Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high…. (Hebrews 1:1-3, ESV).
What would you give for a letter from Bobby Jones, especially if it was written to you? More than a few people are willing to spend significant money to have one. The last signed letter I saw online went for one James Madison ($5,000.00) and one Grover Cleveland ($1,000.00).
These bills are no longer in circulation, but if you have a couple of these greenbacks, you could purchase more than a few of Bobby’s letters. One handwritten letter would be an immensely valuable keepsake.
His grandson, Dr. Robert (Bob) Jones IV, indicates that “Bub” made a public profession of faith in Christ before he departed from this earth. For all Bobby’s magnificent accomplishments, what he confessed three days before his death had nothing to do with his competitive record; rather, he acknowledged he was a sinner who needed saving grace.
Reading his letters and books gives me almost everything I need to know short of knowing Bobby Jones personally. If we enjoy reading letters written by Bobby Jones, how much more when reading “letters” from The Christ of God— Scripture?
In this “all-time best-seller,” we learn who God is, why he made us, who we are, what went wrong with the world, why and how he redeemed us, and what his purposes are in this life and the life to come.
Scripture says of itself that it is “breathed out by God.” That means the Spirit of God moved men to write under his authority. Hence, it is infallible and inerrant. In short, when we hear the Word, we hear God!
When scholars of church history use the phrase Sola Scriptura, they are not suggesting that Scripture is God’s only means of communication. They mean it is the final authority on matters of faith and life. Accordingly, Scripture is known as God’s Special Revelation.
Those who went before us were crystal clear that God communicates via his creation, known as his General Revelation. General Revelation is what God communicates through the “natural light” of Creation.
Through what has been made, we know that God is, that God is all-powerful, that God is eternal, that God is invisible, and that God is angry at our sinfulness (Romans 1: 16-32; Psalm 19). Consequently, every person ever born “knows God,” even if that knowledge is not saving knowledge.
We know many other things via the created order. Still, there are more than a few things we could never know through our investigations of creation—the internal world of our conscience and the external world of the cosmic order and beauty are “mute” about salvation.
Living our lives without that which God has communicated in Scripture leaves us “in the dark” about a whole host of things, especially the things of ultimate concern—a right relationship with the Father through Christ Jesus being the most important one.
When we profess Sola Scriptura, we are not suggesting that Councils, Creeds, Confessions, and Catechisms from church history aren’t important. We are saying that Scripture Alone has final authority over all human documents, no matter how helpful those other documents are in helping us understand God’s ultimate revelation found in Scripture Alone!
From the natural light of creation, we can learn how to plant and harvest crops, play chess, build enormously successful enterprises, properly swing a golf club, and a billion other things.
Yet, we can never know God’s mysteries apart from what he has revealed exclusively in Scripture. And to know those “revealed secrets,” we must also have the Holy Spirit as our illuminating tutor.
As Saint Augustine writes regarding Scripture, “Take up and read!”
Prayer: Lord, send out your light and truth and let them lead us to your holy hill.