DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH
Doctrine 28 / 36: The Lord's Supper
The night before Jesus' crucifixion, Jesus gathered His disciples to Him to have their last supper together before He was to be killed. After this meal, they went to the garden to pray and then He was taken to be tried and executed. At this supper, Jesus institutes one of the ordinances that He gives to the church, and which Paul reiterates in 1 Corinthians 11, the Lord's Supper (1 Corinthians 11:20), or Communion (1 Corinthians 10:16).
The Lord's Supper consists of two elements: the cup, and the bread. The "bread" refers to the body of Christ that was broken for the world (Matthew 26:26). Jesus is the "bread of life" (John 6:35), and He was broken. The "fruit of the vine" or the "cup" as it is referred to when speaking of the Lord's Supper is a representative of blood (Matthew 26:28). Often grape juice, or wine, is a picture of blood in the Bible (Revelation 14:20). The Lord's Supper was a direct picture of the braking of Jesus' body, and the spilling out of His blood on the cross.
Jesus gives the purpose for the Lord's Supper when He says, "this do in remembrance of me" (Luke 22:19, 1 Corinthians 11:24). The Lord's Supper is a time when the church is to come together and specially think on the sacrifice, the broken body and spilled blood of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. Paul explains another element of the Lord's Supper when he refers to it as "Communion." "The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?" (1 Corinthians 10:16). Paul is here explaining the mystery of the Body of Christ, and how when a believer takes part in the blood and body of Christ, he is put into communion with Christ. This communion with Christ carries on to the communion with fellow believers. The Lord's Supper is also to be a time of communion, of fellowship, with the fellow saints of God. For that reason, everyone is to eat dinner at home before coming to the Lord's Supper so that carnal lusts do not arise and cause division among the brethren for simple food (1 Corinthians 11:18-22).
A grave warning is issued to those that are partaking in the Lord's Supper. "Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body" (1 Corinthians 11:27-28). The Lord's Supper is to remind the saints that Christ died for their sins. It was their sins which necessitated a Savior and His sacrifice. The Lord's Supper is to be a time to remember this, to remember the sacrifice, and motivate the Christian to live right. If a person despises the work on the cross, and if he shows it during the Lord's Supper, he is "not discerning the Lord's body." No man is worthy of partaking of the body of Christ; it is those that treat Christ's sacrifice unworthily that bring damnation to themselves. The Lord's Supper is to be a time to sanctify one's self, and to demonstrate that he does live right. It is improper to eat of the Lord's table, and then turn around and eat of the "table of the devil," and all that he offers in this world (1 Corinthians 10:21).
Transubstantiation is the Roman Catholic doctrine that teaches that the bread and juice of the Lord's Supper actually change their substance into the literal body and blood of Jesus. They make Communion a necessary part of a man's salvation because "Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you" (John 6:53). However, at the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples that the bread and juice they were eating were His body and blood, yet His body had not been broken as of yet. He was speaking spiritually, not physically (John 6:63). The drinking of blood is prohibited in the Bible (Leviticus 17:10-11; Acts 15:20), and if Christ were speaking literally, He would be violating His own laws.
Consubstantiation is the teaching held by some, including the Lutherans, that the elements to not actually change into the body and blood of Christ, but in a very real, and spiritual way, He is present in the bread and juice. The Bible teaches that the elements are there to help the believers remember what Christ did. There is not a spiritual significance in the actual bread any more than there would be in the bread offered to an idol; it is still the same bread. It is what is done with the bread and juice that makes them important.
"This is my blood of the new testament."
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Thesis 27/36 Missions
After having just finished a great missions conference, this essay ought to have been, and was, a bit easier to write -- now if only we live it...
DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH
Doctrine 27 / 36: Missions
The Bible is God's message to man about His plan of redemption of the whole world. It begins in Genesis 1-2 with His story of creation, followed in Genesis 3 by the Fall of man. Genesis 3:15 gives the redemptive plan, in terms that were quite vague at the time, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." This was a prophecy about the cross, and also about when Jesus will return to the earth, Satan will be cast into the Lake of Fire, and God's saints will be with Him. The rest of the story of the Bible between Genesis 3 and Revelation 20, is simply the unveiling of that great plan, in more detail.
In the present age, God has chosen to use His church to be the method for making His plan of redemption known to the lost world. Paul writes, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13). This is God's desire, that men would call upon His name and be saved. However, as Paul continues in verse 14, "How then shall they call on him, in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" It is true that faith comes ultimately through the hearing of the word of God (Romans 10:17), but somebody must deliver the word of God to the hearer, through preaching (Titus 1:2).
Jesus commanded His disciples to "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). The responsibility for the church is to reach the entire world with the gospel. He gives the geographical structure for how this is to work: "And ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Jesus was speaking literally of the order in which the gospel was to be spread in the first century AD, however the principle of using that structure can apply to any local church. Missions begins at home with evangelism. It spreads to the immediate neighbors around you, and then to the next area within reach, until the uttermost has been reached. It is not enough to only have impact on the local community; the whole world is the responsibility of all the church. At the same time, reaching the uttermost part of the earth is still an incomplete obedience if evangelism is not taken care of in the local area. The analogy of a lighthouse works great to illustrate this point. The lighthouse will only shine as far as the strength of light that it has. The local church is that lighthouse, and the stronger the church is, the further it will reach in the world.
The local church is responsible to work in world missions in at least three ways. First, it is to give of its human resources. The early church in Antioch was instructed by God to send out two of its finest teachers to leave the church and go on foreign missions (Acts 13:2-3). The local church's responsibility is not to consume all of its talent on itself, but rather to send it out to the world at God's instruction. Second, the local church ought to give financially to the foreign missionary inasmuch as he is laboring on their behalf, and the laborer is worthy of his reward (1 Timothy 5:18). And as the missionary has been a spiritual benefit to the church, it also should care for his physical needs (Romans 15:27). Third, the local church is given the task to pray. When the local church prays for the world missionary, the individuals in that church are said to be striving together with that missionary in their prayers to God for him (Romans 15:30). The sending church is actually said to have a part in the fruit of that missionary (Philippians 4:17).
The purpose of the world missionary is to give the gospel, to preach, to teach, to baptize, and to disciple (Matthew 28:19-20). This is all done by the power of the Holy Spirit, and not in his own power (Matthew 28:18, Acts 1:8). The missionary must be sure to not confuse his task. Some people are called missionaries who provide physical relief, whether it be in the form of medical aid, financial, construction, or any other physical benefit. While these people have their mission, and therefore can be classified as a missionary, the physical relief must not be confused with God's spiritual call to preach the gospel. Certainly, true religion gives to those in need (James 1:27), but God's sent ones, those sent to His mission, will be preachers of the gospel.
"As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you."
DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH
Doctrine 27 / 36: Missions
The Bible is God's message to man about His plan of redemption of the whole world. It begins in Genesis 1-2 with His story of creation, followed in Genesis 3 by the Fall of man. Genesis 3:15 gives the redemptive plan, in terms that were quite vague at the time, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." This was a prophecy about the cross, and also about when Jesus will return to the earth, Satan will be cast into the Lake of Fire, and God's saints will be with Him. The rest of the story of the Bible between Genesis 3 and Revelation 20, is simply the unveiling of that great plan, in more detail.
In the present age, God has chosen to use His church to be the method for making His plan of redemption known to the lost world. Paul writes, "Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13). This is God's desire, that men would call upon His name and be saved. However, as Paul continues in verse 14, "How then shall they call on him, in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?" It is true that faith comes ultimately through the hearing of the word of God (Romans 10:17), but somebody must deliver the word of God to the hearer, through preaching (Titus 1:2).
Jesus commanded His disciples to "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature" (Mark 16:15). The responsibility for the church is to reach the entire world with the gospel. He gives the geographical structure for how this is to work: "And ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Jesus was speaking literally of the order in which the gospel was to be spread in the first century AD, however the principle of using that structure can apply to any local church. Missions begins at home with evangelism. It spreads to the immediate neighbors around you, and then to the next area within reach, until the uttermost has been reached. It is not enough to only have impact on the local community; the whole world is the responsibility of all the church. At the same time, reaching the uttermost part of the earth is still an incomplete obedience if evangelism is not taken care of in the local area. The analogy of a lighthouse works great to illustrate this point. The lighthouse will only shine as far as the strength of light that it has. The local church is that lighthouse, and the stronger the church is, the further it will reach in the world.
The local church is responsible to work in world missions in at least three ways. First, it is to give of its human resources. The early church in Antioch was instructed by God to send out two of its finest teachers to leave the church and go on foreign missions (Acts 13:2-3). The local church's responsibility is not to consume all of its talent on itself, but rather to send it out to the world at God's instruction. Second, the local church ought to give financially to the foreign missionary inasmuch as he is laboring on their behalf, and the laborer is worthy of his reward (1 Timothy 5:18). And as the missionary has been a spiritual benefit to the church, it also should care for his physical needs (Romans 15:27). Third, the local church is given the task to pray. When the local church prays for the world missionary, the individuals in that church are said to be striving together with that missionary in their prayers to God for him (Romans 15:30). The sending church is actually said to have a part in the fruit of that missionary (Philippians 4:17).
The purpose of the world missionary is to give the gospel, to preach, to teach, to baptize, and to disciple (Matthew 28:19-20). This is all done by the power of the Holy Spirit, and not in his own power (Matthew 28:18, Acts 1:8). The missionary must be sure to not confuse his task. Some people are called missionaries who provide physical relief, whether it be in the form of medical aid, financial, construction, or any other physical benefit. While these people have their mission, and therefore can be classified as a missionary, the physical relief must not be confused with God's spiritual call to preach the gospel. Certainly, true religion gives to those in need (James 1:27), but God's sent ones, those sent to His mission, will be preachers of the gospel.
"As my Father hath sent me, even so send I you."
Thesis 26/36: Baptism
DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH:
Doctrine 26 / 36: Baptism
There are different types of baptisms talked about in the Bible. Not every time that the word "baptism" is used does it refer to the water baptism of a Christian. The last command that Jesus gave to His disciples when He left the earth to be with the Father was to, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19). Baptism, in the New Testament, is an association the believer makes with Christ, in His death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:4). The Christian was not literally hanging on a cross outside of Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, nor was the Christian literally buried in a tomb, nor did he literally rise from the dead. However, baptism is the picture that the Christian performs to associate with those events.
An entire denomination of Christianity has been formed primarily based on a distinct view of baptism. While most of Christianity practices the baptism of infants of Christian families, the Baptists are one of the few denominations of Christianity that follow the example of baptism in the Bible, wherein only those that professed faith in Jesus Christ were baptized. The perfect picture of that is the Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8. Once Philip expounded to him the truth of the Scripture, the eunuch asked Philip, "See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" (Acts 8:36). The answer that Philip gave him shows that baptism is a practice for believers, and it is not for unbelievers or children that are too young to believe: "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest" (Acts 8:37). In Acts 10:47 there is another picture of this in that Peter asked why anyone should forbid baptizing some new converts, "which have received the Holy Ghost." Baptism in the New Testament is exclusively exercised with believers.
There are different baptisms in the Bible. For example, 1 Corinthians 10:2 reads, "And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea." The Israelites were "baptized," but it does not refer to a believer's water baptism. John the Baptist also baptized people, but the baptism of John was for repentance, and was directed to Israel. When those disciples in Acts 19 told Paul that they were baptized of John, he corrected them saying that his baptism was not what was necessary, but rather that they should be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:5).
There is only one baptism of the Holy Spirit, as John the Baptist talked about about in John 1:33, "And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." This baptism of the Holy Ghost is the one baptism through which all believers go, when the Holy Spirit baptizes the believer into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). This does not refer to water baptism, but to the actual immersing of the believer into the body of Christ. (The word "baptize" is actually a transliteration from the Greek word "baptizo" which means to immerse.) When Jesus came to baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire (Matthew 3:11), He was categorizing all people into either the body of Christ, or those that would be lost and go to hell fire. The baptism of fire was not experienced on the day of Pentecost, but will be experienced when Christ immerses those who do not believe in Him, into the Lake of Fire. The Bible teaches that there is one baptism of the Spirit, occurring at the time of salvation, and not a second baptism of the Spirit at some later point in the believer's life.
Care must be taken when reading the Bible to not confuse baptism and water. As was seen, there are more baptisms than simply water, and also, any time water is spoken of, it does not need to mean water baptism. Some have taken John 3:5 to mean that unless a person is baptized in water, he can not be saved, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Their interpretation is that being born of water is being baptized. However, the very next verse shows that Jesus is contrasting the flesh with the Spirit and saying that unless you are born physically and spiritually, you will not be saved. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6). To be born of water is compared with being born of the flesh, and it speaks of the physical water present at childbirth.
"I am crucified with Christ."
Doctrine 26 / 36: Baptism
There are different types of baptisms talked about in the Bible. Not every time that the word "baptism" is used does it refer to the water baptism of a Christian. The last command that Jesus gave to His disciples when He left the earth to be with the Father was to, "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19). Baptism, in the New Testament, is an association the believer makes with Christ, in His death, burial and resurrection (Romans 6:4). The Christian was not literally hanging on a cross outside of Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, nor was the Christian literally buried in a tomb, nor did he literally rise from the dead. However, baptism is the picture that the Christian performs to associate with those events.
An entire denomination of Christianity has been formed primarily based on a distinct view of baptism. While most of Christianity practices the baptism of infants of Christian families, the Baptists are one of the few denominations of Christianity that follow the example of baptism in the Bible, wherein only those that professed faith in Jesus Christ were baptized. The perfect picture of that is the Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8. Once Philip expounded to him the truth of the Scripture, the eunuch asked Philip, "See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" (Acts 8:36). The answer that Philip gave him shows that baptism is a practice for believers, and it is not for unbelievers or children that are too young to believe: "If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest" (Acts 8:37). In Acts 10:47 there is another picture of this in that Peter asked why anyone should forbid baptizing some new converts, "which have received the Holy Ghost." Baptism in the New Testament is exclusively exercised with believers.
There are different baptisms in the Bible. For example, 1 Corinthians 10:2 reads, "And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea." The Israelites were "baptized," but it does not refer to a believer's water baptism. John the Baptist also baptized people, but the baptism of John was for repentance, and was directed to Israel. When those disciples in Acts 19 told Paul that they were baptized of John, he corrected them saying that his baptism was not what was necessary, but rather that they should be baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (Acts 19:5).
There is only one baptism of the Holy Spirit, as John the Baptist talked about about in John 1:33, "And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost." This baptism of the Holy Ghost is the one baptism through which all believers go, when the Holy Spirit baptizes the believer into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). This does not refer to water baptism, but to the actual immersing of the believer into the body of Christ. (The word "baptize" is actually a transliteration from the Greek word "baptizo" which means to immerse.) When Jesus came to baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire (Matthew 3:11), He was categorizing all people into either the body of Christ, or those that would be lost and go to hell fire. The baptism of fire was not experienced on the day of Pentecost, but will be experienced when Christ immerses those who do not believe in Him, into the Lake of Fire. The Bible teaches that there is one baptism of the Spirit, occurring at the time of salvation, and not a second baptism of the Spirit at some later point in the believer's life.
Care must be taken when reading the Bible to not confuse baptism and water. As was seen, there are more baptisms than simply water, and also, any time water is spoken of, it does not need to mean water baptism. Some have taken John 3:5 to mean that unless a person is baptized in water, he can not be saved, "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." Their interpretation is that being born of water is being baptized. However, the very next verse shows that Jesus is contrasting the flesh with the Spirit and saying that unless you are born physically and spiritually, you will not be saved. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (John 3:6). To be born of water is compared with being born of the flesh, and it speaks of the physical water present at childbirth.
"I am crucified with Christ."
Monday, April 7, 2008
Thesis 25/36: Church
DOCTRINES OF THE CHURCH
Doctrine 25 / 36: The Church
Ephesians 4 teaches that when Jesus ascended into heaven, from there He gave gifts unto His church (Ephesians 4:6-8). Some of the roles that were given by His gracious gifts were apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). These different gifts were given to the church, the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:4). The purpose for these roles is found in verses 12-15, where it says, "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ." Christ gave gifts to those in the church for the mutual edifying of itself, to grow each individual in the church into the image of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:15-16).
The church is considered the bride of Jesus Christ in Ephesians 5:23-33; the relationship is to be the same as a husband to the wife. Just as a husband is to be "one flesh" with his wife, so the bride of Christ, is in fact one body with Christ (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 6:15; Ephesians 1:22-23). The church as a whole is the body of Christ. The purpose then of the body of Christ, is the same purpose that Christ had when His body was present on earth. Christians are to be, "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body" (2 Corinthians 4:10). The life of Jesus Christ Himself is to be lived through His body, the church. The purpose of the church then is, as was Jesus' purpose, "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Also, as was already suggested from Ephesians 4, the body of Christ is to mutually encourage itself to be sanctified and holy, without spot or wrinkle, like Christ (Ephesians 5:27; 1 Peter 1:19). The purpose of the church can be summed up by the Great Commission, to go, preach and teach or, to evangelize and disciple (Matthew 28:19-20).
There are some that understand the word "church" in the Bible to refer solely to the local assembly. While the Bible certainly does refer to the church as being the local assembly, at times it refers to the church as a whole, as the entire body of Christ. The fact that it refers to the local assemblies can be seen in the use of the word "churches" (Acts 16;5; 2 Corinthians 12:13; Revelation 1:4). But as has been already seen, the church is the body of Christ, and "by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free" (1 Corinthians 12:12). There is one body of Christ (Ephesians 4:4); He will not have many brides. Therefore the use of the word "church" at times is referring to the local church, but at times to the universal body of Christ. The entire body of Christ is to be unified, and share with each other, encouraging and exhorting each other.
"Upon this rock I will build my church."
Doctrine 25 / 36: The Church
Ephesians 4 teaches that when Jesus ascended into heaven, from there He gave gifts unto His church (Ephesians 4:6-8). Some of the roles that were given by His gracious gifts were apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers (Ephesians 4:11). These different gifts were given to the church, the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:4). The purpose for these roles is found in verses 12-15, where it says, "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ." Christ gave gifts to those in the church for the mutual edifying of itself, to grow each individual in the church into the image of Jesus Christ (Ephesians 4:15-16).
The church is considered the bride of Jesus Christ in Ephesians 5:23-33; the relationship is to be the same as a husband to the wife. Just as a husband is to be "one flesh" with his wife, so the bride of Christ, is in fact one body with Christ (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 6:15; Ephesians 1:22-23). The church as a whole is the body of Christ. The purpose then of the body of Christ, is the same purpose that Christ had when His body was present on earth. Christians are to be, "Always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body" (2 Corinthians 4:10). The life of Jesus Christ Himself is to be lived through His body, the church. The purpose of the church then is, as was Jesus' purpose, "to seek and to save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). Also, as was already suggested from Ephesians 4, the body of Christ is to mutually encourage itself to be sanctified and holy, without spot or wrinkle, like Christ (Ephesians 5:27; 1 Peter 1:19). The purpose of the church can be summed up by the Great Commission, to go, preach and teach or, to evangelize and disciple (Matthew 28:19-20).
There are some that understand the word "church" in the Bible to refer solely to the local assembly. While the Bible certainly does refer to the church as being the local assembly, at times it refers to the church as a whole, as the entire body of Christ. The fact that it refers to the local assemblies can be seen in the use of the word "churches" (Acts 16;5; 2 Corinthians 12:13; Revelation 1:4). But as has been already seen, the church is the body of Christ, and "by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free" (1 Corinthians 12:12). There is one body of Christ (Ephesians 4:4); He will not have many brides. Therefore the use of the word "church" at times is referring to the local church, but at times to the universal body of Christ. The entire body of Christ is to be unified, and share with each other, encouraging and exhorting each other.
"Upon this rock I will build my church."
Sunday, April 6, 2008
Thesis 24/36: Rightly Dividing the Word
DOCTRINES OF SCRIPTURE:
Doctrine 24 / 36: Rightly Dividing the Word
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). The Christian is commanded to divide the word of truth rightly. This entails distributing the word of truth at the appropriate time and to the appropriate people, but it also entails appropriating the right passages of Scripture to the believer.
The Bible is God's book revealing His plan of redemption for the world. As Clarence Larkin writes, "The Holy Scriptures are not a systematic treatise on Theology, History, Science or any other topic. They are a REVELATION from God of His Plan and Purpose in the Ages as to the earth and the human race" (Larkin, 1). Since the Bible is not simply a book to systematically teach on some topic, it was not designed in a manner in which any portion of Scripture may be used to apply at any time. God's plan for the human race has been progressively revealed through time. For example, God told Adam that a seed would come (Genesis 3:15), yet Adam was unaware that the seed would be the Son of God. In the Old Testament, God revealed that a Messiah would come, and more and more details were given of Him. However, even when He did come, the Jews did not recognize Him for Who He was. In the New Testament, all of the sufferings of the Messiah and the Deity of the Messiah are able to be clearly understood. God has revealed His plan through time and progressively through the Scriptures.
As a part of God's overall plan for mankind, He established different covenants with different peoples. Each of these interactions with man came with different terms for each. These different economies, or dispensations, can be categorized into ten distinct ages: Innocence (Creation to Fall), Conscience (Fall to Noah), Human Government (Noah to Abraham), Promise (Abraham to Exodus), Law (Exodus to Crucifixion), Apostolic (Crucifixion to Paul), Church (Paul to Rapture), Tribulation (Rapture to Second Coming), Millennium (Second Coming to End of Millennium), Eternity Future. During each of these ages, God had, has, or will have different things for His people to do in order to demonstrate their faith. The fact of the matter is that all salvation given by God since the Fall has been given because of God's grace, given to those of faith, and that faith is a faith that is manifested with works. However, the works which believers did during the age of Promise were different works than those done during the age of Law. Abraham was told to offer his son Isaac to demonstrate his faith. In the law, they were to offer animal sacrifices as a demonstration of their faith. The animal sacrifices themselves were unable to save them, but rather God did not impute sin to those that had faith (Romans 4). In the Church Age, the animal sacrifices were done away with Christ.
However, even though God dealt with different people differently, that does not mean that what He said to people in different ages, and how He dealt with people in different ages, is not important for the Christian. "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning..." (Romans 15:4), and "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16). All Scripture is advantageous for the church. All Scripture was written for the profit of the church, yet all Scripture is not written to the church.
Some care must be given when looking at certain portions of Scripture to know to whom it is written. Some would take books in the New Testament, written during the church age, and suggest that the doctrine contained in the book does not apply to the church. For example, the book of Hebrews is written to the Jews as the title of the book suggests. However, the book was written during the church age, and not during the Old Testament. However, the doctrine of Hebrews is not to be thrown out because it was written to the Jews, but care must be given to how to understand what was written. As Clarence Larkin writes, "In the Epistle to the Hebrews many Christians stumble at the words, 'sin wilfully,' 'fall away' (Heb. 6:4-6), and 'if we sin wilfully,' Heb. 10:26. But these words do not apply to Christians. They were spoken to apostate Jewish professors of Christianity who had never been born again, and who, if they did not accept Jesus as their Messiah, practically crucified Him again, and were as bad as their brethren who did crucify Him" (Larkin, 3). In this example, it is properly recognized that the recipients of the letter was a particular culture, the Hebrews, yet the teaching of the passage is doctrine during the church. Knowing to whom it was written helps understand what preconceived biases the recipients held. It was not written to the believing church, but the believing church can and learn from it.
"That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace."
Works Cited:
Larkin, Clarence. Rightly Dividing the Word. Philadephia: Erwin W. Moyer Co., Printers, 1943
Doctrine 24 / 36: Rightly Dividing the Word
"Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Timothy 2:15). The Christian is commanded to divide the word of truth rightly. This entails distributing the word of truth at the appropriate time and to the appropriate people, but it also entails appropriating the right passages of Scripture to the believer.
The Bible is God's book revealing His plan of redemption for the world. As Clarence Larkin writes, "The Holy Scriptures are not a systematic treatise on Theology, History, Science or any other topic. They are a REVELATION from God of His Plan and Purpose in the Ages as to the earth and the human race" (Larkin, 1). Since the Bible is not simply a book to systematically teach on some topic, it was not designed in a manner in which any portion of Scripture may be used to apply at any time. God's plan for the human race has been progressively revealed through time. For example, God told Adam that a seed would come (Genesis 3:15), yet Adam was unaware that the seed would be the Son of God. In the Old Testament, God revealed that a Messiah would come, and more and more details were given of Him. However, even when He did come, the Jews did not recognize Him for Who He was. In the New Testament, all of the sufferings of the Messiah and the Deity of the Messiah are able to be clearly understood. God has revealed His plan through time and progressively through the Scriptures.
As a part of God's overall plan for mankind, He established different covenants with different peoples. Each of these interactions with man came with different terms for each. These different economies, or dispensations, can be categorized into ten distinct ages: Innocence (Creation to Fall), Conscience (Fall to Noah), Human Government (Noah to Abraham), Promise (Abraham to Exodus), Law (Exodus to Crucifixion), Apostolic (Crucifixion to Paul), Church (Paul to Rapture), Tribulation (Rapture to Second Coming), Millennium (Second Coming to End of Millennium), Eternity Future. During each of these ages, God had, has, or will have different things for His people to do in order to demonstrate their faith. The fact of the matter is that all salvation given by God since the Fall has been given because of God's grace, given to those of faith, and that faith is a faith that is manifested with works. However, the works which believers did during the age of Promise were different works than those done during the age of Law. Abraham was told to offer his son Isaac to demonstrate his faith. In the law, they were to offer animal sacrifices as a demonstration of their faith. The animal sacrifices themselves were unable to save them, but rather God did not impute sin to those that had faith (Romans 4). In the Church Age, the animal sacrifices were done away with Christ.
However, even though God dealt with different people differently, that does not mean that what He said to people in different ages, and how He dealt with people in different ages, is not important for the Christian. "Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning..." (Romans 15:4), and "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" (2 Timothy 3:16). All Scripture is advantageous for the church. All Scripture was written for the profit of the church, yet all Scripture is not written to the church.
Some care must be given when looking at certain portions of Scripture to know to whom it is written. Some would take books in the New Testament, written during the church age, and suggest that the doctrine contained in the book does not apply to the church. For example, the book of Hebrews is written to the Jews as the title of the book suggests. However, the book was written during the church age, and not during the Old Testament. However, the doctrine of Hebrews is not to be thrown out because it was written to the Jews, but care must be given to how to understand what was written. As Clarence Larkin writes, "In the Epistle to the Hebrews many Christians stumble at the words, 'sin wilfully,' 'fall away' (Heb. 6:4-6), and 'if we sin wilfully,' Heb. 10:26. But these words do not apply to Christians. They were spoken to apostate Jewish professors of Christianity who had never been born again, and who, if they did not accept Jesus as their Messiah, practically crucified Him again, and were as bad as their brethren who did crucify Him" (Larkin, 3). In this example, it is properly recognized that the recipients of the letter was a particular culture, the Hebrews, yet the teaching of the passage is doctrine during the church. Knowing to whom it was written helps understand what preconceived biases the recipients held. It was not written to the believing church, but the believing church can and learn from it.
"That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace."
Works Cited:
Larkin, Clarence. Rightly Dividing the Word. Philadephia: Erwin W. Moyer Co., Printers, 1943
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Thesis 23/36: The Word of God
DOCTRINES OF SCRIPTURE
Doctrine 23 / 36: The Word of God
The King James Translators wrote in their prefatory work the following statement demonstrating their thoughts on the Bible. "But now what piety without truth? What truth (what saving truth) without the word of God? What word of God (whereof we may be sure) without the Scripture? The Scriptures we are commanded to search. Joh. 5:39. Isa. 8:20. They are commended that searched & studied them. Act. 17:11 and 8:28, 29. They are reproved that were unskillful in them, or slow to believe them. Mat. 22:29. Luk. 24:25. They can make us wise unto salvation. 2 Tim. 3:15. If we be ignorant, they will instruct us; if out of the way, they will bring us home; if out of order, they will reform us; if in heaviness, comfort us; if dull, quicken us; if cold, inflame us. Tolle, lege; tolle, lege; Take up and read, take up and read the Scriptures."
God has revealed Himself to man with two types of revelation. General Revelation is given to all men. It includes the creation's demonstration that there must be a Creator. It includes the conscience that all men are given so that they know there is good and evil. But General Revelation is limited in regards to the specificity of the message. Special Revelation is when God reaches down and interacts with man in some special or detailed way. He talked with Adam in the Garden. He talked with other ancient fathers verbally. Sometimes He spoke to them in dreams, and sometimes He used His prophets to carry His message to the people. The greatest of His Special Revelation came when He took upon Himself human flesh and dwelt among men. "God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son..." (Hebrews 1:1-2). This message of Jesus Christ was then given to them that saw Him, in order for them to carry it on to others. God gave those men special signs and wonders to confirm the message that they were preaching (Hebrews 2:3-4). These men, the apostles and prophets, recorded their teachings in writing. These writings, inspired by God, were compiled by the early church into what is now known as the Bible, the foundation of Christians (Ephesians 2:20).
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable..." (2 Timothy 3:16). God moved men to write His word by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). What He wanted people to know for millennia to come, he had these men record. And the textual criticism of the New Testament demonstrates that what exists today is the same as what existed 2,000 years ago. The word of God, what God spoke, must be believed and obeyed. To disregard what the Bible says, is to disregard what God says. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).
"Every word of God is pure" (Proverbs 30:5). "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35). God has put great weight on His word. He has promised to keep His word and protect it. Some people would assume that He means that He would protect the message or the general gist of His word. However, as those verses show, He will keep every word. They are His words that are important, not only the message. And truly the message will change if the words change. The reason this is important to bring up is because there are a variety of different translations and versions of the Bible. However, only the train of thought that brings one to the Authorized Version, the King James Version, will be able to maintain that God will preserve each of His words.
The issue of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is overflowing with misunderstandings and ignorant claims made from both sides of the issue. Some think that the people that use the KJV do it solely because it is old-fashioned, and they do not want to change. Some think that the people using the modern translations are simply not Bible-believers, and that they are just people that will change the Bible to fit what they want it to say. While that may be true about people in both of those camps, the issue is not about those things. The issue with the modern translations is not simply an issue of changing a couple of words to update the language, as is commonly thought. There are words, phrases and even complete verses or passages missing from the modern translations (Matthew 17:21; 18:11; 23:14; Mark 16:9-20).
The KJV's translation is superior to the modern translations for three overriding reasons as taught by Dr. D. A. Waite. (Dr. Waite teaches a Four-Fold Superiority, including the "Superior Technique" while referring to Formal vs. Dynamic Equivalency. Since that is an issue dealing with fewer of the modern translations than the other two, it is not given as much significance here.) They are: Superior Texts, Superior Translators and Superior Theology. A brief summary of the three are given below.
Superior Texts: This is the heart of the Bible versions debate. The fact that there are 17 verses missing from the New International Version (NIV), New American Standard Version (NASV), and Revised Version (RV) is not because the language fit better with them missing. Rather, these verses are missing because they are not found in the Greek texts underlying their translations. The KJV was translated from the Textus Receptus, so-called because it was the Received Text throughout the age of the church. However, in 1881, a new Greek Text was released by Westcott and Hort in England, along with it was a new Revised Version translated from that Greek text. Their Greek text has been revised numerous times since then, but the latest versions are still being translated from those Greek texts. The sources behind their Greek text were mostly from two ancient manuscripts, Sinaiticus and Vaticanus. These two manuscripts are older and beautiful, but they do not agree with each other in many places, and have been corrected by numerous editors over the centuries. The Received Text is based on more than 95% of the extant Greek manuscripts. The Received Text is superior in that it has the readings that the church has used throughout the centuries, where the Critical Text, based on Westcott and Hort's, has readings that are brand new to the church.
Superior Translators: The scope of this paper limits the ability to do justice to the translators of the KJV. However, they were men that believed the Bible was the inspired word of God as was seen in their preface. They were preachers and missionaries of the gospel. They were men of prayer. Their intellectual capabilities were also beyond those of the general academia today. Not only were they well taught in the universities, but many of these men grew up engrossed in foreign languages. They would read and write in these other languages, and their familiarity with the language was much greater than simply academic. These men were tutors for kings and for queens. About 50 of these men got together in six different cities in England, beginning in 1604. For the following 7 years, these men translated the Bible. They had such a system so that every verse that was translated was looked at by, at the very minimum, 14 different sets of eyes. In 1611, they finished the work, and the version that was authorized to be translated by King James I, was appointed to be read in the churches.
Superior Theology: This superiority deals with the stronger message that is portrayed in the KJV. The deity of Christ is challenged by the Jehovah's Witnesses. Their Bible that they use, the New World Translation (NWT), follows the NIV in a few verses which have a change that weakens the doctrine of the deity of Christ. "Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body..." (1 Timothy 3:16 NIV). The KJV reads, "God was manifest in the flesh." The context is Jesus Christ, but it is not a big deal that Jesus appeared in a body. History is obvious that there was a man in a body by the name of Jesus. However, when it reads, God was manifest in the flesh, that changes things. There are other doctrines that also change or are weakened in the modern Bibles. Fasting for spiritual power is omitted (Matthew 17:21; Mark 9:29). Some would argue that while these things are obviously important, you can still be saved from the NIV and other modern versions. While this is true, it is important to remember that the Scripture was given that the man of God may be perfect, not just to the starting point (2 Timothy 3:17).
"Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."
Doctrine 23 / 36: The Word of God
The King James Translators wrote in their prefatory work the following statement demonstrating their thoughts on the Bible. "But now what piety without truth? What truth (what saving truth) without the word of God? What word of God (whereof we may be sure) without the Scripture? The Scriptures we are commanded to search. Joh. 5:39. Isa. 8:20. They are commended that searched & studied them. Act. 17:11 and 8:28, 29. They are reproved that were unskillful in them, or slow to believe them. Mat. 22:29. Luk. 24:25. They can make us wise unto salvation. 2 Tim. 3:15. If we be ignorant, they will instruct us; if out of the way, they will bring us home; if out of order, they will reform us; if in heaviness, comfort us; if dull, quicken us; if cold, inflame us. Tolle, lege; tolle, lege; Take up and read, take up and read the Scriptures."
God has revealed Himself to man with two types of revelation. General Revelation is given to all men. It includes the creation's demonstration that there must be a Creator. It includes the conscience that all men are given so that they know there is good and evil. But General Revelation is limited in regards to the specificity of the message. Special Revelation is when God reaches down and interacts with man in some special or detailed way. He talked with Adam in the Garden. He talked with other ancient fathers verbally. Sometimes He spoke to them in dreams, and sometimes He used His prophets to carry His message to the people. The greatest of His Special Revelation came when He took upon Himself human flesh and dwelt among men. "God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spake in times past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son..." (Hebrews 1:1-2). This message of Jesus Christ was then given to them that saw Him, in order for them to carry it on to others. God gave those men special signs and wonders to confirm the message that they were preaching (Hebrews 2:3-4). These men, the apostles and prophets, recorded their teachings in writing. These writings, inspired by God, were compiled by the early church into what is now known as the Bible, the foundation of Christians (Ephesians 2:20).
"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable..." (2 Timothy 3:16). God moved men to write His word by the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). What He wanted people to know for millennia to come, he had these men record. And the textual criticism of the New Testament demonstrates that what exists today is the same as what existed 2,000 years ago. The word of God, what God spoke, must be believed and obeyed. To disregard what the Bible says, is to disregard what God says. "Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:17).
"Every word of God is pure" (Proverbs 30:5). "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Matthew 4:4). "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Matthew 24:35). God has put great weight on His word. He has promised to keep His word and protect it. Some people would assume that He means that He would protect the message or the general gist of His word. However, as those verses show, He will keep every word. They are His words that are important, not only the message. And truly the message will change if the words change. The reason this is important to bring up is because there are a variety of different translations and versions of the Bible. However, only the train of thought that brings one to the Authorized Version, the King James Version, will be able to maintain that God will preserve each of His words.
The issue of the King James Version (KJV) of the Bible is overflowing with misunderstandings and ignorant claims made from both sides of the issue. Some think that the people that use the KJV do it solely because it is old-fashioned, and they do not want to change. Some think that the people using the modern translations are simply not Bible-believers, and that they are just people that will change the Bible to fit what they want it to say. While that may be true about people in both of those camps, the issue is not about those things. The issue with the modern translations is not simply an issue of changing a couple of words to update the language, as is commonly thought. There are words, phrases and even complete verses or passages missing from the modern translations (Matthew 17:21; 18:11; 23:14; Mark 16:9-20).
The KJV's translation is superior to the modern translations for three overriding reasons as taught by Dr. D. A. Waite. (Dr. Waite teaches a Four-Fold Superiority, including the "Superior Technique" while referring to Formal vs. Dynamic Equivalency. Since that is an issue dealing with fewer of the modern translations than the other two, it is not given as much significance here.) They are: Superior Texts, Superior Translators and Superior Theology. A brief summary of the three are given below.
Superior Texts: This is the heart of the Bible versions debate. The fact that there are 17 verses missing from the New International Version (NIV), New American Standard Version (NASV), and Revised Version (RV) is not because the language fit better with them missing. Rather, these verses are missing because they are not found in the Greek texts underlying their translations. The KJV was translated from the Textus Receptus, so-called because it was the Received Text throughout the age of the church. However, in 1881, a new Greek Text was released by Westcott and Hort in England, along with it was a new Revised Version translated from that Greek text. Their Greek text has been revised numerous times since then, but the latest versions are still being translated from those Greek texts. The sources behind their Greek text were mostly from two ancient manuscripts, Sinaiticus and Vaticanus. These two manuscripts are older and beautiful, but they do not agree with each other in many places, and have been corrected by numerous editors over the centuries. The Received Text is based on more than 95% of the extant Greek manuscripts. The Received Text is superior in that it has the readings that the church has used throughout the centuries, where the Critical Text, based on Westcott and Hort's, has readings that are brand new to the church.
Superior Translators: The scope of this paper limits the ability to do justice to the translators of the KJV. However, they were men that believed the Bible was the inspired word of God as was seen in their preface. They were preachers and missionaries of the gospel. They were men of prayer. Their intellectual capabilities were also beyond those of the general academia today. Not only were they well taught in the universities, but many of these men grew up engrossed in foreign languages. They would read and write in these other languages, and their familiarity with the language was much greater than simply academic. These men were tutors for kings and for queens. About 50 of these men got together in six different cities in England, beginning in 1604. For the following 7 years, these men translated the Bible. They had such a system so that every verse that was translated was looked at by, at the very minimum, 14 different sets of eyes. In 1611, they finished the work, and the version that was authorized to be translated by King James I, was appointed to be read in the churches.
Superior Theology: This superiority deals with the stronger message that is portrayed in the KJV. The deity of Christ is challenged by the Jehovah's Witnesses. Their Bible that they use, the New World Translation (NWT), follows the NIV in a few verses which have a change that weakens the doctrine of the deity of Christ. "Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body..." (1 Timothy 3:16 NIV). The KJV reads, "God was manifest in the flesh." The context is Jesus Christ, but it is not a big deal that Jesus appeared in a body. History is obvious that there was a man in a body by the name of Jesus. However, when it reads, God was manifest in the flesh, that changes things. There are other doctrines that also change or are weakened in the modern Bibles. Fasting for spiritual power is omitted (Matthew 17:21; Mark 9:29). Some would argue that while these things are obviously important, you can still be saved from the NIV and other modern versions. While this is true, it is important to remember that the Scripture was given that the man of God may be perfect, not just to the starting point (2 Timothy 3:17).
"Thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name."
Wednesday, April 2, 2008
Thesis 22/36: The Spirit World
DOCTRINES OF ESCHATOLOGY
Doctrine 22 / 36: The Spirit World
It is easy today for Christians to mistake what they can see, as being the "real world," while 2 Corinthians 4:18 says that what can be seen is only temporal, but the eternal is invisible. The Christian life is a war, fought against spiritual forces, principalities and powers, which are led by Satan (Ephesians 6:11-12). The warfare is not carnal, but spiritual, and must be recognized as such before it can be fought properly (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).
The Bible speaks of angels all the way back in the book of Genesis. Two angels went to Sodom, to pull Lot out of it before they destroyed it (Genesis 19:1, 12-13). They are described as "men" (Genesis 19:12), and throughout the Bible it can be seen that angels can often take the form of ordinary men. So much so, that in Hebrews, Christians are admonished to be hospitable to all men because they may be entertaining angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2). Contrary to modern folklore, in the Bible, angels are never described as having wings nor being female. They are incredibly powerful beings. They destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. One angel is said to have slain 185,000 Assyrians in one night (2 Kings 19:35). An angel smote king Herod so that he died in an instant because he did not give God glory (Acts 12:23). Nowhere does it ever plainly state when angels and other spiritual beings were created, but we do know that they were around when God laid the foundations of the earth, as the angels were there singing at the time (Job 38:4-7).
Angels were created for God's purposes, along with other spiritual beings. However, Isaiah 14 tells the story of one such being that puffed himself up and desired more for himself than God had designed for him. His name is Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12-15). This fall of Satan (Luke 10:18), must have happened before Genesis 3, as he then shows up in the Garden of Eden tempting Eve (Genesis 3:1-6; Ezekiel 28:13). It appears that when Satan fell, he took some of God's angels with him, possibly one third of them (Revelation 12:4). These fallen angels now help Satan with his purposes of lying, murdering, and stealing (John 8:44). Satan still desires the worship that he wanted in Isaiah 14, and he is walking around the earth today seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).
Satan's fallen angels first show up in Genesis 6, where "the sons of God" came upon the daughters of men and produced giant offspring. This intermixing was one of the reasons that God determined to destroy the world with a flood. These fallen angels show up again in strong force during the Gospels. During the life of Christ and of His apostles, they are found often possessing the bodies of men and women (Matthew 4:24; 8:16; 9:32; 12:22; Acts 8:7; 16:16). They are able to give supernatural strength, they cause men to hurt themselves, and be naked (Mark 5:3-4, 15). However, they are always subject to Jesus' word (Mark 5:8). Also, as Satan himself pretends to be a good thing, "an angel of light," even so do his ministers make a show of being something good to deceive people (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).
Satan himself is not somebody that a Christian ought to take lightly. The Bible describes him as a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). He is not someone to make jokes against or to rail on, "Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst no bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee" (Jude 1:9). An angel is able to kill 185,000 men in a night, and Michael is a chief of the angels, an archangel. Yet, Michael himself did not even dare to rail on Satan when disputing over Moses' body, but rather turned it over to the Lord. How foolish are people when they assume that they can rail on evil powers, or to make fun or light of them. Foolish songs such as, "And if the Devil doesn't like it he can sit on a tack," should have no place in the church. The sons of Sceva in Acts 19:13-17 could help teach this lesson. Seven of them came in to exorcise an evil spirit, yet they were overcome and ended up departing "naked and wounded." The spiritual warfare is not a game.
While certain care must be taken in dealing with Satan and spiritual forces, knowing that there is a great war going on between Christians and the Devil, it is necessary to realize that this war is not a war between God and Satan. Dualism teaches that there is an eternal battle between good and evil, between God and Satan, and only time will tell which force will end up being stronger. The fact of the matter is that God created Satan and at times uses him as His tool. There is no contest for God to deal with Satan; simply at His word, the battle would be over. And in fact, His word has already been pronounced in Revelation 20. Satan will be bound for 1,000 years, and then after that will be "cast into the lake of fire... and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Revelation 20:10). God is sovereign over all of His creations, including the spiritual ones. The Christian must look to Him and His power to win the war. Stand in His might (Ephesians 6:10).
"Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."
Doctrine 22 / 36: The Spirit World
It is easy today for Christians to mistake what they can see, as being the "real world," while 2 Corinthians 4:18 says that what can be seen is only temporal, but the eternal is invisible. The Christian life is a war, fought against spiritual forces, principalities and powers, which are led by Satan (Ephesians 6:11-12). The warfare is not carnal, but spiritual, and must be recognized as such before it can be fought properly (2 Corinthians 10:3-4).
The Bible speaks of angels all the way back in the book of Genesis. Two angels went to Sodom, to pull Lot out of it before they destroyed it (Genesis 19:1, 12-13). They are described as "men" (Genesis 19:12), and throughout the Bible it can be seen that angels can often take the form of ordinary men. So much so, that in Hebrews, Christians are admonished to be hospitable to all men because they may be entertaining angels without knowing it (Hebrews 13:2). Contrary to modern folklore, in the Bible, angels are never described as having wings nor being female. They are incredibly powerful beings. They destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. One angel is said to have slain 185,000 Assyrians in one night (2 Kings 19:35). An angel smote king Herod so that he died in an instant because he did not give God glory (Acts 12:23). Nowhere does it ever plainly state when angels and other spiritual beings were created, but we do know that they were around when God laid the foundations of the earth, as the angels were there singing at the time (Job 38:4-7).
Angels were created for God's purposes, along with other spiritual beings. However, Isaiah 14 tells the story of one such being that puffed himself up and desired more for himself than God had designed for him. His name is Lucifer (Isaiah 14:12-15). This fall of Satan (Luke 10:18), must have happened before Genesis 3, as he then shows up in the Garden of Eden tempting Eve (Genesis 3:1-6; Ezekiel 28:13). It appears that when Satan fell, he took some of God's angels with him, possibly one third of them (Revelation 12:4). These fallen angels now help Satan with his purposes of lying, murdering, and stealing (John 8:44). Satan still desires the worship that he wanted in Isaiah 14, and he is walking around the earth today seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8).
Satan's fallen angels first show up in Genesis 6, where "the sons of God" came upon the daughters of men and produced giant offspring. This intermixing was one of the reasons that God determined to destroy the world with a flood. These fallen angels show up again in strong force during the Gospels. During the life of Christ and of His apostles, they are found often possessing the bodies of men and women (Matthew 4:24; 8:16; 9:32; 12:22; Acts 8:7; 16:16). They are able to give supernatural strength, they cause men to hurt themselves, and be naked (Mark 5:3-4, 15). However, they are always subject to Jesus' word (Mark 5:8). Also, as Satan himself pretends to be a good thing, "an angel of light," even so do his ministers make a show of being something good to deceive people (2 Corinthians 11:14-15).
Satan himself is not somebody that a Christian ought to take lightly. The Bible describes him as a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). He is not someone to make jokes against or to rail on, "Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst no bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee" (Jude 1:9). An angel is able to kill 185,000 men in a night, and Michael is a chief of the angels, an archangel. Yet, Michael himself did not even dare to rail on Satan when disputing over Moses' body, but rather turned it over to the Lord. How foolish are people when they assume that they can rail on evil powers, or to make fun or light of them. Foolish songs such as, "And if the Devil doesn't like it he can sit on a tack," should have no place in the church. The sons of Sceva in Acts 19:13-17 could help teach this lesson. Seven of them came in to exorcise an evil spirit, yet they were overcome and ended up departing "naked and wounded." The spiritual warfare is not a game.
While certain care must be taken in dealing with Satan and spiritual forces, knowing that there is a great war going on between Christians and the Devil, it is necessary to realize that this war is not a war between God and Satan. Dualism teaches that there is an eternal battle between good and evil, between God and Satan, and only time will tell which force will end up being stronger. The fact of the matter is that God created Satan and at times uses him as His tool. There is no contest for God to deal with Satan; simply at His word, the battle would be over. And in fact, His word has already been pronounced in Revelation 20. Satan will be bound for 1,000 years, and then after that will be "cast into the lake of fire... and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Revelation 20:10). God is sovereign over all of His creations, including the spiritual ones. The Christian must look to Him and His power to win the war. Stand in His might (Ephesians 6:10).
"Greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world."
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