"As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God." (Psalm 42:1)
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THE SCRIPTURES
"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path." (Psalm 119:105)
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Unless otherwise stated articles are by David W. Norris
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THE COMPLETED REVELATION OF GOD
Herman Bavinck
From the Dutch Magnalia Dei
The whole revelation of the Old Testament converges upon Christ, not upon a new law, or doctrine, or institution, but upon the person of Christ. A person is the completed revelation of God; the Son of Man is the own and only-begotten Son of God.
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ONLY ONE AUTHENTIC WORD
This was the first article I wrote in defence of the Authorised Version. It first appeared in DAYSPRING magazine.
When looking at any subject in Scripture, the approach is often to gather together as many proof texts as possible and hang them all out to dry next to each other like so many items of washing on the line left to blow about in the wind. In doing this, what we fail to capture is the ‘big picture’ found in Scripture. The ‘proof text’ method of argument usually ends with those on each side hurling one verse after another at each other. For every verse the protagonist finds, his opponent will find one that seems to say the opposite. This is the method used by many sects. Every verse in Scripture needs to be considered not only in the context of the immediate passage in which it is found, but also in respect of its place in the overall picture in Scripture of the unfolding redemptive purpose of God in His Son. In this way, we build a sure foundation and shall not be easily blown about by every wind of doctrine. Years ago, grocers used to stack up cans of food in a huge pyramid in the shop window. Only one critical can had to be removed for the whole lot to come tumbling down. There is nothing in Scripture that is superfluous or even in the wrong place. Remove one verse, or even alter it in some way, and the whole structure will be affected in one way or another. Those who tinker with Scripture cannot avoid the error, or the false teaching that inevitably follows such reckless behaviour. Every single verse is there, because its place in the overall structure is essential. God put it there. Those who tamper with God’s Word cannot do so without immediate consequences to the ‘big picture’ of biblical belief. We alter Scripture at our peril. What at first seems to be just a tiny shift will have far-reaching repercussions. The ripples from a small stone thrown into a large pond will be detectable even at the furthest edges.
In the same way, no doctrine can be said to rest on an isolated verse of Scripture. This atomistic approach will lead to distortion, because each verse fits neatly and purposefully in its place as part of the much wider whole. At the centre of this overall structure is what the Bible says about God Himself.
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THE PILLAR AND GROUND OF THE TRUTH
All ministrations instituted by Christ are centred and grounded in the Word of God. The Word is the only clear mark by which the Church of Christ can be known in its truth and purity. By that Word genuine believers are reborn and brought to faith and repentance, are purified, sanctified, gathered and established. In return, it is their task to preserve and guard that Word (John 8:31; 14:23); to study it (John 5:39); to prove the spirits (1 John 4:1); and to shun all those who do not teach it and live by it. The Word of God is the soul of the Church (Galatians 1:8; Titus 3:10; 2 John 9).
The Word of God is given to every individual believer (John 5:39 & Acts 17:11) that with patience and the comfort of the Scriptures we should have hope (Romans 15:4); that we should also teach and admonish one another (Romans 12:7-8; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 10:24) Rome has done violence to this, but the Reformation put the Bible back into everyone’s hands. God has given pastors and teachers (1 Corinthians 12:28; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Timothy 5:17 & 2 Timothy 2:2) to minister the Word (Acts 20:20). The Word is milk to the immature and meat to the mature (1 Corinthians 3:2; Hebrews 5:12 & 1 Peter 2:2).
Service to the Word of God includes its preservation, translation, interpretation, dissemination, defence and proclamation to all men. The Church thus remains built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:20) and so is the pillar and ground of the truth (1 Timothy 3:15).
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AUTHORIZED OR MODERN BIBLE?
The 1611 Bible was never the 'modern version' of its day. The Authorized Version possesses its own unique English. ...
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THE RISE OF RATIONALIST CRITICISM WITHIN EVANGELICAL THEOLOGY
Those who read a different 'word' preach a different gospel. To the modern linguist it makes no sense to say that the thought of one person can be replicated in the mind of another through the medium of language. This denies all possibility of the Word of God reaching human hearts. We totally reject the convoluted word-games of modern bible translators, pseudo-scientific robber barons sent by the enemy of our souls to snatch from us the pure Word of God.
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THE AUTHORITY OF THE SCRIPTURES
Even as the sovereignty of God encompasses the whole of reality and cannot be limited to those things deemed ‘spiritual’, so the authority of the Word of God extends to all things.
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THE PRIMACY OF GOD'S WORD
It is important as the close of the present age draws ever nearer, as the storm clouds gather, as wicked men set themselves with ever more vigour and intensity against Christ Jesus and those who follow Him, that we strive constantly to have a better understanding of Scripture. Especially, when so many who once walked with us have sought to downgrade the position of the precious Word of God. It is only by accepting, believing, and acting upon the clear words of God’s special revelation in the Bible that we can hope to gain an insight into what is going on around us and how to respond. Only here do we find a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our pathway (Psalm 112:105). Only God’s Word reveals to us the direction in which we are heading. The Bible is authoritative on everything of which it speaks and its speaks of everything directly or indirectly. It tells is first of all about Christ and His work, but also of God, who He is and the world He created; of things past, of things present, of things yet to come.
First of all, the Bible is an unchanging, objective Word. Whatever day of the week it is, however we may feel, whether joyful or sad, this Word is always the same and we can depend upon it. Like the Lord who gave it, His Word is the same yesterday, today and forever. It does not say one thing on one day then lead us in a different direction the next. “For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven” (Psalm 119:89). The Bible is not God’s Word only when it speaks to us.
Second, it becomes ours, it becomes subjective, by the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit and as this Word enters our hearts and directs our thoughts. It is from within our hearts that all the issues of life arise and it is here that God’s Word does its work. “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life” (Proverbs 4:23). The heart is the root of our existence from whence arise all our thoughts and feelings that prompt our words and our deeds. As a man “thinketh in his heart, so is he” (Proverbs 23:7), be it good or evil. “A good man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is good; and an evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart bringeth forth that which is evil: for of the abundance of the heart his mouth speaketh” (Luke 6:45).
The heart is never neutral. We will either love God in our heart or hate Him. There is no position in between. Our stance towards God will determine how we respond to Scripture and to everything else in life. The heart that rejects God will also reject all that He says. The heart has either been transformed or it will remain apostate. The heart must first be changed in order to receive the truth revealed in Scripture. Otherwise, clever arguments, reasoned pleas will all be of no avail.
Third, the Bible is also clear in its meaning; it is not obscure or hidden. It should be taken as it stands. If there is allegory, this will be obvious; if there are other figures of speech, they will also be plain. We need no obscure hermeneutic, no strange methodology to unlock its meaning.
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WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE ORIGINALS?
The Authorised Version of the Bible comes to us foreordained of God down to the very smallest detail in order to bring us His Word as He beforehand determined it should, but ...
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OUR NATION AND THE SCRIPTURES
There was a time when the Bible enjoyed a privileged place at the heart of British life. This is far from being the case today.
The influence of the Christian Scriptures on our nation and people is undeniable and truly remarkable. The source rarely recognised today, the words of the Bible have become part of the woof and warp of our culture and language
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INSPIRATION
In the process of inspiration the mind and consciousness of the writers of Scripture were so elevated that the thoughts arising there came solely from the Spirit of God, unhindered by the intervention of anything originating from within the individual concerned. Moved, or borne along by God’s Spirit, the thoughts of God become the thoughts of these men. Nevertheless, the functioning of the human personality was not set aside, but its faculties operated coincidentally and utterly in tune with the Spirit of God.
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A GOD-BREATHED BOOK
We will be touched by Scripture effectively only when we recognise that a breach exists between God and all mankind.
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LANGUAGE AS A BATTLEFIELD
Any translation methodology, such as that used for the New International Version and most modern versions, that is based on a godless view of language cannot give us access to the unchangeable Word of God, ‘for ever settled in heaven’.
"The unity, harmony, consistency and organic self-interpretation of the Scriptures are the evidence of their infallibility and a bulwark of defence confronting every human theory. The “sure word of prophecy” is not darkness, but a “light shining in a dark place, unto which we do well to take heed.” And the certitude we seek is assured by the fact that “no prophecy is of any private interpretation (of what God’s mind is), nor came in old time by the will of man, but men spake from God, being borne along by the Holy Ghost."
in Daniel's Great Prophecy, Nathaniel West
"What God says is true, what man says may be true and the truthfulness of the latter can be ascertained, its certainty demonstrated, by comparing it with that which God has said."
George N. Peters, The Theocratic Kingdom
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"If true religion is to beam upon us, our principle must be, that it is necessary to begin with heavenly teaching, and that it is impossible for any man to obtain even the minutest portion of right and sound doctrine without being a disciple of Scripture."
John Calvin
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