Bible Authority
6 January 2019 AM – 2Timothy 3:16-17 – Baptist Distinctives – Scott Childs
Introduction: Our church is an independent Baptist church. It is important for us to know WHY we are a Baptist church and not a generic church or some other denomination. This morning we are going to begin a short series on Baptist Distinctives. These are eight beliefs that distinctly identify our church as an independent Baptist church. Sadly, a growing number of churches that call themselves Baptist are no longer following these beliefs as they once did.
Transition: Note with me three reasons that the Bible is our supreme and ultimate authority and ought to be your authority as well.
The 1st reason the Bible is our supreme and ultimate authority is because …
1. The Bible is God’s Word to Man
a. God inspired the Bible
1) It is God’s words recorded by 40 chosen men who were guided by God’s Holy Spirit. (2 Peter 1:21) “For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”
2) God inspired or breathed out the words and men wrote them down. (2 Timothy 3:16) “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:”
b. The Bible is God’s message to man
1) There are many internal evidences that the Bible is God’s message to man.
a) Over 800 times in the Bible we read the phrase, “saith the LORD”.
b) Over 250 times in the Bible we read the phrase “the word of the LORD”.
c) God said that He spoke to us through prophets. (Hebrews 1:1-2) “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”
² Bible teacher John Walvoord states, “The Bible can be rejected only by rejecting its constant claims to being God’s Word.”
2) External evidences that the Bible is God’s message to man include, continuity (all 66 books are in harmony), amazing revelations (ageless past, endless future), its publication surpasses all other books, its influence changes lives, superhuman topics (creation, flood, eternity), accurately fulfilled prophecies (Mic 5:2), testimony of archaeology, geological evidence testifies of the flood, and unprejudiced facts (sin, failures).
The 2nd reason the Bible is our supreme and ultimate authority is because …
2. The Bible is God’s manual for our doctrine
a. The Bible tells us where we came from
1) While the theory of evolution claims that everything began billions of years ago when nothing exploded with a big bang and formed the universe. For millions of years, rain, that just appeared, rained on earth’s rocks until a cell of life appeared. From that single cell all plant, animal and human life evolved. With no evidence for proof, it takes great faith to believe a theory like that.
2) The first verse in the Bible says, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Genesis 1 records the six literal days of creation some 6,000 years ago. Genesis 2 gives more details. Here is a song that explains.
God Made Everything! On day 1 God made the earth, the heavens and the light. Then He said that all he made was good within His sight. On day 2 God made the sky above the oceans blue, Then above the sky He made a vapour layer too. On day 3 God made dry land appear amid the seas, Then He made the herbs, the grass, the flowers and the trees. On day 4 God made the sun and moon up in the sky, Then He made the trillion stars that twinkle up on high. On day 5 God made the birds that fly upon the breeze, And He made the many fish that swim within the seas. On day 6 God made the beasts, the animals, and man, Dinosaurs and creeping things that crawl upon the land. * God made everything 6,000 years ago, in just 6 short days. By His mighty power and His spoken word, God made every thing! By Pastor Scott Childs
3) The Bible clearly tells us that our intelligent, all-powerful God designed and created all that exists. The microscopic and telescopic details in our universe shout praise to a wise Designer not to a Big-Bang explosion.
b. The Bible tells us why we are here
1) God created man for His pleasure. (Revelation 4:11) “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
2) God created man to glorify Him. (Isaiah 43:7) “Even every one that is called by my name: for I have created him for my glory, I have formed him; yea, I have made him.”
3) God desires our fellowship. (1 John 1:3) “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.”
c. The Bible tells us where we are going
1) The Bible tells us that we are all sinners because Adam and Eve sinned. (Romans 5:12) “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:”
2) It tells us that sin is rebellion against our holy God and that He must punish our sinful rebellion. (Romans 6:23) “For the wages of sin is death…”
3) It tells us that Jesus, God’s Son, came to earth and died on the cross in our place to pay for our sin. (Galatians 1:4) “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:”
4) It tells us that all who trust Jesus’ payment can have eternal life. (John 3:16) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
5) It tells us that all who reject Jesus’ payment will spend eternity in the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:15) “And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”
6) The Bible also teaches us everything that we need to know about God, angels, Satan, church and future events.
The 3rd reason the Bible is our supreme and ultimate authority is because …
3. The Bible is God’s manual for our practice
a. It is our supreme and ultimate authority
1) The Bible is our sole authority for doctrine and faith. We do not base our beliefs on any non-biblical source.
2) In practice (the way we conduct ourselves as a church), we do follow the laws of the land. However, if the laws required us to act contrary to the Bible, the Bible would be our supreme and ultimate authority.
b. The Bible is our manual for the way we live.
1) The teachings of the Bible are the reason we believe the other seven Baptist distinctives. We believe they are rooted in the Bible.
2) The Bible gives instructions for Christian living, (2 Timothy 3:16) “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.”
3) The Bible provides wisdom for decisions of life, (Proverbs 2:6) “For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.”
4) The Bible reveals how we can have victory over temptation, (Galatians 5:16) “This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.” (2 Timothy 2:22) “Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
5) The Bible tells us how we can stay in fellowship with God. (1 John 1:9) “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
Conclusion: The Bible is our church’s authority. The Bible is my authority. Is the Bible your authority? If so, do the way you think, talk, dress, and act prove that the Bible truly is your authority? It should. May we say with the songwriter, “The Bible stands and it will forever, When the world has passed away; By inspiration it has been given, All its precepts I will obey.” Let the Bible be your guide in life!
If you are not yet a Christian, I encourage you to ponder what you heard this morning and place your faith in the salvation offered by the God of the Bible.
Song: The Bible Stands, 178