Reflections - BRI Newesletter #53

7/25/2019 Reflections - BRI Newesletter #53

1/9Reflections 53, January 2016 adventistbiblicalresearch.org1

Some Toughts on theInspiration o the Bible

he word inspiration can have different

meanings. An orchestra can give an

inspired performance. Artists can speak

about what inspires them. Athletes are

inspired by their Olympic goals. In

each case inspiration is something quite different

from what the Apostle Paul meant when he said:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is

protable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for

instruction in righteousness (2 Tim 3:16 NKJ)

Revelation and inspiration in the Bible belongtogether. While revelation reers primarily to the con-tents o Gods communication (Rev 1:1), i.e. the actualmessage; inspiration describes the means God usedto communicate his message to sinul human beings,or example, in visions and dreams (Num 12:6) or bythe moving o the Holy Spirit on the biblical authors.Peter says, Men spoke rom God as they were carried

along by the Holy Spirit. (2 Pet 1:21 NIV). As a leave iscarried along by the wind, so the writers o Scripturewere carried along by the Spirit, they could not controlthe Spirit, they had to proclaim the message rom God.

When the prophet Balaam was hired by Balak,king o the Moabites, to curse Israel, he was promisedearthly riches (Num 22:37). But when, under the inspi-ration, he tried to curse Israel, he could only proclaim ablessing (Num 23:7-10, 18-24). In Scripture, inspirationguarantees the accuracy o that which is revealed. Because the Bible does not develop a ull theoryo inspiration, various views have arisen in regardto the nature o inspiration: (1) Te intuition theory

defines inspiration as a heightened degree o insight.Te biblical authors were religious geniuses but inprinciple no different rom other great thinkers, suchas Plato, Buddha or Mohammed. (2) Te illumina-tion theory allows or the working o the Holy Spirit,

but only in heightening the biblical authors naturalabilities. Tere is no special communication o truth,but merely a deeper perception o spiritual matters.(3) Te plenary or dynamic view o inspiration has theSpirit o God imbuing the writers with the thoughtsand concepts they are to pass on. Tis view allowsthe writers own personality to come into play in thechoice o words and expressions. (4) In the verbalinspiration theory the Holy Spirit supplies not onlythe thoughts but also the words and expressions, albeitrom the writers own vocabulary and background. (5)Te dictation theory teaches that the Holy Spirit actu-ally dictated the biblical books to the various writers.

Tis means that there is no distinctive style attribut-able to the different authors o the biblical Books.1 Inthe last two theories the prophets and apostles can becompared to Gods pens rather than his penmen. Te first two views are generally held by liberalscholars. Te dictation theory goes back to Philo andJosephus2and was held by a ew Christians, but israrely ound today. However, it is oen equated with

verbal inspiration which is the commonly acceptedview among evangelical Christians.

Inspiration - The Claims of ScriptureAny discussion about the inspiration o the Bible

Theological Focus

Some Toughts on the Inspiration o the Bible ......................1What is in Your Heart?: Lessons rom a Biblical

Character ...............................................................................3Scripture Applied

Lessons rom Daniel 6 ...............................................................5Book Notes

Te Love o God: A Canonical Model .....................................6

News

Annual Council Appoint BRI Scholars or 20162020 ............................................ ................................. 8Initiatives o the Biblical Resesarch Committee o the Inter-European Division .......................................... 8Initiatives o the Biblical Research Committee o the Southern Asia-Pacific Division ................................... 8

New Publication.................................................................................9

By Gerhard Pandl



must take into account what the inspired writersthemselves said about it. In the Old estament, thewriters requently claim to be recording the verywords o God, or example, Ten the Lord spoke toMoses, saying. . . (Exod 25:1), or Te word o theLord came to me, saying . . . (Ezek 32:1). David said,Te Spirit o the Lord spoke by me, and His wordwas on my tongue (2 Sam 23:2). According to H. M.Morris, there are about 2600 such claims in the Old

estament.3 Te New estament confirms the divine inspira-tion o the Old estament. Paul wrote, All Scripture isgiven by inspiration o God (2 im 3:16). And Peterstated that prophecy never came by the will o man,but holy men o God spoke as they were moved by theHoly Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). Te same is true, o course, o the New estament.Although the apostles do not claim inspiration as

requently as did the Old estament writers, it is clearthat they did regard their messages as given by divineauthority. Paul, or example, wrote, Tese things wealso speak, not in words which mans wisdom teachesbut which the Holy Spirit teaches (1 Cor 2:13), andWhen you received the word o God which you heardrom us, you welcomed it not as the word o men, butas it is in truth, the word o God (2 Tess 2:13).

Paul also acknowledged the inspiration o otherparts o the New estament. In 1 imothy 5:18 hequotes rom both estaments as Scripture, AFor theScripture says, You shall not muzzle an ox while ittreads out the grain, and, Te labourer is worthy o hiswages. Te first part o the text is a quote rom Deuter-onomy 25:4 and the second rom Luke 10:7. Similarly,Peter reers to the writings o Paul as Scripture whenhe says that in Pauls epistles are some things hard tounderstand, which untaught and unstable people twistto their own destruction as they do also the rest o theScriptures (2 Peter 3:15,16). In summary, the Bibleclearly claims to be the inspired word o God.

Inspiration A Definition Troughout Scripture, the biblical authors claimto be inspired. But how does inspiration actuallywork? Paul tells us that the Bible was given by inspi-ration (2 im 3:16). Te Greek word used literallymeans God-breathed. Te NIV, thereore, translates:All Scripture is God-breathed. Te idea here is thatGod through the Holy Spirit influenced the humanauthors in such a way that what they wrote becameHis word.

In contrast to the verbal inspiration theory,Seventh-day Adventists believe that the Holy Spirit

inspired a prophets thoughts, not his or her words,except in texts where Gods words are actually quoted.Tat is, under the influence o the Holy Spirit, thethoughts o the authors became the thoughts Godwanted them to write down. God provided thethoughts, and the prophets, in relaying the divine mes-sage, supplied the best words in their vocabulary. Inthis way, the personality o the writers was not over-ridden, because each expressed in his own words what

had been revealed to him. Although the prophet washuman with sinul tendencies, the operation o theHoly Spirit guaranteed the truthulness o the messageas an expression o Gods will. Ellen White describesthe process o inspiration by saying:

Te Bible is written by inspired men, but it isnot Gods mode o thought and expression. It is thato humanity. God, as a writer, is not represented . . .Te writers o the Bible were Gods penmen, not His

pen. Look at the different writers. It is notthe words o the Bible that are inspired,but the men that were inspired. Inspira-tion acts not on the mans words or his

expressions but on the man himsel, who,under the influence o the Holy Ghost,is imbued with thoughts. But the wordsreceive the impress o the individual mind

Te divine mind is deused. Te divine mind and willis combined with the human mind and will; thus theutterances o the man are the word o God.4

Nature and Authority Such a view o the inspiration o Scripture makesthe Bible unique in nature and authority. Tough Godused human beings to write the books o the Bible,

they cannot be credited to them, but must be attribut-ed to God. Because the contents o Scripture has itsorigin in God, it is endowed with reliability and trust-worthiness. With the Psalmist the Christian, thereorecan say: Your word is a lamp unto my eet and a lightto my path (119:105). I have yet to hear a man or woman say: I was ina terrible state; I was a hopeless alcoholic, a disgraceto my amily. I contemplated suicide. But then I beganstudying philosophy and science, and this completelychanged me. Since then Ive been happy as can be!However, there are hundreds-o-thousands o peo-ple around the world who can testiy that reading

the Bible has changed their lives. Tat is because theSpirit who inspired the Scriptures is the same HolySpirit who speaks through the Word to the heart o itsreaders. Not all will respond,but those who do will expe-rience a transormation otheir lives.

Gerhard Pfandlis Retired

Associate

Director of the Biblical

Research Institute

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for

doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in

rightheousness, (2 Tim 3:16).



1 Millard J. Erickson, Christian Teology, (Grand Rapids, MI:Baker, 1985), 207.2A. H. Strong, Systematic Teology(King o Prussia, PA:Judson Press, 1907), 209.

3Henry M. Morris,Many Inallible Proos(San Diego, CA:Creation-Lie Publisher, 1974), 157.4Ellen G. White, Selected Messages, 3 vols. (Washington, DCReview and Herald, 1958), 1:21.

What is in Your Heart?:Lessons rom a BiblicalCharacterBy Ekkehardt Mueller

Close attention to biblical characters canprovide useul insights or preaching and

teaching the Bible. Tis essay illustratesthis claim by looking at the prophet Ezra.Israel had been in the Babylonian exile

according to Jeremiah it would last seventy yearsandthe Jews were allowed to return to their land under thePersian king Cyrus. But this happened only gradually,with different groups returning. Ezra 7 and 8 reports onthe journey o one group that returned rom Babylon toJerusalem. Tey le on the first day o the first month inthe seventh year o Artaxerxes and arrived on the firstday o the fih month. Quite a journey! oday in anairplane it is a matter o one or two hours.

But the return o the Jews rom the exile is men-tioned here as the backdrop to better ocus on Ezraas a person. We appreciate people who have helpedshape our lives positively. We appreciate those whohave set an example in loyalty, courageous behavior,and commitment to a good cause. Biblical charactersare among them, and oen are the first to be listed.Good lessons can be learned rom biblical characters.One o them is Ezra. In Ezra 7:16 he is described asa priest and as a scribe skilled in the law o Moseswhich the Lord God o Israel had given. In verse11 this description is repeated in other terms. Ezrais a priest and a scribe, a scribe o the words o the

commandments o the Lord. Te term scribe isrepeated twice in verse 11. Some translations renderthe second occurrence as skilled in the words othe commandments o the Lord. With verse 12 thedecree o Artaxerxes begins. Again Ezra is called thepriest, the scribe o the law o the God o heaven.However, most remarkablein my opinionis verse10: For Ezra had set his heart to study the law o theLORD and to practice it, and to teach His statutesand ordinances in Israel.

Lessons to be Learned Tis text provides us with at least our insights.

1. The Heart Counts Many people today do their job just because they

have to do it. It may be difficult enough to find a job.So they are orced to take what they can get. Tey haveto make a living and earn money. Some have the lux-ury o choice and find themselves a career that allowsthem to make themselves a name and/or to get plentyo money. Apart rom the lucrative financial benefits,their heart may not be with their job. Ezra 7 tells us that Ezra was a scribe by proessionbut he was more than a proessional scribe who did his

job because it was his task to do it. Ezra was person-ally involved. It must have been his hearts desire tobe amiliar with the word o God. Ezra set his heart to

seek the word o God, do it, and teach it. Tis phraseis primarily talking about commitment, devotion, anddedication. . Te heart was not only the seat o emo-tions but also o the intellect. Tus the heart stood orthe mind, will, and determination. Ezra had devotedhimsel to the three things mentioned1studying,observing, and teaching. Te term or connects verse 10 with the preced-ing verse: the good hand o his God was upon him.Why? Because he had devoted his lie to his ministry!His heart was in it! A job perormed or a secularcompany may be done without much o personalinvolvement, although even then it is better to have a

personal interest in what one is doing.Tis is all the more so when what we do has to dowith the kingdom o God. Halfearted service, divid-ed interest is not enough when it comes to God. Youcannot serve two masters. Where your treasure is,there your heart will be also. Seek first Gods Kingdomand his righteousness, and all the things important tolie will be added to you, Jesus said (Matt 6:21, 24, 33).Ezras commitment was paired with Gods blessing.

2. Study Scripture Ezra elt it important to commit himsel to liter-ally seeking, that is, exploring and investigating, the



law (orah) o Yahweh, which is the Word and alsothe law o God. Te Word o God is like a mine whichwe can dig to find treasures. While some treasures areound at the surace, many are not. One has to dig andsearch, read and try to understand, compare one withanother, and establish a biblical teaching.

Even a child is able to grasp the simple concept ohow we can be saved. But the Scriptures also containcomplex concepts and statements that challenge our

mind and our lives; no wonder, we are dealing withissues that relate to God and surpass humanity. Weare talking about human paradoxes and limitations oour understanding because we can reach out beyondour own dimension and get in touch with the tran-scendent Lord, the Infinite One. And yet reading andstudying Scripture regularly comorts us, moves us,helps us to new insights, and brings us in contact withour Maker.

Study o the Word o God is a prerequisite orknowing God, His plan o salvation, and His will. It isthe oundation o the Christians lie and our spiritual

journey.

3. Practice What You Have Found Searching and exploring does not achieve much,i we are only intellectually enlightened. While this isgood, it is not good enough. Studying Scripture mustaffect our daily lie. Ezra allowed this to happen. Hepracticed what he ound. He lived the will o God, ascan be seen later in the book. An uncompromisingcommitment to the will o God led to a change obehavior and attitude in Judah (mixed marriages); inmodern terms we would say to revival and reorma-tion. Christianity appears oentimes as unattractive

because its adherents are no different rom the secularpopulation. Tey are still as greedy and angry, as sel-ish and proud, as pleasure-loving and compromisingas many others. It was not only Nietzsche, the atheistGerman philosopher, who said that Christians wouldneed to look more like redeemed people in orderor him to believe in their savior. Adherents o otherworld religions tell us the same thing.

Tere are plenty o Christian scholars anduniversity proessors who study and teach Scripture,but it does not make a difference. Why? Because theyhave not allowed the Bible to be the Word o God, andmake a difference in their lives. Tey have not been

changed themselves. Tey do not have a living com-munion with the Lord, a heart o compassion, peace inChrist, assurance o salvation. One has to do the willo God to experience growth and change. Ezra hadset his heart on practicing the will o God, living withHim, obeying Him.

4. Teach What You Have Found and Practiced Ezra taught the Word o God. In the Old estament,teaching the law o God was a unction o the priestsand Levites. Ezra was a priest, and he ulfilled the task towhich he as a priest had been called. But Ezra was also ascribe.

Scribes were sometimes proessional secretariesand sometimes government officials. So scribes mayhave recorded decisions o the elders, court rulings,and marriage contracts. Tey may have also been incharge o various records, and have copied documentsincluding biblical documents. But or some their taskwas not exhausted in recording decrees or passing ontraditions. Tey also taught the Word o God.

In N times teaching had already moved to the

scribes. Tey were proessional theologians, Biblicalscholars. Some o the most amous scribes at the timeo Jesus were Gamaliel, Hillel, and Shammai. Teyinterpreted the orah and applied it to their situation.Later in Judaism, a teacher o orah was called a rabbiEzra was at the transition point when the teachingoffice begins to pass rom the priests and Levites to thescribes. Tis transition occurred aer the BabylonianExile.

We have to return to the three aspects o ministryto which Ezra was devoted: studying Scripture, livingScripture, and teaching Scripture. Tese three aspectso ministry are interdependent. One called by God to

teach must also study and obey.2Ezra was not only astudent o Scripture, but explicitly a practitioner andespecially a teacher o its requirements . . . what hetaught he had first lived, and what he lived he had firstmade sure o in the Scriptures. With study, conduct,and teaching put deliberately in this right order, eacho these was able to unction properly at its best: studywas saved rom unreality, conduct rom uncertainty,and teaching rom insincerity and shallowness.3

Te model teacher in Ezra is a doer. And thedoer can be no mere demonstrator. He must bewhathe would have his disciples be.4We today are the

priesthood o believers. It is important that we prac-tice what we find in the gospel; we also need to teachand pass it on to our children, non-Christians, andeven Christians. In doing so it will become even moreimportant, meaningul, and resh or ourselves.

Te Great Commission is addressed to all disci-ples and calls us, among other things to get involvedin teaching: Go thereore and make disciples o all thenations, baptizing them in the name o the Father andthe Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observeall that I commanded you; and lo, I am with youalways, even to the end o the age (Matt 28:1920).

Although some people in church are especially

gied with teaching, all o us in one way or anothermust teach. But teaching must be based on studyingand practicing. In Acts 19 a sad story is recorded, in which thesethree dimensions were not connected. Some Jews gotinvolved in exorcism. Tey attempted to expel evil spiritrom people. However, they did that in a strange way.Tey used a kind o ormula and thought it would work.Te ormula was: In the name o Jesus, whom Paulpreaches, I command you to come out. Tis ormula isrevealing. First, they think they can use a sentence likemagic, and the desired outcome happens. It does not.Secondly, they have heard about Jesus and Paul, but they



do not seem to believe in Jesus and practice discipleship.Te result is devastating: the evil spirit answered them,Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?Ten the man who had the evil spirit jumped on themand overpowered them all. He gave them such a beatingthat they ran out o the house naked and bleeding (Act19:1516, NIV).

Conclusion

Ezra had devoted himsel to the study and ob-servance o the Law o the LORD, and to teaching itsdecrees and ordinances in Israel (Ezra 7:10). Tis washis call. He ollowed it. It is ours too today. We toono matter what our proession or jobmust devoteourselves wholeheartedly to:1. Studying Scripture2. Practicing Scripture3. eaching Scripture As we do this, the Lord will bless us as he blessedEzra and will make our ministry ruitul and our liemeaningul. His gracious hand will be on us (Ezra

7:9). I hope to have shown in the above reflection howruitul a close examinationo biblical characters canbe or biblical teaching andpreaching, and or the devo-tional lie as well.

Ekkehardt Muelleris

Associate

Director of the BiblicalResearch Institute

1Mervin Breneman, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, New AmericanCommentary (Nashville, N: Broadman & Holman, 1993),129.2 Breneman, 130.3 H. G. M. Williamson, Ezra, Nehemiah, Word Biblical Com-mentary 16 (Waco: Word Books, 1985), 93 (quoting Kidner)4McConville, Ezra-Nehemiah and the Fulfillment oProphecy, Vetus estamentum36 (1986): 47.

Lessons rom Daniel 6By Ekkehardt Mueller

F

reedom o conscience and religious libertyare constantly threatened in this world.Again and again there are persecution, im-prisonment, and killing o people or their

religious convictions. Daniel 6 describessuch a situation. Tis chapter is the last chapter in thehistorical part o the book o Daniel; it deals with thetime o the Medes and Persians. From chapter 7 on wewill encounter the prophetic part o the book.

I. Discussion of the Chapter

1. Te Historical Backgroundvv. 13 Under the Medes and Persians Daniel

quickly rose high in rank. What could thephrase because an excellent spirit was inhim mean?- Wisdom, insight, knowledge

- Faithulness and reliability- Excellent administration and wise lead-ership

- Knowledge o God and knowledge ohuman nature

2. Intrigues of the Satrapsvv. 45 Intrigues happened constantly at royal

courts and still happen today in govern-ments and business. Daniel also becamea target. He was being spied on. Result:it was ound that he was innocent andrighteous in every respect. His only vul-

nerability was his religion. Tus Daniel is aremarkable example or believers.

vv. 48 How are the governors and satraps in verses48 depicted?

- Envious, ambitious, egotistic- Tey wanted to get rid o Daniel.- Tey were cruel and ready to kill

anyone who would interere with theirinterests.

- Tey flattered the king and obtained alaw that was able to harm Daniel.

- Tey were hypocritical and conniving.- Tey were not interested in whether or

not a person was innocent.- Tey used Daniels different religion to

turn against him.How would we characterize the king?

- He was flattered.- He did not notice that the proposeddecree was directed against Daniel, andmay have been quite nave at this point.

- Because the law o the Medes and Per-sians was considered to be unchange-able, by creating a new law the king gotDaniel and himsel in trouble.

- He was an absolute ruler who may nothave cared much about human lie.

v. 9 Te decree was signed.

3. Daniels Reaction



v. 10 What do we learn rom Daniels prayer liein the Book o Daniel (chapters 2, 6, and 9)?- For Daniel, praying was a necessity. He

prayed regularly.- Even under difficult circumstances

Daniel turned to God in prayer withaith.

- For Daniel it was more important topray than to live.

- Daniels prayer consisted o petition,praise, thanksgiving, conession o sin,and intercession.

- He experienced marvelous ulfillmentso prayer.

- In spite o his many duties and all thestress that he may have had, he madetime or prayer.

- Prayer may have been the key to hissuccess.

- Daniel prayed regularly and retreatedto a special place at specific times.

Why did Daniel continue to pray in such away that he could be seen?- It would have been a denial o his aith

not to continue praying in the sameway he did beore.

- It would have recognized the king asthe highest authority and lord.

- His connection to God was importantto him, especially in a crisis.

- A secret reusal to obey orders wouldstill have been a reusal to obey orders.He had nothing to hide.

Daniel was most likely more than eighty

years old. How does old age relate to aith-ulness to God?- One can be aithul to God regardless

o age. Te temptations encountered byyoung people and the railty o old agedo not justiy unaithulness.

- Daniel had already experienced Godsinterventions. Tey may have helpedhim to stand on Gods side in the great-est crisis o his lie.

4. Te Governors before the Kingvv. 1113 Aer Daniel was spied out, he was accused.

With the designation prisoner Danielwas degraded and made suspect as a rebel.v. 14 Finally the king was able to notice the

intrigue. He tried to save Daniel.v. 15 Te governors pressured the king to have

Daniel executed, arguing with the indissol-ubility o the law.

5. Daniel and then the Governors in the Li-ons Den

vv. 16, 20 What do these verses reveal about Daniel?- Daniel was highly esteemed by the king.- Te king recognized Daniel as a servant

o God and expected rom this Godshelp and Daniels salvation.

- Te king did not eel that Daniels aithwas a crime against his kingdom. Indi-rectly he praised him or his religion.

- Daniel did not serve God sporadicallybut constantly.

v. 17 Te verdict was executed. Sealing had adouble purpose: (1) Te king wanted to

prevent Daniel rom being killed in a man-ner other than by lions. (2) Te adminis-trators o the kingdom wanted to preventthe king rom saving Daniel.

v. 18 Te king was stricken with sorrow.vv. 1920 Darius hoped that God would save His

servant through a miracle. In some way,Darius recognized God.

vv. 2122 Daniel was alive and turned to the king.Why did Daniel claim to be innocent onlyafer his salvation?- I he had claimed innocence beore his

execution, it could have been interpret-

ed as ear and cowardice.- It would not have helped anyway be-

cause he had transgressed the law.- Attempts to justiy onesel in such a

situation create more problems. Jesusdid not justiy himsel either.

Daniel attributed his salvation to God.v. 23 His trust was rewarded. He was able to

leave the lions den, because the law didnot demand death but the lions den.Why did God allow Daniel to be throwninto the lions den and not save him right

away?Possible answers:- It should help the king to get to know

the true God.- Maybe God wanted to let Daniel have a

new experience o His power.- It happened so that we would be en-

couraged (1 Cor 10:6).vv. 1924 Te liberation o Daniel rom the lions

den was at the same time o his enemiesdoom. Tis topic is also ound in Rev1318: Gods people are about to be killed(Rev 13:15); however, symbolic Babylon is

being judged (Rev 18:67).

6. Darius Confession and Decreevv. 2528 Daniels God was made known in the

Persian Empire. o some extent, Dariusacknowledged this God. Daniel had a highposition with the Medes and Persians.

II. Application Religious liberty is an important right. It is indi-

rectly mentioned in the Old and New estaments(see Acts 5:29). In many countries it is one o thebasic human rights.



However, religious liberty was and is seldomgranted (as seen in human history rom ancientRome to the present). It is limited or non-existentin many countries.

According to the book o Revelation religiousliberty and personal reedom will again be threat-ened, and humanity will experience a situationsimilar to Daniel 6. Tis chapter provides guide-lines or Christian behavior.

Some o us still enjoy liberty. Tereore we can

reely pray (6:10), serve God and ellow humans(6:16, 20), witness about God (6:22), and studyScripture (9:2). We should take advantage o thissituation.

Conclusion Te Lord does not leave His people alone, even atthe end o time when they have to go through lionsdens and suffer the loss o religious liberty. Tey

remain aithul in prayer and witnessing.

John C. Peckman

The Love of God:

A Canonical

Model(Downers Grove, IL: IVP

Academic, 2015), 295 pages.US$24.95

John C. Peckham is associate pro-essor o theology and Christianphilosophy at the Teological Semi-nary o Andrews University, BerrienSprings, Michigan. Te book is based

on Peckhams Ph.D. dissertation, which ex-plains the scholarly and technical languageo the book. It has nine chapters and threeappendices.

Te first chapter introduces the readerto the two prominent but irreconcilabletheological models o the nature o divinelove: (1) the transcendent-voluntaristmodel is the traditional Christian un-derstanding o Gods love. It teaches thatdivine love or the world is sovereignlywilled, unconditional, unmotivated, un-merited, reely bestowed, and maniestedultimately in Christs sel-sacrifice; (2) themodern immanent-experientialist modelis based on process theology which teaches

that God is not omniscient or omnipres-ent, but part o the historical process, i.e.,God is bound up essentially with the worldand dependent on it. Tis model teachesthat divine love is universal sympathy, i.e.,God eels all eelings o the world, he isaffected by it and changes accordingly.

In chapter two the author describeshis methodology, the final-orm canoni-cal approach to systematic theology. Tisapproach has a high view o Scripture, itacknowledges the dual authorship (divineand human) o the Bible, and uses the

grammatical-historical method o exege-sis. Ten, in contrast to the two modelsin chapter one, Peckham introduces thereader to the oreconditional-reciprocalmodel o divine love. By oreconditionalhe means Gods love is prior to all otherlove and offered to creatures prior to anyconditions but not exclusive o condi-tions (p. 66). Tat is, as ar as Gods willis concerned his love is unconditional,but in regard to the ongoing God-worldrelationship it is conditional. Aer a study o the biblical words or

love (chap. 3), the author in chapter ouraddressed the question, does God lovereely and, i so, what does it mean? Teoreconditional-reciprocal model positsthat divine love or creatures is volitional.It is neither essential to Gods being noressential to his existence. God reely loveshumans and calls humans to reely lovehim in return. Gods love or the world

takes place within the context o a bilateralree volitional relationship. Te evaluative aspect o divine loveis dealt with in chapter five. In contrast tothe view that Gods love or his creatures iscompletely disinterested, the author believesthat God delights and takes pleasure inhis creatures and in response to negativecircumstance may be displeased, vexedand grieved. Along the same lines is thequestion in chapter six, whether Gods loveis emotionally responsive to human dispo-

sition and action? Yes, says Peckham, Godslove is emotional because he has openedhimsel up to reciprocal relationships withhis creatures. Te nature o this mutual loverelationship is urther explained in chaptersseven and eight. God always initiates thelove relationship with human beings and itis particularly enjoyed by those who reelyreciprocate Gods love. Te last chapter summarizes andrestated that Gods love is volitional,evaluative, emotional, oreconditional andideally reciprocally within the context o

the God-world relationship. Tis meansGod does not determine human actions,man and women determine their uture.God is omnipotent but voluntarily limitsthe use o his power to allow his creaturesreedom to make decisions that determinetheir uture.

Te Love o God may be the mostscholarly and comprehensive book on thetopic o Gods love. It addresses aspectso divine love Christians in general neverconsider. Does God chose to love, ormust he love? Is Gods love emotional and



does it include enjoyment? Is Gods love conditional,and i so, in what sense? Tese are some o the issuesPeckham addresses in this volume. Frequently, Godslove is conused with human love, but not in thisbook. Looking at the topic rom different angles, theauthor has produced an original and careul theolog-ical interpretation o Gods love in Scripture. As is tobe expected rom a scholarly volume, the author is

conversant with all the relevant literature and providesthe reader with copious ootnotes or urther investi-gation. While the book does not make easy reading, itis a valuable resource or anyone interested in a betterunderstanding o Gods love or humanity.

Gerhard PandAssociate Director (ret.

Biblical Research Institute

Annual Council Appoint BRI Scholarsor 20162020

he last Annual Council o the General Conerence(Oct. 7-14, 2015) appointed the BRI scholarsor the next quinquennium. Ekkehardt Mueller,Kwabena Donkor, and Clinton Wahlen will serve asassociate directors. Elias Brasil de Souza was appointed

as director. Frank Hasel rom Bogenhoen was called as

associate director, and Artur Stele, who has served as thedirector during the last quinquennium, will continue toserve BRI as chair o the Biblical Research Institute Com-mittee (BRICOM) along with his other responsibilities asone o the vice presidents o the General Conerence.

Initiatives o the Biblical Research Committeeo the Inter-European Division

he Biblical Research Committee (BRC) o EUDis one o the longest standing BRCs o the divi-sions o the world Church. Most likely it is alsothe most active one.

It has regularly organized Bible Conerence orpastors in the division, although divided in threedifferent locations. It has responded to request romthe fields, was involved in draing statements, led outin dialogues with Adventist theologians, and it haspublished books that were not only sold to churchmembers, but also placed in public libraries or ree.

Te latest finished project was the one onmarriage, published in French and German, whichwas given to BRI or publication, augmentation, andurther development in English. Out o this projectgrew the larger project o BRI that deals with marriage(volume 1, published 2015), sexuality (volume 2, to

be published early in 2017), and marriage and amily(volume 3, to be published in 2018). Aer finishing the marriage book in French andGerman the BRC o EUD took on a new project thatwill be published in English in a book entitled Warand Military Service. Tis is a very timely issue.Many chapters are already written and need to beedited. In the meantime, the BRC o EUD has taken on anew project, which deals with a theology o work.Tetitle is Adventist Voices on Work and the Economy.As in the past, EUD has invited scholars o otherDivisions to help and write some chapters. Whilethe finished product will be a production o the BRCo EUD, voices o other Divisions will be heard too.We commend EUD or these initiatives, which maybecome a blessing or the entire Church worldwide.

Initiatives o the Biblical Research Committeeo the Southern Asia-Pacific Division

he BRC o SSD is a relatively young commit-tee, but it is also quite active. It has worked onguidelines or Adventists being involved orplanning to get involved in politics.

At the last meeting in November 2015 the topicor the meeting was Scripture and contemporary

events. Te committee looked at contemporary inter-pretations o Daniel 11. wo papers were read dealingwith this topic, one by ngel Manuel Rodrguez anda second by Miguel Luna. Tere was also a brie men-tion o new interpretations o Revelation that include aocus on contemporary events.


9/9

Reflectionsseeks to share inormationconcerning doctrinal and theologicaldevelopments among Adventists and tooster doctrinal and theological unity in the

world church. Its intended audience is churchadministrators, church leaders, pastors andteachers.

Editor Elias Brasil de SouzaProduction Manager Marlene BacchusEditorial CommitteeKwabena DonkorEkkehardt Muellerngel M. RodrguezClinton Wahlen

Manuscript PolicyArticles important or Adventist theology arewritten at the invitation o BRI and shouldbe sent by email attachment to the editor at

[email protected]

PermissionsMaterial may be used or preaching and publicpresentations and may be reprinted by officialentities o the Seventh-day Adventist Churchi the Biblical Research Institute is indicatedas the source. ranslated articles should bereviewed by the appropriate Biblical ResearchCommittee prior to publication.

Copyright 2016Biblical Research InstituteGeneral Conerence o Seventh-day Adventists12501 Old Columbia Pike

Silver Spring, MD 20904, USAPhone: 301.680.6790Fax: 301.680.6788adventistbiblicalresearch.org

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The Word: Searching, Living, Teaching

Arising from the International Bible and Mission Conferences heldworldwide, this book is a first! Designed to provide busy pastors andteachers with the best thinking on current topics of discussion includingthe nature of inspiration, the sanctuary and the investigative judgment,the Trinity, the Incarnation as a model for mission, contextualization,and many more. Several chapters are also devoted to key issues in thebooks of Daniel and Revelation.

Altogether, the books nineteen chapters represent clear and concisetreatments of the most important subjects for Seventh-day Adventiststoday by sixteen well-known authors, teachers, and church leaders.

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Documents

Reflections - BRI Newesletter #53