On Sunday, March 1, we read the following together during our worship service as an affirmation of faith in one of our most important doctrines:
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. 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. 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. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.
This statement, taken directly from the Baptist Faith and Message (2000), is an important declaration of our confidence in Scripture as the definitive revelation of God to man. As Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. explains, “The Bible is not merely a record of revelation. It is revelation itself. The Bible is not a fallible witness to the revelation of God. It is God’s perfectly inspired Word.”
Scripture is a crucial element of Christian worship, and we make Scripture a central focus in three distinct ways. First, we must read aloud the words of Scripture. Sometimes one person reads a passage, sometimes we read a passage in unison, and other times we read responsively. All of these help us to ensure we are constantly focused on the Word as guide to our worship.
Further, Scripture is kept central through its exposition. Expository preaching is the intentional proclamation of the Word in a way that unpacks its truth for the people of God to clearly understand. David Platt, senior pastor of the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, says, “If preaching is not expository, then it’s not preaching.” He goes on to clarify that “the purpose of preaching is to glorify God, and we magnify the glory of God by magnifying His voice, by magnifying what He has said.”
Finally, everything else that happens in our worship must be tried by the standard of Scripture, and be done for the purpose of the propagation of its message. The words of the songs we sing should be vetted and scrutinized against the truth of Scripture, regardless of how catchy, fun, or emotionally moving the music may be. A beautiful-sounding song, performed with great musicality, but with a text that contradicts or misconstrues the message of Scripture, is nonetheless dishonoring to God.
If we desire to worship God “in spirit and in truth,” we are dependent on the truth of Scripture to direct us in what we teach, preach, and sing. If we desire to honor Jesus Christ, the “Word made flesh,” in our worship, we must honor the written Word, which Christ himself exalted even as high as his own name. If we desire to “draw near to God,” we must seek to experience Him through his revealed Word, over any spiritual experience, intuition, or emotion. Praise be to God for the gift of his eternal Word. In the words of the hymn writer:
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
The Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired and is God's revelation of Himself to man. 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. 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. All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.
This statement, taken directly from the Baptist Faith and Message (2000), is an important declaration of our confidence in Scripture as the definitive revelation of God to man. As Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. explains, “The Bible is not merely a record of revelation. It is revelation itself. The Bible is not a fallible witness to the revelation of God. It is God’s perfectly inspired Word.”
Scripture is a crucial element of Christian worship, and we make Scripture a central focus in three distinct ways. First, we must read aloud the words of Scripture. Sometimes one person reads a passage, sometimes we read a passage in unison, and other times we read responsively. All of these help us to ensure we are constantly focused on the Word as guide to our worship.
Further, Scripture is kept central through its exposition. Expository preaching is the intentional proclamation of the Word in a way that unpacks its truth for the people of God to clearly understand. David Platt, senior pastor of the Church at Brook Hills in Birmingham, Alabama, says, “If preaching is not expository, then it’s not preaching.” He goes on to clarify that “the purpose of preaching is to glorify God, and we magnify the glory of God by magnifying His voice, by magnifying what He has said.”
Finally, everything else that happens in our worship must be tried by the standard of Scripture, and be done for the purpose of the propagation of its message. The words of the songs we sing should be vetted and scrutinized against the truth of Scripture, regardless of how catchy, fun, or emotionally moving the music may be. A beautiful-sounding song, performed with great musicality, but with a text that contradicts or misconstrues the message of Scripture, is nonetheless dishonoring to God.
If we desire to worship God “in spirit and in truth,” we are dependent on the truth of Scripture to direct us in what we teach, preach, and sing. If we desire to honor Jesus Christ, the “Word made flesh,” in our worship, we must honor the written Word, which Christ himself exalted even as high as his own name. If we desire to “draw near to God,” we must seek to experience Him through his revealed Word, over any spiritual experience, intuition, or emotion. Praise be to God for the gift of his eternal Word. In the words of the hymn writer:
How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord,
Is laid for your faith in His excellent Word!
What more can He say than to you He hath said,
To you who for refuge to Jesus have fled?
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