The Authority of Scripture

Coming up next on Renewing Your Mind Scripture alone is the authority of the rules over governments all other authorities and that would have been no Reformation with out the districts view the Bible influences every aspect of our lives when we view Scripture as a relevant tour is one voice among many, its impact is limited. On the other hand, when we recognize God's word is our final authority.

It constantly reforms today on Renewing Your Mind, Dr. Michael Reed shows us how the self authenticating nature of Scripture sets it apart. Welcome back. In this session we going to look at the different views of Scripture held by the Roman Catholic Church and the reforms that when Lisa began his protest just over 500 years ago he was addressing a church in Rome that affirmed Scripture's authority and inspiration. So what was it about Lisa's thought that was so different so offensive to the Roman church will Lisa had the audacity to say that Scripture alone is the supreme and inerrant authority, while popes and councils Scripture alone does not distinguish the reformers from Rome was the claim that is important is tradition is an basal tradition was very important tradition is not without.

Only God's word is and because Scripture is the highly trustworthy word of God. Scripture alone is the church's ultimate authority sufficient for faith and practice. The question of authority was critical of the Reformation so critical.

It was the very heart solve… Early key debates in the very first years of the Reformation surrounding one of the Reformation.

Sylvester Priya Rios was the Dominican theologian appointed by Pope Leo the 10th to make the first response to Lisa Stacy's precarious quickly saw the location of final authority was the real issue at stake and supreme. Rios wrote in his dialogue concerning the power of the Pope.

He said he who does not accept the doctrine of the church of Rome and the plaintiff of Rome as an infallible rule of faith from which the Scriptures to draw their strength and authority as a heretic ramp to tonsil conscience and then weighed in arguing that Scripture must be interpreted by the Pope, who is above not only councils he argued, the Pope is above Scripture itself.

Lisa replied his holiness abuses.

Scripture I didn't naïveté is above Scripture and I was very much the early debates of the Reformation. In a nutshell. Roman theologians insisted on the infallibility of the papacy and the more they did so. The more Luther relied on the authority of Scripture.

Luther summed up his position when he said the saints could in their writings and the sin in their lives, but the Scriptures cannot that establishes and outlines the Reformation. No theological method in contrast to the Roman Catholic method still today. The catechism of the Catholic Church states both Scripture and tradition must be accepted and honored with equal sentiments of devotion and reverence and contrast as of the Reformation hold the Bible is our only chief supreme and ultimate authority that is the meaning of solar Scripture.

So Scripture is not the same thing is new to Scripture that wish to have no creeds, but the Bible so the scriptural aura of knowledge is that all of the important authorities for the Christian authorities. You should be listened to and followed. We respect the authority of church elders, great theologians, creeds and confessions but Scripture alone is the authority that rules over and governs all other authorities.

All other authorities are to be followed only insofar as they are subservient to Scripture, which alone is our supreme authority Scripture alone is supreme and Scripture alone is of sufficient authority. The Bible provides believers with electrics, the need for faith in godliness and there would have been no Reformation with out the districts.

You can see that when you compare Erasmus with loofah Erasmus was the great scholar who'd provided the Greek New Testament to which Luther been converted but Erasmus wasn't considered the first performer. He was the money it made the Scriptures available but while providing the coals for the Reformation. His possession of the Scriptures and his deep study of the Scriptures changed little for the man himself because of how he treated Erasmus buried the Scriptures under convenient to sessions of the vagueness and he accorded the Scriptures little practical, let alone governing authority and the result was that for Erasmus, the Bible was just one voice among many, so his message could be tailored used and adjusted to fit his own vision of what Christianity was to break out of that suffocating scheme to achieve any substantial change, and Reformation. It took Luther's view that Scripture is the only sure foundation for belief. The Bible had to be acknowledged as the supreme authority and allowed to overturn and overrule all of the claims or else lose the soul would itself be overruled, and his message will be hijacked. In other words a simple reverence for the Bible, an acknowledgment that Scripture has some authority would never have been enough to bring about the Reformation solar Scripture was the indispensable key for change, but how can you know the Bible is this trustworthy word of God.

How can you be sure is it that you need to turn to the Pope who can assure you that this Bible is trustworthy is it that you need to turn to scholars. According to the reformers in the Reformation tradition you can know that the Bible is this supreme trust with the authoritative word of God first and foremost because it authenticates itself as such other supporting reasons why you can have confidence in it is the word of God first and foremost you can because it proves itself to be what it claims elegance and clarity what are the reformers mean when they argue that the Scriptures authenticates themselves they were going further than the claim that the Bible is the word of God. They went simply arguing that the Bible claims it is the word of God, the one making what people often dismissed as a weak circular argument that we trust the Bible is the word of God because it claims it is the word of God.

No payment.

The Bible proves itself to be what it claims to be the word of God is how John Calvin puts it on. This is from the beginning of book 1 chapter 7 of the institutes he said Scriptures authority may be established as such in and to banish old out.

Indeed, Scripture exhibits only as clear evidence of its own truth as white and black things do affect color or sweeten better things do of the taste, the sacred Scriptures leave something to vying houses in the Reformation tradition would use similar arguments.

The Puritan John ON argued Scripture speaks of itself is a lamp light second Peter 119 and we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you would do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts now says I only what is not liked needs light to make it known. But he says light manifests itself only to shine light on liked to know what it is like to work because no other testimony for its evidence. It proves it's self by what it is this belief was essential to the Reformation project through full was believed they could reach the Scriptures to bowl because the Scriptures can be understood by all. They were no longer than the preserve of the educated elite from God's word brings its own enlightenment, for it is a lamp under liked how she could object people did say well if Scripture is so self evidently the word of God was never a Christian, why doesn't everyone know the Bible is the word of God to which the answer is second Corinthians 4 verse four the god of this world has blinded the minds of unbelievers to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, Hudson, Calvin and others would speak of the need for the witness of the Spirit. Calvin right even if Scripture wins reverence for itself by its own majesty, it seriously affects us only when it is sealed on all parts through the spirit is important to understand what Calvin doesn't doesn't mean here.

This throws many into a spin.

This one confidence in the Bible by the witness of the Spirit. Calvin is not saying the spirit gives people some additional information. The proves that the Bible is divine in origin were not waiting for some voice in all heads telling us believe it.

This is God's word, the raw, the Calvin is describing didn't know about whereby the spirit removes our natural blindness to see what he's already knew that in Scripture for anyone with working eyes to see it took the Spirit doesn't add to Scripture opens our eyes to see itself evidencing light and divine quality. Why is this important to Calvin go straight to the point when he addressed the issue for his day. He said it is a wicked falsehood Scriptures credibility depends on the judgment of the church Scripture. He said because it's authority from God, not from the church. Calvin so if the Scriptures require something else to give them their authority than that other thing becomes the supreme authority that was why self authentication was important for the first reformers.

It was constant, upholding the supremacy of Scripture and his message. In other words, I don't have to rely on the to tell me the Scripture is God's word. I don't have to rely on some scholar some apologist for even my own reasonable arguments like light, Scripture does evidence itself. It enlightens me to know a glorious God.

I would never dreamed of. It enlightens me to know myself. It diagnoses me like nothing else.

With the perception I never had. It makes sense of the world has only the creator could help. Calvin has two related chapters on this in book 1 of his institutes, chapters 7 and eight. I wouldn't normally give this in detail here, but it's important how they work in his argument in chapter 7, he argues, Scripture authenticates itself of this he says is stronger evidence than bowl external proof.

If Dr. writes they who strive to build up from faith in Scripture through disputation through argument by doing things backwards. Even if anyone clears God sacred word from man's evil speaking, he will not at once imprint on that hearts the certainty that piety requires what he said in chapter 7 is chapter 8 now goes on to say, so far as human reason goes sufficiently far improves our time to establish the credibility of Scripture, and he missed some of them, the antiquity of the texts that coherence miracles fulfilled prophecy. So how does that fit with what he said in chapter 7 that those who strive to build up from faith in Scripture through argument of doing things backwards were missing the raw of the firm proves to establish the credibility of Scripture.

Well, he writes those arguments not strong enough before two in Crofton fix the certainty of Scripture in our minds. They become very useful aids. In other words, we'd be fools to base our trust in Scripture all on such external arguments for the faith can only thrive on the foundation of God's word thoughts I think of the Scripture is from God consciousness and tape these external arguments show us. We know Satchmo minds this is entirely reasonable faith. We don't have that faith primarily because some bright scholar is convinced us we have the faith because of God's word proving itself. Scripture is the solid foundation of our faith. External arguments are not to be confused without foundation, for they all use ensuring the reasonability of our faith. This doctrine of Scripture is self authentication is vital for healthy mission because God's word by itself. Because, by its nature proves itself to be the words of God. It means we can give people Bibles in their own language and we can have confidence God's word can prove itself, mostly a bit of clarification.

How is the Christian claim that our scriptures are self authenticating different to similar claims made by other religions about their holy books to let me take to the Quran from the book of Mormon Festival look around like Christians, Muslims argue the Quran is self-evidently divine boss from water Muslim means by this is very different to what we've been speaking off the most of them will speak of the divine unity of its word choice and poetry is good quality Arabic literature that is not what Christians mean by the Scriptures, the divine quality of the Bible is not detected in the particular beauty or arrangement of the words from multiple human authors speak and quite different genres and styles from poetry to history to personal letters know it is the meaning is the message that is conveyed through the words the evidence is itself is heavenly.

Through all those different genres. The multifaceted glory of its message shines through practically as a result, this means real confidence in Scripture, such as the reformers had will not come through simply staring at the page or rereading a favorite Bible verse again and again, note real confidence in Scripture will come and it will build through a parole board reading of Scripture.

So you seen the whole more clearly see the glory of the whole second other holy book to consider the book of Mormon. Now when Mormons speak of knowing that the book of Mormon is true, it is the witness of the Spirit escape but it is entirely subjective. For moments the spirit witnesses the book of Mormon is true when you pray, and you get this overwhelming feeling of happiness and you just know it's true. Again, that's very different to what Christians mean by self authentication of the Scriptures, the spirit does not give us assurance that the Bible is God's word through some mystical experience. What we mean when we say the spirit opens our eyes is the text we are now seeing evidence is itself and because the authentication is found in the text. It means we can argue it out with the moment it is the demonstrate bull meaning of the text is glorious and one book and inglorious in another.

It is not through confidence found in intense religious experience.

It is through the world evidencing its own nature as you readers how we've only just scratched the surface. But I hope this Reformation will doctrine of Scripture supreme authority founded on nothing will give you correct and life transforming confidence in God's glorious will that's Dr. Michael Reeves from his series, Reformation truths and you're listening to Renewing Your Mind on this Tuesday. Thank you for being with us by we Webb Dr. Reeves exploration of the doctrines that they were reinforced during the Reformation provides a great reminder for us desert salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone were offering the series to you for a donation of any amount you can contact us today. We will send you the single DVD.

Our phone number is 800-435-4343 but you can also give your gift and make a request online@renewingyourmind.org about a century after the Reformation, the Westminster confession of faith was written and it says faith, thus receiving and resting on Christ and his righteousness is the alone instrument of justification that summary really is the foundation of the gospel that we find in the New Testament Dr. Reeves series will help you better understand these vital doctrines.

The title again is Reformation truths. It would make a great study for your small group at home or a Sunday school class at your church and that when you're finished with the study rep should consider donating the DVD to your church library. But here's a portion of what will be hearing tomorrow for Dr. Reeves. Looser, it seems that is the problem of sin is as deep in us as it possibly could all away down into our thoughts shape what we want and love as a result, we never naturally want God.

I hope you'll join us for the message titled the sinfulness of man is Wednesday here on Renewing Your Mind