Tried With Fire

"While believers should be Bereans and search the Scriptures for themselves, we don't do it in a vacuum. Our study of the Word is not disconnected from what has transpired in church history. " Read the rest of the post here .

A friend on FB posted a link to the Heidelblog -  Sola Scripture ≠ Nuda Scriptura . I wasn't familiar with the term, Nuda Scriptura , so I read the post, which says: Evangelical Christians in North America sometimes misunderstand the Reformation doctrine of sola Scriptura to mean that the Bible is the Christian’s only theological resource, that it can and should be denuded of its churchly context (hence nuda Scriptura ). Such an understanding is altogether incorrect. While believers should be Bereans and search the Scriptures for themselves, we don't do it in a vacuum. Our study of the Word is not disconnected from what has transpired through church history. Neither should it be divorced from the context of the present local church. So given the potential for deception if one is left to one's self, I wondered if any cults or erroneous teachings were conceived via  Nuda Scriptura . Well in my recent reading, I happened upon: - Caleb Rich "insisted that his...

The Bible's answer is simple: fear for God is produced by the Word of God. Many modern trends boil down to self-expression. Self-expression, however wonderful it may feel, tells us nothing of God. God's Word produces the right attitude toward Him, because His Word reveals Him, His mind and His ways to us. His Word alone gives content to our faith. Without content, there would be no reason to fear. Without content, there would be no object to fear. Without content, there would be no form to give to our fear. This finds a strong echo in the words of Jesus, recorded in John 8:31-32 - Therefore, He was saying to the Jews, who believed Him, "If you remain in My word, truly you are My students; and you will know the truth, and the truth will free you." (DJP) Our Lord here provides both the promise and the definition of discipleship. His progression of thought is very definite: To be set free, we must know the truth. To know the truth, we must be students (di...

Here's a convicting question from Dr. Joel Beeke: Is Scripture the mirror by which we dress ourselves (James 1:22-27)? Worth considering, no? from Living for God's Glory - An Introduction to Calvinism , Joel R. Beeke, Reformation Trust, page 134.

Every word of God proves true ; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Proverbs 30:5 You can't get any plainer than that.

[T]he modern position amounts to this, that it is man's reason that decides. You and I come to the Bible and we have to make our decisions on this basis of certain standards which are obviously in our minds. We decide that one portion conforms to the message which we believe, and that another does not. In spite of all the talk about a new situation today, we are still left with the position that man's knowledge and man's understanding are the final arbiters and the final court of appeal. That was precisely the position of the old Liberalism. However, some would put the case a little differently. They would say that you must recognize as the Word of God that which speaks to you. When something in the Bible speaks to your condition it is the Word of God, and when it does not, it is not the Word of God. That, of course, is just to put yourselves into a thoroughly subjective position. It still leaves man in control; man is still the authority who decides what is truly the Word ...