2 Tim 3:10-17 Side Questions and QC

• "and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus" (v.15). How does Scripture help us toward being saved? 

Both OT and NT comprise 'special revelation'. They contain the truths about God's redemption that are used by the Holy Spirit to save an individual. "Special revelation is rooted in the redemptive plan of God, is addressed to man as sinner, can be properly understood and appropriated only by faith, and serves the purpose of securing the end for which man was created in spite of the disturbance wrought by sin.  In view of the eternal plan of redemption it should be said that this  special revelation did not come in as an after-thought, but was in the mind of God from the very beginning...It is a knowledge that is not rationally demonstrable but must be accepted by faith." (Berkhof)

In contrast, 'general revelation' is a "revelation of the law and not of the gospel, to acknowledge, fear, and honour God as their Creator. It comes to them in things rather than in words: in nature and history, in the environment in which they live, and in the experiences and vicissitudes of their lives, (Ps. 19:1-4; Acts 16:16,17; 17:27; Rom. 1:19-21; 2:14,15). This call knows nothing of Christ, and therefore cannot lead to salvation. At the same time it is of the greatest importance in connection with the restraint of sin, the development of the natural life, and the maintenance of good order in society." (Berkhof)

So, Scripture at least brings people to the level of 'notitia', even if it does not automatically cause 'assensus'. much less 'fiducia'.

We know that "being saved" refers to justification, sanctification and glorification (i.e. there is a past, present and future aspect).  Scripture tells us what salvation means. In it we see our need for salvation because Scripture points us to the Law - our moral failure and sin. The OT is insufficient to save, but it points the way to Christ in prophecy and pattern (c.f. Jn 5:39-46). We need both OT and NT to save.

• "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness (v.16). How does it train us in righteousness? 

Scripture sets out the character and will of God. "Righteousness" here does not refer to the 'positional' justification we have in Christ (e.g. Rom 1:17, 3:21), but a righteousness that reflects God's standards.
Scripture sheds light on the right way to live.(Ps 119:105)

• For more on Scripture's help, see 2 Peter 1:3-4.
  

³ His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, ⁴ by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. 

 Scripture is the source of 'knowledge' of God's nature, God's character and God's 'promises'. 

We discussed the issues raised by this video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0uFSYHVSRk

In essence, the speaker here is saying that:

1. Certain churches with music ministries (Hillsongs, Bethel Music, Elevation Music) teach false doctrines.
2. We should not sing music from these churches because in doing so we i) imply our support for the churches from which the music originates, and ii) we are financially supporting these churches via copyright arrangements (CCLI).

I was saying that I would then use songs only when i) the lyrics of the songs were consistent with Scripture, and ii) I wasn't paying for the songs.

Joe raised that point that from a composer's point of view, it would be improper to use paying/not-paying as the determinant of usage. For consistency, if we would not pay, then we should not use at all, whether in formal or informal settings. He also noted that the popularity of some of this music makes it practically  difficult not to use.

We agreed that we can separate the theology and personal life of the composer from the worth of his or her composition (c.f. the Donatist controversy). Yet we also noted that support for an extant false church was different from singing songs or hymns composed by people from the past, since there is a sense of remoteness from them as we sing in the present day.

We conclude that discussions like these help us to be more discerning about the music that we use. Our church needs to be educated and given choices about our worship music diet.