In his sermon, Eric Bechler discusses the reliability and significance of the Holy Scriptures as outlined in the 1689 SLBC confession, specifically in Chapter 1, Paragraph 1. He emphasizes the Bible as the sole sufficient, certain, and infallible rule for all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. Bechler references Hank Hanegraaff's four principles for establishing biblical reliability: manuscripts, archaeology, prophecy, and statistics, highlighting the remarkable number of biblical manuscripts and the consistency of their message over time. The sermon stresses the importance of the written Word in maintaining doctrinal purity, offering strength and comfort to the church, and serving as the standard against which all teachings are measured. Bechler argues that while natural revelation manifests God's existence, it is insufficient for salvation, which requires Scripture. He concludes by affirming the Bible as a closed system of truth, emphasizing its completeness, sufficiency, and the dangers of adding to or subtracting from it.

We begin our discussion of the confession this week with paragraph 1 of the Holy Scriptures, chapter 1. It's an excellent and appropriate place to start, God's Word. The Holy Scriptures is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. Our Bible, the Holy Scriptures, is a collection of 66 books written from between 1400 BC, maybe even older, depending on your placement of Job, through 96 AD or so, written by 40 or so people in three different languages. It's a remarkable book.

Just as an aside, I'd like to make some comments on what a unique book the Bible is. Some question its reliability. However, there is no other ancient book that is comparable in its reliability. Hank Hanegraaff offers four principles for establishing biblical reliability, manuscripts, archaeology, prophecy, and statistics. And I'll mention a few of the things he presents.

If you want to look in further you can Google Hank Hanegraaff and biblical reliability and read more details. Regarding manuscripts, how can we determine if the copies we have represent the actual original manuscripts? The quantity of the copies, the span of time between the oldest and the original have an impact. For the Old Testament there are more than 14, 000 manuscripts and fragments, some of them having only 150 years between the original and the copy. The oldest of the Dead Sea Scrolls date back to the 250-200 BC time period.

For the New Testament there are over 5, 300 manuscripts or portions. The shortest time between the original and the copy for the New Testament is only around 60 years. Contrast that with the seven copies of Plato manuscripts that exist with over a 1300 year gap between the original and the earliest copies and that's one of many examples. Archaeology won't go into a lot of that, but there have been a lot of many discoveries that have validated the names, the places, and the events described in the Bible. And as time goes on, more and more discoveries occur that continue to validate that what the Bible says is true.

Regarding prophecies, there are many prophecies within Scripture that have come true and continue to come true. These also help demonstrate the reliability of the Bible. Statistics, this relates to the numbers, The number of accurate copies of manuscripts and fragments. The relatively small number of years between the original and copies. The number of evidences from archaeology.

The number of prophecies that have come true. The number of years over which the Bible was written, the number of authors, the number of languages, yet there is one consistent message, one consistent theme that runs throughout God's redemption of mankind. It's an amazing book, our Bible. God breathed this out. It's God breathes revelation.

Truly it's a King's gift to his people and one that we should value and not take for granted. The confession deems the Holy Scriptures sufficient, certain, and infallible. Sufficient means it's enough. Nothing extra is needed. Certain means true.

Something accurate and trustworthy. And finally infallible means without error. We believe that there's nothing untrue throughout the entire scriptures. It's only truth. God created out of nothing all things in six 24-hour days.

A worldwide flood really did occur. Moses led his people through the Red Sea. Jesus rose from the dead. Many, many, many things here. Everything is truth.

Scripture, as the Confession states, is the only infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. It is our plumb line. It is our standard. It is the gold standard. The standard to test everything else by.

Thus our favorite phrase that we bring up from time to time, what sayeth the scriptures. Let's look at a few verses that support this. We read some of them already. 2nd Timothy 3 will do 16 through 17. All scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

1st Thessalonians 2 13, For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because when ye received the word of God which you've heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe." From Romans 15 for, for whatever things were written a for time were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Psalm 19 7 the law of our Lord is perfect converting the soul the testimony of the Lord is sure making wise the simple moving on to the next section Although the light of nature and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God as to leave men inexcusable, God has revealed himself through his creation. All men know that there is a God. Some may deny this, but it's an undeniable truth. And scripture affirms this from Psalm 19, 1 through 3.

The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard." From Romans 1, 19 and 20, because that which may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shoot it unto them, for the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power, the Godhead, so that they are without excuse. But is knowledge of God enough? Revelation of God through nature is not enough to secure salvation, to secure eternal life.

Without scripture, how can you know God? How can you know His will? How can you obey His commands if you don't even know what they are? Continuing, yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and His will which is necessary unto salvation? From Romans 1-21, because that when they knew God they glorified him not as God neither were thankful but became vain in their imaginations and their foolish heart was darkened.

From 1st Corinthians 2 13 and 14, which things also we speak not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." Finally from Romans 1, 32, who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them. Salvation is not possible through only the revelation of God in nature in his creation, which leads us to his word, the Holy Scriptures, the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. Continuing, therefore it pleased the Lord to reveal himself and declare that his will unto his church.

From 1st Corinthians again, 121, for after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God. It pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. And in Hebrews 1 and chapter 1 verses 1 and 2, God who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath appointed heir of all things." Continuing to the next section, and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh and the malice of Satan and of the world to commit the same holy unto writing which make it the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary. In this section the importance of writing down all that God has communicated to us through the prophets and through his son, Jesus Christ. Why is writing it down so important?

Historically, many cultures pass knowledge down through stories and songs, either told or sung. Inevitably these oral transmissions of history can evolve, they can be embellished, parts can be forgotten, parts can be added that never happened. It's uncertain. But by writing down and painstakingly making sure each copy is identical, the truth, the scriptures would be better preserved and propagated. These writings provide instructions for the establishment of the church.

They offer strength and comfort to the church. Furthermore, they provide a means for the church to stand firm against the corruption of the flesh of Satan and of the world. They are, as we mentioned before, the standard which we hold all things up against. Not sure if I'll read all the verses here I have for that, but I'll go through some of them. Romans 15, 4, for everything that was written in the past was written for our instruction so that through endurance and the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope.

Second Thessalonians 2.15 Therefore brothers stand firm and cling to the traditions we taught you whether by speech or by letter. In Proverbs 22, 19 and through 21 that thy trust may be in the Lord. I have made known to thee this day even to thee. Have not I written to thee these excellent things and counsels and knowledge that I might make thee know the certainty of the words of truth, that thou mightest answer the words of truth to them that sinned unto thee. In Luke 1, 1-4, for as much as many have taken in hand to set forth in order a declaration of those things which are most surely believed among us even as they delivered them unto us which from the beginning Were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word it seemed good to me also Having had a perfect understanding of all things from the very first to write unto thee in order most excellent Theophilus that thou mightest know the certainty of those things wherein thou has been instructed.

Even in Deuteronomy 17 verse 18 when he is seated on his royal throne He must write for himself a copy of this instruction on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests It is to remain with him and he is to read from it all the days of his life so that he might learn to fear the Lord his God by carefully observing all the words of this instruction and these statutes. Finally in the last paragraph those former ways of God's revealing his will unto his people being now ceased. From Hebrews we read already Hebrews 1, 1 & 2, God who at sundry times and in diverse manner spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets hath in these days these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath pointed air of all things. In Acts 1, 21-22, therefore it is necessary to choose one of the men who accompanied us the whole time the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, beginning from John's baptism unto the day Jesus was taken up from us. For one of these must become a witness with us of his resurrection." What exactly are these former ways in which God has revealed his will?

As we read in Hebrews 1 and 2, Scripture has come from writings of the prophets and the apostles over a period of 1500 years or more. The orthodox teaching of Christianity has always affirmed that God's special saving revelation to mankind is restricted to the teachings of Scripture. And the phrase being now ceased means that what God has revealed is sufficient. No more revelation is necessary. The confession raises this point because there are those who believe otherwise.

I'll quote an excerpt from John MacArthur from his master seminary journal, if the Bible is complete then it represents a closed system of truth. If it entails a fixed and absolute standard of truth, then the teachings of Scripture may be ascertained and dogmatically asserted. If God is still granting new revelation, then the truth of God is still being progressively revealed. And if this were the case, our duty would be to faithfully listen to today's prophets as they unravel God's truth in new and clear representations than we find in Scripture. These are the directions.

If we look from Revelation 22, 18, and 19, for I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add to him the plagues that are written in this book. And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life and out of the holy city and from the things which are written in this book. Scripture is a closed book, a closed system of truth. Scripture is complete.

It is sufficient, it is certain, and it's infallible. It is not to be added to, it is not to be diminished. It contains all the spiritual truth God intended to reveal. It is up to us not to take that for granted. We should read our Bibles, we should pray, we should be thankful and grateful to God that he has shared his Holy Word with us.

Many, many millions of people live their lives without ever having a copy of the Holy Scriptures. We should feel very grateful. Amen.