What Had There Not Been A Bible: The Word of God?

We may say that without a Bible we might have had Christ and all that he stands for to our souls. Let us not say that this might not have been possible. But neither let us forget that, in point of fact, it is to the Bible that we owe it that we know Christ and are found in him.

And may it not be fairly doubted whether you and I, – however it may have been with others, – would have had Christ had there been no Bible? We must not at any rate forget those nineteen Christian centuries which stretch between us and Christ, whose Christian light we would do much to blot out and sink in a dreadful darkness if we could blot out the Bible.

Even with the Bible, and all that had come from the Bible to form Christian lives and inform a Christian literature, after a millennium and a half the darkness had grown so deep that a Reformation was necessary if Christian truth was to persist, – a Luther was necessary, raised up by God to rediscover the Bible and give it back to man.

Suppose there had been no Bible for Luther to rediscover, and on the lines of which to refound the church, – and no Bible in the hearts of God’s saints and in the pages of Christian literature, persisting through those darker ages to prepare a Luther to rediscover it?

Though Christ had come into the world and had lived and died for us, might it not be to us, – you and me, I mean, who are not learned historians but simple men and women, – might it not be to us as though he had not been?

Or, if some faint echo of a Son of God offering salvation to men could still be faintly heard even by such dull ears as ours, sounding down the ages, who would have ears to catch the fulness of the message of free grace which he brought into the world? who could assure our doubting souls that it was not all a pleasant dream? who could cleanse the message from the ever-gathering corruptions of the multiplying years?

No: whatever might possibly have been had there been no Bible, it is actually to the Bible that you and I owe it that we have a Christ, – a Christ to love, to trust and to follow, a Christ without us the ground of our salvation, a Christ within us the hope of glory.

 

Adversity and Saving Faith

The every day stresses in our lives, all the situations we face, are God’s opportunity really to show others His Power and His wonderful Grace. And we are to show that attitude to others. From my study in James this Sunday Evening.

Saving faith is trust in Jesus Christ as a living person for forgiveness of sins and for eternal life with God. This definition emphasizes that saving faith is not just a belief in facts but personal trust in Jesus to save me… The definition emphasizes personal trust in Christ, not just belief in facts about Christ. Because saving faith in Scripture involves this personal trust, the word “trust” is a better word to use in contemporary culture than the word “faith” or “belief.” The reason is that we can “believe” something to be true with no personal commitment or dependence involved in it. (Grudem, W. A. Systematic Theology: An Introduction to Biblical Doctrine Zondervan) (Bolding added)

There is not one thing harder to stand up to than what seems to be apparent aimlessness in our struggles. But as we learn God uses our struggles to make us better, not bitter. As some one said: Adversity is only sand on your track to prevent you from skidding. And God only sends suffering to improve us not to impair us. James 1:3 is my topic Sunday evening

Afflictions made Beneficial

In promoting the glory of God –John 9:1, 2, 3; 11:3,4; 21:18,19

In exhibiting the power and faithfulness of God –Ps 34:19,20; 2Co 4:8, 9, 10, 11

In teaching us the will of God –Ps 119:71; Isaiah 26:9; Micah 6:9

In turning us to God –Deut 4:30,31; Neh 1:8,9; Ps 78:34; Is 10:20,21; Ho 2:6,7

In keeping us from again departing from God –Job 34:31,32; Is 10:20; Ezek 14:10,11

In leading us to seek God in prayer –Jdg 4:3; Je 31:18; Lam 2:17-19; Ho 5:14,15; Jonah 2:1

In convincing us of sin –Job 36:8,9; Ps 119:67; Lk 15:16-18

In leading us to confession of sin –Nu 21:7; Ps 32:5; 51:3,5

In testing and exhibiting our sincerity –Job 23:10; Psalms 66:10; Pr 17:3

In trying our faith and obedience –Ge 22:1,2; He 11:17; Ex 15:23-25; Deut 8:2,16; 1Pe 1:7; Re 2:10

In humbling us –Deut 8:3,16; 2Chr 7:13,14; Lam 3:19,20; 2Co 12:7

In purifying us –Eccl 7:2,3; Is 1:25,26; 48:10; Je 9:6,7; Zech 13:9; Mal 3:2,3

In exercising our patience Ps 40:1; Ro 5:3; James 1:3; 1Pe 2:20

In rendering us fruitful in good works –John 15:2; Heb 12:10,11

In furthering the gospel –Acts 8:3,4; 11:19-21; Php 1:12; 2Ti 2:9,10; 4:16,17

Exemplified

Joseph’s brethren –Genesis 42:21

Joseph –Genesis 45:5,7,8

Israel –Deuteronomy 8:3,5

Josiah –2 Kings 22:19

Hezekiah –2 Chronicles 32:25,26

Manasseh –2 Chronicles 33:12

Jonah –Jonah 2:7

Prodigal’s son –Luke 15:21

How Do You Know if You Are Being Led by the Spirit

ROMANS 8:13-14

 

– for if you are living (Gr. present tense) = habitually = the “direction” of your life!) according to (Greek = kata which conveys the idea of subject to, dominated by or under the power of) the flesh (the old “Adamic nature” – anti-God inclination), you must (will) die; but (term of contrast) = striking contrast – What’s the change of direction?) if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For (term of explanation) = What’s Paul explaining?) all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.

NLT (New Living Translation – a relatively good paraphrase – but never use a paraphrase as your primary Bible) is helpful – “For if you live by its dictates (I like this verb because it depicts the flesh as a ruthless dictator that seeks to draw us into bondage), you will die. But if through the power of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of your sinful nature, you will live.”

 IN Ro 8:13 WHAT IS THE BELIEVER’S RESPONSIBILITY? WHAT IS THE SPIRIT’S PROVISION?

• Our responsibility is to put sin to death (cf Paul’s command in Col 3:5). The Spirit’s provision is that He enables us, giving us the desire to kill sin and the power to kill sin. Notice that “putting to death” is which means this is a daily “activity” (even moment by moment), because as we have learned in Galatians 5:17 there is an ongoing, unceasing war within our body.

•  Puritan John Owen asked “Do you mortify? Do you make it your daily work? Be always at it whilst you live; cease not a day from this work; be killing sin or it will be killing you….Let no man think to kill sin with few, easy, or gentle strokes. He who hath once smitten a serpent, if he follow not on his blow until it be slain, may repent that ever he began the quarrel. And so he who undertakes to deal with sin, and pursues it not constantly to the death….The vigor and power and comfort of our spiritual life depends on our mortification of deeds of the flesh.” (If you have never read Owen’s classic, you might consider reading _{Of the Mortification of Sin in Believers).}

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF YOU ARE BEING LED BY THE SPIRIT?

•   You are enabled to put to death those godless deeds the flesh tempts you to carry out (_{James 1:14). The fallen flesh continually sets “its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit (continually sets its desire) against the flesh, for these (two) are in (continually) opposition to one another” until the day our body is glorified! (Gal 5:17}

 WHAT IS OUR RESPONSIBILITY IF WE ARE BEING LED BY THE SPIRIT?

•  Yield, follow, submit, die to self, surrender to the Spirit. Our responsibility is to be willing to manifest a willingness to be led by Him.

WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE THAT WE ARE SONS OF GOD?

•  We are continually putting to death sin (as our habitual practice). And remember this is about “direction” not “perfection!” Conversely, those who are not sons of God give evidence by continually “living according to the flesh!”

AS AN ASIDE, WHAT IS THE EVIDENCE IN GALATIANS 5 THAT WE ARE BEING LED BY THE SPIRIT?

 Paul gave us a general checklist of evil deeds in Galatians 5:19-21-and he says “the deeds of the flesh are evident.” In other words these deeds are not hard for us to recognize. And notice that some of these sins are not of the more “gross” variety (“enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying”). On the other hand the fruit of the Spirit is described in Gal 5:22-23The upshot is that we by doing a personal inventory we can discern whether we are putting sin to death by the Spirit, walking by the Spirit, or being led by the Spirit. And since sanctification is a process (not an arrival), while our life should evidence a steady decrease in the sins in Gal 5:19-21 and a steady increase in the fruit in Gal 5:22-23. But don’t place yourself under the law if you fail. Put it under the “blood,” confessing your failure (1Jn 1:9). Arise and begin walking again by the Spirit, willing to be led by Him. So while periodic failures will be part of our sanctification process in this life, Paul gives a strong warning that if our lives are ONLY characterized by the sins in Gal 5:19-21 (“those who practice [prasso in the present tense= habitually, as their lifestyle, their “direction”] such things”) we will not inherit the Kingdom of God. In other words, that person has never truly been born again, regardless of their profession. It is not profession of Jesus which saves, but possession of Jesus and His Spirit’s possession of us!

In the Webster’s Thesaurus a synonym for praxis is habit which is especially illuminating in Romans 8:13. Before we were saved we all had praxis or habits and many if not most were bad (evil). Now that we are saved we are to submit to the Spirit, trust His enabling power and put to death or kill those evil habits. And if you are like me, those old “ruts in the road” of my mind die off very slowly and unwillingly and too often seem to come back to life! Don’t be discouraged but occasional lapses into these old ways, but trust the Spirit to lead you in the right direction and over time the habit will have less and less of a hold on your heart and mind. Praise God!

Don’t be discouraged when you fail to put an old evil habit to death immediately! BELIEVERS WILL SIN and if you took a SNAPSHOT at one point in time it might look like they were living according to the flesh but we need to VIEW THE FULL MOVIE of their life! What is their direction? I am reminded of an OT promise by God to the nation of Israel of what He would do for them as they went in to Canaan to possess their possessions (they went in to possess a land, we walk forth to possess a life! Moses wrote “And the LORD your God will clear away these nations (evil, anti-God with evil practices analogous to our old flesh!) before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, lest the wild beasts grow too numerous for you.” (_{Dt 7:22) ?)}

 

How You Can Take Head Knowledge to Heart Application

Way too many Christians have a good head knowledge of the Bible but have little ability to make that knowledge heart felt and lived out.

Sometimes you get to share with someone an idea that they’ve never heard before. And that idea absolutely revolutionizes the way they think about themselves or others — or even God himself. Watching someone “get it” for the first time is exhilarating. Seeing the fruit in their lives is deeply rewarding. However, it’s also pretty rare. In most cases, it’s not some brilliant insight that people need; it’s the practice of actually applying the fundamentals they already know.

How do we go from the instruction of Proverbs 3:5, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding,” to the personal affirmation of the writer of Psalms 56:3–4, “When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid”? In other words, how do we go from head knowledge to heart application? Here are five ways:

1. Have realistic expectations for the presence of both suffering and service in the Christian life.

The genuine application of God’s promises does not preclude the genuine experience of pain, fear, and sadness. There is no doubt that the gospel provides relief and rest from this fallen world (Romans 8), but there is just as little doubt that suffering exists as a part of God’s plan, not in spite of it (Romans 5:3–5). Too often we try to use the promises of God like a magic wand that can alleviate every hurt with a cursory read. When this approach fails, we blame ourselves (I do not deserve God’s goodness) or God (he isn’t actually good) or both.

But Paul is clear in both Romans 5 and 1 Thessalonians 4: Belief in God’s promises doesn’t shield us from pain but rather redeems it. The gospel tinges our pain with hope and thereby makes it more manageable, more purposeful — not nonexistent.

2. Even if it feels half-hearted at first, commit to daily prayer and Bible reading, as well as weekly participation in gathered worship.

The less we are in God’s word, the less the Bible will seem applicable to us. This reality seems like a no-brainer but like most appetites (food, sleep, recreation) our spiritual appetite can be dramatically affected by crisis. In the midst of pain, we’re tempted to ask the “Where is God in this?” question, but what we should ask is, “Where is my worship in this?” If we lose our appetite for the things of God, it should come as no surprise when we do not feel God’s presence in our lives. Regular scriptural intake and worship are every bit as vital as sleep, exercise, and diet (Matthew 4:4).

Spiritual Grace Gift

1 Peter 4:10 As every man hath received the gift, even so, minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

 

SPIRITUAL GIFTS  notes from John Piper, and others

The apostle Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed” (1 Corinthians 12:1). I assume that applies to us also: we ought not to be uninformed about the nature and purpose of spiritual gifts. So this final message in our series on the Holy Spirit will deal with this subject. Instead of spreading myself too thin across 1 Corinthians 12,13 and 14 (the major section on spiritual gifts) I have chosen to focus on several smaller texts so that we can examine their teaching more closely.

If you were reading through the New Testament, the first place you would run into the term “spiritual gift” is Romans 1:11,12. Let’s look at this text together. Writing to the church at Rome, Paul says, “I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you, that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” The translation “impart to you some spiritual gift” is misleading because it sounds like Paul wants to help them have a gift, but the text actually means that he wants to give them the benefit of his gifts. “I long to see you that I may use my gifts to strengthen you.”

The first and most obvious thing we learn from this text is that spiritual gifts are for strengthening others. This, of course, does not mean that the person who has a spiritual gift gets no joy or benefit from it. (We will see differently in a moment.) But it does suggest that gifts are given to be given. They are not given to be hoarded. “I desire to share with you some spiritual gift to strengthen you.” What does strengthen mean? He’s not referring to bodily strength but strength of faith. The same word is used in 1 Thessalonians 3:2 where Paul says, e sent Timothy, our brother and servant in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen you in your faith and to exhort you that no one be moved by these afflictions. To strengthen someone by a spiritual gift means to help their faith not give way as easily when trouble enters their life. We have spiritual gifts in order to help other people keep the faith and maintain an even keel in life’s storms. If there is anybody around you whose faith is being threatened in any way at all take stock whether you may have a spiritual gift peculiarly suited to strengthen that person.

I think it would be fair to say also from this text that you shouldn’t bend your mind too much trying to label your spiritual gift before you use it. That is, don’t worry about whether you can point to prophecy or teaching or wisdom or knowledge or healing or miracles or mercy or administration, etc., and say, “That’s mine.” The way to think is this: The reason we have spiritual gifts is so that we can strengthen other people’s faith; here is someone whose faith is in jeopardy; how can I help him? Then do or say what seems most helpful and if the person is helped then you may have discovered one of your gifts. If you warned him of the folly of his way and he repented, then perhaps you have the gift of “warning.” If you took a walk with her and said you knew what she was going through and lifted her hope, then perhaps you have the gift of “empathy.” If you had them over to your home when they were new and lonely, then perhaps you have the gift of “hospitality.” We must not get hung up on naming our gifts. The thing to get hung up on is, “Are we doing what we can do to strengthen the faith of the people around us?

I really believe that the problem of not knowing our spiritual gifts is not a basic problem. More basic is the problem of not desiring very much to strengthen other people’s faith. Human nature is more prone to tear down than it is to build up. The path of least resistance leads to grumbling and criticism and gossip, and many there be that follow it. But the gate is narrow and the way is strewn with obstacles which leads to edification and the strengthening of faith. So the basic problem is becoming the kind of person who wakes up in the morning, thanks God for our great salvation and then says, “Lord, O how I want to strengthen people’s faith today. Grant that at the end of this day somebody will be more confident of Your

You remember my sermon on Christian Hedonism and humility? I argued that when we say, It’s my pleasure,” after doing someone a favor, it is an expression of humility. It is like saying, “Don’t get too excited about my self-sacrifice; I’m just doing what I like to do.” When Paul rereads Romans 1:11 he probably says, “Hmmm, that may sound a bit presumptuous, as if I’m the great martyr doing all for their sake, when in fact I look forward to a great encouragement from them for myself.” So as he restates verse 11 in verse 12 he adds that he, too, and not just they, is going to be helped when they meet. That is the first thing he does.

The second thing he does is show that the way he will strengthen their faith by his spiritual gift (verse 11) is by encouraging them with his faith. In verse 11 he aims to strengthen them;promises and more joyful in Your grace because I crossed his path.” The reason I say becoming this kind of person is more basic than finding out your spiritual gift, is that when

you become this kind of person the Holy Spirit will not let your longings go to waste. He will help you find ways to strengthen the faith of others and that will be the discovery of your gifts. So let’s apply ourselves to becoming the kind of people more and more who long to strengthen each other’s faith.

Now, in Romans 1:12 Paul restates verse 11 in different words: I want to strengthen you with my spiritual gift, “that is, I want us to be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” Paul does two things here. First, he uses the old “It’s my pleasure” tactic.

in verse 12 he aim to encourage them. In verse 11 he strengthens faith by his spiritual gift; in verse 12 he encourages by his faith. The conclusion I draw from these parallels is this: a piritual gift is an expression of faith which aims to strengthen faith. It is activated from faith in us and aims for faith in another. Another way to put it would be this: A spiritual gift is an bility given by the Holy Spirit to express our faith effectively (in word or deed) for the strengthening of someone else’s faith.

It is helpful to me to think about spiritual gifts in this way because it keeps me from simply quating them with natural abilities. Many unbelievers have great abilities in teaching and in dministration, for example. And these abilities are God-given whether the people recognize his or not. But these would not be called “spiritual gifts” of teaching or administration because hey are not expressions of faith and they are not aiming to strengthen faith. Our faith in the promises of God is the channel through which the Spirit flows on His way to strengthening the faith of others (Galatians 3:5). Therefore, no matter what abilities we have, if we are not relying on God and not aiming to help others rely on Him, then our ability is not a “spiritual gift.” It is not “spiritual” because the Holy Spirit is not flowing through it from faith to faith.

This has tremendous implications for how we choose church staff and church officers and board members. It means that we will never simply ask, “who has the skill to be efficient?” We will always go beyond that and ask, “Do they use their skill in such a way that you can tell it is an expression of their hearty reliance on the Lord? And do they exercise their skill with a view to strengthening the faith and joy of others?” A church where the Holy Spirit is alive and powerful will be a church very sensitive to the difference between natural abilities and spiritual gifts.

 

HOW DID GOD INSPIRE HIS WORD

by John MacArthur

Have you ever watched an athlete or musician give “an inspired performance”? Have you ever heard your pastor preach what might be called “an inspired sermon”?

Most of us have heard the word “inspired” used in those ways, but frankly I question that kind of terminology. If people give inspired performances or preach inspired sermons, what is the difference between all that and what we call inspired Scripture?

Perhaps it sounds as though I am pushing a point or being picky, and perhaps I am, but for a very good reason. With the authority of Scripture under attack from every side as never before, it is important for the Christian to understand the biblical definition of “inspired.” In the New Testament, the term “inspiration” is reserved solely for God’s Word. The Bible was written by specially chosen men under special conditions and the canon is closed. There are no songs, no books, no visions, no poems, no sermons that are inspired today.

But in order to understand the difference between biblical inspiration and the rather casual way we refer to something or someone as “inspired” today, we need to look closely at what Scripture has to say. Inspiration is tied very closely to another term—”revelation.” Revelation is God’s revealing of Himself and His will. Inspiration is the way in which He did it. To reveal Himself, God used human beings who wrote the Old and New Testaments in order to set down in exact and authoritative words the message that God wanted us to receive.

What Inspiration Is Not

In order to arrive at a correct definition of biblical inspiration, we need to look at some of the erroneous concepts some people have when they talk about the inspiration of Scripture.

First of all, inspiration is not a high level of human achievement. There are people—particularly certain theologians—who say the Bible is no more inspired than Homer’s Odyssey, Mohammed’s Koran, Dante’s Divine Comedy, or Shakespeare’s Hamlet. In other words, whoever put the Bible together was simply working at a high level of genius. “Oh yes,” say these advocates of natural inspiration, “the Bible is full of errors and mistakes and it certainly is fallible at many points, but in regard to its ethics, its morals, and its insights into humanity it reveals genius at a very high level.”

This view then exalts the human authors of the Bible but denies that God really had anything to do with its authorship. God did not write the Bible, smart men did.

This is an interesting view, but it doesn’t hold up. For one thing, smart men wouldn’t write a book that condemned them all. Smart men wouldn’t write a book that provided salvation from the outside. Smart men want to provide their own salvation; they do not want to have to trust in a perfect sacrifice made by God’s Son. And one other thing: Even the smartest of men could never conceive of a personality like Jesus Christ. Even the most gifted fiction writer could not fabricate a character who would surpass any human being who ever lived in purity, love, righteousness, and perfection.

Second, inspiration is not a matter of God working only through the thoughts of the writers. There are some theologians, preachers, and other biblical scholars who teach thought or concept inspiration. In other words, they say that God never gave the writers of the Bible the exact words they would write. God gave them general ideas and they put these ideas down in their own words. For example, He planted the concept of love in Paul’s mind and one day Paul sat down and penned 1 Corinthians 13.

The thought or concept view of inspiration claims that God suggested a general trend of revelation, but men were left free to say what they wanted and that is why (in the opinion of those who take this position) there are so many mistakes in the Bible. This view denies verbal inspiration. It denies that God inspired the very words of Scripture. This view of inspiration has been popular with neo-orthodox theologians (who in general believe the Bible contains the Word of God but is not the Word of God).

But in 1 Corinthians 2:13, Paul made it clear that he spoke “not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words” (emphasis added). In John 17:8, Jesus said, “For the words which You gave Me I have given to them; and they received them.”

God communicates in words. When He sent Moses back from his wilderness hiding place to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, God did not tell Moses, “I will inspire your thoughts. I will be with your mind and tell you what to think.” No, God said, “I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say” (Exodus 4:12). In Matthew 24:35, Jesus said, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.” God has authored the very words of the Bible. That is one reason why, in my preaching and teaching, I explain carefully the pronouns, prepositions, and even small conjunctions. All of these “minimal things” often contain profound implications and spiritual truths.

We cannot have geology without rocks, or anthropology without men. We cannot have a melody without musical notes, nor can we have a divine record of God without His words. Thoughts are carried by words and God revealed His thoughts in words. The very words of Scripture are inspired. Scripture is verbal revelation.

Theologians use the term “verbal plenary inspiration” to state clearly that all (plenary) the words (verbal) of Scripture are inspired, not just some of them. And that brings us to our next point.

Third, inspiration is not the act of God on the reader of Scripture. Some theologians today teach what I call “existential inspiration.” In other words, the only part of the Bible that is inspired is the part that zaps you. You read a passage and all of a sudden you get sort of an “ethical goose bump.” When you get your ethical goose bump, that particular passage is inspired—to you. But, say these theologians, the entire Bible is not inspired. The writers of the Bible didn’t write down God’s revelation. They wrote down a witness to God’s revelation in their own lives.

All that means the Bible is not really authoritative. It is not the Word of God; it simply “contains the word of God.” If you ask one of these theologians, “How did the Bible become inspired to you?” He will say, “Ah yes . . .” and then launch his explanation of his “first order experience” of his “leap of faith.” When you press him for exactly what he means by first order experience or leap of faith, he will say that it can’t be defined; it is simply an existential happening.

There are still other theologians who talk about demythologizing the Bible. In other words, they want to get rid of the myths that they believe are in Scripture. So, they take out things like the preexistence of Christ, the virgin birth, the deity of Christ, His miracles, His substitutionary death, His resurrection, His ascension, and His return and final judgment. They take all of that out and claim that, historically, none of that information is true. But they maintain that spiritually and existentially, the Bible is true if and when it sends cold shivers up and down your spine.

Now perhaps none of this makes much sense to you. It doesn’t make much sense to me either. If the Bible is full of lies from beginning to end, why would I ever go to it for spiritual truth? It seems to me that if God wanted me to trust the spiritual character of the bible, He would make sure that the historical and factual character of the Bible would substantiate its spiritual truths.

Some people refuse to believe that God performed the miracle of giving to us, through inspiration, an infallible Bible; but yet these same doubters are ready to believe that God daily performs the greater miracle of enabling them to find and see in a fallible word of man the infallible Word of God. Soren Kierkegaard—who some say was the father of the existentialist movement—wrote, “Only the truth which edifies thee is truth.” I disagree completely. How can you possibly have a divinely right experience through a wrong book? If the Bible is full of lies in other areas, why am I going to believe its spiritual claims and statements? Jesus said in John 17:17, “Your word is truth.” Truth is truth and something false does not become true simply because someone decides he is feeling inspired.

Fourth, the Bible is not a product of mechanical dictation. Liberal and neo-orthodox theologians like to poke fun at the conservative fundamentalist scholar and claim that he actually teaches that the Bible was dictated with some kind of mechanical method. The writers of the Bible were not writers; they were stenographers, spiritual automatons who simply cranked out what God literally dictated into their ears.

But it is obvious that’s not what happened at all. The key argument against mechanical dictation is that in every book of the Bible you find the writer’s personality. Every book has a different character and way of expressing itself. Every author has a different style. Yes, I suppose God could have used dictation and given us the truth that way. In fact, He really didn’t have to use men. He could have simply dropped it all down on Earth in the form of golden plates (as the Mormons like to claim for the Book of Mormon).

I don’t know why God used men, but He did. There are variations in style of biblical writing. There are variations in language and vocabulary. From author to author there are distinct personalities, and you can even sense their emotions as they pour out God’s Word on paper.

Still, we have the question, How could the Bible be the words of men like Peter and Paul and at the same time be God’s words as well? Part of the answer to this complex question is simply because God has made Paul and Peter and the other writers of Scripture into the men that He wanted them to be.

God made the writers of Scripture the men He wanted them to be by forming their very personalities. He controlled their heredity and their environments. He controlled their lives, all the while giving them freedom of choice and will, and made them into the men He wanted them to be. And when these men were exactly what He wanted them to be, he directed and controlled their free and willing choice of words so that they wrote down the very words of God.

God made them into the kind of men who He could use to express His truth and then God literally selected the words out of their lives and their personalities, vocabularies, and emotions. The words were their words, but in reality their lives had been so framed by God that they were God’s words. So, it is possible to say that Paul wrote the book of Romans and to also say that God wrote it and to be right on both counts.

We’ve considered four incorrect views of inspiration; what is the right view? Scripture itself offers plenty of information on this question. Next time, we’ll see what God’s Word has to say about its own inspiration.

 

Reconciliation?

http://www.biblestudytools.com/dictionaries/bakers-evangelical-dictionary/reconciliation.html

Reconciliation comes from the Greek family of words that has its roots in allasso [ajllavssw]. The meaning common to this word group is “change” or “exchange.” Reconciliation involves a change in the relationship between God and man or man and man. It assumes there has been a breakdown in the relationship, but now there has been a change from a state of enmity and fragmentation to one of harmony and fellowship. In Romans 5:6-11, Paul says that before reconciliation we were powerless, ungodly, sinners, and enemies; we were under God’s wrath (v. 9). Because of change or reconciliation we become new creatures. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” ( 2 Cor 5:17 ).

Reconciliation has to do with the relationships between God and man or man and man. God reconciles the world to himself ( 2 Cor 5:18 ). Reconciliation takes place through the cross of Christ or the death of Christ. Second Corinthians 5:18 says that “God reconciled us to himself through Christ.” God reconciles us to himself through the death of his Son ( Rom 5:1 ). Thus, we are no longer enemies, ungodly, sinners, or powerless. Instead, the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit whom he has given to us ( Rom 5:5 ). It is a change in the total state of our lives.

Reconciliation is the objective work of God through Christ ( 2 Cor 5:19 ). But it is also a subjective relationship: “Be reconciled to God” ( 2 Cor 5:20 ). Thus, it is Christ through the cross who has made reconciliation possible, for “God made him to be sin for us” ( 2 Cor 5:21 ).

Reconciliation is also related to justification. God has reconciled the world, not counting people’s sins against them. It is related to justification in Romans 5. We have been justified through faith (v. 1) by his blood (v. 9).

Reconciliation is also subjective in that the sinner is spoken of as being reconciled. It is a relationship that comes between man and wife as well as Jew and Gentile. If a person is about to offer a gift at the altar and remembers that he has something against his brother he should leave his gift and be reconciled first to his brother and then come and offer his gift.

Reconciliation is something done by the one who offers it; it is not just something that happens to the estranged people. It is the cross of Christ that reconciles both Jew and Gentile. They are brought near by the blood of Christ. Because of this, Jew and Gentile have access to the Father by one spirit. They are no longer foreigners and aliens but fellow citizens with God and members of the same household ( Eph 2:11-22 ). Gentile and Jewish believers are reconciled to God and the middle wall of partition is broken down; both are brought near by the blood of Christ. They are all built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ as the Chief Cornerstone. This is made possible by the cross of Christ, but only appropriated when we make the cross and the death of Christ applicable to our life or our relationships.

This message of reconciliation or salvation that has come from God through Christ has been passed on to us. “God gave us the ministry of reconciliation” ( 2 Cor 5:18 ); “he has committed to us the message of reconciliation” (v. 19). The ultimate aim is that we are not only justified, but that we might become the righteousness of God (v. 21).

The whole message of reconciliation is centered around the love of God and the death of Christ. Paul reminds us that “God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” ( Rom 5:8 ). This brings peace with God, access to God through Christ, rejoicing in the hope of the glory of God, making us rejoice in suffering, and having the love of God poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit ( Rom 5:1-5 ). We rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation ( Rom 5:11 ).

William J. Woodruff

See also Faith; Justification; Redeem, Redemption; Salvation

Delivered From the Power of Flesh, Devil, and People

 

Remember to read the verses in context for optimal accuracy in interpretation.

Take note of who or what is delivered, what the deliverance is from and how often rhuomai is part of a prayer.

Note also that the also uses rhuomai to translate “redeem” or “Redeemer“.

Ps 31:15 My times are in Thy hand; Deliver me from the hand of my enemies, and from those who persecute me.

Ps 34:4 I sought the LORD, and He answered me, And delivered me from all my fears.

Ps 34:7 The Angel of the LORD = Christ) encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them.

Ps 34:17 The righteous cry and the LORD hears, And delivers them out of all their troubles.

Ps 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; But the LORD delivers him out of them all.

Ps 39:8 Deliver me from all my transgressions; Make me not the reproach of the foolish.

Ps 40:13 Be pleased, O LORD, to deliver me; Make haste, O LORD, to help me.

Ps 41:1 For the choir director. A Psalm of David. How blessed is he who considers the helpless; The LORD will deliver him in a day of trouble.

Ps 43:1 Vindicate me, O God, and plead my case against an ungodly nation; O deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man!

Ps 50:22 “Now consider this, you who forget God, Lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver (

Ps 51:14 Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation; Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Thy righteousness.

Ps 56:13 For Thou hast delivered my soul from death, Indeed my feet from stumbling, So that I may walk before God In the light of the living.

Ps 59:2 Deliver (rhuomai) me from those who do iniquity, And save me from men of bloodshed.

Ps 69:14 Deliver me from the mire, and do not let me sink; May I be delivered from my foes, and from the deep waters.

Ps 69:18 Oh draw near to my soul and redeem it; Ransom me because of my enemies!

Ps 71:2 In Thy righteousness deliver me, and rescue (exaireo) me; Incline Thine ear to me, and save me.

Ps 71:4 Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, Out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man,

Ps 72:12 For he will deliver the needy when he cries for help, The afflicted also, and him who has no helper.

Ps 79:9 Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of Thy name; And deliver us, and forgive our sins, for Thy name’s sake.

Ps 81:7-“You called in trouble, and I rescued you; I answered you in the hiding place of thunder; I proved you at the waters of Meribah. Selah.

Ps 82:4Rescue the weak and needy; Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

Ps 86:13For Thy lovingkindness toward me is great, And Thou hast delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

Ps 91:3-For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper, And from the deadly pestilence.

Ps 97:10 Hate evil, you who love the LORD, Who preserves the souls of His godly ones; He delivers them from the hand of the wicked.

Ps 106:43 Many times He would deliver them; They, however, were rebellious in their counsel, And so sank down in their iniquity.

Ps 107:6-Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble; He delivered them out of their distresses.

Ps 107:20- He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions.

Ps 109:21- But Thou, O God, the Lord, deal kindly with me for Thy name’s sake; Because Thy lovingkindness is good, deliver me;

Ps 119:170 Let my supplication come before Thee; Deliver me according to Thy word.

Ps 120:2-Deliver my soul, O LORD, from lying lips, From a deceitful tongue.

Ps 140:1-For the choir director. A Psalm of David. Rescue me , O LORD, from evil men; Preserve me from violent men,

Ps 142:6-“Give heed to my cry, For I am brought very low; Deliver me from my persecutors, For they are too strong for me.

Ps 144:7Stretch forth Thy hand from on high; Rescue me and deliver me out of great waters, Out of the hand of aliens

Ps 144:11–Rescue me, and deliver me out of the hand of aliens, Whose mouth speaks deceit, And whose right hand is a right hand of falsehood.

Pr 10:2 Ill-gotten gains do not profit, But righteousness delivers from death.

Ps 11:6 The righteousness of the upright will deliver them, But the treacherous will be caught by their own greed.

Pr 12:6 The words of the wicked lie in wait for blood, But the mouth of the upright will deliver them.

Isa 47:4 Our Redeemer (Deliverer = rhuomai), the LORD of hosts is His name, The Holy One of Israel.

Isa 54:5 “For your husband is your Maker, Whose name is the LORD of hosts; And your Redeemer (Deliverer = rhuomai) is the Holy One of Israel, Who is called the God of all the earth.

What Does It Mean The Imminent Return of Christ?

The Rapture The Return of Christ And The Doctrine Of Immanency

Is Christ’s Return Imminent?

John 11:17-27; 1 Thessalonians 4:15-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:1–9; 2 Thessalonians 2:1–3; Titus 2:11–13; Hebrews 10:24–25; James 5:7–9; 1 Peter 4:7; 1 John 2:18; Revelation 1:1

CLICK ON THE VERESES

THE END OF ALL THINGS IS AT HAND: Panton de to telos eggiken : (Eccl 7:2; Jer 5:31; Eze 7:2,3,6; Mt 24:13,14; Ro 13:12; 1Co 7:29; 1Co 15:24; Phil 4:5; Heb 10:25; Jas 5:8,9; 2Pet 3:9, 10, 11; 1Jn 2:18,19)

Christ could come at any moment. I believe that with all my heart—not because of what I read in the newspapers, but because of what I read in Scripture.

From the very earliest days of the church, the apostles and first-generation Christians nurtured an earnest expectation and fervent hope that Christ might suddenly return at any time to gather His church to heaven. James, writing what was probably the earliest of the New Testament epistles, expressly told his readers that the Lord’s return was imminent:

Be patient, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, waiting patiently for it until it receives the early and latter rain. You also be patient. Establish your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge isstanding at the door! (James 5:7–9, emphasis added).¹

Dwight Pentecost writes that…

The doctrine of imminency is taught in Scripture in such passages as John 14:2-3; 1 Corinthians 1:7; Philippians 3:20-21; 1 Thessalonians 1:9-10; 4:16-17; 5:5-9; Titus 2:13; James 5:8-9; Revelation 3:10; 22:17-22…the early church held to the doctrine of imminency. _{[Pentecost, Things to Come, 168.]}

A W Pink explains imminency this way writing that…

When we say that the Redeemer’s Return is an imminent event, we do not mean it will occur immediately, but that He may come back in our own lifetime, that He may come back this year; yet, we cannot say that He will do so.

 

Imminence is ]”The quality or condition of being about to occur.”

 

In Scripture, the coming of Jesus Christ is portrayed as an imminent event. This means that Jesus can come at any moment: there is no event which must transpire before He comes.

Imminency makes it impossible to know when He might come so the believer must remain constantly on the lookout in case the Lord were to return and find him unprepared (Mt. 24:43; Luke 12:37-39; 1Th 4:15-17; Rev. 3:3).

Many passages which teach the imminency of events utilize phrases such as “soon,” “quickly,” and “is near.” These events are described from the perspective of God Who “declares the end from the beginning” (Isa. 46:10). From His perspective, these events are certain but their timing is unspecified. They are “imminent“…

Just as “quickly” is used in Revelation to teach imminence, so also is “near” or “at hand” (engus) used to mean imminency and thus its usage does not support a first-century fulfillment

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this A. T. Pierson stated, imminent

IImminence is the combination of two conditions, viz,: certainty and uncertainty. By an imminent event we mean one which is certain to occur at some time, uncertain at what time.

Since we never know exactly when an imminent event will occur, three things are true.

 

First, we cannot count on a certain amount of time transpiring before the imminent event happens; therefore, we should always be prepared for it to happen at any moment.

 

Second, we cannot legitimately set a date for its happening. As soon as we set a date for an imminent event, we destroy the concept of imminency because we thereby say that a certain amount of time must transpire before that event can happen. A specific date for an event is contrary to the concept that the event could happen at any moment.

Third, we cannot legitimately say that an imminent event will happen soon. The term “soon” implies that an event must take place “within a short time (after a particular point of time specified or implied).” By contrast, an imminent event may take place within a short time, but it does not have to do so in order to be imminent. Thus, “imminent” is not equal to “soon.”