Christianity A-Z

Welcome to the Cornerstone Church, Kingston Podcast. This is our second episode proper and our third if you include the introduction. And if you're new to this podcast, we are thinking about 26 key truths, 26 doctrines, 1 for each letter of the alphabet. I'm joined today by Ben Reed, 1 of our assistant pastors. And Pete Woodcock senior pastor at Cornerstone Church.

And if you want lots more resources, sermons, helpful materials, you can go to cornerstone church kingston dot org. And finance and stuff there. So today we are on the letter B. Letter A was adoption. Letter B today, we're thinking about the the bible.

And, Pete, you're gonna kick us off with a with a verse -- Yeah. -- about the about the bible. Yes. I mean, it's from the bible, about the bible, about the script and it's in 2 Timothy 3 and it's 16 and 17. It says all scripture is God breathed, and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting, and training in righteousness.

So that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work. Actually, I think I think really that really covers almost everything about what evangelicals believe and practice about the bible. And it's a test actually as well to see whether we are evangelical. It says all script That's including old and new testament -- Mhmm. -- is God breathed and it literally means that.

It's it's it's the breath of God, the the breathing out. Like spirit, it so so the Bible is the spirit. It's the same word. Nukedos. Isn't it?

It's the same word for spirit. So this is God's spirit word. Mhmm. And so we can we can say that God, you know, does does God breathe out error? No.

I mean, how could God of truth breathe out breathe out error? And if he did breathe out error, then it's just a very unhelpful book. But so this is the very breath of God. But also, it's not just sterile truth. It's got life within it.

So as we read the scriptures, it it is the very breath of God that the spirit himself will use to to correct us and train us and affect our hearts. So it's not just an outward book that we sort of revere It's a living book that although it's written in historical times, is is alive and active today. Mhmm. Yeah. Ben, any more thoughts on the verse?

Yeah. Well, I was just thinking of Adam in the Garden of Eden when the lord god breathed life into him. He was a dead hunk of sort of flesh before he had the life of got I mean, there is no life really outside of God. Life doesn't exist outside of God. God gives life to creatures.

And this is his way of breathing spiritual life into us. We're spiritually dead is how the Bible describes our state without this breath of life in And Jesus also says man cannot live on bread alone, but from every word that comes from the mouth of God. And so these this is the life that we need. In order to live just like we need to eat. And it's interesting when you look at the bible, isn't it?

How how this life giving word does come to us in in the whole book, the bible. But there's a great diversity within the bible in terms of genre and literature and style, isn't it? Do you wanna talk into that a bit? The different sort of Yes. So that I think there's something like 40 writers.

So, I mean, the word bible is it means it means library, really. So I think there's 40 writers. There's 66 books. It's written over a period of 1500 years. It's written on 3 continents and yet there's this unity.

And I think that's the that is the great proof of the well, no. It's not the But it's 1 great proof of the Bible that actually the more you study it, the more you see 1 author, even though you see the human authors. And you see the different cultures being brought in and the different genres, you know, poetry, narrative, proverbs, parables, apocalyptic literature. You see those sort of literature written by different people. And you could say, okay, yeah, you get a flavor of John, the apostle of Jesus -- Yeah.

-- when you read the gospel of John and then you read revelation. You see and then his letters, you see the same things coming up. Mhmm. But nevertheless, to have a book that it with that much span and the sense that there's 1 writer shows this is the word of god. As you think of any political party, you could take any political party today where they've joined a political party.

So they've said no to wing or right wing or whatever, still within that 1 political party within the age now -- Mhmm. -- in this 1 moment, There is so much argument and disagreements and everything. Mhmm. And yet you've got a book here from all those cultures, 1500 years apart, and there's this unity. It does show that this is the word of God.

And as you said, you know, a variety in terms of literature, but also in terms of personality. So you said you read John and you read revelation and you you'll pick up little bits of information about John and the sort of man that he was. And then you read something like Amos. Or, you know and and you see why he was a very different character. And yet, God used different people in different positions.

And spoke spoke through them and enabled them to write the words of God. So tell a sense of thinking about thinking about what the bible is and now moving towards maybe how how we use it at at Cornerstone. Ben, do you just wanna sort of talk about the ways in which we try to center the ministry on the viable and why that is? Yes. I mean, Scripture is our final authority in terms of all sort of doctrine and truth and understanding of who God is and what he came to do.

It's his It's his vehicle for revelation to us nowadays, isn't it? It's how he's revealed himself to us in the 20 first century. He hasn't inscribed it on a tree or written it in the in he's given us the bible to show us and tell us who he is. And he has told us in the bible that it's as we've read in Sue Timothy, it's it's it's everything that we need for training, correcting, rebuking, training of righteousness so that we might be thoroughly equipped for very good work. So that's why we open it up.

It's the central part of all of our ministries because all our ministries are really trying to get this breath of God of life in us. And know him more and love him more. And so what better way to do that than to hear his voice as he speaks as he speaks to us because he's a speaking god. He's got things to tell us. There are things we don't know, and we need to understand.

There's things that he needs to grow in us. And the way he's decided to do this is by speaking to us through his word, which has given to us in in as the bible. And so what else could we do? If we want if we want to praise and worship this God, we will engage with him the way he wants to engage with us. Which is through his word, the scriptures.

And it's the way new life begins, isn't it? You know? So, you know, we're told in the bible that you were born again how through the living and enduring word of God. So the way in which people come to saving knowledge of Christ is is through the preach taught, explained, word of God. Yeah.

And from that very moment of conception, if you like, the way in which we grow, as you say, is by growing in our knowledge of the scriptures. And Pete, I mean, I know you've often said that although the word evangelical can can be confusing and can mean lots of things to lots of people. Basically, all an evangelical is is somebody who believes 2 Timothy 3 16, isn't it? I mean I think so. Yeah.

But really does believe. Yeah. Yeah. Because I think it's very easy on so many levels to read that sort of verse out and then say and people say, yes, I believe that. But in practice, So I want to say, it's not just believing it in theory, it's believing it in practice.

That I mean, because this this is the word that will thoroughly equip every servant of God. Mhmm. And so the I don't really need any more than this. Mhmm. This is sufficient.

This is God's not only in Aaron word, in other words, a word without error, he breathed it out. This is sufficient for me to be able to live the Christian life. So whereas God might give me other things, I don't need other things. I mean, obviously, a church because the scripture tells me I need the church. Mhmm.

But, you know, I don't need a great music band to be able to experience God. I don't need the latest music or the oldest music. I don't, you know, need a piano or a harp or a guitar or a drum kit. To be able to be equipped to serve God. I do need the scriptures.

Yeah. Brilliant. Let's talk about then how some of the sort of challenges that might be leveled against this Dr of the bible. Not in an explicit way. I mean, I think there are very few Christians or or leaders who would stand up and say, you know, the bible really is outdated.

It's not what we need. Although some people will just say that. Yeah. Well, some people might say that. Yeah.

But, you know, there's that that old sketch of the youth pastor who says to the kids. Right? I want you to all hold your bibles over your heads. Now put them under your chest. We're not using those today.

So not not many people would would do that, but there are subtle ways in which the things that we've just said about the bible can be undermined or eroded in the life of the church. And I'm sure you've both got different different experiences of that. I mean, Pete, I know 1 of the things that Maybe they don't say it too much anymore, but, you know, 1 of the common objections was, well, the bar was full of contradictions. That's 1 of the things people might say, isn't you know, how Yeah. I used to have a friend, evangelist friend, and he loved it when anyone said that because he would he would always, and I've seen him do this.

He would give them a bible and say, show me 6 then and the bloke. Usually, what happens is I I don't know whether I'll be able to find them. Well, no. You just said the Bible is full of the immersion. So it should be easy to find them here.

I show me 6 Yeah. And most people can't do it. Yeah. I mean, when it when it comes to there there are, you know, tech straw work to be done sometimes. There are things that you look at and on the surface might seem like contradictions.

Largely, you know, genuinely, nearly a hundred percent of those. When when you give them a bit of time and a bit of thought and in context. And put it in context, you'll see that there's there isn't any contradictions. There used to be a really great book called alleged discrepancies. I've got it at home somewhere.

And it had like 500 alleged discrepancies. And most of them when you look them up, again, as I say, you know, like 99 percent of them are no no discrepancies at all. It's just looking at a different angle. So for instance, when when Luke might say 1 woman turned up -- Yeah. -- somewhere, or Jesus spoke to 1 -- Mhmm.

-- woman. And then you read Matthew. It's the same story. And he he emphasizes 2. Well, that's not a discrepancy.

Mhmm. It's just that I could say, if Anne said to me today, who did you talk to today? I said, well, I talked to Tom today. That doesn't mean to say I didn't talk to Ben. I just I just wanted to pick on the conversation I had with Tom.

Did you see what I mean? And once you look like that, then mostly go. Yeah. Yeah. And I think people who study historical documents would say that, in fact, is a reason all the more reason to take it is an authentic -- Yes.

-- document. Yes. It would be more suspicious if it was identical in every detail it recorded because you would think it was some kind of hoax or scam. But That's kind of 1 of the hallmarks of authenticity, isn't it? So And then, you know, historical things.

I I think the beauty is when you read the in fact, you don't hear this anymore. Mhmm. So when I first became a Christian, there was a lot of stuff against the bible that, you know, historical. Oh, there wasn't this town in acts that we've mentioned in acts. I forget which town it is now.

And then suddenly some archaeologist digs up and there is a town. Or why did there's a famous 1 in Acts where Luke calls the governor of the area, a particular name. Mhmm. And that was proof that Luke was wrong -- Mhmm. -- because that name for the governor was only used in this area -- Mhmm.

-- then they dig up and say, oh, no. And this area. So most of those archaeological things the bible's come out and been proved to be actually accurate. Mhmm. If you are gonna take those types of critiques on the bible as well, you can't just take the very few instances where there are difficulties.

There's a mountain of of times when there are incredible sort of this congruency or there is historical accuracy in the scriptures. So to take to to to enter the arena of historical inaccuracy, you also have to acknowledge the incredible historical accuracy. All of the stuff that it does clearly that you agree with -- Yeah. -- get right. And here you are look at you.

You're it it it it exposes more an attitude that people bring to the bible than a genuine reason to be concerned. 1 1 of the things I would say to people that are worried about the historicity of scripture is is to go on the bible or get the little book by day 1. Mhmm. I think it's called British Museum Bible -- Mhmm. -- bible -- Through the -- -- talk.

-- through the museum or something. And just go to the British Museum with that book. You will be blown away. You it there is too much to take in. But the accuracy is phenomenal.

The historicity is so rooted that really there is no proper historian. Of of of new testament times that would say that this is just a hodgepodge of silly stories. Mhmm. But that that's that's a dead and gone actually. Yeah.

Yeah. I was gonna I was gonna say, so I mean, I think that's that's helpful, isn't it? Because that's that's the criticism that would come from 1 field, you know, kind of literary criticism, not accurate internally contradicts itself. But I suppose moving now a little bit to to the sort of life of the church What are some of the ways Ben will start with you and then come to you, Pete, that you've either experienced or could imagine that the authority of the bible, the sufficiency of the bible is is kind of undermined in church in church life. Any thoughts on that?

Perhaps just in the sense that we we all desperately want god to speak to us direct face to face, don't we? We desperately want guidance in our life. We want wisdom. We want to know where to go, what to do with our lives. We want to know how to wisely respond to certain things.

And very often, we will just cry out to God and say, God, won't you just show me? Why don't you just tell me what to do or how to be? And we desperately want this kind of communication with God. And yet we very I'm so very rarely will turn to the scriptures. And assume that they are God speaking to us to give us wisdom and guidance and all of this sort of stuff.

That's helpful. So it's a record of what God said rather than what God is also saying through the spirit now. Yeah. I mean, the trouble is with sort of waiting for a voice from God is is Actually, just an assurance thing. How do I really know that?

Mhmm. How do I know it's not just the the pork chop that I've eaten? That's given me a bit of a stomachache -- Mhmm. -- and I'm feeling a bit down or I'm feeling very happy or how do I really know? Whereas this is a scripture.

This is inscripturated word of God, and it's how he's always talked through people to his people. And therefore, there's a confidence in this. Yes. That's right. And I think I think that's 1 of the 1 of the problems when when people will say you know, God I've got a message from God for you.

Mhmm. God has spoken to me and I've got a message for you because however sort of well intentioned and well meaning that is, The the issue with that is that I don't have access to the original revelation. I only have it as it's come to me through you. And how do I know that in between the time it was given to you and between the time you've told it to me, some error hasn't creeped in or there isn't some problem it. I can't I can't weigh it and test it by the original.

Mhmm. But when you have the word of God as your final authority, you know, we this is why when we preach, we want our people to have their noses in the pages, don't we? So that they can weigh and test. According to the river. They can see the river.

Like, they don't rely on us. Our job is simply just to bring out what's already in the text and and, you know, preach and they can see for themselves. There's really anything that you could add to what the scriptures already say is there as well. So you'll hear it often. I don't know someone will come up to you and said, I've got a prophecy or I've got a word for you.

And it's like you're a tree and you will give shelter and shade, a tree, or a river. There's a river. Come deeper into the river or boing on a tree. Yeah. And not often the -- From branch of a tree.

-- often the interpretation is something that is already given to us in Scripture -- Yes. -- in scripture -- Yes. -- and and, you know, it could even be as simple as as look God wanted me to tell you that he's your father and he loves you. And you could just say, well, that's that's nice to know, but what if you hadn't come and told that to me? How would I have no You know, I have God's word himself.

He tells me himself. And and if you give me if you give me the same message in a in a Bible verse and a piece of scripture, I can always go back to him and be reminded of it. Well, they can come and say God loves you. He is your father. And they can say that for sure if they're a Christian.

On the basis of the word of God, can't they? Yeah. So I guess they don't always have to have a bible verse for that. Sure. So I can remind you, can't I if you're feeling down?

Yeah. Brother, God is father. Mhmm. Take your concerns to God as a father. And I can say that a hundred percent sure.

Mhmm. But if I say you're like a a a banana at the end of the branch, boinging up and down, and you'll feel the shake of god in you. That's all a lot of crap. Mhmm. And it doesn't help anything anyway Sure.

Yeah. So I suppose you're right. You don't have to always give a bible verse to give encouragement to pursue. But You're basing your word on that The revelation. Yeah.

The way the reason I know this not because I've dreamt it or because a voice has spoken it to me. I know that because because God has said it in his scripture. He's already spoken this word. Yeah. And it's true all the time -- Yes.

-- for all his people. And that's why I can come to you and say, yeah, God is your your father and he loves you. Remember once when I was speaking at a meeting, this was quite a few years ago now. I just I just finished doing a talk on Romans. And the girl who was leading the meeting stood up afterwards and was welcoming band up.

And she said something to the effect of, you know, as the band begin to play, it may be that people have got words from God, and we'd love to hear hear those. Which I thought was quite remarkable given that we just spent 20 minutes looking at the words of God. And, you know, I was tempted to say, well, should I do the sermon? You know, do you want me to do the sermon again? But I think the problem there is that she she was again, you know, well intentioned and well meaning I'm sure and wanted to do the right thing in the meeting.

And of course, if you asked her, did you believe that as we looked at the bible together, God was speaking, she would say yes. She wouldn't say no. Mhmm. But because of her background or her upbringing or her church culture, her enthusiasm and her excitement was in what might happen during the singing. You know, God might speak and that would in some way be a more relevant, more powerful words -- Mhmm.

-- than what we just looked at. And the problem with that is that Even though those who were in the meeting might not think this way, it slowly erodes their confidence in the bible as God actually speaking to them. Mhmm. And so I think often the way in which what we've said can be undermined is just a it's just a wrong end for rather. It's a it's the excitement is in the wrong place, and too much of it will in the end lead you away.

You know, from the word of God and would do harm to a disciples -- Yeah. -- disciples time. Yeah. Because you sort of you sort of you look forward to the singing individual revelation bit of the service as opposed to the opening up the scriptures, God speaking -- Yeah. -- part of the And God speaks to us in songs because often songs are just reflections of scripture.

And we're just reminding we're reminding ourselves of truths that God has spoken to us through his scriptures. Yeah. So we wanna sing songs that that they don't don't necessarily have to be word for word from the scripture, but they are scriptural songs -- Yeah. Hairy fairy songs that make us feel nice -- Yeah. -- because that that yeah.

Absolutely. Wonder whether we're also quite individualistic in the sense that this is a communal -- Yes. -- message to us as a body of people. And I really want God to speak to me. Yeah.

You know, this isn't applicable to me. This is this is what God wrote 2 people 2000 years ago, you know? I think that's a hundred percent right. Mhmm. The the the communal, you know, the sense of sitting together under God's word.

Otherwise, we might as well just listen to the best preachers on podcasts which certainly is an us -- Mhmm. -- and not go not go to church or anything. There's something in the family meeting around the father's word and the spirit word, isn't there? Yeah. That actually challenges us helps us individually.

Yeah. Uh-huh. Yep. Great. Yeah.

1 of the things -- Okay. -- sorry. You asked -- Yeah. -- I forgot what quite how you put it about what takes us away or how Yeah. What ways in which we can be moved away from this doctrine?

I've noticed sort of 1. Over over sort of it's more recent. I mean, it's been around for some time, but it's more recent. Is this sort of Caricature that we make of a Bible Basha. Mhmm.

Now we all know what a Bible Basha is. They're mad. They come what bible bashing means is someone who doesn't care too hoots for anyone. They just shout out a bible text largely out of context to make you feel -- Mhmm. -- guilty or down or to put you in your place.

That's a Bible Basha. Mhmm. That we know those people. But that caricature of a Bible Basha has come into almost all of us who want to speak into someone's life from the scriptures. And and it's interesting, isn't it?

Because mental health has now become that sort of issue where people will say things like, you don't understand. You can't speak to me. You can't, you know, do it to me. Whereas, actually sorry. Are you saying that the word of God doesn't isn't sufficient?

For each situation. We've just seen 2 Timothy 3 16. Do you really believe this? Yeah. And so, you know, verses like do not be anxious in anything but in everything by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

I'll seen as when you say that to someone, or you you're teaching on on the whole subject of mental health or anxiety or depression. People suddenly come in and say, You can't just use that. And I think that just I think that belies a a belief that this Bible isn't the very breath of God -- Mhmm. -- that it isn't sufficient -- Mhmm. -- that I need some kind of professional non Christian counselor.

That would be better for my brother and sister that's suffering. Mhmm. I'm not saying that they don't have wisdom. I'm not saying that there aren't any pills that are helpful. But did you see what I mean, you've got other illustrations of where we don't allow the word of God to be the word of god because it oh, you might be bible back.

You're also siloing off your problem and separating it from the rest of you because you're saying that script will speak to me generally, but it cannot deal with this little part of me. Yeah. Whereas actually, you can't separate ourselves like that. If we're struggling with depression, for example, or or or some kind of anxiety, Yes. The the bible may go so far soothing your anxieties, but it will give you confidence that God is sovereign in in his work in your life.

And therefore, that will give you encouragement in your sufferings. So to to say don't give me bible, give me the thing that's gonna fix this small problem is separating the problem from the rest of you, which is which is incorrect. Yeah. That's helpful. Okay, brothers.

Thank you. We talked we talked and it's good to do this because it's only sometimes as we talk about the ways in which this can go wrong that we see what's right, you know. Yeah. But I suppose in the last few minutes, it would be good just to talk talk positively perhaps. You know, just just about how you've seen this doctrine and this word of God just give life to our people in the church and to ourselves.

I don't know if any administration spring to mind. I didn't prepare you for this question, but just thinking about how how the word of God has built our church and built our people. The thing is, The non Christian thinks that of the bible as sort of like masses. It's like the 10 commandments times 5000000000. All it is is a sort of rule book and it isn't that.

It is just it is just not that. It's stories and illustrations. And this is the beauty of how God who created communication, who is the first speaker. Knows how we react. You read stories.

You see examples. They challenge you. You see yourself. So I genuinely so that the old the the old the oldest use I mean, spurgeon and people around earlier than him would say, you know, it's often called the the sword of the spirit. Yeah.

And and people will say, well, is it a sword? Is it really God's word? And he would say, don't try and argue that it is God's word, get the sword out and poke them. Yeah. And or is it, you know, is it is it a roaring lion?

Mhmm. Or just let the lion out. Mhmm. And if only people would read the word, you suddenly see that this is it describes me. It tells me what I need, what I need, God, It shows me I can't pull myself up by my own bootstraps that I need the spirit of God in me, it's so amazing.

Mhmm. It opens up culture like nothing else. Culture like nothing else. And this is the beauty of it, isn't It's not an old Fuddy Duddy book. It's alive and living.

And once you start reading it, I mean, I'm I better not do my sermon. But I'm reading about a bloke in the old testament at the moment. And you just see him. Mhmm. You see him everywhere.

You say, I can't test. And then you see yourself. And you said, gosh. Yeah. I'm I'm close to that.

Mhmm. So it really is a revelation to us. Mhmm. Yeah. I was talking to talking to a friend in the church yesterday, and he was he was telling me about some of the anxieties that he's had and the difficulties he's had.

And it was just wonderful because there was a moment when he said, and the other night, I was lying awake night thinking about all these things. And I I remembered a verse from the psalm that I'd read and and just to paraphrase it was something like the Lord is my strength and my salvation. Who shall I fear? Whose shall I fear? Whose shall I be afraid?

And just that verse came to him in the night. He prayed that verse and you know, he was able to go to sleep again. And you just think that that's the power of the word of God, isn't it? That it can that it can speak into us. It can Point us to Christ, point us to God, it helps us in our battles every day.

It's not just a set of propositions that could be theoretically true in some life. It ministers to us, doesn't it? Through all of life in our difficulties, you know, it's built our church. Mhmm. You know, we're only following Jesus because of it And so it's a wonderful wonderful thing, isn't it?

I was just thinking of ephesians chapter 5 as well. You know, husbands love your wives just as Christ club the church gave himself up for her to make her holy cleansing her by the washing with water through the word. And there's this idea, and I think you've preached before of the running dilty, dirty rag under flowing water. And as you rinse it, just the the the mucky water just gets rinsed slowly out of it, the more you hold it under that water. And I I personally feel that when I look at my own life and and you know, I've been part of Cornerstone 10 years, but before that, I was part of another church and just those years after year after year sat under the washing of the word there's definitely a sense where you can look back and go, you know, all of that filth has been drained out.

I'm still pretty filthy. There's still more work that needs to be done here. But it's not a kind of quick fix, sort of click your finger and you're done type job, is it the Walt Christian Life? But it's it's a washing, it's a process, and it's as as we congregate under the word and and have it preached to us. Thank you.

Thank you very much. Well, we hope you enjoyed today's episode of Christianity a zed. If you would like more content, you can go on to w w w dot constantchurch kingston dot org and you can click on our resources or sermons page. You can also look at our social media channels to see where we're releasing new content. You can go on to YouTube.

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