The Journal of Ministry & Theology Ministry of the Journal
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5.5” .375” 5.5” Fall 2015 | Volume 19 | Number 2 The JournalThe of Ministry & Theology The OURNAL J of Ministry& Theology 8.5” Fall 2015 | Volume 19 | Number 2 2015 | Volume Fall Baptist Bible Seminary | Clarks Summit | Pennsylvania Fall 2015 | Volume 19 | Number 2 The OURNAL J of Ministry& Theology Baptist Bible Seminary | Clarks Summit | Pennsylvania The Journal of Ministry and Theology Published semiannually by Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania Jim Lytle Mike Stallard President Dean of Baptist Bible Seminary Gary Gromacki/Mike Stallard Teresa Ingalls/Joy McGinniss Editors Editorial Assistants The Journal of Ministry and Theology is a semiannual journal published by Baptist Bible Seminary of Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania. It is devoted to the growth of pastors and educators through interaction with contemporary critical issues and methodologies from the perspective of a biblical worldview. The Journal provides a forum for faculty, students, and friends of BBS to apply theology in ministry for the benefit of local church and parachurch organizations. Regular features of The Journal include articles on biblical exegesis; pastoral, biblical, and systematic theology; ethics; church history; missions; and ministry issues. The views represented herein are not necessarily endorsed by Baptist Bible Seminary, its administration, or its faculty. Subscription Rates: One year $16.00 ($21.00 foreign); Two years $30 ($36.00 foreign); Single issues available at $9.00 each. Subscription requests should be sent in care of Journal Subscription Secretary, Baptist Bible Seminary, 538 Venard Road, Clarks Summit, PA 18411. All subscriptions are payable in U.S. currency, with checks made payable to Baptist Bible Seminary. Postal Information for The Journal of Ministry and Theology (ISSN: 1092-9525). Address changes can be sent to the Journal Subscription Secretary per the above address. Copyright ©2015 by Baptist Bible Seminary. Requests for permission to reprint articles, in whole or in part, must be secured from the editor and from the author of the particular article. Mail requests to The Journal of Ministry and Theology Editor, Baptist Bible Seminary, 538 Venard Road, Clarks Summit, PA 18411. Fall 2015 | Volume 19 | Number 2 The Journal of Ministry and Theology Contents Summit University Celebration ....................................................... 5 James Lytle, D.Min. The Plan and Power of God the Father in Ephesians ............. 9 Gary Gromacki, Ph.D. Which Way Did They Do? Exploring Alternate Routes of the Exodus ......................................................................... 53 Alan Ingalls, Th.D. The Terminus A Quo of The Day of the Lord: The Deciding Argument for Pretribulationism ................................................... 69 Jerry Hullinger, Ph.D. I Will Build My Church: The Use of ἐκκλησία in the Gospel of Matthew as Indication of the Future Establishment of the Church .................................................................................................. 117 Daniel Wiley Paul’s Use of ΔΙΚΑΙΟΣΥΝΗ ΘΕΟΥ and the New Perspective Interpretation .................................................................................... 133 Nicholas Dodson, M.Div. Book Review ........................................................................................ 165 2 Timothy 2:2 And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also. THE JOURNAL OF MINISTRY AND THEOLOGY 5–8 Summit University Celebration April 20, 2015 Dr. James Lytle President Summit University Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania I am deeply grateful for all of you both from our area and from far away who have joined us today. 1 We all would agree with Dr. Don Shirk’s testimonial, “Some of the most amazing things God did in my life, he did because of Baptist Bible College and Seminary.” I have been involved with this school for forty-two years in a variety of roles ranging from student to President. I admit that it is a challenge to learn to say “Summit University” when I have said “Baptist Bible College and Seminary” for so long. This morning when I was leaving for the office, I told my wife, Diane, “I’m heading over to the university.” I got it out and it sounded right. If you have been on our website, you have seen the prominent Summit University advertising that makes it clear: our name has changed, but our mission has not. The formal statement of our mission reminds us of that and calls us to action: we exist to serve undergraduate, graduate, and seminary students by preparing them for lives of significant service for Jesus Christ in a variety of ministries and careers. Our new corporate seal 2 illustrates this commitment to mission well. On the bottom is the reminder that we have existed since 1932. That is a lot of history! And every year when the new students arrive, we try to help them appreciate the foundation 1 This is an edited transcript of the address delivered by President James R. Lytle at the Summit University Celebration when Baptist Bible College and Seminary became Summit University. 2 See the JMAT’s new cover. 6 THE JOURNAL OF MINISTRY AND THEOLOGY laid for their education. We ask them to look at the names on the buildings. Back in 1932, Miss Thomson, Miss Vibbard, Miss Fletcher, and Dean Emory Bancroft had the audacity to start a school. It certainly requires some courage to step into an existing ministry and build it up, but it’s much more challenging to start from the beginning. Don’t forget that they made this choice in the height of the Great Depression. During those early years, the four of them taught Bible survey, Bible book studies, theology, and how to work in a local church. Nearly everything that we have today is an outgrowth of what they pioneered for us so many years ago. Move your eyes up a little higher on the seal, and you find a copy of the Word of God. At Summit University, the Bible is our sole authority for faith and practice. As we all know, it is easier to say those words than to live them. We have to soak in the Word of God, and we must not do it in the abstract nor as a parallel track in our studies. We must integrate the truth of the Word with everything else we learn. This exercise creates a unique perspective on life that has characterized our graduates from the beginning. When we display our seal on diplomas and emboss it on official documents, all will see our foundation in the Word of God. We want to implement God’s Word in service. This is symbolized by the pitcher, the bowl, and the towel. Our minds are drawn to Jesus’ ministry to his disciples when Jesus washed their feet in the Upper Room. As startling as that ministry was to the disciples, the lesson he gave along with it must have astounded them. Their purpose in life, their very reason for existing, was to serve others “as I have.” “The rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever will be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many,” (Matt 20:25- 28 ESV). We want to care for people as Jesus did, and we want to serve them as Jesus did. Summit University Celebration 7 When we fold service into an educational program, we call it mentored field training or internship. More than just an academic outcome, this is the very heart of our students. On the Courthouse Square in Scranton, one of our students sponsored a stand against slavery and trafficking. Dozens have ministered at no cost in orphanages overseas. Add in all the ministry in local churches along with the spontaneous efforts of our students, and our student body generates over 30,000 hours of service a year. We want our students to be properly prepared for the harvest. In fact, we ought to be obsessed with God’s harvest, symbolized by the ripe head of grain above the servant’s bowl. The harvest is a Bible metaphor that helps us focus the labor of our lives. Matthew revealed that Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in synagogues, proclaiming the gospel and the good news of the kingdom. He healed every disease and affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. There have been days when each of us has felt harassed and helpless, when we needed someone to show us the way as a shepherd would for his sheep. Jesus placed responsibility on his disciples: “The harvest is plentiful but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest,” (Matt 9:37). He spoke as if mankind were a field of standing grain, and somebody was needed to gather people in to complete the purpose for which we exist. We believe in the harvest at Summit University. Since 1932, Summit University has served helpless, harassed people who need a relationship with God—the relationship that we were designed for. We believe what Jesus said in John 14:6: “I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” We proclaim his exclusivity in salvation, and we carry the hope of salvation in Christ into God’s harvest in every way we can. At Summit University, we will continue to shape pastors, youth pastors, and all sorts of local church servants. In addition, we will provide bachelor’s level training with a major in Bible and in a second major that will allow graduates to access 8 THE JOURNAL OF MINISTRY AND THEOLOGY the increasingly diverse harvest field.