Guidelines in Determining If and How a Biblical Command Applies Today

Last week, at Bible study, we discussed commands in the Bible and how to determine if a command still applies to today, and, if so, how to sort out the culture-specific aspects from the timeless principles. Here are a few guidelines adapted from  Dr. Robert Plummer's book 40 Questions about Interpreting the Bible, pg. 172 (Dr. Plummer was my Greek professor in Seminary and I am so thankful for his ministry to me).

1. Rephrase the biblical command in more abstract, theological terms. Is the injunction a culturally specific application of an underlying theological principle? Or are the command and cultural application inseparable? (example, "Greet each other with a holy kiss" seems to have an underlying principle of welcoming and loving fellow believers as fellow members of God's household. It does seem the principle is unchanging, but the cultural application [a holy kiss] seems to be able to be separated and replaced with a culturally specific application). 
2. Would a modern-day literal application of the command accomplish the intended objective of the biblical author's original statement? 
3. Are there details in the text that would cause one to conclude that the instructions are only for a specific place or time? (ex. 2 Tim. 4:13 Paul tells Timothy "when you come, bring the cloak that I left with Carpus..." Since Paul directs it to Timothy and it only would apply as long as Paul was living, this command does not apply to us). 
4. Are there details in the text that would cause one to conclude that the ... command applies unchanged in different cultures? (Is it based on God's character, his unchanging promises, or his design for all creation? Example "love one another, for love is from God." This is not a cultural issue, and the fact that it is rooted in love coming from God means it doesn't change).  
5. Do your conclusions cohere with the author's other statements and the broader canonical (whole-Bible) context? 
6. For Old Testament commands, how has the coming, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the promised Savior, changed things? (Ex. commands to sacrifice on the Day of Atonement are fulfilled by Jesus who "died once for sin" and is "seated at the right hand of God." This is not due to God changing. Rather, it is because God's plan has not changed. His plan has always been to give a "yes" and "amen" to all his promises in the coming of Jesus.) 
7. Beware of the deceitful human heart that would use interpretive principles to rationalize disobedience to Scripture. 

Hospitality and Evangelism

You might not think that these two ideas, hospitality and evangelism, go together, but they are like peanut butter and jelly (or maybe peanut butter and bananas...don't judge if you haven't tried it). Hospitality is the love we show towards strangers. It is a welcoming love that is willing to put ourselves out there in ways that cost us time, energy, and money in order to lovingly welcome and seek to do good to a fellow human that we do not know very well (ie. they are not our best friend already).

Our culture is increasingly polarized and full of anger. How refreshing Christian hospitality is in such a vitriolic setting. Since Christian hospitality is motivated by the Gospel, it is a means to evangelism too. God welcomed us into his house, even into his family, while we were strangers to his promises, even hostile towards him. This hospitality ought to extend to fellow Christians that are different than us or that we don't know (Romans 15:7 says, "Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God."). But it also must be extended to those we are inviting to "leave father and mother and sister and brother" to follow Jesus (see Ananias and Barnabas showing hospitality to Saul / Paul in Acts chapter 9).

Matt Chandler has a helpful article entitled "Everyone you meet will live forever: Evangelism in an age of unbelief" at Desiring God that address this and gives a few practical ideas. You don't have to have a home or cook like Betty Crocker to show hospitality. Start by simply greeting people, by asking questions to get to know them, and by caring about them. Love for them also compels you to want to share the best gift with them - Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Christian hospitality is not contingent upon everyone agreeing with the truth of who Christ is, but it doesn't pretend as if Jesus is simply a nice add-on to life either. Christian hospitality is rooted in our acceptance by God in Christ and, therefore, displays that reality in our words and deeds.

Who might you show hospitality to today?

Genesis and Science

 We are living in a time when evolution is the great intellectual rival to the Christian faith in Western culture. It is important that we have given thought to these issues. I have been co-teaching the Sunday school class on Genesis 1-4. Several of the classes have dealt with preliminary issues about origins and science. Here is a link to the whole series on Genesis 1-4. I hope you find it helpful, and if you are not attending a Sunday school class, consider joining us for this study.

"Well-Behaved Women Rarely Make History"

Here is a link to an article by Tony Reinke on the idea that well-behaved women rarely make history. I found it to complement our study on manhood and womanhood. While our culture pushes the idea that we must do something grand and make ourselves well-known, we should see the reality that a life lived for God's glory in whatever he gives us to do each day is what heaven takes note of. Here is the conclusion of Reinke's article:

God-centered piety demonstrated on earth will not often make it into the record of our historians. There’s too little raw data to make it possible. Well-behaved women rarely make history. Fair enough. But our historians will not have the final word. I suspect the story of every faithful believer, even the most ordinary in this life, has generated voluminous records for eternity, and will find its story recorded in the epic of this age, a library filled with a million volumes of an unabridged record of every act and attitude which riveted the attention of our Creator — and stabbed the demons with dread.

Let's be content with being faithful in whatever God gives us to do, even if it doesn't catch the attention of the world.

Just for Fun: Why Winning Silver is the Worst

I saw this video linked at Kevin DeYoung's blog and thought it was funny. Hope you enjoy it.

How You Can Help Women and Unborn Children

We just passed the 45th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision which made the right to end the life of an unborn child, without due process, a constitutional right. From 1973 - 2014, there have been approximately 59,000,000 unborn children whose lives have been ended while in the warmth of their mother's womb in the U.S. In Florida, there about 76,000 abortions in 2014 (almost enough to fill up all the seats in Doak Campbell Stadium). That represents enormous human destruction and suffering among women and children.

How can you help women in crisis and the weakest among us? That depends on your giftings, abilities, and opportunities. However, all of us can be involved somehow.  Here are a few ways you might consider.

Prayer

Every Christian can pray that God would defend the weak, oppressed, and fatherless. Pray that he would use his church to not only save babies but to work new birth into the lives of the men and women who believe that ending the life of their unborn children is the only solution to the troubles they face.

Volunteer at a Pregnancy Center

There are three pregnancy centers in Tallahassee. These centers have caring men and women who counsel with fathers and mothers who need a compassionate ear and help to find solutions to their problems as well as a bigger perspective on their situation. These centers help women with tangible needs, parenting skills, free ultra-sounds, referrals for various types of assistance, and spiritual needs. They need volunteer counselors, ultrasound technicians, nurses, secretaries, baby supplies, etc. You might also participate in the Walk for Life to help fundraise for one of the pregnancy centers. For more information about this, email me (ben@gcot.org)

Serve with Speak for the Unborn

Our church has a local chapter of this ministry which aims to bring the gospel of hope to men and women as they stand on the ledge, contemplating whether or not there is any other hope besides ending the life of their unborn baby boy or girl. We stand outside the abortion clinic in Tallahassee with welcoming signs and care packets calling out to those entering and leaving the clinic. Our goal is to offer a glimpse of hope First, to those considering abortion. We want to help them step back and ask them to consider all their options with the help of others in our church or at a pregnancy center. We also seek to offer hope to those who have already ended the life of their baby by pointing them to their need and God's mercy in the gospel. For more information check out our website or the Speak for the Unborn national site.

Be Ready to Dialogue with Friends

You may have friends who will face an unexpected pregnancy. Be ready to offer a listening ear and to help them and direct them to others who can help. Also, be ready to engage with others who are not in a crisis situation but who have different viewpoints on the issue of abortion. Be able to make the case for life. If you feel like you are not equipped, why not read a short book like Stand for Life. 

Engage in Public Policy

Some of you may be in a role of government that allows you to help shape public policy and laws. The government exists to protect the innocent. Perhaps God will give you a role in this. Indirectly, we can write to our representatives and senators asking them to support pro-life legislation.

Consider Adoption

Consider if adoption is something God might have for your family one day. Based on my research, there is not a huge need at this point for families to adopt babies (there is a great need for foster parents and those able to adopt older children from the foster system). There are more people waiting to adopt than there are babies to be adopted in the U.S. But we should always be ready to care for the fatherless, especially if a courageous young mother decides to protect her baby's life but knows that the best thing for her baby is for her to sacrificially place her little boy or girl into another family to raise him or her. If a woman is willing to make such a sacrifice, there must be some Christians who are able to meet that need (all of us can't, but some of us must).

After 45 years, there is still a pro-life movement

You might check out this video of Russell Moore talking about why we can be hopeful about the pro-life movement. He also has a great book called Adopted for Life. 

Why We Can Be Hopeful about the Pro-Life Movement from Crossway on Vimeo.

Prayer App

Last Sunday I preached on Psalm 86 "In My Day of Trouble, I Call upon You." It is a Psalm that is 100% prayer. I learned, from studying the Psalm, that humility is really the key to getting on in praying more regularly and biblically. If you are driving back to Tallahassee and need something to listen to, maybe you could listen to the sermon (if you didn't know we do have the sermons set up on apple and andriod podcasts).

The "extra" thing I wanted to mention here is that I have found an app called "prayermate" to be a helpful tool in keeping my prayer requests organized. To be clear, an app won't make us pray more or more faithfully. Only humility and a trust in God's sovereign goodness will do that. But, tools can be helpful. So, if you are inclined, check it out.

A concluding prayer from Psalm 86:11

Teach me your way, O Lord,
    that I may walk in your truth;
    unite my heart to fear your name.