The Blog of Hobbes

I have greatly enjoyed D.A.Carson’s review of three books on the bible, posted at the Reformation21 website. As ever, Carson writes with penetration, clarity and grace. It is a long article, so it has taken me some time to work my way through it. But, it’s been well worth it. Along the way, I enjoyed the following insight from Carson’s overview of the third chapter of John Webster’s book Holy Scripture: A Dogmatic Sketch:

Webster’s third chapter, “Reading in the Economy of Grace,” is a penetrating and sometimes moving contrast of two theologies of reading, or, more precisely, two anthropologies of reading. On the one side stands Schopenhauer, who embodies attitudes to reading that dominate today’s culture; on the other side stand Calvin and Bonhoeffer, with quite different approaches to reading Scripture. Schopenhauer contrasts reading with “thinking for yourself”: too much reading may so swamp the mind that the mind’s originality is squashed. The summum bonum, then, remains the human mind, the mind’s autonomy, its originality. By contrast, Calvin and Bonhoeffer insist that thought must be subordinate to the Word. For the Christian, reading Scripture “thus involves mortification of the free-range intellect which believes itself to be at liberty to devote itself to all manner of sources of fascination” (90). Or again:

For Calvin, the counter to the vanity, instability and sheer artfulness of the impious self is “another and better help”, namely “the light of his Word” by which God becomes “known unto salvation.” God counters pride by self-revelation through Scripture. Scripture is on Calvin’s account “a special gift, where God, to instruct the church, not merely uses mute teachers but also opens his most hallowed lips. Not only does he teach the elect to look upon a God, but also shows himself as the God upon whom they are to look”. . . . This does not entail wholesale abandonment of any appropriation of the tools of historical inquiry, but raises a question about their usefulness by asking whether they can foster childlike reading of the text (77).

What role does Scripture play in determining what is to be believed and what is to be done?

Do we see Scripture as defining what is legitimate doctrine and practice and, by implication, determining what is illegitimate? Or do we see it as the starting point of a voyage of doctrinal discovery and exploration, which regards any destination as legitimate so long as we can trace our journey back to the bible?

The fact that we employ Scripture in our decision making is not necessarily a good sign. How we employ Scripture is far more significant.

The responsibility of communicating God’s truth does not rest upon the preacher or teacher alone. Those who refuse to listen and respond in faith to faithful preaching and teaching will be held accountable - not the faithful preacher. Recently I re-read the following exhortation in an edition of John Owen’s “The Glory of Christ”, which expresses the need and nature of our response to God’s Word:

“The loss of a spiritual appetite to the food of our souls is an evidence of a decay in all these graces. Spiritual appetite consists in earnest desires, and a savoury relish; so it is described by the apostle, ‘As new-born babes, desire the sincere milk of the Word, that you may grow thereby; if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious’ (1 Pet. 2:2-3). There is required to this spiritual appetite an earnest desire of the Word, grounded on an experience of the grace of God in it, to this end, that we may grow and thrive spiritually thereby. And this appetite will give us as just a measure of the state of grace in us as a natural appetite to wholesome food, with due digestion upon that, does give of a good state of health in the body.

This, therefore, we are to inquire into. Does it abide in us as formerly? We hear the Word preached as much as ever; but do we do it with the same desire and spiritual relish as before? Some hear to satisfy their convictions, some to please their fancies, and some to judge of the persons by whom it is dispensed. It is but in few that the necessary preparations for the due receiving of it is found.

‘The full soul loathes an honey-comb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet.’ (Prov. 27:7). Men being grown full of themselves, and of a good conceit of their own abilities, have lost their spiritual appetite to the Word of God; and this makes the Word lose its power and efficacy towards them. That Word, which the Psalmist says is ’sweeter than honey, or the honey-comb’ (Ps. 19:10), has little or no taste or relish in it to them. If they were hungry, they would find a sweetness in the bitterest of its reproofs, beyond what they can now find in the sweetest of its promises. They come to hear the Word with sick desires, and low expectations, as if they were invited to eat after a feast, being self-full before. But this loss of a spiritual appetite is an evidence of the decay of all other graces whatever.” (John Owen, The Glory of Christ, p269-70, Christian Focus Publications, 2004).

Oh, how true this is! How I wish someone would write a book on “annointed listening”, rather than publish another book annointed preaching! Jeremiah’s prophetic preaching was infallibly true and annointed, yet the people did not have ears to hear. This is true of Ezekiel as well. The writer of the Hebrews wrote:

“For good news came to us just as to them, but the message they heard did not benefit them, because they were not united by faith with those who listened.” (Heb. 4:2, ESV)

God has a passionate desire for godly, faithful and powerful preachers of his Word. But, he also desires godly, faithful and powerful listeners who respond to his Word with heart-felt joy. Both are a product of the sovereign grace of God, so we cannot advocate some of the man-made techniques designed to provoke “responses”. Only the “methods” found in Scripture are required: both faith-full preaching and faith-full listening.

On Sunday I preached from Matthew 3, focusing mainly on John the Baptist’s ministry and message as described in verse 3. Once I get the audio, I’m tempted to post it here to expose my limitations as a teacher to the world, adding some analysis of my style and content. That will truly be a test of courage.

Anyway, a key question in verse 3 is this: who is the “voice of one crying in the wilderness”? Is this voice the commissioning voice of God addressed to John, or is it the prophetic voice of John himself? If it is the former, then it is John the Baptist who “prepares the way of the Lord”. He does the stuff and, consequently, the application of the divine command is limited to this particular episode of redemptive history. However, if it is the latter, then it is those around John who are to “prepare the way of the Lord” - those who hear his voice - and not John alone.

Despite the ESV and NIV chapter headings unhelpfully stating that “John the Baptist prepares the way”, it seems more clear to me that the voice in the wilderness is the voice of John. Therefore, his prophetic command to prepare the way is addressed to everyone - those in “Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan” - and surely beyond. We also must receive the call to “prepare the way of the Lord” and “make his paths straight”. John the Baptist speaks to us, and not just to those who were with him at that time.

So, how do we prepare the way of the Lord? How do we make his paths straight? In view of John’s message of repentance, it seems appropriate to say that repentance is the means by which this is accomplished. Without repentance - without the changing of our minds from worldly concerns and priorities to heartfelt obedience to Jesus - then the path of the Messiah remains a worn, uneven rut. But, when our minds are set on things above, then his path to us becomes smooth and straight, well prepared for King Jesus to travel along. And as Jesus travels towards us along the prepared way, he comes to reign over us.

It is in this way - the way of repentance - that we enter the kingdom: the dynamic, active, living rule of God.

This divine dynamite of God’s Word cannot be tamed by man or shackled by human devices. “My word . . . shall accomplish what I please” (Isa. 55:4), says the Lord! As Paul was being restrained in a Roman prison and kept from apostolic activity, he comforted his heart by the fact that “the word of God is not bound”. This Word of God needs no human defence. It need only be turned loose and it will change men, nations, and the course of history, and it will shape eternity. By God’s Word nations and cultures have been transformed. Mere translation of Holy Scripture into a language, and distribution of The Book to common men, produce holy revolutions. Even now, in such regions as Africa and the Far East, the power of God’s Word is proving itself uncontainable and unstoppable by human devices.

Editorial in ‘The Banner of Truth Magazine’, by Walter J. Chantry