Category: Doctrine
Bible-correcting Fundamental Baptists
This is from the tail end of a discussion I was in about Bible correctors among fundamental Baptists.
Well, so much for Wycliffe's desire "that every man ... might read in the tongue wherein he was born the wonderful works of God." It's amazing to me that these men, just like the Catholics in Wycliffe's day, think we cannot understand the Bible without having access to the original languages, and think we cannot produce a Bible that does not require the common man to either have access to the originals or (as they would prefer) depend on the scholars to help him get the best understanding of his Bible. Who was going to guide me into all truth? The originals? The scholars? Or was it the Holy Ghost?
--BC
P.S. According to these men, there will never be a Bible faithful enough to the originals for them to get weaned off the original languages. Because the standard of faithful translation is their scholarship and their own measure.
Musings on suffering
Some time back while studying Hebrews 2, a thought occurred to me: Suffering made Jesus what he is today. Now, we know that Jesus knew all things from the point of view of scientific knowledge. But he did not know all things experientially ("...yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered"). That stayed with me. Below are several of my musings on the topic. Perhaps they will at some point be part of a more formal writing.
(Note: this has not been editted much; it's mostly as I originally wrote it, so it's somewhat raw)
The word "suffer" seems akin to permit or endure (Matthew 3:15, "...suffer it to be so...", 1 Timothy 2:12, "...I suffer not a woman to teach..."). Carries the distinct connotation of "going through" something. The latin root meaning (transliterated) "to bear under." That latin root, ferre, may be akin to the word ferry. It cannot be separated from endure, actually.
By its definition, it implies discomfort, whether physical, mental, emotional, spiritual, or other. We do not "suffer" things that please us - we enjoy them. We do not endure comfort, we welcome it. We may endure something which is not painful, but whatever we endure is almost always uncomfortable. That is how we define these things in our mind. Comfort and discomfort do not co-exist, and by the same token, then, neither do enjoyment and enduring, or pleasure and suffering (at least, not to the carnal man).
Read more!Can a Woman Be a Man of God?
In this day of religious toleration and widespread acceptance of "new and better" things, many long-held beliefs and practices have come under scrutiny. Claiming that so much of old-fashioned religion is too old-fashioned for this modern day, many have joined a revolution that seeks to challenge doctrines which are incompatible with current trends. Such examination is not intrinsically wrong; yea, we should abandon doctrines and practices which do not pass Biblical standards. One of the doctrines receiving such a challenge in the last 100 years has been that of the gender boundaries of a preacher. For long, most agreed that God would only use a man as a preacher. Since the late 1800's (particularly since Azusa Street in 1906-1908), many have claimed otherwise, saying our Lord equally considers a woman as a candidate for a preacher. When the debates have ended, the dust has settled, and the hair has quit flying, this question from Galatians 4:30 remains concerning whether God uses women as preachers: "Nevertheless what saith the scripture?"
Christmas
...Good Tidings of Great Joy Which Shall Be to All People...
Luke 2:10
A Christian Perspective on Christmas
By Pastor Billy Ball
It never ceases to amaze me how that every year we seem to have another preacher come around and go to great lengths to try to discourage God's people from committing the awful sin of celebrating the birth of our blessed Lord, a time otherwise known as Christmas. Yes, I knew it was about time for another message pronouncing woe upon those who would be so wicked as to get excited about what the Word of God said would be "good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people."
What these preachers need to realize is that Christians are not necessarily celebrating Christ's birthday so much as we are celebrating His birth! And they cannot deny that His birth was celebrated, as we shall see a little later in this message.
The funny thing it that most of the time the ones who get upset are probably those same preachers who had just finished celebrating Thanksgiving, another national holiday not found in the Bible. You see, that seems to be one of their main reasons for not celebrating Christmas - "the early church didn't do it, so we shouldn't either."
I should probably remind them that there are several things which we celebrate today that are not found to be observed by N.T. Christians, things that are surely less significant than the incarnation or human birth of the Son of God. For instance, I don't read anything about early Christians celebrating their own birthdays or their children's birthdays. Have you ever done that, preacher? What about celebrating your parents' 50th wedding anniversary? What about sending a $25.00 flower arrangement to lay on a dead person's grave? Or maybe saluting a flag with your hand over your heart? What about that evil high school graduation? Oh, and I almost forgot about fireworks on the 4th of July and New Year's Day!
Can a Christian Watch TV and Still Be Right with God?
Do you set wicked things before your eyes?
In our age of never-ending entertainment, it seems there is always something to keep our minds occupied. By far the thing that is best at keeping our attention must be the television.
While Momma is busy cleaning house, the children can sit in front of the TV and leave her with little worry about whether they are getting into trouble. Dad can watch his favorite sports teams on Saturday afternoon. Mom can keep up with her "stories" every weekday afternoon. And, after a good supper, the entire family can catch the local and world news. Then they can all sit back and enjoy a good movie on one of the Big Three networks. Or they may even be able to see their favorite stars in their latest theater release, available on video only months after it was at the local cinema.
It all seems so harmless, doesn't it? But is it really? Or is the devil using the television to put things in our minds that we would not normally allow him to put there ? Let's examine four reasons that a Christian should exercise extreme caution with regard to television, including the rental of videos.
