This week we begin our series on "What We Believe" by walking through the first article of our statement of faith, the Baptist Faith & Message 2000 (which you can read in its entirety by clicking HERE). Our church (along with thousands of other churches across the country) subscribes to this statement of faith as a helpful way to summarize and clarify our beliefs. The goal for a statement is not to be comprehensive, but concise enough so that believers can unify around a shared understanding of truth. If you didn't get a chance to read last week's blog on why 'statements of faith' are important, please take a moment to read Pastor Andrew's excellent post by clicking HERE.
And, appropriately, the first article in our statement of faith addresses what we believe about the Bible. Now, you may ask, "Why not begin with our beliefs about God? That seems more important, doesn't it?" To which I'd respond, "Well, which God are you talking about? Who is he? What is he like? And how do you know him?" Once you begin to ask these questions, you realize how important our understanding of the Bible is. If we have a low or inadequate view of scripture, it cannot help but impact our view of God. So, what follows below is "Article 1" of our statement of faith together with my explanatory comments (in blue) and scriptural support (at the end.)
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God’s revelation of Himself to man. [The Bible was written by men under God's direct guidance so that people could know God. In other words, it's a book about Him...so we can know him, love him, and find salvation in him] It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter. Therefore, all Scripture is totally true and trustworthy. [The Bible, from Genesis to Revelation is a book from God for the good of humanity. As such, it is completely true without even the smallest touch of falsehood. Because every word is from God it can be trusted and relied upon as the only sure foundation upon which to build our lives] It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is, and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian union, and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds, and religious opinions should be tried. [It is the only and final authority for every Christian throughout history and teaches us both how we can find salvation in God and how to live our lives. It judges all other truth claims and is itself not open to our judgement or critique] All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation. [The Bible, from beginning to end is about Jesus Christ. In the OT he is concealed, but in the NT He is revealed.]
Scriptural support...
(Exodus 24:4; Deuteronomy 4:1-2; 17:19; Joshua 8:34; Psalms 19:7-10; 119:11,89,105,140; Isaiah 34:16; 40:8; Jeremiah 15:16; 36:1-32; Matthew 5:17-18; 22:29; Luke 21:33; 24:44-46; John 5:39; 16:13-15; 17:17; Acts 2:16ff.; 17:11; Romans 15:4; 16:25-26; 2 Timothy 3:15-17; Hebrews 1:1-2; 4:12; 1 Peter 1:25; 2 Peter 1:19-21)
While this may not seem the most thrilling topic for a blog post - we believe it's important. As 'cultural Christianity' fades into oblivion - Christians will need more clarity and more conviction with regard to the 'faith once for all delivered to the saints' if they are to remain faithful in a culture that is openly hostile to truth claims in general and particularly to those rooted in divine revelation. We hope this will be a helpful reminder for all Christians (not just members of LBC) of the importance of what we believe!
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