Feb 22
13
Baptist Catechism 5
Q. 5. May all men make use of the Holy Scriptures?
A. All men are not only permitted, but commanded and exhorted, to read, hear, and understand the Holy Scriptures. (John 5:39; Luke 16:29; Acts 8:28-30; 17:11)
Scripture Reading: Acts 8:26–40
“Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place. And he rose and went. And there was an Ethiopian, a eunuch, a court official of Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who was in charge of all her treasure. He had come to Jerusalem to worship and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah. And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” So Philip ran to him and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and asked, “Do you understand what you are reading?” And he said, “How can I, unless someone guides me?” And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him. Now the passage of the Scripture that he was reading was this: “Like a sheep he was led to the slaughter and like a lamb before its shearer is silent, so he opens not his mouth. In his humiliation justice was denied him. Who can describe his generation? For his life is taken away from the earth.” And the eunuch said to Philip, “About whom, I ask you, does the prophet say this, about himself or about someone else?” Then Philip opened his mouth, and beginning with this Scripture he told him the good news about Jesus. And as they were going along the road they came to some water, and the eunuch said, “See, here is water! What prevents me from being baptized?” And he commanded the chariot to stop, and they both went down into the water, Philip and the eunuch, and he baptized him. And when they came up out of the water, the Spirit of the Lord carried Philip away, and the eunuch saw him no more, and went on his way rejoicing. But Philip found himself at Azotus, and as he passed through he preached the gospel to all the towns until he came to Caesarea.” (Acts 8:26–40, ESV)
*****
Introduction
This question, “May all men make use of the Holy Scriptures?”, might seem like a no-brainer to you. We are so used to having copies of the Scriptures written in our own language at our disposal. And it is very common for pastors to encourage Christians to read the Scriptures for themselves. But we should remember that our catechism was written not too long after the invention of the printing press. Before that time, it was very, very rare to have access to a copy of Holy Scripture. And even if someone did, it was probably written in a language that very few people knew how to read – Hebrew, Greek, or perhaps Latin. The invention of the printing press, the practice of translating the Scriptures into the native langue of the people, and the Protestant Reformation changed all of that. In a very short period of time people went from having very little access to Scripture to having the opportunity to read the Scriptures for themselves. If we keep this history in mind, then the question, “May all men make use of the Holy Scriptures?”, will seem more reasonable to us.
The answer to the question is very helpful no matter what time you live. Again, “All men are not only permitted, but commanded and exhorted, to read, hear, and understand the Holy Scriptures.”
*****
“All men are not only permitted, but commanded…”
The words “all men” are important. They emphasize the need for all people – men and women, boys and girls, clergy and laymen, educated and uneducated, rich and poor, etc – to engage with Holy Scripture. The Scriptures are not to be reserved for a particular class of men within society or within the church, but all should have access to them.
Next, our catechism says that all men are “not only permitted, but commanded…” to engage with Holy Scripture. The proof texts that are listed in our catechism are really interesting. They are John 5:39; Luke 16:29; Acts 8:28-30; 17:11. They all share this in common: they speak of men searching the Scriptures. For example, Acts 17:11 speaks of the men of Berea and says that they “ 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, ESV)
It truly is mind-boggling to think that the Romanists decided that the Scriptures should only be read by the religious elite. The Scriptures were originally written in Hebrew and Greek. In other words, they were written in the language of the people of that day – they were written to be read! And the Scriptures themselves speak of men – common men – searching the Scriptures. Indeed, they even encourage and command it! What a dark time that must have been to have the light of Holy Scripture hidden away within the confines of the Roman hierarchy. Praise God for the Reformation which did, among other things, bring the light of scripture back into the midst of the people.
*****
Hear The Scriptures
“All men are not only permitted, but commanded and exhorted, to read, hear, and understand the Holy Scriptures.”
We are to read the Scriptures, so long as we are able.
Do you read the Scriptures, brothers and sisters? You should. May I encourage you to read the Scriptures daily? The word of God should be like daily bread for our souls. I would encourage you to read the Scriptures regularly and to read them broadly. By this I mean, we should read through the Scriptures from beginning to end, though not necessarily in that order. We all have our favorite books and passages. Yes, there are some portions of the Bible that we speak more to the soul than others. But do not forget that all Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable. No part of Scripture can be called unimportant, therefore, for each part does contribute in some way to the whole. Read the Scriptures, brothers and sisters. Read them carefully and thoughtfully.
And listen to them read too. Here we are to think primarily of the reading of Holy Scripture by the pastor in church. Did you know that this is one of the things that pastors are called to do? Listen to what Paul says to pastor Timothy: “Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13, ESV). When ministers read Scripture they should work hard at reading clearly and in such a way that the meaning of the text shines through. When congregants listen to the reading of the Scripture, they should listen very intently, knowing that they are indeed encountering the very word of God.
But do not forget the warning of James. “Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; for the anger of man does not produce the righteousness of God. Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.” (James 1:19–25, ESV)
Hear the word, but do not be hearers only.
*****
Understand The Scriptures
Lastly, our catechism exhorts us to understand the Scriptures. “All men are not only permitted, but commanded and exhorted, to read, hear, and understand the Holy Scriptures.”
Understanding the Scriptures can be difficult. One of the proof-texts listed by our catechism is Acts 8:28-30. That is that passage where Phillip approaches the Ethiopian eunuch who is reading Isaiah the prophet and asks him, “Do you understand what you are reading?” What was his response? “‘How can I, unless someone guides me?’ And he invited Philip to come up and sit with him” (Acts 8:31, ESV). I’m sure that many Christians have felt like the Ethiopian eunuch at times while reading Scripture. How can I understand this unless someone guides me?
Last week I introduced you very briefly to the doctrine of the perspicuity or clarity of Scripture. I said the Scriptures have these characteristics: they are inspired, clear, sufficient, and authoritative. What do we mean when we say that the Scriptures are “clear”.
Our confession is very helpful. In chapters 1 para 7 we read, “All things in Scripture are not alike plain in themselves, nor alike clear unto all; yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned, but the unlearned, in a due use of ordinary means, may attain to a sufficient understanding of them.”
First, when we say that the Scriptures are clear we do not mean that all things are equally clear. Some things are indeed difficult to understand.
Second, when we say that the Scriptures are clear we mean that the main message is clear. The gospel is clear. “Those things which are necessary to be known, believed and observed for salvation” are clear.”
Third, not everything is equally clear to everybody. Those who have been in the faith for a long time may have an easier time understanding Scripture when compared to the one who is new to the faith. And indeed, some are more gifted, naturally or spiritually, than others when it comes to the interpretation of Scripture.
Here is the point though. The Scriptures are clear enough that “not only the learned [literate], but the unlearned [illiterate], in a due use of ordinary means, may attain to a sufficient understanding of them.” What are the “ordinary means” that our confession is referring to? They are the means of grace, one of them being the preaching and teaching of the Scriptures.
When the Ethiopian eunuch was having a hard time with Isaiah and said “How can I [understand] unless someone guides me?”, it was not a denial of the perspicuity of Scripture. No, for the Lord provided Phillip to minister the Word to the man so that he might understand the message of the gospel.
We have the responsibility, not only to read and hear the Scriptures but to understand them too. Are they clear? Yes! But that does not mean we won’t have to work at understanding them.
*****
Conclusion
Brothers and sisters, young and old, grow very familiar with the Scriptures. Read them, listen to them read, and preached. And when you hear the Scriptures preached, pay very careful attention. Especially pay attention to the way that pastors who are faithful to the Scriptures interpret Scripture, so that you might learn how to rightly divide the word of truth yourself. Do not forget that this is how God saves us, through the ministry of the Word of God. This is why Paul told Timothy, “Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.” (1 Timothy 4:16, ESV) Q. 5. May all men make use of the Holy Scriptures? A. All men are not only permitted, but commanded and exhorted, to read, hear, and understand the Holy Scriptures. (John 5:39; Luke 16:29; Acts 8:28-30; 17:11)
