donderdag 3 oktober 2013

The authority of Scripture 8 (end)

Biblical exposition
It is the duty of ministers of the Gospel to expose the Scriptures. They must do that in the assurance that the Scriptures are the infallible and inerrant Word of God for all ages. The application is a part of the exposition. When we think that the application is not immediately related to the exposition, we in fact see the Bible just as an historical document. In that case the sources for the application of the biblical message come from outside the Bible. Knowledge of gram­mar, bib­lical history and languages is highly use­ful. We must compare Scrip­ture with Scrip­ture. We must reject how­ever exegetical methods, which are not based on the self-wit­ness of the Bible.
Our approach to the Bible is never neu­tral. We must approach the Bible in the aware­ness that it is the voice of the liv­ing of God. Not our reason must judge the Bible, but the Bible must judge our rea­son. What we need above all is the enlightening of the Holy Spirit. Other­wise our knowl­edge of the Bible and of bibli­cal exe­gesis can be very great, but it is just an encyclopaedic knowledge. For that reason exposing the Scripture, we miss the real point. How we have to pray daily: "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law (Psalms 119:18)"
 

The end of the authority of Scripture

God has given us his Word to make us wise unto salvation. Defending the infallibility of Scrip­ture must never become an aim in itself. Our aim must be that we and other people glorify the triune God who has revealed himself to us and speaks to us in his Word. When we have our reser­vations about the divine origin of the Scripture and its divine inspiration, we cannot speak with authority any longer.
Prophets and apostles knew themselves to be spokesmen of the living God. They said: "Thus saith the LORD". Accepting the books of prophets and apostles as the Word of God, ministers of the gospel preaching the Word may speak and must speak which the same assur­ance: "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:20)"