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Basic Discipleship
Written by Dr. Lester Hutson

This material is copyrighted c2002 and may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of the Berean Baptist Church.

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PHASE 3                      CHURCH ORIENTATION AND EDIFICATION

SESSION 8

THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE

This session is quite heavy.  Stay close to your disciple at this junction. Failure to grasp the truths of this lesson is the fountain-head of the Charismatic movement and many other wild ideas related to God, His work and His church.

The authority of scripture settles many things from the bedroom to the presidency.  When respect for the authority of the scriptures goes, the conditions of Judges 21:25 prevail. ("Every man did that which was right in his own eyes.)  The result is invariably chaos and trouble.  Solomon said, "The way of a fool is right in his own eyes: but he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise" (Proverbs 12:25).

The center of this exercise is the authority of scripture, the holy Bible. Apart from conviction that the Bible is God's word and a healthy respect for it, your disciple will be guided in life (including church) by his own ideas and opinions.  Subjection to the authority of scripture is the way to growth and spiritual success.  Subjection by the members of a church puts everyone on the same page.  That cuts out lots of division and hurt to the body of Christ, corporately, as well as to members individually.  In the church there must be one and only one central authority.

In these discipleship lessons we have already looked at the Bible but not in the way it's done here.  The scriptures and exercises here are listed in such a way as to cause your disciple to see for himself how the Bible was given.  He should see it as the carefully planned and orchestrated work of God, not men. He should see how God chose specific men for the job and how He directed them.  He will also see how God confirmed His revelation on the spot with mighty supernatural workings.  He should especially see that the revelation, which is the Bible, is a completed project.  It is not continuing today and neither are the miraculous works of confirmation.

This disciple should come away from this session realizing that the Bible is all he needs to serve God acceptably till he dies.  He should see that the     Bible is all his church needs.  He shouldn't search for more on God in dreams or experiences, in some other holy book or by human reasoning.  He should "search the scriptures."  There is where the real answers are and the only place where information is 100% reliable.

This session enters the doctrinal phase of this discipleship program.  It gets really serious about the doctrinal stance that Christianity takes on the Bible. This is a major, fundamental doctrinal issue.  A sure faith is impossible apart from it. Stay close to your disciple.  Don't let him get off track here.  Through the centuries the faith of countless multitudes has been
overthrown by a misunderstanding of the integrity and authority of the Holy Bible.

Love your disciple.  Pray often for and with him.  Let him know that you care and that you are there for him.

Sometime this week, give him the next assignment.

With this exercise, you will begin to take a look at specific areas of Bible doctrine...10 to be exact.  These are not all there are and these exercises will not acquaint you with all there is to know about any one of them.  These are foundational to the Christian faith and to your church.  You will discover many truths here.  They will strengthen you.  Each doctrinal position is related and connected to all others forming one system of Bible doctrine, not many.  The more you learn, the overall picture will emerge clearer and clearer; although you should never assume that you will someday know everything.  You won't and thinking that you do will ruin you.

This is a good time for an overview of that which has developed in your life since you started this discipleship course.  You started with six evangelistic lessons that told you a little about the Bible, what it means to be lost, what Jesus Christ has done for the lost and how to have Him as your own personal Savior.  You trusted Christ, was saved and learned something about fellowship with God, baptism, church, worship and service, all motivated by love.

You then entered Phase 2 which acquainted you with the importance of a daily walk with God.  You went to the Bible and found it warning you of many spiritual dangers and of many ways to wreck your spiritual life.  There you also found three mighty spiritual resources provided by God to help you.  They are the Bible, the Holy Spirit and your church.

As you entered Phase 3 of this training, you continued with a more in-depth look at your church.  You have learned something about its organization and officers, the worship that is routinely done in it and of the service that should be your mentality and lifestyle.  You've seen that your church is a kind of hub.  Like a wagon wheel with spokes extending in many directions from the hub, God expects our church to be the hub of our lives and our service an extension of it.

Your last exercise explored what the Bible says about doctrine.  Remember that your doctrine is what you believe and it is impossible to not have opinions.  Your doctrine and the doctrine of your church is important because there are many ramifications to what we believe.  What one believes about Jesus Christ is the difference between eternal life and eternal death.  It is very important the doctrine of your church is the doctrine of the Bible.

The first of the 10 major and fundamental doctrinal positions in this training has to do with the Bible.  You have already encountered the Bible.  The very first lesson in Phase 1 looked at it, as did Sessions 7 and 8 in Phase 2. Take a few minutes now to review those two sessions before moving forward. This exercise will look more carefully at the Bible and the place of authority that it should command in every facet of our lives.

THE BIBLE: OUR FINAL AUTHORITY

The Bible is God's word.  He inspired men to write it, but it is His revelation of Himself.

Christianity rises or falls upon the strength of the Bible.  One outstanding preacher once wrote, "Christianity is based upon the impregnable rock of Holy Scripture.  The starting point of all doctrinal discussion must be the Bible. Upon the foundation of the Divine inspiration of the Bible stands or falls the entire edifice of Christian truth."

Read these scriptures and match them with the correct concepts to gain a better understanding of the weight and authority that God, through His Word, should have in your life.

1. Romans 3:4              (2) "We ought to obey God rather than men."

2. Acts 5:9                    (4) Never go "beyond" God's word "to do less or more."

3. Matthew 24:35        (7) “For ever, O LORD, Thy word is settled in heaven.”

4. Numbers 22:18        (1) Every person who contradicts God is a "liar."

5. Numbers 24:13         (10) "Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."

6. Isaiah 40:8                (8) We "ought to give the more earnest heed" to God's Word.

7. Psalm 119:89             (6) "The word of our God shall stand for ever."

8. Hebrews 2:1-4           (9) "Ye do well that ye take heed" to God's Word above all.

9. 2 Peter 1:19-21          (3) Jesus said, "...my words shall not pass away."

10. Psalm 138:2              (5) "What the LORD saith, that will I speak." 

In view of God's thinking about the weight and authority of His Word, meditate on the following questions.

1.     Should God's word take precedence over the thinking of my pastor?  My president?  The pope?  My mate?  My parents?  My self?  How I have been reared? 

2.     What final authority should settle all differences of opinion? 

3.     What should be the basis of every sermon and the lessons taught in my church? 

4.     If there comes a showdown of opinions, even among friends, where must my stand always be? 

5.     Since God is the author of the Bible if I align myself with a position contrary to the Bible, am I really taking a stand against God? 

THE COMPLETION OF THE BIBLE

The Bible does not tell everything there is to know about God.  It does tell us everything God intended to reveal to us about Himself and that is really all we need.  It is a dangerous practice to speculate about things that God might think or have done, about things that might have been or about anything where God is silent.  Occupy yourself with what God said and did.  All you need to know is there. Read 2 Timothy 3:15-16.  Remember from Phase 2, Session 7 that the word "perfect" means complete.

Knowing God and His truth would have been total speculation apart from His revelation, but He did reveal Himself.  He did so in three primary ways. Complete this little matching exercise to see from scripture what the three ways are. 

1. John 1:1-3,14                  (3) Through the natural world 

2. 1 Corinthians 2:9-10       (2) Through His written word 

3. Psalm 19:1-3                   (1) In the person of His Son

The following multiple choice exercise will help you discover for yourself how God gave us the completed Bible.  First read the scripture.  It will give you the correct answer.

1. Luke 24:44.        The Old Testament of your Bible was completed long before Jesus' earthly ministry. His opinion of it was:

        A.        That it was not reliable.

        B.        That parts of it were reliable and parts were not.

        C.        That all three major divisions of the Old Testament (Moses which constitutes the law, the Psalms or poetic books and the Prophets) are fully reliable.

        D.        That other books should have been included in the Old Testament.

2. John 16:7-15.  Jesus told His disciples that additional truth was to be revealed through them.   This is the New Testament. How reliable did He say this new revelation would be?

        A.        Infallible since the Holy Spirit would guide them into "all truth."

        B.        That He would use many others besides the apostles in giving the New Testament.

        C.        That the infallibility of the New Testament would be in the interpretation (understanding) of it, not in the revelation and inspiration (giving) of it.

        D.        That the New Testament would be no more reliable than any other book.

3. 2 Peter 1:19-21.    The integrity and infallibility of the holy scriptures was personally guaranteed by:

        A.    The apostles.

        B.    The church at Jerusalem.

        C.    The Holy Spirit.

        D.    Faithful Jewish scribes.

4. 1 Corinthians 2:4-14.

There is no way that the human race, on its own, could have ever come up with the truths revealed in the Bible. Yet, when God took the initiative to reveal the scriptures, men can understand them.

The spiritual discernment of this text refers to:

        A.    The fact that only saved people are capable of hearing and understanding the scriptures.

        B.    The fact that only saved people who are spiritual can hear and understand the scriptures.

        C.        Some special illumination that men of our day get to help them know God.

        D.    The fact that now man could know the truths set forth in the Bible apart from divine revelation, but that  through the divine revelation of the scriptures, all men are capable of hearing and believing and are responsible to God to do so.

5. Acts 10:38-43.         In selecting men through which to give His New Testament revelation, God:

                A.        Waited until after the events surrounding Jesus, then randomly picked men to record those events.

        B.        Hand-picked ahead of time certain men specifically for that job.

        C.        Gave no consideration to whether or not the writers were eyewitnesses.

        D.        Based His revelation mostly on hearsay and the opinions of learned and wise men like Paul.

6. Hebrews 2:1-4.         God gave one-time confirmation and credentials to His New Testament revelations with:

        A.    The vast majority of people who were there attesting to their validity.

        B.    The scholarly way in which they came into existence.

        C.        Signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will.

        D.    The strong belief and affirmation of the apostles that what they said was of God.

7. Ephesians 4:11-14.

Men with supernatural knowledge and special powers were given of God to meet ministry needs during that time when the Bible was being revealed and finalized. How long were these special people with these divine powers to continue?

        A.    Indefinitely.

        B.    Till the return of Jesus Christ.

        C.    Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ which is the completed Bible.

        D.    This question is impossible to answer. 

8. 1 Corinthians 13:8-13.

                                        This passage predicted a time when the divine revelations and the supernatural activities used to confirm them would cease. Another means would be used to unify believers in the faith. The Ephesians 4:11-14 passage proves that this unifier is not the return of Jesus Christ. At that time there will be no "wind of doctrine" and other deceitfulness to toss God's people "to and fro." What is that "perfect" unifier of the Christian faith?

        A.    The completed Bible.

        B.    The continuation of signs, miracles, tongues, healings and other spiritual gifts.

        C.    The pope as the mouthpiece of God.

        D.    The long-standing catechism or other doctrine of various churches.

  9. Jude 3-4.   How long does the Bible say the process of written revelation was to continue?

A.        Progressively.

B.        Indefinitely.

C.    "The faith...was once delivered unto the saints."

D.    Until the church decided to end it.

10. Revelation 22:18-19.

With completion of the divine revelation in mind:

A.    We are at liberty to add our own ideas and opinions.

B.    Adding to or subtracting from it is really no big deal.

C.    No one should ever add to or subtract from the Bible.

D.    There are many other books of divine revelation.

In view of the truths you have seen from these scriptures, ask yourself the following questions. 

1.     Is The Koran an inspired revelation from God? The Book of Mormon?

2.     Are there any other divinely inspired books anywhere?

3.     If God inspired the Bible and it has His authority behind it, how subjected to it should I be?

4.     How important is it for me to regularly take the Bible into my system?

5.     In addition to personally reading the Bible on a regular basis, where is the most likely place for me to encounter its teaching (doctrine)?

Self  Test

On a scale of 1 to 10 rate your regular, systematic intake of God's Word. 

Least <1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10> Most

On a scale of 1 to 10 how subjected are you to what God says in the Bible? 

Not at all <1   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10> Completely

What do you intend to do about your attitude toward the Bible?

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"