Ergates Theologia

A Response to a Candian Religious Pundit

2011-11-02T13:42:00.001-04:00

http://www.vancouversun.com/columnists/douglas_todd.html

There are many blogs and opinion articles that constantly flow out of nations with a free press. But for me, one comes along every now and then that grabs my attention and serves as representative of popular sentiment. And so comes to the scene opinion columnist Douglas Todd of the Vancouver Sun.

The Vancouver Sun reports in his biographical sketch, “Although he was raised in a family of staunch atheists, Douglas Todd has gone on to become one of the most decorated spirituality and ethics writers in North America. He has received more than 50 journalism honours for his features, analyses, news stories and commentaries. Vancouver Magazine recently referred to him as "arguably Vancouver's most thoughtful journalist."

So, according to many, he is regarded as an honored and revered opinion writer. So who am I to be commenting and critiquing a blog of his? Well, because Mr. Todd is writing about me. He is opining on my friends and family. And while some may regard me as another bombastic American Christian and armchair theologian, something needs to be said in response to his October 29th blog entitled, “The State of North American evangelicalism.” By North American he means the United States and Canada.
And who is the subject of Mr. Todd’s article? Well, evangelicals. To those of us living in “North America” who may characterize ourselves or be regarded as evangelicals, we might be surprised at the attributions given about us in this opinion piece. Here are the highlights:

1. Evangelicals are often controversial
2. They are behind the “pugnacious”, anti-tax Tea Party.
3. They elected George W. Bush, which of course, led to wars against Iraq and Afghanistan.
4. Our “generals” in the culture wars are Pat Robertson, James Dobson, Benny Hinn, Sarah Palin, and Canada’s Charles McVety.
5. We have led the charge against homosexuality.
6. We are the main opponents to Darwin’s theory of evolution.
7. We are the most antagonistic toward Muslims.
8. We are intellectually weak.
9. We have a persecution complex…

As a North American evangelical/fundamentalist (fundamentalist meaning, in the main, that I hold the infallibility and perspicuity of the Bible) I am a bit surprised by Mr. Todd’s assessment. His call is clear:

“But it's time for non-evangelicals to take a deep breath. Away from the headlines, let's find out who these evangelical folks are, especially the ones in Canada. After all, they are among our neighbours, office colleagues and sports teammates.”
I chuckled at this comment as it reminded me of the scene from X-Men where Senator Kelly remarks to Dr. Jean Grey, “Ladies and gentleman, the truth is that mutants are very real, and that they are among us. We must know who they are, and above all, what they can do!”

Mr. Todd’s rhetoric leaves this evangelical wondering what his intentions are. What is the motivation for the inquiry? Why is it wrong for me to oppose homosexuality or regard it as a sin? Who appointed Pat Robertson, James Dobson, Sarah Palin, and Benny Hinn as my generals? Perhaps Mr. Todd will think that my questioning is just my persecution complex starting to kick in?

Mark A. Noll is hailed by Todd as the voice of reason and balance for the evangelical/fundamentalist. Yet, this voice is telling us to bring a balanced approach to issues in the arts, politics and science. Well, it seems to this “layman” that the balanced approach Noll is calling for and Todd applauds amounts to giving up biblical truth. Or should I say, fundamental biblical truth.
Mr. Todd isn’t all negative on evangelicals. He has some nice things to say about us. And just what does Todd praise evangelicals for? He names two: attendance and mega-churches. Evangelicals apparently have kept their position of 8-10% of the Canadian population while other groups have declined. Basically… numbers.
So, according to one of the leading Canadian religion pundits, evangelicals are a mixed breed of controversial, pugnacious, anti-intellectual war mongers who hate gays and Muslims. But hey, the good part is they are growing like weeds!
Methinks Mr. Todd needs to leave the office more often.

So Douglas, I have a few things to say on which you are critical of men like me.
I am indeed controversial. But if you will permit, it was not my doing. “As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and a rock of offence (skandalon): and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Romans 9:33. So, the Apostle Paul tells us that Christ Himself is a scandal. “But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness.” Are you still with me Douglas, or is the Scripture part annoying you? Perhaps this is the problem you have with us? Because we echo the voice of Scripture in telling the Jews that their Messiah has come and the Greeks (shall we say, intellectuals?) that the wisdom of God is displayed in crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. And so we are counted as fools? This doesn’t surprise us. Are you offended at the notion that God Himself desired to set aside the wisdom of the world?

Have my evangelical brethren not read the Scriptures? That Christ was crucified, according to the Scriptures, was buried and raised from the dead, according to the Scriptures? The very foundation of Christianity being Christ and Him crucified rests on the integrity, preservation, and perspicuity of the Bible. And, on the controversial issues mentioned, the Bible is not unclear on those matters either. If Adam was not the first man, then who is the Second Adam? If mankind’s common ancestor was not Adam, and that the human race fell in him in the garden, so that by one man’s disobedience all sinned, then who is the Second Man by whose obedience many are made righteous? You see, the same Bible that is the foundation of the knowledge that Christ was crucified and raised from the dead, is the foundation for understanding the fall of humanity in Adam and the redemption that is in the Son of Man.

As for our political involvement or non-involvement I think if you spent some time with real evangelicals you will find political activism at a very low ebb. Yes, there are some groups heavily involved in politics. But their influence on evangelicals at large is rather small. Did I vote for George W. Bush? Well, yes I did. Sometimes one has to choose the lesser of two evils. While most evangelicals vote their conscience, we also vote on civil and economic issues. We look for men of integrity, honesty, courage, honor, righteous, and just. And such men are hard to find these days outside of true Christianity.

There are several political and social trends in North American society today that do not square with the plain teaching of Scripture. Homosexuality is one of them. It is without a doubt against the Law of God given by Moses and the teaching of the Apostles. The same may be said of Darwin’s theory of evolution. The Bible never hints at the idea of the human race sharing a common universal ancestor brought about by natural processes and selection. Darwin wrote in his book, Origin of the Species, “"Therefore I should infer from analogy that probably all the organic beings which have ever lived on this earth have descended from some one primordial form, into which life was first breathed." Pp.490

Those of us with the most elementary education, basically those of us who can read or hear, can easily discern the difference between Darwin’s idea and the Genesis account in Scripture. They are not saying the same thing, now are they? Yet you want me to lay aside the law of non-contradiction to try and square Charles Darwin’s idea with the Bible?

As in many of such circumstances where the cultural norms and societal morals change with time, it sometimes occurs that such changes run against the plain teaching of Scripture. Some of us (evangelicals) will change with the culture and adopt new ideas and reinterpret old ideas. Those of us who remain with the old foundations and the plain teaching of Scripture might at times be thought of as odd, strange, or dangerous. This is not a persecution complex Mr. Todd, it is a fact of human history as it relates to true Christians.

If at this time in world history I am considered to be a dangerous ignorant nave, an intolerant bigot who is against all sound reason because I hold to the doctrines of Holy Scripture ahead of recent ideas, then so be it.

All I would request is that you actually connect with those to whom you criticize and negatively characterize. And if a no name guy like me doesn’t meet your standards, then give Dr. John MacArthur a call. There is one “general” you left out of your list. Oh, and call Albert Mohler too for a second opinion.

Interpretation of Parables

2011-04-10T18:33:00.007-04:00

Parables are a near universal figure of speech used by most nations. They appear especially prominent in the East and are used both in the Old and New Testaments. While some proverbs, types, and symbols are sometimes called parables in Scripture (Luke 4:23; Hebrews 9:9) the biblical parable is a unique figure of speech in a class of its own. The parable shares the elements of simile, but differs from it in that a parable is limited to that which is real. Parables are not like fables which make use of trees taking council but represents by its narrative that which is true to the facts and experiences of real life. While parables may be an enigma or riddle to the minds of many, they are not designed to be such. When properly understood, the parable’s purpose is to unveil the mysteries of the kingdom of God. Parables also can be compared to allegories, but here an allegory is an extended metaphor with its interpretation contained within itself, a parable requires the interpreter to move beyond the narrative to discover its meaning. Thus, the parable, as especially seen used by the Lord Jesus Christ, may contain the elements of enigma, type, symbol, and allegory yet differs from them all by operating in the tangible world of men.

The use of parables is not lost to the ancient or modern world. Like other figurative speech they serve to teach truth and mysteries with vivid and absorbing forms. This type of speech is seen to impress the memory that straight didactic teaching or rebukes cannot. The purpose of Jesus’ parables do not need to be guessed at. The disciples of Jesus asking Him plainly why He spoke to the people in parables to which He answered, “Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.” Matt. 10:11 From this we can immediately perceive the Lord’s design in speaking in parables to both conceal, and at the same time, reveal, the great truths of the kingdom. It is evident from Scripture that parables test the character of hearer. Those who hear and persevere to apply themselves to discover the meaning while have what they seek for. But those who hear and do not apply themselves or are lazy in their pursuit to uncover the meaning will have nothing.

It helpful when interpreting parables to understand the three common elements to them: the occasion and scope, the similitude to the real narrative, and the moral and religious lessons. The Lord has given us two examples of interpreting parables that is extremely useful. It is not denied that some parables are difficult to explain, but this is exception and not the norm. In fact, employing three basic principles of hermeneutics while serve greatly to discover the meaning. When interpreting any parable, we should first take notice of the historical circumstance and aim of the parable. We should also observe the things used as imagery and similitude to be accurate regarding the subject. Finally, the interpreter must gain a sense of the general scope and design of the whole parable to illuminate the central truth that is being taught. The several parts should be understood in relation to the whole.

The parable of the sower, being interpreted by the Lord Himself, as a sure guide and example, are seen the aforementioned principles. What was the historical occasion of the parable of sower in Matthew 13? Sitting in a boat by the sea a great multitude had come out to hear Him. Jesus then begins to speak to them a parable consisting of a sower who sows seed, all the while preaching the word of the kingdom to them as the true Sower. Throughout the parable the Lord laid meaning to the various parts as to the soil in which the seed fell and how the seed was received in each kind. Each kind part is explained by the Lord to His disciples culminating in the central truth of the parable, “Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.” v.9

We can compare this parable with that of the wheat and tares spoken seeing the same historical occasion, but carrying a different focus. It would be improper to automatically assume that this parable is picking up where the other left off. Rather, while the imagery is similar, taking notice of the various parts, new imagery is introduced. While there may be said to be a connection between the two and the rest in Matthew 13, we should be careful to interpret each according to the general truth being taught by each parable. Furthermore, caution should be exercised not to go too far in our interpretation of the parts. The Lord ascribed meaning in the parable of the wheat and tares to the sower, the field, the good seed, the tares, the enemy, the harvest, and the reapers. But He did not take notice of the men who slept or the servants of the householder, for example, when He explained the meaning to His disciples. By taking notice of what the Lord emphasizes and what He does not we can guard ourselves from fanciful interpretation of the various parts of a parable that may simply be incidental to fill in the story, and not related to the general scope and design of the whole. This is not to suggest that no meaning at can be gleaned from the parts not given particular meaning, but that we ought to exercise caution.

The three hermeneutical principles mentioned should not be taken rigidly and applied with mathematical precision in every parable. They are general principles to be used in interpretation. The examples we have of the Lord’s interpretation show that most details of a parable have meaning. By careful study and comparison of all the parables we can with confidence understand their meaning and uncover the truths they hold for the learned disciple. Any false interpretation may be noticed from the disharmony it presents to the various parts and the force needed to make such an interpretation stand. As seen in the Lord’s explanation of the sower and the wheat and the tares, there is unity both in the general scope and idea of the parable as well as the parts.

A variety of interpretations have been applied to the parable of the workers and vineyard found in Matthew’s gospel. Some have placed the emphasis on the amount of money the landowner gave to the workers. Others, such as Origen, held that the different hours in which the workers are hired and sent are different epochs of human history. By carefully applying the aforementioned principles we can avoid such varied interpretations. We first take notice that the historical occasion and scope of the parable is found in Matthew 19 in Jesus’ encounter with the young rich man. Jesus told the young man that he must sell all his possessions if he would have treasure in heaven, upon which he went away sorrowful. Jesus then declared to his disciples the great difficulty of the rich to enter the kingdom of God. Upon hearing this Peter said to Jesus, “See, we have left all and followed you. Therefore what shall we have?” He was asking the Lord, since such a promise was offered to the rich man who refused what their treasure would be in heaven. The parable of the workers in the vineyard follows this interchange. The historical occasion which preceded this parable to Jesus’ disciples helps us understand that the scope of the parable is directed to them. While Peter’s question did not receive a rebuke, but an answer, the parable shows that it was necessary to address the spirit in which the question was asked. It may be understood that the disciples are those who are first hired. The central idea of the parable is made clear by recognizing the historical occasion as addressing the motives and attitudes of the different workers. Jesus is admonishing the twelve by this parable not to think to themselves that because they were the first to leave all things and follow Him, that somehow this should afford them a greater honor and recompense than others whom the landowner would hire into His service. By making this clear analysis of the subject matter we can avoid interpretations that make prominent that which is irrelevant to the central idea. Lengthy expositions as to the money paid or who exactly the landowner is serves to distract from the real subject at hand. Now that we do have the central idea and general scope of the parable, we can examine and interpret the several parts. It may be justly noted that the first workers agreed to their wages before going into the vineyard while the last went to their work without regard of payment but only on the promise of “whatever is right you will receive.” Milton Terry rightly summarizes this point, “That is not the noblest spirit which asks, What shall I have? It is better to ask, What shall I do? He who follows Christ, and makes all manner of sacrifices for his sake, confidence that it will be well, is nobler than he who lingers to make a bargain.” P.296-297

The Parable of the Unjust Steward

2011-03-31T21:48:00.006-04:00

I must, for the moment, postpone my next chapter summary to give you a quote from one who is likely little known today. Cunningham Geikie was a scottish clergyman born in 1862. He pastored several churches in Canada becoming a recognized author in his time.I happened upon a commentary of his in my text regarding the interpretation of biblical parables.

Geikie is quoted to show an example of setting forth the scope and purpose of the parable of the unjust steward. This quote shed so much light upon the parable for me, that I wanted to share it here both for the reader who may happen upon it, but also for my benefit that the truth of Christ's words may burn into my heart.

The parable of Jesus is found in Luke 16:1-13. Here is Geikie's comment with regard to the scope and purpose of the parable:

"By becoming my disciples you have identified yourselves with the interest of another master than Mammon, the god of this world--whom you have hitherto served--and have before you another course and aim in life. You will be represented to your former master as no longer faithful to him, for my service is so utterly opposed to that of Mammon, that, if faithful to me, you cannot be faithful to him, and he will, in consequence, assuredly take your stewardship of this world's goods away from you--- that is, sink you in poverty, as I have often said.

I counsel you, therefore, so to use the goods of Mammon--the worldly means still at your command--that by a truly worthy distributor of them to your needy brethren---and my disciples are mostly poor--you may make friends for yourselves, who, if they die before you, will welcome you to everlasting habitations in heaven, when you pass thither, at death. Fit yourselves, by labours of love and deeds of true charity, as my followers, to become fellow citizens of the heavenly mansions with those wants you have relived while they were still in life.

If you be faithful thus, in the use of your possessions on earth, you will be deemed worthy by God to be entrusted with infinitely greater richers hereafter... Be assured that if you do not use your earthly riches faithfully for God, by dispensing them as I have told you, you will never enter my heavenly kingdom at all. You will have shown that you are servants of Mammon, and not the servants of God; for it is impossible for any man to serve two masters." -Geikie, Life of Christ, chap. liii

May the Lord by His Spirit breathe life into the words of Jesus Christ and make them to sink down into our minds and hearts, that we may rightly test ourselves to see if we be servants of Christ or Mammon. How freeing the Word of Christ is to the soul!

Fables, Riddles, and Enigmas

2011-03-29T22:08:00.004-04:00

Some of the most prominent figures of speech used in Holy Scirpture are fables, riddles, enigmas, allegories, parables, proverbs, types, and symbols. Gaining an understanding of these special forms of thought is imporant to biblical interpretation. It would be improper to recognize, for example, the use of a fable in Scripture as a figure of speech and conclude that the Bible itself is a fable. It would also be an error of interpretation to fail to recognize the use of fable as a figure of speech and take it as literal. The basic character of the fable used in Holy Writ depicts something in nature, such as trees or animals, as if they possess intellect and speech. The objects are presented as acting contrary to the natural laws of their being.

This trope was used by Jotham in Judges 9:7-20 where trees are described as going forth and anointing a king as well as speaking to an olive tree. The olive tree is said to speak back. This is an obvious use of fable to give and vivid picture of the foolishness of accepting a worthless leader. The imagary is at once seen to be fanciful and imaginary. It would be an error in judgment to suggest that such fugures of speech have no place in Scripture and so cast doubt upon the Word of God. God has spoken to men in the realm of earthly life and human thought. Why should we suppose that He would not employ the common use of language and all its nuances to convey His eternal truths?

Riddles are another figure of speech used in Scripture. The purpose of such speech is to excite the mind to inquirey and the search for truth. In Psalm 49:4 we read, "I will incline mine war to a parable: I will open my dark saying (riddle) upon the harp." The purpose of the riddle is to hide the meaning. In contrast, an enigma serves both to conceal and enhance sacred thought. There is an enigmatic element to Jesus words spoken to Nicodemus in John 3:5 when He said, "Verily, Verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." This came as an anwer to Nicodemus' question as to who Jesus was. Jesus knew exactly what Nicodemus needed to hear because He knew what was in his heart. Jesus knew that Nicodemus was trying to understand who He was, but Nicodemus did not need new information but a new life. Nicodemus needed a new birth if he was to percieve the kingdom. Such engimatic speech perplexed him that both concealed the matter and enhance was Christ was communicating to him.

Chapter 11: Simile and Metaphor

2011-03-25T12:05:00.003-04:00

Similes and metaphors are figures of thought found in the Bible. A simile occurs when two different things are compared. In Isaiah 55:10-11, rain and snow and their effect upon the earth in bearing fruit and bringing a blessing to mankind is compared to the Word of God. This vivid simile leaves a beautiful and lasting impression that is not easily forgotten. The Bible sometimes groups several similes together likely because of Hebrew parallelism. There is little difficulty in interpreting biblical similes. The main thought being conveyed is only enhanced by the imagery. The Bible also uses figures of speech related to similes, but contains elements of metaphor or parable. In 2 Timothy 2:3 the Apostle Paul exhorts Timothy to endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. The exact simile is not drawn but expanded upon. It is assumed that both Timothy and the reader will make application to their own lives. Such figures of speech contain elements of both simile and metaphor.

Metaphors are common to all languages. A simile makes a comparison with regard to what something is like while a metaphor turns a word from its literal use and meaning to a new use. In Genesis 49:9 we read that Judah is a lion’s whelp. This is clearly a metaphor. The metaphors of the Old Testament are largely drawn from the natural landscape of Israel, their manners and customs, and practices related to the worship and rituals of the Hebrews. This is also carried into the New Testament Scriptures such as is found in 1 Corinthians 5:7-8 where the Passover is used metaphorically until they make an allegory. Metaphors that are extended in this manner become allegories. Some metaphors may seem uncertain. In Psalm 45:1 the Hebrew literally reads, “My heart boils up with a goodly word” and is difficult to determine what the allusion is referring to. Nevertheless, the meaning is clear: the heart was overflowing with a pleasing theme, and the imagery is that of some liquid boiling or bubbling over. Even when the exact metaphorical object may be obscure, the meaning is not.

Chapter 10: Figures of Speech

2011-03-24T22:07:00.002-04:00

There is not a language in the history of the world that has not employed the use of figures of speech. It is natural to the way we think to make comparisons and analogies. It should not surprise us that we find within the biblical text the frequent use of figurative language used convey, illustrate, and teach the truth of God. It has been suggested that there exists a divine harmony between the natural and spiritual world. Is it not reasonable to understand that He who created childbearing would draw upon His handiwork to explain the mystery of the new birth to Nicodemus? God, who orders all things according the counsel of His will, certainly took particular care in what has been made and is seen, to illustrate and excite our minds to such things as are not seen.

The primary sources for figurative language found in the Bible are the physical features of the land of Israel, the manners and customs of her people, and the worship of God by them. Nothing is dispensable. From mountains to valleys, animals and men, the text of Scripture makes use of all things seen to furnish the world with language in the explanation of that which is unseen. Because figurative language is readily recognizable, it is not necessary to lay strict rules for making a determination. An axiom of biblical interpretation is that words should be understood in their literal sense except when a literal interpretation results in contradiction or absurdity. The problem with this axiom is that it is highly subjective to the perception of the interpreter. In light of this, the same general principles in determining the grammatico-historical sense should be employed with the interpretation of figurative language. We should also begin with the understanding that God intends to communicate with us. And if done by metaphor, allegory, parables, and symbols, their use is not to obscure meaning but rather to illumine. It is possible to be careless in our interpretation of the Scriptures, but careful study and attention to the author’s context, scope, and plan will safeguard our understanding.

The figurative language of Holy Scripture can be divided into two camps: figures of words and figures of thought. Figures of words are confined to a single word. Figures of thought require several words or sentences. This chapter deals with figures of words.

Metaphors and metonymy are figures of words. Similes, allegories, and parables are figures of thought. An example of a metaphor can be found in Luke 13:32 where Jesus said, “..Go ye, and tell that fox…” A metonymy is a figure of speech whereby one entity is used to stand for an associated entity. A well-known example is “The pen is mightier than the sword” where writing is represented as military force. In Job 34:6 the KJV reads, “..my wound is incurable..” where the Hebrew gives arrow (chets) for what is translated wound. The word arrow is used to mean a wound caused by an arrow. In Luke 16:29 we see Moses and the prophets being used to stand for the writings which they authored. In Hosea 1:2 we read, “…the land hath committed great whoredom” where land is used in metonymy for the people living in the land. Metonymy may also be used to signify something. In Isaiah 22:22 “…the key of the house of David...” is used to signify control or authority over the house of David.

A synecdoche is classed with figures of words where a part stands for the whole, or an individual for a group. In Luke 2:1 we learn that Caesar Augustus sent out a decree to “tax all the world” where only the Roman Empire is meant. Personification and apostrophe are similar figures of words found frequently in Scripture. Jesus instructs us in Matthew 6:34 to “…take no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for things of itself.” We can see in this example that “tomorrow” is being pictured as a living, thinking person. Personification is most frequently found in the poetic books of the Bible as might be expected. Apostrophe is similar, but differs in that the author directs speech to an imaginary or abstract idea. In 2 Samuel 28:33 we see King David in deep grief over the death of his son Absalom speaking to him in his lamentation.

Other forms of expression that ought to be recognized in Scripture are interrogatory forms, hyperbole, and irony. These all have their place in the Word of God being used to bring the force of truth upon the hearer and reader. Who is not deeply impressed by the words of the Apostle Paul in Romans 8:33-34 where interrogating questions are brought to the mind, “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, and yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” Hyperbole exaggerates an object or idea beyond reality. This ought not to be thought of in the negative. It is a style of speech used to engender strong emotion or leave an indelible impression. Consider John 21:25 where we read, “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that event he world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.” Finally, irony where a speaker or writer is saying the very opposite of what is being communicated, can leave a lasting impression. Elijah’s ironical mockery of the prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:27 certainly left an impression upon on all who heard.

The Subjunctive Mood argument of “Calvinism Strongholds” by Kerrigan Skelly examined

2011-02-21T10:58:00.002-05:00

http://www.youtube.com/refutingcalvinism

The above link to Youtube is a video, and website, dedicated to trying to refute Calvinism. A friend of mine taken in by this man sent me the above link to learn 'the truth' about Calvinism. I love the truth. And it may be possible that the author of the video has valid and true points.

The video is 45 minutes long. To view a video like that and respond to all the points and arguments takes a very long time. What I have done is listened to the first 5 minutes, taking notes, and then researched some of his points. The author built his first arguments on the subjunctive mood of the Greek language from John 5.

I am not professionally trained in the Greek language, yet I know that what he shared was too brief and simplistic. Therefore, I researched the subjunctive mood. The following is my conclusions. It appears to me that Mr. Skelly is also not professionally trained in the Greek language, otherwise he would not have made the mistake he did in the uses of the subjunctive mood.

I also intially touch on the use of words.

The Subjunctive Mood argument of “Calvinism Strongholds” by Kerrigan Skelly examined

1. The first argument in the video Mr. Skelly highlights John 5:34 and zeros in on the Greek Sozo being in the subjunctive mood. The word means to keep safe, rescue from danger or destruction, et. It can be used in the sense of being saved from a disease that will cause death, meaning to heal, or in the sense we commonly understand to be salvation from sin/death/hell.

a. Ex. Mark 5:34 “And he said unter her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace, and be whole of thy plague. This phrase is rendered sozo se sozo. The context is describing an action that has taken place, so the tense then is in the perfect, active, indicative. Perfect means it has happened, active shows that the daughter is the one the action applies to, and the indicative means a simple statement of fact. It has happened. It is obvious from the context of this passage that the word sozo is not referring to salvation in the sense of being born again, but of healing from a physical illness.

b. The point is this: Most words have a wide range of meaning. This is called the semantic range. It is the context of the passage that determines, or narrows, the meaning and is quite often clear.

c. Mr. Skelly’s argument is that the subjunctive mood of the word refutes the concept of predestination. His argument also rests on the verse being salvific in the biblical sense. That is, predestined unto eternal life. So, his suggestion is that the mood of the word refutes the historic Calvinistic doctrine of predestination.

d. Mr. Skelly correctly identifies the mood of the Greek word. He also correctly identifies to whom Jesus is referring to and why the Jews took issue with Jesus.

e. His argument against Calvinism is that because the mood is subjunctive means possibility, or potentiality, then the Calvinist understanding is wrong and God has not chosen men to salvation. The action being described may or may not occur, and Mr. Skelly’s argument is that if this is the case, that these Jews may or may not be saved, then their salvation is not determined or chosen by God.

f. Like me, Mr. Skelly may not be thoroughly trained in Greek. The use of a lexicon or dictionary, or the use of an interlinear is not enough to gain the meaning of the tense and meaning of the Greek language. To the untrained in the Greek language Mr. Skelly’s argument may appear valid. After a little research with regard to the use of the subjunctive mood in Greek, here is what I found:

i. There are various uses of the subjunctive mood in Greek. For example, there are Horatory Subjunctive, Deliberative Subjunctive, Subjuntive of Emphatic Negation, Subjunctive of Prohibition, Purpose Clause, Indefinite Relative Clause, Indefinite Temporal Clause, Third Class Conditional Sentences, et. Souce: ntgreek.org.

ii. It appears to me that the subjunctive use in John 5:34 is the Purpose Clause. As stated on the ntgreek.org site, “If the subjunctive mood is used in a ‘purpose’ (or in a ‘result’) clause, then the action should not be thought of a possible result, but should be viewed as the stated outcome that will happen (or has happened) as a result of another stated action. The use of the subjunctive is not to indicate that something “may” or “might” result from a given action, but it is stating the “purpose of” or “reason for” an action.

iii. The example given on the site is John 1:7 “The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.”The phrase “might believe” is in the subjunctive mood. The site points out, “Notice that this verse has two purpose clauses, emphasizing the ultimate reason for John’s coming as a testimony to Christ.

iv. Notice in our text of John 5:34 is also a purpose clause. “…But these things I say, that ye might be saved.” The purpose of Jesus’ saying the things he said, His testimony, the testimony of John concerning Him, and Jesus’ miracles, have a purpose. The Scriptures referenced by Mr. Skelly are written as a purpose clause.

v. The subjunctive mood used in a purpose clause “..actually functions more like a verb in the indicative mood rather than in the optative mood. It is not stating the possibility of an action, but instead telling the intention of the primary action.” Remember, the indicative mood is a simple statement of fact.

vi. While Mr. Kelly is correct in identifying the meaning of the subjunctive mood, he has failed to show the use of it in the passages he cites. I am not one to believe that Mr. Skelly is doing this maliciously, but rather out of a lack of knowledge of the Greek language.

vii. That John 5:34 is using the subjunctive in a purpose clause the argument that this verse is teaching that salvation is possible for all men does not stand. Jesus is not teaching here that it was possible that these Jews could be saved if they were willing. What Jesus is teaching is that the testimony of John, Jesus’ miracles, and His sayings are for the purpose of saving souls.

Chapter 10 Figurative Language

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Figures of speech are common to both ancient and modern languages.

Chapter 9: The Historical Standpoint

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Gaining knowledge of the geography, history, chronology, manners, and customs of the times of a biblical author is of first importance when interpreting Scripture. By gaining an understanding of these areas, the biblical interpreter will be able to apprehend the full weight of the author’s words within the historical context in which they were given. As must as possible, we must avoid interpreting Scripture in light of our present times and circumstances. Through an accurate knowledge of history, we must seek to transport ourselves back to the times of the biblical writer and seek to see and feel as he did.

Students of Scripture who have made a thorough study of the itinerant life of the Apostle Paul know the importance the knowledge of the physical and political features of the cities that he passed through. Great interest is brought to Paul’s life in knowing that the shores of Troas on which Paul and his companions arrived was the scene of the Trojan War. This is where the tomb of Achilles that ignited the passions of Alexander the Great to go out and conquer the known world was self-same place that by the preaching of the Apostle Paul armed with heavenly armor and the Gospel conquered the whole world. Considering the times and the geography together should also not be neglected. The often familiar passage of Revelation 3:15-17 in reference to the lukewarm Christians of Laodicea is brought into an interesting light knowing something of the two neighboring cities, Colosse and Hierapolis. Colosse was known for its cold springs of water rich in minerals that were piped by aqueducts to Laodicea. Hierapolis was known, and still is, for its hot springs. The cold waters of Colosse provided a refreshing source of water and many people came to the hot springs of Hierapolis to soothe their ailments. But the Christians in Laodicea were metaphorically described as “lukewarm” being of no benefit either to the one who was athirst spiritually or to the spiritually sick in need of relief.

Gaining an understanding of the historical viewpoint of Scripture can add tremendous understanding to the circumstances, times, and place of the writer. This has helped interpreters be certain about the dates of certain books of the Bible, clearer meaning to the words of Scripture, and the people to whom the biblical authors wrote. Historical considerations may also serve to add great weight to silence the criticisms of those who would cast doubt upon the writers.

Chapter 9: The Historical Standpoint

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Gaining knowledge of the geography, history, chronology, manners, and customs of the times of a biblical author is of first importance when interpreting Scripture. By gaining an understanding of these areas, the biblical interpreter will be able to apprehend the full weight of the author’s words within the historical context in which they were given. As must as possible, we must avoid interpreting Scripture in light of our present times and circumstances. Through an accurate knowledge of history, we must seek to transport ourselves back to the times of the biblical writer and seek to see and feel as he did.
Students of Scripture who have made a thorough study of the itinerant life of the Apostle Paul know the importance the knowledge of the physical and political features of the cities that he passed through. Great interest is brought to Paul’s life in knowing that the shores of Troas on which Paul and his companions arrived was the scene of the Trojan War. This is where the tomb of Achilles that ignited the passions of Alexander the Great to go out and conquer the known world was self-same place that by the preaching of the Apostle Paul armed with heavenly armor and the Gospel conquered the whole world. Considering the times and the geography together should also not be neglected. The often familiar passage of Revelation 3:15-17 in reference to the lukewarm Christians of Laodicea is brought into an interesting light knowing something of the two neighboring cities, Colosse and Hierapolis. Colosse was known for its cold springs of water rich in minerals that were piped by aqueducts to Laodicea. Hierapolis was known, and still is, for its hot springs. The cold waters of Colosse provided a refreshing source of water and many people came to the hot springs of Hierapolis to soothe their ailments. But the Christians in Laodicea were metaphorically described as “lukewarm” being of no benefit either to the one who was athirst spiritually or to the spiritually sick in need of relief.

Chapter 8: Comparison of Parallel Passages

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One of the most important principles in biblical interpretation is to allow Scripture to interpret Scripture. This principle puts the interpreter in the position of allowing the Divine Author of Scripture to speaking for Himself. One of the methods of using this principle is to compare parallel passages. When seeking parallel passages it is important to be able to discern between what is and is not a true parallel. Without such discernment it is possible to wrest the meaning of the Scripture and make it to say something that it does not teach.

There are few parallels, for example, that are expected to be found in the book of Proverbs. Rather, Proverbs is made up of several concise statements of truth and wisdom. While the book of Proverbs may be divided into general subjects, such as the treatment of the evil woman in chapter seven, there is little connection between the varied verses. However, a large portion of the biblical text posses clear parallels and by comparing such instances great light and understanding is brought to the text. In fact, the principle of parallel passages brings light upon certain words and statements of Scripture that would otherwise be very difficult to comprehend.

One foundational rule of seeking for parallels is to first compare them in the writings of the same author. Each writer can be distinguished by a style of his own and may in one writing expound more or less on a particular subject. Adding to this self-evident rule, some of the most valuable parallels are found by comparing passages of the same class, or category. Historical passages may be compared with other historical passages, those that are prophetic with other prophetic passages, and didactic with didactic. Those familiar with the New Testament will be able to see the soundness in this rule when considering the epistles of the Apostle Paul. Comparing the teaching of Paul’s letters first among themselves and then by class will shed great light upon the text.

When speaking of parallel passages it is common to take notice of parallels that are verbal and those that are called real. Verbal parallels are those where the same word occurs within the context of a similar subject matter. This type of parallel is useful in ascertaining the meaning of words. That which is sometimes called a real parallel consists of passages that share similar facts, subjects, sentiments, or doctrines. Such parallels may also be evaluated both historically and doctrinally. A good exegete will consider not just the verbal and real parallels, but take into account all parallels when interpreting the text.

Chapter 7: Context, Scope, and Plan

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In order to gain a better understanding of the grammatico-historical sense of Scripture the biblical interpreter must look at the purpose of the biblical author in his writing. It must be assumed that the author has some end or scope in view for the writing. Attention must also be paid the general arrangement, or plan, of the author of the various parts of a work. Once the general scope and plan is ascertained, then attention can be paid to the particular parts of a writings noting the immediate context of the part.

Sometimes the Scripture gives the scope of the work. This is the case with the Paul’s epistle to Titus. In verse five Paul writes, “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I appointed thee.” The letter then proceeds with instructions to Titus upon this very theme to encourage and exhort him as to his work of setting things in order and ordaining elders. Other times the scope of book must be determined in other ways. Milton Terry suggests, for example, that Genesis may be ordered in ten parts with where each part begins with “These are the generations..” as a tenfold history from creation through the earliest developments of human history. Such scope is not stated by Moses, but does appear from the book. The recurrent heading through the book of Genesis hints of the author’s plan in the layout of Genesis.

Once a panoramic view of a books plan and scope is obtained, the biblical interpreter is better equipped to draw meaning from particular parts and sections paying careful attention to the context. We often hear in Christian circles that Scripture must be taken in context, but what is really meant by that? The context of a passage of Scripture or small portion may be near or remote from the passage(s) under consideration. It is best to first consider the immediate context and then move outward toward a broader context if the meaning of a verse or passage requires it for a better understanding. It is also helpful to consider how facts or events happen in the order of time, or how a certain teaching may be connected to some historical fact. Through careful study and the constant exercise of observing the text in its context, scope, and plan the biblical interpreter can grow in discerning the grammatico-historical sense of Scripture.

Chapter 6: The Grammatico-Historical Sense

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The previous chapters lay the groundwork of discerning the meaning of words in order to consider grammatico-historical sense of Scripture. The grammatical sense of Scripture is the same as the literal sense. It is the approach to the Scriptures that takes a simple, direct, and plain sense of its phrases and sentences. The historical sense seeks to transport the interpreter back in time as it were and consider the manners, customs, and times in which the Scriptures were written. The true work of an exegete can do nothing more than take the biblical author at his word and derive his grammatical principles from the author’s own use of language. The biblical interpreter should also trace the historical data to gain a better understanding of the usus loquendi of a biblical writer.

The essential principles for determining the meaning of words can be justly applied to discovering the grammatico-historical sense of Scripture. Attention to internal definitions given by the author and form used assuming the author never means to contradict himself. Examining the whole text of a book or letter to gain its subject, scope, and purpose should also be sought to gain a proper grammatical construction of sentences. This should be done as much as possible from the author’s historical viewpoint. The grammatico-historical sense is singular in nature. It must never be presumed that the biblical author seeks to speak in a riddles and double meanings unless the text itself indicates such. It is upon this principle that the miracles of the Bible are taken literally. There is no indication from the text of the account of the events that the authors meant anything other than to relay an actual event.

If such reasoning is to be rejected, then what could be said of the resurrection of Jesus? The biblical accounts of the resurrection give the reader no ground to interpret the event as anything other than an actual historical occurrence. Jesus’ resurrection is indeed a literal and historical event. The plain, simple, and direct accounts and teaching regarding the resurrection of Jesus throughout the entire New Testament leave no other conclusion than the event happened as the author’s described it did, or that they willfully and knowingly lied about it for which they were willing to suffer horrendous trials and deaths to maintain the falsehood. No one in their right mind would do such a thing.

Employing the grammatico-historical interpretation of Scripture necessitates that the interpreter be familiar with the original languages of the Bible. The positions of words or phrases in the Greek language sometimes indicate particular emphasis. Verb tenses also serve to illume the text with regard to present, past, or continual action not always discernable in translations. The Scripture itself exhorts the man of God to be diligent to show himself approved of God as workman, or laborer, that doesn’t need to be ashamed (2 Timothy 2:15). Therefore, such principles that teach us to pay close attention to the meaning of words, their tenses and moods, their relationship to one another, the use of language, and the scope, context, and plan of the biblical author are the labors of the one who loves the Scriptures.

Chapter 5: Synonyms

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In the process of time words take on different meanings and are used in different ways. Different words are often used to convey a general idea or concept but carry slightly different shades of meaning. For example, the words wonder, surprise, admiration, astonishment, and amazement all carry the same general idea yet slightly different meanings. When interpreting the Scriptures it is helpful to possess the skill to be able to discover Hebrew and Greek synonyms. This area of scholarship is rarely touched upon by scholars. Both spiritual and intellectual discipline is needed to discern synonymous terms of Scripture. Yet, the patient exercise in this field is worth the effort.

For example, there are several words in Hebrew that convey the idea of killing or putting to death. One Hebrew word means a cutting off as found in Psalm 139:19, “Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God…” Another Hebrew word that conveys the general idea of killing is found in Joshua 10:26, “And afterward Joshua smote them, and slew them…” where in this case the shade of meaning is the causing of the death, in this case, Joshua. In the former Hebrew word the idea of a death occurring is present, but the cause of it is not found in the meaning of the term. This usage of the word is found over two hundred times in Scripture and is never used for murder. It is the soldier, governor, or the Lord that causes one to die. The Hebrew word ratsach is yet another word used for killing, but in this case the meaning is the act of murder or manslaughter. It is this word that we find in Exodus 20:13, “Thou shalt not kill.” Too often those uninformed in the synonymous Hebrew words for killing have misinterpreted or misunderstanding Exodus 20:13.

The same can be found in the Greek language of the New Testament. There are two Greek terms translated life in our English Bibles. The first is bios and commonly refers to the means of living for the present life. The widow in Mark 12:44 cast into the treasury her whole living, or all that was necessary for her present life. In Luke 8:14 we see that this women spent her whole living on physicians. The second term is zoe is mainly used in the New Testament to mean essential life possessed by man, whether in this life or the next. Jesus give eternal zoe, life, not eternal bios. It should be clear that by gaining some understanding of the synonyms of words may yield much profit to the biblical interpreter.

Chapter 4: The Usus Loquendi

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Given that a word may carry manifold meanings it is important to become familiar with the use of language, the usus loquendi, to arrive at the meaning of a word in Scripture. Several hundred years ago the word let meant to go before whereas today it means to hinder, or prevent. The use of language over time can significantly alter the meaning of a word to mean very opposite things. Sometimes a word is used in a peculiar sense completely separate from its definitional meaning in modern or ancient times. When this occurs the context of the passage needs to be consulted when the author applies his own definition to the word. For example, the word perfect or complete found in 2 Timothy 3:17 is defined by the author as meaning “thoroughly furnished unto every good work.” In Hebrews 5:14 the definition of perfect is defined as being able to discern between good and evil.

Special care and attention then must be paid to the immediate context to discover the particular meaning a word. Most words in any language typically posses a wide semantic range where the precise meaning can only be discovered by context. The Greek term pneuma, translated as wind or spirit possesses a variety of meanings from the physical wind to the Spirit of God. There is no difficulty in determining the meaning of the word in a given passage when taken in context. For example, in John 3:8 this term is used twice with two different meanings. The use of a word in its context must not be dislodged from the subject. The nature of the subject being discussed in 2 Corinthians 5:1-4 limits the terms house, tabernacle, building, to the body and not to heaven itself. The main subject in the context of the passage is the current state of the human body and what it will become in glory. This illustration also serves to show how biblical authors use language to contrast ideas. Often their use of thesis and antithesis define the meaning of words that are used.

Hebrew parallelisms also help to discover the usus loqendi of several words. In Psalm 18:6 we see an example: “In my distress I called upon the LORD, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.” The words call and cry are explained and illustrated by God’s hearing his voice and his cry coming to God’s ears. Attention should also be paid to the subject and predicates in order to limit or define the meaning of words. This kind of careful attention is employing the interpretive method of the grammatical and historical approach. It is allowing the Scripture to speak for itself and for Scripture to interpret Scripture.

One of the most significant and important methods for detecting the usus loquendi is comparing parallel passages of Scripture. In the first place, the biblical interpreter should seek for parallel passages within the writings of the same author and upon the same subjects that may be treated elsewhere. Then, in recognition of the divine authorship of Scripture, other biblical authors can consulted who treat upon the same subject or narratives. A clear example of parallel passages is Romans 8:12, Ephesians 6:13-17, and 1 Thessalonians 5:8 which when compared help to explain what is the armor of light that we are commanded in Romans to put on in Ephesians and Thessalonians.

While etymological considerations are very helpful in determining the meaning of a word, it must not do so against the general usage of a word. Recognizing the general and familiar use of words can keep the interpreter from absurdities. Some, in seeking to give place for women to teach or preach in the Church, have appealed to the word lalein found in 1 Corinthians 14:35 translated “to speak” but carries the meaning of babble. The suggestion is that women are not permitted to babble in Church but are certainly permitted to speak. This same word, however, is used over twenty times in the New Testament and its common usage gives the meaning of discourse or speaking. To move outside this common usage would cast absurd meanings on such passages as verse 29 of the same chapter and have it read, “Let the prophets babble two or three, and let the other judge.”

Finally, as an aid to understanding the usus loquendi of the biblical text ancient versions of the Scriptures and ancient glossaries can help. The Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, carries great weight in illuminating difficult words or phrases. The Latin Vulgate, the Peshito-Syriac Version, the Targums, and other ancient versions of the Scriptures can serve to some degree in determining the meaning of rare words. More weight and authority must be given to the language itself rather than from ancient versions because often the versions differ great one from another. Discernment and caution must be employed in using ancient versions, but they can serve a useful purpose.

Chapter 3: The Primary Meaning of Words

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A brief overview of the history and development of language over time reveals the need to understanding the meaning of words. In order to understand the meaning of Hebrew, Greek, and Aramaic words, it is important to know the original meaning of the word, how a word was used at the time, how the meaning of a word may have changed over time, and recognize the importance of a word’s synonyms. This research and study is referred to as etymology. Another field of science useful in understanding words is comparative philology. Philological research traces a word through families of languages taking note of the variety of forms, different usages, and different shades of meaning. Philological and etymological study is especially helpful with very ancient words that appear only once in the text of Scripture where the meaning of it is difficult of ascertain.

In every language known to man today the original meaning of some word has been lost. The great wealth of Greek literature has served to aid the biblical interpreter for a great many of the New Testament words. However, the Old Testament Scriptures are what essentially remain of the Hebrew language. When Joseph dreamed of a ladder where the angels of God ascended and descended upon it, the Hebrew word of ladder is cullam. This word appears only once in the Hebrew Scriptures. Etymological research suggests that its root is calal, meaning to lift up, or cast up, or exalt. Tracing the Arabic word, sullum, leaves little doubt to the word meaning stairway or ladder.

In the New Testament, the Greek word epiousion, translated as ‘daily’ in the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:11 and Luke 11:3, appears nowhere else in Greek literature. In order to arrive at the meaning of the word, its roots must be traced. Etymologically there are two possible derivations. The first is epeimi, which means to go toward or approach, and would mean the bread for the coming day, or tomorrow’s bread. The second is possible root is epi and oupia meaning existence or subsistence. Given the sentence itself in which this word appears, the meaning becomes clear to be our daily essential subsistence, or bread.

These examples serve to illustrate the need for understanding both the etymology of a word and tracing a word through a family of languages in order to arrive at its proper meaning. Tracing the derivations of words often reveals the meaning of a particular word which may be justly deduced from the context in which it is found, especially when the word is only used in the Bible. This is also helpful when seeking the meaning of compound words, such as the word peacemaker found in Matthew 5:9. The Greek is eirenopoios, made up of two words, eirene, meaning peace, and poieo, meaning to make. Tracing the etymology of this compound word helps bring meaning to the text when a word is used only once and is only found in the Bible.

Chapter 2: Different Methods of Interpretation

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It is helpful in understanding sound principles of biblical interpretation to know some of the history of the various schools of thought from before the Christian era and through its early development. By gaining some understanding of the principles used in history in interpreting the Scriptures can help us avoid false and spurious principles and discern the true. The alternative is ignorance which may indeed doom us to repeat the mistakes history plainly reveals.

The earliest method of interpretation practiced by the Jews of Alexandria was the Allegorical method. An earlier origin of this method can be traced to Greek philosophers who employed this method to clear the logical roadblocks certain philosophers were having with the writings of Homer. In order to satisfy the “modern” Greek philosopher the religious writings of the Greeks were interpreted allegorically to remove the perceived absurdities of a literal interpretation. Likewise, the theophanies and anthropomorphisms of the Hebrew Scriptures were repulsive to the philosophers of ancient Greece. The Alexandrian Jews, such as Philo, turned to the Allegorical method in order to make the stories and descriptions of God acceptable to their culture. In similar fashion, some of the early church fathers, such as Clement of Alexandria, employed the same methods. Clement, for example, interpreted the certain food prohibitions in the Mosaic Law as emblematic of bad virtue such as the raven representing greed. While the Allegorical method sought to maintain a high view of Scripture, it did so at the expense of the normal significance of words and led the interpreters to fanciful conjecture. In the Allegorical school of interpretation the true meaning of the text is limited only by the whims and fancy of the interpreter.

Related to the allegorical method, the Mystical interpretation sought to find hidden meaning in every word of Scripture. Origen, for example, taught that since man’s nature consisted of body, soul, and spirit, the Scriptures consist of literal, moral, and spiritual meaning. The 17th century Christian mystic Emanuel Swedenborg also maintained this three-fold meaning to Scripture. He maintained that Scripture held three senses, the literal, the spiritual, and the celestial. Rather than stopping at the plain meaning of Exodus 20:13 which reads, “Thou shalt not kill” he sought a hidden or deeper meaning than the prohibition of murder to the fanciful idea that it forbids the devil from destroying man’s soul.

Not surprisingly, the Quakers employed a mystical interpretation of the Scriptures which was based on “inward light” called the Pietistic interpretation. Ironically, such internal illuminations claimed by the followers of such a method exhibit contradictory interpretations serving as a just refutation of their principles. Like the Allegorical and Mystical schools, Pietism holds a high view of Scripture but the principles employed in its interpretation are devoid of rational judgment and common sense. A Quaker-Pietist interprets the Scriptures as what seems right in his own eyes.

Perhaps as a reaction to the fanciful Mystic and Allegorical schools of interpretation, the Accommodation Theory rose out of German Rationalism. This destructive theory interpreted all accounts of miracles, the resurrection, angels and demons, heaven and hell, as accommodations to the superstitious beliefs of ancient people. Any supernatural element in Scripture was completely set aside and disregarded on the grounds that those to whom they were written lived in ignorance. This school of thought then assails the integrity of the biblical authors and the Son of God who served only to confirm their hearers in the alleged superstitions rather than deliver them from them. On this ground this school of thought utterly collapses upon itself. Rising out of such rigid rationalistic thinking was the system of Moral Interpretation foisted on the world by Immanuel Kant. Kant proposed to judge the Scriptures according to whether a moral lesson could be reasonably discerned. If no such lesson could be rationally arrived to then the interpreter was at liberty to set aside the literal and historical sense. Similar to the mystical and allegorical methods, the Moral Interpretation leaves the sense and meaning of Scripture subject to the whims and conjecture of the interpreter.

Probably the most damaging method of interpretation is the Naturalistic method. This method proposes that the interpreter should examine the Scriptures according to what is fact and opinion. All supernatural influence upon the biblical authors is rejected. Miracles and other supernatural acts recording in Scripture are rejected a priori and a naturalistic explanation is substituted. For example, this method rejects Jesus walking on water and interprets the passage as meaning He was walking on the shore. Peter didn’t actually walk on water when Jesus bid him to, but rather the boat was near enough to the shore that he would not sink. This method utterly fails on the grounds of normal rules of human speech. Thankfully, this method received no widespread influence or interest.

Not long after the Naturalistic method, David Friedrich Strauss set forth a Mythical theory in his book Life of Jesus published in 1835. Strauss’ theory was logical and self-consistent and received much interest in the Christian world at the time. This theory, based on Hegelian pantheism, denied that Christ established a Church or proclaimed the Gospel according the New Testament. Rather, it proposed that such things were the mystical creation of the Church. Strauss proposed rejecting historical biblical narratives if they could not be reconciled with known scientific laws or theory. He also proposed that if a narrative was inconsistent then it could be regarded as mythical. He felt that if the biblical authors wrote poetically or in a manner beyond their learning, then the narrative was concocted. Furthermore, he alleged that a reported event could be regarded as myth simply because it contained an uncanny agreement with Jewish Messianic ideas or was just simply unbelievable. I suppose that even those newly initiated to the faith of Christ could discern the subjective prejudice inherent in Strauss’ theory. The notion that the Apostles knowingly perpetrated a myth is outside of clear thinking and logic. Myths develop over time long after the actual events and occurrences have passed out of memory. The death and resurrection of Jesus, His miracles and teaching, were recording far too soon from the actual events themselves to be construed as myth.

Other rationalistic methods arose from the likes of F.C. Baur, Renan, Schenkel, and others offering some shade or difference from the ones mentioned before, but all sharing a naturalistic presupposition. Rarely do any of these critics agree with one another to such a degree that they destroy one another. History has already shown since Terry wrote this chapter that given enough time, such nonsense merely implodes upon itself and is swept away as dust in the wind.

Apologetic and Dogmatic methods of interpretation arose out of rationalistic and skeptical assaults on the Scriptures. Apologetics and dogma have a significant and legitimate place in sound exegesis. Terry rejects as dangerous the method to maintain a preconceived hypothesis as dogma and not merely as starting point for investigation. Any dogma of the Scriptures attested to must be defensible from Scripture alone and not on the ground of tradition. The books of the Bible must be defended logically and reasonably showing that their just due is to be regarded as the revelation of God. All facts of Scripture, no matter how difficult they may seem at times to the defender of Holy writ, must be affirmed and acknowledged. What must be rejected is irrational conclusions and false deductions.

The Grammatico-Historical method of interpretation is the most commendable of all schools. All of its principles seek to take from the Scriptures the meaning which the writers meant to convey. This school of interpretation begins with the assumption that the writers of Holy Scripture did not write with the intent of beguile or mislead their readers. It is not denied by this method that the Bible differs from other books being Divinely inspired and containing supernatural revelations, symbols, and unique claims. It does affirm that common sense and reason, as well as education, should aid our interpretation by mastering the language of the writers, understanding the manners and customs in which they wrote, and seek the scope and plan of each book of the Bible. From the moment mankind was able to communicate by language, mankind became interpreters. It is as unreasonable to employ fanciful interpretive methods upon our communications with one another as some have attempted to foist upon the sacred Scriptures.

Part II: Principles of Biblical Hermeneutics. Chapter 1: Preliminary

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It goes without saying that the world is filled with interpreters of the Bible. And it often asked why there exists such a wide variety of interpretation. Some would answer that it is because people are not being guided by some earthly prophet or infallible governing authority. Others have taken aim at the Scripture itself. Yet, God has communicated His Word to His people. If there is any reasonable explanation for the varied interpretations of Holy Scripture we can be certain the fault lies with the interpreter and not the pure Word of God. The principles of biblical hermeneutics provide tremendous help to the student of Scripture to draw from the Scripture itself the meaning of the author. While the Scriptures certainly contain hard and difficult sayings, the Lord gave His Word so that it may make even a child wise unto salvation.

These governing laws and methods help the interpreter determine the meaning of the Scripture. Hermeneutical principles should become to the exegete what axioms are to a mathematician. They are applied with uniformity and consistency throughout the entire exegetical process. Sound hermeneutical principles are not something to be disregarded as unspiritual. Rather, they are safe guidelines to the student of Scripture and keep us from straying into fanciful and sometimes even fanatical interpretations.

We should also consider how someone can determine which principles to use. In order to discover these principles we must turn to the Scriptures themselves. We must follow the hermeneutic of the Apostles and Prophets. There are sufficient examples from the Scriptures establish sound principles. We can observe the interpretation of dreams given in Scripture, visions, types, parables, and symbols and follow one author to another their own hermeneutic. The Bible is not like the pagan babblings of sorcerers filled with riddles and double meanings. God communicated to the world in times past by His prophets and in these last days has spoken to us in His Son. When the Holy Scriptures are taken as a whole and permitted to speak for itself, then the chief hermeneutic appears plainly. The Bible is its own best interpreter.

Chapter 9: Qualification of an Interpreter

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(no time to edit at the moment, sorry for typos, et.)

It may seem odd to the average Christian that there should be qualifications for an interpreter of Scripture. While it is true that any true Christian may turn to Holy Scripture, even as a child, and understand much that they may grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ, those who would be teachers and expositors of God’s Word must possess sufficient competency. These core competencies may be classified as intellectual, educational, and spiritual. While it is true that these several areas may be developed through training, some degree of giftedness is also required.

Any able interpreter must be of able-mind and sound judgment. Too often the Scriptures are interpreted by the wildest machinations of a fanciful mind leading to the most absurd doctrines. One qualification for an elder is that he be sober-minded. A teacher and leader of God’s flock must be self-controlled and in one’s right mind in order to adequately “…convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.” If a man is not possessed of such a mind then he must either grow into maturity or be considered unqualified as an interpreter of God’s Word. An interpreter must be able to comprehend the basic ideas and scope of the biblical writer. An epistle, for example, must be perceived first as a whole unit before its several parts may be adequately expounded.

Equally important in understanding what a passage teaches is also comprehending what it does not teach. A keen and perceptive intellect will be able to recognize and analyze the biblical text to discover its true import. To some degree this may be accomplished with a sober mind as the interpreter transports himself to the places and times of the biblical writers. Through reasonable investigation of the language, culture, and history of the Bible the sound exegete may rationally imagine himself living in the times of the apostles and prophets to see and feel as they did. From a disciplined and educated imagination the interpreter may expound the doctrines of Holy Scripture consistently and logically. In such ways an interpreter of God’s Word may be intellectually qualified and apt to teach.

While a keen intellect is important to proper interpretation of Scripture, a sound and thorough education is also necessary. The fields of study in archeology, geography, science, and philosophy may add an incredible of insight on the pages of Scripture. Chronological studies can furnish the exegete with a wealth of information regarding events, dates, and the division of the great eras of history. The study of antiquities may transport the interpreter into the past to perceive the habits and customs of the ancients. The Annals by Tacitus shed considerable light on the political climate of Rome at the time of Jesus. Learning the politics of the ancient world can enable the interpreter to set the doctrine of Christ set forth in the New Testament. Having a thorough acquaintance of the sciences and philosophical thought can serve to elevate the sublime teaching of God and serve to give evidence to its Divine origin. Becoming familiar with classical literature and the languages of the Bible can only serve to enhance the expositor’s message and making him a bulwark against the ever onslaught of false religion and skepticism.

Intellectual and educational qualifications are qualifications that may be honed and developed. Spiritual qualifications, however, are obtained from on high. The Apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “…the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Cor 2:14. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “…unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3. As important as natural abilities are to the teacher of God’s Word, much more that such a man be truly regenerated by the Spirit of the Living God. If the work of the supernatural grace of Almighty God has not wrought upon a man’s heart then he is wholly and completely incapable of expounding the Holy Scriptures no matter what natural abilities of intellect or education he may possess.

Those who are born from above and do possess sufficient intellect and education to expound Scripture must also be motivated from a sincere and fervent love of the truth. The interpreters passion for truth and God’s glory must be stronger than prejudicial opinions he may possess. Jesus taught that the person that does evil hates the light, but those who do the truth come to the light. The interpreter of God’s Word must remain a humble seeker as he approached the Scripture and pant for the pure and unadulterated truth of God. A zealous and enthusiastic passion for the Word should burn brightly in the heart of every preacher of Holy Writ. Such a disposition arises from the one who has been with Jesus in long hours of private prayer. He has been so touched by the Spirit of God that like Isaiah he has had his lips touched by a live coal from the throne of grace. From such a humble walk with the Lord Jesus in Spirit and truth will pervade a reverence of God and His Word. “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.” Romans 8:5

Chapter 8: The Divine Inspiration of the Scriptures

2010-10-11T23:58:00.003-04:00

This is a summary from Milton Terry's book on the Divine Inspiration of the Scriptures. It will most likely seem inadequate to the modern reader (Terry's writing is 120 years old) as he is not addressing, necessarily, a postmodern mind. Neverthess, some points are useful. It seemed to me his main audience was Christians and therefore the chapter not really polemical.

Those who approach the Bible as a work of Divine origin will certainly take its sacred pages in hand with care and reverence. When we speak of inspiration regarding Holy Scripture we must not think of this as the term is used today of an inspired song or work of poetry. Nor should the inspiration of the Scriptures be thought of as some emotional or ecstatic rapture of the soul. All such thoughts only show the origin to be from man. The Bible does not have it its origin from man, but from God through holy men. God has spoken “…by the mouth of all his prophets…” (Acts 3:8) and the Apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ did not teach words which originated from themselves but taught such things “…taught by the Spirit.” (1 Corinthians 2:13).

With such an affirmation there is implied the recognition of the Divine and human components. The human element is evident in passages such as Luke’s Gospel in which is written, “It seemed good to me also…” (Luke 1:3) or in the style and wordage of the writers. Statements of affection for certain persons and greetings to individuals also show the human element in the Word of God. Differences in the wording of a parable or event also bring to light that it was indeed holy men who wrote. The Christian must not shrink from recognizing this fact anymore than we should shrink from the reality that God was manifest in the flesh. The devout Muslim looks with contempt upon the idea that God condescended to humble Himself and take on the nature of Adam. Should then the Christian meet the Holy Scriptures with an atheistic contempt because the Holy Spirit was pleased to speak by the mouth of His Apostles and Prophets?

Yet it is a mere assertion that the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are Divine that makes it so? It is certainly true that the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets attest to the Divine origin of the written Word. The Apostle Paul declares that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, or God-breathed, and Peter declared that holy men spoke as they “…were carried along by the Holy Spirit.” (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21). The Old Testament Scriptures frequently announce their words with “Thus saith the Lord” or “The Word of the Lord came unto him saying.” The Bible does stand as its own witness, not in a well-crafted argument defending its Divine origin, but in simple kingly declaration so as to say, “This is My Book.”

A few considerations in additional to the Bible’s own declaration may be helpful in affirming the Divine origin of Scripture. Throughout the Old Testament and the New it is seen that God intended from the beginning to communicate to His people and the world by Scripture. The purpose would be that the man of God would be furnished with all that he needed and quipped for every good work. It is through the comfort of the Scriptures that the Lord intended to give His people hope. (Romans 15:4). God indeed spoke in times past by the prophets to the fathers at many times and different ways, and in these last days has spoken to us in His Son Jesus Christ. It may also help the one who trusts in Christ to take note of the difference between revelation and inspiration. Divine revelation consists of what God reveals to man that is otherwise impossible to know. The inspiration of the biblical authors consisted of Divine superintendence to record what they saw or knew whether by revelation or otherwise. Visions, dreams, prophesy, and the knowledge of the origin of the universe all consisted of divine revelation. The record of the Acts of the Apostles by Luke is most certainly inspired of God yet was not revealed to him apart from his own knowledge of the events. The Lord who commanded both Moses and the Apostle John to write would certainly by an act of singular care and Providence preserve the Holy Scriptures precisely as we have them today. This providence extended to the very words and forms found in Holy Scripture. The God who does not allow the small sparrow to fall to the ground apart from His will certainly does not allow a single word of the sacred Scriptures to be lost to mankind.

Of course, various arguments against the inspiration of Holy Scripture have been put forth. It has been suggested that a divine inspiration of men to write the Bible would negate the free agency or actions of men turning them into automatons. However, it does not follow that the mind that is so influenced by the Spirit of God that the will is overtaken. To suppose this would also presuppose the Word could not become flesh and dwell among us in the Person of Christ. Others have asserted that verbal differences in giving the account of some event disprove the Divine Author of Scripture or else betray a corruption. This reasoning presupposes that the Divine purpose to be to furnish uniformity to prove divinity. Why can it not be supposed that unity seen in Scripture’s diversity the purpose for different details? Without the knowledge of the divine purpose in the plenary differences it cannot be concluded that they are a mark of non-inspiration. Even after one hundred and twenty years since the written of Milton Terry’s book, skeptics and scoffers are still alleging discrepancies, contradictions, and errors in the Bible. And the answer to such remains the same: No real errors can be shown.

"...his spirit was stirred in him..."

2010-10-06T11:02:00.002-04:00

When Paul walked into Athens we read that his spirit was stirred, or angered, within him about all the idolatry he saw. Jerry preached on this last Lord's Day. Paul percieved that they were very religious, or as the AV puts it, too superstitious. If the Apostle walked through our 'Athens' what would he perceive? If he stood in our market place, what would provoke his spirit today?

I guess that's not given to the Apostle Paul, but to us.

Well, my spirit is provoked and stirred.

I am not observing that our "Athenians" are very religious. I am hearing they are apathetic and ignorant. Local Muslims in our community who are exhorting their people to Da'Wa (Muslim Evangelism) are informing Muslims that Christians have not read their Bibles and are ignorant of their history.

This provokes me.

The Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life polled over 3,000 adults concerning religious knowledge. They report, "Atheists and agnostics, Jews and Mormons are among the highest-scoring groups on a new survey of religious knowledge, outperforming evangelical Protestants, mainline Protestants and Catholics on questions about the core teachings, history and leading figures of major world religions." Article

This provokes me.

A pastor in Texas remarked that biblical illiteracy is a problem. He doesn't want church leaders to merely react to this, but to "intentionally, positively act." Article

This provokes me.

An article posted to the Christian Post is entitled "Christianity a 'Faded Memory' for Most Young Britons." A study done on Generation Y, those born after 1982, found "...that young people were more likely to put their faith in friends, their family or themselves than in God." Article

This provokes me.

The Pew Forum had a small sample of the questions they asked people on their website. You could take a "quiz" and see where you ranked. They also gave a hand-out which I attached to this email. What an interesting way to assess where our youth are, for example. Where do you stand? If done correctly, it could show exactly where they might stand in their knowledge as a preface to the launch of an apologetics series or world religions course...

Take the Quiz here

Whatever reaction we have to the news out there or data we could draw from our own people, I agree with that Texas pastor: Let's be intentional and positive in our action. But for the Lord's sake, let's not sit and do nothing. Do we want our people ultimately learning about Church history or about world religions with liberal atheists in universities (like I did), or right here in our homes and churches?

I do know that when I see and hear these things my spirit is stirred. And I am stirred to action.

In Christ,
Geoff

Chapter 7: Textual Criticism

2010-10-05T22:48:00.005-04:00

Note: This is a mere summary of the subject. In fact, it is a summary of a summary. Milton Terry does not treat Textual Criticism too thoroughly and does not address at all the work of either Dean Burgon or F.H.A Scrivener. In other words, it is not at all balanced. I do not share Terry's view on this subject and so this summary has taken a more "observational" approach with a hint of disagreement. Please do not take this summary in any wise as sufficient to educate or scarcely introduce yourself to the subject of textual criticism.

Textual Criticism refers to the scientific investigation of an ancient work of literature. The examination of the date, authorship, and interpretation of the Bible is called Higher Criticism. The effort to recontruct the autograph of the biblical text through collating and scrutinizing the extant copies, or manuscripts, of the Bible is referred to as Lower Criticism. It is necessary that any expositor of the Holy Scriptures be familiar with this field of study. A truly devout study of God’s Word will certainly be concerned with the transmission of the text from the days of the Apostles to the present time.

All ancient writings that have survived the passage of time exist in copies of the original. These copies may be collected and examined under certain principles and canons seeking to arrive at the original text. In addition, Scriptural quotations from ancient writers, such as the Apostolic Fathers, may be consulted regarding variant readings. For the Old Testament the primary ancient text is that of the Masoretes referred to as the Masoretic Text. These scribes and rabbis developed a vowel system in the sixth century that enabled a version of the OT to be readable. Milton’s short review of Textual Criticism, being written in 1890, did not have the benefit of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1946-47. The Dead Sea Scrolls gave to the world older copies than the Masoretic and have only served to confirm the authenticity and reliability of the Old Testament. Even more abundant manuscript evidence exists for the New Testament text. Manuscripts exist in a variety of forms. All-capital texts are called uncials. These are older, and fewer in number, than the later miniscule, or cursive, manuscripts which make up the majority of the existing copies. Turning to the examination of the extant copies, both internal and external evidence is considered to construct a complete text.

External evidence investigates the age of a text and seeks to determine which of the manuscripts carry more weight in determining the original reading. It is generally thought among modern critics that the manuscripts which are older are more likely the original reading. Quotations of the New Testament from the early Church Fathers are also given prominence. Generally, modern scholarship affords more authority and value to the texts with regard to age, origin, and character. Some translations of the Bible, for example, include a notation on disputed passages suggesting that more reliable and ancient passages do not contain certain verses. This is based on the principle of giving more weight to the uncials, which are older yet, fewer in number, than to the cursives which carry a later date but are more numerous. It is possible that the later cursives are a more accurate translation of the autograph but this logic is generally rejected by modern criticism.

External evidence also takes into account agreement between two manuscripts should they be found in different locations. It is thought that copies divergent from one another in proximity carry more weight than those found in similar locations because those in close proximity may have been copied from one another. Since one is handling the Word of God, great care must be taken when engaged in this kind of work. No amount of study and expertise should be spared in carrying out the task. When external evidence seems to fall short of settling a variant reading, internal evidence may be of some benefit. Nevertheless, even more caution ought to be employed as the weight of internal evidence depends on the reason and conjecture of the textual critic.

Internal evidence has been employed in settling word order due to variants in the manuscripts. It is often judged by the critic that the word order is chosen based on what is perceived as the biblical writer’s particular style. This is deduced from other writings of the author. For example, critics have disputed the reading of John 13:14 “who might it be” which has ancient textual support rendering it rather “who is it” because the Apostle John never uses the operative mood. Internal evidence also gives more weight to the shorter reading rather than a longer one assuming that scribes were prone to add to the text rather than omit from it in order to give more clarity. Along this same line of thinking, modern textual critics choose the more difficult reading to a simpler one. They suppose that a copyist may have been inclined to make the text more readable and easier to understand or harmonize a portion of Scripture that seemed to the copyist to attract attention. Modern critics will also prefer a certain reading over another when they suppose the others could be more easily derived.

These principles and canons of modern textual criticism must be seen as guidelines and not rules. It is obvious that there is much left to the personal judgment of the critic. Samuel Prideaux Tregelles, a 19th century textual critic, remarked, “The point aimed at is a moral certainty, or a moral probability.” This is obviously something subjective and it is hoped that the principles set forth in modern textual criticism will lead the critic to the true reading of the autograph casting aside the more mechanical method of weighing the number of witnesses. It should be noted that a vast majority of the variants in the texts deal with slight changes in spelling which have little bearing on the actual meaning of the text itself.

Chapter 6: The Greek Language

2010-09-27T13:52:00.005-04:00

The Greek people may be biblically traced to Javan, the son of Japheth. Their language heralds from the eastern parts of India to the western shores of Europe. We find some of the greatest works of philosophy, history, architecture, mathematical science, and sculpture given to the world from this people and in their tongue. The language has changed over time like so many languages of the world through migration and military conquest. The common form, called Hellenistic or Macedonian, blended the previous forms to become the common tongue used in the Christian era.

Athens, Antioch, and Alexandria became the centers for education and literacy. The famous Alexandrian Library founded by Ptolemy Soter is still known throughout the world. The city of Alexandria contained a large number of Jews likely due to the relaxed political climate at the time. The Jews adopted the Greek language and soon came to be called Hellenists. It is common to call the Greek of the NT Hellenistic Greek for this reason. This influence of the Jews may have brought into the language some Hebraisms giving to the NT unique qualities not known before. The NT manuscripts, the Septuagint, and the apocryphal books are all given in Hellenistic Greek. The writings of Philo, Josephus, and the Apostolic Fathers also serve as examples of this form of Greek and are useful in learning its peculiarities.

The characteristics of Hellenistic Greek have been arranged into eight categories by Planck. He notes that biblical Greek bears the peculiarity of containing foreign words such as Aramaic and Latin. It is also noted that the New Testament writers did not follow a standard writing system. They each had their own manner of spelling words for example. Some of these differences may be attributed to a copyist and not necessarily the author. Compared to other Greek forms, the NT writers used peculiar flexion of nouns and verbs. Moreover, another peculiarity of the NT writers is nouns given in a non-uniform manner. Nouns are sometimes given in the masculine and neuter forms whereas in the Septuagint they would be given consistently and uniformly.

There is also to be found in the NT Greek text nouns that are given entirely new forms or are new words themselves. An addition, new meaning and significance was given to known Greek words. Careful and patient study must be given in order to trace any changes in such meanings. An example is the word euagglion. In classical times the word carried the meaning of the reward for a good message. Later, it came to be used of sacrifice for a good message, and then still later came to mean the good message, or news, itself. Therefore, the meaning in the NT is the good news, or Gospel, of Jesus Christ.

It is apparent that Hellenistic Greek adopted some Hebraisms. Perfect Hebraisms are seen in words, phrases, and contractions unique to Hebrew or Aramean appear to be transferred directly into the Greek language. Imperfect Hebraisms have some measure of probability of being introduced from Hebrew. Words such as hosanna are direct transfers from Aramaic to Greek, and the word translated ‘bowels’ in the AV draws the concept from the Hebrew. Certain expressions and grammatical constructions can also be traced as particularly Hebrew. This can be seen by noticing the verb following the preposition where in Classical Greek verbs stand alone in accusative or dative cases without a preposition.

Such Hebraist constructions and styles would be natural to the NT writers who wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit in expounding the Hebrew Scriptures which they were well acquainted with. The same Spirit that moved the prophets of old then breathed-out through the holy Apostles as they made known the power and coming of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Hebrew Scripture in the New Testament. When the Lord dealt primarily in the world through the Hebrew people He spoke to them in their language. But when the fullness of times had come when Jehovah when the middle wall of separation be torn down between Jew and Gentile, He set His revelation in the language of the Greeks.

Chapter 5: The Chaldee Language

2010-09-25T16:47:00.000-04:00

The Chaldee language, sometimes called Aramaic or Syriac, is found in a few portions of the OT Scriptures. We find this dialect in Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezra. The Chaldean tongue was in common use during the time of the Babylonian captivity of the Jews. It was during this time of captivity Hebrew gradually ceased to be spoken as the common tongue and the Jews came to adopt the Chaldean as their own. This language would have been learned by such men as Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah who were chosen by Nebuchadnezzar to be taught “the tongue of the Chaldeans.” Daniel 1:4.

It may be inquired as to why God chose to have certain portions of the OT Scriptures put into the language of the Babylonians. The answer begins to be apparent as we look at the instances of Aramaic in the Bible. In Daniel 2:4 we read, “Then spake the Chaldeans to the king in Syriack, O King, live forever…” The Aramaic begins at the words “O King, live forever..” and follows through the discourse. Daniel stood as a prophet in the courts of the king of Babylon to prophesy both of his own people and that of the Babylonians and of many world empires in the future. It was fitting that God chose to put this prophecy into the language of the people with whom it had to do. Furthermore, the very fact that we find this ancient tongue in the midst of the Hebrew Scriptures serves as monumental evidence of the validity of the facts being presented in the text.

Ezra is also a book of the Bible where we find the Aramaic language. Ezra lived about one hundred years after Daniel and was an exile during the reign of Artaxerxes Longimanus in 457 B. C. Ezra was a highly educated priest and scribe and it is believed that he is responsible for the collection of the sacred texts of the Hebrews into a canon essentially the same as possessed today in the Old Testament. In Nehemiah 8:1 it is Ezra that brought the “…the book of the Law of Moses” and read it to the people that they might understand it. In Ezra 4:7 we read that a letter written by Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and their companions “…was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue.” Ezra gives 4:8 through 6:18 in Aramaic and like Daniel, serves as a testament to the authenticity of the life of Ezra and God’s wisdom in speaking to a nation in their language.

In many ways the language is similar to Hebrew being a Semitic language but as in all languages it contains its own peculiarities. Babylonian-Aramaic became the language of the Hebrews while they were in exile and remained their common tongue through the New Testament period. The use of Aramaic in the New Testament is evident by many words such as Raca, Gogotha, Rabboni, Abba, and Maranatha to name a few. As the fulfillment of the Old Covenant in Christ steadfastly approached we witness the Providence of God transitioning His people to the language in which He chose to speak to the world. From the beginning God spoke to the nation of Israel by the prophets in their Hebrew tongue. As prophecy began to speak to the nations around them the language of the sacred text spoke to them that they may understand. And as the fullness of times approached for the Gospel to be preached to all nations beginning in Jerusalem, so too did the language of Scripture change in order to speak to the world in the Greek language.

What Does the Bible Teach About Repentance?

2010-09-22T23:48:00.003-04:00

The verb metanoeo is translated "repent" in the KJV 34 times. The word 'repentance" is the Greek metanoia is found 24 times in the KJV.

Matthew 3:2
And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 4:17
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Matthew 9:13
But go ye and learn what that meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice: for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Matthew 11:20
Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not:

Mark 1:15
And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.

Mark 6:12
And they went out, and preached that men should repent.

Luke 3:8
Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

Luke 13:3
I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Luke 15:7
I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.

Luke 24:47
And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.

Acts 2:38
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

Acts 3:19
Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.

Acts 5:31
Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.

Acts 11:18
When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.

Acts 17:30
And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

Acts 20:21
Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.

Acts 26:20
But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

Romans 2:4
Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

2 Corinthians 7:10
For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

2 Timothy 2:25
In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth;

Hebrews 6:1
Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,

2 Peter 3:9
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

Revelation 3:19
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

Revelation 9:20
And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk:

Revelation 9:21
Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts.

Observations:
The message of the Gospel is a message of repentance from dead works (sins) and faith toward God.

Those who did not repent of their evil deeds were not saved.

Repentance is granted by God.

Repentance to life (eternal life) is offered in the Gospel to both Jews and Gentiles.

God commands mankind to repent.

Unrepentance at the preaching of the Gospel is rebuked and condemned by the Lord.

Mankind is accountable to God to repent.

Good fruit (action) accompanies true repentance.

Repentance and faith were preached by Christ Jesus and His apostles.

Chapter 4: The Hebrew Language

2010-09-20T08:25:00.000-04:00

The Hebrew language most likely derived its name from Eber, a descendent of Shem. The Hebrew language is wholly different from Indo-European dialects. Semitic language reads from right to left and in book form from the end to the beginning. For a person whose native language is English, coming to the Hebrew language is a challenging experience. Yet it is the language that God chose to reveal himself through prophets of old. Its features and characteristics are wonderfully suited to the revelation of God to be preserved from the time of its inscription until the end of the age.

There are twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet which can be dated as early as 900 B.C. The names of the letters resemble the objects they represent, similar to the hieroglyphics of the ancient Egyptian language. The alphabet contains four gutturals that are pronounced as a sound from the back of the throat. Written Hebrew did not contain vowel sounds, but rather consonants, until the Masoretic system was introduced in the 7th century A.D. by Jewish scholars. When compared to other Semitic languages such as Arabic or Syriac it is evident that the vowel system developed by the Masoretes is correct. Several striking features of the Hebrew language are apparent. The triliteral natures of its verbs, as with all Semitic tongues, contain a sequence of three consonants. The conjugation of verbs in Hebrew is also an interesting feature. By varying the vowels, doubling the middle letter, or by adding letters or symbols the conjugations may be found. Also unique is the ambiguity surrounding the tense, if one exists at all. Grammarians have noted that the idea of time such as past, present or future is not inherent in the form of a Hebrew verb. The Hebrew is more concerned with action than with time. The tense of a verb must be ascertained by context as the verb gives us more of the :mood” of the action than its tense. This is quit fitting for the Divine revelation which speaks of future action as though it is already accomplished. What Almighty God has decreed as future may assuredly be stated as completed.

The Indo-European languages are descriptive, logical, and sequential. To the Hebrew mind and language ideas and events are pregnant with emotions, ideals, and experience. The past may be spoken of as future because the author is reflecting on the past in the present idealizing of a future utopia. Concerning Ishmael, God declares to Abraham that He has blessed him and made him fruitful, as though already occurring, when it had not yet to come to pass. Past action may have in view the continuous action of the verb. And the future action may be conceived as already accomplished.

Hebrew nouns are given in either a masculine or feminine gender. It is not necessary that the noun be a person to carry the inflexion. Rather, it appears that whether objects of nature or other non-living things possess qualities that may be considered masculine or feminine carry the inflexion. Mountains, for example, connote strength and would be given in the masculine. Words for cites or towns would be rendered in the feminine perhaps because they were thought of as mothers or daughters of those who lived in them. This feature of the Hebrew language further illustrates the vivid mind of the Hebrew author. Hebrew is a wholly expressive language. Its letters, nouns, and verbs serve to illustrate the visible and invisible world.

The use of plural in Indo-European tongues serves to indicate number or amount, but the Hebrew seeks to convey fullness or immenseness. The tree of life mentioned in Genesis 2:9 gives the word ‘life’ in the plural. The meaning is not that the tree contained many lives, but rather that it is the fullness or completeness of life. Coupled with this vivid nature of the language is its surprising simplicity. Unlike the English language where compound sentences abound, the Hebrew rarely knows of more than two or three sentences that run together. In very simplistic and highly expressive words this language speaks to us. As a result, we find very few adjectives in Hebrew. Such descriptive terms exist in the nouns themselves and to add expressiveness the nouns are multiplied.

Turning to the styles of speech in the Hebrew we discover poetical parallelisms, anthropomorphisms, and anthropopathisms. Hebrew poetry is different from that way we think of poetry as being metrical. Its form consists of definable parallelisms which are capable of direct translations into almost any language. Synonymous Parallelisms abound in the OT Scriptures in Identical, Similar, or Inverted forms. An example of an Identical Parallelism is Proverbs 6:2 which reads, "Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, thou art taken with the words of thy mouth." The two components of this parallelism are essentially identical to one another with only slightly different wording. Similar Parallelism can be found in Psalm 24:2, "For he hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods." Here the two phrases are essentially similar but not necessarily identical. Inverted Parallelisms change the order of the thoughts being expressed. We find Psalm 19:1 serves as an example, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork." In the first part of the verse the heavens declare the glory of God and in the second half the same idea is inverted putting the firmament first that shows His handiwork.

Antithetic Parallelism is another form of Hebrew poetry that contrasts two opposing thoughts. This is most commonly found in the Proverbs which often compare the righteous with the wicked. Proverbs 15:2 declares, "The tongue of the wise useth knowledge aright: but the mouth of fools poureth out foolishness." This is an example of a Simple Antithetic parallelism. Compound Antithetic parallelisms may also be found in Scripture as in Isaiah 1:3, "The ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his master's crib: but Israel doth not know, my people doth not consider." It is compound because the thesis is expressed by two or more sentences followed by the antithesis.

Synthetic Parallelisms are discovered more by form than by idea, thesis or antithesis. The subjects may not answer to each other, but according to Lowth's definition the form does, "…as noun answers to noun, verb to verb, member to member, negative to negative, interrogative to interrogative." Within Synthetic Parallelism we find both Correspondent and Cumulative forms. In the twenty-seventh Psalm verse one we read, "The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" The first part of this verse corresponds to the second although the different ideas are presented. Also within Synthetic Parallelism are passages where a series of sentences or phrases culminate to a final idea. In Psalm 1:1-2 we find an example of this Cumulative form where certain actions are described by several sentences culminating in a climax. There are also a variety of irregular forms also to be found in Hebrew poetry such as listing the lines or verses with each letter of the alphabet in order. These forms of poetry serve to exhibit that the Hebrew mind thought and wrote with great emotion, purpose, and pathos. The fact that the Hebrew Scriptures are divine revelation from God serves to illustrate the personal nature of God in contradistinction from the pagan concepts of deity.

It is important to note that the Hebrew Scriptures contain many anthropomorphisms and anthropopathisms. Anthropomorphism ascribes human characteristics to animals or non-living things while anthropopathism ascribes human emotions. Such stylistic language is used in Scripture to describe Almighty God. By not recognizing such linguistic features in the Hebrew language it is possible to come to a false understanding of God. In Exodus 15:8 God is extolled for parting the sea for the Jews by "...the blast of thy nostrils." This is an example of anthropomorphism. God did not literally exhale air through his nose, nor does God have a physical nose at all. Recognition of these styles of speech can keep the interpreter of Scripture from error and even blasphemy.

For more than a thousand years, from the time of Moses through Samuel, from David to Hezekiah, and from the end of the kingdom of Judah to shortly after the Babylonian exile, the Hebrew language has remained essentially unchanged. As the languages of the world pass through time such significant changes occur that render them altogether different dialects. Yet as we observe the Hebrew tongue through wars, apostasy, and captivity it has remained virtually unchanged and is now preserved in the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament. It stands as a testimony to the invisible hand of Divine Providence. In all of its beauty, emotion, rhythm, and poetry, it still stands as a living oracle saying to the skeptical world, “They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.” Luke 16:29a

Chapter 3: Languages of the Bible

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Unless our native language is Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek, possessing some understanding of the original languages of the Bible is necessary to biblical interpretation. This is not to imply that those who posses only a translation of the Holy Scriptures are left without the word of God. But it must not be thought that a translation may sufficiently replace the original tongue. In order to prepare ourselves for an investigation into the sacred tongues of the Bible, we must first orientate ourselves to the origin of language itself and understand how language has changed through the passage of time. Having knowledge of this will help us examine the languages particular to the biblical text.

How did language originate? Several humanistic and materialistic theories have been advanced by the most eminent philologists who rarely agree among themselves. The Bible posits that man is the creation of God and from this we can rightly infer that language was created in man. The theories given in favor of a human origin propose ideas that language sprung from man who was imitating the sounds of things heard or by expressions naturally erupting from sudden emotions or other stimuli. While such theories may account for the change or progression of words in history, they do not give a sufficient explanation for the origin of the complexities of language itself. After the creation of the man and woman in the first chapter of Genesis we find them with the in-tact ability to communicate with God using language.

While linguistics may not be able to explain the origin of language, the study of language and literature, or philology, has given the world much insight into the history and divisions of the world’s tongues. To the untrained it may seem that with so many dialects a common origin might be impossible to discern. Thankfully this is not the case. The languages common to mankind can be grouped into three main families. The Indo-European family would include German, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Icelandic, Russian, Polish, Italian, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Latin, Greek, Armenian, Persian, Zend, Pali, Prakrit, and other dialects of India. The languages of Northern and Central Europe and Asia can be classified as the Scythian or Turanian family. The dialects of the Laplanders, Finns, Hungarians and Turks would be included in this family.

The third family is the Semitic named so from Shem, one of the son’s of Noah. The languages included in this family are Chaldee, Hebrew, Syriac, Arabic, Ethiopian, Phoenician, and the cuneiform of the Assyrians and Babylonians. From these main families of languages we may trace the various dialects mentioned above. According to philological research, the changes from the parent family to its sub-families occurred as the result of conquest, migration, and changes in customs.

Biblical Hermeneutics. Chapter 2 Summary: The Bible and Other Sacred Books

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It is said that a lifelong friend of Patrick Henry told the story of a neighbor who going to see Henry found him holding up a Bible and said, “This book is worth all the books that were ever printed.” Whether the statement can truly be attributed to Henry, its sentiment rings true. A simple perusal of the sacred literature of the most predominate religions of the ancient and modern world make plain the uniqueness of the Bible among bibles. It is in holding up the greater light of Scripture to the lesser lights of the writings of the Egyptians, Persians, Hindus, Chinese, Muslims, and others that it becomes clear that the Bible is truly the Book of books. The differences are so striking that a comparison alone may well persuade the honest inquirer of the Bible’s divine origin. Add to this the immense diversity while being in possession of perfect unity would seem to set the divine seal upon its pages.

The Zend-Avesta of the ancient Iranian Zoroastrian religion has suffered much through the passage of time. Zoroaster himself appears on the pages of history as little more than a mythological figure. The sacred records of the Assyrians in their cuneiform monuments have passed to us large amounts of literature, history, poetry, science and religion. These writings lightly touch on Accad, mentioned in Genesis 10:10, in reference to two races which settled on the plains of the Euphrates and Tigris. The Chaldean creation account is of interest to Bible students as it references a seventh day of rest, as well as the Deluge and the Tower of Babel. Yet a careful study of these cuneiform writings betrays legend and tradition in contradistinction to the clear narratives found in the Bible. We find similar observations in what can be drawn from the Hindu Vedas, the Buddhist canon, or the sacred books of the Chinese.

While each of the sacred books of the nations should be studied in their entirety to gain a full comprehension of their respective worldview and philosophy, the Old and New Testaments held up to them must stands in a class of its own as entirely unique. Unlike the sacred texts of the nations that have scarcely reached beyond the people from which they sprung and some of which lay dormant fit mostly for the scholars interest, the Bible stands as the timeless Book for the nations not returning void to the One who sent it into the world to accomplish all His will.

Wisdom from a mom of six (and one on the way)

2010-09-16T21:04:00.000-04:00

My wife may get mad at me for this, but I happened along some things she wrote about raising our kids. I thought it was absolutely wonderful. I pray she keeps writing!

Some things I’ve learned over the years having six kids.

Professionals don’t know everything
The advice they gave me 12 years ago they don’t give now. Why? Because it’s a different person/ or group with different opinions and priorities. So take their advice as good suggestions that may or may not work. You and your baby are unique and so are your needs. What works for your neighbor might be the worst suggestion for you.

Be willing to learn and grow with your baby
Each baby is born with their own personality and from day one you and your baby are getting to know and love each other. This takes time. Babies love Mom and Dad and want to feel close and warm in their arms. Let them indulge when you can. This time is precious and passes quickly.

My little one is five months old and already she wants to be playing and mobile, not snuggled as much as before. Being a parent is a learning time with many changes. Every time you think you have it down their needs change with their age and so you will need to learn to meet their new needs.

Babies are not robots
Your baby doesn’t know what the doctor said about how much to sleep and eat. They have their own appetite and need for sleep. One baby may love to sleep while another doesn’t need as much. So be flexible with them. Allow them to discover their world as you learn about them. When I’ve tried to get a baby to bend to my schedule and what I want, there has only been stress and frustration.

Babies change so don’t worry too much about how the times they are sleeping doesn’t work for when you wanted to clean house or answer emails. Their needs will change and the time that they want to play and sleep will be different. The older they get the easier it is to get some kind of schedule so that you can structure your day. When I am not happy with how my days are going I remind myself that this time will pass quickly and my sweet baby will grow and change.

You are teaching your baby good or bad habits
Every day you are training your little one. If you rock baby to sleep that is what they will grow a to expect, so if your day changes, and you need baby to lie down and sleep alone, it will take time to learn this new way of doing things.

The works of our Lord from the Gospel John

2010-09-16T20:48:00.000-04:00

Written by my son, 10 years old..

The book of John is filled with miracles that Lord Jesus Christ did. Although I can’t tell you all of his works, no man could write such a large tale for it is written in John 21:25, and so there are also many other thing that Jesus did, the which, if they should be written everyone, even the world can’t contain the books that should be written. Amen. So let me tell you of some the great works our Almighty God.

One time Jesus went to a wedding but the church was out of wine so Mary told the servants to do whatever Jesus asked and so Jesus saw some water pots and told the servants to fill them with water and give it to the wedding governor, but when the governor tasted the water it was made of wine.

Another day there was a man lying next to a pool of water who couldn’t walk, and was waiting for it to move, for it was said, that an angel would come down from heaven and stir it, and whoever was first in the water would be healed from any sickness. But instead of an angel stirring up water, Jesus came along and saw the man who couldn’t walk and immediately He knew what was the problem and said "take up thy bed and walk", and immediately he picked up his bed and walked.

One time Jesus even feed 5,000 people with 5 loafs of bread and 2 small fishes. In fact Jesus was so merciful that He suffered the wrath of the Romans laid his life down and was crucified for all sinners. Jesus was able to do all this because of the will of God, because he was the Lamb of God the son of the almighty god, because he was, and still is God.

Book Summary Report: An Introduction to Theological Research.

2010-09-16T14:41:00.000-04:00

An Introduction To Theological Research: A Guide for College and Seminary Students by Cyril J. Barber and Robert M. Krauss

The book, An Introduction to Theological Research, begins by rhetorically asking the reader if there exists a need for a book that teaches a researcher how to do research. The simple answer to this question is yes. The explosion of information in our era and the accessibility of much of this information via the internet have created the need for guidance. The academic researcher and the earnest Christian seeking to grow in their theological knowledge may indeed navigate through this sea of information safely and successfully. The general aim of the book is to help students do better quality research with a greater amount of personal fulfillment. These objectives have the goals of reducing the time a student might normally spend looking for information, finding information that will significantly improve the quality of the student’s research, and equipping the student to be able to do research independent of a guide. These goals may be achieved by beginning first with general reference works and then moving on to specific resources that increase the student’s knowledge in a particular area.

General reference works are treated in three parts in the book and include encyclopedias of religion and the Bible, Bible dictionaries, atlases and concordances, biblical archeological reference works, and theological reference works. Also included in general reference works are resources that cover areas such as education, history and philosophy, missions, philosophy, ethics, sociology and psychology. By beginning with general reference works the book contends that a student will be able to “work smarter, not just harder” thus enhancing both their enjoyment of research and, for the academic, their grades.

To the average person, the word ‘encyclopedia’ conjures up the multi-volume publications of Encyclopedia Britannica or Encyclopedia Americana. For the Bible student and theological researcher, these resources will not be sufficient. Encyclopedias can enrich a student’s study to give a broad range of a particular topic or discover who the major contributors are, both past and present, and who contributed to the body of knowledge. Not every encyclopedia will represent a high view of Scripture. It is important then for the student to critically examine each work as to who the editor is, why the work was written, and the scope of the work. While in the fields of science, theories and even axioms change, God’s truth is timeless and therefore older works should not be ignored.

In the category of religion one has to tread carefully to mine good information from them. Of note among several mentioned in the book is the Cylopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature edited by James M’Clintock and James Strong. The articles in this encyclopedia are long and cover all of Christianity and many non-Christian religions. It is useful both topically and biographically. Topics such as Pelagianism and scholasticism are covered, and biographies of Calvin and Erasmus are examples of what may be found within its volumes. This set was updated with two additional volumes from the original ten running about 1000 pages each and are included in the 1968-1970 reprint.

While the aforementioned encyclopedia falls under the category of religion, there are encyclopedias and dictionaries that narrow our focus to biblical studies. Of note among them is New Unger’s Bible Dictionary. Its value lies in its currency, consistency, and archeological accuracy. This one-volume work is decidedly conservative no doubt due to Unger who was a professor of Dallas Theological Seminary for 19 years and a renowned biblical archeologist. It is important for the student of the Bible to think critically regardless of the encyclopedia or dictionary that is taken in hand for research. We should determine the theological perspective of each writer, whether the work was written from a biblical, theological, historical, or philosophical perspective and the sources the writers drew from for their information.

Also under the category of general reference works are theology and biblical archeology. Biblical archeology adds interest, validity, and accuracy to what is taught in the Bible. Theological reference works can be divided into two categories: biblical theology and systematic theology. Biblical theology aims at advancing the understanding of redemptive history as it progresses through time. It is exegetical and historical in nature. A narrower application of biblical theology is the study of a particular person in the Bible and derives a “theology” of that individual’s view. The reader may be familiar with the phrases “Pauline Theology” or “Johannine Theology” which are examples of biblical theology. Systematic theology is concerned with the history of ideas. Systematic theology approaches the Bible thematically and tends toward a more philosophical approach. The roots of such an approach are found in the ancient civilizations of the word. Caution must be exercised in Systematic Theology by remembering that the discipline of theology in Christianity is primarily the work of exegesis. Nevertheless, examining theological themes such as Christology or the Godhead, and treating each theme exhaustively, is of great value in theological research.

Of note among the nine works cited in the book touching biblical theology is The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology edited by C. Brown. Of particular interest to etymological considerations in this four-volume set is tracing the meaning of a word from the classical period through its usage in the Septuagint (LXX) and then addressing the occurrences in the New Testament. Also worth mentioning is the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament edited by R.L. Harris, G.L. Archer and B.K. Waltke. The student is able to examine key words with respect to their etymology, cognate usage, and meaning. It is designed for the busy pastor or earnest Christian that has neither the time nor the background for a detailed technical study.

Reference works in the area of Systematic Theology should be evaluated as to whether or not the articles demonstrate knowledge of biblical languages. Works that contain articles from this approach will tend to hold a systematic theology that comes from the text of Scripture rather than reading into the text a preconceived notion. Worth considering is The Expository Dictionary of Bible Words by Lawrence O. Richards. Both Old and New Testaments are thoroughly covered. Words are explained in light of their etymology and practical insights are given to aid the spiritual growth of the believer. The reader should note that the 1985 edition has been updated by Zondervan entitled The New International Encyclopedia of Bible Words in 1999 and this printing is based on the NIV and NASB while the 1985 edition mentioned in the book addresses the Authorized (King James) Version.

The final part of the book covering general reference works deals with the integration of scientific disciplines outside the realm of biblical and theological research. There are eight subjects mentioned in the book: education, history, biography, missions, philosophy, ethics, sociology, and psychology. It is important to note that Scripture should be relied upon to keep the researcher on track in secular areas. For example, it may fall to a student of the Bible to develop an educational program for their church. Knowledge of the history, theory, processes and practices in education may prove helpful. Two works stand out for the biblical researcher. The first is The Encyclopedia of Education edited by L.C. Deighton. This encyclopedia covers public and private approaches to education to stress both the mechanics of learning and what ought to be done. The second is Town’s Sunday School Encyclopedia edited by E.L. Towns. It is 639 pages long and covers recent trends in Sunday school education, effective teaching methods, and proven methods and strategies for various groups.

Often lacking in our diet of biblical knowledge is the integration of history and biography. Having knowledge of certain personalities and events in history can bring a fresh vitality to our studies. With regard to biblical history and personalities in church history two works stand out. The first is A Dictionary of Christian Biography, Literature, Sects, and Doctrines edited by William Smith and Henry Wace in four volumes. An abridgment to this in one volume is available entitled, A Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century edited by H. Wace and W.C. Piercy. These works cover from the times of the Apostles to the age of Charlemagne. They cover 19th century theologians and historians as well as ancient church leaders such as Athanasius and Augustine. Through these two works the earnest Christian may also trace the history of apologetics or find doctrinal essays on subjects like the Antichrist or baptism. The Dictionary of American Biography is another resource mentioned in the book that proves its value by containing 14,000 articles of deceased men and women that impacted American culture.

It is the mission of the church to preach the Gospel to all people and make disciples of all the nations. Editors S. Neill, G.H. Anderson and J. Goodwin contributed A Concise Dictionary of the Christian World Mission covering the history of missions from 1492 to present. While this work is dated (“present” is as of 1971) over 200 missiologists contributed to the work from all over the world. The leading resource for Protestant missions is the Mission Handbook 1998-2000 and serves as a more updated resource.

The disciplines of philosophy and ethics are closely related to theological study. The work of a theologian or student of the Bible is mainly the work of an exegete. Philosophy and ethics intersect our exegesis through logical analysis of the Scripture. The Encyclopedia of Philosophy edited by Paul Edwards spans the theories of philosophy in eight volumes covering both Eastern and Western thought including ancient and modern authors. The Encyclopedia of Biblical and Christian Ethics, edited by R. K. Harrison may be useful in demonstrating how ethics is integrated into theology during an era of moral equivocation. The modern era has given rise to the disciplines of sociology and psychology and has emphasized man’s felt needs. The International Encyclopedia of Psychiatry, Psychology, Psycho-Analysis, and Neurology, edited by B. B. Wolman contains articles from over 1,500 authors on the subjects of adolescence, death, depression, emotions, and leadership to name a few. It is clearly a secular encyclopedia but may offer insight to the student and pastor. Of interest for the student of the Bible is Roland de Vaux’s Ancient Israel: Its Life and Institutions, translated by J. McHugh and Israel: Its Life and Culture by Johannes Pedersen. These works deal with the sociological aspects of the people of the Bible. The first four chapters of the book dealt with general reference works. The remaining eleven chapters address specialized reference works.

After gleaning a general overview and scope of a subject the student is then ready to gather additional data through specialized reference works. Through specialized reference works the student will be able to refine a topic through particular Bible study tools. Once this is accomplished, the student will have laid the groundwork for a better understanding of journal articles, bibliographies, and unpublished materials. There are six main Bible study tools helpful for refining a topic: Bible atlases, concordances, Bible commentaries, lexicons, word studies, and online searching.

A Bible atlas will pave the way for the Bible student to locate the places significant to people and events mentioned in Scripture. The Moody Atlas of the Bible by Barry J. Beitzel covers both the Old and New Testaments with colorful maps. Included in this atlas are discussions regarding the history of biblical mapmaking and historical geography. Bible commentaries are very numerous. When one begins to consider what is available it becomes a daunting task to decide which commentary to invest in. Of the thirteen commentary sets mentioned in the book The New International Commentary on the New Testament and its counterpart The New International Commentary on the Old Testament stand out as representative of current conservative scholarship.

Concordances are an indispensable tool for the Bible student. While many use a concordance mainly to find a verse in the Bible, they are useful to discover the meaning of a word, follow a biblical writer’s theology, develop a biblical theology from the Scripture, trace the progression of revelation from the Old to the New Testament, and much more. A careful student of the Scripture will want to avoid abridged concordances which can leave out hundreds of words. It is also advised that one carefully examine a concordance prior to purchase by the reading the preface. Sometimes those called “exhaustive” which would imply coverage of all words is not the case. Two concordances mentioned in the book of note are the Analytical
Concordance to the Bible by Robert Young and James Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible. Young’s concordance is based on the AV providing a reference to each passage of Scripture in which a word appears. It shows the form of the Greek and Hebrew word underlying the translation and includes a lexicon at the end. Strong’s concordance is also based on the AV and has been recently updated under the title New Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance. It differs from Young’s by providing a Hebrew and Chaldee Dictionary with a corresponding number for every word of the Bible. The New Strong’s Expanded Exhaustive Concordance added Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words and proves to be of great use to everyone.

Lexicons are important to the student of the Bible because they provide
etymological information and short summaries of the vocabulary of a language. Hebrew and Greek lexicons may take some time to get used to but with persistent use they will yield their benefit. Wilhelm Gesenius’ Hebraisched-deutches Handworterbuch uber die Schriften des Alten Testaments published in two volumes covers the Hebrew language and has stood the test of time. The Greek of the NT which concerns the Bible student is from the Hellenistic period. Bauer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament contains a thorough examining of Greek literature touching the NT words still in use at the time. The proper use of concordances and lexicons build the foundation for what most earnest Christians are eager to do: word studies.

By using the language tools of a concordance and lexicon we can begin word studies which trace the origin and history of a word (etymology), the usage of the word in order to ascertain its meaning, and then verify our work by comparing it to exegetical works. This procedure is the same for both Old and New Testaments. One must not think that doing word studies is exegesis, yet it is fundamentally important for the right interpretation of a text. Liskowsky may be consulted with Gesenius’ work for tracing both the etymology and usage of the Hebrew through his Konkordanz zum hebraischen Alten Testament. Verification can be sought from the Theological Wordbook of the Old Testament, edited by R.L. Harris, G.L. Archer and B.K. Waltke. For tracing the etymology of a word in the NT, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament by F. Blass and A. Debrunner should prove useful and Moulton and Geden’s Concordance to the Greek Testament for tracing the usage of a word. Kittel’s Theological Dictionary of the New Testament may be consulted for verification noting that the “theological” aspect is from liberal presuppositions.

The use of online searching aid students to refine their topics and move from the general to the specific more efficiently. It is important to keep in mind when doing theological research that the Library of Congress Subject Headings may not always match a theological topic. The book examples the subject “Christology” which is common in theological study but is found under the subject heading “Jesus Christ” in the Library of Congress Subject Headings so an online search for “Christology” would not have yielded any results when in fact much is available on the subject under the approved heading. Online searching enables the student to find books, dissertations, and articles. Books may be found through Worldcat which allows a search of more than 31,000 libraries simultaneously. The ProQuest Religion database gives access to thousands of journal articles in full text form and ATLA Religion Database can be used to find dissertations. There are valuable resources on the internet through using common search engines and websites that do provide quality information. Bible software can also be a useful tool in the hands of a researcher, such as the Logos Library System, that offer a multitude of books, articles, lexicons, concordances, and dictionaries that may be searched simultaneously.

Indexes, abstracts, bibliographies, and unpublished works further aid the researcher to move from the general to the specific. Having a working knowledge of these tools can greatly reduce the time a student may spend in their research allowing them to spend less time trying to find resources and more time using them. Specialized indexes alphabetize subjects and then list journal articles or essays that relate to the subject. Abstracts follow a similar format, but include a summary of the referenced journal article or essay. The Religion Index One: Periodicals and Religion Index Two: Multi-Author Works may be accessed via the internet through FirstSearch, SilverPlatter, Ovid and EBSCO. The Religious and Theological Abstracts provide for searching under four divisions: Biblical, Theological, Historical, and Practical. Related disciplines such as administration, counseling, education, history, marriage and family, philosophy and the humanities may be searched through similar indexes and abstracts.

Searching bibliographies should not be overlooked. Indexes and abstracts limit the material to be found to recent history while searching bibliographic indexes provide for finding information that dates beyond the scope of online searching. Charles Haddon Spurgeon’s Commenting and Commentaries, for example, contains 1437 mini-reviews of commentaries and books reviewed by Spurgeon. Special bibliographies covering the Bible, Church History, Missions, and Pastoral theology should not be overlooked by the researcher. Finally, unpublished materials should not go unchecked when conducting theological research. Unpublished materials include papers read at theological society meetings or other private circulations that present the scholarly works of others. Such research may have a bearing on the topic under consideration.

The book concludes with a recap of their process to aid students to conduct better quality and more fulfilling research under their theme: from the general to the specific. The process followed involves beginning with general reference works and then narrowing one’s topic through books, periodical articles, bibliographic sources, and unpublished materials. And this, they claim, will put the student one track so that “…there is nothing you should not be able to find.”

Excellent book found, excellent lesson learned

2010-09-13T23:46:00.000-04:00

Having read "An Introduction to Theological Research" by Cyril Barber and Robert Krauss, I found a tremendous book referenced there. It was given as an example of how a word study could/should be done. Cyril Barber wrote the forward to the book after searching for it for eight years. It was published in 1977 by Kregel entitled, "The Meaning and Use of Baptizein" by T.J. Conant.

Barber heard of this book in a sermon preached by the late W.A. Criswell who referenced it as a tremendous gem in treating the subject of the meaning of the word "baptism." What took Barber 8 years to find can be found in a few minutes on Amazon or Abebooks. (There is an 1861 copy out there right now (only one) for $75 bucks which is very tempting..) You should be able to pick up a copy for a few dollars plus shipping off Amazon. I opted for the Kregel copy because it is a hardback.

So what is the value in this book? First, it gives the reader a look at what doing a real word study is. Folks, this is a study on one word, baptism (baptizein), and the book is 192 pages long. Doing word studies (as I am learning) involves much more than reading a lexical aid or Bible dictionary. While those tools are very helpful, they do not always trace the history of the word in non-Christian sources, the church fathers, and in the Bible.

I had some time to skim the book and read a few selections from it so far. I am going to have to force myself to shelve this book for later use due to seminary studies, but let me share a nugget or two. This book will not disappoint either the scholar or serious Bible student. However, it will prove itself a sufficient sleeping aid to our fast-food, lazy, mindless entertainment, don't-make-me-think-too-hard crowd. If you really want to think through this subject rather than have someone else do the thinking for you, don't buy this book.

The book covers the use of the word baptizein in ancient Greek literature citing page after page of references and quotes the Greek juxtaposition to the translation. You don't have to know Greek to understand this book, but it is there should one want to see that as well. The Septuagint is addressed (Greek translation of the OT). Here is a excerpt as a summary of how thorough Conant is:

These examples (of the word meaning 'to put under' 'submerge' et.) are drawn from writers in almost every department of literature and science; from poets, rhetoricians, philosophers, critics, historians, geographers; from writers on husbandry, on medicine, on natural history, on grammar, on theology; from almost every form and style of composition, romances, epistles, orations, fables, odes, epigrams, sermons, narratives; from writers of various nations and religions, Pagan, Jew, and Christian, belonging to many different countries, and through a long succession of ages.

Jesus commanded His disciples to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He commanded us to teach them all things He commanded us. While we can say with the Apostle Paul, "Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the Gospel" we must also recognize the command of Christ to baptize them who believe. T.J. Conant has done the hard work of a philologist for us on the word baptizein. Someone may argue that the mode of baptism is not that important. Well, what about atonement? Or justification? We may not write 200 pages on every word of the NT, but we can learn something from Conant on how thorough word study is done.

Biblical Hermeneutics, Milton Terry. Chapter 1 Summary

2010-09-11T23:14:00.000-04:00

The Christian is to grow in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. The minister of Christ is to labor in teaching the Holy Scriptures. The ability to properly interpret the Scriptures is essential to both the Christian and minister of the Gospel. Broadly defined, hermeneutics is the science and art of interpreting the words of an author. General and Special Hermeneutics are two divisions of hermeneutics where General Hermeneutics examines the thinking of an author while Special Hermeneutics emphasizes the style of language used.

In Biblical Hermeneutics some have treated the interpretation of Old and New Testaments as separate from one another. The very mystery of Christ was hidden by God from the foundation of world and made known by Christ to His apostles. The light of the revelation of Jesus Christ must illumine our interpretation of the Hebrew Scriptures. In addition, one cannot detect clear Hebraisms in the Greek New Testament without some understanding of the Hebrew Scriptures. Sacred Hermeneutics compels us to recognize the unity of the Old and New testaments and be diligent to study the whole Bible without neglecting any part.

Biblical hermeneutics is distinguished from introductions to the books of the Bible that deal with such things as the date and authorship of a book. It also differs from Textual Criticism, which aims at discovering the autograph from the extant copies of the Greek New Testament. Nor is biblical hermeneutics in itself exegesis. The exegete utilizes interpretive skills to examine the words of Scripture to bring out their sense. Understanding hermeneutics as an art, exegesis plays a vital role by testing the soundness of hermeneutical principles through the application of them. The necessity of biblical hermeneutics is underscored by the obvious multitude of opinions among Christians, ministers, and scholars.

From whence cometh my help..?

2010-08-13T17:57:00.000-04:00

Psalm 121
I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even forevermore.

The psalmist begins with the phrase, “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills…” Some have rendered this into more of a question, “Shall I lift up mine eyes to the hills? Whence should my help come?” likely because of the tense we find in the Hebrew. Since such a rendering can be found out of the Hebrew language I don’t think we do any harm to the Word of God by thinking of verse one in the form of a question. For many Christians Psalm 121 is a very familiar verse. Perhaps some of us are familiar with the praise song that is based on this psalm. What imagery is brought to mind when you read verse 1 of this Psalm? An internet search though google images brings up a plethora of beautiful images of majestic scenes of snow capped mountains reaching high into ocean blue colored skies and angelic white clouds hovering above with perhaps a beam of sunlight breaking through the heavens to reach the earth below.

Or perhaps we think of King David to be the Psalmist here, sitting at the foothills and mountains of Judea after spending long hours of labor tending sheep as a boy. Or perhaps when he was running and hiding from Saul taking refuge in such mountainous terrain and declaring his trust in God alone.

Such scenes are for me very peaceful and bring joy as I truly do love the glory of God’s creation. But if we stopped here at the mere consideration of the verse, we would miss a tremendous truth out of God’s Word for us. Perhaps you have heard of the sound rule of interpreting Scripture by Scripture. A.W. Pink in his book “Interpretation of the Scriptures” writes, “..the setting side by side of spiritual things (Scripture) serves to illuminate and illustrate one another, and thereby is there perfect harmony demonstrated.” Many of our Bible’s we use today contain Scripture references in the center column or some other place that help us make use of this principle. I would also highly commend to your consideration the use of the classic work “Treasury of Scripture Knowledge” in which is contained over 500,000 Scripture references to every verse of the Bible helping you compare Scripture with Scripture.

One such reference to our text here can be made to Jeremiah 3:23. In chapter 3 of Jeremiah the Word of the Lord came against Israel and Judah for their terrible backsliding they had committed. The Word of the Lord was against them for their idolatries and turning aside to other gods. This rebuke of God came to this people after the godly reign of Josiah and his reformations, but from which they had fallen away. The Lord was pleading through his prophet in calling the nation to repentance and at the same time declaring their utter destruction during the reign of Zedekiah.

The Lord by Jeremiah laments, “Turn, O backsliding children, saith the Lord; for I am married unto you: and I will take you one of a city, and two of a family, and I will bring you to Zion: And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge and understanding. “ God is pleading with His people to repent and turn from their sin and He would bless them. But they will not turn. “If thou wilt return, O Israel, saith the Lord, return unto me: and if thou wilt put away thine abominations out of my sight, then shalt thou not remove.” Jer 4:1. And by verse 7 the destruction is declared, “The lion is come up from his thicket, and the destroyer of the Gentiles is on his way; he is gone forth from his place to make thy land desolate; and thy cities shall be laid waste, without an inhabitant.” The call and pleading for repentence is given, but it is known to God that they will not repent.

And all there is for the prophet to do is weep and howl for the miseries which will surely befall his people. Jeremiah cries out in verse 10 saying, “Then said I, Ah, Lord God! Surely thou hast greatly deceived this people and Jerusalem, saying, “Ye shall have peace; whereas the sword reacheth unto the soul.”

Friends, what is happening here is the fulfillment of what God swore to do in the days of Manasseh. It is written in the Scriptures concerning Manasseh that “And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, after the abominations of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out before the children of Israel. For he built up again the high places which Hezekiah his father had destroyed; and he reared up altars for Baal, and made a grove, as did Ahab king of Isreal; and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served them. And he built altars in the house of the Lord, of which the Lord said, In Jersalem will I put my name. And he built altars for all the host of heaven in the two courts of the house of the Lord. And he made his son pass through the fire, and observed times, and used enchantments, and dealt with familiar spirits and wizards: he wrought much wickedness in the sight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger. And he set a graven image of the grove that he had made in the house, of which the LORD said to David, and to Soloman his son, IN this house, and IN Jersalem, which I have chosen out of all tribes of Israel, will I put my name for ever: Neither will I make the feet fo Israel move any more out of the land which I gave their fathersl only if they will observe to do according to all that I have commanded them, and accoding to all the law that my servant Moses commanded them. But they hearkened not: and Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the nations whom the LORD destroyed before the children of Isreal. “ 2 Kings 21:3-9.

These deeds were so heinous in the sight of God that the Lord declared Israel’s and Judah’s destruction would be so bad, that “..whosoever heareth of it, both his ears shall tingle.” V.12 There was famine, destruction, death, captivity and slavery. All the holy things of the temple of God were carried away by the army of the Chaldees.

You may be wondering by now what any of this has to do with Psalm 121 and verse 1. “I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.” The hills for Israel and Judah was their place of idolatry and shame. It is the “high places” that they set up altars to the host of heaven and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator who is blessed forever. In these high places they set up their images and worshipped the sun and the moon and the stars. And so the Psalmist writes, “Shall I lift up mine eyes unto the hills? Whence should my help come?” And the answer comes to us in the very next verse, “My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.” For the psalmist, his help is not going to come from false gods or any creaturely thing, but from the Lord alone, the Creator of all things, the Maker of Heaven and Earth.

Friends and brethren, the Scripture says, “For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” Romans 15:4 How often in times of uncertainty are people tempted to visit the psychic or read their horoscope in the paper, or some other mystical medium to give them some sense of certainty or hope.

The world today is mad with eastern religions and mysticisms, and it seems “Israel” is rushing headlong into the same flood of dissipation by adopting these same things with Christianized names. Pagan meditation is wholesaled into the Church as “contemplative prayer.” Evangelical churches are running into such practices as burning incense, using icons or images in their worship, and other mystical practices being brought into bible-believing assemblies by the mother harlot of them all, Romanism.

At the heart of all such practices is the dissatisfaction with the sufficiency of Holy Scripture. It is the acceptance, assent, and pursuit of divine revelation and illumination outside the pages of God’s only infallible Word and revelation. This is clearly seen is the popularity and perpetuation of the Charismatic/Prophetic movement. I understand and sympathize with the heart's cry for a real experience of God. Yet my brethren, this is not to be sought from God outside His Divine Revelation, the Holy Scriptures. Robert Burns, an old puritan, once said, "The principle on which experimental religion rests is simply this, that Christianity should not only be known, and understood, and believed, but also felt, and enjoyed, and practically applied." And this by and through the means of Holy Scripture read, preached, and expounded.

Friends and Brethren, shall we look up to the hills? Shall we look to the gods of the nations, atheistic philosophy, hedonism, mysticism and superstitions, or any other thing beside the Lord for our help? If we do, then we may share the same fate of the Jews in Jeremiah’s day. And what do the Holy Scriptures say to us concerning such things? “And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly.” 2 Peter 2:6

If you have never repented of your sins and turned to Christ Jesus to believe on Him and Him alone for the forgiveness of your sins in His blood, then you stand under the condemnation of your sins and the wrath of God abides upon you. You must think of it as if Jeremiah were speaking to you and warning you to repent and turn lest a terrible destruction befall you. God has spoken in these last days commanding all men everywhere to repent and believe the Gospel. His command is, “Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your heart.” The Lord has not left us ignorant of His coming judgment. By the hand of the Apostle Paul God said, “..the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of His power.” 2 Thess 1:7b-9.

The Bible says that all who repent and believe on Jesus Christ may have the remission of their sins in His blood and escape the wrath to come. Jesus Christ was crucified for sinners. And on the third day God raised Him from the dead for our justification which means to be declared righteous before an All Holy God because of Christ alone. Will you repent and look to Jesus Christ who alone can save you and forgive your sins?

May the Lord Jesus Christ be gracious to you and merciful toward you. May He make His face to shine upon you, lift up His countenance to you, and give you peace. In the Name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

An Introduction to Colossians

2010-08-06T02:02:00.001-04:00

Historical Overview

The town of Colosse was located on a rocky ridge overlooking the valley of the Lycus River near the cities of Hierapolis and Laodicea. Cold streams of water flowed through Colosse and was piped in through an aqueduct to neighboring Laodicea. It is interesting that our Lord’s words to the Laodiceans regarded them as lukewarm and wished that they were either cold or hot. Rev. 3:15-17. Hierapolis was known, and still is, for its hot springs. Colosse was located in the ancient kingdom of Phrygia made up of many towns and cities and is modern Turkey today. It is also the ancient location of the Hittites. It is possible that one of the gods worshipped here was the goddess Cybele as well as other Roman deities.

Within Colosse was not only a pagan population, but also a Jewish. Josephus records that Antiochus the Great (223-187 BC) had moved some two thousand Jewish families from Mesopotamia and Babylon to Lydia and Phrygia. (Antiquities, XII, iii.4). It is into these two groups, one a pagan and superstitious, and the other a legalistic, that the church at Colosse was set.

It is said that this city perished shortly after the writing of this epistle (60-63 AD) by an earthquake in 66AD in the 10th year of Nero, but afterwards was rebuilt and called Chonae. (Gill)

Biblical Background
Phrygia mentioned in the Bible refers to the southern portion, which at the time of the writing of Colossians was under Roman control, and contained Laodicea, Hierapolis, Colosse and Iconium. There were Jews from Phrygia that heard the early Christians speak in tongues as the Holy Spirit fell upon them in their own languages (Acts 2:9-11).

The Apostle Paul passed throughout Phrygia during his second missionary journey in 49-52AD (Acts 16:6) and on his third missionary journey he passed again through the all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in 53-57AD (Acts 18:23).
It is believed that Epaphras, who was one of them (Col. 4:12) was the faithful minister of Christ sent to them (Col 1:7) and labored there in the Gospel possibly along with Tychicus, Onesimus (Col. 4:7) and Archippus, who is called a fellow soldier in Philemon 1:2.

Col 2:1 is sited as Scriptural evidence that Paul never did visit Colosse because it is written, “For I would that ye knew what great conflict I have for you, and for them in Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my face in the flesh;” Does this mean none saw his face in the flesh? While of not great consequence, it seems that the Scripture would allow for the Apostle to have passed through Colosse in that he writes “for as many as have not seen my face…” leaving it possible that some may have.

While the Apostle Paul was not God’s instrument to lay the foundation of the Gospel in Colosse, but rather Epaphras, this does not necessarily mean that the Apostle never passed through the city. In William Hendricksen’s geographical sketch agrees writing, “The most natural route for Paul to have taken…is the road from Antioch in Syria, over Tarsus, Derbe, Lystra, Iconium, Antioch in Pisidia, Apamea, Colosse, Laodicea, and thus following for a while the Maeander Valley, to Ephesus.

This epistle as well as Philemon, Ephesians, and Philippians are called the Prison Epistles because of them being written from Rome while Paul was imprisoned. This is attested to in this epistle in 4:10 where Aristarchus Paul calls his fellow prisoner. This is the same Aristarchus found in Acts 19:29 who was seized with Gaius, a Thessalonian (Acts 20:4) and was faithful travel companion to the Apostle Paul and fellow laborer (Phil 1:24).

A reponse to the Insider Movement and Kingdom Circle Movement, Part 2

2010-08-04T17:13:00.001-04:00

Mark wrote: " The question that I’ve been confronted with through my recent experiences and now from a lot of reading has to do with the idea of conversion. Does a Muslim or Jew need to convert to the Christian religion to become, or stay, part of the Kingdom of God? Because I believe that most people who are adherents to the Christian religion are lost, and because Jesus never came to start a new religion, and because I believe that religion is a man-made concept attempting to get to God, I think that the concept of converting to my religion is a detriment to advancing the Kingdom. From an eternal perspective and in regard to the Truth, what is really different from someone who is following Mohammed, or the teaching of Buddha, or adhering to Judaism, or chasing after the “American dream” while calling oneself a Christian? All are separated from God and condemned to an eternal hell. But, when the living God saves someone who IS following Mohammed, or the teaching of Buddha, or adhering to Judaism, or chasing after the “American dream” while calling oneself a Christian, then the reality of eternal life begins along with the process of becoming more like Jesus."

My reply: This part of your reply is what I am going to call your creed section. Your question is put forth so that you can answer it and declare what it is you believe. Most Christian churches which are true churches would contain some sort of statement like this, “The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience..” This is the from the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith. There are three areas of doctrine/theology that your creed covers here. They are: 1) The doctrine of conversion. 2) The doctrine of the kingdom of God. 3) The doctrine of the Church.

What does the Bible teach concerning “conversion” or someone who converts? Consider, “The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple.” Psalm 19:7

In quoting Isaiah 6:10 Jesus said, “For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears dull of hearing, and their eyes have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.” Matt 13:15

And then also consider, “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord.” Acts 3:19 In the Authorized Version this word converted, or epistrepho, is translated 39 times as turn, be converted, return, turn about, turn again. It means to turn to, to turn about, or to turn back. The Apostle Peter’s preaching is to these unbelieving Jews telling them to both repent and be converted. He is commanded them to “metanoeo” or repent, that is to have a change in one’s mind, and to turn to or back to the Living and True God, that is to Christ.

Look at who the Word of God is speaking to…Jews. It is speaking to the Covenant people of God and commands them to repent and be turned to Christ Jesus. When God does saves some, be they Jews or Muslims, or Buddhists, they are going to be repenting and turning to Christ Jesus, and by reason of this turning to…turning AWAY from Islam or Judaism or Islam or Romanism or Atheism or anything other god of theirs. And they will turn to Jesus Christ, believing in Him, repenting of their sins and clinging to Jesus Christ ALONE.

You claim that Jesus never came to start a new religion. Well, what did he come to start? What saith the Scripture? “And I say unto thee, That thou are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18 Christ Jesus came to build His church. This is the Christian religion. That Christ Jesus intended to assemble His elect is plainly evident by the Scripture. In Acts 8:3 Saul made havoc of the church, in Acts 9:31 the churches had rest throughout all Judea and Galliee and Samaria, in Acts 11:26 the apostles ASSEMBLED themselves with the church, in Acts 15:22 the church assembled with the apostles and elders and commissioned Paul and Barnabas, in Acts 2:47 the Lord was adding daily to the church such as should be saved.

Nearly all the New Covenant epistles are written to the churches. In the book of Revelation Jesus addresses the elders of the seven churches. God sets His gifts in the church, first apostles, then prophets, third teachers…1 Cor 12:28. The very purposes of God are accomplished by His church. In Ephesians 3:10 it is by the Church that the manifold wisdom of God is made known to the principalities and powers in heavenly places. The church is Christ’s body, His bride, and He is the head thereof. In Matthew 21:43 the Kingdom of God is TAKEN from the Jews, and given to a nation bringing forth its fruits. To whom did He give it? TO THE CHURCH. “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” 1 Peter 2:9

Mark, you do greatly err from the Scripture in your creed.

Mark wrote, "Being a follower of Jesus is not an exclusive right of the Christian religion “club”. Many in the “club” have a special affinity toward Jews, but a bold and outrageous hatred for Muslims. Wouldn’t it be just like our God to save millions of these hated Muslims for the glory of Jesus and as a rebuke of the lukewarm “club”? No one is shouting, “JESUS PLUS NOTHING”, louder than the Father. The harvest is ripe and the “Jesus plus nothing” roar is increasing. This is nowhere more apparent than in the Muslim world and I have chosen to join God where He is at work. To Him be the glory."

My reply: Now this does stir up my zeal. Satan too prances about roaring. And God will crush him under our feet. Being a follower and disciple of Jesus Christ IS the EXCLUSIVE right of God’s elect. “We have an altar, whereof they have NO RIGHT to eat which serve the tabernacle.” Heb 13:10.

It would be NOTHING like God to save millions of Muslims for the glory of Jesus and as a rebuke of the “lukewarm club” as you call it. If God ever saves anyone at any time, and He does, it is for the purpose of His glory and His glory ALONE. Secondly, if there is a lukewarm church out there it is utterly shameful to me that anyone calling themselves a Christian would so disparage the Lamb’s wife.

“Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.” Romans 8:33

You wrote that you have been reading extensively. Let me admonish you to read your Bible more extensively. Seek your answers from the Word of God. And do not seek to join God ANYWHERE the Scripture does not go.

Sola Scriptura.

Mark wrote: " I pray the Lord Jesus will bless you and your family as you consider all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus.

Blessings,

Mark Baxter"

Solus Christus, Sola Fide, Sola Gratia, Sola Scriptura, Soli Deo Gloria

A New Life, the Blessing of Almighty God in Christ Jesus

2010-08-03T21:21:00.001-04:00

Dear family and friends,

I wanted to take the time to announce the blessing of God once again to the Flahardy family. The Sovereign God of Heaven and Earth declares, "Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man; so are children of the youth." Psalm 127:3-4

The Bible teaches us to hope and trust in the promise of God. It is upon His very Word and Promise to us in the New Covenant in Christ Jesus that our eternal life rests. Here also is a promise to the people of God:

"Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the LORD." Psalm 128:3-4

Upon this verse the eminent and learned Dr. John Gill (C.H. Spurgeon's predecessor) wrote, "a numerous offspring was always accounted a very great blessing; and it must be very pleasant to a parent to see his children round about his table, placed in their proper order according to their age, partaking of what it is furnished with: Job, in his time of prosperity, had many children; and, next to the presence of the Almighty with him, he mentions this of his children being about him."

We are indeed announcing to the glory of Almighty God through Christ Jesus alone that Kathryn is pregnant with our seventh child. We have been mightily blessed by God in this and He has honored us, His most unworthy servants, by this fruitfulness of my wife. Glory be to God alone!

We invite you to rejoice with us in celebrating the blessing of God in this, especially in an age of such apostasy and turning away from God where such a blessing is looked upon more as a curse than a blessing. We live in an age where numerous offspring, as Gill puts it, is not accounted as a very great blessing but an act of very great irresponsibility.

To those who may hear this and think to speak according to this world on this matter, I pray you keep silent. Step back and hold your tongue and watch the blessing of God. A man once told me that I would surely come to ruin after I explained to him that my life's trust would be in Christ's Word and His Word alone. His prediction has not yet come to pass, and I am still trusting in the Word of God. The man came back after a long time had passed and apologized for his foolish counsel.

If you think after the manner of the world and not of Christ, then pause and consider what the Bible says concerning God's people the children He gives to them. And watch the salvation of God.

Any words of encouragement and your prayers are most welcome.

Your brother in Christ, and slave of God,
Geoff and Kat Flahardy, and Bethel, Nathaniel , Joshua, Jadon, Elizabeth, Abigail…and new life.

A Biblical Look at the Insider Movement and Kingdom Circle Movement, Part 1

2010-08-02T18:20:00.000-04:00

This is part 1 of my reply to Mark Baxter who has embarked to some degree along the lines of the Insider Movement/Kingdom Circles" movement. Mark replied to my response to his email sent out called "Jesus plus nothing" and this is my reply to him. I will use quotes for his words and my response follows underneath. This is part one of two in my response to his full email to me.

"Geoff,

Having returned now from China and having just completed a week of teaching in our School of Evangelism, I finally have time to respond to your email and emails from others who responded to my newsletter weeks ago. Sorry for such a tardy reply. I really appreciated reading your message. I have been reading a lot of material on the subject referred to as “Kingdom circles” or the “Insider movement” since my experience in Saudi. I know people on both sides of the issue who sincerely love Jesus and want to take His Good News to the world. In essence, the disagreement comes down to this: Can a person who considers himself a Muslim or Jew be saved and continue in their present religion? Those who are part of the “Insider movement” seem to propose that the answer to this is yes. Others, who lean more toward the “Kingdom circles”, seem to propose that these people can be saved but will move out of their present religion."

Thank you for taking the time to make a full reply to me. I will post both your reply and my response to my blogsite and Facebook page. I spent some time reading some of what could be found on the internet as to the two subjects called “Kingdom circles” and the “Insider Movement.” One such individual who falls within this camp is Carl Medearis. I found others also, and one observation I can see is that there isn’t much of a definition for these movements. They appear relatively small and limited in their impact upon the churches of God.

I say this because I have only made a casual observation of what these folks teach and do, but more particularly have focused on your reply to me. What I have learned from their websites and blogs is that these men and teachers are in deep error. Mr. Medearis, for example, does not write or teach theologically or biblically. In fact, he is dismissive of doctrine and theology. (Let the reader use biblegateway.com or some other Bible search tool and use the key word “doctrine.” Using the standard KJV of the Bible, you will find that it appears 55 times in the Bible and the ONLY time doctrine is ill spoken of is when it is false doctrine).

Medearis also presents a false dichotomy found on his blogsite where he claims to “..follow Jesus, not Paul.” He further writes, “Paul’s a great guy. Wrote some good Scripture. Planted some churches, but he too, followed Christ. I think the Western church is in love with Paul, not Jesus.” http://www.carlmedearis.com/blog/2010/07/are-you-evangelical-in-your-theology-and-missiology-%c2%a0i-never-hear-you-use-words-that-my-other-evangelical-friends-use-and-you-always-sound-a-bit-fuzzy-%e2%80%93-almost-like-a-universalist-or-som/

I have seen this type of attitude before within the Charismatic/Prophetic movement (Medearis is relationally involved with the Vineyard churches according to his website). Aside from such a statement regarding Paul by Medearis being grossly arrogant, it is unbiblical. And that brings me to my point: It really doesn’t matter what Mr. Medearis thinks, or what the Kingdom Circle folks believe, nor the Insider Movement. What matters is “What saith the Scripture.”

My reply to you is not intended to try to change your mind (yet hopeful that I might change your mind). Your reply shows me that you have already made up your mind. My hope is that my response to you will serve as an example to others that we ought to biblically test all things by the Scriptures. This includes what it is we are going to say we believe and how we are going to practice our faith. I am really surprised (perhaps I should not be) that men such as this Medearis decry against sound doctrine and theology. When I was involved with the Vineyard movement and Prophetic movement I saw this also. It surprises me because if there is indeed an issue with the Christian churches in America then it is first a theological one, and then a practical one. What the American churches need is not some parachurch missionary on the outside of the everyday lives of Americans pointing at them and telling them they are wrong. What they need are well-trained men who are theological giants with a Shepherd’s heart to feed the flock of God. The theology must always be first, then the practice.

With that introduction, let us move on to addressing biblically some of your statements and questions. You posed the question: “Can a person who considers himself a Muslim or Jew be saved and continue in their present religion?”

Let us not, for the moment, concern ourselves with how the movements answer this question. Let us concern ourselves with the Scripture. Let’s seek the answer to this question from the mouth of God Himself in Holy Scripture. The question again is: Can a person who is (as a man thinks in his heart, so is he…so if he considers himself a Muslim or Jew, he is) a Muslim or Jew be saved and at the same time continue in their present religion?

Thus saith the Lord, “Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? And what communion hath light with darkness? And what concord hath Christ with Belial? Or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, said the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty. Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.” 2 Cor 6:14-18; 7:1

There are several things that may be observed from this text:

First: The nature of this passage is between the believer in Christ Jesus, and the unbelieving world. Some have supposed that it is regarding or applied to marriage and perhaps some restrict the meaning to this. This is an erroneous application for two main reasons: 1) That there is nothing in the context of the passage itself or in the entire epistle of 2 Corinthians. 2) The Apostle did deal with the marriage issue in 1 Corinthians in which it was admonished by Paul that if a married individual had an unbelieving spouse and that spouse be content to stay with the believer, let not the believer put away the spouse. 1 Cor 7:12-13. It is clear then that 2 Cor 6 cannot be applied to marriage only (though it might be wise for a believer not to marry an unbeliever) but is applied and directed to the Christian and his relationship with the world around him.

Second: God is commanding His covenant people to come out from among “them.” Who is ‘ them?’ It is exactly who was described in verses 14-16. God is commanding His people to separate themselves from the unrighteous, those in darkness, infidels (unbelievers), Belial (homosexuals), and idolaters.

To add a point of clarification, what is not being taught here is the teaching that we are not to keep company with such people or have any kind of relationship or interaction with unbelievers. To suggest this would be in direct conflict with 1 Corinthians 5:9-11. There the Apostle explains that his instruction in not keeping company with fornicators, covetous, extortioners, or idolaters was with regard one that is named a believer. To not keep company, or be in the company, of all such wicked persons would mean we would need to go out of the world. What the Lord is teaching us in 2 Cor 6:14-18; 7:1 is that we are not to participate in the practices and behaviors and ways of the unregenerate people of the world. The Scripture declares the reason for this saying that Christians are the very temple of the living God wherein He dwells in them and walks in them. “Wherefore” God says…this is to say, for this very reason…for the reason that ye are the temple of God, for the reason that God dwells in you all and walks in you all, because of this…come out from among them and be ye separate. God says to get out from among them and separate yourself from them and do not even touch the unclean thing…and I will receive you…and be a Father to you and you will be my sons and daughters.

There is no question that these exhortations spring from the Old Covenant Scriptures. In Korah’s rebellion against God the Lord commanded Moses and those who stood with him to separate themselves from the congregation and were commanded to depart from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. The Scripture says in Numbers 16:26 “And he spake unto the congregation, saying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, lest ye be consumed in all their sins.”

In verse 21 of the same chapter they are commanded to separate themselves and here in verse 26 they are commanded to not even touch anything that belonged to these rebellious people “..lest ye be consumed in all their sins.” Such separation was commanded by God and practiced by an obedient people. In Ezra 6:21 we learn that the children of Israel “..had separated themselves…from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the Lord God of Israel..” There is a clear parallel with Chapter 7 and verse 1 of Corinthians where the Holy Spirit says, “Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting the holiness in the fear of God.” We should also take note of Revelation 18:4 which says, “And I heard another voice from heaven saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues.”

There is indeed a biblical separation commanded by God in Holy Scripture for Christians. It is clear from both the OT and NT Scriptures that God is calling us to come out and be separate so that we are not a partaker in the sins of the wicked and of the plagues and judgments which are coming against them.

It is also important to note here that not only does God command us to separate ourselves from something but is calling us to something. He is commanding us to come out and separate ourselves from wickedness and the unbelievers, and is calling us to Himself where He “..will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.”

It should now be clear as to the answer to our question, “Can a person who considers himself a Muslim or Jew be saved and continue in their present religion?” Biblically the answer is no, not if that person is truly saved. If that person is truly saved then they are called out of their false religions be they Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Atheist, or Religionist. They are called out and brought to the living God where they are gathered together as the temple of God, the Church of Jesus Christ, the Bride of Christ.

Mark wrote, "One of the main issues is something that commonly produces conflict among Christians. That issue is the concept of process. For example, when a Roman Catholic comes into a relationship with the living God, will they remain a Roman Catholic for the rest of their lives. I don’t think so, but how long will the process be of coming out? It could be immediate, a month, or even years. The process varies according to many factors. I believe that most people who call themselves Christians, along with those who are Mormons, Roman Catholics, Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, are all equally and thoroughly lost and headed to hell. The fact that God could reach down in His radical grace and save people while in these conditions is a demonstration of His power. Will those who are saved change? Absolutely. If not, I don’t believe the living God choose them and saved them. When will they change? That is up to God and in many cases is dependent on discipleship."

If God reaches down and by His grace saves people within the religions of Islam or Judaism other than through the normal means of preaching the Gospel to them by some mediation, then praise be to God. This, of course, is the exception and not the rule. When God chose to save the Ethiopian eunuch He sent Philip to go and preach Jesus to him from the Scriptures. Acts 8:26-40. God has ordinarily ordained that it is by preaching to save them that believe. “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.” 1 Cor 1:21

But your question here relates to when and not how they will change. Again, let the Scriptures answer our questions. What we are touching on here is the very nature of salvation. And no wonder that our adversary would seek to bring confusion and division over this. But consider, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them also he called: and whom he called, them he also justified, and whom he justified, them he also glorified.”

God’s salvation is complete from the beginning to the end. The grace of God is not just for regeneration, but also sanctification and glorification. “For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world; looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and Savior Jesus Christ.” Titus 2:11-13 And, “But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration , and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.” Titus 3:4-5

God’s salvation of sinners is full and complete. When He regenerates someone, he himself washes them. It is unbiblical to say that the grace of God saves a man, but does not sanctify them or to say that their sanctification is dependent upon discipleship. Salvation from beginning to end is all of grace. If a man has the grace of God, then God will teach that man to deny ungodliness. The grace of God will teach the Christian how he or she ought to live in this present world. Now we do recognize and acknowledge that it is most often by the means of the teaching ministry of the Church that this work is accomplished. It is within the Church of Jesus Christ that believers are built up in Him. God Himself has ordained the Church and gifted His church first with apostles, then prophets, and now pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints.

Jesus, the stumbling block..

2010-07-20T16:11:00.002-04:00

The Bible is incredible. While reading through the Old Covenant Scriptures I googled for some information and came accross a website started by a Jewish woman. I was curious to see what she had written about Jesus, the Messiah, and certainly did not expect something positive.

From her article against Christ she referenced a man by the nickname Rambam. His full name was Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, or Moses Maimonides. He was a well-known and preeminant Jewish philospher. He was born in 1135 AD and died in 1204AD. He is still held in high regard among Jews and is regarded as one of the most famous.

The Jewish woman quoted him on her website when he wrote concerning Jesus the following: "Is there a greater stumbling block than [Jesus]?"

What an amazing remark from such a learned and revered Jewish philosopher! The Apostle Paul would agree with him...but in a different light of course. haha

1 Corinthians 1:23
but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,

Christ Jesus is indeed a stumbling block to the Jew. This is also contained in the prophet Isaiah:

Isaiah 8:14; 28:16
"He will be as a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem." "Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste."

The Apostle Paul shows the meaning of this prophecy:

Romans 9:31-33
But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

And also the Apostle Peter:

1 Peter 2:7-8
Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.

What an amazing confirmation from one of the most eminant philosophers of Jewish history since the coming of Christ. He asks...is there a greater stumbling block than Jesus? God's answer? Not unto us which are obedient, but unto you who are disobedient to the Word.

Lord Jesus, may we not stumble at You or be offended by You.

**Some may have read this and wondered at the difference in the redenering of Isiah 28:16 and the way it is written in Romans 9:33. The difference lies with the Apostle Paul using the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Old Covenant Scriptures. On this point John Gill made a very interesting observation:

" A very learned Oriental critic of our own nation has observed, that the Arabic words "Haush" "Hish" answer to the Hebrew word, vwx, the prophet uses, and which have three significations in them, "hasten", to "fear", and be "ashamed"; the first of these is retained here by the Jewish commentators and modern versions; the second by the "Chaldee paraphrast", and Syriac translation; and the third by the Septuagint, and the apostle; and they may be all taken into sense, for he that is afraid runs about here and there, and at length is put to shame and confusion."

Arise O Lord

2010-07-20T16:11:00.001-04:00

Much is said to decry the seemingly widespread ignorance and theological bankruptcy of Christians in America. And for certain the cry needs to be sounded, and sounded loudly. Yet, let us add to this pastoral compassion. Let's not just look at the creature and say it is in need, but give all things for healing and strengthening.

Are you stirred in your heart that the walls of Jerusalem are fallen down? Then lift up your voice to Christ Jesus and repent for thy sins and that of your fathers. Humble yourself before almighty God and then put yourself to the task. Don't stand there just looking at the broken walls and lament!

I suppose that there is in us all something of a Thomas who felt the need to put his hand to Christ body before he would believe. Are you disheartened by the unbelief and stubborn refusal of people to trust in the Lord Jesus? Then exercise yourself in the things of God and prayer and set forth plainly Christ and Him crucified. Go into the gymnasium of God's court and apply your heart to understanding and lift up your voice for wisdom. Lift the heavy weights of godliness and strain yourself in righteousness.

Press into the Lord Jesus until thy heart cries "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee." Psalm 51:12-13

Three Things to consider about choosing what Christian Church to attend

2010-07-19T12:35:00.001-04:00

Three Things to consider about choosing what Christian Church to attend:

1. A high view of Scripture

By high view of Scripture I mean that a church/person holds a very high, reverent, and biblical opinion about the Bible. Perhaps we automatically assume that if a Church is a Christian Church, then they reverence, honor, and respect the Bible. Sadly, this is not always the case. It is important when selecting a Church to know that the leaders of the Church hold the Bible to be what the Bible says it to be. Certainly we would want the Church we attend to hold the same view and estimation of Scripture that Jesus and the Apostles did!

So, what was their view of the Bible? Looking at the words of Jesus He constantly referenced the Scriptures as often being fulfilled and that they could not be broken. He taught His disciples from them showing that both the Law and the prophets spoke of Him, charged those who heard Him with error because they did not know the Scriptures, and regarded the Scriptures as the very speaking of God. Matt 21:42; 22:29; 26:56; Luke 24:27; John 2:22; 5:39; 10:35

The Apostle's own teaching also show the Bible to be the very speaking of God, without error or mixture of human thought (2 Timothy 3:16-17; 2 Peter 1:20-21). When someone then reads or hears the Scriptures of both the Old and New Testaments, they are hearing the very speaking and words of God Himself. This should cause us to approach the Bible with reverential fear and awe, recognizing that it is God who speaks to us and holds us accountable to what and how we hear.

This should be the primary concern when considering which Church to become a member of. We need to learn what that congregation's view of Scripture is and how they both reverence and obey the teaching of the Bible.

2. A high view of Jesus Christ.

If a Church is to ever go astray they go astray in two main areas: The Bible and Jesus. Churches may fall into gross error and sins by either leaving the plain teaching of Scripture or by losing their main focus on Christ Himself. The Bible specifically warns Christians of the craftiness and subtlety of Satan in corrupting the minds of people from the simplicity that is in Christ, or a sincere and pure devotion to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:2-4

If a Church holds a proper and high view of the Bible, then the Church will hold Christ and Him crucified at the center of all they teach and do. When Jesus explained the Scriptures to two men as they walked with Him, the Bible says that "..beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning Himself." Luke 24:27 A Church that is following God according to the Bible will have a Christ-centered view of the Bible and church life. Jesus will be exalted and glorified in everything. True Christian churches are those in which the Holy Spirit of God dwells, and as Jesus said, "..when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me" John 15:26 and again in John 16:14 "He shall glorify me..."

We should then choose a Church that has a correct and high view of Jesus Christ.

3. A genuine fellowship and love on for another.

If a Church is truly made up of real Christians, true disciples of Jesus Christ, then they will have a true and genuine love for one another. Jesus said, "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:34-35 See also, John 15:12, 17.

The Apostle's of our Lord Jesus also commanded and exhorted Christians to love one another and abound in it. Romans 12:10; 13:8; Galatians 5:13; Ephesians 4:2; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 3:8.

Loving our brethren in Christ Jesus is the practical mark of a true Christian. The Apostle John's first epistle is about what a true Christian is and what a Christian is not. In 1 John 4:7 we learn of God, "Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth God." And again, "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us." 1 John 4:12

God also said by John, "That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." "If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth" 1 John 1:3,6

So then, in summary, when thinking about what Church we might join ourselves to let us be careful to see that the congregation holds a high and reverent view of Holy Scripture, a high and proper view of Jesus Christ, and that the Christians have a true and genuine love for one another. While this is not meant to be exhaustive in all things that one should consider when thinking about what Church he or she may join, these are three crucial things that must be present in any church we join ourselves to if we would be faithful to Christ Jesus and His Gospel.

The High Places..

2010-07-13T23:10:00.000-04:00

"Howbeit the high places were not removed: the people sacrificed and burned incense still in the high places." 2 Kings 15:35

What are these high places spoken of in Scripture? From Leviticus to Numbers, throughout 1 and 2 Kings, 1 and 2 Chronicles, and spoken of by the prophets, the "high places" are spoken of very often in the Old Testament. The word usually translated "high places" is the Hebrew word Bamah (transliterated). Of its meaning Zodhiates (editor of the Hebrew/Greek Study Bible) writes of its meaning as "a high place which was destined for unauthorized worship." It is translated "high places" because the meaning is of a hill, or height, or some elevation.

"Pagan societies were fond of performing sacred rites on mountains and hills. They believed this was more acceptable to their gods. The Israelites began imitating the practice, not only to idols, but even offering sacrifices to God Himself," commented Zodhiates.

I have been studying through 1 and 2 Kings and noticed the saying over and over again, "But the high places were not taken away" "Howbeit the high places were not taken away" "Save that the high places were not taken away" "Nevertheless, the high places were not taken away" ! This certainly stands out in these books of the Old Covenant as they recount the reign of many kings of Israel and Judah. Some, like Ahab, are very wicked and evil kings who committed abominations against the Lord and did not walk as David did.

Others are said by God to have feared the Lord and walked in His ways...but the high places were not removed. It wasn't until Hezekiah, the son of Ahaz king of Judah, began to reign at the age of 25 that we learn, "And he did that which was right in the sight of the Lord, according to ALL that David his father did. He removed the high places, and broke the images, and cut down the groves, and broke in pieces the brazen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan" 2 Kings 18:3-4 Hezekiah means "Jehovah is my Strength" and this king by God's grace showed great strength in the Lord.

Most Christians can see that it was wrong to make sacrifices to idols and to bow down to them, to burn incense to false gods, and to worship them. When we see this, we understand how the Israelites had forsaken the Lord in these "high places." But, as Zodhiates points out, Israel was also offering sacrifice and worship to the Lord on these "high places." As we see with Hezekiah's reformation, Israel was even burning incense to a relic, the brazen serpent that Moses made, which Hezekiah called Nehushtan, meaning "a thing of brass." What the people regarded as holy in the worship of the true God, God abhorred it, and Hezekiah called it for what it was: a piece of brass.

Considering these things I was struck with a clear application for our day and our times. As the Scripture says, "For whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scripture might have hope." Romans 15:4

We should be careful and take the heart of David, as Hezekiah did, in our worship of the true and living God, Jesus Christ, to do "..that which was right in the sight of the Lord..." by trusting in the Lord God of Israel and to cleave to Him and not depart from following him, but keep his commandments. We can take a warning from the acts of many of these kings of Israel who either fell into gross idolatry or else worshipped the true and Living God as the pagans worshipped their gods.

How quickly we see this taking root in the early churches as it took root in Israel so often after God had given them rest and settled them. So soon after had God given rest to His people in the early days of the churches, do we see the brethren beginning to worship and serve the true and Living God after the manner of the gentiles and pagans. They incorporated icons and images and relics into their worship and burnt incense and candles and bowed themselves down before them.

And in both the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholics churches the practice continues and is defended. But alas! we now see this specter and these "high places" creeping into our evangelical churches and Protestant churches under the names of emergence, contemplative spirituality, centering prayer, spirituality, labyrinths or whatever mystical name they come clothed in or pagan practice. The practice of marketing and business are governing how we order the worship of our God. We have yoga classes being offered in our churches, candles are starting to be burned in our "sanctuaries" and now I hear of not only an ecumenism with the papacy, but a trialogue with Muslims and Jews!

Remove the high places! Break down the images! Cut down the groves! Do not burn incense at the relics of stone and wood and brass. Serve the Living and True God according to His Word and commandments! Jesus said, "God is spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth." John 4:24

This kind of departure of the true worship of God speaks carnally and suggests that the communion with our Lord Jesus is a corporeal one and a physical one. Yet the Son of God whose Kingdom is not of this world speaks in this manner, "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63 And also our Lord said, "Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth." John 17:17

The Father is seeking such to worship him. Let us seek the Lord and cleave to Him and His Word so that we can be such worshippers as God seeks.