Biblical Theology

Introduction: Alarming Statistics

A 2018 survey of American Evangelicals exposed some shocking statistics.

Even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation.

God counts a person as righteous not because of one’s works but only because of one’s faith in Jesus Christ.: 91% would agree. Justification by faith alone seems to be agreed upon by a majority of evangelicals, however, those same evangelicals seem to have some false understanding.

Even the smallest sin deserves eternal damnation. 60% Disagree

Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God.

Jesus is the first and greatest being created by God. 78% Agree

The Bible’s condemnation of homosexual behavior doesn’t apply today. 44% Agree

Many people have a wrong understanding of the Bible. They think that the Bible is a collection of rules, short sayings, and unconnected stories. They will read the bible and walk away with the wrong view of God. We see this in health and wealth gospel churches, in social gospel churches.

2 Timothy 4:3–4 ESV

3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.

2 Peter 2:1 ESV

1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

Getting the bible right is very important. I would submit to you, that it is the most important thing that churches get right. Our chief end, our ultimate purpose, is to glorify God, to represent Him as the image-bearers that He created. That requires theology; that is the study of God. We need to know God if we are to glorify Him, and the way that we know God is through His word. Nowhere else. If we want to know God, we have to learn about Him from His Word. That is biblical theology and that is one of the marks of a healthy church. It should be one of the core values of any church.

It simply means that we want to read the Scripture and get the meaning of the Scripture correct. The Bible tells one story and we want to accurately communicate that story.

Exposition

Lets turn our attention to a story in the Bible where God was not known very well and see what they did to learn and follow God.

They Read the Written Word of God.

22:1 Josiah

One of the few good kings of Israel, and one of the only ones that it is said he walked in the ways of the Lord), was eight years old when he began to reign (He was the son and grandson of one of the most wicked kings in Israel’s history. When he came to the throne at 8 he came to a very wicked culture that did not follow, acknowledge, or worship God. Imagine how hard that must have been for him. He had a co-regent – his mother) and he reigned 31 years.

So lets turn our attention to a story in the Bible where God was not known very well and see what they did to learn and follow God.

1. They Read the Written Word of God

(1). 22:1: Josiah (One of the few good kings of Israel, and one of the only ones that it is said he walked in the ways of the Lord), was eight years old when he began to reign (He was the son and grandson of one of the most wicked kings in Israel’s history. When he came to the throne at 8 he came to a very wicked culture that did not follow, acknowledge, or worship God. Imagine how hard that must have been for him. He had a co-regent – his mother) and he reigned 31 years.

(2). 22:2: And he did what was right in the eyes (sight) of the Lord (How did he know what do to do? More than likely it was his mother who taught him what she knew. We do know that he began early to slowly confront the culture) and walked in all the way of David his father (figuratively speaking, he was a descendent of David – his father was Amon and grandfather Manassah – both extremely wicked). And he did not turn aside from the right to the left (that phrase shows you right there how he walked. He walked straight toward God. He would not have the moments where he strayed to the right or left).

(3). 22:3: In the eighteenth year of King Josiah (That means that he is now 26 years old) the king sent (This is key – he took initiative. He was obeying what he knew. Now, he didn’t know much. He did have his faithful mother, but he didn’t have the priests, the temple, or the law (those things were muted as we see in other passages where the temple was being used as a den for male prostitutes – : and he broke down the houses of the male cult prostitutes who were in the house of the Lord) the king sent Shaphan…to the house of the Lord (Shaphan was the King’s secretary. He was sending him to begin the process of repairing the Temple 22:5. This was his attempt at doing some good to restore truth to a darkened land).

(4). 22:8: And Hilkiah the High Priest said to Shaphan, “I have found the book of the law (the book of the covenant between God and his people in covenant relationship) in the house of the Lord.” Where had this book been? For 57 years (practically a generation) a wicked king (55 years) reigned in Manasseh and two in his son Amon. It appears Manasseh knew the law and had prophets come to him (see ). Yet he led the people astray, and they fogot their relationship with the Lord.

(4). 22:8: And Hilkiah the High Priest said to Shaphan, “I have found the book of the law (the book of the covenant between God and his people in covenant relationship) in the house of the Lord.” Where had this book been? For 57 years (practically a generation) a wicked king (55 years) reigned in Manasseh and two in his son Amon. It appears Manasseh knew the law and had prophets come to him (see ). Yet he led the people astray, and they fogot their relationship with the Lord.

(5). 22:10: Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, “Hilkiah the priest has given me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king. They have found the book of the law that explains to them how to live with God who has covenanted to be with God. In the absence of this book (the absence was their nations wicked doing) resulted in that ignorance. God honors the initiative to “know” Him.

(6). This stresses a key point. God wants to be known. I am glad that God doesn’t hide from his people but reveals himself. God has given us lots of information so that we can know who He is. He didn’t give a vision, a miracle, he gave his law. They read his law. His covenant. Illustration: You read the contract when you want to clarify: If we want to know God we need to examine what He has said about himself.

2. They Researched the Word of God.

(1). There was a response to the word. 22:11: When the king heard the words of the law he tore his clothes. That is normal. When we hear the Bible and really understand it we see who we are, and who God is. That produces a response.

(2). But the emotional reaction is not all they did. They want to really research the word of God and study what it has to say. Why? This is serious stuff here! God is speaking.

(3). Illustration: In a former life, I was in the Navy. I was on sonar technician on a submarine. One of the duties that I frequently performed was to measure and analyze the temperature, salinity and pressure of the water to determine how sound would behave at any given depth. This required launching a probe to take these measurements. So how do you take a probe that is four inches in diameter that is inside a submarine that is submerged and get it outside of the submarine to make these measurements? That requires making a four inch opening to the outside, to the ocean. You can see how that is not generally a good idea. The process required reading and following some precise instructions. If I remember correctly, this checklist had almost a hundred steps that had to be followed to prevent flooding the submarine. You didn’t just read the checklist, you understood the checklist.

(4). 22:13: Go inquire of the Lord for me, and for the people, and for all Judah concerning the words of this book that has been found. The inquiring was to study and examine, so he appointed several to do this job. They wanted to be careful that they got the correct interpretation of the law of God. Are we that concerned? Illustration: all the wrong ways we use verses to justify what we want.

3. They Had a Reaction to the Words of God.

(1). The Word, when rightly understood, has implications on the people of God. If you read the Bible and you do not change, then you do not understand what you are reading. Notice how Josiah is so moved by what has been revealed, and so are the people:

(2). 23:2: …And he read in their hearing all the words of the book of the law.

(3). Then the people actually began to change their long-held beliefs, lifestyles, and habits.

(i). The Passover was instituted (Chapter 23).

(ii). The false gods were done away with (Chapter 23).

(4). This is why we study Biblical Theology. We want to see spiritual growth and change in the life of God’s people.

Closing:

Our wisdom, in so far as it ought to be deemed true and solid wisdom, consists almost entirely of two parts: the knowledge of God and of ourselves[1]

Biblical Theology is important. How else will we know who God, our creator, is? How else will we know who we are, in relation to this Holy God? How else will we know how to fulfill our purpose to bring Him glory and image Him, unless we read, examine, and respond to His word?

[1] John Calvin and Henry Beveridge, Institutes of the Christian Religion, vol. 1 (Edinburgh: The Calvin Translation Society, 1845), 47.