A very interesting comment from S. L. Johnson about the spiritualisation of the scriptures. And, finally, spiritualization in the Bible. Debate continues over this the amillenialists and the historical pre-millennialists not quite so radically being in the forefront of the opposition but I just do not believe that spiritualism, spiritualizing, spiritual symbolism does, spiritualizing exists in the Scriptures. But this can only be answered by what I said last week, suggested by Greg Bonson’s terms, “by hand to hand combat over the exegesis of individual text.” We cannot settle this by general statements. We must look at this text and this text and this text and this text and after we’ve looked at the way Scripture uses the Old Testament reach our conclusion. Now, there are a lot of people, you’re going to think I’m very arrogant when I say this, but it is true. There are a lot of people who talk a lot about this who have not investigated the use of the Old Testament and the New Testament in Scripture. But I have. Now, I don’t say that I have investigated every place because it would be a life- long study. But for twenty-five years I have studied the use of the Old Testament in the New Testament. Taught five courses in that subject, five different courses in that subject in theological seminaries. What I had in that little book of six lectures represents six of a hundred fifty lectures that I have given on that topic. In fact, I’ve given more than that but a hundred fifty lectures that I have worked at on that topic. So I am speaking from experience. I may be wrong but I am speaking from experience. I have sought to look at these texts. But there are a lot of people who pronounce upon them who have not looked at those texts. Many of whom pronounce upon them cannot read Greek or Hebrew, do not even know, how to look at the Septuagint or the Seriac or the various other types of texts that must be looked at in the analysis of the use of the Old Testament and the New Testament. And I don’t say that I am right. A man may, of course, look at these things and come to the wrong conclusion. But that’s the first thing that a person ought to do before he speaks with certainty. I just don’t think that spiritualization exists in the Bible. There does exist analogy and occasionally analogy is very close to what some people think of as spiritualization. But analogy is really a good bit different and as we go along we will be able to see some of that. Let me conclude. The ultimate solution of these questions rests in the use of Scripture by the authors of Scripture and it’s to be hoped that the Evangelical Church and you, particularly, will get on with the job of discovering a way in which the Bible uses Scripture. I think that there will result from this a more evident sense of the continuity between the testaments. This continuity is often word in both pre-millennial and amillennial thought. The pre-millennialists often fails to see that there is continuity in the divine program of the ages, continuity in the people of God in the program of God. Amillennialists have often failed to see the promises and the fulfillment literally in history. So our job is to continue to listen to the Holy Spirit speaking in Scripture. May the Lord help us all to study the Scriptures in that way.
Posted on: Sun, 02 Feb 2014 12:00:28 +0000
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