No One Master Key to Living the Chrisitan Life

Introduction to the Series: Major Principles of the Christian Life

0:05 This adult Sunday school class was held on May 16, 1982, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now, those of you who were here at our midweek service on Wednesday will remember that when I gave a report on the ministry to the students at Reformed Theological Seminary, I indicated on that occasion that I felt God helped me to bring into focus some broad principles on the subject of the Christian life

0:47 and to see them not in any way of new light, but I think with some degree of fresh clarity. And on that occasion, I said you just might eventually be confronting those principles in some kind of study or preaching ministry. Well, as I begin this morning, I'm going to begin a series of studies with you in the adult class on this vital theme that I have entitled Major Principles. The Principles of the Christian Life.

1:20 Now, I've chosen to do so in the class because I do want us to have opportunity for questions and answers as we work through these vital matters. This is not to be another preaching session, though you will have to forgive me if occasionally I do launch into preaching. That's simply a constitutional weakness that you'll have to bear with. But I do want the structure and format of the class.

1:48 It has to be basically that of the classroom as contrasted with the pulpit, though the word of God, of course, will be our ultimate court of authority and also the focal point of our study. Now, by way of introducing this theme, Major Principles of the Christian Life, I want to say something first of all about my purpose, or purposes, plural, and then something about our method. Now, this is simply by way of introduction. What are my purposes in taking up this subject with you as a body of God's people?

Purposes of the Study: Sketch, Immunize, Purge

2:26 Well, I have at least three purposes. The first is, I want to attempt to sketch in the broad outlines of a practical theology of living the Christian life. I want to sketch in the broad outlines of a practical theology of living the Christian life. Assuming that the vast majority of you present this morning are Christians, living the Christian life is something you're going to be engaged in until you die or until the Lord returns.

2:58 And therefore, it is not a secondary issue. It is of vital importance for us as the people of God to have a working, biblical, practical theology of how to live the Christian life. And in this series of studies, it is my purpose to, to sketch in, not all of the details. For instance, some time ago, in giving a series on the doctrine of sanctification, I brought some, what, 22, 23 messages on that subject.

3:28 And it went into rather detailed examination of such things as mortification and how to deal with temptation. It will not be my purpose to go into any great detail on any one dimension of the Christian life, but to sketch in a broad outline. A broad outline of a practical theology of the Christian life. And then I have a second purpose, and that is to immunize you against false teaching on the subject of the Christian life.

4:00 To immunize you against false teaching on the Christian life. In a very real sense, we might say that all practical error is addressed to one of two questions. Either the question, how do I become a Christian? Or the question, how do I become a Christian?

4:15 Or the question, how do I become a Christian? Or the question, how do I become a Christian? Or the question, how do I become a Christian? Or the question, how do I become a Christian?

4:15 Or the question, how do I become a Christian? Or the question, how do I become a Christian? Or the question, how do I become a Christian? Or the question, how do I become a Christian?

4:15 Or the question, how do I become a Christian? I live as a Christian once I've become one? And the errors in the past and right up to the present hour with respect to the subject of living the Christian life are many, and some of them quite subtle, but they are errors nonetheless. And an ounce of prevention is worth more than a pound of cure. And may I say that an ounce of pastoral prevention is

4:40 worth more than pounds of pastoral counseling to try to sort you out when you've been mixed up and fouled up and crippled by false teaching. So some of my motive, you see, is selfish. I want to save myself work. Now, I never lack for work, and I never sit at my desk twiddling my thumbs or thumping them on the desk saying, what shall I do today? And scrounge around

5:03 for some duty. So my primary concern, I trust, is indeed a truly biblical, altruistic, outgoing pastoral concern to immunize you. And I have always been against false teaching on the Christian life. Many of you have been converted either directly or indirectly through this ministry. You have come into this fellowship

5:26 as relative babes in Christ, and you have not had much exposure to teaching on the Christian life that deviates from the norms of Scripture. However, sooner or later, as you mature as a Christian, become more aware of what's going on in the Christian world now. And I and what has transpired in the past, your mind will be exposed to erroneous principles of how to live the Christian life. And I hope what we get in these sessions will be blessed of God to immunize you so that when the viruses of false teaching try to take root in your mind and spirit,

6:07 they will find no such power to do so. And then I have a third purpose, and that is to purge any of you of infectious teaching which you may have already imbibed. Some of you have come to us from other fellowships and other circles of ministry where there have been serious errors regarding the Christian life propagated, and I'm hoping that these lessons will be a form of spiritual purging so that as you see sketched in a broad biblically, biblical theology of the Christian life, you'll be able to say, wait a minute, that doesn't square up with what I've been taught.

6:49 Now, what do the scriptures really teach on this subject? And that you will wrestle with previous teaching in the light of the Word of God and, like the Bereans, search the scriptures daily to see whether these things be so. Well, those are my very practical and, I believe, attainable purposes under the blessing of the Spirit of God to sketch in, the broad outlines of the practical theology of the Christian life to immunize you and to purge you. All right?

Method of Study: Distilling Principles from Scripture

7:21 And then my second word of introduction has to do with our method. Now, there are basically two ways to arrive at the teaching of the Bible on any given subject.

7:35 Let this represent our Bibles. And if we have a question relative to the teaching of the Word of God concerning, any given subject, subject X, there are fundamentally two ways to arrive at the teaching of the Word of God. One is what we might call the long-range method. That's the method in which, by consecutive reading through the scriptures, privately, publicly, such as we do in our own services of public worship, by the consecutive, verse-by-verse exposition of the Word of God, such as we are often doing, here in our own public ministries, what happens is that over the long haul,

8:19 in our personal reading, and in the public reading, and in the public preaching of the Word, we, bit by bit, gain a biblical perspective on doctrine.

8:37 Now, that takes a long time. There is a sense in which, while we are seeing this part of the subject, our views of the other angle, and other related parts, are dim and indistinct, but in many ways, this is perhaps the safest way to arrive at any given biblical doctrine. However, many times, it's not expedient to come to all truths in that way, simply because we only live three score and ten years if we live out our allotted time, or have our bonus ten, and most of us would be relatively ignorant of many, three dimensions of biblical truth if we demanded that we come to every truth

9:21 by this particular method. Now, there is a second way, then, to come to at least a basic and balanced understanding of any given truth, and that is to distill, out of the Scriptures, basic principles which articulate that biblical truth, and to expound the key texts which epitomize that truth. In other words, there is a truth taught from Genesis to Revelation that those who sin are going to pay for and suffer the consequences of their sins. Now, you would come to an understanding of that particular doctrine by reading from Genesis to Revelation.

10:05 Now, there's another way you could come to it, and that would be if a preacher were to take the text, be sure your sin will find you out, and expound that text, and then illustrate it, from key incidents in Old Testament and New Testament history, and then buttress it by other epitomizing texts. That is, texts in which God the Holy Spirit has condensed, as it were, into one statement a broad principle of divine revelation within that particular statement. Now, what we're going to do, then, obviously, in this class is to adopt method number two. In seeking to come to this practical theology of living the Christian life,

10:50 we're going to do so under the heading Major Principles of the Christian Life. And what we're going to do by way of method is to state a principle which exemplifies one of the broad dimensions of living the Christian life, and then we will turn to individual texts which illustrate that principle, which form the basis, we will turn sometimes to an entire book, and, as it were, pass over it in a concord at Mach 2, twice the speed of sound, and we'll just do a broad overview in order to see that there is a deep rootage

11:33 in Scripture for the principles that have been expressed and articulated. All right? Any question now about either the purposes or the method that we're going to pursue in attaining those purposes?

Principle 1: No One Master Key to Christian Living

11:52 No questions? Well, either I've been clear as mud, or you're still half asleep, or maybe it's been so simple that I insult you by even asking if you have any questions. All right? Well, we'll begin, then, this morning by articulating the first major principle of the Christian life.

12:15 Now, notice, I did not say keys to the Christian life. I did not say, these, I said we're going to deal with some of the major principles of living the Christian life. And the one with which we begin this morning is there is no one major key to living the Christian life. There is no one major, or we might even use the term to carry out the analogy, master key to living the Christian life.

12:53 I like that better. I'm going to change that in my notes. There is no one master key to living the Christian life. See the benefits of teaching others?

13:06 One teaches himself. All right? Very good. Now, let me explain what I mean by the terminology.

13:13 Now, you all know what a master key is. You go to a motel, and when you check in, the check-in clerk says you have room number 247, and he hands you a key that ostensibly is a key to living the Christian life. Ostensibly is only going to work when you stick it in the doorknob of room number 247. Now, if the guy across the hall in room 249 gets a notion to come in and go through your bags to see if there's something valuable that he'd like, if he takes his key from 249 and tries to stick it in lock, it won't work.

13:43 But now when the cleaning girls come around, they have a master key, and they can stick it in 247, 248, and it opens up every single door. Now, in many circles, the Christian life, is taught in such a way as to give either an implied impression, or many times, it is explicitly stated that there is a master key to the Christian life. And if you can get hold of this key, you will unlock every difficulty in the Christian life. Now, let me give some examples of this.

Examples of 'Master Key' Theologies

14:17 There are some who, having discovered the wonderful truth expressed in John, John 15, the truth of union with Christ, of abiding in Christ, have written whole books saying this chapter is the key to living the Christian life. If you can only get hold of the analogy of the vine and the branches, and begin to live your Christian life in its entirety in the light of the analogy of John 15, I am the vine, ye are the branches. As a branch cannot bear fruit except it abide in the vine, so neither can ye except ye abide in me.

15:02 If you will get hold of that analogy, begin to live in the light of it, and let it, as it were, color the entire perspective you have of the Christian life, you will have found the master key to unlocking all of the fundamental problems of the Christian life. Others come along, and say no. The real issue is Ephesians 5.18.

15:28 Be ye being filled with the Spirit. And if only you can get into your head and into your heart the necessity of being full of the Spirit, and then a whole doctrine of the Christian life is built around the biblical doctrine of being filled with the Spirit, and we are told that this constitutes the master key to living the Christian life. Others come along and say no. The master key is Romans chapter 6.

15:57 And I can remember when I was in the period of my formal structured instruction in a Bible college. I remember some people saying in essence the whole Bible, as it were, stood on the pivot of Romans 6. And if you were going to live the Christian life, you had to get hold of and have the entirety of your Christian life regulated by Romans 6. If you came to grips with the content of Romans 6, know, reckon, yield, and obey.

16:28 And I remember the four words. They did a good job, you see, pounding it in. Then you have the master key to living the Christian life. Since then, I've met preachers who take that particular position.

16:39 And every single line of the Bible makes a road, as it were, to Romans chapter 6. It is the key to living the Christian life. Others take Galatians 2.20.

16:51 That's often been called the master key. I have been crucified with Christ. Nevertheless, I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me. That's the key, the indwelling Christ.

17:04 And if you begin to live all of your Christian life in the light of the doctrine of the indwelling of Christ, you have the key that will unlock all of the problems. Now, I don't want to make you nauseous by going into more of these, but I want to illustrate them so that you'll know what I'm talking about when I say there is no one master key to the Christian life. And those who say that, well, the master key is John 15, or Ephesians 5.18, or Galatians 2.20,

Origin and Danger of 'Master Key' Theologies

17:41 or Romans 6, often they do so because in their own experience that aspect of biblical truth brought home to their own hearts by the power of the Spirit was used of God to bring them, in some cases very rapidly, to a new plateau of spiritual experience from which they began to make significant progress that they never knew before. And because in the blessing of the Spirit of God on that particular truth in the complexity of their own individual need, they have reasoned

18:26 from the power and influence of that truth upon them to a general principle. And they say, since that truth was so revolutionary in my experience, it is the will of God that it be equally revolutionary in everyone's experience. So often when people concoct a doctrine of the Christian life which talks about the key, they haven't got on off on a mountain somewhere and scratched their heads and said, now I just feel in a very heresy-making mood. Now, what kind of false teaching can I come up with?

19:05 No, they haven't done that at all. Often, they are very sincere and earnest Christians. And furthermore, Christians who have experienced life-transforming reality from that particular truth. That truth did liberate them from certain things that held them, as it were, in many chains which greatly impeded their spiritual progress.

19:30 And when they came to grips with that truth, there was a crisis of intensified growth from which there was a degree of progress that they had hitherto never known. But the fatal flaw is they reason from their experience to a generalized theology. And that's where the error comes. And that's why you have so many people who have so many master keys.

19:57 That's why you have so many master keys. And you'd think just the very existence of so many master keys would cause people to be afraid to throw another one in the hat and say, this is the master key. And sort of like philosophers, one came along and said, all of reality, that circle represents reality, can be understood in terms of this philosophical principle. The next philosopher came along and said, a plague on your house, you're all wrong, tore the poor guy to pieces and he said, all of reality can be interpreted in the light of this principle.

20:33 And the next philosopher came along and shot him full of holes until finally in the 20th century. People having seen this for centuries say, there ain't no way to interpret anything of reality. The only thing we can know for certain is that we can know nothing for certain and so you have nihilism, agnosticism. That's right.

20:50 And dear fellow believers, listen to me. If you listen to key theology on the Christian life, you may end up in skepticism because your heart yearns for what they promise you if you can only get that key. And lo and behold, you grope after that key and you think you've got your hands on it and you stick it in certain doors of your life and it doesn't open it and you're disillusioned. And then you pick up another book and run to another conference and get another series of tapes and lo and behold, you have another key shaped in your hand and you stick that in the doors and it doesn't work and it can lead to skepticism.

21:27 It can lead to unbelief. It can lead to discouragement. In some cases I fear it's been one of the issues that has led people to apostasy. So this is why I warn you and say there is no one master key to the Christian life.

Biblical Fallacy of the 'Master Key' Idea

21:44 I've explained the idea. I've given you specific illustrations of the idea. I've shown you the origin of the idea. Now then, I want to demonstrate from the Bible the fallacy of the idea.

21:56 All right? How? How do we know from the scriptures that there is no one master key to living the Christian life? Can any of you think of any biblical texts which clearly smash the master key theology of the Christian life?

22:17 All right? 2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 16 and 17. All right? Let's turn to it.

22:22 2 Timothy chapter 3 verses 16 and 17.

22:37 Paul writing to Timothy has been speaking of the difficulties that he will face ministering at this period in redemptive history called the last days. Unbelief will abound in Timothy's day and down to our own day. But in the light of these things what is Timothy to do? Verse 14.

23:00 But abide in the things which you have learned and been assured of knowing of whom you have learned them and that from a babe you have known the sacred rights which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is inspired of God and is also profitable for teaching for reproof for correction for instruction which is in righteousness that the man of God may be complete furnished completely unto every good work. Now with Timothy, as the man of God

23:43 is to be furnished unto every good work in the will of God he needs how much of the word of God? You see it? The man of God who would be thoroughly furnished to do all the will of God needs the whole of the word of God. All scripture it is profitable for teaching.

24:11 For teaching on what? Teaching concerning God. Our doctrine of God must be derived from the whole of the Bible. Our doctrine of man must be derived from the whole of the Bible.

24:25 Likewise, our doctrine, our practical understanding of how to live the Christian life must be derived from the whole of the Bible. No one single master key is given to us but the whole of scripture is given to us to make us whole men and women furnished to do the whole will of God. Now, can you think of another verse that makes it very clear that there is no one single master key to living the Christian life? Jim?

25:05 All right. The John 5 passage and we're not sure whether the Lord is giving a command whether that's an imperative or an indicative. There are times in the original when the form of the verb the imperative and the indicative that is the command and the simple statement are the same and the context must determine and this is one of those difficult passages to ascertain which it is and it's verse 39. Ye search the scriptures the 1901 you see translates it as an indicative but it puts in the margin search the scriptures.

25:43 Now you understand why the translators were ambivalent. It wasn't that they were loose between the ears. They were trying to be honest with the Bible. It was the form of the Greek verb.

25:53 So if that is an imperative here we have a command from our Lord to search the scriptures in general and certainly we could say that would be a secondary text. I wouldn't put that as a primary one Jim but I think the secondary text. See if we can come up with a couple of more primary texts. Yes.

26:09 John?

26:17 All right. Right. 2 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 20. How many soever be the promises of God in him that is in Christ is the yea wherefore through him is the amen unto the glory of God through us and Mr. Pagden is saying

26:46 and we can deduce from that as all of the promises are given to us in the affirmative in Christ we need all of the promises for support in the Christian life and by deduction we can say we need all of the teaching of the word of God to live the Christian life. I would say if I'm in the church and I make a judgment I would also call that a good strong secondary text but a good one. All right. Yes.

27:15 Dean? All right. 1 Corinthians 12.4 you want to read the passage and then tell us how that contributes to what we're talking about.

27:27 There are diversities of gifts of the same spirit. There are diversities of ministrations in the same Lord and there are diversities of working with the same God who works with all things and all things. Even though it's primarily speaking of spiritual gifts I think from other passages as well as it can be deduced that the spirit doesn't always work in the same way with each individual. All right.

27:49 So I would put that again a good strong primary text which has a very strong deduction just as the previous one as there are diversities of the spirits working not only in the conferral of the gifts but in the degree to which the same gift in any two individuals is operative so there is a diversity of the spirits working in men in terms of the graces that he gives. All right. Another passage. Yes.

28:14 Mr. Bischoff? Very good. I'd say that's what category would put that text.

28:48 I think we're all agreed that's a primary one. All right. Matthew 7 and verse 24 and what would be a parallel passage to that? Did you think of a parallel Mr. Waldron?

28:59 All right. 28-20. Let's put Matthew 7-24 and Matthew 28-20. You want to read the text for us?

29:06 All right. Teaching then to observe all all that I commanded you. If there was one master key that's all you'd have to teach. But he says teaching them all that I command you.

29:41 All right. A couple of other primary texts. Let's we'll come back to this side we've shown some preference there. All right.

29:47 Mr. Perosi.

30:08 All right. All right. So Acts chapter 20 and verses 26 and 27 speaking to the Ephesian elders Paul could say I testify unto you this day I am pure from the blood of all men for I did not draw back would perhaps be better from shrink I did not draw back from declaring unto you the whole counsel of God. So Paul's concern was to declare the whole counsel of God so that the people of God might be furnished to live to his glory and to his praise.

30:47 All right. Mr. Dixon?

30:53 All right. Sanctify them in the truth now not just a particular truth but that truth which is identified with the entirety of the word of God. Well I think you're all getting the idea well let me give you just a couple of other key texts all right and then I want to demonstrate something from the scriptures that buttresses are the fact that we're using these texts properly. Let me ask the question what was one of the texts Jesus quoted in his direct conflict with the devil in the wilderness?

31:24 George? All right. Matthew 4.4 Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.

31:36 And then what's the description of the blessed man in Psalm 1? He is the man who meditates in the master key day and night. No. He's the man who meditates in the law of God in its entirety day and night.

31:52 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. Whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. Well these are some of the major texts I'm sure we could marshal others but I hope this has made you sensitive now when you're reading your Bibles you see what happens when you state a broad principle it gives you an awareness and now when you study the scripture on your own you say hey there's another one that major minor oh that's minor that's second but now there's a primary text and that your mind will be sensitive to these principles. Now to illustrate that this is the perspective of the word of God in dealing with the problems of the Christian life let's just think for a minute about the structure and content of the New Testament

New Testament Epistles Confirm No Single Master Key

32:36 epistles. Off the top of your heads tell me what are some of the major problems addressed in the epistles of the New Testament? Just you can only say one each person can only say one alright what's one major problem addressed in the New Testament epistle name the epistle and the problem alright Ray pardon alright and where is that addressed?

33:04 alright divisions in verse 15 alright another major problem addressed in the New Testament yes Henry alright Christian liberty and where is that addressed at least one passage alright Romans particularly verse chapters 14 and 15 alright yes alright family life in Ephesians particularly chapters 5 and 6 and 6 alright another major problem Jerry alright a misunderstanding misunderstanding of the Lord's

33:48 return and where is that dealt with? alright 2 Thessalonians alright some other problems in the New Testament Pastor Clark suffering 1 Peter alright suffering the entire book of 1 Peter alright some other problems let's look back over this way for a minute Bill alright salvation by works in the book of Galatians put a hook on our G there alright we got room for one more ok yes alright false teachers in 2 Peter now we've only begun to list the problems addressed

34:33 in the epistles of the New Testament and you see how easily and many of you could give others that don't overlap in any way now the question is this as the Holy Spirit guided Paul in addressing the problems that are addressed in 1 Corinthians we can just take 1 Corinthians and have a whole catalog of problems now concerning now concerning now concerning now concerning now concerning everything from heresies about the resurrection to believers going to law court with one another as Paul writes about Christian liberty in Romans 14 and 15 family life in Ephesians 5 Cooke's who had a nutty view of the Lord's return and what it should mean Peter as he writes about suffering Paul as he writes

35:18 about salvation by works Peter as he addresses the subject of false teachers do we find anything in their treatment of this bad that indicates there is one master key to deal with these problems have you ever found that now you see if there were one master key no matter what the problem you would find Paul in Corinthians Romans Ephesians Thessalonians Peter in his epistles you would find them putting that master key into the hands of the people of God and saying now look the reason you have divisions is you don't understand this master key

36:02 and the reason you followed up with the doctrine of Christian liberty is you don't have this master key and the reason you have problems in your family life well that's obvious you have not come to grips with this master key well the New Testament would be nothing then but a repetition of the description of the master key but that is not what we have in the New Testament and we find that all of the full spectrum of what we would call revealed truth with respect to the nature and character of God the nature and character of the redemption in Jesus Christ all the various facets and strands of those great realities are woven into the fabric

36:47 of the New Testament with respect to dealing with problems of the Christian life so when anyone comes along and says this is the master key immediately all of your light should start blinking and flashing and saying wait a minute if that were so why do I have a New Testament full of all kinds of keys so here's the analogy I use God has not given us a master key rather what he has given us is a large key ring and on that key ring hangs every word of the Bible

37:30 if you want to talk about keys you've got one big key ring it begins in Genesis 1-1 and it comes around full circle in the last verse of Revelation 22 and that's the key ring on which God has hung the keys to the Christian life but you say pastor that's discouraging that means that I've got to press toward an acquaintance with the whole Bible in dealing with the Christian life yeah that's right amen that's right and that puts you right in the category of Psalm 1 as a person who is seeking to meditate in the law of God day and night now that does not mean that you sit down

38:14 on the log somewhere starting at 5 o'clock in the morning until you have to burn out your ever ready flashlights at 10 o'clock at night doing nothing but reading your Bible because you won't read it long before God says get up off that log and go to work six days shall thou labor you're going to find that it will not do to come up with the theology of the Christian life sitting on the log all day and then half the night with a flashlight because if you're reading with any comprehension that very book is going to get you up off your log doing a lot of other things but it does mean that we have that attitude and disposition that we have never arrived at a complete and full and final theology of the Christian life that we are

38:59 always pressing on for greater degrees of knowledge and understanding of the ways of God of the will of God of the works of God of the motives that ought to pressure us of the principles that ought to guide us so there is no static view of the Christian life I get hold of the key at age 23 month 7 day 17 and ever since that key has been my companion unlocking everything for me no that mentality simply will not stand up to the data of the word of God so whenever anyone says that I hope immediately you'll think not only in terms of the specific primary texts which we've looked at

The Old Testament is Essential for Christian Living

39:42 and some of the secondary texts but of the whole motif of the New Testament approach to the solution of problems in the Christian life now we've got about 10 minutes to just completely throw it open for questions on what we've covered this morning as I said you've already made valid contributions and it may be now that there's the backlog of pressure of more questions and I do want to entertain them if you have them alright yes Ron yes good question is there not another thing going around which says that the New Testament

40:26 is the key or the only keys we will find are hung on half a key chain yeah that is another thing going around it's a beast it's a monstrous beast because it simply does not stand up to the data it does not stand up to the teaching of the New Testament itself you see if someone says my theology of the Christian life is derived exclusively from the New Testament the very New Testament which he says forms his theology points him back to the other half of the key ring now can you give me a couple of explicit texts which teach that don't take it on my word

41:10 alright ah good read it out loud for us turn to it and read it out loud Romans 15 and verse 2 verse 4 alright whatsoever things were written aforetime and that's a direct reference to the Old Testament scriptures particularly those dealing with the sufferings of Christ were written for our learning so he who despises the older half of the key ring

41:54 is himself living in disobedience to the newer half of the key ring alright a couple of other explicit texts yes John alright the immediate reference in 2nd Timothy 3.16 was to the scriptures that Timothy had at that time which were the Old Testament scriptures we know that for sure and already certain parts of the New Testament were beginning to be regarded as scripture Paul indicates that in his in his letter to Timothy and Peter indicates the same Paul equates Jesus' words in Luke with the scripture of the Old Testament and in the Peter does the same where he speaks

42:38 of the words of Paul and puts them in the category of as they do the other scriptures but surely it refers at a minimal spectrum or in a minimal in a minimal way to the Old Testament scriptures so you have Romans 15.4 2nd Timothy 3.16 a couple of other texts yes alright alright 1st Corinthians chapter 10 this is an excellent passage where Paul clearly states by inspiration of the Spirit 1st Corinthians 10 in verse 11 speaking of a large segment of Old Testament history you pick up your Bible and you're reading and they went here and they did this and they went there

43:23 and they did that and you say what key does that have to the Christian life that's beneath the dignity and the privileges and the glory of New Testament Christianity is it well listen to what Paul says verse 11 these things happened unto them by way of an example and they were written so that the Jews might have a history of their bad conduct that isn't what it says it says they were written for our admonition upon whom the ends of the ages are come the Old Testament he said was written

44:08 for New Testament believers and the I mean could anything be plainer I ask you could anything be plainer he says God ordained even the structure of what happened in order that there might be a framework of reference for believers in the New Testament to learn from the sins and failures and judgments of God upon those sinners who failed and defied his law that we might be the wiser alright couple of other key texts let's see Mr. Bischoff and then David the road to Emmaus

44:53 yes ok so here we find our Lord opening their minds to understand the scriptures of the Old Testament that they might fulfill what we might say now their blossoming New Testament duties and responsibilities that was Luke 24 verse 45 yes David ok alright the whole book of Hebrews

45:37 and we'll be studying four key passages in Hebrews in our studies in perseverance God willing in the morning hour of worship and you find again and again in the book of Hebrews how that New Testament Christians are not only apprised of their privileges but warned on the basis of the content and the realities of the Old Testament scriptures ok yes Jeff alright built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief

46:21 cornerstone alright someone else have a primary text yes Gene alright the whole psalm that celebrates the majesty the beauty the worth the significance the function of Holy Scripture we could certainly say that that is a secondary passage yes Don

46:45 alright so the whole incident of Abraham's justification by faith was written that we reading it might learn some lessons about justification by faith alright good and I'm sure we could bring a number of other passages yes Pastor Clark we have about four minutes left yes our Lord Jesus himself when he was confronted with ethical problems

47:30 quoted the Old Testament scriptures absolutely a lot of temptation yes alright in temptation our Lord quoted the Old Testament scriptures if anyone could have relied as we might say upon his own insights surely incarnate wisdom could have but he confronted the enemy it is written it is written it is written it is written and again and again in polemics remember when they had that naughty question about marriage is it lawful for a man to put away his wife for every cause what did Jesus say have ye not read and where did he take them right back to Genesis chapters one and two so our Lord himself directs people back to the word of God as contained

Confidence in Scripture and Conclusion

48:15 in the scriptures of the Old Testament well as I say I'm sure many other passages could be brought forward Ron does that help to lay that thing to rest good alright time for one other question probably quickly we've got the three minutes left yes Louise yeah generally speaking when anyone starts saying well how can you know the scriptures of the word of God they've been translated so many times and all the rest you ultimately I would say at a practical level there's a theological way of approaching that that is strictly theological then there is a theological way

49:00 that is practical and I have found that simply coming to to our Lord that our Lord rested his faith upon the Old Testament scriptures which had come down to him in that day by means of the scribes copying them over and over and over again and with that no at least we do not take the view that there's been a perpetual miracle preserving all the copies from any discrepancies in the rest we see that with some of the numerical accounts discrepancies but that doesn't destroy our confidence that the word of God as originally given was inspired down to every jot and tittle and so we say if our Lord could have that kind of confidence

49:44 in the Old Testament scriptures then it is right for us to have the same confidence in the scriptures that he had and to appeal to our Lord's view of the scriptures and saying as a follower of Jesus Christ I must have no lesser view of the authority of the word of God than he did than he had or I'm not his follower I'm saying he walks down a path of confidence in the scriptures I'll walk down another path well I'm not his disciple a disciple follows the path of his master his thoughts follow the track of his master his feet follow the path of his master so that as a disciple my conscience is bound to the same view of scripture that my Lord has yes well our time is gone

50:27 so we're going to have to cut it off there if there are some pressing questions growing up out of principle number one we'll entertain them at the beginning of next week's class then hopefully we'll move on to principle number two let me give you a preview it will be this not very sweet what I'm going to tell you but it's true there is no escape from tension and conflict in the Christian life there is no escape from tension and conflict in the Christian life and perhaps you ought to do a little homework in your own devotions this week if you come across primary or secondary text you come prepared to contribute when we meet God willing next Lord's Day morning let's pray together

51:11 our Father we do thank you with all of our hearts for your holy word and we thank you for the entirety of that word and we pray that you will help us by your grace to be immunized against any teaching however sincere and well meant that teaching may be regardless of how godly and earnest the proponents of that teaching may be that would lead us to think there is one master key to the Christian life Lord may the things we have studied this morning forever immunize us against such teaching

51:56 and for any who may be sitting here this morning who have been yearning after some one great master key Lord may our study this morning serve to purge from their minds and hearts such an inordinate and ill founded hope and desire we pray that we may manifest in our love for your word and in our obedience to it that we do believe that the whole of the bible has been given to make us whole men and women to do the whole will of God hear us and receive our thanks for your presence with us through our Lord Jesus Christ Amen