WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:04.719 Great, let me pray for us and then we'll come to our topic for this evening. Let me pray. 00:00:05.320 --> 00:00:11.779 Father, we want to ask for your help now. We are very conscious, maybe that we are tired, perhaps it's been a long and busy day, 00:00:11.960 --> 00:00:17.600 but these are important matters and say we pray that you might help us this evening as we consider them together. 00:00:18.500 --> 00:00:25.500 Please, we pray, may our time together bring you glory, do us good and help us as we live the Christian life, we pray. 00:00:25.780 --> 00:00:27.379 In Jesus' name, amen. 00:00:27.379 --> 00:00:32.759 Amen. If you've not been here before on a Sunday evening, what we tend to do on a Sunday evening, 00:00:32.839 --> 00:00:38.039 so this is not like a regular Sunday morning sermon, this is more a kind of seminary style, 00:00:38.159 --> 00:00:43.140 so asking questions is absolutely fine, we're going to have some time for discussion 00:00:43.140 --> 00:00:46.840 and we want you to interact with what you're learning. 00:00:47.500 --> 00:00:53.659 The idea being really that if in your Christian life the only input you get is a Sunday morning sermon, 00:00:53.659 --> 00:00:58.500 you really don't get enough and there is lots of things that we want to think about and talk about together 00:00:58.500 --> 00:01:03.319 and questions that we want to ask which are important for us to do so together as a church. 00:01:03.599 --> 00:01:08.799 So, we have been thinking together about some important questions on a Sunday evening 00:01:08.799 --> 00:01:16.000 that we are asking that the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith is answering for us. 00:01:16.000 --> 00:01:23.659 So, we're thinking about how the truths expressed in the Confession of Faith, the 1689 Baptist Confession of Faith, 00:01:24.079 --> 00:01:28.900 how they answer some of our contemporary questions and how that helps us live the Christian life today. 00:01:29.780 --> 00:01:34.700 So, I think I've got my copy here. 00:01:34.700 --> 00:01:43.879 So, you might remember that the 1689 Baptist Confession was one of three confessions written in the 17th century. 00:01:44.400 --> 00:01:50.840 The first one to be written was called the, we learned this last time, the Westminster Confession. 00:01:51.520 --> 00:01:57.920 The Westminster Confession was written in 1646 and was approved by Parliament in 1647. 00:01:57.920 --> 00:01:59.920 Can you imagine such a thing today? 00:02:00.960 --> 00:02:07.299 The Parliament in Westminster discussing doctrines of the Christian faith and voting on them. 00:02:07.960 --> 00:02:14.259 The second confession was the Savoy Declaration, which was in 1658. 00:02:14.819 --> 00:02:20.379 And that differed from the Westminster Confession, not really in doctrine, but in church governance. 00:02:20.379 --> 00:02:27.019 So, the Savoy Declaration was by a group of congregationalists who said they didn't want to be Presbyterian, 00:02:27.079 --> 00:02:29.319 but they wanted to be run by their local congregations. 00:02:29.319 --> 00:02:36.060 And they wrote the Savoy, S-A-V-O-Y, Declaration in 1658. 00:02:37.240 --> 00:02:39.319 Then there was a short kind of hiatus. 00:02:40.840 --> 00:02:42.180 The Civil War was happening. 00:02:43.560 --> 00:02:49.219 Independent churches were persecuted by the government and by the king, especially. 00:02:49.219 --> 00:02:57.340 And so, after the act of toleration, the Baptist churches were allowed again to publish books and material. 00:02:57.879 --> 00:03:04.840 And they published the 1689 Confession, which is basically the same as the Westminster Confession and the Savoy Declaration, 00:03:05.180 --> 00:03:11.759 but now with Baptist church governance written into it and Baptist theology. 00:03:12.639 --> 00:03:14.400 So, basically, they agree, pretty much. 00:03:14.400 --> 00:03:22.520 The Westminster Confession, the Savoy Declaration, and the Baptist Confession pretty much agree on the essentials of the Christian faith and differ on church governance. 00:03:22.780 --> 00:03:27.939 And each of those confessions start with what the Bible says about the Bible. 00:03:28.099 --> 00:03:30.659 And that's what we've been thinking about these last couple of Sunday evenings. 00:03:31.480 --> 00:03:34.099 And I want you to think with me about two questions tonight. 00:03:34.240 --> 00:03:37.480 Number one is, why should we believe that the Bible is the word of God? 00:03:37.479 --> 00:03:38.039 Right? 00:03:38.419 --> 00:03:45.799 Why should Christians believe that the Bible is God's word, that it is God speaking as we read the Bible? 00:03:46.359 --> 00:03:53.699 And the second question is, do we need anything in addition to the Bible or is the Bible sufficient for us? 00:03:53.699 --> 00:03:54.659 Is the Bible enough? 00:03:55.239 --> 00:03:57.459 And if the Bible is enough, what is it enough for? 00:03:57.759 --> 00:04:00.959 And what does that mean and how does that work out in our Christian lives? 00:04:00.960 --> 00:04:05.700 So, let's start with why believe the Bible is the word of God? 00:04:07.200 --> 00:04:13.740 Now, this is where I might slightly lose confidence, but I think we're going to do a bit of church history. 00:04:13.939 --> 00:04:19.220 And I think this is helpful for us and important for us to kind of get a picture of where we're coming from. 00:04:19.280 --> 00:04:22.759 So, let's go back a little before the confessions were written. 00:04:22.759 --> 00:04:33.180 And we find Martin Luther in Germany, who led what became the Reformation as the Reformers broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. 00:04:33.659 --> 00:04:43.399 Not in their imagination teaching anything new or novel, Martin Luther's desire was to reform the church as it was and bring it back to biblical Christianity. 00:04:43.399 --> 00:04:55.899 One of the great names among the Reformers is a guy called John Calvin, and it is his beautiful picture that you have on your handout there. 00:04:57.899 --> 00:05:06.719 John Calvin was born in France in 1509, and at the time, France was very firmly a Catholic country. 00:05:06.859 --> 00:05:12.620 The King of France was pretty close to the Pope, to the extent to which being French was to be Catholic. 00:05:13.399 --> 00:05:18.779 But Calvin's father wanted him to have a career in the church, and Calvin was bright, right? 00:05:19.079 --> 00:05:27.579 He was super sharp, and he learned Latin, excelled in philosophy, and was due to go and study theology in Paris as an early teen. 00:05:28.779 --> 00:05:35.699 Then his father, for reasons we don't really understand, changed his mind and decided that his son, instead of going into the church, should become a lawyer. 00:05:35.699 --> 00:05:45.779 Calvin submitted to his father and trained for law and learned Greek and the classics and wrote his first book at the age of 22. 00:05:47.620 --> 00:05:55.060 Then at some point that we're not sure of, but somewhere in the 1530s, Calvin discovered the writings of Martin Luther 00:05:55.060 --> 00:06:02.240 and became convinced of the doctrine of salvation by grace alone and the need for reformation in the church. 00:06:03.360 --> 00:06:05.819 Now, that idea was not popular in France at the time. 00:06:05.939 --> 00:06:10.959 Being labelled a Lutheran in France meant that you were in danger, your life was in danger. 00:06:10.959 --> 00:06:19.839 So he fled France with his brother and his sister and two friends, and they went to, where you always go when there's trouble, somewhere neutral, Switzerland. 00:06:20.319 --> 00:06:21.199 So that's where he went. 00:06:21.739 --> 00:06:24.959 He went to Basel and then eventually to Geneva. 00:06:24.959 --> 00:06:32.699 In Basel, he wrote his most famous book, which is the Institutes of the Christian Religion. 00:06:32.939 --> 00:06:37.339 And you can get an English translation. 00:06:37.539 --> 00:06:38.180 So mine's here. 00:06:38.399 --> 00:06:41.579 It's in two volumes, but it wasn't as long as this originally. 00:06:41.579 --> 00:06:47.659 It was a shorter book, and it was designed to be a summary of the doctrines of the Christian faith 00:06:47.659 --> 00:06:54.560 for the regular man and woman in France who were spiritually hungry and dissatisfied with the church. 00:06:54.959 --> 00:07:05.500 Now, that book, or that Institutes of the Christian faith, then reflects his understanding of the place of the scriptures in the life of the church. 00:07:05.699 --> 00:07:10.919 And he writes it in contrast to the teaching that's going around at the time. 00:07:11.439 --> 00:07:14.419 And I've put what he says on your handout. 00:07:14.579 --> 00:07:15.639 So this is what he writes. 00:07:16.439 --> 00:07:20.439 Now, daily oracles are not sent from heaven. 00:07:20.439 --> 00:07:27.360 For it pleased the Lord to hallow his truth to everlasting remembrance in the scriptures alone. 00:07:28.100 --> 00:07:34.240 In other words, God is not kind of speaking audibly to everybody every day. 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:41.420 In that sense, he is speaking through his words, the scriptures, to hallow his truth, to defend and mark out his truth. 00:07:41.420 --> 00:07:49.580 Hence, the scriptures obtain full authority among believers only when men regard them as having sprung from heaven, 00:07:50.220 --> 00:07:52.860 as if there the living words of God were heard. 00:07:53.280 --> 00:07:58.800 This matter is very well worth treating more fully and waiting more carefully. 00:07:58.800 --> 00:08:09.180 But a most pernicious error widely prevails that scripture has only so much weight as is conceded to it by the consent of the church, 00:08:09.579 --> 00:08:14.240 as if the eternal and inviolable truth of God depended upon the decision of men. 00:08:15.199 --> 00:08:21.319 Thus, the sacrilegious men wishing to impose an unbridled tyranny under the cover of the church 00:08:21.319 --> 00:08:25.259 do not care with what absurdities they ensnare themselves and others, 00:08:25.819 --> 00:08:29.040 provided they can force this one idea upon the simple-minded, 00:08:29.480 --> 00:08:32.100 that the church has authority in all things. 00:08:32.679 --> 00:08:39.480 Yet, if this is so, what will happen to miserable consciences seeking firm assurance of eternal life 00:08:39.480 --> 00:08:45.600 if all the promises of it consist in and depend solely upon the judgment of man? 00:08:46.620 --> 00:08:49.039 Now, that's confusing, I grant you. 00:08:49.039 --> 00:08:54.740 But the point is, if you asked somebody in the 16th century in France, 00:08:55.179 --> 00:08:56.980 why do you believe the Bible's true? 00:08:57.719 --> 00:09:01.519 They would tell you, because the church tells me the Bible is true. 00:09:02.339 --> 00:09:05.019 And Calvin says, no, that's nonsense, 00:09:05.019 --> 00:09:09.879 because if you believe the Bible is true because someone else has told you the Bible is true, 00:09:10.139 --> 00:09:13.480 what you're really believing is not the Bible, but them. 00:09:14.299 --> 00:09:16.799 They become your authority, not the Bible. 00:09:16.799 --> 00:09:19.139 And if really you're just believing people, 00:09:19.379 --> 00:09:22.419 what are you going to do when it comes to the really weighty matters in life, 00:09:22.459 --> 00:09:25.620 which is, are you going to go to heaven or are you going to go to hell? 00:09:26.219 --> 00:09:27.740 Are you safe eternally? 00:09:28.479 --> 00:09:30.579 Well, really, I don't know. 00:09:31.059 --> 00:09:32.579 I've only got the words of people. 00:09:34.759 --> 00:09:37.899 And actually, then you see, you find that all your assurance goes out of the window. 00:09:37.899 --> 00:09:44.799 And so Calvin's point is, we need to believe the Bible's true because the Bible says the Bible's true. 00:09:45.279 --> 00:09:49.240 We believe the Bible's the word of God because that's what the Bible is claiming for itself. 00:09:49.279 --> 00:09:52.360 And we believe it on that ground and that ground alone. 00:09:53.679 --> 00:09:58.079 Now, that kind of battle between, do you believe the Bible because the church tells you to believe the Bible, 00:09:58.139 --> 00:10:00.699 or do you believe the Bible because the Bible is the final authority, 00:10:01.319 --> 00:10:03.860 continues right up until the time that the confessions are written. 00:10:03.860 --> 00:10:08.259 So the confessions are really asking that question about why I believe the Bible. 00:10:08.379 --> 00:10:13.940 Does the church give the Bible authority, or does the Bible give the church authority? 00:10:14.960 --> 00:10:15.840 You could ask it another way. 00:10:15.940 --> 00:10:21.700 Does the church make the Bible, or does the Bible make the church? 00:10:22.340 --> 00:10:23.460 That's the question. 00:10:24.139 --> 00:10:25.659 It's really, really important. 00:10:26.500 --> 00:10:32.980 Does the church decide what the word of God is, or does the word of God decide what the church is? 00:10:32.980 --> 00:10:34.399 That's the question at stake. 00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:35.980 Do we understand that? 00:10:36.019 --> 00:10:36.600 Does it make sense? 00:10:36.980 --> 00:10:37.060 Yeah? 00:10:38.820 --> 00:10:43.259 Now, with that kind of background in mind, come to the 1689 Baptist Confession, 00:10:43.379 --> 00:10:46.320 and you can see how it answers the question, why believe the Bible. 00:10:46.920 --> 00:10:51.659 Chapter 1, section 4 and 5 is what we're going to read. 00:10:52.480 --> 00:10:53.100 Section 4. 00:10:53.100 --> 00:11:05.300 The authority of the Holy Scriptures obligates belief in them. 00:11:05.800 --> 00:11:10.779 This authority does not depend on the testimony of any person or church, 00:11:11.159 --> 00:11:14.740 but on God the author alone, who is truth itself. 00:11:15.600 --> 00:11:20.100 Therefore, the scriptures are to be received because they are the word of God. 00:11:20.100 --> 00:11:29.040 The testimony of the church of God may stir and persuade us to adopt a high and reverent respect for the Holy Scriptures. 00:11:29.879 --> 00:11:34.399 Moreover, the heavenliness of the contents, the power of the system of truth, 00:11:34.399 --> 00:11:41.059 the majesty of the style, the harmony of all the parts, the central focus on giving all glory to God, 00:11:41.340 --> 00:11:49.120 the full revelation of the only way of salvation, and many other incomparable qualities and complete perfections, 00:11:49.220 --> 00:11:52.659 all provide abundant evidence that the scriptures are the word of God. 00:11:52.659 --> 00:12:02.079 Even so, our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority of the Holy Scriptures 00:12:02.079 --> 00:12:06.819 comes from the internal work of the Holy Spirit, 00:12:07.339 --> 00:12:12.179 bearing witness by and with the word in our hearts. 00:12:13.379 --> 00:12:18.439 Now, I know lots of you do very different jobs to me, okay? 00:12:18.440 --> 00:12:24.380 Okay, John here is a driving instructor, and he sits teaching people how to drive all day, right? 00:12:24.980 --> 00:12:27.480 Nick works with computers all day. 00:12:28.880 --> 00:12:31.140 I read this kind of stuff quite a lot, right? 00:12:31.200 --> 00:12:35.480 So I know that this stuff kind of, oh yeah, that can make sense, but that might not make sense to you. 00:12:35.540 --> 00:12:39.040 So I want you, with the person next to you, why, according to the confession, 00:12:39.520 --> 00:12:41.600 I'm not really interested in what you think right now, okay? 00:12:41.820 --> 00:12:43.160 I am, but not now, right? 00:12:43.680 --> 00:12:46.620 Why, according to the confession, should you believe the Bible is true? 00:12:46.620 --> 00:12:48.899 How does that work, okay? 00:12:49.659 --> 00:12:52.860 Talk to the person next to you, see whether you can come up to an answer to that question. 00:12:53.039 --> 00:12:56.060 Why, according to the confession, should we believe the Bible is true, and how does that work? 00:13:01.399 --> 00:13:03.899 Okay, let's try and jump back in. 00:13:05.139 --> 00:13:08.940 Why, according to the confession, should we believe that the Bible is true? 00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:16.080 Because God is the author, yeah? 00:13:16.620 --> 00:13:23.399 God, the author alone, who is truth itself. 00:13:24.480 --> 00:13:31.240 Now, what would persuade us of believing when the Bible says the Bible is true because it's written by God? 00:13:31.440 --> 00:13:33.560 What would persuade you of the truth of that? 00:13:35.759 --> 00:13:37.060 The Holy Spirit, yeah. 00:13:37.360 --> 00:13:39.580 Ultimately, it's the internal work of the Spirit. 00:13:40.080 --> 00:13:42.159 There are lots of witnesses to its truth, right? 00:13:42.159 --> 00:13:43.559 The church is one witness. 00:13:44.079 --> 00:13:46.179 The heavenly contents is another witness. 00:13:46.860 --> 00:13:48.399 The power of the system of truth. 00:13:48.399 --> 00:13:55.699 When you start to get your head around how the Bible all ties together, it's astounding, isn't it? 00:13:55.740 --> 00:14:00.019 And it's a witness to the fact that there's one author behind the Scriptures, right? 00:14:00.019 --> 00:14:07.819 The fact that it gives glory to God, the revelation of the way of salvation, the incomparable qualities and complete perfections, 00:14:07.820 --> 00:14:10.379 all provide abundant evidence that the Scriptures are the Word of God. 00:14:10.640 --> 00:14:17.400 But, ultimately, it's by the Spirit, through faith, that we believe the Scriptures are the Word of God. 00:14:17.399 --> 00:14:22.100 That's ultimately why we believe the Bible is the Bible and the Word of God. 00:14:22.419 --> 00:14:22.579 Okay. 00:14:23.399 --> 00:14:26.939 Now, before we move on, it's worth just jumping forward a bit in history. 00:14:27.279 --> 00:14:31.600 If you asked a 16th century Frenchman why they believe the Bible, they would have told you, 00:14:31.980 --> 00:14:33.220 the church tells me I should. 00:14:33.600 --> 00:14:37.779 But if you were to ask a 21st century Londoner why believe the Bible, 00:14:37.860 --> 00:14:39.779 they would probably tell you, no, don't believe the Bible. 00:14:39.840 --> 00:14:42.139 It's full of lies and errors. 00:14:42.439 --> 00:14:44.460 So let's just think about that objection for a moment. 00:14:44.460 --> 00:14:48.500 Actually, as it turns out, that is not a new idea. 00:14:49.320 --> 00:14:53.500 The idea that the Bible is full of error has been around for quite a long time. 00:14:54.300 --> 00:14:59.820 Herman Bavinck, writing at the turn of the 20th century, tracks how this works in history for us. 00:14:59.879 --> 00:15:05.340 He says that basically the reformers sort of held that the Bible's full of lies thing at bay for a bit, 00:15:05.600 --> 00:15:10.920 but then it comes back in a kind of higher criticism movement. 00:15:10.919 --> 00:15:17.000 Challenges to the authority of the Bible next surface again in rationalism, deism, and French philosophy. 00:15:17.879 --> 00:15:22.719 First, in the rationalist 18th century, it tended to be directed against the content of Scripture. 00:15:23.259 --> 00:15:29.719 Then in the historically minded 19th century, it called in question the authenticity of the biblical writings. 00:15:30.559 --> 00:15:32.000 Porphyry replaced Celsius. 00:15:32.579 --> 00:15:33.919 Rian followed Voltaire. 00:15:34.319 --> 00:15:36.699 Paul of Heidelberg made way for Strauss and Bohr. 00:15:36.700 --> 00:15:39.960 But the result consistently remained the same. 00:15:40.100 --> 00:15:43.080 Scripture is considered a book full of errors and lies. 00:15:44.080 --> 00:15:45.400 How do you respond to that? 00:15:45.820 --> 00:15:47.200 We believe by faith. 00:15:47.460 --> 00:15:49.879 Because the Bible tells us that it's God's word. 00:15:49.960 --> 00:15:51.040 We believe that it's God's word. 00:15:51.440 --> 00:15:52.620 How do we respond to that? 00:15:52.700 --> 00:15:54.800 How does the confession answer that? 00:15:55.300 --> 00:15:58.680 Well, it says, no, we believe the Bible is true by the Spirit. 00:15:58.679 --> 00:16:07.979 So it doesn't surprise you then that those who don't have the Spirit and who are not Christian believe that the Bible is full of lies and errors 00:16:07.979 --> 00:16:11.459 because they have a vested interest in undermining the word of God. 00:16:12.319 --> 00:16:16.779 And we can't then just say, no, we believe the Bible is the word of God because of all these other reasons, 00:16:16.839 --> 00:16:18.579 because those other reasons become your authority. 00:16:19.019 --> 00:16:21.519 You can use them as witnesses to the truth of the Bible, 00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:28.100 but they can't ultimately persuade someone that the Bible is God's word because that's the work of the Spirit in our hearts. 00:16:29.039 --> 00:16:32.779 That might not surprise you to hear that not everybody thought that was enough, right? 00:16:33.639 --> 00:16:34.220 Wait a minute. 00:16:34.319 --> 00:16:35.480 There must be more to it than that. 00:16:35.639 --> 00:16:42.139 So people then try to go about separating out the Bible, saying, well, maybe the Bible is not all the word of God. 00:16:42.139 --> 00:16:49.720 Maybe the Bible just contains the word of God, and then there are bits around the word of God in it which maybe aren't quite true. 00:16:51.159 --> 00:16:55.620 Bavinck continued, as a result, many theologians modified the doctrine of inspiration. 00:16:56.039 --> 00:16:59.439 The word of God was to be distinguished from Holy Scripture. 00:17:00.120 --> 00:17:02.840 Only doctrine is immediately inspired. 00:17:03.059 --> 00:17:06.279 In the rest, error was easily possible. 00:17:06.279 --> 00:17:12.960 The idea was that, well, basically, the Bible might contain errors, but not in what it really matters, right? 00:17:13.000 --> 00:17:13.920 That was the defense. 00:17:15.000 --> 00:17:22.019 A guy called Karl Barth picked this up in the 20th century and taught that the Bible essentially becomes the word of God in the heart of the believer, 00:17:22.119 --> 00:17:28.220 but the text itself is not God's word, saying, in effect, that the inspiration lies in the reader, not in the text. 00:17:29.299 --> 00:17:30.099 But what do we make of that? 00:17:30.160 --> 00:17:33.220 What does the Bible claim for itself in the light of that? 00:17:33.220 --> 00:17:39.660 Turn to 2 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16, and we'll just look at this briefly together. 00:17:39.799 --> 00:17:43.120 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16. 00:17:43.279 --> 00:17:50.360 It's on page 1196, if you've got a Bible, from the church. 00:17:51.220 --> 00:17:53.180 2 Timothy chapter 3 verse 16. 00:18:00.360 --> 00:18:02.259 1, 1, 9, 6. 00:18:03.220 --> 00:18:12.980 All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness. 00:18:14.480 --> 00:18:17.160 Notice, Scripture, right? 00:18:18.559 --> 00:18:19.200 Writings. 00:18:20.240 --> 00:18:28.440 It is the conviction of the Bible writers that the written word of God is the same in authority as the verbal word of God spoken to the prophets. 00:18:28.440 --> 00:18:35.600 So they inscripture God's word so that what is written is God-breathed, right? 00:18:36.320 --> 00:18:42.360 And not just the individual alone who wrote it. 00:18:42.440 --> 00:18:48.420 It's not all Scripture writers are inspired or breathing out God's word, but the Scriptures themselves. 00:18:48.420 --> 00:18:51.259 And it's not just some of the writing. 00:18:51.539 --> 00:18:53.039 It is all of the writing. 00:18:53.180 --> 00:18:59.220 It's not just the doctrine, not just the bits pertaining to salvation, but all of the writing is breathed out by God. 00:18:59.220 --> 00:19:04.339 It is God's word carried on his breath, spoken out by him. 00:19:05.279 --> 00:19:10.940 And, says the confession, either you believe that statement by faith given by the Spirit, 00:19:11.319 --> 00:19:15.980 or you don't believe it and nothing will persuade you of it, ultimately. 00:19:15.980 --> 00:19:20.460 Now, discuss again with the person next to you. 00:19:20.480 --> 00:19:26.980 Your friend, just imagine, you had a friend, has been coming to church with you for a few weeks, 00:19:27.019 --> 00:19:31.559 but they're not convinced that the Bible is true and think it's full of errors and contradictions. 00:19:32.259 --> 00:19:33.120 How do you help them? 00:19:34.480 --> 00:19:35.360 How do you help them? 00:19:35.599 --> 00:19:38.759 Your friend comes to church, they think the Bible is full of errors and contradictions. 00:19:38.940 --> 00:19:39.700 How do you help them? 00:19:40.700 --> 00:19:43.599 You've got a minute to speak to the person next to you, and then we'll get back together. 00:19:43.599 --> 00:19:49.079 Okay, sorry to interrupt your conversations. 00:19:56.039 --> 00:19:57.599 Does anyone want to help us out? 00:20:07.219 --> 00:20:09.379 Sounds like Mike's suggestion is go and play pool. 00:20:09.539 --> 00:20:11.740 That's the only bit I heard of that, but yeah. 00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:14.719 Okay, okay, yeah. 00:20:17.379 --> 00:20:18.639 Anybody want to help us? 00:20:19.939 --> 00:20:21.019 What might you say to them? 00:20:22.819 --> 00:20:25.559 I would say, if they should have a parent, 00:20:25.559 --> 00:20:31.359 do you ask them, have you been read about it, or are you given them some necessary? 00:20:31.919 --> 00:20:35.099 Right, yeah, so you might want to ask them, where are the errors? 00:20:35.199 --> 00:20:37.919 Yeah, show me some, and then we can talk about them and engage with them. 00:20:37.920 --> 00:20:38.920 Yeah, yeah. 00:20:44.360 --> 00:20:48.240 You said that we'd pray for them, and we're not going to be able to pray. 00:20:48.580 --> 00:20:48.740 Yeah. 00:20:49.880 --> 00:20:53.880 We would pray for them, because the Spirit's got to open their eyes. 00:20:54.019 --> 00:20:54.820 Yeah, yeah. 00:20:55.600 --> 00:20:58.080 Yeah, pray for them, ask that the Spirit would open their eye. 00:21:01.580 --> 00:21:02.160 Anything else? 00:21:02.160 --> 00:21:07.880 There are loads of different things you could say, aren't there? 00:21:07.940 --> 00:21:09.259 From the witnesses, right? 00:21:09.580 --> 00:21:15.019 In chapter 1.5 of the Baptist Confession, you could turn to some of the witnesses, couldn't you? 00:21:15.060 --> 00:21:17.800 You could describe the heavenly contents. 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:22.000 You could show the power of the system of the truth, so show how it fits together. 00:21:22.000 --> 00:21:27.259 You could see the central focus on giving glory to God. 00:21:27.819 --> 00:21:34.000 You could show how it's, you know, here are numerous different authors writing over numerous years, 00:21:35.160 --> 00:21:37.680 living in different parts of the world under very different systems, 00:21:38.160 --> 00:21:41.000 writing about the most controversial subject in life, 00:21:42.000 --> 00:21:45.279 and they are all agreeing with one another, and writing the same. 00:21:45.420 --> 00:21:46.720 That's incredible, isn't it? 00:21:47.619 --> 00:21:49.740 You can hardly meet two people who think the same. 00:21:49.740 --> 00:21:54.779 Never mind meet these people from all these disparate places that are all unified together. 00:21:55.440 --> 00:21:59.839 But ultimately, they will only believe the Bible is the Word of God by faith. 00:22:00.660 --> 00:22:02.120 Where does faith come from? 00:22:04.279 --> 00:22:05.640 Hearing the Word, yeah. 00:22:06.259 --> 00:22:07.400 Faith comes by hearing. 00:22:08.039 --> 00:22:11.720 Yeah, so, you say, don't you, you can do all of those things, 00:22:11.779 --> 00:22:13.900 and then you say, just keep listening, right? 00:22:14.339 --> 00:22:14.960 Keep reading. 00:22:15.740 --> 00:22:17.359 Keep coming along to church. 00:22:17.799 --> 00:22:19.019 Keep asking your questions. 00:22:19.740 --> 00:22:21.779 Why don't we have a look at Mark's Gospel together or something? 00:22:21.900 --> 00:22:25.339 Why don't we read a bit together, and you can tell me what you think? 00:22:25.759 --> 00:22:28.859 Because actually, that's how this works, isn't it? 00:22:28.880 --> 00:22:29.980 It's by faith. 00:22:29.980 --> 00:22:30.980 Yeah. 00:22:30.980 --> 00:22:31.980 Yeah. 00:22:31.980 --> 00:22:31.980 00:22:31.980 --> 00:22:31.980 00:22:31.980 --> 00:22:31.980 00:22:31.980 --> 00:22:51.079 So how do you, when, because the message of the cross is foolishness. 00:22:51.400 --> 00:22:57.339 Yeah, I, Clifford, you, you've got to hold those things together, haven't you? 00:22:57.339 --> 00:22:57.779 Right? 00:22:57.779 --> 00:22:57.899 Right? 00:22:58.059 --> 00:23:03.539 That faith comes by hearing, but it, it doesn't come automatically at all the time, does it? 00:23:03.579 --> 00:23:05.939 So there are people who hear the Word of God and who reject it. 00:23:06.079 --> 00:23:10.000 The parable of the sower is, is a reflection of what goes on, isn't it, in people's hearts. 00:23:10.359 --> 00:23:14.939 So we keep sharing God's Word and we keep praying and asking God to be at work, 00:23:14.940 --> 00:23:19.759 recognizing that that will not automatically bring faith to everybody who hears. 00:23:20.100 --> 00:23:20.200 Yeah. 00:23:20.900 --> 00:23:21.140 Yeah. 00:23:21.140 --> 00:23:27.540 I think I want you to feel, from the stuff that we're looking at about what, I just want 00:23:27.540 --> 00:23:29.520 to feel a sense of liberty, right? 00:23:30.900 --> 00:23:33.320 Your job is not to defend the Bible. 00:23:34.200 --> 00:23:36.259 The Bible is more than able to do that for you. 00:23:36.259 --> 00:23:42.859 You, you just need to encourage people to look at it and read it and ask the Lord to do his 00:23:42.859 --> 00:23:43.779 work in their hearts. 00:23:45.339 --> 00:23:49.819 And, and the questions that people are asking and the statements they are making have been 00:23:49.819 --> 00:23:58.819 made for centuries and centuries and have never thwarted the progress of the gospel as the 00:23:58.819 --> 00:24:02.839 church has continued to preach the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ, trusting in his Word. 00:24:02.839 --> 00:24:05.579 The Bible has continued to make the church. 00:24:06.699 --> 00:24:07.359 Praise God. 00:24:08.119 --> 00:24:08.359 Okay. 00:24:08.799 --> 00:24:12.679 We're going to crunch through the gearbox and go into a second question, which is slightly 00:24:12.679 --> 00:24:16.319 disconnected, but it is the next point in the Baptist Confession of 1689. 00:24:16.740 --> 00:24:19.779 And I want us just to think about, do we need anything in addition to the Bible? 00:24:20.659 --> 00:24:22.079 And this is point six. 00:24:22.899 --> 00:24:24.259 And I'm going to read it in two chunks. 00:24:24.339 --> 00:24:27.779 So we're going to do the first part first and then the second part, and it's going to 00:24:27.779 --> 00:24:29.559 be quite quick and you can ask questions at the end. 00:24:30.579 --> 00:24:30.899 Okay. 00:24:30.900 --> 00:24:37.620 The whole counsel of God concerning everything essential for his own glory and man's salvation, 00:24:38.360 --> 00:24:46.140 faith, and life is either explicitly stated or by necessary inference contained in the 00:24:46.140 --> 00:24:46.780 Holy Scriptures. 00:24:47.640 --> 00:24:54.080 Nothing is ever to be added to the Scriptures, either by new revelation of the Spirit or by 00:24:54.080 --> 00:24:55.500 human traditions. 00:24:56.480 --> 00:24:59.440 Now, it might be just worth explaining a couple of sentences in there. 00:24:59.440 --> 00:25:02.240 The whole counsel of God concerning everything essential for salvation. 00:25:02.600 --> 00:25:04.600 The whole counsel of God is all of the Bible, right? 00:25:05.100 --> 00:25:09.960 Everything essential for his own glory, God's glory and man's salvation, faith, and life 00:25:09.960 --> 00:25:11.580 is either explicitly. 00:25:11.799 --> 00:25:16.240 That means you can read it in there because it's directly talked about or is talked about 00:25:16.240 --> 00:25:22.000 by good and necessary consequence or by necessary inference, as our modern translation puts it 00:25:22.000 --> 00:25:22.220 here. 00:25:22.220 --> 00:25:26.900 That means that something is true because it's an implication of the Bible. 00:25:26.900 --> 00:25:35.559 So just because this idea has come to my mind, you might say that the Bible doesn't say anything 00:25:35.559 --> 00:25:37.519 about the internet, right? 00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:40.319 Because obviously the Bible is written before the internet. 00:25:40.319 --> 00:25:46.839 But that doesn't mean that you can't say true things for the Christian about how they use the internet by good and 00:25:46.839 --> 00:25:48.919 necessary inference from the Bible, right? 00:25:49.220 --> 00:25:53.919 So all those things that we read in Galatians chapter 5 about how we are and aren't to behave 00:25:53.919 --> 00:25:58.579 apply to things that weren't imagined by the Bible in the Bible writer's time. 00:25:59.059 --> 00:26:01.099 That's inference, right? 00:26:01.099 --> 00:26:06.500 But the confession here is essentially saying that the Bible is a complete book, yeah? 00:26:06.539 --> 00:26:10.759 It's a finished book, that no one is currently writing the Bible. 00:26:11.179 --> 00:26:13.919 No one is being given revelation to complete the Bible. 00:26:14.519 --> 00:26:19.819 Specifically in their context, the Roman Catholic Church are not adding the Bible tradition and 00:26:19.819 --> 00:26:21.919 the scriptures don't go alongside one another. 00:26:22.359 --> 00:26:24.459 The Bible always goes ahead, right? 00:26:25.139 --> 00:26:27.480 And so why is that the case? 00:26:27.480 --> 00:26:32.120 Well, because the coming of God the Son in human flesh is the completion of the scriptures. 00:26:32.920 --> 00:26:37.799 And there's a sense in which God turns up in person and therefore has nothing more to say. 00:26:38.299 --> 00:26:43.079 He has fully revealed himself and the witness to the person of Jesus Christ and the works of 00:26:43.079 --> 00:26:46.660 Jesus Christ by the eyewitnesses complete the written word of God. 00:26:47.220 --> 00:26:52.200 So when you read through the Bible, Paul doesn't tell Timothy to lock himself in a room and wait 00:26:52.200 --> 00:26:52.980 for a revelation. 00:26:53.539 --> 00:26:54.299 He tells him what? 00:26:54.700 --> 00:26:55.559 Preach the word. 00:26:56.200 --> 00:26:57.360 Read God's word. 00:26:57.700 --> 00:26:58.259 Publicly. 00:26:59.000 --> 00:27:00.460 Notice how this works, though. 00:27:00.579 --> 00:27:05.420 The confession is clear to say that the Bible is sufficient for the purpose for which it's 00:27:05.420 --> 00:27:05.720 given. 00:27:06.480 --> 00:27:10.319 So the Bible is not everything that you would ever want to know about God. 00:27:10.620 --> 00:27:14.059 You know, you can read the whole Bible and understand it better than anybody else has in 00:27:14.059 --> 00:27:16.940 human history and still have questions. 00:27:17.860 --> 00:27:22.380 Because it's not everything you want to know, but it's not even everything you could know, 00:27:22.380 --> 00:27:27.040 but it's everything you need to know about God in order to be saved and live a life for 00:27:27.040 --> 00:27:27.560 his glory. 00:27:29.040 --> 00:27:33.040 Now, the point is not that God couldn't speak to you about something else. 00:27:33.360 --> 00:27:37.060 It's not that God couldn't give you a particular impression that you should do something or go 00:27:37.060 --> 00:27:38.420 in a particular direction in your life. 00:27:38.420 --> 00:27:43.080 I would say I had a really strong impression that God was calling us to come to West Kilwam 00:27:43.080 --> 00:27:43.860 Baptist Church. 00:27:44.480 --> 00:27:48.860 But it's important to say that that is in a very different category to the Bible, right? 00:27:49.420 --> 00:27:52.700 None of that is necessary for salvation or even for holiness. 00:27:52.700 --> 00:27:54.220 That's just God's kindness. 00:27:55.340 --> 00:27:56.740 How does this work out in practice? 00:27:56.920 --> 00:27:58.200 Well, the next part of the statement. 00:27:58.440 --> 00:27:59.039 Let's read on. 00:27:59.460 --> 00:28:06.660 Nevertheless, we acknowledge that the inward illumination of the Spirit of God is necessary 00:28:06.660 --> 00:28:10.500 for a saving understanding of what is revealed in the Word. 00:28:11.299 --> 00:28:16.559 We recognize that some circumstances concerning the worship of God and government of the church 00:28:16.559 --> 00:28:22.299 are common to human actions and organizations and are to be ordered by the light of nature and 00:28:22.299 --> 00:28:27.139 Christian wisdom following the general rules of the Word, which must be observed. 00:28:28.379 --> 00:28:29.339 This is brilliant. 00:28:29.559 --> 00:28:30.220 You get this, right? 00:28:30.859 --> 00:28:34.079 And I know it's the last thing we're doing, but please try and hold on for this. 00:28:34.539 --> 00:28:34.700 Okay. 00:28:35.039 --> 00:28:38.440 Notice here that the point is that the Bible is sufficient for salvation and holiness, 00:28:38.779 --> 00:28:42.240 but there is lots of other things that would be really helpful for you to know, right? 00:28:42.919 --> 00:28:47.079 That aren't in the Bible and which might be helpful, especially it seems for church life. 00:28:47.079 --> 00:28:54.039 So some things about church government and worship are common to human actions and organizations, 00:28:54.259 --> 00:28:55.139 he says, right? 00:28:55.179 --> 00:28:55.819 Or they say. 00:28:57.299 --> 00:29:02.019 And so, in other words, you might not be able to open the Bible and find out how you should 00:29:02.019 --> 00:29:03.359 run the Crest Rater, right? 00:29:03.779 --> 00:29:08.740 You might not be able to open the Bible and work out how you should run the charitable status 00:29:08.740 --> 00:29:13.160 of a church or a staff team or a small organization. 00:29:13.660 --> 00:29:17.099 There might be some really useful things on gov.uk, right? 00:29:18.000 --> 00:29:21.599 But the point is that the Bible is sufficient but not exhaustive. 00:29:21.680 --> 00:29:25.359 It's all we need to know for salvation by the inward illumination of the Spirit, as we've 00:29:25.359 --> 00:29:25.920 seen before. 00:29:26.579 --> 00:29:30.839 But there is stuff that we could know and could learn outside of the Bible, which will help 00:29:30.839 --> 00:29:34.620 us organize not only our own lives, but also organize the church life. 00:29:34.619 --> 00:29:40.859 Because we are human and we live in this world and we can learn for one another. 00:29:41.799 --> 00:29:45.139 This is really helpful for serious Bible churches like ours, right? 00:29:45.199 --> 00:29:49.619 Because Bible churches can get really bent out of shape by suggesting that they only want 00:29:49.619 --> 00:29:52.899 to do and restrict their practice to what the Bible expressly says. 00:29:54.139 --> 00:29:56.659 You know, we're not going to have a church administrator. 00:29:56.879 --> 00:29:58.039 We're not going to have a senior pastor. 00:29:58.199 --> 00:29:58.939 We're not going to have a band. 00:29:59.019 --> 00:30:01.699 We're not going to project words onto the screen because the Bible doesn't tell us that 00:30:01.699 --> 00:30:02.879 we should do those things. 00:30:02.880 --> 00:30:09.440 And the confession says, almost don't be over-spiritual about that because actually there are stuff 00:30:09.440 --> 00:30:14.380 that you could learn about how to organize your life together as a church, which is, you 00:30:14.380 --> 00:30:18.500 know, how does he put it in that last part of the statement? 00:30:19.620 --> 00:30:23.920 Which, following the general rules of the word, which must always be observed. 00:30:24.020 --> 00:30:29.220 So not in contradiction to scripture, but in accordance with scripture that will help us 00:30:29.220 --> 00:30:32.420 with wisdom to lead the church and lead the church forward. 00:30:32.880 --> 00:30:35.000 So do we need more than the message of the Bible? 00:30:35.220 --> 00:30:36.740 Well, no, we don't. 00:30:36.840 --> 00:30:38.720 Not to be saved, not to live a godly life. 00:30:39.200 --> 00:30:41.220 Might there be other things that would be helpful for us to know? 00:30:41.500 --> 00:30:42.380 Yes, there might be. 00:30:42.960 --> 00:30:43.720 Should we learn them? 00:30:44.080 --> 00:30:44.480 Yes. 00:30:45.420 --> 00:30:46.980 Will that be good for our church family? 00:30:47.360 --> 00:30:48.680 Almost certainly it will be. 00:30:50.280 --> 00:30:54.300 Now, what does the sufficiency of the scriptures mean for us personally then? 00:30:54.700 --> 00:30:56.220 Well, this is my last statement. 00:30:56.220 --> 00:30:58.940 My old pastor in Sheffield used to put it like this. 00:30:59.200 --> 00:31:04.940 It means if something is really, really important to you and you cannot find it in the Bible, 00:31:05.740 --> 00:31:11.600 either you don't know your Bible well enough or it shouldn't be that important to you. 00:31:12.059 --> 00:31:12.100 Right. 00:31:12.099 --> 00:31:14.500 And that's it, isn't it? 00:31:15.059 --> 00:31:18.199 The Bible is everything that you need to know for life and for godliness. 00:31:18.439 --> 00:31:21.759 It's not everything you can know and there's wisdom out there that would be useful for you to learn. 00:31:22.279 --> 00:31:25.559 But if something that is really, really important to you and you don't find it in the Bible, 00:31:26.099 --> 00:31:29.379 you don't know your Bible well enough or it's not really that important. 00:31:30.039 --> 00:31:32.439 That's the sufficiency of the scriptures. 00:31:32.440 --> 00:31:37.840 Any questions or comments as we finish? 00:31:42.240 --> 00:31:43.420 We'll look a bit spaced. 00:31:49.420 --> 00:31:51.620 There's one thing that we've asked before we finish. 00:31:52.019 --> 00:31:52.140 Yeah? 00:31:52.140 --> 00:31:59.759 It's just, I guess you're doing, it's handy to have something that might explain historical and cultural politics, 00:32:00.559 --> 00:32:02.019 especially the Old Testament. 00:32:02.440 --> 00:32:02.740 Yeah. 00:32:02.740 --> 00:32:02.799 Yeah. 00:32:03.700 --> 00:32:03.920 Yeah. 00:32:04.660 --> 00:32:11.640 You kind of like, a lot of things, the Bible has changed our perception of over a few years. 00:32:11.720 --> 00:32:11.980 Mm-hmm. 00:32:12.360 --> 00:32:17.860 And so it's helpful having some sort of guide next to it that's one that's playing as well. 00:32:19.000 --> 00:32:21.380 So you're doing like 2,000 years ago. 00:32:21.580 --> 00:32:21.740 Yeah. 00:32:21.820 --> 00:32:26.160 Why certain things were happening that might seem very alien and weird to this now. 00:32:26.160 --> 00:32:26.640 Yeah. 00:32:26.640 --> 00:32:26.680 Yeah. 00:32:26.680 --> 00:32:29.820 So, because the Bible is also a historical document. 00:32:29.819 --> 00:32:34.019 And, yeah, there's a lot of things there that just seem like strange. 00:32:34.139 --> 00:32:34.419 Yes. 00:32:34.599 --> 00:32:35.679 That really just come through. 00:32:36.059 --> 00:32:36.419 Yes. 00:32:36.519 --> 00:32:42.579 And it's, so it's nice to have things on either side that kind of can be coded first. 00:32:42.579 --> 00:32:43.619 Yes. 00:32:43.720 --> 00:32:45.399 So I would want to be careful about that. 00:32:45.679 --> 00:32:48.159 So it's good to have stuff that teaches the history. 00:32:48.379 --> 00:32:50.500 So absolutely, yes. 00:32:50.500 --> 00:32:54.880 The Bible is a historical book, so we need stuff that will help us with the historical context. 00:32:56.279 --> 00:33:00.279 Is it essential for you to have that in order to understand enough of the Bible to be saved? 00:33:01.059 --> 00:33:03.319 Definitely not, because the Bible alone is sufficient. 00:33:03.480 --> 00:33:07.559 If it was essential for us to be saved, it would have been included in the Bible. 00:33:08.220 --> 00:33:11.119 Is it helpful for us to know to make sure that we understand the Bible properly? 00:33:11.480 --> 00:33:11.819 Yes. 00:33:11.880 --> 00:33:12.960 Is that in God's providence? 00:33:13.700 --> 00:33:14.059 Yes. 00:33:14.059 --> 00:33:19.159 Will having that ensure that you have a saving knowledge of Jesus in the Bible? 00:33:19.419 --> 00:33:21.919 No, because that's only by the work of the Spirit, isn't it? 00:33:22.079 --> 00:33:22.859 Does that make sense? 00:33:23.259 --> 00:33:26.579 So I'm agreeing with what you're saying with those kind of qualified. 00:33:26.960 --> 00:33:27.079 Yeah. 00:33:28.960 --> 00:33:30.039 Amy, you had a question as well. 00:33:30.039 --> 00:33:30.639 Yeah. 00:33:31.279 --> 00:33:34.039 So I am a Catholic. 00:33:34.839 --> 00:33:35.179 Mm-hmm. 00:33:35.639 --> 00:33:37.779 So he's about to be a cop-spot-perm by a lot. 00:33:37.799 --> 00:33:38.220 Yes. 00:33:38.859 --> 00:33:43.839 He's studying theology, so he is talking about, like, the church. 00:33:44.059 --> 00:33:44.200 Yeah. 00:33:44.200 --> 00:33:44.359 Yeah. 00:33:44.359 --> 00:33:44.539 Yeah. 00:33:44.539 --> 00:33:45.059 Yeah. 00:33:45.059 --> 00:33:46.059 Yeah. 00:33:46.059 --> 00:33:48.059 Yeah. 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:48.059 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:48.059 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:48.059 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:48.059 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:48.059 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:48.059 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:48.059 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:48.059 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:48.059 00:33:48.059 --> 00:33:49.059 Yeah. 00:33:49.059 --> 00:33:50.059 Yeah. 00:33:50.059 --> 00:33:50.059 00:33:50.059 --> 00:33:50.059 00:33:50.059 --> 00:33:52.059 Yeah. 00:33:52.059 --> 00:33:54.059 Yeah. 00:33:54.059 --> 00:33:54.059 00:33:54.059 --> 00:33:56.059 Yeah. 00:33:56.059 --> 00:33:56.059 00:33:56.059 --> 00:33:57.059 Yeah. 00:33:57.059 --> 00:33:58.059 Yeah. 00:33:58.059 --> 00:34:06.759 So we, we skipped over chapter 1.2, I think it is, in the confession, which lists the book 00:34:06.759 --> 00:34:07.139 of the Bible. 00:34:07.139 --> 00:34:13.139 So the Westminster Confession, the Savoy Declaration, and the Baptist Confession all put the 66 books in the Bible 00:34:13.139 --> 00:34:17.239 without the Apocrypha and state that they don't believe the Apocrypha to be part of the Word of God. 00:34:17.679 --> 00:34:24.440 And I think, probably, there is a range of opinions of Roman Catholic individuals and of the church 00:34:24.440 --> 00:34:25.799 about how exactly they handle that. 00:34:25.800 --> 00:34:33.960 How and why the church decided the canon as it did is a slightly longer question, which I'm not going to answer now. 00:34:34.300 --> 00:34:43.200 But it's important to say, I think, that it is not that the church gave a status to those 66 books that they didn't have, 00:34:43.199 --> 00:34:48.859 but rather the church is recognizing the status that those 66 books have in the life of the church 00:34:48.859 --> 00:34:51.960 and are then drawing a boundary around them. 00:34:52.359 --> 00:34:56.059 And so I think you can look back in church history, this would be my short answer, 00:34:56.199 --> 00:34:59.980 you look back in church history and see that the books of the Apocrypha have only ever been treated 00:34:59.980 --> 00:35:03.500 as less than those 66 books. 00:35:03.500 --> 00:35:07.059 And so that some of the contents might be helpful and useful. 00:35:07.179 --> 00:35:10.900 And it says, I think the Confession states it's something like, 00:35:11.340 --> 00:35:15.519 the books of the Apocrypha are useful information as are other books, 00:35:15.900 --> 00:35:18.039 a bit like what Nick's saying about other historical books, 00:35:18.159 --> 00:35:19.619 but are not part of the Word of God. 00:35:20.159 --> 00:35:24.340 And I think you can have pretty complete lists of the New Testament and Old Testament 00:35:24.340 --> 00:35:27.219 by very, very early church history. 00:35:31.619 --> 00:35:32.519 Any other questions? 00:35:33.500 --> 00:35:41.599 My one asks, what was the crack here used to determine which was Scripture and which was? 00:35:42.019 --> 00:35:49.639 Yeah, so apostolic witness and authority is the key one, isn't it? 00:35:49.739 --> 00:35:54.440 So written by the apostles or written on the instruction of the apostles. 00:35:55.519 --> 00:35:56.079 Yeah. 00:35:56.820 --> 00:35:59.659 We could talk about that some more and it's slightly more complicated 00:35:59.659 --> 00:36:04.920 because even like Luther, he, I mean, he didn't want the Apocrypha in the Bible, 00:36:05.000 --> 00:36:07.000 but he didn't want a few of the other books in the Bible either. 00:36:07.179 --> 00:36:10.079 So we could talk about that at another stage. 00:36:10.299 --> 00:36:17.480 But I would need to just make sure I knew exactly what was right before I said it 00:36:17.480 --> 00:36:20.420 and Nick puts it up on YouTube and I get corrected. 00:36:20.420 --> 00:36:26.019 Let me pray for us and we'll finish there. 00:36:28.519 --> 00:36:35.599 Heavenly Father, we thank you so much for the liberty of knowing that you have spoken clearly in your Word 00:36:35.599 --> 00:36:42.159 and that by your Spirit, through faith in Jesus Christ, we now get to hear you speak to us 00:36:42.159 --> 00:36:48.440 every day when we open a Bible and together as church as we open God's Word together. 00:36:48.980 --> 00:36:54.960 What a joy that you, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, would speak to people like us clearly 00:36:54.960 --> 00:37:00.000 that we might know you, love you, live our lives to your praise and your glory. 00:37:00.599 --> 00:37:04.159 We want to ask, Lord, that we would be eager to listen. 00:37:04.679 --> 00:37:08.719 As eager as you are to speak, would we be eager to listen, we pray. 00:37:08.719 --> 00:37:15.399 And we ask, Lord, that you might help us as a church and as individuals not to feel like we have to defend you. 00:37:16.000 --> 00:37:17.839 You're well able to do that for yourself. 00:37:18.619 --> 00:37:22.239 And we pray, please, that we would just get your Word out there, 00:37:22.619 --> 00:37:27.819 that people might read and hear the wonderful news of Jesus our Saviour as we pray in his name. 00:37:28.419 --> 00:37:28.759 Amen. 00:37:29.079 --> 00:37:29.359 Amen.