But prayerfully, with dependence upon the Holy Spirit who leads into all truth. The believer who submits to the Word, wa
not from God, regardless of how spiritual it sounds. The fruit reveals the root.
But prayerfully, with dependence upon the Holy Spirit who leads into all truth. The believer who submits to the Word, walks in and fellowship with the Spirit, and maintains fellowship with the people of God will be kept from fatal error.
Declaring the Whole Counsel of God The responsibility of the church and its teachers is not to proclaim favorite portions of Scripture, but the whole counsel of God. Paul's statement in Acts 20:27 was made in the context of his farewell to the Ephesian elders. He had spent three years among them, teaching publicly and from house to house. He could declare with a clear conscience that he had not withheld anything profitable. This is the standard for faithful ministry.
The whole counsel of God includes doctrine, reproof, correction, and instruction in righteousness. It includes the law and the gospel. It includes warnings of judgment and promises of grace. It includes the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. To emphasize one truth to the exclusion of others is to distort the faith. The doctrine of devils often works by half-
truth. It takes a biblical principle and wrenches it from its context, magnifying it until it contradicts other equally biblical principles. The doctrine of men often works by addition, supplementing Scripture with requirements God never gave.
The doctrine according to godliness alone presents the whole counsel in balance and proportion. It declares that God is both just and the justifier of him who believes in Jesus. It proclaims that salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone, and that the faith which saves is never alone but produces works. It affirms that God is sovereign in election and that man is commanded to repent and believe. It holds together transcendence and immanence, wrath and love, holiness and mercy. This is the healthy, wholesome teaching that nourishes the soul.
The pastor, teacher, and parent who would be faithful must therefore commit to expository ministry. They must labor to understand the text in its context, to explain its meaning with accuracy, and to apply its truth with courage. They must resist the temptation to ride hobby horses or to avoid