The Westminster Larger Catechism, Q4, raises the second most fundamental question of the Christian faith. The first is, “How doth it appear that there is a God?” (Q2), or what is the basis for our belief in the real existence of God? The second is like it, with the identity of Scripture as the object of consideration.
Question 4. How doth it appear that the Scriptures are the Word of God?
The one who thoroughly believes and understands the truth about these two great questions has moved toward great competence in defending the Christian faith before skeptics and comforting weak believers. Once the former skeptic grants that the true and living God of the Bible really does exist, and that the Bible really is His holy Word, the apologist may with much greater ease lead the opening mind, using Scripture, to all the other doctrines of biblical Christianity. These two truths (God is, and Scripture is God speaking) are the theological foundation for the remaining theological superstructure.
Before WLC A4 can be fully appreciated, we must be absolutely clear on the meaning of WLC Q4. Careless thinkers may think the question’s language is so plain as to be self-explanatory, but it needs careful delineation because it is so important and it covers doctrinal ground which is ever subject to the assaults of Satan and his human agents-atheists, agnostics, heretics, and less deviant false teachers within the church.
The catechetical context ofWLC #4 is WLC #3 which asks, even more simply and fundamentally,
Question 3. What is the Word of God?
Considering the answer to this question, we know its intent was approximately, “Where can the Word of God be found today?,” because otherwise the answer is too narrow. As the epistle to the Hebrews says,
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 (Heb 1.1-2).
Throughout biblical history, God’s Word came to humanity at many times and in many differing ways, and much of what He said has been lost to us, but it was no more or less the Word of God than what we have now in the OT. Further, the climax of God’s Word to humanity was seen in the person of Jesus Christ, and conveyed to the church by His authoritative representatives called apostles, who wrote the exact words of the New Covenant (NT) after Jesus had ascended to heaven.
Therefore, WLC A3 identifies the Word of God in these words (proof texts omitted):
Answer. The holy scriptures of the Old and New Testament are the word of God, the only rule of faith and obedience.
This superb answer addresses three very important issues:
- biblical “canonicity,” which books are the recognized canon, rule, or standard for being the Word of God;
- biblical “authority,” possessing divine power to bind our conscience for beliefs and conduct; God alone is Lord of the conscience, and hath left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men, which are, in any thing, contrary to His Word; or beside it, in matters of faith, or worship (WCF XX.2).
- biblical “sufficiency,” that no other standard exists besides the Holy Scriptures to dictate our beliefs and conduct; i.e., that the Bible is ultimately sufficient all by itself to impart to us all the knowledge we need to be saved and live godly; cf. 2 Tim 2 Pet 1.3-4.
The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man`s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit or traditions of men (WCF 1.6).
With this background, we are ready to grasp the significance of WLC Q4. We would do this by elaborating on its critical words and phrases.
I. “The Scriptures.”
This phrase is clearly intended to designate “the Old and New Testaments” (WLC A3). Further, the same authors ofthe WLC explain exactly what they mean by listing the composite biblical books in WCF 1.2, and that list is the same in your Bible’s table of contents, Genesis through Revelation, excluding the so«called “apocrypha” (lit., hidden), which appear in the LXX and the Latin Vulgate and are falsely called canonical by the Roman Catholic Church, as explained further in the Protestant confession:
The books commonly called Apocrypha, not being of divine inspiration, are no part of the canon of the Scripture, and therefore are of no authority in the Church of God, nor to be any otherwise approved, or made use of, than other human writings (WCF L3).
II. “The word of God.”
The catechetical authors intended by this phrase the message of which God is ultimately the Author, and a message which is His down to the individual words, phrases, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, books, letters, history, poems, prophecies, and other types of biblical literature.
This is not to be construed as a denial that God used human authors by which to commit His Word to writing in a process called divine inspiration. That the very words, and not just the thoughts, were given by God Himself is called verbal inspiration, and that the whole of Scripture from Genesis to Revelation is to be considered, equally in all its parts, the Word of God, is called plenary or full inspiration. That is, the soaring flights of eloquence seen in 1 Cor 13 are no more inspired than the long genealogies of 1 Chron 1-9.
Also, in its strictest sense, this phrase is restricted to the original “autographs,” the very documents written by the hand of those human instruments of divine inspiration, the exact wording of which is now preserved for us in the plethora of manuscript evidence multiplied in the good providence of God.
The Old Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old), and the New Testament in Greek (which, at the time of the writing of it, was most generally known to the nations), being immediately inspired by God, and, by His singular care and providence, kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentic (WCF I.8a).
The Westminster divines understood the need for and encouraged translation of these Scriptures into language understood by the masses.
But, because these original tongues are not known to all the people of God, who have right unto, and interest in the Scriptures, and are commanded, in the fear of God, to read and search them, therefore they are to be translated into the vulgar (common) language of every nation unto which they come, that, the Word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they may worship Him in an acceptable manner; and, through patience and comfort of the Scriptures, may have hope (WCF I.8b).
Notice the insinuation that even relatively poor translations (true translations, not paraphrases) into the vulgar language of the Word of God may also be called the Word of God with all propriety. The AV translators had explained this well about 30 years before WCF was written:
We affirm and avow, that the very meanest translation of the Bible in English, set forth by men of our profession, (for we have seen none of theirs ofthe whole Bible as yet) containeth the Word of God, nay, is the Word of God. As the King’s Speech which he uttered in Parliament, being translated into French, Dutch, Italian, and Latin, is still the King’s Speech, though it be not interpreted by every translator with the like grace, nor peradventure so fitly for phrase, nor so expressly for sense, everywhere. For it is confessed, that things are to take their denomination of the greater part: and a natural man could say, Verum ubi multa nitent in Carmine, non ego paucis offendor maculis, [dubious translation by DSM: truly, much radiance may be in a poem though it is not lacking flaws]. A man may be counted a virtuous man though he have made many slips in his life, (else there were none virtuous, for in many things we offend all) also a comely man and lovely, though he have some warts upon his hand, yea, not only freckles upon his face, but also scars. No cause therefore why the Word translated should be denied to be the Word, or forbidden to be current, notwithstanding that some imperfections and blemishes may be noted in the setting forth of it.1
Thus we have sufficiently identified the Word of God.
III. “Are”
This present tense verb of being might be passed over too hastily, though it deserves careful consideration because it expresses a very profound truth. The Scriptures ARE (not only were) the Word of God-that is, they continue to be His voice speaking to all who read and hear them. God has not only spoken long ago to people far away from us, but He NOW speaks by the Scriptures to His people and sinners alike. This depends not on our faith in the Scriptures, any more than you doubt it is really your wife if she should speak with you on the telephone. If she is speaking, your skepticism does not overthrow her identity as the source of the words she says.
Repeatedly and impressively, the Bible makes this claim for its message-that it is God actively speaking word-revelation. Notice the biblical writers interchangeably say, quoting the OT, that “it says,” “Scripture says,” and “God says,” as B. B. Warfield has pointed out in great technical detail, citing among many other Scriptures Gal 3.8 (cf. Gen 12.1-3); Rom 9.17 (cf. Exod 9.16); and Matt 19.4-5 (cf. Gen 2.24).2
IV. “How doth it appear that.”
Just as in WLC Q2, this is tantamount to asserting, “It does appear that the Scriptures are the Word of God.” That is, it is perfectly obvious to the impartial observer that the OT and NT are what they claim to be, namely, God’s Word. They are self-authenticating, bearing His own traits in many respects-e.g., holiness, truth, and glory. The remaining questions are, How is this obvious? What are the internal evidences of Scriptures identity as the Word of God? And how is it that only some people come to embrace the Scriptures as the Word of God, while others remain skeptics despite these plain evidences?
These are the very questions answered in WLC A4, our consideration of which must await another lecture.
Notes:
1. “The Translators to the Reader,” original preface ofthe Authorized (Kingjames) Version, available at:
http: / / www.trinitarianbiblesociety.org/ site/ articles/ tm-rdr.asp#answer
2. B. B. Warfield, Revelation and Inspiration, p. 246.