Titus 2:1 & 2 TIM 3:14-17
INTRO:And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures... In four amazing verses in the second of his letters to Timothy the apostle Paul makes some very important observations about the scriptures. While many of us may not be away of it, the holy scriptures are under attack! And the attack comes in a variety of forms from a variety of fronts. There are even those within the Lords church who adhere to philosophical viewpoints which diminish the importance and authority of the scriptures. If there was ever a time when we need to review sound doctrine about the scriptures, it is now!
I. SCRIPTURES: WHAT DO WE MEAN?
A. From the original language...
1. 2 Pet 3:16 - uses a word which generically means a document
2. the root of the word refers to that which is written
3. thus, scripture is a written document
B. The holy scriptures, as a whole, are Gods written revelation of His word
1. often, in the New Testament, the word refers to the Old Testament
2. so, Jno 5:39 - Search the scriptures...
3. but 2 Pet 3:15,16 notes that the New Testament writings are scripture
C. Consider...
1. Jno 20:30,31 - But these are written... - a written record
2. Col 4:16 - the letters ... read them
3. Rev 1:3 - written words to read and keep
II. WHAT ARE SOME OF THE AFFIRMATIONS OF THE APOSTLE PAUL?
A. Scripture is given by inspiration of God
1. inspired - literally, God breathed
2. Gal 1:11,12 - the revealed gospel ... received from Jesus Christ
3. 1 Cor 2:12,13 - the very words used to convey the message were chosen by the Holy Spirit
4. 2 Pet 1:21 - here is the substance of the matter - scripture is not just any document ... it is the word of the Omnipotent God
B. Scripture is what one needs to come to salvation
1. note that the salvation is through faith which is in Christ Jesus
2. but where is that information going to be found?
3. Acts 8:35 - the scriptures! that is where one must go who is seeking information about the salvation that is in Christ
4. Rom 10:17 with Acts 17:11
C. Scripture is authoritative
1. the authority of the scriptures is being eroded by fuzzy thinking folks who desire to have their own way ... but claim to be Christian
2. notice 2 Tim 3:16 - these purposes of scripture assume its authority
3. and consider 1 Tim 3:14,15 - (remember, Peter said that what Paul wrote was scripture) why did he write the things he did? so that we would know how the church was to be constituted - to give us the inspired pattern
4. 2 Tim 1:13 - the pattern of sound words must be observed faithfully
D. Scripture is all sufficient
1. 2 Tim 3:17 makes this fact very clear
2. scripture provides us with what God wants us to know ... and is all we need to be all He wants us to be!
3. are there unanswered questions? probably (so, Deut 29:29)
4. still, everything we need to know about redemption, the church, holiness of life and such will be found in scripture! (recall 2 Tim 4:3,4)
E. Think about Jno 12:48
1. scripture preserves, embodies the word of Christ
2. therefore, it will be the standard by which we will be ultimately judged
3. if scripture is abandoned, either by neglect, deviation or innovation, we place ourselves in harms way in the judgment
4. 2 Tim 2:5 - there is a standard; to be crowned we must honor it in life
F. Finally, scripture is be learned
1. ...thou has known the holy scriptures...
2. all we have said is for nought if one does not make the message personal by learning the scriptures
3. Deut 4:9,10 - how diligent are we in this respect?
CLOSE: So much more could be said. But we need to come back to scripture ... in a profound way ... if pleasing God is important to us.
Cecil A. Hutson
15 June 2003
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)