A Short History Lesson

The Protestant Reformation was inseparable from a new and heightened commitment to the Word of God. The Bible in the people’s common tongue was the key to the growth and the influence of Protestant theology. In 1525 William Tyndale produced his great English translation of the New Testament and once it got into the hands of the general population, England would never be the same. In the decades that followed, many other translations would appear, none so prominent and none so important as the King James Bible of 1611.

In 1603 Queen Elizabeth died without an heir and Scotland’s James VI acceded to the throne of England where he was crowned James I. The following year he convened the Hampton Court Conference to enter into discussions with leaders of the Church of England, including several Puritans. Not surprisingly, the conference turned out to be something of a farce. James had a lofty view of his own intellect and was dismissive of others, especially the Puritans. However, he did give in on one crucial matter important: the commissioning of a new, authorized translation of the Bible.

The early English translations of the Bible had been the work of individuals. However, this new translation was to be the work of committees. Fifty four eminent scholars were chosen to take up the work and they were divided into six teams, each of which would translate a selection of books. Though guided by the original Hebrew and Greek text, the translators worked primarily from existing English translations. The Bishops’ Bible of 1568 would be the foundational text, but, when the translators lacked clarity, they were authorized to consult the Tyndale Bible, the Coverdale Bible, Matthew’s Bible, the Great Bible, and the Geneva Bible. Before their work began, Richard Bancroft, Bishop of London, drafted fifteen translations principles that would govern their work.

It was not until 1607 that the labor began in earnest. Work continued until 1611 when the first editions were finally published by Robert Barker, a printer officially licensed by the king.

The King James Bible would be known as the Authorized Bible because it was authorized for public reading in worship services. It would be revised many times with the most enduring version finalized in the early 19th century. Year after year it would be the world’s bestselling book. For almost 250 years this text would be the dominant translation in the English language and its impact on theology, language, and the formation of the mind, is incalculable. It has rightly been described as “the most influential version of the most influential book in the world, in what is now its most influential language.”

It should be noted that many people, including Tyndale who first translated the Scriptures into the English language, died horrific deaths to make the English bible available to us.  How many today would do so?

View the complete story at: http://www.challies.com/articles/the-history-of-christianity-in-25-objects-king-james-bible#more

Ten Questions for Better Bible Study

I ran across this item the other day and copied the same and placed it in my Bible as a reminder and help to be more focused in my study.  I hope you can profit by it as well.  My apologies to the author as I forgot who originated it.

1.  What does this passage tell me about God? (Theology)

2.  What does this passage telll me about myself/humanity (Anthropology)

3.  How does this passage fit into the story of the Bible/the story of God redeeming His people (Redemption History)

4.  How does this passage lead me to Jesus? (Christocentric reading)

5.  Based on this passage are there things I need to repent of?

6.  Based on this passage are there things I ought to do/change?

7. How does this passage reveal the beauty of God and His gospel, and lead me into worship and adoration?

8.  Are there things I don't understand in this passage that I need to ask about/research further?

9.  What can I do today to apply this passage?

10. How can I share the attractiveness of Christ in this passage to people in my life?

Are You Seeking After God?

We have all heard evangelists quote from Revelation: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev. 3:20). Usually the evangelist applies this text as an appeal to the unconverted, saying: “Jesus is knocking at the door of your heart. If you open the door, then He will come in.” In the original saying, however, Jesus directed His remarks to the church. It was not an evangelistic appeal.

So what? The point is that seeking is something that unbelievers do not do on their own. The unbeliever will not seek. The unbeliever will not knock. Seeking is the business of believers. Jonathan Edwards said, “The seeking of the Kingdom of God is the chief business of the Christian life.” Seeking is the result of faith, not the cause of it.

When we are converted to Christ, we use language of discovery to express our conversion. We speak of finding Christ. We may have bumper stickers that read, “I Found It.” These statements are indeed true. The irony is this: Once we have found Christ it is not the end of our seeking but the beginning. Usually, when we find what we are looking for, it signals the end of our searching. But when we “find” Christ, it is the beginning of our search.

The Christian life begins at conversion; it does not end where it begins. It grows; it moves from faith to faith, from grace to grace, from life to life. This movement of growth is prodded by continual seeking after God.

In your spiritual walk, are you moving from faith to faith, from grace to grace, from life to life? Are you continually seeking after God?

R.C. Sproul - September 18, 2013

http://www.ligonier.org/blog/are-you-seeking-after-god

Preaching the Word to the Pagans

Pastor Todd Pruitt comments on minimizing theological and biblical terminology and preaching to the unsaved so they will understand and believe the Gospel is confusing the congregation with preaching what he calls “gobbledygook” under the guise of evangelical preaching.

He states, “Unbelief cannot be fixed with providing someone with more information.  The refusal to believe is a moral issue – an issue of hard heartedness that apart from God’s intervention is not going to be fixed. Romans 3 states, 'no one seeks for God.'

The privilege of the preacher is that he gets to bring God’s living Word to a congregation and know, and have full confidence, that the Spirit of God is going to use His inspired Word to birth faith where there was no faith.”

Excerpt from The Mortification of Spin – The Bully Pulpit podcast dated September 25, 2013.

Todd Pruitt is a speaker on the Mortification of Spin podcast. He is a graduate of Southwest Baptist University and Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. In November 2008 Todd became the teaching pastor of Church of the Saviour in Wayne, Pennsylvania.

http://info.alliancenet.org/mos/podcast/bully-pulpit-gobbledygook

Children and Obedience

The following is taken from an article by John Piper titled Parents, Require Obedience of Your Children.

I am writing this to plead with Christian parents to require obedience of their children. I am moved to write this by watching young children pay no attention to their parents’ requests, with no consequences. Parents tell a child two or three times to sit or stop and come or go, and after the third disobedience, they laughingly bribe the child. This may or may not get the behavior desired.

Last week, I saw two things that prompted this article. One was the killing of 13-year-old Andy Lopez in Santa Rosa, California, by police who thought he was about to shoot them with an assault rifle. It was a toy gun. What made this relevant was that the police said they told the boy two times to drop the gun. Instead he turned it on them. They fired.

I do not know the details of that situation or if Andy even heard the commands. So I can’t say for sure he was insubordinate. So my point here is not about young Lopez himself. It’s about a “what if.” What if he heard the police, and simply defied what they said? If that is true, it cost him his life. Such would be the price of disobeying proper authority.

A Tragedy in the Making

I witnessed such a scenario in the making on a plane last week. I watched a mother preparing her son to be shot.

I was sitting behind her and her son, who may have been seven years old. He was playing on his digital tablet. The flight attendant announced that all electronic devices should be turned off for take off. He didn’t turn it off. The mother didn’t require it. As the flight attendant walked by, she said he needed to turn it off and kept moving. He didn’t do it. The mother didn’t require it.

One last time, the flight attendant stood over them and said that the boy would need to give the device to his mother. He turned it off. When the flight attendant took her seat, the boy turned his device back on, and kept it on through the take off. The mother did nothing. I thought to myself, she is training him to be shot by police.

Rescue from Foolish Parenting

The defiance and laziness of unbelieving parents I can understand. I have biblical categories of the behavior of the spiritually blind. But the neglect of Christian parents perplexes me. What is behind the failure to require and receive obedience? I’m not sure. But it may be that these nine observations will help rescue some parents from the folly of laissez-faire parenting.

Read the Nine Observations HERE

An Important but Neglected Distinction

There is an important distinction which is absolutely vital to good theology and to a healthy Christian life. It is also a distinction which seems to have been missed by large numbers of people on both the left and the right of the theological spectrum. It is the distinction between childish and childlike. Christians are called to have a faith with the latter quality; not so the former.

I suspect that future generations may well look back on the present day as an era of unsurpassed childishness in the history of mankind. The vast amounts of money paid to grown men to play playground games for the entertainment of the rest of us simply beggars belief.   The cultural influence ascribed to young pop stars is quite bizarre. I mean, whatever one's opinion of government health care, surely we can all agree that Justin Bieber's opinions on the matter can be safely ignored? And the compulsive need of otherwise apparently intelligent people to tweet the most mind-boggling banalities of their lives into the public domain is startling. To these relatively trivial acts of childishness we might also add the more sinister: the development of a political and legal culture which refuses to recognize any shades of grey. As to morality, the spoiled infants really have taken over the universe of moral discourse when a man who deserts his wife for another man is more likely to be hailed as a cultural hero because of his courageous honesty than decried as a sleazy cretin for his cowardly capitulation to his hormones.

Sadly, this pervades the church as well. Many megachurches have grown prosperous through the strange, unexpected but undoubtedly successful marriage of a broadly orthodox theology with childish idioms. Further, many Christians in churches that are not so 'mega' have their childish ways and their childish people. It is not simply those pastors who dress like slovenly thirteen year olds when they preach that exhibit such qualities. All of us can be tempted in this direction when we are not given what we want and proceed immediately thereafter to throw out of our little prams whatever toys we happen to have. And what can one say about the consistent failure of the Christian twitterati, from the least to the greatest, to understand that some things are for public consumption and that some things are to be kept private? Knowing when to speak in public and when to keep discreetly and modestly quiet (especially about one's own successes) used to be a basic part of what it meant to grow up.  

Perhaps at the very heart of childishness lies the inability to acknowledge any kind of external authority. The toddler screaming for the confiscated teddy bear is expressing outrage that his world has been changed against his will, in much the same way as the teenager whose life has (and I quote) 'been like totally ruined' because her cell phone has been taken away from her for the evening by an irate parent. So much of what we think of as childish behavior, such as  tantrums, petty rule breaking, and insolence, contains a significant dose of the repudiation of external authority.

Some years ago I remember engaging someone on the issue of biblical authority. This individual, at the time a professing Christian, simply could not accept the claims that the Bible made on his life. Gradually, I noticed a pattern emerging: this person also hated the fact that his employer held him accountable, that there were elders in the church who wanted to hold him accountable, and that his father had held him accountable. It became clear to me that this person was not struggling with biblical authority in particular; he was struggling with external authority in general. Ironically, the West has tended to hold up such individualism and independence as a sign of maturity. As we see the latest stage of that project unfolding before us and the Western world becoming a place where law courts are needed to decide where five year olds can use the bathroom, I think the childishness of the trajectory becomes all too clear.  And, by the way, in the case to which I allude, it is the five year olds, not the adults, who have won. That should tell you something.

Childlikeness, however, is the very antithesis of childishness. If childishness involves the refusal to acknowledge external authority, and thus a refusal to acknowledge one's own limits and one's own lack of uniqueness in this world, childlikeness is very different. To be childlike is to accept that one is not the measure of all things. Children at their best are those who look to others, especially adults, that they might learn things of which they are as yet ignorant. Being childlike involves trusting the parent or the older sibling for protection, drawing on their wisdom, knowing that the grown-ups have competences and abilities which are there to help. 

In the Christian world, one might add that it involves an acceptance of the power and authority of God, of the sufficiency of his revelation, and of the full adequacy of the salvation he has wrought in Christ. It also involves being involved in the local church, looking to the elders and the deacons for support and for nurture. It involves realising that one does not stand apart from, or above, the body of Christ: one is part of it and under his authority as the head.

To return to the example of the man I mentioned above. I recall a comment by Karl Barth concerning scripture. Now, while I do not endorse Barth's view of scripture, this saying has stayed with me since I read it. It went something like this: I know that scripture is the word of God in the way that I know my mother is my mother. Now, I confess that I have never asked my mother to take a DNA test. I do have a copy of my birth certificate, on which her name appears, but I have never used this as a basis for my relationship with her, nor have I ever tried to find out if the certificate had been somehow forged as part of a wider conspiracy to confuse me. I have always simply known that my mother is mother and I do not regard my conviction in this matter as remotely irrational, embarrassing, ill-founded or ridiculous. I confess that I do recall in one particularly unpleasant row in my teenage years yelling 'You're not my mother!' but the cry was a calculatedly cruel insult, not a statement of biological fact or of personal belief. I would also argue that, ironically, the statement marked the high watermark of my teenage stupidity and childishness.

Herman Bavinck says that the Christian accepts God's special revelation in Christ in childlike faith. That is an implausible claim in a world where childlikeness is so despised and childishness so exalted. But it captures nicely the thought expressed by Christ himself who pointed to children as paradigmatic for the manner in which his words should be received.  

Growth in Christian maturity should manifest itself in numerous ways. One of them is that we should become less and less enamoured  with the myths we tell ourselves of how unique we are as individuals, of how we have limitless potential, of how we really do have the last word on everything. In short, we should become less childish. Instead, we should become more conscious of how we are really just like everyone else - limited, dependent, finite, fallen. We should also learn more and more to find our fulfillment in resting in the simple biblical, catechetical faith which describes who we are, what we need, and how we can find it in submitting in humble and reverent faith to Christ. In other words, we should become less childish and more childlike.

Article by Dr. Carl R. Trueman is Paul Woolley Professor of Church History at Westminster Theological Seminary. His latest book is The Creedal Imperative (Crossway, 2012).

Pastoral Visitation: The God-Given Responsibility to Shepherd

God has given to the elders of His Church the responsibility to shepherd His flock. Paul says in Acts 20:28, "Pay attention to yourselves and to all of the flock among which the Holy Spirit has set you to be overseers to shepherd God's church, that He acquired with His own blood." Similarly, Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:1-3, "Therefore, I urge the elders among you, as a fellow elder and witness of Christ's sufferings and as a sharer of the glory that is going to be revealed, to shepherd God's flock among you, exercising shepherdly care over it, not out of obligation but willingly, as God would have you do it; not out of eagerness to make a personal profit, but out of eagerness to serve; not lording it over those allotted to your charge, but by becoming models for the flock."

This is no small task. Church officers will give an answer to God for the discharge of their office.  In fact, Hebrews 13:17 says, "Obey your leaders and submit to them. They are keeping watch over your lives as men who will have to give an account." One of the principle ways this oversight is exercised is in pastoral visitation.  

Yet, sad to say, pastoral visits are not always used in a manner that allows the parties involved to reap the greatest spiritual benefits. One thing you may do to increase the profit of a pastoral visit is to prepare for it. If families prepared for pastoral visits, then the time spent would be extremely more profitable. How then does one prepare?   

Taking a Spiritual Inventory

In the first place, use the occasion of a pastoral visit to take a spiritual inventory of your life.  Examine yourself, your relationship to God, and others (your family, neighbors, co-workers, the world, etc.) to determine how you are doing spiritually. Seek an answer to such questions as:  How do I know for sure that I am a Christian? Am I engaged in regular Bible Study and prayer?  Can I say with certainty that on a daily basis I am dying to sin, and living more righteously?  What sins am I struggling with? Can I point to areas in my life where I have grown? If you have a family, then ask yourself these questions: How is my family doing spiritually? What am I doing regarding family devotions? Do I see any evidence of grace in the lives of my children? Are my children showing an increased interest in the things of the Lord? Do they like prayer, Bible reading, attending worship, and singing hymns and psalms? If you prepare in this way, then you will be able to give a substantive answer when asked about your spiritual growth. Furthermore, you will benefit spiritually from the period of self-examination.   

Being Honest About Your Problems

Out of this spiritual inventory should flow a second area of preparation. Are there any areas in your Christian experience with which you are having problems? In James 5:16 we are called to confess our sins to one another. The pastoral visit is the perfect time to be honest and open about your problems. Are you having trouble with consistently studying the Bible or family devotions? Is there a particular sin that continues to get the upper hand in your life? Do not wait until the problem is insurmountable. Be prepared to share your problems and to seek counsel and prayer concerning them.     

Seeking the Advice of Your Elders

   

A third area of preparation deals with the direct solicitation of advice. Be prepared to ask those visiting you if they see any problem areas in your life (or in the lives of your family members) that need to be addressed. Do not be afraid to ask these kinds of questions. We have all had spiritual blinders on at one time or another. Seeking the advice of others who have gone through similar difficulties will provide you with helpful insights to deal with your problems. In the same manner, ask your elders if there are things that you could be doing to serve the Lord. We all have promised to support the work of the church with our time, talents and treasures. Finding out where we can be of use not only blesses us, but will also give us an opportunity to be a blessing to our brothers and sisters in the Lord.   

Your Spiritual Doctors Are Here to Serve You

When an individual goes to his doctor for a check-up, he usually gives some thought to how he is feeling. The individual evaluates his various aches and pains, seeking to determine which are important and which are not. The tragedy is that sometimes a person may fail to tell the doctor about a particular symptom because he deems it unimportant, or worse, because he is afraid of what it might mean. Yet, that symptom might be the early warning sign of some serious disease that could be remedied more easily in its present state. If the problem is ignored, then the disease worsens, until finally measures that are more serious need to be taken, or as it happens, it is too late to act. Your elders are physicians of your soul. Their task will be much easier and more effective if you will examine yourself and speak openly and frankly to them about your spiritual condition and needs. Remember that an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure. This maxim is true for our spiritual life as well. Let us practice spiritual preventative medicine! 

Below is a list of questions for both congregants and elders to review before a pastoral visit:

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves.  2 Cor. 13:5 

I.      YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF YOURSELF 

* Do you know for sure that you are a Christian? 

* Are you engaged in regular Bible Study? Alternatively, are you having difficulty with consistent Bible Study and family devotions? 

* How is your prayer life? Do you pray regularly? 

* Can you point to areas of your life where you have grown recently? 

* Are there any areas in your Christian experience in which you are having problems? 

* Is there a particular temptation or sin that continues to defeat you spiritually? 

* Where would you like to see yourself be spiritually in 1 year, 5 years, 10 years? 

II.     YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF GOD 

* What has God been teaching you about Himself lately? Or, what Attribute of God has meant the most to you recently? 

* Are there any theological truths/doctrines that you are wrestling with, confused about, or need clarification on? Have any of your theological beliefs changed? 

* What Christian books have you read lately? 

* Are you able to share your faith with others? If not, would you be interested in learning how to share your faith?  Would you like to be discipled? 

III.    YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE WORLD 

* If you have a family, how is your family doing spiritually? What are you doing with respect to family devotions (Bible reading, prayer, catechism, etc.)? 

* Do you see any evidence of grace in the lives of your children? Are they showing an increased interest in the things of the Lord? Do they like to pray and read the Bible? Are they baptized?   Are they ready to make a profession of faith?   

* How is your relationship with your Spouse? Children? Others? 

* How do others see your walk as a Christian (home, neighbors, work, church, etc.)? 

* How are you seeking to affect the world around you with your Christian faith? 

IV.     YOUR RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHURCH 

* What would you like to see improved at our Church? 

* What do you especially like about our Church? 

* What kind of advice/counsel can we provide you with at this time?

Article by Joseph A. Pipa, Jr. published August 2013

Dr. Joseph A. Pipa, Jr. is President and Professor of Historical and Systematic Theology at Greenville Presbyterian Theological Seminary in Greenville, South Carolina. He has pastored churches is Mississippi, Texas, and California and is the author of numerous books, the latest of which is Galatians: God's Proclamation of Liberty (Christian Focus, 2011).