in our world have the most problems with) was true – that it was to be obeyed – and that God’s Word should direct their lives. They knew they had to turn from their own self-directed ways and respond to God’s Word. They knew that God’s Word brought them unity as God’s people and joy in their lives.
Something similar happened after the death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus in Acts 2. The Holy Spirit came in power and Peter stood up at the day of Pentecost. He said that he would teach them about what is happening in the light of Scripture. He declared, “This is what was spoken by the prophet Joel in Scripture: ‘In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people… And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved…’”
Peter explained the meaning of the Scriptures and how it pointed to Jesus and then he went right back to quoting Scripture – Psalm 16 and then explained it. Psalm 110 and then explained it and called people to respond to the Word of God. What happened when people heard God’s Word from Acts 2:37-42:
When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”
40 With many other words he warned them; and he pleaded with them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” 41 Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day. 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.
This is what happens when the Word of God goes forth and is received. It teaches us of God, calls us to respond to God, calls us away from sin, and empowers us to live as God made us to live. As Hebrews 4:12 puts it, “The word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
Let Us Learn: God Speaks Truthfully, Authoritatively and Sufficiently
How do we put this kind of conviction into an article of faith? We’ve done our best to communicate these three aspects of what Scripture teaches about itself and how Jesus-followers have believed:
#1: God’s Word is truthful
We say “without error in the original writings.” The commentary available to you will tell you why. By this, we mean that what the Scriptures are true in what they affirm to be true and true in what they affirm to be false. This understanding sets us free to engage in all the God-given skills of understanding what is being affirmed – grammar, kind of literature, cultural nuances, etc. etc. We keep asking, “What is the Bible teaching? What is God affirming?
The basis for our confidence in the truthfulness of the Scriptures lies supremely in the authority of Jesus himself. Jesus' life was shaped by the Scriptures and is inexplicable without it. He came not to abolish but to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matthew 5:17). The Scriptures were the basis of his teaching (cf., e.g., Matthew 9:12-13—“But go and learn what this means . . . ,” citing Hosea 6:6). They provided a source of authority in his controversies with the Jewish leaders (“Have you not read . . .” Matthew 12:1-8; Matthew 19:3-6; Matthew 22:23-32). The Scriptures as the Word of God were to stand over all human traditions (Matthew 15:1-6). The Word of God "cannot be broken" (John 10:34-35). "Your word is truth," Jesus says to his Father (John 17:17).
#2: God’s Word Is Authoritative
When God spoke, his Word was obeyed and it resulted in something “very good.” When God speaks and we place our faith in him and obey, we come to life – “born again” – and our lives begin to take on the beauty and joy (often in the midst of adversity in our fallen world) that we see in Nehemiah and the book of Acts. It is our “ultimate authority for what we believe and how we live.”
#3: God’s Word Is Sufficient
We have put it this way: God, His work and His ways are revealed through the Bible truly though surely not exhaustively. As the inspired Word of God, it is… the complete revelation of His will for salvation. We mean God has spoken all we need to know for Christian faith and life -- for our doctrine and our duty. Since Scripture alone is our ultimate authority of truth, all truth necessary for our salvation and spiritual life is taught either explicitly or implicitly in Scripture. We’re not saying that everything that is true is found in the Bible or that knowledge found outside the Bible is not helpful to us. Knowledge from other realms can help us live wisely in God's world in all sorts of ways. The Bible doesn’t tell us everything about technology or medicine or mental function or… Those are all a part of God’s creation that we who are made in his image can study and learn from in the light of Scripture.
Specifically, the Bible can help us to understand and apply the Bible's message. We need to know languages, history, and culture as we seek to interpret the Bible rightly. In applying the Bible's message, knowledge of medicine and human bodily functions, for example, can help us in making bio-ethical decisions. But when we say that the Bible is the complete revelation of God's will for salvation, we affirm that it contains all the divine words we need for all of life. Everything required of us to live a godly life is given in the Scripture.
Let Us Hear: God’s Word Creates and Re-creates
God used words to create in Genesis 1 and he still uses words to create new life, eternal life, in people. Romans 10:13-17: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” 14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!... Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Chris.
And, God’s command to me is that I, as a pastor, must above all things, “Preach this Word!” (2 Timothy 4:1-2) and deliver it with careful instruction. And I must do it with patience and careful instruction. You may not always want it – but it’s exactly what you need. Sometimes it will correct – and sometimes it will encourage. It will call you and me from sin and it will teach you how to live.
And you need to hear God’s Word in order to live well. In other words, hearing it and responding to it will change your life – for the better. Sometimes, it will call you to faith. Sometimes, it will admonish you when you’re living in a destructive way. Sometimes it will encourage you to when you struggle. At other times, it will guide you toward truth. And always – always – it will steer you away from self-centeredness and toward God. As Paul said to young Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:15-17:
The Holy Scriptures are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that God’s people may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Now, we remember together the life and death of the one toward whom all Scripture points – Jesus. The heart of God’s good news is that Jesus came to this world, lived the life all of us should live but none of us has lived – then died the death we should die but don’t have to because he died in our place. We dare never forget what Jesus did. And we would not know about him except for the Scriptures:
Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures… (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
To His glory alone,
Dr. Greg Waybright
Senior Pastor
Greg Waybright • Copyright 2011, Lake Avenue Church