Foundations of our Faith

It has been my privilege to be Pat and Bill Lightsey’s pastor and friend for years. During these years I have found them to be faithful to the Lord Jesus and His Church. Bill is committed to the Word of God and inerrancy of scripture and the truth of basic Biblical doctrine. He is a gifted speaker and teacher and I trusted Him to teach a series on the material in this book to our church. He and his material was a blessing to our membership.

Foundations of our Faith is written, not for theological scholars but for the faithful Christian that wants to grow in their knowledge of solid Biblical doctrine. Bill has taken complicated material and made it understandable and useable in living the Christian life.

I recommend Foundations of our Faith without reservation and with the promise it will be a blessing to all who read it.

Dr. Hal Kinkeade

Pastor of First Baptist Church

Springtown Texas

Psalms 19:7-8

The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul, the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple, the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart, the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.

Prologue

As a member of the laity, I am part of a vast ocean of Christians that view the work of God through a different set of eyes than those of many ordained pastors and professors. I have interest in the deep theology of scripture and recognize the need to always be immersed in God’s Word, as do my called brethren. I am not, however, burdened with the personal responsibility of growing a Church. And it is not my responsibility to meet the social, spiritual, emotional, and physical needs of a vast congregation. As a member of the laity, I have a more narrow focus on God’s Word. I primarily want to know what God wants me to become and how I am to live this life. Second, I want to know how I should witness to my family and always present God in my teaching and my personal behavior. I also want to know what God’s Word teaches about Himself. My approach to Bible study is, perhaps, selfish. I understand that my view of spiritual responsibility may be narrower than that of most pastors. Nevertheless certain truths prevail.

In the earlier days of our country, school systems concentrated on giving students reading, writing, and ’rithmatic. They made those basics the core of school curriculum. As a Church member hungry for the basics of God’s Word, I encourage a return of our Churches to the reading, writing, and ’rithmatic of our spiritual curriculum. I seek to hear from the pulpit and from bible study groups not what makes me feel good, but what convicts me to be righteous. I seek what God’s Word tells me I need to change in my life. I need to be pleasing unto God. I seek to hear not what my teacher, preacher, or professor thinks but what God knows and wants to convey to me.

We hear a lot about the love of God, and well we should because God is a loving God who cares for his children. But we also need to hear about the wrath of God. God’s Word is full of warnings of God’s wrath. God warns us because He loves us. Romans 1:18 tell us, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness."

We hear a lot about the glory and splendor of heaven. We rejoice to hear of this home where we will live with God, without pain, without worry, without stress, and without sin. This truth in God’s Word is the light of our path and puts joy in our heart. However, God also warned us of the pit of Hell created for the devil and his angels. And God, in His love, warned us over and over again that the abyss of Hell will be populated with all nonbelievers in Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself told us in Matthew 25:41, "Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.’"

I gave my heart to Jesus Christ at the young age of nine, when the Holy Spirit pounded on my heart’s door and said open up your heart and let me come in. I did not give my heart to Christ that day because of a magnificent sermon. I was, however, ready to respond to God’s calling because of a Church environment that preached the Word of God and taught salvation by faith through the grace of God. For me the steady feeding of foundational truth from the pulpit in that West Texas Church helped me be ready when the Holy Spirit said, Bill it is time. Untold thousands are saved under the influence of magnificent Bible based preaching. That is the primary medium the Holy Spirit uses to touch hearts and invite eternal acceptance. But whether it is under the influence of magnificent preaching, steady Church urging, the guidance of a Godly mother or father, or some cataclysmic event God sends into our lives, we all come under conviction and faith the same way. We find salvation by believing Jesus Christ chose to die on Calvary for our sins and that He rose from death on the third day so that we might be saved. Our faith in what Jesus did and does combines with God’s almighty grace, to bring about a Holy Spirit induced change in our heart, making us a new spiritual creature. We call that being born again. As a member of the Kingdom of God I need to hear a steady reminder of God’s gift of life. It is not only necessary for new converts but it is necessary for those on the way to spiritual maturity. I need to hear the foundations of our faith preached, taught, lived, and prayed every day of my life.

A social gospel that teaches joy, happiness, fulfillment and success in this life give us a spiritual buzz that makes us forget the realities of sin for a short time. However, God does not want us to forget the realities of sin. He wants us to be imbedded with the reality of sin and He wants us to seek His love of redemption. We need to understand that God did not promise the path of Christianity would be smooth and comfortable. He warned us of the opposite. He told us that if we want to be followers of Christ we must pick up our cross daily and deny ourselves and follow him.

Jesus was not trying to gain members in a political or social crusade. Christ died on the Cross of Calvary with us on His mind. He was so concerned about our sin infestation before God He was willing to give His life for our sin. Christ warns us about the coming day of sin’s accountability. We have a need to understand the basic doctrines of our faith so eloquently presented in God’s Word. We need to hide those truths in our heart that we might not sin against God.

Unfortunately, America is turning away from its spiritual heritage. Most of America and the world as well, go through each week barely brushing their mental understanding that mankind is predominately a spiritual being and secondarily a physical being. They neither seek, nor receive, spiritual insight and, while most Americans are good moral people, they do not understand the sin-based definition of whom and what they are. As a layperson, I also sense many professed Christians, receive only a light portion of basic doctrine on a regular basis. Perhaps this is because a steady teaching of the full gospel of God makes people uncomfortable and is harmful to Church attendance.

I understand the complex problem of pastors and elders who say, If we drive them away they will not hear any of God’s Word and how can the masses profit from that approach? Jesus Christ faced the same problem. He gave us the example of seeking the uncommitted and striving for their commitment. His top priority was not a huge congregation. Christ challenged us that our responsibility is to inform people not to enroll them. That is God’s work. Witnessing and telling the full truth about God’s Word is the primary mission we have been challenged by God to accept.

Foundations of our Faith addresses the need we have in America, and in the world, to teach basic doctrine as presented directly from God’s Holy Word. Our need for the Word of God to be part of our everyday life is no different than it has ever been in the history of mankind. In Matthew 4:4 Jesus said, "But He answered and said, It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’ Note this truth from our Lord tells us the whole Bible must be studied and taught. We must teach and preach more than just a feel good scripture. Logic would tell us that people would learn from the Hebrew children. God led them in the wilderness for forty years because they would not listen and obey Him. The Hebrew children had multiple periods of bondage captivity because of their unfaithfulness to God. Yet in America our people are turning away from Him in greater numbers every day. We need to study the basic doctrines as outlined by God in His Scripture. Foundations of our Faith is a review of God’s outline of truth as revealed in the Bible. In Acts 17:11, we are commanded by God to study His Word for doctrinal truth when he wrote: These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.

I greatly desire that you will read this book along with an in-depth study of Scripture noted and recommended. I have primarily used the Eastern Standard Version (ESV) translation of Scripture, with a desire to meet the interest and understanding of most age groups and different lifestyles. Occasionally, you will note the use of mankind being referred to in the masculine terminology of man. The intent of such terminology is always to use mankind or man as a call to everyone not a separation of gender. Jesus Christ was and is the greatest liberator of women and minorities the world has ever known. Men and women who come to know Jesus Christ as savior began a road of freedom of discrimination taught by Christ and commanded by Christ. The Scriptures we quote may use the term man to mean mankind. Such wording is always inclusive of both male and female gender.

You will also note I do not identify specific sources of inspiration I received to help write this book. Certainly many great articles, great sermons, great advisors, and great books have channeled me to patterns of thought and to Scripture that should be studied. But the source of inspiration is, and has consistently been, the Word of God. It is from the Holy Spirit interpreting to me God’s Word and no other power that has enabled me to identify these truths. As you read this book I urge you to also use the Word of God to determine authenticity of this book’s content. Content based on my knowledge is shallow and highly debatable. But content based on the Holy Word of God is deep, eternal, unshakable, omniscient, omnipotent, and beyond human challenge.

I trust you will find God’s will for your life as you read and study.

B. V. Lightsey

Chapter One

God’s Holy Word

God’s Revelation of Himself to Mankind

The Bible, God’s Holy Word, is God’s communication with us. God desires that we understand and know Him, yet because of our sinful nature, we have created a sin barrier between God and ourselves. Man created this barrier, not God. Because of that barrier of sin we cannot, on our own, communicate with or be in the presence of God. We are not capable of looking upon, or grasping, the holiness of God. In order to better reveal Himself to mankind, God, in the early history of man, used prophets to record what He told them to write. These prophets were men inspired by God to record the thoughts of God. Through this medium God elected to reveal Himself to mankind through the written word. These selected men were inspired by God to write what He told them to write. The word testament is a derivative of the Latin word testamentum. It means a covenant with God. We call these writings the Old Testament.

After the birth of Jesus, after His sinless life on earth, after His death on the Cross of Calvary, and after His triumphal resurrection from the dead; God inspired His apostles, and other selected disciples, to record His continuing revelation of Himself to mankind. We call that collection of writings, inspired by God, the New Testament. With the death and resurrection of Jesus a new covenant was created between God and man.

A popular position of many that attempt to explain the presence of error in God’s Word is that the Bible was written for a specific time and culture and does not fit our culture today. In other words many people try to tell us the Bible is out of date. God, however, tells us in His Word that He is timeless. He is eternally righteous, just, holy, and full of grace and truth. God is always the same, yesterday, today and tomorrow and His truth is just as true today as it ever has been. His Word, therefore, is also unchanging, timeless, and never goes out of date.

Why does God reveal Himself to Mankind?

God wants His creation to know who He is and to understand His values and character. God wants us to adore and appreciate Him. God wants to fellowship with us. God wants us to love Him. To accomplish this God very definitely reveals His identity to man and His expectations of man as well. One of the principle ways God chose to reveal Himself was in His written Word. God used select men to record His revelations to us, but He is the author. The thoughts in the Bible are God’s thoughts. The Bible is the record of God’s revelation of Himself to man. His Word is perfect, without blemish, without error, and it is sufficient to meet all the needs of mankind throughout the generations. God reveals the foundational truths by which He judges us. These truths are the supreme standard by which all human conduct, thoughts, opinions, and values must be formed. Nothing else is acceptable to God.

God does not just tell us His word is holy, supreme, and divine. He gives us compelling evidence that support His statement. The design of the Bible itself is compelling evidence of its having been created by a divine authority that is beyond the scope and concept of man. It was written over a period of 1,500 years by vastly different writers. Yet every book is consistent in its message. The Bible contains sixty-six books covering the subjects of history, prophecy, poetry, and theology. The Bible encompasses vast differences in writing styles and cultures. The books of the Bible were written by hand, without the technology of the printing press. Yet the constant, consistent harmony of the sixty-six books, present a continuous testimony of a divine, common author; directing, guiding and inspiring the writers. Only through the divine inspiration of a divine being that is beyond time and physical limitations; could sixty-six authors over a period of thousands of years of people and their lifestyles, create a document that unfalteringly stays on the same theme, the same purpose, and the same message.

Ancient writings were on fragile materials like papyrus and parchment. This material has vanished over the course of time however many copies of the Old Testament scriptures survived. The Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered between 1947 and 1956 in eleven caves on the northeast shore of the Dead Sea, a salt lake in Jordan. These Scrolls consist of nine hundred documents. From them, texts from the Hebrew Bible, known as the Old Testament, were written. They include documents written 150 years before Jesus Christ was born. They were written mostly in Hebrew, with some in Aramaic. They give testimony of God’s authorship of His Word.

However, the authority of God’s Word does not come through the evidence of history. It comes from God’s personal testimony to us that we can believe God. In the book of Timothy Paul clearly informs us that every word of the Bible came from God and is valuable in directing, controlling and inspiring mankind.

2 Timothy 3:16

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.

God inspired Paul to record for our use, the words All Scripture is God-Breathed. This means every word in the original manuscripts used to record what God revealed to us, was directly from God. God-Breathed means God put the thought into the heart and mind of the scribe who recorded it and then put into the heart of the scribe an overpowering urge to record it. In 2 Timothy 3:16 that scribe was The Apostle Paul. God directs us to read and study His Word and decide for our spiritual health if it is true or false. The decision to believe is called faith and not to believe is unbelief.

God tells us His Word came from God and God alone. God knew man would try to twist, modify, and change the Bible to say what man wants it to say. God therefore warns us mankind does not have the ability or authority to create or change scripture. God-Breathed inspired the Apostle Peter to record the following words as evidence of the intent of God.

2 Peter 1:20–21

Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.

In the second book of the Apostle Peter, God informed us that no thought, word, or record of God’s Word came because of the intellect of man. Man’s thoughts are too fallible, too changeable, too imperfect, and too corruptible to be suitable as part of God’s Word. Therefore, over a period of hundreds of years, God placed in the heart of His select writers, through the Holy Spirit, what to record. The words the scribes recorded reflect their own personalities and experiences, but the thoughts conveyed are directly from God.

God emphasized this point through many writings by various authors. In 1 Corinthians, the Apostle Paul tells us the total Bible, through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, is directly from God. Paul felt impelled to inform us what he recorded in his letters to the Christian Churches, was not his thoughts and not his ideas but were the thoughts and ideas of God. We often refer to Paul as the author of Corinthians, Galatians and other books. We refer to David as the author of Psalms and so on. In absolute correct dialog we should refer to these great men of God as scribes who recorded the words of God. God is the author of the entire Bible with many scribes chosen by Him to record His word.

1 Corinthians 2:13

And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

The Bible informs us that these spiritual truths never become out of date. God is timeless and does not change. His spiritual truths are also timeless and do not change. The Apostle Matthew was told by God to document that His Word, the Bible, would never go out of date, would never cease to be practical and applicable to the world we live in. Until God Himself comes to reign with us in the millennium and thereafter, the Word of God is unchangeable, unshakable, unmovable, and eternally true.

Matthew 5:18

"For truly I say unto you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the law until all is accomplished.

In today’s world, the terminology jot and tittle are not used. We often pass by these words in reading scripture. However, Matthew 5:18 tells us much about God’s Word. Jot is the Hebrew word YODH. It is the tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet and also the smallest letter. Tittle is not a word but is the small decorative spur placed at the end of YODH. The tittle gives emphasis and passion to the word YODH. Therefore, we find that in Matthew God is telling us that not one of the smallest letters in the original text, and not even one instance of emphasis and passion of His Word will ever be lost to mankind. This will be true until Christ comes back in His second coming to live with His believers in the millennial reign. This verse, straight from God, tells us His Word will never be obsolete, will never be out of date and will always be as applicable to human needs as when it was written.

Is the Bible Always Accurate?

Inerrancy of scripture is the belief that the Bible, in its original revelation to man by God, is entirely true and without error whether it relates to doctrine, ethics, or as a record of events. God confirms the complete and total accuracy of His Word in His revelation to man. Therefore, if God is truth and God is holy, then His word is without error. Biblical inerrancy is rather different than what many non-scholars think. Skeptics can show variances from the different translations. Biblical inerrancy does not mean the translators were without error. It means the words of God, as given to those originally inspired to record it, was without error. Many original Greek, Aramaic or Hebrew words can be translated into several similar but slightly different English meanings. This can lead to slightly different emphasis in various translations. And the translations were not always made from divine inspiration. Some translations from the original scrolls were made for very human motivations such as financial profit. And yes, some translations are closer to the original text meanings than others. Yet even the different translations, when translated from the original manuscripts, to the extent we have them, are amazingly close to the original manuscripts. This is true because over the centuries, God has protected His Word and its accuracy.

Throughout the ages, ever since the first century Church, some have challenged the view of inerrancy of scripture. This challenge, based by many who call themselves theologians, is based on three principles. The principles are true but the resulting conclusion of challenged inerrancy is flawed. The principles are:

Humans are limited in knowledge and have a selfish and sinful nature. We tend to interpret information regarding God’s Word, from the viewpoint of what we wish it to say, rather than what the context of Scripture tells us.

We do not possess for interpretation all the documents that bear on Bible inerrancy, and we do not have all of the original texts of scripture, many of which are probably lost forever.

The ancient scrolls containing the Word of God are difficult to read and interpret. When they were recorded by God’s inspired writers no formatting existed. Until 900 AD no punctuation marks were included in the scripture texts. No verse or chapter numbers existed until centuries later. Prior to 900 AD the texts were written in Scriptua continua. This means there were no spaces between words or sentences. There was no capitalization and no punctuation.

The issue of inerrancy of scripture comes down to belief in God’s truthfulness or belief in man’s logic. God tells us that His Word is true and we ultimately believe God or we do not. To doubt the accuracy of the Bible is to doubt the truthfulness of God. If we accept the statements of God that His Word is totally accurate and without error; we answer the critics as follows:

Humans are weak and have limited knowledge. We are selfish and want the work we do to turn out the way we want it to turn out. Yet God tells us His Word is inspired. It is God-Breathed. This means the Holy Spirit, or God in spirit imputed into the authors the words God wanted printed. The authors often were recording things they did not understand. Their knowledge was weak and limited but God’s knowledge knows no boundaries. They were often self-centered people, just as we are.

However, Old Testament believers believed in Yahweh, in God Jehovah, and they believed in God’s promise of the coming Messiah. They believed their only hope for salvation was the promised Messiah. The entire Old Testament is focused on that future event. Yet their understanding of this promise of God only gave them a limited grasp of the future event of Christ’s birth, life, and crucifixion. The authors wrote the books of the Bible because they recognized God was telling them what to write and they were in awe of God.

It is true we probably do not possess all of the scriptures recorded by man about God. Yet God has insured we have what Scripture we need for full revelation to man. We know we have what God wanted us to have. The Scripture we possess was saved by God. They were revealed by God in the Dead Sea Scrolls. If there are scriptures we have not yet discovered they will only add to the amazement of God’s truth being revealed. What we have is the fulfillment of prophecy contained in the Word. What we have is the total accuracy of the scripture after having been written over 1,500 years. What we have speaks of the determination of God to preserve His Word for us so we might have proof of His truth.

And the third basis on which men deny the inerrancy of Scripture is that the original documents are so hard to understand. Yes, we agree, but mankind has continued to have the amazing inspiration of God the Father to help us understand. The significant point here is that we do not understand God’s Word based on our intelligence. We understand it based on the interpretation of the Bible as the Holy Spirit reveals to us. This means His Word was imputed or imbedded into the hearts of His chosen scribes.

We believe in the inerrancy of Scripture not because of the proof given by scientists and prophets. We believe in the inerrancy of Scripture not because of theologians who proclaim doctrine and theories supporting inerrancy. We believe in the inerrancy of Scripture because in His Word God told us He does not lie. And we believe in the inerrancy of the Scripture because God Himself told us His Word is totally accurate, true, and sufficient to meet all our needs.

Numbers 23:19

God is not man, that He should lie, Nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Has He said, and will He not do it? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it fulfill it?

Hebrews 6:18

"That by two unchangeable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us."

Many places in His Word, God tells us He does not lie. This is undoubtedly because God knew mankind would challenge His truthfulness. We also have the comfort of knowing that inerrancy was part of the early Church’s base doctrine from its inception. It was taught as an accepted unchallenged fact by those who believed by faith and studied the scriptures for knowledge and authority. In the early Church, St. Augustine, who lived from 354 AD to 430 AD stated,

I have learned to yield this respect and honor only to the canonical books of scripture: Of these alone do I most firmly believe that the authors were completely free from error.

The two great reformers, Luther and Calvin bear testimony to biblical infallibility. Luther said,

But everyone, indeed, knows that at times they (the fathers) have erred, as men will, therefore, I am ready to trust them only when they prove their opinions from scripture, which has never erred.

Mankind often chooses to question the total truthfulness and accuracy of the scripture because mankind often finds instruction in God’s Word is in conflict with what our mind’s logic says. Is it logical to believe that Jonah was swallowed by a whale and after three days was coughed up and continued his mission for God? No, but God said it and that settles it. God cannot lie. Is it logical to believe that Jesus walked upon the water or fed the five thousand from three fish? No, but God said it and that settles it. Is it logical to believe that Jesus Christ died on the cross of Calvary and after three days rose again with victory over death? No, but God said it and that settles it. Many of the miracles of Jesus cannot be explained by logic of man. Those who do not have faith to believe are left to explain the inexplicable by logic. These miracles cannot be explained by man so mankind seeks ways to compromise the scripture. It is not logical to explain the creation of the earth and sky and seas and especially the creation of humans. Yet reality is that we exist and the earth is real. God’s Word tells us He created all that is and that ever will be. God cannot lie. He said it and that settles it.

Mankind, desiring to rely upon his logic rather than faith in God, tends to explain the revelation of scripture by saying the Bible contains error. When nonbelievers find instruction that conflict with the type of life they want to lead, they find ways to say the scripture really means something else. The world says whip your fellow man because you are in conflict with him. God’s Word says love your fellow man because you are your brother’s keeper. The world says gather material things, because that is how we measure success and happiness. God’s Word says do not worry about where you will sleep or what you will eat because God will take care of His children. The reason so many of us explain scripture away is we are uncomfortable with it. This means we have to come up with a justification of why God’s Word is in conflict with what we want it to say.

However, if we accept that the Bible was God-Breathed, or inspired by God, if we accept the thoughts and concepts recorded are directly from God, and if we accept that God is without error, the only coherent conclusion is that the Bible, as originally God-Breathed to man, is, was, and will always be, without error.

Jesus taught the Bible is absolutely true and without error. In the Old Testament, He established the authenticity of His New Testament text. For example, Jesus used the Old Testament law to create the foundation for His teachings to love your enemies. It is conflicting to our human spirit to love or even to try to love our enemies. Our desire is to crush our enemies. But Jesus told us that, if we love God, we will love all of His children. To understand that we have to consider what true love means. It means to be willing to sacrifice our needs, or comfort and even our safety for their needs, comfort and safety.

Matthew 5:43–47

"You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, so you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?"

Jesus also taught the accuracy of the commandments given to the people by God, through Moses, when he told them the most important commandment was, and had always been to love the Lord your God with all your heart.

Matthew 22:36–40

Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law? and He said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And the second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments, depend all the Law and the Prophets.

The accuracy of the scripture is established by the testimony of God the Father who gave us His word through the prophets and apostles. It is established by God the Holy Spirit who breathed the word of God into the hearts of God’s scribes to record it, and it is established by Jesus Christ the Son of God who relied on the inerrant word of God to be the foundation of His teachings to man.

Is the Word of God Sufficient to Meet Man’s Needs?

God’s Word is inerrant, meaning it is always true and is without error. However, is God’s Word sufficient to meet the needs of man or does it require support? Many take the position that God’s Word alone, without the interpretation of and guidance of something else, is not sufficient to meet man’s needs.

Perhaps a prime example of mankind feeling something more is needed than God’s Word alone is the way we worship in Church. Can Churches continue to exist and accomplish Gods will by simply preaching and teaching the word of God? In the modern world where every aspect of our society appeals to the entertainment of man, do Churches also need entertainment to thrive and succeed? If Churches must appeal to the material and entertainment needs of people, they are saying that simply preaching and teaching the contents of God’s Word is not sufficient to support the work of the Church. A similar question is whether Churches need something more than proclamation of the word of God to grow and thrive. This question implies that a thriving, successful Church must include growth. What does God ask of His Church?

First of all, God wants His Church to praise, honor, and glorify Him. The purpose of the Church is to exalt the Savior, to evangelize the lost, to encourage the believer, to equip the saints and to empower His workers. However, we do not accomplish this by empty words of praise. We accomplish this by dedication of our heart, our mind, our strength, our soul and our spirit to Jesus Christ God’s Son. As we reach a state of mind that yields dedication to Christ, we will strengthen the Christian, encourage the believer, enlist the uncommitted, evangelize the lost, lift up the downtrodden, minister to the needy, and witness to the lost. We must not, however, lose sight of the reality that the primary purpose of God’s Church is to exalt the Savior. To exalt the savior we must teach truth. Every effort must have as its focus the intent of exalting our Savior. We are not supposed to go to Church to get a blessing. We go to Church to worship our Savior and in return we often receive the blessings of God. To achieve these important goals we must understand and believe that the study of, commitment to, and belief in the sufficiency of God’s Word is critical. Otherwise we will invariable begin to yield to man’s intellect, man’s creativeness, and man’s passion to achieve the goals of the Church. In so doing we will not be pleasing God and we will fail in our goal of exalting the Savior, even if we achieve huge congregations.

If we use psychology and modern methods of counseling, at the exclusion of God’s Word in trying to reach out and meet the needs of a needy people, we are saying God’s Word is insufficient to meet the needs of a modern society. Why does the modern Church reach this conclusion? Could it be that Satan is trying to persuade us to rely on something other than the Bible? Would Satan tell us modern techniques are more productive than simple reliance on the word of God? Satan is sly and devious. He does not tell us God’s Word is inadequate, he simply tells us that the addition of man’s logic and intellect is better in the modern world. God knew Satan would temp man to do this. Satan tells us that we cannot reach the world in today’s environment, without an increased intellect of man. Thus we seek signs and wonders. Satan will assist us with amazing results if it leads people to this false teaching.

2 Corinthians 3:5

Not that we are sufficient in ourselves to claim anything as coming from us, but our sufficiency is from God.

Paul teaches us the temptation to rely on our entertainment ability, or to rely on our interpretive ability, or to rely on our own intellect rather than the Word of God is not a new concept. It has always been in existence and has always been false. Paul told the Christians at Corinth and he tells us today, Our sufficiency is of God. What did Paul mean by this statement? He meant our ability to please God and meet the needs of man, comes from God. The intellect of man is not sufficient to accomplish this. Too often man gets this statement out of context and says our sufficiency to please man and meet the needs of God comes from our dedication and application of our minds to the task. When Paul wrote this passage he was writing to those whom the Holy Spirit had come to dwell within their hearts. They, therefore, had the in-dwelling assistance of God on a second by second basis. The assistance of God to live a spirit filled life is not available to those who do not believe on Jesus Christ. Paul is even more specific in writing to us as recorded in his correspondence to the Christians at Corinth.

2 Corinthians 9:8

And God is able to make all grace abound to you; that you, having all sufficiency in all things at all times, you may abound in every good work.

Paul tells us that God is sufficiently able to make available to us, as believers, His total inventory of grace. His grace is without limit therefore we may successfully achieve a life of good work in the sight of God. Paul does not say that God is able, with the assistance of psychologists and social workers, to give man the spirit filled life we seek. God does not need man’s help. In fact, as we add these false sources of help we cut out God and hinder His willingness to help us. This is not to say there is no value in professional psychologists and social workers. It is to say we must rely first on God and interpret every other vehicle of help from the venue of God’s Word.

In his first letter to the Christians at Corinth, Paul addressed this subject quite clearly. They were having the same problem hundreds of thousands of Christian experience today. They were trying to explain the Holy Spirit and the Word of God based on man’s logic and intellect. Sermons preached and lessons taught based on the speaker’s intellect and study, are insufficient to convey the power of God. We will only be taught the wisdom of God as we listen to God and as we allow the Holy Spirit to speak quietly to our heart. God’s Word is sufficient to teach God’s truth. God’s Word is sufficient to give us answers to our problems and our needs. Relying on anything else is asking for disappointment and failure.

1 Corinthians 2:13

And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.

Jesus Christ taught us the sufficiency of God’s Word. As He walked and taught on earth, Jesus did not answer the problems He faced by His own power but by the power of God the Father. When Jesus faced Satan in the wilderness, as He prepared for His ministry on earth, Satan came to temp Him. Jesus answered Satan by saying over and over again, It is written. It is written in the Word of God. If the Word of God was sufficient for Jesus in that horrific hour it is certainly sufficient for us regardless of whatever problems we might face. The writer of Hebrews speaks to the issue of the sufficiency of God’s Word as well.

Hebrews 4:12

For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

God told us His Word is living and active and is the most powerful weapon existence in penetrating our soul to compare our desires with God’s desires. This verse tells us that to rely on any substitute other than the word of God is to teach the way of the Lord is foolish.

God’s Word does tell us that we should do good works. God’s Word tells us that if we are born again Christians we will have a nature that wants to feed the hungry, clothe the needy, and minister to the sick and downtrodden. We will want to counsel the distressed and depressed among us. But the Word of God also tells us that the Scripture is the strength and guidance to empower and enable us to accomplish these tasks. Anything we use to help us must be used with the clear intent of reliance upon God’s Word as the all-powerful source of strength. And we must remember that our mission is primarily to make disciples of men, to teach the way of salvation, and to grow in the way of the Lord. God has vested His power in His word. We can do no less than rely on it.

God’s Word tells us exactly why it is sufficient to meet our needs and ultimately our desires. Psalms 19:7–9 speaks clearly to what man needs and what God provides.

Psalms 19:7–9

"The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever;

The rules of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

The Psalmist recorded what God told him to write when he gave these incredible promises. God reveals six timeless, unchangeable, precious facts.

First: The law of the Lord is perfect. Law means the guidelines or the commandments of God are always correct and without error. They are complete and need nothing added. They are everlasting and timeless and they are true and all encompassing. They meet every problem, every need, and every weakness of mankind. They are so vast and rich that when we accept God with a heart to glorify and please him, God converts our soul from its carnal physical being, to a spiritual being that is clean of all sin. This is because of God’s Gift of His Son.

Second: The testimony of God is sure. This means that what God tells us in His Word is truth. This teaching from God reassures us that there is such a thing as absolute truth and God is absolute truth. His Word often does not make sense to nonbelievers, but when we rely on His Word the Holy Spirit gives us understanding. We then become wise rather than foolish, we rely on God rather than ourselves, and His wisdom seems right and true and obvious to us through the Holy Spirit.

Third: The precepts or statues of the Lord are right. This means His commandments to us, His believers, are just and right. We need to do what God commands. We should follow His commandments not only because to do so is pleasing to God but also because to do so is positive and fulfilling for us. To do other that what God commands brings sorrow, confusion, regret, guilt and eternal damnation. To do what God commands brings joy, peace, fulfillment and satisfaction. And it brings this inner joy and peace not only in eternity with Him but also on this earth. in this lifetime.

Fourth: The emphasis of God is that His commandments are pure and enlighten the eyes. In this powerful scripture, God uses the law of the Lord, the statues of the Lord and the commandments of the Lord separately, to give us powerful insight into the identity of God. Likewise it gives us insight into what we must become to please Him and to earn His blessings.

Fifth: The point made is that fear of God is natural. It is a good thing. It is common sense. It will last forever. This does mean we are to be awed by God. It means we are to recognize our inadequacy with relation to God. It means we are to recognize His awesome characteristics. It means that in comparison we are so inadequate we stand in awe of God. We are amazed at who and what God is. That comparison will last forever even throughout eternity. It is a fear that brings amazing love and adoration. It is not a fear that brings terror and destruction. It is a fear that gives glory to God and in return He gives love to us.

Sixth: The point of Psalms 19:7–9 is that His judgments are true, and they are righteous. No falseness can survive, we cannot fool God. He knows our inner heart. He sees beyond what we do and knows why we do it. He knows our thoughts. Yet God loves us. This verse is as much a condemnation of those who are not believers and who do not trust Him as it is a reassurance of those who trust and believe in Him.

Psalms 19 is God speaking to us and telling us His Word is sufficient to save us from our sins and revive our soul. His Word is sufficient to provide us truth. His Word is sufficient to make us wise not because of our intellect but because of God’s grace. His Word is always right, never wrong, never misleads or leads us astray. His Word is without end, unchanging, unshakable, immutable, instilling in our hearts a fear of disobedience that is needed for our good. And His Word is sufficient to provide us the reminders needed to stay on the path of righteousness if we stay true to him.

God’s Word is not only sufficient for our needs. To rely on anything other than God’s Word is to begin to walk the path of destruction. Any urging we have to rely on man’s intellect, man’s programs, man’s technology, or man’s teachings is to reject God.

Who did God intend to receive and understand His Word?

Mankind has trouble grasping a foundational truth that has massive application to our understanding of Scripture. The entire Word of God is inerrant, is sovereign, is unchangeable, is sufficient for my needs and applies to all mankind. But the Word of God was written to three groups of people. Although the entire Word applies to all, it’s focus and therefore it’s message is directional. This means God’s revelation for each of these groups varies. It also says that to gain clear understanding of Scripture we need to know to whom each passage of Scripture was written.

The Bible is addressed to three categories of people. These three are Jews, Gentiles, and the Body of Christ also known as The Church. Jews are the lineage of Israel, also the chosen people of God. The Jews are people who have a special, preordained mission and purpose, as anointed by God. The world thinks of Gentiles as meaning people who are not Jews. In the Bible, the word Gentile refers to people who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior and are therefore foreigners to the select of God. That can be of Jewish descent or any other group of people as long as they are not believers in Jesus. The Body of Christ or The Church includes both Jews and Gentiles who, after the death, burial and resurrection of Christ (known as His glorification) place their faith in Christ for future deliverance from their sins. God gave The Church too Jesus Christ and He, along with the Holy Spirit, empowered The Church to become part of the family of God with eternal salvation.

Ephesians 1:22

And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.

At times in the Scripture, God speaks primarily to the Jews, at times to the Gentiles, and at times to His Church. If we do not understand this the message delivered can seem contradictory and confusing. If we understand this and grasp what God’s plan and intended revelation of scripture is for each group, the message is clear and makes perfect sense.

Faith in Christ and His resurrection from the dead has always been the door of salvation. However, in the Old Testament people did not have full revelation of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore their faith did not include the name of Jesus but did include belief in the promised coming of The Messiah. Because they did not have Jesus in front of them as the model of what they should be and do they needed something that would help them know when they were pleasing God and when they were not. Therefore, God gave them The Law a specific set of instructions of how they were to live, think, and react toward God. Their salvation required faith in the coming Messiah. Their salvation also required faith in God the Father to care for His people and obedience of God’s commandment to keep the Law. Obedience to keep God’s commandments did not require those in faith to be perfect in keeping the law. No one could do this. However, it did require them to maintain a constant desire to keep the law. It also required a constant desire to repent when they failed, and a willingness to offer burnt sacrifices to God in their petitions of forgiveness for their failures. In truth and spirit this is not different than our path to salvation today. Much of the Old Testament and some of the New Testament is a record of God working with these people.

Galatians 3:23 tells us that keeping the law did not save those people in the Old Testament. Old Testament people were saved because of their faith in God to deliver His promises and their belief in the Grace of God to forgive their sins. They did not know Jesus would be the Messiah. But they trusted God to deliver a Messiah. Their salvation was based on their faith in God and His announced plan to send a Messiah. It was not completed until the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Therefore Scripture written for the Old Testament people or pre-Church people, addresses people with a different revelation from God than given to The Church. In the Old Testament the Law was a measuring guide to alert people when they sinned. However, after the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ, people no longer needed the law as a measuring board. The life of Jesus Christ became their measuring board. He sent the Holy Spirit to live in our hearts as our mentor. In the Old Testament people were not saved based on how well they kept the law. They were saved on whether they believed in God the Father and trusted Him to save them from their sins. Salvation during any Dispensation has never depended on obedience for salvation. To those in The Church obedience to God shapes us as we grow in spirit and builds faith in our Savior. Scripture written to The Church will focus on the life of Christ to be our measuring board. Scripture written to Old Testament people did focus on the Law because it was their measuring board. Look at how Paul specifically identifies the group of people he is writing to as The Church. This scripture would have not meant anything to Old Testament saints.

Galatians 3:26–27

For in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith. For as many of you who were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

In the above verses God is talking to The Church. He is talking to people who have believed on Jesus Christ as the risen Savior and thus His message is not to Old Testament Saints. Paul addresses this change when He says you are sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, as opposed to Old Testament Saints who become part of the family of God (not the Body of Christ). He goes on to say that as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. This type message would make no sense to Old Testament Saints just as Gods message to the Old Testament Saints does not totally apply to The Church. Paul further states that when you accept Jesus Christ you cease to become Greek (Gentile) or Jew. You cease to be slave or free person. You cease to be male or female. We are all one in Christ.

The Bible has sections specifically addressed to these different groups. How are we to react to sections not addressed to The Church? Romans chapter 15 specifically addresses this question.

Romans 15:4

For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction that we through endurance and encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Therefore we are to study all Scripture, but be aware of who the Scripture was intended. But all Scripture teaches us how God works with His people and has value for us.

How did God put together His Word?

The Pentateuch

The first writings of God’s Word include five books that are collectively called the Pentateuch. They are the foundation upon which all of the Old Testament rests and upon which the New Testament rests. These five books are God’s revelation to man about the creation of humanity, the fall of man, and the establishing God’s law. These five books were written by Moses approximately 1,445 years before the birth of Jesus Christ. God’s Word itself provides the authenticity of Moses as the writer and God as the author of these books.

Deuteronomy 31:24–26

When Moses had completed writing the words of this law in a book to the very end, Moses commanded the Levites, who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying: Take this Book of the Law, and put it beside the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there as a witness against you."

The five books of the Pentateuch are Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. God gave us these books to accomplish the following:

Genesis is a book of beginnings in which God gives man limited insight into our origination. Genesis tells us everything that exists, is of God. God is the author and creator of this universe and nothing exists outside of his authorship and creator role. God gave us Genesis to counter an array of false philosophies that every culture has advanced through every century of man’s existence. God, however, wants mankind to know and acknowledge that He and He alone is the creator of all that exists.

Exodus describes the departure of God’s people from slavery to freedom. It gives us insight into the trials and struggles they suffered because of their lack of faith in God. Moses was chosen byGod to lead God’s chosen people, the Israelites, from bondage to freedom. God then instructed Moses to teach them what responsible freedom means with relation tobeing pleasing in God’s sight. Major themes include the name and glory of God and the agreements (covenants) between God and Israel.

Leviticus reveals to us our sin nature. Leviticus tells us man can never be Holy unless God makes us Holy. We see ourselves in the Israelites as they try to circumvent the will of God. This book presents to us a broken relationship with God restored because of His love and man’s repentance. Leviticus is a book of holiness.

Numbers is a book of the history of God’s people. It reveals to us lessons we need to learn. Numbers tells us disobedience to God has consequences.

It begins with the exodus generation and takes us through the thirty-nine years of wandering in the wilderness. It shows the faithfulness of God and the infidelity of God’s people.

Deuteronomy is the Second giving of the law. The Ten Commandments were given on Mt. Sinai forty years earlier and Moses now repeats the Ten Commandments stressing that the law and nature of God is unchanging.

Jesus recognized and accepted the division of the Old Testament. God told Matthew to record that His arrival on the scene of mankind was not to destroy the Law but to fulfill the law.

Matthew 5:17–18

Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one iota not one jot will pass from the law till all is accomplished.

Today we are not bound by the law because the Holy Spirit lives in our hearts and is our mentor to righteous living. But the law is not abolished by the coming of Jesus Christ. Matthews 5:17–18 tells us the law still gives us today a good picture of what we must do to be within the will of God. Therefore it is of value to understand the Ten Commandants. They were given to Moses about 1,300 BC. They are:

You shall have no other Gods before me. (Exodus 20:3)

You shall not make for yourself a carved image… (Exodus 20:4)

You shall take the name of the Lord in vain… (Exodus 20:7)

You shall remember the Sabbath day and keep it Holy… (Exodus 20:8)

You shall honor your father and your Mother… (Exodus 20:12)

You shall not murder… (Exodus 20:13)

You shall not commit adultery… (Exodus 20:14)

You shall not steal… (Exodus 20:15)

You shall not bear false witness… (Exodus 20:16)

You shall not covet anything that is your neighbor’s… (Exodus 20:17)

These ten commands of God to all mankind are quite sufficient to meet His goal of righteousness. His commandments are complete and applicable to all generations. In this scripture, Jesus himself validates the complete Old Testament