The Authority of the Scriptures

by Pastor William L. Brown
Pastor, Carmichael Baptist Church

Text: Isaiah 8:20 “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

Introduction:

Baptist have long held that it is to the Scriptures we must appeal, it is the Scriptures we must preach, and it is Scripture to which we must be held accountable. What we teach and practice must find its origin within the laws of Christ and no compromise can be tolerated. History has its value. Confessions stand in high honor. Great writings and books should be read and appreciated; but nothing can be elevated above or even made equal to the inspired and preserved word of God.

Edward B. Underhill (1813-1901) records that the reformation was barely five years old when the Baptist cried that it was not enough. The very weapon of the reformers (sola scriptura) was turned against them. It was done so by the men who were not “nourished in the universities or graced with academic honors” but tutored in the word of God by the Spirit of God who had sanctified them by the blood of Christ. In his book “Tracts on Liberty of Conscience and Persecution” we find this: “Secular potentates have neither place nor dominion in the kingdom of Him who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings and Lord of lords. As there is but one Lord, so is there but one lawgiver in the church, Jesus Christ.” That truth not only applies to secular potentates but any man who seeks to elevate himself above the only Lord to which we bow the knee, humble the heart, and admit our submission.

It should come as no surprise that Baptists found no lasting friends in the reformers of their time who saw the church as any who submitted to the rite of their baptism. The authority of the Scriptures laid waste to this concept which was not far removed from the harlot of Rome and her teaching. Baptists taught and still teach that God must provide the material from which a church may be gathered. The only effectual instrument the Baptist had or has is the word of God as it is used by the Spirit of God according to his sovereign will, not the sword, nor secular law in establishing churches.

The modern proponents of turning the assembly of Christ into a franchise, filled with entertainment, fleshly delights, modern psychology, and pop culture will not be a friend to Baptists any more than were the step-children of Rome in the time of the reformation. They sought to build their churches through means not established by the authority of scripture. The reformers used civil laws which were the secular means that were at their disposal to demand obedience. Today’s modern reformers use the secular means at their disposal to entice and manipulate. Sadly there are Baptists today who are attracted by this supposed success and mimic their ways. Brethren, “to the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Why would any preacher or church lay down the greatest weapon of our warfare, the divine armor of God, the inspired and preserved word of God, to arm yourselves with feeble, frail, faulty and fleshly means? We will build nothing unless God builds the house. Unless God builds the house we labor in vain.

What hope will you give the lost apart from that which is alive in the Bible? What damaged home can be filled with love that is without the foundation and riches of Scripture? What wayward life can be transformed by preaching that is devoid of direction from God’s wondrous word? What Church can be gathered, and advanced separate from the commands of Christ? What sorrow will you comfort and counsel with words that are detached from the powerful precepts of God? What sense will you bring to the confused or hurt with a message that has abandoned the promise and power of God’s sovereign rule? What gospel can you preach that brings life and immortality to light that is not found within the pages of this holy, inspired and preserved word of God? What freedom from sin can you promise when it is not based upon the atoning work of Christ declared so richly and fully from God’s remarkable and living word? Brethren, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” Now when I speak of the authority of Scriptures I think it necessary to first define what I mean by the authority of the Scriptures.

Defining the Authority of the Scriptures

By the word authority I mean power. It is the power to influence or command; in regard to writing it is the source or the conclusive statement, a precedent. In regard to a person it means someone in command. In regard to the Bible it means that Scripture has the power to command; its accuracy has been established, and the information has a power or authority held by right. I must add that without a proper understanding of the inspiration, preservation, and the Bible as a perfect revelation and the needed illumination, our definition of the Authority of the Scriptures will simply become an empty mantra. By authority of the Scriptures I mean the Bible has the inherent power to command us.

Let me illustrate what I mean. Look at Matthew 21:23-24; (Vs. 23) “And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority? “The Pharisees assumed that the authority by which Christ performed miracles and the authority by which Christ taught were derived from an outside source. Their question exposes that they believed Christ’s authority was external and not inherent. They did not understand that the authority of Christ was based upon who he was, upon his nature and being. He was God incarnate and therefore had absolute, sovereign and inherent power and authority. Now look at II Timothy 3:16. Notice the word “inspiration” meaning God breathed or divinely breathed out. These writings, all of them, are God breathed. They are inherently authoritative because of whose words they are. Then in II Peter 1:21, men were moved upon by the Spirit of God, the scriptures came not by man’s will, or by his determination. No human originated one single word of Scripture. These men were borne along, carried along not according to their will but according to God’s will.

Christian’s should understand that we do not “give” Christ authority over our lives as is suggested in so many humanistic invitations given at the conclusion of some church services. The biblical truth is that we “acknowledge” the voice of authority, we hear the voice of our shepherd and we follow that voice. Biblically, the command to repent and believe is not seen, heard, or observed as voluntary but obligatory. We all know John 10:27, where we find these words; “my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” The impact of the voice of Christ, the authority of the word of Christ upon the believer is exemplified in the walk of the believer and in the execution of our duties. Simply stated, those who have been born again recognize the inherent authority of Jesus Christ and they recognize the inherent authority of God’s word.

When Christ spoke of this very subject in John 14:10 look at what he details for us. “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” This is speaking of the nature of Christ as being one with the Father. What he declared came as a result of his Divine nature. The authority of the scriptures means we recognize these words to be binding because they are of divine origin.

Defending the Authority of the Scriptures

The authority of the Scriptures then is inherent because of whose words they are; they are God’s words. They are inspired words. Before I get started in this section I want to give you a very brief mention of an anecdotal comment attributed to Charles Spurgeon about defending the word of God. “Spurgeon was once asked why he didn’t defend the bible against its naysayers, critics, and skeptics. He supposedly responded, “I don’t defend a lion. I just let him out of the cage.” He said the Bible does not need to be defended. Just let it loose and it will defend itself. My intent is not to do anything but let the word of God loose and here is what I want to “loose” it against.

The first thing I want to deal with is how we are to defend the authority of the Scriptures against the unlearned. Let the Bible loose against the ignorance of man. I want to direct your attention to what Paul said in I Cor. 14:37, “If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord.” Paul is instructing the Corinthian assembly that these words regarding the rules of speaking prophetically or using an unlearned language within the assembly are to be acknowledged as the commandments of the Lord. Not suggestions, not proposals or propositions but commands, demands, charges, instructions, decrees, mandates, orders, or authoritative divine directives because of their origin and their author. He is declaring the authority of the Scriptures. These words as commandments are to be known, “epiginōskō” perceived, or recognized. He is stating that they should become fully acquainted with them. Paul wrote these words by inspiration, he wrote them under the direction of the Holy Spirit and then defended them as such. We are to tell people what the word of God declares, expound them, clarify them and then call for obedience to them. This means not declaring our opinions but the commandments of the Lord.

It is in this revelation (these 66 books known as the Bible) that God declares his authority which is his right and power to command us as individuals and as a corporate body. That corporate body is the local visible body of Christ that has been scripturally gathered and made up of scripturally baptized believers. Through both the Old and New Testaments the prophets and writers encouraged and persuaded professing believers to heed the word, attend to the word, obey the word, to listen, to study, to be diligent, to be sincere, and to be convinced of the word of God. Let loose the word of God upon ourselves as in I Timothy 4:16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. Teach the word, not philosophy. Preach the word not opinions. Explore and expound the word. Don’t conceal it, obscure it, or hide the word. Preach the word, let the lion loose against the ignorance of man.

Secondly we need to let the Bible loose against the unable. Man is powerless to learn. Man is incapable of understanding this divine word and no matter how eloquent, no matter how clear we preach we cannot make man see, hear, or understand it. Clearly the Bible teaches that “eye hath not seen, nor ear heard…” Those words and the remaining verses found in I Corinthians 2:10-14, show that it is by divine intervention that we learn spiritual truths. Paul is declaring that it is God who revealed these things to us through the agency of the Holy Spirit. Robertson’s word pictures write of this verse and declare “Human ability and research would not suffice.” God must disclose, reveal, or unveil them to us as is affirmed in Psalm 119:130. “The entrance of thy words giveth light;” That word “entrance” the Hebrew word “pah'-thakh” means opening and comes from the root word to open wide. God causes his word to enter, he gives them to us. This verse and truth communicated should remind us of Luke 24:31-32; “And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the Scriptures?” That word open, used twice here, means to “open thoroughly.” God removed their clouded thinking, God unchained their muddled thoughts, and God deleted their confused opinions. He opened their spiritual eyes, first of all, to see the risen Christ. Secondly he opened their spiritual ears to hear the sovereign purpose and eternal hope of God’s word about the risen Christ.

The word of God is to be expounded, explained, illustrated, developed, and clarified. The authority of the Scriptures should be both explained and defended. As preachers and teachers we must realize that we are compelled to do so and must do so to the best of our ability. But in carrying out this great responsibility we are absolutely dependent upon the Holy Spirit to open the eyes, ears, and hearts of our hearers. Before we move on look at Acts 16:14. Here Paul preached to those gathered by the river side, but it was the Lord who opened the heart of Lydia. Once her heart was opened then she attended to, she gave heed to, she had regard for the gospel of Jesus Christ and the command to repent, believe and be baptized. Brethren, we ought to be in serious prayer that God would open hearts that they might then attend to those things preached. But, if we are not preaching the word of God to what will people give heed to and obey?

Thirdly we must defend the word of God against humanism. Our preaching of the word should be let loose against humanism. By that I mean the establishing human means and methods. Humanism is a way of life or attitude that centers upon human interests and values. This seems to be the most popular concept among contemporary Christianity and the franchise movement of so called churches often referred to today as mega-churches. This concept has invaded every group that think they can establish a better method of missions, evangelism, church polity, discipleship, child rearing, family order, lifestyle, music, ministry, and preaching than what we have commanded in the Bible. God has clearly revealed that it is by the foolishness of preaching that he would save them that believe (I Cor. 1:18). It is by and through the local church that men are to be ordained to the ministry. It is by the authority of the local assembly that has been properly gathered that the administration of baptism and the Lord’s Supper is to be carried out. The family is composed of husband and wife, not girlfriend and boyfriend or any other wild combination that we see today. Evangelism is not appealing to the ability of the unregenerate to decide and choose Christ. Regeneration is not dependent upon man’s will but upon the mighty sovereign dictates of God (John 1:13). Christ is the giver of life to as many as were given to him by the father (John 17:2). There are no alternative means and methods of salvation apart from Jesus Christ. He is the way, the truth and the life and no man cometh unto the father but by him (John 14:6). You don’t attend services to be entertained, to be acknowledged, to be indulged, humored, or satisfied. We don’t use ceremonies, rites, rituals, or formal procedures. We worship in spirit and in truth, we come to offer ourselves to God, to adore him, to fall prostate before a Holy, Majestic, and jealous God. There is a need to defend the authority of the Scriptures against the intrusion of humanistic thinking, of establishing human means and methods in the place of clear cut Bible teaching. Let loose the word of God upon these human inventions. Expound the clear teachings of God’s and let the divine word of God crush the ignorant devices of man.

Fourthly I believe we need to let loose the word of God against tradition. This is not so much an establishing of human means and methods but the elevating of human means and methods. The authority of scripture must supersede all tradition no matter how dearly held, no matter how long it has been held, and no matter by whom it has been held. Jesus was constantly battling the traditions of men that had superseded the word of God by the efforts of the Pharisees, Sadducees and Scribes. In Matthew 15:3, Christ charged the Pharisees with actually transgressing, violating, or teaching actions contrary to the divine authoritative precepts. Their traditions literally deprived the word of its force and authority (Matthew 15:6); not in actuality, but practically. In Mark 7:8, he uses the Greek word “aphiemi,” translated “laying aside” meaning these traditions were elevated to such an extent that God’s word was being left behind, lain aside, or they sent the word away. Then in verse 9 Christ tells them they have not only sent the word away but they have rejected, disregarded, refused the word its rightful place by elevating their traditions above God’s precious word. The point is that these people had closed themselves off from the word of God. They were closed to any discussion or thoughts on scripture. Let loose the word of God on the traditions of men, let them cover their ears and gnash their teeth. When they objected to Christ eating with sinners he quoted Hosea 6:6, he let the lion loose. When they wanted a sign, he let loose the word and told them the only sign would be that of the sign of the prophet Jonah. Just let loose the word of God, give them chapter and verse. If there are those who appeal to tradition instead of “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.”

Fifthly and lastly I want to tell you we need to let the word of God loose against modernism or the eliminating of the word of God. The word of God has been under attack from the very beginning. Satan, in Genesis 3:1 raised the question “hath God said?” and changed the woman’s focus from God’s gracious provisions to the fruit forbidden. Satan today has his voice in many of the notes and writings found in many of the modern versions today questioning the validity of verses throughout God’s word. They throw doubt upon verse after verse about what is God’s word and what is not. Modern textual criticism is often the culprit that has men continually looking for but never finding the actual word of God. Attacks upon both the inspiration and the preservation of the scriptures are an attack upon the authority of the Scriptures. Let loose II Timothy 3:16 upon the deviate attacks upon the inspiration of God’s word. “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:” All scripture is breathed by God, “every word is the authentic voice of God” as one writer describes the truth of this verse. There is a supernatural quality to the word of God because it is his. Let loose II Peter 1:21 in which we read that “…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.” No man gave birth to the word of God. No man labored over the word as his own. No man originated this word before us. No man was its source. God moved upon man, he determined what these men would say. God the Holy Spirit constrained these men and guarded what they wrote so that it was his and not their own. What we have preserved for us today is God’s word, absolute truth. Not conjecture, not values to be admired but precise, accurate, and factual divine words about creation, life, government, husbands, wives, children, education, right, wrong, sin, salvation and judgment.

Eliminating the authority of the scriptures will give rise to works of the flesh, to a weakening of the trustworthiness of the gospel, and an eventual eradication of divine truth. The facts of man’s redemption will become indistinct, vague and indefinable. The church will become an abstract, intangible, and ethereal entity (universal invisible?). Walking in the Holy Spirit will become unattainable, unfeasible and an unrealistic consideration. Truth will become nothing more than optimism, (the power of positive thinking?). Biblical fact will become nothing more than humanistic interpretation, and individual illusions based upon the concept that invaded Israel when they rejected their King. Take away the authority of the Scriptures and we are just like those in Judges 17:6 which states; “In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.” Brethren I encourage you to let loose the word of God upon these modern maladies. Then pray that God would open the eyes, the ears, and the hearts, that they may attend unto the things that are spoken. Brethren, “To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.” We have the light, we have the lion of God in our hands, let it loose. Preach the word and let the hearers know it commands, it demands our obedience because of whose word it is. May God bless our preaching, our teaching, and our hearing of God’s word.