John Reuther
The first paragraph is a condensed statement of the doctrine of revelation. This doctrine speaks of the self-disclosure of the one, true and living, God. Is this God knowable? Is He willing to declare and describe Himself? Will He make His will, His plan, and His purposes, known to men? The Bible answers all of these in the affirmative. The completed canon of Scripture is itself abundant testimony to the proof of this affirmation, that God is a self-revealing God who can be known. This is the doctrine of revelation.
The doctrine divides into two broad categories: general and special revelation. Both are wonderful means of God’s self-disclosure, and yet they are fundamentally different in form and effect. General revelation is not sufficient to give the knowledge necessary to salvation. Special revelation is “the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith and obedience.” Let us look at these two forms of revelation a bit more closely with the Confession as our guide.
General revelation reveals certain truths about the existence and attributes of God. The biblical basis of this doctrine is found in Psalm 19: 1-3 and Romans 1: 19-21. These are the two passages which teach that there is a general self-disclosure of the true God in the world. This revelation is sensory (seen) and experiential (felt). The Confession states that general revelation is found particularly in the light of nature, the works of creation and providence, and that these means of disclosure reveal the goodness, wisdom and power of God to men so clearly that men are without excuse.
It should be easy to see how the visible creation demonstrates the goodness, wisdom, and power of God. Earth and sky yield abundant provision for man. We are dependent on the earth to yield crops and raw materials for us, and on the heavens for light, heat, wind, and rain. But the goodness bestowed from the heavens and the earth points to the goodness and wisdom of a personal being. The creation is full of living demonstrations of power which can only indicate one thing – that there is a powerful and personal being behind them. It is interesting that the creation provides exactly what man needs! But the thinking of ungodly men refuses to see the obvious, that there is design in the universe.
Interestingly, idolatry uses the powers of nature to give substance to their conceptions of god. Idolaters worship the sun-god, the rain-god, and the god of fertility, among many others. Man naturally moves from the phenomena of nature to belief in some form of deity. Because there are so many powers in nature, idolaters conclude that there are many gods. But because they are related to elements within the creation, they are impersonal gods.
The Confession underscores what the second half of Psalm 19 teaches. The revelation of God in nature is not sufficient to restore the soul, make us wise, enlighten our eyes, and deal with our sins (Psalm 19: 7-13).
Now building on the language of Hebrews 1: 1, this paragraph goes on to show how special revelation does what general revelation cannot, and is not intended to do. “Therefore it pleased the Lord at various times and in different ways to reveal Himself.” Hebrews 1: 1 is an important statement regarding God’s self-disclosure. It is a description of the many means that God used to reveal Himself under the old covenant (Old Testament). He revealed Himself to the fathers in dreams, visions, theophanies, appearances of angels, Urim & Thummim, the casting of the lot, etc. None of these were written forms of revelation when they first came. Of course, the special focus of Hebrews 1: 1 is the Lord Jesus Christ, the contrast to these older forms of revelation to the fathers. In these last days He has spoken to us in His Son…We call this “deed and word revelation”. God spoke and acted. He did great things, and then explained the meaning of those saving acts in clear, rational speech.
But each revelation is passing, known only to those hear, or who hear the reports. It does not pass on to successive generations, unless written. It is only seen, and/or heard. The Bible however, is “inscripturated revelation”. Deed and spoken word revelation is now written for preservation.
The Confession notes the several reasons why God committed this special revelation of His saving acts and spoken words to writing. There are three reasons mentioned. 1.) To declare His will to the church. Unless passed on through writing how would the church know of His saving acts?
2.) For the better preserving and propagating of His truth. Unless written,
how does the church communicate this truth to others?
3.) For the better establishing of the church against the corruption of the
flesh, the malice of Satan and the world. Without Scripture believers have no ammunition in spiritual warfare.
Since general revelation is insufficient, and since deed and word revelation is so indispensable for salvation, we must have a written scripture. Since the former ways of God in revealing Himself to His people are now ceased (Hebrews 1: 1), the Scripture is “most necessary”. Without it, a person cannot be saved. Without it, Christians cannot be built up, and the church cannot move forward to victory.
The first statement of the paragraph is actually the grand conclusion of the substance of the teaching of the paragraph. “The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.” In other words, the Scripture gives the knowledge of salvation infallibly – without leading us astray, certainly – without any doubt, and sufficiently – with nothing lacking.
God has revealed Himself to men thoroughly. He has left nothing lacking. He has done all things well. Our mandate is to take up this blessed book and follow it in life as thoroughly as it was compiled for us. (Eph.5: 15 – be careful how you walk.)
The Confession lists the following passages as the foundation of paragraph 1. I will separate them into primary and secondary texts.
OT: Primary – Psalm 19; Secondary – Isa. 8: 20; Prov. 22:19-21;
NT: Primary – Rom. 1:19-21; Heb. 1: 1; 2 Tim. 3: 15-17; 2 Pet. 1: 19-21; Eph. 2: 20; Secondary – Rom.15: 4; Rom. 2: 14,15; Luke 16: 29.
The 2 Tim. 3 and 2 Pet. 1 passages are the two foundational NT passages in the doctrine of the word of God. They should be carefully studied. 2 Tim. 3: 16 states that the Scriptures are “God-breathed” (that is, breathed out of God, or expired) and therefore profitable…This is the doctrine called “inspiration.” But it is important to note that the picture is not of God putting something into the Bible (inspire) but that the product of Scripture is the result of God speaking (literally, breathing-out or expiration). 2 Peter 1: 21 explains how this divine speaking forth operates in conjunction with the human instruments – the men who actually spoke and wrote. The passage says that “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.” The word moved has the sense of a ship being carried along the waters by the powerful wind. Some versions render moved by the phrase “carried along”. God’s providence carried these men along in their lives so that all they spoke (in their own personalities and styles), and wrote, is exactly what God wanted them to say. God breathed out His word through the instrumentality of men who were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
Personal Application: Look at what God has done to reveal Himself to you! Will you give all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, to seek and know Him? Since the Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, will you and I therefore devote our lives to the study and application of this rich treasure of revelation? Revelation demands response. The kind of response that God desires is illustrated in the words of young Samuel –“Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” (1 Samuel 3: 9) Remember that inscripturated (written) revelation is ultimately a better form of revelation than the spoken word (as Peter said in 2 Peter 1: 17-19) because it is more certain and lasting. But it also brings the spoken word of the past into our lives as the present and future word of God. How hungry are you for the words of God? How committed are you to reading, studying, and hearing His word? Do you look for something more than the written word? Is the written word coming to life in your experience day by day? David summed up what our attitude should be when he said that the word of God is “…more desirable than gold, yes, than much fine gold. Sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb.” (Psalm 19: 10).
B. The Canon of Scripture – Para. 2 & 3
1. The identity of the canonical books.
a. Old Testament – 39 books
b. New Testament – 27 books
2. The rejection of the apocryphal books.
3. The test of canonicity.
True Scripture is given by inspiration of God.
4. The importance of canonicity.
True Scripture is the rule of faith and life.
The basic thrust of these sections is to say that it is vital to identity the exact books that God did indeed breathe out through these select instruments. We must identify the true, and reject the false. Since the doctrine of revelation is all about God revealing His will to man and requiring obedience from man, we must ask, “In what books has God thus revealed His will?”
These paragraphs are directed to the Roman Catholic church and it’s inclusion of a certain class of books called the “Apocrypha” into the canon of Scripture. If it can be shown (and it has been abundantly shown) that these are not among the God-breathed Scriptures (2 Tim. 3: 16), then they cannot be trusted to give a certain and infallible knowledge of saving truth leading to a life of obedience. Hence they are to be rejected.
The Jews uniformly rejected the Old Testament Apocrypha, regarding them as uncanonical. The manuscripts of the Greek version of the Hebrew Old Testament (The Septuagint) included them as an addendum to the canonical books. As the Latin Bible was translated from the Greek Bible, so they made their way into Jerome’s Latin Vulgate translation. At the Council of Carthage (397 AD) they were recognised as suitable for reading. In 1548 the Council of Trent recognised the majority of the Apocryphal books as having unqualified canonical status. The Reformers rejected the Apocrypha as unworthy and contradictory to the true canon of Scripture. Our Confession of Faith aligns itself with the Reformers, the early church, and the Jews of old in rejecting these books as uncanonical.
Personal Application: This section may give the appearance of having no personal application to the Christian in his everyday life. But it does highlight the magnificent work of preservation that God has done. The subject is dealt with more fully in paragraph 8. God does all things well. The original creation was pronounced “very good”. The deliverance of the children of Israel from Egypt was celebrated in the Song of Moses (Ex. 15.) The atonement of Christ was declared “finished”, that is, fully accomplished. In the same way, the Bible is a perfect finished product. It is a library of 66 books that will guide us to heaven! We need to read each one of those 66 books regularly. A regular Bible reading programme, and a good method of understanding the basic contents of each Bible book is essential for spiritual growth.
C. The Authority of the Bible & The witness of the Spirit – Para. 4 & 5
1. The duty of faith in the word of God.
a. Does not depend on the testimony of any man or church.
b. Is rooted in the authority of God Himself – “Because it is the word of God.”
2. The evidences that the Bible is the word of God.
a. The church bears witness that Scripture is the word of God.
b. The church encourages a reverent esteem for the word of God.
3. The full persuasion and assurance of the believer by the witness of the Spirit.
These paragraphs are important for two reasons. First, because of the historical background. The Roman Catholic Church teaches that the certainty of the authority of the Bible is dependent upon the testimony of the church. In other words, people who read and trust the Bible do so only because they trust the Roman Catholic Church (or any church for that matter). It is important secondly, because we all need to understand why the Bible has ultimate authority in our lives! These paragraphs present the foundation for biblical authority in our individual, family, church, and civil, life.
Notice the tension reflected in the outline. Faith and submission to the word of God is an unqualified duty. We believe the Bible because it is the word of God. But, on the other hand, we believe it is because it evidences itself to be the infallible word of God. Is there any contradiction between faith and evidences? Often, apologetics makes it appear that there is. I maintain that the Confession shows the beautiful balance between faith and evidences.
We believe the Bible because it is the word of God. We believe it to be the declaration of His will and the recounting of His ways. But how did we come to believe this? Surely all do not believe and tremble before God’s word (Isa.66: 2). The Confession cites 2Thess. 2: 13. Paul writes to the church “God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the spirit and faith in the truth.” We believe the Bible because God had chosen us for salvation and granted us faith to believe in Him and trust His word. No one comes to faith in God and obedience to the Bible apart from God’s choice in election.
Just because men do not believe the Bible, or think it to be full of myths, legends, and the opinions of men, does not detract from its authority. It is still the word of God, though no one believes in it. But men do believe in it and receive it as such because God has chosen them to receive it (1 Co. 2: 10-12).
Jesus stated: “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” John 6: 29. The authority of the written Word, as with the authority of the spoken word of Jesus, depends on God alone, who is truth itself. Paragraph 4 of the Confession reminds us that we are to believe the word of God because it is the word of God. There will be times when we will not like the word of God. We will not be comfortable with it in reading it or when it is preached. But we must believe it. We must be like the Thessalonians of whom it was said in 1 Thess. 2: 13 – “you accepted it not as the word of men, but as the word of God…”
But Paragraph 5 deals with the balancing consideration, which is that the word of God not only commands, but commends itself to us with evidences that support faith and obedience. The church does bear testimony of the evidences that cause us to hold the Scripture high in our esteem. Reasons are given in this paragraph that will cultivate such a high esteem in our hearts toward the word of God. Let me attempt to briefly explain what each of these statements means.
“The heavenliness of the matter”. In John 3: 12 Jesus said to Nicodemus – “If I told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?” The Bible is all about heavenly things. If we truly want to draw close to heaven, and ultimately go to heaven, then let us live in the Bible and learn of heaven! It is heaven come down to earth. The more I study the Bible the more I am convinced that men could and would never have created the message of the Bible and assembled the books of the Bible.
“The efficacy of its doctrines” – Efficacy means power and purpose. The Gospel is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes (Romans 1: 16). The word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword (Hebrews 4: 12). Only the true believer learns the truth spoken in Psalm 34: 8 “O taste and see that the Lord is good, how blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.” And Hebrews 11: 6 “he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” Truly the Bible is our support and strength, for through it we draw near to God through Jesus Christ. What an amazing truth! The word of God is living, and able to convey life to our souls.
“The majesty of style” – Although the Bible is written for the common man, and the unlearned as well as the learned can understand it (Paragraph 7), it does have a majestic style, especially in certain portions. Consider the simple majesty of the creation account in Genesis 1; the majesty of the pre-incarnate Christ in John1; the powerful preaching of Moses in Deuteronomy 1-11; the beauty of such Psalms as Psalm 1, 8, 19, 23, 32, 51, 90, 103; the majestic utterances of the suffering Job; the glorious preaching of Isaiah and Jesus, and the theological treatises of Paul in Romans, Ephesians, and Galatians! The word of God is majestic, and its mountain-peaks are breathtaking!
“The consent of all the parts” – This is the one of the great evidences of the divine source of the Bible. The Bible is the record of redemptive history from the creation of the world to the establishment of the Christian church through the labours of the apostles. When you consider the number of authors, the variety of personalities and callings of those authors, the time span, and the variety of literature in the Bible, it is the work of divine orchestration that the Bible has internal harmony throughout all of it’s books and with all of it’s authors. It is consistent, rational, progressive, and possesses integrity and consent in all it’s parts.
“The scope of the whole (which is to give all glory to God)” – When we study the Bible we necessarily look at it one part at a time. But then there are times when we step back and try to get a good look at the whole. When we do this what do we see? We see that the Bible is given to us so that God will receive all the glory. He receives all the glory because He is the infinite, and we are the finite. He is the Righteous One, we stand in need of His righteousness. He is all wise and powerful, we are fools and weak. He is gracious and compassionate, we are depraved and stand in need of salvation.
“The full discovery of the only way of man’s salvation” – The Bible truly reveals the way of salvation to man. It is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. Not only does reveal the way, it guides us on the way, all the way to glory. It has guided multitudes upon multitudes to final salvation and deliverance from God’s wrath, and it will guide you and me if we obey it.
“Many other incomparable excellencies and entire perfections” – It is clear that the authors of the Confession believed that the Bible is an inexhaustible treasure of good things, and that it possesses a great variety of evidences (here called excellencies or perfections) that encourage the believer in his or her faith. We ought to read, study, and memorise our Bibles, and listen to sermons, with a sense of expectancy – that God will show us wonderful things out of His law (Psalm 119: 18).
We have one final thought to consider under the section on authority, and it has to do with the work of the Holy Spirit. As great and persuasive as these evidences are to the believer, the Confession says, “our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth, and divine authority thereof, is from the work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.”
Notice the words of paragraph 5. “The inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the word in our hearts.” This witness of the Spirit is personal and internal. It is in the heart of the Christian. It is truly the moving of the Spirit in us. But notice that it is not stated to be purely from one’s own experience; nor from one’s own thought processes. It is specifically “by and with the word.” It is only through the reading, study, and meditation upon the word of God that the Holy Spirit bears witness in our hearts. The passages cited in the Confession are John 16: 13, 14; 1Cor. 2: 10-12, and 1 John 2:20, 27
In John 16: 13, 14 the Spirit is called the “Spirit of Truth.” The truth referred to here is the truth of the word of God (as Jesus pointed out in John 17: 17). As the Spirit of truth He guides into all the truth. We must understand that “the truth” into which the spirit guides believers is the truth of the inscripturated revelation. It is not guidance into truth though personal sensation.
In 1 Cor. 2:12-13 the spirit, whom we have freely received, is from God, so that we might know the things freely given to us by God. And what are those things? In verse 13 we see that those things are words taught by the spirit, or the Spirit-inspired truths of the Scripture. In this chapter, we see the marvelous process of special revelation in action. The Spirit searches the depths of God, for He is the Spirit of God (2: 10). No one could know God any other way (2: 11). But the Spirit who searches the depths of the being and character and will of God is in every true believer, and in turn reveals those things that He Himself has searched out (2: 12)!
In 1 John 2: 20 and 27 the work of the Spirit is called an anointing. Anointing was a sign in the Old Testament economy that prophets, priests and kings, were being called and equipped by Jehovah for their special work. Here we find an amazing thing in comparison. Each believer has an anointing from the spirit of God for the purpose of knowing the truth of God. Apart from the Gnostic heresy that John is trying to deal with –a teaching about “secret knowledge” that can be attained only by imitation into the cult of the Gnostic teachers – John is saying that the Holy Spirit is their direct teacher. He is not denying that God has appointed teachers in the church. He is only denying contemporary errors of his own day that would lock the Scriptures up as secrets for a select group to unlock for those who would join with them. No, John has already stated in 1 John 1: 4 – “these things we write, so that your joy may be made complete.”
In summary, we must believe and act upon the word of God 1.) because God possesses all authority, and when God speaks we listen and obey. 2.) because the word of God proves itself to be from God, commending itself to our conscience with remarkable evidences; and 3.) because there is a living internal witness in our own hearts as we prayerfully commune with God through written Scripture.
Under paragraphs 4 & 5, the Confession lists the following passages. The primary passages are 2 Peter 1: 19-21; 2 Tim. 3: 16; John 16: 13, 14; 1 Cor. 2:10-12. The secondary or supportive passages are 2 Thess. 2: 13; 1 John 5: 9; 1 John 2: 20, 27. I would add that the most important passages which link the authority of the Bible with the work of the Holy Spirit are John 14-16 and 1 Cor. 2. These passages are worthy of our most careful study.
Personal Application: Does the word of God exert such a powerful influence in your own life? Can you say that it is your authority? Do you live and make decisions by its teachings? Do others see that your life is governed and motivated by the teachings of the Bible? When others (like pastors, parents or friends) attempt to help us apply the Bible personally, or rebuke and correct us from the Scripture, do we turn against them? This is often the real test of our belief in the authority of the Bible. David said, “Let the righteous smite me in kindness and reprove me; it is oil upon the head; do not let my hand refuse it (Psalm 141: 5). I love the story of Cornelius in Acts 10 and 11. He said to Peter, “We are all here present before God to hear all that you have been commanded by the Lord.” (Acts 10: 33) If we believe in the authority of the Bible, then we should be prepared to act on it however it comes to us!
So many Christians complain that their devotions are dull and lifeless. So many struggle to have a refreshing time of communion with God every day. Surely the problem is all with us, and not with the Bible! This is no dull history or dry theology. The problem is in our relationship to the Holy Spirit of Christ. We are to be filled the Spirit (Eph. 5: 18), even as we search the Scriptures. I refer again to John 14-16 where our relationship to the Spirit of God is so fully expounded by our Lord. Are you walking in the Spirit (Gal. 5: 25)? This is the only way that the word of God will be true life to you. The Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.
D. The Sufficiency of the Bible & The Illumination of the Spirit – Para. 6
1. Scripture contains the whole counsel of God
2. Scripture addresses all things necessary for man’s salvation, faith and life.
a.) Expressly stated (commands, directives)
b.) Necessarily contained in (principles, implications, applications)
3. Nothing need be added.
a.) By new revelations of the Spirit.
b.) By the addition of the tradition of men.
4. A commonality to human actions and societies which are ordered by:
a.) The light of nature.
b.) Christian prudence.
c.) The general rules of the word of God.
In this outline you observe a clear and comprehensive progression of thought. God has given us a complete revelation. This is “the whole counsel of God.” The Bible is sufficient to save us and nourish the life of faith in us. Nothing therefore need be added. Yet there are many things in which God wants us to use wisdom and discernment, applying the general principles of the word to practical situations that the word of God may not explicitly address. This is the basic content of paragraph 6.
The teaching of the opening paragraph is that the word of God contains all that is necessary for God to be glorified, man to be saved and live his life in this world by faith. This knowledge comes in God’s word either through its express teachings, or through its derived teachings. Express teachings (which the Confession calls “expressly set down”) are God’s law: the Ten Commandments, all other laws and commandments, testimonies found in the Psalms and wisdom found in the Proverbs, Christian duties and other forms of direct teaching that are found in the gospels and Christian doctrine. Derived teachings (which the Confession calls “necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture”) are principles, implications, and applications that derive from Scripture biography, the types and symbols of worship, parables, and other implications of gospel revelation and Christian doctrine. This is the whole counsel of God.
The phrase “the whole counsel of God” is found in Acts 20: 27. It is a rich expression that speaks of the many truths that God has spoken and that are now written down for us in sacred Scripture. 2 Peter 1: 3 reminds us that God has given us everything pertaining to life and godliness through the true knowledge of Christ. This knowledge is found in His word.
Notice the two great issues mentioned: the glory of God and the salvation of man. God’s glory is first and far more important than the needs of man. Yet God has shown mercy to man through saving grace. That too is revealed in the Bible, and the revelation is sufficient to supply all that a saved man needs to live by faith and grow to the glory of God.
When we speak of the sufficiency of the Bible, we mean that it is sufficient to accomplish its purpose in the world, in the church, and in our life. The Bible was not given to help people build bridges and buildings, to do lab experiments, or to sell real estate. It is certainly applicable to each of these and any other occupation. It is not a manual for biology, physics, history, or economics. But it is accurate and infallible whenever it speaks in any of these areas. And it is applicable to any one of these disciplines. It will build a foundation for any discipline within which that area of study can and ought to move.
But it is sufficient to direct sinners to Christ for salvation. It is sufficient to equip believers to live by faith (Romans 1: 17 – “the righteous man shall live by faith”). They have everything that they need. This is both a benefit and a warning. Since the Bible contains everything that sinners and saints need for salvation, they must not add to the revelation that provides for them. The Confession speaks of two tendencies in history where additions to the word of God are most prevalent.
The first is new revelations of the Spirit. This can be seen as early as the Corinthian church. We can see how Paul dealt with this problem in 1 Corinthians 12-14. Church history evidences this tendency early in the second century through a teacher named Montanus, after whom the movement known as Montanism was named. This movement was directed against the coldness and spiritual apathy of the professing church. It championed the charismatic gifts, and the continuing direct revelation of the Spirit through gifted men. It resisted systematic study of the Bible, and emphasised experience more than knowledge. Tertullian was a defender of this position. It was the precursor of both the pietistic and pentecostal movements in more modern times.
Today we see numerous evangelicals emphasising that there is continuing revelation of the Spirit. This, modern advocates assert, is through the still functional gift of prophecy (1 Cor. 12, 14). It is asserted that someone may stand up in a church service and deliver a message from the Spirit of God. It may be a word of direction to the church or to an individual in the church. It may contain direct information relating to God’s specific will and guidance to them.
Note: The best book available today giving a biblical response to this teaching is The final Word, by O. Palmer Robertson, published in 1993 by Banner of Truth Trust. (Bala, you decide whether this is relevant or useful for the readers.)
This position undermines the authority of the Bible and denies the sufficiency of it. Do we need a prophet to speak to us through the Spirit to tell us when and where we should move our family, or what job to take? Do we need a revelation of the spirit to indicate to us that we should go and talk to a person about an important matter? If the completed canon of Scripture is sufficient, then we do not. But how then does the Bible act as truly sufficient for faith and life? The answer is that we search the Scriptures to discover its teachings and learn its principles, and as we live in the spirit, we have the guidance of God leading us to face every decision with wisdom. The principle is that the Spirit leads us through the written word, by making us able to discern wisdom and apply truth to specific issues in life.
While the spirit does not add new revelation, He does shed light on the written revelation. This is the doctrine of illumination that the Confession is referring to. The main passage cited in the Confession reference is 1 Cor. 2: 9-12.
The illumination of the Word of the Spirit of God is necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in His word. This was one of the great emphases of the Reformers who drew attention to the vital connection of the Word and the Spirit. The Holy Spirit illumines the Word of God. He speaks in and through the Word, and not apart from the Word. The Word can only be understood and obeyed with the aid of the Spirit. This aid comes in the form of enlightenment to the eyes of faith so that we can see the wonderful truths of God’s word.
Remember the key principle stated by our Lord on two separate occasions in John’s Gospel. The principle is that the work of the Holy Spirit is to illumine and apply the work of Christ to the believer. In John 7: 38, 39 He spoke about the work of the Spirit as “rivers of living water flowing from one’s innermost being.” This is the work of the Spirit. But this is only experienced by “drinking” of Christ, which is the same as coming to Christ by faith to have communion with Him.
In John 16: 14 Jesus taught His disciples that the Holy Spirit would take the things of Christ and show those to them. This means that the Spirit draws our attention to Christ. He shines the light of understanding upon Jesus. He has no work that is detached from Christ. This is the one of the great and obvious errors of the modern Charismatic movement. They emphasize that the Spirit carries out works such as speaking in tongues, miraculous healings, granting specific guidance, and in some cases, bizarre manifestations that have been attributed to the Holy Spirit!
If you read carefully through John 14-16, the “Upper room Discourse”, you will find there the most important teaching on the Holy Spirit found in the New Testament. All other revelation in the New Testament is rooted in what Jesus said about the Spirit there. It is vital to note that Jesus spoke nothing about tongues, healings, or other works that are attributed to the Spirit in that discourse. His main emphasis there was on the ministry of the Spirit in relation to the “truth” (the Bible), and to Himself. In both of these ministries we see the Holy Spirit in His work of illumination.
The mandate for the believer then is to “abide in Him” (1 John 2: 27-28). John remembers the words of the Lord Jesus in the upper room (John 14-16) where Jesus emphasised that abiding in Him meant having His word abide in us (John 15: 7). The Spirit does this teaching through the Word.
We have already considered Paul’s teaching in 1 Cor. 2. But it is also applicable here under illumination of the Spirit. It is rational (using words – 1 Cor. 2: 13), and pervasively biblical (using the completed canon of Scripture).
The second tendency is the addition of the tradition of men. Rome has added the doctrines of its councils, and the “infallible” decisions of the pope to the pure teachings of the word of God.
The reformation teachings, from which our Confession came, combated both of these tendencies, and so must we. We must be led by the Spirit (Rom. 8: 14), be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5: 18), and walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5: 16, 25). We must not grieve the Spirit (Eph. 4: 30) nor quench the Spirit (1 Thess. 5: 19). But all of these elements of the Spirit’s working are, as the Confession says, “by and with the Word in our hearts” (Para. 5). We must resist adding to the Scripture. We do this by carelessly interpreting it and inappropriately applying it. We may also do this by being stricter than God and requiring things that He does not require in the Bible. The Pharisees are the clearest warning to us about adding to the Scripture. Let them ever be a warning to us, as Jesus said in Matthew 15: 1-14 and 23: 1-36.
Finally, the confession points out that there is a commonality in the church to human actions and societies in a very focused area, the worship of the church. The passages cited are 1 Cor. 11: 13, 14 and 1 Cor.14: 26, 40. I want to focus on the latter passage.
All things are to be done decently and in an orderly manner. Verse 33 gives the reason for this – “for God is not a God of confusion, but of peace.” While the Bible does clearly give us the broad outlines and foundational activities of the New Testament Church, it also leaves many things to the light of nature, Christian prudence of common Christian sense, and the general rules of the word of God.
How do we distinguish between these two? First, we look at the central passages of the NT to find the regulative principles that govern our worship. We see how our worship is regulated by Acts 2: 42 (teaching, which would include preaching, fellowship, the Lord’s supper, and the corporate prayer), the Pastoral Epistles with their emphasis on sound doctrine and teaching, Eph. 5: 19 and Col. 3: 16 (singing), and evangelism. In fact, we must insist in our generation that the New Testament declares that the church exists for the following activities of worship. The proclamation of the word of God in preaching, teaching, and counseling; public corporate worship of the gathered saints to hear the word preached; public and private shepherding of the souls of God’s people through appointed shepherds; corporate prayers, Christian-disciple baptism and the observance of the Lord’s Supper, singing, and pure Christian fellowship.
The Confession is simply saying that there are many factors in the structuring of these requirements for worship that we must work out as God’s people under appointed leadership. And what might those things be?
They might include the times and frequency of public meetings, length of meetings, conducting of church business, structuring of Christian fellowship, administration of church affairs, follow-up of the people of God, details of evangelistic outreach, etc.
The Confession is certainly not opening the door to the addition of significant elements in Christian worship that would usurp or detract from the New Testament elements. Churches must safeguard the elements listed above. Additions to worship usually take the subtle form of entertainment or human coercion to attract modern people to the message of the Bible which, it is felt, is not attractive to modern man.
The passages listed for paragraph 6 are 2 Tim. 3: 15-17 and 1 Cor. 2: 9-12. Once again we see the importance of these passages. Other passages are Galatians 1: 8, 9; John 6: 45; and 1 Cor. 11: 13, 14 and 14: 26, 40.
Personal Application: We live in a day and culture that craves for something new and exciting! We cannot escape it nor deny it does affect us. But God is unchanging, and His completed Word gives no satisfaction to these cravings. In fact, God is the God who takes old things and makes them like new. The experience of the two on the road to Emmaus comes to mind. Their hearts were burning within them as He walked with them on the road and was explaining the Scriptures to them (Luke 24: 32). The principle is that the Scripture to illumine us. And just as light gives direction to our movements and heat to our environment, so the completed Scripture illumined by the Spirit will give us direction and warmth. We will know the will of God and the presence of God. Yes, the Bible is for our minds and for our feelings! We can not only know God, but we can feel His presence! Through the opening up of His Word.
We do not need all of the “extras” of worship that professing Christians crave for. We must learn to beseech God to come upon our worship, and His word to show His glory among us. May we know more and more of His presence and power through the Word of God.
E. The Clarity of the Bible – Para 7
1. All Scripture is not equally plain and clear.
2. Things necessary for salvation are very clear.
The Christian Bible student knows full well that the Bible contains things simple and things hard to understand. The unbeliever complains that the Bible is hard to understand, and that those who do read it interpret it differently, as if the problem is with the word of God.
Our Confession reminds us of the foundational truth that the Bible is clear. It is not saying that some things in the Bible are clear and some are not clear. Rather, it declares that the Bible is clear, especially in those things that are necessary for salvation. Regarding these things, the learned and the unlearned can attain to a sufficient understanding of those things in a due use of ordinary means.
Remember that in paragraph 6 we already learned that the inward illumination of the Spirit of God is necessary for the saving understanding of the things that are revealed in the word. This paragraph is simply developing the part of human responsibility in the study of the Bible. It is exactly what is meant when God says, “Seek the Lord…” If we desire to know God we must seek for Him. And when we seek for Him it is by “ordinary means” – reading the Bible, interpreting its plain language, praying for light from the Holy Spirit, etc. When we do these things. The Bible is clear and plain. One need not be a scholar to understand the Bible. Thank god for many godly scholars! Bit the Bible is not just for them! It is for you and me.
Psalm 19 is the promise that the Bible is clear. “The law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul, the testimony of the Lord is pure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart, the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever, the judgements of the Lord are true, they are righteous altogether (Psalm 19: 7-9). Psalm 119: 130 promises again: “The unfolding of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.”
On the other hand, we cannot deny that there are many things in the Bible that are not plain in themselves. There are things difficult, not impossible, to understand. There are several indications of this in the New Testament. The first indication comes from Peter himself. 2 Peter 3: 16 says “as also in all his letters, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which the untaught and the unstable distort, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction.”
A second indication of this is in Paul’s statement in 2 Tim. 4: 3 – “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine….” Paul is speaking of people who cannot bear up under the teachings of the word of God. Jesus encountered this kind of person in John6: 60 – “This is a difficult statement, who can listen to it (understand it, accept it).” The reason they cannot bear up under the teachings of the word of God is due to their own spiritual inability to work through the issues of the Bible truth, history, and doctrine. And this is one of the reasons why the Bible is not equally plain in every place. One must study hard, search, compare, pray, listen and learn.
Other indications that the Scripture is not equally plain is found in the many “hard sayings” of the Bible, parables, etc., where it is evident that we need teachers who can help us to understand the historical background, the theology, and the practical implications, of such passages.
It is quite clear that God has provided for us in the gift of pastor-teachers in the in the church to help us understand the Bible. It is not that we are lost without them! No! God does reveal Himself to His children through His word, even without a teacher. This is the teaching of 1 John 2: 20, 27. But if we would become mature, and be able to deal with false and destructive teachings, we must be well taught in the church of Christ.
Ephesians 4: 1-16 is a very important passage for Christians to understand in this connection. It shows us how we are brought to strength, maturity, and conformity to Christ in the church. Verse 11 is the key however. It says that God has given apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastors and teachers to equip us in this way. Notice that each of these offices relates to the word of God. Each one declares the word of God to the people.
Personal Application: Bible study is not a futile and frustrating work. There is a joy of discovery for the Christian in personal devotional Bible study. Because the Bible is clear we can study it with anticipation, knowing that God will speak to us. Yet, because the Bible is deep, we know that we will never exhaust its riches. It will keep us growing for a lifetime here, and then because God’s word will never pass away, it will be with us in heaven.
Being taught, however, is yet another blessing that comes with Bible study. How thankful we ought to be for those who teach us the word of God. Hebrews 13: 7 tells us to “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you….”
F. The Preservation & translation of the Bible – Para. 8
1. The Scriptures are the product of Divine Inspiration.
2. The Scriptures have been providentially preserved by God through history.
3. The Scriptures are therefore authentic.
4. The Scriptures must therefore be translated into the languages of all nations.
This paragraph is a simple explanation of how the Bible was written and preserved. It was written in the Hebrew and Greek language. It was preserved in a wonderful way by God’s “singular care and providence”, and “kept pure in all ages.” This is a reference to the remarkable providence of God in the copying of manuscripts from the originals as they came from God through His servants. This is a vast field of study given a passing reference for this one reason: to emphasise the importance of translating these copies of the original Hebrew and Greek manuscripts in all of the languages of man. The reason given is that not all are able to read these original languages. They need the Scripture in their own tongues.
G. The Finality of the Bible – Para. 9 & 10
1. The Bible is it’s own final interpreter.
2. The Bible is the supreme judge of all controversies and final resolution of our faith.
The statements found in these two paragraphs are just some further applications of the section on the sufficiency of the Bible, which is found in paragraph 6, and the clarity of the Bible, in paragraph 7. Since the Scripture is sufficient and clear, it is the final authority. It speaks the final word in all controversies. And because of these things, our faith is always “finally resolved”.
But there are two specific lines of thought. The first is that the Bible is its own final interpreter. This has reference to a rule of interpretation. How does the reader ultimately come to understand the precise meaning of any given passage of Scripture? He applies certain rules of hermeneutics (the science of studying the Bible to find its meaning.) But in the end, the only infallible rule of interpretation is the Scripture itself. The Bible student must always search out and confirm his interpretation by the authority of other passages of Scripture.
Acts 15: 15, 16 is offered as a proof of this. This passage reads: “With this the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written.” And this is what paragraph 9 is seeking to assert.
Of course, these words were written against the background of the Roman Catholics’ assertions that the church is the only infallible interpreter of Scripture, or the final word judge of the meaning of Scripture. This is false and heretical teaching. The Bible is the final interpreter of itself, and believers who possess the Holy Spirit, guided by faithful teachers, can attain to the true meaning of the Scripture. The church of Rome, and any other religious body that asserts its indispensability for the interpretation of Scripture, is in error on this point.
The second line of thought relates to controversies of religion, opinions, and decrees of councils and private men. The point of this paragraph is again to assert that in all such cases, the Bible has final authority.
This is not to say that opinions and decrees, statements and creeds, are essentially wrong in themselves. There is a legitimate place for decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits. But these decrees and expressions of faith must be tested, supported, and approved, by the final authority, the Bible.
The Council at Jerusalem, recorded in Acts 15, is a perfect example of what this final paragraph is dealing with. There was a controversy regarding the faith, so a meeting of the elders was called. The controversy was put on the table and dealt with. Men spoke and gave their opinions. But the final resolution came as the Scriptures were brought to bear on the question.
The texts cited in the footnotes are worth looking at. They are Matt. 22: 29, 31; Eph. 2: 20; and Acts 28: 33.
The Confession of Faith that we have begun to study in these articles is another good example. Each statement of the Confession has been examined to see whether it represents the teaching of the Scripture. Specific passages have been considered in a fuller way, others in a passing reference. But in each case, we have seen that the statements of the Confession represent the teaching of the word of God. Our Confession of Faith is a very legitimate means of Bible study, interpretation, personal confession of faith, and standard by which to judge truth and those that claim to hold the truth. It is a very necessary means for us to use in the building of the church of Jesus Christ. But always and only as it faithfully declares what the final authority of our faith, the Bible, declares.
Concluding Thoughts:
These last two paragraphs remind us once again that the careful study and searching of the Bible should be a manner of life with us, not a passing or sporadic hobby. It is really a “matter of life and death”. And what we call study should include not only the reading of God’s word, but careful comparing of Scriptures that we are reading with other portions of the Scripture. We should always be looking up references that will shed further light and joy upon passages that we are reading.
This is one of the reasons that it is so helpful to have a reference Bible. By this I mean a Bible that points you to references in the column or under the Bible text. This must be carefully distinguished from a “study Bible” that includes commentary. Commentary may be good, but that is not what I am referring to. I mean other Bible references that relate to any given passage. The note in a reference Bible will either point you to the passage that is being quoted, so that you can see the origin and the context and draw further interpretive help. Or, it will point you to passages that teach the same truth, but in different contexts and with different shades of meaning perhaps. We call these “parallel passages”.
It is very important to be discerning about how we study the Bible. We will profit most if we keep searching other Scriptures to see the connections of truth. As we noted above under the many excellencies of the Scripture, there is a wonderful consent to all its parts. This means that one part illumines and confirms, (or else it denies an error that we may be adducing from a passage of Scripture), the other. The end of all interpretation in Bible study is faith, for the just shall live by faith. By faith alone we are justified. By faith alone we please God. By faith alone we are able to deal with all the situations and problems that we face in life. By faith alone can we attain to wisdom. But if our faith is misinformed as a result of careless study of the Bible, our faith is deficient and our lives are misguided.
In all questions and controversies, let us be a people who go to the law and to the testimony (Isa. 8: 20). “If they do not speak according to this word, it is because they have no dawn.” Commit Psalm 19 to memory so that you will not fail to esteem this word as you do the light of the sun. For the law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul.