The Burning Bush - Far Eastern Bible College

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The Burning Bush 16/1 (January 2010)THE BATTLE OVER PRESUPPOSITIONS ONTHE TEXTUAL ISSUEPaul FergusonIntroductionThe Bible makes it clear that its every Word is essential. All of ourdoctrines, standards, convictions, and our practices are derived from theScriptures. The doctrine of the Sufficiency of Scripture enables us toconfidently appeal to these Words to determine all of our theological anddoctrinal boundaries. God’s revelation is authoritative, sufficient andclear, and ultimately necessary for our existence (Job 23:12; Prov 29:18;Isa 46:10; Amos 8:11; Matt 5:17-18; 16:1-4; John 10:35; Rom 1; 2 Tim3:15; Tit 1:2; Heb 6:13).The whole system of God’s truth is set forth in the Holy Bible asGod’s inerrant, infallible and plenary Word. Christians today haveaccommodated themselves to rationalistic modernism to the point thatthey no longer hold absolute positions, save perhaps for religiouspluralism and the Golden Rule. However, the advent of relativismespecially in the textual issue is an insidious adversary, for it rejects thereal possibility of absolute truth, even if it promotes infinite forms ofmeaning. Since the Word of God is our only effective offensive weapon,it would be wholly inconsistent with the character of God to send us outinto battle with a sword that is undependable and uncertain. All ofScripture was inspired by the Holy Spirit to set forth God’s uniquesystem of truth and thus the system of truth is self-attesting.PresuppositionsReformed believers are mandated to presuppose the Scriptures in allof their thinking and practice as the ultimate criterion of truth, whereasunbelievers resist this obligation in every aspect of thought and life.Francis Schaeffer defines a presupposition as “a belief or theory which isassumed before the next step in logic is developed. Such a prior postulate22
THE BATTLE OVER PRESUPPOSITIONS ON THE TEXTUAL ISSUEoften consciously or unconsciously affects the way a person subsequentlyreasons.” 1Hence, presuppositions are the central pillars, which support thefoundation from which we can begin any independent interpretation ofdata, determining possibilities. When we examine the textual issue wefind two basic positions. One starts with Scripture and finds God’sinstruction about the preservation of Scripture. The other positionconcerns itself more with man’s opinions, questions, philosophies, andspeculations.However, our presuppositional faith is the evidence and substancewe have in what God has spoken (Heb 11)! Everything we need to makeus perfect or mature as a believer is found in the Scripture (2 Tim 3:15-17). Such a believer studies to show “himself approved unto God” (2 Tim2:15). We must interpret evidence in light of faith through special andthen general revelation, not vice versa. Reason cannot produce truth inand of itself, as reason needs prior knowledge by which to reason. Behindall human reason is God’s reason, and the only place we can objectivelyencounter God’s reason is in Scripture. Every use of reason thereforepresupposes the Infinite, Eternal and Unchangeable as everything in theworld is in constant change and needs an unchanging point of referenceto validate it. Too many professing believers have adopted the worldviewof Platonist English Provost of King’s College, Cambridge, BenjaminWhichcote who boasted that “reason is the Divine Governor of Man’sLife; it is the very voice of God.” 2When clear biblical truth is found, as A W Tozer would say, “neverdo we dare to stand in judgment of that truth; rather, that truth alwaysstands in judgment of us!” 3 The absolute rule for theory selection is thatwe should prefer those textual or scientific theories that do not conflictwith the biblical data. This is why theology was once ubiquitouslyunderstood as the “queen of the sciences.” The Westminster Confession ofFaith (1:6) concurs,The whole counsel of God, concerning all things necessary for His ownglory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down inScripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced fromScripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by newrevelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.Now, either this creedal statement is true or it is not. There simply is nohigher authority than the Word of God. Naturally, this confessional23
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The Burning Bush - Far Eastern Bible College

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