What Is...? Short Answers to Biblical Questions

By David Crenshaw

This book was written to answer questions that many Christians have about Biblical issues. It attempts to answer those questions in a concise manner that can be understood by laypersons who have not had exposure to theological training such as a Bible college or Seminary. It was written primarily for use by church leaders and pastors in Africa, but the Biblical answers given are also relevant to Christians and non-Christians alike who have ever wondered how the Bible answers the questions asked. The author deals with difficult questions such as the justice and wrath of God and the nature of free will. He also deals with the issue of the role of the Christian husband and the the role of the Christian wife. In one chapter answering a question from African men, he deals with the question of "What is wrong with beating your wife?".

• Language: English
• Publisher: David Crenshaw
• Release date: Mar 9, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370299720

David Crenshaw

Pastor David Crenshaw is a veteran of 20 years in the U. S. Navy Submarine Force. After retirement from the Navy, he graduated from Chaminade University in Hawaii with an undergraduate degree in Psychology. He then attended Westminster Theological Seminary in California at Escondido and earned both a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master of Divinity degree in a three- year program. He was ordained by the Pacific Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in January 1987 and served churches in California, Virginia, and Florida in his more than 25 years of ministry. He was Honorably Retired by the Gulf Coast Presbytery of the PCA in 2014. He has been active in a teaching ministry to pastors in Russia and Africa. He is coauthor (with Gordon Lunsford) of "Calvinism - Is It Biblical? Two sides to the Issue." He and his wife Jan have been married since 1981. Dave enjoys teaching theology, sailing, and painting in acrylics.

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What Is…?

Short Answers to Biblical Questions

By David C. Crenshaw

Copyright © 2018 David C. Crenshaw

All rights reserved.

Smashwords Edition

ENDORSEMENTS

I have been working in Africa for portions of twenty years. The greatest need there is theological education. Students in every location of Trinity Biblical Institute (TBI) often ask the questions dealt with in this book. The answers given by Dave are a tremendous resource to students and teachers alike. Dave is a gifted writer and a serious student of the Word of God. Through his years of studying the Bible, he is prepared to deal with the tough questions in theology. If you have questions, Dave has serious, Biblical answers. In a world filled with false teaching and suffering a theological famine. Dave brings from the Scriptures the wisdom of God. Indeed, Dave is a Bible Answer Man for issues in Africa and in America too. Dr. Peter W. Anderson, Executive Director, Trinity Center for World Mission.

Have you ever wondered about certain Christian doctrines?  Why do they do that?  What do they believe about ___________?  What is my role here?  Am I allowed to do this in the church?  No doubt you have your own set of questions, as have I.  So, I'm very glad to recommend this resource for your use in the local church.  Pastor David Crenshaw has provided a short guide to help us answer some common questions (and perhaps some you haven't considered) that arise in the life of the church.  It's also well-suited for the mission field, since they have their own unique set of questions.  Rather than shy away from the hard questions, Pastor Crenshaw deals with them directly, relying upon the most trusted source for his answers, the Word of God.  I pray you will find it helpful. Dr. David V. Silvernail, Jr. Senior Pastor Potomac Hills Presbyterian Church, Leesburg, VA Guest Lecturer in Pastoral Theology, Reformed Theological Seminary, Washington, D.C.

Foreword

This book began as a series of papers which I initially presented at pastor’s conferences in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia. I was invited by Dr. Dewey Roberts to speak at conferences for the Reformed Church in Russia on topics such as the nature of God’s majesty, justice, and wrath.

Later, at the invitation of Dr. Pete Anderson, Director of Trinity Biblical Institute (TBI), additional presentations were made at the campuses of TBI in Uganda, Kenya, and South Sudan, Africa. Particularly in Africa, pastors do not have a great deal of theological training and they do not normally have ready access to theological reference books. These papers were given as part of the curriculum of TBI in an attempt to address the pressure which church leaders receive from unbelievers, including those in Islam, Mormonism, and especially the Prosperity Gospel. As a result, Dr. Anderson asked me to put together these papers as a book which could be given to pastors and church leaders.

You will notice that several of the chapters are slanted particularly to the church situation in Africa. These are in response to questions Dr. Anderson was receiving from the students of TBI. Since women are not held in very high esteem in Africa, one of the questions church leaders deal with is how to treat your wife. Therefore, Dr. Anderson asked me to include a chapter on What Is Wrong With Beating Your Wife?

My prayer is that God will use this effort to answer the questions not only of African church leaders, but also Christians in America and elsewhere. I have had many conversations with Christians throughout my more than thirty years of ministry in which I have been asked many of the same questions that are addressed in this volume.

About the Author

Pastor David Crenshaw is a veteran of 20 years in the U. S. Navy Submarine Force. After retirement from the Navy, he graduated from Chaminade University in Hawaii with an undergraduate degree in Psychology. He then attended Westminster Theological Seminary in California at Escondido and earned both a Master of Arts in Religion and a Master of Divinity degree in a three- year program. He was ordained by the Pacific Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church in America (PCA) in January 1987 and served churches in California, Virginia, and Florida in his more than 25 years of ministry. He was Honorably Retired by the Gulf Coast Presbytery of the PCA in 2014. He has been active in a teaching ministry to pastors in Russia and Africa. He is coauthor (with Gordon Lunsford) of Calvinism – Is It Biblical? Two sides to the Issue. He and his wife Jan have been married since 1981. Dave enjoys teaching theology, sailing, and painting in acrylics.

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

FOREWORD

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

CHAPTER ONE—WHAT IS THE MAJESTY OF GOD?

CHAPTER TWO—WHAT IS THE JUSTICE OF GOD?

CHAPTER THREE—WHAT IS THE NATURE OF GOD’S WRATH?

CHAPTER FOUR—WHAT IS THE GRACE OF GOD?

CHAPTER FIVE—WHAT IS SAVING FAITH?

CHAPTER SIX—WHAT IS FREE WILL?

CHAPTER SEVEN—WHAT IS A CHRISTIAN?

CHAPTER EIGHT—WHAT IS A DISCIPLE?

CHAPTER NINE--WHAT IS A PROPHET?

CHAPTER TEN—WHAT IS AN APOSTLE?

CHAPTER ELEVEN—WHAT IS AN ELDER?

CHAPTER TWELVE—WHAT ARE THE MARKS OF A TRUE CHURCH?

CHAPTER THIRTEEN—WHAT IS REFORMED WORSHIP?

CHAPTER FOURTEEN—WHAT IS PURE PREACHING?

CHAPTER FIFTEEN—WHAT IS CHURCH DISCIPLINE?

CHAPTER SIXTEEN—WHAT IS CALVINISM?

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN—WHAT IS THE ROLE OF CHRISTIAN HUSBAND?

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN--WHAT IS THE ROLE OF A CHRISTIAN WIFE?

CHAPTER NINETEEN—WHAT IS THE ISSUE WITH WOMEN PASTORS?

CHAPTER TWENTY—WHAT IS WRONG WITH BEATING YOUR WIFE?

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE—WHAT IS SPEAKING IN TONGUES?

CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO—WHAT IS THE Unpardonable SIN?

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE—WHAT IS THE PROSPERITY GOSPEL?

CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR--WHAT IS ISLAM

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE—WHAT IS MORMONISM?

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

First, I’d like to thank my God and Father, the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit for the loving mercy that chose me for salvation before the foundation of the world. I would also like to thank my wife Jan for her steadfast love through more than thirty-five years of marriage. Without her prayers and encouragement my ministry as a pastor would have been much different.

I would also like to thank Dr. Pete Anderson, who as former pastor of Trinity Presbyterian Church in Kailua, Hawaii led me to Christ in 1981, performed the wedding ceremony for my wife Jan and I, and encouraged me to enter ministry.

As the Executive Director of Trinity Center for World Mission (TCWM) and Trinity Biblical Institute (TBI), Dr. Anderson encouraged me to go to Africa in 2015 and 2016 to teach at TBI campuses in Uganda, South Sudan, and Kenya. This provided the opportunity for me to write several short articles answering various questions about Scripture, which the leaders of the church in Africa were asking. This book is an expanded compilation of those articles.

I also want to thank the men who attend the Bible study I am leading on Friday morning. These men (and some of their wives) have graciously labored to edit and critique these articles for publication.

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Chapter One

What Is the Majesty of God?

James M. Boice has written, The first characteristic of God’s kingdom and indeed of God himself is majesty. Majesty is a hard idea to define, but it has to do with dignity, authority of sovereign power, stateliness, and grandeur…it is supremely the attribute of him who is the Monarch over all and who does not need to multiply the trappings of his power.

Men try to impress other men by wearing impressive uniforms and many medals. Rulers try to impress others with their majesty by building great palaces. God does not need to multiply any trappings of power to increase His majesty. God is supremely majestic in His very nature.

Matthew Henry wrote, The majesty of earthly princes, compared with God’s terrible majesty, is but like the glimmerings of a glow-worm compared with the brightness of the sun when he goes forth in his strength.

The word majestic means …one who is characterized by majesty and greatness—‘the Majesty, the Majestic One…The use of ‘Majesty’ as a title for God may be rendered in some languages as ‘the one who is truly great’ or ‘… truly important.’ In other instances a more satisfactory equivalent is ‘the one who is truly wonderful.’

It is only God who is truly great and truly important and truly wonderful. He is full of wonder.

Everything about God is full of wonder; His eternity, His power, His understanding, His justice, His grace, His majesty. The majesty of God is awful. God in His majesty is full of awe. He is awe-full which was the original meaning of the word.

J. I. Packer, in Knowing God, states, We are modern people, and modern people, though they cherish great thoughts of themselves, have as a rule small thoughts of God. When the person in the church, let alone the person in the street, uses the word God, the thought is rarely of divine majesty.

The glory of God and His majesty is so great that His mere presence causes men to fall down and worship.

The prophet Isaiah, in his vision of God in Isaiah 6:1-5, writes, I …saw the Lord sitting on a throne, lofty and exalted, with the train of His robe filling the temple… When Isaiah saw the majesty of God, he said, "Woe is me, for I am ruined (uncreated) Because…my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts."

In Ezekiel 1:17, the prophet states that when he saw …the likeness of the glory of the Lord …I fell on my face…

In Revelation 1:17, the Apostle John relates that when he saw the Son of God in His glory, …I fell at His feet as a dead man…

The fact is, when anyone sees God in His awe full majesty they will simply fall down and worship.

God tells us in Isaiah 45:23, I have sworn by Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness And will not turn back, That to Me every knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance.

The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 2:9-11, …God highly exalted Jesus, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Very clearly here, Scripture tells us that Jesus Christ is God. Jesus is the One at whose name every knee will bow. Jesus is the One that everyone will confess as Lord. The majesty of our God, Jesus Christ, is so great that one day everyone will bow down and worship Him.

We who believe and trust in Him will worship His glory in the new heavens and the new earth in an eternity of grace.

Those who refuse to believe and trust in Jesus Christ will also bow down, but they will bow down under His wrath in an eternity of torment.

God is majestic in all of His attributes; the things that define who and what He is.

God is Majestic in HIs omnipotence. God is all-powerful in Creation. By the power of His Word, God created everything there is.

Genesis 1:1-2, In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters.

The words tell us that what God created was formless and chaos and dark. It was a formless mass of chaotic emptiness, but the Spirit of God was there, hovering over what God had created. God said, Let there be light; and there was light." God commanded, and the light was. God continued to speak by the word of His power and He created the dry land, the plants, fruits, and vegetables. He spoke and created the sun, moon, and stars. God spoke and created the fish of the sea and the birds of the air on the fifth day. God spoke and created the animals that dwell on the land. Finally, God spoke and created man.

God is Majestic in His Sovereignty. God is sovereign over all rulers.

The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 9:17, For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, For this very purpose I raised you up.to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth

Romans 13:1 tells us, Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.

God is Sovereign over all nature. In 2 Kings 20:8-11, He commands the sun in the sky to reverse course. God is sovereign over the wind and waves. In Mark 4:37-39, He calms the wind and the waves. Even though the disciples ask, Who then is this, that even the wind and the waves obey Him? they should have known only God is sovereign over the wind and waves.

God is Sovereign even over all the demons. In Mark 5:1-20, we read the story of the demon possessed man. Although no one could control the man, when Jesus commands the demons they leave the man and enter into a herd of swine. The swine rush down a steep bank into the sea and are drowned.

God is Majestic in His Omniscience.

A. W. Pink, in The Attributes of God, says it very well. God …knows everything; everything possible, everything actual; all events, all creatures, of the past, the present, and the future. He is perfectly acquainted with every detail in the life of every being in heaven, in earth, and in hell…Nothing escapes His notice, nothing can be hidden from Him, nothing is forgotten by Him. Well may we say with the psalmist, Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it (Ps. 139:6). His knowledge is perfect. He never errs, never changes, never overlooks anything.

God knew you before you were born, and He knows every moment of your life before it happens.

In Psalm 139:16, David reminds us, Your eyes have seen my unformed substance; And in Your book were all written The days that were ordained for me, When as yet there was not one of them.

God is Majestic in His Omnipresence.

In Psalm 139:7-10, David cries out, Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend to heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the dawn, If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea, Even there Your hand will lead me, And Your right hand will lay hold of me.

Proverbs 15:3 tells us, "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, Watching the evil and the good."

No matter where you go, God is with you. You cannot hide from God. God sees everything you do and God knows all your thoughts even before you think them.

God is Majestic in His Salvation.

Salvation in all other religions is always by works. In Islam, you save yourself by adhering to the five pillars of Islam. You must testify that Allah is god and Mohammed is his prophet. You must offer required prayers five times per day. You must pay charity for the poor. You must perform a pilgrimage to Mecca if you are able. You must observe fasting during the month of Ramadan. Your own works are what saves you.

In Buddhism, salvation is searching for the truth as taught by the Buddha. Salvation in Buddhism is not an act that someone can do for you. It is something you must do for yourself.

In Hinduism, salvation is release from the suffering of this life. It may take hundreds of lifetimes. There are three paths to achieve release; The way of action; The way of wisdom; and The way of devotion. All are works that the person must do to save himself.

Salvation in Christianity is by the majestic work that God has already done.

A perfectly holy God requires perfect holiness to be in His presence.

Jesus says in Matthew 5:48, Therefore, you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Since all of us are born in sin, none of us can meet that requirement. Only if you trust completely in the perfect work of Jesus Christ will you be saved.

God sent His Son, Jesus Christ to live a perfectly holy life in the place of those He willed to save. God sent His Son to suffer the Father’s wrath against our sin and die on the cross in our place. God made us alive together with Christ, raised us up together with Christ, and seated us together with Christ in the heavens."

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Chapter Two

What Is the Justice of God?

J. I. Packer in Knowing God, asks, …do you believe in a God who acts as our Judge? Many, it seems, do not. Speak to them of God as a Father, a friend, a helper, one who loves us despite all our weakness and folly and sin, and their faces light up; you are on their wavelength at once. But speak to them of God as judge and they frown and shake their heads.

Most people do not want to believe that God is a perfect Judge. They are willing to accept God as perfect Love, yet they are not willing to accept His perfect judgments of their sinful behavior. Many want a God who is willing to accept them as they are. They do not want a Judge who will condemn them for their disobedience of HIs law.

Yet, Scripture is very clear that God will judge sinful behavior.

In Romans 2:5-11, the Apostle Paul writes, "But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will render to each person according to his deeds; to those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, eternal life; but to those who are selfishly ambitious and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, wrath and indignation. There will be tribulation and distress for every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek, but glory and honor and peace to everyone who does good, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For there is no partiality with God."

This passage teaches us that God will reward, with eternal life in glory with Him, those who willingly obey the commandments of God. Yet, God will punish, with eternal damnation away from His grace, those who refuse to obey Him.

In Exodus 34:6-7, God proclaims to Moses, The Lord, the Lord God, compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth; who keeps lovingkindness for thousands, who forgives iniquity, transgression and sin; yet He will by no means leave the guilty unpunished…

Many in the Christian world today love to focus on the forgiveness of God against sin. They speak of their sin as a simple mistake. They believe God will forgive them even if they do not repent of their sin. They are not willing to believe that God must punish those who sin against Him.

But the same Scripture that proclaims God is a perfectly loving God, also proclaims He is a perfectly righteous Judge who "…will by no means leave the guilty unpunished."

In Psalm 58:11, David exclaims, Truly, there is a God who judges in the earth!

What is the character of a judge?

A. W. Pink in The Justice of God, writes, All around us are those who have so erroneous an idea of the Divine clemency, that they suppose God is as easy-going as the modern parent, and as lax as many of our judges. They suppose that only in the most extreme and exceptional cases (if indeed then) will He punish the crimes of any with everlasting fire. By such ungrounded assumptions do they stifle any occasional convictions of conscience, and steal their hearts against any apprehensions of danger, which may visit them, persuading themselves that God is so full of mercy, that His justice is virtually inoperative.

People wrongly assume that God is very lax in His judgment. They persuade themselves that He is so merciful that He will not punish their sin. They forget that God is perfect in His mercy, perfect in His lovingkindness, perfect in His justice, and perfect in His wrath against sin.

J. I. Packer lists four qualities of a judge.

"The judge is a person with authority."

Packer writes, God is judge of his world. As our Maker, he owns us, and as our Owner, he has a right to dispose of us. If you make something, you have the authority to keep it, to sell it, to give it away, or even to destroy it. Since you made it, it is yours to do with, as you will. Since God made the whole creation, He has the right to do with it as He wishes.

The Apostle Paul writes in Romans 9:20-21, …who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, Why did you make me like this, will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use? Since God made us, we