Know the Faith Doctrine’s Source 2 Timothy 3:16-17

As we embark on this section of our rotation of Getting into the Word in 2018, we acknowledge that as disciples of Jesus, we must Know the Faith. If we're serious about being a Christian community, what the Bible calls ‘the church’, we're going to have to deal with the major truths of biblical faith—what we believe and what we are to do. In other words, "What marks us as Christians? What marks us as a community of faith?" If we don't know the faith, then we're just another social organization. I love what John Piper said about these doctrines of faith, Biblical doctrines, that they are “wildly untamable, explosively uncontainable, and electrically future-creating.” They set us on a course that makes a difference in life.

Today we are providing copies of What we Believe, our statement of doctrinal beliefs to all present. This continues a long tradition of seeking to derive our basic tenants of faith from the Word of God. You will notice that it is divided into different doctrinal sections and that each section includes scripture references which are the basis upon which those doctrines are founded. In each message of this series, we will seek to rather quickly introduce one doctrine and allow you to ask questions about what we believe regarding that doctrine or for clarification regarding a doctrine.

When we speak of Doctrines of the Christian Faith - the Old Testament word used for doctrine means ‘what is received’ and is often represented by the word ‘law’. In the New Testament didaskalia or much more common didache and can mean both the content and the act of teaching. The didache gradually became that body of teaching which followers of Christ sought to learn after they responded to the kerygma Gospel (Acts 2:42).

There are four words that we use somewhat interchangeably as names for this divine written communication from which Christian doctrine, the Christian Faith comes: Bible – from biblus or papyrus reed upon which words were written. Translated “book” and ultimately “sacred books” – see Matthew 1:1, Luke 4:17.

Testament(s) – means covenant, the term God used to designate the relation that existed between Himself and His people. First it meant the relationship then the record of same. As Christ came, He was the New Covenant, so that by third century Origen wrote of the divine Scriptures, the Old and New Covenants – see 2 Corinthians 3:6, 14, Hebrews 12:24

Scripture(s) – As in English ‘script’, means writings, and became the most common designation for the whole Bible. See 2 Tim. 3:15-16, Matthew 22:29 “not understanding the Scriptures, or the power of God.” Finally, Word of God – Hebrews 4:12; gathers up all these words and views them humbly as utterances of divine wisdom and love – of God speaking to man.

So today, we look at Doctrine’s Source, what we believe to be the source of all true doctrine, both teaching about and teaching from God, the divinely inspired Scriptures, the Bible, the Old and New Testaments, the Word of God.

As we conclude today, we will invite you to ask questions about our doctrine. In contemporary culture there are many opinions about the Bible, its value or lack thereof, and how it came to be. So as we progress, make notes to ask of : Questions you have about the Bible and our understanding of it? Of what you hear people say about the Bible that causes you to wish you knew how to respond in ways that might lead them to change their views?

Someone has said, ‘If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there.’ But God has a definite destination in mind and purpose for our life, and He has given everything needed for the accomplishing of that goal. Let’s look at our text for today, 2 Timothy 3:16-17.

Inspiration – referring to the OT in 2 Tim 3:16 Paul said they were inspired, literally God-breathed; they are the result of certain influence exerted by God upon their authors. The word used is not that of a gentle breathe of God, but of forcible respiration (bag valve mask or CPR) and not unconscious breathing but conscious. So inspiration is the strong, conscious inbreathing of God into men, enabling them to give utterance to the truth, to record accurately the record of God’s dealings with men.

That inspiration was borne by the Holy Spirit, the breath of God and 2 Peter 1:21 tells us that those who recorded God’s words did so as the Holy Spirit moved them to write. We need to understand the difference between inspiration and revelation.

Revelation and Inspiration are not the same – Read scripture and it is easy to see that there are some parts that can only have been revealed by God, because no one else was there to observe (creation account) while others recount what happened when the writer was present (Moses account of the Exodus). One never known before – the other known to those who observed. Revelation is technically the record of those things that cannot have been known unless God revealed them because no one else was there to observe them. But all that is in the Bible has not been “directly revealed” as having never been known before. It records history, the acts of men both righteous and unrighteous, it records things not sanctioned or approved by God (Job for instance records the words of Satan, of Job’s three friends, and of Job himself) all under the inspiration of God, which means that none of them is misrepresented, that each reveals the sentiments attributed to that speaker in Scripture. Inspiration vouches the accuracy of the whole record.

Illumination is the work of the Holy Spirit enabling men to understand the spiritual truths recorded in the Bible (1 Corinthians 2:14); “flesh and blood cannot reveal God to men” (Matthew 16:17). It is critical however, that we understand inspiration of the Bible to be more than simply God illumining men to understand His actions. There are instances in which God made revelations of Himself and His purposes to men who were not concerned with reflecting or meditating on the words of God: John 11:49-52 Caiaphas.

God inspired more than just the concepts that are included in the Word. But the writers were not passive instruments receiving words from God, as this would not account for the differences in style among various writers. We do not believe simply that the Bible contains the Words of God, for that implies inclusion of that which is not the Word of God. We affirm that all Scripture is believed to be equally inspired though it is includes content that does not reflect the righteous thought or holiness of God.

We must be careful that we do not come to view doctrine as simply what we believe, because it is also that upon which we act. Culture is value driven behavior. We live what we believe. Marvin Vincent reminds us: “The contents of this sound teaching which is according to godliness are not theoretical or dogmatic truth, but Christian ethics, with faith and love.” Further, we have an innate tendency to “objectify faith, regarding it as something believed rather than as the act of believing. “ Doctrine reflects and reveals Jesus Christ. He is what the whole book is about: John 5:39! Doctrine is given that we might come into the relationship that God desires with us a objects of His love. They teach us His character that He wants to instill within us as His Spirit resides within us. So, doctrine is not just information, it is application in us that transforms to new life in Christ.

We know that we believe Christian doctrine when we live it out in our daily lives; when we live what we say we believe.

The purpose behind all doctrine us to secure moral action. A.W. Tozer If we do not make clear…Francis Schaeffer quote

In contemporary culture there are many opinions about the Bible, its value or lack thereof, and how it came to be. What questions (Q&A) do you have about the Bible and our understanding of it? What do you hear people say about the Bible that causes you to wish you knew how to respond in ways that might lead them to change their views?