In 1520 Pope Leo X exclaimed, there is a wild boar loose in the vineyard and he has trampled the gospel underfoot. This was one of the most ironic statements in history. The wild boar that Pope Leo referred to was Martin Luther (1483-1546) a German monk who would rediscover the Biblical gospel and lead the Protestant Reformation. In Actuality it was Pope Leo X and the Roman Catholic Church that had trampled the gospel underfoot.
The Roman Catholic Church had obscured the Bible and because of that it had obscured the gospel. With its sacramental system and the sale of indulgences (basically buying salvation) the Catholic Church had corrupted the gospel. In the Roman Catholic view it was God and man working together to accomplish salvation. Grace was seen as an aid or help for a person to achieve salvation. It was faith plus works, Christ plus your own accomplishment. There could be no assurance of salvation, a person had to depend on his own righteousness.
After studying the Bible, particularly Romans Martin Luther had a breakthrough. He came to see that Romans 1:17 was referring to a righteousness from God. We can never be good enough or righteous enough to earn our own salvation. Luther rediscovered the doctrine of justification by faith alone. One is justified by faith apart from works. To justify means to declare righteous, not to make righteous. To be right with God we must have what Luther referred to as an "alien righteousness", a righteousness outside ourselves. It is the righteousness of Christ that we need.
Christ takes our sin on himself and gives us his perfect righteousness. Luther rightly saw grace as God's unmerited favor toward us. Salvation is by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. It is the work of God alone.
For daring to question the authority of the Pope and the teaching of the Roman Catholic Church, Martin Luther was excommunicated and declared a heretic and an outlaw. But Luther rightly saw that Scripture alone is the ultimate authority and recovered the true gospel.
Justification by faith alone
Romans 1:16-17
Romans 3:21-28
2 Corinthians 5:21
Galatians 2:16
Ephesians 2:8-9
Philippians 3:9
Monday, October 2, 2017
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
The Ultimate Authority
People recognize many things as their ultimate authority. Things such as the Pope, tradition, human reason, feelings, personal experience, or supposed revelations. But the true ultimate authority is the Bible alone because it alone is the word of God.
(2 Peter 1:19-21) "And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (ESV)
For a little background we will look at (2 Peter 1:16-18). The Apostle Peter is dealing with false teachers who are denying the second coming of Christ. Here Peter refers back to the Transfiguration which was a preview of the second coming of Christ. Peter along with James and John saw Christ in his glory. Moses and Elijah appeared and they even heard God the Father affirm that this is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.
But then in (2 Peter 1:19) Peter refers to something more reliable and authoritative than even this great experience. He is referring to the Scripture. He tells his readers they will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place. The Scripture shines the light of truth into our dark, fallen world.
In (2 Peter 1:20) we are told no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. That means the Scripture did not have human origins. In (2 Peter 1:21) it says no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man. Men did not write their own opinions or desires. Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Scripture is the very word of God and the Holy Spirit is the originator and author.
This passage affirms that the Bible is the ultimate authority. The Bible is the word of God. God spoke his word through men while still retaining their personality and style. The Holy Spirit led them to write the exact words of God without error. Scripture is God's revelation to us therefore it is the supreme standard.
We need to accept this reality instead of relying on our personal experience, human reason, tradition, or some other supposed authority. We should live our lives based on the Word of God, the Bible. When there are questions we should go to the Bible as the ultimate authority.
All Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16) and Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35). The Bible is authoritative, clear, sufficient, and inerrant (without error). The Bible alone is the word of God. With the great Protestant Reformers we say Sola Scriptura (that is Scripture alone).
(2 Peter 1:19-21) "And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (ESV)
For a little background we will look at (2 Peter 1:16-18). The Apostle Peter is dealing with false teachers who are denying the second coming of Christ. Here Peter refers back to the Transfiguration which was a preview of the second coming of Christ. Peter along with James and John saw Christ in his glory. Moses and Elijah appeared and they even heard God the Father affirm that this is my beloved Son with whom I am well pleased.
But then in (2 Peter 1:19) Peter refers to something more reliable and authoritative than even this great experience. He is referring to the Scripture. He tells his readers they will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place. The Scripture shines the light of truth into our dark, fallen world.
In (2 Peter 1:20) we are told no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone's own interpretation. That means the Scripture did not have human origins. In (2 Peter 1:21) it says no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man. Men did not write their own opinions or desires. Men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. Scripture is the very word of God and the Holy Spirit is the originator and author.
This passage affirms that the Bible is the ultimate authority. The Bible is the word of God. God spoke his word through men while still retaining their personality and style. The Holy Spirit led them to write the exact words of God without error. Scripture is God's revelation to us therefore it is the supreme standard.
We need to accept this reality instead of relying on our personal experience, human reason, tradition, or some other supposed authority. We should live our lives based on the Word of God, the Bible. When there are questions we should go to the Bible as the ultimate authority.
All Scripture is breathed out by God (2 Timothy 3:16) and Scripture cannot be broken (John 10:35). The Bible is authoritative, clear, sufficient, and inerrant (without error). The Bible alone is the word of God. With the great Protestant Reformers we say Sola Scriptura (that is Scripture alone).
Monday, September 18, 2017
The Power Of Negative Thinking
Many modern evangelicals will be shaken by the mere thought of negative thinking. The positive thinking of Norman Vincent Peale, Robert Schuller, and Joel Osteen is definitely not Biblical. And positive, encouraging Christian radio often does not give you the entire picture. It should be noted that the Bible does not really speak in terms of positive/negative. It speaks more of right/wrong, good/evil, and righteous/unrighteous. The positive/negative category probably comes more from our own therapeutic culture. But in reality negative thinking is sometimes a good thing.
The condition of man is definitely not a positive thing. When Adam the representative of the human race sinned by disobeying God he plunged the entire human race under the sin curse. We are all born sinners (Psalm 51:5, Psalm 58:3), love darkness instead of light (John 3:19), our righteous deeds are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), the heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9), none is righteous (Romans 3:10), all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), we are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), and we were by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3).
This is what theologians call total depravity. This does not mean we are as bad as we could possibly be, but that our entire being is effected by our sin. Because we have sinned against a holy God we face his wrath and deserve to go to hell. Because we are dead in our sins we have no desire for God and continue in disobedience.
This sure is a lot of negativity, it is most definitely not positive thinking. In fact it is downright discouraging. If we were left here we would be in total despair. But thankfully this is not the end of the matter.
But God in his great love chose to save a people for himself. He draws us to himself (John 6:44), has made us alive (Ephesians 2:5), and caused us to be born again (1 Peter 1:3). God helps those who cannot help themselves. When we are dead in our sins we are unable to respond to God. Salvation is totally the work of God. The only thing we contribute is our sin. Salvation is completely by God's grace, he is sovereign over the entire process.
All those God draws to himself respond with faith and repentance. They believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. They trust in Christ alone for salvation. Jesus lived a perfect life without sin, died on the cross to pay for the sins of his people, and was raised from the dead victorious over sin and death. Jesus takes our sin on himself and his perfect righteousness is credited to us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
All this negative thinking actually leads us to the most positive thing of all, that is truth and reality. We realize we are all sinners in need of a Savior. We realize that Jesus is the only way to heaven. We realize our true condition as sinners who are totally unable to save ourselves. We are totally dependent on God to save us. It is by his grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And to God alone be the glory.
The condition of man is definitely not a positive thing. When Adam the representative of the human race sinned by disobeying God he plunged the entire human race under the sin curse. We are all born sinners (Psalm 51:5, Psalm 58:3), love darkness instead of light (John 3:19), our righteous deeds are filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), the heart is deceitful above all things (Jeremiah 17:9), none is righteous (Romans 3:10), all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), we are dead in our trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), and we were by nature children of wrath (Ephesians 2:3).
This is what theologians call total depravity. This does not mean we are as bad as we could possibly be, but that our entire being is effected by our sin. Because we have sinned against a holy God we face his wrath and deserve to go to hell. Because we are dead in our sins we have no desire for God and continue in disobedience.
This sure is a lot of negativity, it is most definitely not positive thinking. In fact it is downright discouraging. If we were left here we would be in total despair. But thankfully this is not the end of the matter.
But God in his great love chose to save a people for himself. He draws us to himself (John 6:44), has made us alive (Ephesians 2:5), and caused us to be born again (1 Peter 1:3). God helps those who cannot help themselves. When we are dead in our sins we are unable to respond to God. Salvation is totally the work of God. The only thing we contribute is our sin. Salvation is completely by God's grace, he is sovereign over the entire process.
All those God draws to himself respond with faith and repentance. They believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. They trust in Christ alone for salvation. Jesus lived a perfect life without sin, died on the cross to pay for the sins of his people, and was raised from the dead victorious over sin and death. Jesus takes our sin on himself and his perfect righteousness is credited to us (2 Corinthians 5:21).
All this negative thinking actually leads us to the most positive thing of all, that is truth and reality. We realize we are all sinners in need of a Savior. We realize that Jesus is the only way to heaven. We realize our true condition as sinners who are totally unable to save ourselves. We are totally dependent on God to save us. It is by his grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And to God alone be the glory.
Monday, September 4, 2017
2 Peter 3:9 (In Context)
(2 Peter 3:9) "The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance." (ESV)
The usual interpretation of this verse by most modern evangelicals sees it as saying that it is God's will that every single person be saved. They assume the "you", "any", and "all" in this verse refers to everyone. But if this interpretation is correct then God's purpose if often thwarted by humans because many are not saved. In this view God is trying to save everyone but failing to do so.
For the correct interpretation we must look at the verse in context. The passage is actually about the Second Coming of Christ. There are scoffers expressing doubt that Christ will return. They say things just continue as they have from the beginning. Peter explains why there has been a seeming delay in the Second Coming of Christ.
With this background we now look at 2 Peter 3:9. It says the Lord is patient toward you. We must ask who "you" refers to. Who is the Apostle Peter talking to? When he speaks of the scoffers he refers to them in the third person. But when he refers to his audience he refers to them as "you" and "beloved". It is obvious that Peter is referring to a specific people. To find out who his audience is we need to look at the first verse of the letter.
(2 Peter 1:1)"Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ." (ESV)
It is obvious that Peter writes to a specific people, those who are saved, that is believers. He is not speaking to every single person. Therefore when he says the Lord is patient with you, the "you" refers to God's own people, the elect. When it says not wishing that any should perish, the "any"
refers back to the "you", which is the elect. Also when it says, but that all should reach repentance, "all" refers back to "you", that is the elect. It is God's will that all of the elect should reach repentance.
So the verse interpreted in context does not teach that it is God's will to save every single person. God does not fail to accomplish his purpose. God is waiting for all of his chosen people (the elect) to come to repentance. God's purpose is to save his elect and none of them will perish and all of them will be brought to repentance. The actual meaning of 2 Peter 3:9 is clear when we view it in context.
The usual interpretation of this verse by most modern evangelicals sees it as saying that it is God's will that every single person be saved. They assume the "you", "any", and "all" in this verse refers to everyone. But if this interpretation is correct then God's purpose if often thwarted by humans because many are not saved. In this view God is trying to save everyone but failing to do so.
For the correct interpretation we must look at the verse in context. The passage is actually about the Second Coming of Christ. There are scoffers expressing doubt that Christ will return. They say things just continue as they have from the beginning. Peter explains why there has been a seeming delay in the Second Coming of Christ.
With this background we now look at 2 Peter 3:9. It says the Lord is patient toward you. We must ask who "you" refers to. Who is the Apostle Peter talking to? When he speaks of the scoffers he refers to them in the third person. But when he refers to his audience he refers to them as "you" and "beloved". It is obvious that Peter is referring to a specific people. To find out who his audience is we need to look at the first verse of the letter.
(2 Peter 1:1)"Simeon Peter, a servant and apostle of Jesus Christ. To those who have obtained a faith of equal standing with ours by the righteousness of our God and Savior Jesus Christ." (ESV)
It is obvious that Peter writes to a specific people, those who are saved, that is believers. He is not speaking to every single person. Therefore when he says the Lord is patient with you, the "you" refers to God's own people, the elect. When it says not wishing that any should perish, the "any"
refers back to the "you", which is the elect. Also when it says, but that all should reach repentance, "all" refers back to "you", that is the elect. It is God's will that all of the elect should reach repentance.
So the verse interpreted in context does not teach that it is God's will to save every single person. God does not fail to accomplish his purpose. God is waiting for all of his chosen people (the elect) to come to repentance. God's purpose is to save his elect and none of them will perish and all of them will be brought to repentance. The actual meaning of 2 Peter 3:9 is clear when we view it in context.
Monday, August 7, 2017
Did The Apostle Peter Use Profanity?
Based on Mark 14:71 (and Matthew 26:74) it is common to hear Christian preachers and teachers claim that the Apostle Peter used profanity. This is the passage of Scripture where Peter denies Christ three times. This particular verse deals with Peter's third denial. In some translations it appears at first glance that Peter did indeed use profanity.
(Mark 14:71) "Then he started to curse and swear, I don't know this man you're talking about!" (CSB)
The NASB and NKJV translate this verse in a similar way. It is interesting to note what the HCSB (the original edition of the CSB) has in it's footnote on this verse, "To call down curses on himself if what he said weren't true." Also the NASB footnote on this verse states, "Or put himself under a curse." For further clarification we will look at another translation of this verse.
(Mark 14:71) "But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do not know this man of whom you speak." (ESV)
The NIV also translates this verse in a similar way. The ESV translation makes clear the correct meaning of this verse. Peter was not using four letter words. He was actually saying, if what I say is not true let me be cursed. He was taking an oath basically saying let God strike me down if I am lying. Of course Peter repented and was restored by Christ. He went on to become a bold witness for the Lord.
(Mark 14:71) "Then he started to curse and swear, I don't know this man you're talking about!" (CSB)
The NASB and NKJV translate this verse in a similar way. It is interesting to note what the HCSB (the original edition of the CSB) has in it's footnote on this verse, "To call down curses on himself if what he said weren't true." Also the NASB footnote on this verse states, "Or put himself under a curse." For further clarification we will look at another translation of this verse.
(Mark 14:71) "But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, I do not know this man of whom you speak." (ESV)
The NIV also translates this verse in a similar way. The ESV translation makes clear the correct meaning of this verse. Peter was not using four letter words. He was actually saying, if what I say is not true let me be cursed. He was taking an oath basically saying let God strike me down if I am lying. Of course Peter repented and was restored by Christ. He went on to become a bold witness for the Lord.
Monday, July 31, 2017
Loving God With Your Mind
(Matthew 22:37) "And he said to him, You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." (ESV)
We are to love God with all of our being including our mind. Unfortunately modern evangelicals have downplayed the role of the mind in loving God. Modern evangelicalism has an anti-intellectual streak preferring to focus more on feelings and experience. Loving God with our minds involves having a great concern for doctrine and theology. Unbelievably many evangelicals have a negative view of doctrine and theology.
The liberals of old said that Christianity was life and not doctrine. Unfortunately this seems to be the motto of many modern day evangelicals. Christianity is life based on doctrine. Liberalism denied the authority of Scripture, hopefully evangelicalism will not go down the same path.
If we truly love God we will desire to know more about him. You have heard it said that I don't need theology to know God loves me. Well I hate to break this to you but saying God loves me is theology. Theology is basically the study of God and every Christian should be interested in him. Of course thinking about God and the things of God requires some effort. This may be part of the reason why evangelicals are weak in their thought life.
God has revealed himself to us in the Bible. To be a thinking Christian one must read and study the Bible. It needs to be read as a whole and not just in bits and pieces. We have to learn to see the big picture and develop a Christian worldview. We will then have sound doctrine upon which to base our lives.
We must learn to love God with our minds. Being anti-intellectual is simply disobeying God. The church will not be strong until we recover our minds. We must have good theology and sound doctrine in order to honor and love God.
We are to love God with all of our being including our mind. Unfortunately modern evangelicals have downplayed the role of the mind in loving God. Modern evangelicalism has an anti-intellectual streak preferring to focus more on feelings and experience. Loving God with our minds involves having a great concern for doctrine and theology. Unbelievably many evangelicals have a negative view of doctrine and theology.
The liberals of old said that Christianity was life and not doctrine. Unfortunately this seems to be the motto of many modern day evangelicals. Christianity is life based on doctrine. Liberalism denied the authority of Scripture, hopefully evangelicalism will not go down the same path.
If we truly love God we will desire to know more about him. You have heard it said that I don't need theology to know God loves me. Well I hate to break this to you but saying God loves me is theology. Theology is basically the study of God and every Christian should be interested in him. Of course thinking about God and the things of God requires some effort. This may be part of the reason why evangelicals are weak in their thought life.
God has revealed himself to us in the Bible. To be a thinking Christian one must read and study the Bible. It needs to be read as a whole and not just in bits and pieces. We have to learn to see the big picture and develop a Christian worldview. We will then have sound doctrine upon which to base our lives.
We must learn to love God with our minds. Being anti-intellectual is simply disobeying God. The church will not be strong until we recover our minds. We must have good theology and sound doctrine in order to honor and love God.
Monday, July 10, 2017
Which Bible Translation Should I Use?
Since the Bible is the Word of God, his revelation to us it is important to use a good translation. There are three basic types of translations. They are literal, dynamic, and paraphrase. A good Bible translation needs to be readable and most importantly accurate.
The first translation category is literal. It seeks to translate word for word as much as possible from the Hebrew and Greek. Literal translation also tries to maintain the original sentence structure. The idea is to be transparent to the original text. Examples of literal translation are: ESV, NASB, CSB, and NKJV.
The next translation category is dynamic equivalence. It is more of a thought for thought translation not necessarily trying to maintain word for word translation. Dynamic translation tries to steer a middle ground between literal and paraphrase. The original sentence structure is often changed for greater readability. Examples of dynamic translation are: NIV, NLT, and NRSV.
The other translation category is paraphrase. This type focuses on readability mainly. Paraphrases deviate greatly from the original Hebrew and Greek, basically just giving you the gist of what the original text said. Examples of paraphrase include: The Message and The Living Bible.
I do not really recommend dynamic translations or paraphrases. Dynamic translations are just thought for thought and not word for word. They deviate somewhat from the original text giving you the translators interpretation instead of what it actually says. Also dynamic translations often tend to be politically correct. Paraphrases are probably best avoided all together. They stray too much from the original text and are not very accurate or precise.
I strongly recommend literal translations. They try to translate from the Greek and Hebrew as closely as possible. There goal is to be transparent to the original text, giving you what it actually says. A literal translation is much more accurate and reliable than a dynamic translation or paraphrase.
Here are what I consider to be the best translations.
1) (ESV) English Standard Version
2) (NASB) New American Standard Bible
3) (CSB) Christian Standard Bible
4) (NKJV) New King James Version
The first translation category is literal. It seeks to translate word for word as much as possible from the Hebrew and Greek. Literal translation also tries to maintain the original sentence structure. The idea is to be transparent to the original text. Examples of literal translation are: ESV, NASB, CSB, and NKJV.
The next translation category is dynamic equivalence. It is more of a thought for thought translation not necessarily trying to maintain word for word translation. Dynamic translation tries to steer a middle ground between literal and paraphrase. The original sentence structure is often changed for greater readability. Examples of dynamic translation are: NIV, NLT, and NRSV.
The other translation category is paraphrase. This type focuses on readability mainly. Paraphrases deviate greatly from the original Hebrew and Greek, basically just giving you the gist of what the original text said. Examples of paraphrase include: The Message and The Living Bible.
I do not really recommend dynamic translations or paraphrases. Dynamic translations are just thought for thought and not word for word. They deviate somewhat from the original text giving you the translators interpretation instead of what it actually says. Also dynamic translations often tend to be politically correct. Paraphrases are probably best avoided all together. They stray too much from the original text and are not very accurate or precise.
I strongly recommend literal translations. They try to translate from the Greek and Hebrew as closely as possible. There goal is to be transparent to the original text, giving you what it actually says. A literal translation is much more accurate and reliable than a dynamic translation or paraphrase.
Here are what I consider to be the best translations.
1) (ESV) English Standard Version
2) (NASB) New American Standard Bible
3) (CSB) Christian Standard Bible
4) (NKJV) New King James Version
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