By Scripture Alone
21 Sunday After Pentecost (10-21-07)
Rev. Steven D. Spencer - Pastor
But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work. I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry. (2Ti 3:14-4:5)
When I was at the Seminary I took a course on ethnographics. The professor that taught the course had his PHD in ethnographics. For those not familiar with the word, ethnographic, it’s the study of ethnicity, “culture.” The professor was previously a missionary, spending several years in Africa and also in South America. He was a linguist and spoke over 14 languages. One of the lessons that he so strongly wanted to instill in us was that it is impossible to properly translate Scripture into another language without knowing their culture. That’s also true for us.
We can only understand Scripture if we read in context. I’ve shared this before but it is worthwhile to repeat. The 3 most important things in understanding Scripture is, “context, context and context!” The first context is the narrow context, reading the verses immediately around our text. This shows us the authors focus. The second context is the broad context, reading the passage in light of all the Scriptures. This allows us to remain true to the word of God. This is also called reading Scripture in a Christocentric manner. If a Scripture is applied without keeping it in broad context then you have a changed meaning. Which brings us to the third context, historical/social context, how would the original hearers understood what was said?
The professor told us that not understanding the culture was one of the subtle ways that we mistakenly add to or take from God’s Word. He used this example: “My wife ran me over to the airport.” We are in a very mobile society. Most of us drive. So immediately we assume she ran him over to the airport in a car. But is that what he really said? In Africa very few cars exist. So what would they use, a camel, a horse, a canoe? How far was the airport? Here we have Portland or even Salem Airport but in Africa the airport was hundreds of miles away. He went on to explain that it took 6 days by caravan to reach the closest airport, historical, social, geographical, cultural context. So we add to the sentence to clarify. “My wife ran me over to the airport in a car.” This provides clarification for us. But what happens if you take a word away from the original message? “My wife ran me over to the.” We are lost. We don’t know where they went. One more word taken, “My wife ran me over too.” You mean she ran others over also? “My wife ran me over.” That’s gotta hurt! “My wife ran.” Good for her. By removing a single word we change a sentence dramatically.
During the Reformation Martin Luther saw the rewriting of Scripture by those placed in charge of preserving it. Subtle change had occurred to the doctrine so clearly set forth by God’s Word. And so Luther pressed forward to restore the original position of the church in opposition to the 3 primary abuses. The abuses were all based upon salvation. So Luther sought to bring back Sola Gratia, Sola Fide and Sola Scripture. By grace alone, by faith alone and by Scripture alone one can be saved. These were the words not originally uttered by Martin Luther but by St. Augustine, more than a thousand years before in a series of Catechetical Sermons.
The church of Luther’s day had added to the meaning of grace alone. They had said yes you are saved by grace alone, “initially” but you must work out your salvation afterwards with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12). But St. Paul was not telling them to work out their salvation no that would be impossible. He is saying be full of fear and trembling if you try to work it out. For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). It’s God’s work of salvation in you that saves you. Not your works. For all our righteous works are like filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6). "There is none righteous, no, not one” (Romans 3:10). “All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). But over time the understanding of Sola Gratia had been corrupted.
Likewise the understanding of Sola Fide, faith alone had been corrupted. Acts of the flesh, rubrics, repetitious prayers and alms giving had become connected with salvation. Show me your works and I will see your salvation. The crusades were supposed acts of gaining salvation. Those who were monks were considered more blessed and saved than a common church attendee. Salvation was progressive. In other words earned over time rather than be instantaneous. But Luther reminded the people “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Ephesians 2:8-9). Both grace and faith are a gift from God. “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Romans 10:17).
So here we are today. Faith comes from hearing the Word of Christ. Sola Scriptura! In Luther’s day man had corrupted the God’s Word by adding new understanding that was not contextual. But long before Luther, a thousand years before St. Augustine fought the same battle. And so Saint Augustine boldly teaches the new confirmands the Solas, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, and Sola Scriptura.
Yet 400 years before St. Augustine was Timothy. St. Paul writes to Timothy because of the abuses in the church. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Timothy 3:16-17). Why would St. Paul share such words with Timothy? Because man had already began adding to and taking from God’s Sacred and Holy Word. St. Paul warns in 2 Timothy 4: “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myth”(2 Timothy 4:3-4). Look at the world today is this still true? Have people turned from sound teaching to accumulating teachers that suit their own passions? By the way some synonyms for the word passion are: obsession, zeal, craze, mania or fixation. In other words what does the world have its mind fixed on? What the current craze? Who’s teaching the masses today? Is it the church? Or is it someone on television?
Let me give you some an examples. A televangelist stated that until the Holy Spirit opened his mind no one has properly understood the Trinity. The Trinity is really 3 in 1 and 3 in 1 and 3 in 1 that makes 9. Let me tell he’s wrong. The math is wrong, he’s a heretic. But multitudes follow him and send money to him and endorse him because he’s charismatic. The most influential person on T.V. today is a daytime talk show host. She has millions of fans, followers, whatever you want to call them. She is on a mission. Repeatedly stating, her mission is, "I want people to see things on our show that makes them think differently about their lives...To be a light for people. To make a difference...to open their minds and see things differently…how to get in touch with the spiritual part of their life." Clearly, she has been converted into the New Age Movement. And one of the biggest deceptions is that she apparently doesn't know it. Many of her favorite guests are major New Age proponents and authors, and Oprah contributes to the enormous popularity and sales of their books.
Some of these New Age guests (and a number of them make repeat appearances) are, Marianne Williamson, Barbara DeAngelis, LaVar Burton, Richard Carlson, Betty Eadie, Dannion Brinkley, M. Scott Peck, Sophy Burnham, Marilyn Ferguson, Kevin Ryerson, Shirley MacLaine, Sara Breathnach, James Hillman, and psychic medium and best-selling author, James Van Praagh.
Unfortunately, the "light" Oprah offers is the "angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14), and "opening their minds," in this case means their brains fall out-they become empty headed (Romans 1:21-25). Meanwhile her slogan, which she gets her crowds to say with her is: “You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free” (John 8:32). Is this passage quoted in context? When we read it in context, Sola Scriptura, Scriptura interpreting Scripture is understood in conjunction with John 14:6: “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”
Only Jesus can set us free, He is the truth. Only Scripture can tell us Who He is. For by Scripture alone, can we know God! And by Scripture alone can we know His promises. For Jesus is the Word incarnate. “For in the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” (John 1:1,14) And his promise is this: “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). He’s come for you, to give you life and that more abundantly (John 10:10). He’s come to forgive all your sins and call you His own. He’s come to pay the price for your sin with His own blood. By grace alone, by faith alone, by Scripture alone you can know without a doubt you are a child of God and all your sins are forgiven, In Jesus name, amen!