WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.200 I want us to look at something foundational today 00:00:03.200 --> 00:00:07.099 and start by understanding what is revelation 00:00:07.099 --> 00:00:10.539 according to the Bible. You might be thinking, 00:00:10.619 --> 00:00:13.859 why are we starting with this big word, revelation? 00:00:14.259 --> 00:00:17.940 Why not jump straight to questions like, can 00:00:17.940 --> 00:00:21.460 I trust the Bible? Or what about contradictions? 00:00:21.859 --> 00:00:25.100 Because before we can ask, can I trust it? We 00:00:25.100 --> 00:00:28.000 have to settle, what is it? Is the Bible just 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:30.699 ancient people doing their best to talk about 00:00:30.699 --> 00:00:33.780 God? Or is it something else God himself actually 00:00:33.780 --> 00:00:36.619 speaking? If it is only human religious talk, 00:00:36.820 --> 00:00:39.619 you and I stay in the judge's seat. We get to 00:00:39.619 --> 00:00:42.820 decide which parts we like. But if it is God's 00:00:42.820 --> 00:00:46.460 own revelation, then everything flips. We are 00:00:46.460 --> 00:00:50.219 no longer the judges. We are the listeners. When 00:00:50.219 --> 00:00:54.030 I say revelation, I mean very simply. God making 00:00:54.030 --> 00:00:58.090 himself known, not us climbing up to him, but 00:00:58.090 --> 00:01:02.130 God coming down to us. So what exactly do I mean 00:01:02.130 --> 00:01:05.530 by revelation? Let me put it as plainly as I 00:01:05.530 --> 00:01:09.049 can. Revelation is God starting the conversation. 00:01:09.430 --> 00:01:12.569 Revelation is God saying, you will never figure 00:01:12.569 --> 00:01:15.189 me out by guessing, so I will tell you who I 00:01:15.189 --> 00:01:18.670 am, what I have done, what I require, and what 00:01:18.670 --> 00:01:21.370 I promise. That includes a few basic things. 00:01:21.450 --> 00:01:23.829 God initiates. We do not force him to speak. 00:01:23.890 --> 00:01:27.189 He chooses to. It is his decision and his kindness. 00:01:27.370 --> 00:01:30.969 God gives real information. He tells us who he 00:01:30.969 --> 00:01:34.530 is, his character, his names, his holiness, his 00:01:34.530 --> 00:01:38.569 love, what he has done, creation, judgment, redemption, 00:01:38.930 --> 00:01:42.049 what he commands, how we should live before him, 00:01:42.189 --> 00:01:45.450 what he promises, salvation, and a future in 00:01:45.450 --> 00:01:49.549 Christ. God's revelation has authority. When 00:01:49.549 --> 00:01:51.909 God speaks, we are not being invited to give 00:01:51.909 --> 00:01:55.290 feedback. We are called to listen, trust, and 00:01:55.290 --> 00:01:58.010 obey. And the Bible does not just talk about 00:01:58.010 --> 00:02:02.030 this idea in theory. It shows us a God who actually 00:02:02.030 --> 00:02:05.010 speaks into history. Think of a few examples. 00:02:05.329 --> 00:02:08.830 God calls Abraham. Scripture says, Now the Lord 00:02:08.830 --> 00:02:12.740 said to Abram, Genesis chapter 12 verse 1, Abraham's 00:02:12.740 --> 00:02:15.659 whole story begins because a word from outside 00:02:15.659 --> 00:02:18.919 him breaks in. He is not inventing a new religious 00:02:18.919 --> 00:02:22.560 idea. He is responding to a real personal command 00:02:22.560 --> 00:02:25.879 and promise. God speaks to Moses from the burning 00:02:25.879 --> 00:02:29.139 bush. Moses is not sitting in the desert, meditating 00:02:29.139 --> 00:02:32.500 his way to a higher concept of God. God appears 00:02:32.500 --> 00:02:35.860 in the bush, calls Moses by name, reveals his 00:02:35.860 --> 00:02:39.400 covenant name, I am who I am, and sends him to 00:02:39.400 --> 00:02:42.870 bring Israel out of Egypt. Exodus chapter 3. 00:02:42.969 --> 00:02:46.530 The Old Testament prophets. Over and over we 00:02:46.530 --> 00:02:49.509 read phrases like the word of the Lord came to 00:02:49.509 --> 00:02:53.169 Jeremiah or thus says the Lord. For example, 00:02:53.289 --> 00:02:57.710 Jeremiah chapter 1 verses 1 to 9, Isaiah chapter 00:02:57.710 --> 00:03:02.650 1 verse 10, Ezekiel chapter 1 verse 3. The prophets 00:03:02.650 --> 00:03:05.610 do not present their sermons as private reflections. 00:03:06.030 --> 00:03:09.610 They say this is God's message to you. Then the 00:03:09.610 --> 00:03:12.169 New Testament pulls the pieces together. 2 Timothy 00:03:12.169 --> 00:03:17.169 3, verses 16 -17 says, All Scripture is breathed 00:03:17.169 --> 00:03:21.189 out by God and is useful for teaching, rebuking, 00:03:21.210 --> 00:03:24.490 correcting, and training in righteousness, so 00:03:24.490 --> 00:03:27.629 that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped 00:03:27.629 --> 00:03:31.229 for every good work. That means Scripture is 00:03:31.229 --> 00:03:34.770 not just human thinking about God. It is God 00:03:34.770 --> 00:03:38.150 -breathed, His own breath written down. Hebrews 00:03:38.150 --> 00:03:52.870 chapter 1 verses 1 and 2 says, So the Bible sees 00:03:52.870 --> 00:03:56.729 itself as God revealing himself, his character, 00:03:56.969 --> 00:04:00.270 his acts, his will, and above all, his saving 00:04:00.270 --> 00:04:03.550 work in Christ so that we can truly know him. 00:04:03.689 --> 00:04:06.389 Isn't every religion just people guessing about 00:04:06.389 --> 00:04:09.509 God? Now somebody might say, look, aren't all 00:04:09.509 --> 00:04:12.689 religions basically humans trying to reach up 00:04:12.689 --> 00:04:15.409 to God? Why should the Bible be any different? 00:04:15.669 --> 00:04:18.250 From the Bible's point of view, there really 00:04:18.250 --> 00:04:21.589 are only two basic patterns. Human guessing about 00:04:21.589 --> 00:04:25.569 God, man climbing up. In this pattern, the starting 00:04:25.569 --> 00:04:28.910 point is always human. People look at the world, 00:04:29.069 --> 00:04:32.329 feel moral pressure, feel fear or longing, and 00:04:32.329 --> 00:04:35.209 build religions and philosophies. The question 00:04:35.209 --> 00:04:38.240 in their minds is, What do we think God is like? 00:04:38.439 --> 00:04:41.339 The Bible says this often turns into idolatry 00:04:41.339 --> 00:04:44.560 making gods in our own image. You see this in 00:04:44.560 --> 00:04:48.139 Romans chapter 1. Paul says that what can be 00:04:48.139 --> 00:04:51.379 known about God is plain to people because God 00:04:51.379 --> 00:04:54.439 has shown it to them through creation. But instead 00:04:54.439 --> 00:04:58.319 of honoring him, they exchange the glory of the 00:04:58.319 --> 00:05:02.120 immortal God for images. Romans chapter 1 verses 00:05:02.120 --> 00:05:06.079 18 to 23. They trade the real God for substitutes. 00:05:06.360 --> 00:05:09.639 Isaiah chapter 44 paints that picture too. A 00:05:09.639 --> 00:05:12.699 man cuts down a tree, uses half the wood to cook 00:05:12.699 --> 00:05:15.480 his food, and with the other half carves a god 00:05:15.480 --> 00:05:19.100 and bows down to it. The point is, left to ourselves, 00:05:19.300 --> 00:05:22.139 we invent gods that are safe, small, and convenient. 00:05:22.480 --> 00:05:26.329 God revealing himself. God coming down. In scripture, 00:05:26.589 --> 00:05:29.410 the true knowledge of God does not start with 00:05:29.410 --> 00:05:31.930 our search. It starts with God's initiative. 00:05:32.209 --> 00:05:36.709 God speaks. God acts. God makes covenants. God 00:05:36.709 --> 00:05:40.529 sends prophets. And finally, God sends his son. 00:05:40.750 --> 00:05:44.629 He tells us, this is who I am. This is what I 00:05:44.629 --> 00:05:48.269 have done. This is what I require. This is what 00:05:48.269 --> 00:05:51.019 I promise in my son. Because this revelation 00:05:51.019 --> 00:05:53.899 comes from an all -knowing, truthful God, it 00:05:53.899 --> 00:05:56.639 gives real certainty, not just educated guesses. 00:05:57.000 --> 00:06:00.120 It does not answer every curiosity we might have, 00:06:00.240 --> 00:06:02.800 but it does give us everything we need for knowing 00:06:02.800 --> 00:06:06.600 God truly and living before Him. So, are all 00:06:06.600 --> 00:06:09.439 religions and philosophies just guesses? Scripture 00:06:09.439 --> 00:06:12.819 says, no, God has spoken. A person who says all 00:06:12.819 --> 00:06:15.740 religions are only guesses is assuming something, 00:06:15.920 --> 00:06:19.300 that God, if He exists, has never clearly spoken. 00:06:19.800 --> 00:06:22.860 But notice the tension. That same person still 00:06:22.860 --> 00:06:26.040 wants to talk as if there are real moral truths, 00:06:26.379 --> 00:06:29.779 real standards of logic, real meaning in life. 00:06:30.040 --> 00:06:32.600 Those things actually make the most sense in 00:06:32.600 --> 00:06:35.579 a world created and ordered by a wise God who 00:06:35.579 --> 00:06:38.579 can and does make himself known. If everything 00:06:38.579 --> 00:06:42.019 really is only guesswork, then you cannot ever 00:06:42.019 --> 00:06:45.759 say with confidence what is right or wrong, or 00:06:45.759 --> 00:06:48.439 whether there is any future judgment or hope. 00:06:48.959 --> 00:06:53.079 The floor drops out. The Bible's answer is much 00:06:53.079 --> 00:06:57.319 simpler. God has spoken, and he has done so in 00:06:57.319 --> 00:07:01.459 a way that can be written, read, heard, and trusted. 00:07:01.699 --> 00:07:04.740 Why does it matter if the Bible is God -speaking 00:07:04.740 --> 00:07:08.300 or not? You might say, okay, I see the categories, 00:07:08.379 --> 00:07:11.079 but practically, what difference does it really 00:07:11.079 --> 00:07:14.740 make? Let me draw two simple pictures. First 00:07:14.740 --> 00:07:18.319 picture. The Bible is just human ideas about 00:07:18.319 --> 00:07:21.699 God. If that is true, you are free to compare 00:07:21.699 --> 00:07:25.480 it with other ideas and pick what fits you. You 00:07:25.480 --> 00:07:29.139 are the final authority. You decide what is right 00:07:29.139 --> 00:07:32.899 and wrong. You can safely ignore any parts that 00:07:32.899 --> 00:07:36.180 clash with your culture, your feelings, or your 00:07:36.180 --> 00:07:39.420 plans. Second picture, the Bible is God -speaking 00:07:39.420 --> 00:07:42.500 revelation. If that is true, you are no longer 00:07:42.500 --> 00:07:45.709 over the Bible. You are under it. You come to 00:07:45.709 --> 00:07:49.550 it with a listening posture. Lord, speak, correct 00:07:49.550 --> 00:07:53.230 me, guide me. You expect the Bible to challenge 00:07:53.230 --> 00:07:56.829 your assumptions, confront your sin, and comfort 00:07:56.829 --> 00:08:00.430 you with promises you did not invent. Jesus teaches 00:08:00.430 --> 00:08:03.029 us that Scripture settles all arguments, even 00:08:03.029 --> 00:08:05.949 arguments with Satan. When the devil tempts him 00:08:05.949 --> 00:08:08.930 in the wilderness, Jesus reasoned and presented 00:08:08.930 --> 00:08:13.029 Scripture as his argument. He simply says, It 00:08:13.029 --> 00:08:15.790 is written, and then quotes scripture, for example, 00:08:15.790 --> 00:08:19.189 Matthew chapter 4, verses 4, 7, and 10. That 00:08:19.189 --> 00:08:21.329 only makes sense if he believes the written word 00:08:21.329 --> 00:08:24.389 is truly his father's voice. So revelation is 00:08:24.389 --> 00:08:26.889 not a side issue. It is the difference between 00:08:26.889 --> 00:08:30.750 us using the Bible as a resource and us bowing 00:08:30.750 --> 00:08:34.090 to it as God's word. But isn't revelation scripture 00:08:34.090 --> 00:08:38.399 plus the church's voice together? Here is an 00:08:38.399 --> 00:08:42.120 important question, especially asked and believed 00:08:42.120 --> 00:08:45.980 by our Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox friends. 00:08:46.379 --> 00:08:50.000 Isn't revelation found in scripture and in the 00:08:50.000 --> 00:08:53.399 church's living tradition and magisterium or 00:08:53.399 --> 00:08:57.440 holy tradition? If the Bible is God's word, doesn't 00:08:57.440 --> 00:08:59.360 the church also speak with the same authority? 00:08:59.740 --> 00:09:02.919 I want to answer this respectfully. The Bible 00:09:02.919 --> 00:09:06.230 does honor the church. It calls the church. the 00:09:06.230 --> 00:09:09.190 body of Christ. It says God gives teachers and 00:09:09.190 --> 00:09:12.529 leaders as gifts. We should not despise the wisdom 00:09:12.529 --> 00:09:15.450 of the church through the centuries, but we also 00:09:15.450 --> 00:09:18.909 have to notice what scripture itself does with 00:09:18.909 --> 00:09:21.750 the relationship between God's word and human 00:09:21.750 --> 00:09:25.250 traditions. Jesus speaks to the religious leaders 00:09:25.250 --> 00:09:29.509 of his day in Mark chapter 7. He says, you leave 00:09:29.509 --> 00:09:32.730 the commandment of God and hold to the tradition 00:09:32.730 --> 00:09:36.649 of men. Mark chapter 7 verse 8. And he accuses 00:09:36.649 --> 00:09:39.889 them of making void the word of God by their 00:09:39.889 --> 00:09:44.090 tradition. Mark chapter 7 verses 6 to 13. The 00:09:44.090 --> 00:09:47.289 point is not tradition is always bad. The point 00:09:47.289 --> 00:09:50.330 is that when tradition contradicts God's written 00:09:50.330 --> 00:09:53.970 word, scripture must win. Further, we honor the 00:09:53.970 --> 00:09:56.629 church, but we must remember its place. The church 00:09:56.629 --> 00:09:59.090 is the body and Christ is the head, as mentioned 00:09:59.090 --> 00:10:02.210 in Colossians 1 .18. How does the head govern 00:10:02.210 --> 00:10:05.639 the body? by His Word. If the Word of God is 00:10:05.639 --> 00:10:09.620 God -breathed, as mentioned in 2 Timothy 3 .16, 00:10:09.919 --> 00:10:14.200 and if it is Spirit, as mentioned in John 6 .63, 00:10:14.559 --> 00:10:17.700 then we must remember that the Spirit blows where 00:10:17.700 --> 00:10:21.440 He wishes, as mentioned in John 3 .8. The Spirit 00:10:21.440 --> 00:10:23.580 is not a prisoner of the Church, the Spirit is 00:10:23.580 --> 00:10:26.080 the Lord of the Church. The Word of the Lord 00:10:26.080 --> 00:10:30.289 is Spirit. as mentioned in John 6 .63 and Ephesians 00:10:30.289 --> 00:10:33.610 6 .17. And therefore, the church is controlled 00:10:33.610 --> 00:10:37.169 and regulated by the word rather than the church 00:10:37.169 --> 00:10:40.649 regulating the word. Remember how Jesus rebuked 00:10:40.649 --> 00:10:43.789 the leaders of his day? He told them they leave 00:10:43.789 --> 00:10:46.850 the commandment of God to hold to the tradition 00:10:46.850 --> 00:10:50.950 of men, as mentioned in Mark 7 .8. Even the Bereans 00:10:50.950 --> 00:10:54.970 in the book of Acts 17 .11 were praised because 00:10:54.970 --> 00:10:57.629 they tested the apostles' own preaching against 00:10:57.629 --> 00:11:00.429 the scriptures. If we put a human institution 00:11:00.429 --> 00:11:03.509 on the same level as the word, the word eventually 00:11:03.509 --> 00:11:06.629 becomes a prisoner of that institution. Only 00:11:06.629 --> 00:11:09.649 if scripture is the supreme authority can the 00:11:09.649 --> 00:11:12.389 church itself be reformed when it goes astray. 00:11:12.529 --> 00:11:14.850 Because the Bible is the ultimate authority, 00:11:15.529 --> 00:11:18.149 If a choice must be made between Jesus and the 00:11:18.149 --> 00:11:21.590 Pope, we choose the Lord Jesus, as he is Lord 00:11:21.590 --> 00:11:24.990 and the only infallible one, and his word, which 00:11:24.990 --> 00:11:29.009 is spirit, is also infallible. John 1 .1 .14 00:11:29.009 --> 00:11:33.629 .6, 2 Timothy 3 .16 In contrast to the Lord Jesus, 00:11:33.929 --> 00:11:36.970 even the Pope is a fallible human being, prone 00:11:36.970 --> 00:11:41.129 to sin. Romans 3 .23 Therefore, we choose the 00:11:41.129 --> 00:11:43.950 Lord Jesus and his word to govern all life and 00:11:43.950 --> 00:11:49.450 conduct. Psalm 119, 105, Matthew 4, 4. In Acts 00:11:49.450 --> 00:11:52.490 chapter 17, Paul preaches in Berea. The people 00:11:52.490 --> 00:11:55.149 there do something very important. They examine 00:11:55.149 --> 00:11:57.909 the scriptures every day to see if what Paul 00:11:57.909 --> 00:12:02.370 said was true. Acts chapter 17, verse 11. And 00:12:02.370 --> 00:12:05.409 the Bible praises them for that. Even an apostle's 00:12:05.409 --> 00:12:08.009 preaching is tested by the prior revelation in 00:12:08.009 --> 00:12:10.830 scripture. In Galatians chapter 1, Paul says 00:12:10.830 --> 00:12:14.529 that if even he himself or an angel from heaven 00:12:14.529 --> 00:12:17.210 should preach a different gospel, that person 00:12:17.210 --> 00:12:19.769 should be accursed. Galatians chapter 1 verses 00:12:19.769 --> 00:12:23.450 8 to 9. So the final standard is not the status 00:12:23.450 --> 00:12:26.070 of the speaker. It is the content of the gospel 00:12:26.070 --> 00:12:29.669 already revealed. Historically, the early church 00:12:29.669 --> 00:12:33.110 fathers and councils understood this. They appealed 00:12:33.110 --> 00:12:35.429 to the prophetic and apostolic writings as the 00:12:35.429 --> 00:12:38.519 decisive norm. Creeds and councils were meant 00:12:38.519 --> 00:12:41.700 to summarize and defend what Scripture already 00:12:41.700 --> 00:12:45.240 taught, not to add new equal -level revelation 00:12:45.240 --> 00:12:48.779 alongside it. Now, what assumption sits underneath 00:12:48.779 --> 00:12:52.259 the idea that we must have Scripture plus a living, 00:12:52.440 --> 00:12:56.700 equal church authority? It assumes that the Bible 00:12:56.700 --> 00:12:59.779 by itself is not clear or sufficient enough. 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:03.740 It assumes we need a continuing human voice that 00:13:03.740 --> 00:13:07.399 can finally declare what God really meant. But 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:10.399 once you do that, something shifts. Scripture's 00:13:10.399 --> 00:13:13.039 authority becomes dependent on the institution. 00:13:13.460 --> 00:13:16.179 Whenever there is tension between the Bible and 00:13:16.179 --> 00:13:19.139 later decisions, the later decisions tend to 00:13:19.139 --> 00:13:21.889 win. The very body that is supposed to guard 00:13:21.889 --> 00:13:25.789 revelation also gains the power to redefine it. 00:13:25.929 --> 00:13:28.769 At that point, we no longer have a stable external 00:13:28.769 --> 00:13:31.690 word from God that can correct the church. The 00:13:31.690 --> 00:13:33.889 church is sitting on the bench. The Bible is 00:13:33.889 --> 00:13:37.090 on trial. I am arguing that we must reverse that. 00:13:37.210 --> 00:13:39.909 The church, including my own teaching and your 00:13:39.909 --> 00:13:42.289 tradition, always has to stand under scripture 00:13:42.289 --> 00:13:46.570 ready to be corrected. If God speaks, why can't 00:13:46.570 --> 00:13:50.220 he keep giving new scripture? Let me raise another 00:13:50.220 --> 00:13:53.200 question that often comes from Mormon friends 00:13:53.200 --> 00:13:57.379 and from other groups that claim restored revelation. 00:13:58.220 --> 00:14:02.120 If God speaks, why can't he keep giving new books 00:14:02.120 --> 00:14:05.500 of scripture like the Book of Mormon or modern 00:14:05.500 --> 00:14:08.620 prophetic words? On the surface, that sounds 00:14:08.620 --> 00:14:11.480 very open and humble. We are open to more of 00:14:11.480 --> 00:14:14.700 what God might say. But we need to listen to 00:14:14.700 --> 00:14:18.269 how God himself describes his revelation. Hebrews 00:14:18.269 --> 00:14:22.570 chapter 1 verses 1 and 2 says, Long ago, at many 00:14:22.570 --> 00:14:26.370 times, and in many ways, God spoke to our ancestors 00:14:26.370 --> 00:14:29.669 through the prophets. But in these last days 00:14:29.669 --> 00:14:33.669 he has spoken to us by his Son. There is a clear 00:14:33.669 --> 00:14:36.629 contrast. Before many times, many ways, prophets. 00:14:37.029 --> 00:14:40.590 Now in these last days, by his Son. Jesus is 00:14:40.590 --> 00:14:42.830 not just one more in a line of prophets. He is 00:14:42.830 --> 00:14:46.190 the climactic word. Jude verse 3 tells us to 00:14:46.190 --> 00:14:50.029 contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted 00:14:50.029 --> 00:14:53.269 to God's holy people. Once for all entrusted 00:14:53.269 --> 00:14:57.110 means the apostolic gospel is a completed deposit, 00:14:57.409 --> 00:15:00.169 not an open -ended stream still being written. 00:15:00.679 --> 00:15:03.039 At the very end of the Bible, in Revelation chapter 00:15:03.039 --> 00:15:07.519 22, verses 18 to 19, there is a serious warning 00:15:07.519 --> 00:15:11.399 to anyone who adds to or takes away from the 00:15:11.399 --> 00:15:14.980 words of the prophecy of this book. Strictly, 00:15:14.980 --> 00:15:17.179 that warning is about the book of Revelation 00:15:17.179 --> 00:15:20.460 itself, but it fits with a broader pattern we 00:15:20.460 --> 00:15:22.840 see through Scripture. God's covenant documents 00:15:22.840 --> 00:15:26.059 have boundaries. They are not ever -expanding 00:15:26.059 --> 00:15:29.379 libraries. Historically, The early church saw 00:15:29.379 --> 00:15:33.080 itself as guarding that apostolic deposit, not 00:15:33.080 --> 00:15:36.580 waiting for new canons centuries later to correct 00:15:36.580 --> 00:15:39.620 the old one. Now, what assumption lies under 00:15:39.620 --> 00:15:42.639 the idea of needing new scripture? It assumes 00:15:42.639 --> 00:15:45.139 that what God said earlier was not sufficient 00:15:45.139 --> 00:15:48.860 or not clear enough. It implies that God's previous 00:15:48.860 --> 00:15:52.460 revelation needs to be fixed or completed by 00:15:52.460 --> 00:15:55.620 later revelation. But if God is perfectly wise 00:15:55.620 --> 00:15:58.080 and truthful, would he give revelation that he 00:15:58.080 --> 00:16:00.659 knows is inadequate for his people for centuries? 00:16:00.960 --> 00:16:03.480 Would he reveal himself in Christ and through 00:16:03.480 --> 00:16:06.340 the apostles and then later say, actually, I 00:16:06.340 --> 00:16:09.059 need to revise or correct that? If you say yes, 00:16:09.259 --> 00:16:11.820 then you have, without meaning to, put a crack 00:16:11.820 --> 00:16:15.139 in the character of God. You are saying his earlier 00:16:15.139 --> 00:16:18.679 revelation was not fully wise, not fully sufficient 00:16:18.679 --> 00:16:22.659 for what he intended. and once you go down that 00:16:22.659 --> 00:16:26.000 road you can no longer be sure of any later revelation 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:29.899 either if his first word can be corrected why 00:16:29.899 --> 00:16:33.379 not his second and third there is never a final 00:16:33.379 --> 00:16:36.419 word you are always waiting for the next update 00:16:36.990 --> 00:16:39.669 The Bible's own picture is different. It shows 00:16:39.669 --> 00:16:42.309 God's revelation in Christ and the apostolic 00:16:42.309 --> 00:16:45.909 witness as a completed foundation for the church 00:16:45.909 --> 00:16:49.330 in every age. We do not need new scripture. We 00:16:49.330 --> 00:16:52.190 need deeper faith and obedience to the scripture 00:16:52.190 --> 00:16:55.250 we have. Isn't it arrogant to say we have real 00:16:55.250 --> 00:16:58.490 revelation? One more question we need to face 00:16:58.490 --> 00:17:01.850 honestly. Isn't it arrogant to say God has spoken 00:17:01.850 --> 00:17:04.970 in the Bible? Isn't it more humble to say we 00:17:04.970 --> 00:17:07.950 are all just doing our best? We need to admit 00:17:07.950 --> 00:17:10.890 something here. There is such a thing as arrogant 00:17:10.890 --> 00:17:14.250 Bible talk. You and I have seen people use verses 00:17:14.250 --> 00:17:17.930 to beat others down with no humility, no love, 00:17:18.009 --> 00:17:21.630 no brokenness over their own sin. That is wrong. 00:17:22.109 --> 00:17:25.509 But notice, it is not arrogant for a creature 00:17:25.509 --> 00:17:29.410 to say, my creator has spoken and I believe him. 00:17:29.569 --> 00:17:33.210 That is actually humility. True arrogance is 00:17:33.210 --> 00:17:36.150 saying, I will trust my own mind, my own feelings, 00:17:36.309 --> 00:17:39.029 my own spiritual impressions more than God's 00:17:39.029 --> 00:17:42.390 written word. If God has chosen to speak clearly 00:17:42.390 --> 00:17:45.750 in scripture, then the humble posture is to listen 00:17:45.750 --> 00:17:49.480 and submit. saying, I know better than that book 00:17:49.480 --> 00:17:53.240 is not humility. It is rebellion dressed up as 00:17:53.240 --> 00:17:56.119 sophistication. So where does all this leave 00:17:56.119 --> 00:17:58.839 us practically? Let me pull the threads together 00:17:58.839 --> 00:18:02.200 in simple terms. Every system you and I will 00:18:02.200 --> 00:18:05.299 encounter does one of two things at the bottom. 00:18:05.460 --> 00:18:08.039 It either places some human authority at the 00:18:08.039 --> 00:18:10.720 top church structures, prophets, traditions, 00:18:10.920 --> 00:18:14.180 culture, or your own heart, and makes God's word 00:18:14.180 --> 00:18:17.799 answer to that. or it places God's written word 00:18:17.799 --> 00:18:20.359 at the top and makes every human voice answer 00:18:20.359 --> 00:18:23.359 to that. If we say God has not given a clear, 00:18:23.440 --> 00:18:25.700 sufficient, trustworthy revelation in scripture, 00:18:26.000 --> 00:18:29.180 then several things follow. We have no stable 00:18:29.180 --> 00:18:31.720 ground for doctrine. Everything becomes negotiable. 00:18:31.839 --> 00:18:35.200 We have no final standard to test traditions, 00:18:35.339 --> 00:18:38.960 prophets, and spiritual experiences. Some human 00:18:38.960 --> 00:18:42.349 authority has to take that role. We have no higher 00:18:42.349 --> 00:18:44.450 court than our own institutions or feelings. 00:18:44.630 --> 00:18:48.269 That is what I mean by the impossibility of the 00:18:48.269 --> 00:18:51.630 contrary. Once you remove a clear word from God, 00:18:51.829 --> 00:18:55.390 you are left with human voices arguing on equal 00:18:55.390 --> 00:18:59.309 footing and no one can finally speak with God's 00:18:59.309 --> 00:19:02.730 authority. But if the Bible truly is God's revelation, 00:19:02.829 --> 00:19:06.529 God speaking, not man climbing, then we finally 00:19:06.529 --> 00:19:09.569 have a firm foundation for knowing who God is 00:19:09.569 --> 00:19:12.579 and what he has done. a stable standard to test 00:19:12.579 --> 00:19:16.039 every tradition, prophet, and philosophy, a living 00:19:16.039 --> 00:19:18.880 voice that calls us to repentance, faith, and 00:19:18.880 --> 00:19:21.880 obedience. So here is how I would apply all of 00:19:21.880 --> 00:19:24.660 this to us. Come to scripture expecting to hear 00:19:24.660 --> 00:19:27.680 God. Come willing to let him correct you. Come 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:30.319 ready to say, not just as a slogan, but from 00:19:30.319 --> 00:19:33.759 the heart, speak Lord, for your servant is listening. 00:19:34.019 --> 00:19:36.910 In the rest of the book, we will talk more about 00:19:36.910 --> 00:19:41.289 how God reveals himself in creation and in Christ, 00:19:41.529 --> 00:19:45.329 how the Bible came to us and why it is trustworthy. 00:19:46.450 --> 00:19:49.849 But everything begins here. The Bible is not 00:19:49.849 --> 00:19:53.450 humanity's best thoughts about God. It is God's 00:19:53.450 --> 00:19:56.809 own revelation, his voice into our darkness, 00:19:56.970 --> 00:19:59.609 calling us to listen, trust and obey.