Number Two scripture, both general and particular, Baptist agreed on truth and the final authority of Scripture, truth and final authority of Scripture, they agreed on it. And that, you know, even though Baptist are an autonomous group of people like we at first, Baptist Byrom do not have an overhead organization dictating to us how we worship, what we believe, and things like that. We're autonomous. We determine that ourself, you, you're not more than likely if you, if you find another group of people that refer to him themselves as Baptist, yet they struggle with the authority of Scripture and the the truth of Scripture. They're really not Baptist because, because, back from the beginnings, Baptist were people of the book. And one of the closest examples I can give to you is the the Westboro Baptist Church. Anybody familiar with Westboro, they used to, they would protest military funerals. They their their website was, and I don't, I don't mean this to say this word in in ill or anything, but their website was God, and they still be. God Hates Fags com. Can you believe they would even call themselves a church, but Baptist, you know that? That that's what gives all Baptist a bad name. And so when you What's that? Yeah, so when you see Westboro Baptist Church protesting military funerals. Obviously, the news is going to come put up a camera in front of the next Baptist church they come to, and they're going to do a newscast there. It says, Baptist churches protest military funerals. Well, I think if they show up here, specifically during the month of July and Memorial Day and Veterans Day, they're going to see that we are a church that truly supports our military personnel and veterans, and because if it, if it weren't for them, we would not be able to worship freely like we do so. So both general, in particular, Baptist agreed on the truth and the final authority of Scripture, two questions they would have asked of every Christian belief every time they were faced with, what do we believe about this, or what is our stance going to be about that they would always ask these two questions, what does the Bible say would be Number one, and that should be, that should be what we do as well. What does the Bible say? And number two, is it taught in the Bible? These were two statements, two questions that they would ask every time they were faced with a dilemma of belief. Remember we talked about John Smith. He was God, struggled with his baptism and everything. He was baptized, and then he was baptized again. Then he realized, oh, wait a minute, the person that baptized me is in a direct descendant from Jesus's baptism. So how are we going to do this? He baptized himself, yeah, and then he baptized John Thomas hellwis, so this guy, so from, from John Smith, own word Baptist, refused to accept any type of human authority. So when you think of the bishop, the Pope, the church, what all of these different people would say, the decrees, you know, you got, the Apostles Creed, the Nicene Creed, and all of these, they refused to accept any of that unless it lined up with scripture, unless it lined up with scripture. So most of the early confessions that you know, the confessions that we looked at last week, most of these early confessions, they included separate articles on Scripture. And so the the hell was Thomas helwys, we talked about the confession that his group wrote last week. So the hell was confession of 1611 says that the scriptures of the Old and New Testament are written for our instruction. Second, Timothy, 316, is what they cite. And then they say this that we ought to search them for they testify of Christ, and therefore to be. Used with all reverence as containing. Now remember, they they wrote, we're spelled word like used is spelled V, S, E, D, so I'm battling here as conveying the Holy Word of God, which only is our direction in all things whatsoever. That's pretty powerful. Citing Second Timothy, 316, for all scripture is God breathed profitable for teaching, rebuking and and so and so. They use that. And they say we ought to search them for they testify of Christ. I love it's a wa Chris. Criswell that wrote the scarlet thread. It's a book that talks about how the scarlet thread, which stands for the blood of Christ, runs all through Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation. And so that's branching off of this as well. So that's the hell was confession of 1611, the second London confession makes an even more complete statement about Baptist views of the Bible. And so in in the second London confession, it talks about that it is the fur the how, how the Word of God is infallible. And in the second London confession, that is the first time that Baptist see the word infallible. And the first confession, the second London confession, is the first time that they see this word infallible and the confession begins. That's what I did. I got I got those two slides mixed up. So this is the second London confession, where it says, The Holy Scripture is, is the only sufficient, certain and infallible rule for all saving knowledge, faith and obedience. Therefore it is to be received because it is the word of God and it continues. There we go. Now I'm I'm getting it right. It continues to say, in a sense, Christians may believe the Bible with quote, full persuasion and assurance of the Infallible truth and divine authority thereof. And finally, the proof of this divine authority comes from the inward work of the Holy Spirit bearing witness by and with the word in our hearts. Now you see, this is right in line with some of the the Baptist distinctives that we still carry over today, that we hold a high view of Scripture, that that that is God's word to us. If, if you ever hear of someone say, I'm just I'm not hearing from God, well, ask him, when's the last time you picked up the Bible and opened it up, because if you're if you're reading the Bible every day, God's talking you every day, that's his word. Now, I don't know about you, I've never heard God's voice audibly. Some people would say they have, and that's fine. I don't have any reason to to not believe them. But I've never heard God's voice audibly, but I hear God's word through the text in his holy book every time I pick it up. And so the confession, the second London confession, it also acknowledges that the same spirit who inspired the writing of Scripture, so the Holy Spirit that inspired the writing of Scripture also illuminates the present interpretation. So the Holy Spirit inspired these people to write down these words, the words of God, infallible without error. And it's the same Holy Spirit that is saying, okay, Brian, this is what the Lord is talking about. This is what we're this is what God is saying. The infallible rule of interpretation of Scripture is scripture itself. And the confession also says, here we go, the Old Testament in Hebrew. That's what I say, which was the native language of the people of God of old, and the New Testament in Greek, which, at the time of the writing of it is, was most generally known to the nations, being immediately inspired by God and by his regular his singular care and Providence kept pure in all ages and therefore authentical. So, as in all controversies of religion, the church is finally to appeal unto them. So we've got all of these different things that the hell was confession said the second London confession said, What does i. Or confession at Southern Baptist. What does it say about Scripture today? Well, I'm glad you asked, because it has a lot of the same wording in it as well. So let's, let's read this, the Holy Bible. This from the Baptist faith and message 2000 version the Holy Bible was written by men divinely inspired, and is God's revelation of Himself to man. It is a perfect treasure of divine instruction. It has God for its author, salvation for its end, and truth without any mixture of error for its matter. Therefore all scripture is totally true and trustworthy. It reveals the principles by which God judges us, and therefore is and will remain to the end of the world, the true center of Christian Union and the supreme standard by which all human conduct, creeds and religious opinions should be tried. All scripture is a testimony to Christ, who is himself the focus of divine revelation. That's what we as Southern Baptist believe about Scripture. Now there's probably about 15 or 20 different scripture references in the Baptist faith and message under this article that that lists that, and that references what, what these that supports what is written here, but that's what we believe. Yeah, it was written by man, but it was divinely inspired by God. It's infallible. God is its author. Salvation is a sin. It has truth and it right there at the end. All scripture is the testimony of Christ. Yeah. So, so, yeah. The the two other understandings of early Baptist regarding scripture that are also held today is number one Baptist accepted the 66 books of the Old Testament, but they rejected the apocrypha. Remember we talked about the Apocrypha back in February, March, when we were doing our systematic theology of God and things like that. And the Apocrypha is this book of other writings that may be good historically and things like that. Some of it's not, it's not worth the read, but they didn't accept it like the Catholic Church did, because that so number one Baptist, early on, accepted the 66 books of the Old Testament and New Testament, but rejected the Apocrypha number two. They insisted that every believer, including Layman and women, had the right to read and interpret the Bible for themselves. No longer do you need the pope telling you what that means, or a bishop or Brian, I would I would be a nervous wreck if none of you had a copy of the Bible and I was the only one dictating to you what it says. I try to do my due diligence to get it right, but I need that accountability of my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that can come up to me and should come up to me and say, Hey, you missed that, that what you said about XYZ, that's not really what that verse meant, or you took it out of context, or something like that. We need that to become stronger, wiser and grow closer to the Lord. We need that iron sharpening iron in our lives and so, so that that was an early belief that anybody, any believer, even layman, had the right to read and interpret the Bible for themselves. You