Bible Authority How to Establish Bible Authority Part
Bible Authority How to Establish Bible Authority (Part 5)
God’s Word is Enough • God’s ways, revealed in God’s word, are sufficient to accomplish God’s purposes, 2 Tim. 3: 16 -17; 2 Pet. 1: 2 -3 • But, how do we know what is authorized by God for us, and what is not? Colossians 3: 17 2
A Pattern to Follow • God’s pattern, Heb. 8: 5 -6 • Uniform (everywhere in every church), 1 Cor. 4: 17 • Understandable, Eph. 3: 3 -4 • Use correctly, 2 Tim. 2: 15 “Hold fast the pattern of sound words” (2 Tim. 1: 13) 3
How to Establish Bible Authority Command (Direct statement) • Go preach, Mark 16: 15 • Believe and is baptized = saved, Mark 16: 16 • Eat the Lord’s Supper, 1 Cor. 11: 23 -25 4
How to Establish Bible Authority Apostolic Approved Example • Imitate me (“become”)…my ways in Christ, 1 Cor. 4: 16 -17 • Commanded to follow apostolic example, 1 Cor. 11: 1; Phil. 3: 17; 4: 9 5
How to Establish Bible Authority Apostolic Approved Example The consistent pattern of practice under apostolic teaching and guidance (Acts 2: 42) 6
How to Establish Bible Authority Apostolic Approved Example • When to eat the Lord’s Supper Acts 20: 7 (1 Cor. 11: 20, 33) 7
How to Establish Bible Authority Necessary Inference “That which, though neither expressly stated nor specifically exemplified, [yet] is necessarily implied by the clear import and meaning of the language used. ” (Cogdill, Walking by Faith, 14) 8
How to Establish Bible Authority Necessary Inference • Necessary conclusion based on given information, cf. Matt. 3: 16 • How often to eat Lord’s Supper, Acts 20: 7 (cf. Sabbath of old covenant, Exo. 20: 8) 9
How to Establish Bible Authority Necessary Inference NOT • Merely a reasonable inference, Jno. 21: 21 -23 • Merely what we want to conclude, Matt. 12: 24 (14); Jno. 7: 24 10
How to Establish Bible Authority Necessary Inference No Escape (Binding Authority) • Jesus used it, Matt. 22: 31 -32 (29); 19: 3 -6 • Inspired writers used it, Heb. 7: 12 (8: 4) • Jesus expects us to use it correctly, Luke 12: 54 -59; Mark 2: 9 -11 (Jno. 9: 29 -33) 11
Man-Made or God Approved? • Direct statement • Apostolic approved example • Necessary inference Acts 15: 6 -21 • Apostolic example, 15: 7 -11 Gentiles saved without binding the law of Moses • Necessary inference, 15: 12 (14: 3) • Direct statement of Scripture, 15: 13 -19 12
Man-Made or God Approved? • Direct statement • Apostolic approved example • Necessary inference Acts 15: 6 -21 • One is enough to establish binding authority • Frequency of Lord’s Supper (Acts 20: 7) • Frequency of giving (1 Cor. 16: 2) 13
Bible Authority God-approved pattern (Heaven’s authority) 2 Tim. 1: 13 • All in the name of the Lord, Col. 3: 17 • Do the will of the Father, Matt. 7: 21 -23 14
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