Sermon for MHBC (1 November 2020). You can listen on Facebook, YouTube, Vimeo, or our website. Live at 11:00am on Sundays.
Yesterday was Halloween, but it was also Reformation Day. Five-hundred and three years ago, on October 31, 1517, a monk named Martin Luther nailed a document to the door of the Wittenberg church. This would be the spark that ignited the Protestant Reformation.
Historians of the Reformation say the principle of justification by faith alone was the main issue, but the driving force, the issue in the background the entire time, was the sufficiency of Scripture alone.
There’s a story in 2 Kings 22. Manasseh had been the pagan king of Judah. Then Josiah takes the throne. During Josiah’s reign, the high priest Hilkiah finds the book of the law in the temple. Imagine this. God’s Word had been literally lost. But here’s where everything changed. When Josiah heard the Words of God read, he tore his clothes in repentance. Then the king gathers all the leaders and all the people and he reads God’s Word. And reform begins. Change begins. They take the pagan elements out of the temple, they commit to obey God’s Word.
Now we no doubt affirm our commitment to Scripture with our mouths, but we must affirm our commitment in our practice. As we will learn from our passage, only when we are committed to Scripture will we be equipped to partner with God’s mission in the world.
Turn with me to 2 Timothy 3 this morning. The authorship of the so-called pastoral letters, which are 1–2 Timothy and Titus, has been disputed for some time, but that’s not really important for our purposes this morning. The Church has long understood Paul as the author, so I will be referring to Paul writing to his disciple Timothy—a young pastor in the Greek city Ephesus.
Paul warns Timothy that in the last days there will be difficulty. See, the church has always viewed itself as an end of time community. He warns of those who will infiltrate the church and seek to do damage. Then he gives Timothy some instruction. Look at 2 Tim 3:10 with me: “You, however, have followed my teaching, my conduct, my aim in life, my faith, my patience, my love, my steadfastness, my persecutions and sufferings that happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, and at Lystra—which persecutions I endured; yet from them all the Lord rescued me.”
Paul has suffered. He has endured. Yet, he affirms the Lord’s constant faithfulness. Then he tells every Christian what they can expect. Verses 12–13: “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, while evil people and impostors will go on from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.”
Notice what he says in v. 12: “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus.” I continue to emphasize this point that our holiness is not in ourselves, but it is derived. This isn’t generic godliness. This isn’t the moralism that many of us were taught. This isn’t “cleanliness is next to godliness” (which isn’t in the Bible by the way). Our holiness, our godliness, is only possible when we are united to Christ Jesus. Perhaps 1 John 2:1 will shed some light on what I’m saying: “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you might not sin. But if anyone should sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous.” I love that description because it captures the gospel. Christ is righteous, and though we fail, he maintains our purity. Why? John tells us in v. 2: “Indeed, he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not ours only, but even those of the whole world.” It’s breathtaking. Such is the confidence we have in Christ.
Now back to 2 Tim 3:12: “all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.” Here is a promise not that Christianity will be culturally acceptable. It’s not a promise for safety. It’s a promise of entering into a real war. There are powers and principalities that want to devour us. Those who desire to follow Christ will meet opposition. But, according to v. 13, there will be some who claim Christianity, there will be impostors, who will deceive because they, too, are deceived.
This is rather disheartening isn’t it? It seems pretty bleak. Paul has said to us, “This is what you should expect.” For Paul, persecution is pretty broad. You should expect people to oppose the truth, to create disruptions, to lead people astray. You should expect opposition. So what do we do? If opposition is inevitable, what do we do? The answer is what makes this passage so interesting.
Look at v. 14: “But as for you continue (abide/remain) in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it.” So step 1: Continue in the Christian confession. Paul taught this to Timothy. We can access it in our New Testament’s.
Verse 15: “and how from childhood you have been acquainted with (known) the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” Timothy had a Jewish mother who had taught him what we know as the Old Testament. Notice what Paul says about the Old Testament. He calls it the sacred writings and he says “they are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.” In other words, they point you to Christ. Reading the OT as a Christian means seeing Christ in it.
Paul has also made an important theological point on the truthfulness of Scripture. He calls it sacred. Something that is sacred is unique. It is not commonplace. So Scripture is not just another book. He also says these writings can make you wise for salvation. Paying close attention to Scripture has real consequences for our life. So step 1: Continue in the Christian confession. Step 2: Continue in your commitment to Scripture.
Then he tells us why this is so vital. Verse 16: “All Scripture is breathed out by God (KJV: inspired) and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” All Scripture is breathed out by God. This statement is huge. If Scripture is breathed out of the mouth of God, we must receive it in faith. R. C. Sproul writes, “The crucial point of the biblical claim to authority is that God is the source who breathes out his word.”[1]
That means we must put ourselves under the authority of Scripture. We moderns think we are so wise and enlightened. We judge God by our standard. We look at parts of Scripture and ignore them. But Paul says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God.”
Imagine two people. One believes this book is truly the Word of God. The other admits that it is a special book, but has hesitations about it being the Word of God. There’s some strange stuff in here after all. When it comes to obedience, which one is more likely to follow Scripture? Obviously the one who believes it is God’s Word. We must challenge everything we do by the standard of Scripture. That goes for us as individuals and as a congregation.
Notice what else Paul says. He says, “All Scripture is profitable (useful/beneficial).” For what? Four things: (1) teaching, (2) reproof, (3) correction, and (4) training in righteousness. Scripture has both a negative function and positive function. It corrects error and illuminates the right way. By the way, if you read the Bible, especially the wisdom literature, this two paths thinking is all over the place. Think of Psalm 1 for example. “Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked … but his delight is in the instruction of the Lord.” Jesus says the same thing, when he says in Matthew 7, “Enter by the narrow gate.” Scripture is able to make us wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is profitable for correction and training. I don’t know how you think of Scripture, but I would discourage you from thinking of it as a rulebook. Instead, I suggest seeing Scripture as a wise conversation partner who shapes our thinking and vision about the world. We don’t need a few verses to follow. We need immersion in the language, atmosphere, and story, so that Scripture molds and shapes us. That’s the idea of being corrected and trained. It’s similar to what Paul says in Rom 12:2: “Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” That’s what Scripture is able to do.
But there’s also one more thing Paul tells us. “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” Now pick up in v. 17: “so that the person of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Here is the purpose or the goal of Scripture’s guidance. The word translated complete means something like capable, competent, prepared. Scripture’s shaping is for the purpose of making us competent disciples of Christ. Let’s use the analogy of a gym. Scripture is the gym in which we develop our ability to act out our faith.
What does that mean in practice for us as a church? It means a commitment to consistent biblical teaching through the exposition of Scripture. That’s a commitment I make to you. My promise to you is that I will labor in the study of God’s Word and in sound doctrine, so that you might be equipped for every good work.
You, too, have a responsibility. Labor as individuals and a congregation to learn what God has said. That means studying Scripture with the best resources. That means taking notes and engaging.
Nothing is more needful for us as a church going forward. This is where we must stand. Martin Luther stood before the council of the Roman Catholic Church because he had challenged Roman Catholic tradition with God’s Word. When he was asked to recant, he said, “Unless I am convicted by Scripture and plain reason, my conscience is captive to the Word of God. I cannot and will not recant anything.” Then as it is commonly told, he closes with this sentence: “Here I stand, I can do no other, so help me God. Amen.”
Will you stand here on the Word of God? It will be uncomfortable. God help us. It will make people angry. God help us. But the glory of God is at stake and the blessing of God on our church is in the balance. And you will find life here. You will find warmth for your soul that you will find nowhere else. Here we stand. May it be so.
[1] What Is Reformed Theology? 47.