The Sufficiency of Scripture Just How High Was Jesus’ The Classical Defense

in Expository Preaching View of Scripture? of Scripture

STEVEN J. LAWSON JOHN MACARTHUR R. C. SPROUL

Biblical Inerrancy AND

THE Prophetic Word

INAUGURAL
ISSUE
JOHN MACARTHUR
R. C. SPROUL
STEVEN J. LAWSON
R. ALBERT MOHLER, JR.
SINCLAIR B. FERGUSON
DEREK W. H. THOMAS
STEPHEN J. NICHOLS
MARK DEVER
ISSUE

O1
SEP/OCT14
EVERY CHRISTIAN MUST
HAVE ONEPASSION
an overruling ambition that dominates
his life. That supreme purpose must
be the glory of God.
 E X E C U T I V E E D I TO R
FROM THE DESK OF
STEVEN J. LAWSON President, OnePassion Ministries

THE WORD DID IT ALL

will teach and preach the Word with
growing confidence in its all-sufficient
power to perform all that God intends.
And may they say as Luther thundered
This present generation of preachers must in his day: The Word did it all.
be men who are fully persuaded of both the It is to that end that OnePassion
Ministries exists. As our name indi-
purity and the power of Scripture. cates, the strategic goal of this ministry
is to enflame hearts with an all-con-
suming desire for Jesus Christ and His
gospel. Our primary aim for believers
from every walk of life is that they be
revived and emboldened to live exclu-
sively for the greatness of God. We are
focused on imparting the knowledge
of the truth by equipping pastors and
church leaders, maturing lay people,
and launching a new reformation in
the church today. Most specifically,
OnePassion is committed to training
pastors in expository preaching that is
firmly anchored in proclaiming God's
Word.
It is my great privilege to introduce

F
to you the inaugural issue of Exposi-
or every biblical preacher, Reformer, Martin Luther, who trusted tor Magazine, the print magazine of
the sufficiency of Scripture the outcome of his ministry to the su- OnePassion Ministries. Through the
mandates his commitment pernatural ability of Scripture to per- bi-monthly publication of Expositor, we
to exposit and expound form its sacred task. Luther was once desire to address the historical, biblical,
its truths. Paul wrote, "All asked to explain the phenomenon of and theological dynamics and practice
Scripture is inspired by God and prof- the Reformation. The Magisterial Re- of expository preaching. In addition,
itable for teaching, for reproof, for cor- former answered this way: Expositor will serve pastors, preachers,
rection, for training in righteousness; so students, teachers, and lay people by
that the man of God may be adequate, I simply taught, preached, wrote examining historical and current issues
equipped for every good work" (2 Tim God's Word; otherwise I did related to biblical exposition. We live in
3:16-17). The word "adequate" means nothing. While I slept . . . the a day in which there is a famine in the
complete, and "equipped" means thor- Word so greatly weakened the land for the hearing of God's Word. In
oughly furnished. This verse says that papacy that never a Prince or response to this spiritual drought, this
the Scripture makes the preacher ca- Emperor inflicted such damage ministry and magazine is devoted to
pable of doing everything he is called upon it. I did nothing. The Word calling those who stand in pulpits to
by God to do. He is enabled to meet did it all. the high standard of biblical preaching.
all the demands of righteous living and If we are to see a new reformation in
godly ministry. This must be the unshakeable resolve this day, there must, first, be a reforma-
This present generation of preachers of every preacher today. Now more tion in the pulpit.
must be men who are fully persuaded than ever, men of God must preach
of both the purity and the power of the Word (2 Tim 4:2) in the power of
Scripture. May God raise up such men His Spirit (1 Thess 1:5). May God raise
in this hour, men like the great German up a new generation of preachers who

1
 CONTENTS

SEP/OCT14 ISSUE 1

IN THIS ISSUE
BIBLICAL INERRANCY AND
THE PROPHETIC WORD
The world has abandoned the claims of divine
revelation and inerrancy because the church
has failed to uphold that truth with Spirit-given
power and conviction. The time for all faithful
preachers of God's Word to rally in support of
Scripture's authority is now.

01 Executive Editor
From the Desk of Steven J. Lawson

features 06
06 The Sufficiency of Scripture in Expository Preaching
Steven J. Lawson

12 Just How High Was Jesus' View of Scripture?

John MacArthur 12
16 The Classical Defense of Scripture
R. C. Sproul

16
EXPOSITOR
SEP/OCT14 ISSUE 1 COPYRIGHT © 2014 ONEPASSION MINISTRIES EXECUTIVE EDITOR Steven J. Lawson EDITOR Dustin W. Benge DESIGN DIRECTOR Dustin W. Benge
MARKETING DIRECTOR Grace Anne Lawson PROOFREADERS C. Rebecca Rine and Kay Allen. Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.
Lockman.org) SUBSCRIPTION INFORMATION: Annual subscription price (6 issues): $30.00. You can subscribe to Expositor Magazine by MAIL: OnePassion Ministries
P.O. Box 821988, Dallas, TX 75382 ONLINE: www.onepassionministries.org EMAIL: [email protected] PHONE: 214-269-1819. Expositor is published
bi-monthly by OnePassion, Inc. P.O. Box 821988, Dallas, TX 75382. Periodicals Postage Paid at Dallas, TX 75382 and additonal mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send
address changes to OnePassion Ministries P.O. Box 601649, Dallas, TX 75360.

2 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES

 20 20 The Bible and the Believer
R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

24 The Bible: The Living Voice of God

Sinclair B. Ferguson

28 Does Inerrancy Matter?

The Legacy of James Montgomery Boice
Derek W. H. Thomas

24 32 For Such a Time as Then:

The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
Stephen J. Nichols

36 The Centrality of the Word of God

Mark Dever

columns
28 32
40 Interview
Q&A with John MacArthur

43 Truth Remains: William Tyndale, Pt.1

Steven J. Lawson

36

43
40
3
 C O N T R I B U TO R S

SEP/OCT14 ISSUE 1

IN THIS ISSUE
BIBLICAL INERRANCY AND
THE PROPHETIC WORD
Steven J. Lawson is president John MacArthur is pastor-
of OnePassion Ministries, teacher of Grace Community
professor of preaching at The Church in Sun Valley, CA,
Master's Seminary, teaching and president of The Master's
fellow with Ligonier Ministries, College and Seminary. He is
professor-in-residence with the author of over one hundred
Truth Remains, and author of books and author and editor of
over twenty books. The MacArthur Study Bible.

R. C. Sproul is co-pastor of R. Albert Mohler, Jr. is

Saint Andrew's Chapel in president of the Southern
Sanford, FL, and the founder Baptist Theological Seminary.
and chairman of Ligonier He also hosts The Briefing,
Ministries. His many books a daily podcast analyzing
include Scripture Alone and current issues from a Christian
Everyone's a Theologian. worldview.

Sinclair B. Ferguson is Derek W. H. Thomas is senior

professor of systematic minister at First Presbyterian
theology at Redeemer Church in Columbia, SC,
Seminary, the dean of the and Visiting Professor of
D.Min. program at Ligonier Systematic and Historical
Academy, and a teaching fellow Theology at Reformed
of Ligonier Ministries. Theological Seminary in
Atlanta.

Stephen J. Nichols is Mark Dever is senior minister

president of Reformation of Capitol Hill Baptist Church
Bible College as well as chief in Washington, D.C., and is an
academic officer and teaching author and speaker for 9Marks,
fellow for Ligonier Ministries. a ministry concerned with
He is author of several books biblical church reform. He is
and host of the 5 Minutes in also author of Nine Marks of a
Church History podcast. Healthy Church.

4 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES

We stand in a long line of faithful men who courageously stood
united in their commitment to this inerrant and unfailing Truth...
 The Sufficiency
of SCRIPTURE
in Expository
PREACHING
by STEVEN J. L AWSON

6 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NEPAS

NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES
A
s the church of Jesus Christ advances into the twenty-first
century, she finds herself standing at a dangerous crossroads.
Two diametrically opposed paths lie before her. To the left
are the lethal lies of liberal theology, which destroy and damn.
To the right are the life-giving truths of historic Christianity,
which save and sanctify. The modern church must choose wisely which road she
will take.
Tragically, many mainline denomi- spired book, the Bible, is God's Word, mean the ability of God's Word to
nations are being lured onto the broad what then is it capable of performing? produce any and all spiritual results
path, which is headed to destruction. Strangely, this question seems to be intended by God, when it is accompa-
This path is marked by unbelief and puzzling for many in evangelicalism nied by the supreme power of the Holy
apostasy. Many such groups maintain today. Spirit. When we take this position,
a form of religion, but deny its power. we are not asserting that all truth of
The fallout is nothing short of devas- The Problem of the every kind is found in Scripture. Nor
tating. We are witnessing the decline Evangelical Church does this position imply that every-
and death of many seminaries, mis- Writing shortly before his death, James thing Jesus or the apostles ever taught
sions agencies, and ministries, before Montgomery Boice, pastor of Tenth is preserved in Scripture ( John 20:30;
our very eyes. Once serving as sending Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, ob- 21:25). Rather, the sufficiency of Scrip-
stations for missionaries, these groups served that while many churches now ture affirms that everything necessary
have now become a mission field. confess belief in biblical authority, they for the spiritual well-being of individu-
But this is not the burden of this ar- remain undecided "whether the Bible als, both in salvation and sanctification,
ticle. Rather, I want to address those is sufficient for the church's life and as well as direction for gospel ministry,
who have chosen to follow the nar- work. We confess its authority, but we is found in God's Word.
row path by embracing the divinely discount its ability to do what is nec-
inspired Scripture and the sovereign essary to draw unbelievers to Christ, Westminster Confession:
lordship of Jesus Christ. We can give enable us to grow in godliness, provide "All Things Necessary"
thanks that in many places there ex- direction for our lives, and transform The Westminster Confession of Faith
ists a renewed commitment to the au- and revitalize society." As a result, the defines the sufficiency of Scripture as:
thority of Scripture and a fundamental church today is adding such novelties "The whole counsel of God, concern-
belief in the divine person and saving as entertainment to exposition, perfor- ing all things necessary for His own
work of Jesus Christ. Among a faith- mances to preaching, and theatrics to glory, man's salvation, faith, and life, is
ful remnant, authentic Christianity is theology. either expressly set down in Scripture,
reemerging around the world. Many With penetrating insight, Boice then or by good and necessary consequence
new churches and ministries are being added, "In the sixteenth century, the may be deduced from Scripture: unto
raised up by God to carry forward the battle was against those who wanted to which nothing at any time is to be add-
banner of truth. add church traditions to Scripture, but ed, whether by new revelations of the
However, for these who hold strong- in our day the battle is against those Spirit, or traditions of men." The West-
ly to biblical inerrancy and sovereign who have to use worldly means to do minster divines understood that Scrip-
grace, another important issue must God's work." The sufficiency of Scrip- ture provided "all things necessary" for
be addressed. This critical concern ture, Boice argues, is the urgent issue of a believer to rightly live the Christian
deals with the matter of the sufficien- the day that must be addressed in the life in a manner fully pleasing to God.
cy of Scripture. This crucial issue is as evangelical church. It is also sufficient for ministry, as well.
follows: Given that this divinely in- By the sufficiency of Scripture, we This has been the time-tested position

7
THE S UFFICIENY OF SCRIPTURE IN EXPOSITORY PREACHING

held by most evangelical churches over to the judicial act of indicting those Himself. Every other book is a dead
the last 350 years. who have broken the law with a view book, devoid of life. But not the Bible.
But in this present hour, there has toward sentencing them. The idea of It alone is alive, always relevant, never
been a strange departure from this conviction brings to mind a courtroom stagnant. Martin Luther said, "The Bi-
once-firm stance. Perhaps nowhere is scene in which the guilty are accused ble is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it
this lost confidence in the sufficiency before a judge and justly condemned. runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold
of Scripture more clearly seen than So it is with the ministry of the Word on me."
in the evangelical pulpit. The content of God. When preached in the power According to Hebrews, the Scrip-
of preaching is becoming increasingly of the Holy Spirit, the proclamation ture is also "active" (energēs). This is
man-centered and overrun with heavy of the Word brings the supernatural the same Greek word from which we
doses of cultural wisdom, therapeutic power of conviction to the guilty soul. draw our English word "energy." This
advice, psycho-babble, secular prag- Consequentially, the need for salvation is to say, when Scripture is preached, it

"
matism, and political agendas, all is always energetic, always work-
mixed together with a barrage of ing, always executing God's sov-
personal anecdotes. Undoubted- ereign purposes. God has said,
ly, this slow shift can only be ex- "So will My word be which goes
plained by the complete collapse forth from My mouth; it will not
in confidence that now exists in return to Me empty, without ac-
the church toward the power of complishing what I desire, and
Scripture itself. The Scripture possesses without succeeding in the matter
for which I sent it" (Isa 55:11).
The Crisis Brewing Today divine power to Wherever God's Word goes forth,
A central crisis now confronting it is always working to accomplish
Bible-believing churches and or-
ganizations, whether they real-
convict human hearts, God's will. It never fails to succeed
in the work for which it is intend-
ize it or not, is this matter of the ed. In other words, it is always
sufficiency of Scripture. Putting exposing sin and capable of fulfilling God's eternal
one's finger directly on the live purposes on the earth.
nerve, the hard question must be
asked: Is the Word of God capable
of performing all that is necessary
to fulfill God's purposes in the
church? If so, then let us preach
the Word. If not, then we must
"
revealing one's true
need for God and grace.
Sharper Than Any
Two-Edged Sword
Moreover, the Bible is likened to
a "two-edged sword." In other
words, it is incredibly sharp, able
adopt new strategies borrowed to cut deeply into the human soul.
from the world to carry out min- "Two-edged" means that it pos-
istry. This is the crux of the matter. sesses the ability to cut both ways.
Let us reexamine the Scrip- The sword is the Spirit, able to
tures again and remind ourselves of the is exposed and made known to the build up and tear down, comfort and
all-sufficient power of Scripture to save condemned heart. afflict, harden and soften, save and
and transform lives. In so doing, may damn. "This divine dagger," Charles
we recommit ourselves, not only to the The Word Is Living and Active Spurgeon said, is "all edge…no blunt
sufficiency of Scripture, but also to its This is seen in the following text: "For side." When proclaimed, the Bible
sufficiency when preached. As we shall the word of God is living and active does not merely inflict surface scrapes
discover, the Bible possesses the fol- and sharper than any two-edged sword, or flesh wounds. Rather, it penetrates
lowing abilities: and piercing as far as the division of the outward façade of a person's life
soul and spirit, of both joints and mar- and cuts all the way to the "joints and
POWER TO CONVICT row, and able to judge the thoughts and marrow." Thus, the Bible is able to re-
First, the Scripture possesses divine intentions of the heart" (Heb 4:12). veal the depths of man's inward de-
power to convict human hearts, expos- The Bible claims to be "alive" (zōn), pravity and need for saving grace. No
ing sin and revealing one's true need meaning it is full of life—divine life, worldly message or conventional wis-
for God and grace. "Convict" refers supernatural life, the very life of God dom can do this.

8 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES

 STEVEN J. L AWSON

Possessing a razor-sharp leading edge, through it." When properly handled, who are spiritually dead. When the
the Word is capable of penetrating into Holy Scripture is the most powerful seed of the Word is sown into the hu-
the innermost recesses of the soul. The cutting instrument known to man. It man heart that is prepared by the Spir-
Scripture cuts far deeper than the felt is a sharp scalpel that is able to slash it, it will bring forth new life. Unlike
needs or desires that merely lie on the into the human heart, convicting it of mere secular philosophy or human ide-
exterior of a person's life. It does not sin and exposing its human depravity. ology, God's Word can actually impart
stroke egos or tickle ears. Instead, the Could there be any better way to reveal supernatural life.
living Word of God cuts to the bone, our true need for Christ than to preach This is precisely what occurred on
all the way to a person's real needs, His Word? the day of Pentecost after the coming
exposing the heart for what it is—des- of the Holy Spirit. Peter addressed
perately sick ( Jer 17:9). These unfelt POWER TO CONVERT the thousands who gathered that day
needs remain covered until probed and Second, the Bible not only has the by preaching the Word to them (Acts
provoked by Scripture. power to convict; it also possesses the 2:14-36). First, the apostle read Joel
power to convert. No one can be saved 2:28-31, and then he explained who
Like a Hot Knife Through Butter apart from hearing and heeding God's the Lord is upon whom he must call
Nothing else compares to God's pow- Word. The message of the Bible is the by citing Psalm 16:8-11, Psalm 132:11,
er to convict the human soul than the power of God unto salvation (Rom and Psalm 110:1. The sermon was a
two-edged sword of His Word, which 1:16) that brings the kingdom of God powerful presentation of the Word,
cuts the heart like a hot knife through to those born as aliens (Mark 1:15). and it came with soul-saving efficacy.
butter. Unlike the superficial, synthetic The crowd was pierced to the heart,
messages of this age, God's Word is ac- The Living and Abiding Seed stabbed as with a knife, and cried out,
tually able to slice to the bare bones of The apostle Peter wrote, "For you have "Brethren, what shall we do?" Peter said
a person's innermost being. The power been born again not of seed which is to them, "Repent. . . . [and] be saved
of the Word leaves one flayed, exposed, perishable but imperishable, that is, from this perverse generation" (vv. 38,
and convicted. through the living and enduring word 40). The result was that three thousand
With unshakable confidence in the of God" (1 Pet 1:23). This is to say, the souls were saved. Here is the all-suffi-
Scripture, John Calvin wrote, "There imperishable seed, God's Word, con- cient power of Scripture to convert—
is nothing so hard or firm in a man, tains divine life. By the sovereign op- no entertainment, just exposition.
nothing so deeply hidden, that the ef- eration of the Holy Spirit, the Bible is Furthermore, the Word is "abiding,"
ficacy of the Word does not penetrate able to generate the new birth in those that is, it is able to perform a lasting

9
THE S UFFICIENY OF SCRIPTURE IN EXPOSITORY PREACHING

work never to be reversed. The con- and holiness. When Christ prayed for Jesus Christ.
version that Scripture produces is not His disciples, He rightly understood This being so, it is incumbent upon
a mere passing fancy, but lasts for all that spiritual growth unto godliness every pastor to be serving a steady
eternity. is realized by the power of the Word diet of the Word from the pulpit. The
conforming believers into the likeness apostle John points out that spiritu-
The Power of God unto Salvation of Christ. Like produces like. Only the al development by which one reaches
Today's lost confidence in the Scrip- holy Bible can produce a holy life. the next level of spiritual growth oc-
ture's sufficiency to convert sinners to Other books inform, and some re-
curs because "the word of God abides
Christ is greatly impeding true evan- form, but this Book transforms. The
in you" (1 John 2:14). When so many
gelism. If preachers would preach Word of God transforms a person at
believers are spiritually underfed, is it
Scripture-saturated messages, the spu- the deepest level, from the inside out,
rious conversions so prevalent in many into Christ-likeness. This is why the any wonder that their spiritual growth
churches today would be drastically importance of expository preaching is stunted? Every preacher must renew
reduced. Religious thoughts, emotion- cannot be overstated. Believers will his commitment to serve a full feast
al appeals, colorful illustrations, and never be conformed into the image of in the Scripture. If congregations are
captivating stories, when devoid of Jesus Christ (Rom 8:29) apart from a to mature, then pastors must bring
the Word, may stir the emotions for a continual exposure to the Word. them consistent biblical teaching. Why
moment, but cannot save the soul for preach anything else to cultivate be-

"
eternity. The Word alone can engender lievers?
faith in the human heart (Rom 10:17)
and can bring saving faith to the hearer The All-Sufficient Word
(1 Cor 1:21).
Paul knew this when he identified
Other books inform, A firm belief in the infallibility of
God's Word emboldened Spurgeon
the "sacred writings" as alone being and some reform, as he preached. He declared, "If I did
able to "give you the wisdom that leads
but this Book not believe in the infallibility of Scrip-
to salvation" (2 Tim 3:15). There can
be no true, saving faith in Christ until
His Word is clearly and cogently pro-
"
transforms.
ture––the absolute infallibility of it
from cover to cover, I would never en-
ter this pulpit again!" If the Bible can-
claimed. So, why preach anything else
to convert sinners? not be trusted, he understood that he
had no truth to preach. He said, "If I
POWER TO CONFORM The Pure Milk of the Word did not believe in the infallibility of the
Third, the sufficiency of Scripture is Peter emphasized this "ordinary means" Book, I would rather be without it." A
seen in its power to conform a believ- for sanctification through the Word fallible book, Spurgeon reasoned, is not
er into the image of Jesus Christ. This preached (1 Pet 1:25) by drawing an worth preaching. Only a pure book, he
is the sanctifying work of the Word, analogy with a baby who desires nour- believed, contains the perfect message
which sets apart all disciples from the ishment. The apostle challenged all of salvation.
defilements of the world and the pol- believers: "like newborn babies, long So let us take up the Book and pro-
lution of one's sinful flesh unto God for the pure milk of the word, so that claim its truths with growing confi-
and His holiness. The Word of God by it you may grow in respect to salva- dence. The Bible is an infallible guide
cleanses the soul that receives it by tion" (1 Pet 2:2). This means that the to those who follow it, and it addresses
faith ( John 15:3). Christ sanctifies the Word feeds and fuels believers, nour-
all the essential areas of life. The Scrip-
church "by the washing of water with ishing and stimulating their spiritual
tures have every ability to lead our lives
the word" (Eph 5:26). growth into Christian maturity. To
in the direction they should take. The
preach anything else than the Bible is
Your Word Is Truth to serve people spiritual "junk food." Word is more than adequate to shine
In His high priestly prayer, Jesus inter- Such an inadequate diet stunts the light into man's chaos and confusion,
ceded with the Father, "Sanctify them growth of people, confining them to replacing ignorance and lack of under-
in the truth; Your word is truth" ( John a state of malnutrition. The Scripture standing with lucid direction, eternal
17:17). "Sanctify" means to be set apart must be our daily food (Deut 8:3; Matt perspective, and divine insight.
from the corrupting power of sin and 4:4). It alone can cause us to grow in This being true, why preach anything
to be separated unto personal purity the grace and knowledge of the Lord else?

10 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES

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 Just How
HIGH
Was Jesus'
View of
SCRIPTURE?
by JOHN MACARTHUR

12 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NEPAS

NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES
F
rom the beginning of our Lord's public ministry, His most per-
sistent adversaries were not open infidels or purveyors of strange
religions, but the foremost religious leaders in all of Israel. They
hounded and oppressed Jesus relentlessly from Judea to Galilee
and beyond. The final conspiratorial campaign to destroy Him
was ultimately conceived and orchestrated in secret by a duly established council
of Israel's chief priests and lawyers ( John 11:47–57).
That council was known as the San- common (besides their contempt for us that they rejected belief in angels,
hedrin. It was the highest governing Jesus) was the belief that Scripture is the afterlife, and the idea of eternal
body in Judaism and the Supreme the inspired Word of God and there- rewards or punishment (Matt 22:23;
Court in all matters involving Moses' fore authoritative. Their interpretations Luke 20:27; Acts 23:8).
law. Council members were biblical of Scripture differed greatly on several As a matter of fact, the Sadducees'
scholars with a sophisticated knowl- important points, so they often disput- dismissal of practically every invisible
edge of the Old Testament. They were ed among themselves about what vari- reality meant their doctrine had a lot
not religious dabblers promoting some ous passages of Scripture might mean. in common with modern theological
watered-down seeker-sensitive brand But they did not question the authority liberalism. Indeed, this one aspect of
of spirituality. There was nothing ca- or the trustworthiness of Scripture. Sadducean doctrine severely corrupt-
sual or cosmopolitan about their reli- The Sadducees were the smaller of the ed their entire belief system—and
gion. In fact, they looked down with two sects, but they held a majority on their morals. Obviously, because they
contempt on the Hellenists ( Jews who the council. They were an aristocratic had purged both the hope of reward
embraced the language and lifestyle of group. The high priesthood was an in- and the fear of punishment from their
secular Greek culture). No one devoted herited office, and it had been in the worldview, nothing besides here-and-
enough to become a recognized reli- hands of Sadducees for generations. now pleasures had any real value to
gious leader in first-century Judaism Sadducees therefore controlled the them. In the ultimate sense, nothing
ever had any interest in the frivolous Temple and its concessions, and they really mattered much to them except
values, fashions, or entertainments that owned most of the wealth and elite sta- their tenuous hold on political power.
captivated the rest of the Roman Em- tus of the priestly class. Despite their How then could the Sadducees be
pire. These men deplored idolatry in fairly small numbers, the Sadducees literalists, holding an uncommonly
all its usual forms, especially the sub- wielded a lot of clout. high view of Scripture, if they rejected
tle and syncretistic trends that had led They were harsh in their judgments, the resurrection and eternality of the
their ancestors into apostasy so many narrow-minded in their beliefs, and soul?
times in the Old Testament record. cruel in the way they wielded their The answer lies in the fact that they
Even more significantly, in compar- power. All those characteristics are regarded the Pentateuch (the five
ison to most of their ancestors, as well evident in the New Testament record. books of Moses) as the sole and suf-
as most of their contemporaries, they And for all those reasons, the Sad- ficient source of all true doctrine. The
had an extremely high view of Scrip- ducees enjoyed little popular support substance of the Sadducees' whole be-
ture. among the people of Israel. lief system was drawn from the Pen-
But the Sadducees did formally af- tateuch. They saw the rest of the Old
The Pharisees and Sadduccees firm the authority and accuracy of Testament as a divine commentary on
The council comprised a blend of Phar- Scripture. In fact, they were strict liter- what Moses wrote. Any doctrine not
isees and Sadducees. Frankly, unity was alists in their approach to interpreting expressly stated by Moses was simply
rare among those two sects. On several the words of the text. That may seem not part of their credo. And Moses,
key matters of doctrine, Pharisees and surprising at first, because every time frankly, wrote nothing clear and explic-
Sadducees were intensely adversari- Scripture describes the beliefs of the it about heaven, hell, or the eternality
al. But the one thing they did hold in Sadducees, it makes a point of telling of the human soul.

13
JUS T HOW H IGH WAS JESU S' VIEW OF SCRIPTURE?

When the Sadducees encountered Pharisees also generally preferred favored the rationale and rhetorical
poetic or prophetic verses that seemed a literal interpretation of the text, but style that dominate popular religion
to speak of resurrection (texts such as they were not reluctant to go beyond today, He might have told both groups
Job 19:25-26; Isa 26:19; Dan 12:2, Scripture, inventing many extrabiblical to lighten up, lay off one another, and
etc.), they set those texts aside as mys- traditions in order to erect a kind of le- concentrate less on hermeneutics and
terious. (How could those passages be galistic guard-rail around biblical law doctrine while striving more to be lov-
commenting on resurrection if Moses in an attempt to eliminate accidental ing and peaceable.
never mentions resurrection in his five breaches of the law.
books?) In their system, sheol (the He- When manmade traditions are treat- The Apologetic of Jesus
brew word for the realm of the dead, ed as inviolable, they inevitably create a That was not Jesus' approach. He con-
which is often translated "hell" in the kind of skewed hermeneutical grid that sistently answered both Pharisees and
KJV) was always taken as a reference gets imposed on Scripture. That is what Sadducees by pointing out that their
to the grave. happened with the Pharisees' doctrine. doctrine of Scripture was still too low.
Psalm 9:17, then, becomes, "The In effect, their own manmade tradi- "If you believed Moses, you would be-
wicked will return to Sheol, lieve Me" ( John 5:46). "Ne-
even all the nations who forget glecting the commandment
God." There's not much horror of God, you hold to the tra-
in that, because in the end, ac- dition of men. . . . You are ex-
cording to the Sadducees, ev- JESUS BUILT HIS perts at setting aside the com-
ery soul ceases to exist at death, mandment of God in order
and every body will ultimately ENTIRE APOLOGETIC to keep your tradition" (Mark
be sent to the same kind of 7:8-9). Never once dismissing
dead-end grave, where it will AGAINST THE or brushing aside a legitimate
permanently return to dust. appeal to Scripture, Jesus built
End of story. This denial of any SADDUCEES AND His entire apologetic against
resurrection or afterlife was a the Sadducees and Pharisees
perennial point of contention PHARISEES ON THE on the absolute authority of
between Sadducees and Phar- Scripture:
isees (Acts 23:7). ABSOLUTE AUTHORITY
The Pharisees were a larger • "Do not think that I came
sect, more popular with the OF SCRIPTURE. to abolish the Law or the
people, more strict in their ap- Prophets; I did not come to
plication of the law, and more abolish but to fulfill. For truly
thorough in the attention I say to you, until heaven and
they gave to the fine points of earth pass away, not the small-
Scripture. In fact, their whole view of tions stood over Scripture, governing est letter or stroke shall pass from
Scripture is best understood by their how God's Word was to be read. the Law until all is accomplished"
obsession with minutiae—especially Here's the point: Both Pharisees (Matt 5:17-18).
the trivial details of ceremonial law. For and Sadducees formally affirmed the • "It is easier for heaven and earth
example, Leviticus 27:30 says, "Thus all authority of Scripture. Both claimed to pass away than for one stroke of
the tithe of the land, of the seed of the to have a high view of Scripture. Both a letter of the Law to fail" (Luke
land or of the fruit of the tree, is the were adept at using the Bible to justify 16:17).
Lord’s; it is holy to the Lord." Deu- their distinctive views. And yet both set • "Have you not even read this
teronomy 14:22 seems to explain the themselves in fierce opposition to Jesus Scripture . . . ?" (Mark 12:10).
meaning of that command by saying and His ministry. • "Heaven and earth will pass away,
it's the yield of the seed (what it pro- If that were all we knew about Jew- but My words will not pass away"
duces at harvest) that must be tithed. ish politics in the time of Christ, and if (Luke 21:33).
But just to be sure, the Pharisees me- we were prone to think the way many • "Scripture cannot be broken"
ticulously counted seeds—even tiny in the evangelical academy today do, ( John 10:35).
seeds like cumin and dill—to make we might expect Christ to scold the
certain they were offering a proper religious leaders for "making an idol J. C. Ryle said of John 10:35, "Few pas-
tithe (Matt 23:23). out of Scripture." If Jesus Himself had sages appear to me to prove so incon-

14 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES

 JOHN MACARTHUR

trovertibly the plenary inspiration and to stump Him: "In the resurrection, ement of the text, including not only the
divine authority of every word in the therefore, whose wife of the seven will tiny jots and tittles that were used to
original text of the Bible." she be? For they all had her" (v. 28). spell the actual words, but also the verb
And finally, knowing that He was But note well His answer: "You are tenses. Jesus' whole point was based on
nearing the end of His earthly minis- mistaken, not understanding the Scrip- the tense of the simplest, most com-
try, Jesus spoke directly to some lead- tures nor the power of God" (v. 29, em- mon verb in the Hebrew language.
ing Sadducees, diagnosing the cause of phasis added). Second, it proves that the truth of
all their theological problems, saying, I love the direct approach Jesus takes: Scripture includes every valid implica-
"You are mistaken, not understanding "You are wrong." He uses a strong term tion that can be drawn from the text; not
the Scriptures nor the power of God" (the Greek word planē, from which we just the explicit statements. Obviously,
(Matt 22:29). get the English word planet), suggest- we must read Scripture with consci-
The context of that last quotation is ing that they are totally unhinged and entious care. Only our valid inferences
significant. On more than one occa- wandering in the blackness of darkness. are true, but if we can indeed draw a
sion, Jewish leaders had tried to trap But even more to the point, He says proper deduction by good and neces-
Jesus with theological conundrums (bitingly) that these men who fancied sary consequence through the appli-
they themselves had no answer for. themselves experts in biblical scholar- cation of sound logical principles, the
Their attempts to embarrass Him had ship didn't really know the Scriptures implications of the biblical text are just
always failed. But in Matthew 22, the at all: "But regarding the resurrection as true as the straightforward propo-
Sadducees were desperate. It was the of the dead, have you not read what was sitions explicitly set forth therein. Je-
final week of Jesus' earthly minis- spoken to you by God: 'I am the God sus' entire point here is a truth that is
try. He had just (for the second time) of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and implicit in the verse He quoted—and
"overturned the tables of the money the God of Jacob’? He is not the God that truth is nowhere stated explicitly
changers and the seats of those who of the dead but of the living'" (vv. 31- in any of the writings of Moses. Yet
were selling doves" (Matt 21:12), ru- 32). He clearly regarded it as authoritative
ining a lucrative business in which the Notice the powerful force of the ar- revelation that the Sadducees ought to
Sadducees had a monopoly interest. gument: Jesus is quoting Exodus 3:6, have recognized and affirmed. He says
He had also recently raised Lazarus from the heart of the Pentateuch—a emphatically that they were in error for
from the dead, inflaming the populace text whose doctrine they could not not doing so.
against the Sadducees' no-resurrection dispute. And the logic of the argument And third, a true knowledge of Scrip-
doctrine. hinges on the verb tense inherent in ture entails more than mere familiarity
So they posed to Him a riddle that God's name: "I AM"—present, con- with the words of the text. Even though
had always confounded their enemies, tinuous tense. God Himself is speak- they were full of scholarly head knowl-
the Pharisees. It was the story of a ing, long after the deaths of the original edge, in reality the Sadducees had no
woman whose husband died before she patriarchs. What is the inference? Jesus true understanding of either "the Scrip-
had children. Under the principle of Himself makes it embarrassingly obvi- tures [or] the power of God." And that
levirate marriage spelled out in Deu- ous in a simple statement that perfectly was the case precisely because their in-
teronomy 25:5-10, it was the duty of and conclusively answers the Saddu- terest in such things was academic only.
her unmarried brother-in-law to marry cees' most infamous error: "He is not Their pedantic obsession with disputes
her and raise up an heir for the elder God of the dead, but of the living." and details was motivated not by faith,
brother. In the Sadducees' parable, the And the Sadducees were silenced. but by a desire for status in the eyes of
eldest of seven brothers died, and each others.
younger sibling married the widow A Definitive and Biblical Answer That same spirit is precisely why it
and died in succession, "down to the What stands out here is that Jesus' an- is en vogue nowadays for evangelical
seventh. Last of all, the woman died" swer to these self-styled biblicists was academics to question or downplay the
(Matt 22:26-27). a biblical answer, and a definitive one. inerrancy of Scripture.
The question that occurs to me is Notice three key principles it reveals But our goal as believers should be to
why anyone agreed to marry her at all about Jesus' own supremely high view view Scripture the way Jesus did—and
after the death of the third or fourth of Scripture: that means we must elevate our view of
brother. The question the Sadducees First, it shows that the authority and Scripture, not lower it.
asked Jesus, however, was supposed inerrancy of Scripture extends to every el-

15
 The
CLASSICAL
Defense of
SCRIPTURE
by R. C. SPROUL
T
he so-called "battle for the Bible" doesn't appear to be ending
anytime soon. It's somewhat understandable, then, that many
evangelicals are showing signs of weariness. Many churches
have given up any attempt to provide a coherent defense of
biblical inerrancy, preferring to assume that the Bible is true without ever
giving people reasons to believe it.
The consequences of this retreat have God. If we approach non-Christians can find premises for grounding our
been cataclysmic, with large numbers with our Christian assumptions, we argument that do not assume its con-
of young people abandoning their pro- will be unable to communicate with clusion—premises we share with peo-
fession of faith because they wrongly them. Practically speaking, this means ple who are not yet Christians.
perceive the Bible to be opposed to sci- we cannot start our defense from the
ence, historical fact, and other matters. premise that the Bible is the inerrant A Classical Defense
We shouldn't be surprised at this trend Word of God. That is the conclusion If you're familiar with the debate re-
if we fail to provide a coherent apolo- of our defense, and the unbeliever does garding various apologetic method-
getic—a sound defense of the truthful- not share it. He starts out denying the ologies, you'll recognize that I am
ness of Scripture in all its parts. God conclusion, so beginning with it gets us talking about defending the inerrancy
made us with minds that search for nowhere. Moreover, assuming the con- of Scripture using a classical apologet-
sound reasons to believe what we be- clusion of our argument at the outset ic. Using both inductive and deductive
lieve, and lacking those reasons, those leads to reasoning that is viciously cir- arguments, as well as external and in-
who think deeply about these matters cular. At the end of the day we end up ternal evidence, the classical approach
will be disturbed if no one helps them with a two-step argument: proceeds on the basis of a progression
find grounding for their faith. from the premise of the basic or gen-
Furthermore, the Lord has charged Premise: The Bible says that it is the eral trustworthiness of Scripture to the
us with the solemn duty and privi- Word of God. conclusion of its inerrancy. This is a ba-
lege of giving an answer to the world sic outline of the argument:
regarding the hope within us (1 Pet Conclusion: Therefore, the Bible is the
3:15–16). A defense of the Bible's in- Word of God. Premise A: The Bible is a basically reli-
errancy is not an end in itself but a able historical document.
means that the Holy Spirit can use to That argument isn't compelling, and
tear down intellectual strongholds and it can be used for any other religious Premise B: This basically reliable docu-
bring people to saving faith. book such as the Qur'an or the Book ment gives us sufficient evidence to be-
of Mormon. lieve with confidence that Jesus Christ
A Sound Apologetic A sound apologetic doesn't assume is God.
Developing a sound apologetic for bib- the conclusion, but it begins where
lical inerrancy requires us to recognize believers and unbelievers share com- Premise C: Because Jesus Christ is
some fundamental differences between mon ground. Rooted in the conviction God, He is infallible.
believers and unbelievers. With regard that unbelievers bear God's image no
to basic commitments and beliefs, be- less than we do, we look for a common Premise D: Jesus Christ teaches that
lievers and unbelievers are not on the starting point that reflects that image. the Bible is more than basically trust-
same page. The Christian trusts in The Lord made all people to learn worthy; it is the very Word of God.
Christ alone for salvation and believes through ordinary sense perception and
that the Bible teaches no error. The basic rules of logic that we apply in the Premise E: Because God is utterly
non-Christian trusts in himself and disciplines of history, science, mathe- trustworthy, the Word that comes from
denies that the Bible is the Word of matics, and so on. Through these, we Him is utterly trustworthy.

17
THE CL ASSICAL DEFENSE OF SCRIPTURE

Conclusion: Based on the infallible in Palestine and the Mediterranean question our Lord's infallibility. Often,
authority of Jesus Christ, who says the region. There is empirical evidence for people attempt to justify this view by
Bible is utterly trustworthy, the Bible much of the New Testament account, appealing to Chalcedonian Christolo-
is inerrant. and in appealing to this evidence we gy and the two natures of Jesus. Jesus,
have a crucial point of contact with un- according to the Council of Chalce-
Let's examine these premises one by believers. Without such evidence, we don, is very God and very man. He
one: have fideism, a blind leap into the dark is truly human, possessing everything
that Christ never endorses. that makes human beings human.
The Bible is a basically reliable Those who argue for a fallible Jesus
historical document. Were this This basically reliable docu- then postulate that He had, in His hu-
premise false, our argument would col- ment [the Bible] gives us suffi- manity, erroneous views, since "to err
lapse. If the biblical documents are not cient evidence to believe with is human." They view error as inherent
at least basically trustworthy, we have confidence that Jesus Christ to humanity and thus assert that Jesus
no historical basis for knowing Jesus at is God. Many people read the Bible could be truly human only if He erred.
and fail to believe Essentially, those who argue this
that Christ is God, way make omniscience according to
but that is not due our Lord's humanity the criterion for
We're blessed to live in to a lack of evidence. inerrancy. In other words, they assume
Rather, the Scrip- that in order to make true statements,
a day wherein we have tural evidence for hold true beliefs, or not err, human be-
the deity of Christ ings—even our Lord in His humani-
access to an abundance is compelling. If the ty—must have full knowledge of all
biblical narrative is things. Yet, this assertion is based upon
of historical, textual, and basically reliable, a radical misunderstanding of the in-
its testimony to the carnation and what it means to be truly
archaeological research deity of Jesus is ba- human. In glory, we will not hold any
sically reliable. Ac- false beliefs, and so we will not err. At
that has demonstrated cording to the New that point, we will still be truly human,
Testament, Christ but we will not know everything that
the reliability of the performed mira- can be known, and we will never know
cles, raised the dead, everything that can be known. Jesus
biblical narrative. walked on water, was did not have to be omniscient as a man
Himself victorious in order to be free from error as a man.
over the grave, and He enjoyed omniscience according to
claimed to be God. His deity, but He grew in knowledge
all. Without a reliable historical wit- Who but God could do such things? according to His humanity. To require
ness to Jesus, the Christian faith would Without the work of the Holy Spirit, omniscience according to His humani-
be reduced to esotericism. we cannot receive Christ as Lord and ty in order for Him to be infallible con-
We're blessed to live in a day where- Savior. Yet the Holy Spirit does not fuses the two natures of Christ—two
in we have access to an abundance of make us believe contrary to or despite natures that must be distinguished but
historical, textual, and archaeological the evidence. Instead, He enables us to never separated.
research that has demonstrated the re- submit to the sound testimony of the Further, Jesus does not have to be
liability of the biblical narrative. Lib- Bible—to the evidence—that describes omniscient to have never taught error.
eral critics dispute the Bible's accura- our Lord's identity. But He must have never taught error to
cy at points, but only the most radical be sinless. If Jesus, claiming to be sent
critics deny that Scripture accurately Because Jesus Christ is God, from God and invoking the authority
depicts the life of Jesus. Decades ago, He is infallible. Traditionally, evan- of God in His teaching, errs in that
William F. Albright, the founder of gelical Christians have agreed that teaching, He is guilty of sin. He who
modern biblical archaeology, remarked Jesus Christ is the supreme authority says, "I am . . . the truth" ( John 14:6),
that there is no excuse for denying the over the church. They have also agreed proves that claim false the first time He
reliability of the New Testament given that He is infallible. In recent years, errs. Anyone claiming absolute author-
the evidence that has been unearthed however, it has become fashionable to ity in His teaching must be absolutely

18 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES

 R. C. SPROUL

trustworthy; otherwise, the authority is to us. Even though God is infallible, truth. Truth can be conveyed by unre-
not absolute. they say, His use of fallible human be- fined grammar, viewing the same event
ings to write Scripture means that the from different perspectives, rounding
Jesus Christ teaches that the end product—the written Scriptures— numbers, and so forth. But the inerran-
Bible is more than basical- must have some errors. cy of Scripture means there is no room
ly trustworthy; it is the very This belief confuses ability and actu- for contradictions, mistakes, or decep-
Word of God. Few things are clearer ality. In other words, that human beings tion in what it affirms.
about the life of Jesus than His high are fallible means only that they are ca-
view of Scripture. He regarded the pable of erring; it does not mean they Defending Inerrancy
biblical text as utterly trustworthy and must err. When we confess the histor- and Infallibility
having divine authority. It takes but ical, orthodox Christian understanding Thus, we have our sound defense for
a few examples to prove the point. In of the inerrancy of Scripture, we are not biblical inerrancy: Scripture is basical-
Matthew 19:4–5, Jesus quotes Genesis saying anything about the intrinsic in- ly reliable; therefore, it testifies reliably
2:24, which gives us Moses' comment fallibility of the Bible's human authors; that Jesus is God. Since Jesus is God,
on the significance of marriage. But rather, we are saying something about He is infallible and does not teach er-
our Lord says God made the comment, the intrinsic infallibility of God. We ror. Because Jesus never erred, He was
and He makes no reference in this in- are talking about what God has actual- telling the truth that the Bible is the
stance to Moses. In other words, Jesus ly done through the human authors of very Word of God. Due to Scripture
saw the words of Moses and the words the biblical text. The confession of the being the very Word of God, who
of the other human authors of the Old inerrancy of Scripture rests on the in- is Himself the truth, the Bible itself
Testament as the words of God Him- tegrity of God Himself. If God is infal- teaches no falsehood.
self. We read in John 10:35 that Jesus lible and always speaks the truth, and if This is a solid, non-circular argu-
said, "Scripture cannot be broken." He He inspired the entire Bible, then the ment, and we must be ready to present
believed there was an enduring and Bible must be true in all that it affirms. it. Nothing less than the trustworthi-
permanent validity to the Scriptures That God spoke through human au- ness of God Himself is at stake in the
because He was convinced that the Bi- thors does not change this truth. God debates over the inerrancy of Scripture.
ble is the very Word of God. inspired the Scriptures not by making If Scripture affirms any falsehoods,
the men who wrote it inherently infal- then either God did not reveal it, or
Because God is utterly trust- lible but by superintending them so as He cannot be trusted. Defending these
worthy, the Word that comes to keep them from making errors. doctrines is an essential part of our task
from Him is utterly trust- This does not mean that Scripture's to give an answer for our hope and to
worthy. If God is utterly trustworthy, grammar must be flawless, that there tear down strongholds that exalt them-
His Word is utterly trustworthy. How- can be no variations in the way it de- selves against the knowledge of our
ever, many who otherwise confess that scribes events, or that it must employ Creator. By providing a sound defense
God is utterly trustworthy have denied the same degree of mathematical and that meets unbelievers where they are,
the inerrancy of Scripture because of numerical precision we enjoy today. In- we fulfill the high calling our Savior
the means by which the Bible has come errancy has to do with the concept of has given us.

19
the
Bible
and the
Believer
by R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

O
ne of the touchstone passages in all
Scripture appears in Deuteronomy 4.
My heart and soul are absolutely
struck by the question—a rhetorical
question, but a very real question––
asked in verse 33: "Has any people heard the voice
of God speaking from the midst of the fire, as you
have heard it, and survived?"
Just like the Israelites at Mount Sinai, we are
summoned together as God's people. We are sum-
moned to speak of God, to sing about God, and to
worship God. It is no small thing to dare to speak of
God. As Christians, we have the audacity to claim
to teach what God has taught. This, of course, would
be a baseless claim––an inconceivable claim––if
God had not spoken from the midst of the fire and
allowed us to hear.
On what authority do we speak and act? Where
do we find the moral and theological conviction
to affirm a particular set of truths while denying
all other worldviews as false? Is it the authority of
the churches constituting our respective denomina-
tions? Such authority is no small thing, but is still
not enough. Rather, our lives and our convictions,
both in word and in deed, are based on the authority
of God. He alone could reveal Himself and tell us
what we must know. We ground our lives and our
convictions in what He has told us.
Inerrancy: Orthodoxy tion. God speaks to us so that we might and He has spoken. God's human crea-
and Orthopraxy meet the living God, know Him, and tures, His image-bearers, have not been
Article XIX of the Chicago Statement obey Him. As Carl F. H. Henry so po- left without divine direction as to how
on Biblical Inerrancy says, "We affirm etically phrased it: "God, in Scripture, we might be saved from sin and what
that a confession of the full authority, forfeits His own personal privacy so God expects of us. Since God's speech
infallibility and inerrancy of Scripture that we might know Him." is true, what He says about redemption,
is vital to a sound understanding of Inerrancy, therefore, must be un- obedience, and human flourishing can
the whole of the Christian faith. We derstood as necessary and integral to be trusted. Consider these aspects of
further affirm that such confession the life of the church, the authority the character of God's Word.
should lead to increasing conformity of preaching, and the integrity of the
to the image of Christ. We deny that Christian life. Without a total com- If God has spoken, God's Word
such confession is necessary for salva- mitment to the trustworthiness and is ultimately for His glory and
tion. However, we further deny that truthfulness of the Bible, the church is our good. All that God says is spo-
inerrancy can be rejected without grave left without its defining authority, lack- ken for our good. God spoke words of
consequences, both to the individual ing all confidence in its ability to hear warning to Israel in Deuteronomy in
and to the Church." Inerrancy is so God's voice. order that Israel might hear the warn-
much more than a theological bat- ings, obey the Word, and not suf-
tleground. If that is how we per- fer the inevitable consequences of
ceive the issue, then we have firmly disobedience. It is all for our good,
missed the point. The inerrancy
The inerrancy and every single word. God's words are
of Scripture ought to posture our like medicine for the soul and food
hearts toward the Word of God
authority of the for the body.
with reverence, humility, and trust.
Scripture's inerrancy insures its
Bible has massive If God has spoken, it is for
trustworthiness. Therefore, we may
believe it without any hesitation.
implications for the our redemption. When we
think of the work of God in our
The inerrancy and authority of church and for salvation, we focus on the culmi-
Scripture is central to the church's nation and the fulfillment of God's
understanding of the character of the individual saving work in the accomplished
God's written Word. Since Scrip- work of Christ on the cross and
ture is inerrant, the Bible is true Christian life. in His resurrection. But to read
and trustworthy in all that it af- the Scripture is to understand that
firms. Since Scripture is "God- God has been a redeeming, sav-
breathed," it is the supreme au- ing God from the very beginning.
thority for all matters. Scripture is the The doctrine of inerrancy is the theo- Genesis 3:15 is a message of redemp-
norma non normata, that is, the norm logical bedrock of the practical needs tion. The Exodus is the archetypal re-
that cannot be normed. In short, the of the church. The church must live by demptive act of the Old Testament.
affirmation of biblical inerrancy means the Word of God, or it will live upon Scripture informs us that Christ is the
nothing more, and nothing less, than some human authority as a substitute fulfillment of these prophecies and pat-
this: when the Bible speaks, God speaks. for God's Word. Without the Bible as terns. Without Scripture, we would not
These are by no means abstract the supreme and final authority in the know God as a redeeming God and
theological truths. The inerrancy and church, we are left in what can only be could not run to Him for grace.
authority of the Bible has massive im- described as a debilitating epistemo- God's redemptive speech is part and
plications for the church and for the logical crisis. In other words, we are left parcel of how we enter into God's king-
individual Christian life. If God has to ourselves. dom. Word and Spirit work in tandem
spoken, then the highest human aspi- to bring us to new life (1 Pet 1:23). The
ration must be to hear what the Cre- God Has Spoken: Inerrancy Spirit of God, in His sovereignty, opens
ator has said. Surely the revelation of and the Christian Life our eyes to see what is in the inerrant
God is not merely propositions, but The title of Francis Schaeffer's classic Word. Scripture is trustworthy, but our
it is never less than that. Revelation is book, He Is There and He Is Not Silent, in heart does not want to trust what it
personal. The Lord does not speak to us many respects sums up so much of the ought to. Herein lies the sovereignty
so that we can simply receive informa- Christian worldview. There is a God of God in salvation. When God saves

21
THE B IBLE AND TH E BELIEVER

us, He does not save us apart from His enant people to speculate about His not making this up as we go along. Our
Word. Instead, He saves us by opening character, His power, or His purpose. task is not to go figure out what to be-
our eyes to see His Word and trust it, as He demands total obedience, even as lieve or teach. Our task is not to figure
it ought to be seen and trusted. In other He reveals His saving purpose and sets out where to find meaning in life. Our
words, the Holy Spirit does not open down His covenant. "I am the Lord task is to trust the inerrant Word that
our eyes in order that we would em- your God, who brought you out of the has been entrusted to us. The Word is
brace the irrational. God's Word is not land of Egypt, out of the house of slav- the foundation of our obedience be-
against reason and we do not trust it ery. You shall have no other gods before cause it is the only certain, unchanging
Me" (Ex 20:2−3). Word we can follow.
Let us confess, therefore, the iner-
If God has spoken, rancy and authority of Scripture not
"If God has spoken, we are to trust. "Trust just as a matter of doctrinal fidelity, but
and obey, for there is no also as integral to the Christian life and
we trust His Word" other way to be happy witness. Let us submit ourselves before
in Jesus, but to trust and the truth of the Word of God in ev-
obey." We know that ery dimension of life. Let there be no
song, or at least some pre- rival authority, and let us never apol-
against the evidence. Instead, the Holy vious generations knew that song. But ogize for our confession of the Scrip-
Spirit opens our eyes to see the truth it really is a matter of trust. We must tures—inerrant, inspired, infallible, and
that is plainly in Scripture, which our fashion a clear defense of Scripture in unbroken—as our sole authority for
will had operationally refused to let us terms of its inspiration, authority, and knowledge and doctrine.
see when we were in the dark. As R. C. perfection in order to fight the spirit Moreover, the church collectively
Sproul states in Defending Your Faith, of this age and for the urgent health of must walk according to God's Word
"What the Holy Spirit accomplishes, the church. We must teach that truth, and uphold it as the normative author-
then, is a breaking down of the barriers remind ourselves of that truth, and be ity for our faith and practice. With-
in our minds and the hostility of our accountable to that truth. In the end, it out the Word we are ecclesiologically
hearts, thereby enabling us to surrender all comes down to trust—a hermeneu- adrift—subject to the whims of the lat-
to the truth of God's Word." The Spirit tic of trust, an epistemology of trust, a est ministry fads. Pulpits must model
does not move us to believe against the spirituality and theology of trust. how to entrust one's life to the inerrant
evidence. He moves us to surrender to This is where inerrancy and the Word of God. Christians must learn
the evidence that is there. Christian life meet. If God has spoken, that the inerrancy of Scripture means
we trust His Word because we trust we come to Scripture already trusting
If God has spoken, we must Him. Woe to anyone who would sow and affirming what it says. The doc-
obey. The Bible is not a word sub- seeds of mistrust of the Word of God. trine of inerrancy should humble our
mitted for our consideration. The living To fail to trust this Word is, just as Is- pride and posture our hearts toward a
God allows us to hear His voice so that rael was clearly told, to fail to trust in ready and willing obedience. We have
we might obey Him. As the Creator God Himself. Truth is the very foun- no foundation for moral and theolog-
speaks to His creatures, He encour- dation of a proper Christian apologet- ical conviction without a trustworthy
ages obedience. This is repeated over ic. An apologetic of trust understands Word from God. However, if God has
and over again in both the Old and the that, in the end, the character of God is spoken, then His Word is true and
New Testaments: "If you obey, you will what anchors not only our epistemol- trustworthy. If God has spoken, then
be blessed and you will live. You will ogy, but also our redemption. This is His Word is a sure foundation for the
prosper in the land that I am giving the hope we have in this life and in the Christian life. We would be wise to
you." It is also stated in the negative. life to come. We have heard His voice stand upon it.
"If you disobey, you will be cursed. You because we have read His Word. That
will bear My wrath. The nations of the Word is worthy of our trust.
world will cast you out. You will go out As the church, we understand what
before them, to be taken as their exiles. it means to gather together as those
You will be cast out of the land." His who, by the grace and mercy of God,
Word commands our obedience, and have heard the inerrant Word of God.
discourages our disobedience. Under the authority of the Word, we
The Lord does not invite His cov- gather together as His people. We are

22 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES

 The Bible:
The Living
Voice of God
by Sinclair B. Ferguson

24 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT14 ONEPASSION MINISTRIES

H
ow can I be sure the Bible is the Word of God? Among
evangelicals who believe that Scripture really is God's
Word, the immediate answer is often: "Because the Bible
says it is the Word of God." But is this an adequate biblical
response? And does it end all discussion?

In itself it raises two questions. Some 1. The Lord Jesus, our divine author- Old Testament Scriptures through His
might see them as objections, and in- ity, placed His imprimatur on the Old shaliachim whom He empowered by
deed they are often expressed as such. Testament as the Word of God. For His Spirit (1 Pet 1:11; 2 Pet 1:21) now
But in fact these questions can stim- him it was "the mouth of God" (Matt equipped the apostolic fellowship as
ulate richer biblical convictions about 4:4). What came from that mouth and His shaliachim and empowered them
the Scriptures. became Scripture "cannot be broken" by the same Spirit to author the New
( John 10:35). It was written in to His Testament.
Scripture's Own Claim––Really? attitude to Scripture that anything it 4. The apostles themselves were
The first question is this: Does the Bi- said must come to pass. His view of conscious of this aspect of their office.
ble actually claim to be the Word of the Old Testament is reflected in 2 Hence Paul's insistence on his apos-
God? Before shooting back a sharp Timothy 3:14-17. tolic calling (1 Cor 9:1; 15:8-11). This
"Of course. 2 Timothy 3:16. Issue set- 2. As our divine authority, the Lord undergirds Paul's comment that the
tled," it may help to think of this as Jesus called and equipped His apostles Thessalonians received the (apostolic)
the friendly inquiry of a fellow believer to add to Scripture. This was inter alia word "not as the word of men, but for
rather than a skeptical rejection of bib- what He had in view when He taught what it really is, the word of God" (1
lical authority (notoriously illustrated them in the Upper Room. For this pur- Thess 2:13). This was true whether the
in our own time by the Old Testament pose He later breathed His Spirit on word came by mouth or by letters (2
scholar James Barr in his attempted them ( John 20:22) and commanded Thess 2:15).
"hatchet job" book entitled Fundamen- them to take the gospel to the ends of
talism). the earth (Matt 28:18-20) as His wit- Communicating Revelation
So, let us try the question again. nesses (Acts 1:8). Indeed, logistically, Throughout the New Testament the
Does the Bible itself claim to be the this small apostolic band could take the authors give various hints that they are
Word of God? Barr's prima facie objec- gospel to the ends of the earth only if consciously communicating revelation
tion to this was in essence: "How could their message were written down and that matches the authority of the Old
it, since until the ink dried on Reve- disseminated in that form. Testament while possessing fuller con-
lation 22:21 there was no such object 3. In light of this the apostles were tent. They consciously function as those
as 'The Bible' to make such a claim?" conscious that Jesus had equipped appointed with "Power-of-Attorney" with
In this sense what would be required to them to be His shaliachim and prom- respect to the Lord Jesus.
enable us to say "The Bible claims to be ised His Spirit to enable them to speak Thus, throughout the New Testa-
the Word of God" would be a closing and write on His behalf and with His ment we are confronted by (i) our
note at the end of the last book of the authority. Lord's confirmation that the Old Tes-
Bible informing us that the books and Shaliach (the singular) is the Hebrew tament is the Word of God, and in
letters listed by the author claim to be equivalent of the New Testament's addition by (ii) the apostles' conscious-
God's Word. word apostolos. The nearest English ness that their speech and writing con-
Raising the question in this way equivalent is "Power-of-Attorney"— stitute nothing less than the Word of
underlines that we need a more sensi- someone given full authority to act on God. As Peter famously comments,
tive New Testament answer than sim- behalf of another. This principle ex- Paul's letters belong in the same cate-
ply "2 Timothy 3:16: The Bible claims plains a number of otherwise puzzling gory as what he calls "the other Scrip-
to be the Word of God." This involves statements in the Gospels (for exam- tures."
fleshing out at least the following four ple, Matthew 10:40 and John 20:23). Thus, the Scriptures of both Old
principles: The Christ who, by His Spirit, gave the and New Testaments exude a self-con-

25
THE B IBLE: TH E LIVING VOICE OF GOD

scious awareness that they constitute Lord" and the apostolic consciousness We may be moved and induced
the very Word of God. In this sense of adding to Scripture, but also the by the testimony of the Church
(contra James Barr), the Bible does in- more specific statements made by Jesus to an high and reverend esteem
deed "claim" to be the Word of God. and the apostles. of the holy scripture . . .
But we need to say more, for this The Westminster Confession of
leads directly to the second question. Faith expresses this succinctly when it Yet, notwithstanding, our full
notes that: persuasion and assurance of the
Convinced? infallible truth, and divine au-
From one point of view, it is not sound The heavenliness of the matter, thority thereof, is from the in-
or convincing logic to say: "The Bible the efficacy of the doctrine, the ward work of the Holy Spirit,
is the Word of God because it claims majesty of the style, the consent bearing witness by and with the
to be the Word of God." After all, we of all the parts, the scope of the word in our hearts.
would challenge any logic that stated: whole (which is, to give all glo-
"We believe the Book of Mormon is ry to God), the full discovery it The Spirit's Work and Witness
the Word of God because it claims to makes of the only way of man's The central biblical basis for this testi-
be the Word of God." Expressed thus salvation, the many other in- mony is found in Paul's powerful discus-
these syllogisms involve the fallacy comparable excellencies, and the sion of the Spirit's work in 1 Corinthi-
known as petitio principii, i.e. the argu- entire perfection thereof, are ar- ans 2:6-16. Using a human analogy, he
ment is circular; the conclusion needs guments whereby it doth abun- reasons that just as a person's thoughts
to be smuggled into the premise to dantly evidence itself to be the are known only by the person's spirit,
make the argument work. Word of God. so only the Spirit of God knows the
A more biblical approach is suggest- mind of God (he does not mean here
ed by the words of Paul earlier cited As has often enough been pointed to exclude the Son of God). We there-
from 1 Thessalonians. The Thessalo- out, the difference between inspira- fore need to receive the Spirit's help if
nians accepted the Word of God as the tion and mere authorial perspiration is we are to bow to Scripture as the Word
Word of God. To use the language of immediately obvious when one reads of God.
the older theologians, the Bible "doth the writings of the earliest post-New But there is a complication. For I am
abundantly evidence itself to be the Testament authors. The Bible does in- a "natural (psuchikos)" person, and not
Word of God" and therefore it is ap- deed possess objective indications of its a "spiritual (pneumatikos)" one (v. 14).
propriate for us to recognize that this is unique character. As a result I am incapable of accept-
indeed the case. This aspect of the doctrine of Scrip- ing spiritual reality; indeed, it seems
This is often referred to as the auto- ture goes hand in glove with another foolish to me. I cannot understand "the
pistic character of Scripture. The Bible vital element, namely the internal tes- things of the Spirit of God" because
provides us with self-conscious indica- timony (or witness) of the Holy Spir- they are spiritually discerned. Or, to
tions that it is God's Word. These not it. Therefore, the Confession of Faith use Paul's language in Ephesians, be-
only include the claim of "thus says the rightly adds that while: cause I am "dead in…trespasses and

26 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES

 SINCL A IR B. FERGUSON

sins" (Eph 2:1) I therefore need more spired, and thus their divine character catches the melodies from the
than the words of Scripture in order to becomes clear to us. world of sounds, and with his
believe that it is the Word of God. I In this context it would be poor psy- whole soul delights in them.
need a spiritual resurrection that will chology as well as bad theology to think
give me new life and also enable me that we simply "decide" to believe that Among Rembrandt's best known
to grasp, appreciate, and receive that to Scripture is God's Word written. For works is his "Portrait of the Proph-
which I was blind and indifferent. Just when the Spirit employs the Word to etess Anna Reading the Bible," for
as we need "a spirit of…revelation (that open our eyes to its divine authority we which his mother sat as the subject.
is, illumination) in the knowledge of cannot but believe it. In this sense we One of the most impressive features
Christ, having the eyes of your hearts are compelled by the Scriptures to be- of the painting is the way in which
enlightened" (Eph 1:17-18), we need lieve in the Scriptures. the Bible she is reading appears to be
a parallel internal work to be sure that Abraham Kuyper, the multi-tal- the source of the light by which she is
the Scriptures are indeed God's Word. ented theologian who became Prime reading it. This wonderfully (and delib-
But how does the Spirit erately) captures the point.
give this testimony? Does The Spirit does not add to
He speak to each of us Scripture in order to per-
immediately (i.e., without suade us of its divine origin
mediation)? The parallel His testimony and character. Nor does He
between the assurance that speak apart from, or even
Christ is our Savior and the comes to us alongside Scripture to bring
assurance that Scripture is us to this persuasion. He
God's Word is helpful here. through the speaks through the Scrip-
Just as "No one can say 'Je- tures themselves. In its light
sus is Lord' except by the Scriptures which we see light. Or, as John
Holy Spirit" (1 Cor 12:3), Calvin put it: "Scripture ex-
it is also true that "No one He Himself hibits fully as clear evidence
can say 'Scripture is God's of its own truth as white
Word' except by the Spir- inspired, and and black things do of their
it." Yes, in both cases we color, or sweet and bitter
can utter the words, but we thus their divine things do of their taste."
cannot be convinced and This is why many Chris-
assured in our hearts. character becomes tians, when asked how they
But the parallel goes
further yet. For the Spirit
convinces us about Christ
clear to us. came to believe the Bible is
the Word of God, simply
say: "I was reading it (or
by taking what belongs to hearing it preached) one
Him and showing it to us day, and it all began to fall
( John 16:14). Thus the into place. The words came
Spirit works in such a way that it is Minister of the Netherlands, was to me now with power and authority. I
who and what Christ Himself is that already a young minister before he understood, and I trusted. Once I was
convinces us about Christ! The Spirit experienced this himself. Here is blind—the Bible was a closed book to
adds nothing to Christ; rather, through his description of what happens: me. Now I see."
His ministry our eyes are opened to see This is what happens when the Spir-
who He really is. The veil is gradually pushed it who inspired Scripture through the
In the same way, the testimony of the aside. The eye turns toward the prophets and apostles also bears wit-
Spirit to Scripture does not add any- Divine light that radiates from ness to our spirits through those self-
thing to Scripture. While distinct, it the Scripture, and now our in- same Scriptures that they are the Word
is not separable from Scripture. There ner ego sees the imposing su- of God. We then bow in humble rev-
is no voice whispering to us, "You can periority. We see it as one born erence, faith, and worship because we
be sure the Bible is the Word of God." blind, who being healed sees the know we are hearing the living voice of
His testimony comes to us through beauty of colors, or as one deaf, God.
the Scriptures which He Himself in- whose hearing being restored,

27
Does Inerrancy
Matter? The
Legacy of James
Montgomery Boice
by Derek W. H. Thomas

28 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NEPAS

NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES
"If part of the Bible is true and part is not, who is to tell us what the true parts are? There
are only two answers to that question. Either we must make the decision ourselves, in
which case the truth becomes subjective. The thing that is true becomes merely what ap-
peals to me. Or else, it is the scholar who tells us what we can believe and what we cannot
believe... God has not left us either to our own whims or to the whims of scholars. He has
given us a reliable book that we can read and understand ourselves."

T
hese words, arguing God or to a God-given morali- ion of men (and women). The steps
the logic of an inerrant ty. They do not have to acknowl- from the original autographs to text,
Scripture, were part of edge any authority. But the con- translation and meaning is a complex
a sermon preached on sequence of this kind of freedom one, involving a commitment to provi-
May 23, 1993, by James is that they are cast adrift on the dence as well as a rigorous hermeneutic
Montgomery Boice. The sermon was sea of meaningless existence. and hence, the Council of Biblical In-
preached on the twenty-fifth anniver- errancy also issued a statement, "For-
sary of his pastorate at Tenth Presby- Absolute Truth mal Rules of Biblical Interpretation":
terian Church in Philadelphia. Boice Inerrancy is important, Boice argued, "It is only when ministers of the gospel
began by drawing attention to the fact in a postmodern culture, to provide the hold to this high view of Scripture that
that the doctrine of Scripture had been individual with a basis for absolute au- they can preach with authority and ef-
the most important thing that Tenth thority in doctrine and morals. With- fectively call sinful men and women to
Presbyterian Church had stood for in out absolutism, we are adrift in a sea of full faith in Christ."
its (then) one hundred sixty-four year relativism and subjectivism. Without Preachers have no right to meddle
existence. a trustworthy Scripture, there is only with the consciences of men and wom-
At the close of 1977, ten years into a mere potentiality of meaning actu- en unless what they say is based on a
his pastorate at Tenth, Dr. Boice helped alized differently in differing circum- correct understanding of the written
in the foundation of the International stances. We are trapped in the present, Word of God. "God alone is Lord of
Council on Biblical Inerrancy, and sub- in our own historical circumstances, the conscience…" (Westminster Con-
sequently chaired it. A few years later, and cannot understand the past or have fession of Faith 20:2). The inerrancy of
Boice published Standing on the Rock: any certainty of the future. Truth lies in Scripture commits us in advance to an
Upholding Biblical Authority in a Secular community and the voice of the Spir- understanding that the Bible is God
Age, in which he answered the ques- it ––all subjective entities––wisps that speaking (in the present tense). What
tion, why does inerrancy matter? He appear for a moment, promising much Scripture says is what God says.
noted that most of his contemporaries and delivering little. Preaching involves coming to grips
seemed more preoccupied with having Ultimately, as Boice argued all too with what the Bible is actually saying,
a "personal relationship" with Jesus well, if there is no ultimate meaning, breaking it down in order to put it to-
than addressing the doctrine of Scrip- nothing I say makes any sense, includ- gether again, and applying to the mind,
ture. But who is this Jesus with whom ing the words "there are no absolutes"! will and affections in today's con-
we are to have a personal relationship What Boice saw was that without in- text with today's issues and concerns
if not the Jesus accurately (inerrantly) errancy, the relevance of Christianity sharpening the direction of applica-
portrayed in Scripture? We live in a rel- diminishes. Why should anyone com- tion.  Preachers can therefore say "Thus
ativistic age, Boice argued, where there mit their lives to the institution of the says the Lord" without suggesting that
is no such thing as truth, only "what's church if there is no certainty that what the preacher himself is infallible––he
true for me." she stands for is true? Relativism as to is not! Preachers are all too capable
truth leads to relativism as to behavior of shoddy preparation and misunder-
When people operate on that and commitment. standing. But when the Word is "right-
basis, they usually think they ly divided," the sermon reflects the true
have found freedom because, in Authoritative Preaching meaning of Scripture and therefore is
not being tied to absolutes, they What is preaching? It is either Truth authoritative.
have freedom to do anything delivered through personality as Phil- Apart from a commitment to iner-
they wish. They are not tied to lips Brooks suggested, or it is the opin- rancy, preaching drifts into personality

29
D O ES INERRANCY MAT T ER?

and popularity cults. Ministry becomes we need extra-biblical signs or of X" and "Five Views of Y," impercep-
"skinny jeans and soul patches"––more miracles for guidance? Is the Bi- tibly suggesting an intentional and ac-
about the preacher than about Scrip- ble adequate for achieving social commodating multiple-meaning point
ture. Boice foresaw this trend toward progress and reform? of view on the part of Scripture (the
celebratory ministry and vacuous meaning of Scripture is "not manifold,
preaching. The Sufficiency of Scripture but one"; cf. Westminster Confession
Dr. Boice came to understand that for of Faith 1:9).
True Reformation all the value of the Council on Biblical
Unless the Bible is true, "inerrant in Inerrancy and the Chicago Statement Chicago Affirmation
the whole and in its parts," true refor- on Biblical Inerrancy that resulted Thus, the Chicago Statement on Bib-
mation (of belief and practice) will not from it, events have shown clearly that lical Inerrancy, in Articles XI and XII,
take place. Errant Scripture distorts the conservative Christians may affirm it affirms the following: "That Scripture,
character of God and nature of Chris- and ignore it. It is not that Boice saw having been given by divine inspira-
tian discipleship. Christians get preoc- no place for extra-biblical data (he af- tion, is infallible, so that far from mis-
firmed a doctrine of leading us, it is true and reliable in all
general revelation). the matters it addresses," and is there-
General and special fore, "inerrant, being free from all false-
Without a commitment to revelation are inter- hood, fraud, or deceit."
dependent, but our The statement also denies "that it is
inerrancy, churches will understanding of possible for the Bible to be at the same
flounder and die. what general reve- time infallible and errant in its asser-
lation contributes tions" and "that biblical infallibility and
cannot contradict inerrancy are limited to spiritual, reli-
what is expressly set gious, or redemptive themes, exclusive
cupied with peripheral and transient down in Scripture. When God pro- of assertions in the fields of history or
issues. hibited Adam from eating of the tree science."
Boice saw clearly the need for Scrip- of the knowledge of good and evil, He Along with Norman L. Geisler, J. I.
ture to govern the life of the church did not stop to explain what a "tree" Packer, R. C. Sproul, John Gerstner,
in all of its details. Without a com- was, or how to distinguish fruit from Carl F. H. Henry, Roger Nicole, and
mitment to inerrancy, churches will leaves. Adam already possessed that Francis Schaeffer, to name but a few
flounder and die. But he also expressed knowledge. The doctrine of Scripture's of the participants in the ICBI, James
a concern that inerrancy in itself was sufficiency does not rule out extra-bib- Montgomery Boice was hugely influ-
not the real issue facing the church at lical knowledge, but it does prioritize ential in convincing a generation of
the end of the twentieth century. The Scripture. And it is perhaps here that evangelical leaders of the need for a
real issue, he said, was the sufficiency the issue of inerrancy has failed to ad- robust defense of the doctrine of bib-
of Scripture. It is all too easy to give lip dress contemporary discussions and lical inerrancy. As Boice so aptly put it,
service to inerrancy while also claiming debates over creation, counseling and "God has not left us either to our own
that we need more than what we find conversion, to name but three. whims . . . He has given us a reliable
in Scripture to address the complexities One of the concerns associated with book that we can read and understand
that we face today. Boice asked, the use of the term "inerrancy," Boice ourselves." We don't need to embrace
and others feared, was the gestalt sur- the postmodern pessimism that says
Do we really believe God has rounding the term that suggested a "that's just your interpretation." No,
given us what we need in this closed mind to all research and schol- we can be assured that Scripture has a
book? Or do we think we have arly enterprise, committing interpret- valid interpretation, for it comes (in its
to supplement the Bible with ers in advance to absurd harmoniza- entirety) from the one God. For those
other man-made things? Do we tion without regard for biblical genre, things that are sure, those things that
need sociological techniques to or an over-restrictive understanding of are of primary importance and which
do evangelism? Must we attract creation days. But perhaps we face the are clearly conveyed in Scripture, let's
people to our churches by show- opposite––the tendency to disbelieve be willing to die.
manship and entertainment? Do that the Bible has a discernible au-
we need psychology and psychi- thoritative point of view––witness the
atry for Christian growth? Do numerous books entitled "Four Views

30 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES

31
For Such a
Time as Then:
The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
by Stephen J. Nichols

32 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NEPAS

NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES
O
n June 21, 1977, Billy Graham sent a $10,000 gift, with ex-
plicit instructions that it be itemized "as an anonymous gift,"
to a group of scholars who had just formed a new organiza-
tion committed to writing a statement on the inerrancy of
the Bible. Why such a significant, at that time, donation?
And why did this group of scholars organize in the first place? The new organi-
zation would come to be known as the International Council on Biblical Iner-
rancy. And it was formed with a pinpoint focus on a pinpoint need: Scripture
had come under attack within theologically conservative seminaries, denomina-
tions, and other Christian institutions.
The ICBI did not form for the interests on from one generation to the next. the five seminaries under the auspices
of scholarly amusement. The ICBI was The challenge, however, does seem to of the Southern Baptist Convention,
forged on the anvil of a significant cri- take on a vengeance as we move into published a commentary on Genesis
sis in the church. the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. casting aspersion on Moses' authorship
Of course, such councils are not It is true that there is nothing new un- of the Pentateuch and the historicity
unique to the twentieth-century der the sun; but it is equally true that of the creation account, all the while
church. From the beginnings of the challenges take on the unique flavor employing the methods of higher crit-
church, there have been challenges and trappings of their cultural context. icism. This was the first domino to fall,
within and without. To address these So it is with the doctrine of Scripture's and soon other denominations and
challenges, theologians (in many of the authority and the doctrine of inerrancy other seminaries followed suit and fell,
prior centuries of the church these folks in the modern age. too.
were called "Doctors" of the church) To speak to this crisis, a group of
and churchmen drafted creeds, con- The Doctrine of Inerrancy in scholars convened on the campus
fessions, catechisms, and statements. the Modern Age: The Context of Gordon Theological Seminary in
These documents mark off boundar- of the Chicago Statement the summer of 1966. They called it a
ies on theological issues. They provide The first wave of this controversy re- "Seminar on the Authority of Scrip-
guardrails to keep the church on track. garding the inerrancy of Scripture ture," also known as the Wenham
And of course, these councils do not hit in the 1880s with Charles Augus- Conference on the Authority of Scrip-
occur in a vacuum. There's always a tus Briggs in America and the issues ture. The scholars gathered there were
context. So we need to understand the leading to the formation of the Bible unable to arrive at a consensus. This
context of the ICBI and of the state- League in the United Kingdom in the revealed some divisions within conser-
ment it produced, the Chicago State- early 1890s. The next wave came in the vative evangelical scholarship on the is-
ment on Biblical Inerrancy (1978). 1920s and 1930s and the fundamental- sue of inerrancy and even underscored
You could easily make a case that the ist and modernist controversy—which the need to form a consensus among
inerrancy crisis stretches all the way was also a transatlantic phenomena. the theological conservatives.
back to the Garden of Eden. The ser- Then we come forward one more gen- Sensing this crisis rather poignantly,
pent's words in Genesis 3:1 drive this eration to the 1960s and 1970s. having been subjected to attacks on the
point home: "Indeed, has God said?" In 1961, Ralph H. Elliott, a pro- Bible by his own seminary professors
And the challenge to God's Word rolls fessor of Old Testament in one of and seeing the attacks ricochet around

33
FOR S UCH A T IME AS TH EN

his home denomination, the Presbyte- getting over three hundred evangelical Chicago Statement offers the church a
rian Church USA, R. C. Sproul drafted leaders to agree on a detailed theolog- nuanced and thoughtful exposition of
the Ligonier Statement [on Scripture] ical statement is a twentieth-century this foundational tenet.
in 1973, so named for his Ligonier Val- miracle. From this opening posture of sub-
ley Study Center established in western mission and humility, the Chicago
Pennsylvania. Concise and clear, the The Content of the Statement proceeds to offer a full defi-
Ligonier Statement flatly rejects "any Chicago Statement: nition and affirmation of inerrancy.
view which imputes to [the Scriptures] Unmitigated Inerrancy The genius of Chicago may very well
a lesser degree of inerrancy than total." One of the crucial cultural issues that be found in its Articles of Affirmation
And in 1976, Harold Lindsell pub- makes the doctrine of inerrancy so dif- and Denial. It is one thing to sign a
lished his Battle for the Bible. If this ficult for moderns (and we could say in statement of inerrancy, all the while
were a play, we could say that the stage our own context, postmoderns) is the thinking that one can ascribe his own
was now set and the players were ready. issue of submission. In the preface to meaning to it or to its application.
And our play would take place in Chi- the Chicago Statement, the second The Articles of Affirmation and De-
cago, spanning October 25-28, 1978. sentence expresses, "Those who pro- nial close the loopholes; they exclude
The ICBI, with leadership from R. C. fess faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and wiggle room. It seems every statement
Sproul, J. I. Packer, James Montgom- Savior are called to show the reality of or creed or confession is liable to what
ery Boice, and others, presented to the their discipleship by humbly and faith- they called in olden days "latitudinar-
over 300 scholars, pastors, and evan- fully obeying God's written Word." ianism," which means subscribers to
gelical leaders in attendance—among This opening posture is important. It these documents would have latitude
them John MacArthur, Sr. and John reminds us of one of the salient phrases in their commitment to the content of
MacArthur, Jr.––a statement with five of Benjamin Warfield, one of the key these documents. The Articles of Af-
firmation and Denial serve to exclude
such latitude.

"We affirm that a confession of the full The Final Article

The final Article deserves notice. It
authority, infallibility, and inerrancy of reads, "We affirm that a confession of
the full authority, infallibility, and in-
Scripture is vital to a sound understanding errancy of Scripture is vital to a sound
understanding of the whole of the
of the whole of the Christian faith. We Christian faith. We further affirm that
further affirm that such confession should such confession should lead to increas-
ing conformity to the image of Christ."
lead to increasing conformity to the image The Denial, which concludes the State-
ment, reads: "We further deny that in-
of Christ." errancy can be rejected without grave
consequences, both to the individual
and to the church."
So, we are reminded of the impor-
propositions and nineteen articles of defenders of the doctrine of Scripture tance of inerrancy. It connects with
affirmation and denial. The Chicago in the modern age. Warfield would tell other doctrines, serving as an essen-
Statement also included a preface and us students often, "Gentlemen, I love tial hub for other doctrines. Inerrancy
an exposition of approximately three- the supernatural." If the Bible is God's also reaches out to impact our lives and
and-a-half pages. This large group Word, if it is supernatural, from Him godliness. There are grave consequenc-
represented scholars across the denom- (inspiration), then of course it has au- es for abandoning it. There are also
inations and from multifold theologi- thority, of course it is true (inerrancy), welcome consequences for affirming
cal perspectives, yet they signed their and, of course, our only response is full it. Inerrancy is not only the truly bib-
names to this substantive and complex, submission to it. We submit to the lically-consistent view of how to view
and rather detailed, theological state- text; we do not submit the text to us. the Bible, it also is a helpful guardrail
ment. If we allow a loose use of the As Martin Luther once said, "When to keep both the individual and the
word "miracle," we could handily say the Bible speaks, God speaks." The church on track. Inerrancy leads us to

34 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES

 STEPHEN J. NICHOLS

affirm the full authority of Scripture

in all of its teaching—that is the best
way to ensure that we are walking in
humble submission to all of Scripture's
teachings. Inerrancy leads to obedi-
ence.
After the gathering in Chicago in
October of 1978, many more signa-
tures poured in to the offices of the
ICBI. The leadership of ICBI estab-
lished a ten-year program of producing
books and pamphlets, hosting confer-
ences and summits, and dispatching
its best teachers to churches. All these
efforts were to fortify the church on her
Original signing of the Chicago Statement (1978)
stand on inerrancy in light of the crisis
so real and so urgent. And the result of
all these efforts?
We can think of this in terms of the they have done since the Garden—so
The Impact of the pulpit ministry. What does a preacher too the echoes of theological ortho-
Chicago Statement have to preach, except the exposition of doxy may be heard.
Perhaps we could go back to the 1961 the authoritative Word of God? If one The church in the 2010s is the next
publication of Professor Elliott's book steps into the pulpit with suspicions generation after the Chicago State-
and the brewing of this controversy about the Bible's full and total truth- ment, the second generation after the
in the Southern Baptist Convention. fulness, or with reservations, what does fundamentalist/modernist controversy,
These instances in the 1960s turned out the preacher have to stand on? The and the third generation after the likes
to be but meager beginnings. Through- Chicago Statement provided a theo- of Spurgeon and Warfield had their
out the 1970s and the 1980s, theolog- logical framework for one to have con- battles for the Bible. Warfield and
ical liberals were on the ascendency in fidence in Scripture. Spurgeon trained and preached to an
the SBC. But in the 1980s, the conser- entire generation, equipping them for
vatives would take back their denom- The Chicago Statement Today? these challenges. J. Gresham Machen
ination. This story is well chronicled. While the creeds and councils are part trained a whole generation of pastors
What we need to remember is the role of the church's heritage and tradition, and theologians from his post first at
of the Chicago Statement. No doubt, they do not serve as a remedy to fu- Princeton and then at Westminster
this statement buoyed the efforts of the ture error, equivocation, and theologi- Theological Seminary, which he found-
theological conservatives. The leader- cal drift. To put this another way, the ed in 1929. Sproul, Packer, Boice, and
ship of the theological conservatives Chicago Statement served to sustain a many others trained and preached to
were part of the inner circle of the generation. But there is a new genera- an entire generation—and continue to
Chicago Statement and many were tion, and what are the challenges facing do so. So that brings us to our mo-
signatories to it. The Chicago State- it? In many ways these are the same ment, and to our challenge.
ment gave them a place to stand, and challenges that faced the leadership We must remember the words of the
also reminded them that they did not of ICBI in the 1970s. The arguments Chicago Statement, that one cannot
stand alone. against inerrancy, or a mitigated in- reject inerrancy without grave con-
The Chicago Statement sustained an errancy, are the same. They may have sequences. Think of the grave conse-
entire generation in confronting foes some trappings unique to contempo- quences of pulpit ministries built on
both within and without the church on rary contexts, but the substance of the something less than a full-throttled
the bedrock and crucial doctrine of in- arguments are the same. commitment to inerrancy. Now, think
errancy. The challenges present in the Historian and writer David Mac- of pulpit ministries solidly built on and
1970s only intensified in the following Cullough once said that history does dedicated to inerrancy. The next gener-
decades. The Chicago Statement of- not repeat itself, it echoes. So while the ation is waiting for the answer.
fered a rallying point for the theolog- challenges to inerrancy tragically con-
ical conservatives' efforts. tinue to echo through the church—as

35
 The
CENTRALITY
of the
WORD OF GOD
by MARK DEVER

36 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NEPAS

NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES
T
he idea behind thinking God has always created His people by Word called out to Moses, initiating
that preaching should His Word. It has never been the other His redemptive work (Ex 3:4). It was
always (or almost al- way around! God's people have never by God's Word that Moses was called.
ways) be expositional is created His Word." I cannot remem- And God's Word came not just to call
that preaching is to have ber what happened in the rest of that Moses and his descendants, but the
the Word at its center, and to have the conversation, but it solidified my own whole nation of Israel to be His people.
Word directing it. In fact, each and ev- understanding of the absolute centrali- Similarly, in Exodus 20, God gave His
ery church should have the Word at its ty of the Word. And it would be helpful law to His people. And by their accep-
center, and should have the Word di- to follow this path through Scripture tance of it they were made His people,
recting it. And this is because when we and see what it tells us about the cen- so that it was by God's Word that Israel
read the Scriptures, we see clearly that trality of God's Word in our lives, and was constituted God's special people.
God has decided to use His Word to then conclude by considering what this As we progress through the Old Tes-
bring life. His Word is His own chosen means for the nature of preaching and tament we see that God's Word plays
instrument. for the importance of this preaching in a pivotal role. This is illustrated in the
I remember being at a reception in our churches. story of Elijah in 1 Kings 18. "The
Washington, D.C., when the conver- word of the Lord came to Elijah in the
sation turned to a recently published The Role of the Word third year, saying, 'Go, show yourself
book. I had read it because I was about in Bringing Life to Ahab, and I will send rain on the
to speak on the topic of the book else- We should begin where the Bible face of the earth'" (v. 1). How many
where. My friend standing there had does—in Genesis 1. If you read the hundreds of times in the Old Testa-
read it, too, because he had just writ- chapter, you see that it was by His ment do we read the phrase "the word
ten a review of it. I asked him what he Word that God created the world and of the LORD came"? It is typical of
thought. "Oh, it was very good," he all the life in it. He spoke and it was God's activity in the Old Testament as
said, "except it was marred by the au- so! In Genesis 3 we read of the Fall. He created and led His people by His
thor's repeating of that old Protestant When our first parents sinned, they Word. God's Word always came as the
error that the Bible created the church, were cast out of the presence of God. means of faith in the Old Testament;
when we all know," my Roman Catho- They lost sight of God. But in God's you could even say it was a secondary
lic friend said with assurance, "that the great grace, they did not lose all hope. object. God is always the primary ob-
church created the Bible." Well, I was Though God was vanishing from their ject of our faith. But in another sense,
in a quandary. What should I say? It sight, He mercifully sent His voice to His Word or His promise is to be trust-
was his party, not mine. But I decided them. And His Word came to them, ed, with all of the faith that we would
that if he could be so openly dismis- and so His Word was the germ of their invest in His person.
sive, then I could be as forthright and hope. When God cursed the serpent,
honest as I wished. "That's ridiculous," He warned him that the offspring of Why the Word Is Central
I said, trying to sound as pleasantly the woman would crush him. It was Do you understand why the Word of
contradictory as I could. "God's people by God's Word that Abram was called God is central? Do you grasp why it is
have never created God's Word! From out of Ur of the Chaldees. This Word the instrument that creates faith? It is
the very beginning, God's Word has of God's promise recorded in the first because the Word of the Lord presents
created His people. From Genesis 1 few verses of Genesis 12 was used by the object of our faith to us; it holds
where God literally creates all that is God to call Abram out of Ur to follow out God's promise to us, from all kinds
by His Word, including His people, to God. And so God's people were creat- of individual promises (throughout the
Genesis 12 where He calls Abram out ed by God's Word. Abram never set up Old Testament and New Testament)
of Ur by the Word of His promise, to a committee to craft God's Word. No! all the way to the great promise, the
Ezekiel 37 where God gives Ezekiel a He was made the father of God's peo- great hope, the great object of our faith,
vision to share with the Israelite exiles ple because God's Word came specially Christ Himself. The Word presents
in Babylon about a great resurrection to him. We know the story of how the that which is to be believed. (It's al-
to life that will come about by God's children of Abraham multiplied in the most as if, for the Christian, the speed
Word, to John 1 where we read of the promised land, and then went down of sound is greater than the speed of
supreme coming of God's Word in Je- into Egypt, eventually falling into slav- light. News of the future reaches our
sus Christ, His Word made flesh, to ery there for centuries. And just when ears before it reaches our eyes.)
Romans 10 where we read that faith that bondage looked permanent, what One of the climactic chapters in the
and spiritual life come by the Word, did God do? He sent His Word. God's Bible shows God using the Word to

37
THE CENT RALIT Y OF T HE WORD OF GOD

came into being that has come

into being. In Him was life,
and the life was the Light of
Do you understand why the Word men." Supremely, the Word of
God has come in Christ. It is
of God is central? Do you grasp in Christ that the Word of God
has fully and finally come to us.
why it is the instrument that
The Centrality of the Word
creates faith? Jesus modeled the centrality of
the Word in His own ministry.
In Mark 1:38, when His disci-
ples came seeking Him, telling
bring life. In this great vision we see An Inseparable Connection Him that many people were looking
most vividly that life comes by the An inseparable connection exists be- for Him so that He could do miracles
Word of God. The remarkable vision is tween life, breath, spirit, speech, and and heal them, "Jesus replied, 'Let us go
described in the first 10 verses of Eze- word. This connection is evident in somewhere else . . . so that I may preach
kiel 37. In verse 11, God interprets this Mark's gospel account (Mark 7:32- there also; for that is what I have come
vision for Ezekiel. He says that these 35), when "they brought to Him one for.'" Now, if you keep reading in
dry bones stand for the whole house of who was deaf.... looking up to heaven Mark's gospel, you see that Jesus knew
Israel who say "our hope has perished." with a deep sigh, He said to him, "Be that He had come fundamentally to lay
What a moving presentation! God opened!" And his ears were opened...." down His life as a ransom for many
poignantly represents as death their Jesus spoke to a deaf man, and life (10:45), but in order for that sacrifice
own hopelessness and despair. And His came back into his ears! In the min- to be understood, He must first teach.
answer to the people, as it was to the istry of Jesus, we see Jesus calling out God's pattern with us is unwaver-
dry bones, is that, "I will put My Spirit His people to Himself, in just the way ing. As you read through the Bible, it
within you and you will come to life" (v. that Ezekiel prophesied: "I will give is clear that God acts and then God
14). How does He do this? He does it you a new heart and put a new spirit interprets. He does not only speak
by His Word. within you; and I will remove the heart (though I am not sure one could even
In this vision, He does not do what of stone from your flesh and give you conceive of "only speaking" in reference
we would do if we were trying to au- a heart of flesh" (Ezek 36:26-27). This to God); rather, God acts, but then He
thor a credible vision—make the army is the glorious reality that we Chris- does not leave His acts sitting there to
live so that they could listen, and then tians have experienced. As I said to a speak for themselves, if you will. No,
have Ezekiel prophesy to them. No! Jehovah's Witness some years ago, we He then speaks to interpret His great
He has Ezekiel speak His Word to Christians know that in and of our- saving acts.
them while they are dead, and as he selves we are spiritually dead, and that We have separated ourselves from
does they come to life! we need God to initiate His life-giving God by our sin; therefore, God must
This is an arresting picture partic- love to us through His Word, and to speak if we are to know Him. This is
ularly because it is analogous to the reach down and to rip out our old stony why the work of Carl F. H. Henry has
way God had called Ezekiel to speak hearts and to put in us a new heart of been so important. In his great work
to a people that would not listen. God flesh, a heart of love that is soft and God, Revelation and Authority, Dr.
Himself had spoken into the void and supple, pliant to His Word. And that Henry makes just this point—that it is
by the power of His Word created all is precisely what Jesus Christ does! He God who must reveal Himself, because
things. His Word also came into the is creating a different kind of people, a we, on our own, due to our sin, could
world, as John says in his gospel, "and people who show God is life in them. never know Him otherwise. Either He
the world was made through Him, and This brings us to that supreme pic- has spoken, or we are forever lost in the
the world did not know Him" ( John ture of the Word of God bringing life. darkness of our own speculations.
1:10). And by that Word, the Lord Je- In John 1:1–4 we read, "In the begin-
sus, God has begun creating His new ning was the Word, and the Word was
society on earth. In the same way, God with God, and the Word was God....
told Ezekiel to speak to these dried All things came into being through
bones. Him, and apart from Him nothing

38 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES

 T H E E X P O S I T O RY P R E AC H I N G O F

DR. S. LEWIS JOHNSON, JR.

"Through the years I have listened

to the teachings of S. Lewis Johnson

far more than any other preacher."

JOHN MACARTHUR

The SLJ Institute is dedicated to the teachings of the late

Dr. S. Lewis Johnson, Jr. You can access more than 1,500 of

Dr. Johnson's sermons compiled from the 1960s through

the 1990s on our website. This is a free resource made

possible by the SLJ Institute, working in conjunction with

his former congregation at Believers Chapel of Dallas.

Visit our website at sljinstitute.net

to access thousands of free resources.
SLJ Institute
39
 Q& A

EXPOSITOR INTERVIEW

BIBLICAL INERRANCY & THE PULPIT

with JOHN MACARTHUR

Why is it important to you to dedicate the 2015 discussion on the topic, and while we affirm it and we may
Shepherd's Conference Summit to the theme of assume it, it's still under assault. I hope the conference will
inerrancy? raise the issue to a place it's not been recently, and then, hav-
Generally, I've dedicated the conference to this theme because ing raised it, that faithful men will support and clarify the
the inerrancy of Scripture is the foundation for absolutely ev- doctrine of inerrancy for this generation.
erything regarding God's revelation, the understanding and I also want to present and defend the doctrine on a wide-
proclamation of the truth. Every single generation of minis- spread level beyond me, beyond Grace Church, and pull to-
ters––every generation of Christians––needs to have confi- gether the best, brightest and most dedicated scholars in the
dence in and be able to defend the inspiration, inerrancy and evangelical world. We want to form a front of solidarity on
authority of Scripture. Nothing is more important. I've often this issue. We want to close the ranks with anyone willing
said divine truth is the most important thing in the world to take a stand on this. We want to make anybody who di-
because by it, we come to know God and receive eternal life. minishes this doctrine feel like they are outsiders who have
More specifically, it was October 1978 when the Chica- broken ranks with the faithful.
go Statement on Inerrancy was produced. Since that time, a Finally, I want to present The Master's Seminary as an in-
whole generation has come and gone. We're starting to see on stitution that is passionately and relentlessly committed to
the horizon, despite the profound influence of the Chicago biblical inerrancy. I want students around the globe to know
Statement, a renewed assault on inerrancy and the author- that they can come to our seminary and be assured that every
ity of Scripture. We can't give up the absolute truthfulness person in every classroom is going to uphold the inerrancy of
of Scripture. Now is the time to take our stand. This new Scripture. This seminary is a place where students will never
generation hasn't yet fought this battle, and it's their time to come out of a class questioning the integrity or authority of
step up, affirm, declare, explain and defend the inerrancy of Scripture; they're going to learn what it means and how to
Scripture. preach it.

What do you hope to achieve as a result of this Who have been the greatest influences in your
landmark conference? life? Who has solidified your commitment to
I want to raise the subject of inerrancy higher than it's been biblical authority?
raised in the last 30 years. I want to push it to the very fore- The first influence for me was my own father, Dr. John
front of evangelical thinking and discussion, and hopefully MacArthur––they called him Jack. He preached the Word
even writing. There hasn't been any widespread, significant of God from the time he graduated from seminary until he

40 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES

was 91 years old and went to be with the Lord. His love was God is pure, as it says it is, like silver fired in a furnace seven
apologetics––defending the faith––and his particular interest times, if as Jesus said in John 10:35, Scripture cannot be an-
was to defend the authority of Scripture. I grew up with a nulled, it can't be destroyed, it can't be set aside, then you are
father who sought out every means to proclaim and defend bound to the responsibility to exposit Scripture. No matter
the authority and inerrancy of Scripture. how you look at that, the fruit of inerrancy is exposition.
The second great influence in my life was Dr. Charles Fein- Indeed, in that text in John 10:35 when Jesus says Scripture
berg, who was the Dean of Talbot Seminary when I attended. cannot be broken, He's saying that because He quotes from
He is the reason I went to Talbot. He had studied fourteen Psalm 82:6. His whole argument turns on one word in the
years to be a rabbi before conversion to Christ. He was a Psalm, and it's at that moment that He says Scripture cannot
brilliant man. He had a Th.D. from Dallas Seminary followed be broken. Not even one word can be annulled. He makes His
by a Ph.D. from Johns Hopkins in Biblical Archeology under case off one word. So if, as I say, Scripture is absolutely iner-
William Foxwell Albright, who was the most outstanding ar- rant, then you have no choice but to proclaim it. To use a little
chaeologist of his day. motto we have at Grace to You, you have to unleash God's
Feinberg, as brilliant as he was, never questioned anything truth one verse at a time.
in Scripture. In fact, he defended Scripture, not so much from
the apologetic standpoint, as my dad did, but from an internal What are your concerns for the church in this
perspective. Whereas my dad would look at things and maybe present hour as it relates to inerrancy?
come at it more from an external level, Feinberg unpacked the First of all, on a general level, the church is undiscerning. If
Scripture to demonstrate its own truthfulness. I took every so-called Christians had any discernment, I'm afraid that a
class he offered in seminary, I read everything he wrote, and whole lot of what's going on in the church would have to stop.
he had a great influence on my life. The inability to discern is the final problem. It's like having
During my seminary days, I also read B. B. Warfield's In- spiritual AIDS. You can die of a thousand diseases because
spiration and Authority of Scripture and started pulling things your immune system doesn't function. The church can perish
together. Graduating from seminary in 1964, I was faced at the hands of a thousand heresies because it can't discern,
immediately with liberal attacks on biblical authority. They and the only way you can discern is to have the truth by which
were everywhere and there were many conservative schools everything is measured, and that's Scripture. If you equivocate
that were caving in and capitulating to the school of higher on whether the Scripture is true or not, then you are hope-
criticism that assaulted Scripture. In light of those attacks, I lessly removed from discernment because you're hopelessly
trained through my seminary days to be a defender of Scrip- removed from the truth.
ture. Once I was on that path and was committed to exposit- My concern is that the church is awash in sentimentalism,
ing the Scripture, I tested my understanding of inerrancy in superficiality, entertainment, and feel-good experiences in-
every passage in the Bible. I've gone through every passage in stead of sound doctrine based upon an understanding and a
the Bible––writing the MacArthur Study Bible notes, preach- belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Those are the things that
ing my way through the whole New Testament, writing com- produce the ability to discern and protect the church from the
mentaries––and the greatest evidence for the inspiration and damage that error can do.
inerrancy of Scripture is the Scripture itself. It stands the test
of the most rigorous scrutiny. After five decades in ministry, As you look back over a half-century of minis-
I have a stronger view of Scripture's inerrancy now than I've try, how has a strong belief in inerrancy affected
ever had. your preaching and pastoral ministry?
The greatest motivation that I have for preaching the Word
What is the connection between biblical inerran- of God is my belief in inerrancy. If I for one minute thought
cy and expository preaching? that some of Scripture might not be true, it would make me
The connection between biblical inerrancy and expository silent. Because I believe the Word of God is true, I am lib-
preaching is an obvious one. If every word of Scripture is erated to preach. I am set free to proclaim it with conviction
true––and it is––then every word of Scripture is divine revela- and passion. If I had any questions about that, I couldn't be
tion. It's part of the whole council of God, and if you believe an expositor. I suppose I could give people some insights and
in an inerrant Scripture, then you have to be an expositor. To some general advice, but I'm not interested in that. If I can't
say it another way, I've never heard of a Bible expositor who say "thus says the Lord," if I can't say "the Bible says and
didn't believe in the inerrancy of Scripture. therefore God says," then I can't preach and I can't lead the
Why in the world would you explain the meaning of Scrip- church.
ture if you didn't believe it was inerrant? If you didn't believe Recently there were a couple articles I read in which the
it was absolutely, unequivocally true? And if every word of idea was presented that preachers have to stop saying "the

41
 Q& A : M A C A RT H U R

Third, I want to gather the finest, brightest, best and

most devoted men to train. I'm not trying to produce
people who can talk or philosophize about theology; I
want to produce men who want to effectively preach
and teach the Bible. At the end of the day I recognize
that this starts with me. Producing these kinds of men
means modeling exposition, a life of exposition in a
church located on the same campus. Every single week
this happens at the seminary, not just by me, but by the
other men who preach and teach the Word. This en-
deavor also means developing and supporting a faculty
and library without equal to provide the resources for
that training, and then drawing together the very best
students.
Finally, I want to gather churches here and around
the world who look to our seminary to provide them
Bible says." How frightening is that? It doesn't help to "sug- with their pastors and their leaders and partner with those
gest," or to say, "well, Paul said" or "John said." You mean to churches.
tell me that implicitly somebody named John or somebody
named Paul has more influence and clout than the Bible? I What are the challenges that pastors who are
really do believe in our culture today that there is still some committed to biblical authority face today?
residual belief that the Bible is a defined book. More than There are challenges facing men committed to Biblical iner-
ever we need to say, "the Bible says," "the Bible says," "the rancy, but they have nothing to do with the text, really. That's
Bible says." If I can't say that and accurately proclaim what unassailable. So the good news is––this is really good news––
the Bible says, then I can't preach. So that is the foundation the subject is not elusive. The subject is all contained in one
of everything. book. It can't get simpler than that. As John Piper said some
Furthermore, the Bible presents truth in rational ways years ago, we are brokers of one book. Everything that we are
through systematic argument––normal language, normal to proclaim and teach is in one book. It's all true. It's without
conversation, normal processes of thinking, cause and effect. error, and that kind of clarity, that kind of simplicity, is a tre-
If I can't follow the Bible as it makes a case for the truth, then mendous starting point.
I have no authority. My own reasoning, insights, sentimental- So what are the challenges then? The challenges are not in
ity, emotional ideas, or cleverness do not have any innate au- trying to find the truth. It's there. We have it in our hands.
thority. The only thing that has divine authority is the Bible, The challenges come in getting the best education so that you
and not just isolated ideas in the Bible, but the flow of it, the can accurately handle the Word of truth, and so that you don't
arguments that it makes on every page that yield proposition- need to be a workman who's ashamed. The challenges are dil-
al doctrine for which we are responsible. igence. The challenges have to do with personal discipline to
do the hard work.
As the President of The Master's Seminary, how One of the reasons that there is such poor preaching is that
do you see your future role in training men to be men aren't willing to do the work that turns their sermons
biblical expositors who are committed to the in- into great preaching. The challenges are to overcome laziness,
errancy of Scripture? weariness, distractions, your own failures, and your own weak-
I want to model biblical exposition that yields theology and ness. The truth is there. The power of the Holy Spirit is there
sound doctrine. I want to model that as the President of The in the life of the minister and through his preaching if he will
Master's Seminary. be faithful to discipline himself to godliness.
Second, I want to gather together the finest biblical schol- There are going to be challenges in the culture because our
ars who can train men to do that, who can train them in the message is increasingly unpopular. We know that, but again,
original languages, train them in systematic theology, biblical we're warriors. We're soldiers. We obey our commander. We
theology, and show them the models and the anti-models of go to battle. We get wounded. Some of the troops even die,
church history. In other words, I want to assemble the finest, but we're called as stewards to be found faithful.
most dedicated scholars who believe in the inerrancy of Scrip-
ture, who believe consistently in a unified view of theology,
and who want to train men to preach and teach effectively.

42 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES

 T RU T H R E M A I N S

LONG LINE OF GODLY MEN

WILLIAM TYNDALE: THE FATHER OF

THE ENGLISH BIBLE, PT. 1
by STEVEN J. LAWSON

I
n the sixteenth century, one heroic figure so mastered Reformation in England." In fact, Edwards further exclaims,
the English language, mobilizing and sending it into Tyndale "was the Reformation in England."
the world for the cause of Jesus Christ, that his global These respected men are not alone in their accolades for
influence extends to this present day. By first translat- Tyndale. The famous martyrologist, John Foxe, lauded Tyn-
ing the Bible from the Hebrew and Greek into English, dale as "the Apostle of England…the most remarkable figure
William Tyndale became the "true father of the English Bi- among the first generation of English Protestants." Through
ble." In so doing, Tyndale, equally, became the father of the his translation work, Tyndale is regarded as "the first of the
English Reformation as well as the father of the modern En- Puritans, or at least their grandfather." Assuming this mantle,
glish language. It was this monumental task, rendering the Tyndale became the driving force that reshaped and reconfig-
Bible from its original tongue into English, which gave rise to ured the English language. Translating the Bible into English
the Protestant movement in England and the standardizing for the common person, Tyndale is celebrated as the "prophet
of modern English. Simply put, Tyndale birthed the English of the English language." Tyndale took supreme command of
Reformation by giving its people a pure translation of Scrip- the Hebrew and Greek Bible and placed it into the hands of
ture in their native tongue. ordinary people in a readable English Bible.
Tyndale was the pioneer who blazed the trail for the Ref- With such extreme importance attached to Tyndale, certain
ormation in his homeland. Noted Reformation historian J. H. questions need to be addressed in order to fully appreciate his
Merle d'Aubigne calls Tyndale "the mighty mainspring of the place in the broader scope of church history. What steps did
English Reformation." That is to say, Tyndale set into motion this chief architect of the English Bible take in order to pro-
the leading cause, which, in turn, produced powerful effects in duce his magnificent translation from the original languages?
the spread of the Reformation throughout England and be- What challenges did he have to overcome in order to present
yond. Preeminent among Bible translators, Tyndale possessed this extraordinary gift to the English-speaking world? What
"a linguistic genius whose expertise in multiple languages high price did Tyndale ultimately pay in order to accomplish
dazzled the scholarly world of his day." According to Tyn- this extraordinary feat?
dale biographer Brian Edwards, Tyndale was "the heart of the

43
 T RU T H R E M A I N S : T Y N DA L E

Born near Gloucestershire understanding of the Scripture. . . . [T]he Scripture

William Tyndale was born in the early 1490s, probably be- is locked up with . . . false expositions, and with false
tween 1493 and 1495, most likely in 1494. This placed him in principles of natural philosophy.
rural western England, the Slymbridge area of Gloucestershire
near the Welsh border and Severn River. During the War of Such a spiritually impoverished education hindered Tyndale
the Roses, Tyndale's ancestors migrated to the Gloucester- from knowing the truth of Scripture. In July 1515, Tyndale
shire area in the fifteenth century and became landowners. He graduated with a Master of Arts degree as a university-trained
was placed by God into an industrious family of respectable linguist from the highly acclaimed Oxford University. Upon
farmers who made their livelihood by cultivating their land. graduation, little is known regarding what Tyndale chose to
The Tyndale family was reasonably successful, flourishing in do immediately afterward. There is consensus that he likely
one of the most prosperous countries in England. This relative pursued further studies at Oxford and gave classroom instruc-
prosperity allowed William's parents to send him to Oxford, tion there.
England's most prestigious university.
Little is known about William's younger years, which re- Cambridge and the White Horse Inn
main shrouded in obscurity. What is known, however, is that In 1519, Tyndale went to study at Cambridge, regarded as
Tyndale had at least two brothers, Edward and John. Like Oxford's foremost intellectual rival in England. Scholars sug-
their father, his brother John became an able and successful gest that he may have received a degree while there. Prior to
land manager who oversaw their Gloucestershire farm. The Tyndale's arrival at Cambridge, from 1511 to 1514, the famed
other brother, Edward, became a crown steward in Glouces- Dutch Renaissance humanist, Desiderius Erasmus of Rotter-
tershire, who received rent for the use of Berkeley land for the dam (1466–1536), lectured in Greek at Cambridge. During
king. In future years, William would exert a direct influence Tyndale's time there, Erasmus was traveling around Europe,
upon his brothers for the cause of the Reformation in En- compiling his famous Greek New Testament (1516).
gland. As a result, John would be fined for possessing and dis- Cambridge had become a hotbed for the Protestant teach-
tributing Bibles, a serious crime at the time in England. Upon ing of the German Reformer, Martin Luther. Many of Lu-
his death, Edward would leave a number of Reformed books ther's works were accessible at Cambridge, being broadly cir-
in his last will and testament, a punishable offense in England. culated among instructors and students alike. This exposure
generated a building excitement on campus as these new ref-
Magdalen Hall and Oxford ormational truths were captivating many brilliant minds. As
In 1506, at age twelve, William entered Magdalen Hall, such, Cambridge was becoming the training ground for future
which was located inside Magdalen College and attached reformers and martyrs. Under this influence of the Bible, Tyn-
to Oxford University. He spent a total of ten years, 1506 to dale embraced a deep commitment to the core truths of the
1516, at Oxford in study. In Magdalen Hall, Tyndale spent Protestant movement.
the first two years in the equivalent of a preparatory grammar In 1520, a small group of Cambridge scholars began meet-
school. There he studied grammar, arithmetic, geometry, as- ing regularly to discuss this new theology. A mere three years
tronomy, music, theory, rhetoric, logic, and philosophy. Upon earlier, Luther had posted his 95 Theses in Wittenberg, Ger-
entering Oxford, he demonstrated great aptitude and progress many, on October 31, 1517. These truth-seeking students
in languages under the finest classical scholars. While there, gathered at a local pub on the campus of King's College,
Tyndale was ordained into the priesthood, though he never called the White Horse Inn, to debate the ideas of Luther.
entered a monastic order. This group became known as "little Germany." In this small
After graduating with his Bachelor of Arts on July 4, 1512, circle were many future leaders in the Reformed movement
Tyndale set his sights on a Master of Arts degree from Ox- in England. Those included were Robert Barnes, Nicholas
ford. It was not until the late stage of his education, after eight Ridley, Hugh Latimer, Miles Coverdale, Thomas Cranmer,
or nine years, that he finally was allowed to study theology. Thomas Bilney, and many believe, William Tyndale. Of this
However, it was only speculative theology, with priority given group, two became archbishops, seven became bishops, and
to Aristotle and other Greek philosophers rather than the Bi- eight would be Protestant martyrs––Bilney, Tyndale, Clark,
ble. Upon reflection, Tyndale expressed his great disappoint- Frith, Lambert, Barnes, Ridley, and Latimer. These informal
ment in being shielded from the Bible and theology: gatherings became the kindling for the English Reformation
that would soon spread like wildfire across the British Isles.
In the universities, they have ordained that no man shall
look on the Scripture until he be noselled [nursed] in A Tutor at Little Sodbury
heathen learning eight or nine years, and armed with In 1521, Tyndale came to the conclusion he needed to step
false principles with which he is clean shut out of the away from the academic atmosphere in order to give more

44 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES

careful thought to the truths of the Reformation. Specifically, a foretaste of what was to come.
this young scholar wanted time to study and digest the Greek As local priests came to dine at the Walsh manor, Tyndale
New Testament. He took a job in Gloucestershire, less than witnessed firsthand the appalling biblical ignorance of the
twelve miles from his birthplace, working for the wealthy fam- Roman church. During one meal, he found himself in a heat-
ily of Sir John Walsh at their estate, Little Sodbury. Tyndale ed debate with a Catholic clergyman. The priest asserted, "We
served as the primary tutor for the children, private chaplain had better be without God's law than the pope's." Tyndale
for the family, and personal secretary to Sir John. During this boldly responded, "I defy the pope and all his laws." He then
period, he preached regularly to a little congregation in nearby added these famous words, "If God spared him life, ere many
St. Adeline. years he would cause a boy that drives the plough to know
In considering the spiritual state of England, Tyndale came more of the Scripture than he does." Tyndale was echoing
to the sober realization that England would never be evange- Erasmus' words in the Preface to his recently published Greek
lized using Latin Bibles. Therefore, Tyndale concluded, "It was New Testament, "I would to God that the plowman would
impossible to establish the lay people in any truth, except the sing a text of the Scripture at his plow and that the weaver
Scripture were laid before their eyes in their mother tongue." would hum them to the tune of his shuttle." From this point
As he traveled throughout the region, fulfilling opportunities forward, the ambitious task of translating the Bible into En-
to preach, his beliefs were becoming well known as being dis- glish was the dominating pursuit of his life.
tinctly Luther-like. His convictions became so strong that he
found himself in disputes with officials in the Roman Cath- Excerpt from The Daring Mission of William Tyndale by Steven
olic Church over the nature of the true gospel. Around 1522, J. Lawson, to be published by Reformation Trust in 2015.
he was called before John Bell, the Chancellor of Worcester,
and warned about his controversial views. No formal charges
were leveled against him at the time, but this conflict was only

OnePassion makes available the preaching, teaching, and writing ministry of Dr. Steven J.
Lawson through a comprehensive website. Visit our website for many resources, sermons,
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"We have a living gospel to take
to dead sinners which has the
power to make them live forever."
STEVEN J. LAWSON

46 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NEPAS

NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES
 OnePassion Ministries exists to ignite a supreme passion for God and His glory in all people
throughout the world. As our name indicates, the strategic goal of this ministry is to
enflame hearts with an all-consuming desire for Jesus Christ and His gospel.

OUR PURPOSE OUR PRESIDENT

Our primary aim for believers from every walk of life is Dr. Steven J. Lawson is President and founder of OnePassion
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48 EXPOSITOR SEP/OCT 14 O NE PAS S ION MI NI ST RI ES
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