The Prophetic Presbyterian & His Narrow Way

Objection - The Bible doesn’t teach Sola Scriptura. The Church is necessary to make Scripture intelligible for the student/reader.   By way of reply… It isn’t infrequent for Roman Catholics & Orthodox apologists to raise this objection.    When you think about what they are saying, the sound very like Village Atheists who argue that human minds are required for numbers to exist & math to be intelligible.     It’s the same reasoning process:    suppress God’s image, ability, & authority, then look to one or more created (human) images for use as a sufficient epistemic warrant for faith & practice.  The Protestant reply historically runs through 2 Timothy 3:16 - 17 & its declarations on the sufficiency & utility of Scripture.      That move is a valid one, but I think that it can be made stronger when part of a two-pronged approach that includes what Paul says about Scripture’s sufficiency & utility in...

Did Peter really betray Yeshua in the Gospel accounts or did he merely give the appearance of betraying Him?     Thesis: Peter’s betrayal of Christ was done to protect himself & His followers. He did  not  abandon Yeshua as if he had lost faith in Him or because he was afraid for his own well being.    Rather, the Gospels are subtly informing us that he was executing an agreed upon plan to hide both himself & any number of Yeshua’s followers.   31  Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written, ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’  32  But after I am raised up, I will go before you to Galilee.”  33  Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”  34  Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”  35  Pete...

If  you’re like me, you’ve probably heard or been otherwise taught that Nicodemus’ dialogue with Yeshua in John 3 looks something like this:       Nicodemus comes to Jesus representing all of the Sanhedrin or just part of it, & he begins a conversation with Him by first confessing that the people whom he represents believe Yeshua to be a teacher sent from God having heard &/or witnessed the signs that He (Yeshua) had done.     Thus begins an ironic conversation in which Yeshua is the teacher & Nicodemus is the student who (up to this moment) was a slave to Ecclesiastical Tradition & needed to be taught that we are not justified by way of works righteousness.     Rather, we are justified via the grace of God that leads to regeneration & faith.     In truth, that’s not at all what was happening. Nicodemus is not the student.    Rather, he is the priestly teacher who is there examining a rising Hebrew Prophet w...

Joseph of Arimathea is most certainly the apostle, Thaddeus.   How do I know this?  Answer: via the meaning of a number of names in the New Testament.  Thaddeus - Gift of God: This name calls attention to Isaiah 22 .   Joseph is the steward within the House of Judah who uses the key of David as a civic leader & is associated with a tomb.  He is Shebna, via being a lawyer & member of the Sanhedrin (whom Yeshua reminded had both built the tombs of the prophets & agreed with their persecution (even murder) by their forefathers). He is also Eliakim, a faithful steward whom God raises up & entrusts with the Key of David, a civic key.    The key itself denotes empowered civic/civil authority to Judge & rule Israel.  Justus - Just/Upright:  This name calls attention to his work as a lawyer & his recognition by the people as a prophetic ecclesiastical authority. Cephas : - This name, found in Galatians 2, signifies his stalw...

Some people think that Galatians 2 chronicles a schism between Peter & Paul that exceeded particular practices & indicated a doctrinal schism within the ranks of the Apostles early on.    Let’s look at Galatians 2:11 - 14.  But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned.  12  For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party.  13  And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy.  14  But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?”  ( Galatians 2:11–14 , ESV) Let’s break this down:  But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to hi...

Statement :  Yeshua did not repeal the food laws, & we must abide by them today (or else we are in sin!) Answer :  Contrary to those who believe that the parenthetical statement is not authoritative or not as authoritative as the words of Christ Himself (which are actually the author’s words about what Christ said, the text clearly states He declared all foods clean (Mark 10:19).   Acts 10 analogizes between food & people. The entire point of the vision is that the    Gentiles are now openly admitted to the covenant community on the basis of the vision, insofar as  t he food & the people directly correspond .     By drawing Peter’s attention to Gentiles now being “clean,” the vision also draws attention to the suspension of the food laws.  The clean/unclean distinction in the OT    is given for 3 essential reasons, two of which are sacrifice & health.      Animal sacrifice is no longer r...