Exploring the riddle of the Bible's wisdom
“How do you get people to compromise? How do you get them to switch loyalties? Lots of ways, and virtually none of them involve honest arguments or frank expressions of views.”
Other texts read before this sermon were Genesis 2:5-24, Revelation 12:7-12, and John 8:34-47.
Below is my award-winning church history paper, written in the late nineties. I want to thank Theopolis Institute for posting it and re-introducing the ideas to new readers.
I’ve heard that some people base their (erroneous as far as I can tell) views of hereditary guilt from a view of the imputation of Adam’s sin. Since I plan to put together my writings on (the myth of) hereditary guilt for Theopolis Institute, it seemed wise to put forth my view of the imputation of Adam’s sin, so I can refer to it. I generally agree with what I see as the Nevin-Dabney approach. I certainly don’t think other theories should be taken for granted as the only correct view.
Sunday I preached a sermon on Genesis 3 which I entitled “The First Lie.” It concentrated on the Serpent’s communication strategy with Eve (using Adam as a passive partner in his plan). I began with a quotation from the Charlie Daniels Band and ended with a quote from C. S. Lewis.
I don’t know how many of you have read The Silver Chair. That story involved two children sent on a mission in a magical world to rescue a missing prince. In this world (or the fictional version of it), the boy and the girl were basically trapped in a progressive school called “Experiment House,” where they were propagandized and bullied.
Continue reading “How Do You Stamp Out the Fire?”A continuation of Part One and Part Two…
You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them, for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Exodus 20:4–6 ESV
This passage in the ESV is misleading. The word “generation” is nowhere in the text. All it says if that God visits “the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth of those who hate me…” Third and fourth what? The context of fathers and sons implies it is talking about generations. So the ESV puts the word in there. That is appropriate. But what about the “thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments.” Suddenly, the context drops away in the ESV. Thousands of what?
Thousands of generations of those who love God and keep his commands. We see this explicitly in the Hebrew in Deuteronomy:
Continue reading ““Visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children.” Part 3″The word of the LORD came to me: “What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, ‘The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge’? As I live, declares the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel.
Ezekiel 18:1–3 ESV
Was this proverb repeated in Israel ever good theology?
I ask this because, when I was taking a Bible course at a Christian college, it was suggested that this was a declaration of a new way of God dealing with humanity. At some point before his message to Ezekiel, it was metaphorically accurate to say, “The fathers have eaten sour grapes and the children’s teeth are set on edge,” but not anymore.
But if you believe the Bible is reliable as God’s word, then you can’t make Deuteronomy later than Ezekiel. Moses clearly prohibited punishing the sons for the sins of the father. There is nothing new in what God says here.
Then why did God address the issue?
Continue reading “Ezekiel’s Proverb & Hereditary Guilt, Part 2”So this has become a topic among Evangelicals (though, to be honest, I’m not sure that term is meaningful any more). I thought I should address it.
The Bible teaches that the sin of our first father condemned the entire human race. That is why the Bible can be interpreted of teaching some form of “hereditary guilt.” So I need to comment on what the Bible says about that. I plan to do so in these posts.
Continue reading “Hereditary Guilt & the Bible, Part 1”
