We Believe in the Inerrancy of Holy Scripture

Tonight we did start our new series, we believe would ask you first to open your Bibles the Jeremiah chapter 13 will also be in a couple other passages like second Peter chapter 1, but if you don't have a Bible reading plan recommend the Calvary reading plan you can pick one up out in the lobby.

You can download one online I met a number of us use that as a matter fact I try most days.

According to the plan to even send a tweet out in relationship to that particular reading it's it's a good plan is taking us through the year that skews me in two years, and wherein the second year of that plant and right now were reading through the book of Jeremiah and I as I was reading through this this week in my own quiet time I saw a couple of verses that dish really applied to our subject tonight. We believe in the inerrancy of Scripture, Jeremiah chapter 13.

Look with me in verse 10, this evil people. Of course, Jeremiah referred to the Israelites who had forsaken God this evil people who refuse to hear my words. Interesting how God identifies this group as evil and the reason he does so is their response to his very word this evil people who refuse to hear my words, who stubbornly follow their own heart begins to be problematic to admit when we follow our own heart rather than following God's words and it go after other gods to serve them and worship them shall be like this loincloth which is good for nothing. The word picture.

Jeremiah was told to go hide that loincloth in the cleft of the rock and bury it. When he pulled it out it was sold. It was dirty and send. That's what my people are like because they refuse to hear my word and they follow their own heart, even down in verse 17 I love the prophets response to that. It wasn't that he was, yes, go get him, Lord, but in verse 17 but if you will listen, my soul skews me if you will not listen, my soul will we in secret for your pride. I weep bitterly and run down with tears, because the Lord's flock has been taken captive as believers, especially believers who not only follow Jesus Christ. But follow his word and believe his word reading just a moment. Our first article of faith that Calvary it really shouldn't make us prideful. It really shouldn't make a self-righteous that we believe the book should make us confident in the Lord because we are before him and we pride ourselves before him, but when we look at others who don't follow his word. It really should break our hearts, there is again no room for any arrogant CN. I think sometimes the world sees us in that kind of way is as people who follow God's word. I'm not sure exactly why. Sometimes I guess maybe we give them food for that but nonetheless I love Jeremiah was added to his heart was broken as parents where children don't follow God's word to break our hearts as pastors.

It breaks our hearts and we see church members who stray from God and from his people. It should break our hearts.

When people choose to go against the very word of God will Calvary's articles of faith. There are 15 of them and you can again can download those online and you can ask us in the office will be glad to give you a copy with the very first one reads like this, we believe the 66 books of the old and new Testaments to be verbally inspired of God by God inherent in the original text in the supreme and final authority in faith and life. Again, the first of 15 articles says something to you and to us about our view of Scripture we think is primary. We think it's foundational. We think that there's nothing more important than your view of Scripture because if we don't have that right. We cannot get anything else right. Each of the 66 books is verbally inspired. This statement says Bruno.

Just break this down in three key ideas for a moment before we move to some other Scripture text but again the first idea that I think we we grab from this article that is that each of the 66 books is verbally inspired, you know being here on a Sunday evening, probably that the Bible has 39 Old Testament books, 27 New Testament books divided up before Christ came in after he came to earth, Old Testament and New Testament. As we think through each one of those 66 books.

We believe that there all inspired we have a closed Canada. These books have been accepted for sets really the 300s A.D. in a very formal way. In one of the councils and of course up to that they were being acknowledged and accepted. But we believe that that Canon is close now. The word canon itself because it's an important workforce. Its etymology begins by referring to a standard of measurement. A read of measurement. It began to be used among Christians in reference to creeds, statements of faith that people would make to try to help others understand where we are what we believe and it came to refer to the Bible itself and to say that we have the canon of Scripture says that we recognize this book we recognize these 66 books as given by God, and it is self authenticating God himself reveals himself through the Scriptures. It also means that these books were accepted by men and councils God guided groups to collect these books as they read them in the churches they began to identify there was something different about this book. These books, they were inspired by God. They were gifts to God and again by 397 A.D. at the Council of Carthage. This list of books was complete and it was accepted among the early fathers and those councils of men knelt to say that each of the 66 books is verbally inspired that were verbal means words we believe every word. That's why sometimes we struggle with translations because some translations are not word for word. There thought for thought and sometimes there almost completely somebody else's thoughts, interpreting those words that were in the Hebrew or the Greek and so at Calvary. We do choose to use a word for word translation like the ESB, the English standard version. Another good word for word translation is the new American Bible, new American Standard Bible now again there's some good translations that start moving away more toward a phrase for phrase translation and we can struggle with some of those other translation just because we believe every word is from God. It's verbally inspired felt that word inspired is another interesting word were still trying to think about each of the 66 books being verbally inspired, but to be inspired means that it's breathed out by God what the writers wrote down were the very words that God intended these were not just men's words. These are not just men's ideas God used these these men to write these words down. He use their background the user experiences the use their education.

He used these particular people that he had sovereignly prepared to write these words. They'll so we believe that the Bible is inspired not inspired in the sense that I set not listen to a great orchestra and I had goosebumps was I inspired well in one sense, yes, but not in the biblical sense. There's a different kind of inspiration that were talking about. These were words were given by God. Now the second thing about our article. One is that it states that it's in errant in its original text in errant means without error. It's in keeping with the character of God. It was true that he would give us something that is true, and so we believe that no matter what the Bible speaks about whether it's theology whether it's history. Whether it's science it is true. It is from God, and it reflects the character of God and so is completely true. If we struggle in an area, maybe there's something historically that is a single line up with something else.

We believe that eventually is archaeologists work through that all the details. Even something that might be an apparent contradiction. If we have all the information it would perfectly fit together. The fact that we say that it's perfect in its original text acknowledge the fact that we don't believe that translations were perfect. They're not necessarily inspired there from what was inspired, but they are different than that original text. Sometimes you will say will will you be what we have is not exactly what they had in the original. I believe that with scholarship available. They were closer to the originals than we've ever been before.

I appreciate the good work of the ESB translators and others who are working diligently on these text but no, we do not say, or translations are perfect we say it was perfect in its original text and then we also say this is the third part of this article, it's the supreme and final authority in faith and life sentence from God. It represents God. It trumps everything. Everything else even trump himself. It trumps all things. It trumps tradition. It trumps opinions. It trumps experience. It trumps any trends or pastors or elders or teachers it's the final authority on all things faith and practice.

We believe that is the final authority in faith in life will give you a couple Scripture text that I think helps you understand or or or brings us along even further to say this is what the Bible says about itself. Second Peter chapter 1 tells us more about why we believe this if you were ever asked to give an account for what you believe about the Bible, say you were being asked to serve in some type of leadership role at Calvary. You might be asked a question about what you believe about the Bible.

Are you in agreement with the article of faith here. Can you give me a Scripture text that tells me why you believe what you do about the Bible and the this is one of those great Scripture text that we would .2 second Peter chapter 1 and verse 16 for we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we were made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his Majesty so these men who wrote this down in Peter's reflecting back he saying that we were eyewitnesses. The writers were eyewitnesses.

They're not just writing stories that they had not seen or have not experienced their writing what they saw is what gives us confidence that what we have here is true there. It's written by those who saw but is also written by those who heard no December 17 for when he received honor and glory from God the father and the voice was born to him by the Majestic glory. This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased. What we noted this morning in from Matthew chapter 3 we ourselves heard this very voice born from heaven, for we were with him on the how holy mountain. They were telling were there and I saw all these events. They wrote down they heard they heard the very voice of God that spoke out is that this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased. And then verse 19. It's also written by those who were fully convinced and we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed.

It's hard to confirm something more than if you saw it and you heard, but the prophets are so dead on their prophecies all came true. He say I am more convinced from even from what I what I have seen and heard from what the prophet said to go back and count them up over 300+ prophecies of Christ in the Old Testament we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will 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, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. What we have is not just a man's interpretation of life, but what we have.

Verse 21 for no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. So what we have. God led these men to write these words down the word pictures a sailboat you notice just think with me about a boat being out of the water and the wind catching that sale and moving it along where it will win with the Holy Spirit feel these men as they were riding in carried them along.

Cause number write down superintended what they would write down that they might write down the very words of God.

Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Several that's that's a miracle.

Yes, it is it is a miracle. God did something supernatural that we might have a revelation of who he is and how we should live our lives. Another great text you might point out about your belief in Scripture. Second Timothy chapter 3, second Timothy chapter 3 let's look down in verse 15, Paul said this and how from childhood you been acquainted with the sacred writings out. Obviously, in the New Testament there primarily referring to the Old Testament. Now some of the New Testament books written early enough or accumulate enough to refer to some other early or New Testament books that were already being counted, Scripture cc the plan of God. Even in some of the New Testament books being referred to in Scripture and the New Testament but but most of those references the scriptural referring back to the Old Testament and so Paul is instructing Timothy in the saying to him again and how from childhood you been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. We think about the Old Testament we think that it points to Jesus and we think about the New Testament and it really gives a good record of who Jesus is and explained to me is it helps us to know how to know him and would oftentimes think that the Old Testament is much of an evangelistic book bring us to Christ, but is it's all about Christ to from Genesis to Malachi and again he said they are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus for 60 Scripture, we take that all 66 books now all Scripture is breathed out by God, there's a better definition of inspiration than that all Scripture is breathed out by God. God led the writers to write what he intended for them to write and so what does God do. Then he gave this book and we hear it when we read when we study it. When we absorb it. What is it do well is profitable for teaching, for proof for correction, and for training in righteousness. I love what Warren Weathersby said about verse 16 he took those four things that the word of God does and the teaching of the doctors that teach us what is right for the reproof and teach us what is not right, or the correction teaches how to get right and for instruction in righteousness. It teaches how to stay right everything about life that is right the word of God gives us. It teaches us it is sufficient for everything we need in this life. All Scripture is breathed out by God and is profitable for teaching, reproof, correction and training in righteousness, that is not just that word absorb all this knowledge we need this knowledge, but we also should be using it that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work makes us effective. It makes us fruitful someone who's in the word of God regularly.

There most likely be producing fruit there to be doing the work of God are being equipped to be tougher. Somebody say God I don't really spend any time the word but I really want to be doing the work of God it it doesn't go together. The word of God equips us thoroughly to do every good work. Well, let's look at one more text in first Corinthians chapter 2, because again we want to emphasize this. I didn't even the very words are inspired by God is not just big ideas is not just theological concepts. It is that to but it's down to the very words so when you read this article of faith. You see these passages alluding to what we believe about the inerrancy of Scripture, superscript, in chapter 2 verse 13 says, and we import this in words. I think this interest and relies that God created us in his image he communicates. He made us to communicate and words are part of that communication. It points to the design of God but also points to the fact that we can trust the very words that he speaks to us and we import this and words not taught by human wisdom, but taught by the Spirit interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spirituals of the very words themselves not look over in chapter 10 and verse 11 of first Corinthians 1st Corinthians 10 verse 11. Now these things happen to them as an example, but they were written down for our instructional moon the end of the ages come again or ever referring back to the Old Testament. What happened to the Israelites and its example.

But they were written down. God is a communicating God and he calls these books these words that we have in the 66 books to be written down for his glory.

And of course for our good. He chose to make himself known in Christ is the central message of this book built some of the people saying pick up a book not too long ago by Greg Gilbert. He wrote a very small, and my experience with a lot of me in there looking for small books and so me and this is a good one for you is a is a very accessible volume: why trust the Bible. It's a good concise read on the reliability of the trustworthiness of Scripture is based on the resurrection of Christ.

He wrote this he concludes you can walk you through a series of of ideas on how we can trust the Bible and he concludes I just why you trust the Bible why you trust the Bible is because King Jesus, the resurrected endorsed the Old Testament and authorized the new superior statement in King Jesus was resurrected in an end of week. If we can get our hands wrapped around the resurrection we get our hands wrapped around the truthfulness of Scripture because the resurrection is a miracle. As you know, to Jesus was raised from the dead, and the historical documentation the manuscripts of that makeup the New Testament are incredible, especially when you compare them to any other historical event there. There's not even a comparison thousands of manuscript as opposed to just two or three of a lot of other historical events, but Jesus we believe because kings use the resurrected endorsed the Old Testament authorize new that's not a presupposition is not an unthinking, close your eyes and job leap of faith. Gilbert says he says it's a considered conclusion bill from a careful argument that one. The Bible is historically reliable to Jesus was resurrected from the dead and three, the holy Bible.

Therefore rest on Jesus is authority. Another good text to pick up probably a little bit more by popular type read Irwin looks for some of you know that name from Moody church at one of its former pastor little book called the seven reasons why you can trust the Bible, I will go through all of them. Seven. Right now, but basically they they deal with the unity of Scripture. The common author that you find through the Scripture. Because of the immense number of manuscripts and archaeological finds that document Scripture and and even the Christological region of the Old Testament prophecies that we mentioned maybe one that we don't often times think about or is even the Israelites, the fact that there they even have a nation now how is that possible it has to be because God is faithful to his promise to disprove Scripture that they even exist in or even a nation today and if so, there are number of places that you can go when you can get a lot more details. Sometimes we set I can tell you a lot more of us will have time and I'm not sure we always have a lot more really say I am telling you to hike there's not a whole lot of time to go and all of these details, but there there good reason argument sometimes our students start getting confused because somebody says this and some of it is probably a pretty smart person with a high IQ, but they just been deceived by the enemy. They believe their own heart of their own ideas and somebody else and it's important that we communicate to them there some really smart intelligent high IQ people who believe the Bible to people who have studied and given their wives and PhD's in archaeologist and medical doctors and what we go through the list. There it doesn't. Sometimes the world give the idea that if you believe this book must be backward, you must not really be a clear thinker and is just not the case. One of the smartest thinkers who has lived is a man named Augustine the left long time ago 354 A.D. to 430 but when he was writing Jerome and discussing his view of holy Scripture. I thought it was just really helpful.

He said to him in one of his letters, for I confess to you to your chair. Did I have learned to yield this respect and honor only to the canonical books of Scripture of these alone do I most firmly believe that the authors were completely free from error and love the even region more here, but it's interesting.

Another occasion Jerome actually said that Paul was telling a little white lie.

One of his letters edit Augustine just came back and is blowing him away and said no way. All Scripture is true, just interesting to see some of the some of the back-and-forth with that Billy Graham came to a great point in his life when he was having to make a decision. Would he continue preaching were not as young and his ministry. You may have read about historian Wesley Strobel's book the Case for Faith, but he talks about how that one of his best friends and some say were was a much better preacher orator than then Billy Graham was that he had decided that he did not believe all of Scripture. He ended up moving more toward atheism by the end of his life that that gentleman, but Billy Graham as he went and spent some time with the Lord in prayer and came back to the word he said God I don't understand it all, but by faith I accept this as your word and of course you know the rest of the story as he took the gospel to millions and millions of people but but listening what he said the Bible list of the test of time because it is divinely inspired by Almighty God, written in ink that cannot be erased by any man religion or belief system through the many dark ages of man is glorious promises that survived unchanged. That is because God's word is your the beginning and the end. Beginning in the in his written word and survived every scratch of the human in another famous individual Dr. John Monroe. You may have heard that name before. This is what he said if I did not believe in the inerrancy of holy Scripture.

I would resign as a preacher and teacher of the Bible which is the word of God written I can authoritatively say thus says the Lord, when I preach the Bible as it comes from a God cannot lie. Let him who has my words speak my truth, my word in truth Jeremiah 2328 to question the inerrancy of Scripture inevitably leads to weak and confusing preaching with disastrous consequences. Richard land, president of Southern Evangelical seminary said that Aaron Scripture is our fixed Northstar balance. We can be led by God to a saving knowledge of him and is planning purposes for our lives. Once you surrender the objective infallible in errant nature of God's revelation of himself to us all.

You are left with is each interpreter subjective audit by OtterBox autobiographical autobiographical idiosyncratic God, who may bear little or no resemblance to the one true mutable God with whom we must all deal ultimately in 1978, probably one of the most definitive statements on the inerrancy of Scripture was made in the Chicago statement on biblical inerrancy Google that sometimes there are 19 articles on biblical inerrancy and it was a joint statement by a group of believers really from all over the world who hold to the truthfulness of Scripture. So what difference does it make I try to give you some kind of a reason to count, especially from Scripture and talking about inerrancy but but what difference does it make do we really need to believe every word of the Bible. Do we need to believe that this is the inerrant word of God will. It makes this kind of difference one.

When we do we identify with Jesus and follow his understanding of Scripture and practices are you a follower of Jesus Christ reasonably book he believe the words he talked about the words he gave the words we identify with Jesus and follow his understanding even as he reflected back. He talked about the words of Moses like they were the words of God, and they were because God gave Moses those words to write down secondly we read the Bible and study it with confidence when we believe this is the inerrant word of God. We read the Bible and study it with confidence.

There's no doubts or no questions, God speaks and God directs and what he says is true. These are not just man's word man's words is a reading and studying becomes an act of faith in which God does his work in our lives through his word. The third difference it makes is we now have moral absolutes. If this bottle is not true if if we cannot say that is the inerrant word of God that everything is up for grabs. But once we begin to say guess God has made himself known and even through these very words, God has made himself know we have moral absolute, the wonder of the devil in the world, disparage and discount the Bible so much. He does not like truth the devil hates truth as much as the world changes.

We've got to keep going back to the fact that God doesn't, and neither does his word otherwise will have a congregation full of people with itching years asking to be entertained, just given what they want, rather than thus saith the Lord in the fifth reason.

I believe that this makes a big difference that we believe this is an air word of God is. It guides us in our faith and practices. Whatever we do, we come back we have a a a source to come to the same.

What do we believe what we do once the final authority.

This we have it, we'll have to wonder who gives the final word. It's already here and so when we have questions or issues among leadership read our church family or in your family. We all can come back and say what does the word of God say about this is you, even tonight as we observe the Lord's supper while while we do this is because the Bible 67. This is recorded, we have the very words of God about this supper that we experience this communion that we observe with each other and in this church family and so tonight as we do observe the Lord's supper was to think about what God's word again says as we get ready for it. I want us as we prepare for the Lord's supper tonight.

I want us to be able to do so with the fact that God's told us to do this to be in Ottawa come and be in his house when there observe the Lord's supper. Just be obedient to God. He's told us to do it. That was how often doing something someone might say, well I did come westward, Lord's supper. The ideas that got told us to do it is we do this were doing it out of obedience to him because he wants to do some things in our lives. He wants us he will support us back to him and redirect our thinking and our focus back to him at his word.

It all points to Jesus and as he tells us to remember him through this supper that's doing is putting us back to Jesus putting our eyes on him.

And if we read any text of Scripture, and it doesn't point us to Jesus.

They were not reading it rightly tonight, so inspiration is not an interpretation but we should always be interpreting every passage of Scripture through the house of Christ, of the life of Christ because it's a book about him first Corinthians chapter 11 is one of those passages that gives us instructions about observing the Lord's supper and when you read that text in verse 27. Remember what he said.

Whoever therefore eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and the blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself in so eat of the bread and drink of the cup for anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself why we say examine yourself with before you take the Lord's supper because we believe this book and God said, God said that if you take the Lord's supper in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and the blood of the Lord. And when you take the Lord's supper in an unworthy way you bring judgment on yourself not saying that to be mean or not saying that because that's our thinking, but were saying that because that's the word of God and God gave us the Lord's supper in part that we can examine ourselves and confess NECN is there anything in your life tonight. That's not right with God. God's word does bring conviction is it is a lamp. It is a light it brings conviction what what sin is. God made you aware of the tonight you need to repent of and turn to him.

Asked for his forgiveness and asked for his help, not to be in that place any longer examine yourself to take the Lord's supper. An unworthy manner would also be not to be mindful not to be remembering his body and his blood.

It would it would be to sit with our mind thinking about so many other things. As we observe it rather than to think about Jesus and so as we get ready to take the Lord's supper will lead us in a time of prayer, but I want you to swear you are to do some examination. God is anything in my life is not right with you and then I want you along with me to after repentance for us to just begin to focus again.

Lord, thank you for sending Jesus thinking that you have given us a real true record of his coming is living his dying think about his body that was given for you.

The blood that was shed for the forgiveness of sins. That's the message is what this book is about, was pray together father as we get ready to take this meal that you've given us as we observe communion.

We ask that you would turn your searchlight on our hearts. Let your spirit searches. Is there any wicked way about us right now. Is there any thought any action any deed. That's not pleasing you or we we just humbly surrender and ask for your forgiveness we turn from our wicked ways. We pray that as we take this supper. Now that you will direct our thoughts that this will be a fresh remembrance that it will be a preaching of the gospel to ourselves and to others of what you have done for us in Jesus name we pray. Amen