The Master's Seminary Journal Volume Three (1992)

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Volume 3, Number 1 (Spring 1992)

• The History of Expository Preaching (5-32)
  by James F. Stitzinger
  
  The history of expository preaching begins with an understanding of the revelatory and explanatory preaching recorded in Scripture. Legitimate preaching in the Church Age continues the expository preaching begun in the Bible. History unveils a limited but rich ongoing legacy of biblical expositors up to the present day. These men who poured their lives into expounding God's Word command careful attention from today's biblical expositors.
  
  
• "Deliver This Man to Satan" (1 Corinthians 5:5): A Case Study in Church Discipline (33-46)
  by Simon J. Kistemaker
  
  Part of understanding the difficult passage in 1 Cor 5:1-5 is the interpretation of the words "deliver this man to Satan" in 5:5. To explain this statement correctly, one must establish what the sin is that caused Paul to deliver the declaration. Then he should realize the responsibility of the local church in Corinth to deal with such a situation. The nature of the authority behind the directive needs also to be appreciated. Then details of the disciplinary action itself need clarification. The whole set of circumstances emphasizes how important it is for local churches to implement churchdisciplinary actions in dealing with sinning members and to use sound principles in doing so.
  
  
• Prayer Related to Prophecy in Daniel 9 (47-72)
  by James E. Rosscup
  
  Daniel's prayer for Israel in Daniel 9 precedes the famous prophecy of the "seventy sevens" in the same chapter. The prayer models submission to God's will both in heartfelt confession of Israelite sin and passionate intercession for deliverance from exile and the blessing of restoration. Daniel adeptly uses OT books such as Deuteronomy, Psalms, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel. Chapter 9 is one of many OT examples of how God uses human prayer to accomplish His predetermined sovereign plan.
  
  
• Who is Wrong? A Review of John Gerstner's "Wrongly Dividing the Word of Truth" (73-94)
  by Richard L. Mayhue
  
  Dr. John H. Gerstner, a recognized scholar with impressive credentials, has issued a call for dispensationalists to admit the glaring gaps between their system and orthodox Christianity. However, his presentation of dispensationalism contains shortcomings that necessitate this special review article to point out some of these and to challenge dispensationalists to publicize a greater clarification of their position. Many of the assumptions that undergird Dr. Gerstner's case against dispensationalism are in error. These faults are magnified by a number of major weaknesses in his argument. A review of the book shows how the author's treatment of his subject deteriorates even more through ten representative theological misstatements. The work is of such a misleading nature that a retraction of some kind seems to be in order.
  
  
• Book Reviews for Volume Three #1

• The Kingdom of Christ in the Apocalypse (117-40)
  by Robert L. Thomas
  
  In spite of admitted limitations in knowledge about the future, a fairly good understanding of the kingdom of Christ as it is portrayed in the last book of the Bible is possible. Though allowance is made for a present aspect of the kingdom, the time of the kingdom in its ultimate form is clearly future. The location of the kingdom is fixed in the earthly sphere rather than a heavenly one. The nature of the kingdom is political and outward in the common understanding of the terms and not merely spiritual and hidden. This is seen from its OT roots, the means by which it is established, and the internal conditions with which it must cope. The span of the kingdom covers the period between Christ's second coming and the creation of the new heavens and new earth`a period of one thousand years on earth as it is now known`and then an unlimited phase after the new creation.
  
  
• Romans 11:25-27 and the Future of Israel in Paul's Thought (141-76)
  by Michael G. Vanlaningham
  
  Ethnic Israel is a dominant theme in Scripture, particularly as it pertains to the future. Paul divulges some key elements in his own Spiritinspired thinking on this subject in Rom 11:25-27. He looks forward to a time of salvation for the Jewish people by divulging hitherto unrevealed details about their future, i.e., their salvation will follow the bringing in of a prescribed number of Gentiles. Currently beset by a partial spiritual hardening toward God, a significant group of Jews will experience a future repentance and salvation. This will come at some future point in the church age, perhaps as one of the series events that will compose Christ's second coming. Paul adduces proof of this salvation with two quotations from Isaiah. Through this significant passage God's future program for Israel becomes clearer than before.
  
  
• The Dynamics of Small Church Ministry (175-90)
  by John M. Koessler
  
  Small churches in the United States and Canada are a large proportion of the total number of churches and therefore deserve closer attention. A small church's perception of itself is good in that it helps maintain a family atmosphere, but it can lend itself to pessimism in both pastor and people. Lay influence tends to be greater in a small church, a feature that can be cultivated to advantage through wise leadership. A smallchurch pastor must accept his administrative responsibilities as well as his relational ones. He must know how to involve his people and impart his vision to them. Small churches that want to grow must ask themselves several probing questions in order to succeed in doing so. Service in a small church can be very rewarding.
  
  
• The Source and NT Meaning of APZENDOKOITAI with Implications for Christian Ethics and Ministry (191-216)
  by James B. DeYoung
  
  Traditional interpretation of rsenokotai (arsenokoitai, "homosexuals") in 1 Cor 6:9 and 1 Tim 1:10 refers to sexual vice between people of the same sex, specifically homosexuality. Some restrict the term's meaning to "active male prostitute," but stronger evidence supports a more general translation, namely "homosexuals." More recently the definition "homosexual" has been opposed on cultural and linguistic grounds, the claim being that the term "homosexuals" is anachronistic. In addition, criticism of the traditional rendering says the term today includes celibate homophiles, excludes heterosexuals who engage in homosexual acts, and includes female homosexuals. A concern for acts instead of the modern attention to desires was the only factor in the ancient world. The foregoing opposition to the translation of arsenokoitai by "homosexuals" has a number of debilitating weaknesses. Finally, this study argues that Paul coined the term arsenokoitai, deriving it from the LXX of Lev 20:13 (cf. 18:22) and using it for homosexual orientation and behavior, the latter of which should be an occasion for church discipline (1 Corinthians 5-6) and legislation in society (1 Tim 1:8-11).
  
  
• Book Reviews for Volume Three #2