Sola Or Prima Scriptura

Welcome to No Compromise Radio, a ministry coming to you from Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

No Compromise Radio is a program dedicated to the ongoing proclamation of Jesus Christ based on the theme in Galatians 2, verse 5, where the apostle

Paul said, "'But we did not yield in subjection to them "'for even an hour, so that the truth of the gospel "'would remain with you.'"

In short, if you like smooth, watered -down words to make you simply feel good, this show isn't for you.

By purpose, we are first biblical, but we can also be controversial. Stay tuned for the next 25 minutes as we're called by the divine trumpet to summon the troops for the honor and glory of her king.

Here's our host, Pastor Mike Abendroth. Welcome to No Compromise Radio ministry. My name is Mike Abendroth, and we are glad that there's not a bunch of snow out here in Burbank, so that's always good.

I don't remember the last time it snowed in Burbank. Not quite sure. Well, what do we do here at this show?

The tagline is, always biblical, always provocative, always in that order. I'm trying to provoke you and to goad you into thinking biblically, into thinking

Christianly. Can I say those words? Of course, I can say those words.

I just did. Should I say those words is the right question. I regularly get asked the question, what do you think the biggest problem in evangelicalism is today?

If you had to pick one, there are many heads to the monster.

What's the multi -headed monster in mythology? Hydra? I don't know,

Hydran. Chop off one, another one grows back. Obviously, Jesus is building his church, and so Satan, the enemy, the adversary will try to strike against that, and so there's always issues in the church.

You don't have to go back very far in history or in biblical history to see that men would have to stand up for the truth, and of course, we want ladies to stand up for the truth as well.

Anyway, I say, in response to the question, what's the biggest threat in evangelicalism today?

And I say mysticism, mysticism, because it strikes against the scriptures.

MacArthur said the mystic disdains rational understanding and seeks truth instead through the feelings, the imagination, personal vision, inner voices, private illumination, or other purely subjective means, and people today want to have a relationship with God.

Okay, fine, I like that. They have a desire for a closeness with the

Lord. They have a desire for communion with the Lord, and instead of using the

Bible, they want impressions and God's talking to them privately, visions, they are mistaking intuition, instinct, or insight for communion with God, and essentially, they give the word lip service.

They'll say, of course, the evangelical mystics will say, yes, this is God's word, and he speaks through the word, and so on, but they're denying sola scriptura.

Now, sola scriptura is a Latin, it's actually Latin ablative, at least

I can read, by scripture alone, and so we believe that everything we need is found in scripture.

The scriptures are sufficient. Whatever you need to know for salvation, life, godliness, scriptures are sufficient.

Now, what's the opposite of sufficient? Now, we're not talking about inerrancy, or infallibility, or authority.

The evangelical mystic would believe those things, at least I hope they would, but what about sufficiency?

I don't think the evangelical mystic believes in sufficiency. Now, you say, well,

I'm not a mystic, I don't do that. Well, we're gonna quickly find out that maybe you do, and if you don't, thankfully, let's not dabble into those things, but if you're influenced by the

Beth Moores of the world, and others, Jesus Calling book, Sarah Young, the

Boss Camp book, there are a number of evangelical mystics, and of course, on the men's side, we've got them too, like Blackaby.

The opposite of sufficiency is deficiency, and if scripture has deficiencies, if scriptures are not complete, trustworthy, reliable, and sufficient, then we're gonna need something to fill in those deficiencies, to fill in those gaps, to fill in the blind spots.

So if you look in your rear view mirror, if you're driving down the street, and there's a blind spot there, unless you've got one of those new, super duper fancy cars that reads blind spots for you.

To use the analogy for the Bible, you look over there, and you can't see everything, so you're gonna need a fancy blind spot finder called church tradition, called papal ex cathedra announcements, called new developments in revelation, called mysticism.

Now, most people would say, you know, Roman Catholic Church, and other churches like that, we don't want what the magisterium says, we want the

Bible, we don't want sacred scripture, excuse me, sacred tradition, we want the

Bible. They understand that it's an attack on sola scriptura if you go the

Roman Catholic route, but they have a blind spot to keep in use with this little metaphor we're using, so analogy.

They don't see that in themselves with the mystical intuition impressions, and reading those as something that has divine stamp of approval on it.

Luther said, a simple layman, armed with the scripture, is greater than the mightiest pope without it.

And I would say, a simple cessationist, armed with scripture, is greater than the mightiest continuationist without it.

There's not a matter of haves and have -nots here. The Bible is the only final authority.

Luther goes on to say, the true rule is this, God's word shall establish articles of faith, and no one else, not even an angel, can do so.

So if you say sola scriptura, by scripture alone, that's what we're after here, that's what the

Bible would teach. If you say, well, yes, but I am led by God in a mystical fashion through dreams, impressions, intuitions, insights, this is further revelation, then you don't really believe in sola scriptura as much as you say you do.

You believe in prima scriptura, that scripture's primary, but there are other guides, other ways to be led.

And that could be general revelation, traditions, some kind of angels, mysticism.

And so mysticism falls into that category of prima scriptura. Godfrey said about sola scriptura, quote, "'Is an argument against unbiblical, extra biblical, and or anti -biblical doctrines.

The only way to know for sure what God expects of us is to stay true to what we know He has revealed, the

Bible. We can know beyond the shadow of any doubt that scripture is true, authoritative, and reliable.

The same thing cannot be said of tradition nor of subjective feelings."

Godfrey says, "'The word of God is the only authority of Christian faith. Sola scriptura is the only way to avoid subjectivity and keep personal opinion from taking priority over the teachings of the

Bible.'" Today on No Compromise Radio, I would submit to you that you cannot believe in both sola scriptura and evangelical mysticism because mysticism denies the sufficiency of scripture.

If scriptures are sufficient, if there's something about the word of God that has everything you need to know about who

God is, what He desires us to understand, what He wants us to do in response to the gospel, then why do we need any further revelation?

We are committed as evangelicals, at least we should be, Protestant evangelicals, to a sole source of special revelation called the

Bible. We are commanded to listen to ourselves, true or false, we are commanded in the scriptures to meditate on subjective feelings and impressions.

No, not at all. We are commanded to look at, to study, to be enraptured with scripture.

And you can go to 2 Timothy 2, verse 15 to see that as we're supposed to study, especially elders, to show ourselves approved.

You can look at Psalm 1, and how blessed is the man, who what? Who meditates in, on, through his own navel and gizzard and all that?

No, not at all. We need to make sure that we're looking at what the

Bible teaches. And in fact, is that sufficient?

Do you really believe in scripture? Now, you know in No Compromise Radio, I'm kind and speak extra gently.

Most often, I think I am gentle for the most part. I don't think

I've ever yelled on No Compromise Radio. I've gotten pretty upset with theological aberrations.

But let me talk to you through Spurgeon. See, because even mystics, evangelical mystics love

Spurgeon, because everybody does. Baptists love Spurgeon, Presbyterians love Spurgeon. Arminians, Calvinists, everybody, well,

Spurgeon talks so much that you can find the things that you like. And of course, I think he was biblical, so there's lots on biblical view of sovereignty, biblical view of human responsibility.

So let's hear from Spurgeon on mysticism.

I think I found these collated by Busenitz over at Cripplegate, I'm not sure. But Spurgeon did say these.

Take care never to impute the vain imaginations of your fancy to God. I have seen the spirit of God shamefully dishonored by persons.

I hope they were insane, who have said that they have had this and that revealed to them.

There has not for some years passed over my head a single week in which I have not been pestered with the revelations of hypocrites,

Arminians. Semi -lunatics are very fond of coming with messages from the

Lord to me. And it may save them some trouble if I tell them once and for all that I will have none of their stupid messages.

Wow. This is Charles Spurgeon preaching a sermon in 1870 something.

October 6th, the Paraclete is the sermon. Spurgeon says, he's the original kind of no -compromise radio host.

I wish we had him on radio. Never dream that events are revealed to you by heaven, or you may come to be like those idiots who dare impute their blatant follies to the

Holy Spirit. If you feel your tongue itch to talk nonsense, trace it to the devil, not to the spirit of God.

Whatever is revealed by the spirit to any of us is in the word of God already.

It's in the word of God already. He adds nothing to the Bible and never will. Let persons who have revelations of this, that, and the other go to bed, wake up in their senses.

I only wish, Spurgeon says, they would follow the advice and no longer insult the

Holy Spirit by laying their nonsense at his door. That is tough.

I only wish Beth Moore would take such advice. Super popular

Southern Baptist Convention Bible teacher, the beloved disciple, book,

Broadman and Holman Publishing. They should know better. Recently, God spoke to me about capturing what he and I are calling

Sabbath moments. God spoke to my heart one Sunday morning while I was preparing for Sunday school.

My child, in between more intense rests, I want to teach you to take Sabbath moments.

I'm gonna tell you something right now, Beth, and boy, you write this one down and you say it often, as often as I give you utterance to say it.

2014, January post from Beth Moore, a new year, a new time. Mid -November of 2012,

God dropped a word so convicting on my heart through another's teaching lesson that my face instantly burned.

This was the word. Stopped sowing over and over in the exact same field.

But I knew God was talking to me. It burned like a branding iron. Every single day for nearly 14 months, that same word has reverberated in my soul and troubled my feet.

I would just say back up and listen to Spurgeon again. Listen to Spurgeon.

Friends, 2 Peter chapter one is clear. We have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to quote the

ESV. The NES is the more sure word. More sure than what?

More sure than any experience. Remember the transfiguration? Remember the men who were there, who heard, who saw?

This was not a fake vision. This was not Frijoles at midnight vision. This is the real thing.

No vision, their eyes saw it. If there was a video camera on the Mount of Transfiguration that could record sights and sounds, this would have been a real event.

And they said, but we've got the word of God. It's more sure. It's more fully confirmed.

And then Peter says, to which you do well to pay attention as to a light shining in the dark place until the dawn, day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Now, there are a few exceptions. There are a few people who are evangelical mystics who really know their

Bibles well, but that is not the case typically. Typically the evangelical mystic doesn't know his

Bible at all. The evangelical mystic woman doesn't hardly know her Bible because if he or she did, they wouldn't be so mystical.

The desire for more turns into desire that yields less. You want more of God, but you're not content with the way he reveals himself.

This is the way the word is revealed. It's inscripturated.

It's in a book. Well, yeah, but I like it when God talks to me better. Well, I've got something more sure than experience.

And you ought to pay attention as a lamp shining in a dark place, not to your feelings, not to your impressions.

Listen, I've said this many times before. I'm pro -feeling. Let's rally at the

Boston Common for feelings. I'm all for feelings. I'm all for joy. I'm all for sorrow.

I'm all for anger. I'm all for sadness. I'm all for all kinds of emotions, happiness.

But let's not mistake these emotions and feelings and intuitions and impressions for God's direct guidance.

If you want to look at your life, you go backwards and say, I can see how God providentially led me through these decisions.

And like I said before many times, I am with you. But to quote Jonathan Edwards, why leave the guidance of the polar star to follow a jack -o' -lantern?

And why is that mainly? What's the main reason second to the scriptures are sufficient?

That we don't want to be evangelical mystics. That we don't want to say my feelings, impressions, insights, the peace about it.

Why don't we want to say that's from God? We know it's from God. Why?

There's one simple answer. And that simple answer is, the word is infallible and our gizzard isn't.

I don't know about you, but it's a Thanksgiving holiday. It's a Christmas holiday and you buy the bird, you buy the turkey.

And if you buy it from some farm, maybe it doesn't happen this way, but if you buy it from a store, usually get a little pouch of stuff inside the bird.

And it's got, I don't know what kind of parts those are. What do they call that little bag of parts inside of it?

And you get, I don't know. I don't think they put the chicken necks in there. I think the neck is still on, but maybe there's the neck and you get gizzards and you get heart and you get,

I don't know what else is in that bag. Something I don't like. I don't think I like the gizzards,

I'm not sure. But anyway, I don't like these gizzards either that I've got some feeling on the inside because I have been tainted by the fall.

Scripture has not been tainted by the fall. Scripture is pure and right and trustworthy and holy and undefiled, correct?

Just like Jesus, the word incarnate. And so mysticism doesn't properly see how

Adam's fall has corrupted us. And even as Christians, while we are declared righteous, while we are in the process of being transformed in the image of Christ, they're still, to use my seminary professor,

George Zemeck's words, there's a sin hangover. We are not perfect in practice.

We still struggle with the theological concept that Paul often uses, the flesh.

And I don't mean our skin. Proverbs 28, 26, therefore says, now think about this regarding evangelical mysticism.

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool.

He who trusts in his own heart is a fool. The word of God is pure, uncontaminated, untainted, and has no sin hangover.

But we, if you go to your internal, subjective, mystic feelings, how can you know those are pure and holy and right?

How do you know that they're not tainted by the fall? They are tainted by the fall. That's why when you need to get advice, you have to ask for a multiplicity.

You have to ask for more than one counselor to help. This is why

B .B. Warfield, so helpful here, revealed religion comes to man from without.

It is imposed upon him from a source superior to his own spirit. We're talking about Christianity. The unrevealed religions, on the other hand, flow from no higher source than the human spirit itself.

Evangelical Christianity interprets all religious experience by the normative revelation of God recorded for us in the

Holy Scriptures and guides, directs, and corrects it from these Scriptures and thus molds it into harmony with what

God in his revealed word lays down as the normal Christian life. The mystic, on the other hand, tends to substitute his religious experience for the objective revelation of God recorded in the written word as the source from which he derives his knowledge of God, or at least to subordinate the expressly revealed word as the less direct and convincing source of knowledge of God to his own religious experience.

B .B. Warfield says the result is that the external revelation is relatively depressed in value, if not totally set aside.

See, that's exactly what happens. People say, well, I still believe the Word of God and I still read the Word of God, but eventually you're gonna have the

Sarah Young effect take over, it's gonna take over. You know what? Jesus talking to you directly.

I mean, can you imagine? The God of the universe says, I speak to you through my apostolic messengers and now

I have a complete canon for you and you basically say that's not enough. I want you to talk to me directly.

I know the illustration breaks down, but that's like somebody in the congregation hearing a pastor preach and the person in the congregation is one of 40, one of 500, one of 5 ,000.

Well, I don't really like it that he's talking to the whole group. I want him afterwards to come and talk just to me.

Really? I think that's a pretty close illustration. B .B.

Warfield goes on to say, there is nothing more important in the age in which we live than to bear constantly in mind that all the

Christianity of Christianity rests precisely on external authority.

Why? Because if you trust your own heart, you're a fool because your heart is desperately wicked, deceitful above all else.

You really think you can know it? The fall, sin.

See how that doctrine needs to be understood so we don't run off the rails, go off into the deep end where we're not supposed to.

People don't realize the danger that they can get in when that happens. I mean, they're just oblivious to it.

New England Primer. In Adam's fall, this is for A .A. Adam. In Adam's fall, we sinned all.

There are very few errors in false doctrines of which the beginning may not be traced up to unsound views about the corruption of human nature.

J .C. Ryle. So my name's Mike Ebendroth, this is No Compromise Radio.

February 17th, 2015. We still have some seats open. If you'd like to go to Israel with us, write me at info at nocompromiseradio .com.

I think we've got the brochures ready and maybe even the website available. That's info at nocompromiseradio .com.

You can write me and ask me a question if you'd like. I try to answer them all personally or maybe have a couple other guys help out, but I will read it.

Things That Go Bump in the Church is out. Ebendroth, Archer, and Yon. The next book is going to be Archer, Yon, Ebendroth, AYA.

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No Compromise Radio with Pastor Mike Ebendroth is a production of Bethlehem Bible Church in West Boylston.

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