Search Results for: THE INTERPRETATION OF SCRIPTURE

Lesson 7 – The Interpretation of Scripture

Survey Studies in Reformed Theology

Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies
by Bob Burridge ©1996, 2006, 2010, 2016

The Interpretation of Scripture

Watch the Video

This series of studies has been about how we can know what God has said. In this lesson we come to the end of that path by which God’s Truth comes to us.

Truth begins in the mind of God. He reveals that Truth to his people by the process of Revelation. He guarded the writing of the Books of the Bible by Divine Inspiration. That collection of inspired books forms a Canon: a standard by which truth is identified. Those Books were preserved for us down through the ages so they could be translated and interpreted to teach and warn his people.

The goal of biblical interpretation is to discover what God intended to communicate to us in his word.

There are some basic assumptions we have to identify first.

The starting point involves some apologetic questions. In general, the word “apologetic” has a broad set of meanings. We think of apologizing as admitting we are wrong about something and that we feel bad about it. That’s not at all what we mean here. Christian apologetics is not apologizing — it’s almost it’s opposite. The Greek word used in the New Testam ent is “apologia” (ἀπολογία). It means giving a defense of some disputed ideas, or to explain something. That is how the word is used by Paul and Peter in the New Testament. Apologetics deals with what is knowable, and how we can have confidence in the truth of what we know.

We all begin our thinking with some presumptions. There are things we assume before we start reasoning things out. Assumptions are things that can’t be tested. We accept them to be true and beyond question. To test the truth of something, we need a standard to compare it with. That standard needs to be tested too – tested by something we consider more reliable. We are actually “testing the test”. At some point we get to our assumed “presuppositions”. These are things we assume before we start “supposing” things.

We all have these fundamental ideas whether we are aware of them or not. We have a view of ourselves, of what’s around us, and of how we can find out about things.

In our fallen condition we assume we can figure things out with our own senses and use of logic. We gather information, put it together, then draw conclusions. The problem is, we are not neutral about how we see and interpret things. We are fallen creatures. In that state of denial we tend to deny our own bias. The lost often deny they start with any presumptions. They think they begin on neutral ground. They just observe, measure, and use science, math, and logic to come to conclusions.

But how do they know they’re not biased? How do they know they’ve gathered all the information they need? that there’s not more out there they don’t know about which would lead them to different conclusions? They presume they can reason free from assumptions, and they are dogmatic about it. They stand firmly upon the assumption that they have no assumptions, the very point they are denying. They assume they have no assumptions!

Christians have presumptions too. Our awareness of these first principles is the work of the Holy Spirit. He enlivens the soul and enables the redeemed to perceive the realities God has made known. So our confidence rests in the realities we study, rather than in the mind of the person that studies them.

Because of the Spirit’s work in redeemed hearts we “presume” some basic facts.
– There is a God who is self-revealed in the Bible.
– He is the only true God and Creator, all creaton and creatures answer to him in all things.
– Human knowledge is possible since God created us to know him and to promote his glory. God’s use of language validates the Bible as the one objective tool for knowing revealed truth.

We need to be aware of the presumptions and expectations we bring with us before we begin our study. If we presume a basic ability to neutrally understand God’s revelation unaided by anything outside of ourselves, there will be tension with verses about fallen man’s total inability to understand spiritual truth. For example:

Romans 3:11, “no one understands; no one seeks for God.”

1 Corinthians 2:14, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.”

If we assume that we are neutral and can know things accurately in our present moral condition, these verses would have to be explained away by some non-scriptural ideas. We give meanings to the text that change what it says on its own.

When we come to problems with pre-determined expectations, it effects our objectivity. We ask questions influenced by the results we expect to find. Our interpretations will be unavoidably colored by what we are looking for.

To fallen man the Bible is just human literature recording personal impressions of God and religious experiences. Therefore some of the information contained in Scripture can’t be accepted objectively. The Bible as literature will have a different meaning than the Bible studied as the inspired word of God.

Next, There are the hermeneutical questions.

The science of interpreting the text of Scripture is called Hermeneutics. The Greek word “hermaeneuo” (ἑρμηνεύω) means “to explain, to interpret”.

If the Bible alone is the infallible rule in matters of faith and practice, then we need to derive our rules of interpretation from Scripture alone.

For example:
Some presume that since miracles and the supernatural can’t be tested by scientific methods, they must be ignored. Those interpreters eliminate all supernatural elements before they begin interpreting a passage. Therefore they read teachings into the text that have nothing to do with what it’s actually saying.

Some assume that things said in the Old Testament cannot apply today if it’s not repeated in the New Testament. But they have to be very selective to protect their beliefs, and moral convictions. It would eliminate important parts of God’s moral laws: the structure of marriage and family, and other teachings.

An unsound hermeneutic will produce internal tensions and can’t produce consistent results. Biblically sound principles of hermeneutics yield a consistent system of doctrine. They produce the same results regardless of who does the interpreting. [Westminster Confession 1:6-10]

A few Latin Expressions help us summarize these First Principles.

The first is: Sola Scriptura.
It means, “Scripture alone” (WCF 1:6a,9,10). The inspired Scriptures provide the only infallible information and perfect rules for Bible study.

We should never add new facts to what the Bible says from our own reason, visions, voices, or miraculous signs. No authoritative data comes from the independent testimony of the church, science, archeology, philosophy, mystical experience, or personal anecdotes.

No exra-biblical expectations, presumptions, or facts should color our interpretation of Scripture. Commentaries or dictionaries should never be quoted independently as a source of reliable data. The way a word is actually used in Scripture is the best guide to it’s meaning.

Editors of dictionaries and of lexicons are susceptible to error and prejudice because of their own presumptions. Some have claimed that the Holy Spirit spoke to them or led them to some new understanding. They quote a few proof texts, but usually they don’t consider the context of those verses. Such mystical claims and backward exegesis discard the principle of sola scriptura.

The second Latin Phrase is: Scriptura Scripturae interpres.
It means, “Scripture interprets Scripture”. The best way to understand a passage is to see how the rest of Scripture fits with it and clarifies it.

We need a thorough familiarity with the whole Bible (both testaments). We should use cross-references locate other portions that use the same expressions or cover the same material.

When we study a passage in the Bible we should consider some basic questions:
– Does the text quote or refer to other biblical portions?
– Do the expressions used have meanings established in earlier inspired books?
– Is the text referred to, or explained more, in some later Book of the Bible?

Not all portions of Scripture are equally clear, nor are they all intended for instruction. Passages that directly teach or command are more helpful in learning about God’s will than are passages that simply record historic events. Recorded acts or words of individuals may be either evil or good (WCF 1:7I). Passages that deal directly with an issue should interpret passages which only indirectly or incidentally refer to it.

The third phrase is: Omnis intellectus ac expositio Scripturae sit analogia fidei.
It means, “all understanding and exposition of Scripture is an analogy of faith.”

We have confidence that what the Bible says is analogous to the way God sees things. What is said in the Bible is explained in a finite way so our creaturely minds can understand it, but it still bears a faithful correspondance to what God knows perfectly and infinitely.

Since what we learn in the Bible fits with what God knows, it’s always relible and self-consistent. After all, it represents absolute truth as it is in the mind of God. All that God makes known fits with what He knows perfectly, so there can be no contradictions. Therefore each passage in the Bible can have only one certain and simple sense. The Reliable Bible carries within it all that’s needed for clarity.

We should do what we call “Orthotomic Study”.

Good Biblical Hermeneutics is rightly determining the original intent of each text of Scripture. Paul wrote to Timothy about the importance of careful study. 2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.”

The word translated “rightly dividing” (or “handling accurately” in the NASB) is “orthotomounta” (ὀρθοτομοῦντα). It’s a combination of two Greek terms. “Ortho” means “straight.” It’s the prefix in “orthodontist” who makes teeth straight, or “orthopedist” who makes feet straight. The other part o the word is “to-me-o” which means “to cut” or “to slice.” In Science we us a micro-tome to cut specimen samples into microscopically thin slices. The compound word means “to cut straight”.

When the Scriptures are dissected by careful analysis, when it’s cut in a straight manner, we avoid deriving crooked or perverted meanings. Good study ought to yield the straight truth of the text. Calvin wrote, “the first business of an interpreter is to let his author say what he does say, instead of attributing to him what we think he ought to say.”

To accomplish this careful analysis, the faithful Bible student needs to complete three basic tasks: the Grammatical task, the Historical task, and the Theological task.

1. First is the Grammatical Task.
The previous study about the “Translation” of Scripture went over this in detail. This is just a quick review of the Grammatical Task.

We need to determine all the possible ways a given expression can be understood grammatically. The grammatical task involves three areas of work: lexicography, accidence, and syntax.

Lexicography is the study of the meaning of words. We have to consider all possible meanings of a word, eliminating meanings that are inconsistent with the context. We keep in mind the meanings that best fit with the flow of thought.

Accidence is the study of the grammatical forms of words. Changes in spellings, endings, and prefixes show how words relate with one another in a sentence.

Syntax is the study of the relationships between the words in phrases, sentences and paragraphs. It can be useful to diagram the sentences.

2. The second area of study is the Historical Task.
We need to discover where it fits into the unfolding of God’s plan in history. It helps to know the situation and problems that were important to the writer and those to whom he’s writing. We need to know the customs, issues, events, and expressions that were contemporary when it was written. We need to know what information had already been made known to the recipients of the book.

We also need to identify where the book stands in time with reference the unfolding of the work of redemption.
– Is the passage referring to the time before the Levitical system was revealed to Moses?
– Was it referring to things in the time of the Levitical Priesthood?
– Was it referring to the time after Jesus fulfilled what the Levitical sacrifices foreshadowed?
– Is it limited to the Apostolic Age when the New Testament was still being written?

3. The third area of study is the Theological Task.
God’s word is the unfolding of God’s unchanging truth, therefore we can fit the facts together topically. We can assemble all it says about the Nature of God, His Plan of Redemption, the Condition of Fallen Humanity, the Nature of the Church, and so forth.

To do that the interpreter needs to know the overall biblical context. Context expands outwardly from a text.
– The immediate context is the flow of thought in the sentence and portion of the book we’re studying.
– The book context is the purpose and concern for which the entire book was written. Each passage needs to fit in with the author’s purpose and development of thought.
– The overall context of Scripture reminds us that every revealed truth bears a consistent relationship with every other revealed truth. No contradictions are possible considering the principle of “analogy of faith”. It all has to fit together.

Some usd a simple “proof-text” approach. That violates this principle. That’s when people just look for little phrases or verses that support what they already believe. Instead, our theology should emerge out of the whole context of Scripture.

These three basic tasks of hermeneutics are not exclusive of one another:
– The historical question must be considered theologically. God has not revealed himself all at once. He did not explain the complete work of the Messiah as soon as man first fell into sin. We need to determine how what was said fits with what had been revealed at that time.
– A text studied theologically needs to consider the historical questions. What had God already made known? Have previous portions of Scripture established meanings that are assumed by the author? and How does this text fit into the history of the unfolding of God’s redemptive plan.
– The grammatical question must be considered historically. What grammatical forms, idioms, and meanings were current when that book was written?

Each task must be taken up with full consideration of the impact of the other tasks.

The Holy Spirit is the Illuminator of each text we study.

We humans are fallen creatures. Even redeemed believers are imperfect in this life. Our moral imperfections can’t help but sometimes color our outlook on a text. The work of the Holy Spirit on the regenerate heart is an essential element in sound hermeneutics. (WCF 1:6b)

Jesus promised that the Spirit would lead his people into truth. John 14:26, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you.”

The Holy Spirit is not a direct source of new information to individuals now that the Bible is complete. The Apostolic foundation has been laid as it tells us in Ephesians 2:20. The Spirit testifies to what God has already spoken. The Spirit’s work for the interpreter today is illumination, not revelation.

There needs to be a union between the work of the Spirit and the study of the revealed word. If we look to the word without the aid of the Spirit we will probably undersand it in a distorted way. If we look to the Spirit without the aid of the word there’s no objective standard to test our interpretation. The Holy Spirit ministers truth to us by means of the revealed word, not independently of it.

The information presented in this brief survey
lays a foundation for the Bible student.

Each area involves intriguing questions. They challenge us to dig into an ever widening and fascinating study. It continuously moves us closer to an understanding of God’s revealed truth.

These first principles lay the foundation for all further studies of Scripture. To the degree that these first principles are based on what the Creator has made known, our study will approach a sound system that essentially corresponds with absolute truth. This has been the task known historically as Reformed Theology. We re-shape (re-form) our beliefs and practices so they take on the shape (the form) explained in God’s word.

May the Lord bless the work of those in whose heart he’s placed a burning desire to discover, love, and obey the truths God has preserved for us in the Bible.

(Bible quotations are from the New American Standard Bible (1988 edition) unless otherwise noted.)

return to the WCF I index

Scripture Alone

Five Alone

(The Five Solas of the Reformation)
Scripture Alone
by Bob Burridge ©2014
(watch the video)

In the late years of the Middle Ages, Reformers in the church refused to go along with man-invented doctrines and rules that marginalized the Bible, and elevated the church as the primary source of what God has done and said.

Five foundational principles have been followed by the Reformed churches since that time. We know them as “The 5 Solas of the Reformation” — 5 things that must stand alone. The first of these teaches us that the Bible as God’s word is the only test of what’s true and good.

We usually speak of this first principle by the Latin expression “Sola Scriptura“. It means “Scripture Alone”. The Bible as God’s word is our only standard in deciding matters of faith and practice. The Bible alone is that authority, not combined with what men or church councils say. What God said was written and preserved by his providential power. The Bible isn’t just the best light to guide us in the dark. It’s the only light.

Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.”

Today, there’s a flood of ideas each claiming to be true. In the media we hear the views of famous authors, celebrities, athletes, and other self-proclaimed experts. Pop-Preachers on TV, radio, and the Internet flood us with superficial interpretations of the Bible. Pseudo-Science picks isolated pieces of data to support their current pet theories. News teams edit and slant reports to promote their own political and social world-view. Conspiracy theorists gather little things that seem unusual to them, and invent fantasy explanations. The internet offers millions of pages on almost any topic you search for. Most of the pages are based on very unreliable sources. We’ve never had so much information in all of human history. But we’ve never seen such confusion about what’s right and true either. This mis-information is used to manipulate people for self-gain, and to confuse God’s truth.

The Bible alone is our infallible guide through the maze of moral confusion. It directs our lives, and offers real comfort and hope. It shows God’s way of mercy and forgiveness as it’s offered to the whole world.

If we use some kind of test to see if what the Bible says is true, then that test becomes our standard for truth.

But how can we know if our test is reliable? Have we overlooked other alternatives? Is there information we don’t know yet? Have we just assumed things used as part of our reasoning? Have we misunderstood the things we think we know?

To answer that, we need a test for the test. But then that “test tester” becomes something to be tested too. There would be no end to needing something greater by which each level of testing is tested.

Ultimately, either God who made all things becomes the final test, or there is no test and no real way of knowing truth. If God revealed things to us, then that becomes an untestable test because nothing stands above God. He has given us that ultimate source of truth and morality in the Bible.

Today, hundreds of years after the Reformation, the flame of God’s truth and promises continues to burn. It burns in a very dark place. We live in a world that isn’t sure of what’s right and true, or if there even are such things. It’s a world filled with competing theories and beliefs.

Confusion about God and his ways leads to an uncertain attitude about life and personal values. It makes people dissatisfied with their jobs, their marriages, their children, and churches. Reformation is the return to the foundation God gave his world long ago.

There is a Latin expression which summarizes this continuing duty, “Semper Reformanda” which means, “Ever being re-molded (re-formed)”

Reformanda is a Gerundive Participle from the verb reformo. It is in the “reflexive” form, something done to us. It isn’t as much about changing things, as it is about being changed. “Always being reformed” means always submitting our every belief and practice, our every love and goal, to the test of God’s word so that it can be reshaped to conform to God’s truth and ways. Only what God has revealed should persist as our standard and foundation.

Sadly, in our modern world, even among some say they are reformed believers, another Latin expression better describes their objectives, “Semper Neoformans“. This is a Latin active verb meaning always forming something new. Innovation rather than reformation becomes their way of life. Innovation is wonderful within the boundaries set by God’s word. But we should never forget the limits of truth and the principle set by God’s unchanging standard.

The tension we see between many churches today is the battle between these two approaches to the Christian life. Either we are re-forming our lives and beliefs to fit the form God gave us, or we’re making up new forms to fit in with a society in love with its own pleasure, peace, prosperity, power, and prestige.

Reformation isn’t a re-inventing of God’s truth or of the way he calls us to live and to worship. It’s a change made in individuals and to the world that brings them back to God’s ways.

Ignorance of what the Bible says lures unsuspecting people to take up unbiblical beliefs and practices. Some are unaware of how much the New Testament says about worship, marriage and family, business, economics, our attitudes, time management, and how a church should be governed under the headship of Jesus Christ.

Many don’t know God in the way he reveals himself. Some unwittingly divide the God of the Old Testament from the one of the New. But he’s not a different kind of God in various sections of his book. Only when we take it all together can we learn about his unchanging and consistent nature.

God’s word has brought about many great
reformations throughout human history.


Reformations have taken place in the times of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Josiah and Ezra, through the times of John, Jesus, Paul and Peter, and on into the history of the church after the New Testament was completed. It has always been the word of God that transformed individual lives, families, communities, nations, even at times the world.

The Reformation cry, “Scripture Alone” (Sola Scriptura), should always be our focus. God gave the Bible as the one infallible and perfect rule for our faith and practice. If someone adds any other standard along with it, the Bible ceases to be his foundation. The Apostle Paul based his comments upon this principle in his Second Letter to Timothy.

2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

Scripture Alone was not the standard of faith and
practice at the time of the Reformers.


In 1517 the dominant church claimed it had information from God beyond the Bible. Based upon other standards, it pronounced new dogmas and promoted moral abuses.

The result was not just intellectual chaos. It deeply confused and enslaved the people. It threatened time in Purgatory for believers to pay off their sins. The church sold forgiveness in the form of indulgences from the Pope. It implied that our own efforts and works caused God to bless and forgive us. The Priests made sinners do penance. It called for prayers to the saints and to Mary. Popes were granted the status of Christ himself. A whole list of new Sacraments was established, and worship became a magical mass. Hungry souls were fed this poison instead of the solid nourishment of God’s word.

The Reformers trusted what God said in the Bible as their sole guide for what is true and right. At a great conference of the church held in Augsburg in 1530, Philip Melanchthon and Martin Luther prepared a set of articles to show the errors of Rome. These articles became known as the Augsburg Confession.

The Reformers were all called Lutherans then, because they followed Luther. It had nothing to do with the modern denominations who take the name “Lutheran”. When the Reformed articles were read and explained, the delegates at the conference were impressed. The Reformed position had been drawn from Scripture alone.

One of those against the Reformers said he could easily refute Melanchthon’s confession by quoting from the Church Fathers. One of Rome’s own men, Duke George of Saxony responded saying, “Then the Lutherans are firmly entrenched in the Scriptures, and we are entreched outside of them!” That was a wise and telling observation.

Our Westminster Confession clearly takes the same reformed position. It says in section 1:10,

“The supreme judge by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Spirit speaking in the Scripture.”

To most people, religion is generally accepted as long as it doesn’t claim to be exclusively right or the only way. Even unbelievers freely quote verses taken from the Bible to promote their own ideas. It’s the “Sola” part of Sola Scriptura that makes the Reformed position despised and ridiculed.

This is our challenge today,
long after the Protestant Reformation.


The world hates any absolute standard. The Bible has become a main target. It has no problem with those who say the Bible is just another nice book of inspirational stories, but it has no tolerance for those who believe it to be the actual and inerrant word of God.

Educational programs on TV and documentaries continue to misrepresent it, and to make poorly informed attacks against its authenticity. A good example is the irresponsible re-writing of the Bible by the History Channel in its miniseries.

Public policy is often promoted in some places that would make it a crime to publicly proclaim Christ. The teachings of Scripture are openly opposed. Some want to make it a hate crime to teach what the Bible says about homosexuality, the roles of men and women, and the redemption of souls by Christ alone.

The clear teachings of the Bible are confused by creative theories and interpretations. The Creation Sabbath Day is abandoned by confusing it with the Jewish Levitical Sabbaths. It becomes a day like any other day where we work at our jobs, or support others who do so. They make detailed pictures of Jesus violating the 2nd Commandment imagining things about his appearance and demeanor not revealed in God’s word. Lustful thoughts and sexual activity outside of marriage are commonly accepted or re-defined. Abortion continues to take the lives of millions of unborn babies every year world wide.

The world takes pride in believing that nothing is absolutely moral or true. I’m still not sure how it can be an absolute truth that “there isn’t any absolute truth.”

The acceptable views of truth and morality today are based upon personal choice alone. The result is a cafeteria-style religion where people take only what they like. They decide to believe and to do whatever they think ought to be right and true. All else that God reveals in his word is passed by as if they can just say, “No thank you.” In the cafeteria-style Churches, the Bible isn’t expounded faithfully and thoroughly. The people do not know what God said so they are not able to decide what to reject or to affirm.

Awhile ago I saw a television interview of a prominent preacher in Orlando, Florida. He openly said that he didn’t care to expound the Bible or to condemn sin. He said his goal is to help people have a positive attitude about themselves. This empty rhetoric is welcomed by millions who listen to him and support him. But it’s heresy. That’s what a Professor at Westminster Seminary called this preacher’s message in the same interview program. It’s an open rejection of the teachings of God’s word and of Christ. Without dealing with forgiveness of sin and restoration to God by grace in Christ, there is no real change of heart, no real hope, nothing except the empty words of some motivational speaker.

It’s no wonder that with teachings like that, the church is marginalized today, people feel more insecure and uncertain than ever before.

God’s word tells us that our own feelings are not to be the test of what’s right. Many imagine the Holy Spirit saying what ever it is they want to hear at the moment. It’s good to ask, “What would Jesus do?” But to answer that question you have to know your Bible. You need to know and understand what he actually said and did. You also need to know the rest of Scripture that gives the context for the life and teachings of Christ.

People taken in by these very popular but irresponsible churches and preachers continue confidently, but blindly,
to offend God while not even suspecting that there is anything wrong with what they are saying and doing.

There’s a need for a continuing reformation
in Christ’s church.


The need is very serious in this 21st Century since the birth and death of our Savior. It’s an individual need, a church need, a family and community need — a world need. There is only one light that is able to scatter the darkness. It’s the light of God’s word speaking openly and boldly for itself.

Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to my feet, And a light to my path.”

Shine the light of his word on your path ever day. See if your feet are on the right trail, and taking the right steps. Let that light expose the things that will trip you up. Avoid those things.

If you are always reshaping what you believe and do so that it fits more with God’s word, you are being a Reformer. When you help others to do the same you are carrying out the work of reforming God’s world.

The key is to be a dedicated servant of God’s word. No other standard will do, because none other can be true. God’s word is all the lamp you need to know the boundaries within which you can live with great liberty. When you live in the way that pleases God, you will find the great blessing he infallibly promises — even in the hard times.

God’s word for God’s world — a lamp for our feet, a light for our path.

For a more detailed study of how God reveals himself to us see the following lessons from our Theology unit covering “Prolegomena”.
1. Knowing Truth
2. Revelation
3. The Canon of Scripture
4. The Inspiration of Scripture
5. The Preservation of the text of Scripture
6. The Translation of Scripture
7. The Interpretation of Scripture

Bible quotations are from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Back to the index for “Five Alone”

Lesson 6 – The Translation of Scripture

Survey Studies in Reformed Theology

Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies
by Bob Burridge ©1996, 2006, 2010, 2016

The Translation of Scripture

Watch the Video

One of the challenges we face today is that most people
don’t know the languages used in the writing of the Bible.

The Old Testament was written in Hebrew with a few portions in Aramaic (primarily Daniel 2-7 and Ezra 4,6,7). The New Testament was written in Greek during the Koine period when it was the commonly spoken language.

After Israel’s long captivity, most of the Jews did not know the Hebrew language. When Ezra taught God’s word, he and others with him had to explain the sense of what each passage was about. They translated it into the language the people understood at that time.

Nehemiah 8:8, “So they read distinctly from the book, in the Law of God; and they gave the sense, and helped them to understand the reading.”

The New Testament often translates Old Testament texts into Greek.

Sometimes the Books of the New Testament quote from the Septuagint, a commonly used Greek version of the Old Testament at that time. At times they directly translate the Hebrew or Aramaic into Greek. These translations in the New Testament are themselves presented as the authoritative word of God.

There is a “quality of inspiredness” that obviously adheres to good translations to the degree that they accurately represent the words and meaning of the original.

These translated verses are properly referred to in the Bible as Inspired Scriptures, and the Word of God. They are authoritative when they accurately convey the meaning of the originals. Only the original writings in their original languages can be considered infallible and inerrant. But when an inspired verse is translated by another inspired text it’s done inerrantly.

Some question why it’s important to defend inerrant and infallible originals if we don’t have them. Inerrancy and infallibility are teachings that derive from the fact of divine inspiration. That mandates that the original writings were without errors, and that they were perfect. They are God’s word as he superintended the writers to convey exactly what he wanted them to say. These inspired writings are therefore canon. Everything else is to be tested by them.

When we prayerfully and diligently study the text and meaning of the Books of the Bible, we can be confident that underlying what we have before us is a perfect original. God himself has providentially preserved its content so we can say that we know what God has revealed.

There are several approaches to Translation

Some translations attempt to be carefully literal.
Each word and grammatical form is translated with as much direct correspondence with the original as possible. The problem is, there’s no perfect correspondence between any two languages. Purely literal translations will seem stiff trying to transform ancient idioms and cultural references into modern terms while remaining as close to the original words as possible. Good translations in one era become confusing in later times as languages and cultural circumstances change. Early English translations used words and grammar forms completely alien to English speakers today. Old spellings were very different so most modern versions of the old translations have updated spellings.

The Great Bible of 1539 was autorized by King Henry VIII to be used by the Church of England. It was the work of Myles Coverdale but it included spurious portions inserted from the Latin Vulgate.

The Geneva Bible of 1560 was translated by English protestant scholars exiled from England. They gathered in Geneva with John Calvin to produce a careful translation with footnotes by Calvin and others. This was the translation used by the Pilgrims who arrived on the Mayflower. It’s the text used by Shakespeare, John Bunyan, John Milton and others in their writings.

The Bishop’s Bible 1568 was produced by the Church of England. It was to replace the Geneva Bible which was too Calvinistic and Presbyterian for them. It has many translational inconsistencies so it went through several revisions.

The well known King James Version of 1611 compared the existing translations with the few Greek and Hebrew texts available at that time. But many of those good words chosen in 1611 have a very different meanings in the 21st century. This is why the “New King James Version” of 1982 was put together.

Examples of a Good Literal approach are: the King James Version, the New King James Version, the English Standard Version, and the early edition of the New American Standard Bible.

Some less literal translations use varying degrees of “dynamic equivalence.”
This method looks for contemporary idioms and expressions that correspond between the languages. It asks, “How would it have been said today?” This involves more interpretive information. This can sometimes obscure quotes from and similarities between passages. Dynamically equivalent translations read better, but may limit possible interpretations to those in the translator’s mind.

There are varying degrees of correspondence in this general approach. Some try to be very faithful to the ideas being expressed in the original, while others take great liberties to achieve ease of reading.

Examples include: the New International Version, the Good News Bible, and the Living Bible. The Living Bible often takes paraphrase to an extreme.

Since translation depends to a degree upon the assumptions and expectations of the translator, having a knowledge of the theological positions of those working on the version is helpful. An Arminian Theology is clearly promoted in the Living Bible. A liberal slant is seen in parts of the Revised Standard Version, A conservative view of the Bible is evident in the New International Version even though it tends to be less literal.

Compare for example the more literal translation of the NASB with the dynamic translation of the New Life Version in Romans 1:13.

(NASB) “I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles.”

(New Life Version) “brothers, many times I have wanted to visit you. Something has kept me from going until now. I have wanted to lead some of you to Christ also, as I have done in other places where they did not know God.”

There are some helpful things to keep in mind
as we use Bible Translations

Those who do not know the original languages of the Bible are wise to consult a variety of translations. They can be compared to see where differences occur. That can show the broader meanings of the words in the original language. It can also expose the prejudice or convictions of the translators. Where there are substantial differences you can look into why they are not the same.

It’s best to begin with one or more of the more literal translations (like the New King James Version, New American Standard Version, or the English Standard Verson). The more dynamically equivalent versions are best used only as commentaries on the passage.

There is a wide variety of translations available on the Internet without charge. Most search engines will bring up a huge library of versions on any verse or passage you type in.

Ultimately you have to get input from someone with a good knowledge of the original languages. Most conservative denominations still require Pastors to have Seminary credit in both Hebrew and Greek. There are good commentaries, inter-linear Bibles, and English dictionaries of the biblical languages. Some computer programs allow you to click on words in an English text to find out what the original words were and meant. Some include good dictionaries and commentaries too. Students often use the Strong’s Concordance or similar helps to look up the meanings of the original words. We will say more about that in the lesson about interpreting the Scriptures.

We should be like the Bereans. In Acts 17:11 it says, “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”

Jesus said, “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me;” (John 5:39).

The results of reconstructing the original text, translation, and interpretation are neither infallible, nor inerrant. When we differ, we who love truth should be driven to engage in a better study of God’s word. We need to humbly identify where we diverge from one another, and where we use the same passages of God’s word in a different way. The Bible is always the only final standard against which what we believe must be measured.

The Grammatical Task has three basic areas
to consider when translating.

1. Lexicography is the study of the meaning of words.
One of the first goals in the study of any particular text is to determine the meanings of the words used. Definitions are dynamic. Meanings change with time. Rather than having just one narrow meaning, words often have spheres of meaning. They come from special uses of the words in certain cultures and moments in history. The exegete of Scripture should consider all the possible meanings of the words in the text he is studying.

Words can take on idiomatic meanings unique to a particular topic, place, and time. They can also become attached to figurative images that convey more information than the word itself provides.

The interpreter needs to carefully eliminate the meanings inconsistent with the context.

There are several tools that help the interpreter with this task:
– Concordances show all the occasions where words are found in Scripture. The best indicator of the meaning of a word is the way it’s used in each context. English concordances of particular versions of the Bible are of limited help because the same English word isn’t always used when translating a particular Greek or Hebrew word. Sometimes words take on different shades of meaning by their grammatical form not reflected in English.

The best concordances are based on the original languages. The Englishman’s Concordances are based on Hebrew and Greek words, but show the verses in English. You don’t need to know the original languages to use them. The Strong’s Concordance has become a favorite since it indexes the original words by a numbering system. But it’s based on the words translated into English, which are not the same in every tanslation, and the same Hebrew or Greek words are not always translated by the same English word.

– Lexicons and dictionaries list the various meanings and uses of a word. The student of Scripture needs to keep in mind that lexicons and dictionaries are not inspired by God. They are the products of fallible human scholars, not the infallible Holy Spirit. Their definitions are only a summary of a sampling of uses of a particular word selected by the editor.

Good lexicons will catalog a full range of the meanings of a word. They also give examples showing each meaning of a word in a sample context. Some show biblical uses of the words, along wit their uses in contemporary literature of the writer’s era and culture.

– Word study and idiom books include articles about the meanings of words. They are likely to be strongly influenced by the theology of the editors, but can be extremely helpful, particularly if contexts are given where you can see how the word was actually used in other places.

– Synonym studies are helpful to aid us in comparing similar words. It helps identify the uniqueness, nuances, areas of overlap and individual flavors of each word. Idiom studies analyze special localized meanings unique to specific places and times.

2. Accidence is the study of the grammatical forms of words.
Words often take on spellings, endings, and prefixes to show how they relate with the other words in a sentence. It helps to determine if a noun is the subject or the object of the thought. It’s important to know if a word is singular or plural, masculine, feminine or neuter. Words need to be recognized as verbs, substantives, particles, adjectives, adverbs, and so on. Verbs have a particular tense or mood attached to them by their grammatical form.

The tools that help with this task are a bit more technical. They include grammar books that show word forms and their meanings. They explain the way various kinds of words are changed to indicate their use in the sentence. It’s basic to know your own language well, and the rules of linguistics that apply generally to all languages. We should also understand the fundamental differences that distinguish the various groups of languages.

It’s hard to benefit from Greek or Hebrew grammars without some formal training. There are books and computer applications that help those who only know the languages casually. But there is no substitute for a thorough working knowledge of the languages themselves.
– Grammars for beginners will explain the basic forms.
– Advanced grammars analyze the forms in more detail and show more specialized uses of the forms. The best ones also explain the cultural thought behind things such as verb tenses. Grammatical forms have different implications in Hebrew, Greek, and English.

Analytical lexicons and some computer or web-based programs identify the forms of each word found in Scripture. They should be used with caution because they’re usually not complete as to the possible meanings of each form. They can hinder students of a language from learning to recognize the forms on his own, and gain real proficiency.

3. Syntax studies the relationships between the words in the immediate context.
After the grammatical forms are identified the information needs to be put together to determine the meaning of the phrase, sentence, and paragraph. Word order and the combination of the various grammatical forms narrow down the possible meanings of a text. It can be useful to diagram a sentence using the symbols and forms familiar to students of English grammar. The tools used in the study of syntax include the grammars and idiom books described before.

These tools and helps are easily available today in books, on the internet, and in computer applications. Often search engines can turn up web-based articles on words and grammar forms, but not all are done by careful scholars without a theological prejudice. We need to be very careful to break down what verses directly say and remain cautions about our interpretations.

That’s our next study: The Interpretation of Scripture.

(Bible quotations are from the New American Standard Bible (1988 edition) unless otherwise noted.)

return to the WCF I index

Knowing What God Has Said


Updated Study Series with Video Presentations (©2016)

Lesson 1: Truth: Knowing What God Has SaidVideo
Lesson 2: Revelation: Divine Self-Disclosure Video
Lesson 3: The Canon of ScriptureVideo
Lesson 4: The Inspiration of ScriptureVideo
Lesson 5: The Preservation of ScriptureVideo
Lesson 6: The Translation of ScriptureVideo
Lesson 7: The Interpretation of ScriptureVideo

See other video lessons on our YouTube channel.

Other Readings:
A. A. Hodge: Commentary on the Confession of Faith (Introduction, ch. 1)
C. Hodge: Systematic Theology (Vol 1, Introduction)
W. G. T. Shedd: Dogmatic Theology (Vol 1 Introduction, Bibliology)
L. Berkhof: Principles of Biblical Interpretation
Westminster Faculty: The Infallible Word (a symposium)
Berkeley Mikelsen: Interpreting the Bible (pages 99-176)
Cornelius Vantil: The Defense of the Faith
O. Palmer Robertson: The Christ of the Covenants

1 Prolegomena

Survey Studies in Reformed Theology

Syllabus for the Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies
by Bob Burridge ©1996, 2006, 2010, 2016

Unit One: Prolegomena
by Pastor Bob Burridge ©1996, 2006, 2010, 2016

Revelation, Scripture, its Use and Interpretation
Westminster Confession of Faith chapter 1

The only authoritative standard for the interpretation of Scripture is the Scripture itself. All else lacks certainty. If we are to do theology biblically, then we must base our work on data directly derived from the canonical books of the Bible alone. This is what the Latin term “Scriptura Scripturae interpres” means. Literally it is “Scripture interprets Scripture.”

The articles in this study help lay this foundation. I strongly recommend that you study the topics in the order in which they are listed. The later topics assume the earlier ones. The technical name for this field of study is “Prolegomena”. It means “before study” since we must know how to determine the mind of God before we do any other study about him.

This unit was updated in 2016.
1. Knowing Truth the possibility of knowledge, systematic truth, the value of written confessions – (Video)
2. Revelation general and special revelation – (Video)
3. The Canon of Scripture Which books belong in the Bible? – (Video)
4. The Inspiration of Scripture organic, verbal, and plenary – (Video)
5. The Preservation of the text of Scripture confidence in the biblical text, some problem texts – (Video)
6. The Translation of Scripture the value and use of Bible translations – (Video)
7. The Interpretation of Scripture apologetics, orthotomic study, Spirit illumination – (Video)

Reading Assignments
Bob Burridge: This Syllabus: Prolegomena
A. A. Hodge: Commentary on the Confession of Faith: Introduction, ch 1
C. Hodge: Systematic Theology (Vol 1, Introduction)
W. G. T. Shedd: Dogmatic Theology (Vol 1 Introduction, Bibliology)
L. Berkhof: Principles of Biblical Interpretation
Westminster Faculty: The Infallible Word (a symposium)
Berkeley Mikelsen: Interpreting the Bible (pages 99-176)
Cornelius Vantil: The Defense of the Faith
O. Palmer Robertson: The Christ of the Covenants

Syllabus

Survey Studies In Reformed Theology

Class Syllabus for the Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies

(based upon the Westminster Confession of Faith)

by Bob Burridge ©1996, 2006, 2011, 2016
2018 edits are added as completed

Unit 1 – How We Know About God (Prolegomena) (WCF I) 2016 updates completed
Foundational studies: Scripture, the source of theological truth.
1. Knowing Truth the possibility of knowledge, systematic truth, the value of written confessions – (Video)
2. Revelation general and special revelation – (Video)
3. The Canon of Scripture Which books belong in the Bible? – (Video)
4. The Inspiration of Scripture organic, verbal, and plenary – (Video)
5. The Preservation of the text of Scripture confidence in the biblical text, some problem texts – (Video)
6. The Translation of Scripture the value and use of Bible translations – (Video)
7. The Interpretation of Scripture apologetics, orthotomic study, Spirit illumination – (Video)

Other Readings:
A. A. Hodge: Commentary on the Confession of Faith (Introduction, ch. 1)
C. Hodge: Systematic Theology (Vol 1, Introduction)
W. G. T. Shedd: Dogmatic Theology (Vol 1 Introduction, Bibliology)
L. Berkhof: Principles of Biblical Interpretation
Westminster Faculty: The Infallible Word (a symposium)
Berkeley Mikelsen: Interpreting the Bible (pages 99-176)
Cornelius Vantil: The Defense of the Faith
O. Palmer Robertson: The Christ of the Covenants

Unit 2 – Theology Proper (WCF II-V) 2016 updates completed
The study of the nature and person of God
1. Knowing God logic and the “proofs” of God – Video
2. The Revealed Nature of God the attributes of God and his purpose in creation – Video
3. The Trinity Modeling the unknowable, defining “Trinity” – Video
4. The Decrees of God Fatalism, extent of the decrees, the cause of sin and evil – Video
5. The Decree of CreationVideo
Part 1 – The Boundaries of the Doctrine of Creation Creation out of nothing, Creationism (Part 1 PDF)
Part 2 – The Events of Genesis One views of the “days” and age of the universe (Part 2 PDF)
Part 3 – Beyond Genesis One the original Sabbath, theories of Creationism (Part 3 PDF)
supplement – Primeval Chronology – W.H.Green (1890 in Bibliotheca Sacra)
supplement – PCA Creation Committee Report
6. The Creation and Nature of Man the manner of man’s creation, man’s nature (dicotomy/tricotomy) – Video
7. God’s Providence Deism, Fatalism, Pantheism, Mysticism, extent of the sovereign decrees, foreknowledge, sin – Video part 1Video part 2
8. Special Providence and Miracles “Miracles” defined and their purpose, do they happen today? – Video

Other Readings:
A. A. Hodge: Commentary on the Confession of Faith (chs. 2-5)
C. Hodge: Systematic Theology (Vol 1, Theology)
L. Berkhof: Systematic Theology (Part 1)
W. G. T. Shedd: Dogmatic Theology (Vol 1, Theology ch 4-9)
Stephen Charnock: The Existence and Attributes of God
William Hetherington: History of the Westminster Assembly of Divines

Unit 3 – Objective Soteriology (WCF VI-VIII)
The study of God’s provision of salvation.
1. Man’s Fall Into Sin Genesis 2-3, sin’s consequences, God’s curse and promises
– Video (Part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)
2. God’s Covenant With Man the covenants in Scripture, Original Sin, unity and diversity of the Covenants
– Video (part 1) (Part 2) (Part 3)
3. Jesus Christ, the Mediator Jesus as Prophet, Priest and King, Hypostatic Union, states of Christ, Did Jesus Descend into Hell?, propitiation, atonement, expiation, reconciliation, Christ’s active and passive obedience
– Video (part 1) (part 2) (part 3)

Other Readings:
O. Palmer Robertson: The Christ of the Covenants
A. A. Hodge: Commentary on the Confession of Faith (chs 6-8)
C. Hodge: Systematic Theology (Vol 2, Part 3, chs 1-13)
L. Berkhof: Systematic Theology (Part 2)
W. G. T. Shedd: Dogmatic Theology (Vol 2, Anthropology)
W. G. T. Shedd: Dogmatic Theology (Vol 2, Soteriology 1-2)
B. B. Warfield: The Plan of Salvation
John Murray: Redemption: Accomplished and Applied
Abraham Kuyper: The Work of the Holy Spirit

Unit 4 – Subjective Soteriology (WCF IX-XVIII)
The study of the application of salvation
1. Free Will man’s “will” defined, the concept of freedom, the states of man’s moral nature
2. Effectual Call God’s resistible and irresistible call, election, Lapsarianism, reprobation, “Common Grace”
3. Justification judicial innocence, sanctification, Dispensationalism
4. Adoption becoming part of the Family of God forever
5. Sanctification the means, process and extent of Sanctification, perfectionism, the “Carnal Christian” doctrine
6. Of Saving Faith its nature, elements, and work of the Holy Spirit
7. Repentance Unto Life meaning, grounds, and nature of repentance
8. Good Works the proper place of good works and the Means of Grace
9. Perseverance of the Saints salvation is an imperishable and inalienable gift of God
10. Assurance of Grace and Salvation confidence of our own salvation

Other Readings:
A. A. Hodge: Commentary on the Confession of Faith (chs 9-18)
C. Hodge: Systematic Theology (Vol 2, Part 3, ch 14)
L. Berkhof: Systematic Theology (Part 3-4)
W. G. T. Shedd: Dogmatic Theology (Vol 2 Soteriology 3-6)
R. B. Kuiper: For Whom Did Christ Die?
John Owen: The Death of Death in the Death of Christ
Morton H. Smith: Studies in Southern Presbyterian Theology
R. B. Kuiper: God-Centered Evangelism

Unit 5 – Nomology
The study of God’s law (WCF IXX-XXIV)
1. The Law of God categories of biblical law, law and grace
2. Christian Liberty and Liberty of Conscience from what are believers set free?
3. The Regulative Principle God prescribes how he is to be worshiped
4a. The Elements of Regulated Worship (part 1) worship elements, the call to worship, prayer (is there an unpardonable sin?)
4b. The Elements of Regulated Worship (part 2) preaching, music in worship, the Sacraments
5. Worship and the Sabbath Day the nature of Sabbath in each era of biblical history
6. Lawful Oaths and Vows our solemn promises to God and to man
7. The Civil Magistrate principles of biblical civil government
8a. Marriage Defined purpose and limitations upon marriage
8b. The Godly Husband loving leadership in the home
8c. The Godly Wife biblical submission and the wife’s part in marriage
8d. Biblical Parenting principles for raising godly children
9. Divorce when may a marriage bond be dissolved?

Other Readings:
A.A. Hodge: Commentary on the Confession of Faith ch 19-24
C. Hodge: Systematic Theology (Vol 3, Part 3, ch 19)
Zacharias Ursinus: Commentary on the Heidelberg Catechism (Lord’s Day 34-44)
John Murray: Principles of Conduct
Greg Bahnsen: No Other Standard: Theonomy and Its Critics
Barker & Godfrey: Theonomy: A Reformed Critique
John Murray: Divorce
R.J. Rushdoony: Institutes of Biblical Law

Unit 6 – Ecclesiology
The study of the Church (WCF XXV-XXXI)
Westminster Confession of Faith chapters 25-31
1. The Church visible and invisible, the church in the Apostles’ Creed, Jesus as head of the true church
2. The Communion of Saints members of the true church
3. The Sacraments the Sacraments as a Means of Grace
4. Baptism its meaning, mode, significance, subjects and efficacy
5. The Lord’s Supper the nature of the Lord’s Supper as a Means of Grace, its elements and administration
6. Church Censures discipline of members in the church
7. Synods and Councils the government of the church and relationship of churches

Other Readings:
A.A. Hodge: Commentary on the Confession of Faith ch 25-31
C. Hodge: Systematic Theology (Vol 3, Pt 3, ch 20)
Jay E. Adams: Shepherding God’s Flock
W.G.T.Shedd: Dogmatic Theology (Vol 2, Soteriology ch 7)
L. Berkhof: Systematic Theology (Pt 5 The Means of Grace)
Geerhardus Vos: Biblical Theology
John Murray: Christian Baptism
George P. Huchinson: The History Behind the RPCES
Berghoef & DeKoster: The Elders Handbook & the Deacons Handbook

Unit 7 – Eschatology
The study of the fulfillment of the ages (WCF XXXII-XXXIII)
1. Overview of Special Eschatology various views of the end times and the church era, millennial views
2. The Great Tribulation of Matthew 24 a detailed study of Matthew 24
3. The Millennium a detailed study of Revelation 20 and the final Judgment

Other Readings:
A.A. Hodge: Commentary on the Confession of Faith ch 32-33
C. Hodge: Systematic Theology (Vol 3, Pt 4, ch 1-4)
W.G.T.Shedd: Dogmatic Theology (Vol 2, Eschatology)
L. Berkhof: Systematic Theology (Part 6)
O.T.Allis: Prophesy and the Church
Gary DeMar: Last Days Madness
J. Marcellus Kik: An Eschatology of Victory

The Creator and Sustainer of Everything

The Creator and Sustainer of Everything

Study #6 Colossians 1:16-17
by Bob Burridge ©2021

When there’s a job to be done, we need enough energy to get it done. When I was a Boy Scout, I used to go winter camping on weekends just outside of Buffalo, New York. The snow was usually over 2 to 3 feet deep, and the temperatures never got much above zero.

The log cabins we stayed in each had bunk beds for 8 boys. Our only heat was from a single cast-iron wood burning potbelly stove in the middle of the cabin. One of our daily chores was to make sure we had enough good burnable wood. Dry logs had to be chopped up and brought in every day to get us through each night.

Each summer we formed teams to plant hundreds of new trees in that camping area. They were to replace the ones we used for wood the winter before. We actually replaced more than we used. The supply of trees was increasing because of our responsible use of the wilderness area.

We were also trained to contain natural fires in the forest. If left to burn, the forest fires would burn up more trees than we would ever use to keep our cabins warm. I remember forming bucket brigades and digging trenches when fires would break out. When the fire bell would ring, we would stop whatever we were doing and report for fire detail. Thankfully it didn’t happen too often, but I had a chance to fight several forest fires.

The woods took care of us so we took care of the woods. The trees provided all the energy we needed for the job of keeping us warm in the winter. We found the trees to be a valuable and easily replenishable resource.

In the early days of our world, that was the kind of energy situation people had to live with. In the past century we’ve come a long way. We have electric lights, air-conditioning, heating, television, phones, computers, clocks, razors, mixers, coffee-makers, can openers, washers, dryers, refrigerators, microwaves, video games, just to name a few things! We use gasoline to run our automobiles, buses, trucks, airplanes, lawnmowers, edgers, generators, and various other kinds of internal combustion devices. Most of those things also have electric versions.

We can hardly keep up with the demands on nuclear and conventional power plants. We can convert wind and solar light into electrical power. With more demanding jobs to do today, there are more demanding needs for power.

Twenty years ago we put a Space Shuttle into orbit that carried a $1.4 billion science laboratory into space. We’ve landed exploration vehicles and laboratories on Mars. It’s amazing the amount of power it takes to put things like that into space.

We live day to day assuming the supply of all the energy we want. We buy gasoline, batteries, propane, and shop for food to keep our bodies working. But where do we go to find the power we need spiritually to live in ways pleasing to God? That’s a need and supply that’s never changed!

In our study of Colossians 1 so far:

Paul offered thankful prayer
for the believers in Colossae.


He prayed that they would know God’s will, walk pleasing to the Lord, bear spiritual fruit, learn more about God,
and that they would be strengthened in endurance and patience.

He also directed them to their Source of Power, God the Father, who alone qualifies us to receive his blessings. He transferred us from the kingdom of darkness, to the Kingdom of his Son, Jesus Christ. He is our Redeemer from sin, the image of God, the firstborn of all creation.

Since holy living requires so much spiritual ability, and in our fallen estate we have none in ourselves, he turns us to our only hope: Jesus Christ, our all-sufficient power, who enables us to live for God’s glory.

Jesus is above all other powers
because he made all things.

Colossians 1:16, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him.”

This Jesus Christ, who transforms us into his kingdom, who strengthens us, who is our Good Shepherd, who intercedes for his Sheep, who died to redeem them, is the same one described in John 1:3 when it says, “All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.”

What an amazing truth! For infinite ages, before time could even be measured, God always existed. Then, beginning with nothing but his word everything that exists came into being to declare his awesome glory. This includes all things both in the heavens and on earth.

Likely the “heavens in this verse are the things above us physically, the sky and all that appears in it. The Bible writers and readers knew nothing of the vastness of space beyond the sky. But they knew of some things God put there:
the sun that warmed and lit the day, the moon and stars that lit up the night. They saw lights that moved in patterns year after year which they called planets. They saw but didn’t understand comets and meteors. They saw clouds drifting overhead and birds that seemed to float on the air.

Our astronauts and amazing telescopes see more of the amazing vastness and grandeur of the universe. We’ve had explorers walk on the moon. We’ve had our space probes land, on other planets, their moons, and on an asteroid. They’ve sent back detailed pictures of places totally unknown to those when the Bible was written.

These visible things boggle our minds! The complexity and majesty of what we know so well humbles us when we take time to look closely. Yet all we can see is just a small fragment of all that our Lord Jesus Christ made.

A while ago I took a bike ride along the 2-mile trail in the park near our house. I rode past the little lake inside the trail and stopped for a while to admire an amazing sight. There out on the bank sunning themselves were 2 rather large alligators. One was about 6 or 7 feel long. The other one would have been about 2 feet longer if it wasn’t for a piece missing from the end of its tail.

I stopped to sit on a bench not more than 20 feet from them. Their eyes followed my every move. One of the gators pushed up on his front legs and lifted his head to get a better look at what I was up to.

I was admiring their power and aware of the potential danger. I didn’t tried not to appear to be a danger to them so they wouldn’t attack me. They had my deep respect and I wasn’t about to disturb them.

Then I noticed movement out in the lake. It was a baby alligator, slowly making its way across the still waters. I’ve often enjoyed the quiet peaceful scene around that lake. I personally call it “Mai Menukhot” (מי מנחות) the Hebrew words in the 23rd Psalm, “still waters”.

I thought about the two huge gators on the embankment in front of me, and realized that they had seen many Florida seasons, and maybe endured a fight that took off that now shorter tail. They might have been the parents of that baby gator, and maybe others that lived in the lake. They would have passed on their characteristics to the next generation. One day that little one would probably grow up to be just like these big ones. Amazing!

Then my mind turned to this text in Colossians 1. I’d been working on it in my study before that bike ride. Behind the powerful jaws and tails of these creatures, behind their ability to reproduce, behind their ability to survive in the wilds uncared for by humans, was the power of the One who created these gators, and who made me too.

It’s amazing to watch gators in lakes, and dolphins playing off the coast. God made our whole universe to display his creative powers: stars, nebula, planets, moons, clouds, seas, birds, alligators, dolphins, and Floridians — and yes, even the tourists.

Together they all bring pleasure to God by manifesting his glory and declaring his truth. Psalm 19:1 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork.”

But it’s not just the physical world though. Here in Colossians 1:16, He made the “… visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities– all things were created through him and for him.”

There are unseen dimensions beyond our comprehension. Even the earthly and unearthly spiritual powers are all under his rulership. All the kingdoms of men and spirits are held in his powerful hand. Jesus, our Creator and Redeemer is said in Ephesians 1:21-22 to be “far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,”

Some over-exegete this verse and imagine that it’s just speaking about 4-ranks of the angels: “rule and authority and power and dominion.” But there is no indication of such an interpretation here or elsewhere in Scripture. These are close synonyms chosen by the Holy Spirit, not for our vain imaginations to run wild, but to drive home how our loving Shepherd is Lord over all powers in the universe. He’s over them because by his power and decree, they all exist.

The one who made all things determines their purpose, and sets the boundaries within which they can exercise the limited powers he gives them. Jesus isn’t just a teacher, example, or religious symbol: he’s the awesome Creator of all things! In Psalm 33:6 the psalmist wrote, “By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.”

Therefore Jesus Christ has
the preeminence over all things.

Colossians 1:17, “And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

He’s before all things in both time, and in all superiority. In fact, that which sustains all things in none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. He upholds his creation moment by moment, both in whole and in all its parts.

He’s the power behind all that is. Even those who rebel, do so only by the power God gave them. Those who use their minds to devise philosophies so complex that they attempt to explain God away, do so with mental abilities the Creator they try to deny gave them. They use the order and uniformity of God’s Creation to make up foolish theories to deny its real origin. They toy with powers they don’t understand. But doing so, they heap condemnation upon themselves for stealing the glory of the God who made them.

The Bible teaches that in him, all live and move and have their being (Acts 17:28). Even with our grand theories of cosmology and quantum mechanics, we only describe, but don’t really understand the forces that hold all things together. But whatever physical laws we discover and define, declare the power of the God who not only made them, but who also continues to make them operate as they do.

There’s no room for deism in the Bible. God didn’t just set things in motion, then wait around to see it all unfold like a great machine. He oversees every breath and turn, as creation and history display his glory.

While we may not perceive his hand in all things, we’re assured of the fact. Every battle, victory, crime, arrest, rescue, and disaster is coordinated for the glory of God. Until all things are resolved at the end of this present age, we can’t fully perceive its place in the Creator’s order.

Paul wrote about Jesus in Romans 11:36 saying, “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.” The writer of Hebrews 1:3 explained that Jesus ” … is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. ..”

The world seems very concerned with all the energy we need for cars, airplanes, refrigerators, and lights. We hear debates about how we should produce all the power we need every day. When I was a kid I remember shoveling coal into a furnace to heat our house. Now we use electricity and natural gas. Electric cars, trains, and trucks are becoming popular, but that demands more electricity. To get all that electricity some use solar and nuclear power and wind turbines. There are some new creative ideas but we have a lot to learn yet about how God’s created things can be best used. But the power behind all these sources of energy is the active power of our Creator, our Triune God.

But where do we find the power spiritually
to live as God calls us to live?


Our Creator, who is also our loving Redeemer, promises all the power we need. In Christ we have the power to overcome temptation and our human weaknesses. 1 Corinthians 10:13, “No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”

The Holy Spirit is there to enable us to live the way we should. Galatians 5:22-25, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”

In Christ we have the power to live as a kingdom of light in spite of the surrounding kingdom of darkness. No power on all the earth or in all the unseen realms of the universe both physical and spiritual can prevail against us when we sincerely trust in Jesus Christ.

We have no reason to fear all the politics, philosophies, economic powers, or military forces arrayed against us! We need nothing more than what Christ earned for us and promises us in the gospel. In Jesus Christ, fear is obliterated. We are children of the one who made all things, who is before all things, and by whom all things hold together!

The power of our Creator, promised to us in the gospel, is all we need. Behind all we see with our eyes, and experience day to day, is the mighty hand of our Triune God. In him, we have all the power we need, to accomplish all we’re called to be and to do.

Colossians 1:16-17, “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities–all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.”

Note: Bible quotations are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

The Call of Wisdom (Part 1)

The Call of Wisdom (Part 1) – Proverbs 8:1-11
by Bob Burridge ©2020


When our nation declared its independence in 1776 it was influenced by principles from the Protestant Reformation. That Reformation was another declaration of freedom that took place in the early 1500s when freedom was declared from the doctrines of men and from the oppressive dictatorship of a corrupted church. In any attempt to change things that have become corrupted wisdom is needed to properly identify the problems, and to learn how to rightly correct them.

In the Protestant Reformation we see a good example of the kind of wisdom presented in Proverbs 8. At the root of it was the idea of “sola scriptura“, Scripture alone. God’s word is our only perfect test of truth and the only infallible source of instruction about how we should live.

Martin Luther and John Calvin believed in the absolute authority of the Bible. Luther saw problems in the teachings of Rome. He dared to debate its great scholars. His only weapon was the Bible, insisting that we should always let it interpret itself.

Calvin labored in Geneva to submit each of our beliefs and practices to what’s taught in the Scriptures. He was opposed primarily by two groups who rejected the sufficiency of Scripture.
1. Romanism taught that God’s special revelation continued through the church and her ordained officers. This led to new doctrines that were not found in the Bible.
2. The Anabaptists taught that Christians can still get new revelation from God beyond what the Bible says. Private visions and interpretations created a chaotic situation. Splits occurred among them as different private visions were in conflict with one another.

In the midst of this confusion Calvin continued his work. Any ideas about God, morality, or man’s nature not drawn from the Bible had to be rejected. He didn’t start with a set of doctrines to defend. He worked to restore the biblical truths that had been confused since the time of the Apostles.

Both of these Reformers labored to know what each biblical passage actually said when it was originally written. They rejected what couldn’t be defended by sound Biblical study alone.

Men came from all over the world to learn from the example of those gathered with Calvin at Geneva. John Knox came there and saw it as the most biblical form for the church and government. He took it back to Scotland where it was called it “Presbyterianism“. It was called that because the churches were to be led by local ordained Elders, “Presbyters”, not by Bishops. The term comes from the New Testament word for “elder”, “presbuteros” (πρεσβύτερος).

Back in 1776 our nation’s founding fathers wisely applied basic biblical principles when they broke away from an oppressive monarchy that had controlled the church. Some of our founding fathers rejected important biblical doctrines, but they respected its basic principles about civil government, and the freedom of religion.

Today many have abandoned that wise heritage, and the foundation of our society is being challenged. We live in a time that worships at the extreme and conflicting altars of Rationalism and Irrationalism. Both define “good” as what satisfies our needs as we fallen creatures see them.

What we believe determines how we live. If we believe that obeying law is only to avoid punishment, we break laws as long as we don’t get caught. If we believe church is only to make us feel good, we replace biblical worship with things more entertaining.

Believing distorted truth leads us and others to live lives that hurt us and our loved ones, and that offend God. When we believe that what we see as our personal comfort is our most basic standard, we abort unwanted babies, cheat on taxes, lie under oath, let a federal government dictate to our churches, take illegal drugs to escape facing reality, and engage in many other destructive practices. There’s no end to the horrors.

This idea of resting upon God’s advice instead of man’s advice is one of the basic themes of Proverbs. These studies in Proverbs 8 are about the call of true wisdom, one of the main themes of the book. True wisdom is when we think and act in obedient submission to God’s written word. It’s the only thing that can really make our lives better.

(8:1-3) Wisdom calls out to common people in life’s most common situations.

1. Does not wisdom call? Does not understanding raise her voice?
2. On the heights beside the way, at the crossroads she takes her stand;
3. beside the gates in front of the town, at the entrance of the portals she cries aloud:

Real wisdom isn’t just for the philosopher. It’s for all of us. Wisdom’s not a hidden secret. It actively calls out. God wants us to know him and his ways.

As verses 2 and 3 tell us, it calls out to the common person as he travels through the countryside, where roads cross, as he comes into towns, even in the market places which were at the entry points of cities. We need true wisdom when we go shopping, drive our cars, roam cyberspace, visit a doctor, report for work or school, watch movies or TV, or just get together with friends.

(8:4-5) Godly wisdom is there for everybody, not just for philosophers as “experts”.

4. “To you, O men, I call, and my cry is to the children of man.
5. O simple ones, learn prudence; O fools, learn sense.

Wisdom calls out to all of us, even to the simple and the fools. We don’t have to have a high IQ or a University degree to get wisdom. We come to God’s word to learn what it actually says. We come sincerely ready to trust and to do what we find there. James 1:5,6 says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.”

Verse 5 mentions two things that should be learned and understood. The simple should learn about “prudence”. This translates the Hebrew word “ormah” (ערמה). It basically means: having discretion, wisdom, the ability to discern things. I believe “discernment” fits best here. Though the KJV translates it as “wisdom” here, it’s not the same Hebrew word translated as “wisdom” in verse 1. There the Hebrew word is “khokmah” (חכמה)

The simple readers should learn to have good sense about things. The word translated as “sense” here is “lav” (לב), which is the common word for the heart. It was used then as “heart” is often used now for our inner feelings and thoughts, “what does your heart tell you?” We need to have our hearts set on the values and truths which God has made known to us.

Though we might be simple people, we should learn to prudently discern things around us. We should strive to have a God enabled ability to sense things as God says they are.

(8:6-11) Wisdom is more valuable than anything else we can desire.

6. Hear, for I will speak noble things, and from my lips will come what is right,
7. for my mouth will utter truth; wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8. All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
9. They are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge.
10. Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold,
11. for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

Wisdom calls us to listen, and hear what it says.

1. Wisdom tells us noble things. (8:6a)
That means things that are “royal”, they are the “princes” over every other idea out there. When we come to the Bible, we’re hearing the teachings of the King of Kings.

2. Wisdom tells us what’s right. (8:6b)
Here, the word “right” doesn’t mean “correct” or “accurate”. It’s right” in the moral sense. The Hebrew word there is “mêy-shâr” (מישׁר). It means being “upright, even, and fair”. Wisdom tells us what things are conformable to what pleases God. Without godly wisdom, justice becomes perverted. Law breakers aren’t dealt with consistently, and victims suffer.

3. True godly wisdom always tells us the truth. (8:7a)
Aside from godly wisdom, what we call “truth” is confused and changes as our theories and cultures change. In the absence of godly wisdom, what people think should be believed and done is influenced by those who produce our songs, movies, novels, TV shows, and by educators in our schools and Universities. Even what people call “science” changes what it says is true as more information comes in. It was once believed that the earth was flat, the sun orbited the earth, and the atom was the smallest unsplitable particle.

Those who teach us are often not taught real truth. n training our teachers, the methods of teaching often surpass learning the content of what should be taught. When godly wisdom isn’t the foundation, education teaches as truth things contrary to what God tells us in his word. Lessons in history, sociology, and morality can be completely slanted to promoting ungodly worldviews.

This is a growing problem in training church leaders. The Seminary I attended was able to buy a huge library of good books from a Seminary in Manhattan. That New York school no longer wanted their Bible commentaries, Theology textbooks, and books about learning the original languages of Scripture. Their focus was making people feel better about themselves, do charity work, and grow large congregations. The teaching of how to learn the truth of what God has revealed is often minimized or completely neglected.

The Bible tells us that Pastors, Elders, and Teachers in a church are called to be educators of God’s truth. Titus 1:9 tells us, “He must hold firm to the trustworthy word as taught, so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it.” [see also 1 Timothy 2:2, 3:2, 4:13, 15, 2 Timothy 2:15, 4:2, 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13, and Acts 6:4]

Today’s religious leaders may be very talented, likeable, and entertaining communicators, but many have no idea how to carefully examine a Biblical text. True Godly Wisdom calls to us to listen to what it has to say, and to hear what’s true!

4. Wickedness is an abomination to the lips of wisdom. (8:7b-9)

7. … wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
8. All the words of my mouth are righteous; there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
9. They are all straight to him who understands, and right to those who find knowledge.

What wisdom says is “righteous”. It says nothing that’s crooked or perverted. God’s word is straightforward, and right when understood rightly. There’s only one source for that understanding and knowledge. It’s the Bible as applied to our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

5. Wisdom tells us to choose its instruction and knowledge. (8:10-11)

10. Take my instruction instead of silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold,
11. for wisdom is better than jewels, and all that you may desire cannot compare with her.

If there could be a choice between godly wisdom and other things, wisdom should be chosen over silver, gold, or jewels! Why is wisdom so valuable? It’s actually the word of God calling out for us to live within its boundaries. Wisdom reveals the nature and standards of the Creator himself.

The New Testament shows even more about this wisdom in the person, words, and work of Jesus Christ. In John 1:1 Jesus is called “The Word”. In Proverbs we see wisdom personified. In Jesus we see wisdom incarnated.

We need to base our lives on God’s word, not on the words of entertaining and seemingly friendly people. We should compare what we hear and believe with God’s word. We should even put the words of so called experts and professionals to that same test. We have the word of God. In the Bible the words of true wisdom are there for us to learn from at anytime we want. There we don’t find theories. We find things of which we can be sure.

Today, society has abandoned the wisdom which is based upon a solid Biblical foundation. Some have abandoned the hard fought for principles of the Reformation. The whole Bible, and the Bible alone, must be our standard of what’s wise and true in all things.

Of course believers will at times differ in the details when trying to comprehend its majestic chapters. In our limited minds we all need to humbly search together and willingly correct our wrong understandings. There’s a lot we are not yet told about the infinite God, all he is, and all he’s yet to do. Right now we only have a partial picture of eternal truth, but all we have in that written word is absolutely right and true. Believers need to learn to love each other and God so much that they will humbly search the Scriptures together for answers, that they will withhold drawing conclusions where God has withheld details, that they will avoid filling in the gaps with human theories. But what it clearly says should be embraced with thankful praise and commitment. We must avoid adding ideas trying to make the Bible more palatable to lost hearts. We should humbly pray that God will teach us to apply and to obey its teachings so that wisdom will be our constant companion.

(Bible quotations are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.)

Defend and Protect

Our Reformed Heritage

Defend and Protect
[Lesson 6: The example of John Knox]
by Bob Burridge ©2019

There have been times of great suffering for Christians. One such time was in England, Scotland, and Wales beginning in 1554. Queen Mary Tudor petitioned parliament to abolish Protestantism. She wanted to end the Reformation and restore Roman Catholicism.

A horrible persecution broke out against all reformed people in the nation. It’s been reported that 284 were burned at the stake including pastors, women, and children. Another 400 or so died in prison of starvation. This earned the Queen the title “Bloody Mary”.

One of those who stood for the reformed faith was John Knox of Scotland.

It shouldn’t surprise us that the faithful are often hated by the lost and treated with violence. The message of the gospel isn’t good news to those who don’t believe it. It tells us that we all inherit a lost condition from Adam. Left to ourselves we won’t accept the truth about ourselves or about God. We will not because we cannot due to our fallen condition. All are equally lost and deserving of eternal separation from God. It says that those who are saved from this eternal damnation don’t deserve it. They aren’t better people. They can’t earn it, or buy it, or trade for it.

Salvation is a gift. Believing what God has promised and done through Christ doesn’t give anyone a reason to brag or to be proud. Jesus died for his people to pay the price they all owe, and he gives them his righteousness which they don’t deserve.

This doesn’t set well with those who are still in spiritual blindness. So they call us bigots, radicals, extremists, hate mongers when it’s really the unsaved critic who elevates himself above the believer. There’s no room for superior feelings in the Christian’s heart. It’s all by grace alone.

Jesus warned many times that his followers would not be appreciated. In John 15:20 he warned his followers, “… If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. …” Paul wrote in 2 Timothy 3:12, “… all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. ” In 1 John 3:13 it says, “Do not marvel, my brethren, if the world hates you.”

In Matthew 5:10-12, Jesus explained something the persecutors can’t possibly comprehend. He said, “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, For theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

Jesus foretold about the life ahead for the church. In John 16:2 he said, “They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service.” History has shown this to be true.

Though legal and intellectual persecutors have included the atheists and agnostics, the most violent persecutors have been the misguided religious, who see sound biblical truth as their greatest enemy. Their whole existence is built upon sustaining lies about God and his teachings. To these opponents of the truth, to allow the gospel to be freely promoted threatens their life of lies.

Matthew 10:28 reminds us that outward persecution shouldn’t be our greatest concern. There Jesus said, “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell”

Giving in to threats or compromising God’s truth is a greater danger than what enemies can do to us. They might harm our bodies, call us names, or make us uncomfortable, but they can’t touch our soul and they can’t disrupt our eternal inheritance. Our focus must remain to be honoring God and his truth regardless of threats and attacks.

While we know there will be persecutions, we’re also told that it’s acceptable to defend and protect ourselves and our loved ones. That applies to attacks by the enemies of God.

Jesus told his followers to buy a sword as they go out. Luke 22:36, “Then He said to them, “But now, he who has a money bag, let him take it, and likewise a knapsack; and he who has no sword, let him sell his garment and buy one.”

They were going to face all sorts of dangers as they took the Gospel into the world. They would travel dangerous roads and become the targets of conspiracies and plots to silence them. In 2 Corinthians 11:26 the Apostle Paul later wrote about the dangers he faced in his travels, “in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren;”

There are many interpretations of this comment Jesus made in Luke 22 about buying a sword. Some get the idea that Jesus was a total pacifist, which is not true historically. They can’t accept a literal interpretation of this warning. They say it’s inconsistent with what Jesus later told Peter in Gethsemane in John 18:11 where he told the Apostle to put his sword back in his sheath.

But when Jesus rebuked Peter it was in a very unique situation. Peter tried to defend Jesus against the Roman soldiers when they came to arrest him. Jesus had come to this moment to fulfill all he came to do. It wasn’t time to begin armed conflict against Rome.

There’s no implication here that this special reference to Peter erases all the Scriptures say about the duty to protect against murderers and assassins. It’s not a cancellation of the right to self-defense.

Though self-defense and protection of loved ones has always been part of God’s law, great care needs to be taken when deadly force is used. Our respect for human life and our dedication to God’s work both come before personal comforts and even safety. This is why brave people have always put their own lives in harms way to protect their loved ones and countries.

But part of God’s law is that if a human life is threatened, deadly force can be used to prevent the death of the innocent victim of a crime. This doesn’t give us permission to be the aggressors or to harm others for personal issues. We’re never sent out to declare open war against persecutors as a whole, or to attack law-enforcement officers of the civil government (Romans 13). And, the Gospel isn’t to be forced upon people with the sword. It comes by the work of the Holy Spirit convincing men to receive Christ willingly and gladly. But if our lives and liberty are threatened, the whole of Scripture supports a strong defense.

There is the obvious physical sense in which we might defend ourselves with a weapon. There’s also a spiritual sense in which we should defend spiritual attacks with the gospel itself. When captured and sentenced to martyrdom, the opportunity for self-defense physically is no longer available. But the defense of innocence and of the gospel itself continues on as long as we are still alive.

John Knox had seen these persecutions. He was born sometime in the early 1500’s in Scotland. We don’t know exactly what year. He was ordained as a priest in the Roman Catholic Church sometime between 1530 and 1540.

A short time later he became a redeemed believer through faith in the gospel of Grace. He rejected the unbiblical teachings of Rome and personally trusted in Christ alone for salvation. One of the Christians who helped him learn the gospel was the Scottish Reformer, George Wishart.

The story of Wishart is another great adventure story of Church history. Many times Cardinals and Bishops of Rome set up traps to assassinate him. Each time he detected something was wrong and avoided the trap. The newly converted John Knox became his body guard.

In 1546 Cardinal Beaton used a trusted nobleman to falsely promise Wishart protection. When he came, he was met with Roman Catholic guards who arrested him. John Knox drew out his sword to fight, but Wishart took the sword from his hand. He wanted John to take up where he would now leave off. Scotland needed a reformer more than it needed a swordsman. That same year, Wishart was condemned by the church, strangled to death, and his body burned at the stake.

There were some reformed Scotsmen who went too far. They were so outraged by the assassination of George Wishart, that they assassinated Cardinal Beaton in his own castle at St. Andrews. Knox didn’t approve of what they did, but they convinced him to become the pastor at St. Andrews replacing Wishart.

This was a time of great international unrest between rival kings of England, France, Spain and other countries, and it was a time of plots and killings by the Roman Catholic Church to stop the spread of Reformed teachings, and silence the Protestants. In the mix of it all, John Knox was captured and consigned to be a galley slave on a French ship. He served as a galley slave for a year and seven months.

When John was set free in 1549, he went to England. He preached there and became the official chaplain of England’s King Edward VI. When King Edward died the throne of England was taken over by Queen Mary Tudor. She was the one who pledged to brutally kill every protestant left in her Kingdom. She wanted to return the English to the Roman Catholic Church and its powerful Pope.

It was during this reign of Bloody Mary that all those deaths of both famous and little known believers took place. Later in Knox’s letter to call England back to repentance after Mary’s rule ended, he listed by months the believers who died under her reign of terror.

During the time of Mary’s persecution, Knox fled to the European continent. There he met John Calvin and worked with him at Geneva teaching, writing, and spreading the Reformation. While there he also worked on the Geneva Bible translation which was the one used by the Puritans and by the Pilgrims when they came to America.

John said that Calvin’s Geneva was, “the most perfect school of Christ that ever was in the earth since the days of the apostles. In other places I confess Christ to be truly preached, but manners and religion so truly reformed, I have not yet seen in any other place.”

In the 1550’s, after the death of Mary Tudor, Queen Elizabeth came to the throne. With her sympathy to the protestants, Knox traveled back and forth between England, Scotland, and the Continent. Meanwhile in Scotland, Mary Queen of Scots took power and again tried to force Catholicism on the people. Knox stood strong through it all. He preached against what was unbiblical, and promoted what was.

In his return to Scotland in 1559 the Scottish Reformation was established. He drew up the Scottish Confession. He was tried for treason a few times unsuccessfully by Mary Queen of Scots. But when she was executed in the midst of scandals, Scotland was free at last.

Knox spent his remaining years preaching and lecturing in Edinburgh and St. Andrews. Of him it was said, “Here is one who never feared the face of man.”

In 1572 on November 24th John Knox died. He’s known in history as the Thundering Scott. His statue is among the Four Reformers in Geneva. There he stands in stone along with Farel, Calvin, and Beza.

We are bound by God’s instructions to remain faithful to all we are commanded to do. When we are persecuted we should bear up under it as thankful servants of our Redeemer. There are limits to how much we should actually and rightly oppose the powers God has placed over us in human governments (Romans 13:1-7). However, we should not give in to those who fight as enemies of God and of his people. Our duty is to continue to hold forth biblical truth, to worship together, teach what God has said, and maintain strong families as defined in Scripture.

If we are persecuted for that obedience, we should remember that God has permitted these things to happen to us for purposes we may not fully understand at that moment. We know from Scripture how difficult times were used to bring about a greater good in the lives of Joseph, Daniel, the Apostle Paul, and many others including Jesus himself during his mission here on earth.

We are to present and defend the Kingdom of Christ, and the glory of God in whatever circumstances we find ourselves enduring. The stories of the great reformers, some who became martyrs, give us helpful examples of how God’s Kingdom spreads and grows in spite of those who set out to bring it to an end.

(Bible quotations are from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.)

Back to the index of Our Reformed Heritage

The Inspiration of the Treasured Word of God


by Bob Burridge ©2016, 2019

Lesson 5 of Our Reformed Heritage

Some of the things I treasured instantly were the little hand made cards, pictures, and things my children made for me. There were those little traced hands, Father’s Day and Birthday cards, some interesting drawings Brian did for me, and that little clay dragon (or dinosaur) Amy made that sits in my office to this day.

Sadly most of them were lost in the tornado that destroyed our house in 1992. But I still have a few tucked away that are very valuable to me. I even have some of the letters my wife Lois wrote to me before we were married. I’ll always consider them among my most important possessions. We’re not talking about great art from the kids, or award winning literary prose from my wife to be. But no work of artist or poet could measure up in value, because these were expressions of personal love.

That’s why the Bible is so important to us as God’s people. It’s a book of love written by the one who made us and who redeemed us. It’s the promises he made, and the price he paid to make sinners into beloved sons and daughters.

We treasure God’s word. It gives us what the world has openly given up on: a firm foundation for truth, hope and morality.

Scripture is God-breathed …
it’s as if it contains his
actual spoken words to us.

2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

Many translations say, “All Scripture is inspired by God”. The word translated as “inspired” is “theopneustos” (θεόπνευστος). The ESV is very accurate here because this word literally means “God-Breathed” (θεό-πνευστος).

We often use the English word “inspired” in a very different way. People say poets, composers, or artists are “inspired” when they breath-in a higher perception of something and they’re enabled to create a wonderful poem, book, song, or painting of what they perceive. But Scripture comes into being as if it was breathed out of God’s mouth. More exactly the word “theopneustos” (θεόπνευστος) means to breathe out, “to expire”. Obviously if we translated it that way here it would give the wrong idea. People would think it means that Scripture is expired – lapsed like an expired driver’s license. It doesn’t mean that at all here.

Speech is the expiring, the breathing out of air through the larynx. Scripture is as if it was directly breathed out of the mouth of God. That’s its authority. The Bible is God’s word to us whom he loves. It’s God talking to us when we read the Bible.

2 Peter 1:20-21 explains the origin of Scripture very clearly.

20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.
21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Verse 20 is often misunderstood because of some English versions of the Bible. The King James Version says, “Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the Scripture is of any private interpretation.” The Roman Catholic Church interprets this to mean that individuals should not privately interpret the Bible. Interpreting the meaning of Scripture should be left up to the Priests and trained scholars.

The ESV more accurately translates it, “… that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation.”
Literally, word for word, it reads, “… that every prophesy of Scripture by one’s own interpretation does not come into being.”

The words “come into being” is the meaning of the Greek word here, “ginetai” (γίνεται). It’s translated poorly in those translations by the words “is of” private interpretation. The verse is about where the interpretation came from originally, not about the reader’s interpretation of it.

Verse 21 clarifies this.

For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Peter explains that the Bible writers were “carried along by the Holy Spirit,” and that they spoke from God. They didn’t decide what to write by their own will. Or decide what it meant on their own,

It’s about the interpretations given by God to the writers of the Bible. When you read Moses, or David, or Luke, or Paul you read what God moved them to write.

Scripture originated as a special act of God at work on the human writers. It made their interpretations absolutely perfect and accurate. The resulting Bible is a prophetic word even more certain than the direct testimony of fallible human eye-witnesses.

Peter was a direct witness to all Jesus said and did, but still in 2 Peter 1:16 he wrote, “For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”

Instead what he wrote came from God, not by human interpretations. God kept the writers free from incorporating inaccurate human interpretations as they wrote. The Bible did not come into being by humans interpreting events. God gave the interpretation.

The verb translated “carried along” in verse 21 is “phero” (φέρω). It means “to bear something (as one would a burden)” or “to carry along.”

The men God used to write the Bible were “carried along, born up” by the Holy Spirit. That word was used at that time to describe how a flying bird is supported by the wind, and how a ship is born along on the water as the wind fills its sails.

So also, these chosen writers were carried along by the Holy Spirit himself. They “spoke from God.”

A classic definition of biblical inspiration comes from Dr. Allen MacRae. “Inspiration is a special act of the Holy Spirit by which he guided the writers of the books of the Scriptures so that their words should convey the thought he wished conveyed, should bear a proper relationship to the thought of the other inspired books, and should be kept free from errors of fact, of doctrine or of judgment.”

There are different views about how God
and the human writers worked together.


On the one hand it’s clear that the Bible says exactly what God wanted it to say. The very words are 100% right for expressing the message. Every interpretive thought or fact in the Bible is 100% accurate and true. Technically we call this view “Verbal-Plenary Inspiration.” It means the Bible is totally accurate, right down to the choice of each word.

In Liberal Theology the Bible is seen as just inspired literature like Shakespeare, or John Bunyan. They say God moved the writers hearts but they were influenced by local customs and myths. They even say the historical books in the Bible are just fiction written to teach lessons.

On the other hand, God didn’t just dictate the words to men who acted like mere word-processors for God. We see the individual personalities and backgrounds of each human author in their writings. Luke was a physician. As expected he used technical medical terms. He wrote in a more academic and formal style. John used a vocabulary that often reflects his background and experience as a fisherman. His writings use a very simple common style.

The style of each writer varies with his personality, background, the age in which he lived, the circumstances of his writings, the political and cultural setting in which he wrote, and so on. But what they wrote was kept perfectly accurate, and said exactly what God wanted said.

I chose two men from American Church History who helped promote this important biblical teaching. They are both Benjamins …

Benjamin Morgan Palmer was born in Charleston, South Carolina in January of 1818.
Benjamin Breckinridge Warfield (usually referred to as B. B. Warfield) was born in Grasmere, Kentucky – not far from Lexington, in 1851.
Palmer was about 33 older than Warfield, so they were about a generation apart.

Benjamin Morgan Palmer’s parents
had a Puritan background.


When he was young, Benjamin did very well academically. He was accepted into Amherst College in Massachusetts when he was only 14 years old. But he didn’t last long there. He had some difficulties with the teachers and quit after 2 years.

His life turned around in 1836 when he put his full trust in Christ as his Savior. He returned to college graduating with honors from the University of Georgia in 1838 at age 20. Then he graduated from Columbia Theological Seminary and was licensed to preach in 1841.

One of his greatest teachers was his Pastor at the First Presbyterian Church in Columbia. It was James Henley Thornwell. He became one of our nations all-time top Theologians. When Thornwell left the church to become more involved as a teacher, Palmer succeeded him as Pastor.

He served for a while as a Chaplain to the Army during the Civil War, and took over as Professor of Theology at Columbia Seminary after the death of Thornwell. Palmer used the notes of Thornwell as well as those of A. A. Hodge showing the link between the Old-school orthodox Calvinists in both the Northern Presbyterian churches and the Southern ones. He was elected the first Moderator of the Southern Assembly of Presbyterian Churches.

He produced many important writings at a time when he could see some seeds of unbelief creeping into some Presbyterian Churches. There have always been men with weak convictions who try to turn things away from biblical truth.

Palmer eloquently defended the full inspiration of God’s word until he died in 1902.

Benjamin Palmer said about the Bible: “the revelation to which Christ bears witness as final and permanent, is reduced to record in the dialect of men.”

He spoke of a connection between the members of the Trinity in the writing of Scripture: “The Son as revealer lifts from concealment what eternally lay his in the divine counsel. The Holy Spirit wrought the vast conception into the texture of finite and fallible minds, so that it could be rendered into speech and made intelligible to man.”

“The words of the Father are delivered by the Son, through the power of the Spirit”

“The subject matter is always and exclusively divine, while the medium of conveyance is not only distinctively human, but also characteristic of the author whose name it bears.”

B. B. Warfield was another
of the strong defenders
of the inspiration of the Bible.


His teachings, writings, and editorials presented the facts when the liberal movement attacked.

His middle name Breckinridge was his mother’s maiden name. Her father was the famous Robert Jefferson Breckinridge. He was the moderator of the Presbyterian General Assembly in 1841, the president of Jefferson College, and founder of the Theological Seminary in Danville, Kentucky.

Benjamin went to the College of New Jersey which later changed its name to Princeton. He graduated with high honors in 1871 when he was only 19 years old.

Nobody expected him to become a minister because he was deeply into science as a young man. He collected bird’s eggs, butterflies, rocks and learned all he could about math and physics. He became an avid evolutionist. But God had a special plan for him.

While studying in Edinburgh, then in Heidelberg, he changed his views about many things. He became a Christian. He shocked his family by writing home that he’d decided to become a Presbyterian minister. When he was finishing his seminary degree in 1876 at Princeton Theological Seminary he married Annie Pierce Kinkead. They went to Germany on their honeymoon and were caught out in a dangerous thunderstorm. Annie was struck by lightning and was permanently paralyzed.

Warfield’s career was busy, but he gave his disabled wife very good and loving care. He pastored a church in Baltimore for a short time but soon took up teaching. He became professor of New Testament at Western Theological Seminary in Allegheny, PA. Then in 1887 he took over as professor at Princeton Seminary after A. A. Hodge died.

During this time he wrote articles and books clarifying and defending the basic Reformed Faith. He was a strong Calvinist, and was brilliant in developing evidence from Scripture.

One of his best known works is his book on The Inspiration and Authority of the Bible. In it he writes, “… entire trust in every word of the Scriptures has been characteristic of the people of God from the very foundation of the church. Christendom has always reposed upon the belief that the utterances of this book are properly oracles of God. The whole body of Christian literature bears witness to this fact. We may trace its stream to its source, and everywhere it is vocal with a living faith in the divine trustworthiness of the Scriptures of God in every one of their affirmations. This is the murmur of the little rills of Christian speech which find their tenuous way through the parched heathen land of the early second century. And this is the mighty voice of the great river of Christian thought which sweeps through the ages, freighted with blessings for men.”

His writings clarified every passage of Scripture about it’s being God’s word of love to his children.

God has greatly used Warfield’s books, writings in the Presbyterian and Reformed Review magazine, and in the Princeton Theological Review.Many of his articles are printed in encyclopedias and Bible dictionaries.

He personally and devotedly cared for his paralyzed wife Annie. With all his duties and responsibilities he would seldom leave her home alone. When he did, it wasn’t for more than two hours at a time. He tended to her lovingly until she died in 1915. B. B. Warfield died in Princeton on February 17th, 1921.

Great Treasures


Though students of the Bible treasure the writings of these great Christian writers, the best writers mainly teach us to treasure the Bible even more.

We should prize the word God gives to us in the Scriptures even more than we prize getting an autograph of a famous person, or cling to the little notes and drawings of our children, grand-children, and spouses.

We should read the Bible as eagerly as a parent reads his child’s hand drawn note, or as a girl reads a love note from her boy friend, or as a mother reads a letter from a grown up child who is no longer living in the home.

We should read God’s word personally with great interest and determination to know and understand every sentence. We should appreciate the love that gave it to us, and made our hearts open to its promises. If we love God truly, it will be clear to those who know us that we treasure his word above all else in our lives.

(Bible quotations are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.)

Back to the index of Our Reformed Heritage