Didactic Plenary Inspiration

2 Timothy 3:16-17 (New International Version)
¹⁶ All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, ¹⁷ so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

Didactic plenary inspiration (DPI) interpretation is a way of interpreting the bible by considering what the scriptures intend to teach is inerrant, but each individual word is not necessarily chosen by God. Matthew Flannagan compares this with the stricter approach of verbal plenary inspiration (VPI) interpretation in his post on inerrancy.

God is Testing You

Deuteronomy 13:1-3 (New International Version - UK)
Worshipping Other Gods
¹ If a prophet, or one who foretells by dreams, appears among you and announces to you a miraculous sign or wonder, ² and if the sign or wonder of which he has spoken takes place, and he says, Let us follow other gods (gods you have not known) and let us worship them, ³ you must not listen to the words of that prophet or dreamer. The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul.

James 1:12-14 (New International Version - UK)
¹² Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him. ¹³ When tempted, no-one should say, God is tempting me. For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; ¹⁴ but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed.

The LORD your God tests (H5254) you, but does not tempt (G3985) anyone. There must be some difference between testing (H5254) and tempting (G3985). From e-Sword:

H5254
נסה
nâsâh
naw-saw'
A primitive root; to test; by implication to attempt: - adventure, assay, prove, tempt, try.

G3985
πειράζω
peirazō
pi-rad'-zo
From G3984; to test (objectively), that is, endeavor, scrutinize, entice, discipline: - assay, examine, go about, prove, tempt (-er), try.

Is there a better translation of either of these verses that will resolve this conflict? The word highlighted in red in the LXX translation below is similar to G3985 (it just has a different ending), but I have not been able to find a definition for it. Are there any ancient Greek experts out there?

Deuteronomy 13:3 (Septuagint)
(13:4) οὐκ ἀκούσεσθε τῶν λόγων τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνου ἢ τοῦ ἐνυπνιαζομένου τὸ ἐνύπνιον ἐκεῖνο ὅτι πειράζει κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμᾶς εἰδέναι εἰ ἀγαπᾶτε κύριον τὸν θεὸν ὑμῶν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς ὑμῶν

Or is there some other way to interpret what involvement God actually has in verses like Deuteronomy 13:1-3 and 1 Samuel 18:10?

1 Samuel 18:10-11 (New International Version - UK)
¹⁰ The next day an evil spirit from God came forcefully upon Saul. He was prophesying in his house, while David was playing the harp, as he usually did. Saul had a spear in his hand ¹¹ and he hurled it, saying to himself, I'll pin David to the wall. But David eluded him twice.

I found this excerpt on BLB that seems to answer the question quite well:

Jam 1:13-15 seems to contradict other statements of Scripture in two respects, saying

(a) that 'God cannot be tempted with evil,' and

(b) that 'He Himself tempteth no man.'

But God tempted, or tried, Abraham, Hbr 11:17, and the Israelites tempted, or tried, God, 1Cr 10:9. Jam 1:14, however, makes it plain that, whereas in these cases the temptation or trial, came from without, James refers to temptation, or trial, arising within, from uncontrolled appetites and from evil passions, cp. Mar 7:20-23. But though such temptation does not proceed from God, yet does God regard His people while they endure it, and by it tests and approves them.

[From Notes on Thessalonians, by Hogg and Vine, p. 97.]

Keep it Simple

When interpreting scripture, is the most logically parsimonious solution necessarily correct? Or is that just a hang-over from modern rationalism?

Christian Unitarianism vs. Trinitarianism

In response to my post discussing whether God the Father left God the Son when He was on the cross, Adam Pastor posted a comment suggesting to watch the video The Human Jesus, which promotes Christian Unitarianism. I thought that rather than derailing that discussion too much, I would make a separate post to discuss this issue. Admittedly, the topic does fall outside of my own guidelines, as outlined in the “Baseline” section of the introductory post, but I think it is important to weigh up any belief against the scriptures.

I have copied my comments from the other post below.

A couple of thoughts about the video:

A major difficultly, is seems, for unitarians is understanding how Jesus can be both fully God and fully human (see video at 25 minutes 30). It is hard for some modern rationalists to understand, I suppose, but the limits of human understanding doesn't limit God. If that were the case, then God is our creation (or at least our servant) — we are God's god.

An interesting point mentioned in the video (23 minutes 50) is that there are verses that seem to promote the deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit, in apparent conflict with Deuteronomy 6:4. Trinitarians, according to the interviewee (Dan Mages), have tried to come up with a theology that solves this apparent conflict. My question about this is, isn't that what we're meant to do? If there are some apparently conflicting verses, shouldn't we try to work out how to interpret them so there is no contradiction? Otherwise we just have to accept that some of the verses are simply wrong.

It would have saved my time if the weak arguments (e.g., post-biblical era tradition and culture) for both sides of the discussion were omitted and just the solid arguments (that is, basically, just the exegesis of the scriptures) were presented.

About the humanity of Christ: He chose not to exercise His divine privileges while He was on Earth. He chose to subject Himself to the temptations that face mankind.

What I'd find useful, is a table listing all the scripture used to support trinitarianism in one column, and the unitarian rebuttals in another column. Then, a similar table listing all the scripture used to support unitarianism in one column, and the trinitarian rebuttals in another column.

One Jehovah — Did the Father Leave the Son on the Cross?

Deuteronomy 6:4 (Young's Literal Translation)
⁴Hear, O Israel, Jehovah our God [is] one Jehovah;

God cannot look upon sin, and that is why He turned his face away from Christ when He took our sins upon Himself on the cross. Right? That it what I have always been taught.

Come on all you teachers! Do we believe in one God, or not? Do we believe in the Trinity—one God expressed as three Persons? Do we belive in the Incarnation? Because, if we do, we cannot assert that God the Father forsook God the Son, at any time. Below is a short essay on this subject by Bob Passantino.

Did the Father Leave the Son on the Cross?
By Bob Passantino, © 1991

On the cross Jesus said, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (Matthew 27:46). Many Christians believe this signifies the one and only time that there was a split between the first two persons of the Trinity, that is, between the Father and the Son. The argument asserts that when Jesus "became sin," the Father was unable to look upon him, hence he "forsook" Jesus. This argument seeks to emphasize the great cost to Christ on our behalf. He was even willing to endure separation from the Father to accomplish our salvation. However, I believe such an interpretation, while well intentioned, has heretical implications.^[1] It is a denial of belief in one eternal, indivisible God.

First, if the Father cannot look upon sin, meaning that he had to turn away from the Son on the cross (and I have found no verse which says that), then what does that say about the character and deity of Jesus? Is Jesus somehow less than God, so that he can "look upon" the sin that was laid on him on the cross? Or does he simply have a stronger stomach for sin than the Father? Or perhaps Jesus is more merciful than the Father, able to suffer what the Father cannot even face? It is interesting that in Genesis 6:5, God looked upon the sin of mankind. When scripture says that God cannot "look" upon sin, contextually it means he cannot look with approval upon sin. His consistent reaction to sin is just judgment - against the unrepentant sinner, or through the atonement of Jesus Christ, the one who died in our place and on our behalf.

Second, Jesus quoted the beginning of Psalm 22 when he stated "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?" The Psalm is referred to previously in the same passage. The common Jewish way of designating an entire psalm was to refer to the opening lines, since the psalms were not numbered at that time. Jesus did not believe God had forsaken him: this would be lack of faith, which is sin (Romans 14:23), and Jesus never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). He was himself God and always in perfect obedience to the Father. Instead, he referred to the psalm in its entirety as a messianic psalm. That he knew God had not actually forsaken him is clear from the same psalm, which says, "He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; nor has He hidden His face from Him; But when He cried to Him, He heard" (verse 24). In fact, Jesus was declaring to his accusers that they were in the midst of fulfilling this psalm, which was commonly understood in His day to refer to the coming Messiah, the Suffering Servant. The psalmist himself understood that the "forsaking" of God was not abandonment, but a lifting of His Sovereign protection according to His divine plan so that the threats of his enemies could be carried out in fulfillment of prophecy. In fact, there were many times during Jesus' public ministry when His enemies sought to kill him (John 5:16; 8:59, for examples). They were not able to because, as He said, His "hour" was not yet come (John 12:23-28). He declared to Pilate, "You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin" (John 19:11). On the day of Pentecost Peter declared that no one could have crucified Christ in defiance of God's power: "Him, being delivered by the determined counsel and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death; whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it" (Acts 2:23-24).

Third, when 2 Corinthians 5:21 says that God made Jesus "to be sin," it means that God made the penalty for all sin to fall upon Jesus, not that Jesus himself could become sin, e.g., sinful. As perfect God and perfect man, he could not sin. 1 Peter 1:19 calls Jesus "a lamb without blemish and without spot."

Fourth, is it reasonable to assume that the Father would desert the Son who was acting in obedience to him through every moment of existence, "obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (Philippians 2:8)? Is it consistent with the character of God for the Father to reward Christ's obedience with rejection? On the contrary, Ephesians 5:2 says Christ's sacrifice was "an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."

Fifth, it is actually or ontologically impossible for there to be a "split" between any persons of the eternal Trinity. The doctrine of the Trinity, simply defined, is that within the nature of the one true God there are three eternal, distinct Persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three Persons are the One God. (We do not believe in a rationally contradictory God of one God in three gods or one Person in three Persons, but one God in three Persons.) While others exist in generic or species identity (such as three humans sharing in humanness), God exists in numeric identity, such that each person is the one God. If all humans but three died, there would not be a trinity of humans, and the nature of humanity itself would not be diminished by the absence of one of the remaining humans. But in the nature of God, His eternal triunity indivisible. Any "split" in the Trinity would result in the destruction of the very being of God.

In conclusion, it is fallible humans who think the Father would reject the Son on the cross. The bond between the Father and the Son is inseparable, not only because of their deity, but because of the complete agreement between their wills, desires, mercy, justice, and love for mankind, exemplified in Christ's great sacrifice on the cross. Isaiah 53:4, a prophetic utterance concerning Jesus Christ, records the erroneous reaction of men to Christ's humiliating death: "Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted." Christ's declaration on the cross, far from being a admission of separation or abandonment, is a powerful affirmation of God's essential unity, perfect justice, sovereign power, and matchless grace.

For further information on this problem, I recommend James Oliver Buswell's Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1962, Vol. Two, pp. 66-69).

This view and my view are not the only possible interpretations of this passage, and there are interpretations other than mine that do not have implicatory problems. However, it is beyond the scope of this essay to address those alternate interpretations.

Answers In Action
P.O. Box 2067
Costa Mesa
California 92628
(949) 646-9042
aia@answers.org
(copied with permission)

This does raise the question of how to interpret “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil”:

Habakkuk 1:13 (New International Version - UK)
¹³ Your eyes are too pure to look on evil; you cannot tolerate wrong. Why then do you tolerate the treacherous? Why are you silent while the wicked swallow up those more righteous than themselves?

I think we should read this as, “Your eyes are too pure to look on evil and approve of it,” or, as the footnotes in the Spirit-Filled Life Bible say, “God’s very nature cannot allow Him to behold evil without punishing the guilty ones.”

If someone takes your laptop, do not stop him from taking your cell phone.

Luke 6:29-30 (New International Version - UK)
²⁹ If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.
³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back.

What a difficult teaching to follow this is. To help us to be obedient to this command, we should try to understand why Christ tells us to act like this.

This sort of “unnatural” behaviour benefits both the victim and the offender. The victim is benefited by the change in attitude that will result from obeying the command. Instead of grieving over what they have lost, they will learn to trust more in God for their provision. They will be reminded that doing the work of God is more important than their material possessions. Through acts of obedience to God's Word, our attitude will grow to become closer to Christ's—it is not so much the case that we must get our attitude right before we can obey.

The assailant, thief or extortionist also benefits from this sort of counter-culture behaviour. Because such behaviour is such a contrast to human nature, they will likely consider why the victim acted that way. We bear witness to the character of Christ by acting like this. This may be a stepping stone for the offender to come to God.

The question is: how should we live out this command in our lives? If someone gets hold of our house key and uses it to burgle us, should we refrain from changing our locks, as that would be akin to “stop[ping] him from taking your tunic?” I think in each situation in which we have been wronged, we should prayerfully consider what action will be beneficial to us in developing our attitude and beneficial to the offender in bringing them to repentance and a (closer) relationship with God. Of course, in every case we need to forgive.

Luke 6:29-30 (The Message)
²⁷-³⁰"To you who are ready for the truth, I say this: Love your enemies. Let them bring out the best in you, not the worst. When someone gives you a hard time, respond with the energies of prayer for that person. If someone slaps you in the face, stand there and take it. If someone grabs your shirt, giftwrap your best coat and make a present of it. If someone takes unfair advantage of you, use the occasion to practice the servant life. No more tit-for-tat stuff. Live generously.

Romans 12:2,14,17,19-21 (New International Version - UK)
² Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is— his good, pleasing and perfect will.
¹⁴ Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.
¹⁷ Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody.
¹⁹ Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: It is mine to avenge; I will repay, says the Lord. ²⁰ On the contrary:
If your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink. In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head.
²¹Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Infant Baptism — A Literature Review

Luke 18:15-17 (New International Version - UK)
The Little Children and Jesus
¹⁵ People were also bringing babies to Jesus to have him touch them. When the disciples saw this, they rebuked them.
¹⁶ But Jesus called the children to him and said, Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
¹⁷ I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.

The Paedo-Baptist Argument

1. A Case for Infant Baptism by Rev. Scott J. Simmons
   This case mainly stands on the beliefs that (i) the New Covenant follows the same patterns as the Old Covenant and (ii) baptism is the Church's equivalent to Jewish circumcision, which is an external sign of a covenant of which the subject is already a participant. Following from these premises, it states that the credo-baptist proponents need to prove that there is a change in the covenantal structures, with respect to circumcision/baptism, between the Old Testament and the New. Simmons also provides these rebuttals for four common arguments against infant baptism:
   
   
   1. Objection: “Baptism is a sign of the faith already existing in the believer. It is an outward expression of an inward commitment. If that inward commitment is not present, the sign should not be given.”
      Such a theology of baptism is in many ways a man-centered theology. It invests the sign only with a meaning generating from an inward conversion, not God’s grace. The covenant signs are signs of the covenant of grace, not human commitment signs. As with circumcision, baptism is a sign of God’s faithfulness to His covenantal promises in Christ. He promises in the sacrament that He will save the believer. The flip side of this is that should the child never ratify the covenant with his faith, he will receive the curses of the covenant. Furthermore, covenantal signs are communal signs, not individual signs. Baptism does not symbolise one person’s commitment to God as much as it consecrates the person to God by virtue of being included within the covenant family, the family of believers.
   
   
   2. Objection: “Baptism symbolises union with Christ. This union with Christ is only achieved by faith; therefore, only believers should be baptised.”
      This is entirely correct, however, the conclusion that only believers are to be baptised does not follow from the premise. We must not confuse the sign with the thing signified. The sign symbolises union with Christ is given to the children of those who believe and have been united with Christ by faith. The children of believers are part of the covenant Christ has established with His people; therefore, the sign of the covenant is to be given to the children of believers.
   
   
   3. Objection: “In these passages, baptism symbolises purification from sins. This forgiveness and purification is only achieved by faith; therefore, only believers should be baptised.”
      Certainly it is true that baptism symbolises purification from sins (see also Tit. 3:5; Cor. 6:11), but the conclusion that only believers should be baptised is unwarranted; the sign is not to be confused with the thing signified. Children of believers are baptised in anticipation of the day when they will come to faith and receive purification from sins. Furthermore, this objection would also negate the validity of circumcision in the Old Testament. As stated before, circumcision in the Old Testament symbolised purification from sins and circumcision imagery was used to describe that inward “conversion” and consecration to serve and worship the living God. Yet circumcision was administered to infants; therefore, it is not inconsistent to baptise infants as well.
   
   
   4. Objection: “It is presupposed that those who are reading these passages were baptised as believers. Therefore, only believers should be baptised.”
      These letters were written to missionary churches, and the recipients were often the first generation of Christians in these churches, therefore, most of the leaders of these churches were baptised as adult. It is not surprising, therefore, that Paul would assume that the readers were baptised as adults. Since baptism is merely the New Testament expression of circumcision, any theological argument against baptism works equally well against circumcision. However, we have clear indication of the practice of infant circumcision. Therefore, credo-baptists ought to be extremely careful about how they question the practice of infant baptism, for many times they disallow the practice of infant circumcision on the same grounds.


2. Why We Baptize Babies (The Case for Infant Baptism) by Pastor Richard Bucher, Th.D
   Bucher makes a five-pronged argument.
   
   
   1. He considers Christ's command to baptise in Matthew 28:19 (“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” NIV) to be a command to baptise everyone, regardless of age. He appeals to the meaning of the term “all nations”.
   
   
   2. He claims that, because of inherited sin, babies are in need of forgiveness.
   
   
   3. Again, the idea that baptism is a New Testament continuation of circumcision is submitted.
   
   
   4. Bucher then argues that babies are capable of having a saving faith, and makes a logical argument from scripture that Jesus thought babies to be capable of the necessary belief. It is a miracle effected by the Holy Spirit, he says, that enables anyone—adult or infant—to believe. Bucher goes on to claim that “baptism is a special means of God's grace by which He gives faith, forgiveness, and salvation to the infant.”
   
   
   5. Finially, Bucher appeals to the practice of the early Church, explaining that the “fathers of the Church's first centuries speak of infant baptism as a universal custom.”


3. Case for Infant Baptism: The Historic Paedo-Baptist Position by R. C. Sproul
   A transcript of a radio discussion between John MacArthur and R. C. Sproul. Sproul bases his argument on the relationship between circumcision and baptism. He explains baptism as a sign and quotes Calvin: “that which a sign signifies in the Bible may be given before or after the sign is present.”
   

The Credo-Baptist Argument

1. Case for Believer's Baptism: The Credo Baptist Position by John MacArthur
   A transcript of a radio discussion between John MacArthur and R. C. Sproul. A digest of MacArthur's message follows.
   
   
   
   1. Infant baptism is not in Scripture. Scripture nowhere advocates, commands or records a single infant baptism. It is therefore impossible to directly prove or support this rite from the Bible.
   
   
   2. Infant baptism is not New Testament baptism. While the Bible is absolutely silent on the matter of infant baptism, it speaks clearly and repeatedly and precisely on the matter of adult believer’s baptism. Baptism was a ceremony in which a believer was placed into water and taken up out of that water as an outward sign of their salvation.
   
   
   3. Infant baptism is not a replacement sign for the Abrahamic sign of circumcision; scripture never makes such a connection. Nowhere does the New Testament ever say infant baptism replaces circumcision. Paedo-baptists, nonetheless, claim some inferential evidence connected to circumcision, without any specific statement of Scripture.
   
   
   4. Infant baptism is not consistent with the nature of the church. It leads confusion as to the identity of the church. Confusion stems from the failure to distinguish between the visible local church, including unbelievers, and the invisible universal church which is only believers. In fact, it is true that paedo-baptism strikes a serious blow against the doctrine of a regenerate church. Further confusion lies in the failure to differentiate clearly between what it means to be a little member of the Covenant, as a baby, and what it means to be a true child of God. Scripture teaches the true church is made up of only believers. That’s unlike Israel, so you can’t make a parallel.
   
   
   5. Infant baptism is not consistent with Reformational soteriology.
   
   
   
   


2. Infant Baptism by J. C. Bailey
   Bailey gives the following arguments:
   1. Infant baptism is not of divine origin.
   2. Infant baptism nullifies the law of God.
   3. Whole households were baptised only after the whole household believed.
   4. Luke 18:15-17 has nothing to do with baptism.
   5. Baptism is different than circumcision.
   
   

Infallibility of Scripture vs. Fallibility of Church Fathers

As an evangelical Protestant, I believe in the infallibility of the Holy Scriptures. I also believe the bishops of the second to fourth centuries were quite capable of making mistakes. But they were the people who decided (hopefully under the guidance of the Holy Spirit) what scriptures were canonical^[i]. Could have they made mistakes in choosing to include or omit certain scriptures? I'm sure this is a very old question, but I am only just coming around to consider it now. I was prompted to think about this by the following quote, which I read on this blog post.

“No New Testament writing was born with the predicate ‘canonical’ attached. The statement that a writing is canonical signifies in the first place only that it was pronounced canonical afterwards by the authorities of the second- to fourth-century church, in some cases only after all kinds of hesitation and disagreement . . . So anyone who accepts without question the idea of the canon places himself under the authority of the bishops and theologians of those centuries. Anyone who does not recognize their authority in other matters—and no Protestant theologian does—is being consistent if he questions it here, too.” -William Wrede, “The Task and Methods of ‘New Testament Theology,’” 71.

I suppose, by faith, we have to believe what is written in [ii]:

The human process of collecting the books of the Bible was flawed, but God, in His sovereignty, and despite our ignorance and stubbornness, brought the early church to the recognition of the books He had inspired.

References:

1. Wikipedia: Development of the Christian Biblical canon
2. gotQuestions?org: How and when was the canon of the Bible put together?

Saved through Childbearing

1 Timothy 2:15 (New International Version)
¹⁵But women will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith, love and holiness with propriety.

This verse has caused some confusion. At first glance it is inconsistent with the majority of scripture. The key to interpreting it is understanding the words “saved” and “through”. From e-Sword:

• saved
  G4982
  σώζω
  sōzō
  sode'-zo
  
  From a primary word σῶς sōs̄ (contraction for the obsolete σάος saos, “safe”); to save, that is, deliver or protect (literally or figuratively): - heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.


• through
  G1223
  διά
  dia
  dee-ah'
  
  A primary preposition denoting the channel of an act; through (in very wide applications, local, causal or occasional). In composition it retains the same general import: - after, always, among, at, to avoid, because of (that), briefly, by, for (cause) . . . fore, from, in, by occasion of, of, by reason of, for sake, that, thereby, therefore, X though, through (-out), to, wherefore, with (-in). In composition it retains the same general import.

So if we read the verse as “women will be protected throughout childbearing,” it doesn't contradict the theology taught throughout the New Testament. This is how I think it should be interpreted.

A lack of problems shows God's approval?

Does a lack of problems indicate that God approves of what you're doing, or many problems indicate that He disapproves? I suggest not. Paul had many problems in his life, but he is regarded as a workman approved by God.

2 Corinthians 11:23-28 (New International Version - UK)
²³ Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again.
²⁴ Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.
²⁵ Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea,
²⁶ I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false brothers.
²⁷ I have laboured and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked.
²⁸ Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.

2 Timothy 4:6-7 (New International Version - UK)
⁶ For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure.
⁷ I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.

But God's grace was enough to get him through.

2 Corinthians 12:9-10 (New International Version - UK)
⁹ But he said to me, My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.
¹⁰ That is why, for Christ's sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

In fact, I believe if we are doing God's will, we should expect difficulties, but He will help us though them.

Matthew 24:9 (New International Version - UK)
⁹ Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.

John 15:19-21 (New International Version - UK)
¹⁹ If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
²⁰ Remember the words I spoke to you: 'No servant is greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also.
²¹ They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the One who sent me.

2 Timothy 3:12 (New International Version - UK)
¹² In fact, everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted,

Psalm 28:7 (New International Version - UK)
⁷ The LORD is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to him in song.

How do we know which OT promises apply to the Church?

There are many promises in the Old Testament, made to different groups of people. Promises to Adam and Eve, to Noah, Abraham, to Jacob and to his descendants at various points through their history. The Church is definitely the recipient of some of those promises, because she has been adopted into Abraham's family and made an heir to the Abrahamic covenant.^[1,2,3] It follows that we should also come under the covenants made with Adam and Noah, because they are ancestors of Abraham. But what about promises made to the tribes of Israel? Surely they are not all applicable to us. Some promises were given to a specific generation^[4], or tribe^[5], or family^[6], or individual^[7]. Do we inherit Judah's blessings because Christ is our brother^[8] and our bridegroom^[9]?

Teachers, and others, often compile lists of promises^[i,ii] and encourage us to claim them^[iii,iv]. The more sure I am that a promise applies to me, the more faith I will have in claiming that promise for my life. Also, we shouldn't just claim the promises that we like, but also the responsibilities that go with them, and accept the consequences of not meeting those responsibilities (i.e., curses^[10]). In fact, both blessings and curses are forms of promises. Because Christ has become our righteousness^[11], we are in a good position to claim the blessing promised to those who keep God's law. But if we aren't under that law^[12], can we still claim the same blessings for obedience? A new law brings a new set of blessings (and curses).

My opinion is that we are not under the Levitical law, so we cannot claim the promises given to those who keep that law, neither do we need to fear the curses outlined in that law. We are recipients of a new, and better, covenant^[13].

It stands to reason that, while we are in our corruptible bodies, we inherit the blessings and curses given to Adam and Eve. Depending on how you interpret 1 Cor 15^[14], we are either free from the curse of Adam (and the blessing of Adam?) now, or once our bodies have been transformed into everlasting bodies ^[vii]. I'd be interested to hear other opinions about our standing with regards to the Adamic promises (both blessings and curses). Has any one read Derek Prince's Blessings and Curses? A friend recommended it to me, but I haven't read it yet.

What about that old favourite, Jeremiah 29:11-13^[4], often quoted to encourage people? The passage is specifically addressed to the exiles in Babylon (verse 4). I suppose that the verses are mainly showing God's character, which is unchanging^[15,viii], so it's probably okay to use them out of context.

I think that we need to understand the scope and audience of an Old Testament promise before we try to claim it for our lives, or on behalf of others. Otherwise we could become confused or disillusioned if it seems the promise isn't being fulfilled.

[1] Romans 11:13-20 (New International Version)
¹³I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I make much of my ministry ¹⁴in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. ¹⁵For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? ¹⁶If the part of the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, then the whole batch is holy; if the root is holy, so are the branches.
¹⁷If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, ¹⁸do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. ¹⁹You will say then, "Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in." ²⁰Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid.

[2] Luke 3:8 (New International Version)
⁸Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, 'We have Abraham as our father.' For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham.

[3] Galatians 3:29 (New International Version)
²⁹If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

[4] Jeremiah 29:1-14 (New International Version - UK)
A Letter to the Exiles
¹ This is the text of the letter that the prophet Jeremiah sent from Jerusalem to the surviving elders among the exiles and to the priests, the prophets and all the other people Nebuchadnezzar had carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon.
² (This was after King Jehoiachin and the queen mother, the court officials and the leaders of Judah and Jerusalem, the craftsmen and the artisans had gone into exile from Jerusalem.)
³ He entrusted the letter to Elasah son of Shaphan and to Gemariah son of Hilkiah, whom Zedekiah king of Judah sent to King Nebuchadnezzar in Babylon. It said:
⁴This is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says to all those I carried into exile from Jerusalem to Babylon:
⁵ Build houses and settle down; plant gardens and eat what they produce.
⁶ Marry and have sons and daughters; find wives for your sons and give your daughters in marriage, so that they too may have sons and daughters. Increase in number there; do not decrease.
⁷ Also, seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the LORD for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.
⁸ Yes, this is what the LORD Almighty, the God of Israel, says: Do not let the prophets and diviners among you deceive you. Do not listen to the dreams you encourage them to have.
⁹ They are prophesying lies to you in my name. I have not sent them, declares the LORD.
¹⁰ This is what the LORD says: When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfil my gracious promise to bring you back to this place.
¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
¹² Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.
¹³ You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.
¹⁴ I will be found by you, declares the LORD, and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you, declares the LORD, and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile.

[5] Deuteronomy 33 (New International Version - UK)
Moses Blesses the Tribes
¹ This is the blessing that Moses the man of God pronounced on the Israelites before his death.
² He said:
The LORD came from Sinai and dawned over them from Seir; he shone forth from Mount Paran. He came with myriads of holy ones from the south, from his mountain slopes.
³ Surely it is you who love the people; all the holy ones are in your hand. At your feet they all bow down, and from you receive instruction,
⁴ the law that Moses gave us, the possession of the assembly of Jacob.
⁵ He was king over Jeshurun when the leaders of the people assembled, along with the tribes of Israel.
⁶Let Reuben live and not die, nor his men be few.
⁷And this he said about Judah:
Hear, O LORD, the cry of Judah; bring him to his people. With his own hands he defends his cause. Oh, be his help against his foes!
⁸About Levi he said:
Your Thummim and Urim belong to the man you favoured. You tested him at Massah; you contended with him at the waters of Meribah.
⁹ He said of his father and mother,'I have no regard for them.' He did not recognise his brothers or acknowledge his own children, but he watched over your word and guarded your covenant.
¹⁰ He teaches your precepts to Jacob and your law to Israel. He offers incense before you and whole burnt offerings on your altar.
¹¹ Bless all his skills, O LORD, and be pleased with the work of his hands. Smite the loins of those who rise up against him; strike his foes till they rise no more.
¹²About Benjamin he said:
Let the beloved of the LORD rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the LORD loves rests between his shoulders.
¹³About Joseph he said:
May the LORD bless his land with the precious dew from heaven above and with the deep waters that lie below;
¹⁴ with the best the sun brings forth and the finest the moon can yield;
¹⁵ with the choicest gifts of the ancient mountains and the fruitfulness of the everlasting hills;
¹⁶ with the best gifts of the earth and its fulness and the favour of him who dwelt in the burning bush. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.
¹⁷ In majesty he is like a firstborn bull; his horns are the horns of a wild ox. With them he will gore the nations, even those at the ends of the earth. Such are the ten thousands of Ephraim; such are the thousands of Manasseh.
¹⁸About Zebulun he said:
Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and you, Issachar, in your tents.
¹⁹ They will summon peoples to the mountain and there offer sacrifices of righteousness; they will feast on the abundance of the seas, on the treasures hidden in the sand.
²⁰About Gad he said:
Blessed is he who enlarges Gad's domain! Gad lives there like a lion, tearing at arm or head.
²¹ He chose the best land for himself; the leader's portion was kept for him. When the heads of the people assembled, he carried out the LORD's righteous will, and his judgments concerning Israel.
²²About Dan he said:
Dan is a lion's cub, springing out of Bashan.
²³About Naphtali he said:
Naphtali is abounding with the favour of the LORD and is full of his blessing; he will inherit southward to the lake.
²⁴About Asher he said:
Most blessed of sons is Asher; let him be favoured by his brothers, and let him bathe his feet in oil.
²⁵ The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days.
²⁶There is no-one like the God of Jeshurun, who rides on the heavens to help you and on the clouds in his majesty.
²⁷ The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms. He will drive out your enemy before you, saying, 'Destroy him!'
²⁸ So Israel will live in safety alone; Jacob's spring is secure in a land of grain and new wine, where the heavens drop dew.
²⁹ Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places.

[6] Genesis 17:20 (New International Version - UK)
²⁰ And as for Ishmael, I have heard you: I will surely bless him; I will make him fruitful and will greatly increase his numbers. He will be the father of twelve rulers, and I will make him into a great nation.

[7] Joshua 1:9 (New International Version - UK)
⁹ Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

[8] Hebrews 2:11-17 (New International Version)
¹¹Both the one who makes men holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers. ¹²He says, "I will declare your name to my brothers; in the presence of the congregation I will sing your praises." ¹³And again, "I will put my trust in him." And again he says, "Here am I, and the children God has given me."
¹⁴Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— ¹⁵and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. ¹⁶For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham's descendants. ¹⁷For this reason he had to be made like his brothers in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement forthe sins of the people.

[9] Ephesians 5:25-32 (New International Version)
²⁵Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her ²⁶to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, ²⁷and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. ²⁸In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. ²⁹After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— ³⁰for we are members of his body. ³¹"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." ³²This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.

[10] Galatians 3:10 (New International Version - UK)
¹⁰ All who rely on observing the law are under a curse, for it is written: Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.

[11] 1 Corinthians 1:30 (New International Version - UK)
³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God— that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

[12] Romans 6:14 (New International Version - UK)
¹⁴ For sin shall not be your master, because you are not under law, but under grace.

[13] Hebrews 7:18-22 (New International Version)
¹⁸The former regulation is set aside because it was weak and useless ¹⁹(for the law made nothing perfect), and a better hope is introduced, by which we draw near to God.
²⁰And it was not without an oath! Others became priests without any oath, ²¹but he became a priest with an oath when God said to him: "The Lord has sworn and will not change his mind: 'You are a priest forever.' " ²²Because of this oath, Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant.

[14] 1 Corinthians 15:22-53 (New International Version - UK)
²² For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.
²³ But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him.
²⁴ Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.
²⁵ For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
²⁶ The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
²⁷ For he has put everything under his feet. Now when it says that everything has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.
²⁸ When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all.
²⁹ Now if there is no resurrection, what will those do who are baptised for the dead? If the dead are not raised at all, why are people baptised for them?
³⁰ And as for us, why do we endanger ourselves every hour?
³¹ I die every day— I mean that, brothers— just as surely as I glory over you in Christ Jesus our Lord.
³² If I fought wild beasts in Ephesus for merely human reasons, what have I gained? If the dead are not raised,
Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die.
³³Do not be misled: Bad company corrupts good character.
³⁴ Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God— I say this to your shame.
The Resurrection Body
³⁵ But someone may ask, How are the dead raised? With what kind of body will they come?
³⁶ How foolish! What you sow does not come to life unless it dies.
³⁷ When you sow, you do not plant the body that will be, but just a seed, perhaps of wheat or of something else.
³⁸ But God gives it a body as he has determined, and to each kind of seed he gives its own body.
³⁹ All flesh is not the same: Men have one kind of flesh, animals have another, birds another and fish another.
⁴⁰ There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendour of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendour of the earthly bodies is another.
⁴¹ The sun has one kind of splendour, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendour.
⁴² So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable;
⁴³ it is sown in dishonour, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power;
⁴⁴ it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
⁴⁵ So it is written: The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit.
⁴⁶ The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual.
⁴⁷ The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven.
⁴⁸ As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven.
⁴⁹ And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
⁵⁰ I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable.
⁵¹ Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed—
⁵² in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed.
⁵³ For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality.

[15] Malachi 3:6 (New International Version - UK)
⁶ I the LORD do not change. So you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed.

References:

1. www.smilegodlovesyou.org/promises.html – A list of bible promises.


2. thepromisesofgod.org – A list of bible promises.


3. biblepreachingresource.com/handling.htm – About “obeying God's promises.”


4. www.mentoring-disciples.org/claiming.html – About personalising and claiming God's promises, a “largely untapped secret to answered prayers”.


5. www.spirithome.com/promises.html – A brief introduction to biblical promises and an exhortation to prayerfully discern whether a certain promise applies to you or your situation.


6. www.jimfeeney.org/countonGodspromises.html – An assurance that we can rely on God's promises.


7. www.fellowship.to/Removing%20the%20Curse.htm – A list of verses relating to the curse of Adam. Specifically: Rev 22:1-6, Gen 3:14-24, Rom 8:18-23, 2 Cor 5:1-4, 1 Cor 15:22,45.


8. www.tecmalta.org/tft133.htm – About God's immutability.

As your days, so shall your strength be.

The following verse is a blessing pronounced by Moses on the tribe of Asher, just before Moses' death.

Deuteronomy 33:25 (New International Version)
²⁵ The bolts of your gates will be iron and bronze, and your strength will equal your days.

Deuteronomy 33:25 (New King James Version)
²⁵ Your sandals shall be iron and bronze;
As your days, so shall your strength be.

Where "strength" = דּבא (dôbe', Strong's H1679), from an unused root (probably meaning to be sluggish, that is, restful); quiet: - strength. That means we have "your rest will be as your days," meaning, supposedly, their days (and ours, if we also inherit this blessing) will be restful. That's nice, but, according to the Blue Letter Bible folks, דּבא may be used poetically to mean death (as explained here). That would give us something like "your death will be like your life," which holds very little meaning for me. (This is the only occurrence of דּבא in the bible).

If we can find a New Testament verse that supports the rest (or strength) idea, then I will be more comfortable accepting that we are heirs of this blessing and that it refers to rest and not death, and that we can take this verse as saying "God will give you rest in your days". We can generalise the idea a little, to "God will give you enough grace and strength for each day such that it won't be overly burdensome and you will be able to find rest". This is supported by some NT verses:

Matthew 6:25-34 (New International Version)
Do Not Worry
²⁵"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? ²⁶Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ²⁷Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
²⁸"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. ²⁹Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. ³⁰If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? ³¹So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' ³²For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. ³³But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. ³⁴Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Matthew 11:29-30 (New International Version)
²⁹Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. ³⁰For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

Matthew 6:8,11 (New International Version)
⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
...
¹¹Give us today our daily bread.

1 Corinthians 10:13 (New International Version)
¹³No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.

2 Corinthians 12:9 (New International Version)
⁹But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Note that many of these verses speak of strength for today. God seems to like to give us enough grace, enough strength, enough material resources, enough wisdom to carry out His will for today. Tomorrow He will give us what we need for tomorrow.

Matthew 10:19 (New International Version)
¹⁹But when they arrest you, do not worry about what to say or how to say it. At that time you will be given what to say,

Philippians 4:6-7 (New International Version - UK)
⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I consider not having to worry about how we are going to making it through tomorrow to be restful, so these ideas are closely related.

Here's another thought about rest. Consider this passage:

Isaiah 32:17 (New International Version - UK)
¹⁷ The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence for ever.

This states that righteousness leads to peace and the ability to rest in confidence. The Hebrew word for quietness is שׁקט (shâqaṭ): A primitive root; to repose (usually figuratively): - appease, idleness, (at, be at, be in, give) quiet (-ness), (be at, be in, give, have, take) rest, settle, be still. Because Christ has become our righteousness (1 Cor 1:30), we should be operating out of a place of quiet assurance. I'm not sure if this also means we should strive to be more righteous to have more rest, but more likely to trust in Christ and the rest He offers.

1 Corinthians 1:30 (New International Version - UK)
³⁰ It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God— that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.

Does anyone have any thoughts on the idea that we should strive to be more righteous in order to receive more rest? Any other comments on rest, in general?