High View of Our Scripture (Part A)

We must say the Bible is absolutely His and it is trustworthy because when you say it contains God's Word, well what part is it God's Word and what part is not? What part is trustworthy and what part is not?

Who gets to decide that? And so, we must check their positions on the inerrancy of Scripture and the sufficiency of God's Word. You see, someone can say the Bible is inerrant.

It is trustworthy. And at the same time, not implement what the Bible says go to the world to find solutions for human behavior. We have a free copy of this teaching. But for now, let's join Pastor Rick in the book of Proverbs chapter 30 as he begins his message, The High View of Our Scripture. Proverbs chapter 30 verse 5, there is our text. The title of the message is The High View of Our Scripture. And Solomon wrote these words, every word of God is pure.

He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him. Now that word in the Hebrew pure can mean tried as in purified, as in run through a furnace. The dross is burned off. It's been cleansed.

It's been filtered. It's filtered through God's holiness. Now here's Solomon writing these proverbs, which we all need to constantly be requalified with. The proverbs are perishable tidbits of doctrine and knowledge and wisdom that if we do not continuously stay up on them, they get away from us. And he's writing or has compiled these proverbs and also authored many of them through the Spirit.

And then this shows up. Every word of God is pure. What he was writing was God's word. Whatever he was or was not, God was working through him to have a high view of Scripture comes from having a high view of Christ. And from having a high view of Christ, you will have a high view of his word.

You cannot separate the two. Jim Elliot, and again, those of you in your 20s, if you don't know who Jim Elliot is or was, or is is probably more accurate because he is with the Lord. Jim Elliot was a missionary to Ecuador. And while I think he made some mistakes, no one could dispute his passion and love for God. And Jim Elliot wrote, none of it gets to be old stuff, for it is Christ in print, the living word. That is a doctrinally sound statement. That is something that God has already given us and he has expressed it with other words. Wherever you find a strong Christian, you're going to find a Bible-reading Christian. You're not going to find a strong Christian, I don't care how eloquent they may be, if they are not in the word, the word is not in them. And they're not to be trusted as an authority on the word.

I have to say that because there are those getting away with this. They think that it is more important to be cool, to appeal to the world, to be like the world, to walk like the world, to talk like the world. Sort of Dr. Dolittle Christians. Unfortunately, many of them are abandoning the very faith they claim to belong to in this effort. Of course we want to reach those in the world, but on Christ's terms, we must be very, very careful about this because the world has enough of the world, that's not what they need.

They do not need more of themselves. They need God. And the only way, the only place they can find him is in the Christian. And it is sad commentary by so many that say, you know, I don't want to be a Christian because of Christians and how they behave. But if that statement is made barring obedient Christians, or let me put it this way, if someone is saying I don't want to be a Christian because I've looked at them and I've seen their righteousness and that's not attractive, well then that of course is insane. But if they're saying I've looked at the Christian and they don't practice what they preach, they don't even come close, they don't even make an effort towards it, then you have to respect that word. But then you must say, well what am I going to do about this?

Am I going to let it just sit with me and I'm good with it? Am I going to rise up, rise up man of God, and do something about it? I choose the latter. I choose to do whatever I can to refute the devil's work in the stealing of souls. The question is, has a believer in God, the God of the Bible that is, ever sided with Satan's low views of God's word?

Yes. Eve. Eve was the first to do it.

She turned from the pure word of God to the impure word of this creature in Eden. And with little surprise and great disappointment, we find believers in God repeating Eve's mistake. I've made a note to myself in the delivery of this message to be careful not to mar the message by sounding harsh and intolerant. Although we should be intolerant of many things, we have to be intolerant wisely and not send the wrong signal in our intolerance. Yes, we are intolerant of sin. No, we are not holding in contempt sinners.

We are trying to reach them. Many are the loudest voices in the Christian arena today. They are influenced as Eve was influenced. They repeat her mistake by listening to the impure and getting rid of the pure. Pulpits, books, seminaries, blogs, musicians, songwriters, we are infested with low views of God's high word.

No one would, I think, come out and say that. They wouldn't come out and say, I have low opinion of God and his word. They're more subtle, more sophisticated because they are influenced by Satan. While retaining positions of influence in the Christian circles, they do great damage. And the gullible are delicacy, irreconcilable views with the statements of belief required by Jesus Christ as what is being pushed upon Christianity, especially in this country. And, well, Europe is almost, that ship is almost completely sunk.

They long ago sold out. England used to produce such great men of the pulpit. Not anymore. Many of these admired voices are saying things like, the Bible contains the word of God. It does not. It is the word of God. There's not some of the, oh, maybe I'm getting, again, marring the sermon.

In my zeal, in my love of the scripture, in my disdain for the work of Satan, I have to be very careful. The Bible does not contain the word of God. It is the word of God. And when it is said like that, when someone says, well, it contains the word of God, they're doubting the authority of scripture. They are trying to appease and appeal to that intellectual group in the secular world that is willing to allow us this much if we stay on the reservation.

But if we get off the reservation and we begin to go at the lies, if we stand for the truth, that will not be tolerated. And so to infer that part of the Bible is not the word of God is not the work of God. We must say the Bible is absolutely His and it is trustworthy because when you say it contains God's word, well, what part is it God's word and what part is not? What part is trustworthy and what part is not?

Who gets to decide that? And so we must check their positions on the inerrancy of scripture and the sufficiency of God's word. You see, someone can say the Bible is inerrant, it's trustworthy, and at the same time not implement what the Bible says, go to the world to find solutions for human behavior. But to say the Bible is inerrant, in other words, it is trustworthy and it has the solutions to human behavior. That is the ideal.

That is the goal. And when we say inerrant, it does not mean it's not problematic. It is very problematic. There are imprecisions.

There are difficulties in the text. But none of it takes away any of its trustworthiness. And the scholars, they battle over this and that as to what is precise in certain parts of scripture. But again, none of it takes away from the word. The problem is not on the content, it is on the examiner's side trying to get to the bottom of things. And so they should.

This has always been the case. We have answered so many questions about the Bible through study of the Bible over the ages. The church has become stronger in her understanding of scripture. And so before we quote those writers of books, those writers on blogs, before we sing their songs, before we applaud them and sing their accolades, let's make sure we understand where they stand on this issue. Is the Bible inerrant?

Is it trustworthy? Is it the word of God, not the word with some of God? Unfortunately, there are many Christians who love the Lord, and yet they admire those who don't in Christianity. Now I have some admiration for some who aren't saved, not on a Christian level, but for whatever achievements they have made outside of the Christian world.

You may have a physician who is incredibly skilled at what they do. You can admire that. There's nothing wrong with admiring that.

I admire Winston Churchill, thought he was very witty. I admire Mark Twain, but I wouldn't go to none of them for information about God. In fact, I would bring it to them. And so we can admire human achievement to some degree, but we must not admire those within Christianity who doubt the very word of God given to us as they climb up this ladder of recognition amongst the saints.

And again, it's happening. If someone, if I were to, well, years ago, I used to do a Bible prayer group, study group in Manhattan, and the lady who hosted it, her library was pretty much, as you come into a brownstone in Manhattan, as you'd come in, you'd see her library. And as I'd walk along looking at her library, I'd have to restrain myself from flipping it over. But you just can't walk up and say, you know this guy's a kook, you know this one is a liar, do you know this one's a bozo? Do you know what bozo looks like? And you just can't slam people like that. It doesn't get work done. And you have to be led by the Lord, and sometimes the Lord just says, shut up, I'm working on it, and I don't need you in the way. Sometimes he says, you can't let that guy have a pass.

Sometimes he says, I've sent you here just for this reason. And I would think that if I were, well, let me put it this way, if Christ were to walk through your library, would he bring a gasoline can with him to burn what you have on your shelves, because you're stocking it with authors who do not have high opinions of our scripture, who do not say every word of God is pure, in their efforts to reach the world with whatever else is left that they have. Imagine Apollos, that great eloquent speaker in the New Testament book of Acts, preaching, imagine him preaching sub-Christian ideas. Would anyone speak up? Would anyone say, objection? Would anyone call him to the side afterwards and say, we have an issue?

Well, that is exactly what happened with Apollos. The powerful speaker was discreetly pulled aside by two not so powerful speakers, Aquila and Prisca. And they straightened him out on an issue, and he received it, and he went on to be this great preacher of the faith, has doctrine being corrected. But not that he was preaching heresy, but he was not accurate. It was wrong on a certain issue. In the Bible, Luke, in the Gospel of Acts, he is so sensitive to the subject, he does not humiliate Apollos. But the statement has been made, and the jury has heard it.

It cannot have a pass. And so, are we supposed to give a wink, accept a heretical quote? How many of you know what heresy means? How many of you know that it means that you have departed from what Jesus said, and you've come up with something that he has spoken against? To say, for instance, that Jesus has a spiritual brother is heresy. To say that he is not the only one without sin, heresy. To say I can pray to someone else outside the Godhead, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, that is the Godhead. To say I can pray with that to someone else, heresy. To talk to the dead, heresy. To say that the Bible is not pure, heresy. We are here to uphold these things. Listen, Satan has an army out there holding up his junk. Why should we be ashamed to uphold what is right and truthful and helpful to lost souls? You cannot imagine what this world, you don't have to imagine what the world would be like without Christianity. You just have to look back in history.

Enslavement, the quest for power, that was what dominated the world. And so, as we ask, are we supposed to just wink at this, quote these folks with honor? And we say no. And we ask, then why are the pulpits and pews overflowing with those who read and defend sub-scriptural views of Christ? When you meet a new Christian, and you enter into conversation, and you discern that they are loving the Lord, at some point it's got to come up. In this age we live in, what do you think about the scripture? Is it the word of God?

Is it trustworthy? Who is Jesus Christ? Is he God the Son, or something less? Do you believe in the miracles of scripture? Do you believe in the virgin birth? Do you believe in the resurrection of Jesus Christ and his return? Do you believe that the word of the Lord is right and converts the soul? Do you believe a man must be converted, become as a little child and be converted before they can be saved from an eternal damnation?

Do you believe in a real hell, in a real devil? You see, all of these things, they are sneaking past, claiming that the Bible was being metaphorical when the Bible is being literal. And so they want permission to say and to do what destroys. I'm not talking about the destruction of a nation, though we have that going on also. I'm talking about the destruction of the church and its witness and the people who the Lord would love to see saved.

They are making it more and more difficult, and this is all over the place. Many of you may not go out and hear what they're writing and see what they're saying. You may not see these YouTube clips of everybody just trying to reach the world with more of the world's junk in Jesus' name. But it is going on at an alarming rate, and it is disturbing, of course, to see politicians and celebrities make attempts to trample God's Word.

And yet again, Christian authors and clergy and participants are mingling error into their doctrine, and they are being touted as champions. If I ask you, think of a Christian figure that you hold in high esteem. I don't mean you're a pastor. I mean, I already know you do that.

Joke, joke, joke. I mean somebody, some author or some preacher, you just love the way they look, the way they talk, because after all, many of us, we vote the book by its cover. But then ask yourself, do I know if this person believes in the center values of the Christian faith, or are they sub-Christian?

Has this individual mingled into this faith things that God says he hates? This is the question. Now, initially in preparing this message, I had a list of names and addresses and phone numbers, social security numbers, and pens of these people. But then the Lord said, tone it down.

Not necessary. Stay on point. Communicate the high value of our word.

And God speaks that way. Our, it's inclusive. You know, if you've been going to a church for any length of time, that's your central place of worshipping, and you're saying, yeah, y'all, something's missing. When does it become ours? When are you part of it? When have you said, the Lord has me here.

This is my spiritual home in the assembly. Ownership is not to be taken lightly. It is a statement of where we stand. And so, these errors, they are applauded, they are defended at an alarming rate. Speak against some of them.

Oh, but I have all of his books, or her books, and I love them. Yes, but this person is running with a group, and is now part of that group that doesn't uphold the words. Are you unmoved by this? What about those who are accepting homosexuality into Christianity as homosexuality?

Those who are claiming the Bible is equal to the Koran? Those who are denying the miracles, as I mentioned already? Ignoring sin. Ah, sin's really, you know, it's kind of overrated.

All you pastors put too much emphasis on fighting sin. Let's lift everybody up. Okay, it's getting away from me again.

Pull it back. Are we aware of those who claim to share our faith while denouncing it at the same time? See, that's the trick. Charles Augustus Briggs, I think, was his name. I'm sure it was his name. He's the theologian of a century ago. And he stood up in front of the, I believe it was the Union Theological Seminary in New York, and he said, I am a believer in the traditional doctrines of the Christian faith. And then he went on after that point to speak everything liberal about whatever philosophies he was pushing, and nobody got it. A few did. Why not?

Because he touched base before he went on. You know, I believe in Jesus Christ. Oh, okay, now say anything you want to say.

I won't even listen because you believe in Jesus Christ. That's it. Let's put that name on it. It can't be forgery.

You put a bow on it, it's got to be good. And so, and he wasn't the only one. Harry Emerson Fosdick. And if you have any of his books when you get home, throw them in the trash. These are men that ramped up liberal theology in this country.

Liberal theology is this. The Bible is not trustworthy. We are.

We, the ones that have told you the Bible is not trustworthy, trust us. We know what we're talking about. We've been in the highest universities. We speak multiple languages.

We can spell all sorts of words. Believe us. And that is what is going on. Now that is not a strike against highly educated Christian men.

Not at all. It just is a reminder that everything, or let me put it this way, nothing is off limits to the enemy. And so, denying the trustworthiness of scripture, berating verse by verse teaching, berating expository teaching. That means using the Bible to preach.

That's what expository teaching is. To actually speak from the scriptures and unfold it as our Lord taught us on the road to Emmaus. Unity and faith with merry worshippers, Buddhism, Islam, liberalism. When you come across those who are calling themselves part of the Christian community and yet they are throwing feathers at these things, then something is wrong. And so are we to classify such crimes against the pure word as a theological misdemeanor. Is it a misdemeanor? It's a high crime.

It's a capital crime. And we have to stand up. It's always grass root if the Holy Spirit is moving. One thing I loved about Calvary Chapel when I first discovered her, which I am so concerned about the Calvary Chapel movement today, because many ravenous wolves have crept in and they are doing damage. But when I first came to Calvary, it was grass root.

It was the people. Anybody who loved the Lord could receive the word of God and not be suspicious, not wonder if it was the word of God or not, or if somebody was up to something or trying to get into their pockets or start a new cult. It was just loving on the Lord according to His word. Thanks for tuning in to Cross Reference Radio for this study in God's word. If you've missed any part of this message or would like to explore more teachings, you can hear them by going to crossreferenceradio.com.

Pastor Rick is the pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville in Virginia. To learn more about this ministry, visit our website, crossreferenceradio.com. Again, that website is crossreferenceradio.com. We'd also like to encourage you to subscribe to our podcast. By doing so, you'll be notified of each new edition of Cross Reference Radio that we upload. It's a great way to stay connected to God's word. Just search for Cross Reference Radio in your favorite podcast app. That's all for today. Thanks for joining us here on Cross Reference Radio.