SU MMER 2004 ISSUE affirming the authenticity, accuracy ... · istry that is devoted to affirming...

affirming the authenticity, accuracy, and authority of the bible

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CONTENTSSOLA SCRIPTURA MAGAZINE : SUMMER 2004, ISSUE 7

DEPARTMENTS3 Opening Thoughts : The Victorious Life

12 Light from the Past : Musical Instruments

15 A Word From the Word : The Last Days

18 The Van Kampen Collection : The Mentelin Bible

19 Truth for Today : The Burden

21 Truth for Today : Food for the Soul

23 Final Thoughts : It’s All In the Numbers

Founder Robert D. Van Kampen (1938-1999)Publisher Sola ScripturaExecutive Director Scott R. PierreEditor-in-Chief Dr. Dan HaydenManaging Editor Stu KinniburghCreative Director Scott HolmgrenContributing Writers Dr. Herbert Samworth, Dr. Dan Hayden,

Charles Cooper, Renaut van der RietContributing Editors Dean Tisch, Allison Rieck

Sola Scriptura magazine is a publication of Sola Scriptura, a non-profit min-istry that is devoted to affirming the authenticity, accuracy, and authority ofthe Bible—the standard for truth.

The pages of Sola Scriptura are designed to be evangelistic and pastoral innature: evangelistic in that the magazine is dedicated to proclaiming anddefending the historic gospel of Jesus Christ; pastoral in that the magazineis committed to equipping and encouraging believers through sound biblicalteaching.

“All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, forcorrection, for training in righteousness…” (2 Timothy 3:16)

“In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant ofChrist Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sounddoctrine which you have been following.” (1 Timothy 4:6)

“Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our commonsalvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contendearnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” (Jude 3)

Sola Scriptura magazine is published four times a year and is copyrighted© 2004 by Sola Scriptura, P.O. Box 617677, Orlando, FL 32861-7677 USA,(800) 844-9930. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced or transmitted without publisher’s written permission. Unlessnoted, Scripture is taken from the New American Standard Bible, ©1977,1987, 1988, The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. Periodicalspostage paid at Orlando, FL and additional mailing offices. The annual USsubscription price is $12, a two-year subscription is $20. Printed in the USA.

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Visit our website at www.solagroup.org or email [email protected].

Image credits: cover, (bg) Siede Preis Photography [Photodisc], (scroll & Bible) WoltersImaging; 2 (bg), Veer; 3, (top) Tim Kelly, (bottom) Steve Cole [Photodisc]; 4-5, (bg)Siede Preis Photography [Photodisc], (scroll & Bible) Wolters Imaging; 6, (top)Newscom.com, (bottom) AP/WorldWide; 8-11, (bg images) Photodisc, (fg images)RubberBall Photography [Veer]; 12, Dover; 15, Stockbyte Photography [Veer]; 16-17,(bg) Photodisc; 18, Van Kampen Collection; 19, Photodisc; 21, Aris; 22, Digital VisionPhotography [Veer]; 23, Image100 Photography [Veer].

4 Why Is There a New Testament?

Is There Something New? : The words “New Testament”are an offense to Jews who are serious about their faith.Not only do the Jews reject the idea that the Christian NewTestament is Scripture, they also dislike the fact that we asChristians refer to their holy writings as “old” — the OldTestament. So why is there a New Testament? And on whatbasis should the New Testament be accepted as HolyScripture alongside the Jewish Scriptures?BY DAN HAYDEN

8 Learning From the Past

Is “Tradition” a Bad Word? : We all havetrigger words that evoke a negativeresponse. They are emotional words, andthe response to them is usually visceralrather than thoughtful. In evangelicalcircles, “tradition” is one of those words.BY HERB SAMWORTH

16 Why Did Jesus Have to Suffer?

Foundational Truth for The Passion : The idea that Christ’ssuffering was necessary has often been the subject of scornfrom those who have criticized and ridiculed Christianitythrough the centuries. It’s also what sets Christianity apart.BY JAMES MACDONALD

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Have you ever seen an ath-letic event where therewasn’t a winner? Meneither. It defeats the pur-pose, doesn’t it? Why

compete if not to win? In fact, the goal of anyathlete or team is to finish a season success-fully. But the ultimate goal is to finishundefeated. No losses, only wins. This is aremarkable accomplishment in the life of anyathlete or athletic team. All through my child-hood, I was on dozens of football, baseball,and wrestling teams and I can only boast of ahandful of undefeated seasons. Although theathlete strives for only wins, all it takes is oneloss to mar the record.

Many people look at their lives the sameway. We desire to live strong, undefeated lives,but this is simply impossible due to the factthat our sin nature is quick to entangle us andtrip us up. Sometimes our defeat comes aftera long drawn out fight that weakens and tiresus into giving in, and other times we easily turnourselves over to temptation.The beauty of thegrace of God is that with repentance comesforgiveness, and with forgiveness we are grant-ed a clean slate and a new season with nonumbers in the loss column. To know that wehave been granted forgiveness gives us the willto face the next wave of battles that lie ahead.But there is great danger of taking forgivenessfor granted. I’ve known athletes and teamswho, while enjoying the glories of an undefeat-ed season, became complacent, let theirguard down, and were then overpowered bytheir opponent. In the same way, the Believercan abuse God’s amazing gift of grace.We maythink, “Since God will forgive me, then I’m freeto do what pleases me now and afterward seekGod’s forgiveness.” WRONG! We are called tobe a people who die to sin and become aliveto righteousness. Paul warns against such anattitude in Romans 6:1-2, “What shall we say

then? Are we to continue in sin that gracemight increase? MAY IT NEVER BE!”

The problem is that we are all sinners andfall short of God’s glory on a frequent basis.And in addition, we know that certain sinscarry much greater earthly consequences,especially if they are continually practiced.Allow me the liberty to use an illustration. Lifeis sort of like a chalkboard. We start the dayout and our board (life) is freshly cleaned andblack. Each time we make a mark on it (sin)and then erase the mark (forgiveness throughrepentance) something happens. The crispblackness of the clean chalkboard changes to

a cloudy gray because of the chalk dust.Please note that in this example the grayresidue does not represent our forgiven statebefore God but rather the scars and ongoingearthly consequences that often exist becauseof sin… even forgiven sin. Examples of this areseen in our world every day: the unwed preg-nant mother who, although forgiven by God, isstill very much pregnant and will indeed givebirth and bear the effects of her choices; thespouse who has been unfaithful, although for-given by God, has destroyed the trust his/hermarriage relationship is based on; the thiefwho, although forgiven by God, must pay for hiscrime by spending time in jail. Now don’t mis-understand me as saying that God’sforgiveness carries a grudge. It doesn’t. Godcan and will completely forgive in each ofthese examples, but these and other sins canand do carry long-term earthly consequencesand hinder ones ability to be the ambassadorsthat Christ has called his followers to be.

Therefore, let us take notice and examineour own hearts and mind.Then let us be a peo-ple who seek to be holy as He is holy. In doingso, let us press on to maturity in Christ by say-ing “NO” to sin. Consider forgiveness as theultimate teammate, the ringer if you will, sit-ting on the bench and suited up, always readyto come into the game if we stumble. The sea-son is before us, and we must be disciplinedand focused if we hope to finish victoriously.

In this issue we offer a kind of SpiritualGatorade for you—to nourish your Spirit as youpress on. Dan Hayden’s cover article gives youinsight on the New Testament as a completionof the words and message presented in theOld Testament. Herb Samworth presents a les-son on the issue of “tradition” within thechurch, and James MacDonald offers newinsight into suffering of Christ. It is my prayerthat this issue will refresh your spirit and willencourage your heart. ■

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The Victorious LifeScott Pierre, Executive Director

OPENINGTHOUGHTS

‘‘ ’’We must be

disciplined andfocused if wehope to finishvictoriously.


The words “New Testament” are an offense to Jews whoare serious about their faith. Not only do the Jews rejectthe idea that the Christian New Testament is Scripture,

they also dislike the fact that we as Christians refer to their holywritings as “old”—the Old Testament.

As publicity circulated during the opening of TheScriptorium: Center for Biblical Antiquities here in Orlando(August 2002), there were a few Jewish rabbis who voicedopposition to what we were doing. They argued that ancientcopies of the Jewish manuscripts should not be put on display ina public setting, but should be reserved for private veneration inJewish synagogues. Those few voices of dissent were givennational notoriety, leaving the impression that the whole Jewishcommunity was upset with us.

This was not the case, however. We demonstrated sensitivi-ty to the rabbis’ feelings and assured them that every precautionwould be taken not to violate their sense of propriety. In theend, the rabbis actually expressed satisfaction with theScriptorium project, and today we enjoy a good relationshipwith the Jewish community of Orlando. In fact, we undoubted-ly owe a debt of gratitude to the rabbis for the national publicitythat actually worked in our favor.

In the midst of that heated reaction, however, it becameapparent that the rabbis had no quarrel with the idea of expos-ing the ancient treasures of the Christian New Testament. Intheir view the New Testament was not Scripture and in no waycompared with the sacred writings of the Jewish tradition. They

were encouraged to realize that we revered their Scriptures andwere treating the Hebrew manuscripts in our possession withthe utmost respect. Yet they never expressed any concern overwhat we were doing with the manuscripts of the Christian faith.By their thinking, nothing blasphemous could be done withthem because they were not the Word of the Living God.

Also interesting is the fact that the rabbis never referred tothe writings of Moses and the Prophets as the “Old Testament.”Their sacred writings were simply “the Scriptures.” You see, ifthere is no “New Testament” Scripture, then how could theJewish writings be called the “Old” Testament?

So why is there a New Testament? And on what basis shouldthe New Testament be accepted as Holy Scripture alongside theJewish Scriptures?

THERE REALLY IS SOMETHING NEWFirst, we need to understand what is meant by “NewTestament.” The word “testament” comes from the Latin wordtestamentum, which refers to a covenant or official agreement.Even today we refer to people’s dying wishes as their “last willand testament” (an official document expressing their finaldesires). So “New Testament” simply means “new covenant.”

The Jewish Scriptures contain two futuristic ideas that arevery important to the Jewish faith. One is that a Messiah willcome to make right what is wrong in the world. The second isthat His redemption and kingdom will come about as theresult of a New Covenant. This covenant is a solemn promise

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of God recorded by the prophet Jeremiah(Jer 31:31-34).

The official view of the Jewish commu-nity is that the New Covenant is still future,awaiting the coming of the Messiah.Nevertheless, there were Jews in Jerusalemin the first century AD who believed thatJesus was that Messiah and that His teach-ings were the fulfillment of the NewCovenant. Therefore, when the disciples ofJesus wrote of the life and teachings ofJesus, those writings were considered to bethe ultimate fulfillment of Holy Scripture.What was incomplete in the writings of theLaw and the Prophets (the JewishScriptures) was now made complete by thewritings of the apostles of Jesus (the NewTestament). The former writings, therefore,were simply referred to as the “OldTestament.”

At this point it might be helpful tounderstand how the Hebrew Scriptureswere initially viewed by the Jewish religiousauthorities. There was a twofold division inthe collection process. First, there were thebooks of the Law—the five books of Moses.Then there were the additional books ofthe Prophets—a group of seventeen (laterthirty-four, as we have them in our con-temporary Bibles). Although these bookswere subsequently divided into three cate-gories (the Law, the Prophets, and theWritings), the most common designation ofthe Jewish Scriptures was simply the Lawand the Prophets: “So far as canonization isconcerned, there were only two groups ofbooks: the Law (five books) and theProphets (seventeen books).”1

As we read the Old Testament, itbecomes obvious that the Jewish Scripturesanticipate a final conclusion that had not

been realized in the days of the prophets.The last chapter of the last book reveals anexpectation of more to come. There theMessiah is called the sun of righteousness,and it says that He will rise with healing inHis wings (Mal 4:1-2). The prophet Malachiwas saying that the Messianic King wouldone day come and set things right in theworld. The point is that when the OldTestament ends, the story is not done; thereis still more to come. In other words, theJewish Scriptures (the Law and theProphets) are incomplete by themselves.They anticipate a climactic conclusion.

Let me illustrate this from J.R.R.Tolkien’s popular trilogy The Lord of theRings. The first book, The Fellowship of theRing, sets the stage for the story when a fel-lowship of unlikely companions is given theresponsibility of protecting a ring until itarrives at its final destination. In the secondbook, The Two Towers, the fellowship issplit, and each of the groups experiencesharrowing events and great struggles. Asthis book comes to its conclusion, the read-er is left on the brink of expectation andwonder. The story is obviously not con-cluded, and the reader desperately wants toread the final installment. In the third book,The Return of the King, the story comes toa climactic conclusion—the evil realm isdestroyed and the righteous king isenthroned. It is a happy ending, and thereader is finally satisfied.

Now although the Lord of the Ringstrilogy has many similarities to the Biblestory, Tolkien has made it clear that thesimilarities are purely coincidental. In hisforward to the popular trilogy, he says, “Asfor any inner meaning or ‘message,’ it hasin the intention of the author none. It is


neither allegorical nor topical.2

Nevertheless, as an illustration of howthe Bible was constructed, Tolkien’s trilogyis an interesting comparison. It took four-teen years (from 1936 to 1949) for Tolkiento write the three parts of the story, in thesame way it took many years for each seg-ment of the Bible to come together. Thereare three major divisions in the Tolkientale—as there are three major parts to thebiblical record (the Law, the Prophets, andthe New Testament). The first two books inTolkien’s trilogy laid the foundation for thefinal conclusion—much like the Law andthe Prophets set the stage for the finalepisode described in the New Testament.Finally, as the concluding book, The Returnof the King, fulfilled the expectation ofTolkien’s trilogy, so the third part of theBible, the New Testament, presents theMessianic King and His victory over evil asthe climactic conclusion of Holy Scripture.

The validity of the New Testament asHoly Scripture rises or falls with this ques-tion: Is Jesus the anticipated Messiah ofthe Jewish Scriptures? The New Testamentcannot be God’s Word unless it is the exactfulfillment of the Law and the Prophets.The coming of Jesus has to be volumethree—The Return of the King—and that isexactly what it claims to be.

The problem with the Jewish authoritiesof the first century AD was that they want-ed to jump ahead to the kingdom aspect ofthe Messiah’s mission, where He wouldcome with great power to overthrow theRoman occupation of Israel. They failed,however, to comprehend the first part ofHis mission to redeem mankind and simplychose to ignore that part of their Scriptures.The fact of the matter is, though, that Jesus

did exactly what the Law and the Prophetssaid the Messiah would do. Jesus’ triumphover evil began with His blood sacrifice forour sins and will culminate with His victo-rious return. The New Testament is indeedthe fulfillment of the Old Testament story.

Thus, like Tolkien’s trilogy, the Biblewas constructed in three major parts witheach part adding to the next in a continu-ous story of the triumph of good over evil.The Law and the Prophets are wonderfulparts of the story of God’s Word, but theydesperately need a part three to completethem. The New Testament is that thirdpart, without which the story is unresolved.That’s why there is a New Testament.

WHO WROTE THE NEWTESTAMENT?It might surprise you to know that, with theexception of Luke, it was Jews who wrotethe New Testament. The final installmentof Holy Scripture was written in the sameway that the Law and the Prophets werewritten—by Jews who were committed tothe Jewish Scriptures. These men alsoclaimed to be prophets of God, like theirOld Testament counterparts, and theirauthority lay in the fact that they weredirectly commissioned by Jesus Christ fortheir task. The Christian message was saidto have been built on the foundation of theapostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himselfbeing the chief cornerstone (Eph 2:20).

Thus the New Testament was not theproduct of a Gentile reaction against theJewish faith, but rather, a legitimate Jewishexpansion of what the Jewish Scripturestaught. It is not something foreign andincongruous with the sacred books of theJews. There is an intimate tie between the

Scriptures of the New Covenant and theScriptures of the Old Covenant, with liter-ally hundreds of quotes and allusions fromthe Law and the Prophets in the NewTestament. The New Testament simplyclaims to be the fulfillment of all that theOld Testament anticipated. There is athread of completion running through theentirety of the Bible, and it is all Jewish innature and scope. It is truly one book andone story in three parts—the Law, theProphets, and the New Testament.

The New Testament is a fitting conclu-sion to the Old Testament Scriptures byvirtue of the fact that it completes the storyand is the product of Jewish writers whowere fully convinced that Jesus was the ful-fillment of the Old Testament record. TheNew Testament is not a Gentile religiouswriting foisted upon the Jewish Scriptures.It is entirely Jewish in its nature and back-ground. The early Christian Church wastotally Jewish and was centered inJerusalem for the first ten years of its exis-tence. Only later, through the efforts of theapostle Paul (remember that he was former-ly a Jewish rabbi), did the message of Christspread to the rest of the world to includeGentile believers. The argument of Paul andthe disciples of Jesus has always been thatJesus Christ is the Messiah and Savior ofmankind promised in the Old Testament—and that the New Testament is, therefore,the capstone of Holy Scripture. ■

ENDNOTES1. Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix, A General

Introduction to the Bible (Chicago: Moody Press,1968), p. 155.

2. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring (New York:Ballantine Books, 1965), p. x.

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We all have trigger words that evoke a negative response,words that when mentioned can conjure up feelings of angerand resentment, or even of fear and humiliation. Trigger wordsare emotional words, and the response to them is usually vis-ceral rather than thoughtful. In Evangelical circles, “tradition”is one of those words.

Say “tradition” to Protestants, and their minds will floodwith foreboding thoughts: superstition flowing out of the DarkAges and a veneration of the fanciful ideas of humans super-imposed over the Word of God. They prepare for argument,not discussion, because they have already concluded that noth-ing good can come of tradition.

IS “TRADITION”A BAD WORD?

BY HERB SAMWORTH


Yet “tradition” is a good word if understood correctly, and formany of us, it needs to be rescued from the chasm of emotionalbondage. Perhaps if we substituted words like “legacy” or “heritage”for “tradition,” there might be a more sober reflection on the idea oflearning from the past. The thought of leaving a spiritual heritage tofuture generations will please even the staunchest protester. Afterall, formal confessions of faith have dotted the Evangelical landscapefor centuries, setting the tone for faith and worship in scores ofProtestant congregations. We all have our time-honored and reveredtraditions. Tradition isn’t the problem, for the Bible often speaks ingood terms about tradition. It is quite clearly the misuse of traditionthat has produced this chronic indigestion among Protestants, caus-ing them to respond with a gag reflex.

In the New Testament the word “tradition” is used in two dif-ferent ways. First, it is used to describe what is handed down fromone generation to another. The verbal form actually means “to deliv-er up,” conveying the idea of something being handed over tosomeone else. The second use of the word is limited to the contentof what is delivered up. Here the content can be either good or baddepending on the nature of what is being transferred. So the conceptof tradition is truly innocuous. The primary use of the word empha-sizes the act itself, while the secondary use concentrates on thecontent. In both cases then, it is simply that something is passed onto another generation.

A New Testament example of a bad tradition occurs in Mark 7:11when the Lord condemned the Pharisees who, by their tradition ofcorban (or “dedicated to God”), nullified the Fifth Commandment.This commandment of the Law required a man to honor his fatherand mother by supplying their physical needs. The Pharisees failedto do this and excused their actions by claiming that all their mate-rial resources had been dedicated to God.

An example of a good tradition, on the other hand, is found in 2Thessalonians 2:15, where the apostle Paul admonished the

Thessalonians to hold to the traditions which they had been taught.Therefore, it is the context of the passage that determines whetherwhat is handed down is good or bad.

Although we may desire to have nothing to do with tradition,that is an impossibility. To escape the influence of tradition wouldrequire us to leave the world. Tradition has benefited the Church ofJesus Christ over the centuries through the handing down of hymns,confessions of faith, liturgies, etc., from previous generations. This ispart of the heritage of being a Christian. We are not required to startfrom the beginning to learn and define our faith. Former generationscan be our benefactors and teachers, enabling us to apprehend thethings of God. However, the situation is entirely different if what ishanded down fails to elucidate the Scriptures but rather distorts itsmessage.

It is in this latter sense that Protestants have reacted against theconcept of tradition. Content, not the process, has been the concern.Protestants have correctly understood that for some, tradition refersto teaching that adds to the Word of God. Usually this type of teach-ing is an appeal not to what was written but to what was transmittedorally. An example of unwritten tradition is the teaching that theLord is said to have given His disciples during the forty days after Hisresurrection. Apart from a few comments in Acts 1, the Bible saysnothing about what He taught during this time, but scholars suggestthat oral sources have supplied the content of His teaching. So tra-dition in this sense becomes an additional form of revelation thatsupplements the written Word of God. This results in a two-sourcebasis of authority: the Scriptures and the oral tradition. The Churchof Rome has embraced this concept of tradition over the years.

However, since the time of Vatican II, from 1960 to 1963, a newunderstanding of the word has emerged. “Tradition” is now deter-mined by the Magisterium, the teaching office of the Church. Eventhough a doctrine such as the bodily assumption of Mary into heav-en may never have been taught in history, the Magisterium’sdeclaration of it as tradition gives it the status of a doctrine that hasbeen taught and believed by the Church for centuries. According tothis understanding, the teachings of the Magisterium displace thewritten Scriptures as the supreme authority in the Church of Rome,an act that increased Protestants’ propensity to view tradition assomething that hinders or distorts the correct interpretation ofScripture. Rather than aiding in the understanding of Scripture, tra-dition is seen as an obstacle that embellishes the text withsupplemental ideas that contradict and confuse the clear teaching ofthe Bible.

Even though the term Magisterium is a recent label, the idea ofincluding extrabiblical information as equally valid revelation fromGod goes back to the beginning of the Dark Ages. To counteract thisview of tradition, the Reformers taught the doctrine of the per-spicuity of the Scriptures, the belief that the meaning of Scripturewas self-evident or clear in its basic teaching. The perspicuity ofScripture is expressed by the statement “Scripture is its own inter-preter.” The Reformers also taught the doctrine of sola scriptura, or“Scripture alone.” Sola scriptura is the belief that the canonical

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Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments are the final authority inall matters of belief and practice. The Scriptures hold this positionbecause they are inspired, or God-breathed. When Scripture speaks,God speaks. As a result, there can be no appeal beyond the Scriptureto a higher authority, because there can be no higher authority inthe Christian life than the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking in theScriptures. Tradition in all of its forms, however, does not qualify asinspired Scripture. Therefore it cannot be considered as our finalauthority.

Yet there is an aspect of tradition beyond the Church’s accept-ance of extrabiblical information as authoritative that we need totake more seriously as we answer the question “How does theauthority of Scripture function on a practical level?” Here we mustmake a distinction between what the Scriptures are (the inspiredWord of God) and how they are applied to the Christian life (practi-cal application based on interpretation). You see, in order for aperson to effectively apply the teaching of the Bible to life, he or shemust understand what it says. And to know what is says, the personmust engage in interpretation.

Interpretation is the process of determining the author’s intend-ed meaning through careful observation of the text and comparisonof Scripture with Scripture. This is a precise process, but often notan easy one. So it is here that the tradition of the early ChurchFathers can play a helpful role.

Through the centuries the Church has bequeathed to succeedinggenerations its understanding of what the Scriptures teach. Thisinterpretation of Scripture is expressed in the writings of earlyChurch leaders as well as in the pronouncements of Church coun-

cils, and in such things as confessions of faith, liturgies, hymns, com-mentaries and so on. This first line of interpretation, or tradition, canguide us to a more accurate understanding of the Bible.

Tradition communicates to us what the believers of previous gen-erations understood the Scriptures to mean when it speaks aboutcertain subjects. This tradition has authority, but its authority isalways secondary to the Scriptures themselves and is valuable onlyto the extent it truly interprets the Word of God. These teachingsmust always be compared with and corrected by the Word of God.Many false interpretations have arisen through the ages of theChurch because they were never compared with the infallible stan-dard of God’s absolute truth.

Even though Protestants reject the Magisterium idea of tradition,their sense of individualism is laden with its own problems.Frequently people have attempted to give their own interpretation asthe standard of belief. It is not uncommon for a person to boast thathe or she has a novel interpretation. That can be a salutary warningthat such an interpretation has never been accepted before becauseit is not correct. There are hundreds of sects and cults associatedwith the broad span of Christendom that are the result of privateinterpretation divorced from the historic roots of Christianity.Interpreting the Scriptures in isolation is as dangerous as yielding therights of interpretation to an authoritative body of the Church.Although the priesthood of the believer is a precious doctrine, it can-not be used to argue that a Christian acts apart from what previousgenerations have taught. The influence of historic understanding isa valuable guide to contemporary thinking.

Protestants have done well in holding to the doctrine of solascriptura. Where they have not done well is in the application of thehistoric roots of the faith to the interpretation of Scripture. A distrustof the past, emanating from a misunderstanding of tradition, has ledto an opening of Pandora’s Box where a myriad of individual inter-pretations has led to mass confusion. It is no accident that themajority of the pseudo-Christian cults gain their adherents from theProtestant community. Without the ballast of learning from the past,Evangelicals are subject to every novelty of interpretation. The list ofnegative effects could be expanded greatly. However, the greatestloss is a sense of continuity with the past. This goes beyond just amere ignorance of church history. It seems that many Christians donot consider themselves to be part of a larger community of faith.

So how should we respond? The following are some practicalapplications for the Evangelical Church of the twenty-first century.The first step is to encourage a Berean-like attitude among Christiansin the study of the Word of God. The Bereans were commendedbecause they searched the Scriptures to determine if the thingstaught by Paul and Silas were true (Acts 17:10-11). Even so, we must

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determine what the Word of God says before we can determinewhat it means. We need to understand the message of God’s Wordin its original context and how the people who first received themessage understood it. This may appear to be self-evident, but it isactually a radical reorientation of how the Bible functions in muchof the Church today. The Scriptures are not a list of prooftexts or ajumping-off place for us to give our own message. The Bible must betaken seriously and given a central place in our worship and ourlives. If we fail to understand the Bible as God intended, we will alsofail in our attempt to apply it correctly.

Second, we need to pay attention to the wisdom of the past. Noteveryone is a historian, but we can all pray earnestly that God wouldkindle a passion in our hearts to know and understand the legacy ofthe acts and thoughts of God’s people. There is a precious traditionundergirding the Church that includes the flow of biblical interpre-tation by men and women of God who prayed over and thoughtdeeply about the text of God’s Word. Their spirit-filled insights are arich heritage that will keep us from wandering into the ravines ofmeaningless speculation and wrong conclusions.

How do we do that? Trusted commentaries, historic creeds andconfessions, biographies of great Christians, and histories of theChurch and its progress of doctrine are valuable resources for any-one interested in staying true to the faith once delivered to thesaints (Jude 3). This too is tradition. It is not Scripture, but it is goodtradition. ■


LIGHTFROMTHEPAST

nly a modest number ofremains of musical instru-ments have been recovered by archaeologists. However,abundant evidence exists in

ancient texts (such as the Psalms) and art(such as Egyptian tomb paintings) attesting tothe ancient peoples’ extensive use of instru-ments to create music and leaving no doubtthat musical instruments were widelyemployed in the ancient world, includingIsrael. Thus the paucity of relics of ancientinstruments is a matter of their fragility ratherthan their scarcity.

The vocabulary for musical instruments inbiblical Hebrew is also fairly extensive.However, precise translation of many Hebrewwords for instruments is made difficult by thelack of description in the Bible. Even ancienttranslators, such as those behind the Greek

Septuagint, often had little understanding ofthe meanings of Hebrew musical terms.Addingto the difficulty is the fact that modern associ-ations with certain names can be misleading.For example, shofar is often translated “trum-pet,” which usually brings to mind a brassinstrument rather than what it actually was—aram’s horn. The English “tambourine” suggestsa hand drum with metal rings that jingle whenshaken, but ancient Israelite hand drumsprobably did not have metal rings. On theother hand, ancient artwork from Egypt andMesopotamia provides us with clear images ofmany ancient instruments.

The Israelites, like their neighbors, hadthree basic types of instrumentation:Stringed instruments, such as the lyre andharp. The lyre is well attested to by ancientIsrael, but the harp is more problematic. Someauthorities argue that the word translated

“harp” may actually refer to a kind of bass lyre,or even to a lute, and that the true harp didnot exist in Israel. On the other hand, evidenceexists from ancient Egypt of an instrument thatis obviously a harp, and thus they may haveexisted in Israel as well.Percussion instruments of two kinds: drumsand tambourines are percussion instrumentsmade with skin stretched over some kind offrame; and “idiophones” produce sound byvibrating, but they have neither strings nor skinmembranes. They are objects such as bells,gongs, rattles, clappers and cymbals, and maybe made of various materials, including metal,wood, hardened clay, or bone. 2 Samuel 6:5and Nehemiah 12:27 refer to the use of these.Wind instruments, such as pipes, trumpets orthe shofar (ram’s horn), are well attested to inthe Bible (flute-like instruments in 1 Kings1:40; silver trumpets in Num 10:2; the shofarin Joel 2:1).

Such instruments were widely used forentertainment and boisterous parties (Isa5:12), but they were also used for celebratoryworship (Ps 81:2; 150:1-5). The first referenceto musical instruments in the Bible is Genesis4:21, where Jubal, one of Cain’s descendants,is described as “the father of all those whoplay the lyre and pipe.” Musical instrumentswere used at various other celebrations as well(Gen 31:27; Job 21:11-12), including militaryvictories (Exod 15:20). The shofar was usedprimarily for signaling, especially during war(Judg 3:27; Jer 6:1; 1 Sam 13:3). Starting withthe period of the monarchy, instruments wereused in court (1 Sam 19:9). In addition, theywere also used at the temple to accompanyreligious lyrics (such as are preserved in thePsalms) (Amos 5:23; Ps 150:3-5). ■

Duane Garrett is an editor of the forthcoming ArchaeologyStudy Bible.

Musical InstrumentsDuane Garrett


O


A WORD FROM THEWORD

Aman with a sign that said“Judgment Day Is Coming”stood on the corner of a busycity street in 1969 andyelled to passersby, “The last

days are upon us!” An author electrified hisreaders by announcing that he had done themath, and according to his calculations, Christwas coming back in 1988—so in the mid-’80sthe Christian community was told that theywere living in the last days. Yet the years havecome and gone—and we are still waiting. Sohow much more time do we have to wait untilthe last days really come? Well, would it sur-prise you to know that for two thousand yearspeople have been living in the last days?

The writer to the Hebrews begins his apolo-getic to the Jews by saying, “God, after Hespoke long ago to the fathers in the prophetsin many portions and in many ways, in theselast days has spoken to us in His Son” (Heb.1:1-2).This beginning statement in the book ofHebrews sets the stage for a convincing argu-ment to the Jews that the New TestamentGospel of Jesus Christ is the culmination of allthat God had said through the prophets ofIsrael. God had spoken through prophets, butthe last installment of God’s special revelationto man was spoken through the message ofHis Son. God has no more to say to us. We areliving in the last days because Jesus Christ andHis Gospel are the final episode of the divinestory of salvation for humanity.

The phrase “the last days” obviouslyincludes the last days of the last days. In otherwords, events still future to the early years of thetwenty-first century are also included in the lastdays. However, it is important to realize that thelast days were initiated by the first appearanceof the Son of God on earth. It was then thatChrist actually accomplished the redemption ofhumans and their environment by His death on

the cross (Rom. 8:19-25).So the New Testament isindeed the last volume ofGod’s trilogy (the Law, theProphets, and the NewTestament). It is in this writ-ing that we see the Son ofGod conquer sin and deathand then return in greatglory to establish His king-dom of righteousness andpeace on the earth.The NewTestament is the final vol-ume of God’s message tohumanity—therefore all thedays that follow it comprisethe last days.

The word “last” in thisphrase is the Greek wordeschatos, which is where weget our English word “escha-tological,” referring toanything in the future associ-ated with the final events ofworld history. Eschatos is thesuperlative form of the ideaof continuity or contiguity—inother words, the farthest reaches of place ortime (the latter end, the uttermost, the finale). Itis truly the end of all things, “the last days.”

F. F. Bruce has some instructive thoughts onthe phrase “in these last days”:

The story of divine revelation is a story ofprogression up to Christ, but there is noprogression beyond Him. It is “at the endof these days” that God has spoken inHim, and by this phrase our author meansmuch more than “recently”; it is a literalrendering of the Hebrew phrase which isused in the Old Testament to denote theepoch when the words of the prophets will

be fulfilled, and its use here means thatthe appearance of Christ “once for all atthe end of the age” (Ch. 9:26 RSV) hasinaugurated that time of fulfillment. God’sprevious spokesmen were His servants,but for the proclamation of His last wordto man He has chosen His Son.

So here is what God is saying: You haveread the first two episodes of My story—the Lawof Moses and the record of the Prophets. NowI am giving you the final installment—the com-ing of the King and His triumphant return.Therewill not be a volume four. This is the last thing Iam going to say to you. It is the climactic con-clusion of My trilogy. It is the LAST DAYS. ■

The Last DaysDr. Dan Hayden



It’s an historical fact that Jesus Christsuffered. But the idea that His sufferingwas necessary—that He had to suffer

has often been the subject of scorn fromthose who have criticized and ridiculedChristianity through the centuries. It is alsowhat sets Christianity apart.

Muslims, for example, show respect forthe person of Christ, but see the cross ofChrist as a stumbling block and regard theatonement through suffering as foolishness.Mahatma Ghandi wrote in his autobiogra-phy, “I could accept Jesus as a martyr. Hisdeath on the cross was certainly a goodexample. But that there was anything elseto his suffering, mysterious or miraculous,this my heart can never accept” (p. 113).

German philosopher Friedrich Nietzschedismissed the concept of Christ’s sufferingby ridiculing the “concept of God on across—preposterous!” Oxford scholarAlfred Heir, in a paper evaluating world reli-gions, called Christianity “the worst of allbecause it rests on the idea of a sufferingSavior and a substitutionary atonement,which is intellectually contemptible andmorally outrageous.”

As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, westand resolutely in this derision andembrace the cross of Christ. We sing songslike “On a hill far away stood an old ruggedcross, the emblem of suffering and shame.And I love that old cross where the dearestand best for a world of lost sinners was

slain.” Do you see how different that is? Itperfectly illustrates 1 Corinthians 1:18:“For the word of the cross is folly to thosewho are perishing, but to us who are beingsaved it is the power of God.”

So if Jesus really did suffer, why was itessential that He suffered? Why couldn’tHe have just died for us?

Did Jesus really suffer?You say, “I think I already know the answerto that question.” Since the gospel spends agreat deal of time on this material we cannot minimize it. Let this be review.

Jesus suffered at His trial. Luke 22:63tells us “The men who held Jesus mockedHim and beat Him.” Jesus was placed in the


custody of Roman soldiers. Think aboutthose guys for a minute. Roman. Coliseum.Lions. These soldiers were hardly sissies. Infact, they made their living inflicting painupon people. We see this in their treatmentof Christ. Scripture tells us that they werelike bullies circling a smaller child, pushingand jeering him. They stripped Him naked,exposing, humiliating and insulting Him.

Jesus suffered at His scourging. Bythe time Pilate had given up trying torelease Jesus in a just way, Jesus hadendured more than 36 hours without sleep,bore severe humiliation and now faced tor-ture. “When he had scourged Jesus, [Pilate]delivered Him to be crucified” (Matthew27:26).

Jesus suffered on the road toCalvary. Some would say that Jesus’ meri-torious work was only upon the cross butScripture describes Jesus’ payment for sinhad already begun, and now continued onthis road to Calvary. As strong as Jesus was,and I believe He was strong, He couldn’tcarry this 200 lb. cross for the two milesfrom the Praetorium to Calvary. His rav-aged body fell under the weight of it so theRoman soldier reached into the crowd andgrabbed Simon of Cyrene and said, “you’recarrying it.”

Make no mistake about it, when theBible says Jesus suffered for your sins, Hesuffered… at His trial, at His scourging, andon the road to the cross. Then more famil-iar to us, Jesus suffered on the cross.

Death by crucifixion includes all thehorror that pain and death can offer. Thisghastly execution, embraced by theRomans, involved dizziness, thirst, starva-tion, sleeplessness, traumatic fever, shame,long continuance of torment, horror ofanticipation, mortification of intendedwounds, all intensified just up to the pointat which the person could endure it butstopping just short of the point whereunconsciousness would bring some relief.And it was designed to keep the personconscious and suffering.

One thing is clear: first century execu-tions were not like modern ones, for theydid not seek a quick, painless death nor thepreservation of any measure of dignity for

the criminal. On the contrary, they soughtan agonizing torture which completelyhumiliated the accused. It is important thatwe understand this, for it helps us realizethe suffering in Christ’s death.

Let it never be in doubt, Jesus suffered.

Why did Jesus have to suffer?Now the all-important question: Why didJesus have to suffer? Why couldn’t Godhave just let Him die to pay for our sins?

First John 4:10 says, “And this is love,not that we loved God but that He loved usand sent His Son to be the payment for oursin.” The key word here is payment. TheBible explains this payment in many differ-ent ways:

He died to give us life. (1 John 5:11)He died to bring us to God. (1 Peter 3:18)He died the just for the unjust. (1 Peter

3:18)He died for our sins. (Hebrews 9:26)He died to save us. (Romans 10:9)He died to give us eternal life. (John 3:16)

The bottom line is payment. It wasn’tenough for Him to die. Jesus had to pay adebt. Remember the old chorus?: “He paida debt He did not owe. I owed a debt Icould not pay.”

Some would still ask, “What debt? Whatpayment was owed?” He paid to satisfy thedemands of God’s anger.

Peace with God is the absence of anger.As much as God loves you, He hates yoursin with a holy, burning hatred that youcannot comprehend. But He does love you,and the only way that He could embraceyou was to take His hatred for your sin andmake someone else pay for it. (See Romans5:1) And it couldn’t be just anyone—it hadto be someone perfect. Since we’re all sin-ners, He came Himself.

That’s the gospel; that’s the whole subject. Hear it again for the first time: You can

be forgiven and washed clean. James 3:2

says we all fall in various ways. But wedon’t have to carry that sin around. We canbe forgiven. But God would not do thatlightly. God wouldn’t say, “Oh, I see yoursin, but never mind.” Someone had to payfor those sins that we chose for ourselves.

It was Jesus. Willingly, He walked that road, suffered,

and died upon that cross and God, some-how in His infiniteness, laid all of oursinfulness there upon His Son.

There was no other way. There is noother name under heaven given to menwhereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).

So, here are four reasons that Jesus hadto suffer and what difference that mustmake in my life and yours:

To pay for the sins of mankind.Therefore, I should admit that I am a sinner.

To satisfy the demands of God’swrath. Therefore I should turn from my sinto Christ.

To purchase the opportunity of hav-ing our sins forgiven. Therefore, I shouldbelieve in Him.

To provide the way to eternal life. Toget a gift, you must receive it. “The wages ofsin is death but the gift of God is eternal lifethrough Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Have you? Do you know that Jesus isthe gift of eternal life? It’s as simple as that.John 1:12 says, “As many as received Him,to those he has given the authority to becalled the children of God.” We’re not allGod’s children. Only the ones who havereceived Him. His suffering makes that giftpossible. ■

WILLINGLYHE WALKEDTHAT ROADSUFFEREDAND DIED

UPON THATCROSS

,

,,

Dr. James MacDonald isthe founding pastor ofHarvest Bible Chapel inRolling Meadows, IL andradio Bible teacher onWalk in the Word(walkintheword.com)

which emphasizes the precise exposition ofGod’s Word and its practical life applica-tion. James and his wife Kathy have threechildren—Luke, Landon, and Abigail—andreside in the northwest suburbs of Chicago.


any people are aware that Martin Luther translated the Scrip-tures into the German language during his

time at the Wartburg Castle. However, what isnot as well know is that Luther’s translation,known as the September Testament, was thenineteenth printed edition of the GermanBible.The story behind the printing of the Biblein the German language is a demonstration ofGod’s providence in preparing for theReformation of the sixteenth century.

The development of printing by moveabletype is credited to Johannes Gutenberg, whoprinted the first book at Mainz, Germany in1455. The Gutenberg Bible was in Latin, thelanguage of the Church and the universities.Exactly when, and by whom, the idea came toprint the Bible in German is unknown.However, a strong movement to translate theBible into vernacular languages had spreadthroughout Europe during the previous cen-turies. It was common practice to translate thePsalms and other books into the language ofthe people for use in devotional exercises.

Whatever may have been the circum-stances, Johann Mentelin began to print theBible in German in 1466. Mentelin began hiscareer as a scribe and illuminator but, fore-seeing the economic impact that printing bymoveable type was going to make, he changedprofessions and became the first printer inStrassburg. This may have been as early as1458, just three years after Gutenberg’sVulgate edition of 1455.

But what manuscripts did Mentelin use toprint the German Bible? There are a number ofsurviving manuscripts in German fromWolfenbuttel for the Old Testament and Tepland Freiburg for the New Testament. WilhemWalther, in his book German Bible Translations

of the Middle Ages, concluded, aftercareful investigation, that the text ofthe Mentelin Bible is more accuratethan the text of these manuscripts.How did this situation occur?Apparently Mentelin had access tomanuscripts of the Old Latin trans-lation, also known as the Itala,which proved to be more accuratethan the Vulgate manuscripts. As aresult, the Mentelin Bible is anextremely accurate translation ofthe Scriptures into the German lan-guage.

The Mentelin Bible containedsome 406 leaves printed in doublecolumns with 61 lines per column.Although it apparently lacked a titlepage, folios, and signatures, it was atypographical monument. The book was red-lettered after printing to mark punctuation andcapitals. The rubricator also supplied the titlesof books, chapter numbers and headings, andindicators at the beginning and ending of eachbook. Initials, supplied by hand, were given atthe beginning of prefaces, books and chap-ters. Evidence points to the date of June 27,1466, as its completion, making it the firstbook printed by moveable type in the Germanlanguage, or any modern language.

Although the book is a tribute to the art ofprinting, its spiritual value must be gauged bythe impact that it had on the German people.For the first time in their history, the German-speaking people possessed the completeScriptures in a printed format. In contrast, itwas not until 1535 that Miles Coverdale print-ed the first complete copy of the Scriptures inthe English language.

Church History assigns the beginning of theReformation as October 31, 1517, whenMartin Luther posted his Ninety-five Theses on

the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg.However, the years preceding Luther were onesof preparation, when the hand of God’s provi-dence set the stage for the recovery of theGospel. One of the instruments that God usedwas the translation of His Word in the languageof the German people. The Mentelin Bible wasthe first of the eighteen editions of His Wordthat helped prepare the way. The Reformationcame to a people who had been given theScriptures in their own vernacular. How thank-ful we should be that God used His Word forthe reformation of His Church! ■

The Mentelin Bible is part of The Van Kampen Collection, oneof the largest private collections of Bibles, artifacts, and bib-lical manuscripts in the world. The Collection is thecenterpiece of Sola Scriptura’s ministry, and is housed at TheScriptorium, an interactive museum at The Holy LandExperience in Orlando, Florida. This book is presently on dis-play in the Special Exhibit Room at The Scriptorium. TheExhibit is called Light in the Dark Ages and is an illustrationof the power of God’s Word to dispel the spiritual darknessthat had enveloped much of Europe before the Reformation.

THEVANKAMPENCOLLECTIONThe Mentelin BibleDr. Herbert Samworth

M


Truth for today

Something happened to me recently that gave me newinsight into the mind of God. I was driving to work, andwhile sitting at a stop sign I was hit from behind byanother car. The other driver was a young man whoexpressed great sorrow and remorse at his action. He

was obviously shaken by the ordeal but was extremely polite andcooperative. We exchanged information, and as the damageseemed minimal, we went our separate ways. We both got esti-mates for the repairs, which in each case was near $300, andspoke several times on the phone as we gathered all the neces-sary information for the insurance companies. I advised him thatit might be less expensive for him to pay for the repairs out of hispocket and avoid the insurance charges, and after getting all thedetails from his company, he agreed.

During one of our phone calls he expressed an interest in vis-iting The Holy Land Experience here in Orlando. Since he seemedlike such an impressive young man, I sent him several tickets sothat he and his family could come see the Christmas program.

As the holidays approached, I decided that the body repairson my car were not nearly as important as fixing a small leak inmy transmission, so I determined that I would apply the moneyfrom the accident to fix the leak first and then fix the bumperlater. Even though I had not yet received the settlement money, Itook my car to the transmission shop for the work. When I wentto pick it up, the manager gave me the keys and said that my carwas all set and that there would be no charge! I couldn’t believeit at first; the repair could have easily cost over $100, but themanager was insistent that I not pay.

As I drove away, a seed began to grow in my mind: since I hadbeen forgiven this debt for which I had purposed to use the moneyfrom the accident, perhaps God was encouraging me to forgivethis young man’s debt to me. The more I thought about it, themore convinced I became that God had done this so that Hecould be glorified in this young man’s life. I started to call theyoung man to tell him the good news, but then I thought it mightbe more significant for me to wait until he called me to arrangefor payment and then to tell him of God’s provision for him to befree from the debt. So I waited.And I waited. I knew that each timehe looked at the front of his car, he must remember the debt thathe owed, yet for whatever reason, he did not call.

This caused me to think about the forgiveness that God offersto us. Psalm 86:5 states, “For You, Lord, are good, and ready to

The BurdenStu Kinniburgh


Truth for today • THEBURDEN

forgive, and abundant in lovingkindness to all who call upon You.” He hasdetermined to forgive those whom He has chosen, yet we all mustapproach Him in humility and penitence, admitting our sin with the real-ization that only His grace offers forgiveness and relief from our burden.In this, we are comforted by the words given to Israel by God in 2Chronicles 7:14: “If… My people who are called by My name humblethemselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways,then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.”Without the realization and acknowledgment of our sin, we are saddledwith its effect on our lives; it is impossible to escape.

Further, I think about our day-to-day living and how as Christians weknow that we can take our burdens and lay them at the feet of Christ. Yetmany of us wait until things get so bad that we either cry out in utter des-peration or become convinced that things are so foul that God couldn’tpossibly forgive, so we don’t even ask. All too often, we get used to thedents and dings in our lives, and we learn to live with them. May it neverbe so! One big difference between our relationship with God and thisyoung man’s relationship with me is that, unlike this young man, whodoes not know that I am ready to forgive his debt to me, we know thatGod is ready to forgive and restore us.

Each day that we see the “wreck” in our lives that sin causes, we arereminded of the debt that Christ paid on our behalf, and we should be

encouraged to go before Him and confess our disobedience, offering a lifededicated to serving Him.We can rest in the truth found in 1 John 1:9: “Ifwe confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins andto cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Armed with this knowledge, weshould be all the more ready to apply the words found in Psalm 51:

Be gracious to me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness;According to the greatness of Your compassion blot out my

transgressions.Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.Against You, You only, I have sinned and done what is evil in Your sight,So that You are justified when You speak and blameless when You

judge…Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation;Then my tongue will joyfully sing of Your righteousness.O Lord, open my lips, that my mouth may declare Your praise.For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it;You are not pleased with burnt offering.The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. ■

Author’s note: Shortly before going to press with this article,I received a call from this young man. He expressed regretthat several months had passed since we last spoke, but saidthat he had finally gotten most of the money together to payfor the repair. I told him about the way that God had provid-ed for him to be free from the debt and that he did not oweme anything. He asked me if I was sure, saying that he waswilling to accept the responsibility for his actions, but I toldhim that I believed God had done this in our lives for somegreater purpose. I know that I had to come to terms withissues like forgiveness, obedience, and the true source andpurpose of money. I asked him to consider what God wantedto teach him through this incident. I’ll quote as best as I canremember what his words were next: “I know this may soundstrange, but I believe that I was supposed to hit your car thatday. I’ve learned so much over the last few months; I don’tthink I’ll ever be the same. I know that God is doing somethingin my life. If you ever need anything at all, just call me.” Thoselast words were said with such conviction that I know he trulymeant what he said. Our response to God as we considerwhat He has done in our lives should be no less heart-felt:“Lord, if you ever need anything at all, just call me.”

Without the realizationand acknowledgment ofour sin, we are saddled

with its effect on ourlives; it is impossible

to escape.

Afew months ago, whiletraveling through the OldTestament, I stumbled acrossa little verse in the book ofJeremiah. It was hidden in

one of those not-so-famous chapters that youonly read when you’re trying to get through theBible in a year. The verse reads, “Thy wordswere found, and I did eat them; and Thy wordwas unto me the joy and rejoicing of mineheart: for I am called by thy name, O Lord Godof hosts” (Jeremiah 15:16). From the momentI read these words, I felt the deep passionthat was captured within them. I heard thepleasure in Jeremiah’s voice. He knew that hehad uncovered a treasure beyond words, andI longed for that same kind of passion andsatisfaction.

This simple verse has since become asplinter in my mind, challenging me to askmyself whether I am experiencing God’s Wordas it was meant to be experienced.

When I was fourteen, I lived in a smallcoastal town on the edge of the Namib Desert.That shoreline is called the skeleton coast,because when ships used to run aground

there, those who survived the shipwreck wouldsoon die from the dry heat of the desert. Myfather and I would take frequent outings intothe desert, and I was always struck by the vastexpanse of nothing but sand. I rememberthinking how hopeless I would feel to be lost ina desert such as the Namib. Imagine thehunger and agonizing thirst you would feelafter just a few days… and your reaction to asudden discovery of food and water when youhad abandoned all hope! It is this kind of pas-sionate cry of joy that I hear in Jeremiah’svoice as he refers to God’s words. Thy wordswhere found! Thy words where found! And I dideat them!

Jeremiah’s metaphor gives us a beautiful,physical description of a spiritual experience,allowing us to bridge the gap between the tan-gible and the theoretical. “Thy words werefound, and I did eat them.” (italics added)There is something deeply satisfying about agreat meal. When I think back on eating myfavorite meal, I can almost taste it. The memoryis vivid, because each bite brought with it agratification that encompassed my body.Jeremiah discovered that God’s Word can satis-

Food for the SoulRenaut van der Riet


Noah’s Ark—Havethey found it?Question: Ken, over the years, there havebeen lots of supposed sightings of aboat-like structure on Mt. Ararat, withclaims that this is Noah’s Ark. Has Noah’sArk been found?

Ken Ham’s Answer: Well, let’s just getdown to the bottom line. No, Noah’s Arkhas not been discovered. I know that inrecent times some researchers haveclaimed there’s a boat-like structure atthe bottom of Mt. Ararat that they thinkis the Ark. But geologists have shown thisis just a geological formation. It certainlywould be exciting to find the remains ofthe Ark. At the same time, I’m alsoreminded of the rich man in Luke 16who wanted to go back and warn hisbrothers about judgment after death. Hethough that if one came back from thedead, his brothers would believe. Andwhat did Abraham say? “If they hear notMoses and the prophets, neither willthey be persuaded, though one rosefrom the dead.” I don’t think finding theArk will suddenly convince people theBible is true. If they don’t believe God’sWord, finding Noah’s Ark is not going toconvince them. Maybe that’s why theLord hasn’t allowed us to find it.

“If dinosaurs were on the Ark, which we believe, whydon’t we find them alive today?” That’s one of thequestions tackled by Ken Ham in his free dinosaurbooklet. You can receive a copy by calling 1-800-950-9507, or by going to the Answers in Genesis website:www.answersingenesis.org.


Truth for today • FOODFORTHESOUL

fy even more deeply than the best meal; God’sWord can bring us a satisfaction of the soul.

Satisfaction of the soul. The very thought ofsuch a deep sense of fulfillment stirs up astrong desire in me to experience it first hand.I long to feel such an immense passion anddesire to devour God’s words. I long toencounter God’s voice as Moses did to hearHim speak to me as He did to the prophets ofold or to the apostles. It is so easy to delve intoGod’s Word and not experience it but ratherread it as a historic, theological book, docu-menting His words. But, what if He can speakto me through it? What if He intended HisWord to be living and active in my life, asHebrews 4:12 states? What if His voice couldbe found in the pages of this book calledGod’s Word?

I am discovering that the Bible is not pri-marily a book of theology, but a book ofintimacy. It is not merely a book given to us sothat we can study God, but one given so thatwe can know God—that is, to hear Him and tosee Him. It gives us the opportunity to experi-ence God’s voice in our lives as the men andwomen of old experienced God’s voice in

theirs. David writes in Psalm 63:1, “O God, Youare my God, earnestly I seek You; my soulthirsts for You, my body longs for You, in a dryand weary land where there is no water.” A fewverses later he writes,“My soul will be satisfiedas with the richest of foods; with singing lipsmy mouth will praise You!” (Psalm 63:5). Yousee, our deepest parts will not be satisfied notby words on a page, but by the presence of theLiving God.There must be a voice behind thosewords, and it is that voice we must discover. Ibelieve that when we approach God’s Wordwith a desire to be satisfied, we will find it tobe far more than a book of truth; we will findit to be a banquet for the soul.

We often approach the Scriptures on ourterms, with little time to spare and a very spe-cific agenda in mind. We want to spend ourallotted time in devotion and quickly findsomething that will inspire us, a verse we canapply to our life in the days ahead. If, however,we desire to discover God’s voice and feed oursouls, we must be willing to set our structuredtime and agenda aside and wait on God. Wemust come to His Word on His terms.

It seems we have more to keep us enter-

tained in this day and age than ever before,and yet we find ourselves less satisfied witheach coming day. This holds true in our currentChristian culture as well. We are busier thanever, with expanding ministries, and we havemore resources to help us to better study Godand His Word than we could possibly use in alifetime. Yet, we sometimes lack the deep sat-isfaction that comes from an intimaterelationship with God. When we study HisWord, we must linger, and we must listen,expecting God to speak. It is a process thatgoes against the grain of our culture but opensthe door to God’s voice.

It is my prayer that we will approach God’sWord with the same tenacity that Moses hadwhen he asked to see God’s face (Exodus33:12-23). Let us not be satisfied until we findGod’s voice and hear Him speak to our hearts.Only then will we, too, experience a deeper ful-fillment than ever before and be able to say, asJeremiah did, “Thy words were found, and I dideat them; and Thy word was unto me the joyand rejoicing of mine heart.”

May the Lord bless you as you seek afterHim, and find Him, in His Word. ■

Satisfaction of the soul.

The very thought of such a deep sense of fulfillmentstirs up a strong desire to experience it firsthand.

FINALTHOUGHTS


It’s All In the NumbersCharles Cooper

Just how much is 175,000? Well, itreally depends on what the referenceis. If the subject is the cost of raisinga child through graduation from col-lege—a whopping $800,000—then $175,000 isn’t very much. If the sub-

ject is pennies, then stuffing 175,000 penniesin paper rolls yields only $1,750, which is a lotof trouble for a small return. If the subject isdays, then 175,000 days is 480 years, whichpales when compared to eternity. But what if175,000 refers to sins?

While watching Mel Gibson’s film ThePassion of the Christ, I was forced to come togrips with the fact that my sin caused thedeath of Christ. As a follower of Jesus Christ, Iknow that His death is the only paymentacceptable to God for my sins. Jesus Christdied for me!

As I sat watching the movie, my mind beganto play with the numbers. Just how many sins hadI committed since my birth? How many more sinswill I commit before I die? Let’s do the numbers.Psalm 90:10 sets the boundaries of man’s dayson the earth as 70 years on average. If I live to be70 years old, how many sins would I potentiallycommit? Seventy years equates to about 25,550days. By picking a conservative number, let’s saysix sins a day for 70 years, at the end of 70 yearsI personally would have committed 153,300sins.Now as I look back over my life, I realize thatbetween ages 14 and 45, six sins a day is far tooconservative. Compensating for it, I add an addi-tional 50 sins a month for those years, totaling18,600 sins. My grand total is 171,900 sins, andsince I’ve been somewhat conservative, that cancomfortably be rounded up to 175,000.

That’s just my sin alone. What about thesins of the whole world? Using the same for-mula to calculate the total number of sins ofevery generation in the entire world wouldresult in a number too large to comprehend.As

I sat watching Gibson’s film, the sheer magni-tude of my personal sin and its effect on Christoverwhelmed me. Sadly, I realized that most,perhaps all, of my personal sins were sounnecessary. How many sins did I commitmore than once, even after confessing to Godthat the act was sinful?

This scenario is difficult and shameful to

admit, but the fact of the matter is that Christwould have had to suffer and die in the exactsame way if only one sin had ever been com-mitted. The awfulness of sin is not in the totalnumber of sins, but in the nature of sin. I willnever view the declaration “Christ died for mysins” in the same way again! Thanks, Mel, forthe wake-up call! ■

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