Gospel Coalition live blog 7: Bryan Chapell, president of Covenant Theological Seminary in St. Louis, Mo.
Text: 2 Timothy 3:10-4:5
More than a decade ago, the Rodney King trial verdict came out. In the results of the verdict, south-central Los Angeles exploded. In one instance, men pulled an innocent man from a truck. A pastor named Benny Newton entered the fray with only a Bible and urged the men to stop. They turned on him, beating him, but he persisted and eventually the men stopped.
The pastor carrying in only his Bible was symbolic, marking his dependence upon God’s Word.
The pastor banks everything on the Word.
Why do we bank so much on the Word? Because the Word is the voice of God. All Scripture is God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16). As God breathed life into Adam at creation, so did He breathe life into the Scripture that He might breathe new life into us.
When preachers speak — faithfully — Jesus speaks
Augustine said, “When the Bible speaks, God speaks.” Luther said it this way, “The church is God’s mouth house.” When the Word is proclaimed in the church, God is yet speaking to His people. The preaching of the Word, to the extent that it is true to the Word, is the voice of God speaking.
God has so chosen to anoint the lips and the tongues of His servants that when they speak, the voice of Jesus resounds in His church. Sometimes, when Chapell that God is working in the church, he thinks, “If only Jesus were here. If only Jesus would speak.” Paul says to Timothy that Jesus is here and He does speak in the church through the Word.
When we speak the truth of the Word of God we are speaking as Jesus. God has left Himself a witness and the witness is preachers and teachers true to the Word in His church. And when they do Jesus yet speaks.
We are so silly sometimes, we who should no better. We want God to write something in the clouds. But if He wrote in the clouds, it would blow away. Instead, God chose to write it down for us in a book. We can take it with us wherever we go.
Purity, persecution and power in proclaiming God’s Word
It is Jesus’ voice that we have stewardship of when we proclaim God’s Word. Thus, there is the expectation of purity if the voice of Jesus is yet among His people (2 Tim 3:10). And there is also the expectation of persecution (2 Tim 3:11). Faithful ministers will face suffering.
There is also the expectation of power (2 Tim 4:1). God is an audience to the preaching of His Word. But God also gives power in the preaching of His Word. God’s people know that He is present through the preaching of His Word.
Because God is present, working through His Word in power, we can preach the Word, exhorting, teaching and rebuking with all authority (2 Tim 4:2). When we preach, we preach as Jesus speaking to His people and therefore we have authority.
Right alongside the exhortation to courageous preaching is the exhortation to compassionate preaching (2 Tim 4:2). Because we speak with the resurrection power of Jesus, we can afford to be patient and gentle.
The perfection of Scripture
Paul says all Scripture is inspired by God. Paul was talking about the Old Testament and what follows it in the New Testament. All of Scripture is perfect and Scripture itself declares its perfection.
Psalm 19:7-11 describes Scripture in this way: perfect, sure, right, pure, clean, altogether righteous, sweeter than honey. These descriptions could be spoken of God or His Word. This is because His Word arises out of His perfection.
There are many sufficient evidences that point to the inspiration of Scripture. But to believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God is an act of faith.
At least 3,000 times in the Bible, it claims, “Thus sayith the Lord” in one form or another. You cannot conclude that the Bible is simply a good book. It is either truly the Word of God, men wrote thinking it was the Word of God or it is not the Word of God. If it is the Word of God, then it is a commitment of faith to say that it will reflect the character of God.
An inspired Word saves us from the idolatry of self and the isolation of self.
If one does not believe that all of Scripture is inspired and wants to cut portions out. When someone wants to do this, what is left of Scripture is their own word, not God’s Word. This is an idolatry of self.
When someone is lying in the darkness, walking through suffering and trial, and they cry out in the darkness, they have no hope without God’s Word. Without God’s Word, they are alone, with only their words to comfort them. But if God has spoken, then there is hope and comfort to be had.
Through the Word, we have God. Thus, we have hope.
How did the Old Testament make Timothy wise unto salvation? They reflected the perfections of God. At the same time they have revealed the perfections of God, they have revealed the imperfections of us. There is always a redemptive element to Scripture. If God is perfect and I am not, then God has to provide an answer. If we cannot be what a holy God desires, then God has to make a way. Timothy knew from the Old Testament that salvation had to come from someone other than him. It comes through faith in Christ Jesus.
In Scripture, you have the voice, the hand and the heart of God. And when you have the voice, the hand and the heart of God, you have Jesus.