The Path — 3/11/24
The Journey of Interpretation, The Only Rule of Faith, A Legacy of Sovereign Joy, A Church of Biblical Counseling, & The State of American Children
The Journey of Interpretation, The Only Rule of Faith, A Legacy of Sovereign Joy, A Church of Biblical Counseling, & The State of American Children.
Translation & Exegesis
The process of interpreting and grasping the Bible is similar to embarking on a journey. Reading the text thoroughly and carefully lies at the beginning of the journey. From this careful reading we become able to determine what the passage meant in the biblical context—that is, what it meant to the biblical audience.
Some parts of the Bible are easy to understand, but much of it is not. If we truly believe that the Bible is God’s Word, we should be committed to understanding and applying all of Scripture, not just the easy parts.
What makes this more challenging is the presence of what Duvall and Hays refer to as a river which separates us from the original audience. All Scripture was written for us (Rom. 15:4; 2 Tim. 3:16-17), but much of it was not written to us. There are numerous cultural, linguistic, and situational issues that form a barrier between us and grasping the meaning of the text.
This is not an easy journey to make, but this book helps us understand how to grasp the meaning of the text God has intended. Instead of providing our own meaning, following a process like the one outlined below helps us to find the original meaning of God’s Word.
Grasp the text in their town. What did the text mean to the original audience?
Measure the width of the river to cross. What are the differences between the biblical audience and us?
Cross the principlizing bridge. What is the theological principle in this text?
Consult the biblical map. How does our theological principle fit with the rest of the Bible?
Grasp the text in our town. How should individual Christians today live out the theological principles?
These five steps form the blueprint for both the method and content found in Grasping God’s Word. Next week, we will continue examining the first step by learning how to read the biblical text carefully.
Theology
The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience (2 Tim. 3:15-17; Isa. 8:20; Lk. 16:29, 31; Eph. 2:20), although the light of nature, and the works of creation and providence do so far manifest the goodness, wisdom, and power of God, as to leave men inexcusable; yet are they not sufficient to give that knowledge of God and his will which is necessary unto salvation (Rom. 1:19-21; 2:14-15; Psa. 19:1-3). Therefore it pleased the Lord at sundry times and in divers manners to reveal himself, and to declare that his will unto his church (Heb. 1:1); and afterward for the better preserving and propagating of the truth, and for the more sure establishment and comfort of the church against the corruption of the flesh, and the malice of Satan, and of the world, to commit the same wholly unto writing; which maketh the Holy Scriptures to be most necessary, those former ways of God’s revealing his will unto his people being now ceased (Pro. 22:19-21; Rom. 15:4; 2 Pet. 1:19-20).
The London Baptist Confession of Faith, Chapter 1, Paragraph 1
John Reuther excellently summarizes this chapter of the LBC:
There are many good books on the doctrine of the Word of God, but The Confession of Faith of 1689 gives us a splendid summary of the most important matters. In these ten paragraphs of the first chapter of the Confession we survey the subjects which every believer should understand in order to build his life securely on the Word of God.
A New Exposition of the London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689, pg. 39-40
Last year, when I began studying the LBC, I was amazed at the breadth and depth of the opening chapter. This section beautifully and succinctly sums up the doctrine of the Holy Scriptures.
The first paragraph presents the Bible as rule and revelation. God has revealed himself to us through his Word. Thus, Scripture is necessary for learning about God and his will. Creation does reveal God’s goodness, wisdom, and power to all people, but it is not sufficient to give full knowledge of God and his will.
Thankfully, God has preserved his Word, so we have “the only sufficient, certain, and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience.”
Church History
One of my favorite aspects of 27 Servants of Sovereign Joy is Piper’s ability to find common themes among the lives of different individuals throughout church history. In this section on Augustine, Martin Luther, and John Calvin, Piper focuses on the sovereignty of grace in the lives of flawed saints.
Augustine, Luther, and Calvin all experienced God’s grace in their lives. Augustine experienced this sovereign grace when it broke his fifteen-year bondage to sexual lust. Martin Luther, an Augustinian monk, had a breakthrough in 1518 while studying Romans 1:17, a breakthrough that would turn the world upside down. John Calvin saw the grace of God as he demonstrated the majesty of God through Scripture. These three men were “united with a passion for the supremacy of divine grace.”
This omnipotent grace certainly showed itself in the theme of their work, but it also triumphed over their flaws. In addition to his sexual sins, Augustine unfortunately laid the foundation for sacramentalism in the church (the teaching that ordinances have regenerative power). Luther was well known for his foul, severe, and mean-spirited language. Calvin perpetuated the very persecution that he sought to escape as a reformer when he advocated for the death of Michael Servetus.
These fathers of the church were certainly flawed, but this fact reminds us of our own flaws and God’s abundant grace and mercy. Let us seek to have the humility and grace to acknowledge our own failures and recognize God’s sovereign grace in our lives and the lives of others.
Biblical Counseling
And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
Ephesians 4:11-16 (ESV)
In the first chapter of Biblical Counseling and the Church, Brad Bigney and Steve Viars discuss Ephesians 4:11-16 and how it relates to producing a church of biblical counseling, not just a church with biblical counseling. We love the church, but how do we help it grow? What is God's way of growing his church?
According to Ephesians 4, progressive sanctification involves not just the growth of individuals but the growth of the entire church. This job of soul care “is not just something limited to a few people to do; it is something the entire church is called to do.” Throughout the rest of the chapter, Bigney and Viars apply Ephesians 4:11-16 to local church growth. They make seven key statements about what a church of biblical counseling should look like. It should be a place where:
shepherds/teachers embrace their role as equippers seven days a week
church members love being equipped for the work of service
the body of Christ is being built up
the focus is maturity in Christ
there is a thirst for and delight in sound doctrine
there is authentic communication centered on spiritual growth
everyone is part of a growing team
This work is not easy, but God promised to build his church. We can find strength and comfort from the One who promised not only to finish this work, but also to equip us for doing it.
Pastoral Ministry
Our children will define the future, which makes them our most significant and enduring legacy.
In the first chapter of Transforming Children into Spiritual Champions, George Barna addresses the state of American children. He begins by explaining his choice to focus upon the lives of children in the 5- to 12-year-old age range. Barna writes, “if you want to shape a person’s life—whether you are most concerned about his or her moral, spiritual, physical, intellectual, emotional or economic development—it is during these crucial eight years that lifelong habits, values, beliefs and attitudes are formed.”
Next, the four dimensions of a child’s well-being are listed: educational achievement and intellectual development; health and physical development, the most prevalent challenges in this area are being overweight, increased sexual activity, substance abuse, being the victim of violence, and medical care; economic state, and emotional and behavioral development. Barna presents relatively hopeful statistics for each. However, the trajectory of the statistical curves is not good.
Life is messy, and that is affecting children at younger and younger ages. Too often, we seek to fix that by providing comfort and security with the absence of hardship and disappointment. An attempt is often made to buy experiences and environments to produce “the good life,” but that is not a biblical understanding of what life should be. Difficulties, failures, and persecution are not indicators of failure.
If life is primarily about our participation in a spiritual battle, then we must expect to encounter trials and pitfalls. The route to significance and success, therefore, demands that we develop the moral and spiritual foundations that permit us to lead holy and servant-like lifestyles.
Next week, we will look at that most important area of a child’s development: their spiritual health.
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Soli Deo Gloria,
Caleb Friske