The Spirit's Seal: Certainty in God's Infallible Word

Paragraph 5: “We can be led by what the church of God says to have a high and reverent esteem for the Bible. The Bible’s divine message, the power of its teachings, its majestic style, how all its parts agree, its main purpose (which is to give all glory to God), its complete revelation of the only way for people to be saved, and its many other unique and perfect qualities are all strong proofs that it is truly the Word of God. However, our complete certainty and assurance that the Bible is infallibly true and divinely authoritative comes from the Holy Spirit’s inner work, as He bears witness with and through the Word in our hearts.”

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This is one of the central tenets of the Reformed faith, which is the self-authenticating nature of Scripture coupled with the indispensable role of the Holy Spirit. This position is echoed and expounded upon by a host of Reformed and Puritan authors.

The starting point of paragraph 5 is what is often called the internal evidence for the Bible's authority. Take note of the list of qualities of the Scripture that this paragraph provides—its divine message, the power of its teachings, its internal consistency, its life-transforming power— these are not the foundation of its authority, but rather a powerful, cumulative witness to its divine origin. They are compelling arguments that can lead a person to "a high and reverent esteem for the Bible."

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Let’s listen to the Puritan theologian John Flavel. He says, "The Scriptures carry their own witness with them; and though we may argue strongly for them from their antiquity, their miracles, the consent of all ages, their preservation in spite of all opposition, yet all these are but helps to faith, and not the foundation of it."

This distinction is crucial. External pieces of evidence are helpful in commending the Bible to those who are skeptical, but they cannot produce the full, saving faith that rests on the Bible as the very Word of God. John MacArthur adds, "The authority of Scripture does not depend on our emotional feelings or on intellectual arguments. It rests on the fact that it is God's Word. And the Holy Spirit works in our hearts to affirm that reality."

Now, do we see any problem with the testimony of the church? This is where the Reformed tradition sharply diverges from Roman Catholicism. Louis Berkhof, in his Systematic Theology, addresses this directly, highlighting the Reformation's position. He says, "The Reformers maintained that the Bible has authority in itself as the inspired Word of God...While Rome taught that the Bible owes its authority to the Church, they maintained that it has authority in itself as the inspired Word of God."

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We say the church is not the source of the Bible's authority, but rather its servant. The church, through the Holy Spirit's guidance, recognized and compiled the books of the Bible, but it did not make them authoritative. Their authority was inherent because they were divinely inspired. Yes, the church's testimony is a valuable and historically important guide, but it is not the ultimate ground of faith. As R.C. Sproul explains, "The church is the servant of the Word, not the master of the Word."

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What about human authority? Human authority is inadequate! If you will take time to listen to James White’s lectures, he directly confronts the idea that the church or any other human institution confers authority on the Bible. In a debate transcript, he writes, "Their authority comes from their nature as God-breathed revelation. Their authority is not dependent upon man, church or council." He also asks, "What is to become of miserable consciences in quest of some solid assurance of eternal life, if all the promises with regard to it have no better support than man's Judgment?" The great Puritan John Owen also warned against this, saying, "The authority of the church is a great instrument of faith, but it is not the foundation of it."

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What about traditions? We reject the Roman Catholic view of co-equal authority between Scripture and tradition. The Reformation was a restoration of the early church's principle that all doctrine must be proven from Scripture. The claim that the church has the sole authority to interpret Scripture, or that its tradition is an independent source of divine revelation, is illegitimate. I recommend William Webster’s work in this matter. Webster asserts that the Bible is "materially sufficient" and that all revelation God intended for humanity to possess is recorded in the written Word. John MacArthur concurs, stating, "The Bible is the sole and final authority for all matters of faith and practice. Tradition is helpful only to the degree that it accurately reflects and affirms biblical truth. It can never supersede or stand on an equal level with the Word of God."

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We have to be reminded of the core of the matter: the "internal testimony of the Holy Spirit." This is the key to moving from a rational, intellectual assent to a deep, faith-filled conviction. James White says that the Bible is the ultimate guiding factor for Christian doctrine and that it is the "only way of making sure we are allowing God to speak rather than our speaking for God." This implies the Holy Spirit's work is essential for believers to correctly interpret and submit to the divine message of the Bible. James White also points out that the Holy Spirit won't lead someone to do something "contrary to Scripture," as the Spirit and the Word are in perfect harmony.

John Murray, a towering figure in Reformed theology, articulated this with great clarity. In his essay "The Attestation of Scripture," he argues that the Bible must be self-authenticating, and that the Holy Spirit is the one who enables us to perceive this. John Murray says, "The doctrine of Scripture must be based upon the witness of Scripture just as any other doctrine...The objective witness is that Scripture is authoritative by reason of the character it possesses as the infallible Word of God and this divine quality belongs to Scripture because it is the product of God's creative breath through the mode of plenary inspiration by the Holy Spirit."

Murray goes on to explain that this objective reality requires a subjective work of the Spirit for it to be received. The Holy Spirit does not give a new revelation, but He opens the eyes of the heart to see and embrace the authority that is already present in the written Word. He makes the Word of God "alive and active" (Hebrews 4:12) to the reader.

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Now, one of the Reformed preachers who has influenced me so much is Martyn Lloyd-Jones. He remains a celebrated Reformed Methodist preacher who hammered this point home in his sermons. He insisted that true faith does not rest on human arguments but on the divine work of the Spirit. He often contrasted the intellectual approach with the spiritual one: He says, "The ultimate ground of the authority of the Bible for the Christian is not in historical evidence...but it is in the witness of the Holy Spirit in the heart and soul."

For Lloyd-Jones, this was not a mystical, anti-intellectual position. Instead, it was the only way to arrive at a truly unshakable foundation for faith. The historical and rational arguments can be debated and challenged, but the inner work of the Holy Spirit is a sovereign, personal, and irrefutable witness.

What about the Puritans? The Puritans were deeply committed to this truth, too. They understood that the mind and the heart must be brought to bear on the Word of God, but that without the Holy Spirit, the mind's work would be sterile. The great Puritan John Owen wrote, "The word of God is not to be received from the authority of man, but from the authority of God. And this authority is inwardly and efficaciously testified to the heart by the Holy Spirit."

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In essence, while the church's testimony and the Bible's inherent qualities can be used by God to draw a person to the truth, the ultimate ground for a person's faith in the Bible is the direct, saving work of the Holy Spirit, who opens the heart to believe what the mind can only see as probable. This is the solid rock upon which the Summarium Fidei Christianae Filipinas stands.