Lesson 8: The Right Use of Scripture
The Gospels
At the end of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus declares:
All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. —Matthew 28:18–20, emphasis mine
How do we obey Christ’s Great Commission to make disciples of all nations?
Not only must we go and baptize, but we must also teach disciples “to obey everything [Jesus] has commanded.” (Matt 28:19 NIV) While these words refer to all of Scripture, they most directly refer to the commands of Christ in the Gospels.
And it’s not just the book of Matthew that calls us to use the Gospels in this way. Mark’s Gospel calls us to receive its testimony and to follow Jesus (Mk 1:1; 2:17). Luke’s Gospel encourages us to use it as a trustworthy record that provides certainty about who Jesus is and what he did (Lk 1:1–4). John’s Gospel demands that we use it as the source of our belief in Jesus (Jn 20:31).
However, many people have used these Gospels wrongly. Jehovah’s Witnesses use these Gospels to support their false teaching that Jesus is not truly God. Some progressive “Christians” use these Gospels to affirm a vision for sexuality that clearly rejects Jesus and his Word. Others use these Gospels to create a false Jesus who is a merely human teacher rather than God the Son Incarnate.
The Gospels demand that we receive their complete testimony as true and trustworthy: Jesus is God the Son Incarnate, Israel’s Messiah, and Israel’s Lord. But how does the rest of the Bible teach us to use the Gospels?
A Biblical Model for Using the Gospels Rightly
The rest of the NT quotes from the Gospels in order to order worship, to develop doctrine, and to set forth Christian ethics. In 1 Timothy 5, Paul quotes from Luke 10 (along with Deuteronomy 25) to support his call for churches to pay pastors (1 Tim 5:18).¹ James used Matthew 5 to instruct Christians regarding oaths (James 5:12).² John used his own Gospel to teach Christians to love one another (1 Jn 2:7–8).³
Let’s take a closer look at one biblical example for using the Gospels rightly. In 1 Corinthians 11, the Apostle Paul wrote to correct the Corinthian church because they were celebrating the Lord’s Supper wrongly. Paul used Luke’s account of the Lord’s Supper to correct them.
Let’s begin by laying out the evidence that Paul most likely quotes from Luke’s Gospel. As you read Luke and then 1 Corinthians, look for any parallels between the two texts:
And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. —Luke 22:19–20
For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. —1 Corinthians 11:23–26
The Greek texts show the similarities even more clearly. Even if you cannot read Greek, looking at the image below should help you see that Paul quotes exact words and phrases from Luke’s Gospel.
In light of this evidence, it seems possible that Paul quoted from Luke’s Gospel to direct the Corinthians as they celebrated the Lord’s Supper.⁴ When Paul stated “I received from the Lord” in 1 Cor 11:23, we think he referred to the fact that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper during his earthly ministry. We would argue that the parallels in the above texts demonstrate that Paul then quoted from Luke’s Gospel to establish what the Lord Jesus did and said.
Now, let’s consider how Paul used Luke’s Gospel to correct the Corinthians.
But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not. For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world. So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come. —1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Note three ways that Paul used Luke’s Gospel in these verses. (For example, Paul used Luke’s account as a true and accurate testimony.)
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The Right Use of the Gospels
How does the Bible’s example teach us to use the Gospels rightly?
The Bible’s example teaches us to use the Gospels as covenant-establishing testimonies that fulfill the OT, reveal Christ, and establish the church.
Covenant-Establishing Testimonies
The Gospels are narratives, but they are not merely narratives. They testify to what God has done in Christ to establish the New Covenant. Thus, they provide the foundation for the church’s faith and practice. We see Paul use Luke’s Gospel in this way. Paul used Luke’s account of the Lord’s Supper as a true account that established how the church should celebrate this covenant meal. Similarly, in 1 Timothy 5, Paul used Jesus’ teaching to call churches to pay their pastors. As mentioned above, the Gospels themselves declare that we must receive their testimonies as the foundation for what we believe about Jesus and how to follow him.
We should follow the Bible’s example by using the Gospels as covenant-establishing testimonies. The Gospels are not at odds with the rest of the NT, as some contend. Instead, they are the foundation for all that follows in the NT.
Fulfill the OT
As testimonies to the New Covenant, the Gospels show how Christ and his New Covenant fulfill all that the OT promised and foreshadowed. As we consider Paul’s use of Luke's Gospel, we see that Paul expected Christians to follow a distinct set of New Covenant practices. God’s people are no longer under the Old Covenant with its covenant practices (circumcision, observing the Passover, etc.). Instead, God acted in Christ to establish his New Covenant with New Covenant practices like baptism and the Lord’s Supper. Thus, Paul looked to the Gospels to instruct God’s New Covenant people.
We too should use the Gospels directly to order New Covenant institutions (like the church) and practices (like baptism and the Lord’s Supper).
Reveal Christ
The Gospels most clearly and directly reveal Jesus. They testify to who he is (God the Son Incarnate). They testify to what he has done (He lived, died, rose again, and ascended for his people just as God promised.). They faithfully record what he taught. Paul clearly used Luke’s Gospel in this way. He received Luke’s account as a true and authoritative record of what Jesus said and did “on the night he was betrayed.” He also set forth Luke’s account as a trustworthy witness to how Jesus wants his church to live in the present.
We too should use the Gospels as trustworthy and authoritative witnesses that reveal Jesus.
Establish the Church
History often reveals who and why we are. Just as Deuteronomy looks towards the patriarchs and the Exodus to define Israel, so the NT looks towards the Gospels’ accounts of Jesus to define and to direct the church. The Gospels establish the church by testifying to our history in Christ. Both Luke and Paul present the Lord’s supper as a covenant ceremony that proclaims Christ’s substitutionary, atoning death on the cross, reminds the church of its identity with Christ, and calls the church to hope in his promised return. Likewise, we should use the Gospels as our history, and thus a source and pattern for the story that God calls the church to live out in the world.