In this sermon, Eric Bechler discusses the authority and sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures as outlined in the 1689 Baptist Confession. He emphasizes that the Scriptures are a complete and infallible system of truth for salvation, faith, and life, consisting of 39 Old Testament and 27 New Testament books, excluding the Apocrypha. The sermon highlights the concept of the 'whole counsel of God,' which encompasses all necessary teachings for God's glory and man's salvation, either explicitly stated or implicitly contained in Scripture. Bechler asserts that while Scripture is perfect, human understanding requires the inward illumination of the Holy Spirit. He further distinguishes between explicit and implicit teachings, noting that necessary doctrines can be deduced from Scripture but must be objectively necessary. The sermon warns against adding traditions or new revelations to Scripture, urging adherence to God's Word as the ultimate authority. Lastly, it acknowledges that some aspects of church governance and worship require guidance by general rules from Scripture and Christian prudence.

This is our sixth week in the confession that we've focused on the Holy Scriptures. They are a closed system of truth, complete, sufficient, certain, and infallible for all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience. We accept the 39 books in the Old Testament and the 27 books in the New Testament, that's 66 books that are God-breathed to be the rule of faith and life. Next, we concluded that the Apocrypha is not divinely inspired and thus should not be part of the canon of Scripture. Then we turned our focus to the authority of the Holy Scriptures coming holy from God, the author, and our full assurance of its authority coming from the inward work of the Holy Spirit which was bearing witness by and with the Word in our hearts.

Over the next five weeks, we will focus on the interpretation and understanding of Scripture. Specifically, this week we will focus on the whole counsel of God. We'll go through this step by step on this paragraph. The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for his own glory, man's salvation, faith and life is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by a new revelation of the Spirit or traditions of men." What is the whole counsel of God? Why is it important to us?

W. Robert Godfrey from Ligonier Ministries comments on the whole council of God. The expression the whole council of God refers to God's councils of eternity in which he planned all things that will come to be. God knows the end from the beginning and He knows what He intends to accomplish, which He has revealed in the scriptures. Does this mean that we're able to comprehend the infinite wisdom, the infinite knowledge of God and His purposes?

By no means. We couldn't understand a fraction of it all, but God in his word reveals just what he wants to reveal. As described in our paragraph today, this is all things necessary for his own glory, for man's salvation, for faith, and for life. In Paul's letter to the elders of the church of Ephesus regarding the whole counsel of God he writes in Acts 20 verses 20 and 21, and how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have showed you and have taught you publicly and from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks repentance towards God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. And further on in verse 27 there, For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God.

Again, why is this important? Of course, our eternal souls lie in the balance. It's a matter of eternity. However, we also learn how to behave, how to treat others, how to live, all in ways that honor God and that glorify Him. In Paul's letter to Timothy, he warns him of the difficulties of living for Christ and the existence of evil men trying to deceive the believers.

He exhorts Timothy to stay focused on Paul's preaching, on what he has learned from Paul, and most importantly on scripture. From this passage, 2nd Timothy 3, 10 through 17, But thou hast fully known my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, charity, patience, persecutions, afflictions, which came unto me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra. What persecutions I endured, but out of them all the Lord delivered me. Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution. But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived.

But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast 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 into salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 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 into all good works." So the whole counsel of God is given to us in the Holy Scriptures. It is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scriptures. I want to spend just a little bit of time on that phrase.

I was looking at the Westminster Confession as well and saw a difference between the London Baptist Confession and the Westminster Confession at this point was a little puzzled why the change, why the difference. The Westminster Confession states either expressly set down in Scripture or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture. There's a whole lot on the internet about that. I think in general I believe basically they're saying the same thing that the whole counsel of God is either expressly set down in Scripture or implied or deduced by Scripture. The main point here is not so much the difference in the two phrases, but the actual meaning they are trying to represent.

First of all, as we've covered in previous weeks, we believe, we confess, that the Word of God is our supreme authority. It is God breathe. We believe that everything necessary for faith in life can be derived from the comprehensive teaching of Scripture. But is this authoritative word limited to the explicit text alone? Our Reformed forefathers did not agree with that, nor the authors of our confession.

How do we allow women to take communion? Is there a specific text for that? No, it's deduced, and quite rightly from Scripture. There are many teachings and doctrines that require us to deduce what is implied by Scripture. It cannot be man's reasoning.

It must be contained in Scripture. Furthermore, doctrine cannot be affirmed if deduced from scripture as possible or even probable. It must be an objectively necessary deduction from scripture for it to be biblical truth. The Westminster divines further this requirement to be good and necessary, but it's still I think the same point. It needs to be objectively necessary.

For our purposes it is important to understand everything necessary for faith and life can be derived from the explicit or implicit teachings of Scripture. In the final part of this section, unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelation of the Spirit or traditions of men. This is pretty straightforward. Scripture leaves no doubt about this. Let's read from Deuteronomy 4-2.

You shall not add unto the word which I command you neither shall you diminish aught from it that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you no nothing is to be added no new revelations no new gospel Not only does Paul mention this in his letter to the Galatians, he repeats himself to add even greater emphasis on this particular point. Colton and Luke read this from Galatians 1, 8 and 9, But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so I say now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you, then that ye have received, let him be accursed." The handling of God's Word is a serious business. This was one of the reasons the Jewish scribes took such great care when they were copying scrolls. Great reverence was shown by them to God's Word, and we're thankful for their care.

Moving on to the next section in today's paragraph, nevertheless we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word. It's not the inadequacy of the revealed word that is the problem here. God's Word is perfect. The problem is with man. Man is carnal and cannot alone discern the spiritual things of God.

We see that from Paul's letter to the Corinthians in chapter 2 verse 14, 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. It is the inward illumination by the Spirit of God that is required, that is necessary. There are no other means. We go a little bit before in 1st Corinthians 2.12, 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 and John 14 26 but the Comforter which is the Holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever. I have said unto you The last section in today's paragraph was a little confusing to me as to what it was saying.

It is the second half of what the writers of the Confession were just acknowledging. The first half that we just covered was regarding the inward illumination. The second part was we acknowledge that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God and the government of the church, common to human actions in societies which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence according to the general rules of the word which are always to be observed. A lot of phrases. So what is this saying?

Basically it's saying that there are some circumstances which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, but yet even these must be constrained by the general rules of God's Word. What are these circumstances? The worship of God and the government of the Church, both of which are common to human actions in societies. Basically, there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God in the government of the church, to which no express instructions are given in Scripture. We do have some general guidance from Paul's letter to the Corinthian church in 1st Corinthians 1440.

Let all things be done decently and in order. However, this isn't sufficient to cover all the cases that arise. It certainly doesn't allow for church rites and ceremonies to be devised by men, regardless of how urgent or however masterfully articulated or however alluring it may be made to attract those outside the church. The point is to be ruled by the word, whether explicitly or implicitly. Robert Shaw states, In maintaining the perfection of scriptures, we do not insist that every article of religion is contained in scripture in so many words, but we hold that conclusions fairly deduced from the declarations of the word of God are as truly parts of divine revelation as if they were expressly taught in the sacred volume.

When we go outside of scripture, when we settle for man's reasoning or traditions, we travel down a dangerous road. Jesus himself chastised the scribes and Pharisees for this in the gospel of Matthew in chapter 15 3 through 9. But he answered and said unto them, Why do ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? For God commanded saying honor thy father and mother and he that curseth father or mother let him die the death. But ye say whosoever shall say to his father or his mother it is a gift By whatsoever thou mightest be profited by me, in honor not his father or his mother, he shall be free.

Thus have you made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy to you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. But in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. Thus we conclude our paragraph this week on the whole counsel of God. I hope this has been helpful.

A ten weeks is a long time to go through a chapter on the Holy Scriptures and hopefully it's not feeling to you like we're beating a dead horse here. I do think it's an important topic. I think it's really good to set a really strong foundation for all that we'll cover as we go through the rest of the confession. Amen.