June 4, 2006

Cawson St. Church of Christ

Hopewell, Virginia

Mural Worthey

 

The Word Only Problem

 

Introduction

 

We should have learned from past religious history that “anything only” in religion falls short of what is taught in the Bible.  There are many factors involved in salvation, in sanctification, and in empowerment to live as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  No one thing alone can accomplish the task of redemption.  “Hope only” or “love only” or “faith only” is insufficient.  Just coming to church assemblies is insufficient.  Just partaking of the Lord’s Supper will not secure our salvation.

 

From all of these, we should know that the doctrine of “the Word only” will not suffice either.  There are many distortions and errors that result from such a view of Christianity.  Campbell said in his debate with Nathan L. Rice, “There is the Word alone system and there is the Spirit alone system.  I believe in neither.”  (Campbell-Rice Debate, 1844, 614.)   When Jesus healed an infirmed man on the Sabbath, he was accused of working on the Sabbath Day.  He replied, “My Father works until now, and I work.”  (John 5:17.)  We ought to learn from this that God did not create the world and step back to let it run on its own.  God did not give us a book and stop working in the world.  That is Deism.

 

Word Only and Knowledge

 

We do not study the Bible merely to have knowledge of the Book.  We study in order to know God.  Hosea said, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee.”  (Hosea 4:6.)  It was knowledge of God that they had rejected.  Jesus prayed, “And this is eternal life that they may know thee the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”  (John 17:3.)

 

We ought not just to speak of the authority of the Bible, but the supreme authority of God over the whole creation.  We respect the Word of God because of who God is.  Reverence for God comes first; then a reverence for His Word.  The Word of God is instrumental; that is, it points us to God Himself.  It does not point toward itself.  Knowledge of the Bible is not the goal; but knowledge of God is the ultimate end of all Bible study.   

 

We cannot dispense with the written Word of God.  It is indispensable in knowing God.  No one can bypass it and obtain God’s will some other way.  Jesus said, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.”  (Matt. 4:4.)  Some claim that they receive revelations directly from God and they no longer need the Bible.  Charismatics often refer to the Bible as a dead letter.  One preacher among them threw the Bible on the floor in front of his audience and declared that he no longer needed it.

 

The Bible is “a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our pathway.”  (Psalm 119:105.)  “Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven.”  (Psalm 119:89.)  “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.”  (2 Tim. 3:15-17.)  “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation; for the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”  (2 Peter 1:20-21.)

 

We should ask what is meant by “word only.”  In the great Reformation Movement of the 15^th and 16^th centuries, the battle cry of the reformers was “Sola Scriptura” or only the Scriptures. It is interesting to note that they had five “solas” or onlys.  Does not one “only” remove the need for the other four?  Yes, if they were applied to the same subject, but they were applied to five different topics.  That is, in regard to how we know God’s will, is it from the Bible or from both the Bible and church traditions?  The Catholic Church preached that church traditions were just as binding as Scripture.  The Protestants proclaimed “Sola Scripture.”  Concerning this historical question, we should agree with the Protestants.  We can only know God’s will from the Bible, not the Bible and the Church. 

 

The central question then is, “Can one know God’s will outside the revelation of Scripture?”  Claims of personal experiences or private revelations should be rejected.  Claims that church leaders are guided directly by the Holy Spirit ought to be rejected.

 

However, this covers only one area; that is, revelation.  There are other areas to consider where “Sola Scriptura”, or word only, would not be appropriate or sufficient.  These will become self-evident as we proceed.

 

Word Only and Prayer

 

When we pray, we address the Father directly as his children should.  We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, our Mediator.  “Giving thanks to God the Father by him. . . .”  (Col. 3:17.)  We pray in the Spirit.  “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. . . .”  (Eph. 6:18.)  How we learn how to pray is from the Scriptures, but we then do what we have been taught.  We have a relationship with God as our Father. 

 

Furthermore, Paul taught that sometimes we do not know how to pray as we ought.  What then?  Do we go back and read the Bible some more?  No, the Holy Spirit helps our infirmities and He makes intercessions for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.  (Rom. 8:26.)  The Holy Spirit knows the mind of God and man.  (1 Cor. 2:11.)  He can intercede for us to the Father.

 

The word only view, applied to prayer, effectively destroys the power and purpose of prayer.  Prayer is not for us to tell God how to run the universe; prayer is not self-counseling.  It is communing with the God of heaven and earth who can do all things.  Paul wrote that “God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”  (Eph. 3:20.)  Is the power within us just the knowledge of what we have learned, or is it the power of the Spirit of God within us? 

 

Word Only and Indwelling of the Spirit

 

One of the reasons why we have trouble with the subject of the indwelling is because this is something in addition to the word.  It is true that we should allow the word of Christ to dwell in us with all wisdom (Col. 3:16).  But we should also acknowledge the truth of the indwelling of the Spirit of God. 

 

Paul asked the Corinthians, “Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which you have of God.  You are not your own; you are bought with a price.  Glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God’s.”  (1 Cor. 6:19-20.)  “This only would I learn of you—received ye the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith.”  (Gal. 3:2.)  There was no question that they had received the Spirit.  Paul wanted them to reply concerning how they received it.  Peter preached on Pentecost that they should repent and be baptized.  Upon doing so, they were promised the remission of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.  (Acts 2:38.)

 

Someone might ask, But what does the Holy Spirit do for us?  Some preachers proclaim that our body is the temple of the Spirit, but then deny that the Spirit does anything for us.  The Bible answers that “we are strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man.”  (Eph. 3:16.)  We are changed from glory to glory by the Spirit.  (2 Cor. 3:18.)  Sanctification is the work of the Spirit, according to the Bible.  God has chosen us unto salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.  (2 Thess. 2:13.)  In fact, our spirit was born again by the power of the Holy Spirit.  Conversion begins with the work of the Spirit of God.  Conversion should never be thought of simply as an intellectual response to spoken words.  There is conviction inside.  The body is not born again; it is the spirit of man that is born again by the Spirit of God.  (John 3:3-6.)  The Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.  (Rom. 8:16.)  There are many things that the Spirit of God does on our behalf and to us.

 

Campbell said, “I would not, sir, value at the price of a single mill the religion of any man, as respects the grand affair of eternal life, whose religion is not begun, carried on, and completed by the personal agency of the Holy Spirit.  Nay, sir, I esteem it the peculiar excellence and glory of our religion, that it is spiritual; that the soul of man is quickened, enlightened, sanctified and consoled by the indwelling presence of the Spirit of the eternal God.”  (Campbell-Rice Debate, 1844, 616.)

 

Word Only and Providence

 

Providence is a general word, (though not found in the Bible in reference to God), which refers to the work or activity of God in the world.  Jesus said that God works until now.  (John 5:17.)  He has never stopped working.  To believe otherwise is to be a Deist.  Here are several examples of God doing something alongside and in addition to the Word of God being preached.

 

Acts 8:26-40.  In the story of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch, an angel of the Lord first appeared to Philip and told him where to go to find this treasurer reading the Scriptures. (Verse 26.)  Then the Spirit of God said unto Philip, Go near and join thyself to this chariot.  (Verse 29.)  Then Philip reasoned with him out of the Scriptures.  The eunuch was reading the scroll of Isaiah.  (Verse 30.)  In verse 26, we have an angel of the Lord. In verse 29, we have the Spirit of God involved.  In verse 30, we have the written word of God.  This story alone is sufficient to show that in conversion the word only view is incorrect and greatly limits God.  The word fulfills a very important part in God’s plan, but it cannot fulfill every thing.  How could God have ever gotten Philip and the Eunuch together by scrolls alone?

Hebrews 13:1-2.  Some might be prone to say, But that was in the first century.  Now that the Bible is complete, God does not use angels or His Spirit to accomplish his purposes.  But note this passage from Hebrews.

 

Let brotherly love continue.  Do not neglect to show hospitality to strangers, for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

 

This passage refers to events in the past, perhaps as far back as Abraham.  (2000 BC)  It is found in the context of practicing brotherly love, not evangelism.  Why should we be motivated to practice brotherly love?  Because the person you are showing love to may be sent by God to accomplish his will.  The angel may be an earthly messenger, not one dressed in white, dazzling raiment from heaven.  Yes, God still works in his world.  (John 5:17, Heb. 13:2.)

 

Conclusions

 

There have developed many problems associated with the word only view of Christianity.  Chief among them are these: 1) a prayerless life, not believing that God can even act in His own world; 2) a cold, lifeless worship and devotion to God; 3) legalism and bibliolatry—the notion that one is justified by a code of rules rather than faith in the Lord  (Rom. 9:30-33); 3) brotherly love has turned into hatred and bitterness when a brother disagrees with another’s understanding of the Word; 4) a lack of awareness of God working in our lives and events to bring about the redemption of the lost; and 5) a loss of faith that the Lord is our helper and provider.  We ought to be content with what we have and not fear what others may do to us.