The Master's Seminary Journal Volume One (1990)

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Volume 1, Number 1 (Spring 1990)

• The Mandate of Biblical Inerrancy: Expository Preaching (3-16)
  by John MacArthur
  
  The special attention of evangelicalism given to the inerrancy of Scripture in recent years carries with it a mandate to emphasize the expository method of preaching the Scriptures. The existence of God and His nature requires the conclusion that He has communicated accurately and that an adequate exegetical process to determine His meaning is required. The Christian commission to preach God's Word involves the transmitting of that meaning to an audience, a weighty responsibility. A belief in inerrancy thus requires, most important of all, exegetical preaching, and does not have to do primarily with the homiletical form of the message. In this regard it differs from a view of limited inerrancy.
  
  
• The Sin Unto Death (17-32)
  by Irvin A. Busenitz
  
  The "sin unto death" in 1 John 5:16 has provoked widespread discussion. The correct meaning revolves around the nature of the sin and the nature of the death referred to. The context and word selection point to the conclusion that the individual "committing a sin not unto death" is an unsaved man who professes to be a believer, but who is, in actuality, in need of salvation. On the one hand, John refers to one who is sinning but is not doing so to the point of the impossibility of being granted eternal life. The apostle encourages intercessory prayer for such an individual, that God may grant to him eternal life. On the other hand, he asserts that if a man does sin to such an extent that repentance and forgiveness are impossible, it would be "unto death," spiritual death in the sense that his condition is irrevocable (cf. Matt 12:31-32).
  
  
• A New Look at 1 Corinthians 3:12: "Gold, Silver, Precious Stones" (33-52)
  by James E. Rosscup
  
  
• Bible Translations: The Link Between Exegesis and Expository Preaching (53-74)
  by Robert L. Thomas
  
  Expository preaching presupposes the goal of teaching an audience the meaning of the passage on which the sermon is based. Two types of Bible translations are available as "textbooks" the preacher may use in accomplishing this task. One type follows the original languages of Scripture in form and vocabulary insofar as possible without doing violence to English usage. The other type is not so much governed by phraseology in the original languages, but accommodates itself to contemporary usage of the language into which the translation is made. It is possible with a fair degree of objectivity to measure how far each translation deviates from the original languages. The greater degree of deviation inevitably reflects a higher proportion of interpretation on the translator's part. Regardless of the accuracy of the interpretation, the preacher will at times disagree with it and have to devote valuable sermon time to correcting the text. The best choice of translations on which to base expository preaching is, therefore, one which more literally follows the original languages and excludes as much human interpretation as possible.
  
  
• Book Reviews for Volume One #1
  

• Rediscovering Expository Preaching (109-28)
  by Richard L. Mayhue
  
  Biblical preaching's authenticity is significantly tarnished by contemporary communicators' being more concerned with personal relevance than God's revelation. Scripture unmistakably requires a proclamation focused on God's will and mankind's obligation to obey. With men wholly committed to God's Word, the expository method commends itself as preaching that is true to the Bible. The method presupposes an exegetical process to extract the God-intended meaning of Scripture and an explanation of that meaning in a contemporary understandable way. The biblical essence and apostolic spirit of expository preaching needs to be recaptured in the training of men newly committed to "preaching the Word."
  
  
• Grandeur and Grace: God's Transcendence and Immanence in Psalm 113 (129-48)
  by George J. Zemek
  
  
• Dynamic Equivalence: A Method of Translation or a System of Hermeneutics? (149-76)
  by Robert L. Thomas
  
  The recent popularity of Dynamic Equivalence in translating the Bible justifies a closer scrutiny of it, particularly in light of the growing interest in biblical hermeneutics which it parallels. A comparison of the disciplines of D-E translation and hermeneutics reveals a large amount of similarity between the two. The similarity exists whether one compares D-E to traditional hermeneutics or to theories being advanced in contemporary hermeneutics. In view of the close parallel between D-E and hermeneutics, three questions need to be faced: a linguistic one, an ethical one, and a practical one.
  
  
• Christian Books on the New Age: A Review Article (177-200)
  by James E. Rosscup
  
  The many Christian books on the New Age may be divided into the categories of general surveys, those treating special areas of thought, novels against the movement, evangelistic works, writings by former New Age advocates, treatments of the New Age appeal to women, and those directed to children. Within each category these writings differ in value and purpose. It behooves the evangelical Christian to be selective in his choice of which of these books to use.
  
  
• Book Reviews for Volume One #2