Philippians 1:1, Part 1

Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: (Philippians 1:1, KJV)

“Paul and Timothy”

Thus begins this ancient letter, the New Testament epistle to the Philippian saints. Its author, the apostle Paul, wrote at least twelve other New Testament epistles. Although the salutation is from Paul and Timothy (Timotheus is the Greek form of the name, transliterated accordingly in the KJV), the pronouns and subject matter throughout the epistle show that the thoughts being communicated, humanly speaking, are Paul’s. This verse is the only time Paul is mentioned in the third person, whereas Timothy is always mentioned in the third person in this epistle. All the first person pronouns (I, me, my, etc.) refer to Paul.

Paul and Timothy first visited Philippi about ten years prior to this epistle if Paul wrote to them from a Roman imprisonment around AD 62, the same time period as the composition of Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon (the other “prison epistles”). The view that Paul wrote from Rome is the traditional one, and the only view that is older than competing theories that have surfaced in the last few hundred years.

After a life-changing encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 9), Saul of Tarsus (later called Paul) was changed from a chief enemy of the church into a follower and apostle (officially commissioned and sent messenger) of Jesus. He went on to spread the good news of Christ to many others, planting numerous churches, including the church at Philippi.

Acts 16 records the first meeting of Paul with the Philippians. He arrived at Philippi on his second missionary journey. This encounter brought the gospel to European soil for the first time. Silas, Luke, and Timothy accompanied Paul during this part of his journey. Acts 16 contains the Bible’s first mention of Philippi (16:12), and it also contains the first mention of Timothy (16:1), the son of a believing Jewish mother and a Greek father.

The Philippians would have remembered Timothy, and Paul communicates his intention to send Timothy to them as soon as possible (Philippans 2:19-23). Timothy, who was highly regarded by those who knew him in Lystra and Iconium (Acts 16:2) and by Paul (Philippians 2:20-22), was evidently present with Paul at the writing of this epistle (Philippians 2:19, 23).

In the next article of this series, we will consider the significance of the identification of Paul and Timothy as servants, or slaves, of Jesus Christ.

Is the Old Testament Still Relevant Today?

"Is the Old Testament Still Relevant Today?"

Dr. David Murray, professor of Old Testament and practical theology at Puritan Theological Seminary in Grand Rapids, Michigan, addressed issues related to this question in a recent conference at Fraser Valley Bible Conference in British Columbia. You can access the media from the conference by clicking here.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to all the sessions, and was especially moved as Murray clearly demonstrated that the Old Testament is a manual for Christian living. I found his treatment of Hebrews 11 and 12 to demonstrate this point beyond the shadow of a doubt. It is not a manual in a moralistic sense of do this, do this, do this - rather, we live a particular way because we are looking to Jesus in faith.

In addition to these lectures, I have been thoroughly enjoying Dr. Murray's blog, "Head Heart Hand" and his weekly 30 minute podcast with Tim Challies, Connected Kingdom. I have been refreshed with the Gospel and gained helpful insights through these resources, and commend them to you.

"Is the Old Testament Still Relevant Today?" In a word, YES, and I encourage you to check out Dr. Murray's lectures to see how it points to Christ, shows us how to live, and shows us how to read the New Testament.

New CAPS Promo Video

Seminar on Arcing in Minneapolis

If you're in close proximity to Minneapolis you might want to check this out.  (From the Bethlehem Institute website, church-based seminary of Bethlehem Baptist Church, where John Piper preaches.)  I hope they produce video of it for download!

Introduction to Arcing

This seminar will expose participants to a method of Bible study called "arcing." 

October 3-4, 2008 -- Friday evening & all day Saturday
7:00-9:00 PM/Friday and 9:00 AM-4:00 PM/Saturday (1 hour lunch break at Noon)
Seminar Leaders: Tom Steller (Bethlehem's Pastor for Leadership Development and TBI Dean) and Jason Abell (Track 1 Director)

Many people wonder, "How does Pastor John see what he sees in the text of Scripture?" Years ago he learned a method of Bible study called "arcing." Though there is nothing magical about this method, it teaches the motivated student to read Scripture in context, proposition by proposition. It helps the student to discern the biblical author's main point and how every other proposition serves that main point. Through this rigorous attempt to follow the author's thought and discover his intended meaning, the student is confronted by the Word of God with all its truth, beauty, comfort, and challenge.

There's no charge for this seminar.

Advance registrations really help us in our preparations. To register for this seminar, click here.

Related Posts:

Resources for Arcing/Tracing a Passage of Scripture

Understanding Scripture in Light of Christ

The Spring 2008 issue of The Tie is now online. Download the free .pdf here. Read Dr. Jim Hamilton's article on the Interpretation of the OT in the NT here. Very helpful material.

CAPS videos - session 1 (April 4, 2008)

It is my privilege to serve under director Keith Walsworth in the Cumberland Area Pulpit Supply ministry. We recently began teaching in West Virginia at Jenny's Creek Gospel Church. We are trying to put the video online that Clyde Farley, one of the men from the church, has produced. Here are videos for session one.

Introduction to Hermeneutics - Doug Smith

Click here for a Word .doc of the outline, or check it out via:

Previous posts:

PART 1 - Why We Should Learn How to Study the Bible

PART 2 - Prerequisites for Bible Study

PART 3 - Tools for Bible Study

PART 4 - Approaches

Homiletics: the History of Preaching - Keith Walsworth

Click here for a Word .doc of the handout

The Canon of Scripture – Video, Audio, and Outline

I recently presented a lecture on the canon of Scripture at our phase one CAPS training in Kermit, West Virginia. The video is from it (677 MB). The audio file (8 MB) is from the September 2007 version of the lecture I gave in Happy, Kentucky.

Right-click here to download audio (.mp3 format).

CLICK BELOW FOR DOWNLOADABLE HANDOUTS

.doc of this outline (viewable below in part in this post; helpful chart in the download)

.pdf of Mark Dever preaching rotation

.pdf of Mark Dever preaching schedule

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THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE: AN OUTLINE AND SELECTED BIBLIOGRAPHY

WHY THE CANON MATTERS

I. How can we know what books are the Word of God?

II. What books should be read in public worship?

III. What books are worth dying for?

IV. Why do Protestants not count the Apocrypha as Scripture?

V. Who decides what books belong in the Bible?

VI. What should we think about writings like the Book of Mormon and the Gospel of Judas?

VII. Are there books in the Bible that should not be there?

VIII. Are there books that should be added? What if we found another writing of Paul?

DEFINITION OF CANON

I. Background of the word:

a. Hebrew – qaneh – reed or stalk

b. Greek – kanon – rod or reed

c. English – cane

II. Usage of the word

a. Outside Scripture

i. “common word for anything that was the measure by which others were to be judged” (B. Edwards)

ii. the “absolute standard for pure language” for ancient Greeks (Westcott)

b. In Scripture

i. 1 Kings 14:15 – “a reed” and Job 40:21 – “the reed”

ii. 2 Corinthians 10:13, 15-16 – “the rule which God hath distributed to us”

iii. Galatians 6:16 – “walk according to this rule”

iv. Philippians 3:16 – “walk by the same rule”

c. In the church after the apostles

i. Clement of Alexandria may have used it to refer to the Old Testament

ii. Athanasius used it to refer to the entire Bible (OT & New Testament)

III. Meaning of the word: “a collection of books that are fixed in their number, divine in their origin and universal in their authority” (B. Edwards); not “an authoritative collection of books” but “a collection of authoritative books” (B. Metzger) received (not determined) by the church; “the list of all the books that belong in the Bible” (Grudem)

THE CANON OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

For we have not an innumerable multitude of books among us, disagreeing from and contradicting one another [as the Greeks have] but only twenty-two books, which contain the records of all the past times; which are justly believed to be divine…no one has been so bold as to add anything to them, to take anything from them, or to make any change in them.

– Josephus (A.D. 37-100)

I. These books date from around 1400 B.C. to around 435 B.C., and are prophetic, consistent with previous revelation, and were recognized/accepted by God’s people.

II. Concept of canon in the OT

a. Ten Commandments - Written on stone; Archived in the ark of the covenant

b. More writings added by Moses (Deut. 31:24-26), Joshua (Josh. 24:26), and others (1 Sam. 10:25, 1 Chron. 29:29, 2 Chron. 20:34, 26:22, 32:32, Prov. 25:1, Isa. 30:8, Jer. 30:2, Dan. 9:2)

III. A Theological Basis for the OT Canon

a. Deut. 18:15-22 - ongoing prophetic office – these words needed to be preserved for future generations

b. 1 Kings 22:8-13 – Josiah and the book of the law

c. Neh. 8:8 – the book of the law preached

d. Malachi 3:1-4; 4:1-6

IV. Concept of OT canon in NT

a. Luke 24:44 – 3 fold division

b. Luke 11:49-51 – Abel to Zachariah would correspond to Genesis to 2 Chronicles (Hebrew order)

c. 2 Corinthians 3:6-11 – reading of the old covenant, Moses

d. No arguments about canonicity of OT in NT; seems to be commonly understood

e. No other literature is quoted in NT as authoritative (except for some apostolic writings); many quotations prefaced with: “It is written,” never referring to books outside the Jewish or Christian canons

V. Other evidence

a. Apocrypha - Prologue to Ecclesiasticus – threefold division

- 1 Maccabees 4:45-46, 9:27 – no more prophets

- 2 Esdras 14:44-48 – 24 books distinguished from others

b. Septuagint (LXX) – translated around 250 B.C.; a body of books was obviously recognized

c. Dead Sea Scrolls – includes all books except Esther as well as additional books; commentaries were written only on books that are in the Jewish canon

d. Other writings: Josephus, Philo, Babylonian Talmud, other Rabbinic literature

VI. What about the Council of Jamnia?

a. Some scholars taught that the canon was not closed until A.D. 90 at Jamnia.

b. However, the council at Jamnia did not determine the canon, but discussed legitimacy/interpretation of controversial canonical books: Esther, Proverbs (particularly 26:4-5), Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, and Ezekiel

VII. What about the Apocrypha?

a. Numerous quotes from OT in NT, but none of the Apocrypha

b. Josephus: “From Artaxerxes to our own times a complete history has been written, but has not been deemed worthy of equal credit with the earlier records, because of the failure of the exact succession of the prophets.” (Against Apion)

c. Problems: not accepted by Jews; no Hebrew original; Came to be used through inclusion in LXX; doctrinal and historical inconsistencies/contradictions

d. Denied by many early church leaders, including Melito of Sardis (A.D. 170) and Athanasius (A.D. 367). Jerome included it in the Latin Vulgate because of Augustine (and even he did not give them the same status as the OT).

e. First official declaration calling them canonical was in 1546 at the Council of Trent of the Roman Catholic Church (deuterocanonical, because added later)

THE CANON OF THE NEW TESTAMENT

There must be no hesitation to state again the [books] of the New Testament; for they are these: Four Gospels: according to Matthew, according to Mark, according to Luke, and according to John. Further, after these, also [The] Acts of [the] Apostles, and the seven so-called Catholic Epistles of the Apostles, as follows: One of James, but two of Peter, then, three of John, and after these, one of Jude. In addition to these there are fourteen Epistles of the Apostle Paul put down in the following order: The first to the Romans, then two to the Corinthians, and after these, [the Epistles] to the Galatians, and then to the Ephesians; further, [the Epistles] to the Philippians and to the Colossians and two to the Thessalonians, and the [Epistle] to the Hebrews. And next two [letters] to Timothy, but one to Titus, and the last [being] the one to Philemon. Moreover, also the Apocalypse of John. . . . – Athanasius (ca. A. D. 296-373)

I. A.D. Mid-40s/early 50s to A.D. 95. They were written by apostles or associates of the apostles, are consistent with previous revelation and were recognized/accepted by God’s people.

II. Concept of canon in NT

a. Apostolic parallel to prophets: Eph. 2:20, 2 Pet. 3:2

b. Apostolic reception of revelation: 1 Cor. 2:9, 13, 14:37

c. Circulation of letters to other churches: Col. 4:16, 1 Thess. 5:27

d. NT recognition of NT Scripture

i. 2 Pet 3:15-16 (recognizes Paul’s writings as Scripture)

ii. 1 Tim. 5:17-18 (recognizes Luke as Scripture along with Deuteronomy)

III. A Theological Basis for the NT Canon

a. Promise of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31-34; “Old covenant had a body of literature; we should expect the new to have one as well” (R. Plummer)

b. Luke 22:20

c. Deut. 18:15 – another Prophet, idea of succession

d. Heb. 1:1-3

e. John 14:26, 16:13-14 – promise of Spirit to teach and give understanding

f. Warning of Rev. 22:18-19

IV. Need for NT canon

a. Need to know what was authoritative to read in worship

b. Need to have the true teaching of the apostles and not false doctrine

c. Need to know which books to die for

V. Debate over recognition of canon

a. Classifications: homologoumena, antilegomena, and notha

b. Lists:

i. Muratorian Canon – all but 4

ii. Marcion (A.D. 144) – rejected OT and much of NT; retained Luke’s writings and 10 of Paul’s

iii. Athanasius (A.D. 367) – 27 books

iv. Council of Carthage (A.D. 397) – 27 books

v. Other lists include Origen (A.D. 240), Eusebius (A.D. 313)

VI. What about other books?

a. Apostolic fathers (many in agree with Scripture but not same quality as Scripture); recognition of NT in Epistle of Barnabas, 2 Clement, Didache

b. Gnostic Gospels (contrary to Scripture with later dates as well) – examples:

i. Gospel of Thomas (and foolishness of Jesus Seminar)

ii. Gospel of Mary Magdalene (and foolishness of Da Vinci Code)

VII. Should we expect any additions to the canon?

• Grudem states it well, saying that it is difficult “to understand how our sovereign God could have faithfully cared for his people for over 1,900 years and still allowed them to be continually deprived of something he intended them to have as a part of his final revelation of himself in Jesus Christ.”

SINCE THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE IS GOD’S COMPLETE

WRITTEN REVELATION TO MAN, WE SHOULD:

1. Read and study the whole Bible for the purpose of knowing and obeying Him.

• Use a Bible reading plan like M’Cheyne’s or a devotional book like D. A. Carson’s For the Love of God (2 volumes) that will help you go through the whole Bible.
• Use an accurate translation.
• Memorize God’s Word!
• Learn and practice proper hermeneutics.
• Acquire good tools for study.
• Obey what you learn!

2. Preach the whole Bible.

• Acts 20:20, 27 – Keep back nothing profitable; declare the whole counsel of God.
• 2 Timothy 3:16 – all Scripture is inspired by God and profitable…
• 2 Timothy 4:1-4 – Preach the Word.
• Expositional preaching is a must.

i. The Bible is the authority, so the text, not the preacher, must dictate the message. (Mark Dever: The point of the passage is the point of the message.)

ii. Have a goal and create a plan for preaching through the Bible; rotate through different genres of Scripture (law, history, poetry, prophecy, gospels, epistles, etc.).

iii. Preach overview sermons on an entire book of the Bible (the forest) and sermons on smaller units (the trees), but always consider the context of the whole Bible when preaching the parts of the Bible.

3. Trust the sufficiency of the whole Bible.

• It is sufficient to equip us for every good work (2 Timothy 3:17).
• It is the rule for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3) in:

i. Our prayers, privately and privately

ii. Our personal lives

iii. Our relationships with others

iv. Our church

1. in serving one another in the body

2. in corporate worship

a. include substantive public Scripture readings

b. order other elements of the service in light of the Word

3. in polity (church government)

4. in pastoral ministry, including counseling

5. in relating to unbelievers

v. Being the instrument of God’s Spirit to save people and grow them to maturity.

RESOURCES FOR STUDY ON THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE

Books and Articles

· “Bible Formation and Canon” in the Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary. Edited by Chad Brand, Charles Draper, and Archie England. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2003. pp. 200-202.

· Bruce, F. F. The Canon of Scripture. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity, 1988. (Standard Reference on this topic)

· Carson, D. A. and Douglas Moo. An Introduction to the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005. pp. 726-743.

· Dockery, David S. and David P. Nelson, "Special Revelation," in Daniel L. Akin, ed. A Theology for the Church. Nashville, TN: B & H Academic, 2007. pp. 164-171.

· Edwards, Brian. Why Twenty-Seven? – How Can We Be Sure That We Have the Right Books in the New Testament? New York: Evangelical Press USA, 2007. (EXCELLENT)

· Geisler, Norman L. and William E. Nix. A General Introduction to the Bible. Revised and Expanded. Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1986. pp. 203-320.

· Grudem, Wayne. Systematic Theology: an Introduction to Biblical Doctrine. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994. pp. 57-72.

· Hill, Andrew E., and John H. Walton. A Survey of the Old Testament. 2^nd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2000. pp. 388-396.

· House, H. Wayne. Chronological and Background Charts of the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1981. pp. 16-24 (16-17 gives NT dates written, 22 gives canon in 1^st 4 centuries, 23 gives Patristic quotations).

· McDowell, Josh. The New Evidence That Demands a Verdict. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson, 1999. pp. 17-32.

· Metzger, Bruce M. The Canon of the New Testament: Its Origin, Development, and Significance. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1988. (Standard reference on this topic)

· Ryrie, Charles C. Basic Theology: a Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1988. pp. 105-109.

· Trueman, Carl. “The Marcions Have Landed! A Warning for Evangelicals.” Evangelicals Now, March 2003. Online: <http://www.e-n.org.uk/2105-The-Marcions-have-landed.htm>

· Walton, John H. Chronological and Background Charts of the Old Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 1994. p. 12 (gives chronology of books).

· Wegner, Paul D. The Journey from Texts to Translations: the Origin and Development of the Bible. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker, 1999. pp. 100-164. (GREAT REFERENCE)

· White, James R. Scripture Alone: Exploring the Bible’s Accuracy, Authority, and Authenticity. Minneapolis, MN: Bethany House, 2004. (very helpful, especially on Gnostic gospels)

Websites

• www.Bible.org <http://www.bible.org/topic.php?topic_id=87>
• Bible Research <http://www.bible-researcher.com/canon.html>
• Monergism – links to articles on the canon of Scripture <http://www.monergism.com/directory/link_category/Bibliology/Formation-of-the-Canon/>.
• Bruce, F. F., The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? Online book at <http://www.worldinvisible.com/library/ffbruce/ntdocrli/ntdocont.htm>.

Resources for conforming our lives to the canon of Scripture

• Carson, D. A. For the Love of God: a Daily Companion for Discovering the Riches of God’s Word. 2 volumes. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2006. Visit http://www.christwaymedia.com/sampledevotional.htm to sign up for a free daily email.

• Robert Murray M’Cheyne’s Bible Reading Calendar - free .pdf download at http://www.mountcalvarybaptist.org/extra/documents/McCheyne Bible Reading.pdf

• Ryken, Philip Graham, Derek W. H. Thomas, and J. Ligon Duncan III. Give Praise to God: a Vision for Reforming Worship. Phillipsburg, NJ: Presbyterian & Reformed, 2003.

• Spinney, Robert G. “Looking for God in All the Wrong Places: an Appeal for Word-Based Corporate Worship.” Hartsville, TN: Tulip Books, 2006. Free downloadable .pdf file at http://www.hartsvillereformedbaptist.com/gbc_rob_worship.pdf