The Supreme and Final
Authority
of The Scriptures
by
William L. Brown,
Pastor -
ISA
2TI
The historic position of Baptists, for 2,000 plus years, concerning the
Scriptures are abundantly clear to any who will read the Bible, confessions of
faith and various writings available to us. A historic Baptist recognizes that
the Bible promises, and history clearly affirms, that there have been people
who maintained New Testament principles from the first century until today. One
of those fundamental principles is the supreme and final authority of the
scriptures. Some will dispute that Scriptural New Testament assemblies have
always existed. They would agree though that history does testify to the
existence of Baptist principles. I would simply call to their attention that
for principles to exist, they must be held by a people. Convictions cannot
exist in a void. While I will refer to the rich and applicable historical
accounts and writings of our Baptist forefathers I will add a paragraph written
by J. M. Carroll, the author of the Trail of Blood. "I do not undervalue
church history, but far more important to me than fallible human records of
passing events is the New Testament forecast of church history. The former may
err - the latter never." Far more important is the Bibles own declaration,
above that of historical documents, that it alone is the rule of our faith and
practice and the judge of all we do or say.
The Scriptures we read, as our text, affirm this. II Timothy
That fact is that a major distinctive of historic Baptists has been that the
Bible is the only rule of faith and practice. Let me carefully add this. It is
a naïve listener that, presupposing the Bible's inspiration and infallibility,
right belief about the Bible guarantees right belief. This is a common dogma
presented by those who wish to pass off their heresy as valid on the grounds of
"sola scriptura." Scripture alone was the clarion call of the
reformers. I do not believe it was solely because they desired the recovery of
the historic faith, but because they desired to throw off the Roman yoke which
subordinated the Scriptures to the church of Rome and thereby subordinated them
to
An important distinction needs to be made between Baptists and Protestants
about this doctrine of the supreme and final authority of the scriptures. We
part ways with the Protestants both theoretically and practically on this
issue. The historic Baptist looks to the New Covenant or New Testament as our
law. B.H. Carroll wrote: "The New Testament will always be all the Law of
Christianity. This does not deny inspiration or profit of the Old Testament… It
affirms however that the Old Testament, as a typical, education, and transitory
system, was fulfilled by Christ, and as a standard of law and way of life was
nailed to the cross of Christ." Further Protestants need to learn that
Scripture alone does not qualify one to administer baptism apart from the
assembly Christ Himself began, set in order, and commissioned. The official
sanction or commission to preach, baptize and teach disciples is found in the
person of Christ and the due orders we call the Bible.
While Baptists through the ages have drawn up confessions, most of them declare
with consistency an agreement with the New Hampshire Confession. It ends the
first article with these words: that the bible "therefore is, …the supreme
standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and opinions shall be tried."
Historic Baptists have never considered confessions as binding upon the
conscience of another. The Bible is and forever will be binding. Wayland in
writing about creeds or confessions and the unity churches find in them said:
"It expresses their belief, because all of them, from the study of the Scriptures,
understand them in the same manner, and not because any tribunal has imposed
such interpretations upon them… We have no right to delegate such authority to
any man, or to any body of men. It is our essential belief that the Scriptures
are a revelation from God, given not to a Pope, or congregation of Cardinals,
or any Archbishop or bench of Bishops, or General Assembly, or a Synod, but to
every individual man."
Clearly presented from the 1689 London Confession is this. "The Holy
Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving
knowledge, faith, and obedience." It further states that God's will for
His church is declared in the Scriptures and that they are "most
necessary" for the "better preserving and propagating of the truth,
and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the
corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of the world."
The Basis Of This Doctrine:
(the underlying principle)
(Inspiration, infallibility, and preservation as essential
and tied together.)
Is The inspiration of the Scriptures: (II
Timothy
If the Scriptures were and are inspired, verbally inspired, literally breathed
of God it would seem unnecessary to raise the question of their authority. If
the Scriptures were and are inspired then they must be absolutely authoritative
in all matters of faith and practice. They are, as one writer penned;
"clothed with God's authority." This is the exclusive domain of the
Word of God. No other source of divine revelation is to be accepted and
certainly not tolerated by any sound preacher or church. I wonder how
many know that one of the men involved in the revised translation of the Bible
wrote an article against the inspiration of the Scriptures? (G. Vance Smith 1871)
By what right did they remove inspired words?
Is The infallibility of the Scriptures:
(Luke 24:25-27)
Every Word of God challenges our
attention. This book does not contain the Word of God but is the Word of God -
every Word is God breathed. Nothing is to be added and nothing is to be taken
away. It cannot be made void (the scripture
cannot be broken; John
John 5:39 ("Search the scriptures; for
in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.")
is not a condemnation of loving and reading the word but that the Jews read the
scriptures with a veil over their hearts and could not see the Messiah, Jesus
of Nazareth. In the older writings and confessions of faith it is noted that
"our full persuasion and assurance of infallible truth, and divine
authority thereof, is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit." (I Cor. 2:13;
Mark
Understanding the authority of the Scriptures as supreme means there is no
other recognized sovereign over our affairs. Two supreme sovereigns can not
reign together. The Catholic Church claims the right of sovereign as her own.
We deny this and count it as nothing less than a damnable heresy erupting from
the filth of the whore of
Is The preservation of the Scriptures:
(Psalm 119:89, I Thess.
In so many historical Baptist
writings the Scriptures are declared as not dependent upon man's testimony or
his caretaking of them. God has used such people as the Waldenses to preserve
the true and faithful Word of God yet they themselves were dependent upon His
grace and preserving hand.
Sound historical Baptists today should feel the hand of God upon them,
preserving them that they might be used to pass on the pure and unadulterated
Word that has been handed down to us to future generations. When we give up the
pure word of God today and take in the perverted translations from perverted
texts we abdicate our historic and faithful position as faithful stewards.
Without the inspiration, infallibility, and preservation of Scripture
underlying this statement of truth man will come to the Bible as a judge to
decide for himself what is true and deserving to be believed, and what is false
and to be dutifully rejected.
Imagine a chemist who would doubt or reject the essential character of the
elements with which he would work. Now imagine a preacher who doubts the
essential character of the Word of God. Of what possible worth is he? To none
but to Satan.
The Impact of this Doctrine:
It defends the propagation and preservation
of truth: and us (Psa. 40:11)
Rightly understanding the inspirtation, infallibility, and the preservation of
Scripture will guard against error in and corruption of both faith and
practice. Humanism, philosophy, and psychology have intruded into the realm of
teaching and preaching instead of the supreme and final authority of
Scriptures. The only bar of justice upon which all things must be tried is the
revealed Word of God. Everything we need to know, practice, and believe is in
the Scriptures. I remember reading Chafer's theology where he began to teach
that repentance is unnecessary, faith alone is needed. Here is a man that
needed to sit longer at the feet of his Lord and learn. He needed to read the
rest of the book. He somehow took out a portion as unprofitable or unnecessary.
Look at II Peter 3:15-16. When these meen were used of God to write they knew
they were being used of God to pen His Words. Peter himself recognized what
Paul wrote to be Scripture. "other
…"
It defends the foundation, order, and organization
of the Lord's assemblies:
The doctrine of Inspiration, the doctrine of the Bible as our supreme and final
rule of faith and practice is the battle cry of freedom from ecclesiastical
domination. While we rejoice at the history, writings, confessions and
testimony of our forefathers we do not base our confidence or harmony on any
other criterion than the Word of God. Some will use the cry of "sola scriptura"
as a claim of authority for themselves yet the Scriptures call for them to
repent and be scripturally baptized. We learn from the word of God how we ought
to behave in the house of God and how the house of God ought to function.
It defends accountability and
creditability: (Psa. 85:11)
We are accountable to God's Word. We are to search the Word of God - Acts 17:11
"These were more noble than those in
Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and
searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so."
Let me share one thing I found in studying church history. I believe the
training is to be in and through the local church. No other institution was
given that responsibility. No other institution can qualify a man of God. In
the 2nd century Christians - churches began to bare the reproach of
being an illiterate and uneducated people (according to the world's standards).
Instead of continuing to pattern themselves after the Word of God and having it
as their supreme and final authority they bowed to the circumstances and
charges of their day. A school was established to contend with the world's view
of uneducated and illiterate preachers. This school soon taught and promoted
the idea that Scripture had a double meaning. After becoming so engrossed in
the supposed mystical and hidden meaning of Scripture an enormous proliferation
of heretical teaching developed. The dignity of the philosophers of Scripture
was more highly regarded than the Scriptures themselves. Heresy became
orthodoxy and the simple truth of Scripture was relegated to be mere opinions
unsupported by any learned arguments. This school was in Alexandra Egypt and
one of its students and later teacher was none other than Origen. Praise the
Lord there was a group of people who stood strong for the truth and against
this liberal and heretical position at this same time; they were known as
Montanists.
We are not accountable to the world and we should never seek credibility by the
worlds standards. The error of those mentioned above resulted in the corrupt
text we have today that is used to translate every Bible into the English
language except the King James Bible. I'll stick with the King James.
It defends the way of salvation and the
message of salvation:
The message of salvation we preach was delivered God-breathed. That is as
strong a guarantee as can be demonstrated as to its authority and
infallibility. The mind that made man also made the Bible. God gave us His Word
and the ministry of the Spirit to reveal the guilt of man and humble his pride.
This book, under the illumination of the Spirit, meets the deepest needs of the
soul, discloses God's character, presents the way of pardon, declares the means
of justification, and exposes our redemption. Though we may indeed be unlearned
men we declare the testimony of God. We preach the wisdom of God. Not with
enticing words of man's wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power
that those who hear and believe might find their faith stands not in the wisdom
of men, but in the power of God. We are to preach the Word. When we have
abandoned the Scriptures as being the supreme and final authority we have
abandoned the Scriptures. When you do that you have nothing left to preach.
With that said I'll end with a quote from Spurgeon:
"The Bible is like a lion. Who ever heard
of defending a lion? Just turn it loose, it will defend itself."
Preach
the Word!