20 Sep 2007 04:20 am
I. The Scriptures
from the Baptist Faith & Message 2000:
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.
Exodus 24: | Deuteronomy 4:1-| Deuteronomy 17:1 | Joshua 8:3 | Psalms 19:7-1 | Psalms 119:11,89,105,14 | Isaiah 34:1 | Isaiah 40: | Jeremiah 15:1 | Jeremiah 3 | Matthew 5:17-1 | Matthew 22:2 | Luke 21:3 | Luke 24:44-4 | John 5:3 | John 16:13-1 | John 17:1 | Acts 2:16ff | Acts 17:1 | Romans 15: | Romans 16:25-2 | 2 Timothy 3:15-1 | Hebrews 1:1-| Hebrews 4:1 | 1 Peter 1:2 | 2 Peter 1:19-2
Relevant Books:
- Baptists and the Bible - Tom Nettles
- Scripture Alone: Exploring the Bibles Accuracy, Authority and Authenticity - James White
Related Links
- The Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy
- Sola Scriptura: Crucial To Evangelicalism - RC Sproul
- The Sufficiency of Scripture - Part 1 - John MacArthur
- The Sufficiency of Scripture - Part 2 - John MacArthur
Random Thoughts:
One of the main impetuses behind the 2000 Baptist Faith & Message revision of the 1963 statement rests in this first article. The last sentence of the earlier document read, “The criterion by which the Bible is to be interpreted is Jesus Christ.” Some interpreted this wording to leave some wiggle room between what the scripture actually says and what someone might imagine Jesus to have done, taught, or believed. In a world where some scholars attempt to plant a wedge between Jesus and the apostle Paul, the 1963 statement could imply that we can ignore what Paul and other biblical writers speak clearly if Jesus didn’t echo the exact sentiment. We believe all scripture stands sufficient, therefore the committee reworded the last sentence to read, “All Scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is Himself the focus of divine revelation.”
September 22nd, 2007 at 8:30 pm
Links:
Here’s my random thoughts:
In addition to the phrase you mentioned that had been removed I’ve read other things that have made just a big of a deal about the phrase “the record of” before “God’s revelation of Himself to man” being removed from the 1963 version.
They say: “Affirming that the Bible is the record of the revelation points us to the living Christ, i.e., the central event of God’s redemptive work, as the revelation of God. Deleting this phrase affirms that the Bible itself is the revelation of God.”…”The words of scripture are absolutely crucial to God’s self-revelation as they bear witness to God’s work among us. The biblical writers were inspired by the Holy Spirit in composing their written witness to God’s revelation. Readers of every age are illumined by the Spirit to discern the revelation of God through the words of scripture. Yet even as the Bible participates in the revelatory process, the phrase “record of’ reminds us that scripture directs us beyond its words to God’s creative and redemptive work which culminates in the Christ event. Deleting this phrase has the unfortunate effect of elevating the Bible above Christ.”
I say: They bring up an idea that I passed over as I read the 1963 BFM. But I am still reading and rereading their argument as I try to come up with a conclusion on my own if it is as big of a deal as they say.
February 14th, 2008 at 6:30 am
[...] The Scriptures [...]