Biblical Authority has been the sermon series for the last two weeks. We had discussed that the Bible is the Word of God and as such it is God’s revelation of Himself to man. The Bible is without error, or we could use the word “inerrant” or “infallible.” Because it is God’s word and without error, it has authority over all our faith and practice of that faith. All we know of God and how he desires for us to live are contained in His word.
Last week we discussed the “Sufficiency of the Scriptures” meaning the God’s word is enough, we do not need to add or take away or change the Word, it is sufficient. We do not need to go looking for truth elsewhere, and all matters of life and belief must be judged against the words of the Bible.
But to live a godly life under the authority of God’s word, one must know and understand the word of God. The Gospel contained in God’s word is meant for the world.
Warren Wiersbe states: Yes, the message of the Gospel is simple enough for an illiterate pagan to understand, believe, and be saved. But it is also so profound that the most brilliant theologian cannot fathom its depths. [1]
It is in the Scriptures we learn about the depth of our salvation and how we are to live. But to the rest of the world, the Bible is so much foolishness. I do not expect the world to fully understand and comprehend the message of the bible.
Anselm of Canterbury, noted theologian who lived in the 11th century said this about scripture: “For I do not seek to understand in order to believe, but I believe in order to understand. For I believe this: unless I believe, I will not understand.” [2]
Why is belief so important to understanding? Today’s message we will look at "Understanding the Scriptures."
1 Corinthians 2:6–16 (NKJV)
R.A.Torrey, an evangelist and noted Bible scholar who died about a century ago, who worked with D.L. Moody, has written many books and commentaries on the Bible, still being used today, had this to say about understanding the Bible:
A person who understands the language of the Holy Spirit, but who does not understand a word of Greek or Hebrew or Aramaic, will get more out of the Bible, than one, who knows all about Greek and Hebrew and cognate languages, but is not born again, and, consequently, does not understand the language of the Holy Spirit.
It is a well demonstrated fact that many plain men and women who are entirely innocent of any knowledge of the original tongues in which the Bible was written, have a knowledge of the real contents of the Bible, its actual teaching, in its depth and fullness and beauty, that surpasses that of many learned professors in theological faculties. [3]
If you get nothing else out of today’s message, don’t miss this this: You must have to Holy Spirit to understand Scripture. You do not have to have a seminary degree and training in Biblical languages, but an openness to the Holy Spirit and desire to study the Word. That doesn’t mean the Spirit will give you understanding on everything immediately, but the Spirit will:
John 16:13a (NKJV) However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth;
This requires you do your part, you must read and study the Scripture. You do not need to know Greek and Hebrew so that you can read from the original languages (and that is wonderful if you can) but we have reputable translations which are more than enough for the Holy Spirit to work in you to give understanding.
1 Corinthians 2:6 (NKJV) However, we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing.
The wisdom Paul speaks of is God’s wisdom – not the wisdom of this age or of the world. The Corinthians were seeking the worldly wisdom from men that the Greeks value so highly. But there is a big difference between the wisdom of the world and God’s wisdom. Earlier in chapter one, Paul just got through saying the foolishness of God is wiser than men (1 Cor 1:25). This wisdom is for those for those who are mature in the faith. No babes in Christ, those who have immersed themselves in the word.
Hebrews 5:12–14 (NKJV) 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.
There are some of you that have been in Sunday School for 30-40-50 years. Why are you not teaching?
1 Corinthians 2:7–9 (NKJV) 7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, 8 which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
The mystery, the hidden wisdom is the gospel. It was prophesied in the OT, but never really comprehended or understood. The gospel, Jesus coming and being the sacrificial atonement for our sins was the plan of God from even before the creation of the world. The evil powers that be, the rulers of this age, whether they be the human rulers or demon rulers of this world, never knew they were playing into God’s plans. What was viewed by the world as defeat of the messiah by His crucifixion, was the victory over sin and by Jesus’s resurrection, was the victory over death. The world still has no understanding of these spiritual matters.
“But as it is written” quotes (or paraphrases) from Isaiah 64:4, it was not by what man has seen or heard, or even thought up on in man’s own thoughts, the things that man could never get on his own. These mysteries of God are only revealed to those that love him, called according to His purposes.
1 Corinthians 2:10 (NKJV) But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.
God has shown it to those of us who have His Holy Spirit. “Us” here in this verse very likely refers to Paul and the Apostles. God revealed it to them and by inspiration of the Holy Spirit, they were written down in Scripture for our knowledge.
1 Corinthians 2:11–12 (NKJV) For what man knows the things of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
Who can know our thoughts and our innermost feelings but ourselves. You would have to possess the very spirit of another to really know and understand the thoughts of another person. Likewise, who can know God’s thoughts but the Spirit of God Himself? Yet at the moment of our conversion, we received the Holy Spirit in us. We possess in ourselves the very Spirit of God. It is not the spirit of the world which is of the evil one.
Think about this for a moment. With the spirit of the world, we would view the world as the rest of the world views itself. It is called a secular world view, or an atheistic and humanist worldview. With the Spirit of God, our views would change to view the world as God views the world. We would call this a Spiritual worldview, or a Biblical worldview, because we would see the world has the Bible sees the world. How do you view the world? Through the eyes of the world or through the eyes of God’s Word?
1 Corinthians 2:13 (NKJV) These things we also speak, not in words which man’s wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
This verse is where we part company with the world. We are not dealing with the wisdom of man but with the wisdom of Almighty God. The Holy Spirit will lead us to all truth, which is Jesus. Jesus is the truth. Jesus said it is the Holy Spirit that testifies of Him. (John 15:26).
“comparing spiritual things with spiritual” This may sound a little confusing but taken in the context of the whole passage it is quite simple. I like the NIV which translates this as “expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.” How can we understand the deep truths of the Holy Spirit without the Holy Spirit to teach us?
But there is a catch. The word “But” in this next verse lets you know there is an important point to make.
1 Corinthians 2:14 (NKJV) But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
We have used this verse many times in the past. We will consider it context here. The natural man is one without the Spirit of God. If one is without the Spirit of God, by definition, that is an unsaved person, a person of the world. No matter how intelligent and how high the IQ of the natural man, he will never be able to get or understand Spiritual truths.
The truths are expressed in Spiritual words which we find on the pages of Scripture. The natural man may read the stories, he may even understand the morals being presented, but he will never fully understand the deep Spiritual truths of the Holy Spirit contained in the Spiritual words on the pages of Scriptures, because he does not have the Spirit of God. The truths presented in the Word are Spiritual. In fact, the natural man will dismiss them as so much foolishness.
1 Corinthians 2:15 (NKJV) But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one.
Those that are in tune to the things of Spirit, which would mean they are attuned to the Word, They can rightly discern the world around them. They will express a Spiritual or Biblical worldview. And the world cannot judge them rightly. They will, of course, be judged and condemned for not being politically correct, for being out of touch with the current culture, but that is the price to pay to being in touch with the things of the Spirit.
Paul defends himself by explaining that God is the one judge that matters:
1 Corinthians 4:3–4 (NKJV) But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or by a human court. In fact, I do not even judge myself. 4 For I know of nothing against myself, yet I am not justified by this; but He who judges me is the Lord.
We should not worry about the judgement from the world, if we are following the Word of God and the Holy Spirit who gives us understanding of that Word.
1 Corinthians 2:16 (NKJV) For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ.
God has never asked me my opinion of any matter. Who am I to instruct the Lord? But we have the very mind of Christ, if we possess His Spirit in us.
Philippians 2:5 (NKJV) Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus
It takes time, much prayer, and diligence in the study of the Word, to adequately know the mind of Christ. What are you doing in understanding the word? Do you have the mind of Christ? Do you possess His Holy Spirit? I’m getting more of the mind of Christ every day as I pray and I study his word. The Spirit gives more understanding every day. It is a process.
Unfortunately, there are many Christians who try and defend the word in their ignorance. They believe every word of the Bible but they have not read or studied every word. And the world eats them alive. God says through Hosea the prophet, "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." (Hosea 4:6)
Are you in the Word? Are you praying? Are you seeking and listening to the Spirit guide you to all truth?
God gave revelation to the prophets of old. And through the inspiration of His Spirit they wrote down the very words of God in what we call the Holy Scriptures or the Bible. And now as we possess the very same Spirit that gave the inspiration, the same Spirit will give us illumination of those same words.
God has given us His Word. He has give His Spirit for our understanding of those Word. Are we living out those words in our lives?
We come to the Lord allowing Him to make the changes that will suit Him. We do not change the Word of God to suit ourselves, we allow His word, through the Holy Spirit to change us.
[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 574.
[2] Anselm of Canterbury (1033–1109), British philosopher, theologian. Proslogion, ch. 1. - Copied from Sermon Central
[3] Reuben A. Torrey, How to Study the Bible for Greatest Profit ... (Fleming H. Revell Company, 1896), 96.
