Definition

“He is the true God, and that all his knowledge and words are both true and the final standard of truth.”¹ Or, “That perfection of His being by virtue of which He fully answers to the idea of the Godhead, is perfectly reliable in His revelation, and sees things as they really are.”²

Numbers 23:19: “God is not man, that he should lie, or a son of man, that he should change his mind. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?”

Psalm 33:4: “For the word of the LORD is upright, and all his work is done in faithfulness.”

Psalm 119:151: “But you are near, O LORD, and all your commandments are true.”

John. 14:6: “Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

John 17:17: “Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.”³

Implications For Apologetics

Apologetics Defends The God Of Scripture, Not “a god” Or Unknown Higher Power⁴

Christian apologetics is not about arguing for an undefined higher power while granting the unbeliever the ultimate authority to define its nature. Such would merely confirm the unbeliever’s idolatry or allow for the substitution of one idol for another, leaving the essence of unbelief unchallenged. At the heart of unbelief is both a denial of the obvious in what God has clearly revealed about Himself, while exerting one’s own opinion and will as ultimate. Sin presumes the place and prerogative of God in thought and deed. To admit of a “higher power” does nothing to challenge the presumed independence and authority of unbelief, as unbelievers remain free to define it to suit their presumed independence and authority. The apologetic challenge to unbelief is to repent of both the worship of false gods, and the false presumption of independence from God, and ultimate authority to define such gods. Idols are “worthless” and “a work of delusion” (Jeremiah 10:15).

Do you not know? Do you not hear? Has it not been told you from the beginning? Have you not understood from the foundations of the earth? It is he who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers; who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them like a tent to dwell in; who brings princes to nothing, and makes the rulers of the earth as emptiness.

Scarcely are they planted, scarcely sown, scarcely has their stem taken root in the earth, when he blows on them, and they wither, and the tempest carries them off like stubble.

To whom then will you compare me, that I should be like him? Says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name, by the greatness of his might, and because he is strong in power not one is missing (Isaiah 40:18-26).

Further,

It is he who made the earth by his power, who established the world by his wisdom, and by his understanding stretched out the heavens. When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses. Every man is stupid and without knowledge; every goldsmith is put to shame by his idols, for his images are false, and there is no breath in them. They are worthless, a work of delusion; at the time of their punishment they shall perish. Not like these is he who is the portion of Jacob, for he is the one who formed all things, and Israel is the tribe of his inheritance; the LORD of hosts is his name (Jeremiah 10:12-16).

As a created work of God immersed in a sea of the works of God, unbelievers should know better. Idolatry and unbelief are without excuse.

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things (Romans 1:18-23).

Unbelief is sin and worthy of condemnation precisely because unbelievers know better. Unbelief denies the obvious.

The only true definition of God is what He has revealed about Himself in Scripture. As we have seen, apart from God’s specific revelation of Himself, finite people are incapable of knowing the nature of an infinite, transcendent God. Attempts by fallen people to define God apart from Scripture result in as many definitions as there are people, each no more authoritative than another. No “true” and authoritative definition of God would be possible. Yet, God has revealed Himself. “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent” (John 17:3). “And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20). “For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God” (1 Thessalonians 1:9). We worship, proclaim, and defend the God of Scripture, not an unknown higher power.

Only God’s Revelation Is Absolutely True And Worthy To Be Trusted Fully

As God Is True, So The Words And Word Of God Are True

“I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Had Christ said, “I am not the way, and the truth, and the life,” the entire Gospel and meaning of the history of redemption in Scripture would be undone. A single word can make a world of difference. Indeed, the serpent’s temptation of Eve in the garden rested on slight alterations to the words of God, with immense implications. Theologians rightly speak of the inspiration of Scripture as verbal, applying to the very words of Scripture, and plenary, applying to the entirety of Scripture. As our brief illustrations show, statements of “truth” are untrustworthy when the individual words are untrustworthy.⁵ And as we have seen, truth and knowledge are determined by God. As created and finite, we depend upon God for ultimate truth and knowledge. And as determined by God who is Himself trustworthy, all God’s revelation is trustworthy. A proper doctrine of the authority and inspiration of Scripture, therefore, is founded upon a proper doctrine of God. God is true and the source of all truth. The words penned by the human writers of Scripture are the very words of God.

Knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 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 (2 Peter 1:20-21).

Indeed, Christ promised the disciples that they would be the instruments of His truth in His giving them a “Helper,” “the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-17).

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you (John 16:13-14).

At issue concerning the doctrine of biblical inerrancy, then, is the same issue with all claims by created, finite, and dependent people: to what higher authority than Scripture can one appeal for the ultimate explanation concerning God and the universe He created? As we have seen, no such higher authority exists. To what or whom, then, do those who deny the orthodox doctrine of the verbal and plenary inspiration of Scripture appeal? If to human opinion, we are left with the same problem of billions of ultimate authorities, none of whom are equipped to speak of ultimate truth. Truth is therefore lost in a sea of opinions.

Yet, this is exactly the case with those who deny the verbal and plenary inspiration of Scripture. For instance, many who deny the historical nature of certain Old Testament events, such as the flood or the creation and temptation of Adam and Eve in the garden, at the same time affirm certain New Testament doctrines and history. Yet, having already established the principle that they are personally adequate to determine what is historical and not historical in the Old Testament, even if such events are spoken of as historical in the New Testament, they nonetheless want to maintain the authority of the New Testament. But why? If such interpreters can assume the authority to question Old Testament historical events, why not New Testament events? Possibly because one can seemingly deny the historicity of the flood while maintaining the historicity of the life and death of Christ, upon which all of Christianity stands. Yet, the personal authority assumed in interpreting the Old Testament is the same unbelieving assumption of those who deny the historicity of the New Testament. If the ultimate authority of human opinion is the final court of appeal in interpreting the Old Testament, why is it not the final court of appeal in interpreting the New Testament? At least those who deny the truthfulness of all of Scripture are consistent in assuming their own opinion as ultimate authority in interpreting both the New and Old Testaments. But those wanting to profess the authority of Scripture and Christ as Lord and Savior want to have it both ways, to operate in the place of God in determining what is true and acceptable in the Bible according to their own criteria, contrary to the testimony of Scripture itself, while choosing to acknowledge God’s authority wherever they choose, such as in the New Testament. In either case, they act as the final authority as to what they will accept or deny, imitating the sin of Adam and Eve in their presumption of authority to choose between God’s word and the word of the serpent.

Of course, interpreters will appeal to data or certain criteria in making their interpretation. For those holding to verbal and plenary inspiration of Scripture, the criteria are explicitly stated in Scripture. Assumptions include God as truthful and the source of all truth, and God as perfect and unable to do anything in or with error, and able to use the imperfect to accomplish His perfect ends. As the well-known saying goes, God can make a straight line with a bent stick. Christ took upon Himself corruptible human flesh, yet he was without sin and error in all He did and said. As Scripture tells us, God used imperfect apostles to pen his perfect truth.⁶ Who, then, can deny that the infinite, perfect, and all-powerful and wise God cannot use human writers to pen perfect truth? No authority exists to which one can appeal to deny God’s ability to do so. As with all interpreters of the biblical and extra-biblical data, the data will be interpreted according to either the nature of God as the starting point of all truth and knowledge, or the assumed authority of human opinion.

A more in-depth discussion of the various issues related to biblical inspiration would take us too far afield, but note well that the same issues with respect to ultimate authority concerning knowledge and truth apply to interpreters denying the historicity of parts of Scripture that are written as history. Created, finite, and fallen people are dependent upon God for all knowledge and truth. The proper starting point and foundation for a right doctrine of the inspiration of Scripture is the nature of God as revealed in Scripture. All improper views of inspiration go wrong at this point.

The Only True Interpretation Of Reality Is God’s Interpretation.

God’s knowledge and explanation of Himself and reality correspond to reality perfectly.⁷ God is perfectly objective and knows things exactly as they are in every respect. He created and sustains all things, while His knowledge “precedes the existence of things”⁸ and determines all facts. Our knowledge of truth is derived from God, therefore our interpretation of facts is only true when it corresponds to God’s interpretation. Again, this is not to deny that we can know facts truly, but affirms our dependence on God for true knowledge and our need for humility and reverence in approaching Scripture. God has revealed truth and has given us the ability to know it.

Not only are we limited in our capacity for knowledge, lacking the capacity and perspective of God, our perception of facts is influenced by subjective factors of our experience, mood, prejudices, etc., as well as our physical and mental limitations. Moreover, all unbelievers will suppress the truth in unrighteousness and interpret reality to suit their denial of the God of Scripture. Even as believers, in our sinfulness we will also suppress the truth in unrighteousness in our moments of rebellion against God’s lordship. Thus, the only interpretation of reality that can be trusted fully is God’s interpretation.

Truth Is Unaffected By Unbelief

Truth Depends Upon God Alone And Exists Independently Of Human Perception Or Acceptance Of It

As noted concerning God as eternally self-existent and the creator of all things, God’s existence and attributes are unaffected by unbelief. God is independent of His creation. He is who He is regardless of what anyone thinks. In the same way, as God is true and the source of all truth, truth is unaffected by unbelief. Should the whole world deny God and His word, God and His word remain true. And as God does not change, so His truth does not change.

Unbelief Reflects The Sinful Nature Of The Heart, Not Defects In God’s Truth

“Let God be true though every one were a liar” (Romans 3:4). That mankind misunderstands and rejects the truth of God points to defects in the interpreter, not defects in God or His truth. Created reality and Scripture bear the clear marks of the divine Creator and Author such that all people are without excuse for not worshipping and giving Him thanks. Moreover, God and the Gospel are infinitely excellent. To not see, appreciate, and worship God for His excellence reveals the perversity of the fallen human heart. Christ, the perfect revelation of the character of God was no less excellent as God when the crowd shouted for His death. To view the Gospel as foolish or to interpret Scripture according to naturalistic assumptions of unbelief reflects the heart of sin. Such presumes the place of God as the ultimate authority in determining what is true and acceptable concerning God.

God Is True And His Knowledge And Explanation Of All Things Is True, Or He Is Not God

The creator and sustainer of all things is perfectly true and cannot lie or deny Himself, for He is omniscient, immutable, wise, powerful, holy, righteous, and good. As omniscient, He knows everything truly. As immutable, truth does not change because God as the source and sustainer of all things does not change. As wise, He knows what is best and true in every conceivable reality and circumstance. As all-powerful, He determines all things after the counsel of His own will and nothing can stay His hand in doing so; determining all things He determines all truth. As holy, all He says is true for He cannot lie. As infinite, He is perfect and without defect and thus always true. As righteous, all His judgments are correct according to the reality of every case and therefore true. As good, He can only do that which is true, holy, and right.

God’s truthfulness is intimately related to and dependent upon all His attributes, for the denial of God as true and truthful denies all the attributes of God. God would not be God if He were not true and truthful.

Truth Is Impossible Without God

One of the apologetic implications of the self-existence and self-sufficiency of God discussed earlier was the impossibility of God not existing, that God is the only possible explanation of all things as they exist. Apart from God, all would be random chance, and life and reality as we know it would be impossible in such a universe. We noted that truth and language would be impossible in a universe consisting of unrelated and meaningless random chance occurrences interpreting meaningless random occurrences. Truth would be impossible as everything would be unrelated and nothing could be said to be true from one second to the next. Assuming anything would even exist for more than a moment, the uniformity of God’s universe that allows us to think, use language, conduct science, among other things, would not exist.

We noted that the world does not operate that way, because God exists. Science and knowledge are possible because God exists. Uniform and universal laws exist because God exists. We think and reason because God exists. One might imagine that God does not exist, but it is impossible to account for reality as it is apart from Him. We have the pleasure of musing on such things precisely because God created, orders, and sustains all things according to His power and purpose. We can deny Him only because we are not random chance occurrences in a random chance universe.

We also noted that the denial of God’s existence and authority results in pure relativism and the loss of knowledge and truth. Apart from God, no ultimate authority and standard for truth could exist. Absolute truth would be impossible. All “truth” would be reduced to mere opinion, everyone’s best guess. Again, this is not to deny that unbelievers know truth. It is to deny any justification for truth according to a worldview that excludes God. Finite people are incapable of authoritatively explaining the ultimate nature of reality apart from God’s explanation of it, especially if they are themselves mere random chance occurrences. All are limited in their perspective and lack an outside objective perspective. Van Til illustrated the problem as follows.

Suppose we think of a man made of water in an infinitely extended and bottomless ocean of water. Desiring to get out of water, he makes a ladder of water. He sets this ladder upon the water and against the water and then attempts to climb out of the water. So hopeless and senseless a picture must be drawn of the natural man’s methodology based as it is upon the assumption that time or chance is ultimate. On his assumption his own rationality is a product of chance. On his assumption even the laws of logic which he employs are products of chance. The rationality and purpose that he may be searching for are still bound to be products of chance.⁹

The situation would be hopeless apart from God. Truth exists because God exists.

“Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.”

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¹ Grudem, Systematic Theology, 195.

² Berkhof, Systematic Theology, 69.

³ See also Romans 3:3-4, 2 Timothy 2:13, Titus 1:1-2.

⁴ For a discussion of God as true as to His essence or being, which in turn is the ground of truth expressed, as in God’s revelation, and truth in knowing intellectually (in the sense that knowledge conforms to that which is known), see Herman Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, vol. 2, ed. John Bolt, trans. John Vriend (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004), 207-210. See also Frame’s discussion and interaction with Bavinck, in Frame, Doctrine of God, 475-9.

⁵ A comprehensive treatment of the nature of biblical inerrancy is beyond the scope of this short work, but the importance of a proper understanding of the attributes of God to the doctrine of the inspiration and authority of Scripture cannot be overstated.

⁶ Note that the doctrine of inerrancy applies to the original autograph, not the copies. Adherents to the doctrine of biblical inerrancy admit to slight textual issues such as copyist errors and slight differences between some manuscripts. For two excellent treatments of the issue of inerrancy (among many), see John D. Woodbridge, Biblical Authority (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Corporation, 1982), and John Frame, The Doctrine of the Word of God (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 2010).

⁷ See Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 2:209.

⁸ Bavinck, Reformed Dogmatics, 2:209.

⁹ Cornelius Van Til, The Defense of the Faith, 4th Edition, Ed. By K. Scott Oliphint (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing), 124-5.

March 12, 2017

It’s always cute to hear little children say their bedtime prayers. Often, they make sweeping, catch-all prayers that go something like: “God bless mommy and God bless daddy and God bless all my brothers and sisters and God bless all the missionaries. Amen!”

But, maybe your prayers sometimes sound like that, too. It’s a lot of work to get specific. It’s easier just to shoot up blanket prayers and let God sort out the specific needs. But in our text the apostle Paul gives us two specific requests that we can pray on behalf of missionaries, other Christian workers, and for all the Lord’s people. To sum up:

Pray for the word of the Lord to spread and that the Lord’s people, relying on His faithfulness, will stand firm in Him in the spiritual battle.

Paul knew that these new converts were going through intense persecution (1 Thess. 3:3-4; 2 Thess. 1:6-7). Also, false teachers were spreading spiritually damaging teachings in the church (2 Thess. 2:1-3). In light of this, note the flow of Paul’s thoughts here: After commanding them to stand firm (2 Thess. 2:15), he directs them to focus on praying for the gospel to spread through him and others, who also needed God’s protection from evil men; and, he emphasizes the Lord’s faithfulness along with the need for their continuing obedience. Then, he asks the Lord to direct their hearts into God’s love and into the example of Christ’s steadfastness, who obeyed God through the things He suffered (Heb. 2:10; 5:8; 12:3).

That’s a healthy way to deal with your own trials, or to help others who are going through trials. Get your focus off your problem and onto others’ needs. Especially, pray for those who serve the Lord in difficult places, who may be suffering on behalf of the gospel. And, get your focus onto the Lord’s faithfulness, love, and example of steadfast obedience when He suffered.

1. Pray that the word of the Lord will spread and that those who proclaim it will be protected so that the word will continue to spread (2 Thess. 3:1-2).

A. Pray that the word of the Lord will spread through the gospel being received.

2 Thess. 3:1: “Finally, brethren, pray for us that the word of the Lord will spread rapidly and be glorified, just as it did also with you.” Paul’s “finally” is like many preachers’ “finally”: it doesn’t mean that the sermon is almost over! In 1 Thessalonians 4:1, Paul says “finally” and then goes on for two more chapters (see, also, Phil. 3:1). The phrase means, “As far as the rest is concerned,” or, “in addition” (A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Walter Bauer, William Arndt, Wilbur Gingrich, & Frederick Danker [University of Chicago Press], 2nd ed., p. 480).

In asking for prayer for himself, Paul’s focus was not only for personal safety, but also that the gospel would spread so that God would be glorified, as had happened in Thessalonica. Even though he was a veteran apostle and the Thessalonians were new believers, Paul needed their prayers. He didn’t assume that his impressive spiritual gifts or his past successes would result in future success. Paul knew that he had to depend on the Lord through prayer.

When people respond in faith to the gospel, they glorify the Lord who gave that gospel to us. Verse 1 is really asking these new converts to pray the first part of the Lord’s Prayer on behalf of Paul and his fellow missionaries (Matt. 6:9-10): “Our Father, who is in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Note several other things about Paul’s request.

1) The gospel is not a message that Paul or the other apostles made up.

Rather, it is “the word of the Lord.” It comes from the Lord and centers on the Lord. It is the message that the eternal Lord of glory (1 Cor. 2:8) came to this earth, took on human flesh, and suffered and died in our place, bearing the punishment that we deserved for our sins. And God raised Him from the dead. The good news is that God offers forgiveness for all our sins and eternal life as a free gift to all who trust in Jesus Christ (John 3:16; Eph. 2:8-9).

2) In whatever culture people respond to the gospel, their lives are demonstrably changed.

Paul could say, “just as it did also with you,” because he saw that these former pagan idolaters had turned from idols to the living and true God (1 Thess. 1:9). If people profess to believe in Jesus but there is no observable change in their lives, they need to examine whether they truly believed.

3) Paul asks for prayer that the word of the Lord will “spread rapidly and be glorified.”

The Greek is literally, “will run and be glorified.” Paul was probably thinking of Psalm 147:15, “He sends forth His command to the earth; His word runs very swiftly.” Paul was writing from Corinth, which hosted the Isthmian Games. So he may have had in mind an athletic contest, where the winning runner received the prize and was honored. Paul wants the gospel to win the hearts of those who hear so that it, and the Lord who sends it forth, will get the honor and glory. For people to respond favorably to the gospel, God has to open their blind eyes and draw them to Christ (2 Cor. 4:4-6; John 6:44, 65). Even a preacher as gifted as Paul knew that if God did not open the hearts of those who heard him preach, they would not respond (Acts 16:14).

4) Paul saw no contradiction between the doctrine of election and the need for evangelism and prayer for the success of the gospel.

Sometimes people object, “If God predestines all who will be saved, then why evangelize? Why pray?” But Paul mentions election, prayer, and evangelism in close proximity (2 Thess. 2:13; 3:1) with no need to explain the seeming tension. The Bible teaches that God ordains the means as well as the ends. He has chosen many to be saved, but they come to salvation through the prayerful proclamation of the gospel. We don’t change God’s mind through our prayers, but in a mysterious way God uses our prayers to accomplish His predetermined will (G. K. Beale, 1-2 Thessalonians [IVP Academic], pp. 242-243).

Paul was in the rough, pagan city of Corinth when he wrote this letter. He was afraid and thinking about leaving there before he suffered another beating or worse. One night the Lord graciously appeared to Paul in a vision and said (Acts 18:9-10), “Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.” So Paul settled there for 18 months, teaching the word of God among them (Acts 18:11). Later, he explained to Timothy (2 Tim. 2:10), “For this reason I endure all things for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus and with it eternal glory.” God has chosen those who will be saved, but He saves them through our prayers and proclaiming the gospel to them.

5) For the word of the Lord to spread and be glorified, the word that is spread must be the true gospel, not a perversion of it.

From the earliest times, Satan has infiltrated the church with teachers who promote a false “gospel” that is really bad news, not good news. In the churches of Galatia, the Judaizers had come in with the message, “Paul was basically right: we are saved by God’s grace through faith. But, also you must be circumcised and keep the Old Testament law.” Many were being led astray by this seemingly “slight” alteration of the gospel. But Paul forcefully wrote (Gal. 1:8-9), “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”

Even so, there are many false “gospels” today: “Believe in Jesus and He will give you wealth and health!” “Believe in Jesus and be baptized, and you will be saved.” “Believe in Jesus and add your good works, so that eventually you will earn enough merit to get out of Purgatory.” So pray that the gospel that is being proclaimed will be the true gospel, not a perversion of it.

B. Pray that the word of the Lord will continue to spread through God’s protection of those who proclaim it.

2 Thess. 3:2: [Pray] “that we will be rescued from perverse and evil men; for not all have faith.” As I said, Paul was not so much trying to save his own skin as he wanted to see the gospel continue to spread. If the messengers are protected from evil men, they have more freedom to proclaim the message. Granted, Paul evangelized the Praetorian Guard while he was a prisoner in Rome. And, the testimonies of many martyrs have resulted in many coming to faith through their deaths. But there is nothing wrong with asking for prayer for protection from persecution for those who take the gospel into hostile areas. The main aim is for the word of the Lord to spread.

Note the prominence of “the Lord” in verses 1-5. In verse 1, it is “the word of the Lord.” In verse 3, “the Lord is faithful.” In verse 4, “We have confidence in the Lord.” In verse 5, “May the Lord direct your hearts ….” In times of trial or persecution for the sake of the gospel, it’s important to remember that Jesus is the Lord, the sovereign of the universe. No one can harm you or kill you unless it is in God’s good and loving purpose for His glory.

Scholars differ over who these perverse and evil men who did not have faith were. Some think that Paul was referring to the unbelieving Jews in Corinth. Acts 18:12-17 reports how they rose up against Paul and brought him before the proconsul, accusing him of persuading people to worship God contrary to the law. When the proconsul wouldn’t listen to them, they took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue who had trusted in Christ (1 Cor. 1:1) and began beating him in front of the proconsul, who ignored them. So Paul may have been referring to the unbelieving Jews.

But other scholars (e.g. Beale, pp. 239-242) argue that he was referring primarily to false believers in the church, who were either promoting false doctrine or whose lives did not back up their profession of faith. Often, such people can cause more harm to the church from the inside than those who are outside the church. Jesus warned (Matt. 7:15) about false prophets who come into the flock disguised as sheep, but really are ravenous wolves. Paul warned the Ephesian elders (Acts 20:29-30), “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; and from among your own selves men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.” He also said (2 Cor. 11:14-15) that even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light, and his servants as servants of righteousness.

So the takeaway application from verses 1 & 2 is, pray for everyone in this church to have opportunities to proclaim the gospel and that God will bless those efforts with genuine conversions. And, pray that God will protect us from those, whether from without or within, who oppose the gospel and seek to harm those who proclaim it. We are not wrestling against flesh and blood, but rather against the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places (Eph. 6:12). Also,

2. Pray that the Lord’s people, relying on His faithfulness, will stand firm in Him in the spiritual battle (2 Thess. 3:3-5).

Paul turns from the faithlessness of men to the faithfulness of the Lord, a theme that he mentions often (cf. 1 Thess. 5:24; 1 Cor. 1:9; 10:13; 2 Cor. 1:18; 2 Tim. 2:13). Since Paul has been asking for prayer for his own protection, you would expect that he would continue, “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect us from the evil one.” But rather, he shifts to “strengthen and protect you.” This reflects his pastor’s heart, which was more concerned about these new believers than he was about himself (John Calvin, Calvin’s Commentaries [Baker], pp. 349-350).

“Evil one” may also be translated, “evil,” but it’s more likely that it refers to the archenemy of our souls, the devil (see, 1 Thess. 2:18; 3:5; 2 Thess. 2:9). As Calvin observes (p. 350), “For it were a small thing to be delivered from the cunning or violence of men, if the Lord did not protect us from all spiritual injury.” Again, it’s a reminder that spreading the gospel engages us in a spiritual battle against satanic forces, which are too powerful for us in our own strength. We must rely on the Lord. Note three things:

A. Relying on God’s faithfulness is the foundation for standing firm in the spiritual battle.

2 Thess. 3:3: “But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.” In 1 Thessalonians 5:24, Paul reminded these new believers who were enduring persecution, “Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.” Here, he again reminds them of this comforting truth, “the Lord is faithful.” After Jerusalem had been destroyed by the Babylonians, thousands of Jews had been slaughtered, and most of the others were forced into captivity in Babylon, Jeremiah (the most probable author) wrote Lamentations, expressing his overwhelming grief over the tragedy that he had witnessed. In the middle of that sorrowful lament, there is this well-known ray of hope (Lam. 3:22-24):

The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.”

So when you’re under attack, whether from criticism or slander or outright persecution, rely on God’s faithfulness. Even when the enemy seems to be winning (as in Jeremiah’s situation), God is faithful and He will work it all together for good.

Paul assures us that our faithful Lord will both strengthen and protect us. “Lord” refers to the Lord Jesus. The fact that Jesus is able both to strengthen and protect his people all around the world when they are under attack shows that He is God. But Paul’s word of assurance raises a problem: If the Lord promises to strengthen and protect His people, then why do they suffer terribly under persecution? Why are there martyrs if the Lord is protecting them?

We need to understand that the Lord’s promise for protection is not a guarantee of deliverance from every enemy. In Luke 21:16-18, Jesus says, “But you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers and relatives and friends, and they will put some of you to death, and you will be hated by all because of My name. Yet not a hair of your head will perish.” By saying, “not a hair of your head will perish,” Jesus was not promising immunity from death, which He just said will happen to some. Rather, He means that if we are faithful to the Lord under persecution, even if they kill the body they cannot touch the soul (Luke 12:4-5). God has sovereignly determined the exact number of martyrs, and when that number is fulfilled, He will judge those who shed their blood (Rev. 6:9-11). So we can rely on God’s faithfulness as our foundation for standing firm in the spiritual battle.

B. Relying on the Lord for ongoing obedience is the framework for standing firm in the spiritual battle.

2 Thess. 3:4: “We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command.” Paul’s confidence was “in the Lord” regarding the Thessalonians’ continuing obedience. As an apostle, Paul could give commands (not suggestions!) to the churches. We now have those apostolic commands in the New Testament. In verse 4, Paul is laying the framework for what will follow, where three times he gives commands regarding those who were not working and sponging off the rest of the church (2 Thess. 3:6, 10, 12).

In our day, many professing Christians believe that if you teach the need to obey God’s commandments, you’re legalistic. I’ve been accused of that, even when I preface it by saying that God’s grace is the motivation to obey Him. They claim that God’s grace and their feelings exempt them from obedience. A young woman once told me, “My fiancé isn’t a Christian, but I prayed about marrying him and feel such a peace. So it must be God’s will.” She was disobeying the clear command that a believer should not be unequally yoked to an unbeliever (2 Cor. 6:14) to follow her feelings.

That’s like driving on the wrong side of the road and running red lights so that you’ll get somewhere faster. It may work for a while, but at some point, disobeying the traffic laws will result in severe consequences. It’s the same with disobeying God’s laws. You can’t live in disobedience to God and then, when you get into a difficult place, call out to Him to bless and protect you. Ongoing obedience to the Lord is the framework for standing firm in the spiritual battle.

C. Asking God to direct our hearts into His love and Christ’s steadfastness is the fuel for standing firm in the spiritual battle.

2 Thess. 3:5: “May the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ.” By “fuel,” I mean that God’s love and Christ’s steadfastness fuel our desire to stand firm when we’re under attack. Again, keep in mind the context here. These new believers were under attack, both from direct persecution and from dangerous false teaching. In that context of spiritual battle, Paul prays that the Lord will direct their hearts into the love of God and into the steadfastness of Christ. Note three things:

1) In the spiritual battle, ask God to direct your heart.

“To direct” means “to clear away the obstacles” (Thomas Constable, The Bible Knowledge Commentary, ed. by John F. Walvoord & Roy Zuck [Victor Books], p. 723) or “to make a straight path.” Paul used this word in 1 Thessalonians 3:11, where he asked that the Lord would “direct our way to you.” When you’re under spiritual attack, you need God to clear away the obstacles, because it’s easy at such times to get confused, turn away from the Lord, and follow worldly counsel to deal with your situation. God directs our hearts at such times through prayerful understanding and obedience to His word.

2) In the spiritual battle, ask God to direct your heart into His love.

When you’re under spiritual attack, often the enemy will tempt you with thoughts like, “If God really loves you, He wouldn’t allow you to be going through this difficult trial.” At such times, you must rely on the many promises in God’s word that assure us of His great love. Don’t focus on the situation, but rather on the Savior.

3) In the spiritual battle, ask God to direct your heart into the steadfastness of Christ.

The King James Version and a few commentators understand this to mean that we should wait patiently for Christ’s return. But it’s more likely that Paul is praying that the Lord will direct our hearts to focus on the steadfastness that Christ displayed as He faced the cross (Heb. 12:1-3; 1 Pet. 2:21-24). Jesus’ example of enduring the cross for our salvation should encourage us to be steadfast when we’re under attack for the sake of the gospel.

Conclusion

So, rather than just praying, “God bless all the missionaries,” pray that the word of the Lord will spread and be received. Pray that those who proclaim the gospel will be protected so that the gospel will continue to spread. Pray that the Lord’s people will rely on His faithfulness so that they might stand firm in Him in the spiritual battle.

Application Questions

1. Someone asks you, “If God has predetermined all things, why pray? Why evangelize?” Your response?
2. Someone asks you, “If God really loves us and if He wants all people to hear the gospel, why does He allow the persecution and martyrdom of His people?” Your reply?
3. Are we being legalistic to teach the necessity of obedience to God’s commandments? Why/why not? Can obedience be taught in a legalistic manner? If so, how?
4. Are New Testament Christians required to obey the Old Testament commandments? If so, all? Some? Which ones?

Copyright, Steven J. Cole, 2017, All Rights Reserved.

Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture Quotations are from the New American Standard Bible, Updated Edition © The Lockman Foundation

ማቴዎስ 7፡ 13-23

13 በጠበበው ደጅ ግቡ፤ ወደ ጥፋት የሚወስደው ደጅ ሰፊ፥ መንገዱም ትልቅ ነውና፥ ወደ እርሱም የሚገቡ ብዙዎች ናቸው፤ 14 ወደ ሕይወት የሚወስደው ደጅ የጠበበ፥ መንገዱም የቀጠነ ነውና፥ የሚያገኙትም ጥቂቶች ናቸው። 15 የበግ ለምድ ለብሰው ከሚመጡባችሁ በውሥጣቸው ግን ነጣቂዎች ተኵላዎች ከሆኑ ከሐሰተኞች ነቢያት ተጠንቀቁ።16 ከፍሬያቸው ታውቋቸዋላችሁ። ከእሾህ ወይን ከኩርንችትስ በለስ ይለቀማልን? 17 እንዲሁ መልካም ዛፍ ሁሉ መልካም ፍሬ ያደርጋል፥ ክፉም ዛፍ ክፉ ፍሬ ያደርጋል።18  መልካም ዛፍ ክፉ ፍሬ ማፍራት፥ ወይም ክፉ ዛፍ መልካም ፍሬ ማፍራት አይቻለውም። 19 መልካም ፍሬ የማያደርግ ዛፍ ሁሉ ይቆረጣል ወደ እሳትም ይጣላል። 20  ስለዚህም ከፍሬያቸው ታውቋቸዋላችሁ። 21  በሰማያት ያለውን የአባቴን ፈቃድ የሚያደርግ እንጂ፥ ጌታ ሆይ፥ ጌታ ሆይ፥ የሚለኝ ሁሉ መንግሥተ ሰማያት የሚገባ አይደለም። 22  በዚያ ቀን ብዙዎች፦ ጌታ ሆይ፥ ጌታ ሆይ፥ በስምህ ትንቢት አልተናገርንምን፥ በስምህስ አጋንንትን አላወጣንምን፥ በስምህስ ብዙ ተአምራትን አላደረግንምን? ይሉኛል። 23  የዚያን ጊዜም፦ ከቶ አላወቅኋችሁም፤ እናንተ ዓመፀኞች፥ ከእኔ ራቁ ብዬ እመሰክርባቸዋለሁ።

ሀሰተኛ ነብያት እውነተኛ መስለው ስለሚቀርቡ በጣም አደገኛ ናቸው። የትክክለኛ የነብይነት ስጦታ እና ስልጣን እንዳላቸው አድርገው ራሳቸውን ያቀርባሉ። ይህ የሚመስሉበት ስልጣን ምንድ ነው? ኢየሱስ እንዳለው ራሳቸውን የበግ ለምድ አልብሰው ያቀርባሉ። ማቴ 7 ፡15 ይመለከቱ።

ሀሰተኛ ነቢያት የበግ ለምድ ለብሰው የሚመጡ በውሥጣቸው ግን ነጣቂዎች ተኵላዎች ናቸው ይላቸዋል። እረኛ በኮረብታማ ስፍራ መንጋውን ሲጠብቅ የበግ ለምድ ለብሶ ነው። እረኛም ያልሆነ ሰው ደግሞ የበግ ለምድ ሊለብስ እና እንደ እረኛ ሊያስመስል ይችላል። ነብያቶችም የተለመደ የአለባበስ አውድ ነበራቸው። ነብዩ ኤልያስ መጎናፀፊያ ያደርግ ነበር በዚህም ከሌሎች ይለይ ነበር። 1ኛ ነግስት 19፡13፥19 የግሪክ ፈላስፎች የራሳቸው የአለባበስ ስርዐት እንደነበራቸው ነብያትም የቆዳ መጎናፀፊያ በመልበስ ይታወቁ ነበር። ነገር ግን ይህን መለያ ልብስ ያልተገባቸው ነብያት ያልሆኑ ለብሰውት ሊገኙ ይችላሉ።ለዚህም ነው በነብዩ ዘካሪያስ 13፡4 ላይ እንዲህ የተፃፈው። “በዚያም ቀን ነቢያቱ ሁሉ ትንቢትን ሲናገሩ እያንዳንዱ ስለ ራእዩ ያፍራል ያታልሉም ዘንድ የማቅ ልብስ አይለብሱም።” ዘካሪያስ 13፡4  የነብያትን መጎናፀፊያ እየለበሱ ነብያትን የሚመስሉ ነገር ግን ፈፅመው ያሆኑ ይኖራሉ። ዊሊያም ባርስሌይ፥ የማቲዎስ ወንጌል መፅሀፍ The Gospel of Matthew (Edinburgh: The Saint Andrew Press, 1963), 1, p. 286.]

ሀሰተኛ ነብያቶች በዉጫዊው አቀራረባቸው አንዳንዶችን ያስታሉ እንደታማኝ መሪዎችም ይቆጠራሉ። ይህንንም በልዩ ልዩ አለባበስ ራሳቸውን ለየት ለማድረግ ሊሞክሩ ይችላሉ። እንዲሁም የስም ማዕረጎችን በስማቸው ላይ ይደረድራሉ። በሃይማኖት ስርዓት ዉስጥም ትልልቅ የመሪነትን ስፍራ ተቆናጠው ሊገኙ ይችላሉ። በትምህርትም የስነመለኮት ትምህርት ተምርውም ሊሆን ይችላል። አልፎም ተርፎም በስነመለኮት ትምህርት አስተማሪዎችም ሊሆኑ ይችላል። በነዚህ ሁሉ ሁነታዎች እንደ ታማኝ መሪዎች ቆጥረናቸው ከሆነ ትክክል አይደልም። በየዋህነትም በውጫዊ ማንንተቸው ድምዳሜ ላይ ልንደርስ አይገባም።

ሀሰተኛ ነብያቶች በፍሪያቸው ይታወቃሉ። በውጫዊ ማንነት ላይ ተመስርቶ መደምደም አያዋጣም፤ለዚህም ነው በፊሬያቸው መለየት እጅግ ጠቃሚ እና አስፈላጊ የሚሆነው። የዛፍ የስሩ ምንነት መታወቂያው በፍሬው ነው። መልካም ዛፍ መልካም ፍሬን ይሰጣል። መጥፎ ዛፍ እንድሁ መጥፎ ፍሬን ይሰጣል። ስለዚህም ታምኝ የሆኑ መሪዎችን የመመዘኛ መንገዱ በፍሬዎቻቸው መሆን አልበት። ማቴ 7፡20

ነገር ግን እንዚህ ፍሬዎች ታድያ ምንድን ናቸው? እዚህ ላይ ልብ ማለት ይገባል፤ሀሰተኛ ነብያቶች ሃይማኖታዊ ስርዓቶችን የማይፈፅሙ አይደሉም። ይልቁንም ሀሰተኛ ነብያቶች በሀሰተኛ ምልክቶች እና በሚመስሉ ታዓምራቶች የተሞሉ ናቸው። ይህንንም በማቴዎስ ወንጌል 7፡22 ተጠቅሰው እናገኛለን።

“በዚያ ቀን ብዙዎች፦ ጌታ ሆይ፥ ጌታ ሆይ፥ በስምህ ትንቢት አልተናገርንምን፥ በስምህስ አጋንንትን አላወጣንምን፥ በስምህስ ብዙ ተአምራትን አላደረግንምን? ይሉኛል።” ማቴዎስ ወንጌል 7፡22

ሀሰተኛ ነብያቶች በልዩ ልዩ የበጎ አድራጎት ስራ እና መሰል ተግባራትን ሊፈፅሙ ይችላሉ።

ታዓምራትን የማድረግ ሃይል አላቸው ላማስባል ልዩ ልዩ መሰል በጎ አድራጎትን ያደርጋሉ። የሚደረጉትን ታዓምራቶች በስመ እግዚአብሔር እና ለእርሱ ክብር ነው ሊባልም ይችላል።

“እንደ እነዚህ ያሉ ሰዎች የክርስቶስን ሐዋርያት እንዲመስሉ ራሳቸውን እየለወጡ፥ ውሸተኞች ሐዋርያትና ተንኮለኞች ሠራተኞች ናቸውና። 14 ይህም ድንቅ አይደለም፤ ሰይጣን ራሱ የብርሃንን መልአክ እንዲመስል ራሱን ይለውጣልና። 15 እንግዲህ አገልጋዮቹ ደግሞ የጽድቅን አገልጋዮች እንዲመስሉ ራሳቸውን ቢለውጡ ታላቅ ነገር አይደለም፤ ፍጻሜአቸውም እንደ ሥራቸው ይሆናል።”  2 ቆሮ 11፡ 13-15

ሌላው ልብ ሊባል የሚገባው ነገር ሀሰተኛ ነብያቶች በእግዚአብሔር ስም ለየት ባለ እና አግራሞት ባለበት የሃይማኖት ስርዓቶች ሲታጀቡ ማየት ነው። ሰይጣንም ብዙዎችን እስካሳተ እና ለእርሱ ፍቃድ ሰዎችን እስካአስገዛ ድረስ ክብርን ለእግዚአብሔር መስጠት ችግሩ አይደለም።

ታድያ ጌታ የተናገረው እነዚህ የሃይማኖት ስርዓቶች ናቸው? ከላሁኑ ታድያ ምንድን ናቸው? በምንመለከተው ነገር ምንም ጥርጥር እንዳይገባን መፅሐፍ ቅዱስ በተደጋጋሚ የሀሰተኛ ነብያትን ፍሬዎች ይገልፃል። ይንንም የሃሰተኛ ነብያት ፍሬዎች በሶስት ክፍል ልናስቀምጣቸው እንችላለን።

1. የመጀመሪያው የሀሰተኛ ነብያት ፍሬዎች ከአስተምሮ አንፃር

ሀሰተኛ ነብያት የሚናገሩት በመለኮታዊ ስልጣን ሳይሆን ከራሳቸው ከንቱ ስሜት ነው። ኤርሚያስ 23፡16፥21፡25 ህዝቄል 12፡2

• የእግዚአብሔርን ቃል አይሰብኩም ወይም አይጠብቁም ይልቁንም ይክዱታል። ኤርሚያስ 23፡17 በተልይም ሊከሰት ይሚችል ሁነታዎች ነገር ግን ደስ ያማያሰኙ ሲሆኑ እውነታውን ይክዳሉ። ኤርሚያስ 6፡14 ፤28፡17 ህዝቄል 13፡1
• ለልዩ አጣዳፊ እና ወቅታዊ ጉዳዩች ላይ ምላሽ በመስጠት ይታወቃሉ። ኤርሚያስ 8፡11።
• ሰዎች በጆሮቸው ሊሰሙ የሚወዱትን ይናገራሉ። 1 ነገስት 22፡8 2 ጢሞቲዎስ 4፡3-4
• በድነት ጉዳይ ላይ የኢየሱስ ማንነት እና ጌትነትም ይክዳሉ። በመስቀል ላይ የተከፈለውን ስራም እንዱሁ ይክዳሉ። 2 ጴጥሮስ 2፡1 1ዮሐንስ 4፡2-3

2. ሁለተኛው የሀሰተኛ ነብያት ፍሬዎች ክፍል ደግሞ ትምህርታቸው በሌሎች ላይ የሚፈጥረው ተፅዕኖ ነው።

• በተመሳሳይ ሁነታ ትምህርቶቻቸው የሚያመራው የእግዚአብሔርን ቃል መናቅ፥
• መፅሐፍቅዱስን ስልጣን አለመቀበል፥
• በቅዱሳን መካከል ልዩነትን መፍጠር፥ ኤርሚያስ 23፡2፤14 ብሎም የስጋዊነት ባህሪያት ናቸው። 2ጴጥሮስ 2፡2።
• በተቻላቸው ሁኔታ ሰዎችን ከእውነተኛ ወንጌል ለማራቅ ይጥራሉ። የሐዋሪያት 13፡8
• በተጨማሪም እወንተኛ ክርስቲያኖችንም ጭምር በትምህርታቸው ለማሳት ያላሰለሰ ጥራት ያደርጋሉ።  ማርቆስ 13፡22። ይህም በጳውሎስ ለጢሞቲዮስ በፃፈው መልክቶች  ትክክለኛ እና ጤናማ አስተምህሮ ጥቅሞችን ይገልፃል። 1 ጢሞ 4፡6 ፤2ጢሞ4፡6፥2 ፤2ጢሞ 4፡3 ቲቶ 1፡9፤2፡1

3. በመጨረሻም የሀሰተኛ ነብያት ፍሬዎች መታወቂያ በሚያሳዩት ገፀ ባህርያት እና ጠባይ ነው። በቀላሉ የሚለዩባቸው ገፀባህርያት

• ትዕብት 2ጴጥሮስ 2፡1
• ስስትነት ኤርሚያስ 8፡1 ቲቶ 1፡11 2ጵጥሮስ 2፡3፡14
• ያካሄድ ክፋት ወይም በሃጢአት ልምምዶቻቸው ኤርሚያስ 23፡11፥14፤2ጴጥሮስ 2፡14
• ስጋዊነት የተጠናወታቸው ናቸው 2 ጴጥሮስ 2፡1 ፥ 12 ፤3፡3
• በደካምና በጥፋት ውስጥ የሚነዱትን ያድናሉ። 2ጢሞቲዮስ 3፡6-7 ; 2 ጵጥሮስ 2፡14፤13
• እግዚአብሔር እናውቃለን ይላሉ ነገር ግን በስራቸው ይክዱታል። ማቴዎስ 7፡2-23; 2ጢሞቲዮስ 3፡5 ፥ቲቶ 1፡16
• ስልጣንን ለስጋቸው ፍቃድ ደስታ ያዉሉታል ደግሞም ለማንም አይታዘዙም 2ጴጥሮስ 2፡10

“ዕውር ዕውርን ሊመራ ይችላልን? ሁለቱ በጕድጓድ አይወድቁምን?” ሉቃስ 6፡39

በሰፊው ጎዳና የሚመሩ ብዙ አምላክ የለሽ መሪዎች አሉ ፍፃሜውም ጥፋት ነው። እነኚ መምህራን ማየት ይማይችሉ  ዕውር ብቻ ሳሆኑ ሌሎችንንም ወደ ጥፋት ይመራሉ። የመጨረሻውን ፍርድ እና ቅጣት የሚሰጣቸው ጌታ እራሱ ነው።

Jeff's Thoughts

Review Time blog

You tube video highlighting the notes & maps

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“The fact that the NET Bible (NT) explains itself with a wealth of detailed notes discussing matters of accuracy allows the translators to focus more on readability and eloquence in the translation without inadvertently misleading the reader about the original text. Other translations wrestle with the tension between accuracy, readability, and eloquence in the translation alone, but the NET Bible's notes have given the translators a legitimate shot at consistently balancing all three objectives. Detailed notes also ensure that every English reader can profit from reading the NET Bible (NT), regardless of the version he or she presently prefers. The NET Bible (NT) helps the reader understand why other translations read the way they do.”

J. Ed Komoszewski
Christian Research Journal
(Vol. 23, No. 2)

“One of the newest translations of the New Testament, a very ambitious work by twenty anonymous scholars, is called the NET Bible: New English Translation, (1998). It is not to be confused with the New Evangelical Translation, (NET, 1992), or the New English Bible (NEB, 1970). The NET Bible was originally (and still is) available on the Internet, and may be downloaded for free distribution. It is now also available in book form as a beautiful, hefty 843-page paperback volume. Besides containing a ‘translation that explains itself,’ it has an astounding 16,025 footnotes, consisting of ‘textual critical,’ ‘translator’s,’ and ‘study’ notes! A 10-page ‘Detailed Table of Contents’ adds to the usefulness of this unique translation. The Old Testament is presently in process of completion.”

William E. Paul
Editor, Bible Collectors’ World
(Vol. 15, No. 2, April-June 1999)

Praise for the NET-Novum Testamentum Graece New Testament:

“The NET Bible - Novum Testamentum Graece New Testament is a markstone in biblical scholarship. I wish this edition to be not only in the hands of scholars but also of all pastors around the world who have a training in New Testament Greek.”

Prof. Dr. Martin Hengel
University of Tuebingen

Endorsements by editors and translators of other Bible translations:

“The translators’ notes, study notes, and text-critical notes (over 60,000 notes altogether) alone are worth the price of the NET Bible. In our work on the fully revised NIV Study Bible of 2002, the TNIV, and the TNIV Study Bible, we consulted the NET Bible notes and were often helped by them. Kudos!”

Kenneth L. Barker
General Editor,
NIV Study Bible and TNIV Study Bible

 

Endorsements by Christian leaders:

“There are many wonderful things I could say about the NET Bible, but the most important is this: the NET Bible is a Bible you can trust. The translation is clear, accurate, and powerful. And the notes, those wonderful notes! They bring to the layman scholarly insights and discussions that have up till now been accessible only to those trained in the biblical languages. If you are serious about studying Scripture, get a copy of the NET Bible.”

Chuck Swindoll
Chancellor
Dallas Theological Seminary

“The complaint I hear from many Christians is that some of the translations of the Bible are too wooden. They are grammatically correct, but don’t seem to convey the passion of the writer. On the flip side, some paraphrases and translations convey the passion of the writer at the cost of an accurate translation. The NET Bible is the best of both worlds. The notes are helpful to the scholar and the lay person alike. This is the Bible for the next millennium.”

Tony Evans
Senior Pastor, Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship
Dallas, TX

“The NET Bible New Testament is faithful to the original Greek. It is a refreshing and radical departure from previous translations of the Bible into English. It includes extensive translators' notes explaining and defending the translation and showing other options for handling difficult passages. The translators' notes, along with the study notes and textual notes, form an excellent resource for pastors, teachers, and students of the Bible. Yet the translation itself is still easy to read and understand, well suited for pulpit use as well as personal reading and study. Highly recommended!”

Howard G. Hendricks
Distinguished Professor
Chair, Center for Christian Leadership
Dallas Theological Seminary

“The NET Bible is ingenious. Its continuously updated translation, supported by an array of quality footnotes on the original languages, will be an invaluable resource for pastors, missionaries and well-trained laymen. Bringing instant access to the best research with just a few clicks, the NET Bible has truly brought a visionary form to a timeless function. It’s a great step in the Church's preparation for the next millennium.”

Gene Getz
President, Center for Church Renewal
Pastor Emeritus, Fellowship Bible Church North
Plano, TX

Raymond E. Brown (1928 - 1998)
formerly Auburn Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Biblical Studies
Union Theological Seminary, NYC

“This Bible is a triumph: a straightforward and accurate translation that is also elegant. The annotations are much fuller and more helpful than in other popular translations, and the production of a constantly-improving electronic text brings Bible reading and Bible study into the new millennium.”

Philip R. Davies
Professor, Department of Biblical Studies
The University of Sheffield

“This is an excellent tool, a model of conciseness. It should be useful for students, translators, and those preparing to teach or preach in the church.”

William R. Farmer
Emeritus Professor of New Testament, Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University
Research Scholar, University of Dallas

“The footnotes of the NET Bible New Testament provide an invaluable resource for people who want to know the main questions of text, translation, and interpretation that scholars discuss. Given the richness of detail on these questions, nobody will agree with all the answers given here; but the answers stay on the map of well-respected positions, and other answers get an eminently fair shake. ‘Take up and read.’ There’s nothing on the market quite like it.”

Robert H. Gundry
Kathleen Smith Professor of Religious Studies
Westmont College

“I am impressed with the quantity and quality of the notes in the NET Bible. Notes in most study Bibles are rather limited, but these in the NET Bible, by contrast, are like having a mini-commentary along with the text itself. …One…project I am working with now is the Haitian Creole Study Bible, and I plan to give these translators copies of the NET Bible as an additional resource to use in preparing the study Bible in their own language. I also intend to make sure that my colleagues working in other parts of the world know about the NET Bible. It can be a valuable resource for us also, as well as the translators with whom we work.”

Roger L. Omanson
Inter-regional Translation Consultant, United Bible Societies;
formerly Associate Professor of New Testament Studies
Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

“The NET Bible NT is both a helpful translation and a significant resource to assist in understanding issues of textual criticism and exegetical importance.”

Klyne Snodgrass
Paul W. Brandel Professor of New Testament Studies
North Park Theological Seminary

“An accurate, easy to understand translation supported by thorough documentation...I find it an excellent translation and I am able to endorse it wholeheartedly.”

John F. Walvoord (1910 - 2002)
former President and Chancellor
Dallas Theological Seminary

“One word that I would use for the NET Bible is ‘accessible.’ The translators have worked hard to make recent biblical scholarship available through a readable translation and extensive notes, and the publisher is serious about making the NET Bible available on the internet for the right price--free.”

Joel F. Williams
Bible Faculty
Columbia International University, Columbia, SC

“I heartily endorse the NET Bible. It is an exciting new way to interface computer technology with biblical scholarship in an attractive and informative style. It is easy to access and user-friendly.”

Ronald D. Witherup, S.S.
formerly Academic Dean and Professor of Sacred Scripture
St. Patrick Seminary, Menlo Park, CA

“ A translation project which admirably blends the concern for readability, a clear statement of the idea of the passage and careful attention to the details of the original languages. It is a wonderful study Bible for those who want to understand the details of the passage and work with them so as to draw their own conclusions. A valuable translation for any student of the teaching of God’s Word.”

Daniel E. Buck
Assistant Professor of NT/Theology
Briercrest Bible College, Carenport, SK
Canada

“This is a very unique contribution for students of the Bible. It provides the non-Greek student with an excellent translation and insight into why the text results in a certain English reading. The specialist is provided with options and the most persuasive evidence for certain difficult decisions. It will be helpful to all who must render into any modern language the ancient biblical text.”

Daniel S. Steffen
Professor of New Testament
Seminario Teologico Centroamericano SETECA
(Central American Theological Seminary)
Guatemala

“I highly recommend The New English Translation New Testament (NET Bible NT) for anyone wishing to understand the New Testament better. It is faithful to the Greek from which it is translated and it is written in natural, readable English. Over 16,000 footnotes provide a wealth of information on the translation itself, the history, culture, geography, grammar, and other aspects of the NT which help to clarify this ancient text for the modern reader. It may be that a more valuable, concise, and accessible resource for understanding the NT is not to be found elsewhere. Oh, yes--and you cannot beat the price!”

Joseph D. Fantin
M.A. in Linguistics, Michigan State University
Th.M., Ph.D. in Biblical Studies (NT), Dallas Theological Seminary
Ph.D. in Biblical Studies, The University of Sheffield

 

Endorsements by pastors and missionaries:

“The NET Bible strikes a delicate balance between being accurate to the original biblical texts and understandable to the modern English reader. The translators have accomplished this both through their choice of words and grammatical structure and through the extensive set of footnotes they have provided. I heartily recommend it to all students of the Bible.”

Clay Porr
Campus Minister
Princeton Evangelical Fellowship
Princeton University

“I highly recommend the NET Bible, especially to missionaries with no tools in the field. In my ministry in India, I came across hundreds of village pastors with a torn Bible in their hands--that was their only tool. They have no commentaries, no concordances, no grammar helps, no cross references. What a change the NET Bible can make in those bare hands. I hope and pray more NET Bibles will be available to those village pastors in India.”

Andrew B. Spurgeon
Missionary
Help for Christian Nationals, Inc.

“Lake Ridge Bible Church continues to enjoy the use of the NET Bible in our Sunday worship services and personal Bible reading. We greatly appreciate the work and effort of so many who are putting together this excellent work.”

Larry Murray
Associate Pastor
Lake Ridge Bible Church
Mesquite, TX

“I find that having people in my congregation that bring the NET Bible to church forces me to make sure I do my homework in the Bible text. Because of the large amount of notes and the complex issues addressed in the notes, I cannot become lazy. People read the NET Bible notes as we go through the Scriptures. When it comes to discussion time, they often ask questions concerning where my conclusion differs from the conclusion presented in the NET Bible notes! The end result is a preacher that is more Biblically-literate and a congregation that is more Biblically-literate.”

Glenn L. Weaver
Pastor
Grace Community Church
Golden Valley, MN

 

 

Endorsements by seminary students:

“I am a student at the Baptist Bible Graduate School of Theology in Springfield, MO. I just wanted to let you know what a tremendous help the NET Bible has been in my Greek and Hebrew studies. The translator’s notes are easy to understand and logical in their conclusions. I have received my copy of the printed version of the NT, and I look forward to getting the OT as well.”

--Brian Longest

“...As a fourth-year seminary student, I am thrilled to have the NET translation. Throughout my education, I have been torn between using two types of Bibles. More literal translations, which seek to accurately portray the actual words and word order of the original Greek and Hebrew, often fail to reflect what the text means in today’s terms. More dynamic translations tend to speak in today’s language, but I often wonder how accurate they really are. The NET Bible offers me the best of both worlds--it is accurate, yet beautifully written in today’s language. And the extensive footnotes give me an honest look at difficult passages and alternate translations...”

--Sarah Bourgeois

“...The NET Bible is a tremendous resource. I have used its notes as a tool...to prepare Sunday school classes, sermons and Bible studies. The philosophy behind the notes is revolutionary and they have blessed my heart and mind deeply. This Bible is a beautiful translation and at the same time easy to understand. As a Hispanic, I can say that this Bible will bless many not only in the English speaking world but also people in the rest of the world whose primary language is not English. It is worth having one in your library!”

--Reinaldo Medina F.

“...This new translation with notes is especially helpful for seminary students like myself who are pressed for time and need a quick overview of the translation and exegetical issues surrounding a particular text. This translation has done a great job of being as faithful to the original text as possible without sacrificing clarity of expression or readability. The notes have gone over and above what one could expect, or even wish for, in a study Bible...”

--Brian Rombough

"I appreciate the ministry of bible.org. You're blessing immeasurable numbers of people all over the world and drawing them closer to our Lord Jesus Christ. WHAT AN AWESOME THING!!! Thank you so much."

“I absolutely love your site. I've been studying the bible 18 years. I found your site a couple months ago and it has been so helpful in deepening my understanding of the scriptures. This has become one of my top 3 resources. Kudos and to God be the Glory.”

“The bible studies on the various books of the bible are absolutely wonderful. They have been a great blessing to me while doing bible study and it is the best that I have come across on the Internet…”

“No other site has been as much help and blessing as this great treasure of truth.”

“This is MY Bible! This is the best Bible I have ever read or used. I use it all the time because it is a superior translation and the notes are excellent and the most useful. This Bible surpasses any of the translations I have on my overstuffed shelf and it is never on the shelf because I am constantly reading and pondering it. It's clear, readable, and most scholarly. I cannot thank you people enough for making this translation available”

“The day God led me to your site was indeed a happy day for me! Bible.org is the finest Christian site on the web today.... I could not possibly write a letter like this without praising the NET Bible. I printed out the preliminary version, had it bound and graduated it to my primary reader. It is without a doubt, the most accurate and best commented Bible I’ve seen. Once again my compliments on a job well done.”

“I have just been browsing the NET Bible...I have looking at my favorite, book Romans. It is magnificent, what an outstanding job you all have done on this! It is readible but accurate, scholarly without being to difficult and the notes are great insights for those of us without the advantage of knowing the original languages. I am more than impressed, I am down right anxious to get my little hands on the printed version and bring it to bear in my everyday use and study of the Word. What a blessing it will be, God is just to good.”

“I wanted to compliment those responsible for the NET Bible; I think it’s wonderful... especially a wonderful ‘jumping off point’ for study, even if I (or anyone) doesn’t fully agree with all text or commentary. It’s just GREAT. I find myself using it more and more. I wish I’d have done that! I simply love it!!!”

“...The NET Bible is an exciting development. There is so much that will help us in our walk with God and as we seek his leading to Bible College and into ministry. God Bless you in your work. Be encouraged!”

“...I just wanted to let you know how refreshing it has been to use the NET Bible in teaching the Adult Sunday School lessons at my church. I have enjoyed reading the book of Nehemiah in preparation for the lessons and using portions of it during class.”

“...As a woman’s Bible study teacher for over fifteen years, and a high school Bible teacher for three, I have found the NET Bible to be a tremendous asset to my recent preparations. I appreciate the extensive footnotes that provide pertinent material for in-depth study. The accuracy of the translation and readability of the text makes it a wonderful tool for any Bible student...”

“I have been reading my copy of the The NET Bible New Testament.... I have spent several hours enjoying it, and I must say, to put it simply, I love it! The text is very readable and flows quite nicely. But the gold is in the notes; they are fantastic! It is everything I have always wanted in a study Bible.”

“I’ve just discovered the NET Bible. My first impression was what a silly idea, because the Bible on disk is so common. But when I delved into it, I was really impressed! I’ve bookmarked the NET Bible.... Brilliant! Thank you!”

“...Scripture passages that I committed to memory years ago became more clear to me when I read them in the NET translation. In reading the NET text and the detailed footnotes, it is obvious that a great deal of thought has gone into choosing terminology that conveys appropriate meaning to the average English reader, while also staying true to the original text...”

“...The NET Bible is eminently readable and very understandable. The notes explaining a translator’s choices, and why the NET translators made their particular choice, are very helpful to a student of the Bible who is unschooled in its original languages. I highly recommend it...”

“...As accuracy and readability are so important in Bible Study, we appreciate The Net Bible. The footnotes give added clarity and insight. The Net Bible is a wonderful aid to those who are serious about the study of God’s word.”

“...I recently purchased a NET Bible New Testament, and I just wanted to tell you how wonderful I think it is. It is what I’ve looked for for years: a book full of detailed translation notes for the New Testament. I can’t say enough good about it. Anyway, great, great, great! That’s all I want to say....May the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who GLORIOUSLY raised Christ from the dead by the Holy Spirit bless you all richly in Christ Jesus and reward you for all your hard work in service of the Master!”

“...Today I discovered the NET Bible translation on your web site. It’s very nice and easy to understand, also for people who don’t have English as their native language. God bless you with this project.”

“...I’ve been enjoying reading this translation. It’s easy to read... it actually makes sense. I also enjoy the footnotes which are generously used, and often contain the Greek words. I especially enjoy the use of Greek-related footnotes since I’m currently studying Greek.”

“G’day… I am just writing to tell you that I love the NET Bible. A most worthwhile and interesting project. Thank you to all who are working on it. I love the footnotes...” (from Australia)

“I like the NET Bible and the way that there are footnotes specifying which ancient authorities render a given passage in a given way. I find the many translations which say ‘Other ancient authorities,’ etc., are not very helpful!”

“...I’m happy to know an updated translation is in the works that emphasizes both accuracy and readability. I'm anxiously waiting for its completion!”

“...Many, many thanks for making a Bible available online!”

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