The Authority of the Bible

Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.[1]

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. This is the first of the eight beatitudes with which Jesus opened the Sermon on the Mount. I would suppose that these eight beatitudes are the best-known portion of that sermon, with the possible exception of the Golden Rule which enjoins us to respect others. Whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them [Matthew 7:12].

The main body of the sermon begins with verse 17 of chapter five, and continues to verse 12 of chapter 7. Boice notes that this section is marked off by an inclusio, meaning a repetition of words that both begin and end a section, serving a bit like an envelope or a wrap for what comes between.[2] The Law and the Prophets is the inclusio for this section. They introduce the sermon in 5:17 (Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets), and they conclude the section in 7:12 (this is the Law and the Prophets).

What was the occasion of this particular sermon? What prompted the Master to begin by addressing this particular issue? Though we cannot know with certainty, we can speculate. Jesus had been challenging Jewish piety. He had authenticated the ministry of John the Baptist, in defiance of the open sentiments of the religious leaders. He could have been supposed to harbour revolutionary sentiments.[3] He had appointed a tax collector as one of His disciples and had embraced sinners by eating with them in Levi’s house [cf. Luke 5:27-32]. Moreover, He was not particularly sensitive to the concept of the Jewish Sabbath which was promoted by the religious leaders of the day [see Luke 6:1-10]. Though His actions appear radical and out-of-step with the Old Testament, they embodied the spirit of the Jewish holy book.

Later, some disciples of John the Baptist came to Jesus questioning His piety. They noticed that unlike themselves and the Pharisees, Jesus’ followers did not fast [Matthew 9:14]. Perhaps, they thought, Jesus was less demanding. People seem to have often criticised Jesus through drawing a contrast between His teaching and the practise of John. John came neither eating nor drinking… The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, “Look at him! A glutton and a drunkard [Matthew 11:18, 19].

Boice points out that Jesus was thought to favour sinning on the Sabbath.[4] Notice the controversy which occurred one particular Sabbath. At that time Jesus went through the grainfields on the Sabbath. His disciples were hungry, and they began to pluck heads of grain and to eat. But when the Pharisees saw it, they said to him, “Look, your disciples are doing what is not lawful to do on the Sabbath” [Matthew 12:1, 2]. Healing on the Sabbath was a source of ire. Each of the Gospels records hostility toward Jesus emanating from the religious leaders because He healed on the Sabbath [see Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:1-11; 13:10-17; John 5:1-18]. His supposed disdain of the Sabbath was a constant source of irritation for the Jewish leaders.

Perhaps Jesus chose this time to allay the fears of those who followed so closely after Him. Perhaps He sought to remind them of the purpose of the Word of God. I would like to think that His words were intended to both address their concerns that He was violating the will of God and to provide positive instruction of what that divine will might be. Jesus, by giving this message, would equip those who listened to honour God through destroying false perceptions even as truth was enshrined.

God’s Word is Authoritative for Life and Practise. Jesus begins the message through denial that He seeks to be an iconoclast. He is iconoclastic, but that was not His primary purpose. Neither was His purpose negative, though in promoting that which was positive, He would be viewed as negative. Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfil them. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.

Let’s understand one thing. When Jesus speaks of the Law and the Prophets, he is referring to the whole of the Old Testament.[5] Pointing to those ancient writings, He declared that His purpose was not destructive. Yet, upon reflection, we are forced to acknowledge that by His death and resurrection He did destroy aspects of the Old Covenant. The sacrificial system was abolished. We no longer bring a bull, or a lamb, or a dove to sacrifice whenever we seek fellowship with God or wish to worship Him. Neither do we keep “kosher” or obey all the ceremonial aspects of the Law. We may rightly question when Jesus meant when He said He did not come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. The answer will be found in discovering how He fulfilled them.

The idea seems to be that the Law is regarded as previously incomplete, not fully developed into all the breadth and spiritual depth of its requirement; and that Christ came to make it complete.[6] I suppose that the majority of commentators see in Jesus’ words that He came to fulfil the moral demands of the Law. He did do this, of course, and perfectly. He was sinless! He challenged religious leaders opposed to Him by asking, Which one of you convicts Me of sin [John 8:46]? That challenge left them speechless.

Broadus points to the error of supposing that Jesus fulfilled the Law through meeting its moral demands by citing such stalwarts as Luther and Calvin. Clearly, the issue before us is not a question of how Jesus lived, but it is rather an issue of how His teaching brought the Old Testament to fruition. Jesus is not contradicting the Law; rather He intended to bring it to its intended goal.[7]

It would also be wrong to suppose that Jesus means to complete the Law’s inadequate teaching with His own teaching.[8] The problem with this view is that we do have a New Testament, but as Jesus illustrates His fulfilment of the Law and the Prophets through six illustrations, He employs what is already written [see Matthew 5:21-48]. Jesus is clearly saying that what has been written is perfect and valid. He is not attacking it because of its incompleteness at this point.

This leaves us with the understanding that Jesus Himself is the fulfilment of the Law. Have you noticed how frequently in Matthew’s Gospel Old Testament prophesies are said to have been fulfilled by Jesus? The Virgin Birth of the Saviour took place to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet [Matthew 1:22, 23]. The flight to Egypt was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet [Matthew 2:15]. Herod’s slaughter of the innocents fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah [Matthew 2:17, 18]. Even the choice of a home base for His ministry served to ensure that what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah might be fulfilled [Matthew 4:14-16].

In practical terms, this means that the Bible is about Jesus. W. A. Criswell used to preach of the “scarlet thread throughout the Bible.” He found Christ on every page. Spurgeon used to give advice to young theologues studying at his college. He instructed them to begin with a page of the Bible and make a beeline for the cross. Jesus fulfils the moral law through His perfect obedience, and we need not be perfect in order to receive God’s salvation. Jesus fulfils the prophecies of the Old Covenant, and we need no longer wonder what lies ahead. The sacrificial system is fulfilled in the sacrifice of Jesus, and we are free to enter into salvation. Truly has Paul spoken when he says that Christ is the end of the Law [Romans 10:4].

D. A. Carson has written one of the finest studies of Matthew’s Gospel in this day. In that masterful study, Carson sums up Jesus’ meaning by stating:

The best interpretation of these difficult verses says that Jesus fulfils the Law and the Prophets in that they point to Him, and He is their fulfilment. The antithesis is not between “abolish” and “keep” but between “abolish” and “fulfil.” “For Matthew, then, it is not the question of Jesus’ relation to the Law that is in doubt but rather its relation to Him!” …Jesus is not primarily engaged … in extending, annulling, or intensifying Old Testament law, but in showing the direction in which it points, on the basis of His own authority.[9]

Not the smallest part of that which God gave shall be dropped or forgotten. The New American Standard Bible states that not the smallest letter or stroke shall pass away from the Law.[10] Literally, not one iota or one projection of a letter [ijw`ta e}n h] miva keraiva ouj mh;]. Iota was the Greek term for the tenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet, yodh, the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It resembles a comma, though it is written near the top of the letters rather than the bottom. The reference to a dot speaks of a serif, a projection on letters which distinguishes between Roman typeface from more modern type.

In many Bibles, Psalm 119 is divided into twenty-two sections, each preceded by a Hebrew letter. Our pew Bibles have this particular device in the 119th Psalm. Yodh [y] is the letter preceding verse 73. To see what a “dot” is, compare the letter before verse 9 with the letter before verse 81. The first is a beth [b]. The second is a kaph [k]. Note the little projection or serif on the beth. That is a dot (or in the King James Version, a tittle). The same small feature distinguishes daleth [d] from resh [r] and waw [w] from zayin [z] (the letters before verses 25 and 153, and 41 and 49).

Our Lord emphasises His words at this point by prefacing His declaration with the words, Amen, I say to you [ajmh;n ga;r levgw uJmi`n:]. My translation has His preface as, Truly I say to you. R. T. France says this is Jesus’ signature statement, since no other teacher is known to have used it.[11] Matthew records it thirty-one times. John, with a double Amen, has Jesus saying it twenty-five times. It is the way of the Master to draw attention to what is about to be said. It is as though He says, “I affirm this as a fact!” It is akin to the words of the prophets when they said, “Thus saith the Lord.”

Jesus, with these words, emphasises the authority of the Bible. As followers of Christ, the Bible is critical for everything we are to know and to believe as His followers. If God has spoken by the Bible, then the Bible is His Word. If the Bible is the Word of God, then it must be truthful, since God is truthful. The Bible must be reliable in all parts, for God is reliable. The Bible must be enduring, for God endures forever. The Bible must be forever authoritative, for God is everlastingly and abidingly authoritative. If the Bible errs in just one place, then it cannot be from God. Moreover, if the bible is fallible and errant in the smallest assertion, then it has no more authority over us than any other merely human document.

The attacks against the Faith have concentrated at this point. The reason for these assaults is that if the Bible should be proven fallible and errant, then the Faith fails. The enemy of our souls knows that if we jettison the Word, we jettison the Faith. This is the reason He first attacked God’s words when He confronted and tempted our first mother, Did God actually say [Genesis 3:1]?

Boice points to three forms of attack against the Bible. He says people appeal to tradition, or they elevate reason above revelation, or they reject the Bible’s sufficiency.[12] Just as many professed Christians exalt tradition in our day, the Pharisees exalted tradition in Jesus’ day. In part, the Pharisees exalted tradition because it was easier to fit tradition to their lives then it was to fit their lives to the Law. Though the traditions they exalted and embraced were difficult to maintain, they felt that was more manageable than keeping the Law. In fact, it would seem apparent that the Law condemned them and left them feeling uncomfortable, and because of this, they exalted tradition. Many churches today, both liturgical and evangelical, exalt tradition above the Scriptures.

Jesus confronted the religious leaders, Pharisees and scribes alike, in their efforts. He said, you search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about Me, yet you refuse to come to Me that you may have life [John 5:39, 40]. Had they actually studied the Bible, they would have anticipated the advent of Jesus. Later, during as He continued rebuking them, Jesus said, do not think that I will accuse you to the Father. There is one who accuses you: Moses on whom you have set your hope [John 5:45].

Liberalism judges the Bible by appeal to human reason alone, assuming that if what is said through the Bible disagrees with what we consider right, then it is the Bible and not our thinking that is mistaken. It is astonishing for me to watch the growing number of evangelical scholars who elevate their own reason above the Word of God. Such self-exaltation is the height of arrogance. It is tantamount to saying that we know all, that we have examined every alternative, and that we are therefore equipped to sit in judgement both on God and on His Word.

Among professed evangelicals are a growing number of people who reject the teachings of the Bible in favour of their own fallen reason. Open theism doubts that God knows the future, postulating that He is always scrambling to find plan B as things just don’t work out. This rot has invaded the Baptist General Conference and contaminated a number of contemporary evangelical theologians. Universalism is embraced by an increasing number of supposed evangelical theologians, including such stalwarts as Clark Pinnock, supported with moneys donated by Canadian Baptists. They reject the holiness of God in favour of elevating His love. Annihilationalism has grown in favour with many evangelicals. The miracles of Jesus are relegated to the realm of mythology by a dismaying number of scholars. Either we are required to cease relying upon the plain word of the Word and rely upon the ever-shifting mindscape of fallen men, or we must plant our feet firmly on the solid rock of the Bible.

James Boice carefully points out that the first assault against the Word is ancient, having its roots in the practises of the Pharisees. Liturgical churches of today are susceptible to continuing this particular assault against the Word, but it does not have much impact on evangelicalism. The second assault against the Word arose from the Enlightenment and continues to this day as liberalism works throughout the churches as yeast working through a dough. Of course, this error continues with us to this day, always threatening the Faith of Christ as evangelical leaders seek to make themselves acceptable to the world. It is the error of those professing to believe the Word as inerrant and infallible which characterises the third error of rejecting the sufficiency of Scripture.

If the Bible is sufficient for all that God calls us to, we need not think that we can improve upon that Word. If the Bible is sufficient for the evangelistic task of reaching a fallen world, we do not need to reach for sociological techniques and entertainment. Seeking a “star” to promote the Gospel is unworthy of the Bible. Seeking to entertain and reducing worship to mere technique discredits the Word of God. The distortion of “Signs and Wonders” denies the sufficiency of Scripture.

If the Bible is sufficient for growth in Christian character and godliness, then we should question the need for self-help programs and the explosion of counselling. Too many pastors have forsaken the declaration of the Word in favour of counselling. Since they are incapable of performing the former, it should be no great surprise that they are often poorly equipped to perform the latter.

If the Bible is sufficient for changing society, then why do so many evangelicals try to form political action groups or organise noisy demonstrations of one kind or another? Far too many professing Christians are more exercised over who will be elected to Parliament then they are over speaking to their neighbour about the love of God. Far too many professing Christians are more concerned to participate in one demonstration or another then they are to live a godly life.[13]

God’s Word is Certain Until the Consummation of all Things. The eighteenth verse is a rich source of information concerning the enduring quality of God’s Word. Knowledgeable Christians are confident in the eternal nature of the Bible. Listen to these passages from the Old Testament.

Forever, O Lord, your word

is firmly fixed in the heavens.

[Psalm 119:89]

But you are near, O Lord,

and all your commandments are true.

Long have I known from your testimonies

that you have founded them forever.

[Psalm 119:151, 152]

What a powerful testimony are the words of Peter, quoting Isaiah’s prophecy.

All flesh is like grass

and all its glory like the flower of grass.

The grass withers,

and the flower falls,

but the word of the Lord remains forever.

[1 Peter 1:24, 25]

God’s Word is eternal, and Jesus own words will last even longer! In Matthew 24:35, Jesus is recorded as saying, Heaven and earth will pass away; but My words will not pass away. This is astonishing!

In this eighteenth verse are two until clauses which provide some understanding. The first of these clauses, until heaven and earth pass away, simply refer to the end of the age. They are not meant to be a promise that the Word will never pass from existence. The statements from the Psalms and cited by Peter are more enduring, in that respect. In our text, Jesus is simply stating that so long as the present world order persists, the Bible will continue unchanged and regnant for faith and practise.

The second until clause is more difficult to understand. The Greek word pavnta has no antecedent. Thus, all cannot very easily refer to all the demands of the law that must be accomplished, because the word Law almost certainly refers here to all Scripture and not just its commands. Even if that were not so, verse 17 has shown that even imperatival law is prophetic. The word gevnhtai, translated accomplished, must here be understood as happen or come to pass. [14] Therefore, pavnta is best understood to refer to everything in law, considered under the law’s prophetic function. The idea is that the Old Testament will continue in force until all these things have taken place as prophesied. This is not simply pointing to the cross, nor simply to the end of the age. This second clause reveals God’s redemptive purposes and points to their fulfilment in Jesus.

What a tremendous impact the words of Jesus must have had on those listening that day. As He was seated on the hillside, and the people arrayed below Him, the words which He spoke must have hammered into their consciousness, startling them with what were to this time unconsidered implications. Jesus challenged the people to cease attempting to substitute their own concepts for what God has said, and bring themselves into submission to that which was written. Lest they were obtuse and dense, He made the obvious application in the following statements which now are open before us.

Our Submission to God’s Word Determines Our Value in the Kingdom of God. Therefore whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. We who profess to know Christ as Lord are responsible to believe the Bible and to rely on it as a matter of principle. However, it is greatly to be feared that many professing Christians profess to believe the Bible and even know the words of the Bible, but are disobedient to what the Bible commands. Christians are responsible to both know the Word and to obey the Word. Obedience is the ultimate test of whether we actually believe this Word or not.

By the words of the nineteenth verse, Jesus introduces the concept of degrees or gradations within God’s Kingdom. Rewards are based upon standing, and standing is based upon whether we have submitted to the Word of God or not. Honour or dishonour for those of the Kingdom of heaven is determined by obedience and faithful communication of the will of God. We are left with the uncomfortable knowledge that some disciples will rank high within the Kingdom, and others will rank low within that same Kingdom. The evaluation of ranking is determined by obedience to the Word and by communication of the Word. In simple language, disciples are called to personally obey the Word of God and they are responsible to tell others what that Word says. All Christians will be judged by this measure.

This is not a teaching to support exclusion from the Kingdom of God, as some might suppose. The one who relaxes one of the least of these commandments is relegated to a position of least in the Kingdom of heaven, but they are not excluded. What is supported is the concept of rank or position within God’s Kingdom. The teaching of gradations occurs in other instances as well.[15] Some of those other instances which teach rank are worthy of our study.

The mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him with her sons, and kneeling before him she asked him for something. And he said to her, “What do you want?” She said to him, “Say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus answered, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink?” They said to him, “We are able.” He said to them, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” And when the ten heard it, they were indignant at the two brothers. But Jesus called them to him and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. It shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” [Matthew 20:20-28].

Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom his master will set over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master will find so doing when he comes. Truly, I say to you, he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the male and female servants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know, and will cut him in pieces and put him with the unfaithful. And that servant who knew his master's will but did not get ready or act according to his will, will receive a severe beating. But the one who did not know, and did what deserved a beating, will receive a light beating. Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required, and from him to whom they entrusted much, they will demand the more [Luke 12:42-48].

Distinction within the Kingdom of heaven is made according to the measure by which an individual keeps the Word of God, in addition to the faithfulness with which one teaches these same commandments. Teachers of the Bible have a particularly high obligation in this area, we would each agree. However, I call you to notice that the Master does not restrict His words to those called to full-time service. All disciples are included in the teaching before us.

The Apostle to the Gentiles will make it clear that we who are Christians must give an account of our life and service. Whether we are at home or away, we make it our aim to please him. For we must all appear before the judgement seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil [2 Corinthians 5:9, 10]. God observes the life and service each of us renders before Him. What is more, those of the world about us are also watching and they are being instructed by our manner of life and by what we say as we have opportunity to address these truths to them.

If, through seeking to honour God by living according to His Word and through honouring His Word by obeying what He has commanded, we reveal the beauty of holiness, God is glorified and we shall receive His commendation. If, on the other hand, we live to please ourselves and ignore what is written in the Word, applying it only as it is convenient, we dishonour God and bring shame upon ourselves. In the former instance, we may expect to receive God’s commendation and the recognition which accompanies that commendation. In the latter instance, we can only expect His displeasure and the disgrace which accompanies the exaltation of “self.” Whatever our choice in either living for God and for His glory or living for “self” and our own pleasure, there are consequences because others are instructed through our life-style.

In the doing of the will of God, in the obedience to His commands, is instruction for those who watch. As they observe our manner of life, we will be given opportunity to instruct them more perfectly in what we do and the reason for our actions. This is the basis for Peter’s admonition. In your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, always being prepared to make a defence to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you [1 Peter 3:15]. Live according to the Word of God, and others will ask you why you live as you do. Live for yourself, and others will be turned from righteousness.

This is an issue which must be addressed, and the more so in an age characterised by the exaltation of the spirit of “self.” Christianity is a faith based upon a relationship, but the relationship is that of voluntary submission to God as God. We do not merely believe in Jesus as the Saviour of the world, but we embrace Him as Master of life. Too easily forgotten are the words revealing the means of salvation.

Jesus solemnly affirms that our righteousness must exceed that of the religious leaders of that ancient day if we ever hope to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Righteousness, as Jesus used the term in this sermon, demands both external and internal conformity to God’s demands. This is impossible for us as fallen creatures. No one can keep the demands of the Law. Peter spoke of the law as a yoke that neither those who preceded them in the Faith nor they as disciples of Christ were able to keep [Acts 15:10].

Although justification by the imputed righteousness of Christ is the core of the Good News and therefore utterly essential, it is not the whole of the Gospel. Neither is that imputed righteousness what Jesus refers to here. God does justify the ungodly on the basis of Christ’s work, but He does so much more. As Boice says, “God also regenerates the one who is being justified. Thus, there is no justification without regeneration, just as there is no regeneration without justification. The important point is that the re-created person will actually live a moral life superior to that of the Pharisees."[16]

Regeneration, being born from above, is the necessary change in order that an individual may actually live a life pleasing to God. This is what Paul means when he writes, God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ [Ephesians 2:4, 5]. On this basis, we observe two types of works—those of which we are capable of through our own efforts (like the righteousness of the Pharisees) and those produced in us by the new life in Christ living in us. This is the meaning of the words of Ephesians 2:8-10.

By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

This is our invitation to all who listen to this message. Be born from above as you submit to Jesus as Master of life. Receiving Him as Lord of life, you will be transformed, and His righteousness will be imputed to you, permitting you to stand complete before the True and Living God. Thus declared righteous, you will be equipped to live a life which is righteous. Listen to the call of God through the Apostle Paul.

If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” [Romans 10:9-13].

We confess that Jesus is Lord! We call on the Name of the Lord! We come to this Risen Son of God as Lord. When people cry out, What must I do to be saved, we respond, Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved [Acts 16:30, 31]. It is Jesus as Lord who saves. At the heart of discipleship is obedience to Him as Master of life. Our only hope for fulfilling the righteousness of God is to be born again into His family and begin to live a life of obedience to His Word. This is the authority of the Word of God which we proclaim and to which we demand submission of all who profess the Name to Christ. Amen.

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[2] James Montgomery Boice, The Gospel of Matthew: Volume 1, The King and His Kingdom, Matthew 1 – 17 (Baker, Grand Rapids, MI 2001) 79

[3] see John A. Broadus, Matthew: An American Commentary on the New Testament (Judson Press, Valley Forge, PA 1886) 98

[4] Boice, op. cit., 80

[5] R. T. France, Matthew: Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, vol. 1 (Eerdmans, Grand Rapids, MI 1985) 114

[6] Broadus, op. cit., 99

[7] Craig L. Blomberg, Matthew: The New American Commentary, Vol. 22 (Broadman, Nashville, TN 1992) 103

[8] Boice, op. cit., 81

[9] D. A. Carson, Matthew, in Frank E. Gaebelein, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Matthew, Mark, Luke, Vol. 8 (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI 1984) 143-4

[11] France, op. cit., 114

[12] Boice, op. cit., 82-3

[13] ibid. for a thorough discussion of these points

[14] Carson, op. cit., 145

[15] ibid.

[16] Boice, op. cit., 85