What Is Subjectivism?

Just because we have the right to interpret Scripture doesn't mean we have the right to interpret it any way we want to. Just because we feel something is true doesn't make it so: e.g., not believing in election because it seems to make God out to be a despot. We cannot fabricate our own truths! We are obliged to cutting it straight so to speak. There have been many "mystics" who claim special revelation and new interpretations that only they have been privileged to know. For example, the Quakers believe they should listen to an "Inner Light" and Mormons believe God testifies His Word with a "burning in the bosom."

Remember the road to Emmaus: "Were not our hearts burning within us?" Neo-orthodox theologian Karl Barth said that a passage becomes the Word of God when you have an existential experience with it. Well, that could subjectively mean anything: Does he mean getting goosebumps, chills down the spine, or burning in the bosom? Somehow God can convict us of the truth and speak to our hearts; it is usually different to each individual. Reading into the Scriptures what we want to see is called eisegesis and correct interpretation is called exegesis.

God can speak through the air vent if He chooses, but He has chosen to primarily speak through His Word. "And the Word of the Lord tried him." "He revealed Himself to Samuel through His Word" (1 Sam. 3:21). "For it is no empty word for you, but your very life" (Deut. 32:47). "Do not My words do good to him whose ways are upright?" (Mic. 2:7). Note that God uses His Word. "The LORD revealed Himself to Samuel in Shiloh by the word of the LORD" (1 Sam. 3:21).

Swedish scientist, philosopher, and theologian Emmanuel Swedenborg was a mystic that decided he would eliminate some of the books of the Bible that he didn't "feel" were scriptural. Today we have a sect following his errant teaching. If God is going to reveal the meaning to you He will do it to other members of the body also as confirmation. "For no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation..." (2 Pet. 1:21). In summary: Subjectivism is a road to mysticism and we must endeavor to be objective, even though there is no such thing as total objectivity except with God.  Soli Deo Gloria!

Why Read Scripture?

"The Spirit of the LORD speaks through me; his words are upon my tongue"  (2 Sam. 23:2, 
NLT).

"Then the LORD reached out his hand and touched my mouth and said to me, 'I have put my words in your mouth'"  (Jeremiah 1:9, NIV).

"I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.  I say, 'My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please'" (Isaiah 46:10, NIV).

"For prophecy never had its origin in the human will, but prophets, though human, spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit" (2 Peter 1:21, NIV).  

 "The  LORD continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word"  (1 Sam. 3:21, NIV).  

"[Till] what he foretold came to pass, till the word of the LORD proved him true" (Psalm 105:19, NIV). 

"... Not one word has failed of all the good promises he gave through his servant Moses"  (1 Kings 8:56, NIV).


There are a few books that people refer to, and even quote, but have not even read cover to cover:  Das Kapital by Marx; The Communist Manifesto by Marx and Engels; On The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life, by Darwin; The Muslim Qu'ran, the Book of Mormon, Mein Kampf  by Hitler, and surprisingly, even the Bible!  Most people who don't believe the Bible have never read it, and if they have read some of it, they don't even know its main message or theme, which they don't understand, nor can they articulate.

The Bible is the best-selling book of all time and its authenticity is vouched for by more sources than any secular history of antiquity; in fact the resurrection is arguably, according to D. James Kennedy, the best-attested fact of the ancient world or antiquity, and more variously proved than any other of the time--Luke says there are "many infallible proofs" for it in Acts 1:3.  More than 150 million copies are printed each year and it has been attacked ever since the first century by foes who have even tried to wipe it out, but it has miraculously survived.

A point in fact: There is an abundant reason to check it out and see why so many are devoted to it.  It is the English language at its best, and the best of literature the world has ever known.  As a contrast to other so-called holy books, the Bible is the only one based on and in history and it's historicity has never been contravened.  The Bible has impeccable credentials, unlike any secular work, and there is abundant evidence for anyone willing to investigate--no one can disbelieve due to lack of evidence!   In fact, Gen. Lew Wallace intended to disprove it and ending up writing Ben Hur:  A Tale of the Christ, after coming to faith in Christ!  One famed Archaeologist, Sir William Ramsay, an atheist, and from Oxford University, set out to disprove the book of Acts and found himself declaring himself a believer instead!  Dr. Simon Greenleaf, a famed expert on law and evidence from Harvard, was a skeptic, who examined the evidence for the resurrection, and ended up writing The Testimony of the Evangelists in favor of Christianity instead!


They may say they don't believe it but have no legitimate or rational justification for their faith.  You don't have to prove the Bible, it can prove and defend itself:  if they ask you to do it, just say, "No, you prove it--all you have to do is read it sincerely with an open mind!"  If the Bible depended upon outside attestation, it would be no greater than the source of proof--Scripture relies on internal evidence!  Because it's self-attesting and self-authenticated!  If someone were able to prove it, the Bible would be no greater than their mind.  It assumes you believe it's the Word of God and is the only scripture claiming any authority that gives ample evidence from history and fulfilled prophecy.  No other of the twenty-six scriptures or holy books have any prophecy, except the Bible (not just a few lucky guesses, but over 2,000 fulfilled predictive prophecies), because only God can foretell the future.  The point is that you don't have to believe the Bible to become saved, but you will after salvation if the salvation is genuine.  Believing the Bible is the Word of God doesn't save!

They may say that you shouldn't take it literally, but Christians aren't literalists, in that they believe everything literally, even obviously figurative parts and figures of speech--to be saved one must simply place unqualified faith in Christ as Lord with the ownership of your soul and life, trusting in Him categorically.  Much more, it was written during the time of the events by eyewitnesses:  "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty"  (2 Pet. 1:16, NIV).  In contrast, Buddhist literature was compiled 200 years after the fact!

The Bible feeds you, then makes you hungry, quenches your thirst, then makes you thirsty for more--you can never read it enough, because it's not the kind of book you read once and put aside back on your shelf, but devote your entire life to knowing and being familiar with, because God speaks to us in it.  As we read the Bible, it reads us, they say and this is true because it alone discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart and is able to penetrate the soul and spirit of man (cf. Heb. 4:12).  The Bible tells it like it is, both the revelation of God, the revelation of the nature of man, with no whitewashing or cover-ups, and even the revelation of our enemy and dilemma.  Paul tells Timothy to give himself wholly to the Scriptures in 1 Tim. 4:15 and this applies to all of us who name the name of Christ, not just the clergy.  The Bible is our lifeblood and food that satisfies.  The fool feeds on trash, according to Proverbs 15:14, while the wise feed on the Truth (Jesus called Scripture Truth in John 17:17).


The Bible has never been proven wrong historically, archaeologically, scientifically, morally, or even psychologically.  For example, over 25,000 digs have only verified the historicity of Scripture; though not a science textbook, it has no scientific absurdities nor inaccuracies (it referred to the laws of the universe that science is based on before science realized there were any--Job 38:33); the Bible mentions all 52 virtues (the Virtues Project lists these as traits respected in seven world traditions, but no other faith has them all), and though there are competing theories of psychology, Christianity is better psychology than psychology!  The Bible doesn't gloss over man's sin but is also the greatest source of wisdom known to man and doesn't need to be rewritten, but reread.

Unfortunately, when a secular historian makes a claim and the Bible doesn't agree, scholars agree with the secular historian first; however, legally, the burden of proof is on the skeptic to disprove the validity and historicity of the Bible, not vice versa.  Quoting D. James Kennedy:  Dr. William Albright says, "There can be no doubt that archaeology has confirmed the substantial historicity of the Old Testament tradition";  and Nelson Glueck has stated, "It may be stated categorically that no archaeological discovery has ever controverted a biblical reference."  Many archaeologists have tried to disprove the Bible and have failed, becoming believers instead--indeed Christ was right:  "the stones cry out" (cf. Luke 19:40)!  Lawyers have examined the evidence for the resurrection and have become believers.

Skeptics doubt the authenticity, reliability, integrity, fidelity, and veracity of Scripture, but the legal burden of proof is always on the one making the challenge to disprove the given claim. The skeptics mainly have blind faith, for they cannot prove their claims or don't even know why they don't believe, they just don't want to believe it and their doubts are irrational.  The point is that if the Bible has never been proven to be erroneous, why not trust it in spiritual matters too?

We don't just read the Bible to be wise, the power is in putting it into practice:  believe it to be saved; practice it to be holy, and apply it to be successful and fulfilled!  We don't just want to be experts or scholars in the Word without any real relationship with God coming from an application.  The Bible wasn't written to expand our knowledge about Scripture or about God, but to save us, increase our faith, and give us the knowledge of the Lord, as the byproduct as He speaks to us in His revealed Word.  It is one thing to know Scripture, and quite another to know the Author!

It has been said that it's an elixir for low spirits, balm for sore hearts, immunization for bad habits, a pick-me-up for dreary days, a stimulant for positive nerves, and a booster for high spirits.  There is no mood not duly represented in the Bible, even depression and discouragement and despair.  You can take every problem to the Bible and find solace and comfort. If you could only have one book to read, it would meet your every need--bring every question and problem to it for solving!  Just like G. K. Chesterton said, "We have found all the questions, now let's find the answers!"  (They're in the Bible!)   If you don't know the answer, get to know the Answerer!  All that God has revealed and that we need to know is written in the Word. We don't read it for purely academic reasons, to increase knowledge, but to change our lives!   In sum, the best habit you can learn is to develop a taste for Bible reading--discover it for yourself; don't just take someone's word for it!  Soli Deo Gloria!  

What Is Preaching?

Sometimes we are preached at and know it, other times we think we have been preached to and really only given a facsimile or similitude of a sermon. Note that preaching is not the same as teaching and they are separate gifts, though often the same person has both; one may find the two distinguishable, but not separable.  A report, a lecture, a story, a testimony (though these may include preaching), is not a sermon, and preaching requires exhortation and implies some kind of response or application.  We don't listen to sermons to get info as the main objective, or to get informed; but transformed, if you will.   We go to school to get informed and prepared.  That is, preaching should aim to be edifying to the spirit and to encourage, exhort, or convict.

 A real preacher afflicts the comfortable and comforts the afflicted--no one is uninfluenced and there is no neutral opinion or unmoved listener. He never loses track of keeping the main thing the main thing, which is the preaching of Christ, and Christ crucified (the gospel message--the Great Commission).  We don't need to get the scoop, the lowdown, the skinny, or the latest news when we are given a sermon, unless it is only incidental as a digression, or to mention in passing or parenthetically, as it were, as an aside to make a point; such as using an anecdote for an illustration as  a teaching technique.

Some preachers are big on quoting the authorities like the Pharisees were and don't have more than a second-hand knowledge of the Lord.  It is one thing to go to the commentaries and share something interesting, and quite another to get an original message from God speaking to you personally.  The commentaries are not inspired and we need to learn to depend on the Bible and not secondary sources for our authority. They really want to hear what the Lord showed the preacher in the Word personally more than what the Keil and Delitzsch Commentary says.   The point about sermons is that they need not just be interesting, but change lives, i.e., have an impact!  The purpose of the Bible is not to increase our knowledge, but to change our lives.  Don't "wow" them with your scholarship!

Some preachers give you the feeling that you have just been in a class lecture and not a church meeting.  People need to learn to seek the Word of the Lord while it is available because according to Amos 8:11 the time will come when people will seek the Word of the Lord and not find it.  We need great expositors of the Word who have a literary mind and can interpret Scripture as well and an explanation of the Word never goes out of style.  The man with a message will never go out of vogue, but the man of learning may go out of style and out of demand.  ("They will go to and fro to seek the Word of the Lord, but they will not find it," Amos 8:12b).

 It is not a compliment to call someone a gentleman and a scholar; that's what the Pharisees were, and Jesus despised them--they didn't "know the Scriptures, nor the power of God," (Cf. Matt. 22:29) though they had studied them all their life and had even been teachers.   The scholar is not an original, but only quotes authorities and dares not say anything new that may not have been heard before or break new territory--he plays it safe.  We need preachers who will dare to stand alone and be a Daniel, and not be people-pleasers, who are just concerned about the people's opinions or trying to be popular.

 In summation, preaching is a spiritual, not an intellectual endeavor-there is no special advantage to someone just because he is intelligent, educated, or wise, but sensitivity to the Spirit and the anointing is what matters most.  The flock doesn't need a lecture, they need a savior and not a report, but someone to believe in that has the gift to preach-there are too many preachers not called into the ministry. They need to be leaders who have learned to follow first and aren't control freaks, but willing to let God be God and not play God.  They are not to exalt themselves or lord it over the flock, but to be examples and instruments of God's grace and truth.  "Don't take my word for it; check it out for yourselves in the Word like the noble Bereans, who searched out the Scriptures to see if these things were so.  Soli Deo Gloria!