Did God Really Say?

Did God really say Jesus is God in the flesh? Did God really say hell is eternal? Did God really say abortion is murder? Did God really say homosexuality is a sin? Did God really say women can’t be pastors? Did God really say [fill the blank]? These are the kinds of questions we are hearing in our world today. There may be a variety of questions, but they all are, at heart, asking one question: Did God really say?

This question is meant to doubt God’s clear commands and misrepresent God’s Word as being unclear. However, both God’s Word and the authority of His Word are very much clear. And they need to be, or we would not have a standard of truth we could use in our life to measure our actions if they are good or bad. Without a standard of truth, the world would be pure chaos.

Before we get to the authority of the Scriptures and its needed clarity, we must understand the origins of the attack on God’s commands. Thus, we are to ask ourselves: when was the first instance of someone who questioned God’s perfect commands and cast doubt on what God clearly instructed? The answer to that is found in the garden during the events leading to the fall of mankind.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden”?’”
Genesis 3:1

Although God’s commands were clear that to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would lead to death (Genesis 2:16–17), our enemy cast doubt on God’s instructions. Yet, God’s decrees are perfect and clear enough for every good work.

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”
2 Timothy 3:16–17

However, despite this truth, Satan and his followers love to cast doubt on God’s perfect Word by asking: Did God really say?

We as believers are not left alone in our interpretation of the Bible. God did not give us a perfect collection of 66 books and leave us to fend for ourselves. God did not appoint a special group of people to infallibly interpret the Word of God for us as many false and apostate religions claim.

Beloved, the Word of God itself is clear enough for us to understand, and the author of the Scriptures, the Holy Spirit, guides us to the truth in those words He penned through the use of human authors whom He appointed and inspired to write what they recorded.

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”
John 14:26

Likewise, we as believers need to take into consideration the truth found in 1 Corinthians 2:10–13.

“These things God has revealed to us through the Spirit. For the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual.”
1 Corinthians 2:10–13

The Doctrine of Sola Scriptura

Since the Word of God is breathed out by God who is perfect, we can rightly conclude that Scripture is perfect and is both inerrant and infallible. Inerrant means the Bible is completely free from error, and infallible means the Bible is incapable of making mistakes or being wrong.

This truth is vital. We must understand that the authority of God’s Word is clearly taught in Scripture, as many will come promoting a teaching they claim is authentic. Our only measuring stick for properly evaluating all these claims is the Bible, and the Bible alone.

That is why genuine followers of Christ hold to the biblical doctrine of sola Scriptura, which sees the Bible as the ultimate, infallible, and only divine authority for Christian faith and practice.

The origins of sola Scriptura are not, as some claim, birthed during the Protestant Reformation. The Reformers did practice sola Scriptura, but they found this practice in the Word of God and the early church.

“Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”
Acts 17:11

The Bereans, who examined the claim of the apostles by comparing their teachings with Scripture, were seen as being more faithful than the Thessalonians who did not do this. This is only possible if the authority of Scripture is clear. This is only possible if the Word of God itself is clear for understanding.

Beloved, there are many in our day, just like in the day of Christ, who will present their teachings as authoritative. The Pharisees claimed their oral teachings came directly from Moses. The Roman Catholics, Oriental Orthodox, and Eastern Orthodox all claim their oral teachings came from the apostles. The Mormons claim their holy writings came from golden tablets and an angel. Word of Faith leaders claim to have special revelation from God.

All these groups and a myriad of others teach doctrines not found in Scripture and claim their sources to be just as reliable as the Scriptures themselves. However, we need to consider Jesus’s attitude towards those who look to other sources other than the Bible to build their doctrines.

“And he said to them, ‘Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” You leave the commandment of God and hold to the tradition of men.’”
Mark 7:6–8

Jesus made it clear that the Scriptures have the highest authority and that they should be the foundation and building blocks of the doctrines we hold to. Additionally, the Scriptures are sufficient and clear for us to evaluate and define truth according to God’s standard. The only standard that truly matters.

In his sermon titled Reasons to Trust the Clarity of Scripture, pastor John MacArthur says:

“This presupposes that the Bible is a revelation. It takes that which has been hidden and brings it out of hiding, takes that which has been a mystery unknown and makes it crystal clear. The Scripture is given us by God through the Holy Spirit in order that we might know how God thinks, and we might possess the very mind of Christ.

All of this demands that the Bible be a clear word, a clear word. Not only is it authored by the Spirit of God, but it is illuminated by the Spirit of God. It says that we have actually received the Spirit who is from God that we might know. Illumination is different than inspiration. Inspiration brings us the revelation intact as the true Word of God. Illumination is the work of the Spirit in helping us to understand it.”

Sola Scriptura vs. Solo Scriptura

Now, the understanding that Scripture is our ultimate authority does not mean it is our only authority. There are other authorities. Just look at the offices in the church. The office of elder, overseer, shepherd, or pastor and the office of deacon carry with them some level of authority. Look also at governments and their authority to use capital punishment. However, the Bible is the highest authority and the authority all other authorities are to submit to.

As stated by pastor Steven Wedgeworth in his article titled Scripture Alone?: What the Reformers Really Believed:

“The proper understanding of sola Scriptura does not rule out other standards. There is a necessary place for natural wisdom, the role of reason, and even church history and ecclesiastical piety. But sola Scriptura says that all of these authorities are lesser authorities that are themselves judged by the Scriptures. Since the Scriptures are divinely inspired, they are the only standard that can judge saving truth and righteousness without the possibility of being wrong. As such, the Scriptures judge all other standards and serve as our final measuring rod.”

So, as Christ’s followers, it is imperative that we understand and communicate to others the importance of Scripture’s authority as the foundation for all sound doctrine. Nearly all doctrinal confusion begins when the authority of God’s Word is blurred or displaced.

From Satan in the garden to the Pharisees in the first century to the false teachers in our day, the Scriptures are under what seems to be a never-ending assault. But God’s Word is clear. Measure everything proclaimed by the Word of God and the Word of God alone.

Understanding this truth is truly essential for the life and health of the church.