Hudsonville Protestant
Reformed Church
5101 Beechtree
Hudsonville, Michigan 49426
Services: 9:30 a.m. and 6:00 p.m.
Homepage on Internet: http://www.prca.org
Vol. 9, No. 11
Content:
Scripture Twisting (3)
Unfulfilled Prophecies (2)
The Lukewarm Church (2)
II
Peter 3:15-16 tells us two ways in which false teachers twist the Scriptures. First they
abuse the "hard" places, the texts that many do not understand, and then they
make the easier text conform to their twisting of the harder text. This corrupt method is
widespread today. For example, regarding election and reprobation, people should
start with Romans 9 and Ephesians 1, chapters directly addressing the subject.
Instead, Scripture twisters find some hard verses here or there and build their theory on
it. Then they torture Ephesians 1 and Romans 9 to fit with their view. John Wesleys
commentary on Romans 9 is a good example of this.
Second,
the Scripture twisters play biblical writers and books off against each other. Peter
states that he and Paul taught the same thing (II Peter 3:15), for there were some who
challenged this. Also Peter places Pauls (inspired) writings on a par with the OT
(15-16), for there were some who challenged this too. Many today are at the same wicked
craft. Like Marcion, a heretic in the early church, they believe that the OT teaches a
lower deity than the NT. Others teach that Pauls theology differs from Christs
teaching in the four gospel accounts. It is increasingly popular to say that there are
various NT theologiesthose of Paul, Peter, John, the author to the Hebrews,
etc.and that these theologies contradict each other. These spiritually
"unlearned and unstable" men twist the Scriptures "unto their own
destruction" (16) when they allege that the NT (or OT) writers belie each other. For,
while it is true that the various inspired penmen have different approaches and styles,
Gods Word is one, a revelation of the unity of His one Being and the product of the
one divine Breath (the Holy Spirit) who teaches the one "wisdom" (15) of God in
Jesus Christ. A more subtle lie is that biblical theology (a study of the doctrine
of the various biblical books or authors) makes systematic theology (an integrated
presentation of the whole body of biblical doctrines) unnecessary. This springs from doubt
about the possibility of absolute truth, especially in the form of a world-view which
gives the "big picture."
Scripture
twisting is in evidence today in many ways. Have you not heard people defend their
drunkenness with a garbled reference to I Timothy 5:23: "use a little wine for thy
stomachs sake and thine often infirmities?" This verse may be used to defend
the lawfulness of taking alcoholic drinks in moderation (Eph. 5:18) but it is
grossly abused to defend drunkenness. In I Timothy 5:23, wine is used not for intoxication
but for medicinal purposes: "for thy stomachs sake and thine often
infirmities." Moreover it says, "use a little wine" and not a lot
of wine. Rev. Angus Stewart
But
the prophet, which shall presume to speak a word in my name, which I have not commanded
him to speak, or that shall speak in the name of other gods, even that prophet shall die.
And if thou say in thine heart, How shall we know that word which the Lord hath not
spoken? When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not, nor come
to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken, but the prophet hath spoken it
presumptuously: thou shalt not be afraid of him (Deut. 18:20-22).
Deuteronomy
18:20-22 gives a test by which the believer is to judge prophets: the word of a true
prophet comes to pass, but the word of a false prophet does not. A reader asked how this
squares with Jeremiah 18:7-10 and Jonah 3:4, 10. Last time we looked at the idea of
Gods "repentance"a subject mentioned in both these textsand
considered Gods repenting and granting Hezekiah 15 more years.
God
also repented that He had made Saul king. This was a pedagogical means to teach Israel
that the king of their choice was wrong and would bring only trouble, while the
king of Gods choice (David, and finally Christ) would bring blessing.
So it
is with prophecies of Gods judgments. The Word of God which comes with threats of
judgments is always accompanied with the command to repent and believe in Christ. This was
true in the case of Jonahs preaching in Nineveh as well. And the gospel always says
that those who repent and believe in Christ will not perish, but have everlasting life.
God says, "Sin deserves hell, and I will destroy the sinner." But He adds the
promise: "I will save those who believe and repent."
God
ties judgment with unbelief and blessing with faith. This is proclaimed in Jeremiah
18:7-10 and in true preaching. But God also sovereignly works out His counsel so that He
uses both the threats and the promises of the gospel to save and to hardenas He did
in Nineveh, and as He does throughout history.
I am
constrained to make an additional comment or two on Deuteronomy 18:20-22, which is quoted
above. These words were spoken in the old dispensation. They were spoken to Israel; they
were spoken during a time when prophecy was a way in which God revealed Himself to His
people. At the time these words in Deuteronomy were spoken, there was no written Word of
God; and for another fifteen hundred years the written Word of God would not be completed.
The Israelites needed, therefore, to have some standard by which they could judge whether
a prophet was indeed bringing the Word of God. This standard God gave them.
It is
necessary to emphasize this because the fact is that since the time of the completion of
the canon of Scripture, we no longer need this standard of judging. The Scriptures are now
the sole standard by which we are to judge whether any "prophet" speaks the Word
of God or whether he brings his own word.
We must
remember that until the outpouring of the Spirit (and for a time in the apostolic church
before the completion of the Scriptures), the office of prophet was held by men who were
called to that extraordinary office by God and anointed with oil as a symbol of the Holy
Spirit. They were Gods prophets who spoke the Word of God. They had many imitators
who claimed to speak the Word of God. Israel was given a standard to judge between the
two.
But
with the outpouring of the Spirit, all Gods people become prophets. This is clear
from Peters Pentecost sermon in which he quotes the prophecy of Joel: "And it
shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh:
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and
your old men shall dream dreams: and on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out
in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy" (Acts 2:17-18).
All
Gods people are now prophets. But Gods people do not hold that office in order
that they may predict the future. There is no need of this any more. We have the full
revelation of God in His Word and we are, in our "prophesying," limited to what
Scripture says. This is true of ministers, elders, deacons, and all the people of God. By
the Spirit, they prophesy when they speak what Scripture says. Then and then only do they
speak the Word of God.
Have we
then no standard by which we may judge prophecy? Indeed, yes! We may know whether anyone
speaks the Word of God by comparing what he or she says with Scripture. We are able to
judge because we too are prophets and know the Scriptures.
No one
may predict the future beyond the Scriptures. Many attempt to do this in our day. Many try
to predict the time of Christs coming and are even so brazen as to specify a date.
They deceive many. This is evil and will be punished by God.
Scripture
says many things about the future, and what Scripture says, we may say. Indeed, we must
say what Scripture says. But beyond Scripture we may not go. An example would be the
scriptural teaching concerning the Antichrist. Scripture tells us that he will surely come
just before Christs return. Scripture tells us a great deal about him, but it does
not specifically identify him, and we do wrong if we attempt to do that which Scripture
does not do. We may not say, for example, that the present pope is the Antichrist.
We would have done wrong if, prior to World War II, we said that Hitler, or Stalin, was
the Antichrist. The spirit of Antichrist was/is in these men; they have many of the marks
of Antichrist; they are antichrists; but they are not the Antichrist.
It is
our calling to say only what Scripture says; we may be sure that if we live close to
Scripture, we will identify him when he finally appears, because Scripture tells us many
things he will do. Prof. Herman Hanko
Last time we considered
Christs description of the condition of the church at Laodicea (Rev. 3:15-17) as
background for a text abused in favour of Arminianism: "Behold, I stand at the door,
and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will
sup with him, and he with me" (20).
There are at least three errors
in the popular misconception. (1) Christ, it is said, knocks at the door of the
sinners heart earnestly desiring admissionthe error of the free offer,
that God wants to save everybody. (2) Christ knocks on everybodys heart yearning for
admission trying all He can to get the sinner to open to himresistible grace
condemned in the third/fourth heads of the Canons of Dordt. (3) Thus the salvation
of the sinner rests ultimately on his free willthat proud, old Pelagian
heresy.
All this betrays a false
conception of the sinner. The apostle declares, "There is none that seeketh
after God" (Rom. 3:11) and "the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not
subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be" (8:7), so how can a sinner embrace
Christ without almighty, sovereign grace? And how could a minister with any understanding
of the Scriptures ever preach free will? Does he not know the depravity of the human
heart, his own included? Christ has just been describing the fallen nature of man. He is
spiritually "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev.
3:17)five adjectives, heaped up one after another, each one a hammer blow to any
good in man without sovereign grace!
Along with this goes a lie
about Christ Himself. He is presented as a poor beggar begging admission into the
heart of the sinner. And if the sinner wont open to Him, He walks away sad without
fellowship and shelter. Thus Arminianism makes a begging bowl out of the Son of God. But
verse 17 describes fallen man as the beggar ("poor") who is
"naked," "wretched" and "miserable"and not the
glorious Son of God! He is "the Amen, the faithful and true witness" (14).
Christs witness is that fallen man is a beggar (17). This is the faithful witness
preachers must give. Teaching some native ability in man is an unfaithful and false
witness, and God will punish for it! Christs witness of Himself is that He is
"the beginning of the creation of God" (14)the source and author of the
entire universe (John 1:1; Col. 1:15-17)and the One seated with His Father on His
throne (22). He is not a beggar but the great Creator and King!
Christ is the One possessing
and exercising "the key of David ... that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth,
and no man openeth" (Rev. 3:7). He is the priest-king (Ps. 110:1, 4) who makes His
people "willing in the day of [His] power" (3). He is the One who opens hearts
so that His elect attend to the preaching of the Word (Acts 16:14). Thus the implied
calling in Revelation 3:20 to "hear" Christs voice and to "open the
door" teaches us mans duty and not mans natural ability.
Now that the Arminian view is
ruled out, we shall consider the positive explanation of Revelation 3:20 next time (DV). Rev.
Angus Stewart