by Garrett Glende

We now come to the final Characteristic of Scripture: its sufficiency. To say that Scripture is sufficient is to trust in its usefulness for all areas that it addresses. Grudem defines the doctrine in his own terms:

“The sufficiency of Scripture means that Scripture contained all the words of God he intended his people to have at each stage of redemptive history, and that it now contains everything we need God to tell us for salvation, for trusting him perfectly, and for obeying him perfectly.”

This is not to say that the Bible is some sort of encyclopedia, capturing all the knowledge available to us, but rather that it is sufficient for the matters it addresses, mainly knowing and obeying God. The Bible is not sufficient for a calculus education, but it is for salvation. Sola Scriptura, a proclamation of the reformers, gets to the heart of what this means. Scripture alone is the source of God’s word and it is enough for us to come to know Him and obey Him in light of the gospel of grace revealed to us.

Scripture itself attests to its sufficiency in bringing about an understanding of salvation as well as how to live and grow in sanctification once saved. Paul makes it clear to Timothy that the word of God as revealed in Scripture is “able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15). Peter also declares that Christians have been “born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God” (1 Peter 1:23). The words found in the Bible, the very words of God, are the only way to enlighten hearts to salvation. Any other method claiming a path to salvation is insufficient. Every other religious text falls short in its claims, both in truth and efficacy. The word of God as revealed in Scripture stand tall above the sacred writings of Islam, Buddhism, and the cultic offering of the Mormons. It needs no additional laws from Rome. Salvation is found in no one but Christ, whose holy word is brought forth through the pages of Scripture.

Scripture is also sufficient for our growth as Christians and for perfect obedience to our Lord. Psalm 119:1 declares, “Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the Lord!” The Law is referring to God’s word revealed to His people so that they might live lives pleasing to Him, thus the psalmist is saying that people are able to be blessed and blameless by walking according to what Scripture says. God truly has given us all that we need for life and godliness, especially through His word, inspired by Him so “that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work” (2 Tim. 3:17). This section (verses 15-17) describes the absolute adequacy of the Bible’s revelation for the Christian and leaves us confident that we need not look elsewhere for instruction.

But how often do we go to another source of wisdom? The world goes to Oprah and Dr. Phil, but surely this is not where the Christian finds his or her guidance – or is it? How many of us ignore what God has spoken and carry on in the ways of the world? There should be no competition in our hearts or minds between the words of the world’s counselors and the word of God, as it is sufficient to guide us in obedience to Him. If Scripture is not our guide for our daily decisions then we are demonstrating that we don’t believe that it is sufficient. This is not to say that there is no room for practical considerations, but the principles that the Bible lays out for us are enough to make God glorifying choices.

by Garrett Glende

As we continue our overview of systematic theology, we come to the topic of the necessity of Scripture. It is the third of what Wayne Grudem calls the “characteristics of Scripture” (the first two being authority and clarity). He says that “the necessity of Scripture means that the Bible is necessary for knowing the gospel, for maintaining spiritual life, and for knowing God’s will, but it is not necessary for knowing that God exists or for knowing something about God’s character and moral laws.” Basically, we need special revelation from God in order to be saved, to grow, and to know God’s will, but not to know that He exists or to feel conviction of sin.

“How are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard?,” asks Paul in Romans 10. Is it possible for one to believe in Christ if they have never heard of Him? We assume that Paul expects an answer of, “they cannot.” The sinner needs to be told of Christ in order to place any sort of saving faith in Him, but where does this information come from? There is no other true message of salvation apart from what is revealed about Christ in the Bible. Christ alone is the mediator between God and man and salvation is found in no one else but Him (1 Tim. 2:5, Acts 4:12). Scripture is clear that the only way to salvation is through a knowledge of the gospel that it reveals – the gospel of Jesus Christ. We need God to illuminate our hearts to this knowledge and the way that He does this is through His inspired word.

Moreover, we need Scripture in order to know God’s will. Grudem writes, “If there were no written Word of God, we could not gain certainty about God’s will through other means such as conscience, advice from others, an internal witness of the Holy Spirit, changed circumstances, and the use of sanctified reasoning.” Certainly these are able to give estimations of God’s will, but they cannot bring about any sense of certainty. We can suppress what God has written on our hearts and ignore the wise counsel of others, leading us to doubt that a certain course of action is truly God’s will. But the Bible does give us a reliable source to turn to when dealing with this issue. We need it to know with certainty anything regarding God’s will. God has revealed His law to us through His word so that we would walk in obedience to it. More will be said on this issue when we get to chapter 13.

Finally, we need Scripture to maintain our spiritual health. When being tempted by Satan in the wilderness Jesus said that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God” (Matt. 4:4). Our wellbeing is directly tied to the amount of God’s word that we are taking in. Just like our physical health is dependent on the proper intake of food, our spiritual health will fluctuate in accordance with our digestion of Scripture. We are told to have the word of God dwell richly in us, so that we can worship as a corporate body (Colossians 3:16). The milk that is the word of God needs to be what our lives depend on so that we would be walking well in the Lord, carrying out His will, and increasing in personal holiness.

However, the Bible is clear that man is able to perceive things about God apart from what He has revealed in Scripture itself. This is what is called general revelation. Romans 1:19-20 speaks of man’s knowledge of the Creator, stating that “what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. ” Creation itself attests to the existence of its creator, as the psalmist writes that “the heavens declare the glory of God” (Psalm 19:1). This evidence allows even fallen man to comprehend some attributes about God such as His greatness, power, and beauty. God has also graciously given all men a conscience that speaks to their hearts about what is right and wrong. Part of being made in God’s image is that we are able to discern such things, but our hearts have been stained with sin and we are not always able to see moral issues clearly. Thus, although we have been given some general revelation about God and His law, we must still be supplied with special revelation in order to come to a true saving knowledge of Him.

What does this all mean for the Christian today? I want to specifically focus on the aspect of God’s Word as the source of our spiritual health. It’s so easy for us to get down spiritually and to not know where to go to “get better.” So often we get stuck in a rut so to speak, and can’t seem to find any way out. A tempting thing to do is to look elsewhere for some new experience that might “light a new flame.” But has our sanctification ever been about finding the newest, trendiest cure-all? No, the work of the Holy Spirit in illuminating the truths of Scripture to our hearts has always been what has caused our growth. God’s word is always the only true source of encouragement when we are struggling. We should always have a steady intake of Scripture, especially when we aren’t doing well, so that our relationship with God will become all the more intimate. We need not look elsewhere for a remedy for our sin or for daily sustenance than the Bible.

by Garrett Glende

For the past several weeks we have looked at different characteristics of the Bible: its cannon, authority, and inerrancy. In chapter 6 of Grudem’s Systematic Theology the question of the clarity of Scripture is addressed. You should have noticed by now that there is a purposeful ordering of these chapters, as the book begins with a foundation built on the Word of God. Grudem deliberately introduces these topics first so that we would be prepared to study the rest of the issues with a proper bibliology. This is necessary because we must think rightly about the source of our doctrinal convictions. Our beliefs about God will hold no weight if they are not firmly tied to a high view of His word. That being said, the topic addressed this week bears even more importance, for if Scripture is not clear about what it says, how can we be sure about any belief we have at all?

Thankfully, we can be sure of God’s character as revealed in Scripture because the Bible itself attests to its clarity. Grudem says, “The clarity of Scripture means that the Bible is written in such a way that its teachings are able to be understood by all who will read it seeking God’s help and being willing to follow it.” This doctrine is also known as the perspicuity of Scripture. This conclusion can be made by looking to Jesus’ understanding of the Old Testament. He often rebuked the Jewish people for not understanding or misinterpreting what was written for them (Matthew 12:3, 5; 21:42). Christ expected that the people would be able to comprehend the Old Testament for themselves and He blamed them, not the Scriptures, for their misunderstanding. There was no leeway given to the Jews because a certain aspect of Scripture was unclear on any point. Moreover, God commands His people to have His word on their hearts and to teach it to their children (Deut. 6:6-7), implying that God’s word is clear enough to be understood and taught to others. Discussion of the Scriptures was to be a daily part of life for the Jew, but this would not be possible if it were limited in its clarity. Even when we get into the New Testament writings, although Peter admits that some of Paul’s writings are difficult to understand, there is never any sense that one cannot ever come to a conclusion. Paul even wrote predominantly to a Gentile audience who knew little about Jewish culture, but he still expected that the churches would understand him. As the church age has progressed and we now live in a culture much unlike the one of the Bible, God’s truth remains the same in its clarity and usefulness to our lives.

Those who argue against the clarity of the Bible often bring up 1 Corinthians 2:14, where Paul writes that “the natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” However, this verse describes the inability of the unregenerate to discern spiritual truths, not the overall ambiguity of Scripture. It is obvious that a non-believer is able to understand what the Bible says in an academic sense, but they are not spiritually affected by what they learn. Only those who have been born again through the Spirit are able to be transformed at the heart.

In a world where there is much religious confusion, the Bible sheds light on the truth (Psalm 119:105, 2 Peter 1:19). Thus, instead of adding to the conundrum of philosophical and religious thought peddled by many, Scripture enlightens us, revealing clearly what is true about God and the way of salvation. We can turn there knowing that we will not leave without gaining further insight into the knowledge of our Creator. So what do we do when we come to something in the Bible that we just can’t make sense of? It’s not as if the Bible reads like a children’s novel, so what do we do with the hard parts? Grudem points out two reasons for our misunderstanding of the text. First, he writes, we could be “seeking to make affirmations where Scripture itself is silent.” Some common places where this may occur could be in making many practical decisions, such as music style or church size. In this case, it would be wise to stay away from any dogmatic stances, seeing that Scripture does not explicitly mention such issues. Secondly, our misunderstanding could be due to our own inadequacies in study, not the ambiguity of the Bible. We could have simply not read carefully enough or put aside the time necessary for comprehension.

The perspicuity of Scripture particularly applies to us especially in dealing with difficult subjects. When we wish to study controversial issues that there is much debate over such as miraculous sign gifts, the extent of the atonement, or end times prophecy, we can know that Scripture speaks clearly on such topics. Our approach in dealing with this should be one that sees comprehension as possible. We should not see the difficult road ahead, throw up our hands, and leave it to the seminary professors to decide the issue for us. There is no special society that alone can interpret Scripture correctly. We are all members of a royal priesthood, given the Holy Spirit to illuminate the Scriptures for us (1 Peter 2:9). With the proper prayer, dedication on the Spirit, and diligence in study, we are able to understand God’s word for ourselves.

by Garrett Glende

Having looked at the doctrine of the authority of Scripture last week, we’ll now deal with a related issue, inerrancy. Grudem defines the inerrancy of Scripture to be the fact that “Scripture in the original manuscripts does not affirm anything that is false.” This idea is closely tied to the reality of Scripture being fully God’s word and authoritative. Were it not for the inspiration of Scripture, then there would be no basis to say that it is inerrant, for we would not be able to point to the truthfulness of God to defend its veracity. If the Bible has been written by mere men, then its words attesting to its authority hold no weight. However, we know that God has indeed inspired men to write down His word and we can say with confidence that all of His word is true.

There is often much misunderstanding about the specifics of inerrancy. It is many times confused with the word “infallibility,” which implies a less strict standard of truthfulness. While infallibility claims that all of Scripture pertaining only to “faith and practice” is true, inerrancy goes further, saying that the Bible speaks truthfully on all matters including faith and practice along with historical accounts. Proponents of inerrancy argue that the Bible does not limit itself in the extent of its truthfulness. Grudem points out that there are places in the New Testament where the author regards the smaller details of the Old Testament to be reliable, such as in Acts 24:14 where Paul claims to “worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets.” Everything in the Old Testament was written to be meaningful to us, according to Romans 15:4 where Paul writes, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.” This includes even the smallest details that may not seem to matter much to us. From this evidence, we can come to a conclusion that the Bible speaks truth on all subjects that it speaks of. Inerrancy does not mean that the Bible is a complete source of knowledge to everything one would want to know. It will not teach you calculus. However, all knowledge that is included in Scripture is fully trustworthy.

The practical applications of this doctrine are similar to that of the authority of Scripture, following the line of thought that says we should submit to the Bible because it is authoritative and true. However, while we’re on the topic of the inherent truthfulness of Scripture, it seems appropriate to comment on an unsettling trend emerging (pun not intended) in today’s culture. More than ever, the idea of truth itself is being attacked and the idea that one can discover absolute truth in the Bible is seen as arrogant and intolerant. In my own experiences evangelizing on campus at UCSD I’ve found that many in my generation admire the tenets of religious pluralism, attempting to be welcoming to all beliefs, meanwhile sacrificing intellectual integrity. However, this mindset, although it may seem pleasant and gracious on the outside, often leads to a general apathy towards ultimate truth or an inconsistency in thought. “I accept all beliefs except those which contradict my own,” is essentially the attitude. Indeed, tolerance abounds. I’ve spoken to many students who, after hearing the gospel, simply say that “what is true for you works for you and what is true for me works for me.” To assert that there is no absolute truth is indeed a propositional truth claim. This seems to me to be an incredibly lazy and irresponsible outlook to have in dealing with concepts of such magnitude. The reality of it all is that the Bible is true for all people. Christ’s Lordship is not limited to those who believe that He is Lord. He is Savior of all the nations and there will be a day when every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10-11).

On a more personal level, as we’ve been studying what it means to worship God in spirit and truth on Sundays, consider that the entire Bible is the truth of God. Jesus prays to the Father in John 17:17, asking that He “sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.” We must worship God in light of the truth that He has revealed to us through His word. Since all of Scripture relates to us different truths about God, then we should study every part of it in order to worship God for all that He is. There are wonderful, sanctifying truths found in the crispy section of our Bibles, but do we even turn there? In putting aside these parts of Scripture we are inhibiting our own growth in holiness and limiting the source of truth that leads to our worship. The flow is simple: we must worship God in truth (John 4:23-24); God’s word is truth (John 17:17); all Scripture is God’s word (2 Timothy 3:16); and Scripture shows God to be holy, just, omniscient, loving, and merciful, so we worship Him because of these truths. We would do well to consider the inerrancy of Scripture in light of our own personal worship, as it should lead us to desire to praise God for all that is revealed to be true about Him.

by Garrett Glende

Two weeks ago we looked at what it means for us that the words written in the Bible are the very words of God. This reminded us that there should be no time spent in His word without it eliciting a response on our behalf. Considering that we have God’s own words written down for us, there should be a deep longing to know and understand relationally who God is. This week’s topic, the authority of Scripture, flows directly from this doctrine in that because the Bible is the word of God it is authoritative.

It isn’t difficult to come to this conclusion. After all, if God has spoken, is not what He says true (Numbers 23:19)? As creator of the universe, His stance on any given subject should be authoritative on this basis alone. So the answer to the question, “Why should I listen to what the Bible has to say?” is simple: because God says so. Paul writes in 2 Timothy 3:16 that “all Scripture is breathed out by God…” As discussed in last week’s article on the canon, the Greek word used here is graphé. This term is always used to describe Old Testament writings, but there are also places where New Testament material is placed in the same category as graphé (2 Peter 3:16, 1 Timothy 5:18). Thus, we can confidently say that all of the New Testament is inspired by God as well.

The most direct implication that this has is that any time we disobey Scripture we are disobeying God. We must not see the Bible as simply a gathering of good spiritual morals to live by. Instead, it is to be looked upon and treated as the authoritative, true, and final word of God. Obedience is not optional, it is commanded.

One specific pitfall that I think is easy to fall into is defending a belief based not on what the Bible has said, but what man has said. So often we claim to understand complicated issues because our favorite theologian takes a stand on them. “I know that the Bible teaches predestination because MacArthur says so.” It’s easy to do because we know that they already have put in the hard study. If such godly men seem to be so decided on this issue, then why should I have to do much looking into it myself, is our common refrain. But this attitude displays that we care more about studying what Piper or Sproul says than what God says. If we truly believe that Scripture alone is authoritative, then we would look to it to find out answers instead of running to a pastor or friend. It isn’t necessarily wrong to ask other’s opinions, but when their opinion is placed above what the Bible says we are in sin. This is common in dealing with controversial issues or Christian liberties. Yes, the charismatic sign gifts may have indeed ceased, but surely not because Pastor John says so. And yes, it is wise to build boundaries while dating, but these things are not so on man’s authority alone.

Alternatively, because the Bible is authoritative, we should know for ourselves what it says. So when a friend asks us about a difficult subject, we can answer with “because the Bible says so” and not “because Pastor John said so.” The weight behind our words is far greater when we can point to Scripture to illustrate our beliefs instead of pointing to man. This will also strengthen our own faith and convictions because we will have thought deeply about the issues and put the necessary study in to come to a conclusion, a process which in and of itself is invaluable. May we all seek to come to know God more by reading, studying, and meditating on the glorious truths revealed through His authoritative word.

by Garrett Glende

Last week we looked at the doctrine of the Bible as the very word of God. As we continue to develop a systematic theology, it is important to have a proper understanding of Bibliology. Keeping along these lines, chapter three in Grudem’s book is titled “The Canon of Scripture,” and it asks what books should be included in the Bible and which should not be. Grudem simply defines the canon as “the list of all the books that belong in the Bible.” As we will see, this question is vital to the way we live our lives, as it allows us to know exactly what is from God and what is not. If we seek to walk only according God’s will as revealed through His word, then it is important that we have a source that we can trust to be fully from God. Grudem writes:

“To add or subtract from God’s words would be to prevent God’s people from obeying him fully, for commands that were subtracted would not be known to the people, and words that were added might require extra things of the people which God had not commanded.”

Although this article is not by any stretch of the imagination intended to be comprehensive (I encourage you to study more deeply on your own), it will be helpful to understand a small amount about how the Bible was put together and why some books were included or not. The beginning of the canon came with the writing of the Ten Commandments by God on Mount Sinai. The people understood that what they had was the word of God and they placed it in the ark of the covenant. Moses then added more books when he wrote the Pentateuch and placed them beside the ark, signifying their equal authority as God’s word. It is interesting that Moses would write that “You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you” (Deut. 4:2), but then Joshua and kings and prophets after him would go on to write more and add it to the canon. Such perceived disobedience could only have taken place if they were completely sure that what they were writing was truly God’s word. These writings were added to one another up until around 435 B.C., signaling the end of that specific era in Jewish history. Many other writings were gathered that detail the events of the Jewish people during the intertestamental period, but these have been left out of the canon for various reasons. The famous church historian, Josephus, writes that “From Artaxerxes to our own times a complete history has been written, but has not been deemed worthy of equal credit with the earlier records.” Books that have been considered for canonicity have been disqualified either on historical or theological grounds. In addition to this evidence, none of the writings outside of today’s canon are found quoted in the New Testament.

The New Testament canon was assembled first by including the writings of the apostles, who were given the Holy Spirit to guide them. Jesus promised them this Helper in John 14:26, saying that “the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.” Jesus’ words authenticate all that the apostles wrote, but there are still books in the New Testament that were not written by those to whom this promise was made. Mark, Luke/Acts, Hebrews, and Jude were all written by men other than the original twelve or Paul. These books came to be accepted because of their author’s intimacy with the other apostles (Mark with Peter, Luke with Paul, Jude with James). Hebrews is unique in that the original author is not known, but the sheer magnitude of high Christology it contains has led it to be included with the rest of the New Testament. Along with personal eyewitness testimony to the events recorded in the gospels, the New Testament’s authenticity as Scripture is self-attesting. Peter mentions that Paul’s letters are confusing, but that “the ignorant and unstable twist [them] to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures” (2 Peter 3:16). The Greek word for “Scriptures” is graphé, which is used fifty-one times in the New Testament, each time referencing the Old Testament. Therefore, Peter is placing Paul’s writing on the same level as the whole Old Testament. There have been many other documents claiming to be inspired by God, but these have not stood up to close scrutiny either theologically or historically. Thus, we can trust that God, in His faithfulness, has preserved His word for His people.

Considering that we know what we have in our Bible is trustworthy and is the completed word of God, how then should we respond? The nature of the closed canon has direct implications to our daily lives, especially in our post-modern culture where truth is relative and absolutes absolutely do not exist. If we claim to hold the 66 books of the Bible as the completed canon, then why do we often find ourselves looking elsewhere for guidance in our lives, letting outside sources change our perception of God? Does the canon change in response to new cultural standards? Many of us would affirm with our words its sufficiency for all things in life, but when placed under much pressure we fold to worldly ideals, adding them to our own new canon in a sense. We cannot canonize the cultural standards of our day because they are bound to change. Has God’s stance concerning men’s and women’s roles changed? Our society would surely say so. The same goes for homosexuality. What is acceptable today will be shunned tomorrow, but God’s word is unchanging. The canon is closed.

We see this most clearly in the legalism in our hearts. We add new laws to God’s word: thou shall not drink, thou shall not hold hands while dating, thou shall wear a tie on Sundays. Granted it’s not wrong to abstain from alcohol, not hold hands, or wear a tie every Sunday, but when we see others doing differently and immediately condemn them for their “sin” then we have added our own made up laws to Scripture, placing us right next to the Pharisees.

Instead of concocting our own personal canon, may we instead become intimate with what God has revealed to us, realizing that all of Scripture is Scripture. I, myself, have been personally challenged in my own treatment of the Old Testament. I cannot say that I have always acted as if it were part of God’s word. Of course I would affirm the truth with my lips, but never would I turn there for a morning devotional. This study has helped me to understand that I must know all of God’s word, not just the New Testament. In fact, the Old Testament contains many great and glorious truths about who God is and how He has shown grace and mercy to His people. May we all grow in our love for His word in its entirety.

by Garrett Glende

God speaks. The truth is simple, yet profound. As the almighty creator of the universe, the one who has no beginning or end, God did not need to reveal Himself. However, He has indeed spoken to His creation through various means.

There are many different ways in which God has disclosed His word to us. The Old Testament is full of God’s word going forth either by His own speech, personal address to an individual, or through a prophet of His own choosing. We see God’s word in the opening words of Scripture when God says, “Let there be light” (Gen 1:3). Psalm 33:6 declares that “by the word of the Lord the heavens were made…” These passages describe God’s word of decree. God speaks and it is done. He also speaks directly to humans, which we call God’s word of personal address. God spoke personally to Adam and Eve, Moses, Abraham, and many others. Those who listened understood that these were the very words of God and that any disobedience would be to sin against Him. The prophets were also used to proclaim God’s word to the people. He used the likes of Jeremiah, Isaiah, Moses and others by putting His words in their mouths. Jeremiah tells us that “the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, ‘Behold, I have put my words in your mouth’” (Jeremiah 1:9). The words spoken through the prophets were equally as authoritative as any other form of revelation.

Each of these methods gives us a glimpse of God’s will, His character, and His nature, yet they all have been perfectly expressed through Jesus Christ, the eternal Word. John speaks of Christ when he writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…and the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). He continues the first 18 verses of his gospel account with a summary of the ministry of the Logos, concluding the prologue with the words, “No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known” (John 1:18). The Greek term for “made him known” is where we get the word exegesis, thus we can say that Jesus has explained God. This is, of course, the purpose of God’s word being proclaimed – that He might be known.

But God no longer speaks audibly and Jesus is no longer on Earth for us to observe, so we must turn to the written word of God in order to know Him. Thankfully, men carried along by the Spirit have written down for us all that we need to know concerning these things (2 Peter 1:21). Peter calls this word even more sure than his own first hand experience with the transfigured Christ. This form of God’s word allows us to deeply study and preserve God’s word so that it can have a long lasting impact on our lives.

When we read the words of Scripture we cannot look at them as just information about God. It is true that we do find words about God in the Bible, but do we see it as the very Word of God? This will be a key distinction in our mindset as we approach our times in Scripture because it will greatly affect our response to it. An attitude that sees the Bible as an encyclopedia of sorts will undoubtedly result in intellectual stimulation, but it will not affect our emotions. A true comprehension of the doctrine of the Word of God should make our quiet times more than just an exercise of our minds, but it should rather be a time where we seek to grow closer in our relationship with the glorious God who has revealed Himself to us. Emotions should be elicited while reading Scripture because the truths it contains are not just mere facts to be known. With the help of the Holy Spirit, it illuminates our hearts so that we can see the very mind of God (1 Corinthians 2:16).

If we claim that the God revealed in Scripture is more glorious, more holy, and more satisfying than any other created thing, then why do we not treat the means by which He has made Himself known as such? Our hearts should be captivated by the truths contained in God’s Word, yet so often we are drawn to other things. We are provided with a way to know the Creator of the universe, but sometimes we would rather watch the basketball game, update our Facebook status, or get an extra hour of sleep. When we choose these things before God we put ourselves in the same crowd as Israel and its idolatry. So the next time you engage in debate with yourself over whether to read or your Bible or – insert whatever seems more important at the time here – may you be reminded that the book you have in front of you contains the very words of God and respond accordingly.

I’ll leave you with Spurgeon’s exhortation: “Drink of the unadulterated milk of the word of God, and not of the skim milk, or the milk and water of man’s word.”

by Garrett Glende

The applications of systematic theology is a difficult subject to introduce. How do you begin to write about such a topic and its practical application to daily life? Do you dive head first into the weighty doctrine, or do you ease into it, providing the reader with a sense of purpose and direction? This article will do a bit of both, as it is the introduction to what is intended to be a series based on the book Systematic Theology by Wayne Grudem. In the coming weeks we’ll look at each of the book’s chapters, seeking to understand the doctrine and how it can transform our lives.

A few months ago JR and I began to walk through Grudem’s book during our weekly discipleship meetings. We chose to do so after I pointed out that I saw a disparity between my knowledge and my living. I wanted to continue to sharpen my understanding of what the Bible teaches about who God is, how He has redeemed us, and all the necessary effects. Our goal in going over Grudem’s book was to strengthen our theology, but more importantly to attempt to have it change the way we live every day.

This series will simply be an extension of the meetings that I have with JR. I probably won’t have much to say that is completely original, as I’m going to be stealing from either Wayne Grudem or JR (two men who are much smarter and godlier than I). My hope is that those who read these articles will be challenged in not only their understanding of who God is, but also in their personal lives as they strive to conform to Christ-likeness daily.

Why are we doing this? Everyone has seen the book. It’s big. It’s blue. It’s intimidating. Besides its sheer mass, its subject matter doesn’t always stimulate much excitement. This all makes Systematic Theology a very hard book to tackle. But should it be this way? Why are we put off by these things? Should we not be excited that there is so much to learn about our glorious God? And it’s so nicely formatted and organized in one place for us! Having a firm grasp of the deep truths about God is vital to living the Christian life in a manner that is pleasing to Him. In fact, the way in which we live our lives will often reflect what we believe about Him. Thus, we must gain a proper understanding of who God is so that we can live accordingly.

The first eleven chapters of the book of Romans are completely devoted to building a strong doctrinal foundation so that Paul has a basis for the commandments laid out in the rest of the book. He wanted his readers to know the reasons behind his practical exhortations. Jesus said that the Father is seeking true worshipers to worship Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24). The knowledge of the true God should affect our hearts so that our worship can be offered up to God in truth. Do we not distort the character of God when we live in contradiction to what we confess? For example, John tells us that “if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another” (1 John 4:11). When we do not love one another, we demonstrate that we don’t really know the truth about God – that He is love (1 John 4:8). It does us absolutely no good to intellectually assent to orthodoxy, for “even the demons believe – and shudder” (James 2:19). This all goes to say that as we let the truth of God’s word sink into our hearts, we will live more godly lives because of it.

I should say a few more words about what systematic theology actually means. Grudem defines it as “any study that answers the question, ‘What does the whole Bible teach us today?’ about any given topic.” The particular method of study includes gathering all relevant passages for a specific topic and coming to a conclusion based on their understandings. A systematic theology is also organized in such a way so that no one topic is over or underemphasized. It also seeks to harmonize each aspect so as to come to a coherent and non-contradictory conclusion. The order creates a structure that allows each doctrine its appropriate weight. While no single topic is independent of any other, the divisions will help us scrutinize our own lives more closely in relation to a specific doctrine.

If you are passionate about living for God, then you should be passionate about knowing who He is. The two cannot be separated. I’m writing this in hopes that it will force me to further examine my own life first, to see where my living doesn’t match with my thinking, and to encourage you all to do the same so that, as a body, we all might worship God with all our hearts, souls, and minds.