Safeguarding the Truth- Understanding the Bible Theologically

by Roger Hahn
from
Holiness Today Magazine

On a recent trip I entered a city filled with billboards and posters advertising religious events. One especially caught my eye. The bright red headline screamed, "Rapture or Rupture: Your Choice!" It included the time and place of teaching on biblical prophecy. I was intrigued. I realize the rapture is often taught in the context of biblical prophecy. But though I know what "rupture" means, I had no idea what that conference on biblical prophecy would teach. That poster highlights a problem between Christian faith and our Scriptures, the Bible. Faithfully confessing the inspiration and the authority of Scripture does not protect us from the questions that rise from its interpretation. How we receive, understand, and interpret the words of Scripture is as critical to its purpose as the divine inspiration that sends it our way. Lessons from Church History From early days, the community of faith has dealt with the problem of how we interpret Scripture. After noting that Paul's letters contain "things difficult to understand," Peter basically declares in 2 Peter 3:16, "The unlearned and unstable distort these things, as they do the rest of the Scriptures, to their own destruction."¹ By the end of the second century the church became embroiled in controversy over how to interpret Scripture. Not only does the devil quote and misinterpret Scripture, so do false teachers. The second and third century battles with heretics on both the right and the left of the church's teachings were over the Bible's correct interpretation. The primary weapon the church developed in these battles came to be called the rule of faith. The rule of faith summarized the theological truths that all orthodox teachers taught from the days of the apostles. Individual authors from the second and third centuries did not give identical expression to the rule of faith, but certain themes were common. The rule of faith included a belief in the Trinity, emphasized Jesus' incarnation, affirmed the unity of the Old and New Testaments, and confessed the hope of a physical resurrection at the end of time. Interpretations of Scripture that undermined these teachings were declared illegitimate and were not accepted in the Church. Some might see the rule of faith as the first step of a journey toward using Church tradition, instead of the Bible, to determine the Christian faith. However, many times in history the Church has found it necessary to turn to the rule of faith to remind us of the boundaries protecting Scripture interpretation. John Wesley called this theological core of the Bible the analogy of faith. He once defined that analogy of faith as "the connected chain of scripture truths, and their relation to each other-namely, the natural corruption of man; justification by faith; the new birth; inward and outward holiness."² Perhaps we live in a period of history when we need to revive this understanding of a theological core that must stand at the heart of interpreting Scripture.

The Problem We Face Today thousands of Bible studies and Sunday School classes ask their members, "What does this passage mean to you?" Questions like this invite the private interpretation of Scripture forbidden in 2 Peter 1:20. It indicates that we need to rediscover the theological core that guides correct interpretation of the Bible. When biblical illiteracy is as rampant as it is today and the Bible is twisted to support every conceivable pattern of sin and self-centeredness, we need to revive an understanding of the theological core of the Bible. Not only do we need a theological interpretation of Scripture, Church experience also shows that we must live with a tension between different ways of understanding the Bible. Some describe that tension as a polarity between literal and allegorical (or figurative) interpretation. Others say it is a tension between historical and literary interpretations of Scripture. A person might even describe it as a spectrum from too little to too much theology as the guiding principle of interpretation. The truth is that the Bible is both a theological and a historical book.

The Theological Aspects of the Bible The Bible is a theological book. It is not designed to provide us with data about ancient history. Its purpose is to show us the way to heaven, as John Wesley put it. Its function is to reveal "the will of God concerning us in all things necessary to our salvation,"³ as Article IV of the Manual of the Church of the Nazarene states. This means we must interpret Scripture from a theological angle. We must put together what the Bible teaches about God, about humankind, about sin, about salvation, about Christ and the Holy Spirit, about the Church, and about the end of time. This requires a constant process of moving from individual passages to the overarching biblical truths. It also requires applying those great truths as we interpret individual passages. This means Scripture is the best interpreter of Scripture. Passages where truth is clear are the resources we turn to when we are trying to understand passages where the message seems uncertain. What we learn from those unambiguous passages is the theological core of Scripture, often summarized in the Church's creed and articles of faith. Part of what this theological interpretation of Scripture means is that we interpret Scripture from its center to our concerns. Much of the faulty reading of the Bible arises from people who come to it with their questions and issues of life as the determining factor. When you want to justify a lifestyle, defend a political agenda, or want a guide to personal success, you will fairly easily find scriptures that will say what you want to hear. But when you start with what the Bible says about God, sin, and salvation and work your way from those central truths to their application in your life the outcome is quite different.

The Historical Context of the Scriptures We should also remember that the Bible is a historical book. Its great narrative is set on the stage of human history. The Egyptians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Persians, Greeks, and Romans mentioned in the pages of the Bible are the same people we discover on the pages of ancient history and in the work of archaeologists. At the heart of the New Testament is the truth that the Word became flesh and lived in a real place at a real time dealing with real people. This means the theological truths of Scripture need to be understood and grounded in careful historical study. This balance of theological and historical interpretation of Scripture was first affirmed in the second and third centuries by the rule of faith. This need for a balance of theological and historical study of Scripture points us toward another important truth. There is also a proper balance between private and corporate study and interpretation of the Bible. If we never read or study the Bible privately, we are not likely to seek to conform our life to its teaching. On the other hand, if we only study the Bible privately we rob ourselves of the wisdom of the Church, both in its present rich diversity and in its historical sense of center. The Church has been the primary guardian of the theological core of the Scriptures. However, we will probably not adhere to that core if we do not participate in the corporate interpretation of Scripture through its preaching and teaching in the Church. During the past two hundred years many people have tried to separate the Bible and theology. Some have expressed the separation as a desire for the simple truths of Scripture without the complexity of theology and its arguments. We must reject this appeal to separate the Bible and theology. The two are inextricably intertwined and we can never understand one without the other. Roger L. Hahn is dean of the faculty and professor of New Testament at Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City. ¹All Scripture translations are by the author. ²Sermon 116 (Paragraph 6), Wesley J. (2000). The Works of John Wesley: Sermons (electronic ed.). Albany, OR: Ages Software. ³Article IV, Manual, Church of the Nazarene. May/June 2006 Holiness Today

Tertullian on Jeremiah and the Life of the Unborn

Tertullian on Jeremiah and the Life of the Unborn

Dr. Todd A. Stepp OSL
www.wesleyananglican.blogspot.com

The upcoming Old Testament lection comes from Jeremiah 1:4-10. In my study, I found the comments of Tertullian of Carthage (late 2nd/early 3rd centuries) on verse five to be very interesting in relationship to the issue of abortion.

Jeremiah 1:5 quotes God as saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations" (NRSV).

Tertullian comments: "The embryo therefore becomes a human being in the womb from the moment that its form is completed. The law of Moses, indeed, punishes with due penalties the one who shall cause an abortion, inasmuch as there exists already the rudiment of human being that has imputed to it even now the condition of life and death, since it is already liable to the issues of both, although, by living still in the mother, it for the most part shares its own state with the mother" (One the Soul 37. As found in Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture, OT XII).

One might ask what Tertullian means by "the moment that its form is completed" (emphasis, mine). One could argue from the remainder of his comments that one need not think in literal terms of absolute completion of form; that, instead, it could be argued that Tertullian would accept the "completion" of conception, i.e., once a human being has been formed in terms of conception. However one may answer that question, it is clear that his comments refer to one (in this case, Jeremiah) who is not yet born.

What I find of interest in this passage, along with the story of the blessed virgin Mary's visit to Elizabeth, is how God is actively at work in and through those (i.e., Jeremiah, John & Jesus), who had not yet been born.

In Jeremiah's case, God knew him even before he was formed in the womb, and before he was born, God consecrated/sanctified him and appointed him to be a prophet.

In John's case, he is filled with the Holy Spirit before he is born (cf., Luke 1:15), and he actually prophesies prior to his birth (by virtue of his "leap[ing] for joy," and through the words of his mother), as one sees in Luke 1:41-45.

In addition to whatever weight these passages might add to the argument that infants are proper candidates for baptism, they certainly support those churches (like the Church of the Nazarene) that take a stand for life.

Reflections on Camp Meeting 2009

God met with us again in Camp meeting last light. I observed a General Baptist, a Nazarene, and a Wesleyan pastor praying with an individual at the alter. I thought to myself, this is what camp meeting is all about! This is a time we we as Christians can join together and take down the denominational barriers. Those of you who are church history buffs like myself remember reading about the great camp meetings of our past. The Camp Meeting at Cane Ridge Kentucky, known as the great revival, is noted in almost every history book about early America.(except maybe in our new government school textbooks) Beginning on Friday August 6, 1801, this meeting went on for a week. Twenty to thirty thousand people traveled by foot and horseback to attend. Lives were changed and people were divinely healed of their maladies. Francis Asbury said"The work of God is running like fire in Kentucky." This Saturday night service of Camp Meeting has been set aside as a special time of seeking God for healing. Those Christians like us who believe the Bible is still true believe that God still chooses to heal people at His will and choosing. Yes, I know He can work through doctors and circumstances, and sometimes does. Sadly the "dispensationalists" among us in the church world have relegated these acts to the past or the time of the apostles. Maybe that is why the hospitals are full and so many churches sit empty on Sunday Morning! I know God still heals because he healed me and others I know personally. Hope to see you at camp meeting this week...keith 1 Cor 13

Are We a Christian nation?-You Decide!

Birthday Celebration!

Birthday Celebration!

Just a quick note to say, "Happy 306th Birthday" to John Wesley! - Wesley was born on June 17, 1703 to the Rev'd. Samuel & Susanna Wesley. He was either the 13th or 14th of their children; no one is quite sure. In any case, he was only the seventh to survive the first year of life. Oddly, he was the third Wesley child to be named "John" (the previous two had died). (cf. The Elusive Mr. Wesley, Vol. 1, Heitzenrater).

(From Rev. Dr. Todd Stepp's blog http://wesleyananglican.blogspot.com)

Here we Stand; we can do no Other...

Ken Ham www.answersingenesis.org

This month, we released an eye-opening new book (see the cover at right) that we ask you to symbolically nail on the door of churches, Christian colleges, and seminaries across America.

From your history classes, you may recall that in 1517, a young monk, Martin Luther, boldly nailed 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany. He was calling the church back to the authority of the Bible and away from the opinions and traditions of fallible man.

Four years later, Luther stood before the emperor, princes, and others in the Bishop’s Palace in Worms, Germany, where he was told to recant his theses and books. The next day, after a long night of prayer and counsel, Luther famously replied that he would not recant unless it could be shown from the Scriptures that he was in error. He is then reported to have said:

Here I stand; I can do no other. God help me. Amen.

This month marks a milestone in the Answers in Genesis ministry. In the book Already Gone, you will learn about a major research study that we believe could help lead to a revolution—another reformation, if you will—for a desperately needed transformation of the church in America.

For years, we have been challenging the church to stand without compromise on the authority of God’s Word, beginning in Genesis. We have insisted that Christians should be like the Bereans in Acts 17:11: “They received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

Similarly, we have been encouraging Christians to be like Martin Luther, who stood before the authorities of his day and insisted that we judge our beliefs against the absolute authority of the Word of God—regardless of what the majority might say (e.g., scientists of today who hold to evolution and millions of years).

In this newsletter and in my lectures over the years, I have insisted that Christians who compromise by accepting the idea of an earth supposedly millions of years old (or who are indifferent to whether or not that is even a problem) have greatly contributed to the decline of the church and its influence. Most churches lack apologetics teaching for their young people (and their adults, for that matter). As a result, a very significant number of young people are leaving the church—and thus the decline of the influence of Christianity in this nation continues.

To help understand why millions of young adults have already left the church of their youth, a generous supporter of Answers in Genesis offered to fund a major research effort through America’s Research Group. (ARG is headed by the highly respected secular market researcher Britt Beemer, a frequent guest on national TV news programs.)

Britt’s company composed survey questions to find out why so many young adults are being lost from the church . . . plus why Christians are not having the influence on the culture that they once had (and thus why we are ultimately losing the “culture war” in America).

The results will shock you—and shock the church as a whole.

For example, our national survey discovered that children who grew up in evangelical homes are being “lost” from the church as early as elementary school, not primarily in college (as most might expect). Furthermore—in one of the biggest and most distressing surprises of the research—something you might call the “Sunday school syndrome” is contributing to the epidemic!

Already Gone is an alarming wake-up call for the church, because it reports on Britt Beemer’s research and shows how church programs and approaches to Christian education are failing—and thus millions of our young people are leaving the church. While the research statistics reveal the root issues of a huge problem, Already Gone shows how to fight back and reclaim our families, our churches, and our society for biblical truths.

I urge you to read the book and absorb its findings, and please encourage many others to do so as well. (By the way, it is a “quick read.”) And then I plead with you not to stop there. I believe that once you understand what the researchers have uncovered, you will be motivated to symbolically nail Already Gone on the doors of churches and Christian organizations. We need many “Luthers”—many Answers in Genesis supporters—nailing this book on church doors throughout America.

As we finished writing this book, I knew that it could bring a tidal wave of disbelief and frustration from those who don’t want to accept its findings. But I couldn’t help but exclaim from the bottom of my heart:

Here we stand; we can do no other.

May God help us reach the church with a crucial message of reformation—and may God raise up generations in the church who will stand on His Word and be the salt and light that this culture so desperately needs.

Please pray with me, that through resources like Already Gone, we’ll see a new reformation in the American church.

Pentecost Sunday
Rev'd Dr. Todd A. Stepp
Grace Church of the Nazarene
Evansville,Indiana
http://wesleyananglican.blogspot.com


This past Sunday the Church celebrated the culmination of the great fifty days, the conclusion of the Easter season, the outpouring of the promise of the Father, the baptism with the Holy Spirit, and the birth of the Church. - John the Baptizer had declared concerning Jesus, "I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire" (Luke 3:16, NRSV). Jesus assured the disciples that it would be to their advantage that He would ascend to the Father, because, in doing so, He would send the Holy Spirit (the Advocate/Comforter/Counselor/Helper - parakletos ) to them (John 16:7). The Holy Spirit would teach them everything and remind them of all that Jesus had said to them (14:26), and the Holy Spirit would "prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgement (16:8). Further, Jesus told the apostles, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8, NRSV). On the Day of Pentecost, the disciples saw the fulfillment of the promised outpouring of the Holy Spirit as told by John the Baptizer and the Lord Jesus, as well as the prophet Joel. It is that same outpouring of the Holy Spirit that we enter into by faith and through our baptism, for St. Paul declares, "For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body . . ." (1 Cor. 12:13, NRSV).* Pentecost is one of the major feast days of the Church, and it should be a great day of celebration for those of us in the Wesleyan/Holiness tradition. - I recall a conversation a number of years back with a Presbyterian (USA) pastor. He confessed, he really didn't know what to do with Pentecost. Now, I do not mean to imply that such is the case for all, or even a majority of Presbyterians. I don't know. However, Nazarenes, whether espousing a 19th century or a classical Wesleyan view (cf. footnote, below) ought to have no problem knowing how to celebrate Pentecost Sunday. You see, one of the main benefits of Pentecost and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is the possibility of having our hearts cleansed of sin. - As the prophet Ezekiel foretold, there was coming a day when God would ". . . sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will remove from your body the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my spirit within you, and make you follow my statures and be careful to observe my ordinances" (Ezek. 36:25-27, NRSV). And St. Peter, referring to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit upon the gentiles, argued, "And God, who knows the human heart, testified to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us; and in cleansing their hearts by faith he has made no distinction between them and us" (Acts 15:8-9). It is this heart cleansing that has been at the heart (no pun intended!) of the Wesleyan & Methodist movement, and especially so for the Holiness branches of Methodism. It has been referred to by Wesley in connection with the Biblical doctrines of Entire Sanctification and Christian Perfection. In fact, the spread of scriptural holiness throughout the land was the stated purpose of Methodism, first by John Wesley in London in 1733, and then in America, at the famous Christmas Conference in Baltimore in 1784 at the founding of the Methodist Episcopal Church. It was the commitment to this purpose that gave rise to the 19th century Holiness Movement within Methodism. And Phineas Bresee said of the Church of the Nazarene, that it is ". . . a part of that body of believers raised up to spread sanctified holiness over these lands, and thus that we are a part of that company who are the real successors of John Wesley and the early Methodists" (Nazarene Messenger, July 15, 1909). And so, we Wesleyan Christians have special reasons for joining with our sisters and brother in Christ around the world to rejoice and give thanks to God on Pentecost Sunday for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit as we seek to worship God in Spirit and in Truth. _____________________________ *At this point, those within the Holiness movement will recognize that I take my stand with John Wesley, the Church of history, and those in the classical Wesleyan theological tradition, rather than those who are more consistent with 19th century interpretations. Those debates within the Holiness Movement can be seen in The Wesleyan Theological Journal between 1973 and 1982. Mark Quanstrom discusses it in A Century of Holiness Theology: The Doctrine of Entire Sanctification in the Church of the Nazarene, 1905-2004, though his bias toward the 19th century view is apparent in his, not always completely accurate portrayal of members of "The Trevecca Connection."

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Special Prayer Request From Boonville Wesleyan Church

Special Prayer Request From Boonville Wesleyan Church

Please remember Ron Knirs, Sr. this week in your prayers. He is in room 3115 at OMHS in Owensboro Kentucky under-going testing for a lung condition. As Wesleyans we still believe God heals today as stated in Scripture and through the testimonies of His people.


Discipline of The Wesleyan Church: Section 403.Healing.

"The truth that Jesus is both able and willing to heal the body as well as the human soul,whenever such healing is for His glory, is clearly set forth in God's Word and attested
by the experience of His many people at the
present day. Prayer for healing according to the pattern
set forth in the Scriptures shall be encouraged."

Healing Scriptures: Matt. 10:8; Luke 19:9; Acts 4:10, 14:1;
1 Cor.12:9,28,,James 5:14-16

New Wesley Movie Trailer

Movie Trailer

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