How to Establish Bible Authority

Seth McDonald
10/06/24 - Sunday AM Worship

 
Authority #4: How to Establish Bible Authority

Introduction

0. 1. In this series so far:
      1. God reigns and Jesus is King! God deserves our obedience.
      2. Old Testament examples show the importance of Following the pat  tern.
   2. How do we know if a practice fits God’s pattern? How do we establish authority?
   3. Some may balk at the idea of “establishing Bible authority”, but they cannot argue over how communication works.
       
1. How Communication Works
   1. How anyone communicates their will
      1. Command (tell us) – A direct statement or order
      2. Example (show us)– Illustrations, models, or demonstrating
      3. Necessary inference (imply) – saying or showing something in an indirect way.
         1. This can even be done through silence or gestures (depending on the context).
         2. If someone must “get it” or “put two and two together”, it is an implication or necessary inference.
      4. If someone disagrees with this, kindly ask them to contradict this without telling, showing, or implying.
   2. How God communicates His desires
      1. God speaks. (commands)
         1. Through Jesus – Hebrews 1.1; Matthew 28.18-20
         2. Through Jesus’ apostles – Ephesians 4.25-27; James 1.22; 1 Peter 2.1-3
      2. God demonstrates.
         1. By example of Jesus – Mtt 3.13-15; John 13.14-15; 1 Peter 2.20b-21; 1 John 3.16
         2. By the approved example of apostles – 1 Corinthians 11.1; Acts 4.18-20
         3. By the approved example of early Christians – Acts 2.46-47; 20.7; 1 Cor 16.2
      3. God requires us to make our own conclusions by what He says and shows
         – Hebrews 5.12-14; Galatians 5.19-21

2. A Test Case of “Tell, Show, Imply”: Acts 10
   1. God showed Peter a vision (vv9-16)
      1. To teach about God’s intentions
      2. Repeated the process three times
      3. “God has shown me” (v28)
   2. God directly told Peter to go with the Gentiles (v20)
   3. Peter inferred that he should not call any man common or unclean (vv28-29)
      1. Peter had to considering all the evidence and come to a conclusion
      2. God never said “The gentiles are now clean, and you may preach to them, baptize them, or call them brethren. God expected Peter to reach that conclusion.

3. How to Be a Good Bible Student
   1. When you read the Bible, you are reading someone else’s mail.
      1. Inferences are necessary to apply the text to 21st century Americans.
      2. Example: 1 Corinthians 1.11-12
         1. There was division in the church in Corinth.
         2. Application for us is not literal, but the lesson is the same.
   2. Steps before making application:
      1. First put yourself in the shoes of the original audience.
      2. See how the verse fits in its context.
      3. Ask how they would obey what was said.
      4. Then apply the same principles to ourselves.
   3. A good test: Would God expect us to “get it”? If so, then it is a required conclusion. If not, we may be reading our own desires into the text. – Matthew 16.5-12
       
4. Conclusion
   1. God values all forms of communication and uses each to express His will to us.
   2. God could have told Peter “Do not call any man unclean now”, but instead uses telling, showing, and implying to let Peter use his reason to “get it”.
   3. God wants His people to think through the implications of what is told and shown in the expression of His will.
   4. To be authoritative, inferences must be warranted, legitimate, and reasonable and not contrived or forced.