Doctrinal Delight
To open the Bible is an act of worship. We search the Scriptures with reverence and awe; for in the Bible, we learn of God and of man and the great chasm between us. Holy writ is God’s special revelation of Himself, so that we might see the position of every man and how far short of the glory of God he occupies…except the God-man, Jesus Christ.
God reveals the perfect man in the Person of His only begotten Son, in whom He was well-pleased because Jesus always did what was pleasing to the Father (Jn 8:29). In Christ, we see the standard. People either hate Jesus because of election and envy (Jn 7:7; 15:18–25); or they delight in Him, as the only one who could save His people from their sins (Mt 1:21; Acts 4:12). For this reason, we who believe the Gospel of God are not ashamed of Jesus or the revelation about His unique identity and glorious works (Rom 1:16–17).
Jesus taught the Bible to the people of Israel; and they were looking into the face of the One which the Scriptures foretold would come to fulfill the Scriptures. The incarnate Word and the written Word testify to one another. The written Word — Torah (Pentateuch); the prophet (Nevi’im); and the writings (Ketuvim) — were brought forth by men of God moved along by the Holy Spirit (2 Tim 3:16; 2 Pet 1:20–21). Those, called and appointed, preached and wrote the Word of God.
Today, we preach the received text from which we receive the common faith (Christian doctrine) passed down to us by faithful expositors (Jude 3). We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us. We must discern the faithful ones from the heretics, for the latter group are legion.
Throughout history, God’s chosen people have been blessed with true prophets and apostles; but the church of God has also been infiltrated by false prophets, apostles, and teachers. Students of the Bible need reliable sources and many counselors; with whom we consult to ensure right interpretation of the 66 books of the Bible.
Exegesis, interpretation, and application of the biblical text is basic work for every Bible student. Study of the original languages (Greek and Hebrew) helps exegesis, along with learning grammar, verb construction, and historical uses of key words. Study of interpretation (hermeneutics) is improved by consulting numerous commentators from throughout history. It is also important to recognize that hermeneutics is not a perfect science. New methods of Bible interpretation, on occasion, are explored, tested, and they either survive the standards already established, or they are simply not employed by others.
Application of the truth of the Bible has had favorable seasons of emphasis (Puritan era); and at other times, it has either been totally neglected or overemphasized. Overemphasis usually indicates neglect in exegesis and interpretation. It can devolve into mere storytelling.
Biblical theology is the development of great doctrines of the Bible. A doctrine of the Bible answers the question, “What does the Bible say about___________? Not every doctrine is equal in importance to other doctrines that must be prioritized. When Bible scholars form their systematic theologies, they typically employ the consensus of which doctrines are most important to understand the message of the Bible.
Throughout church history, it has often been the heretics (teachers of false doctrine) who have been integral in the church’s development of doctrine. The best defense of the Christian faith is sound doctrine, derived from the Bible and brought into specific doctrinal categories.
The Bible is the inspired, inerrant, infallible Word of God revealed by the Holy Spirit with clarity, authority, necessity, and sufficiency. Heretics will sometimes mess with Bible translation (e. g. Charles Taze Russell’s New World Translation) or add to the scriptures (e. g. Apocrypha; Book of Mormon; etc.); but the most common approach for heretical teaching is to distort Bible interpretation.
Early confessions of the Christian faith are recorded in the New Testament: “Jesus is Lord” and “Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, and today, and forever.” These were developed further as the heightened heretical presence plagued the churches. The Nicene Creed, the Athanasian Creed, and the Apostles’ Creed helped Christians know the truth over the strange teachings of the ungodly interlopers.
When heresies persisted through the centuries and especially with the Protestant Reformation came the confessions of the churches. Although the 39 Articles; Belgic; Augsburg; Westminster; and London Baptist Confessions do have varied interpretations on secondary doctrines; Christians can take comfort in the similarities in the primary doctrines held by these expressions of the Christian faith.
Christ’s church has the promise from God’s Word that nothing can thwart the eternal decrees of our Triune God. Children of the devil will do what they do to disrupt the reconnaissance of God’s elect, redeemed, regenerate people. They will deceive by distortion and distraction; but even though heaven and earth pass away, the Word of God will not pass away (Mt 5:18; 24:35).
In every generation, the Spirit of truth is preaching the Word of truth through men of God, called by God, to tell the people the truth…regardless of the cost (Mt 5:10–12; Jn 15:18–25). May God raise up an army of Bible students, who join with preachers of days gone by, who were filled with the Spirit of Christ, to rightly handle the Word of truth (2 Tim 2:15), in proclaiming the excellencies of Jesus Christ, our Lord (1 Pet 2:9). Let us read our Bibles with the saints, today, and learn its doctrines with the saints of yesteryear; and may God fully reveal the truth, as it is in Jesus (Eph 4:21), for His glory and our delight.
David Norczyk
Spokane Valley, Washington
July 18, 2024
