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The Power of God's Word: Authority · Reformed Thinking

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Welcome to reformed thinking. Hi everyone.
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Today we are bringing you a deep dive into the theological
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structures that shape what we believe.
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Right. Because, you know, usually when
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we talk about something like a medical diagnosis, there is this
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expectation of sheer precision. Oh yeah, like engineering.
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Yeah, it feels like engineering. You break your arm, the X-ray
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shows that jagged white line, and the Doctor points at the
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film and says there it is. The evidence is just staring
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right at you. Right.
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It is undeniable. And we like that.
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I mean it is binary and comforting.
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We prefer things to be visible, categorized, and mathematically
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provable. We want the physical evidence
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right in front of our eyes. We do.
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But then you step into the world of truth and belief and, well,
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who actually has the right to dictate how we live?
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That is where it gets complicated.
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Yeah, suddenly that X-ray machine is broken.
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We look out at a landscape that is murky and highly contested.
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Very contested. Because modern society, and you,
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seeing this everywhere, bristles at the very concept of
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authority. Oh absolutely.
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People hate being told what to do.
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We flinch at the word. We immediately think of
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dictators or, you know, bad bosses or abusive institutions.
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It says a very negative connotation.
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But what if real authority is not about control, right?
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What if it is about reality? So today we are taking a massive
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stack of notes based on Miller J Erickson's Christian Theology A.
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Fantastic resource, yeah. Specifically zooming in on this
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highly debated concept of authority, right?
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Our mission today is to extract the most valuable insights from
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this material without overwhelming you.
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Because there is a lot of material here.
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So much in a world filled with competing voices, how do you
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know what is true about God and who or what actually has the
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right to command your belief? What is fascinating here is the
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sheer psychological resistance we have to that word.
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Yeah, authority, right? Before we can talk about God's
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authority, we need to clarify what authority itself actually
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means. OK, let's do that.
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Because like you said, our current culture has a very
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specific, often negative reaction to it, and that that
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clouds our judgement. It puts us on the defensive.
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It does. Erickson provides a clear
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definition. To start with, he defines
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authority as the right to command belief and action.
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Belief in action. OK, but he immediately clarifies
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that there are two distinct types of authority operating in
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the world, right? The first type is what we could
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call Imperial Authority. Imperial.
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This is based purely on position, rank, or sheer force.
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So like a king sitting on a throne?
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Right, or a police officer directing traffic at a busy
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intersection. OK, I see.
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Their authority is extrinsic. It is handed to them from the.
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Extrinsic, meaning it comes from the badge.
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Yes, the badge, the crown or the gun on their hip.
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So if the traffic cop puts his hand up, you hit the brakes.
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You do. You do not stop because the cop
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inherently knows the physics of your car's breaking system,
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right? Or because he has a doctorate in
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fluid dynamics? No one.
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You stop because the state gave him a badge and the state has
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the capacity to punish you if you disobey.
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Spot on. It is sheer positional force.
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OK, So what is the other type? The second type is voracious
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authority. Voracious.
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Yeah, this is based on knowledge and truth.
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It is intrinsic to the person. Intrinsic, so it is on the
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inside. Right.
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Erickson points out that this kind of authority is possessed
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rather than asserted. Oh, that is interesting.
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A person does not demand that you listen to them by
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threatening you. They simply possess the truth,
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and their authority flows naturally from that possession.
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Because they know how reality actually works.
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Yes, precisely. Let's unpack this with an
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analogy, just to clarify the difference for everyone
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listening. Voracious authority is like a
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doctor prescribing a medication for a serious illness.
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That's a great comparison. The doctor has no physical force
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to compel you to swallow the pills.
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Right. They cannot arrest you.
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No, they cannot arrest you for ignoring the prescription.
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They are not going to hold your nose and force the medicine down
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your throat. Thankfully, yeah, But if you
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want to be healthy, you Whistler.
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You defer to them, right? The implicit ultimatum is this
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follow the truth and flourish, or ignore reality and suffer
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sickness. You defer to their voracious
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authority, their knowledge of human biology.
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Because it corresponds to the real world.
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Well, yes, but this raises a serious problem.
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What is that? What happens when someone claims
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authority but acts like a tyrant?
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You know what happens when Imperial authority and voracious
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authority are completely disconnected?
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That happens a lot. And this brings us to a crucial
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distinction Erickson makes. He contrasts being authoritative
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with being authoritarian. OK, those sound similar.
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They sound similar, but they are miles apart.
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How so an? Authoritative source simply
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possesses the right to prescribe truth based on actual knowledge.
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Like the Doctor. Right, they align with reality.
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An authoritarian person, on the other hand, forcefully shoves
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their unverified opinions down your throat.
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In a dogmatic way. Very dogmatic and they use
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Imperial tactics to compensate for a lack of voracious truth.
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Oh wow. So they yell because they do not
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actually know the facts. Yes, and there is a tragic irony
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highlighted in the reading. What is that?
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Impressionable people often find it much easier to follow a loud
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authoritarian than a genuinely authoritative, knowledgeable
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voice. Yeah, that makes sense.
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The loudest person in the room often gathers the biggest crowd.
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Even if they lack any real connection to the truth, volume
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mimics certainty. People really crave certainty.
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They do, especially in chaotic times.
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Authoritarianism feels confident even when it is entirely empty.
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Yes, if someone yells loudly enough, people assume they must
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know what they're talking about. But real truth does not need to
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scream. No it does not.
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And true voracious authority does not depend on immediate
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recognition or applause. Or short term success, right?
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Right. The text cites Galileo and
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Einstein as prime examples. Oh yeah.
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Their ideas were initially seen as bizarre or confusing or even
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dangerous to the established order.
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They definitely did not have the crowd on their side, no.
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In Galileo's case, the imperial authority of his day actively
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punished him right? But time validated their
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voracious authority because their ideas corresponded with
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the physical universe. Because gravity and planetary
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motion do not care about popular opinion.
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They really do not, and the same principle applies to Jesus.
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OK, let's go there. In the 1st century he had very
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few initial converts. He was entirely rejected by the
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religious establishment. And he was executed as a
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criminal. Right, he had 0 imperial
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authority. Is 0.
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Yet he holds ultimate voracious authority.
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That is a staggering contrast. It is the lack of immediate
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earthly success or institutional backing did not negate his
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intrinsic right to command belief.
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So taking this framework and applying it to theology, who
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actually holds that right when it comes to religion and eternal
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matters? We are moving from the what to
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The Who. Right.
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If authority is about reality, who defines reality?
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According to the framework we are looking at, God holds
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ultimate voracious authority for two distinct reasons.
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OK, two reasons. First, because of who He is, He
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is the eternal, uncreated highest being.
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Uncreated, yes, he is the. Only being in existence with
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source of life within himself. Everything else is contingent.
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Right. Everything else relies on
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something else. God is necessary.
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And the second reason. 2nd, he holds authority because of what
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he does. OK, He is the Creator, the
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Sustainer and the Redeemer. OK, creator and sustainer.
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Because he made the universe out of nothing and continually
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maintains its existence moment by moment, He intrinsically
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possesses the right to prescribe how it should operate.
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I want to push back on that logic for a second.
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Go for it just to test the structural integrity of the
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argument here. If I build a highly advanced
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robot in my garage, I am its creator.
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OK, but does that automatically give me the moral authority to
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torture it for fun? Oh, I see where you're going.
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How does Ericsson bridge the gap between God being a sustainer
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with sheer creative capacity and God being inherently good or
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possessing voracious authority? Does might make right?
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Yeah, does might make, right? That is an excellent counter
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argument, and it strikes at the heart of much philosophical
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debate. It is a common objection.
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The answer lies in the nature of God's character, not just his
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raw capacity. His character.
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Right. God is not merely, excuse me,
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God is not simply a powerful mechanic who built a machine,
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OK? In Reformed theology, God's
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nature is the very definition of goodness, justice, and truth.
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OK, He cannot act contrary to his own nature.
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So he cannot be cruel just for the sake of it.
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No. Therefore his authority is not
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arbitrary dictatorship, right? When he commands belief or
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action, he is commanding his creation to align with the
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optimum design of the universe. That makes a lot of sense.
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So to rebel against his authority is not just breaking a
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random rule. No, it is choosing to grind
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against the Gears of reality itself.
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Wow. His imperial authority, his
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right to rule, is perfectly matched by his voracious
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authority, his perfect knowledge of what is true and good.
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OK, that makes sense. The creator of the system is
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also the moral center of the system.
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Exactly. Yes, that is right.
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But you know, the historical debate is rarely about whether
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God has authority in the abstract.
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That is true. It is usually much more
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practical. Yeah, the brutal wars and church
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splits usually revolve around how he exercises it in the
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present day. Right.
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And if we look at the historical landscape, Ericsson details
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three main ways people believe God exercises this authority
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today. Three ways, OK.
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The first way is directly. Directly, yeah.
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This approach bypasses written texts or historical
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institutions. So just straight from God to the
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individual. Right, you see this in the Neo
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Orthodox view. Which we should probably define
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carefully for the listener. Yes, Neo orthodoxy, spearheaded
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by figures like Karl Barth in the 20th century, emerged as a
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reaction against the cold, skeptical liberal theology of
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the preceding decades. OK, Barth argued that God is
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wholly other. Wholly other, yes.
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In this view, God exercises authority through direct,
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immediate, subjective encounters with the individual.
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OK, so it is an encounter. Right.
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You also see direct authority claimed in modern charismatic
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and spiritist movements. Oh, right, where people expect
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direct, personal, audible or internal messages from God on a
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daily basis. Yes, that is the first way, the
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direct way. The second way is authority
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delegated to an institution, right?
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This is the Roman Catholic model, correct?
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In this framework, the Church itself, culminating in the Pope,
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acts as God's infallible representative on earth.
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They hold the keys, yeah. The institution controls the
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means of grace, defines dogma, and tells the individual what
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the truth is. The authority resides in the
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continuing living hierarchy. OK.
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And the third view. The third view, which Erickson
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champions and which aligns with Protestant thought, is authority
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delegated to a book. The Bible.
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Yes, God delegated His authority by inspiring the writing of the
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Bible. OK, the words on the page carry
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the absolute weight of God's command.
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When the Bible speaks, God speaks.
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So the text is an objective historical reality that stands
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outside of our feelings. And outside of any single
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institutions control, yes. Here is a massive data point
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from the material that stopped me in my tracks when I was
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preparing for this. Oh, the poll.
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Yeah, the poll, a 1979 Gallup poll, asked people what
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religious authority they would turn to 1st to test their own
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beliefs. The results are surprising.
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They really are. Only 40% of respondents said
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they would turn to the Bible, 40% only 40, and 27% of the
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general public, and 36% of young adults said they would turn to
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what the Holy Spirit says to them personally.
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And that was in 1979. Right now, extrapolate that from
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1979 to our current decade. It is exponentially higher now.
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We have entered an era of hyper individualism.
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Everyone has their own customized truth.
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Absolutely. We see this with personality
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tests becoming quasi religions. Oh yeah, and speaking your
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truth, becoming the highest virtue.
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It is everywhere. So what does this massive shift
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toward internal subjective authority reveal about human
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nature? I think it reveals a massive
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desire to avoid. Friction.
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Friction. OK, Yeah.
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When people look inward for authority, they are essentially
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searching for a truth that validates their own internal
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feelings. And their pre-existing desires.
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Exactly. It is incredibly difficult to
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argue with a subjective feeling. Right.
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If someone says I just feel in my spirit that this is right for
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me, how do you debate that? You cannot.
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There is no objective standard to measure it against.
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The subjective experience avoids the sharp edges of an objective
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standard. Yes, words written on a
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historical page might fiercely contradict your lifestyle.
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Or your political views. Right.
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An internal feeling will almost never convict you of something
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you desperately want to do. Wow, that is a tough pill to
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swallow. Human nature gravitates toward
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the direct subjective model because it allows the individual
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to remain the ultimate judge of the universe.
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Which sets up our next massive problem.
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We have a lot of problems to sort out.
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We do. If the Bible is this objective
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standard, this absolute authority delegated by God, how
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do we establish its meaning? Furthermore, how do we ensure it
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actually came from Him? We have the physical text, but
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why do so many people read the exact same book and walk away
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with wildly different conclusions?
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It is a very fair question. Or worse, why do highly
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educated, brilliant scholars read the ancient Greek and
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Hebrew, understand the grammar perfectly, and walk away
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entirely unconvinced that it is anything more than ancient
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mythology? The text outlines a few
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traditional methods people use to try to establish this origin.
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OK, the Roman Catholic method, as we mentioned, relies on the
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institutional church to validate the Bible.
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Right. The Church says it is true,
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therefore it is true. Correct.
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The rationalist method goes a different route.
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Rationalism. It relies entirely on human
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reason to validate the text. A rationalist will point to
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fulfilled historical prophecy, archaeological discoveries and
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recorded miracles is empirical proof.
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Evidence. Right.
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They believe if you just present enough solid evidence, any
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logical person will be forced to submit to the Bible.
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But that does not always happen. No, it does not.
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So Erickson introduces the third preferred method, which is the
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internal working of the Holy Spirit.
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Let me stop you there. Sure.
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Why is a divine spark necessary just to read a book?
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That is the big question. I mean, I can read a biography
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of Abraham Lincoln, evaluate historical claims, and decide if
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it is accurate without needing the Holy Spirit to illuminate my
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mind, right? I can read a physics textbook
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and grasp the concepts using my own intellect.
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You can. So why does reading this
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specific text require supernatural intervention?
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That is the core issue and the material details 2 massive
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barriers that make the Holy Spirit's intervention absolutely
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necessary for us to comprehend the Bible. 2 barrier.
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The worst barrier is the ontological difference between
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God and humanity. Ontological.
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Yeah, ontology deals with the nature of being.
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God is infinite. We are finite, even if humanity
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had never fallen into sin. Even if we were morally perfect.
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Right. Even then, we simply lack the
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hardware to fully grasp the creator's categories.
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Because a finite mind cannot comprehend an infinite being
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comprehensively. No, it is impossible.
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I want to use a modern analogy instead of the old tired teacup
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trying to hold the ocean metaphor.
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I like new analogies. It is more like trying to run a
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massive complex 2024 quantum computing algorithm on a 1990s
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plastic graphing calculator. Well, that is good.
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It is not that the calculator is evil or malicious.
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It literally lacks the hardware architecture.
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It lacks the memory and the processing speed to handle the
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data. Right.
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The ontological gap means we are fundamentally outmatched by the
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subject matter. That is a highly accurate
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comparison, but the situation is actually much worse than just a
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lack of hardware. Oh boy.
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Yeah, that brings us to the second, far more severe barrier,
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the noetic effects of sin. Noetic.
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The word noetic comes from the Greek word Nos, meaning the mind
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or intellect. OK, so the mind.
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The text explained that human reason itself is corrupted by
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the fall. It is not just that human beings
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do bad things with their bodies. Our cognitive faculties, our
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truth gathering apparatus are fundamentally skewed when it
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comes to spiritual realities. Sin didn't just break our moral
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compass, it broke our epistemology.
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Yes, that is a great way to phrase it.
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The New Testament writers use incredibly vivid, alarming
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imagery to describe this condition.
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They do. They do not describe unbelievers
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as just needing a little more information.
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They talk about dull hearts, heavy ears and darkened minds.
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Very bleak terms. You see this in Matthew 13,
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Romans one, and 2nd Corinthians 4.
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The text describes individuals as literally blinded to the
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light of the Gospel. The God of this world has
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blinded the minds of unbelievers.
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That is a terrifying diagnosis. It is terrifying because it
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means human reasoning operating on its own is completely
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compromised. Wow.
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Our confirmation bias, our motivated reasoning, our desire
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to be autonomous, all of these completely hijack our ability to
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assess spiritual data objectively.
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We are actively suppressing the truth in unrighteousness.
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As the Apostle Paul puts it, we are.
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The stakes here are as high as they can possibly get.
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Eternal stakes. Yeah, if you are buying a used
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car or picking a paint color for your kitchen, simple list of
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pros and cons is fine. Human reasoning is sufficient
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for earthly tasks, but when dealing with eternal life, the
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nature of the soul, and standing before a holy God, you need
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absolute, unshakable certainty. You cannot base your eternity on
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a pretty sure rationalist argument.
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No, because human reasoning is damaged, it cannot provide that
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required certainty for eternal matters.
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It falls short. A divine catalyst is strictly
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required to bypass the broken system.
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And that catalyst is the Holy Spirit, right?
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So the conversation must move to the mechanics of this operation.
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How does it actually work? Right.
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How does the Holy Spirit actually accomplish this?
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What is happening inside the human mind when this
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illumination occurs? Let's look into that.
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Ericsson spends considerable time unpacking First Corinthians
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2.14, which functions as the cornerstone for this entire
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concept. OK, First Corinthians 2.14.
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The verse states that the natural person does not receive
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the gifts of God's Spirit, for they are folly to him.
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Folly. Foolishness.
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Right. And he is not able to understand
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them because they are spiritually discerned.
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Spiritually discerned. Erickson provides A fascinating
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linguistic breakdown of the original language.
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Here the Greek word used for receive is dicomi.
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Let's focus intensely on that word.
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What does dicomi actually convey in the cultural context of the
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1st century? It conveys an active, welcoming,
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or accepting of an idea. Active.
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Welcoming. Yeah, it is the specific kind of
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reception you give an honored guest entering your home.
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OK, You open the door, you take their coat.
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You offer them a seat. A warm reception, right?
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The text points out that the natural person does not just
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passively miss the message. Like someone trying to tune into
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a radio station and only hearing static.
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Exactly. I mean, yes, it is not a passive
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failure like that. The natural person hears the
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message, understands the basic claims, and actively rejects it
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because they find it foolish. They shut the door in the
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guest's face. Yes.
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Furthermore, the verse explicitly says they are unable
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to understand it because it must be spiritually or pneumonicus
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discerned. So the cognitive lock is bolted
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from the inside? Yes.
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And human hands cannot reach it. They cannot.
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So the Holy Spirit enters the equation as the Spirit of truth.
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Jesus talks about this extensively in the Upper Room
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discourse in John chapters 14 through 16.
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He does. What are the specific functions
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of the Spirit according to those promises?
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How does the Spirit pick that internal lock?
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Jesus outlines several highly specific functions.
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The Spirit will teach all things, bring everything to
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remembrance, witness to the reality of Jesus, and convict
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the world concerning sin. Righteousness and judgment.
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Right. That word for convict is
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crucial. The Greek word is elentia.
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Elentia. It signifies A rebuke that
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brings about actual inward conviction.
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So it's not just scolding someone.
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No, or making them feel a vague sense of general guilt.
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It's a legal. Term A legal term.
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It is a cross examination that shatters the defense's argument
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and forces the witness to recognize the reality of their
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crime. Oh wow, The Spirit illuminates
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the truth so brightly that the internal resistance simply
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collapses. This brings us to a concept
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articulated by theologian Bernard Rahm, which Ericsson
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highlights. Yes, the pattern of authority.
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Right. Rahm talks about a pattern of
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authority which requires 2 distinct components to work
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correctly. Think of it like a nuclear
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launch sequence. That requires 2 keys turned
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simultaneously, yes. The first key is Objective, the
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written scripture. The historical text on the page.
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The second key is subjective, the inner illumination of the
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Holy Spirit. If you only turn one key,
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nothing happens. Right.
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This dual requirement protects the individual and the church
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from 2 catastrophic errors. Relying on only one side of the
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equation always leads to disaster.
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Always. There is a highly memorable
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quote from a pastor in the text that perfectly illustrates this
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danger. I love this quote.
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He says if you have the Bible without the Spirit, you will dry
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up, right? If you have the Spirit without
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the Bible, you will blow up. Yeah.
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But if you have both the Bible and the Spirit together, you
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will grow up. It sounds colloquial, but it is
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brilliant theological shorthand. It really is.
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Because if you treat the Bible like a mere textbook, well, a
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plain textbook relying entirely on human intellect.
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Or archaeology, yes. Or scholastic orthodoxy.
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You dry up. Dead orthodoxy?
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Right. You get dead orthodoxy.
22:34
You get Pharisees who know the original languages perfectly but
22:37
have zero spiritual life. Wow.
22:40
On the other extreme, if you rely entirely on emotionalism
22:43
and claim direct revelation apart from the text, you blow
22:46
up. You see this in hyper
22:48
charismatic movements. Yes, where people claim God told
22:52
them to do completely unbiblical thing.
22:53
They lose their moorings entirely and drift into chaos.
22:57
You need the objective track of the Bible and the powerful
23:00
engine of the Spirit working together.
23:02
I want to pause and clarify how this specific view differs from
23:06
Neo Orthodoxy again. Good idea.
23:08
Because if someone is listening casually, they might think, oh,
23:11
Carl Barth talked about an encounter with the Spirit and
23:14
Ericsson is talking about an encounter with the Spirit.
23:17
They must be saying the same thing.
23:18
It is a critical distinction that requires careful attention.
23:21
Let's break it down. In Neo Orthodoxy, the physical
23:24
Bible has no objective meaning in and of itself.
23:27
OK, for Barth, the text is a completely fallible human
23:31
document filled with errors. So it is just a vehicle.
23:34
Right. It simply act as a vehicle that
23:36
might point you to an encounter with God.
23:39
The words are just a catalyst for a subjective experience.
23:42
Yes, the authority is in the experience, not the text.
23:46
But in the framework Erickson presents.
23:49
The Bible is objectively God's message.
23:51
It has a permanent, definite historical meaning.
23:56
Regardless of whether anyone ever reads it, understands it,
23:59
or feels anything about it. The truth is locked in the text
24:02
objectively. Right, the Spirit does not
24:04
change the text or give you a new secret meeting.
24:07
The spirit simply removes the blindness from your eyes so you
24:09
can see the objective truth that was already sitting there on the
24:12
page. Yes, that is the core
24:14
difference. OK, let's unpack the massive
24:16
historical debate surrounding this.
24:17
It has been debated for centuries.
24:19
Theologians throughout church history have fiercely debated
24:22
how this illumination actually functions in the physical human
24:26
mind. The material highlights 3
24:29
distinct views. Let's examine how brilliant
24:32
thinkers tried to solve this equation.
24:33
Let's do it. We start with view #1 Augustine.
24:37
Augustine operating in the late 4th and early 5th centuries.
24:41
He held a Neoplatonic view of illumination.
24:44
Neoplatonism. Right, Neoplatonism heavily
24:46
influenced early Christian philosophy.
24:48
OK, in this specific framework, Augustine argued that God
24:52
constantly impresses forms or ideas directly onto the human
24:57
mind. Forms with a capital F.
24:59
Yes, he used a visual analogy. He argued that just as the human
25:03
physical eye needs the external medium of sunlight to see an
25:06
apple on a table. OK, the mind needs light too.
25:09
Right. The human mind needs God acting
25:11
as a spiritual medium to know anything at all.
25:14
To know anything. Anything.
25:15
Therefore, understanding the Bible is just a special instance
25:18
of God's general constant activity in helping humans
25:22
acquire any kind of knowledge. From mathematics to philosophy.
25:25
Yes, I have to push back on Agustin's logic here.
25:28
And the text rightly does as well it does.
25:30
If God acts as this general universal medium for all human
25:33
knowledge, does that not completely ignore the specific
25:37
radical corruption of human sin we just spent 20 minutes
25:39
discussing? It seems to, yes.
25:41
And does it not minimize the special, unique work the Holy
25:45
Spirit does specifically for believers?
25:48
That is the main critique. Augustine's model makes
25:51
spiritual elimination sound like the exact same cognitive process
25:54
as a Pagan philosopher figuring out basic geometry.
25:57
It flattens the distinction between natural knowledge and
26:00
saving knowledge. Those are the specific critiques
26:03
raised by later theologians. Augustine's view fails to
26:07
distinguish between the common grace of general human
26:10
knowledge. Which allows a secular scientist
26:13
to cure a disease. Right, and the special grace of
26:15
spiritual illumination which allows a Sinner to recognize
26:19
Jesus as Lord. They are distinct operations.
26:22
Very distinct. This failure leads us to view #2
26:26
proposed by modern theologian Daniel Fuller.
26:29
OK, Daniel Fuller. Fuller offers a highly specific
26:32
and controversial interpretation of First Corinthians 2.14.
26:35
What does he argue? He argues that the fall of
26:38
humanity only corrupted the human will, the desire center,
26:41
but it left human reason completely intact.
26:44
Wait, let me make sure I'm tracking this, Fuller claims.
26:47
The intellect is perfectly fine operating at 100% capacity, but
26:52
our desires are broken. Yes, that is his core claim.
26:56
Based on this, Fuller concludes that an unbeliever can perfectly
27:00
understand the Bible objectively.
27:02
So an atheist scholar can read Romans, understand the grammar,
27:06
understand Paul's logic and completely grasp the meaning.
27:10
Yes, because they have no personal stake in it.
27:13
They are operating as neutral observers.
27:15
Neutral observer. Meanwhile, Fuller argues, A
27:18
believer might actually be in more danger of twisting the text
27:22
to fit their own desires because they are heavily be emotionally
27:25
invested in the outcome. I vigorously challenge this
27:28
logic. Most reformed thinkers do the.
27:30
Entire concept of a neutral observer is a modern myth
27:33
completely. Is an unbeliever really a
27:36
dispassionate objective machine just processing data?
27:39
Absolutely not. An unbeliever has a massive
27:42
vested interest in finding a meaning that allows them to
27:45
dismiss the text so they can continue living however they
27:48
want without guilt. Yes, they are highly motivated.
27:51
Let's use an analogy. Think about it like a hostile
27:53
corporate buyout. OK, you would not trust a rival
27:57
CEO to objectively interpret your company's founding
28:01
documents better than your most devoted employee.
28:05
No, you would not. The rival CEO is scanning the
28:08
document specifically looking for loopholes, contradictions
28:12
and weaknesses to tear the company down.
28:15
They. Want to find flaws?
28:16
They are highly motivated to misunderstand the spirit of the
28:19
document, right? On the other hand, a devoted
28:22
employee's love for the company should make them infinitely more
28:25
careful and diligent to discover what the founding document
28:28
actually intended. That makes perfect sense, A.
28:31
Believer's love for God should produce a highly rigorous,
28:34
careful reading of the text. Your critique aligns perfectly
28:37
with the third view, which the text heavily advocates.
28:40
OK, view #3. And this forms the backbone of
28:43
Reformed thinking. The View of John Calvin Oh Cal
28:47
Writing during the Reformation, Calvin taught the doctrine of
28:50
total depravity. Now we must define this
28:52
carefully because it is often misunderstood.
28:54
Very often. Total depravity does not mean
28:56
human beings are as evil as they could possibly be.
28:59
Right. People still love their children
29:01
and build hospitals. It means that the corruption of
29:03
sin is extensive. It has completely infected every
29:07
aspect of human nature. It has infected the emotions,
29:10
the will and, crucially, the reason.
29:13
The mind is compromised. Therefore, no human being is
29:18
operating from a position of neutrality.
29:20
So if the mind is broken and neutrality is a myth, how does
29:24
anyone ever understand the truth?
29:26
We are back to the initial problem, Calvin argued.
29:28
It happens through regeneration. Regeneration, when the Holy
29:31
Spirit regenerates a person gives them new spiritual life.
29:35
The Spirit provides what Calvin famously called the spectacles
29:39
of faith. Spectacles of faith.
29:41
I love that imagery. Think of someone with terrible
29:43
astigmatism putting on a pair of corrective lenses.
29:47
The lenses do not change the objective world.
29:49
The trees and the buildings are still exactly where they were
29:52
right the. Lenses simply counter the
29:54
physical defect in the person's eyes so they can see reality
29:58
clearly. Exactly.
29:59
I mean, yes, that is it. The Holy Spirit counters the
30:02
cognitive effects of sin so the inherent objective meaning of
30:06
the biblical text can be clearly perceived and embraced.
30:09
This view aligns best with all the New Testament data regarding
30:13
human blindness. The hostility of the natural
30:16
mind and the absolute necessity of the Spirit's intervention.
30:20
This sets up a fascinating practical dilemma.
30:22
That is, that if the Bible combined with the internal work
30:26
of the Spirit equals our ultimate authority, right, where
30:29
does that leave human reason, church tradition, and our modern
30:33
culture? Are they totally useless?
30:36
That is a very common question. Should we just throw out all the
30:38
history books, burn the commentaries, and sit in an
30:42
empty room with a Bible waiting for a feeling?
30:44
Not at all. That leads straight back to the
30:46
hyper cares chaos we warned against earlier.
30:49
Erickson introduces a brilliant civic analogy to explain the
30:53
proper relationship between these elements.
30:56
Let's break that down because it clarifies a lot of confusion.
30:58
He distinguishes between legislative authority and
31:01
judicial authority. Legislative and judicial How
31:05
does this courtroom analogy function?
31:07
The Bible acts as the legislative authority in a
31:10
government system. The legislature creates the
31:13
laws. OK.
31:14
The Bible provides the actual content of our beliefs and the
31:18
rules for our behavior. It writes the constitution of
31:20
the faith. Right reason, on the other hand,
31:24
acts strictly as judicial authority.
31:26
Like the Supreme Court. Like the Supreme Court, Reason
31:29
interprets the laws using textual originalism.
31:32
OK. We use reason for hermeneutics,
31:34
which is the rigorous logical method of textual
31:37
interpretation. We use reason for apologetics,
31:40
logically evaluating historical evidences.
31:43
Yeah. So reason operates purely as an
31:45
appellate court, correct? It does not get to write new
31:47
legislation. It is constrained by the
31:49
original text. Precisely.
31:51
Reason does not invent truth. It assesses, categorizes and
31:55
seeks to systematically understand the truth already
31:58
given by the legislature. It does not create the content.
32:01
No, it interprets the content based on the rules of grammar
32:04
and historical context. So when reason tries to become
32:07
the legislature, you get rationalism and liberal theology
32:12
where humans decide what parts of the Bible are acceptable.
32:15
Yes, that is the danger. What about tradition?
32:18
Where does church history fit into this courtroom?
32:20
Good question. Some branches of Christianity
32:23
treat tradition as equal to the Bible.
32:25
Others act like church history started yesterday.
32:28
Tradition acts as a highly useful judicial tool.
32:31
Judicial tool. It offers insight, helps us
32:34
detect the core essence of doctrines as they've been
32:37
debated over centuries, and provides historical perspective.
32:42
It shows us the case law. Yes, case law.
32:45
It shows us how previous generations who wrestles with
32:47
the exact same Greek and Hebrew texts, such an extreme pressure,
32:51
understood the laws passed by the legislature.
32:54
It prevents us from arrogant chronological snobbery.
32:56
Very well said. There is a humorous quote from a
32:58
seminary president mentioned in the material that always makes
33:01
me laugh. Oh, which one?
33:02
He said. We do not follow tradition, but
33:04
we are bound by our historic position.
33:07
That is funny. It is a funny, slightly
33:10
hypocritical way of pointing out that absolutely everyone has a
33:13
tradition. Everyone.
33:15
Even the guy with a guitar in a coffee shop who claims it is
33:18
just me and my Bible. No tradition, right?
33:21
He is heavily influenced by the traditions of his favorite
33:24
popular speakers, his cultural background, or his favorite
33:28
audio hosts. You cannot escape tradition.
33:31
And tradition serves a very practical diagnostic purpose.
33:35
What is that? It can save us from theological
33:37
fads by showing us the pragmatic results of past movements over a
33:41
long timeline. It gives us 100 year track
33:44
record. Right.
33:45
For example, the text notes the massive shift in American
33:48
Protestantism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries,
33:51
churches that followed liberal theologians like Horace Bushnell
33:55
and Harry Emmer's Fosdick. Men who elevated human reason
33:58
above the biblical text. Right.
34:00
Those churches have sharply declined in membership,
34:02
influence and vitality over the subsequent decades.
34:05
I lost their anger. Yes, Fosdick preached his famous
34:09
sermon. Shall the Fundamentalist Win?
34:12
Arguing for a more modern rationalist approach.
34:14
And on the other side. Meanwhile, conservative churches
34:17
that followed figures who held to a rigid high view of
34:20
Scripture as the ultimate legislative authority.
34:23
Like Charles Hodge at Princeton. Yes, Hodge, BB Warfield and J
34:27
Gresham Macon right. Those churches have prospered
34:30
and maintained their Orthodox identity.
34:33
So tradition shows us the long term biological consequences of
34:37
altering the spiritual DNA. That is a great way to put it.
34:41
So we have reason and tradition functioning as judicial tools.
34:44
What about culture? Culture.
34:46
We live in a specific time, a specific geography, with
34:50
specific technologies. We are not 1st century
34:53
agrarians. No, we are not.
34:54
How does our surrounding culture interact with this ancient
34:58
authority? The.
34:59
Relationship between faith and culture requires intense
35:02
caution. Intense Sasha.
35:04
The Bible, specifically in passages like Romans 12.2, warns
35:09
believers against being squeezed into the world's mold.
35:11
Right. The text concludes that culture
35:14
should inform the expression of the message, but never under any
35:18
circumstances alter the substance of the message.
35:21
Expression versus substance. Yes, the church can use modern
35:25
vernacular language, digital broadcasting platforms,
35:28
contemporary musical styles, or modern cultural analogies to
35:32
communicate. Like the quantum computer
35:34
analogy. Exactly.
35:35
But the core legislative truth, the actual doctrines of sin,
35:39
grace and redemption, remains entirely untouched by shifting
35:44
cultural norms. That distinction is incredibly
35:47
helpful. The expression changes.
35:49
The substance remains permanent. Yes, that leads into one final
35:53
vital distinction the text makes regarding how we practically
35:57
read the Bible itself on a Tuesday morning.
35:59
Right? We have to differentiate between
36:01
historical authoritativeness and normative authoritativeness.
36:05
If we fail to make this distinction, we end up in
36:07
absurdity. Let's break that down.
36:09
This is a critical hermeneutical principle.
36:11
Historical authoritativeness refers to what God commanded
36:14
people in a specific localized biblical situation.
36:17
In the example, for example, it is historically true and
36:20
authoritative that God commanded the ancient Israelites in the
36:23
desert to build a Tabernacle using very specific dimensions,
36:27
Acacia, wood and badger skins. That is a historically
36:30
authoritative fact, yes, but I am not violating God's authority
36:34
if I do not go out and buy badger skins to build a tent in
36:38
my backyard in the suburbs today.
36:40
Correct, because that highly specific localized command is
36:44
not normatively authoritative for you in the 21st century.
36:48
OK, So what is normative? Normative authoritativeness
36:51
refers to what believers are universally bound to carry out
36:55
across all cultures and all times.
36:57
Universally bound. Right.
36:59
Our job, using our sanctified reason as a judicial tool, is to
37:02
analyze the text and deduce the permanent essence from the
37:06
temporary cultural form. So what is the permanent essence
37:10
of the Tabernacle? The permanent essence of the
37:12
Tabernacle command is that God desires to dwell among His
37:15
people. He requires blood atonement and
37:17
He demands holiness. The temporary cultural form was
37:20
the physical tent itself, right? Another example is the holy
37:23
kiss. No, right?
37:25
The permanent essence of greeting one another with a holy
37:27
kiss in the New Testament is genuine Christian affection and
37:31
fellowship. And the temporary form was the
37:33
1st century Mediterranean greeting.
37:35
So to summarize the massive amount of ground we have covered
37:39
today for you listening. It has been a lot.
37:41
God holds ultimate voracious authority.
37:44
He has the intrinsic moral right to command our belief based on
37:49
His perfection and His role as Creator.
37:52
He has delegated that absolute authority to the objective
37:55
historical pages of Scripture, but because of our finite
37:59
capacities and the severe corrupting effects of sin on our
38:03
intellect, He grants us the subjective internal illumination
38:07
of the Holy Spirit. To bypass our darkened minds.
38:10
Who we can actually perceive the truth that is already there.
38:13
Reason and tradition act as helpful Supreme Court justices.
38:17
Guiding our interpretation and keeping us grounded in history.
38:20
But. The Bible remains the final,
38:22
unquestioned it. Is a beautifully structured
38:25
system that guards the church against the freezing death of
38:28
dry intellectualism on one side and the burning chaos of
38:31
unchecked emotionalism on the other.
38:33
It honors the mind while recognizing its severe limits.
38:36
As we wrap up this deep dive into Reformed thinking, I want
38:40
to leave you with a final thought to chew on
38:42
independently. We spent a lot of time today
38:44
talking about how the Holy Spirit illuminates our minds to
38:46
understand the text. Overcoming the severe cognitive
38:50
damage of sin, right? But consider the role of
38:52
obedience and comprehension. Oh.
38:54
That is a great angle. What if the primary reason we
38:57
sometimes struggle to understand a difficult, controversial
39:00
passage isn't a lack of intellectual capacity?
39:04
What if it isn't a lack of ancient historical context or
39:07
Greek vocabulary? What if the real barrier is a
39:10
quiet internal resistance to the action we already suspect that
39:15
passage demands of us? That changes everything.
39:17
Does our willingness to submit dictate our ability to
39:20
comprehend? It forces us to ask if our
39:23
modern difficulty with authority is not an intellectual problem
39:26
at all, but a strictly moral 1 The doctor has handed us the
39:30
prescription with perfect, voracious authority.
39:33
The question remains, are we willing to swallow the medicine?
39:36
That is the real question. Thank you for joining us today.