DOCSLIB.ORG

A Biblical View of Demonology

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Scholars Crossing Department for Counselor Education and Faculty Publications and Presentations Family Studies 1981 A Biblical View of Demonology James A. Laine Liberty University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/ccfs_fac_pubs Recommended Citation Laine, James A., "A Biblical View of Demonology" (1981). Faculty Publications and Presentations. 55. https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/ccfs_fac_pubs/55 This Book is brought to you for free and open access by the Department for Counselor Education and Family Studies at Scholars Crossing. It has been accepted for inclusion in Faculty Publications and Presentations by an authorized administrator of Scholars Crossing. For more information, please contact [email protected]. I I i f by Dr. James A. Laine ... with foreword by Stan Scott A BIBLICAL VIEW OF DEMONOLOGY By: ::br. Jamej ..A. J!aine ::b.B.:1. TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction 6 Part I. Background Chapter used by permission I. Language. 12 Revised Standard Version of the Bible Copyrighted U. Origin of Demons 15 1946, 1952,©1971, 1973. Part U. Examination of the Scripture III. Old Testament. 22 IV. New Testament . 28 Matt. 4:23-24, Matt. 8:16-17, Mk. 5:1-20, Matt. 10:1, Lk. 10: 17-20, Matt. 12:22-32, Matt. 12:43-45, Matt. 15:21-28, Mk. 9:14-29, Lk. 4:31-37, Lk. 9:49-50, Acts 19:13-16, Lk. 13:10-13, The Gospel of John, Acts 16:16-18, 1 Cor. 10: 14-22, Eph. 6:10-28. Part III. Application V. Questions Arising from Popular Demonology of Our Time .......... 66 Can A Christian Have A Demon?; Strongholds; Ruler Demons, Demon Groupings and Demon Names; Con­ versing With Demons, The Power of the Blood and Other Formulas; The Power and Province of Demons; Deliverance By the Numbers. ©1981 James A. Laine VI. Summary. 86 Appendix Breakdown of Elements in New Testament Deliverance 87 Bibliography 88 fOREWORD Just to simply sit under the ministry of Jim Laine is to have an inner voice say ... "Here, is a man who loves his Lord ... and is anointed by God! To hear Jim pray ... teach ... share the Word ... is to lmow that you are in the presence of a servant of God ... who, himself, is in the presence of the Almighty! It has been my distinct pleasure to consider Jim a personal friend . it has also been my joy to serve the Lord with this laborer for the Master, on many occasions. Because I truly believe this young man ... is a man of faith ... a man who reflects the compassion of Jesus . it pleases me to be able to help exhibit still another facet of the ministry of Jim Laine ... the ability to expound the truth in the printed page. In an age of 'the blind leading the blind' in a time when sound doctrine is being ignored by seekers with 'itching ears' ... it is most important to 'rightly divide the Word of God' . in the hopes of correcting damage done by some who have 'zeal, without knowledge!' The book you are about to read ... researched exhaustively, and written by Rev. Dr. Jim Laine . reveals the scriptural truths concerning the subject of 'demons' ... there has been much damage done to the Body of Christ by teaching that has been misleading and has caused a spread of fear. The purpose of this volume is to cause a peace to flow over each believer ... to build an assurance and a confidence in every Child of God. As you read, your Spirit will bear witness with the truth ... because this book does not contain personal experiences .. but basic Biblical truth, about the authority of the Christian and the limits of the enemy. Read on ... and let the joy of Jesus rise up in you, for the Glory of God! Stan Scott 5 We must learn to deal with demons, but we must do it God's way. INTRODUCTION Pagan sources are frequently used by God's people in their quest for knowledge. Very few people have sought to define what demon­ In the last ten years there has been a great rise in attention possession really is in biblical terms. Even Christian authors who given to the demonic. A great many books purporting to be are respected for their view of scripture use examples drawn from biblical or theological works have been written on the subject. their experience rather than Biblical criteria. Complicating the Prayer groups and ministers have arisen whose sole reason experiential approach is that fact that these studies also show for existence appears to be the study and treatment of demons. that demon experience and demonology varies from culture to Deliverance seminars and services abound. culture and from sect to sect. While all of this claims to be in a Christian context, the As we will see in our study, even Acts 16: 16 is an indication question arises as to how much of this material is truly Christian that Satan and his demons adapt their deceitful practices to the and how much is modern paganism. Most of the books are written local culture. We also know that Satan is a liar and the father of from an experiential viewpoint rather than from Bible fact, lies, In. 8:44. He cannot be trusted in any situation to present and most of the adherents to this teaching seem more deeply himself as he actually is, since his whole approach is through bound in superstition than the unredeemed. deception. No cultural, literary, or historic material is free from This question takes on greater importance when we examine his manipulation. Not even Jewish superstition can be trusted the fruits of these ministries. While some truly seem to be helped, because that superstition itself was under Satan's control. In truth, we as Christians must look to Jesus' teaching to find the truth. many others are harmed emotionally and spiritually, and the The Word of God alone can be our authority. vast majority are left in theological conflict. My own counseling calendar is frequently filled with cases of people who, having been For the purpose of this study we will base our theology only to a ministry which specializes in "deliverance," have come away on biblical evidence. We will view some non-Christian sources, but more bound than they were before they went. They are fearful, we will only give credence to the Word itself. This, of course, confused, and misinformed. The concepts of self or flesh and presupposes a belief that the BIBLE is the true authoritative demonic or spiritual have become irrationally confused. The main inerrant Word of God. It also presupposes a disbelief in all cause for this seems to be that the attention of these ministries arguments against the validity of scripture such as the accom­ is on the demonic instead of on Jesus Christ. Because of this, the modation theory. Jesus went out of His way to "show His own adherents are more vulnerable to Satan than they think, and DISBELIEF in the popular demonology of His day, save in so Satan rejoices at the attention. far as disease caused by alleged demon possession was concerned. As Dr. William Menzies Alexander, a doctor of medicine as well The Bible clearly teaches the existence of demons and the as a student of divinity, showed some years ago, 'He commanded reality of Satan. It teaches us how to deal with them and overcome His disciples to gather up the fragments, thus discouraging the them. idea that demons lurk ill crumbs. He had flO faith ill the ceremonial Therefore, it is our responsibility to clearly study the Bible's washing of hands; so repelling the notion that spirits may rest on theology concerning these beings and our relationship to them so unwashed hands. He asked a draught of water from the woman of that we will not be duped by Satan or left vulnerable to his powers. Samaria and thereafter entered the city; proving that He had no 6 7 fear of borrowed water and no belief in local shedim. He retired I pray that the reader will pray before you read, asking that repeatedly to desert places alld fasted in the wildnerness; therein God would teach and that you will be open. Far too often we try rejecting the poplliar conception that the waste is the special to make the scripture say what we want it to say or what we haunt of eJdl spirits . .. The association of demons with animals believe it should say, rather than truly trying to understand is in conflict with Christ's assertion of God's special care over what it really does say. I have made an earnest attempt to be them.' In a word, apart from the context of disease and the open. I have had to change some long-held beliefs now that I have possible exception of the storm on the lake, Jesus makes no truly been confronted by the Word. reference to deJlils, though the COlll!ersations around Him were full of references to them. He makes an exceptioll when He talks Please do not deny anything presented without first prayer­ about certain types of illness. Theil He does seem to accept the fully submitting yourself to the authority of the scripture. J!iew of demon possession. There is a significance ill sllch a All scriptural quotations used will be from the Revised marked exception. "I Standard Version unless otherwise indicated. It is clear that Jesus was not accommodating His contem­ poraries since He displayed beliefs concerning demonology which went against the rabbinic doctrine of demons.
Recommended publications
  • Jesus's Direct Experiences of God the Father

    Jesus's Direct Experiences of God the Father

    Jesus’s direct experiences of God the Father: a paradox within Jewish theology and gateway to human experience of God J. Slater Department of Philosophy & Systematic Theology University of South Africa PRETORIA E-mail: [email protected] Abstract Jesus’s direct experiences of God the Father: a paradox within Jewish theology and gateway to human experience of God With the unavailability of a consistently similar and collectively accepted biblical definition of a „direct experience of God‟, this article sets out to explore Jesus‟s direct experience of God the Father within the Hebrew environment, which states that no one can see God „face to face‟ and live (Exod. 33:17-20). An im- mediate or direct experience of God is no doubt biblically rooted, but the nature and understanding thereof is largely a product of philosophers and theologians within the context of their worldviews. This article makes the case that Jesus had immediate experiences of God the Father, and this operates from the position that a direct experience of God is a fun- damental property of the human reality. It sets out to explore the intimate nature and characteristics of Jesus‟s immediate experiences of God the Father. This is done in the light of the paradoxical religious considerations of the Israelites (Gen. 32:30; Exod. 33:20) where God said to Moses: „You cannot see my face; for no one can see me and live.‟ But Genesis 32:30 records Jacob as saying: „For I have seen God face to face and my life is preserved.‟ While the paradox is furthered by John 1:18: „No one has seen God at any time …‟, Christians in Paul‟s time appear to have departed from such Hebraic reticence.
  • The Healing Ministry of Jesus As Recorded in the Synoptic Gospels

    The Healing Ministry of Jesus As Recorded in the Synoptic Gospels

    Loma Linda University TheScholarsRepository@LLU: Digital Archive of Research, Scholarship & Creative Works Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects 6-2006 The eH aling Ministry of Jesus as Recorded in the Synoptic Gospels Alvin Lloyd Maragh Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd Part of the Medical Humanities Commons, and the Religion Commons Recommended Citation Maragh, Alvin Lloyd, "The eH aling Ministry of Jesus as Recorded in the Synoptic Gospels" (2006). Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects. 457. http://scholarsrepository.llu.edu/etd/457 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by TheScholarsRepository@LLU: Digital Archive of Research, Scholarship & Creative Works. It has been accepted for inclusion in Loma Linda University Electronic Theses, Dissertations & Projects by an authorized administrator of TheScholarsRepository@LLU: Digital Archive of Research, Scholarship & Creative Works. For more information, please contact [email protected]. UNIVERSITY LIBRARY LOMA LINDA, CALIFORNIA LOMA LINDA UNIVERSITY Faculty of Religion in conjunction with the Faculty of Graduate Studies The Healing Ministry of Jesus as Recorded in the Synoptic Gospels by Alvin Lloyd Maragh A Thesis submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Clinical Ministry June 2006 CO 2006 Alvin Lloyd Maragh All Rights Reserved Each person whose signature appears below certifies that this thesis in his opinion is adequate in scope and quality as a thesis for the degree Master of Arts. Chairperson Siroj Sorajjakool, Ph.D7,-PrOfessor of Religion Johnny Ramirez-Johnson, Ed.D., Professor of Religion David Taylor, D.Min., Profetr of Religion 111 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost, I would like to thank God for giving me the strength to complete this thesis.
  • Magicians, Sorcerers and Witches: Considering Pretantric, Non-Sectarian Sources of Tantric Practices

    Magicians, Sorcerers and Witches: Considering Pretantric, Non-Sectarian Sources of Tantric Practices

    Article Magicians, Sorcerers and Witches: Considering Pretantric, Non-sectarian Sources of Tantric Practices Ronald M. Davidson Department of Religious Studies, Farifield University, Fairfield, CT 06824, USA; [email protected] Received: 27 June 2017; Accepted: 23 August 2017; Published: 13 September 2017 Abstract: Most models on the origins of tantrism have been either inattentive to or dismissive of non-literate, non-sectarian ritual systems. Groups of magicians, sorcerers or witches operated in India since before the advent of tantrism and continued to perform ritual, entertainment and curative functions down to the present. There is no evidence that they were tantric in any significant way, and it is not clear that they were concerned with any of the liberation ideologies that are a hallmark of the sectarian systems, even while they had their own separate identities and specific divinities. This paper provides evidence for the durability of these systems and their continuation as sources for some of the ritual and nomenclature of the sectarian tantric traditions, including the predisposition to ritual creativity and bricolage. Keywords: tantra; mantra; ritual; magician; sorcerer; seeress; vidyādhara; māyākāra; aindrajālika; non-literate 1. Introduction1 In the emergence of alternative religious systems such as tantrism, a number of factors have historically been seen at play. Among these are elements that might be called ‘pre-existing’. That is, they themselves are not representative of the eventual emergent system, but they provide some of the raw material—ritual, ideological, terminological, functional, or other—for its development. Indology, and in particular the study of Indian ritual, has been less than adroit at discussing such phenomena, especially when it may be designated or classified as ‘magical’ in some sense.
  • SOURCES of MEDIEVAL DEMONOLOGY by Diana Lynn Walzel When Most of Us Think of Demons Today, If We Do Think of Them, Some Medieval Imp Undoubtedly Comes to Mind

    SOURCES of MEDIEVAL DEMONOLOGY by Diana Lynn Walzel When Most of Us Think of Demons Today, If We Do Think of Them, Some Medieval Imp Undoubtedly Comes to Mind

    SOURCES OF MEDIEVAL DEMONOLOGY by Diana Lynn Walzel When most of us think of demons today, if we do think of them, some medieval imp undoubtedly comes to mind. The lineage of the medieval demon, and the modern conception thereof, can be traced to four main sources, all of which have links to the earliest human civilizations. Greek philosophy, Jewish apocryphal literature, Biblical doctrine, and pagan Germanic folklore all contribute elements to the demons which flourished in men's minds at the close of the medieval period. It is my purpose briefly to delineate the demonology of each of these sources and to indicate their relationship to each other. Homer had equated demons with gods and used daimon and theos as synonyms. Later writers gave a different nuance and even definition to the word daimon, but the close relationship between demons and the gods was never completely lost from sight. In the thinkers of Middle Platonism the identification of demons with the gods was revived, and this equation is ever-present in Christian authors. Hesiod had been the first to view demons as other than gods, consider- ing them the departed souls of men living in the golden age. Going a step further, Pythagoras believed the soul of any man became a demon when separated from the body. A demon, then, was simply a bodiless soul. In Platonic thought there was great confusion between demons and human souls. There seems to have been an actual distinction between the two for Plato, but what the distinction was is impossible now to discern.
  • Calling out Unclean Spirits the First Presbyterian Church in Springfield Rev

    Calling out Unclean Spirits the First Presbyterian Church in Springfield Rev

    Calling Out Unclean Spirits The First Presbyterian Church in Springfield Rev. James K. Poinsett, Pastor January 29, 2012 Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time 1Praise the LORD! I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation. 2Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who delight in them. 3Full of honor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever. 4He has gained renown by his wonderful deeds; the LORD is gracious and merciful. 5He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant. 6He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations. 7The works of his hands are faithful and just; all his precepts are trustworthy. 8They are established forever and ever, to be performed with faithfulness and uprightness. 9He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant forever. Holy and awesome is his name. 10The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all those who practice it have a good understanding. His praise endures forever. Psalm 111 (NRSV) 21They went to Capernaum; and when the sabbath came, Jesus entered the synagogue and taught. 22They were astounded at his teaching, for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes. 23Just then there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit, 24and he cried out, “What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God.” 25But Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be silent, and come out of him!” 26And the unclean spirit, convulsing him and crying with a loud voice, came out of him.
  • The Church Doctrine of Inspiration,” Carl F.H

    The Church Doctrine of Inspiration,” Carl F.H

    Geoffrey W. Bromiley, “The Church Doctrine of Inspiration,” Carl F.H. Henry, ed., Revelation and the Bible. Contemporary Evangelical Thought. Grand Rapids: Baker, 1958 / London: The Tyndale Press, 1959. pp.205-217. 13 The Church Doctrine of Inspiration Geoffrey W. Bromiley [p.205] The starting-point of the Church’s doctrine of inspiration is obviously to be found in the self- witness of the Bible itself. This has already been treated in a previous chapter, and no more than a brief summary is required in the present context. As far as the Old Testament is concerned, both the Law and the prophetic writings purport to come from God, and in specific cases the New Testament links the giving of messages through human speakers or writers with the activity of the Holy Spirit. Inspiration thus arises naturally and necessarily from the divine source and authority. Nor does it refer only to an ecstatic upsurge of the human spirit; the reference is plainly to the inworking of the Holy Ghost. In the New Testament it is made clear that divine authority extends to the whole of the Old; for example, our Lord shows his disciples “in all the scriptures the things concerning himself” (Luke 24:27). Again, the activity of the Holy Spirit is given a general reference. We read that the Psalmist speaks in the Spirit in Psalm 110 (Matt. 22:43). And finally the two primary verses in II Timothy 3:16 and II Peter 1:21 tell us that “all scripture is given by inspiration of God,” and that “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.” It is to be noted that the linking of the Biblical writings with the Holy Spirit means that they are brought into direct relationship with the work of the Spirit, namely, to bear witness to Jesus Christ.
  • The Concept of Biblical Inspiration

    The Concept of Biblical Inspiration

    THE CONCEPT OF BIBLICAL INSPIRATION When the President of your Society graciously asked me to read a paper on the topic of biblical inspiration, he proposed that I review and assess the significant contributions made to it in con- temporary research, and that I suggest some areas in which work might profitably be done in the future. Accordingly, I shall simply devote the time at our disposal to these two points. With regard to the first, I believe that many new insights have been provided during the last decade by the studies of Pierre Benoit,1 Joseph Coppens,2 Karl Rahner,3 and Bernhard Brink- mann; * and I shall attempt to present their work in summary form. As regards further possible theological speculation, I wish to amplify a suggestion made recently by my colleague, the Reverend R. A. F. MacKenzie. "Since the theory of instrumental causality has been so usefully developed, and has done so much to clarify—up to a point—the divine-human collaboration in this mysterious and won- derful work, what is needed next is fuller investigation of the efficient and final causalities, which went to produce an OT or NT book." B You will have observed that, since the days of Franzelin and La- grange,6 treatises on inspiration have tended to emphasize the *Paul Synave-Pierre Benoit, La Prophétie, Éditions de la Revue des Jeunes, Paris-Tournai-Rome, 1947. Benoit has a shorter essay on inspiration in Robert-Tricot, Initiation Biblique? Paris, 1954, 6-45; for further modifi- cations of his theory, cf. "Note complémentaire sur l'inspiration," Revue Bib- lique 63 (1956) 416-422.
  • Sermon for 1-28-17; Mark 1:21-28 the Rev. Maggie Leidheiser-Stoddard Christ Episcopal Church, Springfield, OH

    Sermon for 1-28-17; Mark 1:21-28 the Rev. Maggie Leidheiser-Stoddard Christ Episcopal Church, Springfield, OH

    Sermon for 1-28-17; Mark 1:21-28 The Rev. Maggie Leidheiser-Stoddard Christ Episcopal Church, Springfield, OH {hissed/growled in my most demonic speaking voice} 'What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are, the Holy One of God!'i If you are expecting a sermon about exorcism or 'spiritual warfare' this morning, let me take this opportunity to apologize. That is not what you'll be getting in this church. The confrontation between Jesus and this "unclean spirit"ii is dramatic, and it certainly captures our attention. But there's something even more important going on here, as described by the witnesses in the synagogue: "What is this? A new teaching -- with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him."iii This story, like all our Gospel readings this season, is from Mark's Gospel. Biblical scholars agree that Mark's is the oldest of the four canonical Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), and that fragments of Mark's text were used by Matthew and Luke. John is an altogether different story, but we won't get into that today. The point is that Mark is the oldest of our four Gospel accounts, and that Mark's text was circulating and spreading the Good News about Jesus Christ before the other three. Mark's text also contains no birth narrative -- no choirs of angels, no baby in a manger. The Gospel of Mark begins with an adult Jesus being baptized by his cousin John in the Jordan River.
  • 156 REVIEWS Text and Truth: Redefining Biblical Theology

    156 REVIEWS Text and Truth: Redefining Biblical Theology

    REVIEWS Text and Truth: Redefining Biblical Theology, by Francis Watson. Grand Rapids / Edinburgh: Wm. B. Eerdmans / T. & T. Clark, 1997, pp. 334. $45.00. Ben C. Ollenburger Elkhart, Indiana In his first book, Text, Church and World (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1994), Francis Watson established himself as a leading participant in current debates in theology and hermeneutics. He did so by treating some of the most important issues in those debates in conjunction with the kind of biblical exegesis for which his book was an argument. He continues that pattern, and that argument, in the work under review, which aims to redefine biblical theology. By "biblical theology" Watson means "theological reflection on the Christian Bible" in its canonical unity, consisting in two Testaments. The Bible's division into two Testaments, Old and New, is of crucial theological importance to Watson. But he argues on theological grounds against the disciplinary isolation of the two parts of Christian scripture into independent fields of inquiry and against the isolation, or insulation, of biblical studies and systematic theology. Biblical theology, as Watson would redefine it, finds in Jesus Christ the constant center of scripture, the proper interpretation of which should be a fundamental concern of Christian theology. Hence, and like some of his predecessors, his proposals for redefining biblical theology are at the same time arguments about the character, even the reform, of Christian theology itself. Watson does not spend time locating his work in relation to biblical theology's history. Instead, he practices the kind of biblical theology he is commending: interpreting biblical texts theologically and addressing - obstacles - intellectual, ideological, and institutional obstacles in the way of such a practice.
  • Meanings & Uses of Ruach

    Meanings & Uses of Ruach

    hebrew-streams.org The Meanings and Uses of by Paul Sumner Understanding the Hebrew word ruach (and its Greek counterpart pneuma) is central to understanding why Yeshua is called "Messiah" (Mashiach, Christos). It's also important to know what Scripture teaches about "spirit," in order to discern and avoid deceptions done in the name of and by a Holy Spirit or Holy Ghost. There is a counterfeit "different Spirit," "who is now working in the children of disobedience" (2 Cor 11:4; Eph 2:2). In the Hebrew Bible the word ruach occurs 378 times. Its base meaning is "moving air" — whether in the form of breath, a breeze, or violent storm winds. Kohlenberger & Swanson, Hebrew English Concordance to the Old Testament (1998), p. 1461 entry #8120. In about 100 places in English Bibles, the word is rendered "wind." Notice Yeshua's play on the Greek word pneuma in John 3 and the parallel in John 20: That which is begotten of the flesh is flesh; and that which is begotten of pneuma is pneuma.... The pneuma blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but do not know where it comes from and where it is going. So is every one who is begotten of the pneuma (Jn 3:6,8). When he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, "Receive holy pneuma." (Jn 20:22) Most often in English Bibles ruach is translated either as "spirit" or "Spirit" (the difference is explained below). This is the immaterial dimension of a human being or of God.
  • Evil Spirits in the Dead Sea Scrolls: a Brief Survey and Some Perspectives Eibert Tigchelaar

    Evil Spirits in the Dead Sea Scrolls: a Brief Survey and Some Perspectives Eibert Tigchelaar

    View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Lirias Evil Spirits in the Dead Sea Scrolls: A Brief Survey and Some Perspectives Eibert Tigchelaar 1. Introduction Synthetic studies of evil spirits in the Dead Sea Scrolls can be found in survey articles on demons or demonology by Philip Alexander, Michael Mach, and Esther Eshel.1 Many other publications also touch upon the topic of evil spirits in the scrolls, either in the context of the discussion of specific texts, like, e.g., the Two Spirits Treatise or the Songs of the Sage, or when discussing broader topics like angelology, dualism, magic, purity and impurity, or sin.2 In addition, there is a 1Bibliographic references in this contribution will largely be confined to literature of the last twenty years. Cf. Philip S. Alexander, “The Demonology of the Dead Sea Scrolls,” in The Dead Sea Scrolls after Fifty Years: A Comprehensive Assessment (ed. Peter W. Flint and James C. VanderKam; Leiden: Brill, 1999), 2.331-53; Michael Mach, “Demons,” in Encylopedia of the Dead Sea Scrolls (ed. Lawrence H. Schiffman and James C. VanderKam; New York: Oxford University Press, 2000), 189-92; Esther Eshel and Daniel C. Harlow, “Demons and Excorcism,” in The Eerdmans Dictionary of Early Judaism (ed. John J. Collins and Daniel C. Harlow; Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 2010), 531-33. 2For example, Philip S. Alexander, “‘Wrestling against the Wickedness in High Places’: Magic and the Worldview of the Qumran Community,” in The Scrolls and the Scriptures. Qumran Fifty Years After (ed.
  • The Mandate of Biblical Inerrancy: 1 Expository Preaching

    The Mandate of Biblical Inerrancy: 1 Expository Preaching

    THE MANDATE OF BIBLICAL INERRANCY: 1 EXPOSITORY PREACHING John F. MacArthur, Jr. President and Professor of Pastoral Ministries The Master's Seminary The special attention of evangelicalism given to the inerrancy of Scripture in recent years carries with it a mandate to emphasize the expository method of preaching the Scriptures. The existence of God and His nature requires the conclusion that He has communicated accurately and that an adequate exegetical process to determine His meaning is required. The Christian commission to preach God's Word involves the transmitting of that meaning to an audience, a weighty responsibility. A belief in inerrancy thus requires, most important of all, exegetical preaching, and does not have to do primarily with the homiletical form of the message. In this regard it differs from a view of limited inerrancy. * * * * * The theological highlight of recent years has without question been evangelicalism's intense focus on biblical innerrancy.2 Much of what has been written defending inerrancy3 represents the most acute theological reasoning our generation has produced. Yet, it seems our commitment to inerrancy is somewhat lacking in the 1This essay was initially given as a response at the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy, Summit II (Nov 1982). It was subsequently published under the title "Inerrancy and Preaching: Where Exposition and Exegesis Come Together" in Hermeneutics, Inerrancy, and the Bible (ed. by Earl Radmacher and Robert Preus; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984) 801-831. It has been updated to serve as the foundational article for this inaugural issue of The Master's Seminary Journal. 2 Over a ten-year period (1977-1987), the International Council on Biblical Inerrancy held three summits for scholars (1978, 1982, 1986) and two congresses for the Christian community-at-large (1982, 1987) whose purposes were to formulate and disseminate the biblical truth about inerrancy.