Advent II- Scriptural Authority- Romans 15: 4

(This week's post is a revision of a post first published in 2011.)

This Second Sunday in Advent has often been called "Bible Sunday" among Anglicans and other English-speaking Christians. The collect and lessons for the day were developed by Archbishop Cranmer for the 1549 BCP. They all refer in differing ways to the importance of Scripture and reflect the Reformation's influence on Anglican foundations.

We also see this theme in the Thirty-nine Articles of Religion. Article VI is titled Of the Sufficiency of the Holy Scriptures for Salvation, and it says: Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation: so that whatsoever is not read therein, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man, that it should be believed as an article of the Faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation. In the name of the Holy Scripture we do understand those canonical Books of the Old and New Testament, of whose authority was never any doubt in the Church.

Thus, authentic Anglicanism believes in the supremacy of the Holy Scriptures. There may be other things in life that are good, useful, or beautiful, but Scripture reigns supreme in matters of  doctrine and in matters of salvation. Church tradition and human logic and experience guided by the Holy Spirit have their places in Christian life and thought, but they must always be in harmony with God's revelation contained in the long-accepted canon of Holy Scripture. There is no surer foundation in this world, and consciences must not be burdened by those who would impose other standards.

Some people claim that the Scriptures are not clear, but the general teachings of the Bible are clear and have been agreed upon by sensible and honest Christian readers for two millennia. Although there are legitimate debates about how to understand some particular passages, there are clear teachings about the basics. These basics are the kinds of things that have been summarized in the Apostles' and Nicene Creeds, in the Ten Commandments, in the Two Great Commandments, and in the Catechism. Such clear teachings permeate the whole canon of Scripture, and any verses that seem obscure should be understood in ways that are consistent with the clearer passages.

Accepting the principle of divine revelation as recorded in the ancient canon of Holy Scripture is a basic Christian supposition.  Like other basic points (such as the existence of God or the centrality of Jesus Christ), either we accept Holy Scripture as a basic foundation of Christianity or we refuse to accept the Christian message.

Christians believe that God's Spirit inspired human beings to write down various stories, histories, poems, and prophecies, that the same Holy Spirit has guided the community of faith to accept these writings rather than some others and that God continues to speak to believers through the words of Scripture applied through the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

If we accept Christianity and its Scriptures as given by God, then we see the purposes of Scripture. The Bible was "written for our learning" (Romans 15:4). Apart from Scripture, we know very little about God. We might philosophize about a creator. We might even theorize about some sort of moral order in the universe. Yet, such philosophy is rather vague and does not do much to satisfy human souls. And apart from Scripture, we would not know about Jesus Christ. From general history, we might believe that there was some Jewish teacher by that name from Galilee who impressed some ancient people. However, apart from the canonical Scriptures, we would not know much about His person, teachings, or deeds. And apart from Scripture, we certainly would not know Him as the living Word and Son of God who laid down His life and took it up again to save our very souls.

The Bible also helps us deal with real life, with our situation as imperfect believers within an imperfect world. And despite our own frailties and the corruptions we see in the world around us, Christians are characterized by hope. We have true and lasting hope. We have hope for the grace to be faithful in this world and hope to dwell with God eternally after our time in this world.

Advent is a season characterized by hope, but Christian hope must not be nebulous. From ancient Israel, through the New Testament period and down through Christian history, true hope depends upon divine revelation in the Holy Scriptures. In particular, our hope depends upon Jesus Christ, the living Word to whom all Scripture bears witness. He is the One who was to come, who has come, who keeps coming into our lives, and who will come again. "O come, O come, Emmanuel."