The Bible Only (4)
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ
Tim Haile, for the Parkway church of Christ
Last week’s installment addressed the all sufficiency of the Scriptures. We examined 2 Timothy 3:16, 17, which breaks down the various purposes of the Scriptures. In this last article on the subject I wish to emphasize the need to speak only where the Bible speaks.
Peter wrote, “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God…” (1 Peter 4:11). That is, let him speak the very words of God. Religious people often fail to comply with this rule. They often give their own opinions or the opinions of others instead of the Scriptures. This is dangerous, for “there is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). The only way that we can know that we are right is for us to speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where the Bible is silent.
The Old Testament states this exact same principle: “To the law and to the testimony; if they speak not according to this word it is because there is no light in them” (Isaiah 8:20). People fail to take these warnings seriously. Failure to respect God’s word is failure to honor God. The “light” of God’s countenance is not upon those who take liberties with His word. By adding to or subtracting from God’s word, men rebel against their creator. They challenge His sovereignty and wisdom.
John, the apostle of love, issued the sharpest warning on this subject. He said that those who do not abide in the doctrine of Christ have not God (2 John 9). This means that they have no fellowship with God. It may seem like a small thing for people to invent their own religious dogma, but doing so results in condemnation.
Let us do what Bible teachers did when trying to represent God’s will: Let us open the Scriptures and read from them distinctly (Nehemiah 8:8; Acts 17:2, 3). Let our explanations be entirely consistent with the teaching of God’s word. When we discover that something that we believe, teach or practice wrong, let us repent and turn fully to the truth.
View past articles at http://parkwayarticles.blogspot.com. Please join us for worship and Bible study at our building located at 125 Hilltopper Ave, Bowling Green, KY 42101. We meet each Sunday at 10:00AM and 6:00PM for worship, and Sundays at 9:00AM and Wednesdays at 7:00PM for Bible study. Our radio program is aired each Sunday morning at 8:00AM on the WKCT 930AM band. Phone: (270) 842-2049 – Email: timhaile@mac.com.
