“Revelation of the Father”
“Gospel People” — Week 2 Reflection
Scripture Alone: The Foundation of Faith
My introduction to Christianity was an interesting experience. I spent my early years in a Word of Faith, Prosperity-Gospel influenced, pentecostal church that was full of passionate people who seemed to find their foundation on experience rather than biblical truth. I can’t remember how many times as a child I found myself lying on the ground in front of the stage in this church covered by a thin maroon blanket having just been “slain in the spirit.” I can still recall peeking under the coverings to my younger brother, giggling, as we tried to stay quiet and pretend to be in a spiritually induced comatose state. For most of that time, the fruits of the Spirit I experienced looked more like those kinds of activities rather than the what the Apostle Paul highlights in Galatians 5:22, “…love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,…”
While I really don’t want to belittle anyone who practiced these types of activities, it was experiences like this and others that led me to question the faith as a young person. It became clear to me later, as I studied the scriptures for myself, that there was not a biblical basis for this kind of thing. In this chapter, Michael Reeves wants to lay the important foundation that scripture alone must be the basis for our faith. Not a particular interpretation, not the well-meaning opinions of an ecclesiastical body such as groups of elders, a presbytery, a cynod, a council, or some modern spiritual practice. As he says, “to be evangelical means scripture trumps all” (pg. 31).
Infallible and Trustworthy
If the scriptures are our foundation for all faith and practice, then it is crucial that this ancient divine document be both infallible and trustworthy. Here, Reeves does not provide a large body of evidence for why we should hold to the inerrancy and reliability of the canon of scripture (if you would like a book on that topic checkout F.F. Bruce’s classic work The Canon of Scripture, or the more recent Canon Revisited), rather he reiterates what all protestant churches have believed for over 500 years. Simply that, the biblical testimony was delivered to humanity through people just like you and me by divine inspiration of the Holy Spirit or, as Reeves points out, “All Scripture is breathed out by God…” as II Timothy 3:16 declares.
Lastly, Reeves offers a very insightful proof for why we can trust in and rely on the words recorded for us in the Bible: the person and work of Jesus of Nazareth. There is a myriad of evidence for the existence, teachings, and works of this Jewish man Jesus. He really lived in history. The archeological evidence attests to this. The historical record written down by both followers and enemies of Jesus completely corroborates his teaching and ministry. Among all the claims of Jesus, one of the most important ones was that “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father…” (John 14:9). Jesus displayed the divine for us in a way we could comprehend as he embodied humanity.
Reeves points us to this truth, and it should serve to assure us of the supremacy, infallibility, and reliability of the Revelation of the Father. As he states so powerfully, “As God perfectly revealed Himself through the humanity of Jesus, so He perfectly speaks through the human authors of Scripture” (pg. 37).
