The Importance of Presuppositions, Part 2

Last week I wrote that everyone has presuppositions, which are primary conclusions that are used to make future conclusions. These presuppositions are foundational to our understanding of reality because we are unable to consider every aspect of the world at once, therefore we must come to conclusions about the most important issues in order to determine what we think about other issues. Oftentimes, though maybe not always, the most important presuppositions will be established first.

Today, I want to discuss how presuppositions shape our understanding and our decision-making process. As I said last time, presuppositions influence our future conclusions and even ­determine them. I hope to prove today why that is the case.

Presuppositions have many functions in our mental processes. For example, they are used to determine areas of research for current decisions or pursuits. Consider a detective who is investigating a robbery—if the detective has proof that the thief is well over six feet tall, that evidence will limit the people who are considered to be suspects. The presupposition that the robber is tall will determine the field of characters that are examined. Presuppositions function similarly in theology. Say that a student believes that the Holy Spirit is the member of the Trinity who is most often described as working ‘within’ Christians. If that student is investigating the New Testament record of how God teaches His children, that student may begin by merely looking for relevant passages about the Holy Spirit. If asked why this path of investigation was chosen, the student might respond that he did so ‘intuitively,’ but that would be inaccurate. Really, the student did so because he presupposed that the Spirit worked ‘within’ Christians, so it seemed likely that teaching would fall in the same category.

Presuppositions also function to limit what we accept as possible conclusions. By definition someone who presupposes that a certain event is impossible will, when confronted with evidence of that event occurring, either reject that evidence or will be forced to change that presupposition. Someone who strongly holds that presupposition will almost certainly reject the reality of that event happening, even if confronted with strong and compelling evidence. This has enormous importance for Christians. Believers and unbelievers often hold to their respective positions because of underlying presuppositions which are not easily overcome (though there is much else at play in that case). Two Christian theologians can examine the exact same passages of Scripture and come to very different conclusions—why? Because what they presuppose will determine how they read key terms in those passages, which will determine how they interpret the passage as a whole.

Finally, presuppositions determine the judgment or value that we place on other issues. In the secular world, the presuppositions of someone raised in a democracy will determine the view they take of an uprising in another country. If the rebels in question are throwing off the yoke of a dictator, the citizen of a democracy will probably support them or at least feel that their cause is justified. On the other hand, the citizen of a communist country might feel that the embattled government of that country has the inviolable right to rule and that the cause of the rebels is unjustifiable. The presuppositions of both citizens will determine the value that they place on the democratic reforms in such a country. In the realm of theology, someone who knows about heresies in church history will place a high value on the doctrines related to the person and work of Christ. Someone else, who has no knowledge of church history, would likely think that those doctrines are of some importance, but would probably not guard them as strictly as the first person. The church historian presupposes that these very doctrines are of foundational importance because he knows how errors in this area can lead to heresy and schism, while the less-informed brother may not.

All of this shows how important presuppositions are to daily life and especially to theology. These previous conclusions shape our beliefs and oftentimes determine our future conclusions—they are like unseen roots below the ground. Presuppositions shape who we are, what we believe is possible, and what we think is good and valuable. The importance of presuppositions becomes even more apparent when we realize that presuppositions function the same way even when they are false conclusions. In light of this, consider your presuppositions whenever you take up a debate or consider a new fact.

What are the conclusions you have made that will influence the issue at hand?

That is a question we should all ask ourselves, especially when we study theology. More importantly, we need to ask: “are my presuppositions biblical?”

--Dean of Admissions

The Importance of Presuppositions, Part 1

Presuppositions are foundational beliefs that shape our interpretation of facts or other beliefs. In theological study, in debates, in science, and in all of life, presuppositions shape our understanding in a unique way. I would like to discuss the importance of presuppositions.

First of all, presuppositions are important because everyone has them. You, reader, have presuppositions that influence your interpretation of other facts. I will even be so bold as to argue that your presuppositions determine your interpretation of other facts. We will discuss how presuppositions shape you in a later post, but right now the important fact is that we all have these vital presuppositions. Why do I believe this? I believe we all have presuppositions because we cannot consider all of reality at once. Because of this, we have to come to conclusions about some things and then we immediately use those new conclusions to come to conclusions about other, less important things. What I am saying is that no one thinks about all of reality as ‘up in the air’ at the same time—everyone makes foundational conclusions that will help them make secondary conclusions, which will help them make tertiary conclusions, and so forth.

These can be simple or complex conclusions. For example, your belief that gravity will continue to hold you to the ground with relative consistency is foundational for your ability to believe you can walk across a room. On the other hand, if you come to a certain conclusion about epistemology, only certain types of evidence may appear valid to you, while other evidence may be discounted prima facie. In both cases a former conclusion determines a later conclusion; the former conclusions are what we call presuppositions.

We use these kinds of presuppositions to make decisions on a daily basis and we do so without great thought about what we are doing. To use the previous example, you do not think, “I believe gravity will hold me to the floor, therefore I can walk across the room.” Rather, you simply know and trust that gravity functions a certain way and then you act in accord with what you know. These presuppositions are common to all of humankind, whether they are recognized as such or not.

All people have theological presuppositions as well, even atheists do. An atheist claims to believe (and may seem to be convinced) that there is no God. That belief is relatively foundational to the way they act, just as a Christian’s belief in the God of the Bible is foundational to the way they act. Christians can have some differing presuppositions from other Christians, too. These presuppositions determine what we think of Genesis 1, or Romans 9, or the book of Hebrews. Every person who debates relies on their presuppositions (specifically, they rely on the veracity of their presuppositions) because arguments typically revolve around a very few points. Few arguments begin absolutely at square one: “I believe that I am a human, and that you are as well; I also believe that we are speaking English and that …” so on and so on. Rather, obvious points of agreement are assumed by both parties; those are shared presuppositions but presuppositions nonetheless. The two sides of a debate will also have some opposing presuppositions, it is regarding these, if they are discovered, that the debate will revolve around.

Everyone, then, has presuppositions to one degree or another. They shape and determine how we think, how we act, and what we believe about the world in which we live.  They are very important.

Next week, I hope to talk about how exactly presuppositions influence our thinking.

--Dean of Admissions

Diligence and the Christian Soul, Part 2

Proverbs 13:4—

“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

But the soul of the diligent is made fat.”

As we said earlier, this verse helps us understand God’s perspective on labor and life. God created work as a blessing and work is an essential part of Creation. It is a good thing. We also said that it is an important part of the Christian ethic, since our work is one means that the Lord has appointed for our provision (1 Thes. 4:11-12).

Not only is work an important part of the Christian life, but I hope to show today that diligence in work is the expectation for all Christians. This should be plain from the teaching of the book of Proverbs since the diligent character of the wise or righteous person is consistent with the fear of the Lord (Prov. 8:12-17). Many other passages also describe Christian diligence, to which we will now turn.

Paul, as he describes his own ministry in 1 Corinthians 9, exhorts the Corinthians to run the ‘Christian’ race alongside him. He relates his own ministry in intense terms—boxing, discipline, slavery—showing the laborious nature of his own personal efforts (1 Cor. 9:26-27). When he encourages the Corinthians to run the race, however, he does not merely call them to participate—he calls them to run in such a way that they may win (1 Cor. 9:24). Paul wanted to see these Christian brothers and sisters exerting themselves for the sake of Christ, focusing on Him as if excellence in doing so was a matter of competition! This is a call to diligence.

Likewise, later in the letter he says that the grace of God caused him to labor even more than all others, tying the common Christian bond (being a partaker of grace) to the uncommon efforts that he exerted (1 Cor. 15:10). If the grace of God produced this in Paul, what is producing laziness in our churches or our lives? Instead of indulging ourselves, we need to hear and heed his call in 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.” This is a call to diligence.

Finally, we ought to understand that the Christian’s hope is to be forever with the Lord, ruling as a king alongside Him (2 Tim. 2:12, Rev. 2:26-27, Rev. 3:21) but also serving Him forever as His bondservant (Rev. 7:13-15, Rev. 22:3). Diligent labor is our lot not only in this life but also in the life to come, if we are Christians! Diligence in serving the Lord, then, must be a blessing of the highest order, if it constitutes part of our experience in heaven. By laboring diligently on the earth we show that we are preparing for heaven and looking forward to the final day. This is a call to diligence!

Ask yourself, then, this question: “Does my daily life demonstrate diligence?” Do you diligently labor to serve the Lord in your job (Col. 3:23-24), regardless of the character of your boss (Col. 3:22)? Is it apparent from your actions that you have not been entangled in the affairs of everyday life (2 Tim. 2:4)? Are you running the ‘Christian race’ as if you wanted to win (1 Cor. 9:24)?

Let me encourage you to be diligent, especially in your service to the Lord! He is worthy of nothing less than your very best. If you are a Christian, He saved you by grace apart from your works, so that you would live for His sake with self-abandoning zeal (2 Cor. 5:14-15). Be diligent in your work. Be diligent in your service. And students: be diligent in your studies. It is the Christian way of life.

--Dean of Admissions

Diligence and the Christian Soul, Part 1

The book of Proverbs has much to teach to every generation of Christians; this is as true of our day as any other. The book of Proverbs also has much to teach to seminary students in particular!

 

One of the beautiful lessons we gain from Proverbs is that diligence is a foundational virtue to godly living, that is, to successful living. Today I hope to examine this idea of diligence in order to encourage students and our visitors to live with intense industry in every area of life and especially in our service to God, whether it is related to seminary studies or otherwise.

Proverbs 13:4 says this:

“The soul of the sluggard craves and gets nothing,

But the soul of the diligent is made fat.”

We live in an era and in a country where laziness and ease are considered to be humorous and extremely desirable. It is our natural, fleshly, sinful desire to avoid work and exert the lowest amount of energy possible. We love ease. On the other hand, having to work hard is seen as a difficult and unfavorable circumstance in which to be. Exerting industrious and vigorous efforts toward any goal is regarded as nothing short of a curse.

This mindset is entirely foreign to the mind of God and to the truth of Scripture.

God made humans to work in the Garden of Eden before the Fall (Gen. 2:15 and 2:18), that is to say, work is a blessing since it was part of the ‘very good’ world that God spoke into existence (Gen. 1:28-31). Even after the Fall into sin, when work became laborious and toilsome, it was still an appointed means of God for blessing (cf. Gen. 3:17-19 where work provides food to eat). Human labor is what God has provided to cause the earth to yield its fullness, along with the other gracious gifts He gives (e.g. rain and sun, cf. Matt. 5:45). So work is a blessing.

The book of Proverbs further shapes our understanding of the world by teaching us how live in relationship with God. We learn in Proverbs that obedience to God is the path to a truly blessed and successful life, regardless of what the world would have us believe. This is especially apparent in regard to the teaching on diligence. The world would have us believe that a person who can live like a sluggard is someone successful—but the Bible dashes that deception to pieces. Notice that Proverbs 13:4 says that the ‘soul’ of the sluggard gets nothing; the soul is the essential part of a person, that is, who they are of themselves or their innermost life. The person who is a sluggard will have intense desires—“the sluggard craves”—but all of those desires will be ultimately unfulfilled.

The truth of this verse is presented by contrast, because the utter poverty of the sluggard in contrasted with the abundance of the diligent person. Not only will the diligent person have some or enough, but their ‘soul’ is made ‘fat’ because of the greatness. People who are industrious and apply themselves to the tasks at hand will prosper compared to those who, when put into the same situation, are lazy. Spiritual, inner abundance comes to the person who is diligent and dedicated—and destitution comes to those who are sluggards.

This is especially important to us as Christians because later in the same chapter, the same ideas are applied to the righteous and the wicked. Look at Proverbs 13:25, which says:

“The righteous has enough to satisfy his appetite,

But the stomach of the wicked is in need.”

The word ‘appetite’ in verse 25 is same Hebrew word as ‘soul’ in verse 4. So the verse could read, “The righteous has enough to satisfy his soul.” This connects the idea of righteousness with the previous teaching on diligence—those who are righteous are also diligent. The fruit of diligence is abundance in the soul, and the soul of the righteous is satisfied.

Let every Christian, then, labor to serve the Lord with diligence in every area of life. We are not our own, we have been bought with a price (1 Cor. 6). Christ died and rose again that we might live for Him (2 Cor. 5). We are to live no longer for the lusts of men but for the will of God (1 Peter 4). It is our calling to live for the purpose and goals of God in this world, and we should delight to labor to those ends. Diligence is a crucial Christian virtue, one that should mark all of our work in this life. Let us be careful, then, to walk according to the path that God has described for us in His word!

In your career, in your family, and in your study, labor diligently to serve the Lord—and we believe that great blessing will result, though it is not the blessing that the world would value.

Galatians 6:7-8

--Dean of Admissions

Good Books

Since next week marks the beginning of the summer semester, let me use this post to encourage you in your studies. Reading is a key component of every type of schooling and it is especially important in the study of the Bible. Books give us access to the theological formulations of previous centuries; they give us access to the thought process of people long since dead. Books give us access to the accumulated knowledge of people who have spent their whole lives studying language and history. Without books, it would be impossible to benefit from all these things.

Nevertheless, in our modern world—though the phenomenon is certainly not new—a glut books crowds the shelves of our libraries, our bookstores, and our homes. Authors are writing at such an incredible pace that even the most dedicated scholar cannot keep up everything that is produced about any one subject. Catalogs full of books are published every year; the pace shows no signs of slowing.

That does not mean, however, that every book is a good book, nor does it even mean that most books are good books. On the contrary, the increasing ease with which we are able to author and publish books seems to have caused a decrease in the depth of most books—an inverse relationship. More books are available, but an ever decreasing percentage of those books are worth reading.

Let me encourage you, then, students and visitors, to READ GOOD BOOKS! Please, please, please, if you are going to read then read what is worthwhile! You could waste your life reading what is trashy and futile without ever exhausting the stock of available, bad books. So don’t do it.

Your time is precious—do you realize that? It will soon be gone. Your life is a vapor. The best possible book to read is the Bible, wherein the truth of God is contained. Yet there is some profit in reading other good books. The Bible is the sole source of our understanding about who God is, but books can help us understand the Bible better through textual exegesis, historical examination, and theological explanation. Good books are good precisely because they clarify what is obscure, whether historically, grammatically, or theologically. Bad books merely distract us from the message of the Bible.

Books can be bad for any number of reasons, but there are two reasons that seem most common. First, books can be bad because they are fallacious and misleading. Any book that leads people away from Christ is definitely a bad book. There are plenty of books in this category from all ages of history. Second, books can be bad because they are poorly written, and this might be the most common kind of bad book. It seems to be particularly a modern phenomenon. Let’s face it—some books are just not worth the recycled paper on which they are printed. Working through a hundred pages for one or two sickly insights into God’s character is an absolute waste of time and is terrible stewardship. Yet these books are being printed by the thousands. If you do not believe me, walk through the ‘religion’ section of any major bookstore. Even many so-called ‘Christian’ books are vague, trite, and man-centered.

So spend your time reading good books. If you are getting well into a book and it seems like a bad book, then put it down and read something else! The blessing of our modern printing capabilities is that we have unprecedented access to good books. All those good books do us no good, however, if we do not read them.

I want to add a final category of good book. Just as some books are bad because they are poorly written, some books are good merely because they are well written. Well written books are good books not necessarily because they give direct insights into God’s character (though I think that is most often the case), but sometimes because they are delightful to read, and as such they are a gift from God. These books can be profitable to read, too.

That being said—read good books! As you read them, praise God for the knowledge of Himself He gives us, and for the blessings He pours out on us in this life. To Him be the glory!

--Dean of Admissions

The Former Prophets

Reading the ‘former prophets’ (Joshua, Judges, Samuel, Kings) in the Old Testament is something that, sadly, few Christians look forward to doing. Oftentimes these books are regarded as dry, boring history with the occasional story that is fit for felt-board lessons in Sunday School, but that does not have much for ‘the rest of us.’

Mercifully, the former prophets did record so much history for us. This history, however, is not dry and boring but is rich, living, and vibrant because it is the truth of God.

Here are some meditations from one of our Old Testament History classes that may be helpful to you as your read the former prophets.

First, it is helpful to remember that these are historical books. The records within these books deal with facts from eyewitness accounts. These authors wrote under the inspiration of the Spirit of God, ensuring that what was recorded was accurate. On top of that, these accounts conform to other historical data and archaeological findings. But the point is, these things really happened to real men and women. Sometimes we lose sight of the historicity of these texts, which often causes us to stand aloof and read them impersonally. No! When we read of victory or of defeat we should understand that real people experienced these things in their lives, both the joy and the agony, the glory and the shame. More importantly than prospering or failing on the earthly level, these men and women really met with God, really had experiences of His grace and favor (or wrath), and really were delivered by Him. They knew God in time and history, just as we do as Christians, so we should treasure these accounts of how God acted and who He is.

Second, while these accounts are historical at every level, they are not mere history. What I mean is that these are historical accounts that also include the prophet’s perspective. When God inspired these people to write His Word, He had them record history along with His own interpretation of it. We know definitively what God thought of David’s adultery and murder because the prophet Nathan was there on behalf of God to rebuke David. We know how God treated Saul’s disobedience because Samuel was there on behalf of God to remove him from the kingship. Through these accounts we see men of God speaking the Word of God to the people of God, so we have the prophetic interpretation of what happened and why. Because of these ins and outs of Scripture, we can know the character of God and learn to live in a way that pleases Him. The knowledge of God’s character contained in these accounts is priceless—so when we read, if we are bored, we are bored with the priceless treasure of knowing God. May He lead us to repentance if that is the case with us.

Finally, these are selective accounts of history. By that I do not mean that authors left out unflattering details or hid the truth so as to present a slanted account. We see all the gory details of sin, all the disgusting effects of pride and evil, and the worst parts of people’s lives. God did not spare the people whom He wrote about, but rather revealed their sinfulness to show His glorious grace and His perfect justice. What I mean by "selective" is that we have faithful accounts that highlight only what God wanted to highlight. God does not give us all the details of all the battles, all the humans, or all the places. Rather, God gives us the perfect combination of accurate facts and details to communicate who He is. God’s desire is to reveal Himself to His people for their encouragement (Rom. 15:4), for their training (2 Tim. 3:16), and to give them the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith in Christ (2 Tim. 3:15). God gave what was necessary and what was best, and did not record many of the the less useful circumstances of history.

God gave us the Scriptures to bless us and to help us, not to burden us. Remember this as you read all of His word.

--Dean of Admissions

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--Dean of Admissions