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Written by William Dicks
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Monday, 19 October 2009 14:50 |
1. Introduction
Many times when studying the Bible people get to a point where they just cannot make sense of the passage in question. With the proper hermeneutical skills, many such difficulties could be solved.
Hermeneutics is the science and art of Biblical interpretation. It is a science because it is guided by rules within a system; and it is an art because the application of the rules is by skill, and not by mechanical imitation. 1
Admittedly, skill in the area of hermeneutics is not gained in a week or a month. It takes time and dedication. It takes hours and hours of thinking and rethinking. In order to do honest hermeneutics it may become necessary to throw out preconceived ideas, until such ideas are confirmed by the proper study of God’s Word. And, such study is not achieved by a superficial glimpse into the riches of God’s Word. Once artificial study of God’s Word becomes a habit, one will almost never get to the point where Biblical knowledge becomes part of who we are.
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Last Updated on Monday, 19 October 2009 15:01 |
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Written by William Dicks
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Friday, 16 October 2009 09:36 |
1. Introduction
The study of last things—the end times—is perhaps one of the most controversial studies in the church today. There are some that believe that if we do not believe in the pre-tribulational rapture that we are unsaved, or are gnostics.1 Right off the bat I want to state that I do not believe in the pre-tribulational rapture, but rather in a post-tribulational rapture—simply the Second Coming of Christ—without any of the pre-tribulational escapist ideas.
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Written by William Dicks
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Wednesday, 14 October 2009 14:33 |
1. Introduction
The doctrine of salvation is the central message of Scripture. The Bible is the story of God's revelation of Himself in terms of His saving acts toward man.
Man had hardly fallen when God promised deliverance from the hold of sin.
And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel. (Gen 3:15)
The entire Old Testament anticipates the coming of Jesus Christ, while the New Testament recorded that event and gave us its meaning.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 14 October 2009 14:38 |
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Written by William Dicks
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Thursday, 15 October 2009 10:26 |
1. Introduction
Luke’s second book [Acts] does not seem to have a conclusion. At the end, Paul is still preaching in Rome, and the book does not tell us what became of him or of the rest of the church. Luke had a theological reason for this, for the story he was telling shall not come to an end before the end of all history. 1
When Jesus said, “I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Mt 16:18) he meant it. Jesus, at no time, lost control of His church through the many ages of struggle. Jesus said, “I will build My church” and the fact remains that He did and He is still working on it to perfect it. He also said, “the gates of Hades will not overpower it” which still remains in effect today. At no time has the devil been able to overpower it, notwithstanding what many in the church today believe.
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Last Updated on Thursday, 15 October 2009 12:49 |
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Written by William Dicks
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Tuesday, 13 October 2009 09:07 |
Introduction
When it comes to Israel and the church, there are basically three ways to interpret Israel’s relevance to the church today.
First, in Covenant Theology (CT) it is attempted to read the Old Covenant as though it was the New Covenant. In CT, there are two overarching covenants: the covenant of works made with Adam, which came to an end when the covenant of grace was instituted; the covenant of grace was instituted under Moses. The covenant of grace has two administrations. One from Moses to Christ, and the other from Christ on. Since there is only one covenant of grace—divided into two administrations—that is the basic assumption of CT, there has to be only one Church, and as a result, Israel has to be one with the church today.
Second, in Dispensational Theology (DT), the Old Testament is read without taking into account the New Covenant. DT believes that all nations must bless Israel or incur God’s wrath. According to DT, God has an earthly purpose with Israel and a heavenly one for the church. DT believes that all of history is seen in terms of Israel’s history. In essence, DT is Israeli-centric.
Lastly, in New Covenant Theology (NCT), which is the author’s view, the Old Covenant is seen as obsolete and done away with, and that the New Covenant is now in effect which completely and utterly replaces the Old Covenant.
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Last Updated on Tuesday, 13 October 2009 09:15 |
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