Using a Catechism to Instruct Christians in the Faith

Some might ask, why not just memorize Scripture instead?

Ultimately, Scripture must be interpreted. The thing I appreciate about catechesis is that it helps to provide a concise and organized teaching of what is taught in Scripture and thus initiates children and new Christians into the bibilcal tradition from which they can interpret Scripture rightly. It provides a starting point from which we can begin to read Scripture as it was intended to be read.

Catechisms are generally a product of systematic theology. They seek to speak in a concise and ordered way about the founational truths of the Christian faith. Scripture itself does not always do this. We will not find a concise statement in Scripture about the nature of the Trinity or the Hypostatic Union. And while Scripture memory serves a critical role in the educaton of Christians, it does not provide the kind of systematic and large-picture understanding of the faith one obtains through studying a catechism.

While a good catechism incorporates the words of men and does not hold the authority of God's Word, it is a secondary authority which will serve as a reliable indicator of what God's Word teaches. This kind of function is consistent with the call of Scripture upon church leaders (and parents) to teach sound doctrine (which presumes the use of extrabiblical constructions).

Paul's Apologetc: Paul Appeals to the Authority of Scripture in Acts 13

In Acts 13, Paul begins by describing God’s work in the history of Israel. Starting with their bondage in Egypt, Paul tells of God’s work in the exodus, the wilderness, the distribution of the land, the appointment of Saul and the appointment of David. It is at this point that the sermon climaxes. Paul says, "From the descendants of this man [David], according to promise, God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus." It is at this point that Paul begins to teach about Jesus Christ.

According to Paul, Jesus was proclaimed by John the Baptist. He was not recognized by the rulers in Jerusalem though their condemnation of Him fulfilled words of the prophets. They put Him to death though He was innocent. Though they laid Him in a tomb, God raised Him from the dead. This is the good news Paul is preaching.

Paul’s authority here is Scripture. Paul says that the Jews in Jerusalem fulfilled "all that was written concerning Him." He equates not recognizing Jesus with not recognizing "the utterances of the prophets which are read ever Sabbath." He says that the good news he is preaching is that of the promises made to the fathers. Finally, he quotes from several of the Psalms, Isaiah, and Habakkuk.

In the same way, let us not be afraid to appeal to the authority of Scripture as we week to convince the unbeliever of the truth of the Christian faith and the folly of his unbelief.

Circular Reasoning and the Self-Authenticating Nature of Scripture

Some might object that one cannot appeal to Scripture in order to prove the authority of Scripture. If the authority of Scripture is in question, they would say, then the Scriptures cannot be used as evidence to prove their own authority.

Regarding this it should be noted that all arguments are either based on an unsubstantiated claim or circular reasoning. The claim that one cannot appeal to the Scriptures to prove the authority of the Scriptures is itself based upon the assumption that the Scriptures are not ultimately authoritative. But if Scripture is ultimately authoritative, then it is completely appropriate to appeal to Scripture to establish its own authority. If God is the absolute authority and if the Scriptures are God’s word, then there is simply no higher authority to which one might appeal to establish the authority of Scripture. To appeal to a higher authority would necessarily require that the Scriptures are not ultimately authoritative. Rather, the thing to which one appealed would be an authority above Scripture since it would be the authority upon which the Scripture’s authority was established.

As Christians, then, let us remember that our position is that the Scriptures are ultimately authoritative. It is for this reason that we hold the Scriptures to be self-authenticating.