The Necessity of Scripture

lesson 5

Why Do We Need Scripture?

1. For  Knowledge of the Gospel

    -Without the Word...how do we know?

    -Without the Word...how will they know?

Romans 10:13-17

¹³ for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

¹⁴ How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? ¹⁵ And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!”

¹⁶ But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our message?” ¹⁷ Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ.

     

     It is a chain reaction- To be saved, someone must call upon the name of the Lord- to call,  they must believe- to believe, they must have heard- to hear, someone must tell!- to tell, there must have been a message...and so on.

    Saving faith comes by hearing the gospel message!

                      *The gospel message is the information that Scripture has provided for us that

                        the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is the ONLY way to salvation.

                       *The word "gospel" is literally translated "good news"! 

John 3:18

 "Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

John 14:6

" Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

      -But how then, did people get saved in the Old Testament?

           Still by saving faith in Christ- theirs was a forward looking faith. The prophets
           promise of a Redeemer that was recorded and spoken to them from God's Word

           they saw their need and looked ahead for His salvation- they BELIEVED Him

           to set them free from sin.

Hebrews 11:13

"These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth."

 

** On the topic of this subject- see also the book "GOSPEL" by J.D. Greear- excellent resource...excellent admonishing words!

2. For Maintaining Our Spiritual Life

Matthew 4:4

 But he answered, “It is written,

“‘Man shall not live by bread alone,
    but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Isaiah 55

 “Come, everyone who thirsts,
    come to the waters;
and he who has no money,
     come, buy and eat!
Come, buy wine and milk
    without money and without price.
²  Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread,
    and your labor for that which does not satisfy?
Listen diligently to me, and eat what is good,
    and delight yourselves in rich food.
³ Incline your ear, and come to me;
     hear, that your soul may live;"

1 Peter 2:2

  "Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—"

     In these passages we glean the idea that Scripture- the Word of Truth is to be viewed in the same light as our food... we must have it to be nourished, we must have it- to SURVIVE. We absolutely cannot and will not grow without it!

Colossians 3:9-10 

"...seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices ¹⁰ and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator."

Romans 12:2

"Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

     Here we learn that it is through the Word of God that we are able to transform. In order to put on the new man- we must have a pattern to follow, that pattern is ONLY found in Scripture.

1 Corinthians 14:20 

^"Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature."

Philippians 3:15
 "Let those of us who are mature think this way..."
 

Hebrews 5:14

"But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment trained by constant practice to distinguish good from evil."

      Scripture and the truths found in it have the power to bring about maturity. Maturity of mind and thought- attitude and actions- strength, discernment and comprehension- like no other source ever given to man. The only way a believer may mature, the only way to BE mature is through study and "constant practice" of the God's Word, the Bible.

** note... look around you and observe our culture, take note of the lack of maturity, compare the areas of immaturity to what God's Word says and how we as students of the Word have the ability to learn otherwise... and you will begin to see the evident truth in this fact.** 

Mark 7:21

 "For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery.."

On our own... without Christ, without His Word... we are wicked indeed. Seek truth and adorn it about you, changing you from the inside out.

3. For knowledge of God's will

Jeremiah 17:9

 "The heart is deceitful above all things,
    and desperately sick;
    who can understand it?"

Romans 2:14-15 

  "For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them"

It is too easy for us to gain faulty reasoning on our own, because of our sin nature. God's Word is the guide that directs us to know what the perfect will of God is. Let us not be confused- God's will is NOT a person, place, or thing...GOD'S WILL IS that we KNOW HIM, LOVE HIM, OBEY HIM and SEEK HIM. His Word also contains a set of certain ideas that we are to remain obedient to...yet we have been set free from the law! When we are walking in God's will (knowing Him, obeying Him, loving Him) the  person's, places, and things that we need to know specifics about will be made clear to us by the ministry of the Holy Spirit and through the power of the Word.

As we continue to study the Scriptures- we will be conformed to them and do as He pleases with a willing heart.

Deuteronomy 29:29

 “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law."

Psalm 1:1-2

"Blessed is the man
    who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
    nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
² but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
    and on his law he meditates day and night"

Psalm 119:1

 "Blessed are those whose way is blameless,
    who walk in the law of the Lord!"

 We can see very clearly through these passages that the will of God is that we walk blamelessly and are careful to observe what He commands.

**Challenge- search the Scriptures- what does He command us specifically?**

example:   

Ephesians 5:18

"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit."

Ephesians 5:3

 "But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you..."

 By God's grace and mercy, may we be challenged and upheld to live in obedience in accordance to His will. Always seeking, always trusting that He will direct us in truth and give us the strength to live for it.

2 Corinthians 12:9

   But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”