What is Biblical Authority & Why is it Important?

What is Biblical Authority?

• Biblical Authority is when we use the Bible as our foundational source by which to understand all of reality.  Though the Bible may not go in detail in various areas of study, it does give us a framework or 'lens' by which to interpret the world around us.  The Bible was written to reveal knowledge of God and of man (John Calvin), so its emphasis is on matters of worship, salvation, etc.  For this reason, it does not go into great detail in the hard sciences like geology. However, where it does speak of geologic events, like the Genesis Flood, it is absolutely accurate and therefore gives us a basic lens by which to understand aspects of earth's geologic history.

Why is Biblical Authority so important?

• Psalm 11:3 (ESV) states, "If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?" If we fail to assert Biblical Authority, then we fail in our ability to communicate the truth of the gospel because the gospel is based on real historical events.  Essentially, if the Bible is not authoritative in its historical accuracy, then it inevitably falls apart.  For example, in 1 Corinthians 15, Paul argues at length for the criticality of the Resurrection because Christianity hinges on the historical fact of Christ's bodily resurrection.  To deny the historical event of the bodily resurrection of Jesus Christ would therefore also deny Christ's victory over death. The enemies of the faith know this, which is why they attack the historicity of the Bible so much.

Perseverance of the Saints

"13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory." (Eph 2:13-14). Those who are in Christ cannot lose their salvation as this text is very clear to point out. Another well known passage is in John 10:28-29 where Christ declares that none can snatch us out of His hand nor the Father's hand. This is not because of our work but because of what God has done through Christ, for we did not choose Him but He chose us, that is His sheep.

In light of these marvelous passages, some have hijacked and distorted this great doctrine. This does not mean that someone can make a flippant confession of faith and then totally dismiss the commands of Christ. Truly, a changed born-again heart will be made evident by a transformed life. Those who have the Spirit of God indwelling them will bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:22-23). Some will bear more fruit than others (Matt 13:23), but all believers will bear fruit. Not only will His sheep bear fruit, but they also despise their sin. Christ came to set men free from the power of sin and death (Rom 6), and He is not merely Hell insurance. He came to empower men to do what they were created to do, and that is to worship God in spirit and in truth (Jn 4:24). When that is understood rightly, then any notions of flippant confessions without true heart change are thrown out the window! Amen!

To know that we are sealed by the Spirit and empowered by Him to live a godly life is without doubt one of the greatest assurances a believer can ever have. Oh what grace God has shown to His Elect! "Unworthy! Unworthy!" we cry out. God was not obligated to bestow such blessings upon anyone, yet by His grace He has poured out such unending grace to mere men. We are so vile compared to Him, yet we who believe in Christ, "He who was delivered over because of our transgressions and was raised because of our justification," (Rom 4:25) are set free from this bondage to sin and death! Amen!

Irresistible Grace

What do we mean by irresistible grace?  This needs to be qualified.  Men reject the grace of God all the time.  Those who are set on the flesh are hostile to God, and such men are not even able to submit to the Law of God (Rom 8:5-8), so it is very clear that men do resist God's grace.  One must remember that men reject the grace of God because they are blind to the gospel and are dead in trespasses and sins (Eph 2:1).  Men inherently desire sin and are not seeking after God (Rom 3:11).  For this reason, God must intervene; otherwise, men will never seek God, much less be saved.

In the context of speaking to His disciples, Christ is explicit in that they did not choose Him, but rather He chose them, and He did so in order that they would bear fruit for God; even more so, He made this statement after Judas left to betray Him, so Judas is not considered among the chosen sheep of God (Jn 15:16).  Remember, Satan entered Judas (Lk 22:3), and Satan desired to sift Peter like wheat, yet Jesus prayed for Peter (Lk 22:31). Jesus prayed for Peter because he was His sheep and not because there was something better about Peter than Judas. If this does not speak of God's Sovereignty in Election, then one is totally denying the plain teaching of Christ here.  Therefore, we can say dogmatically that God chooses, and none resist His will (Rom 9:19). 

When the eyes of men are opened to believe the gospel, this is not done through kicking and screaming.  May it never be! Amen!  On the contrary, when a man is born of the Holy Spirit, the Spirit gives the man power to repent and put his faith in Christ because such a man, for the first time, now possesses both the desire and will to repent (Jn 3:3-8).  The man whose eyes have been opened by the Holy Spirit is confronted with an incredible conviction of sin as he sees clearly, for the first time, just how wretched of a man he is against the infinite backdrop of God's Perfect Holiness.  This grace is then irresistible because the man now no longer attempts to justify himself based on his own vile self-righteousness (Is 64:6). Rather, he weeps at His sin and flees to Christ.  The Apostle Paul is a vivid illustration of this in Act 9:1-19. Paul went from an incessant desire to kill Christians to fleeing to Christ for salvation!  The Spirit made Paul born anew by the will of God, and the same thing happens to each of God's sheep, though not necessarily in the same fashion as Paul (i.e. a visible bright light and such).  

Let us be thankful for such irresistible grace when our eyes were opened by the Spirit of God.  When a man's eyes are opened to the light of the gospel, he is never the same again; he is changed forever as he now despises his sin and hungers and thirsts for righteousness (Matt 5:6).  To Him be the glory forever! Amen!

Bible Study: Romans 3:27-31

Romans 3:27-31 Boasting In God Alone: The Law of Faith

Vanity of Boasting in Works (3:27-28)

• Paul anticipates the question about boasting in good works and assertively rejects any such misconceptions about the gospel. (3:27a)
  
• Boasting is excluded because it is not by a law of works that a man is saved but only by the law of faith in Jesus Christ. In this way, God is made the both the Just and the Justifier to His glory and not to man (3:27b).
  
• Paul maintains that a man is justified by faith apart from the works of the Law because all have fallen short of the glory of God. (3:28)
  

One God Who Justifies both Jews & Gentiles by Faith (3:29-30)

• In order to quell any ideas about there being two different gods who govern Jews and Gentiles or even One God who operates differently between the two, Paul brings up an important anticipated question regarding the this reality. (3:29a)
  
• Paul then dogmatically states that the One True God is the God of both Jews and Gentiles. (3:29b)
  
• Not only is there One God over all, but He justifies both by faith--(the different prepositions here do not connote a difference in how they are justified, by vs through; rather, it is just another way of saying the same thing--William MacDonald Believer’s Bible Commentary, 1995, p1691).  Both are just as sinful as the other and stand condemned without Christ. (3:30)
  

Law Established Through Faith (3:31)

• Paul now brings up the anticipated question about the value of the Law.  Some would try to charge the gospel as nullifying the Law if it is all of faith. (3:31a)
  
• Paul emphatically declares that by faith the Law is established. The purpose of the Law was to magnify man’s sin against the backdrop of God’s Holiness. (3:31b) This then immediately leads man to the need for salvation outside of himself which comes By God’s Grace Through Faith In Jesus Christ Alone. (Eph 2:8-9) 
  
• We must be thankful for the Law, for it leads us to Christ, and Christ takes the burden that we could not bear on our own. (Matt 11:28-20)  
  
• Because He takes the burden that we could not, He therefore deserves all the glory that we do not!  Praise Him that we are not left in sin!  Amen!
  

ESL Tonight

The ESL was quite interesting tonight. We had abut 30 people again with over half being from Nepal!   We pray for the Nepalese as most are probably here as refugees, and they have probably heard little or no gospel, so we have a tremendous opportunity with them.  As the numbers from this people group have increased in our ESL, we are at a crossroads regarding strategy, so we welcome all prayers and suggestions in this.  

There were less Latinos tonight, though the same ones who were there originally in the first two weeks have been consistent in coming. I do intend on, Lord willing, beginning the Intermediate class next week, so that should help regarding the Latinos interested.  I have had to slow things down the last couple of weeks because of the large number of Nepalese, so, hopefully, an intermediate class will help to prevent the Hispanics from dropping out.

The Bible study was a bit nil tonight, but we are still pressing on.  Ultimately, the Lord is sovereign in all of this, and the Lord will open hearts as he sees fit.  "So then He has mercy on whom He desires and He hardens whom He desires." (Romans 9:18)  That's a tough verse to stomach, but He is in control of all things and does as He sees fit according to His purpose (Romans 9:11).  We must submit to His authority and Divine will in all things.  May He be praised and not us!  "For from Him and through Him to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen." (Rom 11:36)