Sola Scriptura - Scripture Alone
2 Timothy 3:15-17
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
Chenoa Baptist Church
10-05-19
Lean on Me
In 1172, Donna Barto di Bernardo paid 60 coins for the bricks to build a new bell tower. From the first day of the construction, the workers knew there was a problem. After they completed the first three stories, it started leaning. Not a little lean, but a noticeable lean. As the years went by, it grew higher but leaned even more.
Everyone knows what I’m talking about, right? This structure is known as the leaning tower of Pisa. Anyone know why it leans?
Because it was built on soft soil made of clay, fine sand, and shells. The tower is literally sinking into the ground because it has a faulty foundation.
Over the next five weeks, we are going to be studying the foundations of our faith. If the foundation is strong, then our faith will stand the test of time. If the foundation is wrong, our faith will lean into liberalism and, finally, into apostasy.
Sola
Recently, I had a person ask me what it meant to be “Protestants” and what was the difference between Protestants and Catholics.
There are many differences but this month I want to focus on one little Latin word -Sola.
In 1517, a monk named Martin Luther posted 95 theses on the door of the Wittenberg Church in Germany. It was written in Latin and was meant to start an academic discussion among his fellow clergy about the idea of indulgences.
The Catholic Church was teaching that there was a “treasury of merit” in heaven. Some people had lived such good lives that they actually had left over merit.
This merit could be bought on behalf of your dead relatives or friends to reduce their time in purgatory.
Priest were traveling the countryside collecting money from desperate people. By the way, this was funding the building of St. Peter’s Basilica. This was a brilliant, if not devious, way to raise funds.
Martin Luther said this was unbiblical heresy and wrote the 95 theses to refute this wicked practice. He proclaimed the real treasure of the church is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. That’s what he was “protesting,” hence the term Protestant.
Students in Wittenburg, took the 95 thesis and translated them from Latin to common Germany, made copies of them, and soon they were all over Germany.
Luther could not have known at the time, but this is usually marked as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation.
The cry of the Reformation can be summed up in five Latin phrases:
Sola Scriptura - Scripture Alone
Sola Grata - Grace Alone
Sola Fide - Faith Alone
Sola Christus - In Christ Alone
Sola De Gloria - to the glory of God alone
This morning, we will be looking at the first one - Sola Scriptura. We believe as Protestants, that the Bible alone is our authority for faith and life. It’s the Bible alone, not the Bible plus…
That little word “alone” is what separates us from:
Mormons - they believe in the Bible plus the Book of Mormon
Jehovah’s Witnesses - they believe in the Bible plus The Watchtower
Christian Scientists - they believe in the Bible plus the writings of Mary Baker Eddy
Seventh Day Adventist - they believe the Bible plus the writings of Ellen White
Roman Catholics - they believe in the Bible plus the tradition of the church
We believe that the Bible is the inspired, sufficient, inerrant, infallible, immutable, invincible Word of Almighty God. We are going to look at each of these words this morning by walking through 2 Timothy 3:15-17.
Turn there now.
Prayer.
Continue Timothy
The second letter to Timothy is Paul’s last words. He is in a jail cell in Rome and would be soon executed. He wanted to write to his son in the faith, a young anxious pastor in Ephesus named Timothy. It’s the thoughts of a man who realizing his time was short and he wanted to encourage Timothy to stand strong the faith.
Chapter three begins with Paul telling Timothy that he would be heading into terrible days:
“But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.” (2 Timothy 3:1-5)
Paul tells Timothy that it is getting darker by the day and that he will need to avoid this godlessness to lead the church.
He then reminds Timothy of his example through suffering and persecution:
“You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose, faith, patience, love, endurance, persecutions, sufferings—what kinds of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions I endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evildoers and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.” (2 Timothy 3:10-13)
Paul had taken Timothy under his wing and been a mentor and example for him as he grew. He told him to expect persecution and suffering. It was simply a part of living a Godly life.
It would be in this context of persecution, suffering, sin, and chaos that Timothy would be called to pastor. It’s not that much different from today.
So what is Paul’s charge to this young pastor?
“But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, and how from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Timothy is to be set apart from all the wordiness and sinfulness of the culture.
He is to continue. This is in the present form. This is to be his consistent way of life.
He is to abide in what he had learned and become convinced of because of those from whom you learned it.
We know from chapter 1 of 2 Timothy that Timothy’s father was a Greek and didn’t believe. But he was trained up in the faith by his mother Lois and his grandmother Eunice.
Jewish children were taught the Scriptures starting at age five. His mother and grandmother intentionally brought him up in the teaching of the Scriptures from infancy.
Single moms, or moms with unbelieving husbands, take note. Timothy’s faith was nurtured and strengthened by a praying mother and grandmother.
What did they teach him? The Holy Scriptures which would have been the Old Testament. Remember that Jesus is on every page of the Old Testament and Paul says that these Scriptures are able to make him wise for salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.
Paul had discipled Timothy and knew that his foundation was strong because he had been taught the story of redemption from the Scriptures.
John Piper writes, “If there hasn’t been anyone in your life that has done that for you, make the decision today to do that for others.”
The next verse in one of the most famous in the Bible:
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:14-17)
Do you know what the Greek word for all means? It means all!
1. Inspired
What we believe as Protestants is in the verbal (every word), plenary (all) inspiration of the Scriptures.
This doesn’t mean the Bible is inspiring like a great of art. The Word of God are the very words of God!
“For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (I Peter 1:21)
Avengers Endgame came out this year and has grossed over 2.8 billion dollars worldwide! This was the 21st movie in a series starting with Iron Man in 2008 that told one story.
God used fisherman, farmers, cupbearers, kings, fig pruners, shepherds, writing in three different languages, over 1,500 years to tell one story - History.
Matthew Barrett defines inspiration this way:
“The inspiration of the Scriptures refers to the act by which the Holy Spirit. Came upon the authors of Scripture, causing them to write exactly what God intended, while simultaneously preserving each author’s writing style and personality. This supernatural work of the Holy Spirit upon the human authors means that the author’s words are God’s Words and therefore reliable, trustworthy, and authoritative.” (from “God’s Word Alone: The Authority of Scripture”)
The book of Mormon is not inspired. The Watchtower is not inspired. The writings of the Catholic church fathers, or the councils, or the creeds, or the popes are not inspired.
We believe the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27 books of the New Testament are the inspired very words of God.
2. Inerrant
Since we believe that the Bible is God’s Word we can say with assurance that it is inerrant, or without error in the original manuscripts.
Titus 1:2 said that “God does not lie.” He is totally trustworthy and we can have faith that His divine communication to us would be perfect.
B.B.Warfield wrote:
“The trustworthiness of the Scriptures lie at the foundation of trust in the Christian system of doctrine, and is therefore fundamental to the Christian hope and life.”
When you talk to people that don’t believe the Bible, the first thing they might bring up is all the “contradictions” and “errors” in the Bible. I’ve been reading this book for almost 30 years and I can assure you that any supposed contradictions can be explained reasonably. (Most of the them are copyist errors in transposing of numbers)
Satan in the garden started his temptation with this question, “Did God really say?” In other words, he questioned the trustworthiness and truthfulness of God’s Word. He still does that today.
There is no other book or collection of writings known to man that is without error - only the Word of God.
3. Infallible - it is eternal:
“The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.” (Isaiah 40:8)
The French author and atheist Voltaire said of the Bible, “In 100 years, the Bible will be a forgotten book.” After his death, the Geneva Bible Society bought his house!!
The truth of Scripture doesn’t need updating to conform to the culture. It doesn’t change. Its was true when it was written and it’s still true today.
4. Perfect
The Bible is complete as a source of revelation. All the revelation we need for salvation can be found in the Scriptures.
“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.” (Duet 29:29)
Wayne Grudem wrote:
“All the words of God He intended His people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains everything we need for ?God to tell us for salvation, for trusting Him perfectly and obeying Him perfectly.”
Jude calls the Scriptures:
“…the faith that was once for all entrusted to God’s holy people.” (Jude 3)
The Apostle John, writing in the book of Revelation, makes it clear that the cannon is closed:
“I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this scroll: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to that person the plagues described in this scroll. 19 And if anyone takes words away from this scroll of prophecy, God will take away from that person any share in the tree of life and in the Holy City, which are described in this scroll.” (Rev 22:18-19)
We need no new revelation, no dreams, no visions, no extra books, no traditions. We have God’s Word.
5. Sufficient
The Bible is able to accomplish its redemptive purposes.
“As the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth: It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.” (Isaiah 55:10-11)
The only thing that will ever cause someone to be a Christian is the Holy ?Spirit operating through the preaching and teaching of this book.
The only way to grow, what Scripture calls sanctification, is through growing in our knowledge of this book. We must know what God has done for us, is doing in us, will accomplish through us, and will, ultimately what God’s plans for us are for eternity.
It is sufficient for fighting temptation. In the wilderness, when Jesus was tempted by the devil, He quoted Scriptures three times, including:
“Man shall not live by bread alone but from every word that comes from the mouth of God.” (Matt 4:4)
James Montgomery Boice wrote this little poem for his congregation:
“When God from heaven gave His word
His word was all-sufficient
It needs no words I may have heard
To add or to be in it.
So I will take God’s book and read
To learn what God desires
The Bible gives the strength I need
To do what God requires.”
6. Authoritative
If we believe that Scripture is inspired - the very words of God, inerrant - without error, infallible - lasting forever, perfect - the complete revelation of God, and sufficient to lead us to salvation and to spiritual maturity then we must consider it the absolute norm for faith and practice of a Christian’s life.
As the voice of Almighty God, it carries without the authority of God Himself.
The Bible holds authority over all other religious books, church traditions, councils, or popes. The scriptures are the standard, the benchmark, the plumb line for the church.
Our supreme duty is to know, believe, and obey the Bible.
John Wesley wrote:
“I want to know one thing - how to get to heaven. God Himself has condescended to teach us the way. He has written it down in a book. O give me that book of God! I have it - here is knowledge for me. Let me be a man of one book!”
A young man at Wheaton college teamed up with the leader for Youth for Christ. At the rallies in 1944-45, they saw thousands of people come to Christ. Then. He was invited to do the same in England and Scotland. Again, thousands came to Christ. This was young man was becoming famous and he wasn’t even thirty years old.
In 1949, a friend challenged him to give up his high view of the Scriptures, telling him, “It’s the 20th century, you can’t preach the Bible that way any more. If you keep preaching the Bible this way, your ministry will come to nothing.
At a retreat center with some friends, his friend’s words haunted him. One of his mentors told him to go to the woods and get the matter settled once and for all.
In his own words:
“I dueled with my doubts, and my soul seemed to be caught in the crossfire. Finally, in desperation, I surrendered my will to the living God revealed in Scripture. I knelt before the open Bible, and said, “Lord, many things in this Book I do not understand. But Thou hast said, ‘The just shall live by faith.’ All I have received from Thee, I have taken by faith. Here and now, by faith, I accept the Bible as Thy Word. That which I cannot understand I will reserve judgment on until I receive more light. If this pleases Thee, give me authority as I proclaim Thy Word, and through that authority convict men of sin and turn sinners to the Savior.”
That young man’s name was Billy Graham.
Have you made the same decision? If you claim the name of Christ, then the Scriptures are the very foundation of our faith. We must read it, share it, memorize it, and obey it.
Let’s go back to Paul’s words to Timothy to learn more about this book.
Profitable
All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:14-17)
Paul writes that the Bible is “useful.” Your translation might use the word. “profitable.”
The Bible is like a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. It teaches us the way of holiness and the path that we can take that will lead us to haven.
The Bible is like a doctor. It diagnoses the disease of our soul. Through the illumination of the Holy Spirit, the Scriptures convict us of sin.
The Bible is like the corrective shoes I wore when I was a kid. I was born with my left leg tucked under me and I waddled (I still do). I was what we called in the south, “slew footed.” I can’t ski. Almost went into the parking lot and hit a car! The shoes weren’t punishment, although to a kid who wanted Nikes it felt like it. They were corrective.
The Scriptures don’t just tell us what’s wrong and leave us there. It corrects our faulty assumptions, our distorted view of self and sin, and our propensity to make excuses for our bad behavior.
The Scriptures are like the dumbbells I lift three times a week. As I lift, it breaks the muscle down and I get stronger.
Paul said this in his first letter to Timothy:
“For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come.” (I Timothy 4:8)
The Bible prepares us, trains us for the life of Godliness that leads to “every good work.”
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” (Ephesians 2:10)
Remember that we are not saved by good works but for good works.
David, writing in his shepherd’s journal summed this up beautifully in Psalm 19:
"The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul. The statutes of the Lord are trustworthy, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, giving joy to the heart. The commands of the Lord are radiant, giving light to the eyes. The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring forever. The decrees of the Lord are firm, and all of them are righteous. They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb. By them your servant is warned, in keeping them there is great reward. (Psalm 19:7-11)
We call this process sanctification. Being in your Bible daily will cause your faith to grow stronger and equip you for works that will encourage and edify others.
I Forgive you
Dallas police officer Amber Guyger adjust come off a. 30 hour shift. She wearily made her way to her apartment but found the door was not locked. She opened it and found what she thought was a robber in her apartment. She shot him. Then she realized it was not her apartment. She immediately called 911.
This week she was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to ten years in prison. Bothom Jean’s brother took the stand to give a victim’s statement. In those minutes on the stand, a lifetime of private training in righteousness became very public, going viral, and even trending on Twitter.
I want you to watch Christianity in action.
After the trail was over, the judged stepped off the bench, approached Amber and gave her a Bible and asked her to open it and read John 3:16. She said that it was her hope that she no only understood that verse but would be able to live it out.
An atheist organization has already filled a complaint. Of course they did.
Where did Brandt learn this kind of extravagant forgiveness, amazing grace, and true compassion? From the Bible.
Every day
I don’t want to guilt you if you haven’t been reading the Bible. But there is a disconnect between a person who says that they believe the Scriptures alone are our foundation of our faith and is the means by which God speaks His very words to us and doesn’t ever open the Word.
I’ve talked about the resources before and I will many times in the future. Maybe you are more of auditory learner. For the last seven years, I’ve been a part of the Daily Audio Bible Community. It’s an app that you can get in the I Tunes store. He reads a portion of the Old Testament, the New Testament, Psalms (which you go through twice in a year), and Proverbs. He then give a short devotional for the day about what we read together.
Listen to it or read a little every day. Even a chapter. Turn it over and meditate on it. Memorize it. Leave a legacy.
I knew a man who bought three Bibles for his three grandchildren and went through them day by day making notes. He then presented them as Christmas presents three years in a row.
Ending Video
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