Tag: God’s Word

The Church’s Foundation

On By BrianIn PASSION ReflectionsLeave a comment

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
(Ephesians 2:19-21, ESV)

The apostles and New Testament prophets are the foundation of church. They were led by the Holy Spirit to communicate the New Testament truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Now the church is being built on that foundation. We don’t need apostles or prophets anymore. The foundational work has already been done. The church is being built on the truth of the gospel recorded for us in the New Testament.

So when Paul writes to Timothy, he spends 10 chapters in two books hammering home again and again the priority of teaching and preaching God’s given Word. This is what we need. This is how the church grows.

So we must prioritize the Bible. It is through the public teaching and preaching of God’s Word, as well as personal exhortation and encouragement from the Word, as well as personal study and meditation in the Word that the church is built up.

The Bible is the measure by which we must evaluate every practice in our church and in our lives, and so we must prioritize the Bible in our church and in our lives.

The Bible’s message of the gospel is the foundation of the church. Take up and read!

Q&A#7: The Word of God

On By BrianIn PASSION Catechism

Q/A#7
Q: How did we receive the Word of God?
A: We received the Word of God through holy men who wrote as they were led by the Holy Spirit.

Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.  – II Peter 1:20-21 (ESV)

For Further Reflection
Read Acts 1:15-17 & 4:23-26

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

What the Word of God Says About the Word of God, Book by Book – Jared Wilson (FTC)
What God says about his word is a deep, complex, and staggering thing. And each book of the written word testifies to the wonder of his revelation….

Poor Interpretation Lets Us “Believe” the Bible While Denying What It Actually Says – Randy Alcorn
Many so-called evangelicals affirm their belief in Scripture, while attributing meanings to biblical texts that in fact deny what Scripture really says. Hence they “believe every word of the Bible” while actually embracing (and teaching) beliefs that utterly contradict it.

How to Sabotage a Bible Study – Greg Morse as Wormwood (DG)
You seem to forget that we never fear a man just because he reads a Bible. Some of our most useful vermin, having dedicated their lives to it, are snuggly tenured in religious departments across the country. Remember, we do not mind the Bible hobbyist, the hypocrite, and the text-twister. All goes awry, however, when the humans understand the Enemy’s word, treasure it, believe it, obey it, and are led through it to him.

Sola Scriptura: A Scripture-Alone Life – Steve DeWitt
Scripture over us—authority. Under us—promises. In us—Bible intake. Through us—obedience and guidance. Sola Scriptura. Let’s be doctrinally right but let’s make sure right doctrine leads to right living.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with your local church in God’s Word!

Q&A#6: Verses, Questions, Project

On By BrianIn PASSION Catechism

Q/A#6
Q: What is the Word of God?
A: The Word of God is his flawless, unchanging, living, and abiding Word to us, consisting of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

Memory Verses
Forever, O Lord, your Word is firmly fixed in the heavens.
– Psalm 119:89

 Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God.
– I Peter 1:23

Further Supporting Verses
Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
– Proverb 30:5

And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
– Luke 24:27

…as our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you…as he does in all his letters….  There are some things in them that are hard to understand, which the ignorant and unstable twist to their own destruction, as they do the other Scriptures.
– II Peter 3:15-16

All Scripture is breathed out by God….
– II Timothy 3:16a

 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth….
– John 16:13

Reflection/Discussion Questions
Why is it important to your life that God’s Word is flawless, unchanging, and abiding?

How have you found God’s Word to be alive and active in your life?

How do the supporting verses give you confidence that the Bible really is God’s Word?

Project
Read Psalm 119 and reflect further upon God’s gift of His Word.

Q&A#6: The Word of God

On By BrianIn PASSION Catechism

Q/A#6
Q: What is the Word of God?
A: The Word of God is his flawless, unchanging, living, and abiding Word to us, consisting of the Old and New Testaments of the Bible.

Forever, O Lord, your Word is firmly fixed in the heavens.
– Psalm 119:89

Since you have been born again,
not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living
and abiding word of God.
– I Peter 1:23