Proverbs 12:25

Anxiety in a man's heart weighs it down, But a good word makes it glad.  Pro 12:25

James Garfield

James Garfield was shot JULY 2, 1881 -- American Minute with Bill Federer: from the website, The Moral Liberal

“Now more than ever before, the people are responsible for the character of their Congress.

If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption..." -- quote from the article. 

Click on the on the above link to read the full story.  

Federal regulation of Internet coming, warn FCC, FEC commissioners

We knew this was coming.We know what the Liberal Democrats are up to.They want to silence opposition to their miserably failed ideology. They don't give a darn about your freedom of speech, liberty, the Constitution, or the Bill of Rights except where it benefits them.They hate America.They hate our heritage.They despise anything and anyone who speaks against tyranny.Yes, it is the right word. But if they want me to soften it so as not to offend I'll call it "Soft Tyranny".

Better?

Nah, don't think so..."Tyranny" is just fine.   

The Exceeding Worth of Wisdom

Pro 2:1-22

1  My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
2  So that thou incline thine ear unto wisdom, and apply thine heart to understanding;
3  Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding;
4  If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures;
5  Then shalt thou understand the fear of the LORD, and find the knowledge of God.¹

6  For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding.
7  He layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous: he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly.
8  He keepeth the paths of judgment, and preserveth the way of his saints.
9  Then shalt thou understand righteousness, and judgment, and equity; yea, every good path.

10  When wisdom entereth into thine heart, and knowledge is pleasant unto thy soul;
11  Discretion shall preserve thee, understanding shall keep thee:
12  To deliver thee from the way of the evil man, from the man that speaketh froward things;
13  Who leave the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;
14  Who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the frowardness of the wicked;
15  Whose ways are crooked, and they froward in their paths:
16  To deliver thee from the strange woman, even from the stranger which flattereth with her words;
17  Which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God.
18  For her house inclineth unto death, and her paths unto the dead.
19  None that go unto her return again, neither take they hold of the paths of life.

20  That thou mayest walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.
21  For the upright shall dwell in the land, and the perfect shall remain in it.
22  But the wicked shall be cut off from the earth, and the transgressors shall be rooted out of it.

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1 Paragraph delineation mine^↩

Psalm 39

1  To the chief Musician, even to Jeduthun, A Psalm of David. I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue: I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked is before me.
2  I was dumb with silence, I held my peace, even from good; and my sorrow was stirred.
3  My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned: then spake I with my tongue,
4  LORD, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.
5  Behold, thou hast made my days as an handbreadth; and mine age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah.
6  Surely every man walketh in a vain shew: surely they are disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not who shall gather them.
7  And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.
8  Deliver me from all my transgressions: make me not the reproach of the foolish.
9  I was dumb, I opened not my mouth; because thou didst it.
10  Remove thy stroke away from me: I am consumed by the blow of thine hand.
11  When thou with rebukes dost correct man for iniquity, thou makest his beauty to consume away like a moth: surely every man is vanity. Selah.
12  Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were.
13  O spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence, and be no more.

Psa 34:1-22

1  A Psalm of David, when he changed his behaviour before Abimelech; who drove him away, and he departed. I will bless the LORD at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
2  My soul shall make her boast in the LORD: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.
3  O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together.
4  I sought the LORD, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.
5  They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.
6  This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.
7  The angel of the LORD encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.
8  O taste and see that the LORD is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.
9  O fear the LORD, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him.
10  The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger: but they that seek the LORD shall not want any good thing.
11  Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12  What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good?
13  Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile.
14  Depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it.
15  The eyes of the LORD are upon the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry.
16  The face of the LORD is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.
17  The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.
18  The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
19  Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the LORD delivereth him out of them all.
20  He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.
21  Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate.
22  The LORD redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate.

Should Proper Bible Study Be Taught in the Church

After years of learning and applying the inductive method to Scripture, I am now facilitating Bible study at a local church.¹ Instead of asking the teacher questions I’m expected to gives answers and valid reasons for my approach and comments. It is both humbling and a challenge.

But the challenge I have witnessed (mostly when I was a student) is not what you may think. The problem is whether the method of proper study should be taught at all.

  

The most common complaint I here is that proper study is not spiritual enough. Expressions such as: too cold, fleshly, prideful, complicated, and does not edify are used against exegetical tools and their application. I have heard these complaints time and again over the years. When I was a student (I'm still a student) every once in a while a newcomer would drop in only to discover the teacher would not spoon feed them answers. Confronted with the idea they must do the work and think for themselves they often left after a few visits.

After writing a friend about this problem he wrote:

“There is, however, a difference between rationalism and being rational. The root is the confidence in, and the authority of, the Word. If we apply inductive methods apart from those commitments, then we do end up with a godless and rationalistic understanding of the Word. This is basically what happened with higher criticism and theological liberalism.”

The argument about faith and reason is nothing new. I agree in part with my friend, though it is my belief that if you trust the word of God the concern of turning the Bible into an intellectual exercise falls by the wayside. The only people who will end up on the Liberal side of Scripture, exalting Reason over faith, and striping the Bible of divine inspiration and miracles, are those who do not believe in the Christ of the Bible.

If you want a better understanding on the defense of Orthodox Christianity against Liberalism I recommend “Christianity & Liberalism by Dr. J. Gresham Machen. He writes:

“But if any one fact is clear…it is that the Christian movement at its inception was not just a way of life in the modern sense, but a way founded upon a message. It was based, not upon mere feeling, not upon a mere program of work, but upon an account of the facts. In other words, it was based upon doctrine.” Pg. 21.

“…Paul was convinced of the objective truth of the gospel message, and devotion to that truth was the great passion of his life. Christianity for Paul was not only a life, but also a doctrine, and logically the doctrine came first.” Pg.23.

Though these quotes from Machen’s book deal primarily with the threat of Liberalism in the early1900's (which still exist today) the terms doctrine, logic, and facts often cause some believers to cringe. In many circles these words are taboo. Words that shouldn’t be mentioned though we find the word doctrine in the Bible over and over: (Mat 15:9, Eph 4:14, 1 Tim 1:3, 1 Tim 4:1, 1 Tim 4:6, 1 Tim 6:1, 1 Tim 6:3, 2 Tim 4:3, 1 Tit 1:9) Scripture is spiritual, it is said, and we are spiritual by virtue of Holy Spirit. Doctrine and the methods of proper study have no place in the church. Though it may seem like an exaggeration, the sentiment of anti-intellectualism not only exists in the church but in secular institutions as well. It is a national problem. 

Like or not, the Bible for all its precious worth is an ancient document. It is historical fact, written by eye witnesses of the Truth to a particular people in their own time for specific reasons. (2Ti 3:16; 2Pe 1:16-21; 1Jn 1:1-3) It speaks out of the context of God inspired authors to the context of its original recipients. (Gal 1:1-2) Every verse, paragraph, chapter, passage, and the Bible itself has context. 

The Bible has structure. It is one story with a beginning, middle, and end. Each narrative and letter are arranged by the author in a particular way so the reader, or those who listen to the Bible, can logically follow the story and epistolary arguments in a meaningful way. If this is denied as nonspiritual or cold-hearted, the denial must use the rules of communications to make its case. You may not care for the Inductive approach, however, you are de facto using its basic principles in daily conversation and reading. If anything, proper method sharpens or hones what you already possess. Not only did God create all things, which includes language, but he created the human soul with the ability to reason. Though marred by sin, man is a rational, thinking human being.  

The Bible is relevant. But as modern readers, we must do the work to get at the original intent before we can apply it to ourselves. Nearly 2000 years of cultural gap exists since the completion of the Bible so we should make every effort to bridge this divide. Besides proper method, we have many resources literally at our fingertips which can help us to go back in time not merely as objective observers, but in a sense, putting ourselves in the farmers place who threshed and tossed the grain to separate the wheat from the chaff. These suggestions are only part of what is involve in using exegetical tools. It is work. We have to think. But it is not astrophysics. Most people with a reasonable effort can learn and apply these principles. You do not have to be a scholar or a have seminary degree to do it.

Finally, the Bible says somewhere “…whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Is it not rational to obey this commandment using the resources and tools of proper study so we can dig deeper into the word of God? Is it not reasonable to apply simple, yet effective exegetical devices by which we can discover for ourselves the authors original intent before we apply it to our daily lives?

Not only is it a reasonable act of service but a safeguard. Not all teachers and preachers have the faith once for all deliver to the saints. Just as Paul warned the elders of  Ephesus, (Act 20:17-32) that savages wolfes would come in not sparing the flock, and men from among their own selves would lead people astray --the same holds true in our time. 

Whatever the genre be it narrative, prophetic poetry, or prose argument you must approach Scripture with a serious attitude, equipped with exegetical tools and have an orderly scheme in place. God gave us a love letter. It seems to me that we would want to know every minute detail of His loving kindness and the great salvation He gave us through His only begotten Son. As Jesus said, "...It is written, "Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." (Mat 4:4)

I would like leave you with one more thing – a quote from Westminster Confession of Faith--Of Holy Scripture: 

1:6 The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men (Gal 1:8, Gal 1:9; 2Th 2:2;

2Ti 3:15-17) Nevertheless we acknowledge the inward illumination of the Spirit of God to be necessary for the saving understanding of such things as are revealed in the Word:(Joh6:45; 1Co2:9, 1Co2:10, 1Co2:12)and that there are some circumstances concerning the worship of God, and government of the Church, common to human actions and societies, which are to be ordered by the light of nature and Christian prudence, according to the general rules of the Word, which are always to be observed (1Co11:13, 1Co11:14; 1Co14:26, 1Co14:40). 

1:7 All things in scripture are not alike plain in themselves , nor alike clear unto all (2Pe3:16):yet those things which are necessary to be known, believed, and observed for salvation, are so clearly propounded and opened in some place of Scripture or other, that not only the learned but the unlearned, in a due use of the ordinary means, may attain unto a sufficient understanding of them (Psa119:105, Psa119:130).

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1 I use Inductive Method or Method in a broad sense. Proper method uses all or some of the various tools in Bible study depending on genre or the extent of the study itself. For an example See: The Hermeneutical Spiral – A Comprehensive Introduction to Biblical Interpretation by—Grant R. Osborne^↩