Midterm Flashcards
What are the 3 spiritual eaters?
- Ones that do not eat.
- Fast food eaters
- Gourmet eaters.
Christians that don’t spiritual eat:
They may be spiritually dead. Individuals who do not have strength and discipline
Fast food Christians:
Christians that want an instant answer to every biblical and spiritual question.
Christian gourmets
They feel superior to all other food eaters. They are super-spiritual experts
The proper diet
Christians in terms of maturity are to have an adult diet.
I Peter 2:2 “ like new born babes, long for pure milk of the word, that by it you may grow in respect to salvation.
Hebrews 5:12-14
Tensions of biblical interpretation:
Divine - human
Absolute - relative
Clear - ambiguous
Holy Spirit - scholarship
Literal/historical — figurative
Objectively— subjectively
What are the tensions really about?
This tension is really about the radial middle between the two, because some parts are very clear and s some parts are not as clear.
5 dimensions of scripture from God:
1.revelation
2.inspiration
3. Authority
4. Interpretation
5. Application
Revelation in the New Testament
God revealed himself in a unique and totally unprecedented way — in a person: Jesus, who is God in the flesh. Jesus explained God ( John 1:18), he has exegeted God for humanity.
Jesus also affirms this in verse John 14:9.
There is a general revelation of the existence and power of God in creation (Romans 1:20), and of the moral purpose of God in conscience (Romans 1:21), the more important, saving is found in Jesus, in whom, Paul writes “all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form” (Colossians)
The fact of inspiration
The Bible is the written record of God speaking to humans in specific, historical circumstances. This the bible is both divine and human (2 Timothy 3:16)
Inspiration describes the process by which the words of God become Th human words of the bible. (2 Peter 1:21)
Both scripture and prophet are inspired
5 elements between revelation and inspiration:
- Revelation is solely in the domain of God.it is God who chooses to reveal himself to his creation. Content and amount God is the one who determines to reveal
2.inspiration, on the other hand, is a joint-process by which God initiates the revelation towards humanity and humans are inspired to report what they have received in their own words.
3.revelation comes inmany forms (spoken words, visions, dreams). Variety is key.
4.inspiration comes in similar forms however, it is related in human words and pictures so that the audience can relate and understand the message.
5.The Bible as the written record of God’s revelation to us is a combination of sovereign will and human obedience.
Consciousness of inspiration:
Authors were conscious that there was an identity between the word of God and their words.
The OT formula “this says the lord”, this reflects an overwhelming consciousness of inspiration.
The apostles were promised the spirit as the guarantee of their witness. Jesus promised there would be an identity between their words and his words.
3 aspects the spirit guaranties
- Advocate (comforter)
Teach and remind - Spirit of truth
Obligation to testify, to speak out the truth, truth tellers. - Guide
Guides into all truth. Making known what is to come. Glorifies Jesus.
Latin word for revelation:
Revelo
Purpose of biblical revelation?
So that it can be known. When the Bible speaks a revelation it speaks of God actively disclosing to humans his power and glory’ nature, and character, his will, ways, and plans in order that we may know him.
Levels of revelation:
1.General revelation: Romans 1:19 -20 shows creation. Eternal power and divine nature. Romans 2:15 shows that consciousness reveals aspects of moral matters.
2. Special revelation:rom.2:17-18 shows the law as an example a special revelation.The righteousness of God was been manifested in the public Death of Jesus Christ
- Aspects of revelation
- creation
- Conscience
- law
- Jesus
Revelation in the old testament
In the Old Testament God reveals himself both directly and indirectly.
Genesis 17:1 reveals himself to Abraham as “God almighty”.
In exodus 3:14 the lord reveals himself as “iam who 1 AM”.
Forms a indirect revelation
1.episodic reports or narrative history: revelation of God’s Justice and righteousness. Found mostly in the Pentateuch and historical narratives.
- Heartfelt expressions:in the psalter there is are at the greatness of God, community, and individual praise / laments.
- Pragmatic observations: telling it like it is.in regard to the moral order of the universe. Poetry and wisdom literature
4.proclamation / exhortation: this is based on observation of the present and the application of covenant theology (past revelation) to present (prophetic literature).
Definition of consciousness of inspiration
It is a consciousness that the words are directly from God. Diversity, there is no one way God reveals himself.
The process of inspiration:
- Direct inspiration:
A.The lord dictated the actual wording of the law to Moses.
i. Oracle: is where you yourself practice
ii. Vision: you are watching the events take place
b. John being “raptured” (Rev. 4:1) → oracle
C. God spoke through famous humans and he also spoke through anonymous people (Hebrews) - Indirect inspiration:
A. The use of scribes (Silas, tertius, Baruch). Solomon’s proverbs.
b. Carefully researched history (chronicles, Luke - acts)
→ 1 chronicles 29:29, Luke 1:1-4, Luke 2, acts 1-5.
The model of inspiration
The duel nature of Jesus is the model that helps us understand the paradoxical nature of scripture.
The incarnation of Jesus illustrates how scripture can be both fully God’s word and yet, at the same time, fully the words of humans.
Why is the authority of the scripture important.
The authority of the bible is the necessary corollary to the inspiration of the Bible.
What are the 4 folds of authority?
Teaching
Rebuking
Correcting
Training in righteousness
Authoritative in teaching
Contrast to fast teachers. Guard carefully what has been entrusted to you (2Tim. 1:13-14)
2 Timothy 3:16
All scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, and for training in righteousness
Authoritative for correctingy
The word means to censure or to correct.
Authoritative for correcting
The emphasis here is not to censure but on restoration. Scripture is to be useful for improvement.
Authoritative for training in righteousness
The emphasis here is in guiding a disciple in a life-long instruction of the character of God. Righteousness in this context, if following after the example of God in how he treats others.it includes how we are to conduct ourselves with the poor, lonely, the disenfranchised in life. Timothy 3:17 is the result.
2 main approaches for translation
- The formal approach (word-for-word, literal): tries to stay as close as possible to the structure and words of the original source.
- The functional approach (Idiomatic, thought-for-thought): tries to express the meaning of the original source into todays language.
Approach that most christians take in interpreting scripture?
they employ a more intuitive or feels-right approach, or a spiritualizing approach
(an approach that boarders on allegorizing the biblical text.
Step 1 of the basic journey
Grasping the text in their town:
Read the text carefully and observe it. After the observations, synthesize the meaning of the passage for the biblical audience into one or two sentences. Write out what the passage meant for the biblical audience.
Step 2 of the basic journey
Measuring the Width of the River to Cross:
What is the difference between r the biblical audience and us today?
One will look for significant differences between our situation and the biblical audience. Try to identify any unique aspects of the situation in your passage.