Distinct Characteristics of Hope Bible Church (Pt. 6)
The first distinctive of Hope Bible Church is Expository Preaching. The second distinctive of Hope Bible Church is Biblical Counseling and the doctrine that undergirds it, The Sufficiency of Scripture.
This is the belief that when it comes to the non-biological needs of each believer in Jesus we need only the Scriptures empowered by the Holy Spirit to meet our needs and make us more like Jesus.
The doctrine of the sufficiency of Scripture is not as well known as doctrines like the inspiration and authority of Scripture. It is a doctrine that has been assumed at times by the church and at other times has come under fire from a number of angles. The Bible does not claim to be sufficient to teach us how to build an airplane, program a computer, cook a meal, grow a garden, or make money on Wall Street. It does, however, claim to deal adequately with our spiritual needs and the ministry of the church including all things pertaining to the spiritual life.
The believer must understand that to trust in God’s word means to trust only in God’s word and fully in God’s word. Implied is the word of God’s sufficiency for life and godliness. Sufficiency is an affirmation in the belief that God did not merely speak in the Bible but spoke carefully and with much thought. He chose to say what He said and include what He included. When He was done speaking, the product was exactly what He had planned, having the effect He desired. We bow to the greater wisdom of God and trust His brilliance to know that He said enough for all of our spiritual needs. Sufficiency is an important doctrine to round off and help explain the results of the inspiration of Scripture from an all-caring God. It is the result of our belief in sola scriptura. Therefore it is a doctrine worthy of our study and defense.
Of this doctrine Dr. John MacArthur wrote in the TMS Journal, Fall 2004, The Sufficiency of Scripture, “God’s Word is sufficient to meet every need of the human soul as David verifies frequently in his psalms. Psalm 19:7-14 is the most comprehensive statement regarding the sufficiency of Scripture. It is an inspired statement about Scripture as a qualified guide for every situation. Scripture is comprehensive, containing everything necessary for one’s spiritual life. Scripture is surer than a human experience that one may look to in proving God’s power and presence. Scripture contains divine principles that are the best guide for character and conduct. Scripture is lucid rather than mystifying so that it enlightens the eyes. Scripture is void of any flaws and therefore lasts forever. Scripture is true regarding all things that matter, making it capable of producing comprehensive righteousness. Because it meets every need in life, Scripture is infinitely more precious than anything this world has to offer.”
The word of God is under attack in the evangelical church just as it has undergone attack in other churches in the past. However, this attack is different. Rather than denying the Bible’s inspiration, inerrancy, or sole authority, the current attack upon the word of God is primarily against its sufficiency and efficacy. The modern conservative church unfortunately has been sending a message out to its people, “The Bible is true, but it is not adequate to deal with the needs of the soul or all the modern needs of the church.” The implications of this modern denial of sufficiency, whether stated explicitly or believed implicitly, are weighty. If the word of God is not adequate, the use of Scripture in the church must be augmented with some other source or sources, whether revelatory or rational to complete what is lacking in the Scripture. Furthermore, God Himself seems diminished since He did not speak thoroughly enough in Scripture to guide His people through all the needs of life. A God who could not anticipate all the ills of the soul and the complexities of the modern church, then provide a book that dealt with it sufficiently, is not much of a God to worship.
Sufficiency does not mean that God has revealed everything to us which could be known. It is not the doctrine of the comprehensiveness of Scripture but the sufficiency of Scripture. Enough has been revealed for us to know how to live and face life the way God wants us to. See Deuteronomy 29:29.
Scripture affirms its own sufficiency. The gospel is powerful enough to enact salvation. Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.” The gospel is both sufficient and effective in bringing people to salvation. A person gets regenerated, forgiven, redeemed, saved, justified, and transferred from the kingdom of darkness to the kingdom of light, by simply hearing the word of God and believing it.
Furthermore, salvation is not just positional before God. It transforms hearts in everyday experience. It effects new, holy desires and enables power over sin in the believer. It also brings the indwelling of the Holy Spirit who empowers the regenerate nature in NT believers. All of this, is given to the believer, plus eternal glory, because of the power and efficacy of holy Scripture!
Since salvation, rightly understood, results in people who are being transformed into the image of Christ and life in the Spirit, the sufficiency of the gospel powerfully affects many of the ills normally ascribed to modern day counselors such as fears (phobias), anger, depression, relationships, family, and self-concept. 2 Timothy 3:16, 17 affirms that inspiration leads to sufficiency. In particular it declares that the Bible is sufficient in church ministry by the “man of God.” The man of God is a technical term for the man ministering the word of God among God’s people. Considering the great amount of needs that pastors like Timothy had to deal with in each congregation, from relational issues to emotional issues to doctrinal controversies and serving the people of God while getting out the gospel to the world, this is a strong endorsement of the power of Scripture. The man of God is sufficiently prepared for all he needs to do in ministry in the church by the Scriptures. If the teacher who has the greatest responsibility and largest oversight in the congregation is so thoroughly prepared, then logically everyone else involved in ministry in church is prepared as well. The Book is sufficient for all within the church.
According to 2 Corinthians 3:18 believers under the new covenant do not have their vision of God’s glory covered in any way like Moses in the OT. NT believers see in Scripture the glory of God and are transformed. As we look at the Lord Jesus through the Scriptures, we are continually transformed to be like Him. As perfect then as Christ is (who is emotionally stable, intellectually sound, morally responsible, socially mature, perfectly balanced in all things), we are becoming like Him through our learning the word of Christ. Nothing else is needed but the word of God to accomplish Christ-likeness. And the goal of Christ-likeness is the greatest human achievement that the Holy Spirit works out within us. No modern therapy can make a human better than a Christ-like person. This sufficiency of Scripture then covers categories that modern people might label “psychological” and would urge pastors to pass people on to modern therapists so that they can use their expertise.
Hebrews 4:12 teaches that God’s word is living and active and therefore sufficient and powerful in exposing the inner intentions of the heart. The truth of the Bible goes down into the deepest parts of the human mind and soul and reveals whatever is true. Often it uncovers a lack of commitment to God, weak faith, selfish motives, and proud thoughts. Down in the deepest recesses of the soul, it confronts sin and exposes it for what it is. The church must always remember and believe that nothing can penetrate more deeply and thus deal with the real needs of man better than the word of God. The word of God goes the deepest and affects the greatest kind of change. No psychological theory has as much insight into the motives and problems of each church person. No psychotherapy is as helpful to man as the straight and pure word of God.
Acts 20:20, 27, 32 also point to the sufficiency of Scripture. Verse 20 states, “I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable.” That does not merely mean that what Paul preached was profitable (which, in itself, would not mean that what he preached was sufficient). It also means that anything which was profitable to the church he did not fail to preach. Paul was thorough, and he did not leave the church ill equipped. Verse 27 states ”For I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole purpose of God.” Would the sanctification and wholeness of the individuals of God’s kingdom be part of the whole purpose of God? I think we would all agree it would! This verse then speaks to the sufficiency of Scripture in making people the way God wants them to be. Consequently, it speaks to the sufficiency for counseling, discipleship, family instruction, and many other areas of life. If we have all we need to be godly, why would we be looking outside of Scripture for lessons on life? Verse 32 adds “Now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” Paul wanted all the churches to rely on the word of His grace.
We should trust in Scriptural counsel alone for the needs of the congregation. Romans 15:14 “And concerning you, my brethren, I myself also am convinced that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able also to admonish one another.” We should train the people in church to know the word of God well and how it applies to the heart of people. The more skilled we are in wielding the sword of the Spirit, the better off our people will be.
This distinctive of HBC attracts people to our church who want to learn to have full confidence in the word of God to guide them for life and solve their problems with God-given wisdom.