Posted on 04/10/2015 4:15:28 PM PDT by RnMomof7
from R.C. Sproul Mar 27, 2015 Category: Articles
Emil Brunner, the twentieth-century Swiss theologian and one of the fathers of neoorthodox theology, wrote a little book titled Truth as Encounter. His thesis was that when we study the things of God, we are not studying truth in the abstract. We want to understand theology not merely so that we can make an A on a theology exam. We want to understand the doctrine of God so that we can understand God, so that we can meet the living God in His Word and deepen our personal relationship with Him. But we cannot deepen a relationship with someone if we do not know anything about him. So, the propositions of Scripture are not an end in themselves but a means to an end. However, they are a necessary means to the end. Thus, to say Christianity is not about propositions but about relationships is to establish an extremely dangerous false dichotomy. It is to insult the Spirit of truth, whose propositions they are. These propositions should be our very meat and drink, for they define the Christian life.
Recently I read some letters to the editor of a Christian magazine. One of them disparaged Christian scholars with advanced degrees. The letter writer charged that such men would enjoy digging into word studies of Christ’s teachings in the ancient languages in order to demonstrate that He did not really say what He seems to say in our English Bibles. Obviously there was a negative attitude toward any serious study of the Word of God. Of course, there are scholars who are like this, who study a word in six different languages and still end up missing its meaning, but that does not mean we must not engage in any serious study of the Word of God lest we end up like these ungodly scholars. Another letter writer expressed the view that people who engage in the study of doctrine are not concerned about the pain people experience in this world. In my experience, however, it is virtually impossible to experience pain and not ask questions about truth. We all want to know the truth about suffering, and specifically, where is God in our pain. That is a theological concern. The answer comes to us from the Scriptures, which reveal the mind of God Himself through the agency of the Holy Spirit, who is called the Spirit of truth. We cannot love God at all if we do not love His truth.
It is very sad to me that in today’s sophisticated Western culture, people are more familiar with the twelve signs of the Zodiac than with the twelve tribes of Israel or the twelve Apostles. Our world likes to see itself as sophisticated and technological, but it remains filled with superstition. Christians are not immune to this. We, too, can succumb to the new-age desire for the power to manipulate our environment. We do not have to go as far as accepting the foolish idea that the courses of the stars determine our destinies, our prosperity, our achievements, and our successes. However, it is equally superstitious to equate our feelings and inclinations with the leading of the Holy Spirit. It seems so much more exciting to live with a freewheeling openness to the leading of the Holy Spirit rather than practicing the laborious discipline of mastering His Word. This is exceedingly dangerous ground. If we want to do the will of the Father, we need to study the Word of the Father—and leave the magic to the astrologers.
What becomes automatic?
Choose this day whom you will serve. The God of scripture or those "leading Lutheran theologians and Episcopalians who converted to Catholicism".
Um.....No, they didn't. As Jesus said, they knew their additions to scripture very well. Had they known the scriptures they would have recognized Jesus as their Messiah.
Exactly!
“What becomes automatic?”
Knowing right from wrong. Humans have a Conscience. Even people who have grown up in a environment void of religion are born with one. You can look at it as the human interface to God via the Holy Spirit...
Knowing scripture in our head and understanding scripture are two different things. Pharisees could quote you any bible verse you wanted by memory oftentimes. But for the good that did them (until some of them yielded to the grace of Jesus), that is another story.
We are counseled to let the word of Christ dwell in us “richly.” I’m not so certain that “richly” primarily means a synonym for “from cover to cover.” I submit that “richly” primarily means “in sincere loving practice many different ways and deeply.” The bible is a redundant book, on purpose. If one does not get the point from passage A, one might get the point from passage B.
This does not mean to make an idol out of the bible. God has more things to do than be read about in a book.
It is when you are walking His will that He is pleased. And that is spoken of as maturity and passing from milk to meat. Does the poet recite the ABCs every time he sits down to pen a new verse?
Proverbs 2:5 Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God. 6 For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
Ecclesiastes 2:26 For God giveth to a man that is good in his sight wisdom, and knowledge, and joy:
Knowledge is needed.
Romans 10:2 For I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge. 3 For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
Romans 1:28 Furthermore, just as they did not think it worthwhile to retain the knowledge of God, so God gave them over to a depraved mind, so that they do what ought not to be done.
Ephesians 1:17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
Philippians 1:9 And this I pray, that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment;
Proportion is one key to wisdom.
We have a historical luxury today in our universally portable scriptures. The question for us is how are we going to use the luxury.
Swaggering around doesn’t seem to be the most God honoring thing. Those who talk the most about the bible might be among those who put it to least use.
Also this does not take away from “knowledge puffs up.” The clear implication is that this means without the love that gives it its place.
Please do not put the spiritual cart before the horse. We hunger for the word (through love) and then eat it (through resulting action). We don’t cram ourselves willy nilly hoping for a salutary result like we were producing some kind of foie gras.
I guess the question is which god?
“All those who call on the NAME of the Lord shall be saved” — oops, we need to change NAME to PERFECTLY CITED TEXTS
“I guess the question is which god?”
You should already know this...
There is only one God.
No there are many gods and many jesus's ...
I'll say Amen to that! I have been in way to many "churches" where the teaching of man squelches the teaching of the Holy Spirit.
>>And I’d take that any day over the cold, formalism of laborious study and discipline.<<
And it's those same "churches" that do that.
Um........what? I haven't seen a whole lot of that lately.
>>Humans have a Conscience. Even people who have grown up in a environment void of religion are born with one.<<
And you attribute the current trend of homosexual leadership in some churches to what?
John 5:38 And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not.
I find it really difficult to understand where you are coming from. How you got “making an idol of the Bible” from “loving His written word” is beyond me.
Um.....................ok.
Well.......................don’t study it then.
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