A previous post looked at the readiness of fallen man to suppress the truth, or, “hold the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18). It examined the reason why unrenewed human beings will always do this: they love darkness rather than light (John 3:19). That is, in spiritual and religious matters, they have a decided preference for error and unrighteousness, and a prejudice against truth and holiness. The love of sin in the heart is always prompting man to use his understanding to question, avoid, or reject the truths revealed through the light of nature and through the light of Scripture.
The post also looked at the supreme example of suppressing truth: the rejection of Christ, the Light of the World and the embodiment of Truth (John 8:12 and John 14:6). The attempt to suppress Him who is Truth began in the Church. Men who were tasked with building the Church led the way in rejecting Him. Yet Christ gloriously triumphed over them in His resurrection from the dead.
But has man’s love for darkness diminished since then? Has he come to see the futility of suppressing the truth? Hardly! How readily men in the Church will suppress certain truths in the Word of God, because of their love of darkness! How does this happen?
1. By inventing unscriptural or extra-biblical tradition. In the Old Testament era, the Jews suppressed the light of the Scriptures by burying them under human traditions. “Making the word of God of none effect through your tradition, which ye have delivered: and many such like things do ye” (Mark 7:13). Any religious practice or any element of worship that is not commanded by Scripture is a tradition that obscures our understanding of Scripture and reduces its effectiveness. The Reformation cleared away many of these unscriptural traditions (feast days such as Easter and Christmas) particularly in Scotland, and the light of the Scriptures began to shine brightly again.
2. By not translating the Scriptures into the tongue of the common people. The “Dark Ages” saw the Scriptures buried in a dead language that the common people could not understand. But like the Word of God Incarnate, the written Word of God enjoyed a glorious resurrection at the Reformation through its translation into many languages.
3. By subjecting the inspired and infallible Word to unbelieving textual criticism. In the last two centuries, the Scriptures have again been gradually buried through “higher criticism” which is constantly raising doubt about their preservation and purity. People have grown increasingly sceptical that scholars will ever be able to show which verses of their Bibles are genuine and which verses are corrupt. As one writer observes, in the Dark Ages, the Scriptures were in the hands of unbelieving priests, who decided which parts of the Bible they would teach or not teach to the people. Today, the Bible is in the hands of unbelieving scholars, who decide which Scriptures the people can accept as genuine.
Yet the Scriptures will again have a glorious resurrection in the hearts and lives of many, as the Holy Spirit, bearing witness by and with the Word, shows them that God has kept His Word pure and entire in all ages. Just as the Word of God Incarnate saw no corruption as He lay out of sight in the grave, so the Word of God written has seen no corruption to this day, even as it lies out of the sight of many.
4. By denying the truths of Scripture obtained by good and necessary consequence. Frequently, Christians today will demand a specific verse that explicitly states the doctrine or precept taught, instead of comparing Scripture with Scripture and seeing that the doctrine or precept is taught by implication. They may not realise that heretics made the same demand when arguing against the doctrine of the Trinity.
5. By misunderstanding the connection between the Old and New Testaments. Confusion over the relationship between the two Testaments is the reason for many of the disagreements between Protestant Churches. Ever since the Reformation, the Protestant Churches see more and more of a disconnect between the Old and New Testaments. This leads them to reject doctrines, principles, and practices that seem to be rooted only in the Old Testament, such as the following:
- The admission of entire households (including infants) who profess the true religion into the membership of the visible Church.
- The detailed regulation of public worship (e.g., the abrogation of temple worship and all that related to it, including the use of musical instruments).
- The duty of civil magistrates to support the true religion.
- The duty of national covenanting, after a nation formally receives the Scriptures as the authoritative revelation of the true God.
- Seeing Christ in all the Old Testament Scriptures, Luke 24:27. This rich field of divine truth is known as typology, which will be considered in a separate post, the Lord willing.
In general, the key to recovering the truths and relevance of the Old Testament Scriptures is this: All Scripture, including the Old Testament, is a special revelation from God. That is, they reveal things about God and His will, which cannot change. Therefore, the truths revealed in the Old Testament cannot change, though the way in which those truths are taught may change. Accordingly, the Apostle Paul emphasizes that the Church is built upon the inspired writings of the Old Testament prophets, as well as upon the inspired writings of the New Testament apostles (see Ephesians 2:19-21).
– Rev C J Hembd