Theological Term of the Week

 

authority of scripture

This is the principle that the individual believer and the church are subject to the rule of scripture because the words of Scripture come from God, so obedience to Scripture is obedience to God himself.

• From scripture:

  …from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.  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 competent, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:15-17 ESV)

• From The London Baptist Confession 1689,  chapter 1, section 4:

The authority of the Holy Scripture, for which it ought to be believed, dependeth not upon the testimony of any man or church, but wholly upon God (who is truth itself), the author thereof; therefore it is to be received because it is the Word of God.

•  From Herman Ridderbos in The Inspiration and Authority of Holy Scripture:

  The authority of the Scriptures is the great presupposition of the whole of the biblical preaching and doctrine. This appears most clearly in the way the New Testament speaks about the Old Testament. That which appears in the Old Testament is cited in the New Testament with formulas like “God says,” “the Holy Spirit says,” and so on (cf., for instance, Acts 3:24, 25; 2 Cor. 6:16; Acts 1:16). What “the Scripture says” and what “God says” is the same thing….And this naturally implies authority. “It is written” (Greek, gegraptai) in the New Testament puts an end to all contradiction.

Learn more

1. Paul Cook: The Authority of Scripture
2. B. B. Warfield: “It Says:” “Scripture Says:” “God Says”
3. J. I. Packer: Hermeneutics and Biblical Authority
4. William Webster: The Authority of Scripture
5. Wayne Grudem: The Authority of Scripture, Part 1, Part 2 (mp3) 
6. Phil Johnson: The Authority of Scripture (mp3 download)
7. Mark Dever: The Authority of Scripture (mp3 download)

Related terms:

• canon of scripture
• inerrancy of scripture
• infallibility of scripture
• inspiration of scripture 
• sola scriptura
• sufficiency of scripture

Filed under Scripture.

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Thanksgiving Hymn

I skipped yesterday’s Sunday’s Hymn for the first time in a quite a while. I was too busy cooking a turkey dinner and recovering from my cold. Since today is Thanksgiving Day for Canadians, I think I’ll make up for yesterday’s shortcomings by posting a hymn of thanksgiving.

 

This is one of Fanny Crosby’s hymns. Fanny Crosby is the 19th century prolific hymn writer who wrote Blessed Assurance and To God Be the Glory.

 

Bountiful Harvest

We praise Thee, O Lord, for the bountiful harvest
That now has been gathered and garnered with care;
Rewarding the toil of the sower and reaper,
While all in its blessings may share.

Refrain

For the bountiful harvest
We praise Thee, we thank Thee
and bless Thee, O Lord:
For the bountiful harvest
We praise Thee and bless Thee, O Lord.

We praise Thee, O Lord, for the bountiful harvest,
We praise Thee for sunshine, the dew and the rain;
For soft summer breezes so gracefully bending
The bright golden billows of grain.

We praise Thee, O Lord, for the wonderful token
That shines as it shone on Thy servants of old,
The pledge and assurance that seedtime and harvest
From earth Thou wilt never withhold.

We praise Thee, O Lord, for Thy wonderful mercies,
And while to Thy glory our voices we raise,
O Thou that regardest the prayers of Thy people,
Accept our thanksgiving and praise. 

Cranberry Muffins

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons grated orange peel
• 1/2 cup shortening
  
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• 1-1/2 cups coarsely chopped cranberries*

1. Preheat oven to 375F.
   
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon, baking soda, ginger, salt and orange peel in a large bowl.
3. Cut in shortening with a pastry cutter until crumbly.
4. Stir in orange juice, eggs, and vanilla just until moistened.
5. Fold in cranberries.
   
6. Fill 18 paper-lined muffin cups two-thirds full.
7. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned.
8. Turn out and serve.

*I don’t chop the berries, but then I use the smaller wild ones.