By Matt Singleton
The Kentucky Family Association believes the Bible to be the inspired, the only infallible, authoritative Word of God.**
“And that from a child thou hast known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus.
All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works"
– 2nd Timothy 3:15-17
The doctrine of Scripture is the most important doctrine in terms of understanding the Christian worldview. In Scripture being God’s Word, it anoints the facts and makes them authoritative. I “like” the passion of Christ more. I “like” the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. But it is the fact that these words are inspired which makes the Gospel more than a story, but rather, reality. The Bible is not just stories. The Bible is a message from God to me. It is a personal message and morally authoritative for all mankind.
Now, as a kingdom ministry, we are not concerned with the intimate details of the doctrine, as that is the duty of the Church. Yet the kingdom is representing the will of God in front of the community composed of believers and unbelievers.
What ought the community agree to concerning Scripture? The community ought to recognize that the Scripture is the Word of God and morally authoritative. There are theories of inspiration, and, personally, I push for the highest view of Scripture as do others.
But these are not to impose barriers to co-operation. Furthermore, as often is the case, various interpretations of Scripture can cause people to disregard the Scriptures used by those that other traditions use in disagreement. Now, let's say one group of Christians have a system of thought based upon 40% of the Scripture, while an opposing tradition uses the remaining 60% of Scripture. Does the higher percentage win? No! We should adhere to the whole of Scripture. Every verse counts as inspired.
So often is the case that a liberal tradition denies certain texts that oppose their views. But what if that liberal group was spot on concerning the passages that they did believe in? What if a “conservative” group pledged allegiance to all Scripture yet ultimately ignored all the verses that opposed their views?
Conflicts sometimes arise on political causes based on differing interpretations of Scripture. For instance, in the case of “blue laws” or “dry counties.” How does the activist resolve this? If you disagree with the cause, then don’t participate.
We encourage acts in faith, and our faith is in the Scripture. As a kingdom, we should continue to intellectually encourage faith.
In practical terms, what is relevant about the Scriptures is whether they are authoritative to believers. That is what hinges in terms of the Christian cause. If we ignore the Scriptures, then we can not work together or succeed; yet, if we take God's Word seriously, then we can submit to His authority.
Now, as we cooperate with others to accomplish the goals of the kingdom, we must not water down the truth. If we devalue the Scripture, we effectively devalue everything we believe about God. So we want to encourage our friends in the direction of infallibility and more.
“Every word of God is pure: He is a shield unto them that put their trust in Him.
Add thou not unto His words, lest He reprove thee, and thou be found a liar”
– Proverbs 30:5-6
Endnote References:
** 2nd Timothy 3:15-17, 1st Thessalonians 2:13, and 2nd Peter 1:16-21 https://www.afaky.org/ourstatementoffaith