In the sermon titled 'The Holy Scriptures (SLBC Chap 1, para 6)', speaker Eric Bechler discusses the concept of the 'whole counsel of God', which refers to the comprehensive teachings of God necessary for His glory and man's salvation, as revealed in the Scriptures. The sermon emphasizes that nothing should be added to the Scriptures through new revelations or traditions of men. It highlights the necessity of the Holy Spirit's inward illumination for understanding the Scriptures, distinguishing between revelation and illumination. The sermon also addresses the role of traditions, warning against elevating them above Scripture, and the potential for corruption when relying on them. It underscores the importance of studying all parts of the Bible, even those that seem difficult or uninteresting, and encourages prayer for divine insight. The speaker concludes by urging believers to seek God first when encountering challenging passages.

Chapter one of the holy scriptures. Today we're looking at paragraph six. The whole council 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 Scriptures, unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelation of the Spirit or traditions of men. 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, and 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. Our focus today is going to be on the whole council of God.

What is the whole council of God and why is it important to us? Dr. Robert Godfrey from Ligonier Ministries comments the expression 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 and which he has revealed in the scriptures. Does this mean that we are able to comprehend the infinite wisdom, infinite knowledge of God and his purposes and his ways?

No, no, not at all. We couldn't understand a fraction of it all. But God in His word reveals just what He wants us to know and what He wants to reveal. This is described in our paragraph today, all things necessary for His own glory and for man's salvation, for faith in life. In Paul's letter to the elders of the church of Ephesus regarding the whole counsel of God he writes, 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.

Acts 20 verses 20 and 21. He continues a few verses later into verse 27, for I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God, that is the whole counsel of God or at least that part he wants to reveal to us. And why is this important? Of course, our eternity, our eternal souls lie in the balance. John writes to us in his gospel, but these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in his name from John 20 verse 31.

It is in scripture that we find the words of eternal life. However, we also learn how to behave, how to treat others, how to live, all in ways that honor God and glorify him. In Paul's letter to Timothy, he warns 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 teaching on what he has learned from Paul and most importantly from scripture. Paul writes but you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, perseverance, persecutions, afflictions, which happened to me in Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra.

What persecutions I endured and out of them all the Lord delivered me out of them all the Lord delivered me yes and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution but evil men and imposters will grow worse and worse deceiving and being deceived But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them and that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for 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 complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work." 2nd Timothy 3, 10 through 17. So the whole counsel of God is given for us in the Holy Scriptures and it is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scriptures. I'd like to spend a moment on that phrase. And there's a difference here between what's written in the London Baptist Confession and what you find in both the Westminster Confession and the Savoy Declaration.

The latter states, by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from scripture. In the second London Baptist confession, we see the words change to necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture. So why did they do this? It is a question that doesn't really have a direct answer, just speculations. Many commentators suggest that basically they mean the same thing.

Probably that's the case. If that is the case, I would still have the question why then the changes in wording. It would appear that the authors of London Baptist Confession believe that there are some good and necessary consequences deduced from Scripture that are not necessarily contained in Scripture. Some argue that the change yields a more strict interpretation. To me on the surface it seems more confusing and vague, but regardless, they're not arguing the legitimacy of doctrinal inference and that our doctrine only come from what is expressly set down in Scripture.

Our Reformed forefathers didn't agree with that, nor did the authors of our confession. How do we allow women to take communion? Is there a specific text for that? No, it is deduced and quite rightly from scripture. And there are many teachings, doctrines that require us to deduce what is implied by scripture.

Robert Shaw states, in maintaining the perfection of Scripture, 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. The end of this first section reads, unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelation of the Spirit or by traditions of men. This is pretty straightforward. First from Deuteronomy 4.2 we read, 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. Again Robert Shaw further explains, no new revelations are to be added to the oracles of God for Christ and his apostles have foretold the rise of false prophets and warned us not to give heed to their pretended revelations.

Matthew 14, 11, and 24. The Apostle Paul denounces a curse upon all who who preach any other gospel than that which is contained in the scriptures from Galatians 1, 8, and 9. The uncertainty of private revelations furnishes another argument against them, such as the deceitfulness of the heart, that men are opt to mistake their own fancies and imaginations for revelations of the Spirit. And such is the subtlety of Satan, that he sometimes transforms himself into an angel of light. Neither are the traditions of men to be added to the word of God.

Traditions have been a fertile source of corruption in religion, both among Jews and Christians. The Jews pretended that besides what Moses committed to writing, he received from God a variety of revelations which he communicated verbally to Aaron and which were orally transmitted from generation to generation. These traditions multiplied exceedingly, especially after the spirit of prophecy was withdrawn from the church. And when Christ appeared on earth, he found the Jews so far degenerated that their religion consisted almost entirely in the observation of such traditions. Hence we find him declaring, ye have made the commandment of God to none effect by your tradition.

In vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." Matthew 15, 6, and 9. The same danger is present within the Christian churches, some more than others. When we go outside of Scripture, when we settle for or rely upon man's reasoning or traditions, we travel down a dangerous road. Traditions though can be helpful, some can be neutral, some can be harmful. They can be helpful such as reciting or studying the creeds, the catechisms, or confessions.

A neutral tradition might be the choice of the time for the early service each Sunday. In fact, traditions don't normally arise from a desire to impose harm or deceive, but out of a desire to help spiritual growth and obedience to the law of God. In fact, Paul told the Thessalonians not to forget the apostolic tradition they had received, 2 Thessalonians 2.15. It is when they rise to the level or greater than scripture itself that problems result. Traditions orally transmitted on articles of religion or institutions of worship give added difficulties.

Two thousand years later, how can it be undoubtedly shown that this was really received from the mouth of Christ or the teachings of the apostles? How can it be definitively shown that they have been passed on without alteration or corruption. At least with written record, Jewish scribes took great care in copying scrolls. Great reverence was shown by them towards God's word. They understood the handling of God's Word was a serious business.

Yet even then, there were issues with our written manuscripts. The next part of our paragraph is something we discussed last week, the work in us of the Holy Spirit, that the inward illumination of the Spirit of God is necessary for saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word. Let us make a distinction here between Revelation and illumination. In Revelation the Holy Spirit works to reveal divine content such as what we find in the Bible. In Reformed theology we declare that there are no new revelations.

We just spoke of that last week or previously today. When we think of illumination we think of a shining a light and seeing something more clearly. In this case, God's Word is not the problem. God's Word is perfect. The problem is with man.

Paul tells us that man is carnal and cannot alone discern the spiritual things of God, he writes. 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. First Corinthians 2, 14. It is the inward illumination by the Spirit that is required, that is necessary.

There are no other means. Paul writes, 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. 1st Corinthians 2 12. Similarly we read in John's gospel the Holy ghost whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things and bring all things to remembrance whatsoever I have said unto you." John 14 26. And one point not to miss here is, and this was in our paragraph last week, the Holy Spirit works in us by and with the word in our hearts.

He works with the word in our hearts. And finally in our last section today, in today's paragraph, we recognize that some circumstances concerning the worship of God and government of the church are common to human actions and organizations and are to be ordered by the the light of nature and Christian wisdom following the general rules of the word which must always be observed. First what do we mean by light of nature? This would be general revelation, God revealing himself through nature and what he has written on our hearts. What about Christian prudence?

This is wisdom, Christian wisdom and common sense. Basically, the confession is highlighting that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God and the government of the church, to which no express instructions are given in scripture. Although we do have some general guidance from Paul's letter to the Corinthian church, let all things be done decently in order, 1 Corinthians 1440, and for edification, 1 Corinthians 1426. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace as in all the churches of the saints, 1st Corinthians 1433. Our paragraph here is telling us we must work out as God's people under appointed leadership.

Some examples include service times, frequency of gatherings, teaching sessions, Wednesday nights, Sunday school, etc. Nursery details, fellowships, details of evangelistic outreach, prayer meetings, and many other areas. In doing this though, we must remember to be ruled by the word of God and to observe the general rules of the word. I'd like to close with a few questions. Do you encounter difficult passages when you study scripture?

Do you first reach for commentary or someone else's explanation? Or do you pray to God that the Holy Spirit might give you insight and understanding? I would say commentaries are a tremendous blessing and very helpful. But I would caution you about neglecting to pray to the Holy Spirit to give you insight to the Word of God. When you get stuck on something in scripture, start first with God, stop and pray, Lord, help me understand what you're teaching here.

Start with God. He's the author of what you're studying. Start with Him. Again the commentaries are a wonderful resource but let's always remember to turn to God. Next, are you studying the whole counsel of God?

Are there parts of Scripture that are exceedingly difficult or very boring that you tend not to turn towards? We have to remember that all of scripture is inspired by God. All of it, every word. All of it is profitable, even what we consider the boring parts. If you truly believe this, Perhaps you should take a look in those passages that you've been avoiding that are difficult or boring or less popular.

Pray that the Holy Spirit would help you more clearly understand them. He would show you what can I learn from this terribly boring passage? Show me Lord, that it might come alive, that it might mean something to me. I would encourage you go to those parts of your Bible where the pages are clean. There's no highlights.

There's no notes. Spend some time, read them, pray to God, show me Lord, how can this be profitable to my life. Grow me, open my mind. Amen.