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<!doctype html public "-//w3c//dtd html 4.0
transitional//en">Scripture is
Closed
Hebrews
1:1-4; Revelation 22:18-19
Introduction
Paul wrote 4 letters to Corinth (1 Cor
5:9; 2 Cor 2:4; 7:8). Only two of them are in
our Bible. What must the church do if Paul's two lost letters to Corinth are ever found? Must they
or can they be added to the Bible? Paul also wrote a letter to the church
at Laodicea (Col 4:16). That letter too is not in
the Bible. What must the church do if this lost letter is ever found?
Must it or can it be added to the Bible?
Article
4 lists the books of the Bible for us. In giving us this list of Bible
books, is Article 4 telling us the Bible is closed? Is article 4 telling
us that to this list of recognized, authoritative, God-breathed books
none may be added and none may be withdrawn?
We
believe in a closed Bible. By that I mean that to the Bible no books may
be added. And, from the Bible no books may be withdrawn. What we have in our Bibles are the
books "with which there can be no quarrel at all." Or, to put
it another way, we may not and can not expect any new revelation today.
I Attempts to Add to the
Bible
A The Bible is closed, says Article 4. Yet, many, many attempts have been
made and are being made to open the Bible and add to it. Many sects and
cults claim to have received revelation which they place alongside of or
even above Scripture. The Mormons
have the Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price, the Doctrine of the
Covenants, and other writings. In every Christian Science service the
writings of Mary Baker Eddy are read and accorded the same honors as the
Bible. The Seventh Day Adventists revere the writings of Ellen
White. Every sect and cult which
has one of these extra writings are guilty of
adding to the books of the Bible.
B
Article 6 speaks to us of the apocryphal books. The term
"apocryphal" comes from a Greek word which means
"hidden." The term was applied to writings the Jews withdrew
from general circulation because they were judged to be inferior. Since
the Jews hesitated to destroy any copies of even inferior religious
writings, they adopted the habit of depositing them in a secret place or
burying them. We know the Jews had many hidden, apocryphal, writings
withdrawn from general circulation.
The
Christian church used that word "apocryphal" in much the same
way as did the Jews. It refers to those books which are excluded from
public use in the church because they are judged to be inferior. In the
days of the Reformation the word was applied only to the writings
specifically mentioned in Article 6: 3 & 4 Esdras,
Tobit, Judith, Wisdom, Jesus Sirach, Baruch, the addition to Esther, the Song of
the Three Children in the Furnace, the Story of Susannah, the Story of Bel and the Dragon, the Prayer of Manasseh, and 1
& 2 Maccabees. All of these are included in
the Roman Catholic Bible!
How
did the apocryphal books come to be included in the Roman Catholic Bible
in the first place? In the days of the early Christian church, Greek was
the universal language. The early church fathers quite naturally used the
Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament, what we know as the
Septuagint. The Septuagint, which was completed in 132 B.C., included the
Apocryphal books. We are not sure why they were included in the Septuagint
because the Jews never recognized these books as part of their
Bible and did not use them in worship. So, as far as the Jews were
concerned, the apocryphal books were in the Bible but were not
part of the Bible. Most of the early Christians, however, could
not read Hebrew and therefore had no access to the Hebrew Bible. They
simply took for granted that what was included in the Septuagint was
divinely inspired and therefore authoritative.
Many
scholars in the ancient church were opposed to including these apocryphal
writings as part of the Bible. But in its practice the church refused to
follow the teachings of its scholars. The Septuagint had been used so
long in the churches, that the common people were accustomed to readings
from the apocrypha and insisted on their inclusion in the Bible.
The
apocryphal books listed by article 6 are not the only apocryphal books.
With archaeological discoveries like that of the Dead Sea scrolls, we now know there
are hundreds of apocryphal books. We have to say that those who consider
any of the apocryphal books to be part of the holy and divine Scriptures
are guilty of adding to the Bible.
C
Last week I mentioned the heresy of Montanism
— a heresy which claimed new revelation from the Spirit over and
above that given by Scripture. This heresy still exists today.
II A Closed Bible
A From the beginning of its history the church has always championed a
closed and complete Bible. To the list of recognized, authoritative,
God-breathed books none may be added. From it none may be withdrawn. We
can not and may not expect any new revelation today which goes over and
beyond what the Bible says.
Take
the matter of the apocryphal books. The Belgic
Confession takes the position that these apocryphal books, however
religious they may be, are not part of the Bible. Accordingly, the church
may read the apocryphal books, but she must read the
Biblical books. The church may take instruction from the
apocryphal books; she must take instruction from the sacred ones.
The church may use the apocryphal books, but only "as far as
they agree with the canonical books." The Bible books alone are our
standard of faith; all other books have no authority in matters of faith.
Even
the Roman Catholic Church agrees with us that the Bible is closed. They
maintain with us that to the Bible no books may be added and from it no
books may be taken.
B
In speaking of a closed Bible and no new revelation it needs to be
understood we are speaking about a certain time: the time between the
last of the apostles and the return of Christ. You see, we can't speak of
a closed Bible and a lack of new revelation as a permanent state. For, we
know that the second coming of Christ will reveal many new things about
which the Bible is silent.
In
speaking of a closed Bible and no new revelation it also needs to be
understood we are not denying the work of the Spirit in other spheres. We
must distinguish new revelation from such activities as the inner
testimony of the Spirit, the illumination of the Spirit as we approach
Scripture, the Spirit's regeneration of the sinner, the Spirit's work in
sanctification, and the guidance of the Spirit through prayer. A denial
of new revelation also does not mean that we deny God's directing of
history and persons in and through providence.
In
speaking of a closed Bible and no new revelation it also needs to be
understood this does not mean that we don't have revelation today. For we
do: the Word of God. It isn't that we are without revelation today;
rather, it is that we are without new revelation.
C
The Bible is closed. There is no new revelation today. That's the message
of Scripture in Revelation 22:
(Rev
22:18-19) I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this
book: If anyone adds anything to them, God will add to him the plagues
described in this book. (19) And if anyone takes words away from this
book of prophecy, God will take away from him his share in the tree of
life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
Revelation warns us against two errors. The first is the error of many
liberals who have a cut and paste Bible. There are many things that
liberals cannot or will not believe: the creation account of Genesis, the
miracles and resurrection of Christ, the parting of the Red Sea, the destruction of Jericho's walls, the judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah, and anything else that has
even a hint of the miraculous. So liberals cut all of this out of their
Bibles. Unless they repent, the judgment described in the book of
Revelation awaits these liberals because they take away from the Bible.
The
other error is that of those who just love to add to Scripture. Consider
the scribe who thought the Bible was not clear enough on the doctrine of
the Trinity so he added to 1 John 5:7 the following proof text:
For
there are three who testify in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Spirit, and these three are one.
We
can't say that this text is unbiblical, yet it is clearly an addition to
the Bible. Or, consider the scribe who added to John's Gospel the story
of the woman caught in adultery (7:53-8:11). Remember how everyone,
stone in hand, was lusting for blood. And Jesus said, "Whoever is
without sin, let him throw the first stone." Then one by one
everyone left and Jesus was left alone with the woman. He forgave her
with the command to sin no more. This is a beautiful story, and it sounds
like something that Jesus would have said and done, yet it is not part of
the Bible. I think also of those today who take the Genesis account and
force it to say the age of the earth. When we do this, do you know what
we are doing? We are taking our interpretation of the Bible and trying to
add and impose it upon the Bible.
D
The Bible is closed. There is no new revelation today. That's also the
message of Scripture in the opening verses of Hebrews:
(Heb
1:1-2) In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at
many times and in various ways, (2) but in these last days he has spoken
to us by his Son ...
Hebrews
tells us that in times past God spoke through the prophets. The word
"prophets" is used in the widest possible sense, so that Moses
as well as David and Isaiah are included. But in these last days God
spoke to us in His Son!
We
are living in the last days. The "last days" is a Biblical
expression referring to the time between Christ's two comings. During the
last days God has spoken by the Son. The Letter to the Hebrews explains
that what God has said to us in Christ is indeed His last Word. Every
chapter emphasizes this central fact.
God's
message in Christ is His last Word because it is His deepest Word.
It is not just the truth; it is all of the truth. In Christ God has told
us "all His heart." Nothing remains hidden. He has said it all.
Some
people suspect that there might be dark and hidden facts about God,
things you never know, things which may fill us with fear. But that is
not true. In Christ, God has told us all that we need to know for His
glory and our salvation.
God's
message in Christ is His last Word because it is also His final
Word. It is His last will and testament. We should not expect any further
revelation.
There
are always some who look for a new revelation that is more exciting than
what we already have. I've already mentioned the many attempts to add to
the Bible. We can't let such claims deceive us. We must realize that what
God has said and done in Christ is His last Word for the last days.
Conclusion
If the Bible is complete, then it represents a closed system of truth. If
it is a closed system of truth, then the teachings of the Bible may be
asserted as the final and authoritative word. But if God is still
granting new or other revelation, then the truth of God is still being
progressively revealed, and our understanding of the truth is not yet
complete.
The
Bible is closed. There is no new revelation today. Therefore, the Bible
is God's full and complete revelation to us today. Therefore the Bible is
the only light we must live by.
Return to First
Baptist Sermon page.
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