There is a massive problem facing the church today. Yes, that problem is sin—but beneath it lies a growing lack of biblical literacy. While we may hold the Scriptures in high regard, it’s our submission to them that raises concern. By submission, I mean not merely agreeing with Scripture, but ordering our beliefs and lives under its authority. There may be people who sit in the church each Sunday who are familiar with the Bible, but not fully bought into its teaching.
That is the purpose of this series. It is built from a recent survey conducted by Ligonier Ministries and LifeWay on the “State of Theology.” We’ll see in the coming weeks that the issue is not familiarity—but submission. See, a church can speak Christian language or quote familiar verses, and still be deeply unstable if it has not been taught to understand and apply the truth of Scripture as a coherent whole.
In this series:
- Part One: When the Bible is honored but not understood
- Part Two: Are People Basically Good?
- Part Three: The Holy Spirit is not a Force
- Part Four: God Does Not Accept All Worship
- Part Five: Does God Love Everyone the Same Way?
- Part Six: Why the Local Church is not Optional
- Part Seven: Why Christians Hold Contradictory Beliefs
- Part Eight: How the Church Recovers
The Difference between Familiarity and Submission
As we progress throughout this series, we’re going to see that many Evangelical Christians hold differing beliefs about what the Scriptures actually say. The survey defined “evangelical” this way:
Evangelicals were defined by Lifeway Research as people who strongly agreed with the following four statements:
- The Bible is the highest authority for what I believe.
- It is very important for me personally to encourage non-Christians to trust Jesus Christ as their Savior.
- Jesus Christ’s death on the cross is the only sacrifice that could remove the penalty of my sin.
- Only those who trust in Jesus Christ alone as their Savior receive God’s free gift of eternal salvation.
That seems like a simple definition, and one that I don’t think many will disagree with. However, as we look at the different answers within this survey, we will see that even among those identifying as evangelicals, there is a disconnect existing in their complete knowledge of Scripture’s teaching. It’s almost as if they respect the Bible for the literature it is, but don’t submit to its teaching as a guide and rule for their life. The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith from 1689 (LBCF) says of Scripture, “The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.”
Scripture does not leave this issue unaddressed. In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he writes, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”1
The reason God has gifted the church is to equip and build the saints toward unity of faith and knowledge of the Son of God. There’s also a second reason given at the end of the section: “that we may no longer be children…” This is imagery that is used throughout Scripture to describe the process of sanctification. Even Peter writes in his first letter, “Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—if indeed you have tasted that the Lord is good.”2
There is a clear connection here between the two apostles’ writings; children who feast on the milk of the word run the risk of being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine and human cunning. And, if we looked across the landscape of American Christianity, we may nod our heads in agreement. Especially in the age of social media, where anyone with charisma and a camera can build a following by saying things that sound true but fall outside historic, orthodox Christianity. Yet, children in the faith will hit the share button due to a lack of discernment and understanding. If we are not clear on what Scripture teaches, though we respect the Bible, we are not able to be as Paul instructed Timothy, “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth”3
We’ve become a church that is familiar with Scripture, but in many cases not submitted to it.
Full Submission is what’s required
Scripture testifies about itself, “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 complete, equipped for every good work.”4 That doesn’t sound like something just to be familiar with; no, it is something that must mark and guide our lives as we submit ourselves to the God who it reveals.
Too often, especially in our current society, we see people throwing around Scripture as a “gotcha” to make someone feel like they don’t measure up. We’ve been taught a certain way, or we have studied under a certain presupposition that has led to specific conclusions—that when challenged, make us toss Scripture for our own comfort. One example of this is a “preacher” who believes that the King James Bible is the only translation acceptable for Christians to use, once said, “I believe the King James Bible is the Word of God. With it I can correct the Greek…” Now, he went on to continue to make a fool of himself, but this is a prime example of someone who is entrenched in an ideology, not submitted to the Word of God.
As a disclaimer, I love the King James Version—I just don’t use it. And, while it is a faithful translation, I believe others are more accurate to the oldest known manuscripts and are as beneficial as God has graciously preserved His word.
Yet, this brings up a simple point: is it more important to submit to the entire counsel of the Word of God or our particular leanings, presuppositions, or opinions? The answer should be obvious, but when the rubber meets the road, I’m afraid it’s not as easy to distinguish. We can sometimes come to Scripture and see in plain black and white the truth about God’s nature and character, and still think, “yeah, but…” That is not what submission looks like.
In Paul’s opening paragraph to the churches surrounding Ephesus he writes, “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit…”5 The idea that is carried in this particular portion, which is a smaller version of a much deeper theological truth found in verses 3-14, is that our development in sanctification is an ongoing process of chasing after a knowledge of the nature and character of God revealed in Scripture.
He goes on to write in the next section, “…that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe, according to the working of his great might that he worked in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come…”6
Constant submission to the truth revealed in Scripture is the only way that we can have the eyes of our hearts enlightened to the knowledge of God and the awesome power that exists in Christ. So when we come to questions like, “Are people basically good?” or “Does God love people all the same way?” we must be ready for answers we’re not familiar with, but Scripture speaks specifically to answer. Hard truths exist throughout Scripture. As we wrestle with them prayerfully, we grow in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We are no longer infants, but pressing on toward maturity—feasting on the goodness, faithfulness, and holiness of our God—something that demands our submission.
1Ephesians 4:11-14, ESV: The Holy Bible, English Standard Version ©2011 Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.
21 Peter 2:2-3, ESV
32 Tim. 2:15, ESV
42 Tim. 3:16-17, ESV
5Eph. 1:13, ESV
6Eph. 1:17-21, ESV