-
Welcome to Baptist Board, a friendly forum to discuss the Baptist Faith in a friendly surrounding.
Your voice is missing! You will need to register to get access to all the features that our community has to offer.
We hope to see you as a part of our community soon and God Bless!
Do You See Books as Normative or as Mainly Historical to us?
- Thread starter JesusFan
- Start date
Blank
Active Member
I see the OT as mainly historical ( Genesis 1-3) and the NT as didactic. (Does that make me Pentecostal?)
David Lamb
Well-Known Member
Do you mean the books of the bible, or books generally?
I am not sure I understand the question, but will give it a shot.
Do I see books as determining our standard or norm?
I take it you mean the Bible since you say "recording from God" and "formation of the church".
The Bible is not a history book, although it certainly contains history. So definitely not the last choice
The Bible does reveal God and His standard for our redemption, and our norm (how to live our lives).
If I were to characterize Scripture I's say it is God's Word, a narrative of redemptive history but also the mode through which God communicated through the Spirit His will for how we are to live in this life and the hope we have in Christ.
I am not sure how the Charasmatics made it into the question.
Definition of term:
Normative relates to the formation of a standard, often relating to rules of order, rules of conduct or a standards of behavior.
Reframing your question (Is this what you are asking?)
Is Scripture [relating "to the foundation of the early church'] to be interpreted as setting a standard, or is Scripture to be interpreted simply as an historical account?
Paul, in his letter to Timothy wrote that all Scripture is "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."
so I believe that separating the normative from historical is an err.
The Apostle Paul makes it clear that Scripture sets a standard, it's "normative." Scripture is God breathed, therefore it is God's standard.
However, this doesn't mean that every historical event is something that should be emulated or copied by today's believers.
Your example is charismatic believers, those who follow the pattern of the early church when they claim they are speaking in tongues.
Rob
Normative relates to the formation of a standard, often relating to rules of order, rules of conduct or a standards of behavior.
Reframing your question (Is this what you are asking?)
Is Scripture [relating "to the foundation of the early church'] to be interpreted as setting a standard, or is Scripture to be interpreted simply as an historical account?
Paul, in his letter to Timothy wrote that all Scripture is "profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness."
so I believe that separating the normative from historical is an err.
The Apostle Paul makes it clear that Scripture sets a standard, it's "normative." Scripture is God breathed, therefore it is God's standard.
However, this doesn't mean that every historical event is something that should be emulated or copied by today's believers.
Your example is charismatic believers, those who follow the pattern of the early church when they claim they are speaking in tongues.
Rob
How would you see the examples of healings and miracles in acts, normative for us today to be doing then?
The book of Acts, as that is pretty much the book charasmatics and Pentacostals use to "prove" their theology
was asking if you and others take the examples shown in Acts as what the Holy Spirit did thru the Apostles and others as normative for us, that we should expect also to have healings and miracles as they experienced, as this book is pretty much main book the word of faith, positive confession crowd base their theology upon
You are getting to my OP, as in should we be expecting all that happened in Acts by the Holy Spirit should also be expected to happen same way today, as nominative to us, or as historical what did happen?
Guess I needed some with the "gift of interpretation!"
canadyjd
Well-Known Member
It is an interesting question.
If you look at the miracles recorded in acts and compare them to what passes as “miracles” in charismatic circles you find the latter fails meet that “standard”, as someone stated.
Peter told the man that was crippled from birth that he had no money to give him but then told him to walk in the name of Jesus.
When you understand someone crippled from birth would have extremely small legs, very little muscle mass, no bone density because the legs had never held any weight, the scope of this miracle is even more stunning.
His legs, by necessity, grew. His bones strengthened. His muscle mass grew dense. He, most likely, grew several inches in height.
He also developed, instantaneously, balance and physical coordination. He was leaping with joy.
Now, the churches have money but no power to heal.
So, I don’t know if God intended these miracles to be normative, but I see very little evidence of that being true.
Peace to you
Blank
Active Member
I am not a cessationist if that's what you are asking, I do believe miracles still occur, but not as often as we are led to believe on the boob tube. God still acts sovereignly, especially in missionary environments which the book of Acts portrays.
Last edited:
Yes, God still accomplishes His purposes through His people. Scripture is not just relating stuff that happens in tge past.
Was saved and raised up in the AOG, and was a teaching Elder in their church, and tended to see Acts as describing what we should be expecting as normal for today, but have come full circle to now seeing it as basically inspired historical account of what did happen by the Holy Spirit, but not the textbook to expect exact same results for today
Would agree that God still can do healings and miracles as He chooses to have them down, just that none are gifted as Apostles were today with those signs and wonder gifting
True, but do not see Acts as descriptive of just how the Holy Spirit is working today, as those miracles and healing done by the gifted Apostles not for today as was back then
Blank
Active Member
yes, as He is sovereign. I'm not sure what the cessationists will say about the Two witnesses...
Revelation 11:4-6 KJV
These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth. [5] And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed. [6] These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.