Interpretation Gone Astray

So, a couple of weeks ago, one of my teachers was talking about the incarnation of Jesus Christ [the doctrine of Jesus becoming man]. Though this does not pertain to the subject matter of the class, the topic, nevertheless, came up. He briefly explained it and was then about to move on when one of my fellow classmates chimed in. Here is what the student said:

One of the best ways that I have ever heard it explained was that Michael the archangel came down from Heaven and placed the seed of the Holy Spirit into Mary’s womb.

Quick Note

Any time you say that what you are about to say is the “best” thing you have ever heard, it better be both good and correct. Otherwise, everyone else will surely be thinking twice about your theology. Actually, it would probably be better to just allow the audience to decide which illustrations are the best.

The Quote

Okay, back on track. Does that quote from the Seminary student bother you? If so, then why?

Here’s why that quote should not settle well in your soul:

1.  Michael the Archangel is never mentioned anywhere near the birth of Christ in the recorded Scriptures. I am not saying that he is uninvolved, but only that the recorded information regarding any angelic participation [outside of Gabriel (Luke 1:19, 26)] is non-existent. Michael is only mentioned twice in the New Testament (Jude 1:9; Rev. 12:7) and neither example is close in proximity.

2.   It is not the seed of the Holy Spirit, but the seed of the woman. The first-ever-given Gospel proclamation was very clear that it would be the woman’s seed (Genesis 3:15).

3.     Finally, Scripture does not say that an angel placed Jesus into Mary. Rather, the angel Gabriel told Mary in Luke 1:35, “…The Holy Spirit will come upon you….” There seems to be no room for angelic activity in this operation. It was purely a God-ordained orchestration.

Conclusion

What was the result? Well, the student was encouraged to hold beliefs like that loosely, but I am inclined to acknowledge that belief as heresy. Why am I so strong on this? The reason is because there is no Biblical basis for that belief. In truth, it is counter-Biblical [i.e. it stands against the written-down revelation of God]. It is anti-Scriptural.

It reminds me of a quote from Star Wars VIII when Luke asks Rey a question about the force:

Luke Skywalker: What do you know about the force?

Rey: It's a power that Jedi have that lets them control people and... make things float.

Luke Skywalker: Impressive. Every word in that sentence was wrong.

Therefore, upon further reflection of the student’s quote, every word of that sentence was wrong. This is just another example of why, no matter what level of authority a person holds or where they went to school, you should always hold up what they say to Scripture and not just accept it blindly.

* To read another example of interpretation gone awry by one of my classmates, check out this previous blog.

In Bloom: Book Review

A special thanks to B&H/LifeWay for sending me a complimentary copy of Kayla Aimee’s book, In Bloom: Trading Restless Insecurity for Abiding Confidence.

In Kayla Aimee’s new book, In Bloom: Trading Restless Insecurity for Abiding Confidence, she paints a portrait of what her own transformation looked like from living a life constrained by shame and doubt to living in freedom and grace. Her generous use of personal stories will have you chuckling aloud while also providing illustrations to the abstract concepts she is conveying. Aimee’s writing makes you feel like she is talking to you in your living room over a cup of coffee.

If you spent your childhood on the outside of the “in” group or have made choices that make you cringe with embarrassment, this is a must-read! Even if neither of those two apply to you, this is a great book for anyone desiring to be in ministry as Aimee’s transparency shows us the internal pain that many are carrying. No one has gone too far to be redeemed and no one has to live forever on the outskirts of a community. Through some practical steps, Aimee shares her own experience of embracing who the Lord has created her to be and how she is now reaching out to others.

42 Seconds: Book Review

A special thanks to Tyndale HousePublishers for sending me a complimentary copy of Carl Medearis’ book, 42 Seconds.

Having conversations with people is a difficult task which is becoming even more challenging as the world moves to communicating through a screen opposed to the normal face-to-face interactions. Sometimes it is awkward and other times it can be tense, especially with the growing animosity in the world today towards Christianity. This general avoidance of “hard-topics” has caused many of us to fear speaking up when we know we should.

Nevertheless, the Great Commission is still our mission. We, as believers in Jesus Christ, are still commanded to make disciples wherever we are at in the world. This means that eventually we must “speak” the Gospel to people so that they will know the truth. However, one of the things that I love about this book is that Medearis looks at conversations in somewhat of a different light than we might normally expect.

You see, instead of him pushing us to somehow insert the Gospel message into every single conversation, Medearis challenges the reader to simply relax. That’s it. Relax. Do not try and force anything upon someone but use discernment. If the conversation opens itself up to you sharing the Gospel then, by all means, take advantage of the opportunity. However, do not feel guilty when your work conversations at the water cooler do not always result in you walking them through the Roman’s Road.

Sometimes people just need to talk about the “insignificant” things like the weather or sports or even the last customer they had to deal with. Medearis’ challenge to each one of us is to see, even those conversations, as significant. Why? The reason is because each one of those little conversations are leading up and adding to both a deeper and more influential relationship between you and the other person. Therefore, whether you talk with someone for forty-two seconds or forty-two minutes, endeavor to have a normal conversation with the other person because you never know where it might lead.

An OT Proof of Israel's Restoration

Zechariah 12:10-14 is the proof text.

The passage states that Israel [yes, the text is very emphatic on this being the nation of Israel] will someday look on Him whom they pierced and mourn for Him. Who did they pierce? Now, this is where the famous Sunday school answer comes into play as we all, with one accord, shout, “JESUS!”

So, how does this prove that God would restore the nation of Israel to its rightful inheritance, as witnessed in 1948? First, agree with me that this has not yet happened. For until we agree, there is no moving forward. Israel as a nation has never recognized Jesus as their Messiah and this is clearly a prophecy of Christ’s second coming. Next, check out verse eleven. The text says, “On that day [still future] the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as....”, and then it goes on to describe the state of mourning that will take place.

However, notice that the text says that this “mourning” will come from national Israelites and take place within the city of Jerusalem. This is interesting since the Jewish people were removed from their homeland for 1,878 years [i.e. from 70 - 1948 A.D.]. Therefore, one does not need even to cite Romans 11 to prove that what happened in 1948 was always determined by God in order to fulfill His promises.

Exegetical Fallacies: Book Review

Exegetical Fallacies by D. A. Carson is a very informative book on common mistakes and misapplications drawn from the Biblical text generally from well-intentioned but misinformed believers. Though we may be sincere in our efforts, good intentions are not enough to insure clear and correct exegesis of the Scriptures. Yes, the overall saving message of the Bible can be clearly understood without having an insider’s look at the original languages and cultures of the day, but there are indeed certain nuances within the text which become even more explicit when placed under the light of the book’s first context. Many students of the Word choose to submit themselves to learning the language and culture of the first century to aid in their exegetical studies so that they may be better equipped in the preaching and teaching of the divine Word of God.

Strengths

Two strengths of this book are found in both the writer’s list of many examples of common fallacies among evangelical Christians and in the way he treats each one. Carson seeks to humbly, but boldly, confront the wrong beliefs and opinions which have been mistakenly drawn out from specific passages throughout Scripture in regard to what certain tenses or nuances of the original Greek language supposedly imply. He does this with a number of Bible interpreters who seek to place more weight upon the aorist tense, for example, than is in fact given. This can be seen very clearly in his quotation of Frank Stagg in his article, The Abused Aorist, which is found beginning on page sixty-eight.[1]

Weaknesses

However, one of the major weaknesses of this book is the overall length of each individual chapter. While the last couple are relatively normal in size, the first few are simply way too long. It would have been nice for him, for aesthetic purposes, to become somewhat more uniform in his writing by maintaining the same amount of information distributed throughout more chapters. Thus, the book would have basically remained the same size, just visually more readable.

What I Learned

While I did enjoy reading most of the book and learning certain valuable insights into the Scriptures that I will certainly safeguard in my hero’s utility belt, I did feel that the book was pretty high above my level of Greek understanding. Much of what I read I felt as if I was just reading for the sake of reading because I was not actually understanding what he was talking about. This is at no fault to Carson, I just do not think that I am personally as far in my knowledge of the Greek language to fully grasp some of his references. Basically, this means that there may come a day when I return to this book in order to walk back through its logical linguistical arguments. However, this day may not come for several years of learning and growing in my Greek studies.

In terms of how this will affect my personal reading and even teaching of God’s Word in the future I will continue to humble myself to the wisdom and knowledgeable aid of others. Though I do consider myself to be pretty strong in my personal exegesis of the Scriptures, there is still an unfathomable depth of learning and understanding to be gained from those of my contemporaries and also of those who have gone before me in their walks with the Lord. As I study, I want to make sure that what I am saying is accurate. Thus, I will access commentaries and computer programs so that I can be assured that what I am saying is not something totally foreign. I owe my entire Biblical understanding to, ultimately the Spirit of God but also, the men and women who have taught me the foundations of Scripture and its core message. Therefore, I must always remember that I am indebted to the works of others because of God’s grace.

An example of something that I gained intellectually from this book was the fallacy of failing to recognize distinctions (pg. 92) and reading Scripture in light of a purely emotional appeal (pg. 106). Though none of the information was necessarily new to me, the way Carson described the distinctions between men and women in the church and the gender specific roles was indeed necessary to me as I grow more in the knowledge of grace and learn how to articulate these concepts in a clear, correct and even considerate way. Did I benefit from this book? Absolutely, and if you are at all interested in this topic, then I would encourage you to read it as well.

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[1] D. A. Carson, Exegetical Fallacies, 2nd ed. (Carlisle, U.K. : Grand Rapids, Mich: Paternoster ; Baker Books, 1996)., p. 68.

Mystery Made Known: An Overview of Revelation

If you appreciated last month's Revelation study and/or like free stuff then you will really enjoy what's happening this week! I compiled, edited and expanded my Revelation blogs to create my newest book.

Revelation is one of the most misunderstood and misinterpreted books in the entire Bible. The spectrum of end-times theology is vast, but it does not have to be. God gave us His Word for a purpose, and that is to be understood so that we can have an accurate picture of Him and His overall plan. Revelation is complicated, but it is also the Word of God. Therefore, it deserves our full attention and devotion. Studying this book will cost us. It will cause us to suffer both sweat and tears as we work our way through its chapters. However, the end result will only be that of eternal blessing. After all, this is our future we are talking about. Mystery Made Known: An Overview of Revelation is designed to aid the reader in clearly understanding the overall goal of each individual chapter. It presents a clear overview of the entire book of Revelation from beginning to end in just 113 pages. You do not want to miss this!

I'm having a giveaway on my Biblical Perspicacity Facebook Page this week which means that this is your chance to win a copy of my hot-off-the-press Mystery Made Known: An Overview of Revelation book as well as a copy of my previous publication "Darkness Falls: A Short Study on Demonic Origins" for FREE!

To enter just go to the Biblical Perspicacity Facebook Page and follow the 3-step directions in the giveaway photo pinned to the top of the page. Winner will be announced on Facebook Saturday.

Also available on Kindle.

God Made the World: Book Review

A special thanks to Tyndale House Publishers for sending me a complimentary copy of Sarah Jean Collins’ book, God Made the World.

God Made the World is both an engaging and exciting book to read as it opens up the formation of the world in poetic fashion. In only twenty pages, Sarah retells the creation narrative through the use of rhymes as well as brilliantly designed illustrations. The pictures alone are enough to grab your child’s imagination and propel them into the Biblical account by laying that foundation of truth which will establish them for the rest of their lives.

Though I am not a parent yet [at least as far as I am aware], this is the type of book my wife and I look forward to reading to our children in the future. In a world in which we are bombarded with lies from the enemy, this sweet reminder of God’s omnipotence as Creator over all is an important truth for children to know. It is never too early to begin teaching your children about the Lord and His Word and Sarah’s rendition is a perfect resource.

Whether you’re a parent yourself or are attending a baby shower, my wife and I both highly recommend Sarah’s book!