Sermon for MHBC (2 October 2022). You can watch on our website or on Facebook or YouTube.
It starts in the garden of Eden. In Gen 3 the serpent comes to tempt Eve. How does he begin his temptation? With these words: “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” There’s doubt about the necessity of God’s Word.
Eve’s response is troubling as well because she reveals suspicion about the sufficiency of God’s Word when she adds to what God had commanded. She adds to God’s original command: “You shall not touch it.” The serpent questions the necessity of God’s Word (is it really necessary to obey) and Eve doubts the sufficiency of God’s Word (is it really enough for my life). And this leads to rebellion against God’s Word.
The serpent says in contradiction to what God said, “You won’t die.” And Eve sees new value in the tree, including the possibility of wisdom and greater power. She isn’t satisfied with what God has said. She wants more, so she rebels against God’s Word like the serpent.
FCF: This rebellion against God’s Word is part of the core rebellion of human beings.
One of the primary issues that Paul addresses in 2 Tim is people who oppose the truth. Many of these people, likely the primary ones Paul has in mind, are within the church. But instead of relying on Scripture, they occupy themselves with substitutes for God’s Word.
The result of such rebellion, according to Paul, is persecution of the church. He gives the general principle in v. 12 that all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. And notice what he says in v. 13*. Their rebellion is only reinforced. And they are deceived.
The so-called “dangerous idea” of the Protestant Reformation was to put Scripture into people’s hands. Instead of people being in the dark about Scripture and relying on religious authorities to tell them what to believe, the reformers said, “We must go back to the source of truth.” Scripture is both necessary and sufficient. It is indispensable.
We as Baptists are heirs to this thinking. Our Baptist forebears championed the idea of the necessity and indispensability of Scripture. In the first Southern Baptist Confession ever written and also adopted as our articles of faith in our constitution we read this in the opening paragraph: The Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments were given by inspiration of God, and are the only sufficient, certain and authoritative rule of all saving knowledge, faith and obedience. Scripture is the stable source of truth. It is sufficient in that it contains everything necessary for saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. It is the final authority on all matters of faith.
And this is consistent with our passage this morning, which teaches that: Scripture is indispensable for knowing God, for sanctification, and for the church.
1. Scripture is Indispensable for Knowing God
This may strike you as odd, but it’s actually fairly evident. How else would we know who God is apart from Scripture? How would we know the gospel—that God became man, died on a cross, and rose again from the dead to redeem the world?
In fact, Paul puts it this way in Romans 10:14b: And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching?
Scripture is necessary for the Christian life because it shows us the way to salvation in Jesus. Look at what Paul says to Timothy here in 2 Tim 3:14–15*.
Since Timothy was a child, he has been acquainted with the sacred writings. This is a reference to Scripture, specifically to what we know as the OT. Now notice what Scripture is able to do. Make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.
Scripture points us to Christ. From Gen to Rev we are reading an unfolding story about how God is redeeming the world through Christ Jesus. The message of Scripture is faith in Jesus.
We see this in Luke 24. The resurrected Jesus meets some of his followers on the road. They don’t recognize him. But look what Jesus does: And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
We are about to begin reading through the Bible as a congregation in a year. There are some difficult parts. There are some confusing parts. There are some parts that seem irrelevant. But make no mistake about this: All Scripture points to Christ Jesus. The world is created through him. When humans rebel against God’s Word in the garden, God’s unbreakable promise about Christ coming to crush the head of the serpent is given. The covenants with Israel are only fulfilled faithfully by Christ. He is the true son of God, the true Israel, the true heir of the covenants. He is the prophet greater than Moses, the priest greater than Aaron, the king greater than David. He is the suffering servant of Isaiah, the voice of the king in the psalter, and the Lord of glory who fulfills the promises of the prophets. All Scripture points to Christ.
Therefore, Scripture is indispensable to our Christian life. When we read Scripture, we are not just reading an old, interesting, or even sacred, book. We are beholding the glory of Christ. And salvation is found in no one else.
Notice that Paul tells Timothy to continue in this. The study of Scripture is a lifelong habit.
2. Scripture is Indispensable for Sanctification
Remember the context of this passage. People are opposed to the truth of God’s Word. So Paul tells Timothy in v. 14*.
And he goes on to remind Timothy of the character of Scripture. Look at vv. 16–17*.
He says it is breathed out by God. Older translations have inspired since the idea of inspiration is God breathing into something. The Bible is not just a good book or a special book. While it is an amazing piece of literature in its own right, it is the inspired word of God. The words of Scripture are sacred and holy because they are God’s words.
And it is profitable. Profitable for four things: (1) teaching, (2) reproof, (3) correction, and (4) training in righteousness. These words have various nuances. Teaching and training carry positive connotations like here is what we should do. Reproof and correction are more negative like here is what we shouldn’t do.
ILLUS: Scripture works on us like shaping a piece of metal. Metal is heated up so it can be shaped. Then it is poured into molds or hammered to achieve the desired shape. Scripture does that to us. Through its teaching/doctrine, reproof, correction, and training, we are shaped to act and think and talk differently. And it is profitable. It may not feel good because it is forcing a new shape, but it is good for us.
Notice the goal in v. 17. SO THAT … the man of God may be complete. And the sense of complete is further explained as equipped for every good work. Scripture is indispensable for our Christian growth, for our holiness, for our sanctification. It is one of the primary means by which the Spirit of God shapes us into the people of God.
And for this reason, Scripture is indispensable for the church.
3. Scripture is Indispensable for the Church
Paul gives marching orders to Timothy in 4:1–2*. Preach the word. One of the most sacred tasks the church has been given is the preaching of God’s Word. It is the moment when Scripture is proclaimed to the people of God.
Why does he tell Timothy to be so urgent in preaching the word? Because people will not be interested in sound teaching. Look at vv. 3–4*.
There’s an important principle here. We can say it this way: Scripture is sufficient for truth. Notice they will not endure sound teaching. Instead they will desire teaching that satisfies them. They have itching ears. They will desire fluff not substance.
They might say, “It’s too difficult.” That’s because Scripture is meant to shape us. And while some parts of Scripture can be difficult, this often comes down to the appetite of the listener.
If we always eat sugar, we probably won’t enjoy celery; but one is obviously bad for us and the other is very good for us. In the same way, if we consume content, Christian or not, that suits our tastes, then we might find Scripture to be less like honey and more like celery.
One likely result is in v. 4. We will wander off into myths. Myths likely refers to elaborations on Scripture. In other words, doubting the sufficiency of Scripture. Practically this can be seen in the constant search for something more interesting. We might read the latest book by a popular Christian author. Or we might simply rely on devotional books. But consider the problem here. The reading in a devotional book may only be 25% Scripture. The remaining 75% is not. If we aren’t spending regular time in the text of Scripture with study and reflection, then we should put down the latest Christian book.
Paul exhorts Timothy to this task. Look at our final verse, v. 5*. First, he reminds him to be clear-headed. He’s told him to expect opposition. Then, he says to do the work of an evangelist. Now we hear this language and we might think it means knocking on doors or handing out tracks. But the meaning of evangelist is one who proclaims the gospel. Paul has just told Timothy to preach the word.
The primary place of gospel proclamation is the pulpit. The work of God in Christ is the message of Scripture. The church possesses the sacred task of preaching the gospel. Every time we gather, we do so as the people of God under the banner of the gospel. When a church substitutes preaching of God’s word for entertainment whether by abandoning the sermon altogether or by so cheapening the sermon that it becomes some life advice or clever talk or inspirational stories, that church has abandoned the primary means of evangelism. In a very serious way she is no longer being the church. The reformers always listed one of the characteristics of a true church as the word of God rightly preached.
Our staff is absolutely and unapologetically committed to preaching and teaching the Word of God. Anything less is an abandonment of our calling. The only way to fulfill the ministry is to preach the word. Our goal is not simply to be more knowledgeable about Scripture, though don’t discount the importance of knowing Scripture. Our goal is to encounter God, to instructed and corrected, to be complete.
Listen, here is the corrective to what went wrong in the garden. First, it is to see Christ—the main character of the whole biblical story. Then, it is to come to know him for deeply through immersion in Scripture. And we are called to partner with a community that cherishes and values the Word of God.