ABOUT A LOSS OF REGARD FOR BIBLICAL AUTHORITY
2 Pet 1:10-15
INTRO: Long years ago the apostle Paul wrote that he daily felt the care of all the churches. (2 Cor 11:28). He had concerns of various sorts, and those concerns weighed upon him. Certainly Im not the apostle Paul ... indeed, I am not an apostle ... period. But I have lived a fairly long while and have worked daily in the Lords kingdom much of my life. And I do have some concerns. With the greatest of love and tenderness I want to tell you of my concerns. I hope and pray you will accept my concerns as sincere; from my heart. I am concerned about a loss of regard for Biblical authority.
I. SOME THINGS LEADING TO THIS?
A. Ignorance of the scriptures
1. people propose and do all sorts of things in ignorance
2. people accept things in ignorance
3. and it seems there is little inclination to become better informed ... so almost anything goes
4. consider 2 Pet 1:15 and 1 Cor 15:2 ... knowledge implied
B. Lack of interest in matters Biblical
1. social things, charitable things, societal things, entertainment are the points of interest
2. but there isnt much time for serious study
3. perhaps study of the word just isnt seen as urgent
4. Jno 5:39 and 2 Tim 3:15-17 ... without the scriptures we may enjoy many things social, etc. but without the scriptures we cannot know what we must know both to be growing, mature Christians and to please God!
C. Through selective binding of Biblical information
1. much is dismissed with thats not important to salvation
2. how do we come to such conclusions? how do mere mortals know so they can reach such conclusions?
3. a statement of core doctrines which is primary and all else is secondary is arbitrary, but devastating to concept of Biblical authority
4. Jno 17:17 - Jno 14:26 - Acts 2:42should one not be seeking all truth and responding obediently in simple faith
D. Through relativism
1. liberal theologians and philosophers have declared there is no absolute truth
2. so, truth is defined by the individual and circumstance
3. simply said, God didnt mean what He said.
4. Jno 8:32 question? whose truth?
E. Through something called deconstruction
1. this approach says words spoken by God and revealed in scripture do not have the same definition now as then
2. and each person may define those words for himself!
3. do you see what happens? man becomes god
4. Jno 6:63 and 1 Cor 2:12,13 ... words - His definition, or ours?
II. WITHOUT BIBLICAL AUTHORITY ...
A. There is no divine standard
1. thus, chaos and confusion result
2. I am reminded of Judges 21:25
3. religion becomes what a person wants it to be - Rom 1:21-23
4. morality becomes desire/lust driven - Rom 1:28,ff
5. indeed, what is now so prevalent in human, social experience is evidence of no acceptance of the divine standard
B. There is just no way to eternal security
1. Jno 12:48-50 and Rev 20:12
2. clearly, there is a revealed standard
3. and that standard is undergirded by the authority of God Himself ... He before Whom we must stand to be judged
4. we may choose how to live - but we are accountable to Him for the choice we make!
CLOSE: On every side, within and without, Biblical authority is under attack. My plea to you is to acknowledge, accept and enjoy the authority of Gods written word.
Cecil A. Hutson
09 January 2000
You Must Hear the Gospel
Romans 10:17
You must hear the gospel and then understand and recognize that you are lost without Jesus Christ no matter who you are and no matter what your background is. The Bible tells us that “all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.” (Romans 3:23) Before you can be saved, you must understand that you are lost and that the only way to be saved is by obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ. (2 Thessalonians 1:8) Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6) “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) "So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." (Romans 10:17)
You Must Believe
Hebrews 11:6
You must believe and have faith in God because “without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.” (Hebrews 11:6) But neither belief alone nor faith alone is sufficient to save. (James 2:19; James 2:24; Matthew 7:21)
You Must Repent
Acts 3:19
You must repent of your sins. (Acts 3:19) But repentance alone is not enough. The so-called “Sinner’s Prayer” that you hear so much about today from denominational preachers does not appear anywhere in the Bible. Indeed, nowhere in the Bible was anyone ever told to pray the “Sinner’s Prayer” to be saved. By contrast, there are numerous examples showing that prayer alone does not save. Saul, for example, prayed following his meeting with Jesus on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:11), but Saul was still in his sins when Ananias met him three days later (Acts 22:16). Cornelius prayed to God always, and yet there was something else he needed to do to be saved (Acts 10:2, 6, 33, 48). If prayer alone did not save Saul or Cornelius, prayer alone will not save you. You must obey the gospel. (2 Thess. 1:8)
You Must Confess
Romans 10:9
You must confess that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. (Romans 10:9-10) Note that you do NOT need to make Jesus “Lord of your life.” Why? Because Jesus is already Lord of your life whether or not you have obeyed his gospel. Indeed, we obey him, not to make him Lord, but because he already is Lord. (Acts 2:36) Also, no one in the Bible was ever told to just “accept Jesus as your personal savior.” We must confess that Jesus is the Son of God, but, as with faith and repentance, confession alone does not save. (Matthew 7:21)
You Must Be Baptized
Acts 2:38
Having believed, repented, and confessed that Jesus is the Son of God, you must be baptized for the remission of your sins. (Acts 2:38) It is at this point (and not before) that your sins are forgiven. (Acts 22:16) It is impossible to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ without teaching the absolute necessity of baptism for salvation. (Acts 8:35-36; Romans 6:3-4; 1 Peter 3:21) Anyone who responds to the question in Acts 2:37 with an answer that contradicts Acts 2:38 is NOT proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ!
You Must Be Faithful Unto Death
Revelation 2:10
Once you are saved, God adds you to his church and writes your name in the Book of Life. (Acts 2:47; Philippians 4:3) To continue in God’s grace, you must continue to serve God faithfully until death. Unless they remain faithful, those who are in God’s grace will fall from grace, and those whose names are in the Book of Life will have their names blotted out of that book. (Revelation 2:10; Revelation 3:5; Galatians 5:4)