An Eschatological Grounding For A Standard Sacred Text

This volume considers the question, “What is the eschatological future of the Bible?” by way of fresh, optimistic exploration of the Scripture. For instance, “Is Scripture incinerated with the re-formation of the New Heaven and Earth?” Or “Does forever mean forever in every case except when applied to Scripture?”

The focus of this volume is not pre-, post-, or amillennial eschatological positions. In the Eternal State eschatological perspectives will be established history. It is from the continuity and consummation of God’s redemptive plan in Christ that this volume considers the enduring role of God’s Word. Take for example the following:

“Consider Scripture the uncorruptible seed (1 Peter 1:23), not only for salvation but for glorification as well. The seed begins with being born again but finds its end in glorification with all the ramifications of living eternally with Christ, (Romans 8:30). There would be no consummation or glorification, without the beginning, the regenerating work of the Spirit, (John 3:1-8).”

The topics of the End Times, Eternal State, Glorification, Scripture’s Canonical and Exegetical Continuity with the Eternal State are examined.

In a discipline oriented to reexamine the past, Eschatological Grounding provides a thought provoking, exegetically based theology, exploring God’s Word as a component part of the Eternal State.

Eschatological Grounding is available at the link below:

https://a.co/d/7LbrfKS

Canonicity: Why the Bible Has 66 Books

A new Study Guide entitled, Canonicity: Why the Bible Has 66 Books, prepared by Dr. Peter Van Kleeck, Sr., is now available at Amazon Books. Designed as Sunday School curriculum for High School through all adult classes, seminars, and family devotions, the Study Guide builds a strong, historically proven, theological case for the collation of the canon of Scripture. The material presented lays the foundation for defense of the Christian Faith and the King James Bible.

The Study Guide is available at the link below:

https://a.co/d/0gh0pHY

The 30 Best Arguments Against King James Onlyism*

Good morning, All.

I know the blog has been pretty quiet as of late. Both Dr.’s Van Kleeck have been working to publish books. I am happy to say that they are now available on Amazon. I will let Dr. Van Kleeck Sr. plug his book when he is ready. The main reason for this post was to thank all those who have purchased The 30 Best Arguments Against King James Onlyism*. Just this week, it has shot up as the #1 New Release in the Religious Fundamentalism category.

In short, 30 Arguments sets out to answer the best or most prevailing 30 or so arguments against the Textus Receptus and/or King James Version position. I believe it is a short and approachable work that tries to get at the heart of our opponent’s objections while providing an answer suited to the objection.

If you have any questions, please let us know.

Thanks again.

You can find the book here.

One Lord. One Faith. One Bible?

“There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Ephesians 4:4-6

John Calvin writes in his commentary on the above passage from Ephesians, “Some consider the unity of the Spirit to mean that spiritual unity which is produced in us by the Spirit of God. There can be no doubt that He alone makes us “of one accord, of one mind,” (Philippians 2:2,) and thus makes us one; but I think it more natural to understand the words as denoting harmony of views.”

It seems fair that we have a harmony of view regarding Christ as Head, the Christian calling, Christ as Lord, and God as Father. The Cross is exclusive in its efficacious work. There is only one way to salvation. There is only one true faith.

Calvin goes on to write regarding verse 4, “that we are subject to a law which no more permits the children of God to differ among themselves than the kingdom of heaven to be divided.” And what exactly does this look like? Recall the words of Jesus as he taught the disciples to pray, “thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” Unity on earth mirrors unity in heaven in one particular way. We must be united in the will of God, and that it be done.

For the cessationist, what is the revealed will of God on earth in the present church age? The word of God, Scripture, is that revealed will. In commenting on verse 5, Calvin observes that “Christ cannot be divided. Faith cannot be rent. There are not various baptisms, but one which is common to all. God cannot cease to be one, and unchangeable.” We are no more permitted to differ over what words are God’s words than the kingdom of heaven is to differ over which words are God’s words.

Where do we learn that there is one Lord, Christ? The Bible. Where do we learn that there is one faith? The Bible. Where do we receive faith? By hearing the Bible. Where do we learn that there is one God? The Bible. Where do we learn this one God is Father to the Christian? The Bible. Where do we learn of the one Holy Spirit? The Bible. Where do we learn from this one Holy Spirit? The Bible. Yet the epistemological source, the ground and foundation of where we learn all these “ones” is not one. The English-speaking believing community does not have one God’s word from the one Spirit to learn of the one God, the one Spirit, the one faith, the one Lord.

We here at StandardSacredText.com concur with Calvin in confessing that “Christ cannot be divided. Faith cannot be rent. There are not various baptisms, but one which is common to all. God cannot cease to be one, and unchangeable.” And as such, there cannot be various God’s words, but one which is common to all. God’s word cannot cease to be one and unchangeable because it is the very reflection of God and His will to the New Testament Church.

Apographa

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“copies of an original;

specifically, the scribal copies of the original autographa (q.v.) of Scripture.”Richard Muller, Dictionary of Latin and Greek Theological Terms: Drawn Principally from Protestant Scholastic Theology, Term: apographa.

The term apographa deserves close attention in that the documents were not merely understood to be copies of copies of copies. Still, for the Protestant Scholastics and for us here at StandardSacredText.com the apographa are in one sense the copies of the original autographa. Muller observes under the same entry,

“The Protestant scholastics distinguished between the absolute infallibility of the original copies of the biblical books and the textual imperfection of the apographa.”

Muller, Dictionary, apographa.

For the Protestant scholastics, there were two kinds of “copies.” First, there were the copies that made up the sacred text of God’s people, from which the Protestant scholastics did battle with Roman Catholic apologists. Second, the apographa as “manuscript tradition”, which though essentially correct, did possess imperfections which Protestant scholastics thought easily remedied through “their exegetical method intended, by means of mastery of the languages and the comparative study of the extant texts, to overcome errors caused by transmission.”

“In addition, the Protestant orthodox held, as a matter of doctrinal conviction stated in the locus de Scriptura Sacra of their theological systems, the providential preservation of the text throughout history.”

Muller, Dictionary, apographa.

This “matter of doctrinal conviction” is born out quite clearly in the declaration of the Westminster Confession of Faith 1.8:

“The Old Testament in Hebrew…and the New Testament in Greek…being immediately inspired by God, and, by His singular care and providence, kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentical.”

Westminster Confession of Faith, 1.8.

In short, first, the historic Protestant orthodox position on this point was to hold that the original text they held to as the sacred text, which was a copy, was equal to the autographa. Second, the textual tradition [i.e., the apographa] did indeed possess corruptions, but these corruptions could be easily overcome through “their exegetical method intended…to overcome errors caused by the transmission of the text.”

What is Standard Sacred Text.com – Text

Before addressing a topic so fundamental as the doctrine of God, Francis Turretin begins his Institutes of Elenctic Theology with a discussion on the doctrine of Scripture. Turretin is writing in the third wave of the Reformation and the struggle over the certainty and authority of the Scriptures was still a hotly contested locus between the Protestants and Catholics

In his second topic and second question, Turretin asks,

“Was it necessary for the word of God to be committed to writing? We affirm.”

Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology, Vol. 1, Second Topic, Q. 2.

He goes on to remark on the three things that prove said necessity: “1.) the preservation of the word; 2.) its vindication; 3.) its propagation.” Turretin offers a summary of these three when he writes,

“It was necessary for a written word to be given to the church that the canon of true religious faith might be constant and unmoved; that it might easily be preserved pure and entire against the weakness of memory, the depravity of men, and the shortness of life; that it might be more certainly defended from the frauds and corruptions of Satan.”

Francis Turretin, Institutes of Elenctic Theology, Vol. 1, Second Topic, Q. 2, Sec. VI.

Note the timely and relevant language here. Turretin, writing in 1696, acknowledges the weakness of memory which is an Achille’s Heal of mere oral tradition, the depravity of men to alter the word of God, the brevity of human life, and finally Satan himself as corruptors of the Scriptural text. For Turretin and the Reformers in general, the textual issues is at the bottom a moral, generational, and spiritual one.

Observe even further that although a great bit of artillery is aimed at “the canon of true religious faith” Turretin declares that the writing of Scripture “remains constant and unmoved.” The very writing of the Scriptures ensures for the Reformers a preserved, pure, and entire written word of God.

Simply put, we here at StandardSacredText.com hold to the same conclusion. God gave His word in written propositions easily, purely, and entirely. Those same propositions, by virtue of being God’s propositions, remain easily, purely, and entirely preserved in a single standard sacred text. We here at StandardSacredText.com hold that text to be the union of the Masoretic Hebrew Text of the Old Testament, and the 1881 Scrivener’s Greek New Testament. Regarding the English-speaking believing community, we believe the King James Version to be the standard sacred text for the English-speaking believing community.

William Whitaker and Revelation 20:18

Welcome to the Brickyard. This is a place to find quotes for use in your own research. The bricks are free but the building is up to you. The following quotes are from William Whitaker on Revelation 20:18. He originally wrote them in 1588.

“For we may, by parity of reason, argue thus: The authority and analogy of the other books is the same: if, therefore, it be not lawful to add to this book, then, by parity of reason, it will be unlawful to add to any other book, or detract from it.”

William Whitaker, Disputations on Holy Scripture, trans. and ed. William Fitzgerald (Orlando, FL: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 2005), 622.

“Those, therefore, who add any thing to the scripture itself, or take any thing from it, are obnoxious to this denunciation.”

William Whitaker, Disputations on Holy Scripture, trans. and ed. William Fitzgerald (Orlando, FL: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 2005), 622.

“I confess that the apostle [John] denounces an anathema against those who add any thing to that word of God which he preached; but I maintain that the whole of that word is contained in the scriptures.”

William Whitaker, Disputations on Holy Scripture, trans. and ed. William Fitzgerald (Orlando, FL: Soli Deo Gloria Publications, 2005), 623.