网上牧师杂志–中文版（简体）, SCh Ed, Issue 41 2021 年秋季

A ministry of…

Author: Dr. Roger Pascoe, President,
Email: [email protected]

I.加强讲解式讲道
传讲希伯来诗歌（第二部分）

在上一期的杂志中（2021夏），我介绍了一些希伯来诗的文学特色。我们讨论了…

A.诗篇的类型

B.诗篇修辞的目的和功能

C.希伯来诗修辞的结构

D.希伯来诗的文学手法

…在这里，我将简要介绍希伯来诗歌布道的另外两个方面…

E.希伯来诗讲道方面的应用

一般来说，要确保你解释和应用每一首诗篇都与它的神学和历史背景相一致。虽然诗篇作者和神百姓的困境或抱怨一般也可能是我们的困境或抱怨，但我们必须确保不要总试图把诗篇作者的境况直接转移到我们自己身上。比如，和诗篇作者不同，我们并非在绝望中等待，期望未来弥赛亚的救赎—从我们在救赎历史中所处的位置，弥赛亚已经来了。因此，这使我们有了一个不同的视角，即使我们可能与诗篇作者有相似的生活环境。

但不论怎样，传讲希伯来诗帮助我们的听众获得一些能够应用于生活不同领域的圣经化的实用的观点。

1.希伯来诗描述了真实的事件和经历。比如，大卫犯罪通奸，之后他深刻认识到自己的罪过，良心日夜折磨他（诗51:3）。实际上，有一段时间，当他试图掩盖自己的罪时，他表现出来内在的沉默和外在的呻吟的强烈的身心反应（诗32:3-4）。

这些诗篇描述了一个未加掩饰的真实的经历。虽然你可能没有犯这样的罪，但我认为我们可能都因为生活中的罪有过相似的经历，直到我们坦白，悔改，与神和好，与我们所得罪的人和好。

2.希伯来诗就像诗歌音乐，激发我们从永恒的角度来看我们的生活环境。比如，哈巴谷3:17-19是一个极好的极有诗意的动力，让我们即使在生命和未来看起来暗淡的时候，仍然在神里面有希望。

3.希伯来诗激发我们的情感，与作者的个人经历和回应产生认同。比如，我们认同在诗篇73中，诗人看到恶人的明显繁荣，而他自己的处境却与此相反所产生的困惑。

圣经的诗歌涵盖了人类情感的所有范围。当你传讲圣经诗歌的时候，要把这点指出来，因为我们都是有情感的受造物，我们需要知道如何在神面前表达我们对各种生活情况的情感反应。

4.希伯来诗拓展我们的想象力。神创造我们，不但赋予了我们情感，也赋予了我们想象力。当你讲圣经诗歌的时候，尝试闭上你的眼睛，在脑海中恰当地谨慎地重现当时的场景。有三个诗歌特征，可以在这方面帮助你。

a)确定修辞—他们会帮助你描绘作者的处境。诗篇40:1描述作者的行动，就像其他人描述的那样，“从泥潭到唱诗班”。从作者的叙述中，可以想象他从绝望的深渊中爬出来，开始歌颂神（参见诗42:1；哀1:14）。能够看到和理解比喻很重要，比如拟人、明喻、隐喻等。

b)注意语言的直白——它有助于你理解作者的严肃性。在耶利米书20章，当耶利米被锁在枷里，他回想神对他的应许，要保护他。在20:7-10，作者在绝望中，接着在20:13中，他又充满了希望，20:14-18中他又再度失望。这种对作者情感变化的坦白表达，有助于我们理解作者生活状况的严重性和他的反应。

c)欣赏语言的丰满——它向你揭示作者的主题。比如，劝戒以色列人悔改之后（何14:1-3），作者描述了神恢复以色列的全部的过程—他们从悖逆中更新，他们新生命的复兴和他们回归到神面前（何14:4-7）（这就是作者的主题所在）。

5.希伯来诗帮助我们的理解。我们在试图理解希伯来诗时，要认识到它对各种诗歌文学手法的运用。比如…

a)平行。在上一期的杂志中，我已经详细地讨论过这个问题（2021夏）。补充一点，闪语诗歌（希伯来语属于闪语）的本质就是它的平行结构。希伯来诗主要根据回声的原则—作者喊出来，就会像回声一样被重复。例如，诗篇1:5，“当审判的时候恶人必站立不住（喊出）…罪人在义人的会中也是如此（回声）”。注意“恶人”等同于“罪人”（同义平行）；“审判”与“义人的会“相反”（对立/反义平行）。因此，作者通过诗歌的平行手法，描述了这样一个真理:当恶人被审判时，他们不会参与到义人的会中。

b)重复。这有几个例子：

诗篇136，“他的慈爱永远长存”（在26节的每节中重复出现）。

以赛亚5，“祸哉，那些…”(在第5章8, 11, 18, 20, 21, 22节中重复了6次)，直到“祸哉，我..”达到高潮（6:5）。说其他人祸哉容易，但是也应该包括我们自己。

.阿摩斯4：“你们仍不归向我，这是耶和华说的”，在第4章6,8,9,10,11中多次重复，最后以警告“…当预备迎接你的神”（4:12）而告终。

c)文字游戏。耶利米书1:11用一颗杏树做象征。杏树被称为“守望或觉醒树”，因为它是春天第一个开花的树。因此，在文字游戏中，神说，“我在留意保守（耶1:12）”——“留意保守”与“杏树”的单词只有一个字母的差别。每年耶利米看到杏树开花，而神也仍旧在留意保守来成就他的话。

另外，在阿摩斯书8:1中，神向先知指示了一筐无花果。这是夏天最后的果实。因此，神说，“结局到了”（8:2）. 我们大多数人读旧约，读的都是我们自己语言的翻译版本，使得我们很难看出里面的文字游戏。

d)比喻。诗篇1把一个敬虔的人比作“一棵树栽在溪水旁”（节3）与不敬虔的人就像“糠秕被风吹散”（节4）形成对比。因此通过使用明喻，形成鲜明的对比—敬虔的人，道德和属灵的状况稳定、强劲、不可摇动，而不敬虔的人，道德和属灵状况不稳定，不断变化，不结果子（参考赛17:12-13）。

f) 离合。离合诗是用字母表中的字母组成一个单词或短语的作品。这种文学手法就像一种记忆系统。这些圣经离合诗中最有名的可能是诗篇第119篇。该诗篇中，希伯来字母表的22个字母分别作为每8节经文的开头字母。同样，耶利米哀歌也是离合形式组成的。

6.希伯来诗帮助我们…

a)记住神的话—比如走、坐、站（诗1）

b)默想神的话——“耶和华是我的牧者”

c)管理神的话，比如一篇讲道（例如诗篇23），或者一系列讲道（比如上行诗120-134）或者每种类型诗篇的一个。

7.希伯来诗提供了说明，通过…

a)引用圣经的作者来说明某一点——比如“就像诗篇作者说的…”或者“就像雅歌说的…”

b)解释一个形象、象征符号或图画—比如诗篇23:1，“耶和华是我的牧者”。

c)把一句经文应用到其他经文。比如诗篇107:29应用于马太8:23-27。

8.希伯来诗为我们提供了模仿的模式，比如…

a)坦白罪（比如诗篇51）

b)信靠神（如诗篇27:3）

c)颂赞神的荣耀——比如…

诗篇19:1-6，创造中神的荣耀

诗篇106，历史中神的荣耀

弥迦书7:18-19，救赎中神的荣耀

F.传讲诗歌作品的两个有用的提示

如果你做一系列诗篇的讲道，对诗篇的类型、背景、结构和神学作一个介绍性的讲道是很有用的。接着，当你准备你的讲道时…

1. 找出段落中概括归纳的经文，一句关键的经文总结或者确立了整个段落的立意。比如诗篇73，诗人把不敬畏神的人的生活和自己生活的相比较，不能够理解为什么恶人享平安，“…等我进了神的圣所，思想他们的结局”（73:16-17）。当他认识到神是至高无上的主宰时，一切都变得清晰起来。神会审判恶人。

你可以在约伯身上看到同样的情况。他抱怨说，在创造中可以看见神的能力，但是他的话听起来很模糊，他的行为难以理解（伯26）。但后来约伯意识到，只有亲自听到上帝的话语，才能正确理解神的作为。当然，也正是这样，当神在旋风中对他说话时，他才最终理解了神在他生命中的作为(38:1)。

2.寻找一段话的神学重点。我们从圣经的诗歌中学到了很多神学知识。因此，我们需要找到这本书以及这本书一个具体段落的神学观点。接着，我们的工作要将神学观点和生活实际联系起来。就像Graeme Goldsworthy指出，“因此，诗篇反映了神的救赎以及人类的失败…有些诗篇再现救赎历史，有些诗篇简单地颂赞神的伟大，也有些在困苦中呼求神，渴望救赎” (Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture, 196-197)。

如果你想从诗歌中传讲神学，往往需要传讲某个神学主题，这就要利用其它的经文来补充你要讲的某个特定段落，比如，诗歌提出了生活中的重大问题并且表达了抱怨，但是他们通常并不会给出一个确定的、持久的答案。约伯确实从神那里得到了答案，但却是不完全的答案。说“约伯你要相信我的主权”是一回事，的确如此，我们要相信神，但是我们需要一个更具体的答案。为此，我们作为传道人，必须求助于先知书和新约，在那里我们能够找到关于生命的意义和目的、人类经历中明显存在的不公正以及神的主权掌管这一切的确定的神学理论。在那里我们找到寻索生命意义的答案，找到了从我们的境况中得以救赎的答案，即为“救世主”的到来

II.加强圣经领导
“和好的职分，第二部分：神百姓的和好（哥后6:1-7:16）”

1. 呼吁神的百姓与神和好（6:1-2）。“我们与神同工的，也劝你们，不可徒受他的恩典”（6:1）。我们和好的职分不但直接服事于非信徒，也服事神的百姓（参照第十页的评论）。经历了发生在他们教会的败坏之后（参照哥前），哥林多人确实需要与神和好。在服事中，我们是“神的同工”（哥前3:9），是“与神同工的”（哥后6:1a）。这是神的事工，我们与他同工，是他的使者，他的代言人，他的代表。

因此，我们不但向世界传和好的信息，也将和好的信息传给神的百姓。我们呼吁世人“与神和好”，因为他们与神之间的关系是破裂和远离的—他们从来没有与神和好过。而“我们也劝你们（哥林多信徒），‛不要徒受他的恩典′”（6:1b）。他们曾经“受过”神的恩典—也就是他们因着在基督里的恩典已经与神和好。但是很明显他们的生活并不像一个与神和好的人。就好像他们“徒受”了神的恩典——也就是他们看起来或者他们的行为并不像是已经与神和好的呢。

怎么可能徒受神的恩典？难道保罗在暗示他们从来就没有真正地与神和好过，他们所宣称的信仰是不真实的？并非如此，在保罗的心里，他从来没有怀疑过他们是真正的信徒。

难道保罗在说他们曾经得救而现在又失去了救恩？不是，因为这与新约信徒永远得救的明确教导相违背（比如腓1:6；彼前1:5；约10:27-30）。

难道保罗仍然是在对“世人”说话（哥后5:19），而不是对信徒？不，这句话中的用词（哥后6:1）显示保罗劝说的是与上一段不同的听众，因为（a）他现在说的是“你们”而不是“他们”（参考5:19）；（b）“也”说明他现在说的，是他刚刚对其他人说过的，（c）“徒受神的恩典”所指的一定是那些已经信了的人——不是世人，他们还没有“受过神恩典”的“”，更别说“徒受”。

.那么，保罗在这里为什么说不要“徒受神的恩典”。我想是因为他们的行为和理论存在问题。就他们的行为而言，很显然是属世的—他们纷争，以淫乱为傲，在法庭彼此告状，离婚等等。这一切都会引起对他们信仰是否真实的质疑。就他们的理论而言，哥林多人似乎正接受一个败坏的福音（哥后11;3-4;参考加1;6-9）。这导致保罗质疑他们信仰的真实，他们为自己而活，而不是“为替他们死而复活的主活”（哥后5:15）。这一定会导致福音在他们的生活中失去影响和见证。他们的行为就像“草木、禾秸”.而不是“金、银、宝石”（哥前3:10-15）。这导致福音在他们的实际生活中没有功效。

因为哥林多人的行为和理论，使徒保罗似乎在质疑他们信仰的真实。因此，他劝哥林多教会的人行事要与那些“领受神之恩的人”一致，使他们的信心不至成为虚空、徒然，不能结果子；使他们不至与他们宣称的信仰违背；不至离开先前从保罗所听见所接受的；使他们不至被证明像夏娃一样被撒旦诱惑，失去“那向基督所存纯一清洁的心”（哥后11:3）。

我们很容易把神的恩典变成放纵肉体的情欲、淫荡，从而使我们的信心不结果子、成为空虚、缺乏果效、能力和实质。我们很容易说相信基督的福音，行事却与之相反。我想当我们允许罪在我们生活中存在时，我们每个人在某种程度上都会时不时犯这样的错误。但是“我们若认自己的罪，神是信实的，是公义的，必要赦免我们的罪，洗净我们一切的不义”（约一1:9），使我们不活在这样的罪里，不使它成为我们的特征，以至于我们不使神的恩典成为无用和虚空，没有影响，只是空话，没有现实。

” 作为提醒，保罗说，“因为他说′在悦纳的时候，我应允了你；在拯救的日子，我搭救了你‛”（6:2）。通过引用以赛亚书，保罗提醒哥林多教会的人，神设定了一个得救的日子，福音被传给他们；一个“悦纳的时候”，神垂听并帮助他们；当保罗，神的使者，向他们宣讲福音的那个时候，当他们回应和好的信息，“接受神的恩典”的那个时候。

“现在正是悦纳的时候”。“现在”意味着恩典的当下，就是他们积极地回应先知以赛亚的呼召的时候（参考赛49:8）。“现在”是“主悦纳的时候”（路4:18-19；参考赛49:8-9；61:1-2）。这不是“蒙昧无知的时候”（徒17:30）神并不监察，而是神所定的日子，“吩咐各处的人都要悔改”（徒17:30）。这是悦纳的时候，因为神已经预定——“及至日期满足，神就差遣他的儿子…”（加4:4）.这就是为什么这是主悦纳的时候，因为基督已经来了，福音的丰满已经向我们显明。

“现在正是拯救的日子”。这是神在基督里恩典的时候，呼召人悔改并相信福音。所以，不要忘记你得救的那天。那是神所预定的一天，你生命中重要的一天。我们应该永远记住神在基督里为我们所做的以及按着神意旨所决定的，它在我们生命中成为实际的那一天。因此，不要活得像徒受神的恩典一样。这才是重点！

所以，首先，保罗“呼吁神的百姓与神和好”（6:1-2）。接着他…

2. 呼吁神的百姓与神的执事和好（6:3-7:16）。哥林多教会的人不但需要与神和好，证明他们没有“徒受神的恩典”，而且他们需要与保罗，那个将神恩典的福音传给他们的人和好。保罗最大的称赞就是他事奉上的真实（参考2:17；4:2）。所以，首先，基于他值得称赞的事工，他呼吁他们与他和好，提醒他们他值得效仿的生命，他的生命使得他的事工和本人值得认可。其次，他呼吁他们与他和好，因为他牧养的心肠，提醒他们他对他们的关心、奉献和体贴。

a)基于一个值得称赞的事工，呼吁和好（6:3-10）。“我们凡事都不叫人有妨碍，免得这职分被人毁谤，反倒在各样事上表明自己是神的用人…”（6:3-4a）

如果哥林多教会的人生活和思想的方式与福音相违背，那么他们受了谁的恩典；如果他们因为错误的原因与保罗疏远，那么他们必须思考这个将福音传给他们的人的生命和事工。如果一个福音执事不能活出一个模范的生命，他对听众的呼吁就没有任何意义（6:1-2）。如果这个执事本人不真实，那么与神的百姓和好就没有可能。实际上，这个真诚的执事不想让他里面的任何东西拦阻或者减损神的工作。神的执事必须“凡事都不叫人有妨碍”，免得妨碍神的百姓与他和好。“我们凡事都不叫人有妨碍，免得这职分被人毁谤”（6:3）。

如果一个神的执事不能够活出一个蒙神喜悦的生命（显示“神的恩”在他里面是真实的，而不是徒然的生命），那么他如此劝人有什么益处呢？如果一个执事的生命和事工不真实（也就是不值得信赖，虚假），那么他劝神的百姓与自己和好又有什么益处呢？

因此，保罗说，“我们与神同工的，也劝你们，‛不可徒受神的恩典′…我们凡事都不叫人有妨碍…反倒在各样事上表明自己是神的用人”（6:1-4a）。保罗想要向哥林多人强调，他对他们的期望，在他自己身上首先是真实的。他在凡事上都没有成为人在福音上绊跌，没有成为别人恼怒或诋毁福音的理由。这并不是说从来没有人会恼怒他说的，因为基督真实的执事所传讲的往往是“会冒犯人的”，因为它会打到人失败的地方，软弱的地方、不一致的地方，它会刺痛人的良心，它会包含他们不爱听的内容。

相反，“在各样事上表明自己是神的用人”。为了使听到福音的人不在他身上找到任何妨碍他们接受福音的地方，这个执事个人的生命（行为、言语、态度、关系等）必须与他所传讲的和好的信息完全一致。

你的个人生命和见证也在各个方面都肯定你的事工吗？你的布道很容易被一个错误的词、一种不恰当的关系、值得质疑的道德行为、不恰当的幽默、虚伪等所抵消。你很容易就成为这样的人“有敬虔的外貌，却背了敬虔的实质”（提后3:5）.

一个值得称赞的事工克服各种各样的环境，比如（i）身体上遭遇（6:4c-5）,( ii)道德标准（6:6-7b）以及（iii）矛盾的现实（6:8-10）。

(i)身体上的遭遇在这里主要指“许多的忍耐、患难、穷乏、困苦、鞭打、监禁、扰乱、勤劳、警醒、不食”（6:4b-5）。不论环境如何（参考哥后4:8-11），保罗恒心忍耐，“如同看见那不能看见的主”（来11:27）.他追求的目标是“要得神在基督耶稣里那从上头来召我所要得的奖赏”（腓3:14）。他的眼目定睛在最终的目标和他所服侍的那位，而不是定睛在人或者环境上。他的眼目不动摇。

我们这些事奉的人一定都知道事奉所需要的“许多的忍耐”，情感的需求、环境的考验、属灵的攻击、关系的断裂、体力的要求等。面对那么多的苦难、反对和困境，这就是保罗的事奉值得称赞的地方。

当我们忍受身体上的遭遇时，我们的事奉是值得称赞的（6:4b-5）。身体上的遭遇有三个方面——身体上的苦难，环境中反对和身体需要的匮乏。对艰难处境的忍耐是值得称赞的，也是一个执事真实的证明，因为如果不是真心的，谁会忍受这样的痛苦。

身体上的遭遇被描述为“患难，穷乏和困苦”（6:4b）。这三连词用三个相互关联的词来描述一般事奉中会遇到的苦难

“患难”意味着不仅仅是简单的麻烦。它似乎是各种痛苦的总称。Vine将患难定义为由于环境的压力或者人的反对而遭受的痛苦（帖前3:4；帖后1:6,7）。它似乎有一种末世论的含义（太24:9）。Vine说，它指的是“从外面临到他们的”（W. E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of N.T. Words, 30, 31）。它似乎与痛苦，困苦，灾难密切相关。

保罗的“患难”记载在使徒行传里（比如14:22；20:23；参考提后3:11），他在书信里常常对他们提到（比如罗8:35-36；哥后1:4,8；2:4；4:8,17；8:2,13：帖前3:3）。他的患难是“基督患难”的延伸，保罗因此得到安慰（西1:24）。这就是事奉生活的一部分（提后4:5）。耶稣警告过“在世上你们有苦难”（约16:33），在事奉中正是这样。

“艰难（和合本译作“穷乏”）”指临到我们的危险和难处，而“困苦”意味着你被逼到一个狭窄的地步，不能脱离。所以身体上的遭遇包括身体上的苦难，也包括…

环境中的反对指的是“挨打(和合本译作“鞭打”)、监禁、扰乱…”（6:5a）。这三个词集中描写在敌对我们的人手里我们会遭受的不正当待遇—因迫害、暴力和敌对而受的苦。很明显， “挨打”包括鞭打或拳打，保罗遭受过很多。“监禁”是因诬告而受苦—尤其是，因为福音的缘故被扔在监狱里（参考徒16:24；24:23-27；28:16,20）。“扰乱”指的是骚乱和众人袭击之类的，就像我们在使徒行转中经常会看到的（参考徒13:45；14:19；17:5；18:12-17；19:29；21:30；22:22-23；23:10’）。

所以因为事奉受苦包括身体上的苦难，环境中的反对，以及…

身体需求的匮乏指“…勤劳、警醒、不食”（6:5b）。这最后三个词描述了一个人全身心投入事工，在艰苦的环境中（比如陌生、国外）因过度劳累、没有足够的休息和饮食而遭受的身体上的后果。“勤劳”指的是没有休息，因为长时间艰难的工作而心力交瘁（参考帖前2:9）。“警醒”很显然指的没有睡眠，可能因为保罗必须睡的地方（比如船上），或者因为他对人们的关切，或者因为他的工作量（参考哥后11:27），尤其是像保罗这样做双份工作的人。“不食”指的是没有食物和营养，可能因为他的工作量太大没有时间吃或者因为他买不起食物（参考哥前4:11-12；哥后11:27）。

所以，事奉是一个要求很多忍耐的工作，因为时不时地，我们会或者必须忍受各种不同的身体上的遭遇，比如身体上的苦难，环境的反对和身体需求的匮乏。在下一期的杂志中，我会继续这个讨论。

III. 讲道大纲

题目: 像耶稣学习, 第二部分, 承认他的身份 (太 16:13-23)

主题:当我们认识基督的时候，我们必须做好准备来承认他是谁以及他都做了什么

要点 1:耶稣问了一个关于他身份的问题(16:13-20)

1a) “人说我是谁？”（16:13-14）

1b) “你们说我是谁？” (16:15-20)

-彼得的伟大认识(16:16)

-耶稣的伟大启示(16:17-20)

要点 2:耶稣预言他的受难（16:21-23）

2a)彼得劝阻耶稣(16:22)

2b)耶稣斥责彼得(16:23)

網上牧師雜誌 – 中文版（繁體）, TCh Ed, Issue 41 2021 年秋季

A ministry of…

Author: Dr. Roger Pascoe, President,
Email: [email protected]

I.加強講解式講道
傳講希伯來詩歌（第二部分）

在上一期的雜誌中（2021夏），我介紹了一些希伯來詩的文學特色。我們討論了…

A.詩篇的類型

B.詩篇修辭的目的和功能

C.希伯來詩修辭的結構

D.希伯來詩的文學手法

…在這裡，我將簡要介紹希伯來詩歌佈道的另外兩個方面…

E.希伯來詩講道方面的應用

一般來說，要確保你解釋和應用每一首詩篇都與它的神學和歷史背景相一致。雖然詩篇作者和神百姓的困境或抱怨一般也可能是我們的困境或抱怨，但我們必須確保不要總試圖把詩篇作者的境況直接轉移到我們自己身上。比如，和詩篇作者不同，我們並非在絕望中等待，期望未來彌賽亞的救贖—從我們在救贖歷史中所處的位置，彌賽亞已經來了。因此，這使我們有了一個不同的視角，即使我們可能與詩篇作者有相似的生活環境。

但不論怎樣，傳講希伯來詩幫助我們的聽眾獲得一些能夠應用於生活不同領域的聖經化的實用的觀點。

1.希伯來詩描述了真實的事件和經歷。比如，大衛犯罪通姦，之後他深刻認識到自己的罪過，良心日夜折磨他（詩51:3）。實際上，有一段時間，當他試圖掩蓋自己的罪時，他表現出來內在的沉默和外在的呻吟的強烈的身心反應（詩32:3-4）。

這些詩篇描述了一個未加掩飾的真實的經歷。雖然你可能沒有犯這樣的罪，但我認為我們可能都因為生活中的罪有過相似的經歷，直到我們坦白，悔改，與神和好，與我們所得罪的人和好。

2.希伯來詩就像詩歌音樂，激發我們從永恆的角度來看我們的生活環境。比如，哈巴穀3:17-19是一個極好的極有詩意的動力，讓我們即使在生命和未來看起來暗淡的時候，仍然在神裡面有希望。

3.希伯來詩激發我們的情感，與作者的個人經歷和回應產生認同。比如，我們認同在詩篇73中，詩人看到惡人的明顯繁榮，而他自己的處境卻與此相反所產生的困惑。

聖經的詩歌涵蓋了人類情感的所有範圍。當你傳講聖經詩歌的時候，要把這點指出來，因為我們都是有情感的受造物，我們需要知道如何在神面前表達我們對各種生活情況的情感反應。

4.希伯來詩拓展我們的想像力。神創造我們，不但賦予了我們情感，也賦予了我們想像力。當你講聖經詩歌的時候，嘗試閉上你的眼睛，在腦海中恰當地謹慎地重現當時的場景。有三個詩歌特徵，可以在這方面幫助你。

a)確定修辭—他們會幫助你描繪作者的處境。詩篇40:1描述作者的行動，就像其他人描述的那樣，“從泥潭到唱詩班”。從作者的敘述中，可以想像他從絕望的深淵中爬出來，開始歌頌神（參見詩42:1；哀1:14）。能夠看到和理解比喻很重要，比如擬人、明喻、隱喻等。

b)注意語言的直白——它有助於你理解作者的嚴肅性。在耶利米書20章，當耶利米被鎖在枷裡，他回想神對他的應許，要保護他。在20:7-10，作者在絕望中，接著在20:13中，他又充滿了希望，20:14-18中他又再度失望。這種對作者情感變化的坦白表達，有助於我們理解作者生活狀況的嚴重性和他的反應。

c)欣賞語言的豐滿——它向你揭示作者的主題。比如，勸戒以色列人悔改之後（何14:1-3），作者描述了神恢復以色列的全部的過程—他們從悖逆中更新，他們新生命的復興和他們回歸到神面前（何14:4-7）（這就是作者的主題所在）。

5.希伯來詩幫助我們的理解。我們在試圖理解希伯來詩時，要認識到它對各種詩歌文學手法的運用。比如…

a)平行。在上一期的雜誌中，我已經詳細地討論過這個問題（2021夏）。補充一點，閃語詩歌（希伯來語屬於閃語）的本質就是它的平行結構。希伯來詩主要根據回聲的原則—作者喊出來，就會像回聲一樣被重複。例如，詩篇1:5，“當審判的時候惡人必站立不住（喊出）…罪人在義人的會中也是如此（回聲）”。注意“惡人”等同于“罪人”（同義平行）；“審判”與“義人的會“相反”（對立/反義平行）。因此，作者通過詩歌的平行手法，描述了這樣一個真理:當惡人被審判時，他們不會參與到義人的會中。

b)重複。這有幾個例子：

詩篇136，“他的慈愛永遠長存”（在26節的每節中重複出現）。

以賽亞5，“禍哉，那些…”(在第5章8, 11, 18, 20, 21, 22節中重複了6次)，直到“禍哉，我..”達到高潮（6:5）。說其他人禍哉容易，但是也應該包括我們自己。

.阿摩斯4：“你們仍不歸向我，這是耶和華說的”，在第4章6,8,9,10,11中多次重複，最後以警告“…當預備迎接你的神”（4:12）而告終。

c)文字遊戲。耶利米書1:11用一顆杏樹做象徵。杏樹被稱為“守望或覺醒樹”，因為它是春天第一個開花的樹。因此，在文字遊戲中，神說，“我在留意保守（耶1:12）”——“留意保守”與“杏樹”的單詞只有一個字母的差別。每年耶利米看到杏樹開花，而神也仍舊在留意保守來成就他的話。

另外，在阿摩斯書8:1中，神向先知指示了一筐無花果。這是夏天最後的果實。因此，神說，“結局到了”（8:2）. 我們大多數人讀舊約，讀的都是我們自己語言的翻譯版本，使得我們很難看出裡面的文字遊戲。

d)比喻。詩篇1把一個敬虔的人比作“一棵樹栽在溪水旁”（節3）與不敬虔的人就像“糠秕被風吹散”（節4）形成對比。因此通過使用明喻，形成鮮明的對比—敬虔的人，道德和屬靈的狀況穩定、強勁、不可搖動，而不敬虔的人，道德和屬靈狀況不穩定，不斷變化，不結果子（參考賽17:12-13）。

f) 離合。離合詩是用字母表中的字母組成一個單詞或短語的作品。這種文學手法就像一種記憶系統。這些聖經離合詩中最有名的可能是詩篇第119篇。該詩篇中，希伯來字母表的22個字母分別作為每8節經文的開頭字母。同樣，耶利米哀歌也是離合形式組成的。

6.希伯來詩幫助我們…

a)記住神的話—比如走、坐、站（詩1）

b)默想神的話——“耶和華是我的牧者”

c)管理神的話，比如一篇講道（例如詩篇23），或者一系列講道（比如上行詩120-134）或者每種類型詩篇的一個。

7.希伯來詩提供了說明，通過…

a)引用聖經的作者來說明某一點——比如“就像詩篇作者說的…”或者“就像雅歌說的…”

b)解釋一個形象、象徵符號或圖畫—比如詩篇23:1，“耶和華是我的牧者”。

c)把一句經文應用到其他經文。比如詩篇107:29應用于馬太8:23-27。

8.希伯來詩為我們提供了模仿的模式，比如…

a)坦白罪（比如詩篇51）

b)信靠神（如詩篇27:3）

c)頌贊神的榮耀——比如…

詩篇19:1-6，創造中神的榮耀

詩篇106，歷史中神的榮耀

彌迦書7:18-19，救贖中神的榮耀

F.傳講詩歌作品的兩個有用的提示

如果你做一系列詩篇的講道，對詩篇的類型、背景、結構和神學作一個介紹性的講道是很有用的。接著，當你準備你的講道時…

1. 找出段落中概括歸納的經文，一句關鍵的經文總結或者確立了整個段落的立意。比如詩篇73，詩人把不敬畏神的人的生活和自己生活的相比較，不能夠理解為什麼惡人享平安，“…等我進了神的聖所，思想他們的結局”（73:16-17）。當他認識到神是至高無上的主宰時，一切都變得清晰起來。神會審判惡人。

你可以在約伯身上看到同樣的情況。他抱怨說，在創造中可以看見神的能力，但是他的話聽起來很模糊，他的行為難以理解（伯26）。但後來約伯意識到，只有親自聽到上帝的話語，才能正確理解神的作為。當然，也正是這樣，當神在旋風中對他說話時，他才最終理解了神在他生命中的作為(38:1)。

2.尋找一段話的神學重點。我們從聖經的詩歌中學到了很多神學知識。因此，我們需要找到這本書以及這本書一個具體段落的神學觀點。接著，我們的工作要將神學觀點和生活實際聯繫起來。就像Graeme Goldsworthy指出，“因此，詩篇反映了神的救贖以及人類的失敗…有些詩篇再現救贖歷史，有些詩篇簡單地頌贊神的偉大，也有些在困苦中呼求神，渴望救贖” (Preaching the Whole Bible as Christian Scripture, 196-197)。

如果你想從詩歌中傳講神學，往往需要傳講某個神學主題，這就要利用其它的經文來補充你要講的某個特定段落，比如，詩歌提出了生活中的重大問題並且表達了抱怨，但是他們通常並不會給出一個確定的、持久的答案。約伯確實從神那裡得到了答案，但卻是不完全的答案。說“約伯你要相信我的主權”是一回事，的確如此，我們要相信神，但是我們需要一個更具體的答案。為此，我們作為傳道人，必須求助於先知書和新約，在那裡我們能夠找到關於生命的意義和目的、人類經歷中明顯存在的不公正以及神的主權掌管這一切的確定的神學理論。在那裡我們找到尋索生命意義的答案，找到了從我們的境況中得以救贖的答案，即為“救世主”的到來

II.加強聖經領導
“和好的職分，第二部分：神百姓的和好（哥後6:1-7:16）”

1. 呼籲神的百姓與神和好（6:1-2）。“我們與神同工的，也勸你們，不可徒受他的恩典”（6:1）。我們和好的職分不但直接服事于非信徒，也服事神的百姓（參照第十頁的評論）。經歷了發生在他們教會的敗壞之後（參照哥前），哥林多人確實需要與神和好。在服事中，我們是“神的同工”（哥前3:9），是“與神同工的”（哥後6:1a）。這是神的事工，我們與他同工，是他的使者，他的代言人，他的代表。

因此，我們不但向世界傳和好的資訊，也將和好的資訊傳給神的百姓。我們呼籲世人“與神和好”，因為他們與神之間的關係是破裂和遠離的—他們從來沒有與神和好過。而“我們也勸你們（哥林多信徒），‛不要徒受他的恩典′”（6:1b）。他們曾經“受過”神的恩典—也就是他們因著在基督裡的恩典已經與神和好。但是很明顯他們的生活並不像一個與神和好的人。就好像他們“徒受”了神的恩典——也就是他們看起來或者他們的行為並不像是已經與神和好的呢。

怎麼可能徒受神的恩典？難道保羅在暗示他們從來就沒有真正地與神和好過，他們所宣稱的信仰是不真實的？並非如此，在保羅的心裡，他從來沒有懷疑過他們是真正的信徒。

難道保羅在說他們曾經得救而現在又失去了救恩？不是，因為這與新約信徒永遠得救的明確教導相違背（比如腓1:6；彼前1:5；約10:27-30）。

難道保羅仍然是在對“世人”說話（哥後5:19），而不是對信徒？不，這句話中的用詞（哥後6:1）顯示保羅勸說的是與上一段不同的聽眾，因為（a）他現在說的是“你們”而不是“他們”（參考5:19）；（b）“也”說明他現在說的，是他剛剛對其他人說過的，（c）“徒受神的恩典”所指的一定是那些已經信了的人——不是世人，他們還沒有“受過神恩典”的“”，更別說“徒受”。

.那麼，保羅在這裡為什麼說不要“徒受神的恩典”。我想是因為他們的行為和理論存在問題。就他們的行為而言，很顯然是屬世的—他們紛爭，以淫亂為傲，在法庭彼此告狀，離婚等等。這一切都會引起對他們信仰是否真實的質疑。就他們的理論而言，哥林多人似乎正接受一個敗壞的福音（哥後11;3-4;參考加1;6-9）。這導致保羅質疑他們信仰的真實，他們為自己而活，而不是“為替他們死而復活的主活”（哥後5:15）。這一定會導致福音在他們的生活中失去影響和見證。他們的行為就像“草木、禾秸”.而不是“金、銀、寶石”（哥前3:10-15）。這導致福音在他們的實際生活中沒有功效。

因為哥林多人的行為和理論，使徒保羅似乎在質疑他們信仰的真實。因此，他勸哥林多教會的人行事要與那些“領受神之恩的人”一致，使他們的信心不至成為虛空、徒然，不能結果子；使他們不至與他們宣稱的信仰違背；不至離開先前從保羅所聽見所接受的；使他們不至被證明像夏娃一樣被撒旦誘惑，失去“那向基督所存純一清潔的心”（哥後11:3）。

我們很容易把神的恩典變成放縱肉體的情欲、淫蕩，從而使我們的信心不結果子、成為空虛、缺乏果效、能力和實質。我們很容易說相信基督的福音，行事卻與之相反。我想當我們允許罪在我們生活中存在時，我們每個人在某種程度上都會時不時犯這樣的錯誤。但是“我們若認自己的罪，神是信實的，是公義的，必要赦免我們的罪，洗淨我們一切的不義”（約一1:9），使我們不活在這樣的罪裡，不使它成為我們的特徵，以至於我們不使神的恩典成為無用和虛空，沒有影響，只是空話，沒有現實。

” 作為提醒，保羅說，“因為他說′在悅納的時候，我應允了你；在拯救的日子，我搭救了你‛”（6:2）。通過引用以賽亞書，保羅提醒哥林多教會的人，神設定了一個得救的日子，福音被傳給他們；一個“悅納的時候”，神垂聽並幫助他們；當保羅，神的使者，向他們宣講福音的那個時候，當他們回應和好的資訊，“接受神的恩典”的那個時候。

“現在正是悅納的時候”。“現在”意味著恩典的當下，就是他們積極地回應先知以賽亞的呼召的時候（參考賽49:8）。“現在”是“主悅納的時候”（路4:18-19；參考賽49:8-9；61:1-2）。這不是“蒙昧無知的時候”（徒17:30）神並不監察，而是神所定的日子，“吩咐各處的人都要悔改”（徒17:30）。這是悅納的時候，因為神已經預定——“及至日期滿足，神就差遣他的兒子…”（加4:4）.這就是為什麼這是主悅納的時候，因為基督已經來了，福音的豐滿已經向我們顯明。

“現在正是拯救的日子”。這是神在基督裡恩典的時候，呼召人悔改並相信福音。所以，不要忘記你得救的那天。那是神所預定的一天，你生命中重要的一天。我們應該永遠記住神在基督裡為我們所做的以及按著神意旨所決定的，它在我們生命中成為實際的那一天。因此，不要活得像徒受神的恩典一樣。這才是重點！

所以，首先，保羅“呼籲神的百姓與神和好”（6:1-2）。接著他…

2. 呼籲神的百姓與神的執事和好（6:3-7:16）。哥林多教會的人不但需要與神和好，證明他們沒有“徒受神的恩典”，而且他們需要與保羅，那個將神恩典的福音傳給他們的人和好。保羅最大的稱讚就是他事奉上的真實（參考2:17；4:2）。所以，首先，基於他值得稱讚的事工，他呼籲他們與他和好，提醒他們他值得效仿的生命，他的生命使得他的事工和本人值得認可。其次，他呼籲他們與他和好，因為他牧養的心腸，提醒他們他對他們的關心、奉獻和體貼。

a)基於一個值得稱讚的事工，呼籲和好（6:3-10）。“我們凡事都不叫人有妨礙，免得這職分被人譭謗，反倒在各樣事上表明自己是神的用人…”（6:3-4a）

如果哥林多教會的人生活和思想的方式與福音相違背，那麼他們受了誰的恩典；如果他們因為錯誤的原因與保羅疏遠，那麼他們必須思考這個將福音傳給他們的人的生命和事工。如果一個福音執事不能活出一個模範的生命，他對聽眾的呼籲就沒有任何意義（6:1-2）。如果這個執事本人不真實，那麼與神的百姓和好就沒有可能。實際上，這個真誠的執事不想讓他裡面的任何東西攔阻或者減損神的工作。神的執事必須“凡事都不叫人有妨礙”，免得妨礙神的百姓與他和好。“我們凡事都不叫人有妨礙，免得這職分被人譭謗”（6:3）。

如果一個神的執事不能夠活出一個蒙神喜悅的生命（顯示“神的恩”在他裡面是真實的，而不是徒然的生命），那麼他如此勸人有什麼益處呢？如果一個執事的生命和事工不真實（也就是不值得信賴，虛假），那麼他勸神的百姓與自己和好又有什麼益處呢？

因此，保羅說，“我們與神同工的，也勸你們，‛不可徒受神的恩典′…我們凡事都不叫人有妨礙…反倒在各樣事上表明自己是神的用人”（6:1-4a）。保羅想要向哥林多人強調，他對他們的期望，在他自己身上首先是真實的。他在凡事上都沒有成為人在福音上絆跌，沒有成為別人惱怒或詆毀福音的理由。這並不是說從來沒有人會惱怒他說的，因為基督真實的執事所傳講的往往是“會冒犯人的”，因為它會打到人失敗的地方，軟弱的地方、不一致的地方，它會刺痛人的良心，它會包含他們不愛聽的內容。

相反，“在各樣事上表明自己是神的用人”。為了使聽到福音的人不在他身上找到任何妨礙他們接受福音的地方，這個執事個人的生命（行為、言語、態度、關係等）必須與他所傳講的和好的資訊完全一致。

你的個人生命和見證也在各個方面都肯定你的事工嗎？ 你的佈道很容易被一個錯誤的詞、一種不恰當的關係、值得質疑的道德行為、不恰當的幽默、虛偽等所抵消。你很容易就成為這樣的人“有敬虔的外貌，卻背了敬虔的實質”（提後3:5）.

一個值得稱讚的事工克服各種各樣的環境，比如（i）身體上遭遇（6:4c-5）,( ii)道德標準（6:6-7b）以及（iii）矛盾的現實（6:8-10）。

(i)身體上的遭遇在這裡主要指“許多的忍耐、患難、窮乏、困苦、鞭打、監禁、擾亂、勤勞、警醒、不食”（6:4b-5）。不論環境如何（參考哥後4:8-11），保羅恒心忍耐，“如同看見那不能看見的主”（來11:27）.他追求的目標是“要得神在基督耶穌裡那從上頭來召我所要得的獎賞”（腓3:14）。他的眼目定睛在最終的目標和他所服侍的那位，而不是定睛在人或者環境上。他的眼目不動搖。

我們這些事奉的人一定都知道事奉所需要的“許多的忍耐”，情感的需求、環境的考驗、屬靈的攻擊、關係的斷裂、體力的要求等。面對那麼多的苦難、反對和困境，這就是保羅的事奉值得稱讚的地方。

當我們忍受身體上的遭遇時，我們的事奉是值得稱讚的（6:4b-5）。身體上的遭遇有三個方面——身體上的苦難，環境中反對和身體需要的匱乏。對艱難處境的忍耐是值得稱讚的，也是一個執事真實的證明，因為如果不是真心的，誰會忍受這樣的痛苦。

身體上的遭遇被描述為“患難，窮乏和困苦”（6:4b）。這三連詞用三個相互關聯的詞來描述一般事奉中會遇到的苦難

“患難”意味著不僅僅是簡單的麻煩。它似乎是各種痛苦的總稱。Vine將患難定義為由於環境的壓力或者人的反對而遭受的痛苦（帖前3:4；帖後1:6,7）。它似乎有一種末世論的含義（太24:9）。Vine說，它指的是“從外面臨到他們的”（W. E. Vine, Expository Dictionary of N.T. Words, 30, 31）。它似乎與痛苦，困苦，災難密切相關。

保羅的“患難”記載在使徒行傳裡（比如14:22；20:23；參考提後3:11），他在書信裡常常對他們提到（比如羅8:35-36；哥後1:4,8；2:4；4:8,17；8:2,13：帖前3:3）。他的患難是“基督患難”的延伸，保羅因此得到安慰（西1:24）。這就是事奉生活的一部分（提後4:5）。耶穌警告過“在世上你們有苦難”（約16:33），在事奉中正是這樣。

“艱難（和合本譯作“窮乏”）”指臨到我們的危險和難處，而“困苦”意味著你被逼到一個狹窄的地步，不能脫離。所以身體上的遭遇包括身體上的苦難，也包括…

環境中的反對指的是“挨打(和合本譯作“鞭打”)、監禁、擾亂…”（6:5a）。這三個詞集中描寫在敵對我們的人手裡我們會遭受的不正當待遇—因迫害、暴力和敵對而受的苦。很明顯， “挨打”包括鞭打或拳打，保羅遭受過很多。“監禁”是因誣告而受苦—尤其是，因為福音的緣故被扔在監獄裡（參考徒16:24；24:23-27；28:16,20）。“擾亂”指的是騷亂和眾人襲擊之類的，就像我們在使徒行轉中經常會看到的（參考徒13:45；14:19；17:5；18:12-17；19:29；21:30；22:22-23；23:10’）。

所以因為事奉受苦包括身體上的苦難，環境中的反對，以及…

身體需求的匱乏指“…勤勞、警醒、不食”（6:5b）。這最後三個詞描述了一個人全身心投入事工，在艱苦的環境中（比如陌生、國外）因過度勞累、沒有足夠的休息和飲食而遭受的身體上的後果。“勤勞”指的是沒有休息，因為長時間艱難的工作而心力交瘁（參考帖前2:9）。“警醒”很顯然指的沒有睡眠，可能因為保羅必須睡的地方（比如船上），或者因為他對人們的關切，或者因為他的工作量（參考哥後11:27），尤其是像保羅這樣做雙份工作的人。“不食”指的是沒有食物和營養，可能因為他的工作量太大沒有時間吃或者因為他買不起食物（參考哥前4:11-12；哥後11:27）。

所以，事奉是一個要求很多忍耐的工作，因為時不時地，我們會或者必須忍受各種不同的身體上的遭遇，比如身體上的苦難，環境的反對和身體需求的匱乏。在下一期的雜誌中，我會繼續這個討論。

III. 講道大綱

題目: 像耶穌學習, 第二部分, 承認他的身份 (太 16:13-23)

主題:當我們認識基督的時候，我們必須做好準備來承認他是誰以及他都做了什麼

要點 1:耶穌問了一個關於他身份的問題(16:13-20)

1a) “人說我是誰？”（16:13-14）

1b) “你們說我是誰？” (16:15-20)

-彼得的偉大認識(16:16)

-耶穌的偉大啟示(16:17-20)

要點 2:耶穌預言他的受難（16:21-23）

2a)彼得勸阻耶穌(16:22)

2b)耶穌斥責彼得(16:23

Q. How Can You Dismiss Speaking In Tongues From Romans 8:18-27?

Hi there,

I’ve just read your article on Romans 8:18-27 in preparation for an upcoming Sunday school lesson. Great article and thank you. However, I really disagree with your point dismissing tongues, so much so that I’ve felt compelled to contact you to say so. “Groanings which cannot be uttered” is absolutely what speaking in tongues provides. It is an undefiled language, I cannot curse in it, or take the Lord’s name. It comes from him and I express myself to him in tongues. I don’t know what I am saying when I speak in tongues. I’ve certainly never had a translation. “Groanings which cannot be uttered” is absolutely what is going on when I speak in tongues, I am unburdened, uplifted, ministered to in a Spiritual way that I could never achieve speaking English. I’ve heard rare accounts of people understanding speaking in tongues, but for the most part no one ever knows what they are saying in their own language or it wouldn’t be speaking in tongues, it would be speaking their own language! It is a pure prayer language to God. To deny yourself of this is denying yourself access to the power of God. Remember that on the day of Pentecost 3,000 received and spoke in tongues. These letters that were written were written to churches where everyone spoke in tongues.

God Bless

*****

Answer

Dear *****,

Let’s begin by being clear regarding what I did not say. I am not a cessationist, that is a person who believes that tongues cannot occur today. Neither do I accept every claim that someone is experiencing or witnessing tongues speaking. (Even the cults have their own kind of tongues experience, which is not genuine tongues.)

Here is where I disagree with what you are saying. You say,

“Remember that on the day of Pentecost 3,000 received and spoke in tongues. These letters that were written were written to churches where everyone spoke in tongues.”

Actually, that is not what we are told in acts chapters one and two:

15 At this time Peter stood up in the midst of the brethren (a gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together), and said, 16 “Brethren, the Scripture had to be fulfilled, which the Holy Spirit foretold by the mouth of David concerning Judas, who became a guide to those who arrested Jesus (Acts 1:15-16).

1 When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a noise like a violent rushing wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. 3 And there appeared to them tongues as of fire distributing themselves, and they rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance. 5 Now there were Jews living in Jerusalem, devout men from every nation under heaven. 6 And when this sound occurred, the crowd came together, and were bewildered because each one of them was hearing them speak in his own language. 7 They were amazed and astonished, saying, “Why, are not all these who are speaking Galileans? 8 “And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born? (Acts 2:1-8)

37 Now when they heard this, they were pierced to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brethren, what shall we do?” 38 Peter said to them, “Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 “For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself.” 40 And with many other words he solemnly testified and kept on exhorting them, saying, “Be saved from this perverse generation!” 41 So then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were added about three thousand souls. 42 They were continually devoting themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe; and many wonders and signs were taking place through the apostles. 44 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; 45 and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need. 46 Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved (Acts 2:37-47).

It seems clear to me that all 120 of those gathered did speak in tongues, and that while it was a language unknown to the speaker, it was a language known to some in the much larger audience of those who gathered to witness this event. Of these, 3,000 came to faith. They were promised to receive the Spirit, and that might have resulted in tongues, but if that were so (something we are not actually told) then we would expect the “tongues” the 3,000 spoke to be like those tongues spoken by the 120 (or at least that we would have some indication that they were different).

Here’s my problem. You write that Paul’s letters were written to churches where everyone spoke in tongues. That is simply not so. Listen to what Paul says about spiritual gifts:

27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. 29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they? 30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they? 31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts. And I show you a still more excellent way. (1 Corinthians 12:27-31).

Paul clearly says that all do not speak in tongues, just as not everyone has the gift of healing, or the gift of teaching.

It is also interesting to note that while the gift of tongues was the most highly valued gift among the Corinthians, and thus sought by many, Paul makes it clear that tongues is not the ultimate gift. Strangely, the Corinthians looked down on prophecy, in favor of tongues. Everyone does not speak in tongues, and tongues is not the greatest gift.

While you admit that you have not witnessed tongues being interpreted, Paul places a very strong emphasis on the importance of interpretation, to the extent that if a known interpreter is not present when the church gathers, un-interpreted tongues is not to occur (other than quietly within the speaker, who speaks to himself and to God – 1 Corinthians 14:28). Paul is very clear in 1 Corinthians 14 that if tongues are not able to be interpreted, they should not be publicly exercised in the church meeting (1 Corinthians 14:1-25). Paul also says that he would rather speak five words that he understood than 10,000 utterances that he did not understand. If tongues are to edify, they need to be interpreted.

You say this as well:

“It is an undefiled language, I cannot curse in it, or take the Lord’s name. It comes from him and I express myself to him in tongues. I don’t know what I am saying when I speak in tongues. I’ve certainly never had a translation.”

Paul warns the Corinthians in this way:

1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:1-3).

Paul reminds the Corinthians that are other “spirits” at work in the world, and that they were formerly “spirit led” as pagans, but it was not the leading of the Holy Spirit. Then he gives a way of testing the spirits. When under the control of the Holy Spirit, one cannot say, “Jesus is accursed.” One can only say (when under the Holy Spirit’s control) “Jesus is Lord.” But you are seeking to defend a tongues experience that happens when you don’t know the words that are being spoken. How can you test the spirit without hearing actual words you understand?

I am not saying that the Spirit cannot convey our inward groanings to God. I am saying that since the gift of tongues is not a gift all can possess, then by your explanation, in Romans 8:17ff. not every Christian’s groanings will be conveyed to God because not every Christian can or does speak in tongues.

In all this, I am not seeking to disprove that someone can speak in tongues, but rather to caution you to understand and explain tongues, not so much in terms of your experience, but in terms that are clearly set forth in the Scriptures.

With all of his cautions and warnings, Paul tells us not to forbid speaking in tongues (1 Corinthians 14:39), but to practice them in a way that is consistent with Scripture, and which edifies others.

Blessings,

Bob

3. Responding To God’s Call (Ex. 3:11-4:17)

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We noticed in the last sermon in this series (Ex. 3:1-10) that Moses encountered God in a miraculous experience at the burning bush, a bush that was on fire but which did not burn up. The theological principle that we derived from that passage was that God appears to ordinary people in ordinary circumstances and reveals to them the extraordinary.

While Moses’ encounter with God revealed God to Moses in an awe-inspiring and life-changing way, Moses’ response to God was anything but exemplary. One wonders if Moses’ experiences up to that point somehow colored his worldview. After spending 40 years in Pharaoh’s palace and another 40 years looking after sheep in the back part of the desert, perhaps he had lost hope of ever being used by God. After all, he had tried once to intervene on behalf of one of his Hebrew brothers and been utterly rejected (Ex. 2:11-15). Even though he still knew his Hebrew identity, 40 years under the influence of the royal household and Egyptian culture could easily have caused him to forget the godly example of his faithful mother and his covenant relationship with the God of Israel. And another 40 years tending sheep could certainly cause him to lose his sense of purpose and conclude that this would be his lot for the rest of his life. That would certainly be understandable, wouldn’t it?

But, though Moses seems to have forgotten God, God had not forgotten Moses. In fact, in the eternal purposes of God, God had sovereignly chosen to use Moses in a very special way in His service, and the previous 80 years were years of preparation for this moment.

The passage we are studying today is a continuation of Moses’ encounter with God at the burning bush, specifically dealing with Moses’ response to God’s call to lead His people out of their misery in Egypt to “a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey” (Ex. 3:7-8). What we are going to learn in this passage is what Moses didn’t know, that when God calls us, he equips us perfectly for the commission that He gives us. That’s the theological principle in this passage. This is an important lesson because Moses didn’t get it. In fact, he is overwhelmed with the task and the obstacles that he thought he would face. Indeed, at a human level, what God was calling Moses to do was overwhelming, exceedingly daunting, plain scary. And so, in response to God’s commission in 3:10, Moses offers a series of objections (3:11-4:12) leading up to an outright refusal, which is met with God’s gracious provision (4:13-17). Notice firstly that…

I. Our Objections Do Not Obstruct God’s Purposes (3:11-4:12)

Moses presents four objections to God, four reasons why he could not accept God’s call and commission, all of which have to do with his sense of personal insufficiency.

Objection 1: His lack of confidence (3:11-12). “But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?’” (3:11). No longer is Moses the bold, strong 40 year old man in Egypt, who could kill an Egyptian slave master singlehandedly. The last 40 years in the wilderness have erased his confidence. He had suffered a serious demotion from royalty to one of Egypt’s most-wanted assassins, from a prince to pauper. So, we can understand how, after all these years of tending sheep in the desert with no prospects of any change on the horizon, Moses could have a serious sense of personal inferiority. That’s understandable, isn’t it?

But what Moses didn’t know is that God had His eye on him all the time. God had chosen him for a task greater than anything he could have imagined. Indeed, the last 40 years tending sheep were not wasted. On the contrary, they had taught him much about leadership, for sheep are renowned for (1) their crowd mentality; (2) for wandering away, completely unaware of dangers that may lurk ahead of them; and (3) for their complete dependence on the shepherd to guard them and provide nourishment for them. If he could lead sheep, then he could certainly lead people. If he could lead the sheep around the Midian desert and find them food to eat and water to drink and protect them from wild animals, then would he not be able to do the same for the Israelites? Did he not possess the leadership skills and experience to quite easily lead that vast population out of Egypt to the promised land of Canaan?

Moses’ objection sounds more like an expression of deep humility, doesn’t it? “Who am I to lead the Israelites out of Egypt? Surely there are others better qualified and more skilled than I.” But this isn’t about humility, this is about a lack of confidence, not lack of confidence in self but lack of confidence in God. After all, God had seemingly abandoned Moses just when he was intervening to use his strength and position to advance the plight of God’s people. If He had abandoned him then, could he trust Him for the future, especially a future that would be fraught with tremendous obstacles, including Pharoah himself?

Yes, Moses could trust God for the future and for everything that he needed. God replies, “I will be with you” (3:12a). That’s all Moses needed – God’s presence with him. The expression “be with you” indicates intimacy, presence, guidance, provision, protection. In other words, everything that Moses would need, God would provide. This was the same expression of encouragement that Jesus gave to his disciples just before he ascended back to heaven and before they would face tremendous tests of their newfound faith: “Remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matt. 28:20).

Furthermore, if God’s promise of his presence was not be enough to give comfort and confidence to Moses, God grants him a further assurance and promise by way of a sign: “And this will be a sign to you that I am the one who sent you: when you bring the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this mountain” (Ex. 3:12b). Signs in Scripture often serve to affirm the authenticity of a person and / or to confirm what God had promised. God is telling Moses that when he and the Israelites leave Egypt, they will return to this very same mountain in the Midian desert where Moses is having this conversation with God, and that will be the sign that proves beyond any doubt that (1) God has acted on their behalf and (2) that Moses’ leadership is divinely appointed. God is saying to Moses, “There, that’s a concrete promise that will prove My word is true. You can take it to the bank!”

We all have doubts from time to time about our ability to serve God or why God called us to serve him in a particular way or place. Like Moses we might well ask sometimes, “Who am I?” Indeed, I ask that myself quite frequently, not because I lack the confidence that God will enable me to do what He has called me to do, but because I am utterly dumbfounded as to why God would deign to use me in this ministry at all. Who am I? Let us constantly wonder at the grace of God in using us in any way He chooses, but let us not doubt the power and provision of God to get the job done. Serving God is not our ministry – it’s His. I love Hudson Taylor’s motto and have quoted it often: “Depend on it. God’s work done God’s way will never lack God’s supply.”

You would think God’s gracious promise would be enough to satisfy Moses’ doubts, wouldn’t you? But no, Moses has another objection…

Objection 2: His lack of knowledge of God (3:13-22). “If I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what should I tell them?” (3:13). In other words, if the Israelites challenged Moses’ authority and integrity by testing Moses’ personal knowledge of God, what was he going to say? He had to know the correct answer or his authority would be instantly in doubt. And well they might challenge him, knowing who he had been and what he had done. They would understandably be suspicious of him, given his track record. And if he didn’t answer correctly their hypothetical question as to God’s identity, they certainly would not follow him.

It seems that the hypothetical test that Moses is anticipating concerns three issues: (1) his personal knowledge of Israel’s God; (2) his authority to act as Israel’s leader; and (3) Israel’s relationship with God. As to the first issue, the question seems to be, is Moses himself a true follower of the God of Israel or had he abandoned God in favour of the pagan god’s of Egypt? In other words, exactly what God is Moses speaking on behalf of; who had authorized him for this mission and position? Was it the One true, covenant God of Israel - the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob - or was it some other god that they did not know or recognize or trust?

As to the second issue, the question seems to be, was Moses usurping his authority again, just as he had when he killed the Egyptian slave master? To act in someone’s “name” is another way of saying, “Who is your authority for saying or doing this?” The answer to this question would be a critical test of Moses’ authenticity and credibility. But, in posing this hypothetical question that he may be asked by the Israelites, at least Moses recognizes that his only legitimate authority for this commission must come from God. He could not act on his own authority or self-will, as he had done previously.

As to the third issue, perhaps Moses was also concerned about the spirituality of the Israelites themselves. Perhaps, after 400 years of slavery in Egypt, they themselves had long forgotten the God of their fathers.

The sad thing is that Moses’ objection here seems to indicate that he himself did not know God, could not identify him, did not even know His name. And this after just having been told by God from the burning bush exactly who He is. “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob” (3:6). How much greater identification did Moses need?

To be fair to Moses, though, we too often face circumstances in which we make the excuse that we cannot speak for God because we lack sufficient knowledge of God and his Word. So, we are afraid to open our mouths lest we say the wrong thing or don’t have the right answer. Or, perhaps you are afraid to speak for God because you don’t know God.

It seems that God replies to Moses, “Don’t worry about asking me who you are (3:11), Moses, you just need to know who I am - ‘I AM WHO I AM’”(3:14). There is no higher or greater authority than the LORD himself. The one true God cannot be compared to anyone else. He is the uncreated One. The incomprehensible One. The incomparable One. The inexplicable One. The unchangeable One. He is omnipotent, omniscient, and omnipresent. He is not shaped by outside forces or circumstances. He is not influenced by, nor dependent on, nor obligated to anything or anybody. He is self-existing, self-dependent, and self-determined. He is the great I AM – the One with no beginning and no ending, the eternal One, the ever-present One, the One who was and is and is to come. This, then, is the One in whose name Moses would approach and lead the Israelites. “So, tell them that, Moses.” And “Say this to the Israelites: The LORD, the God of your ancestors, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is my name forever; this is how I am to be remembered in every generation” (Ex. 3:15).

Thus, not only could Moses respond appropriately to the Israelites’ question, but he could add a wonderful promise from God - “I have promised that I will bring you up from the misery of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites…a land flowing with milk and honey” (3:17). In the name of the God of Israel, Moses could hold out to them the promise of deliverance from slavery in Egypt. That surely would persuade them to follow and trust Moses. No one else could possibly offer them that hope.

So, two objections dealt with – his lack of confidence (3:11-12) and his lack of knowledge of God (3:13-22). Surely that is sufficient to give Moses the confidence and the knowledge he needs to face the Israelites. But no, he has another objection…

Objection 3: His lack of credibility with the people (4:1-9). “What if they don’t believe me and will not obey me but say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?” (4:1). Now it’s not a matter of the Israelites questioning who had sent him, but whether they would believe him and obey him. Now it’s a matter of personal credibility. Well, he certainly had cause to wonder if they would believe him. Again, his track record wasn’t that great. Yes, he had attempted to protect the Hebrew slave who was being mistreated by the slave master, but then he had disappeared for 40 years. Where had he been? Who was he now? Would he abandon them again?

This time, God graciously gives him three miraculous signs by which he could prove his credibility and convince them that he had been sent to them by God. First, his miraculous rod - when he threw it to the ground, it became a serpent and when he took hold of it again it became a rod again (4:2-5). Second, his hand - when he put it into his cloak, it became leprous and when he put it into his cloak again it was restored to perfect health (4:6-7). Third, water from the river Nile - when he poured it on dry land it would become blood (4:9).

Amazingly, even these miraculous signs were not enough to assuage Moses’ doubts and fears and objections. There was one more…

Objection 4. His lack of oral ability (4:10-12). “But Moses replied to the Lord, ‘Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent - either in the past or recently or since you have been speaking to your servant – because my mouth and my tongue are sluggish’” (4:10). This is everyone’s biggest fear, I think, when called upon to speak publicly for God. Public speaking is, after all, a daunting task at the best of times. How much more so when called upon to speak to a multitude as vas t as the Israelites and to Pharoah, the very man who had hunted for Moses to kill him and from whom Moses had fled so many years ago. But, once more, God graciously and patiently provides comfort and assurance, saying, “¹¹ Who placed a mouth on humans? Who makes a person mute or deaf, seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹² Now go! I will help you speak and I will teach you what to say” (4:11-12). The Creator himself is surely able to empower us to speak for him and to give us the right words to say at the right time (cf. Lk. 12:12). This is God’s promise and assurance to Moses.

So, our objections do not obstruct God’s purposes. And notice secondly…

II. Our Refusals Do Not Restrict God’s Grace (4:13-17)

By this time, you would think that Moses would have been convinced by God’s grace and patience, and by God’s provision for his weaknesses and fears in response to his objections. But did all of that satisfy Moses? Did it give him the courage and confidence he needed? Did he willingly submit and say, “Here am I, send me?” No! If you can believe it, after all God’s gracious assurances, promises, and miraculous signs, Moses said, “Please, Lord, send someone else” (4:13). After all his objections and God’s responses, Moses refused to go and be used by God. He says, “Send someone else. I’m not going.”

I wonder how often we, perhaps unwittingly, refuse God’s call on our lives. God wants to use us and assures us of his presence and power for his service, and yet we refuse. Now it’s not about fears or doubts or excuses. Now it’s about outright refusal. This is not an emotional response when faced with a frightening prospect. No, this is a volitional response, an emphatic refusal to obey God. But notice that…

When we refuse God’s call to serve, He provides us with assistance. “Then the Lord’s anger burned against Moses” (4:14a). Even though God is, understandably, angry with Moses for all his objections (3:11-4:12), yet He still offers Moses a way to overcome his fourth objection concerning his lack of oral ability: “^14b Isn’t Aaron the Levite your brother? I know that he can speak well. And also, he is on his way now to meet you. He will rejoice when he sees you. ¹⁵ You will speak with him and tell him what to say. I will help both you and him to speak and will teach you both what to do. ¹⁶ He will speak to the people for you. He will serve as a mouth for you, and you will serve as God to him” (4:14-16).

Though we may overstep the mark, we can never overstep God’s grace. When Moses objects to serving God because he lacks oral ability, then God graciously provides Aaron to act as Moses’ spokesperson. Moses would receive God’s word, pass it on to his brother Aaron, and Aaron would communicate it to the Israelites. God has responded to all Moses’ objections and he has swept aside Moses’ refusal. Now he must go and the staff in his hand would be a reminder and assurance of God’s presence with him and that God can and will do miraculous things through him.

When we refuse God’s call to serve, He provides us with assistance. And…

When we refuse God’s call to serve, He provides us with confidence. God says to Moses: “And take this staff in your hand that you will perform the signs with” (4:17). Moses would have two sources of comfort and confidence as he takes on this huge task that God has assigned to him. First, he has his brothers would will be his spokesperson (4:14-16). Second, he has his staff (rod) which will be his source of power (4:17). He felt inadequate and weak, as we all do from time to time, but God is greater than our fears. Indeed, it is in those very times when God emboldens us for His service.

Don’t you just marvel sometimes at the amazing grace of God? Isn’t it just thoroughly astounding how God meets our needs and responds to our weaknesses in order that we can have the inestimable privilege of serving Him? Don’t you just wonder sometimes why? Why would God bother with me? Have you ever wondered why God would not just choose someone else rather than put up with your fears and refusals? Well, it’s because God has chosen to use imperfect vessels to achieve his purposes. As the apostle Paul says, “Now we have treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us” (1 Cor. 4:7). Through frail, failing, feeble, and finite human beings, God brings glory to himself.

You see, God does not call us to serve him without first teaching us our weakness and then equipping us appropriately for the task. The apostle Paul was acutely aware of his own weakness: “But he (the Lord) said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is perfected in weakness.’” (2 Cor. 12:9a). This promise and assurance renewed Paul’s courage to press on and to be content with his situation: “^9b Therefore I will most gladly boast all the more about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may reside in me. ¹⁰ So I take pleasure in weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and in difficulties, for the sake of Christ. For when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:9b-10). That is a wonderful state to be in – content in our circumstances and strong in our weakness.

There were many other servants of God who were empowered by God to serve him despite feeling their own weakness. David, who, after defeating the giant Goliath, was driven out of the royal household, hunted like an animal by Saul, and lived in exile before being elevated to become king of Israel. Elijah also experienced utter weakness when he had to drink water from a brook and was fed by ravens, all before God used him mightily.

I suppose when we are called by God to serve him, a feeling of weakness and inability is natural and even necessary, asking like Moses, “Who am I?” Or, as the apostle Paul asked, “Who is adequate for these things?” (2 Cor. 2:16). But it doesn’t stop there. Our feeling of inadequacy is not an excuse. Rather, we need to rest in God’s comfort, be confident in God’s assurance, and move forward in God’s power, understanding that the issue is not about who I am, but about who God is, the great “I AM.” Again as the apostle Paul put it, “It is not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God” (2 Cor. 3:5). That’s the point!

Final Remarks

Is it not true, that we are, in so many ways, like Moses. We have the same weakness of faith. We have the same fears about serving the Lord. We have the same objections and excuses for not responding to God’s call. We have the sae questions about God’s commission. Like Moses, we are prone to settle for far less than God calls us to. It seems that Moses would have preferred to stay as a shepherd of sheep rather than a shepherd of God’s people. I suppose in many ways that would have been a simpler life. I can understand why Moses was fearful of God’s call to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, from the known to the unknown. But what a blessing he would have missed if he had refused to obey God. Think of all the wonderful manifestations of God’s power Moses would have missed – the plagues, the Red Sea crossing, the manna in the wilderness, the water from the rock, the brazen serpent.

When God calls us He often pushes us out of our comfort zone into new places, new activities, new responsibilities. By nature we shrink back from such radical changes in our lives, preferring instead to stay in familiar places, with familiar activities, and familiar responsibilities. It’s a bit like taking a new job, isn’t it? Those first few weeks can be so threatening, so uncomfortable that we often feel like turning back. But as with Moses, so with us, God never fails to give us all that we need – courage, material resources, wisdom, discernment, vision, helpers, confidence in Him rather than ourselves, and even the words we need to say at just the right time.

I have experienced this many times in my life. For example, in 2012 I was teaching pastors in Burkina Faso, West Africa. My colleague there showed me a piece of land on which he believed God wanted him to build a Christian school. When I saw it I couldn’t believe that it was possible or would ever come to anything because it was in a rural area with no houses in sight. And besides, why and how would God use me for such a project. My ministry is teaching pastors, most of whom have not had the opportunity to get formal theological education. So, when my colleague first suggested this project to me, I pulled back. I didn’t see how starting a Christian school had anything to do with my teaching pastors. In addition, I didn’t know how to raise the funds for such a project. Anyway, somewhat reluctantly, I agreed to come back to Canada, make his vision known, and see where it would go. Frankly, I didn’t expect it to go anywhere. I thought that my colleague’s idea was good but not one that I could participate in.

Well, that was then and this is now. Through the encouragement of others and the prompting of the Holy Spirit I came to the conclusion that my colleague’s vision and my partnership with him in it were from the Lord. The result today is the Gampela Christian Education Centre that includes a school with about 400 students, a preschool with over 300 students, a church, a medical clinic, a vocational training school for young adults, and a pastoral training centre!

Through this ministry opportunity I have witnessed God work in marvelous ways, all of which I would have missed if I had not been prompted by God and encouraged by friends to help with that ministry. Perhaps you have had the same experience. When God first opened a door of opportunity for you to serve Him, you couldn’t see any future in it, or you felt inadequate or just plain scared. But when you began the journey, you experienced God’s incontrovertible activity, leading you, providing for you, achieving His purposes that you couldn’t see before.

It seems that God does not unfold to us his intentions in five year plans. We need to learn to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Cor. 5:7). I have been trying to learn that lesson throughout my adult life and probably will continue to learn it to the end, when our faith will be replaced by sight and earth exchanged for heaven. “For now we see only a reflection as in a mirror” writes the apostle Paul, “but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, as I am fully known” (1 Cor. 13:12).

Finally, let us take courage that despite our past failures, weaknesses, and lack of faith, God prepares us for future service that is beyond anything we could ask or think. That might mean time in the desert tending sheep, but that isn’t wasted time. That is the time when our prior hurts, rejection, self-will, and failures recede from view, and we receive training for what is needed for the future. Tending sheep in the desert might not seem like training for leading God’s people out of Egypt, but it surely was. Moses learned from sheep how to move them along from place to place, what food and water they needed and where to find it, how to respond to their animal objections, how to stop them from going astray, and how to protect them from harm and danger. And after 40 years of training, God called Moses to a task that was humanly impossible, but perfectly possible by God. May we learn these lessons and trust God for anything He calls us to.

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God the Father

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God the Son

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God the Holy Spirit

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Eschatology

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A Brief Word Study on Σκύβαλον

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(neuter noun, used once in the New Testament [Phil 3:8])

This essay is a basic diachronic word study on a rare term, found only once in the New Testament, in Phil 3:8. The NET Bible renders this verse as follows: “More than that, I now regard all things as liabilities compared to the far greater value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things—indeed, I regard them as dung!–that I may gain Christ…”

Most other modern English versions have ‘rubbish’ (ESV, NRSV, NKJV, NIV, NAB, REB) or ‘garbage’ (TEV, NJB, TNIV) for the term. At issue is more than whether slang is used in the NT; the sense of Paul’s view of is former life—his life apart from Christ—is involved. If mere ‘rubbish’ is the force, then a sense of worthlessness is in view; if ‘dung’ is the force, then both worthlessness and revulsion is in view.

Rather than be fully explicit, this study will address the meaning in more genteel terms and use asterisks where the more sophisticated (or perhaps less sophisticated!) can supply the appropriate letters.

Range of Meaning

This word is used primarily for excrement, especially human excrement; secondarily for rubbish, dirt, leavings, etc. It is a NT hapax legomenon (Phil 3:8).

1. Dung, (Human) Excrement

(especially in the plural, as in Phil 3:8); or with a stronger emotive connotation (and the concomitant shock value), crap, s**t. NT: Phil 3:8* (debatable; may belong under definition 2); Other: Plu. 2.352d; Alex. Aphr. Pr. 1.18; Aret. SD 1.15; Artemid. Onirocr. 1.67; 2.14; Str. 14.1.37; J. BJ 5.571; 5.13.7; PFay. 119.7 (i/ii AD).¹

Illustrations:

Josephus’ description of the conditions within the walls of Jerusalem during the final siege of the Romans in the Jewish War (66-73 CE) is intended to evoke the strongest reaction by his readers (Josephus, Jewish War 5.571):

. . . the corpses of the lower classes thrown out through the gates amounted in all to 600,000; of the rest it was impossible to discover the number. They added that, when strength failed them to carry out the poor, they piled the bodies in the largest mansions and shut them up; also that a measure of corn had been sold for a talent, and that later when it was no longer possible to gather herbs, the city being all walled in, some were reduced to such straits that they searched the sewers and for old cow dung and ate the offal therefrom, and what once would have disgusted them to look at had now become food.

In Strabo’s description of the rebuilt Smyrna, he lauds the plans and efforts of Antigonus, Lysimachus, and the citizens, noting however one glaring flaw (Strabo, Geography 14.1.37):

But there is one error, not a small one, in the work of the engineers, that when they paved the streets they did not give them underground drainage; instead, excrement covers the surface, and particularly during rains, when the cast-off filth is discharged upon the streets.

Proportionately, the word seems to have occurred in the papyri and other non-literary documents far more frequently than in the literature. A good illustration is found in Papyrus Fayum 119.7 (c. 100 CE) in which Gemellus informs his son that the donkey driver has bought “a little bundle and rotten hay, the whole of which is decayed so that it is like crap.”

2. Rubbish, Dirt, Scraps, Leavings

NT: Phil 3:8* (debatable; may belong under definition 1); Other: Jul. Or. 5.179c; PCairZen 494.16 (iii BC); PSI 3.184.7 (plural, AD 292); Sirach 27.4; PRyl 2.149.22 (AD 39-40).

Illustrations:

In Sirach 27:4 the word bears emotive force, though it is not as dramatic as a vulgar rendering would suggest: “As when one sifts with a sieve, the refuse remains; so also the filth of man in his speech.”

But even in the first century CE the word was used occasionally with no shock value connotations. For example, in the collection of the Rylands Papyri 2.149.22 (39-40 CE) the writer speaks of animals grazing “on the gleanings of my vegetable-seed crop.” Thus “gleanings” or “table scraps” is a legitimate (though admittedly rare) nuance in use during the time of Paul.²

By the fourth century CE, the shock value of the term seems to have worn off, so much so that it is even seen as a proper name—cf. P. Oxy. 1.43, verso iii.25 (295 CE). Nevertheless, Chrysostom can refer to σκύβαλον as bearing the meaning of “manure” in Phil 3:8, but he seems unaware of its emotive force—even arguing that there is some value in manure! (Cf. Chrysostom’s commentary on Philippians, MPG 62:263-265, where he mentions the word twelve times).

As well, in the fourth century CE, the emperor Julian can use the term to describe the earth, though with intent to evoke some sense of disgust by way of contrast (Julian, Orations 179C):

But is not this Logos Attis, who not long ago was out of his senses, but now through his castration is called wise? Yes, he was out of his senses because he preferred matter and presides over generation, but he is wise because he adorned and transformed this refuse [our earth] with such beauty as no human art or cunning could imitate.

Related Terms ³

Words from the σκυβαλ- root:

σκυβαλίζειν: to regard as dung, to treat contemptuously (D.H. Orat.Vett 1)
σκυβαλεύειν (a derivative from σκυβαλίζειν): to regard as dung, to treat contemptuously (Schol. on Luc. Nec. 17)
σκυβαλικός: scorned, filthy (Timocr. 1.6)
σκυβαλώδης: waste, dung-like (Anon. Londinensis 29.39)
σκυβαλισμός: contemptuous rejection; table crumbs (Polyb. 30.19.12; Ps.-Phocyclides 156)

Terms not from the σκυβαλ- root:

κοπρός: excrement, manure—especially as used in animal husbandry (i.e., not as a vulgar term) (Od. 9.329; Hdt. 3.22; Thphr. HP 2.7.4)
σκῶρ: dung, excrement (Ar. Ra. 146; Stratt. 9)
περίττωμα, περίσσωμα: excrement—apparently used as a medical term in particular (Arist. GA 724b26, HA 511b9; Epicur. Fr. 293; Meno Iatr. 4.35)
χέζω: to empty one’s bowels, to ease oneself (Stratt. 51; Id. Ach. 1170)

Summary

That σκύβαλον took on the nuance of a vulgar expression with emotive connotations (thus, roughly equivalent to the English “crap, s**t”) is probable in light of the following considerations: (1) its paucity of usage in Greek literature (“Only with hesitation does literature seem to have adopted it from popular speech” says Lang in TDNT 7:445);⁴ (2) it is used frequently in emotionally charged contexts (as are its verbal cognates) in which the author wishes to invoke revulsion in his audience; (3) there is evidence that there were other, more common and more acceptable terms referring to the same thing (in particular, the agricultural term κοπρός and the medical term περίσσωμα);⁵ (4) diachronically, the shock value of the term seems to have worn off through the centuries; and (5) a natural transfer of the literal to a metaphorical usage, in which disgust, revulsion, or worthlessness are still in view, argues for this meaning as well.⁶ Nevertheless, that its shock value was not fully what “s**t” would be is suggested in the fact that in the Hellenistic period (c. 330 BCE-330 CE) the word was also used on occasion for “gleanings” or “table scraps.”

Authorial Usage

The usage of this term in Phil 3:8 has been taken in two different ways (each with two variations of their own):

1. (Human) excrement

a. dung (without strong shock value)

b. crap, s**t (with strong shock value)

2. non-excrement

a. rubbish, refuse

b. table scraps, leavings

Some scholars feel that σκύβαλον in Phil 3:8 means “table scraps,” pointing to the connection with “dogs” in 3:2 (so Lightfoot [1881 commentary, p. 149]). But not only is the connection somewhat distant, and overly subtle, but the absolute negation of any value to the apostle’s former life outside of Christ would seem to require something stronger than “table scraps.” For this reason, others have suggested that “rubbish” is the best gloss for our term (so, apparently, Beare [116], and several modern translations). As Lang points out, however, “To the degree that the Law is used in self-justification, it serves the flesh and is not just worthless but noxious and even abhorrent. The two elements in σκύβαλον, namely, worthlessness and filth, are best expressed by a term like ‘dung’” (TDNT 7:447).

Moises Silva, whose expertise in lexical studies is well known, sees emotive connotations wedded to the word in Phil 3:8 (Philippians, 180):

And yet the apostle goes even further: what he once regarded highly he now finds revolting. There is no need to downplay the meaning of skybala with such equivalents as “rubbish” (NASB, NIV); while such a meaning is attested (cf. Sir. 27:4—the Greek term could be used of various kinds of filth), a specific reference to excrement is not uncommon and the KJV rendering “dung” is both appropriate and probable.

Silva goes on to say that the gloss “crap” would certainly communicate worthlessness, but is probably not strong enough to communicate revulsion (ibid., n. 20). He thus leaves the question of appropriate translation to the reader’s imagination.

Besides the reasons we have given for seeing shock value in the word (under “Summary” mentioned earlier), there is one other reason why the intertwined notion of worthlessness and revulsion seems to be related to human excrement. The context of Phil 3:1-8 is both polemical in tone and contrasting flesh vs. spirit in content. As Lightfoot pointed out, v. 2 refers to Paul’s opponents as “dogs.” But it does more than that—it also refers to them as “the mutilation.” This term is a play on words with “circumcision” (v. 3) and is only euphemistically translated as “those who mutilate the flesh.” The etymology of both words reveals the apostle’s true intent: “circumcision” (περιτομή) is made up of two roots which suggest “cutting around” while “mutiliation” (κατατομή) is made up of two roots which suggest “cutting down” or “cutting off.”⁷ Thus Paul is accusing his opponents of botching the job of circumcision so badly that the victim is left with mutilated genitalia. There is strong shock value in the apostle’s words here.

This statement is followed immediately by a diatribe on the lack of value of the flesh. Thrice in vv. 3-4 is “flesh” explicitly mentioned; it is further implied in references to circumcision (vv. 2, 3, 5). In this section Paul is essentially arguing that if his opponents could claim that the flesh had some value, he would be in a better position to do so. Yet he himself acknowledges that the flesh and his former life as a devout Jew are worthless; he counts them as nothing (v. 8). The crescendo of his argument is at the end of v. 8 where he says “indeed, I regard them as σκύβαλα that I might gain Christ.” Having said this, he launches into a positive presentation of his new life in Christ. If σκύβαλα is translated “s**t” (or the like), a word picture is effectively made: this is all that the “flesh” can produce—and it is both worthless and revolting. That the apostle is not above using graphic and shocking terms has already been demonstrated in vv. 2-3. The reason for the shocking statement in v. 8, then, may well be to wake up his audience to the real danger of his opponents’ views. It is not insignificant that there is precedent for the apostle’s white-hot anger over a false gospel being couched in not-so-delicate terms: his letter to the “foolish Galatians” is replete with such evocative language.

Conclusion

In Phil 3:8, the best translation of σκύβαλα seems clearly to be from the first group of definitions. The term conveys both revulsion and worthlessness in this context. In hellenistic Greek it seems to stand somewhere between “crap” and “s**t.” However, due to English sensibilities, and considering the readership (Christians), a softer term such as “dung” is most appropriate. The NET Bible, along with a few other translations, grasp the connotations here, while most modern translations only see the term as implying worthlessness. But Paul’s view of his former life is odious to him, as ours should be to us. The best translation, therefore, is one that picks up both worthlessness and revulsion, and probably a certain shock value.

¹ BAGD, s.v. σκύβαλον, def. 1.

² Even here it takes little imagination to see a derivative and metaphorical sense from the original notion of crap or s**t. One can easily imagine someone saying, “We were starving and so we went to a man’s field, but since the harvest had recently occurred, all that was left was σκύβαλα!”

³ None of the related terms occurs in the NT.

⁴ This would be expected if the term especially had an emotionally-charged force to it. Its paucity can be seen by a computer search of the Thesaurus Lingua Graecae (1990 version). Out of 3165 authors and over 65 million words (from Homer to 1453 CE), there are only 178 instances of σκύβαλον (for comparisons, see the following footnote).

⁵ A TLG search revealed 1736 instances of κοπρός and 2858 of περίσσωμα (or περίττωμα).

⁶ I recall reading a papyrus fragment some time ago in which sailors used this term as an exclamation of disgust when seagulls overhead emptied their bowels, but I have been unsuccessful in relocating the reference.

⁷ I am not here arguing for etymologizing as a legitimate approach to lexicography; however, the word-play seems to be intentional and the meanings of the terms in hellenistic Greek do indeed reflect their roots.

Related Topics: Grammar, Terms & Definitions

7. The Holy Spirit’s Ministries, Part V - Spiritual Gifts

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Spiritual Gifts

Another one of the Spirit’s ministries is giving spiritual gifts. What is a spiritual gift? Tony Evans succinctly described spiritual gifts this way: “A spiritual gift is a divinely bestowed ability given to every true believer in Jesus Christ in order to serve the church.”¹ Charles Ryrie defined it as a “God-given ability for service.”² The apostle Peter said spiritual gifts are channels by which God’s “grace” comes to the church.³ In 1 Peter 4:10, he said, “Just as each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the varied grace of God.” The “one another” refers to believers in the church. When a person is using their spiritual gift, God’s grace comes through them to bless his people. In fact, the Greek word used for spiritual gifts is “charisma,” which comes from a “family of words related to grace and therefore means something like ‘grace gift’ or ‘free gift.’”⁴ It’s not that spiritual gifts don’t bless unbelievers—they do, especially the gift of evangelism. However, they seem to be primarily given by God to build up the church. For example, in 1 Corinthians 14:12, and 12:4-7, Paul explains that “manifestations of the Spirit” are given for “building up the church” and for the “common good”:

So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.”

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

Later, in 1 Corinthians 12:11-16 (ESV), Paul says the Holy Spirit distributes gifts to believers, and because of this, the church is like a body—one person is the eye, another the hands, and another the feet. It says:

It is one and the same Spirit, distributing as he decides to each person, who produces all these things. For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.

In considering the Spirit’s distribution of gifts to each believer, Daryl Aaron said this:

This means God has given each and every Christian a role and responsibility in the body of Christ and the supernatural ability, in the form of a spiritual gift or gifts, to fulfill it. He knows best how to orchestrate this, and we should be content with the gifts he chooses for us.⁵

Tony Evans’ comment about spiritual gifts are also helpful:

The reason the Spirit bestows His gifts on the church is that we are the ones charged with carrying out God's program in this age. When Jesus arose and ascended to heaven, He gave to His management team, the church, those tools necessary to pull off His kingdom work.⁶

Receiving Gifts

When do we receive spiritual gifts? It is clear from 1 Corinthians 12:13 that each person receives at least one gift at the baptism in the Spirit. Though a controversial doctrine, this refers to the moment when believers are made part of the body of Christ, which happens at salvation. At salvation, each person is made a part of Christ’s body, the church, and given a spiritual gift or gifts to serve Christ and his church.

With that said, there is evidence that God may also give spiritual gifts later on in life. For example, in 1 Timothy 4:14, Paul talks about his disciple, Timothy, receiving a gift through the elders laying hands on him: “Do not neglect the spiritual gift you have, given to you and confirmed by prophetic words when the elders laid hands on you.” This may be referring to Timothy’s ordination by elders into pastoral ministry. Apparently, he received some type of gift during that prophetic ministry. Paul apparently participated in the impartation of this gift. In 2 Timothy 1:6, he said, “Because of this I remind you to rekindle God’s gift that you possess through the laying on of my hands.”

In addition, we have various Old Testament examples of people receiving gifts later in life. Moses received the gift of miracles at his calling to lead Israel. Elisha received a double portion of Elijah’s gifts when he replaced Elijah as the chief prophet to Israel. Also, the language used in 1 Corinthians about spiritual gifts implies that believers can still receive them after salvation. In 1 Corinthians 12:31, the church was called to “be eager for the greater gifts.” And, in 1 Corinthians 14:1, they are also called to “be eager for the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy.” The fact that believers are called to desire them (and probably pray for them) implies that God may still impart them at strategic times after one’s salvation to meet the needs of a church, community, or nation. Furthermore, in 1 Corinthians 14:13, we read that the person with the gift of tongues is told to pray for the ability to interpret—asking the Lord for a complementary gift which, at that time, he did not have. It says, “So then, one who speaks in a tongue should pray that he may interpret.” We should also desire greater gifts and seek them through prayer, not to honor ourselves, but so that we can more effectively help others and build God’s church.

Lists of Gifts

What are the spiritual gifts? There are four major lists recorded in three different New Testament books: 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30, Romans 12:6-8, and Ephesians 4:11. Collectively, they are:

Administration/Ruling	Giving	Miracles
Apostleship	Healing	Pastor/Teacher
Discernment of Spirits	Helps/Serving	Prophecy
Evangelism	Interpretation of Tongues	Teaching
Exhortation	Knowledge	Tongues
Faith	Mercy	Wisdom

However, it should be noted that these lists are not meant to be exhaustive. For instance, Paul mentions celibacy, the ability to stay single, and, by implication, marriage as gifts in 1 Corinthians 7:7. He says, “I wish that everyone was as I am. But each has his own gift from God, one this way, another that.” Also, Daniel and Joseph had the ability to interpret dreams (Dan 2, Gen 41). Bezalel had ability, by the Holy Spirit, to be an expert craftsmen and work on the artistic crafts for the tabernacle (Ex 35). Therefore, it is clear that Paul and Peter weren’t trying to be exhaustive in the four major lists. It is probable that there are many other gifts, such as: intercession (the ability to be burdened and pray for long periods until God answers), casting out demons, leading worship, and many more.

Descriptions of Major Gifts

What exactly are the major giftings? Though most are clear, with a few, there is considerable debate over what exactly the gift is and how it manifests.

Administration/ruling is the ability to oversee and administrate in the church including event planning, overseeing budget and people, developing strategic ministries, etc.
Apostleship probably refers to the ability to build and oversee effective ministries for the kingdom (cf. 1 Cor 3:10, Eph 2:20). People with this gift typically serve as missionaries, church planters, and leaders of large ministries or denominations. They are often entrepreneurial by nature, multi-gifted, and shepherds of leaders. With that said, the gift of apostleship is different from the office of apostle, which was held by a limited number of people in the early church (Mk 3:13-19, 1 Cor 15:7-9, Rev 21:14). The original apostles established the foundation of the church through their teaching, mission work, leadership, and writing of Scripture (Eph 2:20). To become an apostle, they had to have seen the resurrected Christ (Acts 1:21–25, 10:39–41, 1 Cor 9:1, 15:7–8), been chosen by him for apostleship (Mk 3:14, Lk 6:13, Acts 1:2, 24, Gal 1:1), and worked miracles as a proof (2 Cor 12:12, Matt 10:1–2).⁷ Now that the foundation of the church has been established, it seems that the office of apostle has ceased (cf. 1 Cor 15:7-9)—though the gift of apostleship continues. The word “apostle” in the Greek (apostolos) simply means “sent one.” Therefore, those who are called, commissioned, and sent by a church or ministry organization to reach people in local or foreign lands may have the gift of apostleship. In addition, though a pastor is gifted to care for a local church, a person with the gift of apostleship may be especially gifted to care for and minister to churches in a region or even the universal church. Certainly, many gifted leaders, since the original apostles, have especially blessed, corrected, and protected the broader church through their teachings, writings, mission work, and leadership—people like Augustine, John Calvin, Martin Luther, John Wesley, William Carey, and Hudson Taylor, among others.
Discernment refers to the ability to discern spirits that are not of God by weighing their fruit against Scripture. Those with this gift have often been called the “watch dogs” of the church. When members are in danger of accepting hazardous teachings or activities in the church, the “watch dogs” identify the false spirits/doctrines and sound the alarm.
Giving refers to the ability to live sacrificially and therefore give generously to those in need and to help make disciples in the local church and abroad.
Knowledge probably refers to the ability to discern previously unknown information about a person (or situation) in order to speak God’s word to him or her. An example of this can be seen in how Peter prophetically rebuked Simon in Acts. He said to him, “For I see that you are bitterly envious and in bondage to sin” (8:23). This may be a picture of the “word of knowledge.” Others believe “knowledge” may refer to the original ability of the prophets and apostles to write Scripture. If this is true, this gift would no longer be in operation, since the Canon is complete.
Wisdom simply refers to the ability to give intelligent, enlightened counsel. In Scripture, people like Joseph, Solomon, and Daniel clearly had this gift, as they wisely counseled and guided people and organizations.
Mercy refers to the ability to feel and show compassion to those who are suffering or in need. In Acts, Dorcas is an example of someone with this gift; she was known for doing good and helping the poor (9:36).
Exhortation refers to the ability to encourage and challenge people in their relationship with God. Some people will not grow without being pushed by others. When Paul called the Corinthians spiritual “infants,” he was using his gift of exhortation, as he challenged and rebuked them for being worldly (1 Cor 3:1-4).
Prophecy refers to the ability to give a relevant and direct word from God. In the Old Testament prophetic books, most prophecy is “forthtelling” instead of “foretelling.” Forthtelling is properly diagnosing a person or situation and proclaiming an authoritative word from God that instructs or exhorts, based on Scripture. Foretelling refers to revealing previously unknown information about an individual, people, place, or event. In Acts 11:28, a prophet named Agabus prophesied about a severe famine that would afflict the land.
Teaching refers to the ability to understand and explain Scripture.
Helps/service refers to the ability to discern needs and the willingness to help in various situations. People with this gift are exceptional servants.
Pastor refers to the ability to spiritually care for and shepherd God’s people. These people often have some measure of the gift of teaching, which is one of the primary ways they care for people.
Evangelism refers to the ability to share the gospel and win people to Christ. These people often feel very comfortable around the lost. Christ was called a “friend of sinners,” as he commonly ate and drank with them (Matt 9:11, 11:19).
Singleness refers to the desire and ability to remain single in order to give a greater devotion to serving God and others. People with this gift typically feel very content being single and also have a greater control of their sexual desires (cf. 1 Cor 7:8-9).
Marriage refers to the desire and ability to commit to someone of the opposite sex in an exclusive union to honor God (cf. 1 Cor 7:7). Those with the gift of marriage will be more effective in building God’s kingdom in the marriage union than in singleness. It provides both protection from sexual temptation as well as a partner to serve God with.
Tongues refers to the ability to speak a previously unknown language as a form of worship and prayer to God. First Corinthians 14:2 says, “For the one speaking in a tongue does not speak to people but to God, for no one understands; he is speaking mysteries by the Spirit.” There is much debate over how this gift manifests. Some only believe it is demonstrated in human languages as seen in Acts 2:6-11, when the apostles spoke in unknown yet human languages as they praised God before unbelievers. Others believe tongues refers to a heavenly or angelic language, which can only be understood by one with the gift of interpretation (1 Cor 14:5, 13, 27). Some see both of these possibilities as true manifestations of tongues. In 1 Corinthians 13:1, when Paul talked about the tongues of men and angels, he was probably referring to these two manifestations of tongues.⁸ As with how the gift manifests, there is also controversy over how it should be used. Apparently, the gift was being used publicly in Corinth without any interpretation. Therefore, Paul rebukes them in 1 Corinthians 14 and tells them the gift is ineffective for evangelism, as unbelievers who hear the gift will think those speaking are crazy (v. 23), and the gift is ineffective for edifying believers (v. 16-17), as they don’t know what’s being said. Therefore, he tells them to practice this gift silently in church or with interpretation (v. 27-28). For this reason, this gift seems to be primarily a private prayer language.
Interpretation refers to the ability to interpret the gift of tongues (1 Cor 14:13, 27).
Miracles refers to the ability to do supernatural works. When Moses parted the Red Sea and brought water out of a rock, these acts were manifestations of the gift of miracles. Likewise, when Paul blinded Elymas the sorcerer to stop him from hindering God’s message, that was a miracle (Acts 13:8-11).
Healing refers to a special ability to be used by God to heal those who are sick. When Peter and Paul healed people in Acts, these were manifestations of the gift of healing (3:6, 28:8). Although they had this gift, they could not always heal people (e.g., Timothy and Trophimus, 1 Tim 5:23, 2 Tim 4:20). Healing is always based on the will of God.
Faith refers to the ability to believe God for his promises. Sometimes people with this gift become pioneers—starting churches, schools, mission organizations, and other ventures to reach people for God’s kingdom.

Gifts and Commands

It should be noted that many of these gifts are ministries every believer is called to do. All believers are called to evangelize, be merciful, serve, and teach others. People with these specific gifts help other believers in the body achieve what they are called to do. By being around evangelists, we are challenged to grow in evangelism. By listening to a teacher, it helps us understand and teach Scripture as well. When being around those who are merciful, we learn to care for those who are hurting and in need. Therefore, when we use our spiritual gifts, we build up the body in many ways, including helping others obey God in those particular areas. Conversely, when we don’t use our gifts to serve the body, by default, we weaken the church.

Finding Our Gifts

How do we find our spiritual gifts? We find our spiritual gifts, in part, by understanding why God gives them. They are given to edify and serve others. First Corinthians 12:7 says, “To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all.” They are also given for our personal benefit, as seen with the gift of tongues. In 1 Corinthians 14:4, Paul says, “The one who speaks in a tongue builds himself up, but the one who prophesies builds up the church.” Likewise, when people use their gifts of teaching to study and present God’s Word, they are edified. Also, when they serve others, those with the gift of mercy are often edified, as well. The fact that we are edified by serving in a specific capacity is one of the indicators that it might be our gift.

Although our spiritual gifts typically edify both others and ourselves, an exception to that is the gift of tongues. It seems that this gift only edifies the person using it. The gift of tongues has to be interpreted in order to edify other people, which is why Paul cautions against using it in a corporate gathering without an interpreter (1 Cor 14:23, 27-28). The fact that tongues only edifies the person speaking them is probably why Paul placed it last on his list of gifts (1 Cor 12:27-30). In 1 Corinthians 14, his primary argument is that the church should seek prophecy over tongues because it edifies others and not just oneself. That seems to also be true when comparing tongues with every other gift.

Therefore, to discern giftings, people should try serving in various ways—youth ministry, children’s ministry, administration, evangelism, and leading. While serving, people will find out what edifies others. If we teach and everybody falls asleep, then that may not be our gift. Also, while serving, people will discover what edifies them—what they enjoy and don’t enjoy.

It is good to remember that, as we are faithful with using our gifts, often God will expand our ministry, including giving us more gifts to use for his glory. In the Parable of the Talents, the man who invested his five talents and made ten, God gave him one more talent because of his faithfulness (Matt 25:28-29). Another great example of this principle is Philip, the evangelist. In Acts 6, because of his character, Philip was initially enlisted to provide food for hungry widows. However, in Acts 8, it is clear that Philip became a miracle worker and an evangelist. Most likely, as he was faithful with the little God gave him—feeding widows—God expanded his ministry. God will often do the same with us.

Time Frame of Gifts

There is some argument amongst believers about whether some gifts have ceased. Cessationism is the belief that the sign gifts such as tongues, prophecy, miracles, and healing are no longer valid today. They are called sign gifts because they were often used to authenticate the ministry of a prophet or apostle. Moses did miracles to authenticate his ministry, as did other prophets, Jesus, and the apostles. (1) Cessationists would argue that these gifts ceased when the apostolic age ended (when the last apostle died in the first century) and the Bible was complete (cf. 1 Cor 13:8-12). Now there is no need for these gifts. (2) Also, they point to how prophecy, tongues, and miracles seemed to disappear soon after the first century. (3) In addition, they commonly point to how these “gifts” are often counterfeited and abused today, including how they routinely appear in pagan religions.⁹

Continuationism is the belief that all spiritual gifts will continue, in some form or other, until Christ returns, or the eternal state comes. It is estimated that about eighty percent of Protestant Christians are continuationists.¹⁰ (1) One of their primary arguments is the lack of a clear biblical text that says the sign gifts were temporary and not meant for the church throughout history.¹¹ (2) Further support for continuationism is found in verses that seem to demonstrate the continuation of spiritual gifts throughout the church age and beyond (cf. 1 Thess 5:19-20, 1 Cor 14, Rev 11:1-14). For example, 1 Corinthians 1:7 and 13:8-12 say:

so that you do not lack any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Love never ends. But if there are prophecies, they will be set aside; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be set aside. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when what is perfect comes, the partial will be set aside. When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. But when I became an adult, I set aside childish ways. For now we see in a mirror indirectly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I have been fully known.

First Corinthians 1:7 implies that spiritual gifts will continue at least until Christ comes. Certainly, this is pictured in the Parable of the Talents where the Lord returns and rewards or judges believers based on what they did with his gifts, including spiritual gifts (Matt 25:14-30, cf. Lk 19:11-27). With that said, 1 Corinthians 1:7 does not directly say that gifts will end when Christ comes. In fact, in the Parable of the Talents, Christ took the talent away from the unfaithful servant and gave it to the faithful one, to use in the master’s service (Matt 25:28). This implies that our gifts will still be used, at least initially, as we rule with Christ in the millennial kingdom (Is 11:9, 29:18, Jer 23:4, Rev 20).

First Corinthians 13:10 directly declares when spiritual gifts, and specifically sign gifts, will cease. They will end “when what is perfect comes, the partial [such as knowledge, prophecy, and tongues] will be set aside” or “come to an end” (HCSB). Since the word “perfect” is neutral and not masculine, instead of referring to the second coming of Christ, most likely it refers to the eternal state ¹², when God brings the new heaven and earth (Rev 21-22). There we will see God “face to face,” have full knowledge of him and his will, and gifts will no longer be needed (1 Cor 13:12; cf. Rev 21:4, Matt 5:8, Ps 17:15). Spiritual gifts are currently just a foretaste of the coming perfect kingdom where we will experience perfect knowledge, health, faith, and mercy, among other blessings, as we worship and serve our King.

Unfortunately, the way believers have often handled their differences on the issue of the continuity or discontinuity of sign gifts has been unhelpful and divisive. Daryl Aaron gives some prudent advice for believers who hold different views on the subject, as well as other secondary doctrines:

Ironically, the manner in which this controversy about the miraculous spiritual gifts has been handled—by both sides—has often been divisive, contrary to the Spirit’s own work to bring unity to the church (Ephesians 4:3). Everyone needs to (and most do) acknowledge that this issue is of secondary importance. For the sake of unity, we are to be gracious in holding our convictions while accepting and loving anyone with whom we may disagree.¹³

General Applications

How should we apply the reality of spiritual gifts?

1. We must find our spiritual gifts.

As mentioned, spiritual gifts are given to serve and edify the body of Christ (1 Cor 12:7); therefore, we commonly discover these gifts in the midst of serving. We must get involved in various ministries to discover these gifts. Typically, our spiritual gift will both edify ourselves and others (cf. 1 Cor 14:3-4). Because of this, the affirmation of others is important in the discernment process.

2. We must continually develop our spiritual gifts.

In 2 Timothy 1:6, Paul said this to Timothy: “Because of this I remind you to rekindle God’s gift that you possess through the laying on of my hands.” “To rekindle” can be translated to “fan into flame” (ESV). In keeping with the analogy of a fire getting stronger as one adds oxygen and wood, we must continually make our spiritual gifts stronger. We do this by continually using them. As we faithfully use them, they naturally get stronger. Also, we strengthen them by being trained and coached by mature believers. As they instruct and at times correct us, our gifts become stronger—they are fanned into flame. We should think of spiritual gifts like raw, untapped potential in an athlete. A gifted athlete still must train hard and be coached to become a professional athlete. We must do the same with our spiritual gifts.

3. We must desire spiritual gifts and therefore pray for them.

As mentioned, though we receive gifts at spiritual birth, God at times gives them later in life (cf. 2 Tim 1:6); therefore, we are encouraged to desire them and pray for them. In 1 Corinthians 12:31, Paul said, “But you should be eager [or “earnestly desire” (ESV)] for the greater gifts.” In 1 Corinthians 14:13, the one with the gift of tongues is called to pray for the interpretation. Likewise, in Luke 11:13, Christ said, “If you then, although you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!” Since in the original language there is no “the” before “the Holy Spirit,” many commentators believe this refers to the ministries of the Holy Spirit instead of the person. God delights to give us grace through his Spirit. Do you desire to bless the next generation in your church? Pray for the gift of teaching to better equip them. Do you feel like your church lacks organization? Pray for the gift of leadership and administration to better organize and direct people. Does your heart break for marginalized people in your community, like orphans, single mothers, or widows? Pray for the gift of mercy, so you can better help them and relieve their pain. Does your heart burn for the lost? Pray for the gift of evangelism to better reach them. God delights to give his children good gifts. James 4:2 says that we often don’t have because we don’t ask. God may say, “No,” because he has perfect plans for his body and our role in it; but desiring to serve and be equipped for it is good. God commonly answers those prayers positively, even if it means allowing us to partner with others who excel in those ministries.

4. We must desire for others to have spiritual gifts and pray for God to generously give them.

Again, apparently, Timothy received one of his spiritual gifts through the ministry of Paul (and other elders; cf. 1 Tim 1:14). In 2 Timothy 1:6, he said, “Because of this I remind you to rekindle God’s gift that you possess through the laying on of my hands.” The laying on of hands was commonly accompanied by prayer. As Paul prayed for God to use Timothy and give him a specific spiritual gift, God answered positively. Certainly, parents should commonly pray for God to use their children, to give them various gifts and opportunities to reach people for the kingdom. We should pray for those in our small groups and churches, for God to be gracious to them and empower them for great works. We should pray for spiritual gifts for others. Certainly, this pleases God.

5. We must not be discouraged about how God gifted us or didn’t gift us, nor should we envy others, and we must not become prideful of our gifts and look down on others.

This seemed to be happening in the Corinthian church. In 1 Corinthians 12:15, Paul rebuked some members who were despising their gift and role in the church. He said, “If the foot says, ‘Since I am not a hand, I am not part of the body,’ it does not lose its membership in the body because of that.” Also, some were prideful because of how God was using them and despising others. In 1 Corinthians 12:21-22, Paul says, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you,’ nor in turn can the head say to the foot, ‘I do not need you.’ On the contrary, those members that seem to be weaker are essential.” We must be careful of both of these wrong attitudes regarding our gifts and roles in the church. God selects and gives each person a role in the body of Christ, so it functions properly. First Corinthians 12:18 says, “But as a matter of fact, God has placed each of the members in the body just as he decided.” To despise our gifts or become prideful about them is to dishonor God who is the Creator and Distributor of gifts.

6. We must learn how to rely on others in the body.

Again, in 1 Corinthians 12:21-22, Paul says, “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I do not need you,’ nor in turn can the head say to the foot, ‘I do not need you.’” We don’t need to be insecure about not having all the gifts or not being able to do everything. Often God’s will is to not give us specific gifts but to give us specific people who can help us accomplish what he wants to do in the church and the world. Sometimes, we need to pray for God to bring the right person to serve the children, to administrate, and to lead. Apparently, Paul was sent to Macedonia because of the prayers of a single man. In a vision, Paul saw a man urging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” (Acts 16:9). Certainly, we must recognize our weaknesses and others’ strengths and rely on them in those areas. At times, we should also pray for God to bring people to serve in the weak areas of our church.

Reflection

What stood out most in the reading and why?
What are spiritual gifts? How are they received? Why are they given?
How many spiritual gifts are there?
How do we discern our spiritual gifts?
Have some of the spiritual gifts ceased? Why or why not?
What are your spiritual gifts, and how has God called you to use them?
What other questions or applications did you take from the reading?

Scripture quotations marked (NLT) are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, Copyright © 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, and 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are from the King James Version of the Bible.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added.

¹ Evans, Tony. Theology You Can Count On: Experiencing What the Bible Says About... God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, Angels, Salvation... . Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

² Ryrie, C. C. (1999). Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (p. 423). Chicago, IL: Moody Press.

³ Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: an introduction to biblical doctrine (p. 957). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.

⁴ Aaron, Daryl. Understanding Theology in 15 Minutes a Day: How can I know God? Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

⁵ Aaron, Daryl. Understanding Theology in 15 Minutes a Day: How can I know God? Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

⁶ Evans, Tony. Theology You Can Count On: Experiencing What the Bible Says About... God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, Angels, Salvation... . Moody Publishers. Kindle Edition.

⁷ MacArthur, J., & Mayhue, R. (Eds.). (2017). Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth (p. 756). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

⁸ Fee, G. D. (2014). The First Epistle to the Corinthians. (N. B. Stonehouse, F. F. Bruce, G. D. Fee, & J. B. Green, Eds.) (Revised Edition, p. 699). Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

⁹ Aaron, Daryl. Understanding Theology in 15 Minutes a Day: How can I know God? Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

¹⁰ Clark, Randy. The Spiritual Gifts Handbook: Using Your Gifts to Build the Kingdom (p. 34). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

¹¹ Aaron, Daryl. Understanding Theology in 15 Minutes a Day: How can I know God? Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

¹² MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (1984). 1 Corinthians (p. 365). Chicago: Moody Press.

¹³ Aaron, Daryl. Understanding Theology in 15 Minutes a Day: How can I know God? Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.]

Related Topics: Pneumatology (The Holy Spirit)

The Bible Teacher’s Guide, Eschatology: Understanding Last Things

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And entrust what you heard me say in the presence of many others as witnesses to faithful people who will be competent to teach others as well.

2 Timothy 2:2 (NET)

Paul’s words to Timothy still apply to us today. The church needs teachers who clearly and fearlessly teach the Word of God. With this in mind, The Bible Teacher’s Guide (BTG) series was created. This series includes both expositional and topical studies, with resources to help teachers lead small groups, pastors prepare sermons, and individuals increase their knowledge of God’s Word.

Eschatology can be used for personal study or as a ten to thirteen-session small group curriculum, depending on how the leader divides up the topics. For small groups, the members will read a chapter (or chapters) within their gathering and discuss the reflection questions and anything else that stood out in the reading. Or, the chapter can be read before the gathering, with the meeting focusing only on discussion.

Introduction

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What is eschatology? Eschatology comes from the Greek word eschatos, which means last, end, or final.¹ Therefore, eschatology is the study of last things. Everybody has a form of eschatology. For some, eschatology brings despair because everything ends in death—including the individual and the universe. Some have a vague hope of the afterlife. For Christians, they should have a certain hope because God has laid out his plan for the end times in Scripture; God did this to encourage his saints and prepare them for what is ahead.

There are two types of eschatology. (1) There is personal eschatology, which includes the future of individuals, including death, the intermediate state, the resurrection, judgment, and eternity. It answers the question: what is a person’s individual destiny? (2) The other type of eschatology is cosmic or general eschatology. It describes major events that will affect the entire universe, such as the tribulation period, the second coming of Christ, the resurrection of the dead, the millennium, the final judgment, and the coming eternal kingdom.

The Importance of Eschatology

Why is it important to study eschatology? It is important for many reasons:

1. Studying eschatology is important because it keeps us from being ignorant about God’s future plan and missing the benefits of that understanding.

Revelation 1:1 says, “The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show his servants what must happen very soon. He made it clear by sending his angel to his servant John.” Christ intended for his servants to understand God’s future program. Not only did he reveal much of the end-time events to the apostle John to share with believers, but he also shared much about the end-times while he was on the earth before he died (cf. Matt 24). It was never God’s will for his saints to be uninformed. In 1 Thessalonians 4:18, Paul said this in the context of teaching about the second coming and the rapture of saints: “Therefore encourage one another with these words.” By understanding eschatology, believers can find encouragement.

2. Studying eschatology is important because it provides joy and hope in uncertain times.

Though it may seem like everything in the world is falling apart, we should have hope because we know how things end. For the sake of example, it is like watching a championship game which one’s favorite team is playing in. Watching the game often comes with moments of sheer excitement when one’s team is doing well and moments of terror when the team is losing. However, when watching the game while knowing the outcome, a person typically does not get too high when things are good or too low when things are bad because the person knows the outcome. Though he may not know all the particulars of the game, the fact that he knows how things end protects his emotions. Likewise, studying eschatology does the same for the believer. When the world and other believers are distraught or overly optimistic because of events happening in the world, the believer who has devoted time to studying eschatology is more sober-minded. Consider the following verses. In 2 Corinthians 5:8, Paul said, “Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” Paul was full of courage when facing the prospect of death because he knew death led to being home in the presence of Christ. Likewise, in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, Paul said, “Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope.” In this context, believers were anxious about the futures of deceased believers; however, by understanding the rapture, which will happen at Christ’s coming, they could have hope instead of grief.

3. Studying eschatology is important to encourage us towards holy living.

In 1 John 3:2-3, John said this about the second coming and the glorification of saints:

Dear friends, we are God’s children now, and what we will be has not yet been revealed. We know that whenever it is revealed we will be like him, because we will see him just as he is. And everyone who has this hope focused on him purifies himself, just as Jesus is pure).

Those hoping in Christ’s coming and our subsequent glorification purify themselves from sin. In 2 Peter 3:10-11, Peter said the same thing about Christ’s coming and his renewal of the heavens and the earth by fire.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare. Since all these things are to melt away in this manner, what sort of people must we be, conducting our lives in holiness and godliness,

These eschatological events should lead us to pursue holiness and godliness. Therefore, in contrast, those who are not hoping in Christ’s coming will often lead slothful, compromised lives.

4. Studying eschatology is important as it equips us for every good work, even as studying Scripture in general does.

In 2 Timothy 3:16-17, Paul said, “Every scripture is inspired by God and useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the person dedicated to God may be capable and equipped for every good work.”

Eschatology is as inspired as God’s words on creation, salvation, and sanctification. As we study them, God teaches, rebukes, corrects, trains, and equips us for good works. Therefore, when we do not know Scripture, including eschatology, it hinders God’s ability to use us in certain ways. This is important to consider since eschatology is probably the most neglected doctrine in Scripture.

5. Studying eschatology is important as a proof of the reliability of Scripture.

In the same way that Scripture was accurate concerning prophecies about Christ’s first coming, we can trust the Bible is accurate about the second coming and other end-time events. While these events materialize in front of us, we should gain even more confidence that Scripture is God’s Word and trustworthy in all it says.

6. Studying eschatology is important for drawing our hearts to worship God who is in control of history.

In Romans 11:33-36, after describing how Christ will return and save the nation of Israel (v. 25-27), Paul breaks out into praise. He says:

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how fathomless his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Or who has first given to God, that God needs to repay him? For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever! Amen.

Seeing God’s sovereign hand bring about his prophecies throughout history cannot but display God’s glory and therefore increase our worship of our all-knowing and all-powerful Creator.

Conclusion

In eschatology, God reveals his will for the last days to believers. He reveals these things to teach his saints about his glory and control over history, to encourage them in uncertain times, and to equip them for good works, amongst many other things. For these reasons, let us not neglect eschatology but instead enthusiastically study it together. May God, through the Holy Spirit, reveal his glory, power, and sovereignty to us, so we can have hope and strength in these last days!

Reflection

What stood out most in the reading and why?
What are some important reasons for studying eschatology?
Why is the study of eschatology often neglected?
What other questions or applications did you take from the reading?

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are from the King James Version of the Bible.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added.

¹ MacArthur, J., & Mayhue, R. (Eds.). (2017). Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth (p. 828). Wheaton, IL: Crossway.

Related Topics: Eschatology (Things to Come)

1. Death

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What is death? How should a believer view death—his own, that of believers, and unbelievers? Since death is a somber subject, most avoid thinking about it. However, Scripture has a lot to say about it, because soberly contemplating death can help us live wisely. Psalm 90:12 says, “So teach us to consider our mortality, so that we might live wisely.” Also, Ecclesiastes 7:4 says, “The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of merrymaking.” Therefore, important aspects about death are considered below.

1. Death is separation, not ceasing to exist.

When a person dies, he or she does not cease to exist. Death really means separation. In Scripture, there are three types of death. There is physical death. James 2:26 says, “… the body without the spirit is dead…” This type of death is temporary because eventually all people will be physically resurrected—either to eternal life in heaven or eternal death in hell. In John 5:28-29, Christ said this:

Do not be amazed at this, because a time is coming when all who are in the tombs will hear his voice and will come out—the ones who have done what is good to the resurrection resulting in life, and the ones who have done what is evil to the resurrection resulting in condemnation.

The second type of death is spiritual death. Every person is born spiritually dead—which refers to separation from God. After Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they immediately died spiritually. This is seen in their hiding from God when he walked through the garden. Before spiritual death, they walked in communion with God, but after their sin, they were spiritually separated from him. Likewise, each person is born this way now. In Ephesians 2:1-2, Paul said this:

And although you were dead in your transgressions and sins in which you formerly lived according to this world’s present path, according to the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the ruler of the spirit that is now energizing the sons of disobedience…

Instead of walking in obedience to God, the spiritually dead walk in rebellion towards him. In fact, Romans 8:7 says, “because the outlook of the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to the law of God, nor is it able to do so.” Also, 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “The unbeliever does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. And he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.” It is only after a person repents of his sins and accepts Christ as his savior that he is born again and therefore becomes alive to God. Ephesians 2:5 says, “[But God] even though we were dead in transgressions, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you are saved!”

The third type of death is eternal death, which is eternal separation from God’s blessing. Consider the following verses: 2 Thessalonians 1:9 says, “They will undergo the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his strength,” and Revelation 21:8 says,

But to the cowards, unbelievers, detestable persons, murderers, the sexually immoral, and those who practice magic spells, idol worshipers, and all those who lie, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. That is the second death.

Not all will experience this final type of death. Those who accept Christ by faith will avoid it.

2. Death is a result of sin.

In the Garden of Eden, God promised Adam and Eve that if they ate of the forbidden tree, they would die, and they did. They died first spiritually and then eventually physically. Since Adam was the king of the world under God, we all experience physical death because of him. Romans 5:12 says, “So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, and so death spread to all people because all sinned.” If this seems unfair, the reality is that we also commit sin and therefore deserve death.¹ Romans 3:23 and 6:23 say, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” and “For the payoff of sin is death.” In addition, in the same way that Adam’s disobedience led to the death of all of his children, Christ’s obedience leads to eternal life for all who follow him. Romans 5:19 says, “For just as through the disobedience of the one man many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of one man many will be made righteous.” Also, 1 Corinthians 15:22 says, “For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” Because Christ lived the perfect life we could not live and died on the cross for our sins, we can have eternal life through him (Jn 3:16).

3. Death is an enemy that Christ defeated.

Though some may think of death as a natural part of life, it is not. In 1 Corinthians 15:26, it is called the “last enemy.” God did not create people to die. In fact, Ecclesiastes 3:11 says God “has put eternity into man’s heart.” Humans have a natural longing to continue to live, which is why we feel it is so sad, or even an injustice, when people die. Even Christ mourned the death of his friend Lazarus (Jn 11:33-35). In addition, since it was never God’s will for people to die, it was also never God’s will for people to experience the pains of aging, such as loss of memory and strength. Though the aging process is normal when looking around at creation, nevertheless, humans struggle with it because eternity was put in their hearts. In accordance with what God has done in our hearts, one day death, our “enemy,” will be completely eliminated (1 Cor 15:26). It was defeated when Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead (Heb 2:14-15), and it will ultimately be defeated when God resurrects us from the dead. In 1 Corinthians 15:54-55, Paul said:

Now when this perishable puts on the imperishable, and this mortal puts on immortality, then the saying that is written will happen, “Death has been swallowed up in victory.” “Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?”

Also, Revelation 21:4 says this when describing the eternal state: “He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death will not exist any more—or mourning, or crying, or pain, for the former things have ceased to exist.”

4. Death leads to our accountability before God.

Often death is considered a transition to a peaceful existence, but that is not necessarily true. Death is a transition for all into the intermediate state, either to hell or heaven, and eventually that will lead to the final judgment which will happen after Christ’s return (2 Cor 5:10, Rev 20:11-15). In Hebrews 9:27, the author said, “And just as people are appointed to die once, and then to face judgment.” Because of people’s proximity to death, it should cause unbelievers to repent and live for God, and it should cause believers to confirm their salvation through obedience to God (cf. 2 Cor 13:5, Matt 3:8). In the parable of the rich man, God said this about the rich man who lived for comfort instead of God:

But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded back from you, but who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ So it is with the one who stores up riches for himself, but is not rich toward God.

Luke 12:20-21

Likewise, to the Jews who believed they were saved, John the Baptist said:

So John said to the crowds that came out to be baptized by him, “You offspring of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Therefore produce fruit that proves your repentance, and don’t begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that God can raise up children for Abraham from these stones! Even now the ax is laid at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

Luke 3:7-9

Death leads to our accountability before God; therefore, our proximity to it should make us live for God and not for ourselves and the world.

5. Death for believers is not a punishment for sin but a transition to complete sanctification.

As mentioned, on the cross, Christ bore the punishment for all our sins, including physical, spiritual, and eternal death (cf. Rom 6:23). Romans 8:1 says, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Consequently, though God may at times take a believer home early because of persistence in sin, death for a believer is not a punishment (in the sense of retribution) as it is for an unbeliever. This is clearly seen in 1 Corinthians 11:29-32, where God took some believers home for their abuse of the Lord’s Supper. It says:

For the one who eats and drinks without careful regard for the body eats and drinks judgment against himself. That is why many of you are weak and sick, and quite a few are dead. But if we examined ourselves, we would not be judged. But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned with the world.

Believers are disciplined in this life so they will not ultimately be condemned with the world. This discipline may at times include the believers’ death. At death, all believers are sanctified by God in the sense that they are freed from the presence of their sin nature. This is why Hebrews 12:23 calls believers in heaven “the spirits of the righteous, who have been made perfect.” Therefore, death is another way that God works all things for the good of those who love the Lord (Rom 8:28), as it leads to their ultimate sanctification. It is also a way that we experience a deeper fellowship with our Lord, who also died. In Philippians 3:10-11, Paul said this: “My aim is to know him, to experience the power of his resurrection, to share in his sufferings, and to be like him in his death, and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.”

If death is not a penalty for sins, why do believers die? Though God uses death to complete the believers’ sanctification, it happens because we live in a fallen world and constantly deal with the effects of the fall. Wayne Grudem put it this way:

But until that time death remains a reality even in the lives of Christians. Although death does not come to us as a penalty for our individual sins (for that has been paid by Christ), it does come to us as a result of living in a fallen world, where the effects of sin have not all been removed. Related to the experience of death are other results of the fall that harm our physical bodies and signal the presence of death in the world—Christians as well as non-Christians experience aging, illnesses, injuries, and natural disasters (such as floods, violent storms, and earthquakes). Although God often answers prayers to deliver Christians (and also non-Christians) from some of these effects of the fall for a time (and thereby indicates the nature of his coming kingdom), nevertheless, Christians eventually experience all of these things to some measure, and, until Christ returns, all of us will grow old and die. The “last enemy” has not yet been destroyed. And God has chosen to allow us to experience death before we gain all the benefits of salvation that have been earned for us.²

6. Death for believers should bring both a joyful expectation at the prospect of their death and, at the same time, mourning when others die.

When considering his own death, in Philippians 1:21-23, Paul said:

For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain. Now if I am to go on living in the body, this will mean productive work for me, yet I don’t know which I prefer: I feel torn between the two, because I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far

Also, in 2 Corinthians 5:8, Paul said, “Thus we are full of courage and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.” Because death leads the believer into God’s presence, it should be looked at with joyful expectation. In many ways, death for the believer is better by far than living. However, like Paul, we should desire to stay for the sake of others and to glorify God in this life. In Philippians 1:24-26, after considering the benefits of dying and being with the Lord, he said:

…but it is more vital for your sake that I remain in the body. And since I am sure of this, I know that I will remain and continue with all of you for the sake of your progress and joy in the faith, so that what you can be proud of may increase because of me in Christ Jesus, when I come back to you.

How should believers respond to the death of others? Again, since death is an enemy and an unfortunate reality of living in a fallen world, believers should mourn the death of others. With that said, believers should not mourn as those without hope. In referring to the death of believers, in 1 Thessalonians 4:13, Paul said, “Now we do not want you to be uninformed, brothers and sisters, about those who are asleep, so that you will not grieve like the rest who have no hope.” With the death of believers, our mourning must come with hope because we know they are with Christ and we will see them again. With unbelievers who die, we mourn with hope because we trust in God’s sovereignty, goodness, and wisdom—we trust that he knows what is best. We also must be careful about having absolute certainty about their eternal location, since we do not really know what happened in their hearts before they died. It is always possible that in the last minutes of life, an unbeliever may have repented in his heart, even as the thief on the cross did (Lk 23:39-43).

Conclusion

Death is a result of sin. There are three types of death—physical, spiritual, and eternal. For those who repent of their sins and follow Christ, God will deliver them from spiritual and eternal death. Some will even be delivered from physical death by being raptured when Christ returns (1 Thess 4:13-18). For believers who die, it is no longer a punishment for their sin, since Christ paid the full penalty of their sins on the cross. Death leads to the complete sanctification of believers and eternal existence in God’s presence. For these reasons, believers should face their own death with a joyful expectation (Phil 1:21-23), but they should mourn in hope when considering the death of other believers (1 Thess 4:13). They should also grieve the death of unbelievers (cf. Ez 33:11), while trusting that God’s ways are always wise, just, and good.

Reflection

What stood out most in the reading and why?
What are the three types of death?
What happens when a person dies?
Is death a punishment for the sins of believers? Why or why not?
How should believers respond to the prospect of death—their own death and that of others?
What other questions or applications did you take from the reading?

Scripture quotations marked (KJV) are from the King James Version of the Bible.

All emphases in Scripture quotations have been added.

¹ I believe Scripture teaches that infants go to heaven when they die. For more information on this, check out the chapter, “What Happens to Infants When They Die?” in BTG Hamartiology.

² Grudem, W. A. (2004). Systematic theology: an introduction to biblical doctrine (p. 811). Leicester, England; Grand Rapids, MI: Inter-Varsity Press; Zondervan Pub. House.

Related Topics: Eschatology (Things to Come)

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From the series: 网上牧师杂志–中文版（简体） PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE

网上牧师杂志–中文版（简体）, SCh Ed, Issue 41 2021 年 秋季

I.加强讲解式讲道传讲希伯来诗歌（第二部分）

E.希伯来诗讲道方面的应用

F.传讲诗歌作品的两个有用的提示

II.加强圣经领导 “和好的职分，第二部分：神百姓的和好（哥后6:1-7:16）”

III. 讲道大纲

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From the series: 網上牧師雜誌 – 中文版（繁體） PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE

網上牧師雜誌 – 中文版（繁體）, TCh Ed, Issue 41 2021 年 秋季

I.加強講解式講道傳講希伯來詩歌（第二部分）

E.希伯來詩講道方面的應用

F.傳講詩歌作品的兩個有用的提示

II.加強聖經領導 “和好的職分，第二部分：神百姓的和好（哥後6:1-7:16）”

III. 講道大綱

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From the series: Question and Answer with Bob Deffinbaugh PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE

Q. How Can You Dismiss Speaking In Tongues From Romans 8:18-27?

Answer

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From the series: Moses: Significant Events In The Life Of Moses (Expository Sermons On O.T. Characters) PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE

3. Responding To God’s Call (Ex. 3:11-4:17)

I. Our Objections Do Not Obstruct God’s Purposes (3:11-4:12)

II. Our Refusals Do Not Restrict God’s Grace (4:13-17)

Final Remarks

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Doctrinal Statement

Overview

Here are our essential beliefs at Bible.org

The Bible

God the Father

God the Son

God the Holy Spirit

Mankind

Substitutionary Death of Christ

The Church

Eschatology

A Brief Word Study on Σκύβαλον

Range of Meaning

1. Dung, (Human) Excrement

Illustrations:

2. Rubbish, Dirt, Scraps, Leavings

Illustrations:

Related Terms3

Words from the σκυβαλ- root:

Terms not from the σκυβαλ- root:

Summary

Authorial Usage

Conclusion

From the series: The Bible Teacher’s Guide, Pneumatology: Knowing The Holy Spirit PREVIOUS PAGE | NEXT PAGE

7. The Holy Spirit’s Ministries, Part V - Spiritual Gifts

Spiritual Gifts

Receiving Gifts

Lists of Gifts

Descriptions of Major Gifts

Gifts and Commands

Finding Our Gifts

Time Frame of Gifts

General Applications

1. We must find our spiritual gifts.

2. We must continually develop our spiritual gifts.

3. We must desire spiritual gifts and therefore pray for them.

4. We must desire for others to have spiritual gifts and pray for God to generously give them.

5. We must not be discouraged about how God gifted us or didn’t gift us, nor should we envy others, and we must not become prideful of our gifts and look down on others.

6. We must learn how to rely on others in the body.

Reflection

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The Bible Teacher’s Guide, Eschatology: Understanding Last Things

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Introduction

The Importance of Eschatology

1. Studying eschatology is important because it keeps us from being ignorant about God’s future plan and missing the benefits of that understanding.

2. Studying eschatology is important because it provides joy and hope in uncertain times.

3. Studying eschatology is important to encourage us towards holy living.

4. Studying eschatology is important as it equips us for every good work, even as studying Scripture in general does.

5. Studying eschatology is important as a proof of the reliability of Scripture.

6. Studying eschatology is important for drawing our hearts to worship God who is in control of history.

Conclusion

Reflection

网上牧师杂志–中文版（简体）, SCh Ed, Issue 41 2021 年秋季

I.加强讲解式讲道
传讲希伯来诗歌（第二部分）

II.加强圣经领导
“和好的职分，第二部分：神百姓的和好（哥后6:1-7:16）”

網上牧師雜誌 – 中文版（繁體）, TCh Ed, Issue 41 2021 年秋季

I.加強講解式講道
傳講希伯來詩歌（第二部分）

II.加強聖經領導
“和好的職分，第二部分：神百姓的和好（哥後6:1-7:16）”

Related Terms ³