Tag: Scripture
Scripture is the Sufficient Standard (1689 1:1)

Scripture is the Sufficient Standard (1689 1:1)

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“The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience…” The 1689 Confession of Faith opens with this unambiguous declaration that Scripture is the only sufficient standard of truth. All things pertaining to the Christian faith are found in the canon of Scripture. No where else. The modern world has no objective standard or rule by which to live. Everyone defines their own truth, decides who they are and want to be, and have completely abandoned the idea that there is a God who defines morality and reality. In contrast to this fallen worldview, the 1689 confession summarizes clearly and concisely what Scripture teaches about itself:

The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience, although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will which is necessary unto salvation. Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his church; and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former ways of God’s revealing his will unto his people being now ceased.

1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, Section 1:1

Two Sources of Revelation…One Sufficient for Salvation

Notice first that the authors of the confession call out two ways God communicates who He is to humans: the Scripture and the “works of creation and providence.” In doing so, the authors are keeping with Psalm 19 and Romans 1 where the Bible says that God has revealed part of His glory and character through creation. When humans look out at the world around them, they should be able to deduce that there is a powerful, wise, and good ultimate Being who created the universe.

However, the authors are careful to distinguish between Scripture and natural revelation. The former they explicitly say is sufficient, while the latter is explicitly called out as not sufficient. In both cases, the sufficiency in view is “sufficient for salvation.” In other words, Scripture is the only sufficient standard in which you can find how to be reconciled to God. Natural revelation at the best only reveals that there is a God and He must have certain attributes.

Now, what does “sufficient” mean? It means that Scripture has in itself everything you need to be saved from your sins. It exhaustively contains the doctrines needed for being reconciled to God and then living in obedience to Him after you are reconciled. In using the word “sufficient”, the authors are making it clear that the canon of Scripture is all you need for salvation. You don’t need any supplementary or external material in order to understand and believe the Gospel. Not only that, Scripture is the sufficient standard for how Christians are to live in the world.

People can give you wise or helpful life-advice. But at the end of the day, only the Bible contains what the Lord requires of you, your family, or your Church.

Many Ways of Speaking in the Past…One Authoritative Word in the Present

The confession states that in the past God used various means to communicate His will to man. A simple read through of the Old Testament confirms this. God spoke directly to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He communicated to the nation of Israel through Moses, a mediator. When Israel forsook God’s covenant, He sent prophets who said “Thus saith the Lord.” But now, the 1689 asserts, these former ways have ceased. God spoke in many ways in the past, but now His authoritative word is contained in Scripture.

In arguing this point, the authors of the confession cite a very important verse:

Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

Hebrews 1:1-2, ESV

The authors here see a contrast between the past and the present. In the past, God spoke at many times and in many ways. But on this side of the Cross, God has spoken His decisive word: the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The confession sees in this verse an implication that the past ways that God used pre-Christ to reveal His will have ceased with the coming of God’s final word.

I think it is important to note here, however, that even when God was speaking directly through prophets, He established a standard in His Word.

“If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you and gives you a sign or a wonder, and the sign or wonder that he tells you comes to pass, and if he says, ‘Let us go after other gods,’ which you have not known, ‘and let us serve them,’ you shall not listen to the words of that prophet or that dreamer of dreams.

Deuteronomy 13:1-3a, ESV

Notice that even if a prophet made a prophecy that came true, the ultimate test of if they are a false prophet or not is if they lead you away from the Lord. Now, the question is, where would Israel have known to not follow other gods? The 10 commandments, which were God’s written commands. So even in the past, direct prophetic communication had to be examined by God’s written revelation. Therefore, in both past and present, God’s written word held the ultimate authority.

In summary, the Word of God is everything. Scripture is the sufficient standard by which you should measure everything you hear, learn, or experience.

Want to know who God is? Go to Scripture. Want to hear God speak directly to you? Go to Scripture. Want to know how to be saved? Go to Scripture. Want to know how to live your life pleasing to God? Go to Scripture.

Until you see scripture as the sufficient standard of truth, you will never be safe from subtle error.

Practical Implications

1. The Scriptures give certain truth in a confused world

The modern culture has no objective truth or standard to cling to or rely on. “Truth” is defined by the individual and any of the “standards” societies adopt are simply those expedient for them at the moment. Every day through social media and the internet, countless thoughts and opinions are offered for you to hear. What can you fall back on? What can you know for certain? The answer: anything spoken by an unchanging God.

Notice, the confession says the Scripture gives a “more sure establishment and comfort of the Church.” The Church and individual Christians find their certainty in the pages of Scripture. They don’t look to the arguments of fallen humans or whatever the current wisdom of the world is. “To the law and to the testimony!” they cry.

You will never have certainty in your life until you find it in Scripture.

All of life is uncertain except what God has declared to be so from the beginning. Cling to the only comfort you can count on: God’s inerrant, infallible, sufficient, unchanging, authoritative word.

2. Hearing from God means reading the Bible

The very last line of this section of the confession gives a not-so-subtle hint at cessationism: “those former ways of God’s revealing his will unto his people being now ceased.” What former ways are in view here? I take this to mean that God communicating directly by a prophecy given to an individual has ceased. Hearing from God does not require you to travel to hear someone speak. In fact, the only way to be sure you are hearing God’s words when you hear a human speak is if they are reading and expounding the text of Scripture.

Everyone wants to hear directly from God. Everyone wants to comfort of having a message from the all-powerful creator of the universe. The good news is that God’s words have been preserved for you. God has committed His words “wholly into writing”. Hearing from God is as easy as reading what He has recorded for you. Now, reading can be quite difficult. That is why having tools to help you understand Scripture is vital. However, you will never know God’s will any other way than working through the Bible.

This post is part of a new series walking through the 1689 2nd London Confession. For other teachings I have done in the past, click here. If you found this post helpful, please share below and subscribe. Follow The Average Churchman on Instagram to get more content.

book quote of the week
Don’t Dismiss the Simple Answer

Don’t Dismiss the Simple Answer

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During COVID, I read a number of business and professional development books for my work. Some were useless, some where somewhat helpful, and others were excellent. The quote I want to analyze today is from “Tools of Titans” by Timothy Ferriss. I don’t recommend Christians run out and buy this book. But it had a few helpful takeaways, one of which I want to present to you today on the subject of looking for the simple answer.

“Tools of Titans” is essentially a book of interviews. The author interviewed people from every type of industry to get their thoughts on life and work. In one chapter, a quote stuck out to me that I still continue to think about after I finished the book:

Be sure to look for simple solutions. If the answer isn’t simple, it’s probably not the right answer.

Tools of Titans, Tim Ferriss

What the quote means

Complicated does not mean better

I am an over-thinker. When I have a problem, I want to go through every possible cause and effect and analyze each detail of the problem and potential solutions. This quote was a helpful reminder that I should look for the simple answer to my problem rather than something convoluted and complex.

This quote is essentially a re-statement of “Occam’s razor” which, in the scientific community where I work, means you generally choose the simplest explanation for a phenomena. Now, that does not mean the world is not complex or that sometimes a more complicated solution is necessary. It simply means a simple answer is normally easier to understand and test. This is because the simpler a solution is, the less assumptions you generally have to make.

The point here is in a complicated, dynamic world, a simple answer should generally be preferred over a complicated answer. As an over-arching principle, I think this is helpful even if sometimes you need to embrace complexity in certain situations.

Don’t make things complex for their own sake. Simplicity makes things clearer.

Why it is important

Seeking the simple answer can bring clarity to your life

More than ever, you and I live in a world of decisions. When you go to the grocery store, there is not one brand of cereal; there are 10 brands to choose from. You are told from a young age to live your dreams and be true to yourself, yet half the time you aren’t even sure what you want or what you want to do with your life. In an era of maddening choice, the simple answer can bring clarity.

And Scripture is full of simple answers. The Bible is complex, yes, incredibly detailed and profound. However, a lot of “life’s big problems” are given surprisingly simple answers in Scripture. Here are a few examples:

  • How can a person be saved? “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Simple belief in Jesus changes a soul’s eternal destiny.
  • What does the Lord require of me? “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” Simply loving the Lord and loving others are the two main principles revealed in the whole Old Testament.
  • How do I deal with all the fear and anxiety I struggle with? “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” The simple antidote to anxiety is prayer and thankfulness to the Lord.

And those are just a few off the top of my head. Scripture answers some of life’s tough problems and choices with a “simple answer.” Notice, simple does not mean easy to live out or easy to believe as true. But there is a refreshing clarity with which Scripture speaks on these issues. Just look at the book of Proverbs: in single sentences God communicates life principles to live by. They are simple, memorable, and proven throughout history.

Takeaways

1. When Scripture gives a simple answer, prefer it over the wisdom of the world

Scripture is often mocked by unbelievers in light of the complexity of the world. How can you believe repentance and faith in Jesus can make a difference in this world full of suffering? How can the gospel be the answer to all of humanity’s many complicated and multi-faceted problems? Why do Christians constantly give the answer “trust and wait on the Lord” to so many life circumstances?

People often resist the simple answers of Scripture because they are humbling. Most people (including myself) love being the “problem solver.” The person who through their great intellect and will makes the world a better place. But the Bible offers a humbling and pride-crushing worldview: humans are so completely in love with their own sin and rebellion that it took God Himself stepping into time and dying in order to save us. God brings salvation. Salvation is of the Lord. Not of man.

The answer the gospel gives to humanity’s problem is “look to Christ and live.” It isn’t try harder, be better, or work your way into a better future. The wisdom of the world would have you spend your whole life on these things. Thankfully, when Scripture speaks about life in this world, it speaks with a simple clarity that runs to one person: Jesus. He is the answer. So, when asked to make the choice between the different convoluted and contradictory solutions the world give to the problem, run instead to the simple clarity of Scripture.

2. Giving simple answers to other Christian’s problems might be the best thing for them.

In the “Tools of Titans” section this quote is taken from, there is a helpful example of the simple answer being the right one. How do you stay healthy and fit? As a kid, your probably got an answer like “eat your green vegetables.” A simple answer. Maybe as you grow up, instead of accepting this answer, you try out half a dozen diets and eating fads. Then it hits you: the simple answer your mom gave you as a kid was probably the right one all along (or at least a good summary of all the different diets).

Now, how do you apply this principle to your interactions with other Christians? After listening to another believer’s problem or struggle, take them back to the simple commands and promises of Scripture. The Bible has actual answers to our difficulties. And in God’s wisdom, these answers are generally direct and easy to understand. In our flesh, however, we often resist the answers God gives or question if God’s answer is the best one to give.

  • If someone shares with you their struggle with anxiety, isn’t it trite to say “be anxious for nothing?”
  • When someone is struggling with not having a spouse, is it helpful to remind them “godliness with contentment is great gain?”
  • Love your enemies? Aspire to live a simple and godly life? Pursue holiness? How can all these be the answers to our complicated life circumstances?

The problem is not with the simple commands and promises of Scripture. It is our own sinfulness and lack of faith which makes them seem insufficient.

God has given His people everything they need for life and godliness. That is a simple truth from 2 Peter. The question is, like all of Scripture, do you actually believe and trust the simple truths God has given you in His word? And if you trust them at a personal level, will you share those truths with other believers? Don’t be ashamed to give simple answers to other people’s struggles if those answers are from Scripture. Of course, you should be thoughtful and careful and loving in how you communicate Biblical truths. But if the answer God gives really is simple, don’t over-complicate things.

3. “What does God want me to do with my life?” probably has a simple answer.

The Christian University I attended for college often communicated to it’s students something like “go out, do big things for Jesus, and change the world.” It sounds good and inspiring, but the first question which comes to mind is “how?” No answer was given, and if students came up with their own answer, it often involved either making a lot of money, getting some level of fame, or dropping everything and going overseas for missions.

There are certain seasons of life, like post-college, where the question of “what should I do with my life?” becomes a constant one in your mind. And for good reason: no Christian should want to waste their life or make bad use of the time God has given them. But here is the reality: you don’t need some complicated plan to glorify God with your life. The simple answer to “what does God want me to do with my life?” is day-by-day faithfulness. You can become frozen trying to decide what you want to do until you accept the simple answer Scripture gives: “whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.”

A lot of your problems in life come from not accepting, trusting, and living out the simple truths, promises, and commands of Scripture.

God’s word speaks clearly in our complicated world. It brings a singleness of purpose which nothing else in the world can give. If the simple answer is the right answer, seek those simple answers from Scripture. Don’t dismiss them. Your own convoluted understanding of life and events will probably end up leading you astray. God’s word, on the other hand, is a “lamp unto your feet, and a light unto your path.”

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