SELF-GOVERNMENT LIFE TRUTH # 1 – SCRIPTURE ALONE IS WHAT GOVERNS US
IMPORTANCE OF THE TRUTH
Sola scriptura was the cry of the Protestant Reformation. Sola scriptura means that Scripture alone is authoritative for the faith and practice of the Christian life. The Bible is complete, authoritative, and true. It is ALL we need to understand God’s purpose for our lives and how we are to govern ourselves.
2 Timothy 3:16 (NIV) 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,
There are many lies in our generation that seek to discredit the Bible. Here are a few: The Bible was written by man; there are errors in the Bible; it is just another history book.
Here is what the Bible declares. Psalm 18:30-31 (NIV) 30 As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him. 31 For who is God besides the LORD? And who is the Rock except our God?
We must choose to have faith in God’s Word as the ONLY authority that will govern us.
One of the biggest lies in the last few generations is evolution. Evolution is a lie that seeks to discredit the Scriptures. It states that man came to be from nothing and then evolved into the beings that we are today. Genesis Chapter 1 through Chapter 11 is as true as John 3:16. If the beginning of the Bible is untrue then couldn’t it be said that other parts of the Bible are untrue?
How did Jesus address the book of Genesis? Jesus talked about Adam and Eve as real people. Matthew 19:4 (NIV) 4 "Haven't you read," he replied, "that at the beginning the Creator 'made them male and female,'
Jesus also talked about the flood as a real event. Luke 17:26-27 (NIV) 26 "Just as it was in the days of Noah, so also will it be in the days of the Son of Man. 27 People were eating, drinking, marrying and being given in marriage up to the day Noah entered the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all.
The genealogy of Luke declares Adam to be a real person. Luke 3:38 (NIV) 38 the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.
If evolution is true then the Bible is false because it states that in the beginning the Creator made man. Luke, then, reminds us that the man’s name is Adam and traces the genealogy of Jesus to him. If Adam is not real, then perhaps Jesus is not real.
As Christians, it is foundational for us to believe what it says in Hebrews 11:3 (NIV) 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.
Here are a few other beliefs that try to discredit the Bible.
RELATIVISM is the position that all points of view are as valid as any other point of view, and that the individual can decide what is right for himself. Morality could also be dependent upon situations.
If all truth is relative, then the statement "All truth is relative" would be an absolute truth. If it is an absolute truth, then not all things are relative and the statement that "All truth is relative" is false.
If there is no authority or absolute truth, then where can we turn to for TRUTH? What would society look like if every one of us had a different opinion? How could we decide who or what is right? Currently, our society is leaning towards all truth is relative and the Bible is no longer the rock on which our republic resides. This is destroying the God-intended unity that He desires for us to have. We must turn back to the Bible as our standard. Scripture alone is what should govern us.
TOLERANCE – “One of the biggest battles we face concerns the way we use words. One of the most glaring examples is the word ‘tolerance’. Not long ago, this meant ‘bearing or putting up with someone or something not especially liked’. However, now the word has been redefined to ‘all values, all beliefs, all lifestyles, all truth claims are equal’.1 Denying this makes a person ‘intolerant’, and thus worthy of contempt.” - Jonathan Sarfati
Jesus is forgiving, loving, kind, merciful, and exclusive; but, he would be called intolerant in this generation.
John 14:6 (NIV) 6 Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus denies any other way to heaven. He claims to be the only way to heaven and the only truth. His teachings are exclusive. Tolerance, as defined in this generation, is false according to the Scriptures.
WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY ABOUT MAN DECIDING FOR HIMSELF WHAT IS RIGHT OR WRONG?
1. We can deceive ourselves and therefore we should not be deciding morality.
Proverbs 14:12; 16:25 (NIV) 12 There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.
Proverbs 30:11-12 (NIV) 11 "There are those who curse their fathers and do not bless their mothers; 12 those who are pure in their own eyes and yet are not cleansed of their filth;
2. Our desires, likes, or interests cannot be considered morality. (We have desires to do things that the Bible calls sinful.)
1 Peter 2:11 (NIV) 11 Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul.
How can we decide what desires are sinful or not? If they are desires, we are going to want to do them, wanting to do something cannot be the standard for morality. We all have sinful desires and therefore we cannot trust ourselves to produce the standard of morality. God’s Word must be our standard!
THE BIBLE DECLARES THAT IT IS THE ONLY AUTHORITY. THE WORD IS ABSOLUTE TRUTH.
2 Samuel 22:31 (NIV) 31 "As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.”
Psalm 18:30 (NIV) 30 “As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the LORD is flawless. He is a shield for all who take refuge in him.”
Isaiah 45:19 (NIV) 19 “I have not spoken in secret, from somewhere in a land of darkness; I have not said to Jacob's descendants, 'Seek me in vain.' I, the LORD, speak the truth; I declare what is right.”
Psalm 19:7-8 (NIV) 7” The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul. The statutes of the LORD are trustworthy, making wise the simple. 8 The precepts of the LORD are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant, giving light to the eyes.”
Jesus said, “I tell you the truth” over 30 times in the book of Matthew. (5:18,26; 6:2,5,16; 8:10; 10:15,23,42; 11:11,13,17; 16:28; 17:20; 18:3,13,18; 19:23,28; 21:21,31; 23:36; 24:2,34,47: 25:12,40,45: 26:13,21,24)
OUR CURRENT SOCIETY, EVEN IN THE CHURCH, LOOKS MORE LIKE DEATH THAN LIFE. WHY?
The opposite of life is death. To draw analogies of life we would say that a person is joyful, peaceful, patient, thankful, or we could use the term, “they are full of life.” Death, on the other hand, has come to be compared to depression, darkness, sadness, bitterness, confusion, or frustration. You might even say, “That person looks half-dead.”
The church is to be the salt of the earth. We are to be the preservers of truth, righteousness, and joy in the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, the church of today looks more like death. We are in depression, our marriages are falling apart, are children are disrespectful, and we are empty because the world cannot fulfill us. Why does the church of today look more like death? We have forgotten what the Lord said would fulfill us. Matthew 4:4 (NIV) 4 Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" We must turn back to knowing and doing God’s Word.
Jeremiah 7:28 (NIV) 28 Therefore say to them, 'This is the nation that has not obeyed the LORD its God or responded to correction. Truth has perished; it has vanished from their lips.
Jeremiah 9:5 (NIV) 5 Friend deceives friend, and no one speaks the truth. They have taught their tongues to lie; they weary themselves with sinning.
Daniel 9:13 (NIV) 13 Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.
IT IS TIME FOR US TO RETURN TO THE WORD OF GOD AS OUR ONLY SOURCE FOR TRUTH.
Psalm 119:30 (NIV) 30 I have chosen the way of truth; I have set my heart on your laws.
John 18:36-37 (NIV) 37 "You are a king, then!" said Pilate. Jesus answered, "You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me."
SINCE THE BIBLE IS WHAT GOVERNS US, HOW OFTEN DOES IT TELL US TO BE IN THE WORD?
Joshua 1:8 (NIV) 8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
Psalm 1:1-2 (NIV) 1 Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
We are to be in the Word every day. To meditate is to ponder the meaning and then apply the meaning to our lives. If we are to ponder on the phrase, “he meditates day and night”, we should ask ourselves, “Am I in the Word day and night? Do I concentrate upon God’s Word on a daily basis?" If the answer is no, then we must repent. This is an issue of self-government. God has specifically told us, “blessed is the man”, this is a self-government issue; an area that he wants us to focus on. God requires us to be meditating upon His Word daily. We nourish ourselves daily with food, should we not then, nourish ourselves daily with God’s truth?
SINCE THE BIBLE IS WHAT GOVERNS US WE MUST MOVE AWAY FROM OUR OPINIONS.
Our society and our families can no longer be built upon our opinions or even parents’ opinions. We must turn to the Scriptures as our ONLY authority to govern us. As we teach others, we must use the Scriptures and be able to show people specific verses to put the authority back where it belongs. The authority must come from God’s Word as we seek to build our lives upon His principles.
1 Corinthians 4:6 (NIV) 6 Now, brothers, I have applied these things to myself and Apollos for your benefit, so that you may learn from us the meaning of the saying, "Do not go beyond what is written."
1 Corinthians 15:3-4 (NIV) 3 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,
We must return to God, by submitting to His Word as the ONLY authority that will govern us.
As individuals and families we must make this our mission statement: Scripture alone is what governs us. We must begin to read it daily, as he expects of us, and apply the truths that we learn to our lives, in order to bring glory to the One who has created us!
The LIFE TRUTH verse will be 2 Timothy 3:16-17 (NIV) 16 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
If we begin to meditate upon and break the verse down it reveals to us the importance of God’s Word in our lives.
All Scripture is God-breathed. (Spoken directly from God to man as 2 Peter 1:21 says)
All Scripture is useful. If it is useful, how often are we using it?
We are to use the Scriptures to teach, rebuke, correct, and train. Are we fulfilling the self-government expectation of using God’s Word? When we teach our children “do not steal", do we show them the verse from the Word? The Scriptures are the authority. When we use them as God’s Word says we should, we put all authority back where it belongs. It is no longer because you or I said so, but because God said so. Christians are to be the people of the Word, meaning that we have specific verses that govern our lives. We do not steal because God’s Word tells us not to in Exodus 20:15. If we will use the Scriptures like we are told, we will be thoroughly equipped for every good work.
