Tuesday, 9 August 2016

SO LONG, SCRIPTURA - A Clarion Call to Defending the Faith Once Delivered to The Saints PART THREE



So long, Scriptura

And the child Samuel ministered unto the LORD before Eli. And the word of the LORD was precious in those days; there was no open vision (1stSamuel3:1)

Just grab your Bible for a moment & hold it in your hand. I don’t know how many copies you may own, but apparently [at the time of this writing] there have been approximately some 4 billion Bibles sold to date. The copy that you hold in your hand right now is most likely one of them.

We owe a great debt of gratitude to a great many individuals for the privilege of being free to hold, read & believe the copy of the Bible that usually sits unread for most [if not all] of the week in its convenient place, so that we don’t forget to pick it up on our way out to church on Sunday. Don’t forget to clean away the dust that gathers around it eh.

All of us are at liberty to find & choose a particular Bible version that suits us, after all, no translation into any human language will accurately convey the mind of Almighty God, however, through the ministry of The Holy Spirit, Who is the author of the book that we hold to so dearly, we can begin to understand God’s Word (2ndTimothy3:14-17) & although we may sometimes disagree about the validity of some versions & the superiority of others, our passion has to be more than something egotistical or intellectual. As my first Pastor often said to me about my Bible, ‘..don’t have it & not read it; don’t read it & not believe it; don’t believe it & not obey it..’. How often I have failed to take his sterling advice.

He would sometimes take my Bible from me & look through the pages to see where they were worn. He would read through the scribblings that I made in the margins or on the multi-coloured post it notes that I had stuck to the pages & he would giggle before handing it back to me. I never discovered what had made him laugh.

Let us labor therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do (Hebrews4:11-13).

My Pastor always placed a strong emphasis the fact that our faith in God must come out of our relationship with a living Saviour, the Son of the living God (Matthew16:16, Revelation1:18). As well as this, he taught us that our faith must be rooted & grounded in the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ is God’s Word & as such The Word lives & breathes. This understanding of faith was far removed from the classic, more forensic word-of-faith-mythology that I eventually [& unfortunately] embraced later on in my believer’s walk.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not…He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not…And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John1:1-5,10&14).

Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the
word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (Hebrews11:3).

Are you still holding your Bible in your hand? You & I possess a volume of writings unlike any other body of work ever written down. What these sacred books of the canon of Scripture say to us & who they reveal to us are of a paramount importance if our faith in God & His Word are to be genuine. A contrived belief that springs out of simply learning Scripture by rote is quite honestly the stuff of cults. The Word of The Lord must once again be precious, especially in these last days.

Each faction, denomination, movement or ism within The Church, has a different view of The Word of God & consequently of Christ. On a sliding scale there are those who believe in the complete verbal inspiration of Scripture, right through to those who believe it to be nothing more or less than a collection of writings, only sacred in their ideal, but not in their essence & certainly no more or less inspired than the other texts of other religions.

Well, just as the very best tool for interpreting Scripture is Scripture itself, I think it wise to see what Scripture says about itself in order to determine whether it’s God’s Word or not. This determination is vital because God’s Word is consistently being held in decreasing esteem. What happens when The Word of God [& its place among us] is diminished & what replaces that which ought to be irreplaceable?

On a small scale & in limited measure I have seen this happen; even in my own life. The subtle groundwork for such a travesty is laid in advance of any onslaught on God’s Word & seldom do we see its approach, sense its danger or discern its deadly ruination. Nevertheless it comes. In this regard, before any of us take to the Scriptures with a view to reading them, we have to first establish why it is that we would even do such a thing. In other words, is The Bible required reading for us who believe? Are you still holding your Bible in your hand my friend? Please ask yourself why it is that you have it, why it is that you read it, why it is that you believe it & ultimately why it is that it possesses the authority to command & demand your obedience & mine. I can only answer this question for myself, but there’s a good chance that the reasons I cite may be similar to yours.

I was raised as an Anglican, joining the church choir when I was 7 years old & [under duress] accepting confirmation when I was 16. However, I’d been born again at the age of 13 & on the night that I had received Christ as my Saviour I went home, got my mother’s Bible & read all four Gospels, the book of Romans & the entire book of revelation in one sitting. Although I didn’t understand most of what I’d read, I had an almost insatiable appetite for it, but why? It’s very simple.

The brother who had led me to Christ told me that I should read The Bible. He told me that it was God’s Word & that as I read it, The Holy Spirit would open my understanding of it. He told me that I should pray & read Scripture daily. This I did. However, when I spoke to my parish Priest, he had something altogether different to say about The Bible & my study of it. This is the juncture at which Scripture’s declarations concerning itself become the proof of the pudding.

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they (Hebrews1:1-4).

I had learned very early on in my believer’s walk that The Bible is essential for growth (1stPeter2:2). Yet there were those [like my parish priest] who preferred a more liberal view of The Bible’s role in Christian life & church doctrine. Because St. Peter’s was very ‘High Church’ there were elements of the liturgy that resembled Roman Catholicism. It was here that I used that age old, classic Pentecostal phrase ‘where’s that in The Bible?’, much to the annoyance of the vicar. I questioned the necessity & role of a priesthood, the biblical basis for their particular administration of the sacraments & the nature of their ecclesiastical garb. All of these questions & more had arisen within me simply because I had been reading my Bible.

For those attendees who didn’t read Scripture, although there were several saints who did, these questions were absolutely irrelevant. They saw no need whatsoever for a literal belief in The Bible, but rather for an ‘in-principle’ acceptance of it; Scripture contained God’s Word but was not His Word in its totality. I pondered this point of view, which made logical sense to me. However, those with whom I fellowshipped in Pentecostal circles took the view that it wasn’t enough for the issue to make logical sense; it had to make theological sense.

Despite my objections to certain [but not all] elements of Anglican theology & ecclesiology, my name was sneaked across the desk of the Bishop of Leicester as a likely candidate for a ceremony known as The Boy Bishop. Beyond this of course, was a plan to encourage my entrance into the ministry of The Anglican Church. This was never to happen. However, the ceremony went ahead & enrobed in Bishop’s paraphernalia, with Mitre & Crosier to boot, I delivered a wee homily & had my picture taken by the local newspaper. My message was a simple one; So Long, Scriptura. Of course, this was my attempt at a play on the words Sola Scriptura; Scripture alone.

The basic thrust of my [less than ten minute] sermon was this: the church we have now, is a direct result of our building upon whatever foundation we as followers of Christ have believed to be sound. In support of this I cited the words of Christ Himself in Matthew16:15-18And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.’ Given the choice, I would take the words of The Lord Jesus Christ over the words of anyone else, on any day of the week.

*I cannot stress how important I believe it is that we as believers in Christ receive a revelation of exactly who Jesus is. However, I’m not promoting an experience as any kind of subjective proof. I’m seeking to provoke believers to delve further into their Bibles because it is right there that the written Word reveals the Living Word.

Here, Peter declares a truth revealed to him by The Father concerning Christ & it is upon this rock that Jesus is building His Church. However, Peter was not the only disciple of The Lord who knew this. In chapter one of the Gospel that bears his name, we see that John has a revelation of Christ as The Word (John1:1-5,10&14). We also see John’s revelation of Christ’s deity quite clearly throughout his account of The Lord’s ministry. John, the disciple whom Jesus loved, knew Who Jesus was.

The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me; for he was before me. And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God (John1:29-34).

Here we see John the Baptist, a cousin of Christ, testifying that he didn’t know who Jesus was until God revealed it to him. In verse 6 of this first chapter of John’s Gospel, John the Baptist is described as ‘a man sent from God’ & here in verse 33 John tells us that he that sent [him] to baptize with water told him how to recognise The Messiah. John saw & bore record that Jesus was the Son of God. John the Baptist knew who Jesus was.

As we go further, we see Jesus beginning to call His disciples & the narrative here is amazing. It is to me anyway.

Again the next day after, John stood, and two of his disciples; and looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou? He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour. One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. And he brought him to Jesus. And when Jesus beheld him, he said, Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is by interpretation, A stone.  The day following Jesus would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip, and saith unto him, Follow me. Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph. And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see. Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and saith of him, Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile! Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee. Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. Jesus answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man. (John1:35-51).

This narrative, although different to the accounts given by the other Gospel writers, nevertheless reveals something quite remarkable & notable. John’s Gospel is not synoptic. From the very beginning of His life & ministry, Jesus’ identity was revealed by God to certain individuals. Mary & Joseph knew. The Shepherds & Wise Men knew. Anna & Simeon knew. Satan & demonic spirits knew. The Bible that you’re holding in your hand is a veritable treasure trove of truth concerning Christ & who He is. The knowledge of who He is, is the rock upon which Christ builds His Church & the transformative power of that truth, with He Himself being the cornerstone, gives us an assurance of trust because He is The Word of God.

John, Andrew & the unnamed disciple, Peter, Philip & Nathanael all had this knowledge of Christ. They were among the first, but were certainly not the last. Faith in the Living Word must be reflected in our faith in the written Word.

For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;
and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit (Ephesians2:18-22).

To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed (1Peter2:4-8).

If we consider Matthew’s account of the revelation of Christ once again, we will see that Peter re-affirms what he & certain of the other the disciples certainly believed. We also see that Jesus re-affirms what He had said to Peter when his brother Andrew had taken him to meet The Lord. The Church that Jesus Christ is building must have the Living Word as it’s foundation & it must have what Paul describes as ‘..the word of his grace, which is able to build [us] up..’ (Acts20:32).

The Church is built on The Word as well as by The Word. Those twelve men [eleven of whom finished their course] were students of the greatest Rabbi who ever lived; Rabbi Yeshua ben Yosef. After His death, burial & resurrection, they taught believers what He had taught them. This was the Apostles’ Doctrine & the basis of our New Testament in His blood (Matthew26:28). However, none of the teachings of Christ were manifest out of thin air. They had their basis in Scripture.

*Sadly there are those who never delve into the Old Testament because they haven’t realised that both covenants are inextricably linked by a glorious unfolding of fulfilment. The Old Covenant makes up two-thirds of The Bible that you’re holding in your hand my friend & before you discard it as irrelevant to you, I would encourage you to study it. It’s the meat. Many of the New Testament truths that we hold dear as fundamental doctrine, have their root in the Old Testament & we would do well to heed it.

The validity & relevance of the New Testament is clearly taken for granted by The Church. Yet, Jesus Himself & the New Testament writers continually reference the Old. We have been told that the New Testament writings, especially those of Paul, are for The Church & that we should concentrate our efforts in studying it, but this approach partially robs us theologically. However, if you don’t believe me that’s fine. Believe Jesus. Do you still have your Bible in your hand?

As you thumb through the Gospels, you’ll see that Jesus references the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers & Dueteronomy. What decent Rabbi worth his salt wouldn’t? He also quotes from the books of Isaiah, Jeremiah, Zachariah, Daniel, Micah, Hosea, Malachi & The Psalms. His validation of the Old Testament spanned its entirety.

*The Law (Torah) - Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, & Deuteronomy. The Prophets (Neviim) - Joshua, Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel (one volume), 1 & 2 Kings (one volume), Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, the 12 Minor Prophets (one volume). The Writings (Kethubim) - Psalms, Proverbs, Job, Ruth, Song of Solomon, Ecclesiastes, Lamentations, Esther, Daniel, Ezra and Nehemiah (one volume), 1 & 2 Chronicles (one volume). In Rabbinic tradition, quoting one book from any of these biblical collections validated the entire collection. Christ’s handling of the TaNaKh is a masterclass.

And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the Scriptures, and said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things (Luke24:44-48).

If Jesus opened their understanding in order that they might understand the Scriptures, will He not do the same thing for us, who also believe? Both the Old & New Testaments that you hold in your hand right now contain the revelation of Jesus Christ, including the very last book of The Bible that bears that very name. Sadly, however, there are those within The Church who are ‘foolish & slow of heart to believe’ (Luke24:25-27). I must admit to being one of the above, but thankfully The Lord hasn’t finished with me.

Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? Do not think that I will accuse you to the Father: there is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom ye trust. For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? (John5:39-47).

It is here, at this point that The Church has seen an increasing number of its leadership & membership rapidly leave the rails of orthodoxy. The relevance of Scripture as a basis for belief & practise is completely undermined when The Bible is no longer considered absolute truth. If it isn't believed & obeyed, it has no authority & if it has no authority it isn't relevant.

We have seen a systematic waving goodbye to God’s Word as parts of The Church have said ‘So Long, Scriptura’ to biblical truth.

During the 1970s & into the 1990s, The Charismatic Movement was in its ascendancy. Traditional Pentecostalism followed in its slipstream & there were adherents within other branches of established fundamentalism & nominal denominations also. Their theology differed, but those who believed still believed that The Scriptures were a vital & integral part of Christian life, doctrine & practise. It was here, within Bible believing fundamentalism, that post-modernism began to take root & grow. It incubated seeker sensitivity & eventually it gave birth to emergence, but seeker sensitivity was more of a method than a movement in & of itself. Nevertheless, in an effort to reach out to a generation that was perceived as lost in translation, a new way of ‘doing church’ was sought out & formulated.

Pentecostalism had its own particular dogma, as did Charismania. However, the leading lights within both movements began to lose a generation of youth who either became bored with the same-old-same-old, grew beyond their respective movements theologically, or who simply left altogether. I was in the midst of one such generation. There were questions that The Church either would not or could not answer & as a result of this many began to adopt a more liberal view of their faith & of The Bible.

I strongly contend that if Scripture is being taught effectively & is endorsed & validated far above & beyond spiritual experience as a barometer, folk will only leave our churches because they’re answering the call of God to do something, somewhere else. In this, we have failed for the most part & in that, I’m afraid rather miserably. Remember, we’re to be built upon The Word of God & by The Word of God.

Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies,
and envies, and all evil speakings, as newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious (1stPeter2:1-3).

And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? (1stCorinthians3:1-3)

Notice that both of these Apostles indicate the provision of milk for the immature. Milk is nevertheless an initial part of our diet while we grow & by which we grow. This growth however, will never transpire while we remain in a state of carnality & mere manhood. One of the reasons for this, apart from the ‘malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings [&] envying, and strife, and divisions’ mentioned by Peter & Paul, is the very real fact that much Bible teaching within The Church has been milk masquerading as meat. Beyond that, there are those who have formulated their own particular brand of theology [if it can be called that] & are feeding their congregations nothing more or less than mutton dressed up as lamb.

Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil (Hebrews5:11-14).

When we depart from Scripture, we drift into unlit territory. We’re in the dark (Psalms119:105). Again, we are to begin with the foundation of God’s Word, continue with it, grow & mature by its agency & come to know its sufficiency. Are you still holding your Bible in your hand? The Apostle Peter, a fisherman when Christ had called him, recalls those moments on the mount of transfiguration. He remembers the voice of God speaking out of the heavens. He was right there. However, it wasn’t the value of the experience that he promotes. He points us directly to Scripture.

For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with him in the holy mount. We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day-star arise in your hearts: knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation. For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost (2ndPeter1:16-21).

But Peter doesn’t only point us to the inspired Scripture of the Old Testament, he incorporates Apostolic Doctrine too as having the same Divine weight, as did the Apostle Paul also.

This second epistle, beloved, I now write unto you; in both which I stir up your pure minds by way of remembrance: that ye may be mindful of the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of us the apostles of the Lord and Saviour: (2ndPeter3:1-2).

If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord. But if any man be ignorant, let him be ignorant (1stCorinthians14:37-38).

Peter continues, speaking of the Apostle Paul’s epistles, saying, ‘as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be understood, which they that are
unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction. Ye therefore, beloved, seeing ye know these things before, beware lest ye also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness. But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen’ (2nd Peter3:16-18).

The unlearned (ignorant) & unstable (carnal) are more likely to relinquish their hold on Scripture than those who are maturing on strong meat. There are popular moves afoot today, intent on replacing God’s Word completely. There are widespread trends that encourage a more liberal theology. There are messages with more akin to Secular Humanism than the Gospel. The importance of Scripture is being systematically eroded & those who once championed The Bible are now slowly waving goodbye to it in order to embrace compromise. So Long, Scriptura.

Are you still holding your Bible in your hand my friend? Take to it once again & as never before.


Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little (Isaiah28:9-10).



copyright © by David Samuel Parkins mmxvi all rights reserved.

no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is presented & without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

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