{"id":1299,"date":"2020-06-01T16:57:38","date_gmt":"2020-06-01T16:57:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/empactionbu.wpengine.com\/?p=1299"},"modified":"2020-06-01T16:57:38","modified_gmt":"2020-06-01T16:57:38","slug":"reading-scripture-with-bifocals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empoweringaction.org\/es\/reading-scripture-with-bifocals\/","title":{"rendered":"Reading Scripture with Bifocals"},"content":{"rendered":"

During seminary I gained a great appreciation for Paul Benware\u2019s Survey of the New Testament <\/em>in providing high-level overviews of Scripture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His outline of Matthew is a good example:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

The Presentation of Jesus the King \u2013 1:1-4:11
The Teachings of the King \u2013 4:12-7:29
The Power of Jesus the King \u2013 8:1-11:1
The Opposition to Jesus the King \u2013 11:2-16:12
The Parables of the Kingdom \u2013 13:1-52
The Preparation of the Disciples in View of the Rejection \u2013 16:13-20:34
The Final Presentation of the King and the Final Rejection \u2013 21:1-27:66
The Great Proof of Jesus the King\u2019s Right to be King \u2013 28:1-20<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Matthew 18 provides a good example of how, when teaching Scripture, the contextual explanation and faithful interpretation should remain constant from preacher to preacher; however, the implication can vary. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Rick Holland explains in his chapter on How to Craft a Life-Changing Sermon<\/em> from MacArthur’s Handbook on Effective Biblical Leadership,<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cIf you explain with clarity the original contextual meaning of a biblical text, it will implicate your people in such a way that they say, \u2018I see where the Lord would have me apply that principle.\u2019\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

A great example in this passage is how two faithful preachers, John MacArthur and J.C. Ryle, focus differently, yet faithfully, on the implication of Matthew 18:7.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MacArthur provides a solid overview:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

\u201cMatthew 18, which is a crucial sermon on God\u2019s love for His people and the priority He places on their purity. It\u2019s a portrait of the sanctifying love that should be evident among God\u2019s people\u2014love that builds up, that takes sin seriously, that loves and protects the body of Christ, and that, when necessary, confronts the sin in its midst.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

MacArthur highlights awareness of sin on a societal level, while Ryle emphasizes confronting sin on a personal level.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

John MacArthur, Stand Firm: Living in a Post-Christian Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

We need to avoid the world\u2019s attempts to inhibit our growth in godliness. In verse 7, Jesus says, \u201cWoe to the world because of its stumbling blocks!\u201d God\u2019s children need to be aware of the stumbling blocks the world will hurl into our paths. We need to watch out for the world\u2019s attempts to seduce us with what 1 John 2:16 describes as \u201cthe lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life.\u201d We expect the world to be a solicitor for wickedness and to do anything and everything to seduce believers away from obedience to God. As Christ says, \u201cFor it is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!\u201d (Matt. 18:7). God keeps detailed accounts, even with the world, and judgment will fall on those who seduce His children and stifle their spiritual growth.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

J.C. Ryle<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n

We put offences or stumbling blocks in the way of men’s souls, whenever we do anything to keep them back from Christ–or to turn them out of the way of salvation–or to disgust them with true religion. We may do it directly by persecuting, ridiculing, opposing, or dissuading them from decided service of Christ. We may do it indirectly by living a life inconsistent with our religious profession, and by making Christianity loathsome and distasteful by our own conduct. Whenever we do anything of the kind, it is clear, from our Lord’s words, that we commit a great sin.<\/em><\/p>\n

There is something very fearful in the doctrine here laid down. It ought to stir up within us great searchings of heart. It is not enough that we wish to do good in this world. Are we quite sure that we are not doing harm? We may not openly persecute Christ’s servants. But are there none that we are injuring by our ways and our example? It is dreadful to think of the amount of harm that can be done by one inconsistent professor of religion. He gives a handle to the infidel. He supplies the worldly man with an excuse for remaining undecided. He checks the inquirer after salvation. He discourages the saints. He is, in short, a living sermon on behalf of the devil. The last day alone will reveal the wholesale ruin of souls, that “offences” have occasioned in the Church of Christ. One of Nathan’s charges against David was, “you have given great occasion to the enemies of the Lord to blaspheme.” (2 Sam. 12:14.) \u2013 J.C. Ryle<\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Like bifocal lenses, the combination of those two faithful bible applications provides clear vision of the verse.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During seminary I gained a great appreciation for Paul Benware\u2019s Survey of the New Testament in providing high-level overviews of Scripture. His outline of Matthew is a good example: The Presentation of Jesus the King \u2013 1:1-4:11The Teachings of the King \u2013 4:12-7:29The Power of Jesus the King \u2013 8:1-11:1The Opposition to Jesus the King […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":1581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1299","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-christian-living"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/empoweringaction.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/blog-bifocals-600x300.png","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/empoweringaction.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/10\/blog-bifocals-600x300.png","author_info":{"display_name":"Kent Husted","author_link":"https:\/\/empoweringaction.org\/es\/author\/khusted\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empoweringaction.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1299","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empoweringaction.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empoweringaction.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empoweringaction.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empoweringaction.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1299"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/empoweringaction.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1299\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empoweringaction.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empoweringaction.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1299"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empoweringaction.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1299"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empoweringaction.org\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1299"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}