The Christian Family

God’s Design for the Family. The concept of the family as the basic social unit reaches back into the Creation account found in Genesis 1-2. A man was to be the husband of one wife and was to leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.

However, not everyone in the Old Testament measured up to God’s ideal. Sometimes a man married more than one wife (Gen. 4:19). Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kin. 11:3). In addition, the family system of the Old Testament, with the man serving as the absolute ruling authority, discouraged a man from leaving his parents; he and his wife usually lived with his parents in the same dwelling.

After God created Adam, He declared, "It is not good that man should be alone" (Gen. 2:18). Then He created woman and united the couple; and they became "one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). Thus the family was designed by God to provide companionship for the various members of the family. In addition, the institution of marriage was approved and sanctioned by Jesus (Matt. 19:4-6).

God’s ideal for the family is that it be a harmonious unit, where love for God and neighbor are instilled into each member (Deut. 6:6-9). If the couple are divided, especially over religious beliefs, they can never have the harmony and sense of common purpose that God desires. Therefore, Old Testament believers were instructed not to marry foreigners who would hinder their faith and bring strife to the marriage (Ex. 34:13-16; Deut. 7:3-4). Likewise, the apostle Paul commanded the New Testament believers, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (2 Cor. 6:14).

The Bible describes situations where a man went contrary to the will of God and married an unbeliever. A prime example is Solomon, who disobeyed God’s commandment and married 700 wives (1 Kin. 11:3). The tragedy of the final years of his life is summarized in one sentence: "For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David" (1 Kin. 11:4).

From time to time in the history of the nation of Israel, the very existence of the country was threatened because of the breakdown of the home. The prophet Micah described the decayed situation of his day when he proclaimed: "Do not trust in a friend; do not put your confidence in a companion; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom. For son dishonors father, daughter rises against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house" (Mic. 7:5-6). Ezra took steps to remedy the family problems of his day (Ezra 9-10), and the prophet Malachi condemned the men of his generation for being faithless to the wives of their youth (Mal. 2:14-15).

 Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary

The Christian Family

God’s Design for the Family. The concept of the family as the basic social unit reaches back into the Creation account found in Genesis 1-2. A man was to be the husband of one wife and was to leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife.

However, not everyone in the Old Testament measured up to God’s ideal. Sometimes a man married more than one wife (Gen. 4:19). Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines (1 Kin. 11:3). In addition, the family system of the Old Testament, with the man serving as the absolute ruling authority, discouraged a man from leaving his parents; he and his wife usually lived with his parents in the same dwelling.

After God created Adam, He declared, "It is not good that man should be alone" (Gen. 2:18). Then He created woman and united the couple; and they became "one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). Thus the family was designed by God to provide companionship for the various members of the family. In addition, the institution of marriage was approved and sanctioned by Jesus (Matt. 19:4-6).

God’s ideal for the family is that it be a harmonious unit, where love for God and neighbor are instilled into each member (Deut. 6:6-9). If the couple are divided, especially over religious beliefs, they can never have the harmony and sense of common purpose that God desires. Therefore, Old Testament believers were instructed not to marry foreigners who would hinder their faith and bring strife to the marriage (Ex. 34:13-16; Deut. 7:3-4). Likewise, the apostle Paul commanded the New Testament believers, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers" (2 Cor. 6:14).

The Bible describes situations where a man went contrary to the will of God and married an unbeliever. A prime example is Solomon, who disobeyed God’s commandment and married 700 wives (1 Kin. 11:3). The tragedy of the final years of his life is summarized in one sentence: "For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David" (1 Kin. 11:4).

From time to time in the history of the nation of Israel, the very existence of the country was threatened because of the breakdown of the home. The prophet Micah described the decayed situation of his day when he proclaimed: "Do not trust in a friend; do not put your confidence in a companion; guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom. For son dishonors father, daughter rises against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; a man’s enemies are the men of his own house" (Mic. 7:5-6). Ezra took steps to remedy the family problems of his day (Ezra 9-10), and the prophet Malachi condemned the men of his generation for being faithless to the wives of their youth (Mal. 2:14-15).

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The Bible

The Old English Versions. Until the beginning of the 16th century, all Bible versions in the languages of the masses of Western Europe were based on the Latin Vulgate. Among these, the Old English versions are of special interest. Most of these versions consisted of only parts of the Bible, and even these had limited circulation. In this period few of the people of ancient England could read. Many of the familiar stories of the Bible were turned into verse and set to music so they could be sung and memorized.

Caedmon, the unlettered poet of Whitby, is said to have turned the whole history of salvation into song in the seventh century. Bede, the monk of Jarrow, the most learned man of his day in Western Europe, devoted the last ten days of his life to turning the gospels into English so they could be read by the common people.

Alfred the Great, king of a large part of southern and western England, defeated the Danish invaders in 878. He published a code of laws that was introduced by an Old English translation of the Ten Commandments and other brief passages from the Bible.

The parts of the Bible most favored for translating during this period were those often read or recited during worship services, especially the Psalms and the gospels. An Old English version of the Psalms by Bishop Aldhelm dates from soon after 700. A manuscript called the Wessex Gospels dates from the middle of the tenth century.

Some of the earliest Old English versions of Scripture were written between the lines of Latin-language manuscripts. The manuscript known as the Lindisfarne Gospels (now in the British Museum, London) was produced originally in Latin shortly before 700. Two and a half centuries later a priest named Aldred wrote between the lines of the text a literal translation in the Northumbrian dialect of Old English. Bible texts of this type, with some letters decorated in gold and silver, are known as illustrated manuscripts.

William Tyndale, shown seated in this painting, translates the New Testament into English—one of the first versions to be published in the language of the common people.

Wycliffe’s Versions. In the early Middle Ages, parts of the Bible were translated from Latin into several of the dialects of Western Europe. These included versions in the Bohemian, Czech, and Italian languages, as well as the Provencal dialect of southeastern France. But none of these compare in importance with the work of John Wycliffe, pioneering reformer who translated the entire Bible from Latin into the English language.

Wycliffe (c. 1330–1384), master of Balliol College, Oxford, was a distinguished scholar and preacher. But he was also a social reformer who wanted to replace the feudal organization of state and church with a system that emphasized people’s direct responsibility to God. The constitution of this new order would be the law of God, which Wycliffe equated with the Bible. Before this could happen, the law of God had to be accessible to the laity as well as the clergy, the unlearned as well as the learned. This called for a Bible in English as well as Latin, so Wycliffe and his associates undertook the task of translating the entire Bible from the Latin Vulgate into contemporary English.

There were actually two Wycliffe versions of the Bible—an earlier one, produced between 1380 and 1384 during Wycliffe’s lifetime, and a later version completed in 1395, 11 years after his death.

The earlier version is a thoroughly literal translation. Wycliffe followed the Latin construction without attempting to render the meaning into good English idiom. The translators produced a literal version because it was intended to serve as the lawbook of the new order. The Latin text of the lawbook was already established, and the English text had to follow it word for word. About two thirds of this version was produced by one of Wycliffe’s supporters, Nicholas of Hereford. Wycliffe himself may have done some of the translation work on the remaining portion. By the time this first translation was completed, the movement with which this English social reformer was associated was condemned by the authorities.

The second Wycliffe version was the work of his secretary, John Purvey. It was based on the earlier version, but it rendered the text into idiomatic English. Purvey’s version became very popular, although its circulation was restricted by church officials. It was suppressed in 1408 by a document known as the “Constitutions of Oxford,” which forbade anyone to translate or even to read any part of the Bible in English without the permission of a bishop or a local church council. These constitutions remained in force for more than a century.

From Wycliffe to King James. More than 200 years passed from the time that Wycliffe’s second English version was issued (1395) until the historic King James Version was published in 1611. These were fruitful years for new versions of the Bible. The stage was set for the monumental King James Bible by five different English translations that were issued during these years.

Tyndale—The years from about 1450 onward brought exciting cultural changes in Western Europe. The revival of interest in classical and biblical learning was already under way when it received a stimulus from the migration of Greek scholars to the West after the fall of Constantinople to the Turks in 1453. With the invention of printing in Germany, the promoters of the new learning found a new technology at their disposal.

Among the first products of the printing press were editions of the Bible. The first major work to be printed was the famous Gutenberg edition of the Latin Bible, in 1456. The following decades brought printed editions of the Hebrew Bible, the Greek New Testament, and the Septuagint. The leaders of the Protestant Reformation were quick to take advantage of this new invention to help advance their efforts in church reform.

Making the Bible available in the tongue of the common people was a major strategy in the Reformers’ policy. Martin Luther, leader of the Reformation, translated the New Testament from Greek into German in 1522 and the Old Testament from Hebrew into German the following years. What Luther did for the Germans, William Tyndale did for the people of England.

After completing his studies at the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge, William Tyndale (c. 1495–1536) devoted his time and talents to providing his fellow Englishmen with the Scriptures in their own language. He hoped that Bishop Tunstall of London would sponsor his project of translating the Bible, but the bishop refused to do so. Tyndale then went to Germany in 1524 to undertake his project. By August of 1525 his English New Testament was complete.

Tyndale began printing his new version at Cologne, but this was interrupted by the city authorities. The printing work was then carried through by Peter Schoeffer in Worms, who produced an edition of 6,000 copies. Soon this new Bible was selling in England, although it had been officially banned by the church.

Tyndale’s translation differed in two important respects from the versions of Wycliffe. It was rendered not from the Latin language but from the Greek original, and it circulated in printed form, not as a handcopied manuscript. From the New Testament, Tyndale moved to the Old, issuing an edition of the Pentateuch, then the Book of Jonah, and a revision of Genesis. Later, in 1534, Tyndale issued a revision of his New Testament, justly described as “altogether Tyndale’s noblest monument.”

A further revision of the New Testament appeared in 1535. In May of that year Tyndale was arrested. After an imprisonment of 17 months, he was sentenced to death as a heretic; he was strangled and burned at the stake at Vilvorde, near Brussels, on October 6, 1536.

Tyndale started a tradition in the history of the English Bible that has endured to this day. What is commonly called “Bible English” is really Tyndale’s English. His wording in those portions of the Bible which he translated was retained in the King James Version to a great degree. The latest in the succession of revisions that stand in the Tyndale tradition is the New King James Version. But even those versions that did not set out to adhere to his tradition, such as the New International Version, show his influence.

Coverdale and Matthew—At the time of Tyndale’s death, a printed edition of the English Bible, bearing a dedication to King Henry VIII, had been circulating in England for nearly a year. This was the first edition of the Bible issued by Miles Coverdale (1488–1568), one of Tyndale’s friends and associates. This English version reproduced Tyndale’s translation of the Pentateuch and the New Testament; the rest of the Old Testament was translated into English from Latin and German versions.

Coverdale’s Bible of 1535 was the first complete English Bible in print. A second and third edition appeared in 1537. The title page bore the words: “Set forth with the King’s most gracious licence.” But this was not the only English Bible to appear in 1537 with these words on the title page. Another of Tyndale’s associates, John Rogers, published an edition of the Bible that year under the name, “Thomas Matthew.” “Matthew’s Bible” was similar to Coverdale’s with one exception: its translation of the historical books from Joshua to 2 Chronicles was one that Tyndale had finished without publishing before his death.

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The Bible

s.

Ancient Versions. Ancient versions of the Bible are those that were produced in classical languages such as Greek, Syriac, and Latin. The following ancient versions were issued during a 600-year period from about 200 b.c. to a.d. 400.

Greek The oldest Bible translation in the world was made in Alexandria, Egypt, where the Old Testament was translated from Hebrew into Greek for the benefit of the Greek-speaking Jews of that city. A Jewish community had existed in Alexandria almost from its foundation by Alexander the Great in 331 b.c. In two or three generations this community had forgotten its native Palestinian language. These Jews realized they needed the Hebrew Scriptures rendered into the only language they knew—Greek. The first section of the Hebrew Bible to be translated into Greek was the Pentateuch, or the first five books of the Old Testament, some time before 200 b.c. Other parts were translated during the next century.

This version is commonly called the Septuagint, from septuaginta, the Latin word for 70 (LXX). This name was selected because of a tradition that the Pentateuch was translated into Greek by about 70 elders of Israel who were brought to Alexandria especially for this purpose.

Only a few fragments of this version survive from the period before Christ. Most copies of the Greek Old Testament belong to the Christian era and were made by Christians. The John Rylands University Library, Manchester, England, owns a fragment of Deuteronomy in Greek from the second century b.c. Another fragment of the same book in Greek dating from about the same time exists in Cairo. Other fragments of the Septuagint have been identified among the texts known as the Dead Sea Scrolls, discovered in 1947.

When Christianity penetrated the world of the Greek-speaking Jews, and then the Gentiles, the Septuagint was the Bible used for preaching the gospel. Most of the Old Testament quotations in the New Testament are taken from this Greek Bible. In fact, the Christians adopted the Septuagint so wholeheartedly that the Jewish people lost interest in it. They produced other Greek versions that did not lend themselves so easily to Christian interpretation.

The Septuagint thus became the authorized version of the early Gentile churches. To this day it is the official version of the Old Testament used in the Greek Orthodox Church. After the books of the New Testament were written and accepted by the early church, they were added to the Old Testament Septuagint to form the complete Greek version of the Bible.

The Septuagint was based on a Hebrew text much older than most surviving Hebrew manuscripts of the Old Testament. Occasionally, this Greek Old Testament helps scholars to reconstruct the wording of a passage where it has been lost or miscopied by scribes as the text was passed down across the centuries. An early instance of this occurs in Genesis 4:8, where Cains words to Abel, Let us go out to the field, are reproduced from the Septuagint in the NRSV, NIV, and other modern versions. These words had been lost from the standard Hebrew text, but they were necessary to complete the sense of the English translation.

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REVELATION

      God’s communication to people concerning Himself, His moral standards, and His plan of salvation.

God is a personal Spirit distinct from the world; He is absolutely holy and is invisible to the view of physical, finite, sinful minds. Although people, on their own, can never create truth about God, God has graciously unveiled and manifested Himself to mankind. Other religions and philosophies result from the endless human quest for God; Christianity results from God’s quest for lost mankind.

God has made Himself known to all people everywhere in the marvels of nature and in the human conscience, which is able to distinguish right from wrong. Because this knowledge is universal and continuous, by it God has displayed His glory to everyone (Ps. 19:1–6).

Some Christians think that only believers can see God’s revelation in nature, but the apostle Paul said that unbelievers know truth about God: The unrighteous must have the truth to “suppress” it (Rom. 1:18); they “clearly see” it (Rom. 1:20); knowing God, they fail to worship Him as God (Rom. 1:21); they alter the truth (Rom. 1:25); they do not retain God in their knowledge (Rom. 1:28); and knowing the righteous judgment (moral law) of God, they disobey it (Rom. 1:32). The reason the ungodly are “inexcusable” (Rom. 2:1) before God’s righteous judgment is that they possessed but rejected the truth God gave them.

What can be known of God from nature? God’s universal revelation makes it clear that God exists (Rom. 1:20), and that God, the Creator of the mountains, oceans, vegetation, animals, and mankind, is wise (Ps. 104:24) and powerful (Psalm 29; 93; Rom. 1:20). People aware of their own moral responsibility, who know the difference between right and wrong conduct and who have a sense of guilt when they do wrong, reflect the requirements of God’s moral law (the Ten Commandments) that is written on their hearts (Rom. 2:14–15).

What is the result of divine revelation in nature? If people lived up to that knowledge by loving and obeying God every day of their lives, they would be right with God and would not need salvation. However, people do not love God with all that is in them. Nor do they love their neighbors as themselves. People worship and serve things in creation rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:25). The problem does not lie with the revelation, which like the Law is holy, just, and good (Rom. 7:12); the problem is with the sinfulness of human lives (Rom. 8:3). The best human being (other than Jesus Christ) comes short of the uprightness God requires.

Because of God’s universal revelation in nature, the philosopher Immanuel Kant could say, “Two things fill the mind with ever new and increasing admiration and awe . . . the starry heavens above me and the moral law within me.”

When Christians defend justice, honesty, and decency in schools, homes, neighborhoods, businesses, and governments, they do not impose their special beliefs upon others. They merely point to universal principles that all sinners know but suppress in their unrighteousness (Rom. 1:18).

As valuable as general revelation is for justice, honesty, and decency in the world today, it is not enough. It must be completed by the good news of God’s mercy and His gracious gift of perfect righteousness. Nature does not show God’s plan for saving those who do wrong: that Jesus was the Son of God, that He died for our sins, and that He rose again from among the dead. The message of salvation was seen dimly through Old Testament sacrifices and ceremonies. It was seen more clearly as God redeemed the Israelites from enslavement in Egypt and as God disclosed to prophets the redemptive significance of His mighty acts of deliverance.

The full and final revelation of God has occurred in Jesus Christ. “God, who at various times and in different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds” (Heb. 1:1–2). Christ has “declared” God to us personally (John 1:18). To see Christ is to see the Father (John 14:9). Christ gave us the words the Father gave Him (John 17:8). At the cross Jesus revealed supremely God’s self-giving love. There He died, “the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet. 3:18). And the good news is not complete until we hear that He rose again triumphantly over sin, Satan, and the grave, and is alive forevermore.

Christ chose apostles and trained them to teach the meaning of His death and resurrection, to build the church, and to write the New Testament Scriptures. We are to remember the words of these eyewitnesses to Christ’s resurrection. The content of God’s special revelation concerning salvation, given to specially gifted spokesmen and supremely revealed in Christ, is found in “the words which were spoken before by the holy prophets, and of the commandment of . . . the apostles of the Lord and Savior” (2 Pet. 3:2). “The Holy Scriptures . . . are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus” (2 Tim. 3:15).

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GOD, NAMES OF

        The titles or designations given to God throughout the Bible. In the ancient world, knowing another’s name was a special privilege that offered access to that person’s thought and life. God favored His people by revealing Himself by several names that offered special insight into His love and righteousness.

Jehovah/Yahweh. One of the most important names for God in the Old Testament is Yahweh, or Jehovah, from the verb “to be,” meaning simply but profoundly, “He Is.” His full name is found only in Ex. 3:14 and means “I am who I am” or “I will be who I will be.” The four-letter Hebrew word YHWH was the name by which God revealed Himself to Moses at the burning bush (Ex. 3:14). This bush was a vivid symbol of the inexhaustible dynamism of God who burns like a fire with love and righteousness, yet remains the same and never diminishes. Some English translations of the Bible vocalize the word as Jehovah, while others use Yahweh.

God is the author of life and salvation. His “I am” expresses the fact that He is the infinite and original personal God who is behind everything and to whom everything must finally be traced. “I am who I am” signals the truth that nothing else defines who God is but God Himself. What He says and does is who He is. The inspired Scriptures are the infallible guide to understanding who God is by what He says about Himself and what He does. Yahweh is the all-powerful and sovereign God who alone defines Himself and establishes truth for His creatures and works for their salvation.

Moses was called to proclaim deliverance to the people and was told by God, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you’ ” (Ex. 3:14). In the deliverance of the Hebrew people from slavery in Egypt, God revealed a deeper significance to His name. But He had already disclosed Himself to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob as Yahweh. Each of them had called on the name of the Lord (Yahweh) (Gen. 12:8; 13:4; 26:25; Ex. 3:15) as the God who protects and blesses. Yet Exodus 6:3 shows that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob did not know the fuller meaning of Yahweh, which was to be revealed to Moses and the Hebrew people in His role as Redeemer during the Exodus experience.

The divine name Yahweh is usually translated “Lord” in English versions of the Bible, because it became a practice in late Old Testament Judaism not to pronounce the sacred name YHWH, but to say instead “my Lord” (Adonai)—a practice still used today in the synagogue. When the vowels of Adonai were attached to the consonants YHWH in the medieval period, the word Jehovah resulted. Today, many Christians use the word Yahweh, the more original pronunciation, not hesitating to name the divine name since Jesus taught believers to speak in a familiar way to God.

The following are other names in honor of the Lord in the Old Testament that stem from the basic name of Yahweh:

Jehovah-jireh—This name is translated as “The-Lord-Will-Provide,” commemorating the provision of the ram in place of Isaac for Abraham’s sacrifice (Gen. 22:14).

Jehovah-nissi—This name means “The-Lord-Is-My-Banner,” in honor of God’s defeat of the Amalekites (Ex. 17:15).

Jehovah-shalom—This phrase means “The-Lord-Is-Peace,” the name Gideon gave the altar that he built in Ophrah (Judg. 6:24).

Jehovah-shammah—This phrase expresses the truth that “The-Lord-Is-There,” referring to the city which the prophet Ezekiel saw in his vision (Ezek. 48:35).

Jehovah-tsebaoth—This name, translated “The-Lord-of-hosts,” was used in the days of David and the prophets, witnessing to the Almighty God of sovereign power who is surrounded by His heavenly hosts (1 Sam. 1:3).

Jehovah Elohe Yisrael—This name means “The-Lord-God-of-Israel,” and it appears in Isaiah, Jeremiah, and the Psalms. Other names similar to this are Netsah Yisrael, “The Strength of Israel” (1 Sam. 15:29); and Abir Yisrael, “The Mighty One of Israel” (Is. 1:24).

El. Another important root name for God in the Old Testament is El. By itself it refers to a god in the most general sense. It was widely used in ancient eastern cultures whose languages are similar to Hebrew and therefore may refer either to the true God or to false gods. The highest Canaanite god was El, whose son was Baal. In the Bible the word is often defined properly by a qualifier like Jehovah: “I, the Lord (Jehovah) your God (Elohim), am a jealous God (El)” (Deut. 5:9).

Abraham planted a tamarisk tree at Beersheba “and there called on the name of the Lord (Yahweh), the Everlasting God (El Olam) (Gen. 21:33). Jacob built an altar on a piece of land he purchased at Shechem and called it ͅEl Elohe Israelʷ (“God, the God of Israel”), commemorating his wrestling with the angel at the place he called Peniel (“the face of God”), and receiving his new name Israel (Yisrael, “God strives”) (Gen. 32:28–30; 33:20). El Shaddai (God Almighty), signifying God as a source of blessing, is the name with which God appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Ex. 6:3).

Elohim. Elohim is the plural form of El, but it is usually translated in the singular. Some scholars have held that the plural represents an intensified form for the supreme God; others believe it describes the supreme God and His heavenly court of created beings. Still others hold that the plural form refers to the triune God of Genesis 1:1–3, who works through Word and Spirit in the creation of the world. In any event, Elohim conveys the idea that the one supreme being, who is the only true God, is in some sense plural.

Several important names of God identify Him as Branch, King, Wisdom, Shepherd, and Servant:

Branch of Righteousness. Jeremiah 23:5–6 names the coming messianic figure, the “Branch of righteousness,” who will descend from David and be raised up to reign as King to execute judgment and righteousness in the earth. Christians see in this linkage a prophecy about God the Son taking on human flesh to serve as righteous King.

King. This descendant of David will have several divine qualities. He will be a Branch of Righteousness, a King, and His name will be called “The Lord Our Righteousness” (Jehovah-tsidkenu).

Wisdom. In Proverbs 8:1–36 Wisdom, who always says and does what is righteous, works with God in the creation of the universe. Paul describes Christ in similar terms in Colossians 1:13–19; 2:1–3.

Shepherd. God is also described in prophecy as the Shepherd who will feed His flock, gather the lambs in His arms, carry them in His bosom, and gently lead those with young (Is. 40:11; Jer. 31:10; Ezek. 34:11–16). Jesus applied this name to Himself (Luke 15:4–7; John 10:11–16), making Himself equal to God; and Jesus Christ is so named by His followers (Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 5:4; Rev. 7:17).

Servant. The name of Servant also identifies the divine Messiah and His saving ministry on behalf of His people. God’s Servant is described in terms that apply to Jesus. He is upheld and chosen by God; He delights in God; He receives God’s Spirit. Like Wisdom in Proverbs 8, He is holy, just, and righteous. He will bring Jacob back to Him and will be a light to the nations since He is an offering for sin (Is. 42:1–4; 49:1–7; 53:1–12).

Word of God. The Word of God figures prominently in Scripture as another name of God. The Word is not as clearly a person in the Old Testament as in the New Testament where Jesus Christ is identified as the personal Word of God (John 1:1, 14). But it is evident from Psalm 33:4, 6, and 9 that the Word should be understood in a personal sense, for “the word of the Lord is right” indicates a personified Word. “By the Word of the Lord the heavens were made” (v. 6), echoes the creation in Genesis 1:3, 6. In the New Testament Jesus is seen to be both Word and Law personified.

Glory. God is described as Glory in Exodus 16:7; Psalm 104:31; and Isaiah 60:1. In the New Testament Jesus shares the glory of God (Matt. 25:31; 1 Cor. 2:8; Heb. 1:3).

When the new age arrives with the birth of Jesus Christ, the names of the three persons who comprise the Trinity are made more explicit. These names fulfill the deeper meanings of the Old Testament names for God.

In the New Testament God is known as Father (Matt. 5:16; 28:19) and Abba (Mark 14:36; Gal. 4:6). Jesus is known as Son (Matt. 11:27), Son of God (John 9:35), Son of man (Matt. 8:20), Messiah (John 1:41), Lord (Rom. 14:8), Word (John 1:1), Wisdom (1 Cor. 1:30), Bridegroom (Mark 2:19), Shepherd (John 10:11), Vine (John 15:1), Light (John 1:9), and “I am” (John 8:12, 58). The Holy Spirit is known as the Helper (John 14:16).

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INSPIRATION

INSPIRATION — a technical term for the Holy Spirit’s supernatural guidance of those who received special revelation from God as they wrote the books of the Bible. The end result of this inspiration is that the Bible conveys the truths that God wanted His people to know and to communicate to the world.

The primary purpose of the Bible is to lead people to a personal relationship with God as Savior. But everything taught by the Bible on any subject is helpful and instructive for the complete Christian life (2 Tim. 3:16–17). Because Christianity relates to the real world, the Bible’s declarations about the earth and history are completely trustworthy.

Two terms often used in discussion of the inspiration of the Bible are “plenary” and “verbal.” “Plenary,” a term meaning full or complete, means that each book, chapter, and paragraph of the Bible is equally derived from God. “Verbal” inspiration emphasizes the truth that the wording of the text, as well as the ideas conveyed, is supernaturally inspired by God through the Holy Spirit.

“Inerrancy” is a term used along with plenary verbal inspiration to convey the view that the Bible’s teaching is true on everything of which it speaks. The words of Scripture, in the original writings, teach the truth without any admixture of error. The Bible is not just a useful body of human ideas. It makes clear the mind of God Himself.

“Infallibility” is a term often used as a synonym for inerrancy. However, the root meaning of infallibility is “not liable to fail in achieving its purpose.” Truth, or inerrancy, is affirmed of the content of the Bible; infallibility refers to the effectiveness of the wording in conveying reliable ideas, as well as the effectiveness of those ideas when used by the all-powerful Holy Spirit (Is. 55:11).

Important as biblical infallibility is, it is not enough without inerrancy. The reason why the Spirit can use Scripture so effectively is that He directed its production from the beginning so that all of it is God’s reliable information.

Inspiration, then, is a statement about God’s greatness. God is intelligent and able to communicate with human beings, whom He created in His image. God knows everything about all reality in creation and is absolutely faithful and true (Rev. 3:7; 21:5). it follows that ideas communicated by divine revelation are true and conform to reality as God knows it. God overruled human limitations and sinful biases so that His human agents were able to write what He wanted written. God guided the thought conveyed so that it was without error, accomplishing the objectives He intended.

Exactly what role did the human writers of the Bible play in their transmission of God’s message? They were not totally passive as those whose hands move automatically in an unconscious state. Their distinctive ways of writing stand out, as in the four gospels, which describe the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke, the beloved physician, used many medical terms not found in Matthew, Mark, or John. Some biblical writers, like Moses and Paul, were highly educated; others were not.

Although some passages of Scripture may have been received by audible dictation (Ex. 4:12; 19:3–6; Num. 7:89), many were guided by a silent activity of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:1–4). To err is human, and the conscious participation of finite, sinful authors would have led to error if not for this supernatural guidance by the Spirit.

God gave these people the distinctive functions of prophets and apostles, originated what they wrote, and kept them from error in all the writing processes. All of Scripture has prophetic authority. None of it originated in the will of human beings. It came about through the will of God (2 Pet. 1:20–21). All Scripture was given by inspiration of God (2 Tim. 3:16).

Clear standards tested whether a person who claimed to speak for God was a true prophet or a false prophet (Deut. 13:1–5; 18:20–22). People who spoke out of their hearts and by their own independent wills were subject to the death penalty (Deut. 13:6–10). Genuine prophets were inspired by the Holy Spirit as authentic speakers for God.

Although the Bible does not tell exactly how God inspired its writers, it was certainly not in a mechanical way. God the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity who is working with persons. How does one person influence another person? Why do some have a more powerful impact upon people than others? Many factors are involved. We do know for certain that the Scriptures originated with God and that the writers were “moved” or carried along by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:20–21) as they recorded God’s message.

The Holy Spirit’s work in the life of the Virgin Mary is a good example of how the Spirit worked with the biblical writers. A fully human, sinful woman bore a sinless child who would be called the Holy One, the Son of God (Luke 1:35). How could that be? The power of the Highest “overshadowed” her so that she conceived Jesus. Likewise, the power of the Highest “overshadowed” the biblical writers so that what they wrote could be called the Holy Bible, the Word of God.

Followers of Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord will follow Him in His view of the Old Testament Scriptures and the entire Bible. He endorsed all three sections of the Hebrew Bible: the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Writings). He accepted as fact some of the most controversial historical details: Adam and Eve at the beginning of time (Matt. 19:4); Abel’s murder of Cain (Luke 11:51); Noah, the ark, and the Flood (Matt. 24:37–39); the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah and of Lot’s wife (Luke 17:28–30); and Moses’ authorship of the Pentateuch (John 5:46). “All things must be fulfilled,” He said, “which were written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning Me” (Luke 24:44). People were mistaken, Jesus said, “not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God” (Matt. 22:29). He expressed His concern for unbelievers: “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken!” (Luke 24:25).

The view that God’s great mind had to accommodate itself to human errors in the production of the Bible does not fit the high view of Scripture that Jesus had. God certainly adapted His truth to a human level of understanding. But a person can adapt truth about the origin of human life to a child’s level of understanding without teaching errors about storks. In a similar way, God adapts His truth in part to our limited understandings, but neither He, nor His Son, nor His Spirit taught error in the name of God.

Belief in the Bible’s inerrancy and infallibility best fits the claims of Jesus about the Bible and the claims the Bible makes for itself. Salvation is the primary purpose of Scripture, but this is not its only function. It teaches truth about the world’s origins, history, and the future.

Those who believe all that the Bible affirms should live faithfully according to its instruction in all personal relationships. Central to the Bible’s teaching is love for God and love for neighbor. If believers in biblical inerrancy do not love God and their neighbors, their defense of scriptural authority will become “a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal” (1 Cor. 13:1, NIV).

 

The Present & Future Work of Christ

The present work of Christ—The present work of Christ begins with His exaltation by God, after the completion of His “finished” work in His death and resurrection.

The first aspect of His present work was the sending of the Holy Spirit to dwell in His people. “If I do not go away,” He had said to his disciples in the Upper Room, “the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you” (John 16:7). The fulfillment of this promise was announced by Peter on the Day of Pentecost: “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33).

The promise of the Holy Spirit can be traced back to John the Baptist, who prophesied that the One who was to come after him, mightier than himself, would “baptize you with the Holy Spirit” (Mark 1:8).

But the present work of Christ that receives the main emphasis in the New Testament is His intercession. Paul, quoting what appears to be an early Christian confession of faith, spoke of “Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us” (Rom. 8:34). So too, the writer to the Hebrews says that “He ever lives to make intercession” for His people (Heb. 7:25). He describes in detail Jesus’ exceptional qualifications to be their high priest.

Jesus’ presence with God as His people’s representative provides the assurance that their requests for spiritual help are heard and granted. To know that He is there is a powerful incentive for His followers. No good thing that Jesus seeks for them is withheld by the Father.

The exaltation of Christ is repeatedly presented in the New Testament as the fulfillment of Psalm 110:1: “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool.” This means that Christ reigns from His present place of exaltation and must do so until all His enemies are overthrown. Those enemies belong to the spiritual realm: “The last enemy that will be destroyed is death” (1 Cor. 15:26). With the destruction of death, which occurred with the resurrection of Jesus, the present phase of Christ’s work gives way to His future work.

The future work of Christ—During His earthly ministry, Jesus declared that He had even greater works to do in the future. He specified two of these greater works: the raising of the dead and the passing of final judgment. To raise the dead and to judge the world are prerogatives of God, but He delegated these works to His Son. While the Son would discharge these two functions at the time of the end, they were not unrelated to the events of Jesus’ present ministry. Those who were spiritually dead received new life when they responded in faith to the Son of God. In effect, they were passing judgment on themselves as they accepted or rejected the life He offered.

The raising of the dead and the passing of judgment are associated with the second coming of Christ. When Paul dealt with this subject, he viewed Christ’s appearing in glory as the occasion when His people would share His glory and be displayed to the universe as the sons and daughters of God, heirs of the new order. He added that all creation looks forward to that time, because then it “will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God” (Rom. 8:21).

Both the present work of Christ and His future work are dependent on His “finished” work. That “finished” work was the beginning of God’s “good work” in His people. This work will not be completed until “the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. 1:6), when the entire universe will be united “in Christ” (Eph. 1:10).