What is a principle? A principle is a succinct statement of a universal truth
Principles that govern principles
Principles should correlate with the general teaching of Scripture
Principles should speak to the needs, interests, questions, and problems of real life today.
Principles should indicate a course of action
Principles should be supported by other godly people
New Testament – Letters
Which books are letters?
Romans, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 & 2 Thessalonians, 1 & 2 Timothy, Titus, and Philemon – written by Paul.
Hebrews – ?
James
1 & 2 Peter
1, 2, & 3 John
Jude
Characteristics of NT Letters
Comparable to ancient letters
Approximately 1,400 private letters from Greco-Roman antiquity.
Average length – 87 words
Cicero – average 295, ranging from 22 – 2,530
Seneca – average 995, ranging from 149 – 4,134
Paul – average 2,495, ranging from 335 (Philemon) to 7,114 (Romans)
Typical consisted of informal (personal, business, etc.) to formal for public presentation. The NT letters fall somewhere in the middle.
Authoritative substitutes for personal presence (Gal. 1:1; Eph. 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1)
Situational
Meet the practical needs
To clarify an issue
To address a doctrinal concern
Confront behavior
Carefully written and delivered
Trained scribe or secretary (Romans 16:22)
Signed by apostle (1 Cor. 16:21; Col. 4:18; 2 Thess. 3:17; Gal. 6:11)
Delivered by those traveling to an area (Eph. 6:21-22; Col. 4:7-9)
Intended for the Christian Community
Meant to be aloud and distributed (Col. 4:16; 1 Thess. 5:27; 2 Thess. 2:15)
The Form of NT letters
Introduction
Name of the writer
Name of the recipients
A greeting
An introductory prayer
1:1-2; Phil. 1:1; James 1:1; 1 Cor. 1:4-9
Body
Conclusion
Travel plans (Titus 3:12; Philemon 22)
Commendation of coworkers (Romans 16:1-2)
Prayer (2 Thess. 3:16; Heb. 13:20-21)
Prayer requests (1 Thess. 5:25; Heb. 13:18-19)
Greetings (Rom. 16:3-16, 21-23; Heb. 13:24; 2 John 13)
Final instructions and exhortations (Col. 4:16-17; 1 Tim. 6:20-21a)
Holy kiss (1 Thess. 5:26; 1 Peter 5:14)
Autograph (Col. 4:18; 2 Thess. 3:17)
Benediction (1 Cor. 16:23-24; Eph. 6:23-24)
Doxology (2 Peter 3:18; Jude 24-25)
How to interpret NT Letters
Read whole letter
What did the text mean to the biblical audience?
Recreate the situation
What are the differences between them and us?
Application
The apostles self-consciously understood themselves to be the recipients of and the fulfillment of the Old Testament promises in light of what Christ had done. Therefore the primary “context” of New Testament epistles is not Greco-Roman, but the Old Testament.
Application of epistles is typically straightforward, but some cultural and redemptive-historical discontinuity remains. We need to be sensitive to those questions.
Example: Ephesians 2:11-22. A typical application of this passage in many evangelical churches is racial reconciliation. But if we are paying attention to both the letter itself and the large biblical context, we will realize that, first and foremost, Paul is talking about the removal of the division between Jew and Gentile. That division was not merely ethnic, but theological, for it defined the boundaries of God’s people. The removal of that division in Christ meant that the nations were now welcome, and not to be excluded from God’s salvation. Only secondarily is this passage about reconciliation across other divides.
Use the literal sense unless there is some good reason not to
The difference between literal and literalistic or univocal
Use the figurative sense when the passage tells you to do so
Dreams or visions
Use the figurative sense if a literal meaning is impossible or absurd
Rev. 1:16
Use the figurative sense if a literal meaning would involve something immoral
John 6:53-55
Use the figurative sense if the expression is an obvious figure of speech
“like” or “as”
Personification
Use the figurative sense if a literal interpretation goes contrary to the context and scope of the passage
Rev. 5:1-5
Use the figurative if a literal interpretation goes contrary to the general character and style of the book
Psalm 63:7
Use the figurative sense if a literal interpretation goes contrary to the plan and purpose of the author
Psalm 1:3
Use the figurative sense if a literal interpretation involves a contradiction of other Scripture
Mark 10:25
Use the figurative sense if a literal interpretation would involve a contradiction in doctrine
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
Chart on pages 271-272
Romans 12: 1-2
12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers,[a] by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.[b] 2 Do not be conformed to this world,[c] but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.[d]
Footnotes:
Romans 12:1 Or brothers and sisters
Romans 12:1 Or your rational service
Romans 12:2 Greek age
Romans 12:2 Or what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God
Application – How does it work?
Make the truth attractive (Titus 1:1; 2:9-10)
Five substitutes for application
We substitute interpretation for application
Learning but not changing (Matt. 13:12; Luke 12:48; 6:46; James 4:17)
We substitute superficial obedience for substantive life-change
We apply biblical truth to the areas where we are already obeying it.
We substitute rationalization for repentance
We substitute an emotional experience for a volitional decision
A moving sermon
We substitute communication for transformation (1 Sam. 16:7; Heb. 4:13)
David and Nathan
A look in the mirror (James 1:19-27)
Four means by which the Word transforms our lives
Come
Interpretation is one; application is many
Conviction
Scripture leads us to repentance
Convincing
Colossians 3
Conversion
It changes us
Four Steps of Application
Know
Know the text
Know yourself (1 Tim. 4:16)
What are your assets
What are your liabilities (Romans 12:3)
Relate
What areas of your life are in need of change?
The working word
A new relationship with God
A new relationship to yourself
A new relationship to other people
A new relationship to the enemy
New insights from Scripture need to be applied
The word exposes your sin
The word gives you God’s promises
The word gives you God’s commands
The word gives you examples to follow
Meditate
Joshua 1:8
Psalm 1:1-2
Spending time with God
Scripture memorization
Practice
The more you understand it, the more you use it; and the more you use it, the more you understand it.
Nine questions to ask
Is there an example for me to follow?
Abraham (Gen. 18)
Is there a sin to avoid?
Is there a promise to claim?
Is there a prayer to repeat?
Nehemiah (Neh. 1)
David (Psalm 51)
Hannah (1 Sam. 2:1-10)
Jonah (Jonah 2)
Mary (Luke 1:46-55)
Paul (Eph. 3:14-21)
Jesus (Matt. 26:36-46)
The Lord’s prayer
Is there a command to obey?
54 in James alone
Is there a condition to meet? (John 15:7)
Is there a verse to memorize?
Is there an error to mark?
Is there a challenge to face?
How wide is the river to cross?
Never-changing truth in an ever-changing world
Context, context, context
Studying culture
Some issues to consider
Power
Communication
Money and economics
Ethnicity
Gender
Generations
Religion and worldview
The arts
History and time
Place
Resources
Making use of your data
What is the principle that we need to apply?
What is a principle? A principle is a succinct statement of a universal truth
Principles that govern principles
Principles should correlate with the general teaching of Scripture
Principles should speak to the needs, interests, questions, and problems of real life today.
Principles should indicate a course of action
Principles should be supported by other godly people
The Devotional Method. Select a short portion of your Bible and prayerfully meditate on it till the Holy Spirit shows you a way to apply the truth to your life. Write out a personal application.
The Character Quality Method. Choose a character quality you would like to work on in your life and study what the Bible says about it.
The Thematic Method. Select a Bible theme to study. Then think of three to five questions you’d like to have answered about that theme. Next study all the references you can find on your theme and record the answers to your questions.
The Biographical Method. Select a Bible character and research all the verses about that person in order to study his life and characteristics. Make notes on his attitudes, strengths, and weaknesses. Then apply what you have learned to your own life.
The Topical Method. Collect and compare all the verses you can find on a particular topic. Organize your conclusions into an outline that you can share with another person.
The Word Study Method. Study the important words of the Bible. Find out how many times a word occurs in Scripture and how it is used. Find out the original meaning of the word.
The Book Background Method. Study how history, geography, culture, science, and politics affected what happened in Bible times. Use Bible reference books to increase your understanding of the Word.
Deductive Bible Study. Deductive or synthetic Bible study gathers propositions from Scripture and arranges them as premises in formal arguments which reason toward necessary doctrinal conclusions which may not otherwise have been stated in the Bible. In this way, it builds Biblical doctrine. On the basic level, the gathering and arranging of Scripture to prove doctrines has already been done for the student. On the advanced level, the student researches these on his own.
Inductive Bible Study. Inductive or analytic Bible study examines in detail large passages of Scripture in order to understand those passages in context. In this way, it builds a general understanding of the Bible. On the basic level, the student researches on his own. On the advanced level, the student surveys all or large portions of Scripture looking for patterns, and theorizes about the meaning of what he observes. He then goes back and attempts to prove his theory deductively.
Why Study the Bible?
It is essential to growth – 1 Peter 1:22
Attitude
Appetite
Aim – grow
It is essential to spiritual maturity – Hebrews 5:11-14
It is essential to spiritual effectiveness – 2 Timothy 3:16-17
It seems to me that every year as the year is coming to an end, we tend to start making plans for the new year. We may not make a list of resolutions, but we do tend to approach the new year a bit of optimism. The question is what do you have to look forward to in 2018? Personally, our youngest daughter is getting married in May, in January I will be finishing my final course towards my doctorate and starting to research and write my dissertation, I have all of 2018 planned out for what I will be teaching in our ABF, and I have a group of people who have responded to my challenge of reading through the Bible together in 2018. On the negative side, I mother-in-law is battling cancer and may not make it through 2018, she and my father-in-law aren’t saved, so please pray for their salvation if you think of it, Diane’s best friend is also battling cancer, she and her husband are believers, but pray for them as well.
Some of these things are more important than others, but they are either things we do or things that happen to us. The bigger question is “How many of you are planning on the return of Jesus in 2018? I am not setting a date or anything crazy like that, but I want to explore his return and our expectation of it. I know that you love the gospel, but does your understanding and presentation of it include the fact that he is returning?
Explanation:
God – Holy and righteous, Creator.
Man – created in the image of God, to fellowship with God, but fell into disobedience. Now man has a sin nature and seeks only to serve himself. Man is unable to reconcile himself back to God, so he has a problem. He needs a Savior.
Christ – Jesus Christ is that Savior. He became a man, lived a perfect and righteous life, without sin. He died on the cross, was buried, and he rose from the dead. He ascended to heaven where he is seated on the throne. He is interceding to the Father on our behalf. He will return to judge the living and the dead. But there is more, Jesus is not only the Savior, but he is God, the second member of the Trinity along with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He is also the King of the universe.
Response – with all that in mind, there is a response required of us. we could reject it and go on living how we have been living and take our chances that the gospel is false or we can respond in faith and repentance. Faith is turning towards God and trusting in who he is and what he has done. Repentance is turning from your sin and living for God.
I know that you love the gospel, but does your understanding and presentation of it include the fact that he is returning? If it doesn’t, it should. So, I would like to take a small journey in the book of Revelation to see what the Bible say about the Second coming. I have titled this sermon, “What do you have to look forward to?Expand. It seems like a simple question, but there is so much loaded into it. The idea is how do you view life, how do respond to troubles and trials, or inconveniences, what are you living for, and what are you longing for? I would like to look at a few concepts, which are laid out in the gospel that I just explained, the Coming King, the Coming Kingdom, and the Coming God.
The Coming King – Rev. 19:11-16
Emphasize: look at a few expressions. Understanding that Apocalyptic literature seeks to paint a picture, instead of using plain words to explain a concept. Victorious return – white horse compare with ascension (Acts 1:11); Faithful and True; many diadems (sovereignty of all); the names he is called; the army with him; and the sword
The Coming Kingdom – Rev. 21:1-8
Emphasize: new heaven and new earth (draw back to 20:11), similar to 2 Cor. 5:17; the new Jerusalem = bride of Christ (the church) contrast with Babylon (ch. 18); the dwelling place of God.
The Coming God – Rev. 22:6-13
Trustworthy and true; worship God (Rev. 19:10); he is coming soon
Application
We must remember that God is a promise-keeping God.
He promised to send a Savior, he did, which we just celebrated last week. Jesus promised to rise from the dead, he did, which we celebrate on Easter or Resurrection Day, which happens to fall on April 1st this year. Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit, he did, which we celebrate 50 days later. Jesus promised to return, he will.
We must live in light of Jesus’ return.
Do you live as if the days are short and Jesus is coming soon? What would your life look like if you lived as if he could return tomorrow? How would it change how you witness? How you respond to negative situations? Would the things that we think are so important, be important?
We expect his return.
A friend once told me that John Calvin said that we should do our work with one foot in the air. I have to admit that there are very few times that I actually expect his return, I tend to focus on the here and now. Even driving home yesterday from dropping our daughter off at her future in-laws, as I contemplated his return, I found myself saying, “not yet.” Why? Do we hold on to this world to tight? Maybe we need to loosen our grip and expect his return. Luke 21:28 says “now when these things begin to take place, straighten up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” What else could we possibly hope for.
The New Testament is given to complete the story, not replace it.
If we toss out the Old Testament because we have the New, how are we to properly understand the redemptive storyline that does not find its origins in the New Testament but the Old.
The curse comes upon humanity in Gen. 3:14-19. The curse is removed in Rev. 22:3. Completing God’s redemptive work.
So why did Jesus come?
The OT is able to make one wise for salvation. 2 Tim. 3:14-17.
The OT initiates what the NT continues.
The OT is re-actualized in the NT in order to complete it
The NT authors do not bring some new fantastic teaching, but they more fully explain the true meaning of the OT.
God’s character is the same throughout.
It instructs us in godly living.
The Old Testament reveals Christ.
It points to Christ.
It instructs believers concerning the person and work of Jesus, the promised Messiah.
It provides the context of what it means to say that Jesus kept all the Law.
Jesus’ testimony in Luke 24.
The Old Testament is the Bible that Jesus and the Apostles used.
Jesus used it, not only to show who he was, but to teach people.
The disciples quoted from the OT
Paul used it quite extensively
The Old Testament provides historical setting out of which Christianity and the New Testament emerge.
The story line of God’s redemption begins in the OT and continues its flow through the NT.
Stephen (Acts 7) and Paul (Acts 13:16-41) use the OT to declare God’s plan for salvation.
What conclusions do we arrive at from the Scriptures being handled in this way?
The OT offers essential and terminological background to the NT.
The OT offers the essential promises of a savior.
Therefore, Christianity did not emerge in a vacuum.
The Old Testament history is true
We learn the history of the Israelites.
We learn why the OT authors included certain events and not others.
The history it records is both purposeful and relevant because it is redemptive.
The Old Testament reveals the true nature of God and man.
We learn who God is.
God establishes our identity, origins, purpose, and destiny.
The Good News
What do we do with this information?
We respond in faith and repentance
Faith is turning to God and believing all that he has done and said.
Repentance is turning from your sins
The Old Testament helps us to understand the New Testament.
It helps us understand the life and work of Jesus and his purpose.
It helps us understand Hebrews and Revelation.
The Old Testament lays the foundation for biblical prophecy.
We learn about the various covenants (Abrahamic, Davidic, etc.)
We see promise and fulfillment throughout.
The Old Testament presents doctrine in story form.
We learn God’s character and attributes.
We learn about Christ’s priesthood, kingship, and prophetic office.
We learn about justifying faith, effectual and fervent prayer, perseverance, and forgiveness.
The Old Testament comforts and encourages us.
God is a promise keeping God.
As we study the Old Testament, we see God repeatedly keeping his promises in spite of the faithlessness of the people.
The Bible declares that God keeps his promises. (Num. 23:19; Josh. 23:14; 2 Sam. 7:25; 1 Kings 8:20; Heb. 6:13
We learn about Christ’s prophetic, priesthood, and kingly office.
Christ as prophet – Deut. 18:15-18; cf. John 6:14; 7:40; Acts 3:22-24
The prophet speaks for God
Christ as Priest – it is through the Levitical priesthood that we learn of the responsibilities of the priest – the priest represents the people before God.
We learn in Hebrews that Christ fulfills a higher order of priesthood in Melchizedek.
Christ as King – 1 Sam. 8:5-7; Ps. 24 – God is rejected but still reigns.
We learn about justifying faith, effectual and fervent prayer, perseverance, communion of saints, and forgiveness.
We know for a fact that there aren’t any original documents in existence today. So, we must look at the copies and ask the question; How good are the copies? There are two criteria we must use in answering that question.
Number of copies available.
Span of years between the originals and the copies.
How does the Bible compare with other ancient writings? We also don’t have any original copies of Plato, Aristotle, or Caesar. So, what is the time span of the copies?
Caesar and his Gaelic Wars: The earliest manuscript is 950 years after Caesar lived.
Demosthenes, the great orator of Greece: The manuscript is 1,200 years after he wrote.
Plato, the great philosopher: 1,300 years. (w. 400BC – e. mss. 895AD – 210 copies)
Herodotus: also 1,350 years.
The Greek dramatists: 1,400 years.
Cattalos, the Romans writer: 1,600 years.
Homer and his classics, The Iliad and The Odyssey, which you’ve probably read: 400 years later. 1,757 copies.
Quotations from the New Testament are found in the writings of virtually every one of the early church fathers- those writers living during the first four centuries after Christ. We also have the earliest fragment of a manuscript, the John Rylands papyri manuscript, which is a small portion of the Gospel of John, and it is dated at A.D. 117-138. (Some scholars, notably Adolf Deissmann, say it may date even earlier.)
John wrote this Gospel, it is generally believed, sometime in the 90s; so, you have a portion of the Gospel of John not 1,000, 1,200, 1,400, 1,600, or 2,200 years later, but as few as 30 or 35 years after it was written.
By these standards of antiquity, the Bible is an amazing credible document. We do not have two, three, or five copies, but 5,800 Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. In various other translations, we have up to 25,000 more copies. (2) Armenian (2587), Coptic (975), Gothic (6), Ethiopian (600+), Latin (10,000+), Syriac (350+), Georgian (43+), Slavic (4,000+), plus quotations from the early church fathers.
Secular historians confirm the many events, people, places, and customs chronicled in the New Testament. Secular historians like Josephus (before A.D. 100), the Roman Tacitus (around A.D. 120), the Roman Suetonius (A.D. 110), and the Roman governor Pliny the Younger (A.D. 110) all affirm historical New Testament references.
Archaeological Evidence
William F. Albright, recognized throughout the world as a leading Palestinian archaeologist, attests that there is little doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historical accuracy of Old Testament tradition. (4) A biblical skeptic, Sir William Ramsay, trained as an archaeologist and then set out to disprove the historical reliability of the Books of Luke and Acts became converted as one after another of the historical statements of Luke were proved accurate.
For example, higher critics of Scripture doubted the Bible’s description of King Solomon’s wealth. But archaeologist Henry Breasted, between 1925 and 1934, unearthed the remains of one of Solomon’s “chariot cities” at Megiddo in northern Palestine. Breasted found stables capable of holding more than four hundred horses and the remains of barracks for Solomon’s chariot battalions which were stationed to guard a strategic trail that ran through Megiddo. Nelson Glueck, another archaeologist, found the remains of a huge refining factory for copper and iron, two metals Solomon used when bartering for gold, silver, and ivory (see 1 Kings 9:28; 10:22).
For years, critics dismissed the book of Daniel, partly because there was no evidence that a king named Belshazzar ruled in Babylon during that period. Later archaeological research, however, confirmed that the reigning monarch, Nabonidus, appointed Belshazzar as his co-regent while he was waging war away from Babylon.
Predictive Prophecy
Careful research affirms the predictive accuracy of the Bible. For example, the book of Daniel (written before 530 B.C.) accurately predicts the progression of kingdoms from Babylon through the Medo-persian Empire, the Greek Empire, and then the Roman Empire, culminating in the persecution and suffering of the Jews under Antiochus IV Epiphanes, his desecration of the temple, his untimely death, and freedom for the Jews under Judas Maccabeus (B.C.165).
Old Testament prophecies concerning the Phoenician city of Tyre were fulfilled in ancient times, including prophecies that the city would be opposed by many nations (Ezekiel 26:3); its walls would be destroyed and its towers broken down (26:4); and its stones, timbers, and debris would be thrown into the water (26:12). Similar prophecies were fulfilled concerning Sidon (Ezekiel 28:23; Isaiah 23; Jeremiah 27:3-6; 47:4) and Babylon (Jeremiah 50:13, 39; 51:26, 42-43, 58; Isaiah 13:20-21).
Since Christ is the culminating theme of the Old Testament and the Living Word of the New Testament, it should not surprise us that prophecies regarding Him outnumber all others. Many of these prophecies would have been impossible for Jesus to deliberately conspire to fulfill- such as His decent from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Genesis 12:3; 17:19); His birth in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2); His crucifixion with criminals (Isaiah 53:12); the piercing of His hands and feet on the cross (Psalm 22:16); the soldiers’ gambling for His clothes (Psalm 22:18); the piercing of His side and fact that His bones were not broken at His death (Zechariah 12:10; Psalm 34:20); and His burial among the rich (Isaiah 53:9). Jesus also predicted His own death and resurrection (John 2:19-22).
The Bible has an amazing track record concerning prophecy 100%!
Statistical Probability
The Bible was written over a span of 1500 years by 40 authors in three different languages (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek), on hundreds of subjects. And yet there is one consistent, noncontradictory theme that runs through it all: God’s redemption of mankind. (9)
The chance of one person fulfilling just 8 out of the 61 specific prophecies in the OT is 1 in 10 to the 21st power, that is 10 with 21 zeros after it.
As we can see the evidence concerning the Bible’s trustworthiness is overwhelming. I believe that even the hardest skeptic if he looks at this with an open mind should be convinced that the Bible is the Word of God. But remember we should always follow 1 Peter 3:15, which states, “always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”
Theology Transforming Daily Life 