FAQs and Tips from a Pastor’s Perspective

I was recently asked a question that comes up regularly…so I thought I would answer it here…in case others were wondering the same thing. (By the way: It is a question we answer during the discussion on the Bible in my doctrinal teaching “What we believe…and why we believe it.”

Question: I have a difficult time understanding the King James Version of the Bible. What Bible do you recommend? (Other variations of the question include what’s the difference with all of the translations?)

Here is some background reading on translations from my teaching on the subject: Bible Translation Overview.

I personally preach from the NASB (New American Standard Bible, updated 1995) because I believe it to be the most accurate English translation available in the essentially literal category.

When I travel abroad, I usually carry the NIV (New International Version) or the HCSB (Holman Christian Standard Bible)…since I do not want to give the impression that my God is an American God…which is a purely missiological consideration.

As for personal reading, I usually recommend that teachers use an essentially literal translation (NASB, ESV, HCSB, NKJV). For those who think it is a bit “rigid”, I recommend the NIV…since it translates ideas or concepts, not just words. For those who prefer a more “narrative” form of the story, I give the New Living Translation a “thumbs up.”

How to select a bible? Go to a book store and read a passage in several translations. (You can also do this online if you google sources). I would choose a passage from John (say chapter 1 and 3). I would also look at key verses like 1 John 2:2…to see how they deal with the atonement/propitiation. Then…I would get what I liked the best.

Personally I avoid paraphrases like the Message. I won’t “fight you” over it, but I personally just don’t see the need for that.

For the new reader and the seasoned bible study person alike…I have always found a good “Study Bible” to be helpful. The “study notes” at the bottom of the page help explain concepts that are not very clear in the text. I even used a study bible when I first began to preach! John MacArthur has a good Study Bible, and so does Zondervan (as well as some others…maybe.)

The biggest key…get a Bible you understand and start reading it prayerfully…until you can grasp it. Underline, circle, and check references. Read the study notes and the background sections. Basically…just do it!

Can a house be divided against itself and stand?

Following a statement I made during the Message yesterday on the “Idol” of “Moralisms,” one of my members asked a question for clarification. It was a great question and I thought more people could benefit from it and the answer than just she and I. So here is the scope of it:

Hey, I was thinking about this, and kinda confused about it.  Jesus tells the Pharisees that “Any kingdom divided by civil war is doomed. A town or family splentered by feuding will fall apart. And if Satan is casting out Satan, he is divided and fighting against himself. His own kingdom will not survive….”  Then you said yesterday, that people can cast out demons, yet not have power from God.  I’m not sure how both of those fit together, but I know they must.  Any thoughts on what I’m missing? 

 Thanks,

First of all…let’s remember the context of my comments…at least as they were intended. My point wasn’t restricted to casting out demons; rather, it was that there were two sources of supernatural power operating in the world. I used the example of the rods becoming snakes before Pharoah as the specific example. (The text is in Exodus 7:8-15). While there are two sources of supernatural power, there is not an implied equality between the two, since God is always presented as Supreme in every regard.

I applied this to the text from the message in Matthew 7:21-23…specifically in the area of “did we not prophesy in your name,, and in your name cast our demons, and in your name perform many miracles?” I implied that from this text, we might conclude that the power used to cast out demons, perform miracles, and prophesy came from the enemy. This implication led to the question.

There actually are a couple of ways of handling the problem theologically that are faithful to the Scriptures. As such, neither of these solutions are definitive…since the Scriptures doesn’t tell us exactly how these supernatural feats were accomplished. The point of the Matthew 7 passage is that the standard for righteousness with God is not our activity, but whether He knows us as His own. Here are the best solutions I have discovered:

• Perhaps God is the source of the power and worked through the false believers…using them as an instrument of His grace toward others. It is not unusual for God to work through an evil person (or people) to accomplish a greater purpose. An example would be Pharoah. God provided for His people through Pharoah. God also used evil nations to oppress His people (see Judges) so that they would repent and turn to Him for deliverance. God is not limited to acting only through believers. He is unlimited and can use “unregenerate ( i.e. unsaved/lost) people” as instruments of His will to accomplish His purposes.
• A second solution may be that there “appeared” to be a miracle of casting out a demon. This is a logic argument. Perhaps the enemy oppresses a person demonically and then pretends to cast the demon out through the ministry of a false teacher (while subversively only ordering the demon to stop oppressing. To the person oppressed, it would seem as though they were delivered by the false miracle worker, when in reality, Satan simply stopped oppressing the person at the time.
• As for prophesy, there are severalexamples where God used evil people to prophesy His will. This is not too unusual. Also, we know that the demons have information that we do not (see Mark 5 for a prophetic confession by the Gadarene Demoniac as to Christ’s identity…something that other people did not fully grasp). When they reveal that information…it is, by definition, prophetic.
• As for miracles or other supernatural occurrences…I think we can safely accept that these occurred (see Acts 19:11-20, et. al) and were recorded in biblicaltimes. Some of these supernatural occurrences occurred at the hands of non-believers (Jewish Exorcists).

Ultimately, there are a number of ways of explaining how someone can do a miracle or prophesy or free someone from demon oppression and still not be known by God as one of His people. We are called to discern. We should examine all people and all claims of people who assert that they have a word from God. A good rule is…if it isn’t in the Bible…it is suspect.

 

Thanks for the question and for allowing me to share an answer that will hopefully clarify some things that I maybe left undone in the message.