Recently I was watching a back-and-forth discussion online between a Bible teacher and a theologian. It was striking that the theologian was smarter than the Bible teacher, but the Bible teacher was wiser than the theologian.
The theologian was making a very strong argument based on metaphysics: it was a very good argument. But the Bible teacher just kept saying, "but that's not what the text says."
If the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, then surely refusing to abandon the ground of what Scripture actually says must be a big part of being wise.
7 comments:
Another big part is understanding the Scriptures.
Luke 24:45
I find that most of the preaching I hear today is based on men deciding what they want/don't t want the Bible to mean and then making the passage fit.
A Roman Catholic acquaintance once told me the point is not to master the Scriptures, but to be mastered by them. That is a profound thought.
So to Robert's point, I find it harder and harder to find people who are willing to subject themselves to Scripture because it is the words that God has spoken. I find myself constantly having to judge myself and ask, "Is this your thought? or is it what the Scriptures teach?"
"Darby" is almost a dirty word these days, but not many have shared his awe of the word of God. Maybe Martin Luther? His reverence and respect for the words that God spoke drove his entire life.
That's really why I keep quoting Darby. I realize I sound like some sort of rube, quoting this guy who seems to be almost universally scorned... but a man who walked away from career and position because of God's words has a lot of teach me.
And Susan is 100% correct to bring up Luke 24:45. Absolutely! More people than we might want to acknowledge are trying a Spirit-less approach.
There are different editions of the Synopsis of the Books of the Bible by JND. My copy, which I bought over 40 years ago is the Stow Hill 1965 edition. The following is a quotation from the introduction:
“Nothing is more harmful than this laziness which prefers to dwell on a few thoughts rather than fathom the divine Word itself, which latter is denied to the soul who does not earnestly seek of the Lord, with diligence, spirituality and devotion the knowledge which He alone can give.”
"Yes Robert, we must "earnestly seek of the Lord, with diligence, spirituality and devotion the knowledge which He alone can give.”
"The more difficult the times are, the more you find the word of God meets every thing. All sorts of things are arising, in these days specially, but the word of God is ready for all.
Since I was first exercised, I never found it fail me in any difficulty or heresy. I have failed it, that is another thing; but it has never failed me." JND
Almost as soon as I started to share with others what I had found helpful in the writings of Mr Darby, I got kick back. An elder once said to me, ‘You do realise that if he was alive today, we would not receive John Nelson Darby into our church fellowship’? I replied, ‘if he was alive today he would not ask to be received into your church fellowship’!
I keep this quote from him in my Bible: ‘I did not enter into this path for its success but for its truth. I did not enter into it for brethren or brethrenism; there were none to join. I did so because the Spirit and the Word showed me it was following Christ. It has not ceased to be so; and now that others have left it for a broader and I think more worldly one, I still prefer the narrow one. I did not choose this path for them; I do not leave it because they have left it’ JND 1852
I'm a latecomer to Darby and the early PB's (in my 50's at the time, now in my 70's), but better late than never!
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