Holy Scripture - Lesson 1

HOLY SCRIPTURE

2004

LESSON ONE

I. Holy Scripture: the only source and norm of Christian Doctrine for the Church today (p. 193 et.seq.)

A. Christian Church

1. Older than the Holy Scripture.

2. i.e. older than the written Word of God.

3. Until Moses:

a. God called His Church into existence and preserved it by His oral word (viva voce).

b. Immediately after the Fall: Ge 3:8-14.

c. Oral promise: Ge 3:15.

d. Thereafter, through oral Word, proclaimed in various ways, He continued to build His Church; e.g. Ge 4:26.

4. After Word transmitted in writing, Church strictly bound to the written Word of God.

a. Dt 4:2.

b. Jos 23:6.

c. Church of Old Testament rigidly bound to written Word.

d. Church of New Testament

(1) Eph 2:20.

(2) Scriptures of Apostles coordinated with that of Prophets because one and same Spirit of Christ speaking through both: 1Pe 1:10-12.

(3) Jn 17:20.

B. Where does New Testament Church find Word of the Apostles with certainty?

1. The Apostles themselves point us to their Scriptures.

a. They declare that their written Word is in content identical with their spoken Word.

(1) 1Jn 1:3,4.

(2) 2Th 2:15.

b. The Apostles insisted already very firmly on the sola Scriptura.

(1) 1Co 14:37,38.

(2) 2Th 2:2 (note: Paul sets his writing against “spirit”, alleged word i.e. tradition, and the alleged epistle of the Apostle)

2. Scriptural principle rejected and human Ego installed as “teacher” in following instances:

a. When natural reason is made the judge, e.g.

(1) When man’s natural knowledge of God and of divine things is made to judge.

(2) When men reject parts of Christian doctrine under claim they are “unreasonable” (“rationalism”)

(a) Mother of synergism (denial of sola gratia)

(b) Mother of Calvinism (denial of the universalis gratia).

(3) Contrast ministerial use of reason (capacity to receive thoughts of another into the mind) vs. magisterial use of reason.

(a) Ro 10:14.

(b) Theologian must adhere most accurately to the linguistic usage present in Scripture.

(d) But solely to understand the contents of Scripture and not to add its own content.

(e) Can not allow reason, gone mad, to presume to judge things that transcend its sphere.

(f) Articles of faith are not against reason, but solely above reason.

(g) Articles of faith are not only above, but contrary to, corrupt reason.

b. The Scripture principle is abrogated by substituting for it the regenerate reason.

(1) a/k/a pious self-consciousness, Christian experience, Christian Ego, faith consciousness, faith, spirit, etc.

(2) Is “old Adam”, not “new Adam”, playing theologian.

(3) New man:

(a) knows the Scripture to be very Word of God (Jn 8:47).

(b) follows the general rule given the church: 1Pe 4:11.

c. The Scripture principle rejected by the demand that Christian doctrine must not be taken from passages that treat of the individual doctrines (sedes doctrinae) but from the “whole of Scripture.”

(1) Statement re: “whole…” is really nonsense.

(2) Given currency by Schleiermacher.

(3) Would be creating man’s own product.

(4) Is not harmless.

(5) Jn 8:43a.

d. The Scripture principle is denied by making the church, the doctrinal decrees of the Church (councils, synods), the Pope, etc., the arbiters of the truth.

(1) Mt 23:8,10.

(2) Mt 28:20.

(3) Jn 15:7.

(4) 2Jn 9-11

(5) Voice of church and voice of Scripture are one and the same.

(6) Even if they call the consensus of the Church the “secondary principle”. (In practice, becomes the primary principle)

(7) Must avoid two extremes:

(a) Christian theologians do not despise the testimony of the church, but instead take note of it, rejoice over it, be confirmed by the witnesses raised up.

(b) They do not over-estimate the witness of the church.

(8) Rather, maintain that neither the pronouncements of individuals nor the resolutions of any number of persons can make doctrines of faith or be their basis.

e. The Scripture principle is abrogated and human reason substituted through appeal to private revelations re: doctrine.

(1) They use to explain, correct, and supplement.

(2) They’ve always been here (e.g. 1Co 14:37 and 2Th 2:2).

(3) They oppose the “external word” of Scripture with their “inner” word as a higher revelation.

(4) They are all who divorce the operation of the Holy Spirit from the Word of Scripture.

(5) Includes

(a) the Papists.

(b) All Reformed to extent they maintain the Spirit works with His saving operation immediately.

(6) All come to faith through the Word of the Apostles.

(a) Jn 17:20.

(b) Eph 2:20.

f. The Scripture principle is denied by the demand that the Christian religion be interpreted “historically”.

(1) Christianity can truly be called an historical phenomenon.

(2) But “historical interpretation” to be declined.

(3) We look to the record given in Scripture.

(4) Jn 1:1,2,14.

3. Therefore, the number of essentially different sources and norms of religious knowledge is exactly two.

a. What is not taken from Scripture originates in the human Ego (“rationalism”)

b. Scripture