How To Deal With Difficult Passages

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=50 BGCOLOR="#333366" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>How To Deal With Difficult Passages</B></div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=165 BGCOLOR="#CCCC99" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="132" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="VOID" RULES="NONE" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 35 ><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id268.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="How To Study A Book of the Bible"><U><B><IMG SRC="007151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <A HREF="id262.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="GenderSensitive Bible Versions"><U><B><IMG SRC="008151d0.gif" border=0 width="21" height="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></B></U></A></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP WIDTH="20"><IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="35" ALIGN="bottom" WIDTH="20" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="13"></div> </NOBR></tD> <tD VALIGN=TOP><NOBR><div> <IMG BORDER="0" SRC="1x1.gif" HEIGHT="29" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" WIDTH="27"></div> </NOBR></tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></div> <div> Previous/Next Sermon</div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="index.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="www.stanbaker.org"><U><B>Home</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id2.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Biblical and Theological Studies"><U><B>Biblical and Theological Studies</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id3.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Church Ministry"><U><B>Church Ministry</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id15.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sermon Notes"><U>Sermon Notes</U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="id5.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Personal"><U><B>Personal</B></U></A></div> <bR> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> <div> <A HREF="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="mailto:stan@stanbaker.org"><U>stan@stanbaker.org</U></A></div> </td> <td valign="top" height=430 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <B>How to Deal with Difficult Passages</B></div> <div> <B>How to Understand the Bible, Part 9</B></div> <div> <B>Berean Bible Church, March 10, 2002pm</B></div> <bR> <bR> <div> <B>What makes difficult passages difficult?</B></div> <div> A. When they don’t seem to fit with another passage. 1 Corinthians 7 on marriage, compared to Gen 2:18, Heb 13:4 - is marriage a positive or negative institution?</div> <div> B. When they don’t agree with our theology. Some people don't believe in miracles or the supernatural, so any miracles in the Bible are to them "difficult passages."</div> <div> C. When we think obedience is too difficult.</div> <div> D. When it doesn’t make sense to the natural mind.</div> <bR> <div> <B>The basic rules of interpretation apply</B></div> <div> A. Observe, interpret, apply.</div> <div> B. Context is key – the context includes the whole Bible.</div> <div> C. Historical background is often very important.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Why is it important that the Bible fit together?</B></div> <div> A. It all comes from the same source, ultimately.</div> <div> B. One statement of a truth is not supposed to disagree with another statement of truth.</div> <div> C. The process of doing theology brings elements <U>together</U> from various parts of the Bible into a <U>unified</U> statement of belief.</div> <div> D. We must recognize that we will not find all the answers to "problem passages. But it is helpful to search for possible alternatives.</div> <bR> <div> <B><U>Seven Examples:</U></B></div> <div> <B>The Shrewd Manager, Luke 16:1-9</B></div> <div> A. The Problem: Did Jesus use dishonesty to make a positive point?</div> <div> B. The Solution: It is likely that the shrewd manager is giving up his interest or profit, so that he could make friends who would help him after he lost his current job. He was making appropriate preparations for the future by being generous. It does not seem likely that Jesus would use dishonesty as a positive example.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Rahab’s Lie, Joshua 2, Hebrews 11:31</B></div> <div> A. The Problem: Is Rahab’s lie condoned?  Why did the spies not protest her lie?  Why is she commended in Hebrews?</div> <div> B. The Solution: Not all examples in narrative literature are examples to follow! Rahab is commended for her faith. Lying is an abomination before God, and Rahab's lie is not condoned even though it was not immediately condemned.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Creation Accounts, Genesis 1-2</B></div> <div> A. The Problem: Is Genesis 2 different than Genesis 1 in the order of creation?</div> <div> B. The Solution: Genesis 2 is a different way of looking at the events of Genesis 1. Genesis 1 is clearly sequential. Genesis 2 is arranged topically, with the creation of humans being the center point. The earth was prepared for humankind's existence on it. The vegetation of Genesis 2 could refer to the Garden of Eden or to the kinds of toilsome plants that would come after the fall of man (rain would come after the flood). In verse 19, the creation of beasts took place before the creation of Adam, and were then brought to Adam for naming.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Vows, Matthew 5:33-37</B></div> <div> A. The Problem: Is it wrong to take an oath or vow?</div> <div> B. The Solution: Jesus is addresses the problem of one having to take a vow in order for someone else to believe their word. Jesus' point is that one's word should be good -- regardless. They should not have to convince someone that their word is good by offering a vow (or multiple vows).</div> <bR> <div> <B>Salvation and Baptism, Acts 2:38</B></div> <div> A. The Problem: Is baptism a requirement for salvation?</div> <div> B. The Solution: All of you [in the whole crowd must] repent . . . and let each of you [who repents] be baptized <B>for</B> [because of] the remission of sins. (See Matt 12:41, they repented <B>for</B> [because of] the message of Jonah.)</div> <bR> <div> <B>Testing God, Malachi 3:10, Deuteronomy 6:16, Luke 4:12</B></div> <div> A. The Problem: May we “test God” or not?  Isn’t testing God a sin?</div> <div> B. The Solution: Malachi 3:10 is an example of testing out of <B>belief</B>. It is obedience, knowing that God will respond by being true to his word.</div> <div> Deuteronomy 6:16 is an example of testing out of <B>unbelief</B>. It refers back to Massah in Exodus 17:1-7; it is working outside the plan of God. Luke 4:12 is another example of testing out of unbelief; it is working outside the plan of God.</div> <bR> <div> <B>Salvation of Households, Acts 16:31</B></div> <div> A. The Problem: Can a whole household be saved by the faith of the father?</div> <div> B. The Solution: Vs. 32, They spoke the word to everyone in the household (who could hear and understand). Vs. 33, The whole household consented to baptism. Vs. 34 says the whole household had believed. Note 1 Corinthians 7:12-16, where a believing wife "sanctifies her husband" . . .  but verse 16 makes it clear that the husband is not automatically saved ("who knows if husband will be saved?").</div> <bR> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div> copyright, 2002, Stanley Baker</div> <div> www.stanbaker.org</div> </td> </tr></table></body>