Back To “The Way” Through Bible Authority
by Carlos Aguilar

Before we can discuss God’s plan for salvation it is important to have a firm foundation upon which we can build. Is the Bible God’s Word? Is it reliable? It is the final arbiter when it comes to disagreements among men? The following lessons will provide a foundation upon which we can study. It is a series of lessons designed to demonstrate Bible authority. God has blessed us by revealing His will. His word is truth and it is what will make us free (John 8:32; 17:17) we should therefore seek its counsel in all things. These lessons were taught to me many years ago while living in Washington State. I would give credit to whom credit is due but unfortunately the author is unknown to me. Over the years I have made some modifications as I have taught and preached them. I hope they edify you as they have edified me and always use them the glory of our Heavenly Father.

We spoke of a foundation. As a firm foundation is important to the building of a home so is a firm foundation necessary when building a spiritual life. The foundation we must begin with is God. In Genesis 1:1 Moses writes of God, “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The heavens and the earth did not exist until God created it. God called it into being. He and He alone has the inherent power and authority to dictate any and every thing. He is whom we must build our spiritual lives upon. No other can be placed there. Therefore in our quest to establish Bible Authority we must start with God as our foundation:

From Scripture we find that this authority that God has, was given to His beloved Son. Jesus speaking in Matt 28:18 says, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.” He now has this same authority. We can add Jesus to our chart:

In turn, Jesus delegated this authority to His apostles. Our Lord said to His disciples in John 20:21, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” He also said in John 13:20, “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who receives whomever I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.” This authority, which started with God and was passed down to Jesus, was then delegated to His apostles.

These same apostles used this authority to preach and teach God’s word. They fulfilled the commandment given to them by our Lord to, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matt 28:19-20). They also wrote letters to the Lord’s people, which we understand to be the New Testament. Paul writes in Ephesians 3:3-4, “how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I have briefly written already, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ).” Let’s add this to our developing chart:

Mankind looks to the New Testament to understand what was once a mystery but has now been revealed to mankind through the pens of men. Some might have difficulty accepting a document written by men as authoritative since men are fallible (Rom 3:23). Most documents or books written by men are riddled with errors so why should we trust this one. The creator of the universe assisted these men in writing this living document. He sent the Holy Spirit to guide them in the writing of these letters. In John 16:13 Jesus said, “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.” Paul states in 1Cor 2:10, “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” We can now add to our chart the Holy Spirit:

We will continue our study next week. 

You Can't Get There From Here!
Author Unknown

It was the depth of "the great depression" in Western Oklahoma, and there was nothing but dust blowing for as far as you could see. There would be no crop again this year. So it was that Dad decided it was time to hunt for greener pastures. The family packed everything up and headed for Arkansas. At least it someone said, it was supposed to rain there!

While searching for this one particular farm that was for sale, the family became lost and needed directions, and so they asked a young man if he knew the way to that farm. "Yep," he replied, "You go down this road to the second fork, then turn left, and...No. Go to the third turnoff and then go right...No, that won't get there, neither. Try going back about a mile, then turn left at the lake, go...No. Mister, I don't think you can get there from here. You're gonna have to start from somewhere else."

That old joke illustrates a vital truth in the spiritual realm. We all want to "go home" to be with God, and we search for the way that leads there. But the truth is, we sometimes can't get there from we are. Jesus said, "Enter by the narrow gate…there are few who find it," Matt. 7:13-14. If that sounds too narrow and restrictive, it could be because we don't appreciate the glories of Heaven and the path that leads there. Later in that same conversation, Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven” Mt 7:21. Just having the desire to go to heaven is no guarantee we will. Jesus further said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” Jn 14:6. He is our only access to the Father. All those who go to heaven must go by Jesus Christ. There is no other way to God.

Further, no one is going to go to heaven by accident. Multitudes yearn for the joys and security of heaven, but they can't get there because they are ignorant of God's plan of salvation. Jesus explained, "It is written in the prophets, 'And they shall all be taught by God.' Therefore everyone who has heard and learned from the Father comes to Me,” Jn 6:45. One must learn the path God wants for him to walk before he can walk it. Christianity is a "taught religion," and the thing taught is clearly revealed. "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes…For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, 'The just shall live by faith,’” Rom 1:16-17. Paul later said, "So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God,” Rom 10:17.

Before his conversion, Saul of Tarsus (Paul) was an ardent defender of Judaism. He not only opposed Christianity, he persecuted Christians and helped to put them to death (Acts 26:9-10). After his conversion to Christ, he said, "Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did….” This man, later looked back over his life and wrote, "although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief,” 1 Tim 1:13. He was sincere, he was honest, he earnestly believed he was right to oppose Christianity - but he was wrong. He could not go to heaven from a state of ignorance. He had to learn the truth.

Paul knew that ignorance could not save. After he came to Christ, he spent the rest of his life preaching the gospel of Christ. In Athens he found a city full of idols, and he began his preaching by talking about their altar "To The Unknown God” Acts 17:23. He told them, "Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,” Acts 17:30. Jesus said it clearly, "you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free,” Jn 8:32. The only way to come to God is to learn from God (Jn 6:45). Only by knowing His truth can we be made free (Jn 8:32).

God's hatred of sin is clearly chronicled in His word (Prov 6:16; 8:13; etc.). How much He hates sin is revealed best at Calvary, where Christ died to set us free from the shackles of sin. It is sin that separates us from God (Isa 59:2). Jesus told the people of His day, "I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish,” Lk 13:3. When the gospel was first preached after the death of Jesus on the cross, and people asked what to do, the first thing they were told was to "repent" Acts 2:38. To repent means to change one's mind about sin. If one truly intends to go to heaven, he must be willing to repent of sin, and leave that kind of life.

The good news is that people can change. Christ will not save people in their sins, but He is anxious to forgive those who are willing to leave sin. "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God." But then the apostle added, "And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified…” 1 Cor 6:9-11. Notice what Paul said, "such were some of you." They had been sinners. But that was in the past. They had quit living that kind of life. These people could not get to heaven if they continued to steal, get drunk, revile, etc. But they could "repent." And when they did, the road to heaven was opened to them.

A ruler of the Jews, who considered himself a child of Abraham and a citizen of the kingdom of God, came to Jesus by night. He said "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him," Jn 3:2. Imagine his surprise when Jesus replied, "unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God,” Jn 3:3. But, Nicodemus wondered, how is it possible for a man be born again? Jesus answered and said, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God,” Jn 3:5.

The apostle Paul wrote, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us...Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life,” Rom 5:8; 6:3-4. When one is born, he begins new life - that is precisely what the word of God says happens when we are baptized into the death of Christ. Paul also said in 2 Cor. 5:17, "if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature.” When one is "baptized into Christ” Rom 6:3, he becomes a "new creature” 2 Cor 5:17, because he has been "born of water and the Spirit” Jn 3:5.

In spiritual regeneration, the "old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with,” Rom 6:6. The new life in Christ is begun with the new birth. The apostle Paul refers to this as the "washing of regeneration” Tit 3:5 that saves us from our sins. This is exactly what the Lord stated in the great commission, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned," Mk 16:15-16. There is the washing of regeneration. There is the new birth. There is the road to heaven.

If you are in a situation where "you can't get there from here," then change. Learn the will of God for your life by studying carefully His word to you, repent of your sins and turn from them, be baptized into Christ and into His death. Then, having been born again, you can walk confidently in that "newness of life" which leads God's child to His heavenly home. 

Yes, my friend, before time began, there was God. For instance, God Is not bound by time or space. His nature demands that He is Self-existing! Consider, these three examples:

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth"“Gen1:1

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God"“Jn 1:1

"For by Him (that, is Christ), all things were created both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible.” Col 1:16

The God who created this world and made you and me, will exist forever! When this world is no more and you and I exist no longer -- God will, because He Is Self-existing!

Food For Thought

“When you don't know where you are going, 
it is hard to tell when you get there.”
Yogi Berra