Learning to Speak Christianese, Part 5

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness…” ~2 Timothy 3:16

We are wrapping up our look at some common Christian vernacular. We first defined the term Redemptive History — the idea that God superintends all things according to the counsel of His will. We then began parsing the term Reformed Tradition. This refers to the historic, orthodox, confessional, and covenantal system of belief that emphasizes the sovereignty and grace of God in salvation, the authority of Scripture, and the place of the Church in the Redemptive-Historical plan of God. Today we will finish by explaining the role of Scripture in the Church and the role of Church in history.

Our Confession tells us the authority of Scripture depends solely on its Author. Because it comes to us from the mouth of God (who is truth itself), the Bible is to be received, believed, and obeyed (WCF 1.4). In other words, because the Bible is God-breathed, it is completely authoritative in the life of the individual Christian and the Church. When someone joins our congregation, they take membership vows, the third of which says, “Do you accept the Bible, comprised of the Old and New Testaments, as the written Word of God, and that it is the only perfect rule of faith and how to live?” We ask all our members to affirm that Scripture is perfect in its ability to teach us what to believe and how to live. It is the ultimate authority in the life of God’s people.

Speaking of God’s people (the Church), who are they and how do they fit into God’s Redemptive-Historical plan? Galatians 6:16 says, “Peace and mercy be upon… the Israel of God.” What is meant by the phrase “Israel of God”? The Apostle Paul says in Romans 2:29 that being a part of Israel is about heart-circumcision (faith) rather than flesh-circumcision (ethnicity). He says in Romans 4:12 that those who walk by faith are the true children of Abraham (see also Galatians 3:7, 9, 29). In Romans 9:6-8 Paul tells us that the children of the promise (that is, the Covenant of Grace) are true Israelites. And in Philippians 3:3 he says that “the circumcision” (shorthand for Israel) are those “who worship by the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus.” Surely he is here referring to Christians. We must, therefore, conclude that the Israel of God is the people of God throughout Redemptive History who have placed their faith in the promises of God in Christ Jesus. What is the Church? It is the Israel of God — those who have been (the remnant within Old Testament Israel), are (the invisible Church today), and shall be (Jew and Gentile who will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ), gathered into one under Christ Jesus her Head. How wonderful to know, Christian, that you are a part of the one people of God throughout the ages, who are indissolubly joined to the Lord Jesus Christ forever.

Rev. Kyle Lockhart, Pastor of Teaching & Spiritual Formation