What are presuppositions? Here is the dictionary definition: "a thing tacitly assumed beforehand at the beginning of a line of argument or course of action." Let me break this down further... tacitly is the way in which something is understood implicitly without being stated. The fact is all people bring presuppositions to their understanding and interpretation of scripture. One such presupposition is that the bible and the phrase word of God are interchangeable. Nothing could be further from the truth.
It amazes me that evangelical Christian doctrine so readily ascribes a meaning to a phrase that would have been completely foreign to Paul the original author. No passage more completely emphasizes this distinction than Romans 10:17. I have heard so many pastors and teachers use Romans 10:17 as a proof text that faith comes from hearing the bible. By this, they mean that all passages are equal.
It is exacerbated by another presupposition. It is presupposed that the bible is a legal constitutional document, a rule-book of sorts. I have likewise heard so many preachers and teachers proclaim that the bible is a road-map for living.
This also is simply not true.
A strong argument can be made for the scripture being a legal constitutional document in the "Mosaic Covenant." Likewise, in the Hebrew scriptures before the cross, the Torah (first five books of Moses) and not the Tanakh (the 39 books comprising the O.T.) was referred to the "word of God" especially by David in the Psalms. However, that dynamic changed with the advent of Jesus of Nazareth. It was further changed by the apostles after the resurrection.
Let me get this out of the way. Yes, the scripture is inspired and God breathed. However, it is not the word of God in the New Covenant era. It certainly contains the words and thoughts of God. But, it is simply erroneous to call it the word of God. That has been true ever since the installation of the New Covenant. At any rate, Romans 10:17, is one of the most misused verses in the sacred scripture.
The quote above is from the NKJV. Of all the major translations, only the King James and the New King James translate it as the word of God. All others translate it as the word of Christ. If you read Romans 10:17 in context, it is clear that the meaning of word of God, even in the King James Version, is really the gospel.
Why is this important you may ask? The answer is that it contributes reinforcing the legal constitutional view of scripture. I use this example to illustrate that people have presuppositions when it comes to evangelical doctrine. And, that if ones presuppositions interfere with the actual intended meaning of a passage, it leads to error every time. Over time this has lead to great error indeed.
All of scripture DOES NOT have equal weight. The only way it does is in contributing to a redemptive view. John 5:39-40 tells us of Jesus words to the Pharisees about scripture. He explained that if they were searching the scriptures to find life they were going in a wrong direction. The scriptures were provided to point to Him the Messiah so that they could find life in Him. Therefore, He was establishing that the gospel of redemption had precedent in the scripture. This sets aside the rule book, legal constitutional aspect.
The bottom line is this. Faith does not come from hearing the scripture. Faith comes from hearing the gospel. The Holy Spirit uses the gospel of grace to instill faith in the individual. What is the gospel you ask? That is a fair question as there seems to be a variety of answers. I think the most concise explanation of the gospel is found in 2 Cor 5:17-21... in essence, God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself not counting their trespasses/sin against them, and that he made the one who knew no sin to be made sin for the rest of humanity so that they thereby could be the righteousness of God.
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