Doctrines Related to the Bible T

Les Lofquist Executive Director

Only through the Scriptures do we have the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ.

he doctrine of Scripture is vitally important to all Christians, for it is through the instrumentality of the Word (preached and read) that God delivers the truth about the Savior who can save us from our sins. It is through the Word (preached and read and obeyed) that the Holy Spirit causes us to grow in the grace of Jesus Christ. Only through the Scriptures do we have the knowledge of God in Jesus Christ. His truthful, authoritative, written revelation is the Holy Bible. It is the only book that God has given. God must reveal Himself to us or else He will never be known. He has revealed His glory in creation (Psalm 19:1-6; Romans 1:20). He has revealed His words in the Bible (Hebrews 1:1). He has revealed Himself fully in His Son (Hebrews 1:2). This article addresses some of the doctrines related to the Bible, God’s written revelation. Regarding the Scripture, there is a difference between revelation, inspiration, and illumination. Revelation is from God to man (by the power of the Holy Spirit a man receives what God wants him to know). Inspiration is from man to writing (by the power of the Holy Spirit a man writes that which God wants written). Illumination is from writing to heart (by the power of the Holy Spirit a man understands that which God has written). But what more can be said about some of the doctrines related to the Scriptures?

product. In other words, Scripture is divinely inspired in that God actively worked through the process and had His hand in the outcome of what Scripture would say. Inspiration is verbal. This means that every word of the autographs (the original manuscripts) is inspired. This affirms the idea that inspiration extends to the very words the writers chose. This is so of necessity, for God’s written revelation consists of propositions that are communicated by means of words. Inspiration is plenary. The word plenary means “full” or “complete.” This asserts that God inspired the complete text of the Bible, including historical and doctrinal details. This means that all parts of the Bible are equally inspired, from Genesis to Revelation. There are no different qualities or levels of inspiration (as if Christ’s words in the Gospels are more inspired than Leviticus). All parts may not at first seem to be of equal value for edification, but all parts are equally inspired. Inspiration is organic. God used humans to write Scripture but not mechanically (as we might use a typewriter) or in a dictated fashion. God used men with individual gifts and abilities to write the Bible as they were “carried along” by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). This verse tells us how the Scriptures were produced: the apostles and prophets (with their God-given talents and styles) wrote under the inspiration of the Spirit.

The Bible is Inspired by God

The Bible is Inerrant

The word “inspired” in 2 Timothy 3:16 is from the Greek word theopneustos and literally means “God-breathed.” God breathed out the Holy Scriptures as His Word and as such, the Bible is guaranteed to be His truthful, accurate revelation. Inspiration has to do with the guarantee of the truthfulness of the Bible. Inspiration establishes that the Bible is a divine

The original manuscripts of the Bible are without error. “Inerrancy is the view that when all the facts become known, they will demonstrate that the Bible in its original autographs and correctly interpreted is entirely true and never false in all it affirms, whether that relates to doctrines or ethics or to the social, physical, or life sciences.”1

The conservative stance on inerrancy was most recently and thoroughly articulated in 1978 in the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy. 2 This statement was formulated by approximately 300 scholars and leaders at a conference sponsored by the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, held in Chicago. It was designed to defend the position of Biblical inerrancy against trends toward liberal concepts of Scripture and higher biblical criticism. The International Council on Biblical Inerrancy produced three major statements: one on biblical inerrancy in 1978, one on biblical hermeneutics in 1982, and one on biblical application in 1986. It formally disbanded in 1988. According to the Chicago Statement and general agreement among biblical theologians, strict inerrancy applies only to the original autographs (the very first manuscripts written). This leads to the conclusion that, “no present manuscript or copy of Scripture, no matter how accurate, can be called inerrant.” 3 Nonetheless, we should not worry, for when we understand the reliability of the Old and New Testaments, we may have confidence that our current Bibles are accurate, and no major doctrine is affected by the manuscript variants. Likewise, the Bible has proved itself reliable through prophecy, historical events, archaeology, and in many other areas. All of this must be so since the Bible is the revelation of God whereby the God of heaven revealed Himself in written form. It is an affront to His character to think that He could make a mistake, and an affront to His veracity that He could tell a lie (Titus 1:2). Also, the Bible claims to be perfect (Ps. 19:7). Jesus, who Himself was the truth (John 14:6) and told no lies, said “Thy word is truth” (John 17:17). Jesus affirmed the inerrancy of Scripture.

The Bible Has the Authority of God

The Bible is the written voice of the God who sits upon the throne of the universe. It is the final rule for what we must believe and how we must live (2 Timothy 3:15-17; Psalm 19:7-9). The Bible is the authoritative Word of God. Isaiah 1:2 declares, “Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth: for the Lord hath spoken.” The authority of God is

repeatedly seen in the declaration “Thus saith the Lord,” and Christ’s words “Verily, I say unto you.” That the Bible is of divine authority is seen by the finality with which Christ quoted Scripture. The Lord Jesus used the Scriptures as authoritative. He continually said, “It is written” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10; 21:13; 26:31; Mark 7:6; 9:13; John 6:31, 45; 10:34), and so did the apostles (Acts 1:20; 7:42; 15:15; 23:5; I Cor. 1:19; 1 Peter 1:16). The words of Scripture are God’s words possessing the authority of God Himself.

The Bible is the written voice of the God who sits upon the throne of the universe. Unity of the Scriptures

The Bible was written over a period of 1600 years, by forty individuals with diverse abilities, backgrounds and intellectual capacities. From such a milieu one would expect to find a disjointed work, totally lacking in balance and continuity of thought. Such is not the case. Unity of thought, theme and purpose prevails throughout the Bible. This fact alone makes the Bible a most amazing book! Moses, David, the Prophets, Peter, Paul and John wrote of the same God (Hebrews 12:29; Deuteronomy 4:24) and of the same way of salvation (Romans 4). Thus Christ could say, “in the volume of the book it is written of me” (Psalm 40:7 with Hebrews 10:7) and “the Scriptures … are they which testify of me” (John 5:39). Today we can see the one Christ in all of the Bible.

The Bible Has Been Preserved by God

The God of heaven has specially preserved His book which records the truth of salvation through His Son (John 20:31). Christ declared, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away” (Matthew 24:35; Mark 13:31; Luke 21:33). From the preaching of Christ we see that the Old Testament text in common use among the Jews during Christ’s earthly ministry was entirely trustworthy. Jesus referred to the

Hebrew text when he said, “Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled” (Matthew 5:18). “And it is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than for one tittle of the law to fail” (Luke 16:17). A “ jot” refers to the Hebrew word yodh which is the tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The Hebrew letter yodh ( ‫ ) י‬is the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet. A “tittle” is a small distinguishing mark, such as the dot on a lowercase i or j in the English language. A tittle represents the small vowel points in Hebrew or the small decorative spur or point on the upper edge of the yodh. Imagine a tiny letter with a slightly visible decorative mark… that’s a tittle.  The meaning of Jesus’ words is very clear. Not even the smallest letter or even its decorative spur will ever disappear from the “God breathed” Word until all is fulfilled. The God of heaven has specially preserved His book. Further evidence that God has wondrously preserved His written Word is seen in the hundreds of surviving ancient Hebrew manuscripts (including the Dead Sea Scrolls) and 5500 surviving ancient Greek manuscripts. In addition to these, a multitude of ancient versions and a wealth of Scripture quotations from the ancient church fathers are available to the present day Bible translator. No book from the ancient world is as well attested as the Bible. Some present day literal translations are reliable in setting forth the original meaning of the God-breathed text in the English language. Great care, however, must be taken in the use of some modern versions that have appeared in recent years. “Free” translations, paraphrases, amplif ications, and modern speech editions may be helpful at times, but should be carefully scrutinized as to their doctrinal purity and faithfulness to the original text. They are to be seen more as commentaries than completely authoritative translations of Scripture.

Other Excellent Characteristics of the Bible

The Bible is eternal. The Scriptures were written during definite historical periods, but they had their origin in the

eternal mind of God. “Forever, O Lord, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). The Bible is relevant to every age and people. The Bible is perspicuous. This means that the Scriptures are clear and are able to be understood; they are clearly expressed and presented. The Bible is not obscure or ambiguous or difficult to comprehend. The Scriptures are compared to light (Psalm 119:105) and they can be understood even by children (2 Timothy 3:15). This does not mean that there are no difficult parts in the Bible (2 Peter 3:16). But this does mean that Scripture’s meaning may be comprehended by people who read it normally, by ordinary means. T h e B i b l e i s p u r i f y ing. T h e Scriptures, as the pure Word of God, have a purifying effect on Christians. They are the means by which God purif ies the church. Accordingly Christ prays, “Sanctify them by thy truth: thy word is truth” (John 17:17). No book in the long history of mankind has had the beneficial impact upon the individual, society, government and nations as the Bible. To take the Bible seriously is to have it affect your life for good. The Bible is fresh. The Bible invites and sustains a ceaseless reading and rereading for the believer. It never grows stale no matter how often one searches its pages for truth. No book of mere human origin could prove itself so refreshing (Psalm 19:7-10). The Bible is indestructible. Because it claims to be God’s Word and because it brings light into this dark world, no book has been so maligned in history as the Bible. From the earliest days of Christianity (note the way Roman Emperors like Diocletian who lived about A.D. 236-316 tried to destroy Christianity and the Bible) through moder n-day Commun ist reg imes’ attacks, and through the attacks of unbelieving critical scholarship and hosts of agnostics and atheists, many have tried to put an end to the Bible’s inf luence. All have failed. “For this reason we also thank God without ceasing, because when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you welcomed it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which also effec-

tively works in you who believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13). How we praise God for giving to us His Word! ENDNOTES 1 P. D. Feinberg, “ Bible, Iner ra nc y a nd Infallibility of ” in Evangelical Dictionary of Theology, 2nd ed., edited by Walter A. Elwell (Baker Academic, 2001), p. 156. 2 This excellent statement is well worth your careful review. You may access all the records of the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy and all three of their landmark statements at 3 Feinburg, p. 157

The Inspiration of the Scriptures B

iblical inspiration can be def ined in these words: “God’s superintendence of the human authors so that using their own individual personalities, they composed and recorded without error His revelation to man in the words of the original autographs.” There are four ramifications to this definition.

God’s Superintendence

Arnold Fruchtenbaum Dr. Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum is the Director of Ariel Ministries and a long-time IFCA International member. For a more complete study, visit www.ariel.org and view the Ariel Catalog.

First, God’s superintendence means that God superintended, but He did not dictate the writings. Obviously, there are certain portions of the Scriptures that God did dictate, such as the Ten Commandments and many of the other commandments of the Law of Moses were dictated word for word from God’s mouth to Moses’ ears; Moses then recorded it on the parchments which he had in front of him. But most of the Bible was not dictated word for word from God to man. Instead, God chose to superintend the writers, and by superintending the writers, He was able to carefully control what was being written without having to dictate. So the end product still turned out exactly the way He wanted it.

Human Authors

The second thing about this definition is that God used human authors and their individual styles. Obviously, if God simply dictated the Scriptures word for word, the entire Bible would sound the same. Comparing author with author shows that is not the case. Paul wrote in a different style than Peter; Moses wrote in a different style than Joshua. But because of God’s superintendence and His control over these writers, He was able to allow them to use their own individual style of writing. Still, they produced word for word exactly what God wanted them to produce.

Inerrancy

The third aspect of the definition is that when these original writings were produced, they were without error. When Moses, for example, wrote his five books, they were totally inspired by God,

and there was no error in any one of them. So the inspiration of the Scriptures means the inspiration of the original writings of the Scriptures. This means two things. First, that copies were not inspired. There are a number of Hebrew copies and even a greater number of Greek copies, and there are discrepancies between one manuscript and another because these manuscripts were only copies. Copies, unfortunately, were subject to some degree of human error. Fortunately, the errors are never that significant, and we are able to clearly ascertain the meaning of the original writings. Second, translations are not inspired either, because you do lose things going from one translation to another.

But because of God’s superintendence and His control over these writers, He was able to allow them to use their own individual style of writing. Still, they produced word for word exactly what God wanted them to produce. God’s Revelation

Fourth, inspiration means that God so directed the human authors that without destroying their own individuality, literary style, or personal interest, they produced His complete revelation to man. The Bible is God’s message to man. It does not merely contain the Word of God; it is the Word of God. God used various ways of inspiration. But regardless of whether God dictated the exact words (as He sometimes did) or whether the authors were led by God to copy ancient literature (which they themselves tell us they did) or they used the results of research (as the case of Luke), God guided men in every particular so that they wrote exactly what He intended them to write. The result was that the Bible is the Word of God.

Theories of Inspiration

Inspiration means God so directed the writers that, using their individual styles in any way that seemed feasible to them, they produced His very words without error. However, the question now arises: How did God do it? There are various theories of inspiration. The foundation of all these various theories is one key issue: the dual authorship of the Scriptures. On the one hand, God wrote it; on the other hand, man wrote it. For example, Exodus  20:12 reads: “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which Jehovah your God giveth you.” W ho sa id t hat? Accord ing to Matthew  15:4, God said it; but according to Mark  7:10, Moses said it. Is this a contradiction? Not at all. God did say it. But He chose to say it through Moses, and Moses did the actual writing under the inspiration of God that directed him. Another example of this dual authorship is in Psalm  110:1: “Jehovah saith unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand.” W ho made that statement? According to Mark  12:36, the Holy Spirit said it. According to the next verse (Mark 12:37), David said it. Did David say it, or the Holy Spirit? The answer is they both said it. Another example of dual authorship is based on Isaiah 6:9-10. In John 12:3941 the author states that Isaiah said these words. But Acts 28:25-27 says the Holy Spirit said these words. Sometimes both God and the prophet are in the same passage. For example, when Hosea  11:1 is quoted by Matthew  2:15, it is stated that both God and the prophet had something to do with the writing of this passage. This concept of dual authorship, of both God and man producing the Scriptures, has led to a number of theories of inspiration. The relationship is this: God is the source of the Scriptures, and man is the recorder. On the one hand, one must not look at the Bible as being exclusively divine or exclusively human; on the other hand, it should not be looked at as being partly divine or partly human. Inspiration in dual authorship is this: it is both divine and human without impairment of one or the other, and both are present in every word from the beginning to the end. Perhaps a more

correct way to describe the relationship between the dual authorship of God and man is that God is the source while man is merely the instrument or the means. But how did this occur? There are a number of theories of inspiration and most of them, unfortunately, are clearly wrong and fail to give the high view of the Scriptures that the Bible demands. Space does not allow us to deal with all the false theories on the inspiration of Scripture, but among them are the following: natural inspiration, mystical or illumination, partial inspiration,  degree inspiration, conceptual inspiration,  dynamic inspiration, and mechanical or dictation.

The foundation of all these various theories is one key issue: the dual authorship of the Scriptures. On the one hand, God wrote it; on the other hand, man wrote it. The True Theory of Inspiration of the Scriptures

The one true position is called plenary verbal inspiration. Plenary verbal means this: the Bible is completely inspired. The word plenary means “full and complete.” Plenary inspiration means that the inspiration of Scripture extends to every portion of the Scriptures. The Bible is the final authority not only in matters of faith and practice, but in any subject to which the Bible addresses itself. Anything the Bible affirms to be true is true. If it says something about science, it can be trusted. If it says something about geology, it can be trusted. If it says something about archaeology, it can be trusted. If it says something about sociology, it can be trusted. Verbal inspiration emphasizes the words themselves in that the Holy Spirit guided the words to be chosen and used. The human authors were respected by God to the extent that each writer’s style and characteristics were preserved. The vocabulary the writer normally used was the vocabulary that was written down. Yet the words which were chosen by the

author were the very words that God wanted them to say. Another important word to include in dealing with the true theory of inspiration is the word infallibility. The word infallibility means “unfailing accuracy.” The Bible is unfailingly accurate in every topic to which it speaks. That makes the Bible trustworthy. Another key word is inerrant. There is no false statement or fact in the original writings. That makes the Bible truthful.

What It Did Not Do

Plenary verbal inspiration did not do five things. First, it did not over whelm the author’s personality. The personalities of the forty individual writers clearly shows through their writings. Second, plenary verbal inspiration did not render the author’s intelligence void of use. The author’s intelligence was used by God to produce these writings. The third thing it did not do was exempt from personal research. For example, Luke 1:1-4 states that he carefully researched other writings and narrations before he sat down to write his own biography of the life of Christ. Even other writers, like the author of the Book of Judges, mentioned other books that he resorted to in doing his research. While it did not exempt personal research, inspiration is seen in that God so directed these authors to these other writings, and when they chose statements from those other writings, they only chose those statements which were true and only those statements which God wanted them to choose. God so directed them that they never chose a statement which was false. The fourth thing that plenary verbal inspiration did not do is prohibit the use of other materials. For instance, when Luke chose to write his Gospel, we know he used other sources and perhaps these other sources included the Gospels of Matthew and Mark. The fifth thing that plenary verbal inspiration did not do is it did not mean the author always understood what he wrote. A good example of this is Daniel. Several times Daniel stated that when he finished writing what he wrote, he did not clearly understand exactly what he was writing.

What It Did Do

There are five things plenary verbal inspiration did do. First, it preserved the original authors from error. When the original writings were finally produced by each of the forty writers of Scripture, there was not a single error contained in any of the sixty-six books. The second thing verbal inspiration did was preserve from omissions. None of the authors left out anything God wanted them to include. The third thing it did was preserve the authors from making inclusions— including things God did not want to have included in the Scriptures. The fourth thing plenary verbal inspiration did was that it assured appropriate wording. God allowed the human authors to use their own style and vocabulary, but the words they chose out of their own vocabulary were the very words God wanted to put down and in the very order that He wanted the words put down. Both Greek and Hebrew allow for different word orders. But God superintended in such a way so that they had appropriate wordings and did write the very words in the order God wanted them to. The fifth thing which plenary verbal inspiration did was that it meant a co-authorship of the divine and the human. Both God and man produced the Scriptures, but God is the source while man is the means or instrument.

Evidence for Plenary Verbal Inspiration

There are two key Scriptures that clearly spell out the fact that the Bible was plenarily and verbally inspired. The first passage is 2 Timothy 3:1617. “Every scripture inspired of God is also profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for instruction which is in righteousness. That the man of God may be complete, furnished completely unto every good work.” In this passage the emphasis is on plenary inspiration, meaning full inspiration. It says every Scripture, which means every written revelation is given by inspiration of God. The Greek word which is translated inspired of God means “God-breathed,” or more correctly it is the “outbreathing of God.” In other words, the Scriptures were inspired by virtue of the fact that they were the outbreathing of God. More

correctly, one should speak of the outspiration of Scripture. The result of this outbreathing, out-spiring of God is that all Scripture is profitable in four areas: teaching; reproof; correction; and instruction in righteousness. The second major passage on the inspiration of Scripture is found in 2 Peter 1:21: “For no prophecy ever came by the will of man: but men spake from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit.” In this passage, the emphasis is on the means of inspiration. Peter pointed out three things. First, no prophecy ever came by the will of man. The primary source of revelation was always God, and man was always merely a secondary source. Second, men spake from God. When the prophets spoke, they spoke the words of God. Third, this verse states being moved by the Holy Spirit. The Greek word for moved means “to bear” or “to carry along.” It is the same word found in Acts 27:15 and 17 where it speaks of a ship at sea being “borne along,” being carried along by water. The picture is that the prophets were borne along by the Holy Spirit as they wrote.

Proofs of Inspiration

Saying that the Bible claims inspiration is one thing, but what are the proofs of inspiration? There are five different proofs of inspiration. F i rst is t he cha racter of God (Romans  3:4). If God chose to reveal Himself, since God’s character is absolute truth, why would He give Scripture, His written revelation, containing error, and so force man to decide what is true and what is false? Second, the Old Testament itself claims to be the inspired Word of God. The Old Testament used such phrases as “thus saith the Lord”, and “the Lord said,” or “the word of the Lord came unto me,” a total of 3,808 times. There are specific commands by God to record the words of God as in the case of Moses (Exodus  17:14), Jeremiah ( Jeremiah  30:2), and Daniel  (Daniel 12:4). Furthermore, God authenticated the books of Moses through other writers such as Joshua (Joshua  1:7-8). The prophetic books were also authenticated in that one author authenticated another prophet. For example, Isaiah  34:16

calls Isaiah’s book the book of Jehovah. Some Old Testament writers quote other Old Testament writers with full authority. For example, Joshua  8:3035 quotes the Law of Moses; Joel  2:32 quotes Obadiah  17; Micah  4:1-4 quotes Isaiah  2:2-4; Jeremiah  26:17-19 quotes Micah  3:12; Daniel  9:1-3 is based upon Jeremiah 25 and 29. The third evidence of inspiration is that the New Testament witnesses to the Old Testament. For example, the New Testament contains three hundred quotations from the Old Testament. Seventy of these came from the Law of Moses, 170 came from the Prophets, a nd si x t y ot her s ca me f rom t he Writings. Of course, 2  Timothy  3:1617 and 2  Peter  1:21 clearly have the Old Testament in mind. There are also 4,105 allusions to the Old Testament. The New Testament claims for a total of fifty-six times that God was the author of the Old Testament (Matthew 15:14). The fourth proof of inspiration is that Jesus Himself witnessed to the Old Testament. Christ accepted the Old Testament in its entiret y and made many references from the Old Testament, and its three divisions: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings, as in Luke  24:44. In Matthew  5:17, He said He came to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. In John  10:35, Jesus said the Scriptures could not be broken, and He meant the Old Testament in that context. In Matthew  23:35, He mentioned Abel and Zechariah, references to the first and last books of the Old Testament. It was the basis of His teachings, the explanation of His own person, and He made the Old Testament the final appeal in the debates He had with His own critics. The fifth evidence of inspiration in the New Testament is that it is a witness to itself. It was preauthenticated by Jesus in John  16:12-14 and 14:26, where He told the disciples that the Holy Spirit would bring to remembrance all He taught them. Peter was conscious that he was writing the words of God in 1 Peter 1:11-12. Paul was conscious he was writing the words of God in 1  Corinthians  2:13 and 14:37. Even Peter accepted the writings of Paul as Scripture, in 2 Peter 3:15-16.

Conclusion

The Bible is the Word of God inspired plenarily, verbally, and infallibly. The Bible is an absolutely reliable source for exactly what God wants man to know, what God wants man to believe, and how God wants the believer to act in the spiritual life.

Confidence in the Word

Gary Gilley Gary Gilley is Senior Pastor of Southern View Chapel in Spring field, Illinois. He has served in various ways as a member of IFCA International for many years. His study paper Think On These Things is available at www.svchapel.org

Communication, in this modern age of communication, can be frustrating on many levels. Consider the common cell phone. Many nimbly leap from phone call to text message to taking a picture of a friend, all with the efficiency of a technological Jedi. Others, mortally fearful of missing a call, trot around with a “Bluetooth” attached to their ear (my regular jest to such people, that “you have a little something in your ear,” has so far failed to elicit a chuckle). Such people have mastered the art of modern communication, at least of this variety. Then there are the technologically-challenged. Our one-year-old grandson has a better chance of activating the television through use of the remote than many middle-aged adults have. When it comes to the cell phone it gets worse. Everyone seems to have a cell phone these days but legions are totally perplexed as to how to go about retrieving messages. How frustrated they are to see the little screen indicating they have a message but have no concept of how to retrieve that message. Perhaps this is how many of us feel about messages from God. It wasn’t so bad when we were using the old communication technique—you know, the Bible. Back when we were taught that prayer was us speaking to God and Scripture was God speaking to us. We understood at that time how such communication from the Lord worked. We read and studied the Word to understand God and His instructions for living. This was not always easy, but with careful effort and proper technique we had a handle on God’s instructions. Then along came new and “improved” methods. We were told that God had a specific will for each of our lives and, more importantly, we had to find that will. We were now on a celestial treasure hunt to “discover the will of God.” Complicating matters further was that the Bible provided no instructions to aid in this search. Instead, we were told that the Lord was providing a sort of new and fresh revelation completely apart from biblical revelation. It was personalized revelation directed specifically at each individual.

It was the voice of God but not audibly heard. This voice was an inner voice most likely detected through hunches, feelings, promptings and circumstances. And adding to the gravity of the situation was the warning that to miss this voice, or even misinterpret it, would doom us to living outside the will of God—perhaps for life.

What I believe is missing today is confidence in the sufficiency of the Word of God. An array of books, seminars and sermons was developed to instruct and train concerned Christians on how to “retrieve” these messages from God. However, the instruction manuals, having not been written by God, tended toward conjecture and guesswork, were often contradictory and left the weary believer apprehensive at best. “How do I know,” they often asked, “if I am really hearing the voice of God? Could it be my own imagination or desires? Could it be the suggestions of others or even the devil at play? Could it be that pepperoni pizza I ate at midnight?” Like many frantically searching through a series of instructions hoping to unlock the secret to the latest message from a friend, the child of God fished through the plethora of man-made instructions to discover God’s messages. But here the stakes are higher. My wife may have missed my message to bring home ice cream, but the believer fears that he may have missed God’s message concerning a spouse, a career change, what church to attend or automobile to purchase. It is for such frustrated and perplexed people that I have written a number of papers on this subject. It is my hope that these thoughts will help unravel some of the confusion. In this article I would like to press home the great need of the hour: the need for confidence in the Word, the only authoritative voice of God for all ages.

What I believe is missing today is conf idence in the suff iciency of the Word of God. The Scriptures are under attack. Of course, this is nothing new; we can trace such attacks to the Garden of Eden. What is new in evangelical circles is the package. Let’s back up for a look at recent church history. In the 1920s and 30s differences between conservative and liberal churches came to a head in America. Out of that controversy came new denominations, fellowships, schools, missions, etc., which separated from those who no longer believed in biblical Christianity. These organizations were founded by believers who desired to hold fast and “contend earnestly for the faith” (Jude 3). One of the big problems at that time (as it is today) was developing a consensus concerning the essentials of the faith. That is, what doctrinal truths were absolutely necessary? What did all Christians who claimed to be orthodox believe and, conversely, what could be left to individual convictions? In other words, what was non-negotiable in the faith? A series of volumes, published sequentially from 1910-15 entitled The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth, were an attempt to answer those questions. Written by some of the f inest conservative scholars and church leaders of the day, The Fundamentals addressed the doctrines of Christology and soteriology, but almost one third of the essays concerned the reliability of Scripture. What emerged from this was what has become known as the Fundamentalist movement. A Fundamentalist was simply one who adhered to the fundamentals of the faith, primarily as described in The Fundamentals. One of those fundamentals was the belief in an infallible and inerrant Bible. As time moved on, those who would become known as Evangelicals split from Fundamentalism. Evangelicals still held to the fundamentals of the faith, but believed there was more room to compromise and work with those who denied some of the essentials. Of course, today there are many sub-groupings under these titles, but that is not our subject. Our point is that, by definition, all Fundamentalists and Evangelicals supposedly adhere to the belief that the Bible is the only authoritative revelation from

God to man, without error in the original, and is correct in all that it affirms. While the Fundamentalist camp has continued to firmly hold this position, there has been considerable evidence of weakening on the Evangelical side. For example, in 1976 Harold Lindsell, former editor of Christianity Today and typical Evangelical, wrote a book called The Battle for the Bible. In this book, he documented the compromise taking place concerning biblical infallibility and inerrancy in such Evangelical organizations as Fuller Seminary, the Southern Baptist Convention, and the Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod). The book was not well received. He followed it with The Bible in the Balance in an attempt to show the danger the Evangelical world was facing because of its eroding view of the Scriptures. He wrote, “Today an increasing number of Evangelicals do not wish to make inerrancy a test for fellowship.”1 His lament throughout the book was that Evangelicalism was slowly losing its conviction in an inerrant Bible. Conversely, he believed that Fundamentalists were standing firm on the Scriptures.

Evangelicals still held to the fundamentals of the faith, but believed there was more room to compromise and work with those who denied some of the essentials. Few heeded Lindsell’s warning and, as a result, forty years later it has become increasingly difficult to define an evangelical. Recently, in a futile effort to define the term, one journal resigned that an Evangelical today is anyone who claims to be one. There are no longer any definitions. Lindsell suggested in 1979 that all Christians who wish to maintain an orthodox view of Scripture may want to return to the term “Fundamentalist” even with all of its negative connotations.2 With this we happily agree if, by the term, we mean one who stands for the essentials of the faith including an inerrant and infallible Bible. However, many who accept the Fundamentalist label (def ined by its original meaning) have their problems in

regard to the Scriptures as well. While they firmly stand for infallibility and inerrancy, many have sadly compromised on sufficiency. By the suff iciency of Scripture I mean that the Bible is adequate to guide us into all truth pertaining to life and godliness. Based upon such passages as 2 Peter 1:3; 2 Timothy 3:15-4:2 and Psalm 19, I believe the Scriptures alone (through the power of the Holy Spirit) are capable of teaching us how to live life, how to mature in godliness, how to handle problems and how to know truth. The Bible needs no help from the wisdom and experiences of men. Yet, the vast majority of both Evangelicals and Fundamentalists believe the Scriptures are either inadequate or incomplete in communicating what the Christian needs to know in order to deal with the issues of life. Thus they believe that something in addition to Scripture is necessary.

A Biblical Example

Again, there is nothing new about God’s people believing that the Bible is insuff icient to meet their needs. Colossians 2 describes a church during the New Testament era that felt it necessary to add several things to Scripture in order to move on to maturity. The church at Colosse apparently had come under the influence of the early stages of Gnosticism. Gnostics taught that certain individuals were privy to mystical sources of knowledge beyond the Scriptures. If one wanted to move on to maturity, according to the Gnostics, he had to tap into this extra-biblical knowledge through the methods that they taught. The Colossians, under this inf luence, were leaving behind the apostolic instruction concerning the Christian life (vv. 1-7) and were being deluded into adding at least five things to God’s Word.

Philosophy

Colossians 2:8-15 warns of the danger of being taken captive through philosophy and empty deception. “Philosophy” means the “love of wisdom” and the book of Proverbs tells us that the love of wisdom is a worthy pursuit (Proverbs 4:6). God does not oppose wisdom; He is against the wrong kind of wisdom. Paul warns of a pseudo-wisdom that can be identified by three characteristics:

• It is according to the traditions of men. That is, wisdom that comes from the mind of men, not the mind of God.

must be of God. Instead of the Word of God determining how we live and what we do, pragmatism steps in and rules.

• It is according to the elementary principles of the world. This is likely a reference to the attempt to gain esoteric knowledge through mystical means, something the Gnostics loved (see v. 18).

Mysticism

• It is not according to Christ. True wisdom is found in Christ “in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (v. 3). The Colossians were searching in the wrong place for wisdom. What they were looking for was found in Christ, through the Word, not in the philosophies of men.

Legalism

Everyone thinks he knows what legalism is and no one, including the Pharisees, ever thinks he is legalistic. Colossians 2:16-17 describes legalism as majoring on the minors. It is living for the shadows instead of the substance. It is the belief that keeping certain rules and rituals wins favor with God. These rules and rituals almost always are things that do not emerge directly from the Word. Therefore, the danger lies in the fact that we have added our own ideas to God’s in order to mature in godliness. We, in essence, declare that God’s Word is insufficient to instruct us on how to live life; we must therefore assist Him.

Asceticism

Asceticism is based on a misunderstanding of our bodies. It is the idea that God will be impressed and we will become more holy if we deprive our bodies of even those things that are good. The major flaw, as Paul says, is that it is a “self-made religion” and thus once again an addition to God’s revelation (Colossians 2:20-23).

Pragmatism

Pragmatism is not specif ica l ly mentioned in Colossians 2 but nevertheless permeates the whole passage. Pragmatism is the error of determining truth by what appears to work. If some method or concept seems successful, if people feel better, if they respond to the gospel or go to church more often, then it

Paul describes the dangers of mysticism in Colossians 2:18,19. The Gnostics taught that a few elite had received the gift of direct revelation through the Holy Spirit. These moments of inspiration took place through visions, dreams, and encounters with angels.3 This divided the church into two classes, the haves and the have nots (the truly spiritual and the unspiritual). The heart of modern day mystics’ problems is found in these verses: they are basing their theology on experiences rather than on the foundation of Jesus Christ as found in His Word. The end result is that such people are “defrauded.” They are missing out on true biblical living because of their beliefs.

Today

As happened at Colosse, many in the conservative/fundamental ranks are subtly adjusting their view of the Scriptures. These individuals would defend to the death their belief in the inerrancy and infallibility of the Word, but have softened in the area of sufficiency. When I speak of the sufficiency of the Bible, I mean that it alone is adequate to train us in godliness. Only the Word reveals God’s truth for living. On the negative side, this naturally implies that nothing needs to be added to the Scriptures for us to know truth and live godly lives. Therefore, when anything, whether it is man’s wisdom, personal experience, pragmatism, tradition, or direct revelation, is touted as a means of accomplishing these things, then biblical sufficiency has been denied. By this definition we find the conservative Christian landscape literally covered with those who claim to believe in the authority of Scripture, yet in practice deny it by their extrabiblical sources of obtaining truth and guidance. But is biblical sufficiency biblical? Does the Word claim to be adequate? In reply, we are reminded of 2 Peter 1:3, “Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him.” How is life and godliness

obtained? It is accomplished through the true knowledge of Christ, which is found only in the Word. 2 Timothy 3:16,17 reminds us that the Scriptures are inspired by God and are profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and training in righteousness. Why? In order that we might be adequately equipped for every good work. We have to wonder, if the Scriptures are adequate to equip us for EVERY good work and if they are able to lead us to EVERYTHING pertaining to life and godliness, what else is needed? Why search beyond the Scriptures for the things that God says the Scriptures alone supply? In our support of the doctrine of biblical sufficiency we can do more than proof-text. The whole thrust of Scripture implies that the Word alone is sufficient to teach us how to live life and find guidance. As a matter of fact, the burden of proof that something beyond the Scriptures (visions, man’s wisdom, tradition, etc.) is needed lies with those who doubt sufficiency. Note the view of God’s Word as found in Psalm 19. We are told that it is: • perfect and will restore the soul (v. 7) • sure, making wise the simple (v. 7) • right, rejoicing the heart (v.8)

• pure, enlightening the eyes (v. 8) • clean, enduring forever (v .9)

• true and righteous altogether (v. 9) • more desirable than gold (v. 10) • sweeter than honey (v. 10)

There is no hint here that the Word is inadequate to equip us for whatever life throws our way. As the Psalmist praises the Scriptures he implies that there is no need for help from any outside source. This is the picture that we get throughout the entire Bible. Human wisdom, observations and experience add nothing to the Scriptures. Mysticism, either in its classical or softer form, is one of the most subtle forces that undermine sufficiency in the evangelical church today. John MacArthur’s definition of the oftenaccepted Evangelical form of mysticism is helpful, “Mysticism looks to truth internally, weighing feeling, intuition, and other internal sensations more heavily than objective, observable, external

data....Its source of truth is spontaneous feeling rather than objective fact, or sound biblical interpretation.” 4 Many of us dismiss the faulty view of revelation held by Charismatics as unbiblical, but turn around and adopt a similar understanding for our own lives and ministries. I believe this to not only be inconsistent with, but an unavoidable denial of, biblical authority and sufficiency. ENDNOTES 1 Harold Lindsell, The Bible in the Balance (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), p. 303. 2 Ibid., p. 320. 3  Elaine Pagels, The Gnostic Gospels (New York: Vintage Books, 1979), pp. 49, 139-142, 163-166. 4  J ohn MacArthur, Our Sufficiency in Christ (Dallas: Word Publishing, 1991), p. 32.

Biblical Hermeneutics T

Jack Fish Dr. Jack Fish is a graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary and has been a long-time professor at Emmaus Bible College in Dubuque, Iowa.

he word hermeneutics comes from the Greek word which means “to interpret.” Hermeneutics is the science of interpretation. How do we interpret the Bible correctly? What are the rules and guidelines for correct interpretation? If Scripture is the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16), then reading it, studying it, and understanding God’s message to us is one of the most important things we can do. But how do I interpret the Bible correctly? How can I read my Bible so that I hear the voice of God and not my own voice, or the voice of man? There is a lot of confusion in this area. Modern literary interpretation operates on a reader-centered hermeneutic. The reader determines the meaning of a writing. The author has been banished. What a writing means is not what the author meant when he wrote it, but what the reader sees in the text and gets out of the text. This of course means that the meaning of a particular writing is always changing. You see one meaning in it; I another. Everything is subjective. Common sense would tell us that the meaning of a particular passage is what the author meant when he wrote that passage. But with the Bible we have a unique situation. Who wrote Romans? Our first answer is the apostle Paul. But 2 Timothy 3:16 says that God is the ultimate Author of Scripture. So we have the human author and the divine Author. Sometimes God intended more than the human authors understood. But we still are looking for what the author of Scripture intended (whether the human author or the divine Author), not just what we think a passage means to us.

The Main Rule of Interpretation

Jim Van Dine, who teaches a Bible College course in hermeneutics at the same school where I teach, introduces the subject of hermeneutics by asking three questions: 1. What are the three most important things in real estate? Answer: location, location, location. 2. What are the three most important things in French cooking?

Answer: butter, butter, butter. 3. What are the three most important things in the interpretation of Scripture? Answer: context, context, context. This is so basic that everyone agrees to it, but in the actual interpretation of Scripture it is often ignored. This is one of the reasons Scripture is often misinterpreted.

If Scripture is the inspired Word of God (2 Timothy 3:16), then reading it, studying it, and understanding God’s message to us is one of the most important things we can do. I would like to spell out this rule of context in six specific areas. They are as follows.

Interpret According to the Context of Scripture as a Whole

The Reformers had a central rule, Sola Scriptura, “Scripture alone.” By this they meant that Scripture is our only rule of faith and practice and Scripture interprets Scripture. One thing this means is that if you have two interpretations—one that agrees with the rest of Scripture and one that does not—you accept the interpretation which harmonizes with Scripture. This, of course, does not guarantee the correct interpretation, but it does show us what is an incorrect interpretation—the interpretation that disagrees with the rest of Scripture. That justification is by faith and not by works of the Law is a truth clearly taught in many different books. It is emphasized, discussed, and argued in Romans, Galatians, and the Gospel of John (see Romans 3:28; 4:5). But James 2:24 presents a problem. James says, “You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone (NASB).” The rule that Scripture interprets Scripture, or the analogy of faith, says that James is to be interpreted by what is taught

in Paul and the other books of Scripture. Do not make one Scripture contradict another. Jehovah’s Witnesses deny the deity of Christ and claim that John 1:1 should be translated, “The Word was a god.” Does Scripture allow us to believe there is more than one God? If Christ is not truly God but is merely a god, then He is a false god! This is not the teaching of Scripture. Scripture calls Him God (see John 1:18; 20:28; Romans 9:5; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8-9; 2 Peter 1:10). He is worshiped as God, He has the attributes of God, and He does the works of God. John 1:1 says He is God, not just a god. 1

Interpret According to the Context of a Passage

A second rule is to interpret according to the context of a specific passage. To take a verse out of context is to make it say something that is foreign to the surrounding verses. I remember a youth group which always ended its meetings by joining hands and reciting Genesis 31:49, “The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another (KJV).” That sounds good—may the Lord protect us while we are apart. But in the context Jacob and Laban were separating. Neither of them trusted the other. So Laban said, “The LORD watch between me and thee, when we are absent one from another.” The next verse is, “If you mistreat my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters, although no man is with us, see, God is witness between you and me” (NASB).” In other words, if you wrong my daughters while we are absent one from another and I can’t do anything about it, God will get you. Psalm 2:8 should not be used as a banner verse at missionary conferences: “Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance (NKJV).” This does not say we should pray that God would convert the nations. The next verse in Psalm 2 says, “You shall break them with a rod of iron; You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.” The context is judgment not conversion. The Methodists during the time of John Wesley had a method of using the Bible to find guidance from God which encouraged this abuse. Some call this “luckydipping.” They would open the

Bible at random, point to the page, and whatever verse they pointed to would indicate God’s will for that moment. The story is told of one lady who did this. The verse she chanced upon was Matthew 27:5, “and [Judas] went and hanged himself (KJV).” That didn’t seem too encouraging, so she thought that she would try it again. Her next verse was Luke 10:37, “Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.” This was getting uncomfortable so she tried a third time. This time her verse was John 13:27, “What thou doest, do quickly.” Let me give an example where good Bible students have differed and where I think the problem of interpretation comes from not observing the context. I am referring to the parable of the Prodigal Son. Is the Prodigal Son of this parable an unsaved person coming to the Lord for salvation, or is this a parable of a backslidden believer who is restored to the Lord? The Backslidden Believer Interpretation. Two things support the interpretation that this refers to a backslidden believer: First, it says that he was a son. He never ceased being a son. He was not made a son by returning to his father; he was already a son. Second, he came back to his father. The Unsaved Coming to Salvation View. The problem with the backslidden believer interpretation is that it ignores the context. Look at Luke 15:1-2. “Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’ So He told them this parable (NASB).” Actually He told them three parables: the parable of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. In the context these three parables are our Lord’s justification for eating with sinners. They are parables of sinners finding the Savior, not of backslidden Christians being restored to the Lord.

Interpret According to the Context of Usage

The principle here is that the meaning of words is determined by how they are used. At the time of the Reformation there was a controversy over justification by faith versus justification by works. Part of the controversy also involved the

definition of the term “to justify.” The Reformers said it means “to account, to reckon as righteous.” The Roman Catholics said that to justify means “to make righteous.” This is actually a huge issue and it continues to be debated today. When we are justified, are we made righteous or are we accounted to be righteous? If to justify means to make righteous, then it is a process that has not yet been completed. Does God make us righteous? Yes He does. But the Bible calls this sanctification. Once we have been saved, the Holy Spirit works in us and transforms us progressively toward the final goal of making us conformed to the image of God’s Son. But the process won’t be complete until we are glorified (Romans 8:29-30). If to justify means to make righteous, then present tense (you are being justified) can be used, or the future tense (you will be justified) can be used. But the past tense (you have been justified) cannot be used.

Once we have been saved, the Holy Spirit works in us and transforms us progressively toward the final goal of making us conformed to the image of God’s Son. How do we determine the meaning of a word like justify? It is by usage. Let me give an example from a passage in the Old Testament where there is no theological controversy and where the meaning is clear. Deuteronomy 25:1 says, “If there is a dispute between men and they go to court, and the judges decide their case, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked….” Here is a court case. A person is guilty. What does a judge do? He condemns the guilty. Another person is innocent. What does the judge do? He justifies him. Now what is it that the judge does when he justif ies the innocent man? Does he make him righteous or does he declare him to be righteous? The judge does not make him righteous. He is already righteous. All that the judge can do is make a legal declaration. He pronounces him to be righteous. Isaiah 5:23 speaks of those judges “who jus-

tify the wicked for a bribe.” What do they do? They don’t make the wicked man righteous. Rather, they are corrupt judges who take a bribe and make a legal pronouncement. They say this man is innocent or righteous. A crooked judge cannot make a guilty man righteous; but he can make a legal pronouncement. He declares him righteous. Theologically we have not been made righteous yet. We still have fallen natures, and we continue to sin. But God reckons Christ’s righteousness to us and we are declared to be righteous in Him. That is why Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, having been justif ied by faith, we have peace with God.” It is something that has already happened. We are fully and completely justified, not on the basis of our works, but through faith in the Savior who paid the penalty for all our sins and gives us acceptance by God as righteous in Him. The hermeneutical principle is that the meaning of a word is interpreted according to usage. 2

Interpret According to the Context of the Type of Literature

Within the Bible some passages are historical narrative, others are doctrinal exposition, and others are poetry, prophecy, parable, wisdom literature, etc. Failure to recognize differences in these types of literature has sometimes led to erroneous interpretations. The Interpretation of Parables A parable is not an allegory. From the time of the early church the parable of the Good Samaritan has been allegorized. An allegory is a literary devise in which the literal meaning is not the real meaning. It is just a vehicle to convey the real meaning. For example, Pilgrim’s Progress is an allegory in which all of the details are meant to be figurative illustrations of spiritual truths. Pilgrim’s Progress was not meant to be taken literally. The parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37) has often been allegorized. The Samaritan represents Jesus. The inn is the church. The oil and wine are the Holy Spirit. The man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho. Down from Jerusalem is away from God. He fell among thieves who stripped him, beat him, and left him half dead (v. 30).

These are the effects of sin in our lives. The priest and Levite who passed by represent the Law. According to this allegory the parable is saying that Christ, moved with compassion comes to meet us, pays the cost to cure us, and provides for our spiritual needs. I heard a preacher who used this approach, saying he could not figure out what the donkey in the parable represents (v. 34). What he didn’t realize is that the donkey doesn’t represent anything! It is not meant to be symbolical. It is just part of the story. There are two reasons for saying this: 1. This is a parable, not an allegory. Not everything in a parable is symbolic. Parables often make just one main point. 2. The parable is about our love for others, not Christ’s love for us. Remember the rule of the context of the surrounding verses. In verse 29 Christ told this parable in answer to the question, “Who is my neighbor?” Jesus had cited the Scripture “You shall love your neighbor as yourself ” (Leviticus 19:18). The lawyer had asked the question “Who is my neighbor?” in order to justify himself. The parable was not designed to show how Jesus acted in love to us but how men should act in love toward others. You shall love your neighbor as yourself. The principle is: Do not allegorize a parable. This can become tricky, because parables are figurative ways of expressing a truth. But every item in a parable doesn’t have to be given a meaning. Some parts of the parable are just parts of the story. Historical Books vs. Epistles Scripture is normative for our life and practice, but how do we establish Scriptural norms and practices? Can we derive a principle from a particular occurrence in a historical book? For instance, some have argued on the basis of the book of Acts that receiving the Holy Spirit is a second work of grace. While it may happen at the time a person believes, it is something that normally happens after salvation. That is a doctrinal conclusion based on examples seen in the historical book of Acts. In Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, and in Acts 10, when Peter was preaching in the home of Cornelius the reception of the Holy Spirit was immediate at the time of repentance and faith (Acts 2:2-4, 38; 10:44).

However, in Acts 8:14 -17 t he Samaritans had believed without receiving the Holy Spirit and Peter and John were sent to lay hands on them in order that they might receive the Spirit. In Acts 19:1-7 Paul found disciples who had not received the Holy Spirit and upon whom the Holy Spirit came when he laid hands on them. What we actually see in the book of Acts is a mixed pattern. Some received the Holy Spirit immediately on believing, while others at a later time. But here is a case where the teaching of the epistles is clear and decisive. In Romans 8:9 Paul says, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” If a person does not have the Holy Spirit, he does not belong to Christ. He is not saved! The doctrinal teaching of the Epistles is that you do have the Holy Spirit when you are saved. How then do we explain Acts 8 and 19? Probably on the basis that Acts describes a transitional period between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant, between Judaism and Christianity. Acts 8 has to do with Samaritan believers and Acts 19 with disciples of John the Baptist. They were special cases to link the reception of the Holy Spirit with the apostles in order to emphasize and establish the unity of the church. This does not mean we can dismiss all historical incidences as normative. They are included to teach us something. But we need to be careful when a practice is merely referred to, or referred to only once in a historical book. We are on more solid ground when we find a principle or practice in the epistolary teaching.

Interpret the Bible Literally

The term “literal interpretation” is often misunderstood. We use the term “literal” in two different senses. Literal can be opposed to figurative, or it can be opposed to allegorical. If we insist on literal interpretation as opposed to figurative, then Matthew 5:30, “If your right hand makes you stumble, cut it off,” means we should literally cut off the hand. That is missing the meaning of the passage which is saying we must be ruthless in dealing with sin in

our lives. The other meaning of “literal ” is opposed to allegorical and here literal means normal. “Interpret” literally means interpret the way you normally use language. Literal interpretation allows for figures of speech. Jesus is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Is he a literal lion? No. This is a figure of speech, a metaphor. He is like a lion in certain characteristics. Another name for literal interpretation is grammatical historical interpretation. We interpret using the normal laws of grammar in the historical context of the passage. An example of a non-literal interpretation may be seen in the interpretation of the 153 fish in John 21:11. When I was in school, a traveling preacher came to our assembly and was speaking on John 21. He saw great significance in the number 153. What was the significance of the 153 fish? A literal interpretation would say it means that they caught 153 fish. What fisherman can’t tell you how many fish he catches? But that didn’t seem meaningful enough to this preacher, so he sought for a deeper meaning. He asked what number should be associated with the Old Testament. The answer was ten—the number of Law (the Ten Commandments). What number should be associated with the New Testament? Answer: seven (the number of perfection or completeness). Add ten and seven and you get 17. Then if you take 17, 16, 15 … 1 and add them all together, what do you get? 153! So the 153 fish signify the completeness of both the Old Testament and the New Testament! Such an interpretation says more about the ingenuity of the interpreter than it does about the teaching of the New Testament. While the Reformers insisted on the literal interpretation of the Bible, one area where they made an exception was in the area of eschatology, the doctrine of prophecy. For example they understood the church to be spiritual Israel. When they saw Israel in Scripture, they sometimes understood it to refer to the church. Many today still insist that the church is spiritual Israel. However, a concordance reveals that the term “Israel” is used 68 times in the New Testament. There is no question it refers to those who are ethnic Jews in the great majority of cases. There are only a couple

of passages that are even controversial. The overwhelming literal usage of the term should make one hesitate before reading the term Israel to refer to the church in the New Testament.

Scripture is not putty in the hands of the interpreter, to be shaped into any form and made to say what the interpreter desires it to say. Interpret According to the Periods of Redemptive History

Why don’t we sacrif ice animals? Doesn’t Scripture command this in the Old Testament? Why don’t we stone people in the church for committing adultery? Doesn’t God’s Word command this? The answer is that while all Scripture is equally inspired, and all Scripture is profitable and has lessons for us, not all Scripture is written to us. We are living in a different dispensation from the Old Testament saints. We are not under the Mosaic Law. Christ is the end of the Law for righteousness to everyone who believes. There are differences between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. For instance, do you like to sing Psalm 51:10? “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” That is the cry of the heart of a godly believer. But then we come to verse 11, “Do not cast me away from Your presence; and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.” Do not take your Holy Spirit from me! Is that a prayer a Christian should pray? It was David’s prayer, but it is not our prayer. That is because in the New Testament the Holy Spirit permanently indwells every believer. To lose the Holy Spirit is to lose salvation (Romans 8:9). But in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit would come on individuals selectively and temporarily. The Holy Spirit came upon David, but there was no promise of permanent indwelling. We are living in a different dispensation. We must distinguish the periods of time in the progressive revelation of God. Only those things which are directly for the church age can be directly applied to us. Other things may be

applied indirectly.

Conclusion

Scripture is not putty in the hands of the interpreter, to be shaped into any form and made to say what the interpreter desires it to say. It is the Word of God and must be handled carefully and correctly. That is why Paul tells Timothy, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). Hermeneutics seeks to determine the correct rules for interpretation so that we might be the approved workmen who accurately handle Scripture. This article first appeared in Journey Magazine, Spring 2009. Used by permission.

END NOTES 1 For a detailed discussion of the deity of Christ in connection with the doctrine of the Trinity see John H. Fish III, “God the Son,” Emmaus Journal 12 (2003): 3-127. This is also found under the title “The Beloved Son,” in Understanding the Trinity, ed. John H. Fish III, (Dubuque, IA: ECS Ministries, 2006), 189-313. 2 Note also that etymology or root meaning may not be a reliable guide to a word’s meaning. The English word “manufacture” comes from the Latin manus (hand) and facio (to make). But an automobile manufactured in Detroit is not “hand made.” The word gymnasium comes from the Greek word gumnos which means “naked.” Even though the ancient Greeks competed in the gymnasium without wearing clothes, this does not affect the meaning of the word in modern English usage.

Bring Your Bible to Church I Paul Tautges Paul Tautges is Senior Pastor of Immanuel Bible Church of Sheboygan, WI and an IFCA International member.

did not grow up in a Bible-believing church. So, bringing a Bible along to worship, much less my own Bible, was completely foreign to me. But that changed in the spring of 1984 through the ministry of a home Bible study group that was studying the Gospel of John. As I walked to the second f loor apartment where we were meeting, I brought the only Bible I ever owned, and never read—the one I’d been required to purchase for Confirmation Class. After the Holy Spirit opened my spiritual eyes to the truth of the Gospel, which had been hidden from me for nineteen years, I became convinced of the absolute authority and reliability of God’s Word. It also birthed in me the firm conviction that no one should be told to believe certain doctrines unless he can be honestly shown from the Bible that they are worthy of his faith. If a church’s doctrine is not taught from the Bible itself, I’d discovered, then that church is calling its people to a faith that is blind. Worse than that, it is calling people to place their faith in the words of men, not the words of God. If churchgoing people would follow the example of the Berean Jews, there would be far fewer blind people being led by blind leaders headed straight for the pit (Matthew 15:14). Here is what set them apart: Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews.  These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily  to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men. (Acts 17:10-12)

These were not “Berean Christians,” as many call them. They were unbelieving Jews who became Christians after days of comparing the apostles’ preaching to the Old Testament Scriptures. In doing so, Luke says, they were,

“more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica,” since the Jews in that city didn’t even welcome the preaching long enough to check it out (see Acts 17:1-9). The Bereans, however, were discerning converts, because they ran the teachings of men through the filter of Scripture to determine their accuracy. Whatever was screened out was thrown out. Whatever passed the test was worth holding fast to.

My wife and I believe that if our children are old enough to walk, they are old enough to carry their own Bible to church. What would happen if every churchgoing American brought his or her Bible to church and used it to check out the biblical integrity of the sermon? The result would be less ignorance and more discernment, less blind faith and more biblical faith. Maybe you think I’m just skeptical because of my past, but I would rather call it discerning. Nineteen years of spiritual ignorance taught me at least one thing: don’t place blind trust in any man. You should bring your Bible to church because men are fallible and biblical faith is not blind. No preacher on earth is beyond the possibility of doctrinal error. If you leave your Bible at home you are unable to “test the spirits” (1 John 4:1), and, “examine everything carefully,” so that you may, “hold fast to that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). Parents, teach your children this habit early on. My wife and I believe that if our children are old enough to walk, they are old enough to carry their own Bible to church. We start with a small New Testament, the one our pastor gave us when the children were born. It is small enough for little hands to carry and inexpensive enough not to cause too much grief if lost. My wife sewed little cloth bags in which each of our children can carry his Bible and Sunday School papers. As the

children have grown older, the Bibles have grown bigger and have become more personal and precious to them. What an immense privilege it is for my wife and me to own a copy of God’s Word and be able to bring it to church to hear it proclaimed and explained, setting the example for them. God wants us to renew our minds through Bible-sat uration (Romans 12:2). Let’s take Him up on his offer of education in righteousness, rather than be content with ignorance. The church that encourages its people to bring their Bibles and teaches them how to use them will please God by producing mature, discerning followers of Christ. See you next Sunday—with your Bible! This article is from Paul Tautges’ book Delight in the Word (Pleasant Word Press, a division of Wine Press Publishing, 2005). Used by permission.

We Welcome these Men & Churches to our Fellowship

o

New Members Mr. Joel B Curry 1121 East Market St. Warsaw, IN 46580 Rev. Marvin Hoffman 4304 Winfield Street Harrisburg, PA 17109 Mr. Jason L. Bachman 2920 N. Heller Rd. #7 Oak Harbor, WA 98277 Rev. Matthew M. Floyd 502 High St. Wauconda, IL 60047 Mr. Kent W. Gee 701 W. State Rd. Hastings, MI 49058 Rev. Cleve E. Mugford 1765 Maple Ave. Apt 103 Wabeno, WI 54566 Mr. Michael D. Robinson 120 W. County Rd. 1075 N. Lizton, IN 46149 Mr. Edward R. Caballero 9652 Parade St. Anaheim, CA 92804

Mr. Michael I. Cha 10126 Reseda Blvd. #118 Northridge, CA 91324 Rev. Neal Dearyan 2719 Moraine Valley Wauconda, IL 60084 Pastor Michael J. Matiscik 8741 Idlewild Ave. Highland, IN 46322-1505 Rev. Patrick J. Norris 48 Hickory Shadow Lane Lakeview, AR 72642 Rev. Andrew J. Price 825 W. First St. Tawas City, MI 48763 New Churches Little Stone Church P. O. Box 458 Chelan, WA Centennial Fellowship 4434 E. Maplewood Way Centennial, CO 80121

The Universal Priority of Proclamation I

s giving a cup of water in Jesus’ name fulfilling the missionary mandate of our Lord Jesus Christ? How does humanitarian work relate to the universal priority of proclaiming the Gospel?

Some Background

Frank Severn Frank Severn is a long-time missionary who now serves as General Director Emeritus for SEND International.

Our first ministry assignment as young missionaries was in the Philippines. Many of the Filipinos who became believers in Christ were very poor. I struggled with how to relate to the poor. Is it proper to preach the Gospel first, or should I do deeds of compassion, justice and mercy and only then preach the Gospel? Of course, in the crucible of life you must do both! However, I am convinced that the greatest good is done through the ministry of the Holy Spirit as He takes the Gospel proclaimed and brings conviction of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. Through the Spirit’s ministry repentance and faith in Christ happens. This results in a “new birth,” a new man! As the poor gain great worth as children of God through faith in Christ changes occur in their lifestyles which enable them to live with dignity and this often results in a lift in their economic status. This phenomenon of redemption and lift has been documented in many areas as the church grows among the poor. This does not mean that poverty is always the result of lifestyle choices such as drunkenness or gambling, which make the poor even poorer. Many people are born into poverty. In some cases, as in the caste system of India, there is practically no way to escape the cycle of poverty. In many areas of the world, there are systemic unjust systems that make it very hard for the poor to rise above poverty. Sometimes even the good values of the local culture work to keep people poor. Many of my good friends in the Philippines grew up in poverty. After coming to Christ through repentance and faith in Christ, they often took steps to get education or to ensure that their children

were educated. They worked and sacrificed to make this happen. Now, many of the next generation are professionals. Some have jobs with multinational companies; and many are working abroad. Their lifestyle and station in life has improved. In the process, many have remained true to their Lord and seek to live out their faith in the marketplace. Sadly, some have succumbed to the allure of materialism that has so gripped us in the Western World. Others have followed the Lord into full time service after graduating from Bible Schools or Seminaries. Those who are in Christian ministry work very hard to see that their children get a good education. Redemption and lift has happened.

Questions and Priorities

At this point certain questions arise. What should a missionary do to address and help alleviate injustice or systemic poverty? Should we rail against the injustices? Should we seek to work for liberation of the poor by encouraging the overthrow of unjust systems? Do we simply go about our preaching and teaching being blithely ignorant of the condition of people around us? I would plead for the priority of the proclamation of the Gospel. As I have studied the Book of Acts and the missionary journeys of the Apostle Paul, I am convinced we have been given a model of mission, close to the time of the Resurrection of our Lord, which gives us a clear understanding of how the Apostles understood Jesus’ mandate to them. It is a revelatory paradigm. This does not mean that every detail of strategy can be applied in today’s contexts; but it does mean we know how the early church understood the teaching of Christ and what they did about it. Paul preached Christ in the Roman world which was full of injustices and rampant immorality. He preached Christ to rich and poor. He pled with men and women to be reconciled to God through faith in Christ. Many who responded

were from the common folk the lower classes. In fact, many were slaves. Paul did not seek to change the government, nor did he lecture about obvious abuses such as slavery. However, he did insist that within the household of faith there was neither slave nor free. All came to the Table of the Lord on level ground through the cross. It was through the household of faith and their attractive love, even in face of persecution, that a quiet but powerful transformation began which impacted the society around them.

Jesus’ Priority

There are many clear statements of Jesus regarding his purpose and priority. For example, “For the Son of man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19: 10). It is evident that Jesus had the cross in view from the start to the finish of his ministry on earth. The disciples often missed this priority. They rejoiced when Jesus feed 5000 and were excited when the crowd wanted to make Jesus their King after all here was a person who could provide bread for the hungry! However, Jesus withdrew from the crowd and sent his disciples back to the Sea of Galilee to face a storm. They were arguing about places in the Kingdom as Jesus was headed for the cross. In the Upper Room our Lord gave the great object lesson of foot washing. A towel of service was to come before the robe of reigning with Him. They constantly rebuked him about his statements that he must suffer and die. Jesus came to give his life a ransom for many. He came to demonstrate the glory of God through the cross, whereby “God was reconciling the world unto Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation [emphasis mine]” (2 Corinthians 5:19). There is no question that Jesus ministered to real physical needs. He healed some who were sick. He raised some who had died. He fed five thousand on one occasion and four thousand on another. However, he did not eliminate poverty and disease. Nor did he overthrow the political powers of his day.

The Great Commandment / Commission

A study of the life of Christ reveals a consistent pattern of teaching, preaching and healing. Even in that threefold

ministry there was a priority on preaching (Luke 4:14-21,31-36,43; 5:1,17-26,31). Jesus taught and lived out the Great Commandment to love God with all your heart, soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself. He loved people even unto death! All of His preaching, teaching and healing were a walking demonstration of the Great Commandment. However, there was a clear priority in the life of Christ that related to the glory of God being demonstrated through the cross whereby the great redemptive purpose of God would be accomplished.

There is no question that Jesus ministered to real physical needs. However, he did not eliminate poverty and disease. The Bible declares that all men (not just believers) are accountable before God with respect to the Great Commandment. This great summation of God’s holy law shows how far we fall short of His glory. Fulfilling the Great Commandment is the responsibility of all humanity including the household of faith. Jesus gave his disciples and all who follow him another commandment called the Great Commission (Matthew 28:1820; Mark 16:15; Luke 24:44-49; Acts 1:8; John 20:21-23) which only His believing community (Church) can fulfill. In that commandment there is a priority given to make disciples (Matthew 28:19) through proclamation (Luke 24:46-47; Mark 16:15). Proclamation is to be incarnate and in the manner demonstrated by Christ (John 20:21). Jesus sums up the narrative of the Bible in His Commission to his disciples in Luke 24: 44-47, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.” Then he opened their mind so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations [emphasis mine], beginning at Jerusalem.”

There is no doubt that the Bible, from the giving of the law and especially in the Prophets as well as Psalms and the Gospels, has a lot to say about God’s concern for the poor, and the people of God’s responsibility toward the poor amongst them. However, how does God liberate the poor, whether that be poor in spirit or poor in economic terms? He does it through redemption. God will deal with injustice! God will rule and restore all of creation to its perfect state (Romans 8:1825)! When Jesus returns to rule justice will flow like a river! In the eternal state of the New Heavens and the New Earth the great effects of sin will be wiped out! The glory and wonder of the Cross and God’s redemptive plan will result in a Kingdom of Priests purchased by the blood of the Lamb from every tribe, people and nation who praise and give glory to the Lamb and to God the Father (Revelation 5)! Jesus has declared to us the primary narrative of the Bible. Luke 24: 45-49 “This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem.” We must do our proclamation in the manner of the Great Commandment. We declare Christ because we love God and love our neighbor, even our enemies. We must couple our proclamation with good works and deeds of love and mercy. We must be holistic. However, if we have not proclaimed the good news of Christ, His death, burial and resurrection, and have not proclaimed repentance and forgiveness of sins in his name, we have not done mission as Jesus Commanded! There is a priority in our missionary task.

Conclusion

I am reminded of a decal which our local Fire Department gave to us after the birth of our last child. It was a picture of a baby which we were asked to pace in the comer of the window in our child’s bedroom. If our house should catch on fire the firemen would enter that room first to save the infant even before they battled the flames. They had to do both but there was a priority on saving lives first. The priority of the Great Commission also demands that we teach the followers of Christ to obey all of Jesus’ commands. We are not simply snatching people from

the flames. We have seen the sad evidence of genocide and injustices among societies who have identified themselves to be Christian in some form. We confess that too often our proclamation has not led to teaching which results in obedience to Christ’s commands. We must walk alongside our brothers and sisters who have repented and received forgiveness of sins and help them to apply Christ’s teaching to their lives and contexts. Together with them we must strive to live out the New Commandment to love one another and to love our enemies. Our discipling must help the church to practice justice among the people of faith and be a prophetic voice by the way they love one another, help the poor and accept one another as equal recipients of God’s grace. It would be wonderful if the believing church in our day could put forth an apology like Justin’s Apology 14. “We who formerly delighted in fornication now embrace chastity alone; we who formally used magical arts, dedicate ourselves to the good and unbegotten God, we who valued above all things the acquisition of wealth and possessions now bring what we have into a common stock and share with everyone who is in need; we who hated and destroyed one another and, on account of their different customs would not live with men of a different race, now, since the coming of Christ, live on excellent terms with them and pray for our enemies.” (Justin I Apology 14)1 ENDNOTES 1 As cited by Michael Green, Evangelism in the Early Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1970), p. 45.

Establishing a Presence in Church Planting T

Editor’s note: This article has been adapted from the Midwest Church Extension Church Planting Curriculum.

here is a proliferation of “how to” books and manuals on the market today for just about anything you may want to do. A television commercial announcer now tells us that “children don’t come with user manuals … until now,” and then he goes on to tout the latest manual on child rearing which focuses on changing rebellious behavior so that “you can have your life back again.” When it comes to the ministry of church planting, a plethora of resource material in the marketplace is available as well. The Scriptures, however, must be the touchstone that determines the validity and usefulness of any of that material. In that vein, the one who wrote the “manual” would have to be the Apostle Paul, and the lion’s share of that manual would be found in the book of Acts. One important church planting principle gleaned from Paul’s ministry example at the Greek city of Thessalonica is that of establishing a marked physical presence in the community and among the people whom one wishes to reach.

A Marked Physical Presence

Of the ten verses in the Thessalonian narrative account in Acts 17, four of them speak directly about the physical presence of the team in that city: (v.1) “Now when they had passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia, they came to Thessalonica, where was a synagogue of the Jews.” (v.2) “And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the Scriptures.” (v.4) “And some of them believed, and consorted with Paul and Silas; and of the devout Greeks a great multitude, and of the chief women not a few.” (v.6) “And when they found them not, they drew Jason and certain brethren unto the rulers of the city, crying, these that have turned the world upside down are come here also.” The Thessalonian epistles also make specific references to the team’s presence among these people who would ultimately become this new local church.

(1 Thessalonians 1:5) “For our Gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit, and in much assurance; as you know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.” (1 Thessalonians 3:2) “And sent Timothy, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith.” (2 Thessalonians 2:5) “Remember, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things?” The significance of the contribution that a physical presence has in the establishment of a church cannot be overestimated. Found within the examples cited above are several crucial dimensions to ministry without which the planting of a local church cannot occur.

Insertion

Acts 17:1 says that Paul and his team “came to Thessalonica,” and in 17:2 Paul “went in unto” the synagogue to confront the Jews with the truths of Scripture. Paul was diligent about fulfilling the Great Commission as expressed by the Lord Jesus in Matthew 28:19 and Mark 16:15. The instructions of the Lord in both cases include the Aorist participle translated “go,” used with the attendant circumstance1 to the main verbs of “teach” (Matthew) and “preach” (Mark). Some would argue the assumption of a contemporaneous use of time with the particles, thus having the force of “while you are going, teach all nations” (Matthew) and “while you are going, preach the Gospel” (Mark). In either case, the use of this participle propels the disciple of Jesus Christ into the world wherein dwell the people to whom he is sent. It is abundantly clear that the going of the witness for Christ is intrinsic to the fulfillment of the Great Commission. It is not possible to disciple someone with whom I am not present. It takes the insertion of the witness to the field of mission; this dimension thus clearly contributed to the origination part of the establishment process.

Lesson: Clearly, God uses all sorts of avenues by which He brings people to himself. However, no church planting – indeed, no bearing of any witness for Christ – can take place without the deliberate and obedient act of going to the next community or individual that is in need of the Gospel witness.

Consistency

Acts 17:2 says that Paul reasoned with the Jews in the synagogue for three Sabbath days. It is significant that Paul did not make just one effort with the Gospel message only to turn away from the Jewish Thessalonians upon their rejection of his message. Rather he was consistently present in their midst, seeking to persuade them to believe on Jesus Christ. Paul, being very systematic in his approach to ministry, built a case for the Gospel with each encounter; and for his words to carry any weight of credibility, it needed the support of his consistent presence in the midst of his countrymen. Lesson: Church planting is, by its very def inition, a direct attempt to engage lost souls. Yet, such attempts will not be without vigorous resistance. Those who are easily discouraged or prone to give up looking for an easier way will not find success. Indeed, their actions are likely to make it more difficult for those who follow in their wake.

Availability

After some of the Thessalonians came to faith in Christ, Acts 17:4 states that they “consorted with Paul and Silas.” The word translated “consort with” is one rich in meaning, though not well communicated in many English translations. Most translations have this verb expressed in the active voice; the word in the Greek is not active, but it is passive. The action described is one performed upon these believers, not performed by them. The word is proskleroō and is defined by Thayer as meaning “to make a lot, i.e. a heritage, private possession.”2 Adding the passive voice makes the expression better read, “were made a heritage (or an allotment) to Paul and Silas.” In other words, the laborer’s fruit of ministry was the heritage of souls, not for ownership but for a stewardship of responsibility. By being

not only messengers of the Gospel, but also by being the servants present and available to which these new believers could be united, Paul and Silas made this the actual point of origin in establishing this new local church.

Obviousness

Many things are learned from Acts 17:6; and one of those things is how obvious the presence of Paul and his team was in Thessalonica. When unbelievers set their intent to harm God’s servants, the Scripture says that Paul and his team could not be found. Their presence seemingly had evaporated! Yet when it came time for allegations to be leveled, it was their presence and its impact that was cited. The ones who turned the world upside down had come to Thessalonica! The reputation of previous ministry had obviously preceded the team; and that God had moved through the team at Thessalonica was obvious as well, for even the enemy acknowledged it. An identity as a local church had been struck, and the fear of its existence implies that a measure of stabilization was now underway. Lesson: The ministry of church planting is not a “covert operation.” To permeate a community with the testimony of Christ, one needs to achieve a level of visibility in ministry that will command recognition from those in the community about the work that God is doing. Of course, we must take care that such recognition is of what God is doing and not we ourselves.

Tangibility

Paul made a very telling statement in 2 Thessalonians 2:5 when he forced their recall of his past teaching done while in their presence. The teaching about the order of events surrounding the return of Christ needed reinforcement by the Apostle. In order to do that, Paul asked them to go back in their minds’ eyes, and remember when they heard him teach on this subject. No doubt when reading these words, the Thessalonian believers that heard Paul’s instruction struck immediate associations of when this took place. Perhaps they recalled the setting, or the circumstance, or the tone, or some other correlating mnemonic to the teaching of this particular truth.

Whatever the association, Paul’s presence in their midst brought a degree of tangibility so that when the recall was needed, he could command it. Lesson: It is the personal experiences which form these memories that serve as a cohesive force binding spiritual truth to one’s mind. When people have the opportunity to see a planter model what he teaches; when they can read the earnestness of his expressions and hear the love and graciousness of his tone of speech, the truth of what he says will more quickly be embedded in their souls and will more permanently stay there.

Conclusion

Thus, hav ing a ma rked physical presence was absolutely crucial to the planting of this local church. In a day such as our own when so many Christians are inherently disconnected from the engagement of actual ministry, we are challenged to see that how God moved upon the world through Paul was directly proportionate to his presence in his mission field. Not a single dimension above could have been accomplished from afar; God directed Paul to enter Thessalonica, and used him to plant a new local church. Keeping these things in mind will greatly enhance our efforts with Vision America as well. ENDNOTES 1 Dana, H. E. and Mantey, Julius R., A Manual Grammar of the Greek New Testament (New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc.), p. 228. 2 Thayer, Joseph Henry, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House), p. 547.

IFC A communit y ca re t oday

Learning How to Fish Eric Nyborg IFCA Evangelism Committee Pastor, Antioch Bible Church, Beaverton, OR

H

ave you ever tried to teach someone to fish? Not always an easy task, especially when training a young person. Just ask my father who many years ago put a pole in my hands and introduced me to the sport of fishing. The learning curve resulted in tangled lines, broken reels, and an occasional hook in the finger. As you can imagine, my Dad’s patience was tried over and over as he labored to make me an effective fisherman. In time, through his commitment to teach and model, I began catching fish. Lots of them!

Evangelism training, much like fishing, is a two-fold task. Today, I have the joy of teaching my kids to fish. Of course, I’m careful to educate them in how to fish to ensure a positive outing. This only happens when I’m faithful to demonstrate the finer points of fishing, such as tying a hook, casting, setting the hook, and how to reel in a fish. The results can be tremendous. In fact, on my office wall there’s a picture of my oldest daughter and me holding her first fish. It was a day I’ll never forget. Evangelism training, much like f ishing, is a two-fold task. First, we need to educate (Ephesians 4:11-12). My father taught me about fishing, covering various aspects: how to use the gear, the best places to fish, and the proper bait to use. As a result, I was ready and eager each time we went out. The education didn’t ensure I’d catch fish, but it gave me tremendous confidence. This is true in preparing Christians to engage the lost world. They need a clear understanding of the Gospel message, the appropriate verses to share, and how to handle objections. The education process involves much more than Sunday morning sermons. Believers need discipleship from older believers. If that sounds

easy, it is. But the fact is, many Christians aren’t receiving the help they need to be effective in sharing the gospel. The second aspect of evangelism training is: believers must see their leadership in action. They need a model to pattern after. My son Zachary, who is 7, is learning how to cast. Admittedly, I’m giving him lots of space when we cast, as I don’t want an unnecessary trip to the hospital. To improve his skills, we often go to the church parking lot to practice. A very key part of his practice time is watching me cast. He loves seeing how I get different results as I implement various casting techniques. In time, as I model and he practices, he’ll learn this skill. When it comes to evangelism, the same idea applies. Providing the opportunity for a trainee to watch a skilled Christian proclaiming the Gospel and navigating through a Gospel encounter is priceless. They watch, picking up skills and before long, they’re engaging non-believers with the Gospel.

Believers need discipleship from older believers. If that sounds easy, it is. But the fact is, many Christians aren’t receiving the help they need to be effective in sharing the gospel. The results of equipping believers to evangelize are tremendous! Believe me, there is no greater joy than watching someone land their first person into the kingdom of God. And the great thing is that they’re all keepers!  

chapl ai n’s Diary

Two Chaplains Report Chaplain Steve Francis is our IFCA chaplain at Centinela State Prison in California.

Yesterday I called on an inmate in the Correctional Treatment Facility to take him a new Bible and with the hopes of encouraging this Native American brother in Christ. Our Lord has given me an opening with the Native Americans at Centinela that I have cherished all these years. As I grew up, my family bought five acres on the Suquamish Indian Reservation, where we spent the next five years and where I started school. Thus, I am empathetic with the plight of the Native American people and base much of my dealings with them on the issues that they face.

This brother in the Lord now has less than a month to live based on an examination by an oncologist who is on contract to the prison. About a year ago I was called to the prison clinic to speak with this 41 year old who had just learned that he had a terminal case of cancer that had metastasized throughout much of his body. One of our Christian physicians assisted in his treatment and it has fallen on him to give the good news and the bad news to Ricardo. On Tuesday the Doctor called my office and requested that I take Ricardo a Study Bible. I have three wonderful fellow believers who regularly send me NKJV Study Bibles so I took one to him and he was thrilled. When I asked how he was doing he said, “I am dead according to the doctors. I was diagnosed in January a year ago and was told that I would be dead in three to five months. Then my physician told me about Christ and bent my knee to the Savior.”

This brother in the Lord now has less than a month to live based on an examination by an oncologist who is on contract to the prison. For a man that far along he looks great and has a great attitude. Pray for this godly man and for his wife of just four months. Pray for them as they have time alone together for the last time. Pray also that the Lord will allow him to attend chapel one last time as well. Psalm 142:7 “Bring my soul out of prison, that I may give thanks unto thy name: The righteous shall compass me about; for thou wilt deal bountifully with me.”

CH (CPT) Jeff Herden is our U.S. Army Reserve Chaplain serving God and country in Afghanistan. It is my delight to share with you the work that God is doing here in Afghanistan. I’m reminded of Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 1:18. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.” That powerful Gospel remains the centerpiece of my ministry to warriors here- and the only power under Heaven capable of bringing transformation and eternal life to them.

The Army is making every effort to minimize suicides and yet rates continue to climb. The past week has been difficult for our defenders of freedom. Last week, one of our outposts near the Pakistani border was overrun by Taliban insurgents. Three of our brave warriors were lost along with allies from Latvia and the Afghanistan National Army. Then, just yesterday, a soldier from a nearby camp took his own life at the young age of 23. The Army is making every effort to minimize suicides and yet rates

continue to climb. It’s not hard to see the necessity of bringing the Gospel of Jesus Christ to young souls so desperately needing to experience its life-giving power. I have found over and over again that sticking to the Gospel and a truly God-centered worldview when addressing warriors’ problems is really effective and “works.” Our service members are ready to hear a transcendent message of a transcendent God who reigns supremely over the universe but who cares deeply about their lives and made a way for them to be reconciled to Him at infinite cost to Himself (John 3:16). I’m finding that where our warriors are most hurting is in the area of failed marriages. So many of them are on their third or fourth deployment since the War on Terror began. Without the strong foundation of a marriage built upon the Rock of Christ, when the tempests, storms, and f loodwaters of long separations and military stress crash against these homes, great is their fall. A couple nights ago an Air Force Sergeant wept bitterly as he shared with me the recent bad news he’d gotten from his wife. She plans to move out and file for divorce when he returns. We prayed together and asked for God’s help in rescuing this marriage and changing his wife’s heart. That presented a ripe opportunity for us to discuss the Gospel. Jesus came to bear our sins and take them all away. If we repent and trust Him as our Savior, we no longer live under condemnation. I gave this young man a book that focuses on the glories of the Gospel. I ask you to pray for his marriage, for his wife’s salvation, and for His own mind and heart to open to the fullness of the good news of what Christ came to do for us. This is a seed-planting ministry, and sometimes a plant-watering ministry. A chaplain seldom gets to see the progression of God’s work from the time the seed is planted in the heart, to the time that a bounty of fruit comes forth from the harvest. He does work here and there and prays for another servant to come along and build upon his work. Such is the work of a seed-planter. Please pray for God to prepare the soil of hearts here. The work of making disciples marches on and my prayer is simply that

I will be found faithful. Please make that your prayer for me as well.

IFC A youth

Gates of Hell R

ecently I changed ministries, moving from Wausau Bible Church in Wisconsin to By ron Center Bible Chu rch in Michigan. One of the last things I shared with our church family in Wausau was a challenge to press on for Christ, but from a very different passage than normal. I’d like to encourage you today to press on in youth ministry with a sincere commitment to battle against laziness that has crept into my life over the years and I believe the Church at large as well. Travis Huseby IFCA National Youth Representative

This past month I began to see that there is a very profound truth behind Matthew 16:18 and it has nothing to do with spiritual warfare. For my entire life, I have always understood Matthew 16:18 to be talking about how the true church of Jesus Christ is safe against all harm from the enemy’s attacks. This past month I began to see that there is a very profound truth behind Matthew 16:18 and it has nothing to do with spiritual warfare. In Matthew 16 we find an epic account of Jesus having a private conversation with his closest followers. This conversation followed the feeding of 4,000 men, not including the many woman and children there as well. What a sight! What an experience! Yet Jesus’ words in private, afterwards, spoke volumes more than the great miracle performed. It was important for the miracle to be done. But much more important was the truth about who Jesus was. Jesus asked the disciples who people said He was. Their responses were not what they thought, but rather what they had heard the people saying, most likely at the mass feeding that had just taken place. Their answers were accurate concerning who the people thought Jesus was… but

they were all wrong. Jesus finally asked who the disciples thought He was. Peter, the spokesman that he was, gave the correct answer. He was, and is, “the Christ, the Son of the living God!” Knowing that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God is the truth that Jesus delivered. The person of Christ is the “rock” described as the foundation of the Church. “On this rock [the truth about who Jesus really is] I will build my church.” All of this is very familiar teaching to many of us. But the very last phrase of the verse is where I feel I have missed the mark for many years. “And the gates of hell (hades) will not prevail against it.” This is a powerful statement made by Jesus concerning the church He is about to build. There is a definite understanding, in the American Church at least, that the gates of hell not prevailing against the Church has something to do with Satan and His evil forces not winning against the Church in spiritual combat. I have always struggled with this view of this passage because it seems to me that the Church is not winning the battle and is being hindered in countless areas. Every time another church closes its doors or another man of God falls or another family separates, I wonder “How in the world can the gates of hell be prevailing over the Church in this way?” I also have struggled with this view because we know Satan doesn’t live in hell, nor do the demons. They reside on the earth.

Jesus is declaring that not even death can change the salvation given by God to those who place their faith in the truth of who Jesus is. Upon a careful study of this passage and just applying the meaning of the words given here by our Lord, we come to a very different conclusion. The gates of hell (hades) not prevailing against the Church has little or nothing to do with spiritual victory of the local church in our

communities and in our country and in our world. The gates of hell are quite literally “the entrance into the place of the dead.” I believe that when Jesus declares that the Church will be built, this is a statement related to eternal security. Jesus is declaring that not even death can change the salvation given by God to those who place their faith in the truth of who Jesus is. I hear quite often that we ought not to worry about the evil around us, since the gates of hell will not prevail against the Church. This is the attitude that leaves the church lazy and lethargic and susceptible to attack from the enemy. Not once when I have heard this have I ever questioned the person’s love for God or His Word. But recently, however, I have felt the need to treat this text with more care. We ought take this passage and motivate the church with the security we have in Christ and be ready to confront our enemy head on (in the Lord and in the power of His might Ephesians 6:10) knowing that Satan and his demons are hard at work destroying our families, our churches and our culture. My heart is that we all would not use the words of Jesus to get us off the hook or out of the battle lines. Rather, I want to see us use the words of Jesus in Matthew 16:18 to take heart in the battle at hand. This is not simply related to youth ministry. But it is also related to all the church and it would be good to share, to wake up many who are waiting for someone else to do the work, fight the battle, or carry the torch. God has called all of us to press on. God bless you my friends and fellow laborers and may the Lord help you as you proclaim His Gospel which provides salvation that not even death can change!

Fellowship News Big new s at C alv ar y Bible College and Theological Seminary! On July 1, after ten years of faithful ministry, Dr. Elwood Chipchase ret ired as President of the school and Dr. Jim Clark became the new President. Pictured here is Dr. Chipchase (L) and Dr. Clark (R). Dr. Chipchase will continue in his ministry of preaching and Bible Conferences, and if you desire to have him in your church, he may be contacted at [email protected]

Here are some of the men present at the recent Southern CA Regional meeting at Faith Bible Church, Northridge. Rev George Bonsangue was the host pastor. Dr. Nam-min Cho is with some of our Korean brothers (on the L) and Dr. Gene Wood (a recent member of IFCA and Senior Pastor of Grace Church of Glendora) is pictured on the right. See the ad for Dr. Wood’s ministry to China in this issue of VOICE, page 45.

Pictured here is IFCA Director of Chaplaincy Warren Dane (L) with his wife Kathy. Warren has served in this capacity for 15 years as well as Southern CA Regional Coordinator. On July 1, Warren was officially retired from both of these positions and is entering a new ministry at Air Force Village West. Warren was honored by the Southern CA Regional for his ministry. Handing the award is Dr. Ernie Withrow. Chaplain Rob Meyer is the new IFCA Director of Chaplaincy and Rev. Cliff Lesley is the new So CA Regional Coordinator.

Pictured here is Carver Bible College President Robert Crummie on the newer campus that God recently and wonderfully provided for them in Atlanta. Carver is an IFCA member Bible College and has a historically, though not exclusively, African American student body. This is a great college!

The Iowa Regional gathered at the Aurora Avenue Bible Church in Des Moines, with host Pastor Art Arnett and guest speaker Pastor Gary Gilley of Southern View Chapel in Springfield, IL. Regional President Clegguart Mitchell also reports on the interest that is being generated among the churches in Southeast Iowa for Vision America.

The Arizona Regional met in conjunction with the 50th Anniversary of Valley Bible Church of Phoenix, hosted by Pastor Dave Farnsworth and Regional President Jerry Adams. Pictured here are some of the men who were there.

Here is Pastor Fady Yasso of Arabic Baptist Church in Oak Park, MI. This is a Vision America church plant in the middle of 250,000 Arabic speaking people. Pray for this wonderful congregation of our brothers and sisters, that God’s richest blessings will be theirs.

woman’s voice

God’s Inscrutability S

Marcia Hornok Marcia Hornok is the wife of Pastor Ken Hornok, Midvalley (UT) Bible Church. She also serves as Managing Editor of Chera Fellowship magazine

anctification hurts! Sanctification results in many positive benefits, but it also causes grief, pain, and frustration. That’s when I wonder: why doesn’t God answer my prayer when doing so would bring Him glory? Or I think: what did I do to deserve this? Sometimes no satisfying gains balance out the losses. We simply can’t understand what God is doing or why. For the first anniversary of 9/11, our church planned an evangelistic outreach in a park pavilion. We advertised a free breakfast and invited all the fire fighters and police officers in our area. We prepared for 75 visitors. That morning it rained for the first time in two months, and the temperature set a record low for that day of 53 degrees. No visitors came. The two fire fighters who did our flag ceremony had to rush off to a fire right after that. We learn about God’s inscrutability when a seminary student, majoring in missions, is killed by a drunk driver on the day he would have proposed to his girlfriend. We learn about God’s inscrutability when a minister and his wife finally conceive a child after nine years of marriage, but the baby strangles in her cord two days before birth. Or when parents from Kansas travel all the way to West Africa to visit their missionary son, only to have him evacuated to Switzerland for emergency surgery before they arrive. Inscrutability means that God does not have to explain Himself. Often He does reveal possible reasons, but that should not be my focus when suffering. If I could interpret Him or figure Him out, I would be His equal - how ludicrous (and prideful) is that? (See Isaiah 55:89 and Romans 11:33-36.) It took a period of mental illness to teach King Nebuchadnezzar that no one can say to God, “What have You done?” (Daniel 4:34-35). Job learned it after losing everything dear except his critical wife (Job 40:1-5). In fact, from the book of Job we learn that God does not have to give us reasons. He answered Job’s questions with interrogation not explanation.

However, even though God may never reveal in our lifetime how our problems fit His purposes, our suffering can have God-intended results. Second Corinthians 12:7-10 gives at least three: 1. It eliminates pride (mentioned twice in verse 7).

2. I t enables me to learn the sufficiency of God’s grace (v. 9). 3. It exchanges my weakness for His strength (v. 10).

Inscrutability means that God does not have to explain Himself. Perhaps another, less direct one comes from verse 8: it escalates my prayer life. In other words, chronic “thorns” that irritate me can be useful for short-circuiting my pride, showcasing God’s grace, super-charging me with Christ’s power, and strengthening my communion with God. Thorny circumstances teach me that even if my losses seem inexplicable and senseless, I can trust God anyhow and be a willing, living sacrifice. The more passionately I know God in His essence, the less need I have to understand His process. Because He is always wise, good, and loving, I can accept His inscrutability. I don’t need to analyze Him—just love Him. He knows what He’s doing in my life, and that means I don’t have to.