Searching for Truth: Bible Bashers and the Authority of Scripture

Everything comes to pass according to God's certain, infallible Word. Apart from God's Word we cannot know anything with certainty.

Scripture:  2 Timothy 3:16-17; Isaiah 40:6-8, 12-31

Sermon Notes:

1. The great questions of our age boil down to a question of authority: Has God spoken authoritatively in His Word?
2. Our age rejects authorities we disapprove of; but the authority of God’s Word is not validated by our approval.
3. God’s Word comes to us as a command Word, and does not need to be verified by us (Jn. 17:17;  Heb. 4:12-13).
4. Our word is unreliable; our opinions change. We are finite and limited; we cannot bring our word to pass.
5. Scripture is the infallible starting point for all knowledge.
6. Apart from God’s Word, we cannot know anything with certainty.  All other starting points for knowledge collapse under examination.
7. God asserts His Word without need for justification.
8. The only kind of word God can speak is an infallible, true and certain word.  Everything comes to pass according to His certain, infallible Word.
9. Evidences do not authenticate Scripture, but they help us to recognize in our experience the truth of God’s Word.
10. In an absence of temporal hope, the Bible is a source of hope for the human soul (John 3:16).
11. Freedoms developed in the West because under God there were centers of power and authority such as the family, the church, and the state.  When everything is equal, the family, church, etc. are broken down leaving only the state which will steadily erode freedom.
12. Christians who believed the Bible gave us political liberty, science, education, art, charity, mission, justice, etc.
13. Aside from faiths like Islam which ape Christianity, other religions do not believe in a God outside of creation.
14. The Bible is a uniquely historical faith:  the Creation, Flood, Virgin Birth, and Resurrection of Christ are all historical events which were witnessed.
15. The Koran is full of historical and factual errors; it is a collection of disjointed and contradictory sayings.
16. Creation reveals something of the nature and beauty of God, but it is insufficient to let us know Him personally.
17. It is logical that a personal God would reveal Himself.
18. God’s revelation provides the answers to key life issues:  sin, salvation, evil, purpose, meaning, etc.
19. God, the creator and sustainer of all things, inspired the biblical writers (2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:21; 1 Tim. 5:18).
20. When Jesus referred to the Scriptures, He quoted the Old Testament.  Jesus accepted as authoritative the history of creation and flood, the law of Moses, the Psalms, etc. 
21. Peter refers to Paul’s writing as Scripture (2 Pet. 3:16).
22. The Bible is not esoteric; it is possible for the common person to understand what God has communicated.
23. God confirmed His Word by miracles. Laws of nature are simply the way the universe normally works; but God is behind them, and can supersede the normal laws at will. 
24. Hundreds of Scripture prophecies have been fulfilled.

Application Questions

1. What is the attitude of our age toward biblical authority?
2. Can we verify the authority of Scripture?  Explain.
3. What are we left with if we reject the Bible’s authority?
4. Of what use are evidences that confirm the Bible?
5. Outline the Bible’s own claims for its authority.
6. Contrast Biblical revelation with that of other faiths.
7. What are the limitations of God’s revelation in creation?
8. If Scripture is the starting point for all knowledge, what are the ramifications for our lives, thought, and actions?

Sermon Notes