Sola Scriptura 6

Moses stressed the permanence of the Scriptures in Deuteronomy 6:1-9. In vs. 4-9 he states:

Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one.  You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart.  You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.  You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (ESV)

The psalmist in Psalm 1, in contrasting the godly and the ungodly, placed a high premium for the believer’s faith and practice upon the Scriptures alone.

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season. Whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. (NKJV)

King David articulated this perspective in Psalm 19, when in describing God’s self revelation he not only described God natural revelation, 19:1-6, but also the important preeminence of God’s written revelation. In vs. 7-11 we read:

The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure,  making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.  Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. (ESV)

The psalmist in Psalm 119 went to great lengths to establish the exalted status of Scripture. In 176 verses, there are eight different terms in referring to Scripture. These include (1) law; (2) testimonies; (3) precepts; (4) statute; (5) commandments; (6) judgments; (7) word; and (8) ordinances. “From before sunrise to beyond sunset, the Word of God dominated the psalmist’s life” (MacArthur Study Bible, 850). This includes before dawn (vs. 147); daily (vs. 97); seven times daily (vs. 164); nightly (vs. 55, 148); and at midnight (vs. 62). The psalmist emphasized that the Scriptures alone were sufficient to keep a young man pure (vs. 9-16).