In my last post, I made some observations from the parable of the prodigal son. In doing so, I highlighted the Gospel as the third way to live, with the other two ways to live being the way of the Relativist and the way of the Moralist. You can read my post here.

In the parable, the younger brother represents the Relativist, and to him everything is about self. The elder brother represents the Moralist, who lives outwardly for God, but inwardly his heart has not changed. In an effort to help us see how we live like the elder brother, so we can correct our thinking and actions, I want to ask and answer the question: How do we live like the elder brother?

We Act Like The Elder Brother:

When we believe we are saved by our works

• This manifest itself in the following ways
  • We do this so, so we get salvation type thinking
  • When we do not think of our sin as being offensive to God.
  • When we think we are not that bad saying, “Sure Christ died for me, but I really was not that bad.”
  • Comparing ourselves to others saying “I needed God’s grace, but not as much as this person over here does. Look at their sin and look at mine.”

When we believe our works earn us favor with God

• This manifest itself in the following ways:
  • We show up to church every time it is open thinking if we miss a service we are not in God’s favor.
  • When we believe we may get in a car wreck, or lose our job, or fail a class, or that one of our kids will not turn out right, if we are not consistent with our quiet times because somehow God will pay us back for not spending time with Him.
  • When we believe God will not use us or bless us if we are not reading His Word or doing Christian type activities often.

When we believe we must pay Christ back for our salvation

• This manifests itself when we say things like: 
  • Christ died for you, witnessing to others is the least thing you can do for Him.
  • Christ suffered for you, the least you can do is read your Bible and pray to Him everyday.
  • Christ went to the cross for you, the least you can do for Him is go on a missions trip, part with some of your resources in order to help the church, or show up to services on Sunday.

When we believe God owes us for being such a good Christian.

• This manifest itself when:
  • We do not receive the recognition we thought we should have received at church for helping with a ministry project, serving the church, attending regularly, and we get mad about it.
  • When we get jealous when another person who obviously has not done as much as we have gets recognized or asked to help with another ministry/task even though we said we wanted to serve as the chairman of that committee, teach that class, or serve those people.

The Christian disciplines mentioned throughout this post are good, but they can become corrupted when we believe they: 

• Earn us salvation
• Earn us favor with God
• Become a way to pay Jesus back for what He has done for us
• When they are done because we want to gain things such as recognition, or opportunity.

Should we stop coming to church, serving the body, doing our quiet time, praying, teaching a class, etc? 

• No, we should not. The reasons we do them though should change.

The parable of the prodigal son found in Luke 15:11-32 is directed at two types of people. The relativist (younger brother) and the moralist (elder brother).

The Relativist

The Relativist lives how he wants. He does the things he wants to do because he does not believe it is important to follow God’s commands. He does not believe it is necessary to give God His rightful place, which is the Lord of His life. In doing so, he shows he believes he does not need a Savior.

In the parable, the younger brother represents the Relativist. He asks for and receives his inheritance from his father before his father’s death. He turns his inheritance into cash and leaves home to seeks fulfillment and joy in living how he pleases. Even though he thought living his own way would bring him joy, it brought him nothing but despair and enslavement.

The Moralist

While the Relativist does not obey God’s commands, the Moralist strictly seeks to obey God’s commands and please Him. He is at church every time it is open. He reads his Bible everyday, prays, and does a host of other things that look Christian. Even though he does and says all the right things, his heart is not right. He believes his good works earn His salvation and favor with God.

In the parable, the elder brother represents the Moralist. While, he did not ask his father for his inheritance early, turn it into cash, and leave home to seek his own desires, he still seeks to serve himself by staying home and serving his father faithfully.

Even though, his actions looked noble righteous, they did not stem from a righteous heart. He believes he should receive good things for his good works. Notice in the parable the complaint of the elder brother. He believes his father should have given him a young goat to celebrate with his friends because of his dedication in serving him.

Instead of living to glorify God, the Moralist does good, in order to attempt to control God.  Not only does he believe his works earn him salvation and favor with God, but his good works are an attempt to control God.

A Third Way

Jesus tells this parable not only to point out the error of the Pharisees in living like the elder brother, and the enslavement and joylessness that comes from loose living, but also to show us the gospel, which is the third way we can live. In the gospel, we are not accepted based on our works, but by God’s grace, and His grace is not something we can earn. It is something freely given to us.

In the gospel, we do not seek to please ourselves, or we do not obey God, in order to control Him and get our way. Rather we live a righteous life because we have been freed and empowered to do so.

Our belief in Jesus as our Lord and Savior serves to change our hearts, and with it our desires. Not only are we given a new heart and new desires, but we are empowered through the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives to live out our righteousness. In other words, we do not perform good works to earn our salvation or favor with God, but we perform good works because we have been freed and empowered to do so.

Conclusion

In this parable, we do not see two ways to live, but rather three. We can live either like the Relativist, the Moralist, or we can rest in the gospel. For it is only in the gospel that we are truly free to worship and serve God, rather than ourselves.

This last Sunday, I preached over 1 John 1:5-10. Part of John’s message is that admitting we are sinners and confessing our sin is the only way we can experience true fellowship with God (Vertical) and with one another (Horizontal). In 1 John 1:7,9 we read:

But if we walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin…If we confess our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

John tells us that we have fellowship with one another if we walk in the light. The same light that God Himself walks in. A light we are able to walk in by confessing our sins. Let’s look at this one piece at a time.

Confession of Sin

In order to confess our sin, we have to first understand sin. Sin is more than just breaking the commandments of God, even though it is that. Sin is more heinous though. It is an outright attack and denial of who God is. It is to follow ourselves rather than to follow God. Now that we understand the heinousness of sin, we can answer the question:

What does it mean to confess sin?

It means that we first recognize we are a sinner, that we have rebelled against God to seek after the things of the world, thinking ourselves to be wiser than God.

Second, it means that we confess to God our rebelliousness against Him. We confess that we have tried to go at it on our own because we thought that our wisdom was greater than His. And in doing so we have sinned against Him.

The Cleansing Blood of Christ

When we confess our sins, Christ acts as our propitiation. He removes our sin and the wrath of God from us. In doing so, He is our substitute, standing in our place, taking the punishment we deserve because of our sinfulness.

Once we confess our sins, Christ’s blood cleanses us from all unrighteousness. When God looks down on us, He sees Christ’s blood and not our sin. This results in our relationship with God being reconciled.

It also shows that Christ’s blood is the only way we are cleansed from our unrighteousness, meaning our works will not do. Thus, confessing our sin, not performing works, is the only way we can be reconciled to God

Walk in the Light

Our confession of sin results in a changed heart and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (Jer. 31 & Acts 2). Our changed heart and the Holy Spirit empowers us to live in accordance with the commandments of God, as well as we are able to walk in the light with Him.

Because of Christ’s cleansing blood, we are freed from the bondage of sin. Where we once lived for ourselves, we now have the ability to live for God. Where we once used one another for personal gain, we now have the ability to love and serve each other. This means that the cleansing blood of Christ not only results in us having fellowship God, but it also results in us having true fellowship with one another.

Conclusion

When we confess our sins, recognizing Christ is our Savior – that He is the one who took our punishment for us – then we are cleansed from all our unrighteousness and our relationship with God and one another is restored. John’s message then is that true fellowship with God and one another only happens when we confess our sins. There is no other way. May we all recognize this truth, confess our sins, and be saved from all unrighteousness, which results in true fellowship with both God and one another.

In 1 John 1:3, John tells us the reason he is writing is so that we will have fellowship with each other, with the Father, and with the Son. In marking out these different types of relationships, John is saying, our fellowship with one another, and our fellowship with God is based on our fellowship with Jesus. This differentiation is made more clear in verse 7, when John says our fellowship with one another is based on Jesus’ cleansing of our sins. What we learn in these two verses is that only through our belief in the person and work of Jesus, can we have true fellowship with the Father and with one another.

The Exclusivity of the Gospel

Before I explain what it means to have fellowship with one another, I want to make a point about the exclusivity of the gospel. The fact that we can only have fellowship with God through Jesus means those who believe they can have fellowship with God through other means are mistaken. When those in society claim there are multiple ways to God, or say we need to all co-exist, they are proclaiming another gospel, a false gospel that does not lead to God. The gospel is exclusive and there is only one way to be reconciled to God and experience true fellowship with Him and one another and that is through Jesus Christ.

What does it mean to have fellowship?

Fellowship carries the idea of a close mutual relationship involving mutual interests and sharing. It is a uniquely Christian relational experience that no one but those born of the Spirit of God can experience.

Fellowship With God

To have fellowship with God means we are reconciled to God through our union with Christ. This occurs by believing we are sinners who are in need of a Savior and that Jesus is that Savior. He is God incarnate, eternally existing with the Father, who came in the form of man, dying on the cross for our sins and resurrecting on the third day to ascend to the throne where He now reigns as King. Through our belief in this good news, or what we would call the gospel message, we have fellowship with God. Even more than a reconciled relationship with God, our fellowship with God means we accept His values, His commandments, and His message about Himself and us, and we live accordingly.

Fellowship With One Another

Now that we know what it means to have fellowship with God, we need to ask and answer the question: What does it means to have fellowship with one another? In order to answer that question, I want to talk about what Christian fellowship is not.

What Christian Fellowship is Not

Christian Fellowship is not any warm human exchange we might have with one another. Granted we may share interests with one another such as: Hunting, hiking, fishing, sports, knitting, facebooking, running, a love for the outdoors, or even discussing the latest political candidates, but talking about or participating in these interests together does not constitute Christian fellowship. Remember, Christian fellowship is a uniquely Christian relational experience. We can experience these things with anyone, Christian or not. So then, if Christian fellowship is not solely getting together with Christians to talk and hang out, then what is it?

What Christian Fellowship is

Christian Fellowship means we are participating together in the life and truth made possible by the Holy Spirit through our union with Christ. It is sharing something in common on the deepest possible level of human relationships – our experience of God Himself.

Christian fellowship then involves mutual care and love for one another which is expressed by:

• Sharing what God has done in our life
• Sharing what we are learning in His Word
• Confessing sin to one another
• Correcting one another
• Worshipping God together
• Praying for one another
• Utilizing our Spiritual gifts
• Carrying one another’s burdens
• Serving one another

This means we cannot say we are having true Christian fellowship:

• Until we have moved from talking about the latest game to talking about God’s Word.
• Until we have moved from the weather to what God is doing in our lives.
• Until we are truly self-sacrificially loving one another.

Conclusion

Christian fellowship is a uniquely Christian relationship that involves more than a warm human exchange we might have with one another. It is deeper than shared worldly interests. It is a relationship we can only have by believing the gospel message concerning Jesus. It only occurs when we connect on a level we cannot connect on with those in the world because they do not share our relationship with Jesus and God. May we regularly take advantage of this unique relationship we share with others who believe in Christ as their Savior.

In order to help promote Christian fellowship, I have written another post: Gospel Conversations and Biblical Fellowship.

I am following a read through the Bible in a year plan. My readings this morning were in the gospel of Matthew chapters 15 and 16. At the end of chapter 16, Jesus begins to tell His disciples He must go to Jerusalem to suffer many things, be killed, after which He will raise on the third day (vs 21). To this news, Peter rebukes Him, telling Him this will never happen (vs 22). Instead of agreeing with Peter, Jesus rebukes him along with Satan. He tells Peter he is being a hindrance to Him and that he is setting his mind on the things of man, not the things of God (vs 23).

The Cost of Following Jesus

After this brief dialogue with Peter, Jesus takes the opportunity to teach his disciples what it means to follow Him. The text says,

²⁴ Then Jesus told his disciples, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. ²⁵ For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. ²⁶ For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul? ²⁷ For the Son of Man is going to come with his angels in the glory of his Father, and then he will repay each person according to what he has done.

The cost of following Jesus is to daily take up our cross and follow Him. In other words, we are to be willing to give up our life for the sake of following Christ.

Hard Words

These are hard words to stomach. Even harder words for me to know the true meaning of as I live here in the United States free from religious persecution. We, in the United States, often want Christ and the world, but Jesus tells us we are to set our mind on the things of God, not the things of this world (vs 23). We are to sacrifice for the sake of Christ, even if it means we are uncomfortable, poor, or killed. Again, these are hard words for us, who live in comfort and have plenty. Even so, they are true and what we must be willing to do, if we want to be a follower of Jesus, because to follow Him is to take the road less traveled.

Follow Jesus: It is the only thing that matters

Gaining the world will not profit our soul. No matter how much worldly wealth or fame we have gained. In the end, all that matters is that we have counted the cost of following Jesus, recognizing it is much greater than anything this world can ever offer us, and we followed Him.

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This morning I was reading Psalm 22 as part of my devotional. This Psalm is often referred to as a Messianic Psalm because it points forward to the work of Christ on the cross.

Similarities with Jesus’ Crucifixion

The first line of this Psalm is quoted by Jesus when He was hanging on the cross. In Matthew 27:46 Jesus says,

“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

As you read through the rest of the Psalm one notices a similarity to what happens to Jesus and how those crucifying Jesus act. Jesus’ bones are out of joint, His strength has dried up, He is thirsty, His hands and feet are pierced, but His bones are not broken (14-17). Those in the crowd mock Him, they call out for Him to ask God to deliver Him from the cross, and they divide His garments by casting lots (7-8, 18).

The Lord has not forsaken Jesus

It seems the Lord has forsaken Jesus on the cross, but He has not. His plan has always been for Jesus to die for the sins of mankind (Rom. 8:28-30; Eph. 1). A plan worked out from before the foundations of the earth.

Every Knee Will Bow

Instead of forsaking Jesus, the Father resurrects Jesus and exalts Christ to His heavenly throne with the promise that everyone will worship Him (Psalm 22:27-28; Phil. 2:8-11). In verse 29, the Psalmist says,

All the prosperous of the earth eat
and worship;
before him shall bow all
who go down to the dust,
even the one who could not
keep himself alive.

Indeed, all will bow down to worship Him, even those who are not Christians. Every man, woman, and child will bow their knee before the Lord when He returns. Isaiah predicted it (Isa. 45:23), Paul confirmed it (Rom. 14:11; Phil. 2:10), and John wrote about the coming day when the Lamb (Jesus) would sit on His throne and every creature would recognize Him as Lord (Rev. 5:13).

There will be a day when Jesus will return, and there will be a day when every knee will bow to Him as Lord, whether you recognize Him now as Lord or not.

A Plea

Now is the time my friends to confess Christ as Savior and Lord of your life. If the Lord has given you the faith to believe in Him, then believe. For you can either confess Jesus as Lord and Savior now, or in the after life, but after this life is over, our chance of reconciliation with God and eternal life goes with it (Ecc. 3:17; 9:4-6).

Assurance

Those who are believers in Christ, be assured of your salvation. Place your hope fully in Christ and Christ alone, knowing He is our Savior and Lord. Know that the Lord will return and He will defeat the enemy, Satan. Know and trust that He will reign on His throne forever and ever, and that we will experience true joy for all of eternity as we worship and praise Him. Come Lord Jesus, come!

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I have been reading through John Calvin’s Institutes. I picked up a read through the Institutes in a year plan, and it has been a blessing. Even though he wrote hundreds of years ago, his writings are still applicable to our times.

Right now, I am reading in chapter 8, where Calvin is establishing the credibility of Scripture. In talking about Sacred Scripture, Calvin says,

“Nevertheless it [Scripture] clearly is crammed with thoughts that could not be humanly conceived”[1].

He is right. Scripture is crammed with thoughts that those writing without the inspiration of the Holy Spirit would never conceive. The reason a non-inspired writer would not conceive of them is because Scripture is often paradigm shifting in nature.

What does it mean for Scripture to be paradigm shifting?

It means what we think should be the case is not. How we think things should go is not the way God thinks they should go. Our normal model is not God’s model. I believe we do not have to look far to see where our model is different than God’s.

The Gospel

We do not have to look any further than the gospel message. You see, the gospel tells us that God’s Son left His heavenly abode, descended to the earth by being born of a virgin. He lived a holy and sinless life, being 100% God and 100% man. Instead of people worshipping Him for who He is, namely, God. He was ridiculed, mocked, beaten, and crucified. Even so, His crucifixion was not contrary to God’s plan, it was His plan (Eph. 1). Through Jesus’ person, life, death, and subsequent resurrection from the tomb, we, sinful man, who deserve nothing but punishment, can have life, if we believe it is Jesus who reconciles us to God.

The Paradigm Shift

Here is the paradigm shift in the gospel message. It is not through our works, our goodness, or our own self-righteousness that we are reconciled to God (Eph. 2:8-9). We cannot clean ourselves up, thinking somehow our works will earn us favor with the Father. The Pharisees tried, but Jesus condemned them (Luke 11:37-44).

Even after salvation, we cannot earn favor with God through our works. God has poured out His grace on us. He has filled our grace tank full. Our works cannot add anything to the tank.

Even though our works cannot earn us favor with God, we often live as if they do. Thinking if I don’t read my Bible or pray first thing in the morning, somehow I have lost God’s favor, and His hand will not be upon me that day. The gospel tells us that type of thinking is wrong.

Even though it is wrong, that type of thinking is natural to us. It is how we are hardwired. We do something and we expect it to earn us something. Not so with God. Instead of living the Christian life to get something from God, which would be a way for us to control God.

We live the Christian life not to get something from God, but because we can.

When God saves us, He changes our heart, releases us from the bondage of sin, and provides us with the Holy Spirit, empowering us to follow His commands. Commands we follow, not because they will earn us favor with God, but commands we follow because we are now able to and desire to (Phil. 2:13).

Conclusion

The Scripture is often paradigm shifting. Taking what we think to be the case, and showing us what we thought was the way things are, is not how they are with God. The gospel is the greatest example of a shift from man’s model to God’ model. We often believe we have to earn our salvation, but God tells us we are freely given salvation. All we have to do is believe, which is also made possible through God giving us the faith to believe (Rom. 8:28-30).

Even after we are saved, we believe we have to do good works to keep our salvation, or we have to do good works to merit God’s favor. The gospel tells us that is simple not true. We have been saved by God’s grace and we are kept until the last day when He will pour out a final measure of His grace on us, bringing us into a state of glorification and ushering us into eternal life (1 Peter 1:13). There is no amount of works we could do to earn our salvation, and there are no amount of works we can do to keep our salvation, or merit God’s favor.

This does not mean we do not live differently as Christians. It means the reason we live differently is a complete paradigm shift from what we thought. We live differently because we are now able and willing to. When we are saved, we are released from the bondage of sin, given a new heart, new desires, and the Holy Spirit who empowers us to do the will of the Father. In short, we live the Christian life because we delight in God and God is most glorified when we are most happy in Him.

Resources

[1] John Calvin, The Institues, Book 1, Ch. 8, Sec. 2, pg 83.

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This last Sunday I preached in view of a call at Sycamore Baptist Church. The Lord graciously revealed His will, which was that He was calling me to Sycamore Baptist as their Lead Pastor. I accepted the call, and I will be installed as their new pastor on February 5th. I am extremely humbled that the Lord has chosen to use me to lead His church. I consider it a privilege and honor to serve and lead the members of Sycamore Baptist Church in Decatur, TX.

Jen and I are both excited about this opportunity, and we are looking forward to seeing what the Lord has in store for us and the church in the future. Please be in prayer for us as we make this transition to a new city and a new church.

You can specifically pray for us in the following ways:

• Pray the Lord would give me the wisdom to lead His church.
• Pray the Lord will reveal to me what I need to teach through both on Sunday Mornings and Wednesday Bible Study.
• Pray the Lord will bless us with young couples to befriend and invite to the church.
• Pray the Lord will allow me to find a few men to meet with for accountability and discipleship.
• Pray the Lord will allow the church to be a light to the community, reaching it for Christ.
• Pray the Lord will allow our transition to a new city and church an easy one.

]]> http://christianitymatters.com/2012/01/23/the-next-chapter/feed/ 8 jclewis33 Casey and Jen in Front of Sign http://christianitymatters.com/2012/01/19/building-the-church-what-is-the-end-goal/ http://christianitymatters.com/2012/01/19/building-the-church-what-is-the-end-goal/#comments Thu, 19 Jan 2012 17:08:16 +0000 Casey Lewis http://christianitymatters.com/?p=2015 ]]>

In Ephesians 4:7-16, Paul tells us Jesus gives gifts to the church for the building up of the body. Jesus gives gifts to the individual members of the church. He also calls some men, to become Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, and Pastor Teachers, and gives them as gifts to the church, in order to equip the saints for the work of ministry. The congregation, along with the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, and Pastor Teachers, are to build up the body of Christ. They are to work toward a certain end. It is that end that I want to focus on today.

You do not start a building project without first understanding what you are building, nor do you start building up the body of Christ without first understanding the goal in mind. What is that goal? Where are we as a congregation supposed to be headed? Paul provides the answer in verses 13-14 when he says,

Until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

I believe we can pull three attributes out of these verses, which tell us where we are headed as a church, which is ultimately to maturity. Let’s look at the three characteristics of a mature church:

1. It is a church were everyone is unified because of a common faith and where everyone has a deep intimate knowledge of Jesus Christ

The first phrase Paul writes, “Unity of the Faith and the knowledge of the Son of God” has the idea that the entire congregation is united, they are one, because of their shared faith. As well as those in the congregation have an intimate and real knowledge of Christ, which is gained from seeing Him work in the body.

The psalmist is a good example of one who had an intimate knowledge of God. We often read of him crying out to God as his protector, comforter, and salvation. He sees God as a righteous judge and deliverer, as well as one who provides for the poor and the needy.

The psalmist does not know these things about God because he has studied them, even though he has, but he more so knows these things about God because he has experienced them first hand either in his life or in the life of those he knows.

Just like the Psalmist. As we see families in our congregation go through struggles and walk with them as Christ works in their lives, we come to know that Christ is faithful. As we see recent converts change their way of life, casting off addictions and clinging to the Savior, we come to know that Christ is better than our former way of life. As we see Christ work in the congregation, or in our own life, we develop a deep intimate knowledge of Him.

2. It is a church that resembles Christ in its thoughts, actions, and knowledge

Paul says we are to keep building up the body until we reach “mature manhood.” The idea is that we, as the body, are to become a well-built full grown man. What does a well-built full grown man look like? The next phrase tells us.

A well-build full grown man is one who, as Paul says, reaches the “measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” In other words, it is a church, where the entire congregation resembles Jesus in their  thoughts, actions, and knowledge.

3. It is a church that is able to discern false doctrine and combat those who desire to destroy the church through deceitful schemes

In verse 14, Paul gives us the reason for why we should grow in maturity, which also serves to tell us what it looks like to be a mature man. He says,

so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.

As we become unified and grow in our knowledge of Christ. And as we move toward being a full-grown man, one that resembles our glorified Savior, Jesus Christ, we should be able to discern false teaching and the schemes of those who seek to destroy the church.

Instead of being like children who are easily influenced, we are to be like full grown men capable of discerning what others are telling us. Instead of being like a rudderless boat that is tossed to and fro by every wave that comes by, we are to be like a stable ship, which is able to navigate rough waters with a clear path.

As we grow in our maturity, we, the entire church, are to be able to evaluate the latest doctrines and theological trends that try to pass themselves off as Christian teaching, as well as discover who it is that is trying to destroy the church. In doing so, we put ourselves in a position where we are able to protect the church.

The end product is three-fold:

(1) It is a church were everyone is unified because of a common faith and has a deep intimate knowledge of Jesus Christ.

(2) It is a church that resembles Christ in its thoughts, actions, and knowledge.

(3) It is a church that is able to discern false doctrine and combat those who desire to destroy the church through deceitful schemes.

Conclusion

To these ends, we, as a church, are to be building because they represent the final product of a mature church. In order to get there, it will take every member of the church exercising their God given gift. As well as we will need to speak the truth of God’s Word to each other in love (vs 15). May we, as a church, work together until we attain to this goal, knowing our work will not be fully complete until Jesus returns.

In my last two posts, I argued for the relevance of Scripture. You can check those out here: The Relevance of Scripture (Part 1) and The Relevance of Scripture (Part 2). In this post, I would like to argue for the necessity of God’s Word. God’s Word is necessary because it alone tells us about our Creator, Savior, and Lord. Creation alone can only take us so far. Without God’s written Word, we would not know who God is and what He has done for mankind.

John Calvin on Scripture

John Calvin, one of the greatest theologians of all times, writes in his institutes concerning Scripture. Here is what he says,

Scripture, gathering up the otherwise confused knowledge of God in our minds, having dispersed our dullness, clearly shows us the true God. This, therefore, is a special gift, where God, to instruct the church, not merely uses mute teachers but also opens his own most hallowed lips. Not only does he teach the elect to look upon a god, but also shows himself as the God upon whom they are to look. He has from the beginning maintained this plan for his church…put[ting] forth his Word, which is a more direct and more certain mark whereby he is to be recognized [1].

From this, one should gather that God’s Word is a special gift. Scripture is a special gift because it instructs man as to who God is and how they are to live as a result. Without Scripture, man would not know God, nor would man know who he is, namely, a sinner in need of a Savior.

Creation Declares There is a God, But It is Not Enough

The Psalmist tells us creation declares there is a God, but creation itself is not enough, man needs Scripture to tell them who God, the Creator of the universe is. Read what David writes in Psalm 19:1-3:

The heavens declare the glory of God,
and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.
Day to day pours out speech,
and night to night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech, nor are there words
whose voice is not heard.
Their voice goes out through all the earth,
and their words to the end of the world.

Paul agrees with the Psalmist, but also tells us that man, even though he knows there is a God, does not worship Him as God. Here is what Paul has to say,

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened (Rom. 1:18-21)

From this, we should see that man understands there is a God because creation evidences His handiwork, but because of man’s fallen nature he creates idols to worship. Instead of seeking the Creator of the world and worshipping Him, man fashions a god of his own making.

Even Though Man Knows God Exists, He Needs God’s Word

Paul’s visit to the Areopagus, where he found “an altar to the unknown god” is evidence man knows God exists (Acts 17:23). However, even though man knows God exists, he does not “know” Him because nature can only tell us there is a God, it cannot tell us anything personal about God, which is why the Psalmist continues in Psalm 19:7-11 saying,

The law of the Lord is perfect,
reviving the soul;
the testimony of the Lord is sure,
making wise the simple;
the precepts of the Lord are right,
rejoicing the heart;
the commandment of the Lord is pure,
enlightening the eyes;
the fear of the Lord is clean,
enduring forever;
the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether.
More to be desired are they than gold,
even much fine gold;
sweeter also than honey,
and drippings of the honeycomb.
Moreover, by them is your servant warned;
in keeping them there is great reward.

Without God’s Word, we would not understand His law, testimony, precepts, or commandments. In short, we would not know who God is, nor would we know we are sinners who are in need of a Savior (Rom. 3:21-23; see also Luke 24:27).

By Faith and By God’s Word We Know God

Before I conclude, I want to return once again to Calvin. Commenting on Hebrews 11:3, Calvin makes it evident man can only see God if he is illumined by God through faith. He says,

For this reason, the apostle, in that very passage where he calls the world the images of things invisible, adds that through faith we understand that they have been fashioned by God’s word [Heb. 11:3]. He means by this that the invisible divinity is made manifest in such spectacles, but that we have not the eyes to see this unless they are illumined by the inner revelation of God through faith [2].

So then, unless God illumines our eyes to see Him, we will not. And unless God provides us with His Word, then we are not able to truly “know” Him as our Creator, Lord, and Savior because it is His Word that tells us who God is and who we are. Calvin continues,

Nevertheless, all things will tend to this end, that God, the Artificer of the universe, is made manifest to us in Scripture, and that what we ought to think of him is set forth there, lest we seek some uncertain deity by devious paths [3].

Conclusion

So then, we see that unless we have God’s Word, we cannot know God as Creator, Savior, or Lord. We can only know there is a God, but the details about Him and about us are unknown. The only way we can come to know God is through His written, innerant, and inspired Word, known as the Bible. Therefore, the Word of God is not only relevant, it is necessary, for without it we are without knowledge of God and ourselves.

Resources

[1] John Calvin, Institutes of the Christian Religion, ed. Mcneil, Book 1, Ch VI,I, pg 70
[2] Ibid., Book 1, Ch V, 14, pg 68.
[3] Ibid., Book 1, Ch V, 15, pg 69.