02. II. THE WORD OF GOD

II. THE WORD OF GOD The Word of God alone is to be preached, in its perfection and inner consistency. Scripture is the exclusive subject of preaching, the only field in which the preacher is to labour. ’They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them’ (Luke 16:29); ’The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat [that is, they teach the doctrine of Moses, which they confess].Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do’ (Matthew 23:2-3). The Word of God is God’s wisdom revealing from heaven the truth which is according to godliness. ’But the wisdom, which is from above is first pure . . .’ (James 3:17); ’Paul, a bondservant of God ... according to ... the acknowledgement of the truth which accords with godliness’ (Titus 1:1). The exceptional qualities of the Word, both in its nature and its effects, evoke our admiration. The Nature of Scripture The excellency of the nature of Scripture can be described in terms of its perfection, or purity, or its eternity. Its perfection consists either in its sufficiency or its purity. Its sufficiency is such that as the Word of God it is so complete that nothing may be either added to it or taken from it which belongs to its proper purpose: ’The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul’ (Psalms 19:7); ’Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it, nor take away from it’ (Deuteronomy 12:32); ’For I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book; and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the Book of Life, from the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book’ (Revelation 22:18-19). The purity of Scripture lies in the fact that it stands complete in itself, without either deceit or error: ’The words of the Lord are pure words, Like silver tried in a furnace of earth, Purified seven times’ (Psalms 12:6). The eternity of the Word is its quality of remaining inviolable. It cannot pass away until everything it commands has been fully accomplished (Matthew 5:18).

Effects of Scripture The exceptional character of the influence of Scripture lies in two things:

The Word of God is in the Holy Scriptures. The Scripture is the Word of God written in a language appropriate for the church by men who were immediately called to be the clerks or secretaries of the Holy Spirit: ’for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit’ (2 Peter 1:21). We speak of it as canonical Scripture because it is, as it were, a canon, that is a rule or line used by a master workman, by the aid of which the truth is first discovered, and then examined: ’. . . and as many as walk according to this rule’ (Galatians 6:16). Consequently the supreme, final determination and judgment of all controversies in the church ought to be made by it. The sum and substance of the message of the Bible can be summarised in an argument (or syllogism) such as this:

Major Premise: The true Messiah shall be both God and man, from the seed of David. He shall be born of his heavenly Father’s bosom. He shall satisfy the law. He shall offer himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the faithful. He shall conquer death by dying and rising again. He shall ascend into heaven. In due time he shall return for judgment.

Minor Premise: Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Mary, meets all of these requirements.

Conclusion: Therefore Jesus is the true Messiah. In this syllogism the major premise is the scope or principal burden of the writings of all the prophets. The minor premise is contained in the writings of the evangelists and apostles.