The sermon by Eric Bechler on 'Of the Holy Scriptures 1689 SLBC Chap. 1, Par. 5' emphasizes the completeness, sufficiency, and infallibility of the Holy Scriptures for salvation, faith, and obedience. It distinguishes the canonical books from the Apocrypha and underscores the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit as the ultimate reason for accepting the Scriptures. The sermon explores various attributes that evidence the divine nature of the Scriptures, including the heavenliness of its content, the efficacy of its doctrine, the majesty of its style, and the unity of its message across diverse authors over centuries. It stresses the importance of engaging with the entirety of Scripture and highlights the singular path to salvation through Jesus Christ. The sermon concludes by asserting that true conviction of the Scriptures' divine authority comes through the inward work of the Holy Spirit.

Again, the focus of chapter one is the Holy Scriptures. In the first paragraph we confess the Scriptures are a closed system of truth, complete, sufficient, certain and infallible for all saving knowledge, faith and obedience. The second paragraph lists out the 39 books in the Old Testament, the 27 books in the New Testament, 66 books total. God breathed to be the rule of faith and life. In the third paragraph we concluded that the Apocrypha is not divinely inspired and thus should not be part of the canon of Scripture.

Last week we turned our focus to the authority of the Holy Scriptures and this week we further clarify what was said last week regarding the authority of Scriptures that the ultimate reason why we receive the scriptures is from the inward testimony, the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the word in our hearts. So we'll go through this step by step in this paragraph. The first section, we may be moved and induced by the testimony of the Church of God to a high and reverent esteem of the Holy Scriptures. Whatever the Church of God and the saints of old, the prophets, have said about Scriptures, to read it, to speak it, to believe it, to receive it, to trust it. We go to Deuteronomy 31, 11-13.

When all Israel is come to appear before the Lord, thy God in the place which he shall choose, thou shalt read this law before all Israel in their hearing. Gather the people together, men and women and children, and thy stranger that is within thy gates, that they may hear, that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God. And observe to do all the words of this law, and that their children, which have not known anything, may hear and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as you live in the land whither you go over Jordan to possess it." And go to 2 Timothy 3, we've read a lot these weeks, verses 14 through 15, but continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and has been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them, and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith, which is in Christ Jesus. And finally in Ephesians, Paul's letter to the Ephesians, chapter 2, 19 through 20, Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, and are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.

The following arguments are given In this week's paragraph our confession that abundantly evidence that the scriptures are the word of God and we'll go through these in this paragraph one by one. The first one, the heavenliness of the matter. Heavenliness of the matter, it's meaning something out of this world, something not of this world. We go to Matthew chapter 6, 19 through 21, Lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break, through nor steal.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." And in Hebrews 11, 16, but now they desire a better country that is heavenly. Wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city." In the next phrase, the efficacy of the doctrine. How effective are the teachings in scripture? Well, they are the words of eternal life. They are the words of God.

We turn to Romans chapter 1 verse 16 through 17. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believe, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. And in 1st Corinthians 2, 1 through 5, And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God, for I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and a power that your face should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

So we see that the words of God are powerful and they're effective. However they are not received by all. We go to John 10 through 27, my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me. And in first Corinthians 2 14 that Colton read, 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." The next phrase, the majesty of style. When we look at the scriptures, we're amazed at what was written and how it was written.

The variety of literary styles is amazing. Over 20 different kinds of styles are used. Some help us to remember. Some help for emphasis. Some for clarification.

Some to broaden us or broaden our understanding. Actually, not an English major, so some of these I wasn't even aware of. I'll read a couple of them. Chiasm, acrostic, acrostic we've seen from Psalm 119, and lamentations. There's alliterations, there's allusions, there's hyperbole, there's idioms, there's imagery, there's metaphors, there's personification, there's symbolism, there's wordplay.

A lot of different styles. It's remarkable how Even the use of all these particular styles of writing can glorify God through his word, not just the words themselves, but how they were crafted, truly inspired by God himself. Next, the consent of all the parts. The cohesiveness developed through the entire structure of Scripture is astounding. In it God tells us of his creation of all things, his creation of man, male and female, the fall, how sin entered the world, God choosing Israel as his people, The cycles of obedience and disobedience which followed.

His plan of redemption. Jesus Christ, born of a woman, Son of God and Son of Man. The building of his church, his bride. The death and resurrection of Christ. His victory overall and his final judgment.

And finally a new heaven and a new earth. Despite containing 66 books composed by 40 different authors across 16 different centuries, we have a consistent cohesive theme which contains all the spiritual truth God intended to reveal. One thing not to miss here is the importance of the entirety of the scripture. All 66 books. All of them are God's words and all of them are important.

If we spend our time in one or two books, or if as a church we just focus only on the New Testament and never go into the Old Testament, we do a great injustice to the gifts that God has given us in His holy word. Continuing, the scope of the whole, which is to give all glory to God. You know verse after verse throughout scripture to describe the glory of God. There's there's too many to go through but I'll read just a couple here. From 1st Chronicles 29-11, Yours O Lord is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours.

Yours is the kingdom O Lord and you are exalted as head above all. In 1st Corinthians 6 20, for you were bought with a price, so glorify God in your body. Remember the first question from the catechisms, what is the chief end of man? To glorify God and to enjoy him forever. We see that in 1st Corinthians 1031.

Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. In Ephesians 3, 20 and 21. Now to him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us to him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever amen. Next the the full discovery it makes of the only way of man's salvation. There are not many ways for salvation.

There's not a lot of paths. There's only one way, and that's through Jesus Christ. And this is clearly brought out in Scripture. We see in John 20 verse 31, but these are written that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ the Son of God and that believing you might have life through his name. John 6 68, then Simon Peter answered him, Lord to whom shall we go?

Thou hast the words of eternal life. And finally in John 14, 6, Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father but by me. In the next phrase we read, and many other incomparable excellencies and entire perfections thereof are arguments whereby it doeth abundantly evidence itself to be the word of God. So we see the truthfulness of Scripture, the power of Scripture in our lives, how it works to encourage us and give us hope.

We see the beauty in its vocabulary, phrases, and styles. We see the consistency. We see God's glory and His promise that we will share in that glory through faith in Christ Jesus. These are all good and should induce any reasonable man to believe that Scripture is the Word of God. Our paragraph this week is not rejecting the testimonies of man nor the church regarding the authority of the Holy Scriptures.

Rather it indicates that this is not the ultimate reason why we should receive it as the Holy Scripture, fully persuaded, fully assured of its infallible truth and divine authority. Our paragraph finishes with this ultimate reason, the inward work of the Holy Spirit. Let's read what it says. Yet notwithstanding our full persuasion and assurance of the infallible truth and divine authority, thereof is from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts. Again if we turn to scripture from 1st Corinthians 2 10 through 12 but God had revealed them unto us by his Spirit for the Spirit searches all things yea the deep things of God For what man knoweth the things of a man save the spirit of man which is in him.

Even so the things of God knoweth no man but the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God, that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God." Here's a quote from John Calvin regarding the testimony of the Holy Spirit. Profane men think that religion rests only on opinion, and therefore that they may not believe foolishly or on slight grounds, desire, and insist to have it proved by reason that Moses and the prophets were divinely inspired. But I answer that the testimony of the Spirit is superior to reason, for as God alone can properly bear witness to his own words, so these words will not obtain full credit in the hearts of men until they are sealed by the inward testimony of the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit therefore who spoke by the mouth of the prophets must penetrate our hearts in order to convince us that they faithfully delivered the message which they were divinely entrusted.

This connection is most aptly expressed by Isaiah in these words, my spirit that is upon thee my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and evermore." It is the Holy Spirit. It is His inward testimony. We turn to 1 John chapter 2, verse 20. But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. John 16, 13 through 14.

How by it, when he, the Spirit of truth, has come, he will guide you into all truth for he shall not speak of himself but whatsoever he shall hear that he shall speak and he will show you things to come he shall glorify me for he shall receive of mine and shall show it unto you." Again, in John 6 63, it is the spirit that quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing, the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life. And finally in 1st Thessalonians 1 verse 5, for our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Ghost and in much assurance. So in conclusion, the Holy scripture is God's word. We confess that we are fully persuaded and fully assured of their infallible truth and their divine authority, not from testimony from man or from the church, but by the inward work of the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the word in our hearts. Amen.