The Sufficiency of the Word and its Link to Teaching

by P/T

Today it seems that many believers have lost confidence in the sufficiency of God’s Word and I believe that it's mainly because they have never really learned its truths or how to apply them properly. Yet what is the most important part of our spiritual armor? It makes up the essential equipment for the complete Christian (Eph 6:11). The sword of the Spirit, God’s Word is the only offensive weapon Paul mentions in the passage (Eph 6:17). Like any weapon it must be used skillfully to be most effective. That is implied by Paul’s choice of the word he used for sword. He doesn’t use rhomphaia, which refers to a big long heavy broad sword but machaira, a small highly maneuverable sword which is usually sharpened on both edges. And the Greek term used for word is rhema which speaks of a spoken word or statement. Just as the small sword is used with skill and precision in close combat, so we must use the Word carefully and expertly, applying specific principles from it to every situation we face. This is precisely how Jesus dealt with Satan in the wilderness temptation (Matt. 4:1-11).

How is your skill with the spiritual sword? Do you have a thorough grasp of Scripture and know how to apply it accurately? If you learn how to use it properly, the Word will be an effective weapon for any and all challenges. But what is happening in Christendom today is that most believers are wasting their time and effort with man-made weapons, imitation plastic weapons, as it were, and they are finding themselves defenseless in the heat of the spiritual battle.

Luke described the Jewish people at Berea as ‘‘more noble minded’’ (Acts 17:11) and he does so because they searched the Scriptures daily evaluating the Scripture before they accepted what Paul taught. If only believers today were so noble! It is a praiseworthy thing to uphold God’s truth and affirm those who accurately proclaim it. On the other hand, it is spiritually lethal to tolerate false doctrine and apostate teachers, and foolish not to know the difference. The flip side of tolerance of error is indifference to the truth, and that is disastrous.

The church has become lazy as we approach the end of the twentieth century. The Church has moved away from careful biblical thinking and has tolerated far too much shoddy teaching. Fewer and fewer Christians are approaching life with the Berean perspective. They haven’t developed the habit of filtering the events and situations faced daily through a biblically established conscience, that frame of reference built upon Divine viewpoint. Consequently, when they get into problems they assume Scripture can’t help them. Then they turn to humanistic or kosmic alternatives that only compound their grief. They witlessly renounce their sufficiency in Christ and then struggle to fill the void with utterly inadequate substitutes.

Moreover, by failing to build only on biblical principles, they open the door to all kind of evil influences. Dr. Robert Thomas, professor of New Testament at the Master’s Seminary, warns: "People don’t often go heretical all at once. It is gradual. And they do not do so intentionally most of the time. They slip into it through shoddiness and laziness in handling the word of truth...All it takes to start down the road to heresy is a craving for something new and different, a flashy new idea, along with a little laziness or carelessness or lack of precision in handling the truth of God."

All around us today are startling reminders of doctrinal slippage and outright failure. In case after case someone who should have known the truth of God better, failed in upholding that truth.  And so the church is losing its ability to discern between truth and error. That in turn is reflected in living life dominated by their sin nature among those who identify with the church. All these things are happening with an alarming increase.

Sadly, some of the most careless handlers of Scripture are those whose responsibility it is to teach. The sloppy theology that comes from many contemporary pulpits is shocking. Can the church afford to countenance leaders who approach their calling with a lackadaisical recklessness? Certainly not! Imagine the practical implications if teachers of mathematics or chemistry were as slipshod as some who handle the Word of God. Would you want your pharmacist, for example, who used the ‘‘best guess’’ method of filling prescriptions? Or would you take your business to an architect who worked mostly with approximation? Or would you allow a surgeon to operate on you with a table knife instead of a scalpel? Or even worse, if anyone of these had no training for their profession. The sad truth is that society would quickly grind to a halt if most professions approached their work the way many Pastors and Bible teachers do.

Note what Dr. Thomas writes about the importance of precision in teaching the Bible:   "Precision...is a compelling desire to master the truth of God in more definitive terms, to facilitate a more accurate presentation of that truth to others and to safeguard against doctrinal slippage that leads to error and false doctrine....Everyone will not appreciate precision and willingly assent to its importance. We live in a world that would have us to be satisfied, in certain cases, with rough estimates, particularly when it comes to theological matters. It takes a lot of patience and ‘‘thick skin’’ to put up with the criticism and outright opposition that will come when God’s servant insists on accuracy....

There are too many ‘‘ball-park’’ interpreters and expositors today which leads to such theological error as the believer sins because he/she is a sinner. The theological atmosphere of Evangelicalism is saturated with a dense fog of uncertainty and misplaced emphases in handling the Word of God. Many churches are on the rocks because of careless hermeneutics, ignorance of biblical languages, and unsystematic theology. Rough estimates as to what this or that passage means will not do. We need qualified expositors who will take the time and make the necessary sacrifices to do their homework well and bring clarity to the minds of God’s people as they read and study God’s holy Word."

A few years ago the ceiling came crashing down in a church in Vermont. Fortunately no one was injured since the church was not open, but the church is no longer usable without a total rehab. Poor design and construction were concluded as major factors that left the congregation without a meeting place. Sad as it is the collapse of the roof can’t come close to the disaster of a spiritual collapse in churches designed by inept ‘‘engineers’’ of the Word. Yet the latter happens far more frequently.

Evangelical preaching must reflect our conviction that the Word of God is infallible and inerrant. Too often it does not. In fact, there is a trend in contemporary Evangelicalism away from expository, doctrinal preaching and a movement toward an experience-centered, pragmatic, shallow, topical approach in the pulpit.

Churchgoers are seen as consumers who have to be sold something they like. Therefore pastors must preach what people want to hear rather than what God wants proclaimed.

This is the issue Paul addressed in 2 Timothy 4:3-4: ‘‘The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.’’

What Paul was doing here was to forbid Timothy to preach that way! What does the Word have to say as to how Pastors are to minister? Paul said, ‘‘Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching’’ (1 Tim 4:13). ‘‘As for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine’’ (Titus 2:1).

Preaching that does not strive to communicate God’s truth to man is not legitimate preaching. The pastor who avoids doctrine because he thinks it is too technical or impractical has abdicated his biblical responsibility. He is called to speak with the authority of God, and no one can do that who is not an expositor of God’s Word. Moving stories, moralistic advice, psychology (psychobabble), comedy, and opinion all are void of certainty. Only authoritative proclamation of the word fits the intent of God in the call to preach. The rest are tools for the kind of ear-tickling preaching Paul cautioned Timothy about. (1 Tim 4:1-5)

The task of teaching the Word as it is commanded to be done is not an easy one. Most people won’t come to hear, won’t tolerate strong teaching of the Word. The response is often your too narrow and arrogant. Many churches today would not tolerate for two Sundays strong, biblical preaching that confronts their doctrinal error, refutes it, lays conviction of sin on the people, or exhorts them to obedience. They would quickly replace such a preacher with one who will feed their desires and tickle ears. They want something sensational, entertaining, self benefiting, ego-building, something that feels good and produces a pleasant sensation. For the sake of such a feeling they will gladly exchange the truth of God for fables, myths, and stories.

It’s give us what we want! Isaiah ministered to a generation with much the same viewpoint: ‘‘For this is a rebellious people, false sons, Sons who refuse to listen to the instruction of the Lord; Who say to the seers, ‘‘You must not see visions’’; And to the prophets, You must not prophesy to us what is right, Speak to us pleasant words, prophesy illusions.’’ (Isa 30:9-10)