Calvary Baptist Church

Calvary Baptist Church, Grenada, MS

Holding to the truths embraced by Baptist for centuries.

Jesus and the apostles appealed to the Scriptures as thoroughly trustworthy and authoritative. Jesus met the threefold temptation of Satan with "It is written". He said to the Jews (Matt. 22:29) "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." And again, (John 5:39) "Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testify of me." To his own disciples (Luke 24:25, 26) "O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?" Peter explaining what was taking place on the day of Pentecost said, "This is that which was spoken by the prophet," and then goes on to give the prophecies that were fulfilled in the death and resurrection of Jesus and in the manifestations on the day of Pentecost.

Paul at Thessalonica three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures, (Acts 17:3) "Opening and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this Jesus whom I preach unto you, is Christ." Again he says, (II Timothy 3:16, 17) "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, throughly furnished unto all good works." The Scriptures referred to in all these passages, of course, are in the Old Testament.

The New Testament is equally trustworthy, authoritative, and final. This is assured to us by what Jesus promised as to the work of the Holy Spirit (John 16:15) "He shall take of mine and show them unto you", (John 15:26) "He shall testify of me", etc. And besides the Apostles who witnessed the earthly life of Jesus, Jesus revealed to Paul further revelations. It is said in Hebrews 1:1-2, "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son."

So we today have not only the Old Testament, but the fuller, more glorious, final and complete revelation for this dispensation. To this we can appeal as Paul did to the Old Testament. "What saith the Scriptures?" How gracious and full is this wonderful message from God! There is no other place we learn of God as Father and of the Son as Savior. It is the only source of spiritual truth. It is the Holy Spirit's only message to man. If you have the Bible, you have within that Book all the spiritual truth God has for man in this time, till Jesus comes again. We should be satisfied with what God has revealed. It is foolish, and it discounts the Bible, when we try to find spiritual truth any where else. We should be satisfied with what we may learn in this all-sufficient revelation. We should be ashamed to spend so much time learning other things except that the knowledge of these things helps us better understand what God has spoken and helps us to teach others.

We could take this appeal, "What saith the Scripture?" and preach the whole Bible. We can ask, "What saith the first chapter of Genesis?" "What saith Luke twenty-four?" "What saith Isaiah fifty-three?" And so on through the whole Bible. Or we can ask, "What saith the Scripture about Jesus?" "What saith the Scripture about baptism?" "The Lord's Supper?" "The Church, etc?"

"What saith the Scripture?" is our appeal for God's standard of faith and conduct. We do not appeal to certain declarations of faith, or to articles of faith set forth by men, even good and devout men. We appeal to the Scriptures and to them alone. It is not for a few great men to learn

what God teaches and formulate this into a system of doctrines and present them to others as authoritative. It is for those who give their lives to the study of God's word to teach it, help others to know it, bring them face to face with what is written and let them take it from the Lord, and not from man.

For God's word to function as our guide in faith and practice it must get into our minds as God's word. This separates those who take God's word only, from those who accept human authority in religion. It will also unify those who are truly God's people. "What saith the scripture?" is the appeal, not "What does my church teach? Not "What do our preachers teach." but "What saith the Scriptures?" Nothing is settled in spiritual matters unless it is settled by "What saith the scripture?"

"What saith the scripture?" about spiritual life. The human race is spiritually dead. "If Christ died for all them, all were dead", dead in trespasses and sins. The Word of God is quick, or life-giving. Jesus said, (John 5:25) "The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live." All scripture is not life-giving. Some of it kills. The message about Jesus, the Author of life, the one who said, "I am the life" is God's revelation of Him who died and rose again and lives forevermore. When the dead sinner learns about the glorious person of Jesus of Nazareth, what He has wrought for us in His resurrection and the Holy Spirit makes it living truth to him, then he has heard the voice of the Son of God, and he lives.

We do not have in our hands anything at all to bring to life one who is dead physically. But we are commissioned to proclaim a message that will bring life to the spiritually dead. This is a greater work than speaking a word that would make alive the physically dead. Our speaking the message does not bring spiritual life unless the Holy Spirit makes it the voice of the Son of God. The Holy Spirit does not use the Word except when God's people in some way get this Word into the minds of sinners. God has limited

Himself to man's ministry of the Word. In the face of this how can we be slothful in proclaiming the Word of God?

There is another thing the Scripture will do when it speaks to us. It energizes us to serve God. The Word effectually worketh in those who believe. The writer of the Book of Hebrews closes with this benediction, "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ: to whom be glory for ever and ever, Amen." And again Paul says, (Philippians 2:13) "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure."

"What saith the Scripture" for guidance in faith and works? "What saith the Scripture" for life giving power? "What saith the Scripture" for energizing power to serve God?