Day 44: Scripture and the Church

Scripture
"Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so." Acts 17:11 ESV

"So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone." Ephesians 2:20–21 ESV

Confessional Summary
The church is built on God's Word. She does not possess the authority to invent doctrine or revise revelation. Her foundation is apostolic witness, and her cornerstone is Christ.

The Westminster Confession states plainly that the church is not to "decree rites or ceremonies" contrary to God's Word, nor "enforce anything besides it unto faith" (WCF 31.1). The Belgic Confession describes the marks of the true church as preaching the pure gospel, administering the sacraments according to Christ's instruction, and exercising discipline to correct sin—all tied directly to Scripture (Belgic Confession, Article 29).

The Reformers believed the church's job is proclamation, not production. The church guards what has been delivered, and does not manufacture new truth.

Reflection
Luke calls the Bereans noble, and the compliment is worth sitting with. Their nobility was not social rank or learning. It was humility with a backbone. They listened to Paul with eagerness, but they tested what he said. They opened the Scriptures daily, not to trap him, but to confirm the message. That is the posture of a healthy church; hungry for truth but unwilling to take anyone's word for it without checking the source.

The foundation Paul describes in Ephesians is solid because it is finished. The church’s foundation is what the apostles actually saw and said. Her cornerstone is Christ. The church does not build the foundation. She is built on it. The church doesn't create. She keeps. We do not dream up new doctrines or adjust old ones to fit the times.

When the church stops measuring herself by Scripture, she makes Scripture fit her instead. The moment the church believes she can stand over the Word rather than under it, she has exchanged her calling for something else entirely.

Application
Ask where your church measures its life. Does the preaching open Scripture? It should. Are the sacraments administered as Christ commanded or have they been adjusted for convenience or preference? Is correction given when it is needed, or does avoiding conflict replace faithfulness?

You are not being critical when you expect the church to be biblical. You are being obedient. The Bereans were not rebels. They were careful and we should learn to be the same.

Find a church that treats Scripture as the rule, not a resource. Stay where the Word is central and leave where it has been sidelined. Do not let loyalty to a building or affection for people keep you under teaching that contradicts what God has said.

And if you are in a Word-centered church, do not take it for granted. Support it, defend it when attacked, and encourage the leaders who pay a price when it costs them something.

Prayer
Father, You have built Your church on the foundation of Your Word, and You hold her together by Your Son. Forgive me when I have been careless about what I hear or lazy about what I believe. Give me a love for sound teaching and the courage to leave where Your Word is not honored. Help me listen quickly but test carefully, the way the Bereans did. Keep my church faithful. Keep me faithful. Through Christ, who is the cornerstone, Amen.