Category: Inspiration (of Scripture)

TTS Foundations 2018/19 - S18+19: "Who Has Spoken Through the Prophets"

12/11/2019

On Sunday we looked at our theology of Scripture - its nature, its authority, and its role in the Christian life. We started by observing that we're really still in the realm of 'Pneumatology', i.e. our theology of the Holy Spirit. It is the Spirit who inspired the Scriptures, and it is the Spirit that makes the Word come alive in our hearts.

We also observed that it is utterly remarkable that God - the indescribable One - has described himself. Creaturely language cannot adequately describe the Creator, and yet the Creator has put his words in our mouths! Such things are too wonderful for us. And he has by the Spirit revealed the written Word, which points to the living Word, so as to bring his people to himself.

We looked at how Jesus approached the Bible - how he viewed it as final, authoritative, and sufficient, how to put it to memory and cherished it, using it as a tool in the hand for his purposes. In the notes you'll also find an examination of how Peter and Paul approached the Scriptures, as well as a brief discussion about how we ought to receive the Bible. I.e. Protestants have a canon of 66 books - why is that? Why do other traditions have more? What ought we to make of the so-called 'Apocrypha'? Etc.

Find notes below, as well as a couple of videos from different parts of the world, showing us perhaps what we have lost as a people so familiar with the Word - that is, wonder and thankfulness!

TTS Foundations 18/19 - S18+19: "Who Has Spoken" NOTES.pdf
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TTS Scripture - Exegesis: Handling the Bible Well

18/3/2019

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Many thanks to all those who attended last night's one-off TTS Scripture session. It was lovely to see so many faces, some familiar, some new!

Our remit was to establish everyday principles for better Bible reading - the fancy word for that is 'Biblical exegesis'. A quotation from Eugene Peterson's book, Living the Message, provided our foundation:

“Exegesis is the farthest thing from pedantry; exegesis is an act of love. It is loving the one enough who speaks the words to get the words right. It is respecting the words enough to use every means we have to get the words right. Exegesis is loving God enough to stop and listen carefully to what he says. God has provided us with these scriptures that present us with his Word. Loving God means loving both what God speaks to us and the way God speaks to us. … [For] Lovers savour the words, relishing every nuance of what is said and written” - [Eugene Peterson – Living the Message]

Exegesis as an act of love - as stemming from our delighting in (and savouring) the Word made flesh. From here, we briefly observed how Scripture describes itself, before establishing some of the challenges facing us both before and during Biblical study.

Using what is perhaps the most familiar Bible verse of all - John 3:16 - we did some exegesis for ourselves, getting 'hands on' with John's Gospel, all the while detailing seven exegetical principles:

Read the Bible: On Your Knees
Read the Bible: Together
Read the Bible: In Many Accents
Read the Bible: In IMAX Perspective
Read the Bible: In Widescreen Perspective
Read the Bible: Like Sherlock Holmes
Read the Bible: Like a Window

Some of these might be obvious, some less so. Ultimately, however, we want to handle the Bible well primarily because, with the Psalmist, we would say, "How lovely is your dwelling place, O LORD of hosts..." [Ps 84:1ff].

You can download the notes below. There's much more in them than I was able to deliver last night. I've included, for example, a list of helpful resources which will hopefully prove helpful. I've also embedded here a few videos cited in the notes, to give you a 'head-start'!

TTS Scripture - Exegesis: Handling the Bible Better NOTES.pdf
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TTS Scripture Notes: How Ought We To Receive and Use the Bible?

25/6/2018

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Following our last Foundations session, in which we examined our theology of Scripture, we last night paused our study of 2 Timothy to pick up some left-over threads.

In particular, we asked two questions:

First, how ought we to receive Scripture? Answer: by the Spirit, through the Church. God's people are shaped by the Gospel Word, and are indeed a people of the Word. The Church is the pillar and bulwark of the truth [1 Tim 3:15]. It's no surprise, then, that through the Spirit we have received the Canon of Scripture. This is a complex topic, with a complex history, but last night we looked at why we have 66 books, and why we in the Protestant tradition believe these (and only these) to be God-breathed.

Second, how ought we to use Scripture? Answer: prayerfully, with God's people, and with care for the primary sense. We started to explore some of this in practice, but we'll no doubt unpack this more in future weeks.

Find full notes below!

(NOTE: we weren't able to discuss even half of what I had prepared last night, which is obviously fine - but there are plenty of other subjects covered in the notes, if you're interested. E.g. how would we respond to the Roman Catholic charge that the canon presents a challenge to Sola Scriptura? What's the relationship between Scripture and the Church? Can we disagree with the creeds, for example? All this and more.)

TTS Scripture S12 - On the Bible.pdf
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TTS Foundations Notes: Session 18/19: "Who Has Spoken Through the Prophets"

18/6/2018

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After needing to postpone our last Foundations session, we met yesterday for two sessions distilled into one! Our subject was Scripture - how ought we to approach it? How ought we to receive it? How ought we to use it?

We only covered the first of those questions. What is the nature of Scripture? What does it mean for it be necessary, authoritative, perspicuous, and sufficient? What does sola Scriptura mean, and what is God's heart in revealing himself at all?

We landed on a few major themes.

God's revelation of Godself isn't just the content of theology - it's what makes theology possible in the first place.
The Scriptures are a Triune work - the Father sends out his Word in the power of the Spirit to testify concerning the living Word, and now by the Spirit his people are given power to make his words known.
The Scriptures are evidence of God's kindness - he tells our story, going before and beyond us, and accommodates our weaknesses. The Son is made Immanuel both in his incarnation and in the witness of Scripture.

Find full notes below, as well as two videos - one of an underground Church receiving translations of the Bible, and another of a PNG tribe receiving theirs. Note their joy, be humbled, and be reminded of Neh 8.

Second year TTS students - click here for the S18/19 notes! If you can't remember your password, please do get in touch.

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TTS Foundations 2018/19 - S18+19: "Who Has Spoken Through the Prophets"

TTS Scripture - Exegesis: Handling the Bible Well

TTS Scripture Notes: How Ought We To Receive and Use the Bible?

TTS Foundations Notes: Session 18/19: "Who Has Spoken Through the Prophets"

Second year TTS students - click here for the S18/19 notes! If you can't remember your password, please do get in touch.

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