Saturday, June 25, 2011

Biblical Inerrancy

My position on biblical Inerrancy


 

Purpose and importance of Biblical inerrancy

    Aside from the historical and theological importance that Erickson provides, further emphasis can be applied to the significance of biblical inerrancy to the personal spirituality, devotion, faith and evangelism efforts of the believer. Proper view of biblical inerrancy must be established by every believer as a foundation in every aspect of their life. There is a logic connection of the character of God, who is Holy, and the necessity of the bible to be inerrant. In agreement with the epistemological importance of biblical inerrancy, the bible and all it contains must be entirely without error to be held as trustworthy. All views that purport that the bible contains erroneous information compromise the perceived integrity of the bible.

    In my personal view I dare to report that I hold the full inerrancy view just a hair shy of absolute inerrancy. Reluctantly, I must come to the realization that there are instances in the bible that may be perceived by some to be contradictions, grammatical and copy errors, and flat out erroneous information. But I caution that the current societal view of truth is dangerous because of its twisted philosophy that truth is relative or subjective. Truth is not relative, or subjective. Jesus is Truth. Because of the sinful nature of humans, our perception and understanding is inadequate for determining absolute truth apart from the illumination of the Holy Spirit. So, our perception of truth is based upon, and directly proportionate to the knowledge available to us. That is why truth appears to be subjective or relative and can seem to vary by context. Humans cannot know all things pertaining to everything and that is why faith is so important. Because of the integrity and holiness of the Creator of the universe, any errors that are found are merely a byproduct of human finiteness and limited knowledge. We must trust the bible and its revelations from the Omniscient God as truth.

Because of my realization of my fallen nature I recognize my necessity to rely on the bible as the inerrant word of God. When I come across information in the bible that seems contradictory, false or erroneous I hold to the belief that it is the feebleness of my intellect, limit of my knowledge, misunderstanding of my flesh, or my lack of spiritual maturity which prevents me from understanding the discrepancy. Faith bridges the gaps that my intellect cannot account for. With the full inerrancy view of the bible, I am able to evangelize with confidence that what I am presenting to the unbeliever is truth. I am able to submit to the authority of scripture in my personal life and exercise faith when I encounter information that I don't understand.

Sunday, May 15, 2011

THE EXEGESIS OF MARK 2:1-12: The Healing of the Paralytic Man











THE EXEGESIS OF MARK 2:1-12:
The Healing of the Paralytic Man








Marian English
Preparation of the Sermon, HOMI 501
Dr. Douglas Munton, Instructor
November 14, 2010


CONTENTS


INTRODUCTION 1
Translation 1
Exegetical Issues 3
Key Terms 3
Other key terms and phrases 4
Historical Context 9
Literary Analysis 11
Application 13
Sermon Outline 15
CONCLUSION 15
APPENDIX 17
Table 1: Verbs used in Mark 2:1-12 17
BIBLIOGRAPHY 19






INTRODUCTION

How audacious is the faith of the four who dug a hole in someone else’s roof to get a sick man to Christ. Often times the manner in which they impressed Jesus with their faith, and compassion towards their friend is emphasized in sermons that are taken from this text, Mark 2:1-12. However, there is more than meets the eye in this account that happens early in the ministry of the Savior in his headquarters, the city of Capernaum. This passage has two climaxes. The second, remarkable act is the manner in which Jesus chooses to heal this man by speaking the words, “Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.” This paper will attempt to extrapolate as much information from this extraordinary narrative account in the ministry of Christ, and its theme of proving that Jesus, the Son of Man, has the power and authority to forgive sins, as only God has.


Translation


The King James Version (KJV) of the passage reads:

1And again he entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house. 2And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them. 3And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four. 4And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay. 5When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.
6But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, 7Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? Who can forgive sins but God only? 8And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts? 9Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? 10But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,) 11I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. 12And immediately he arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed, and glorified God, saying, “We never saw it on this fashion (Mark 2:1-12, KJV).”


A paraphrase of this passage may read:

1Jesus waited a couple of days before returning to Capernaum, but the news of His arrival spread quickly as people heard that He was again in the house. 2There were so many people pressed together to hear Jesus preach to them, that nobody could even come near the door. 3Then there was a paralyzed man who was afflicted by the nerves on one side, who was being carried by four men. 4And when they desperately sought means to bring him to Jesus, but could not because of those who were in their way, they decided to dig down through the roof and lowered the bed where the paralyzed man lay right in front of Jesus. 5Jesus was so impressed by their faith; He said to the paralyzed man, “My Child, all of your sins are forgiven.”
6Some of the Doctors of the Law who were sitting there began to ask within themselves, 7“Why does he speak such evil things? Nobody has the power to forgive sins, but God.” 8Jesus could see what they wondered in their minds, so He said to the scribes, “Why are you questioning this evil in your hearts? 9Is it easier for me to say, “Your sins are forgiven, or Get up. Carry your own bed, and Go on with the rest of your life.” 10Besides, I want you to know that the Son of Man has the authority to forgive sins,” (speaking to the paralyzed man). 11 “I command you, Get up. Carry your own bed, and go home.” 12Immediately, he got up, carried his own bed and walked out through the crowd; so that all the people were amazed, and glorified God saying, “We’ve never seen anything like this before (paraphrase, Mark 2:1-12).”
Included in this personal translation of the passage are the different nuances within the narrative accounts of the other gospels. Matthew 9:1-8 and Luke 5:17-26 tell this story and include small insights into their rendition of the text. Luke lets us know that these four men “sought means” as if to say that they were trying to find every other way possible to reach Jesus. Matthew tells us that Jesus knew what the scribes were thinking and that it was evil. Also, in the paraphrased passage some of the key terms have been expanded to give them greater emphasis or insight. For instance, the word can in verse 7, which in Greek is the verb  has been translated as has the power to in the above paraphrase of the text. This mirrors the response that Christ gives them, “10But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins,” which, subsequently, is partly the theme of the entire second chapter of Mark.

Exegetical Issues

There are only a few major textual variations among the various English translations that would affect the meaning of the text. New King James Version (NKJV) and the New Living Translation (NLT) are the two translations which vary the most from the KJV in select places within the text. The NLT differs dramatically from the KJV, however notably, in verse 10 where the KJV reads “But that ye may know…” the NLT renders, “I will prove that I, the Son of Man, have the authority on earth to forgive sins." I am unsure how the NLT arrived at this translation directly from the Greek. Nevertheless, this translation can be understood indirectly through examining the theological link between sin and disease, as well as the intentions of the Savior to prove to the onlookers that He indeed could forgive sins.
It is interesting to note that most versions other than KJV choose to transliterate the Greek word used in the KJV for sick of the palsy, as paralytic. Because of the replacement, the overall emphasis seems to slightly shift from the healing of the paralytic man towards accenting the correlation between the act of healing and that of forgiving of sins. Perhaps the removal of the extra words in those versions, especially the word “sick” and replacing them with the single word “paralytic,” somehow shifts the reader’s attention, and amplifies the manner in which Jesus heals this man through the forgiveness of his sins.

Key Terms


A word study of the passage exposes fresh meaning into the verbs found within. Table 1 examines the verbs in each verse and its most probable meaning. Verb meanings worth mentioning are, bringing, can, perceive, and most considerably, the verb to walk. The verb for bringing, , denotes that the friends of the sick man were carrying some burden. What they did for that friend was not easy. Next we have the word used in verse 7 for can, which translates to have the power whether by virtue of one's own ability and resources, or of a state of mind, or through favorable circumstances, or by permission of law or custom. This amplifies that the scribes thought that Jesus was breaking the Law by forgiving sins. And finally, the verb translated as walk, is actually toregulate ones life or make ones way or to make due use of opportunities. So Jesus was emphasizing that he had given the paralytic more than just the physical ability to walk, but somehow He enhanced this man’s quality of life. As a matter of fact this man had a better life on earth and eternal life through forgiveness of his sins.

Other key terms and phrases


The text is rich with interesting phrases and terms to be explored that enhance the reader’s comprehension of the passage. The following is a short list of these phrases and the concepts that they expand:

Verse 1


After some days – Often times when Jesus would heal, especially on the Sabbath day, the Jews would try to seize him, throw him out of the city or he would just need some time away from the multitudes for solitude and prayer. This phrase After some days makes the reader ask the question, “What event directly precedes this one in the history of Christ’s ministry?” The answer we find in Matthew 8:1-4, Mark 1:35-45 and Luke 5:12-16. Jesus had to leave after healing a leper, who He told not to tell, but the leper could not stop telling. Because of the witness of the leper Jesus was constantly surrounded by people looking for healing. Jesus left the city for a couple of days to let everything die down.
Heard he was in the house - Jesus was constantly surrounded by people looking for healing and became famous in the area because of His ministry. The news spread quickly because He was returning to a place where everyone was anxious to see Him again. They were used to coming and bringing Him people to heal and cast out demons, at the door of this house whenever He would stay in town. He would disappear into solitude to pray and the people and disciples would be looking for Him.
Verse 2
There was no longer room… Not even at the door - There were Many people gathered together, as much as the whole city (Mark 1:32-34, Matthew 4:23-25). They would be gathered to hear Jesus preach, as they were accustomed to usually Sabbath evening after sunset. But this time there was no room even at the door of the house. These words make us ask who was present at the house. From the surrounding passages we can ascertain that there were sinners, sick people, demon possessed, and religious leaders. From the sister passage in Luke 5 we know that there were scribes present from every town in Galilee.
The word – Jesus preached the word to them. The careful reader asks, what was Jesus’ message? Mark 1:14, 15 tell us that Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom, which was, “The time has come. And the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe the Gospel. Most importantly, Jesus was telling them that the prophecy of the Messiah was being fulfilled in their time.
Paralytic – (The term needs clarification in order to understand the nature of this man’s condition. Paralytikos in Greek means that the man was suffering from the relaxing of the nerves of one's side of his body, or sick with palsy, or disabled or weak of limb. This man could not work for food, feed himself, or even take care of himself. His condition would have been considered a curse because he could not get what he needed to survive because of his affliction.
Verse 4
When they could not – There was an obstacle in the way of the four men who was carrying their friend to Jesus. This phrase makes you wonder who was in their way. The obstacle was the crowd that blocked the way to Jesus, made up of mostly religious Pharisees and scribes. They were so determined to get their friend to Jesus to be healed. Luke 5:18 tells us that they sought means to bring the man into the house. This passage begins a beautiful illustration of the biblical principle of intercession on behalf of a friend. When they could not find away to get their friend to Jesus, they found a way to get their friend to Jesus!
The crowd =the press – Interestingly, the KJV translates the crowd in this verse as the press. Perhaps it is because later we see that the house was filled with lots of scribes. As a matter of fact, Luke 5:17 tells us that there were Doctors of the Law or Scribes there from ever town in Galilee. Mark 1:33 tells us that the whole city would gather at the door of the house to receive healing and hear the word that Jesus spoke to them. The scribes were not only the teachers of the law but they were sort of the journalists of the day, keeping record of the events that took place. Just like a modern day press, bombarding the litigants emerging from high profile court cases, or always on the scene of late breaking news, so the scribes were at the healing services of Jesus, the famous Galilean prophet who claimed to be the Christ. Perhaps this is why the crowd is translated as the press.
Verse 5
When Jesus saw their faith – The faith that the men in the passage expressed was remarkable, enviable and worth investigation. Christ was so impressed by their faith that used them as an object lesson, and immortalized there actions in scripture. What was so impressive about their faith and why did it please Jesus so? These are the questions that come to mind when these words are read. Perhaps it was the compassion towards another that was produced by their faith that impressed the Lord. Maybe it was the sheer audacity of the men that their faith produced an unimaginable effort to get to Christ. Maybe it was the contrast of the tremendous faith of the four friends with the mind boggling doubt of the scribes and Pharisees that Christ, (and the author, Mark) wanted to convey.
“Your sins are forgiven you” - Why did Jesus say this? This phrase creates instantaneous shock value. The reader begins to explore the correlation between forgiveness of sins and healing the body. This is another climax, secondary to the first climax of the passage which occurs when the four men tear a hole in the roof. These words not only confuse the reader but they infuriate the religious people of that time who could not grasp their belief in Jesus as the Messiah. According to author William Barclay, “The Rabbis had a saying, ‘There is no sick man healed of his sickness until all his sins have been forgiven him’ . . . to the Jews a sick man was a man with whom God was angry,” (Barkley 1956). Jesus was likely addressing their beliefs and hypocrisy surrounding their knowledge of the prophecies but choice reject the Messiah who was clearly in their midst. Evaluation of the correlation between the sins and the healing will be discussed later in the paper.
Verse 6
This Man speaks blasphemies – the scribes could not believe that Jesus was saying that he had the power to forgive sins. All that they could see was that he was a man in flesh in blood. But they could not believe His words or perceive His divinity. Ironically, they were thinking the same thing that they were accusing Christ of doing.
Who can forgive sins but God only? This is another ironic statement made by the scribes. Why is it that the people who studied, taught, were the experts of the scriptures and are the most religious have the worst discernment of all the people Jesus came in contact with? The people literally copying the word of God should know God when they see Him. The bible says,
“Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe (1Corinthians 1:20, 21).”

Sadly, though they had their answer to their question in Jesus all along but they still chose to reject Him. Sins are the breaking of God’s law and thus are offences towards the Holy God. Only God has the power to say whose sins He will and will not forgive. In the minds of the scribes, a man cannot determine whose sin is forgiven by God. There is no remission of sins without the shedding of blood (Hebrew 9:22).
Verse 10
But that you may know that the Son of man has power on earth to forgive sins. – Jesus reveals one of the themes of the book of Mark within the point of this illustration. Christ’s reason for healing this paralyzed man in such a way is to show the onlookers that He indeed has the power to forgive sins. I imagine that Christ was in the midst of a sermon about His fulfilling of the prophecy when they four men broke through the roof just in time for Jesus to use them as an illustration to prove His point. John 6:59 reveals that Jesus usually preached sermons on His decent from heaven, authority and purpose when He was Capernaum.
Historical Context
There is very little debate surrounding the authorship of the book of Mark. John Mark is believed to be the author who wrote this Gospel in A.D. 65. Mark was the nephew of Barnabas and the son of a wealthy woman whose home was used as a meeting place for the early church. Barkley argues that Mark may possibly have been the interpreter of Peter, and developed the gospel from his sermons. Marks Gospel is the most important of the gospels because it the closest we have to eyewitness account to the life of Christ, and likely the basis for the other synoptic gospels that contain 90% of the content of the gospel of Mark (Barkley 1956) .
Mark’s gospel gets straight to the point, by skipping the birth and first 30 years of Jesus and beginning at his ministry in Galilee. Capernaum () means the, “city of comfort ,” for which it is named appropriately, because in Jesus’ time, their lived some wealthy residents. This is the first place Jesus starts His ministry (Matthew 4:17). The city is located on the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee next to Cana where he turned the water into wine. Fishing was very important to the town and tax collector’s used to sit in the highway to tax the merchants and residents who came and went (Taylor n.d.). Capernaum was the hotbed of society. It was like New York of Judea, where people from all over Israel went into Capernaum.
Jesus frequently taught in all the synagogues in the city and it is thought by most scholars that Jesus resided from time to time in this house of our passage. This may be Peter’s or his mother in law’s house or Andrew or James’ house. Regardless of the owner, Jesus regularly taught and healed people there most Sabbaths after sunset. The scribes were use to teaching and being the experts of the scriptures and regarded as nothing more than a teacher not even as learned as they were. His authority astounded them, because it was their custom to defer to what was written as authority. They had never seen someone teach as Jesus had who exercised authority over the scriptures, the Laws of God and demons.
The scribes were an interesting bunch. These were the elite of the day which were the only group which did not earn their living through hard labor. As the upper echelon of society, they sat in the courts of royalty, and in the synagogues and business districts, recording the events and significant transactions. Scribes were well educated, literate, and handled all documentation at the time. They were easily bribed with status and money to manipulate records. The religious scribes specifically were highly knowledgeable about scripture and the Mosaic Law, and copied scripture very meticulously. One of the important early tasks of the scribes was the custody and transmission of the scriptures of Israel, therefore they were considered experts of the Holy Scriptures, as the heirs of prophetic words (Syiemlieh Ap 2006). This was the very moment in history that scribes were becoming obsolete. God was doing a new thing. People used to fast for the day that the Redeemer would come. Then Jesus came with authority. The scribes took ownership of revelation. And could not understand how God could not have informed them of the arrival of the Messiah.
I believe that the overall purpose of the passage was to show that Jesus is the Messiah, and that the Jews were wrong to reject him. He proves His divinity through the forgiveness of sins which is only an act that God can do. He came to heal the sin sick soul. He used their wisdom of sin and disease against them. Ultimately there was no excuse for their disbelief. The scribes themselves taught that the Messiah would come to forgive sins (Micah 7:14-20). They should have been expecting Christ. Instead of recognizing the prophecy, they accused Jesus of Blasphemy (Matt. 4:12- 17, Isa. 9:1, 2). They stood in judgment of God.
Historically, disease was perceived to be an indicator of unforgiving sin. Literally sin sick. A belief derived from the sacrificial system; if the sacrifice was blemished it was not pure enough to offer as atonement for sin. So, a diseased animal could not cleanse sin. What ever caused the sin makes you unclean or blemished. Thus a diseased person was enduring a punishment or consequence to sin. Children could suffer from the disease from the sin of their parents, such as the death of the baby born to David and Beersheba. Also, the first commandment, “…visiting the iniquities of your father to the third and forth generation,” echoes this sentiment. In the wilderness, the children of Israel experienced no disease unless it was punishment.
Theologically, disease is a kin to death. Sin entered this world and the result was Death, whereby we die slowly from birth. As a result of sin we exchanged immortality for Death. How do we die? We die by disease, decay and old age, murder, tragedy, calamity, war. The earth was cursed as well – calamity, pestilence, famine. So when Jesus says “your sins are forgiven you” and the result is healing, the presupposition is that disease, the result of death, is caused by sin. Death is the curse of sin. God implemented the curse; Jesus’ salvation plan reversed the curse. Pius, uncompassionate scribes saw sin as a weakness that someone brought on themselves. They judge the man who is diseased. The debt of sin that man has belongs to God. This thinking is where Jesus chooses to meet the scribes in their minds when he says to the paralytic man, “Your sins are forgiven you.”
Literary Analysis
Immediately following our passage of scripture in verses 13-17 we find the theme of our passage reiterated. In verse 17 Christ tells the scribes and Pharisees, “They that are whole have no need of the physician, but they that are sick: I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.” Jesus was using their wisdom of the scripture as their folly because of their hypocrisy and rejection of the fulfillment of the prophecies (of which they were experts), within Him. There are many contrasted themes, symbols and concepts within those twelve verses that support this theme. Irony is sprinkled in the passage as well as the passage has dual climaxes.
Mark tells this narrative within the biography of the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. The theme of the overall book is that Jesus Christ came to His own thoroughly proving His Divinity and fulfillment of Messianic Prophecy, but despite all of the obvious evidence He was by His own, rejected, and murdered because of their lack of discernment, hypocrisy and unbelief. Our passage fits tightly within this thesis as a specimen, a single example that illuminates the theme.
Mark uses the contrasts of the demonstrative faith of the four friends and the inexplicable doubt of the scribes to emphasize his theme. The author also employs irony within the dialogue to accentuate the point that Christ was making in the passage. The irony was that the experts of the scriptures and prophecies were the least discerning of the time and spiritual matters of which they were living. Their knowledge and wisdom bred self-righteousness and hypocrisy which resulted in their rejection of God’s prophetic fulfillment in Jesus Christ. In other words they were not prepared when the Messiah came.
Because of the status of the scribes and Pharisees in that day they were considered the most righteous people in society. They would have to subject themselves to the authority of Jesus Christ in order to be healed and saved, which indicates their requirement to repent from sin, sin that they were not willing to admit that they had. The sister passage in Luke 5:17 reveal that, “the power of the Lord was [present] to heal them.” Jesus wants us to know that it was hypocritical for them to want to be there to receive healing from a “man” that they believe to be mortal, and teach doctrinally that there could be no healing without the forgiveness of sin. To accept healing in way that Jesus presented it as forgiveness of sin, would be to accept that He indeed was the Christ. Jesus knowing their thoughts calls them out by exposing their evil thoughts and intentions, When He says, “Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, [Thy] sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk? But that ye may know that the Son of Man hath power on earth to forgive sins… (Mark 2:9, 10). These verses are pregnant with purpose.
Application
Mark 2:1-12 serves as a model of faith, a warning against doubt, a lesson of spiritual discernment, and a testimony of the power of the Savior to change lives, heal, forgive sins and grant eternal life. From this passage we can glean many lessons that are applicable for the Christian today. As a model of faith this passage teaches us that when we have trouble, problems, or circumstances, we are to bring them to Jesus. The biblical truth illuminated in this passage is that the Jesus who forgives our sins is able and has the compassion to heal your circumstances. Secondly, it teaches us that it pleases the Lord when we diligently seek the Lord and intercede on behalf of a friend or loved one. Our faith in Christ can result in the salvation of our neighbor.
Another lesson we can learn is from the Scribes, is that knowledge of the scriptures without application of the principles of scripture to our personal lives is dangerous. We must allow the word of God to permeate our hearts and transform us toward Christ-likeness, and to be under the authority of Christ and His Holy Spirit. Often times we can mistake the knowledge of righteousness as the change of character we need to be able do right. However when the circumstances arise, true character prevails. We must be careful not to exchange religiosity and doctrine for genuine relationship with God and a Christ-like character, as the basis for our study of God’s word. Thus we must display the fruits of Christ-like character, not the mere knowledge of scripture.
Finally, Mark 2:1-12 echoes the importance of discernment of the times in which we live as it pertains to prophecy of this day and age. The scribes had all the information, evidence and miraculous signs available to them to prove that the fulfillment of the prophecy of the coming of the Christ was eminent, yea in their midst. However, because they loved their status in society and could not humble themselves to believe the Gospel message of repentance of remittance of sins, they were not ready when Christ Jesus came to them saying, “your, sins are forgiven you.” The paralytic man not only walks away with is bed as a testimony of his healing, but also as a result of his encounter with Christ, he walks away with eternal life. The final caveat is this; we should be ready when Jesus comes. We too are living in the days of the fulfillment of prophecy, and discerning the times we should be ready to receive Jesus when he comes again to receive our reward of eternal life.
Some possible sermon titles or topics include:
• The faith of the four friends vs. the doubt (lack of faith) of the scribes
• The correlation between healing and salvation or sin and disease.
• What we can learn from the scribes and friends about how to behave in the time of prophecy.
• Spiritual discernment vs. Biblical Knowledge.
• The danger of overlooking the application step of biblical study
• Mistaking Jesu.
• s as just another man. (The divinity of Christ).
• The type of faith that pleases Jesus.
• Our Christian duty is to bring others to Christ for salvation and healing especially when all they have is our faith to work on their behalf.
Sermon Outline
The following is an outline for one possible sermon that can be taken from this scripture:
Thesis statement: We should imitate the awesome faith of the four friends of the paralytic man and should avoid the tremendous doubt and disbelief of the scribes, through proper discernment and application of scripture to our lives, in order to insure that we will be ready when Jesus comes.
Proper faith to be imitated as illustrated by the Friends and Paralytic…
1. Works on behalf of others…verse 3 &4
2. Is so audacious it grabs Christ’s attention…Verse 5
3. Is rooted in the belief of the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ as God the Son…Verse 5
4. Applies scripture to personal life, and exhibits fruit of spiritual growth and discernment…verse 6 & 7
5. Ready to receive Christ when he comes…Verses 6&7
6. Is cancelled by hypocrisy, and self righteousness…verses 8 - 10
7. Does not delight in sin and acknowledges eternal life in heaven is the ultimate goal of an encounter with Christ… verse 11 & 12
CONCLUSION
Mark 2:1-12 takes two sharp turns within the passage leaving the reader with many questions to be answered. The climax occurs twice. Once when the four men dig a whole in the roof in order to drop a sick friend down to Jesus, and secondly when Jesus chooses to heal telling him that his sins are forgiven. The two converge into the one theme that Jesus has the power heal because He has the power to forgive sins. Mark uses the contrast of the proper faith of the friends of the sick man against the inappropriate disbelief of the scribes to strengthen His theme. The proper faith resulted in the gift of salvation along with the healing. The disbelief of the scribes was a result in poor discernment which was a result of not allowing scripture to permeate their hearts.


APPENDIX
Table 1: Verbs used in Mark 2:1-12
Verse Verb Transliteration Subject Meaning

1 Entered  Jesus To go out or come in
1 Noised  a thing comes to one's ears, to find out, learn
1 Was  Third person singular past tense of to be
2 Gathered  to bring together, assemble, collect
2 Room To Receive  The House to have space or room for receiving or holding something
2 Preach  Jesus to use words in order to declare one's mind and disclose one's thoughts: speak
2 Come  The 4 men to appear, make one's appearance, come before the public
3 Bringing  The 4 men to carry some burden
3 Born  The paralytic to take upon one's self and carry what has been raised up, to bear
4 Come Unto  The 4 Men to approach unto
4 Uncovered  The 4 men to uncover, take off the roof
4 Broken It Up  The 4 men to dig through
4 Let Down  The 4 men to let down from a higher place to a lower
5 Saw  Jesus to know, i.e. get knowledge of, understand, perceive
5 Said  Jesus to exhort, advise, to command, direct
5 Are Forgiven  Jesus to let go, give up a debt, forgive, to remit
6 Sitting  Scribes to sit, be seated, of a place occupied
6,8,8 Reasoning  Scribes to bring together different reasons, to reckon up the reasons, to reason, revolve in one's mind, deliberate.
7,8,9 Speak  Jesus Same as the term preach above
7 Blasphemies
Noun  Slander, detraction, speech injurious, to another's good name
2) b. impious and reproachful speech injurious to divine majesty

7 Can  to be able, have power whether by virtue of one's own ability and resources, or of a state of mind, or through favorable circumstances, or by permission of law or custom
7 Forgive  Whom-ever to let go, give up a debt, forgive, to remit
8 Perceive  Jesus to become thoroughly acquainted with, to know thoroughly
9 Arise  Paralytic to cause to rise from a seat or bed etc
9 Take Up  Paralytic to bear away what has been raised, carry off
9 Walk  Paralytic to make one's way, progress;
Hebrew for, to live
1) to regulate one's life
2) to conduct one's self
3) to pass one's life

10 But  n/a Moreover
10 That  n/a that, in order that, so that
10 That  n/a that, because, since
10 Power  n/a one who possesses authority
10 Has  Jesus to hold one's self or find one's self so and so, to be in such or such a condition
12 Went Out  Paralytic of those who leave a place of their own accord

BIBLIOGRAPHY
Atkinson, Jay. "The Scribes." The Latter Rain. http://latter-rain.com/Israel/scribes.htm (accessed November 1, 2010).
Barkley, William. The Daily Study Bible: The Gospel of Mark. Philidelphia, PA: The Westminster Press, 1956.
Easton, Matthew. Easton's Bible Dictionary. Books, LLC, 1897.
Guzik, David. ""Study Guide for Mark 2." Enduring Word." Blue Letter Bible . July 7, 2006. Syiemlieh, B J. "Portrait of a Christian scribe." Asia Journal of Theology 20 no 1 , Ap 2006: 57-66.
Taylor, Paul S., and Easton, Matthew G. "Capernaum." ChristianAnswers.net. http://www.christiananswers.net/dictionary/capernaum.html (accessed November 10, 2010).

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Speaking in Tongues in the Book of Acts:

Should Modern Churches Imitate the First Century Church’s Practice of Speaking in Tongues?

Marian English

The Book of Acts, Bibl 364

Liberty University

October 4, 2008

Speaking in Tongues in the Book of Acts:

Should Modern Churches Imitate the First Century Church’s Practice of Speaking in Tongues?

The Arrival of the Holy Spirit to the First Disciples

His arrival was unmistakable and His presence illuminated the room. The author of Acts said that it sounded like a rushing mighty wind as the Spirit of the living God filled the bodily temples of every believer in the Upper Room that Pentecost morning. The faithful had been earnestly praying for forty days and as always God did not disappoint. The Spirit of God appeared as tongues of fire resting upon each disciple giving them the ability to speak in different languages. Assuming the authorship of Acts to be Luke, this letter to the excellent Theophilus is the only record of what happened immediately following the execution of Christ Jesus. Serving as part two to the book of Luke, we see the church at its infancy, at the crucial moment in History when Jesus is ascended and the Holy Spirit descended. Jesus told them to wait on the Holy Spirit who would empower them to be His witnesses from Jerusalem to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). They could not fully realize how the living Spirit of God would enable their witness to travel through both space and time. Because of their obedience the world and its new generations continue to be evangelized. The readers of Luke’s report are empowered today by the same sovereign Spirit that fell upon the first disciples. Now the modern church struggles to determine the significance and doctrinal implications surrounding the miracle of speaking in tongues among the three occurrences recorded in the Book of Acts.

The Context of Acts

The book of Acts is a letter that most scholars agree was written by Luke to Theophilus. Like with any letter read by a party who is not the intended addressee, the subjects, topics, intent and overall purpose of the letter must be read in its intended context to be fully understood. Reading a letter is a lot like overhearing one side of a conversation between two other parties. As modern readers of Acts we must use Historical context, consider the literary genre and biblical context surrounding the subject to reveal the context of this piece of literature (Duvall 2005).

So what was Luke trying to convey in this letter? Bock reveals,

Acts narrates God’s work in establishing the church through Jesus’ activity… Luke, a sometime companion of Paul, put the content of tradition into His own words. He did this in order to indicate how a new movement emerging out of Judaism came to incorporate Gentiles into the community of God. At the core of the activity and preaching stands the work of God through the now exalted Jesus, who in turn distributes the Spirit as a sign that the new era and salvation have come to both Jews and Gentiles (Bock 2007).

Luke, by the Spirit, records the History of the early church in a letter to Theophilus, illustrating how God established His church including both Jews and Gentiles in salvation plan set forth from the beginning. Acts’ theme can be found in the first chapter of Acts in verse 8, "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Luke beautifully narrates how the Holy Spirit moves the gospel from region to region beginning with the Jews and ending with the Gentiles in Rome. With this theme in mind, Luke immediately moves to the coming of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost.

What was the significance of tongues in Acts in relationship to the purpose of the letter? Now that we have established the context Acts let us examine more carefully the content. There are three occurrences of speaking in tongues in Acts. The first happens when Jews and proselytes gathered in Jerusalem at Pentecost forty days after the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 2:1-5). Jesus tells His companions to wait for the coming of the Holy Spirit who would empower them to be His witnesses to Jerusalem, Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Luke sets the in this introduction the foundation for the entire book of Acts and the purpose of the coming of the Holy Spirit. In the upper room the disciples experience the arrival of the Holy Spirit. Luke says there was a sound like a rushing mighty wind. Boice says that there is symbolism in the use of the term wind which in Hebrew is ruach. This word represents the spirit or wind and symbolizes the creative, moving, dynamic breath of God. He says that this breath is a divine, life giving wind that blew across the waters in the beginning (Boice 1997). Johns 3:5-8 says, “…No one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and spirit. Flesh gives birth to Flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to the spirit… the wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going, so it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” According to Boice,

Just as the beginning God breathed into Adam so that he became a living physical being, so also in our day if a person is to be saved God must breath into him or her by His Spirit once again from above, just like the first time so that the person might become spiritually alive.” With this symbolism Luke demonstrates the authority and power of the Holy Spirit. God uses His spirit who is able to carry out His will to evangelize the earth. The very first act was to enable the disciple to speak in a new tongue.

The coming of the Holy Spirit was a pivotal moment in church History, marking transition into fulfilled prophecy. How significant is the miracle of tongues in relationship to the pivotal moment? When the Holy Spirit arrived on the day of Pentecost, he empowered the first church to do the extraordinary including speak in tongues. There is no doubt that the speaking of tongues was used to communicate the gospel to the people on the day of Pentecost. Strauss writes,

This purpose of the gift of tongues, namely to communicate God’s message to Israel, is verified in the three passages in Acts where speaking in tongues is mentioned. In Acts 2 tongues-speaking was used as a missionary or evangelistic tool in fulfillment of Isaiah 28:11. There was no need for the disciples to learn other languages before they could communicate the Gospel. God overcame the language barrier through the miracle-gift of tongues. … Observe that they were “Jews” from other countries who spoke many languages and dialects, and yet each heard the Gospel in His own tongue.

Some scholars believe that when the events in the Book of Acts ended so the practice of speaking in tongues should have ended as well. The reasons include the fact that they first disciples did not have the completed word of God and therefore needed signs and miracles. Now that the scriptures are completed, anyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Strauss n.d.). The second reason has to do with the overall cessation of the sign miracles in this day in age.

The second and third occurrences of speaking in tongues occur in Acts 10:46 and 19:6. Both incidences happen when Gentiles are converted. One conversion happened with Peter and the other with Paul’s conversion of twelve Gentiles. These occurrences are taught to be validations of the Spirit accepting the Gentiles as the Jews were accepted. Strauss argues that the tongues that were spoken amongst the Gentiles were a sign to the Jews who were always present at their conversions. So not only was the tongues used to convey the gospel message, they were also a confirmatory sign. The manner in which Luke structure acts is to show the parallelism between Peter’s ministry and Paul’s ministry perhaps in order to validate Paul’s apostleship. So the latter display of tongues by the Gentiles parallels the conversion of Cornelius.

The Tongues in Acts vs. Tongues Other NT Scriptures

Some confusion about tongues stems from the other scriptures on the subject chapters 12-14 of 1 Corinthians is dedicated to spiritual gifts and how the gift of tongues rank among the other gifts of the Spirit. Paul says that all do not have the gift of tongues and others have the gift of interpretation, but they do not supersede the gift of prophesy in the edification of the body (chapter 12). Chapter 13 begins,”Though I speak with tongues of men and angels…” What is the tongue of angels? How does Paul know it? 1 Corinthians speak of two types of spiritual tongues. There was obviously the kind that should be spoken alone and one that should be spoken in assembly. There has to be a heavenly language somehow imparted to men by the Holy Spirit with which men can communicate more effectively with God. 1 Corinthians 14:2 says that “he who speaks in tongues does not speak to men but to God, for no one understands him: however, in the spirit he speaks mysteries.” Paul tells us to keep tongues to ourselves when there is no interpreter in church. Verses 13-15 and 28 implies instances when the Holy Spirit will impart the gift only to be used between that individual and God.

The book of Acts does not make clear if the tongues that the gentiles spoke were incomprehensible or interpreted, but they were used as a sign to those who were skeptical of their conversion. Assuming that the tongues spoken by the gentile converts were speaking were interpretable, the utterances had to sound like babbling to the speaker and to those who did not speak the language.

Jesus says in Mark 16:17 the His believers will speak with new tongues and cast out demons. The believers in the Book of Acts did both. That was the sign to the new believers, especially where the scriptures were not available.

Pentecostalism

Some scholars argue that though tongues were prevalent in Acts with regards to the arrival of the Holy Spirit, that tongues was not the focal point of the book. But that the prophecy was fulfilled validating further Jesus as the Messiah and the power of the Holy Spirit to further the gospel to the ends of the earth through His disciples. The Spirit arrived as a helper and that the result of the having been filled was that they were able on this occasion to speak in languages other than Aramaic (Smith 1948). Perhaps, if God them to do something else maybe the Holy spirit would have empowered them with a different gift. In other words the ability to speak in tongues in acts was a byproduct of the mission given to the disciples.

Is the modern church supposed to imitate the church in Acts? Pentecostalism, a movement in the US in early 1900’s, is mostly responsible for today’s trend of speaking in tongues among some churches. The belief that manifestations of the Holy Spirit should play a major role in the life of the church is held by Charismatic churches today and has its roots in Pentecostal Movement (Hill 2006). Hill writes:

[Pentecostalism] had its roots in the Holiness movement, a trend that spread through the churches of the USA- especially the Methodists – in the second half of the nineteenth century. .. Its members stressed that the evangelical life involves two conversions… repentance and forgiveness of sins and the second involves full sanctification, the dedication of oneself to God and the living of a holy life.

...Charles Parham (1872-1929), Ran a Bible school in Topeka, Kansas. Here, on 1 January 1901, His student Agnes Ozman started speaking in tongues’, strange languages that made no sense. It began when Parham had His students study what the New Testament said about the blessings of the Holy Spirit, and Parham became convinced that that those blessings were being suddenly bestowed upon His group.

At what was called the Azusa Street Revival in Los Angeles in 1906, the preaching of William Seymour (1870-1922), had an extraordinary effect on the people in attendance. Miracles, speaking in tongues and dancing overtook the services everyday for three years. People were healed and there crutches covered the wall of the church. New churches sprang up all over the United states, including the Church of God in Christ, and the Assemblies of God (Hill 2006).

Pentecostalism inspired what is called the Charismatic Movement among other churches but they are usually the voice of reform among the larger denominations without seeking to start new denominations (Hill 2006).

So do the Pentecostals and Charismatics have the correct view of a new dispensation that involves the manifestations of spiritual gifts as evidence of the Holy Spirit? Gordon Fee, an ordained Assemblies of God minister, believes that Pentecostals were incorrect in their theological exegesis of the scripture surrounding the baptism of the Holy Spirit and says that they needed biblical foundation for the experience that they were having. However, he maintains that they are correct in their quest to experience the manifestations of the Holy Spirit in the modern church (Fee 1985).

Strauss argues that:

It is a mistake to assume that speaking in tongues is synonymous with the baptism of the Holy Spirit.” …All the believers at Corinth received the baptism of the Holy Spirit, however all did not speak in tongue.” The baptizing work of the Spirit is not an experience in the believer subsequent to salvation. Rather it is that act of the Holy Spirit which joins the believing sinner to the Body of Christ. More emphatically, there is no other means whereby one can become a member of the Church which is Christ’s Body. All saved persons have been baptized by the Holy Spirit, but not all saved persons speak in tongues. The baptizing work of the Spirit places the believer in the Body positionally.

What Fee says makes sense that the early church was used to see the Holy Spirit make His presence known. The writers of the New Testament were writing to the first century church not to later churches that are not used to a demonstrative Spirit. Fee writes:

I think it is fair to note that if there is one thing that differentiates the early church from its twentieth century counterpart, it is in the level of awareness and experience of the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. Ask any number of people today from all sectors of Christendom to define or describe Christian conversion or Christian life, and the most noticeable feature of that definition would be its general lack of emphasis on the active, dynamic role of the Spirit (Fee 1985).

Some scholars argue that the word of God is the final authority and fulfillment of revelation to the church. There is no need for God to speak directly to individuals through signs, dreams, miracles and such because His word is complete in the canon. Within this battle about the sufficiency of the Bible, scholars question whether accepting new revelations of the Holy Spirit implies that the bible is no longer the infallible sovereign word of God (Allen 1998). Arguments for modern spiritual manifestations like speaking in tongues made by Jonathan Edwards include:

1. The Holy Spirit did not die with the first century church.

2. The emphasis of depersonalization of God by the church is causing emphasis on knowledge over relationship.

3. The Holy Spirit’s guidance is still needed in discerning the will of God.

Charismatic churches today say that there is a genuine move of the Holy Spirit in their services and their lives that others characterize as mere emotionalism. Dr. Matthew Allen makes the case that there should be balance in churches today. “We are responsible to offer ‘something more’ than either sterile rationalism or destructive emotionalism. We must offer a person, real relationship with Jesus Christ.”

When the Holy Spirit arrived on the day of Pentecost, he empowered the first church to do the extraordinary including speak in tongues. The modern church struggles to find answers about the mystery of speaking in tongues among the scarce accounts in the book of acts. The modern church needs to know where to place the importance of speaking in tongues in relationship to the evidence of the Holy Spirit.

It is not determined what created that cessation of Spiritual gifts from the time of Acts until today, but I conclude that cessation alone is not reason to discount that speaking in tongues and any other work of the Holy Spirit. God is sovereign and he gave Spirit to be a helper to us to the church to spread the gospel. The facts are that the entire world is not yet evangelized, it has been two thousand years since the writings of the canon and God is still moving in the lives of His believers. God has not stopped speaking to us because His word is living, eternal, and is inside of every believer. Jesus said the woman at the well , “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” John 4:23-24. Jesus prophesied in Mark 16: 16-17, "Go into the entire world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues;”

As believers, we cannot limit God; we must worship God in spirit and truth. I agree that we must be temperate and balanced in our worship. Sterile, stoic worship was not representative of the worship that the Father expected from the chosen Israelites; why then would He expect it from His Church today?

Furthermore, we should judge that our worship is in truth and if the gift of tongues is displayed that it is to be done according to the guidelines that the Word mandates. God’s inspiration in the book of Acts intended to show us that the presence of the Holy Spirit is unmistakable. You don’t have to wonder whether the Spirit has arrived because when He falls he empowers the believer to be his witness. Speaking in tongues is not the evidence of the Holy Spirit, a born again life that bears the fruit of witness is the evidence of the Holy Spirit. However, only the Holy Spirit can give the power to speak in tongues that is new to the speaker and interpreted by another.

When one learns to read the bible daily for oneself, it is understood that His Holy Spirit aids in interpretation and revelation of His word. God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we can ever ask or think. With the age of the internet we can evangelize faster and further than ever before. Perhaps God empowered this generation with his spirit because of its ability to go to the ends of the earth. The Bible is patterned by events that show how God moves after centuries of being silent. The call of Samuel, The birth of John the Baptist, and Israel’s freedom from bondage in Egypt are all examples of this. God has a way of showing up big after long periods of time. Two thousand years after the church in Acts later God could be pouring out His Spirit on His church to expedite the coming of Christ by our witness.


Bibliography

Allen, Matthew. Excited Utterances: A Historical Perspective On Prophecy, Tongues and other manifestations of Spiritual Extasy. Tampa, Florida: Biblical Studies Press, 1998.

Bock, Darrell. Acts: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academics, 2007.

Boice, James Montgomery. Acts: an expositional commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1997.

Crossan, John Dominic. The Birth of Christianity: Discovering the Years Immediately Following the Execution of Jesus. New York,: Harper Collins Books, 1998.

Damboriena, Prudencio. Tongues As of Fire. Washington & Cleveland: Corpus Books, 1969.

Davies, G. Henton, Alan Richardson, Charles Wallace, ed., ed. The Twentieth Century Bible Commentary. New York, NY: Harper & Brothers, 1955.

Durasoff, Steve. Bright Wind of the Spirit: Pentecostalism Today. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1972.

Duvall, J. Scott, Hayes, J. Daniel. Grasping God's Word: A Hands'on Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible. Graad Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005.

Fee, Gordon D. "Baptism in the Holy Spirit: The Issue of Separability and Subsequence." PNEUMA: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies. 1985.

Hill, Jonathan. Zondervan Handbook to the History of Christianity. Oxford, England: Lion Publishing Plc., 2006.

Hindson, Edward E., General Editors., ed. The KJV Parallel Bible Commentary. . Nashville , TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1994.

McCone, R. Clyde. Culture and Contoversy: An Investigation of the Tongues of Pentcost. Philidelphia and Ardmore, PA: Dorrance & Company, 1978.

Melbourne, Bertram L. Acts 1:8 Re-Examined: Is Acts 8 Its Fulfillment? Atlas.

Ralph, Margaret Nutting. Discovering the First Century church: The Acts of the Apostles, Letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1991.

Schwartz, Daniel R. The End of the ΓΗ (ACTS 1:8): Beginning or End of the Christian Vision? Jerusalem, Israel: Department of Jewish History, Hebrew University, 1986.

Smith, Miles w. On Whom the Spirit Came: A study of the Acts of the Apostles. Philidelphia: The Jusdson Express, 1948.

Strauss, Lehman. "www.bible.org." www.bible.org. http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=393 (accessed September 30, 2008).

Works Cited

Allen, Matthew. Excited Utterances: A Historical Perspective On Prophecy, Tongues and other manifestations of Spiritual Extasy. Tampa, Florida: Biblical Studies Press, 1998.

Bock, Darrell. Acts: Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academics, 2007.

Boice, James Montgomery. Acts: an expositional commentary. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1997.

Crossan, John Dominic. The Birth of Christianity: Discovering the Years Immediately Following the Execution of Jesus. New York,: Harper Collins Books, 1998.

Damboriena, Prudencio. Tongues As of Fire. Washington & Cleveland: Corpus Books, 1969.

Davies, G. Henton, Alan Richardson, Charles Wallace, ed., ed. The Twentieth Century Bible Commentary. New York, NY: Harper & Brothers, 1955.

Durasoff, Steve. Bright Wind of the Spirit: Pentecostalism Today. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1972.

Duvall, J. Scott, Hayes, J. Daniel. Grasping God's Word: A Hands'on Approach to Reading, Interpreting, and Applying the Bible. Graad Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005.

Fee, Gordon D. "Baptism in the Holy Spirit: The Issue of Separability and Subsequence." PNEUMA: The Journal of the Society for Pentecostal Studies. 1985.

Hill, Jonathan. Zondervan Handbook to the History of Christianity. Oxford, England: Lion Publishing Plc., 2006.

Hindson, Edward E., General Editors., ed. The KJV Parallel Bible Commentary. . Nashville , TN: Thomas Nelson, Inc., 1994.

McCone, R. Clyde. Culture and Contoversy: An Investigation of the Tongues of Pentcost. Philidelphia and Ardmore, PA: Dorrance & Company, 1978.

Melbourne, Bertram L. Acts 1:8 Re-Examined: Is Acts 8 Its Fulfillment? Atlas.

Ralph, Margaret Nutting. Discovering the First Century church: The Acts of the Apostles, Letters of Paul, and the Book of Revelation. Mahwah, New Jersey: Paulist Press, 1991.

Schwartz, Daniel R. The End of the ΓΗ (ACTS 1:8): Beginning or End of the Christian Vision? Jerusalem, Israel: Department of Jewish History, Hebrew University, 1986.

Smith, Miles w. On Whom the Spirit Came: A study of the Acts of the Apostles. Philidelphia: The Jusdson Express, 1948.

Strauss, Lehman. "www.bible.org." www.bible.org. http://www.bible.org/page.php?page_id=393 (accessed September 30, 2008).