The Role of the Bible in Evangelism, Pt 2

January 31, 2007 Posted by Roger OvertoncloseAuthor: Roger Overton Name: Roger Overton
Email: rogeroverton@hotmail.com
Site: http://ateamblog.com
About: Roger Overton is currently pursuing a Masters degree at Talbot School of Theology. He has addressed various churches, schools and youth camps throughout the United States. Roger was co-editor of The New Media Frontier (Crossway, 2008) and God and Governing (Wipf & Stock, 2009). Roger can be emailed at rogeroverton@hotmail.com.See Authors Posts (569)

Part One of this series. Audio of the whole sermon.

The Authority of the
Bible

Since the Bible was authored by God, it bears His
trustworthiness and authority. We cannot disconnect the truth of the Bible or
its authority from its author. Bishop N.T. Wright put it this way: “the phrase
‘authority of scripture’ can make Christian sense only if it is shorthand for
‘the authority of the triune God, exercised somehow through scripture.’” In regard to the Bible’s trustworthiness, we
believe it is utterly true because it comes from God who is utterly true.
Likewise, we believe the Bible is authoritative because it comes from the God
who is supremely authoritative.

Carl discussed the trustworthiness of the Bible in his
message; I would here like to briefly explore its authority. Obviously there
are other sources of knowledge we believe to be authoritative. For example, we
look to those more educated than us for their knowledge in specific areas. If I
want to know about VW Things, I talk to our pastor. If I want to know about finances, I
talk to David or Jana. If I want to know about being sanguine, I talk to Alexis. I consider them authorities on those subjects. But the
Bible conveys special revelation, and so there is something different about its
authority than any other source of knowledge.

We might describe the Bible’s authority in two ways: Primary
and Final. When we say the Bible is the primary authority, we mean that on all
matters of faith and practice we look it first. When we say that the Bible is
the final authority, we mean that every claim or idea must be checked against
the Bible. If there is contradiction or inconsistency, the thing foreign to the
Bible is wrong.

For example, here is a hypothetical matter of faith and
practice. Through reading my Bible, I discover that self-sacrifice is a virtue
of Christian living. This illustrates the primary authority of the Bible. On
the local news I hear about a man who dies attempting to save a squirrel stuck
on the ledge of a tall building. I may think to myself, “Perhaps this is how I
might practice self-sacrifice.” But in returning to the Bible, I discover that
though many animals are cute and cuddly, they are not made in the image of God
as man is and they are not worth the life of a man. I conclude, then, that
sacrificing myself for an animal is not a virtue of Christian living.

Living out the authority of the Bible in our lives means
that we allow the Bible to inform and shape our understanding of ourselves and
the world around us.

The Role of the Bible
in Evangelism: The Content of the Gospel

These truths that we’ve unpacked so far- that the Bible is
necessary, trustworthy and authoritative revelation from God- tell us why the
Bible has a role in evangelism. Now we must explore what exactly that role is.

First we may say what it is not.

Picture from Saved- It is not a missile to be
launched at sinners as was done by Mandy Moore in the movie Saved.

Picture of Roger w/ Kiefer- Additionally, the Bible
is not a torture device such that it might be used by Jack Bauer to get a
confession out of someone.

Rather, the primary role of the Bible in evangelism is to
provide the propositional content, or matters of fact, of the message of the
Gospel. Though in evangelism we might discuss reasons to believe in God’s
existence or some other aspect of Christian faith, the Bible alone provides the
ultimate message Christians are to bring to the world. We have already seen
this through Romans 1 and 10. Wayne Grudem explains: “The Bible is necessary
for salvation, then, in this sense: one must either read the gospel message in
the Bible itself, or hear it from another person.” Yet even if the message is
heard from another person, its ultimate source is the Bible and the message
preached must adhere to what is taught in the Bible to truly be good news.

We often claim that the Bible teaches the Holy Spirit alone
can regenerate a sinner and give them the gift of faith. Regardless of how
great our arguments are or how nice we are, salvation is ultimately from the
Lord. So why, then, are we to evangelize? God has decided to use the members of
His church to proclaim the truth to the lost. I do not know why, and I don’t
believe we are privy to God’s reasons for doing this. But the Bible is clear
that God does want us to go, teach, disciple, and baptize, as was commanded by
Jesus before He ascended into heaven. I’d like to give you two examples of the
necessity of the Gospel being preached by God’s people.

Acts 10:1-8 “At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a
centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God
with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed
continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he
saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.”
And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to
him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And
now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. He is lodging with one Simon, a tanner, whose
house is by the sea.” When the angel who spoke to him had departed, he called two
of his servants and a devout soldier from among those who attended him, and
having related everything to them, he sent them to Joppa.”

The verses that follow tell of how Peter arrived and
preached the Gospel to Cornelius and his household and how they were all saved
and baptized as a result. Why did God choose to use Peter in this situation? If
God can give a man a vision of an angel, why wouldn’t simply have the angel
tell the man the good news? We might come up with some speculative answers, but
they would remain speculations.

Just over a year ago I met a man who had just converted to
Christianity from Islam. His Muslim parents had raised him to be an educated
defender of Islam. Just as we have Christian apologists who argue for the truth
of Christianity, so was this man a Muslim apologist who spent his time
attempting to make a reasonable case for Islam. In college, he had a Christian
friend who repeatedly debated with him and told him about Jesus Christ. He
found the Christian apologetics formidable, but not enough to shake his Muslim
faith. Over time, however, he claimed he had two visions and a dream, each
where the Lord came to him and told him he would convert to Christianity. He
believes that both his Christian friend’s message and his visions were
necessary for his ultimate conversion.

I could offer other stories of Muslims coming to faith
through supernatural circumstances, and they would each illustrate the same
points. On one hand, God is sovereignly deciding whom He will save. Only those
whom God has chosen receives these visions and dreams. On the other hand, God
is still using Christians to proclaim and defend the good news of Gospel. This
is quite humbling. Though God could save every person in the world without us,
we find in the Bible and in the world still today that God uses His people to
advance and enlarge His Kingdom. Why is this? The only answer I can give is
that He does so for His own glory and good pleasure.

Related posts:

1. The Role of the Bible in Evangelism, Pt 4
2. The Role of the Bible in Evangelism, Pt 3
3. The Role of the Bible in Evangelism, Pt 1
4. ETS 2007: How Evangelicals Became Over-Committed to the Bible and What Can Be Done About It by J.P. Moreland
5. Book Review: Is the Bible Intolerant? By Amy Orr-Ewing
6. The Bible Vs. Beckett

Posted in Main Page, Roger's Posts, Theology