April 2004, Volume IX, Issue
24
Holding
the Traditions (1)
Scripture (God’s hammer) is
the more sure word that shall never pass away, for it is God-breathed and
unbreakable. Though the Bible is an incomparable book, this does not mean that
Christians should not also read other books.
Our various callings usually
require other reading. Education (both of children and adults) and most forms of
employment necessitate reading. Even reading of newspapers enables us to keep
informed of the world in which we live.
The Bible actually refers to
non-inspired books, such as "the book of Jasher" (Josh. 10:13) and the
books of Samuel, Nathan and Gad (I Chron. 29:29). As well as citing the
God-breathed OT, Paul quotes (without naming) some pagan authors, such as,
Aratus (Acts 17:28), Epimenides (Titus 1:12) and Menander (I Cor. 15:33).
But what about
"tradition?" "Doesn’t the Roman church vaunt her tradition?
Surely all tradition is bad." What then do you make of II Thessalonians
2:15 (a text oft quoted by apologists of Romanism and Eastern Orthodoxy):
"brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions?" Not only is there a
positive reference to "traditions" in this verse, but the text also
urges Christians to "stand fast" and "hold" them.
But what does Rome means by
tradition? Rome believes that God’s Word consists of two parts, Sacred
Scripture and Sacred Tradition. Both have God as their source and they are to be
received with equal respect and veneration. Either (or both) can be used to
establish or prove a doctrine. The Catechism of the Catholic Church
(quoting Vatican II) declares that Rome "does not derive her certainty
about all revealed truths from the holy Scriptures alone. Both Scripture and
Tradition must be accepted and honoured with equal sentiments of devotion and
reverence" (82).
Rome’s tradition includes
transubstantiation, the worship of the host, the mass as a sacrifice for the
living and the dead; the immaculate conception, bodily assumption and heavenly
mediation of Mary; the universal dominion and infallibility of the pope; the
seven sacraments, involving auricular confession and penance; purgatory,
indulgences, prayers for the dead, prayers to the saints; the rosary and the
worship of idols.
Rome teaches that there is an
oral transmission of God’s truth from the apostles and their successors over
the centuries within the (Roman) church. Some of this tradition is now written
in the decisions of the ecumenical and Roman councils, the papal pronouncements,
and the writings of the church fathers and the doctors of the church. Unwritten
tradition will be disclosed in future Roman dogmas. The magisterium (the Roman
church’s teaching office) determines what is Sacred Tradition and what is not.
But is all this what II Thessalonians 2:15 has in mind by
"traditions?" Rev. Stewart
Achan’s
Sin and Punishment (2)
And it shall be, that he that is
taken with the accursed thing shall be burnt with fire, he and all that he hath:
because he hath transgressed the covenant of the Lord, and because he hath
wrought folly in Israel (Josh. 7:15).
A reader asks, "Would you
please explain to me what was the accursed thing mentioned in Joshua 8:15, and
why was the punishment to severe?"
Last time, I recounted some of
the history of Achan’s sin and called attention to the fact that God had
pronounced all that was in Jericho accursed. The Hebrew word
"accursed" means "devoted to God." That which is accursed is
also devoted to God.
Achan’s sin of stealing some
of the accursed things from Jericho (a Babylonish garment, some silver and a
wedge of gold) brought the curse upon him and upon the entire nation of Israel.
The result was that the relatively small city of Ai decisively defeated the
armies of Israel and 36 soldiers were killed.
Before we go on to answer the
question which one of our readers submitted, I want to call attention to another
aspect of this passage which is of crucial importance. How is it that Achan’s
theft of the accursed thing brought the curse not only upon him and his family,
but upon the entire nation? Clearly the nation of Israel as whole was
responsible before God for Achan’s sin. Achan’s guilt came upon everyone in
Israel. Achan’s curse was the curse upon the whole nation. That curse had to
be removed or the nation would have perished and would never have inherited the
promised land. How can Achan’s sin be the sin of the nation? That is the
question. That question is underscored by the fact that the sin of Achan was
secret. No one knew about it. The 36 soldiers who were killed did not know about
it. No one, other than Achan’s family knew it had happened. Yet the whole
nation is punished.
Remember that when God gave
instructions to Israel concerning Jericho, He specifically said that anyone who
took of the accursed thing in Jericho, would not only make himself accursed, but
would also "make the camp of Israel a curse" (6:18).
When Israel was defeated in
battle by the inhabitants of Ai, Joshua, filled with consternation, cried to God
for an explanation. The Lord was rather short with him: "Get thee up;
wherefore liest thou thus upon thy face? Israel hath sinned, and they have also
transgressed my covenant which I commanded them: for they have even taken of the
accursed thing, and have also stolen, and dissembled also, and they have put it
even among their own stuff. Therefore the children of Israel could not stand
before their enemies, but turned their backs before their enemies, because they
were accursed: neither will I be with you any more, except ye destroy the
accursed from among you" (7:10-12). Also God’s command shows that He lays
the sin of Achan upon the whole nation: "Up sanctify the people, and say,
Sanctify yourselves against tomorrow; for thus saith the Lord God of Israel,
There is an accursed thing in the midst of thee, O Israel: thou canst not stand
before thine enemies, until ye take away the accursed thing from among you"
(7:13). "Israel hath sinned!" That is God’s word to Joshua.
Why does God do this? It is
almost impossible for people to understand these things in our day of
individualism in which the motto of people is: "Every man for himself
..." Arminianism has done this to the church. Arminianism is
individualistic. It is only concerned about the individual’s relation to God,
and rarely, if ever, speaks in terms of corporate responsibility and solidarity.
However, Scripture is not individualistic.
A couple of examples will
demonstrate this. First, Adam’s fall in Paradise brought sin upon the whole
human race. This means not only that the effects of Adam’s sin were inherited
by the whole human race, but also that the guilt of Adam’s sin is the guilt of
all men. Every one, you and I included, are guilty of eating of the forbidden
fruit and could go to hell for that sin alone. This is clearly the teaching of
Romans 5:12-14.
Israel was very conscious of
corporate responsibility. Neither Joshua nor Israel were surprised when God held
the entire nation accountable for what Achan had done, even though when that
great sin was committed they were unaware of it.
Second, when Daniel realized
that the 70 years of Judah’s captivity was nearly ended, he made a remarkable
prayer (Dan. 9). In that prayer, he confesses the sins of the nation which
brought Judah to Babylon as his own sins as well as the sins of the
nation. "We have sinned, and have committed iniquity" (5).
"Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets" (6).
"Unto us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to
our fathers, because we have sinned against thee" (9). And so on. Read this
beautiful chapter and learn from it.
We are always responsible for
the sins of the corporate unity to which we belong, whether of our families, our
church, or our country. God visits the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Him. Wives and children
suffer for the sin of drunkenness in a wicked father. Whole families suffer from
the adulteries of one of the parents.
This important truth lies at the
foundation of the text in Joshua. Achan’s sin is so terrible because, by it,
he brought grief and sorrow upon the whole nation. Think of a father who,
although he knows what grief and anguish he will bring on his wife, his
children, his parents, his fellow members in the church and his acquaintances by
consorting with other women, nevertheless commits adultery with them. He is
certainly guilty of the adultery which he committed; but he is also guilty of
the suffering he brought upon those who are part of his life. That makes his sin
all the more terrible. Achan was responsible for the death of 36 soldiers.
In other words, although the
guilt of Achan’s sin was the guilt of the entire nation, Achan’s sin stood
as the cause of it, and his guilt was the greater. Prof. H. Hanko
The
Lukewarm Church (4)
It only remains to tidy up some
loose ends and flesh out further the positive interpretation of Revelation 3:20:
"Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open
the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me."
First, the "door" at
which Christ stands and knocks is the heart and life of each of the members of
the church at Laodicea. One could even extend this to include unbelievers who
make no confession of faith in Christ, provided, of course, that Christ’s
"knocking" is rightly understood.
Second, the "knocking"
is the faithful proclamation of the Word of God. By this means, Jesus Christ
Himself summonses men. God is holy and you are polluted before Him. There is a
rap at your door to leave your carnal mindedness and vain delusions of
righteousness (17) to embrace Jesus Christ. Hell looms as a bottomless cavern
that is never full. This is another loud and insistent bang on the door. The
atoning death of Christ is the only way of salvation for guilty sinners. Another
knock! Clearly and unmistakably, men are called and summonsed by the preaching
of the gospel to repentance and faith—the only way of enjoying everlasting
life in Jesus Christ.
But does this not mean that
Christ wants to save everybody? Is He not at the door of every man’s
heart earnestly desiring to come in? No, the text says that He
"stands" and knocks, not that He is on His knees and knocks. It is
true that He does desire to come in to some men. Christ identifies them thus:
"as many as I love;" not, "as many as I do not love." They
are His sons, whom He chastens (19); not "bastards" (Heb. 12:8). Love
is that which desires fellowship and communion. Christ does not love but hates
the reprobate (Rom. 9:13). Thus He does not yearn to "sup" or dine
(20) with them.
While all under faithful
preaching hear the external knocking, only in the elect is it accompanied by the
irresistible power of the Holy Spirit. "Many are called [externally], but
few are chosen" and thus few receive the internal call (Matt. 22:14), for
election and (effectual) calling are inseparably joined (Rom. 8:30). Many only
hear the knocking with their physical ears, while others also hear the knocking
with God-given spiritual ears (Matt. 13:14-16). To the former the preaching
(Christ’s knocking) is a "savour of death unto death," but to His
elect it is a "savour of life unto life" (II Cor. 2:16).
Third, Christ’s coming in to
dine with men who "open" the door to Him does not mean that all men
have the power to do this. Jesus declared, "No man can come to me,
except the Father which hath sent me draw him" (John 6:44). God opens the
hearts of His people (Acts 16:14) or "draws" them so that they
"come" to Christ (John 6:44) willingly (Ps. 110:3). The elect are
empowered by the knocking of faithful preaching to open their hearts and lives
to Christ so that we consciously enjoy covenant communion with him. In the
Spirit and through His Word, we sit together and dine together, fellowshipping
with Him in the riches of His gospel. Rev. Stewart
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