[Biblemat] S) THE AUTHORITY OF THE SCRIPTURES

[J5827Sasser at wmconnect.com]

Brethren and Friends, Jim Sasser here.  Here is a study from my
recent files.  Use to the glory of God.

THE AUTHORITY OF THE SCRIPTURES

     For the past two hundred years, the fundamental differen-
ce between churches of Christ and the denominations about
us is the way we view the authority of the Scriptures.  There
are many other differences, but they all arise out of this one.
If one is to have a clear concept of the Christian religion, he
must first have a proper understanding of the authority of the
Scriptures.  To err on this point paves the way for a multitude
of other errors.  But to have a proper understanding of the 
authority of the Scriptures gurantees a safe course in one's
Christian life.

     What, then, should be our attitude toward the Scriptures?
Since the time of the Campbells and Stone preaching in the
early 1800's, that was never a problem for churches of Christ.
But today there are some preachers in the Lord's church who
don't really believe in the authority of the Scriptures for our 
culture today.  The claim is made that certain passages of
Scripture do not apply to us today, "For our culture is differ-
ent."

The Scriptures Are The Word Of God: -- Let us look, then, to
the authority of the Scriptures.  First, the Scriptures are the
Words of God, not man.  What Peter wrote of the Old Testa-
ment prophecies is basically true with all of the Scriptures:
"For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spoke from God, being 
moved by the Holy Spirit" (2 Pet. 1:21)
This is affirmed by the words of Jesus, "I spoke not from My-
self; but the Father that sent Me, He hath given Me a comman-
dment, what I should say, and what I should speak.  And I know that His 
commandment is life eternal: the things there-
fore which I speak, even as the Father hathe said unto Me, so
I speak" (Jno. 12:49,50).  This idea is echoed by the apostle
Paul, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is prof-
itable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction
in righteousness: that the man of God may be perfect, thorou-
ghly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16, 17).

     Some have difficulty in understanding what "inspiration"
really means.  But the Scriptures explain it very well.  Jesus
promised the apostles that He would send the Holy Spirit to
guide them, "And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you
another Comforter, that He may be with you for ever, even the Spirit of 
truth" (Jno. 14:16,17).  He further defined that
promise: "He that heareth you heareth Me; and he that reject-
eth you rejecteth Me; and he that rejecteth Me rejecteth Him
that sent Me...for the Holy Spirit shall teach you in that very
hour what ye ought to say" (Lk. 10:16; 12:12).

     The apostles were not left to their own devices to "discov-
er" the Will of God.  Jesus told them, "But the Comforter, even the Holy 
Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name,
He shall teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance
all that I said unto you" (Jno. 14:26).  Just how this worked is
revealed by the apostle Paul, "For who among men knoweth
the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in
him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit
of God.  But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the
Spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that
were freely given to us of God.  Which things also we speak,
not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the 
Spirit teacheth; combining spiritual things with spiritual words" (1 Cor. 
2:11-13).  The result is clearly stated by Paul:
"And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that,
when ye received from us the Word of the message, even the
Word of God, ye accepted it not as the word of men, but, as
it is in truth, the Word of God, which also worketh in you that
believe" (1 Thes. 2:13).

The Scriptures Are Perfect (Complete): -- The Scriptures con-
tain all that God intended for us to know of all things spiritual
There was a time when this could not have been said, during
the Old Testament age, for instance, when the Scriptures were being written.  
God gave those Scriptures, "It is precept
upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon
line; here a little, there a little" (Isa. 28:10).  When the Old 
Testament writing was completed, Jesus came and continued
to unfold the Father's Will.  He brought new revelation.  He
again told the apostles, "I have yet many things to say unto
you" (Jno. 16:12).  But then He added, "Howbeit when He, the
Spirit of truth, is come, He shall guide you into all the truth:
for He shall not speak from Himself; but what things soever
He shall hear, these shall He speak: and He shall declare unto
you the things that are to come" (vs. 13).  Now, notice that 
carefully: "He (the Holy Spirit) shall guide you into all the truth."  Not 
"some of the truth," not even "most of the truth"
-- but "all of the truth."

     The fact that the Scriptures are "perfect" or "complete"
shows just how fallacious are the claims made by the "latter
day revelations" of such people as Joseph Smith, Mary Baker
Eddy, Judge Rutherford, Ellen G. White, Mohammed, etc.
They claim that God has given new revelation throught them.
If so, it is not part of "the truth" for the apostles were guided
into all the truth.  And God granted to us "all things that per-
tain to life and godliness" (2 Pet. 1:3).  Any "latter day revelat-
ion" cannot pertain to life and godliness.  And these kinds of
claims are not limited to "others," either.  We even have the
rediculous claim of a preacher in the Lord's church that God
revealed to him that his congregation should accept instrum-
ental music in worship, whent he Word of the Lord provides
no authority for it at all.

To Whom Shall We Go For Authority?: -- Various answers have been given it 
this question, and those answers determi-
ne what a person is, religiously.  Catholics accept the authori-
ty of "the church" as defined by the pope.  On the other hand, Protestants 
have long contended that the Bible is our
authority.  Some rely on their own conscience for authority.
But, as the Bible says, "There is a way which seemeth right
unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death"(Prov.
14:12).  Some set their parents up as their authority, and their 
religion becomes a matter of tradition and not of faith.  Jesus
said, "Ye have made void the Word of God because of your
tradition.  Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, say-
ing, This people honoreth Me with their lips; But their heart is
far from Me.  But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as
their doctrines the precepts of men" (Matt. 15:6-9).

     Many denominations subscribe to creeds and articles of
faith drawn up by the councils of men.  Loyalty to that creed
is pledged when one becomes a member of that denomination
But after Jesus arose from the dead, He said, "All authority
hath been given unto Me, both in heaven and on earth" (Matt.
28:18).  This settles the question of authority, for anyone who
believes in Jesus.  That leaves no authority for the pope, for
and latter day revelation, for the church, nor for you nor me.
God said of Jesus, "Hear ye Him" (Matt. 17:5).  In order to 
settle any question about religious matters, we must go to
Christ, find His Will on the matter and do it.  If He does not
teach it, it is not authorized.

How Christ Speaks To Us Today: -- The apostle Paul wrote,
"We are ambassadors therefore on behalf of Christ" (2 Cor.
5:20).  An ambassador is one who speaks for his king.  In His
prayer to the Father, Jesus said of the apostles, "I manifested
Thy name unto the men whom Thou gavest Me out of the
world: Thine they were, and Thou gavest them to Me; and they have kept My 
Word.  Now they know that all things what-
soever Thou hast given Me are from Thee: for the words which Thou gavest Me I 
have given unto them; and they re-
ceived them, and knew of a truth that Thou didst send Me"
(Jno. 17:6-8).  Thus, the words of the apostles are, in reality,
the Words of Christ.

     The apostles spoke, and wrote, the Word of the Lord Jesus Christ for our 
instruction: "Every Scripture is inspired
of God and is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for cor-
rection, for instruction which is in righteousness.  That the
man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work" (2 
Tim. 3:16,17).  When we read the Script-
ures, we are reading the Word of God and of Jesus Christ.
That is just what the apostle Paul wrote, "When ye received
from us the Word of the message, even the Word of God, ye
accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the
Word of God" (1 Thes. 2:13).

     When any controversy arises, the question in the mind of
the honest inquirer has to be: "What do the Scriptures say?"
The recognition of this principle is what causes us to empha-
size: "If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God"
(1 Pet. 4:11).  And from that has come the saying among 
churches of Christ, "We speak where the Scriptures speak
and are silent where the Scriptures are silent."  The establish-
ing of the authority of the Scriptures shows the fallacy of all
human creeds.  If and when men realize this truth, a great 
step wil have been taken toward understanding and restoring
New Testament Christianity.

The Power Of The Scriptures: -- Probably the tendency of 
many of those in denominations to minimize the written Word
of God by seeking for "additional guidance" is because of a
failure to realize the power of that Word.  And now we have
some in the church of Christ that are reverting to the same
denominational concepts!  The Scriptures are designed to
guide men from earth to heaven.  To seek some other sourc-
es of God's Will is to accuse God of not being able to do what
He wished to do.  Paul insists that the gospel is "the power
of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16).  And Peter writes, "See-
ing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth
unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from 
the heart fervently: having been begotten again, not of corrup-
tible seed, but of incorruptible, through the Word of God,
which liveth and abideth...And this is the Word of the gospel
which was preached unto you" (1 Pet. 1:22-25).

     The Bible is "the Word of God" (1 Thes. 2:13), and that
Word has all the power needed o take us from this world to
heaven.  That Word produces FAITH (Rom. 10:17).  Note that
the Scriptures say, "These are written, that ye may believe
that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye
may have life in His name" (Jno. 20:31).  That Word brings
SALVATION.  "Being justified by faith, we have peace with
God...Faith cometh by hearing, hearing by the Word of Christ" (Rom. 5:1; 
10:17).  That Word also produces LIFE.
"These things have I written unto you, that ye may know that
ye have eternal life, even to you that believe" (1 Jno. 5:13).

     The apostle John warns, "Whosoever goeth onward and
abideth not in the teaching of Christ, hath not God" (2 Jno. 9)
Again, "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but prove the spirits
whether they are of God; because many false prophets are
gone out into the world" (1 Jno. 4:1).  But how do we check
up on such teachers?  "Now these were more noble than
those in Thessalonica, in that they received the Word with all
readiness of mand, examining the Scriptures daily, whether
these things were so" (Acts 17:11).

     The Scriptures can cleanse and sanctify (Jno. 5:30; 17:17)
those who believe and obey it.  It provides for us "all things
that pertain to life and godliness" (2 Pet. 1:3).  Jesus also said, "The 
Words that I have spoken unto you are spirit and
are life" (Jno. 6:63).  The only authority in religion is God, as
He speaks in His Word.  "Hear ye Him" (Matt. 17:5).  -----------
Clem Thurman in Gospel Minutes, Vol. 56, No. 45, Nov. 9, 2007.   </HTML>
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