(The Recovery of the Apostolic) 5. the Sola Scriptura Position — Dale Heisey

Take time to behold it, speak oft with thy Lord, thou may'st cheer. Do you have your Bibles of 2 Corinthians and chapter 3? Can you open a minute to this discussion this evening and help you understand the difference between an implicit and an implicit?

These are two words that are probably beyond your meaning vocabulary at the present time. If you just stick with us for a little while, I'm sure it won't take long for you to catch on to what we're talking about.

The Word of God as the Foundation of Apostolic Faith

But the subject assigned to us tonight is the Sola Scriptura Physician of the Anabaptists. It was Jesus who said, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth from the mouth of God.

And it is that every word that we want to take root in our hearts tonight and spring up to life everlasting. And there is nothing else, say this word of God, that can bring forth fruits unto righteousness.

There is no other way, no other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved. Save that of the Word of God. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

The same was in the beginning with God, and all things were made by Him. And without Him was not anything made that was made. He is Creator God. The Bible tells us that when we see Him coming in the 19th chapter of Revelation, He has a name and His name is called the Word of God.

The 12 that are saved are saved by this Word, which liveth and abideth forever. This is not written on law tonight, or written on paper tonight, or written on sand this evening. But it is that law according to this chapter which is written, If you are a child of God, enough fleshy tables of your heart, and apart from the inscription of God's total law and responsibility, is will in your mind tonight.

You are not a child of God. Do we begin again to commend ourselves, or knee we as some others, as epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? I will tell you right here this evening, there are plenty of people who are not commending this meeting tonight, nor those who are here this evening, but we do not need commendation from men.

The affirmation, the confirmation of the Spirit of God in the heart of a man is what will give witness with the Lord Jesus Christ that we are children of God. Ye are our epistle, written in our hearts, known and read of all men.

Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ, ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God, not in tables of stone, but in the fleshy tables of the heart.

As such, trust have we through Christ to Godward, not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but our sufficiencies of God, who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit.

For the letter killeth, for the Spirit giveth life. Are we afraid of the Spirit, which can do nothing but quicken a man? But as the ministration of death, written and engraved in stones, was glorious, so that children of Israel could not steadfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his covenant, which glory was to be done away, how shall not the ministration of the Spirit be rather glorious?

Whereas the ministration of condemnation be glory, much more does the ministration of righteousness exceed in glory. For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.

For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious. Seeing then that we have such hope, we disgrace plainness of speech, and not of Moses, which put a veil over his face.

The children of Israel could not steadfastly look to the end of that which is abolished, but their minds were blinded. For until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away. In the reading of the Old Testament, which veil is done away in Christ, but even until this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their hearts.

Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open faith, beholding as in a glass, the glory of the Lord are changed unto the same image from glory to glory, even by the Spirit of the Lord.

Implicit Faith Versus External Religious Conformity

We're talking tonight about an implicit faith. It was unique among Anabaptists who had a faith that came from within the person. I am afraid tonight of any religion, of any organization church-wise, who gives a person a formula, a position and says, for the time these five steps are mastered, we receive you.

For the time this position is reached in your life, for the time you have ascribed a certain code of conduct or ethic, for the time you have matched up in this conformity, for the time you appear as we appear, or whatever it might be, then now you are, as far as we're concerned, qualified for inception into the church, into the body of Christ.

Listen, that is the way men join the Freemasons. You can get into the grange that way. It's possible to join the Kiwanis Club with such a manner. That's the way it's possible to join organizations. But no one comes into the church of Jesus Christ except that living Word of God takes root within his heart.

Can you imagine the difference? As we said here three weeks ago, the difference between that tree that has the life and sap and vitality within its stem, within its root, how through its branches, producing then the glorious fruit, edible and nourishing to those who partake of it.

And then compare it to some other dried up shrubs. There it is, all stalk and stem. Standing along the side, it says, I wish I had beautiful fruit like that on me. Would someone please come along with a glue bottle and put glue all over my branches?

Would someone take some Christmas balls and hang it on my tree branches so I look like I'm producing fruit too? If you don't have the Word of the Lord, the Holy Spirit having written the law of God in the fleshy tables of your hearts at night, any attempt you would make to conform to some external position is futility before God, explicit.

Putting on the eye which is born from the inner heart of a man cannot be hidden, nor gained said. What is? Martin Luther claimed to believe it. So did Ulrich Zwingli. So did John Calvin. They all claimed to believe that the Bible was a sole rule for faith and practice.

Solo means only. As in the word solo, a solo pilot is a person who flies alone across the country. A solo singer is one who sings a part by him or herself. Solo is alone. That's the English word that comes from this Latin sola.

Scriptura is scripture. Only the scriptures, only the Bible, is the position we're talking about. That's what solo scriptura means. The Bible is the authority. There is no other authority. There's no other direction for my life.

There is no church or statement or hierarchy or ministerial body or anything else that can take the place of God's Word to be the sole and final authority for my life. The Bible being sole authority, we take the words of chapter 22 Revelation literally when it tells us not to add to it nor to subtract from it because not only is it only authority, it is all authority.

And so this Bible, this new testament of the Bible, I want to make that clear, is the final rule for faith and practice. Or as the church statement says of some of the brethren and friends here tonight, the only infallible rule of faith and practice.

Anything else is fallible because it began with man. This is infallible before it came from the very mouth of God. What is it not? A solo scriptura position. I want to make it clear that in that the term used in Latin is solo scriptura, that we're not saying this evening that a person can pick up this Bible and peruse through its pages and attempt to practice its message and arrive then at a safe position in Christ Jesus.

I want to, in that case, be careful that you understand that there is no life within me apart from being born by the Spirit of God into the family of the Lord. And so I want you to understand, if I may just use so tonight, a difference between the way I intend for the rest of this evening to use the terms Word of God and Scripture.

By Scripture I mean what is here that would give you some direction and guidance for life and you could, by the powers of your flesh, and there have been monasteries across this country and across the world, I don't care if they're Nestorians, been across the history of this world who have tried to take this book, have tried to take these letters, and have tried to make them applicable in their life.

But the result of it being a badly enlightened them, in this regard, about to be murdered, about to be tortured to death, he was talking to his inquisitor. His inquisitor points out the Spirit of God in his heart so that he would know the things of the Spirit.

The inquisitor replied, No, I will not answer this. To be confronted with that question, you have the Spirit of God in your heart. And Josh knew that to have ever so much word and knowledge to take this Bible and try to follow it, apart from faith that comes from the living Spirit within us, will not produce the fruit that God has desired.

And so we're looking for, we're explaining tonight, the Word of God which is ever and forever accompanied by His Spirit. For Jesus told us that He shall take the things of mine and show them unto you when the Spirit of truth has come.

He will guide you into all truth. And so a book like this, a message, a sermon, apart from God's Spirit quickening your heart tonight and descending upon you as a Spirit descending down and being received in your heart, will not make this Word alive in you.

The Sermon on the Mount and the Discipline of Christlike Love

What is it not? When I talk about a soul's scriptural position number two, it is not a lack of discipline. You don't believe in a standard then. Oh, you people believe in liberty. Oh, you people believe in lucidity.

You don't believe in discipline. No? Any one of you, this evening to take your Bible, open it to the very first words of Christ, the words that He utters, and ask yourself, what is the simple teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ?

As He gives them to us, for instance, in the Sermon on the Mount. I would ask anyone here to examine your heart to see whether you esteem everybody else in this building tonight better than yourself. I would ask you to examine whether or not you consider, excuse me, whether you love your neighbor as yourself.

But Jesus made the requirement even higher than that. He said, love as I have loved you, that loves yourself tonight, as much as Christ has loved you, only to love others. As that puny and soulless love and carnal love that we can dig up within ourselves, but we are told to look at the way Christ loves and love just that way.

It's one more thing that you cannot do apart from the Spirit of God be within your heart. It is not an undisciplined way. We had a lesson here some time ago about this view of discipleship. You heard what the brother said about looseness here.

He was just up here 15 minutes ago. It's not a matter of throwing off those restraints which bring us in, which hold us into gospel order and gospel simplicity. It's rather a perfect life and challenge and joy and freedom in it.

I want to deviate from the next section of this outline by just asking you a question tonight. How plain you are or how plain you're not. Your life is regulated by some system or code of conduct or standard or call it what you will, but I want to ask you this question this evening.

Jesus was a need meter. In the name of the Lord Jesus, mind and turmoil you have in your heart, the spiritual equipment, the grace of God to minister to that soul. Preach them on to a higher and nobler walk with God.

Are you able to challenge His heart that He feel refreshed and revived and challenged and quickened because of those moments He spent in your presence? Is that soul encouraged onward? How do you minister to that need?

Dear brothers and sisters tonight and all those of you present here this evening, if you don't have the spiritual capacity, the spiritual joys and love to minister the needs of men, you need a visitation of the Holy Spirit in your heart.

I don't care what the external business looks like. And I am satisfied to include into the family of God, I am satisfied to include into the body of believers, all those who meet that qualification. They have life to minister the needs of men.

I'm not talking only about putting a dollar bill in someone's wallet or filling their gas tank or giving them a bag of potatoes. I'm talking about ministering to the spiritual needs of men, something that cannot be done apart from the Spirit of Christ.

For all this other business, there's plenty around us that can take care of. I want you to know, I don't care how good a farmer you are, there are people nicer than you can, that can farm better than you can.

I don't care how good a hog raiser you are, or a jerryman you are, there are people around here that will do the job better than you. But there are those things that cannot be done better than what a child of God anointed by the Spirit can do them.

And in those things the Bible teaches us to excel to the edify of the body of Christ. And brethren, that is criteria number one for entry into the household of faith. Let every soul be examined on that basis.

I say, sola scriptura, by the time you're late, conforms to that requirement. Conforms to the ministration of grace and the life of a man. By the time you're late meets that requirement, you will not be an undisciplined person.

You will be broken and contrite and an earthen vessel which contains a treasure, the ecstasy of the power of which is of God and not of man. Adam and Eve was born because of their thirst for the Scriptures.

Anabaptist Witness and the Primacy of Scripture

Because as Simon Stokes said, as is quoted on the back of your program under this evening's topic discussion, Mr. Ulrich, you have not the right to leave this matter to the council. The matter is already decided.

The Spirit of God decides it. And he was not talking to some vision or dream. He was not talking about some supposed revelation that he expected was going to come his way. He talked about what the Spirit of the Lord has shown him from this passage, from this word, which cannot be understood apart from spiritual discernment that God gives to those who love him.

One of his brothers said that he expects and hopes to be able to learn 100 chapters from the New Testament by memory. Do you know that when Jacob D. Roy was in discussion and in confrontation with Friar Cornelius, the discussion was something like this.

The Catholic inquisitor was telling him, strange thing you are. You people are menders and tinkers and room makers, factors and weavers. You have no education. No sooner than someone takes a little bottle of oil and you got to drink out of it.

Misunderstanding a terrible matter. His mother did not have a part in this matter. Quietly assured the man that you are right. You know nothing about that. For you ascribe to the devil that simple process whereby we teach our people how to read.

Why did they teach their people how to read? Because they knew that for a man to live he had to understand and draw light from the source of this book here. I'm not satisfied. If you're depending upon this meeting to meet your spiritual needs, I'm afraid you'll sink till we see you again.

If you're depending upon a gospel presentation regardless of how clear and life bringing it might be to minister to your soul, I want you to know that I cannot take a breath tonight of air. I cannot eat a meal tonight that's going to last me until next week of this hour.

But life with God is a continual communication, a continual fellowship, a continual breathing, a continual feasting as Christ our Passover already sacrificed for us. Yet they taught them. I marvel at that.

They teach a child to read, to read in conditions like that. It goes to show, brothers and sisters, the regard and respect for the Bible tonight and to quote from history. I was asked to teach some history this evening, and so if you'll bear patience with me, I'm going to just give you a couple of quotations to show you the position I'm going to hold forth before you at the close of this discussion this evening concerning my vision for the return to the Scripture-only position is not something we can concoct in ourselves.

It is something we believe we can substantiate from God's Word and it is that which has always stood the test of history back here 450 years ago and is being practiced in the present time and from the persecutors of our world.

We hold that all things should be proved to ascertain what is founded on the Holy Word of God for this will stand when heaven and earth pass away as Christ himself said. Michael Sattler, terrible death, wrote to the congregation back home in words like this 1527.

And let no man remove you from the foundation which is laid through the letter of the Holy Scripture and is sealed by the blood of Christ and the many witnesses in Christ. Here's an interesting note. Unconverted and innocent children before his death hopefully will have this letter in their possession when they come to the years of accountability and are able to take this letter from their father who is now deceased and read it.

Here's what it says. My children, how you are to love God the Lord, how you must honor and love your mother and love your neighbor and fulfill all other commandments required of you by the Lord in the New Testament will teach you whatever is not contained therein, believe not.

Right before he was taken out to die he turned to those persons responsible for his death and said, you citizens bear witness that we die for no other reason than for the true word of God. There's some young children here this evening.

Encouraging Children to Search the Scriptures

I want to just give you a little encouragement. Some of you here that love the gospel truth and you love to hear good preaching. I know there's some here like that tonight and you love the Lord and you love to sing.

I know there's some children here like that this evening and you probably wonder, when will I be brought into this family of God? When will I become part of this household of faith? You children in that category I want to talk to you this evening just for a little while.

Here's an old child, a young I don't know how old he was. We don't have his age. He was brought before the civil Lord. How came it they asked that he, that is the church leader the itinerant apostle that came around from farmhouse to farmhouse from wood thicket to wood thicket from cave to cave and ministered to the gathered saints otherwise scattered as he passed through his journey.

They referred to him when they said that he did not baptize you. The boy a mere lad yet and a dear child replied my Lords, when the teacher presented the faith to me and had questioned me, he well perceived that I was still young in understanding and bade me search the scripture still more.

But I desired that it be done. That is, he desired that baptism take place. He then asked me whether I knew that the world puts to death and burns such people. I replied, I know it well. He then said to me, hence I pray you that you have patience for this time until I come another time.

Search the scriptures and ask the Lord for wisdom. What a challenge! What a testimony! As that traveling evangelist moved on to the skies marking the spot when once again he returned to that place to see if that boy would be there.

But that boy was not there! He went he died before the water baptized his outward face. Some of the quotations here from history and I don't feel led to read here tonight. It doesn't matter what the Anabaptist position was.

It does not matter what the Mennonite position is tonight. It does not matter what the church's position is. What the hierarchy's position is tonight. It does not matter. There's only one thing that matters.

It matters what the Bible position is on every subject. Let all other voices be judged by what is here. In that regard, according to the authority of the church as sufficient authority for infant baptism you must ask the scriptures not the church.

The scriptures must always be open and not the reverse. The church is under the judgment of God. If I did not believe the gospel, I would never believe the church since the church is built on the gospel.

So Christ says, thou art Peter if thou believest and professest. If thou believest and professest I will build my church instructed in the word of God that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God.

That on this foundation we may build gold and silver and precious stones. That is faith and profession. Certainly the church is based on this our faith and profession and not our faith in the church. We taught that as good as we could a few weeks ago.

Proclaim the word of God that God himself is and has become man. This is clear to me tonight. I trust it is of challenge to you. One more note on Anabaptist history before I move on to a more spiritual New Testament discussion.

The New Testament as the Fulfillment of Old Testament Shadows

The Anabaptists did not believe in a flat what do I mean by a flat Bible? Progressive doctrines that God revealed himself in Sunday times in diverse manners spoken to the Father by the prophets but have in these last days spoken unto us by his Son whom he hath made heir of all things.

And there was a time when the hardness of man's heart required a law to be engraved upon stone and for a mountain to shake and for lightning and thundering to take place and for the darkness and tempest to come.

There was a time in 2 Corinthians 3 when you not come to such a mountain that quakes and trembles but you come unto man's Zion. There is a progressive doctrine there is a requirement that is held forth for us in the New Testament that was not required back here.

And it was that basic misunderstanding of how there is a higher law required a higher possibility higher privilege a higher freedom in our time than what was possible there to lead to such things as this as such monstrosities such caricatures such mutations as this in church life a bligamy divorce and remarriage red-handed war the swearing of oaths because men do not realize that we have moved away from the tights and shadows into the perfect fulfillment realization of the coming of Christ.

And so we do not build Christian practice tonight upon what we find in the Old Testament that rather we'll probably find in the New Testament. Knox replied the law of Moses was not our God but the teachings of Christ.

What was commanded in the law is not commanded in the gospel of Christ. And so he's trying to tell this Catholic man here that we are too whole to a position that's of the New Testament so persecute church.

If you cannot all meet at once, let half come or even a quarter. When you read, read mostly the New Testament and the Psalms, you must know that God spoke to the Jews through Moses and the prophets in a hidden manner.

But when Christ himself came, he and his apostles eliminated all things with a much clear understanding. Christ said quite openly that the law and all the prophets are summed up in these two commandments.

Love God with all your heart and your neighbor as yourself. Although it is good to read in the prophets and in the books of the kings and in Moses, it is not really necessary. One finds everything in the New Testament.

Another quote, he showed his people a new covenant, which they would need if their righteousness were to exceed that of the scribes and Pharisees. Jerome is chapter 9. In the Sermon on the Mount is chapter 5 of Matthew.

Jesus six times between verses 17 and 48 took six standards that were established by Old Testament law and placed upon them the gift of grace the ministry of faith and spirit. And called forth a standard there in those six simple words the six simple thoughts called forth there a dogma called forth there a position that a man cannot possibly live apart from the spirit of God within his heart.

Keep that in mind as we look at chapter 9 of Romans and read verses 30 to 33. What shall we say then that the Gentiles which followed not into righteousness have attained to righteousness even the righteousness which is of faith?

That Israel followed after the law of righteousness. Excuse me but Israel which followed after the law of righteousness hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they saw it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law.

For they stumbled at that stumbling stone as it is written. The old island Zion a stumbling stone and a rock of offense. And whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. We said according to what he had done about his brethren the same words Jesus gave in that fifth chapter.

Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall no case enter into the kingdom of heaven. Now what was Jesus talking about? I want to make something clear here this evening.

Jesus Christ recognized the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. He knew there was a degree of righteousness there and recognized it and gave credence to it. But he said your righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees.

What was he talking about? There is a degree of external righteousness and external sobriety and external holy living that the scribes and Pharisees describe to you. And Christ recognized that. It's for that reason he said they sit in Moses' feet and they give you some orders and some commandments that are for you to follow.

But he said your righteousness must exceed that. Why? Because you must have in your heart the nature of God planted that will bring forth freedom to God which is what they did not have. And so he's telling us here that there is a people who never were taught the law as the Jews were taught it.

They were taught how to ascribe to a certain code of conduct and how to regulate their lives by some external means to bring them into some holy walk with God. They never were taught that. But lo and behold they got Christ in their hearts and fruit came forth and they fulfilled the righteousness of God.

Now here's a simple illustration. A person that given some particular one, but some regulation were going to impose upon you and we've taught this child, this young person this now young adult, this position, this condition from little one up.

And so there came a time in life when they made the external change and took upon themselves the form of this conformity. You know what I'm talking about. But their lives weren't changed. They're trying to find which was other law.

Lo and behold over here you have somebody who was never taught these things from little up never knew anything about it. But they had Christ born in their hearts and they were driven by that. And there they found such simple teaching that now a child of God should be separate from the passions of this world and live a modest and childlike and Christlike life.

And they desired it with all their hearts. And you see immediately some changes start to take place within themselves. And they might not come up to or come out at the same place with this regimented regulated code that brought it.

But lo and behold, the fruits of righteousness are there. We stand back and marvel. We can't understand it. How did it happen? But the faith of Lord Jesus Christ brings forth fruit unto God. Romans chapter 8 if you go one page back in your Bible or forward, says this so very well.

There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit. For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

For what the law could not view, in that it was wicked of flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and foreseeing condemned sin in the flesh that the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit.

The Spirit-Constrained Life and the Danger of External Security

That verse challenges me to say something to you tonight. Do you have your ears tuned? Do you get every word here? I can come to you apart from this book, apart from the life-giving message, and give you some kind of external condition whereby you can subscribe or enter into some communion, into some brotherhood, into some organization.

But write these things down. There can be five of them. There can be five hundred of them. And I want you to know that every thing that I can give you to do before I receive you into this fellowship or church or group, whatever you call it, I want you to know while you listen tonight, that you can do every one of those things by the power of your flesh.

You need no Spirit of God to do any of those things. This is a serving thought. And yet there you are. Well, you say, look, look, look, I've been brought under your control. I'll tell you what you remind me of, you carnal person.

You unsafe soul living in that condition. I'll tell you what you remind me of tonight. You remind me of a lion in a zoo at Philadelphia. And there you are behind the bar and you've got a wall around you and a whole gym.

And there you are in there, you look the same as a kitten. The lion's harder than you. You look the same as a kitten. Because there's a wall restraining you and holding you down. Conform to holiness and discipleship and simplicity.

Place you over there with Nebuchadnezzar, with the three Hebrew children and see how well it works. No scriptural position is not a lack of Oh, it's the discipline of the highest kind. I want you to know there's a tremendous difference between being restrained tonight or being constrained.

You're being held back and brought into order. And I must admit, there you are chained back. It's possible for you to be constrained by the love of Christ working in your heart. Call because of life within your position as we understand it this evening.

Dear brothers and sisters, and we love you tonight. Our hearts are out for you. We spent time in preparation for the souls that are here this evening. Dear brothers and sisters, it's possible for you to meet a savior without having met God.

The Valley of Dry Bones, chapter 37. The book is Ezekiel. And we ask this question, can these bones that question not too many years ago about my own life, can these dry bones live? The answer is yes.

When once the breath of God blows upon those bodies, and then there shall be life in them, there shall be a mighty army for our God. I call you. I invite you. With the blue, chapter 2 of Acts. The word wind there, the blue in that chapter is the exact same word that Jesus used when the Bible says in chapter 20 that it breathes that wind which blows where it lifts us.

And you hear the sound of the red but cannot tell for what to come of the withered ghost that is that breath of God which must blow into our hearts day by day. The man who says that prayer is the Christian's vital breath understood what he was talking about, apart from breathing and then filling.

The Word That Judges and Quickens the Believer

Why? A sola scriptura position. Because it is this word that shall judge us in the final day. The words I speak unto you they are spirit and life. The word which I spoken you are foolish tonight. I am foolish tonight if I regulate my life by anything except that which will someday judge me.

I am a foolish man. I shall stand here to be judged by this ever-quickening word that I can bring to my support and dedication will suffice nothing if my life does not line up with this word. I am afraid of anything.

I am afraid of anything that can eclipse from my carnal mind and I've got a mind that's tending towards sin just like all of you have. I am afraid of anything that appeals to this carnal mind and give me a degree of security and give me the impression for a minute, give me the impression for a period of time that my life meets the requirements of God apart from this pure and living word that we find here.