This is sermon #34 in the Hebrews series. In this sermon on Hebrews 11:1-3 I preach on the nature of faith, authentic models of faith, objections to the faith, and the centrality of faith.

 

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This is sermon #33 in the Hebrews series. In this sermon on Hebrews 10:32-39 I preach on growing in grace through trials and the perseverance of the saints.

 

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1. Introduction

In this chapter we shall attempt to set forth in as clear language as possible the basic truths which the Church holds concerning the doctrine of the Trinity. We shall first present the Scripture evidence on which the doctrine rests and then we shall present the credal statements and formulations that have been set forth by church councils and by individual thinkers as they have applied themselves to the interpretation of that evidence through the two thousand years of the Christian era.

The doctrine of the Trinity is perhaps the most mysterious and difficult doctrine that is presented to us in the entire range of Scripture. Consequently we do not presume to give a full explanation of it. In the nature of the case we can know only as much concerning the inner nature of the Godhead as has been revealed to us in the Scriptures. The tri-personality of God is exclusively a truth of revelation, and one which lies outside the realm of natural reason. Its height and depth and length and breadth are immeasurable by reason of the fact that the finite is dealing with the Infinite. As well might we expect to confine the ocean within a tea-cup as to place a full explanation of the nature of God within the limits of our feeble human minds. It is not our purpose to engage in metaphysical subtleties, nor to speculate on the implications which may be drawn from this doctrine. We do hope, however, that under the guidance of the Holy Spirit we shall be enabled to set forth in a plain simple way, yet as fully as the limitations of our finite minds and language will permit, the truth concerning it, and to guard it against the errors and heresies which have prevailed at one time or another in the history of the Church. While we are not able fully to comprehend the Divine mind, we nevertheless have been created in the image of God and therefore have the right, within limits, to conceive of God according to the analogy of our own nature, and we should be able to grasp enough of this sublime revelation which God has been pleased to give concerning Himself to make a considerable advance in our spiritual growth. Since in the study of this doctrine we are absolutely dependent on revelation (there being nothing else quite similar to or analogous with it in our own consciousness or in the material world), and since the subject of our study is transcendently sacred, that subject being the innermost nature of the infinitely righteous and transcendent God, our attitude should be that of disciples who, with true humility and reverence, are ready to receive implicity whatever God has seen fit to reveal.

Since God is the Creator, Preserver and final Disposer of all things, the One in whom we live and move and have our being, our knowledge of Him must be basic and fundamental to all our knowledge. In answer to the question, "What is God?", the Scriptures reveal Him to us, in the first place, as a rational and righteous Spirit, infinite in His attributes of wisdom, being, power, holiness, justice, goodness, and truth; and in the second place they reveal Him to us as One who exists eternally as three "Persons", these three Persons, however, being one in substance and existing in the most perfect unity of thought and purpose. It is evident, moreover, that if God does thus exist in three Persons, each of whom has His distinctive part in the works of creation, providence, redemption and grace, that fact governs His activity in all spheres of His work and, consequently, the doctrine which treats of the nature of His Person must seriously affect all true theology and philosophy. Doctrines vital to the Christian system, such as those of the Deity and Person of Christ, the Incarnation, the Atonement, etc., are so inextricably interwoven with that of the Tri-unity of God that they cannot be properly understood apart from it.

Difficulties in the Gospels

In the centuries after the Bible was written, the church recognized that it was the word of God and treated its contents as trustworthy.1 But in modern times some people have come to question that conviction. Moreover, there are difficulties in some of the details in the Bible. For example, comparisons between accounts in the four Gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, turn up a large number of differences, some of which are easy to appreciate positively, but others more difficult. In this book we are going to look at a sampling of these difficulties, with the goal of treating them in harmony with the conviction that the Bible is God’s word.

We are looking at this topic partly because we can often learn more from the Bible if we consider difficulties carefully and do not merely skirt around them. But we will also try to lay out some principles for dealing with difficulties. Other books have considered the broad question of the historical reliability of the Gospels. Still other books have discussed the general issue of the authority of the Bible, and some of these books have done a very good job indeed.

The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible

Without re-covering the ground of these books, we may briefly summarize the teaching of the Bible on the subject of inspiration.4 The Bible is the word of God, God’s speech in written form. What the Bible says, God says. Two classic texts summarize the meaning of inspiration.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16–17)

For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Pet. 1:21)

In addition, Jesus testifies to the authority of the Old Testament in his explicit statements, in the ways that he quotes from and uses it, and in the way that he understands his own life as the fulfillment of it.

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. (Matt. 5:17–18)

Scripture cannot be broken. (John 10:35)

Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so? (Matt. 26:53)

If we claim to be followers of Christ, we should submit to his teaching.

Many aspects of Scripture testify to its divine origin. But it is through the Holy Spirit working inwardly in the heart that people become fully convinced that it is the word of God.

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Many people — even people who would call themselves Christians — have difficulties with the Bible. Some people are morally offended by parts of the Bible. Some parts of it do not fit modern ideas about good religion. What do we do with these parts? The Bible has exclusive claims about what is right and wrong in religion. It makes exclusive claims about God. It says that Jesus is the only way to God (John 14:6; Acts 4:12). It talks about hell.

Some people are troubled by apparent discrepancies between the Bible and modern science. What do we do with these discrepancies? Some people have decided that we must give up on the Bible. They say that the Bible has been shown to be outmoded and primitive. Others hope to find some core of truth in it, though they argue that the “wrappings” around the core need to be discarded.

Still others think that the Bible is the word of God, true for all time. But can they explain how to relate it intelligently to the swirl of modern questions and controversies?

These are important questions, so important that we can profit from taking our time to work toward answers. The challenge of interpreting the Bible has many dimensions and many challenges. We cannot consider them all equally. We focus here on issues involving response to our modern situation.

Our Modern Situation

Our modern situation offers us various competing assumptions about religion, about the nature of humanity, about what is wrong with the world, about the purpose of life, and so on. These assumptions may have effects on how people read the Bible. We can begin to answer many of our difficulties in a number of areas if we make ourselves aware of the assumptions that we tend to bring along when we study the Bible.

But our deepest difficulties cannot be resolved merely on a narrowly intellectual plane. Our deepest difficulty is sin, rebellion against God. We have desires in our hearts that resist the Bible’s views and what God has to say. We want to be our own master. The Bible talks about those who resist God as being “dead in . . . trespasses and sins” (Eph. 2:1) and “darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart” (Eph. 4:18). God himself must overcome our resistance (Acts 16:14; 2 Tim. 2:25–26; John 3:3–8). We will focus primarily on more intellectual difficulties, because these can be more directly and more easily addressed. But it is wise to remember that more stubborn difficulties lurk beneath the surface.

How Can Only One Religion Be Right?

Let us consider one common difficulty that modern people have with the Bible: how can there be only one true religion?

The View that All Religions Are Right

People ask this question partly because they are aware of multiple religions — Christianity, Islam, Judaism, and Hinduism, to name a few. How do we respond to this multiplicity? One person, whom we may call Sue, concludes that all religions are equally right. She says that they all have a common core having to do with a loving God and being kind to your neighbor. But in selecting a common core Sue shows her own personal religious preferences. Sue speaks of a loving God. But Buddhism does not believe in a personal God. So Sue has excluded Buddhism rather than being all-inclusive.

She has also excluded polytheism, which believes in many gods rather than one. Sue speaks of being kind to your neighbor. But some religions have practiced child sacrifice (Deut. 18:9–10).

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My answer is a cautious yes: "background information" (which I prefer to call the historical context) is sometimes necessary for understanding the Bible accurately.

I say "cautious" because there are dangers if you answer that question either yes or no.

Dangers If You Answer Yes

* Some misuse "background information" in a way that twists the text to contradict what it transparently says. (E.g., see Bob Stein, Clint Arnold, and Doug Moo share concerns about mirror reading.)

* Others so focus on "background information" that they end up foregrounding what is in the background and backgrounding what is in the foreground (to borrow language from Doug Moo's critique of Tom Wright's new perspective on Paul). And as important as, say, extracanonical Jewish literature is for New Testament studies (see here and here), those studies often illustrate the law of diminishing returns.

It's important to remember John Piper's three cautions in The Future of Justification: A Response to N. T. Wright (Wheaton: Crossway, 2007), 34-36:

* We might misunderstand the sources.

* We might assume agreement with a source when there is no agreement.

* We might misapply the meaning of a source.

Dangers If You Answer No

Some argue that "background information" is never necessary to understand the Bible: archaeology and other historical knowledge can confirm that you correctly understand the Bible and enrich your understanding, but it is not necessary. Consequently:

* Some discard "background information" as relatively unimportant and thus not worth studying carefully.

* Some even view it as a threat to the Bible's clarity and sufficiency.

Those who hold this view may fail to recognize how much basic "background information" they regularly employ to understand the Bible accurately.

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This is sermon #32 in the Hebrews series. In this sermon on Hebrews 10:26-31 I preach on perseverance, apostasy and assurance.

 

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This is sermon #31 in the Hebrews series. In this sermon on Hebrews 10:19-25 I preach on prayer, perseverance, church membership and corporate worship.

 

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This is sermon #30 in the Hebrews series. In this sermon on Hebrews 10:11-18  I preach on  justification, sanctification, the High Priestly ministry of Jesus, and growing in practical holiness.

 

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This is sermon #29 in the Hebrews series. In this sermon on Hebrews 10:1-10 I preach on interpreting the Old Testament in light of the New, predestination, new covenant and the person and work of Christ.

 

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