evolution missslbrook

8/13/2019 Evolution Missslbrook

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10.Professor of aero-space and nuclear engineering atthe University of Oklahoma, one of the leadingmembers of the Ins t i tu te for Creation Research inN.America, who declared, "Evolution is a scient i f ic fa i ry- ta le jus t as the f la t -ear th theory wasin the twelfth century . . . Evolution requires afai th that is incomprehensible Bibl ical Creationis the only sensible alternative" (p96).

THE IMPORTANCE OF BIBLICAL THEOLOGYPeter Misselbrook, MA Bris tol

Any theology of the Bible thus any Bibl icalTheology must begin with the question of whatthe Bible i s . To s ta te tha t the Bible is the inerrant word of God i s quite r ight and th is isthe presupposit ion of our study, but th is onlyasserts something about the origin of the Bibleand the extent of i t s t rus tworthiness , i t doesnot answer the question of what th is word fromGod is and what i t has to do with us.I t is our contention that the Bible te l l s astory, a t rue story to be sure, but a story nevertheless; i t is the story of redemption. Thoughthe Bible te l l s one story, i t s unity does notconsist in the sameness of a l l i t s parts thebook of Levit icus is very different from the Gospel of John. The unity of Scripture is to befound not in i t s unchanging doctrine but in thedirected coherence of i t s story; each part i sbui l t upon what has gone before and each partpoints beyond i t s e l f towards what wil l comeaf te r demanding the subsequent chapters for i t scompletion.ny Biblical Theology, i f i t is to be a Bibl icaltheology, has to do jus t ice to the nature ofScripture as the revelation of the redemptive


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11.work of God. I t must deal adequately both with theunity of the Bible story and the diversi ty of i t sparts .Here, we ought perhaps to make one or two commentson the Biblical Theology of Geerhardus Vas. Vasconsiders that Biblical Theology differs fromSystematic Theology in that i t s organising prLnciple is histor ical rather than logical:

Whereas Systematic Theology takes the Bibleas a completed whole and endeavours toexhibit i t s to ta l teaching in an orderly,systematic form, Biblical Theology dealswith the material from the his tor ical standpoint , seeking to exhibit the organic growthor development of the truths of SpecialRevelation from the primitive pre-redemptiveSpecial Revelation given in Eden to rhe closeof the New Testament canon. Biblical Theology[1975 reprin t] , pp.v-vi)

For Vos Biblical Theology is the same as the history of Special Revelation. Biblical Theology istherefore

the study of the actual self-disclosuresof od in time and space which l ie back ofeven the f i r s t committal to writ ing of anyBiblical document, and which for a long timecontinued to run alongside of the inscr ipturat ion of the revealed materialBiblical Theology is that branch of Exegetical Theology which deals with the process ofthe self-revelat ion of od deposited in theBible. Ib id . , p.5)

I t seems to us that Vos has not done just ice tothe nature of Scripture. Vos views the Scripturesnot as the revelat ion of the redemptive work ofod but as the record of God s progressive un

veil ing of t ruth regarding Himself and man srelationship with Him. In consequence, Vos doesnot real ly provide us with a theology of the Biblebut, by his own confession, only a theology of


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12.nthe actual self-disclosures of od in time andspace which l ie back of even the f i r s t committalto writing of any Biblical document. The sourcematerial for the construction of his BiblicalTheology is not the entire Scriptures of the Oldand New Testaments but only the verbal or doct r inal self-revelat ions of od to which theScriptures bear witness. Those parts of Scripturewhich record no self-disclosures of od of thissort , such as the purely narrative material , manyof the Psalms, and the greater part of the Wisdoml i t e ra ture are not considered by Vos to be important to a Biblical Theology (see the index ofScripture references at the back of Vos's book).Against Vos, we would argue that a Biblical Theology must ref lect the character of Scripture asthe story of redemption. The source material fora Biblical Theology is not simply the doctrinalself-revelat ions of od within the Scripturaldocuments but is the entire Bible. e wouldsuggest that the measure of a Biblical Theologyis precisely i t s abi l i ty to handle the wholecompass of the varied Biblical testimonies without i t becoming a disunified bag of bi ts .n Outline of the Bible Story

The Bible story begins with an account of how odmade the entire created order and placed man inthe midst of the earth to rule over i t to theglory of God. Here man had fellowship with od andenjoyed God's blessings. This was the condition forwhich he was created; i t was l i fe .But in Genesis 3 we read of Adam s rebellionagainst od and his consequent loss of l i fe - l i fein the earth and l i fe before God. Man now l ives -or more properly dies - in a world under God'scurse.From Genesis 4 to the end of the New Testament wehave the story of the redeeming work of God. God'spurpose is to restore the broken relationship


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13.between man and Himself and consequently to l i f tcreat ion 's curse. His purpose is to restore theworld (man and creation) to the s tate for which i twas created ( this does not, of course, imply thatthe las t state is identical in every respect withthe f i rs t .In constructing a Biblical Theology - or even anOld Testament theology - i t is vita l that wegrasp the breadth of the Biblical view of redempt ion. Just as man's sin affects not only his relationship with God but also al l his creatorialrelat ionships, so redemption is not merely amending of man's relationship with God but involves a l iberation of the creation from i t sbondage under God's u r s e ~ the ins t i tut ion of theKingdom of Redemption. The Old Testament (andindeed the whole Bible), cannot r ightly be understood unt i l we grasp the creation wide scope ofboth sin and redemption.Man's rebellion continues unt i l the whole earth ~ soverrun with wickedness and violence. God therefore determines to destroy both man and his world.But in the midst of a world under God's wrath,God saves one man from destruction, Noah, andwith that man he saves his family and the animalcreation, The old world is destroyed under judgment, but from this saved remnant there is tospring a new world; thus Genesis 9:1-7 repeatsGod's words to dam in Genesis 1:28-30 (with certa in signif icant differences) But this remnant ofthe old world cannot be the source of a new, thereneeds to be a more radical renewal or regeneration,The history of man's rebell ion repeats i t se l f inNoah's drunkenness, Ham's shamelessness, andf inal ly the concerted rebell ion of arrogant men atBabel, Once again God 1 s judgment fa l ls upon manThe story of Noah supplies us with a clear pictureof the nature of the redemptive work of God (Thiswe would argue against Vos who views the Noahcovenant as non-redempti'I.Ce nature covenant ,)


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14.Although the created world is to be destroyedunder God's judgment, i t does not accord withGod's purpose simply to remove redeemed man fromthe place of destruction and take him up toheaven. God's purpose is s t i l l to give man l i fein the earth and before Him: He will establ ishHis Kingdom Thus the created order is redeemedalong with man ( jus t as i t had been cursed alongwith man), and redeemed man is made the underlordof the new creation to rule over i t to the gloryof GodThe redemptive story of Genesis 4-11 ends infailure; not the fai lure of God's purposes butthe failure of man This new world is but theremnant of the old and goes the way of the old.Thus i t s history ends in judgment and scat tering. The story of Noah thus points beyond i t se l fto a greater and more perfect redemption.The story of God's redeeming work continues withthe story of Israel (beginning when Abraham ischosen from among the scattered nations underjudgment). The story which begins with the Exodusfrom Egypt and ~ n i h ends with Is rae l s peacefulpossession of the land of Canaan is clearly thestory of Is rae l s redemption. The redemption ofthe people of God consists in God bringing Hispeople out of bondage to false gods and o 't ofsubjection to a Godless society and into a landwhere they are established as a redeemed society,free to serve Him This redemption is completedonly when God raises up His anointed king as achampion of His people. Under David the las tenemies of the people of God are defeated andGod's dwelling is established in the midst of Hispeople at Jerusalem. Here God's kingdom is seenin the earth as God dwells with His people andthey serve HimBut this story also ends in fai lure, par t icular lythe failure of the Israel i te kings. The fai lureof Israel once more points us beyond Israel . s


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15.the prophets bear witness, the story of Israelpoints beyond i t se l f to the greater and finalredemption which od wil l yet accomplish in thelas t days. od wil l establ ish His kingdom.With the New Testament the Bible story reachesi t s conclusion. In Christ the work of redemptionis completed and perfected: sin is defeated, God sKingdom is established, creation is restored.The Kingcom is made visible in the l i fe of theSon of God. Under His hand creation is freed fromcurse and the relat ionship between i t and man ismiraculously restbred: He feeds the multitudeswhen they lack food - they eat without labour andsweat; He heals their diseases and even raisesthe dead, His miracles are therefore an intrusionof the final kingdom of redemption, an anticipat ion of the day when sin and curse will be nomore, when creation is regenerated and the bodyis raised from death.But the redeeming work of God by which man andcreation are restored to their proper relat ionshipbefore God is effected primarily thrGugh Ch rist sdeath and resurrection, and i t is to be seen inal l i t s glory only at Ch rist s return. In Hisdeath, this world, a world lying under wrath andcurse, is brought to judgment. His resurrection isthe beginning or f i rs t f ru i ts not merely of thenew humanity but of a new creation (Gal,6:14-11,and compare 1 Cor.l5:20 with Rom.8:19-23). Thenew creation, and thus the l i fe of God s people,is at present hidden with Christ in God but i twil l be made manifest at the las t day (Col.3:1-3).Then this world will be brought under final judgment and will be destroyed in f i re to be succededby the new heavens and a new earth (2 Peter 3:10-13). The new earth is to be the inheritance of thepeople of God here they will reign with Christfor ever (Matt-5:5, 2 T i m 2 : 1 2 ~ Rev.5:10,11:15).od will dwell with His people in the earth andthey will serve Him there (Rev.21-22, especially


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16.21:1-4, 22:3-5).Jesus is the second Adam The consequences of Adam ssin are undone through Christ 's work (Rom.5:12ff).In His death He atones for the sins of men andsat isf ies God's just ice by bearing their curse,In His resurrection He undoes the consequences ofAdam s rebell ion, overcoming death and becomingthe f i r s t f ru i t s of the new creation which l ivesbefore the face of God (Rom.6:10),Jesus is the Messiah. t is through His mightyact as champion of His people that the Kingdom ofGod is established. Christ gains the victory overevery las t enemy of the people of God, He rulesover the nations unti l al l are subject to Him.Through His agency al l the kingdoms of this worldshall become the Kingdom of our God (1 Cor.l5:25-28, Rev, 11 : 15) ,Christ fulf i ls the Scriptures, for in Him the storyof redemption reaches i t s predestined conclusion.The Christian and the Christian Church are alsopart of the Bible story. In Christ 's death andresurrection the l i fe of the new creation hasalready begun, and in the Church (the company ofthe redeemed), i t is already visib le in the midstof the world" The church consists of those who are"in Christ", who have died to the old world andwho already l ive the l i fe of the new creation(Rom.6, Galo6:14-15, 2 Cor.5:17). The church is aforetaste of the kingdom, and the extension ofthe church is part of the coming of the kingdom.Here are a people who l ive before God in the earthand who, as far as i t is possible in this age,l ive the l i fe of the age to come. In their relationships onP with another they manifest somethingof the new h u m n i t y ~ and in their relationshipswith, and service in the earth they manifest some-thing of the new creatlon.Christian : must view themselves (both individuallyand corporately) within the redemptive his tor ica l


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17,context of the Bible story. e l ive in the l ightof our past (not our private history and experiencebut the Bible story of our past from dam toChrist) and we l ive towards our future (again, notsome private destiny but the goal of the Biblestory). This is certainly very evident of the focalpoint of Scriptural redemption - our relationshipwith the redemptive work of Christ , The Christianlives in the l ight of his past - his death withChrist and resurrection with Him to new l i fe , andhe l ives towards his future - looking for thereturn of Christ and already l iving (albeit -perfectly) the l i fe of the age to come, But thispeculiar relationship between the Christian andthe Bible story ( that is his story) is true ofevery part . Every passage speaks to him as oneon w om the f u l f ilm n t o f the ages has come 1Cor,lO:ll) . e are children of Abraham Rom.4:16-18) and Israel s story is our story, theirpromises our promises and their inheritance ourinheritance (Eph.2:11-14). This must be thes tar t ing point in establishing the regulative or

normative function of Scripture.To summarise: the Bible is the revelation of theredemptive work of God. The Scriptures form aunity because they te l l one story of God's redemption, a redemption which is centred in thework of Christ , All of the Old Testament thuspoints to Christ and cries out for His coming.God's dealings with Noah and with Israel are anticipations of the f inal and perfect redemption, aredemption which was won for us by Chris t 's deathand resurrection and which will be made manifestat His return, Noah's new world and the Israel i tetheocracy are intrusions or types of thef inal Kingdom,The Church, though very different from Israel$ isalso an anticipation of the final Kingdom of God,The task of Biblical Theology is to understand theBible theologically by understanding each part or


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18.theme according to i t s place within the ongoingdrama of the redemptive work of God.Why Bother with Biblical Theology?In concluding this art ic le I wish to suggestseveral reasons why we should give ourselves tothe study of Biblical Theology,1. Our bel ief in the inerrancy of Scripturecounts for nothing unless we are students of theScriptures, subject to the Word of od and beingtransformed by i t . The f i r s t motive for the studyof Biblical Theology is that i t is no more norless than the study of the Bible and i t s message.2, Biblical Theology displays the unity of Scripture as the revelation of the unified redemptivework of God a story which begins with the taleof a garden, ends with a ci ty of gold, and whichis centred in the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.Biblical theology is therefore the best answerto l iberal views of Scripture which fragment theBible and destroy the unity of i t s redemptivemessage.3, Biblical Theology respects the diversi tywhich exists within the overall unity of Scripture, I t is not embarrassed by the very realdifferences between Exodus and Ecclesiastes, theBook of Job and the Gospel of John, I t recognisesthat each part of the Biblical l i tera ture has i t sown peculiar place within the redemptive revelation. Each book of the Bible is thus viewed withini t s own his tor ical and redemptive context and isnot treated as a piece of t imeless doctrine. But,precisely because each part is viewed in i t sBiblical) o n t ~ x t i t is not isolated from theres t of Scripture.4. Biblical Theology enables us to view Biblethemes from a Biblical perspective. Many Biblethemes, such as those of the Sabbath, the promiseof the land, the t i the e tc . have been misunder-


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19.stood and misinterpreted by the Christian Churchbecause they have been f i t ted into a system oft imeless doctrine instead of being viewed accord-ing to their place within the developing redemp-tive work of God.5. Biblical Theology presents us with a consis-tent , controlled, and above a l l Biblical methodof interpreting the Scriptures. While displayingthe unity of the Scriptures and the focus of al lthe Bible (Old and New Testaments) in Christ , i tenables us to avoid the arbi t rary spir i tual is ingwhich so often passes for an evangelical under-standing of the Old Testament, Biblical Theologyis the only answer to the contemporary misuse ofScripture by both Evangelical and Liberal: i tle ts the Bible speak for i t se l f .6. Biblical Theology displays the ful l breadthof the purposes of God I t is a fine antidote tothe emaciated gospel preaching of our age. Herewe see that the purpose of od is nothing lessthan the recreation or regeneration of man inevery aspect of his being and relat ionships:reconcil iat ion with od and also the transform-ation of man s l i fe in society and in the earth,the establishment of the Kingdom of God.7. Finally, Bibl ical Theology displays the Bibleas a message to be preached, and makes preachingof any part of the Bible a possibi l i ty and a joy.The Bible is not a book of abstract doctrine butthe revelation of the redemptive work of od inwhich we are intimately and presently involved.The application of the Biblical message is there-fore not l e f t to the ar t i f ice ingenuity andwhim of the preacher, but springs directly fromthe relationship between the redemptive storyand those who need to be, or who are beingredeemed.The writer has promised to submit a furtherr t ic le on THE SABBATH for the next issue as an

example o f his approach to Biblical theology - Ed)

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