The Holy Writings of the Church, the Scriptures, provide us with a resource central to our faith as Anglicans. In itself that doesn't seem at all remarkable. We are aware, certainly, that the Scriptures provide a common ground for a wide variety of denominations and sects apart from our own expression of the Christian Faith, including those that are considered orthodox and those that are in fact heretical. It comes as no surprise to any of us that the Bible is widely read, and that is perhaps how it should be. It may be surprising, though, to discover that while the Bible enjoys such wide acclaim, its interpretation and application has contributed to much that divides the Christian Church throughout the world. No one of us is unaware of the reality of a divided Christendom and every family finds adherents to a variety of expressions of the Christian Faith.

The contemporary tendency is to minimise the reality of these distinctions. Who among us has not heard the painfully familiar words, "We're all going to the same place, anyway" and thereby sought to ignore the divisions that cause us so much hurt and pain? Who among us has tried to avoid the bitterness and rancour stemming from debate on doctrinal issues... baptism... the holy Communion... judgement... righteousness... and so many more? Basic to these arguments is an appeal to Scripture by all concerned. Thereby we become painfully aware that while the Bible may be a common focus for Christians, its interpretation is as varied as the divisions that surround us!

The Anglican position regarding the holy Scriptures is presented in our historical Documents, the Thirty Nine Articles of Religion and the Solemn Declaration of 1893. As well, what the Scriptures proclaim, the Creeds affirm, and we believe that the Holy Spirit "spake by the prophets".

The author of the Epistle to the Hebrews writes, "when in former times God spoke to our forefathers, he spoke in fragmentary and varied fashion through the prophets. But in this the final age he has spoken to us in the Son..." (Hebrews 1:1-2) St. John put it more graphically: "So the Word became flesh; he came to dwell among us, and we saw his glory, such glory as befits the father's only Son, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

The Scriptures, then, as the inspired Word of God, present to us a picture of Jesus. Jesus is the Word of God and the holy Scriptures provide us with the faithful witness of God's saving acts through Jesus' birth, death and resurrection. For that reason, the Thirty Nine Articles state that "Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation..." (Article VI). And what is said in the sixteenth century is affirmed by the Bishops of the Canadian Church in the Solemn Declaration of 1983 as they "receive the same Canonical Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments, as containing all things necessary to salvation."

The Collect for the Second Sunday in Advent (BCP) and Proper 32 of the Book of Alternative Services undergirds with prayer what has been said by confession and proclamation: "that by comfort of thy holy Word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the blessed hope of everlasting life, which thou hast given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ."

Our Catechism puts the question: "Why ought you to read God's holy Word, the Bible?" Surprisingly enough we are not encouraged to read the Bible to help us sort out life’s problems. The Bible doesn't become a simplistic handbook for survival in this secular age. No, the answer that has echoed down through the ages rings clear: "Because it tells how God has made himself known to man; and how we may come to know him, and find salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ in the fellowship of the Church." The Scriptures, the Word of God, first and last always points to Jesus, the author of our salvation.

The Scriptures, then, are a basis of our salvation and we are cautioned that "nothing may be taught in the Church as necessary to man’s salvation unless it be concluded or proved therefrom."

The study of the Scriptures has an inherent value for us as Anglicans. By study we become aware of God’s saving grace and the redemption of the Cross of Christ. By study we discover the objective reality of God’s mighty acts of deliverance and forgiveness. And by study we are challenged to confess our sins and embrace the salvation proclaimed (or spoken) in God’s articulated Word, Jesus!

As we read the chapters and verses of the Books of the Old and New Testaments we see the Word of God in the word of God. The scriptures, in whatever translation, become for us a word about the Word of God.

Paul, in his Second Letter to Timothy, admonishes the reader with his words, "but for your part, stand by the truths you have learned and are assured of. Remember from whom you learned them; remember that from early childhood you have been familiar with the sacred writings which have power to make you wise and lead you to salvation through faith in Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 3:14-15)

A central, recurring theme of the Scriptures, the Creeds, and later historical Documents is the salvation of mankind. We cannot read the Scriptures and avoid salvation. Our familiarity with the expressed Word of God enables us to see more clearly God's purpose of salvation in Jesus. And, confident of God's purpose, we are more assured of our place in God's Kingdom.

The disadvantage of the Church today is that we have by and large neglected our study of God's Word. This may be for a variety of reasons. But chiefly, I think, we neglect our study because we have not seen any good purpose in the effort that would be demanded. St. Paul saw the difficulty in his day, and it is no different now. He urged that "every inspired scripture has its use for teaching the truth and refuting error, or for reformation of manners and discipline in right living, so that the man who belongs to God may be efficient and equipped for good work of every kind." (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

When we are insecure in the truth, we are in danger of defending it ineffectively. The Church has always appealed to man's reason. The collective reflection of the Church on the Word of God has enabled her to develop a system of faith in the great tenants of our belief. The Creeds outline the Faith of the Church as they affirm what the prophets "in former times" proclaimed.

Three essential elements of our Anglican heritage are: Scripture, Reason and Tradition. In today’s permissive age none of these qualities is seen has having much inherent worth. In the current age’s predilection to individuality, Scriptures are subject to the fickle whim of anyone of us. We live in an age of biblical illiteracy and we distrust anyone who might attempt to impose a thought system to the exclusion of any other. And as for tradition, we are bereft of any semblance of continuity from one generation to another in most areas of our lives, public or private. Ours is an age when we feel compelled to do our own thing, without regard to our neighbour.

Jesus’ question asked of the Rich Young Man is as contemporary as today. Who is my neighbour? And what of my responsibility toward him?

That has not been the pattern of the Church down through the ages. The Church has received the Word of God from the beginning and has sought to pass it on to each succeeding generation. The truths and insights gained have withstood the test of time. The Church has seen the objective reality of God's purpose recorded in the witness of faithful men who, unlike Pontius Pilate stood before Truth and recognised Him.

St. John put it most succinctly. He writes that what is written in the Scriptures "has been recorded in order that you may hold the faith that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this faith you may possess life in his name." (John 20.31) The focus in the Scriptures is inevitably on Jesus, the inspiration of the Word of God. The very presence of Jesus on the pages of Holy Writ draw us closer to our salvation...

This is in no way the sole domain of the Anglican Way. But it is the Anglican Way, make no mistake. The Scriptures proclaim, and the historic Creeds affirm, and we believe that Jesus Christ is Lord. The basis of our belief is the very Word of God, Jesus Christ Himself, and found faithfully represented on the pages of Holy Scripture. The reflective thought and reason of the ages, the fidelity of each passing generation, all attest to the witness of the prophets. They anticipated God’s salvation; they recorded God’s salvation; and they record the first generation of this new age and their response to that salvation found in Jesus.

Can there be any other reason for the Church to call all Churchmen to "frame for himself a Rule of Life in accordance with the precepts of the Gospel and the faith and order of the Church; wherein he may consider ... the practice of private prayer, Bible-reading and self-discipline." (BCP p. 555)