7 Observations on Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth: A Trip to Princeton (Part 4)

In a sermon titled, “Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth,” delivered by Archibald Alexander to Princeton University, Alexander makes seven observations on the idea of “rightly dividing” Scripture.

The fourth observation is important for many reasons, but especially for the discipleship of the Church. Alexander writes,

Rightly to divide the word of truth, we must arrange it in such order, as that it may be most easily and effectually understood.

Alexander, “Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth,” 125

Alexander is encouraging ministers to help their flock grow through the systematic, progression of biblical doctrines and principles. The wise minister moves from foundational doctrines to deeper truths of the faith, guiding the people of God into a greater awareness of sound doctrine, finer skills in discerning that doctrine, and consistent application of those truths.

“Principles” and “Foundation”

One does not deep dive into the hypostatic union if a believer is a new convert completely ignorant of the basic story of redemption, in other words. There must be basic principles, or to borrow the phrase from Paul in Hebrews, there must be “elementary principles” that are laid as “a foundation” (Heb. 6:1, ESV). Alexander calls them “principles” and “the foundation.”

There is, no doubt, a depressing ignorance of the basics of the Christian faith. Ligonier and Lifeway‘s partnership in the “State of Theology” surveys are as enlightening as they are discouraging. What was once common knowledge of the average churchman is now devoid of many seminaries’ required education.

For example, many books have and are being written presenting basic Trinitarian theology. The Creeds and Confessions of the Church, bathed in the battles of such debates, were gifts to the Church used to her growth in orthodoxy and identification of and separation from heterodoxy.

“Go on to Maturity”

“But he must not,” writes Alexander, “dwell forever on the first principles of the doctrine of Christ, but should endeavour to lead his people on to perfection in the knowledge of the truth” (125).

It is vital the lay down the right foundation, but it is equally vital to move toward greater maturity, in both doctrine and practice. It takes wisdom, patience, and grace to steer the people of God from foundational truths to deeper ones. The wise minister will know the flock over whom God has placed him as undershepherd. He will preach and teach the Word in such a way that both the newer believer and the mature believer are able to be fed.

Closing Remarks

This observation is needed today. Given the theological state of the church, ministers must preach the Word in a systematic and progressive way, building a solid theological foundation and then moving toward the deeper truths of the faith. Here are a few recommendations.

1. Pastors should themselves be given to doctrinal maturity. If they are to aid in people moving past foundational truths to maturity, they must know those doctrines of maturity.
   
2. Pastors should know the flock. They cannot lead them to maturity unless they know where they are at doctrinally. This takes time and effort.
   
3. Use the Creeds and Confessions. These documents of the Church have withstood theological debates, heretical attacks, and the test of time. They are precious tools given to the saints and the shepherds of the church for their growth in maturity. The Apostles’ Creed is simple but not simplistic. It provides a great summary of theology. The Nicene Creed helps expand that apostolic doctrine against the heresies creeping into the church since the days of the apostle John. The other Confessions, the Second London Baptist Confession being the best, in my opinion, are built on those foundations and expand the doctrine and practice, providing an excellent example of maturity in life and doctrine.
   
4. Be patient. One of the best pieces of advice I have received is from Mark Dever (not personally, of course!). He encourages ministers to take a long-view approach to church ministry. Plan on being there at the church for 30–40 years, and this will help taper the impatience of human nature. The pastor, Lord willing of course, realizes that he does not have to “mature” the church overnight. It will take time, time in prayer, time in study, time in preaching and teaching, time in loving the sheep, time in loving the Good Shepherd.

“Rightly to divide the word of truth, we must arrange it in such order, as that it may be most easily and effectually understood,” writes Alexander. May we be pastors who take this observation seriously, to the glory of the Triune God and for the good of His people.

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Check out the previous posts:

Observation One

Observation Two

Observation Three

7 Observations on Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth: A Trip to Princeton (Part 3)

We have visited Princeton University to listen to Archibald Alexander, the first professor of theology, give a lecture titled, “Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth.” He has given two previous observations on what this means (Observation One and Observation Two). He gives his next observation,

“The skillful workman must be able to distinguish between fundamental truths and such as are not fundamental.”

Archibald Alexander, “Rightly Dividing the Word of truth,” 124–125

Alexander presents the importance of differentiating between fundamental truths and truths that are not fundamental. Alexander’s words here are helpful for two extremes. One follows the path of the Independent, Fundamental Baptist (IFB). In this world (and others like it) everything is a fundamental truth–music, dress, etc. The other extreme treats all doctrines as “not fundamental” to the faith, which is equally as dangerous. Liberal theology would be a good example of this danger.

Fundamentalism–Everything is a Fundamental

First, this is an important aspect of “rightly dividing the Word of truth” to me personally as it relates to the extreme of IFB. I was saved and raised for many years in the IFB. This post will be a little more personal than others, but I hope it will prove helpful to others who have experienced a similar background in the IFB world. As the name implies, IFB churches hold to the “fundamentals” of the faith, such as the deity of Christ, the virgin birth, etc. (For more on the history of fundamentalism, I highly recommend Justin Taylor‘s article, “The 4 Phases of Protestant Fundamentalism in America.”)

What started on good motives, the desire to stand faithful for the fundamentals of the faith, quickly devolved into naming everything fundamental and separating with everyone who held to different beliefs and/or practices. Taylor writes about this phase of fundamentalism, the fourth phase,

“Within this fourth phase, a somewhat legalistic form of Christianity develops. Strict regulations become unwritten laws. Any capitulation to popular culture is synonymous with the sin of worldliness. Throughout most of the 1970s suspicion was raised against anyone who wore sideburns, long hair, beards, flair-bottom pants, boots, wire-rimmed glasses, or silk shirts. All members of the empire in good standing were required to submit to behavior codes and regulations of personal grooming and fashion.”

To the fundamentals of the faith were added music styles, Bible versions, certain clothing, hair styles, etc. This is the world in which I was raised (not that my parents were like this, they were great!). In my Bible college training, it was common to have preachers mock others for their dress or music standards. In fact, one preacher publicly ridiculed a student for wearing fashionable pants! You were excluded or looked down upon if you did not follow the patterns set by those in the faculty and administration (as well as the churches that supported this college). There are many problems with this approach to the Christian faith, but perhaps the greatest is that it collapses everything into one bowl of confusing “fundamental” soup.

Eschatology provides a good example of differentiating between fundamental truths and truths that are not so. Discussions on the end times are important, but it is not a fundamental of the faith. Believers know that the Scriptures teach that Jesus will return, but the details surrounding that return may be debated. You can be a Christian and be an amillennialist, premillennialist, or even a postmillennialist! There are some in the IFB world, however, that would disagree. You must be a premillennialist, or else you are denying a fundamental of the faith. Why? Because they are not rightly dividing the Word of Truth.

Alexander writes, “All Bible truth is important and no part is to be rejected or neglected. But some truths must be known and believed, or the person cannot be saved; while there are other truths which true Christians may be ignorant of, and while ignorant may deny.”

IFB churches, institutions, and pastors in particular, would benefit greatly (both personally and ecclesiastically) if they learned to distinguish between fundamental truth and truth that is not so.

Liberalism–Nothing is a Fundamental

Kevin DeYoung has written an excellent article titled, “Liberalism Is (Still) a Threat to Fundamentalism.” DeYoung’s article focuses on a sermon that was delivered by Harry Emerson Fosdick delivered during the battles between the fundamentalists and liberal theologians, Fosdick being an able representative of liberal theology.

Quoting Fosdick, DeYoung writes, “For him [Fosdick], it was a “penitent shame that the Christian church should be quarreling over little matters when the world is dying of great needs.” Those “little matters” were not little at all, however. They were truly the fundamentals of the faith. Fosdick’s desire to exalt “love” over any and everything was a key mark of liberal theology. However, liberal theologians denied the divinity of Christ, one could not be a Christian in any meaningful sense of the word if they denied that fundamental truth, which is ironic because the first and greatest commandment, according to the Lord Jesus, is to love the Lord your God.

We must be careful to avoid this extreme as well. In present culture, holding to any sort of doctrinal standard is looked down upon. The proliferation of “non-denominational churches” is a perfect example of this desire to minimize doctrine (include both fundamental truth and truth not so). Rightly dividing the Word of truth distinguishes between fundamental truth and truth that is not so.

Diagnostic Tool for Distinguishing Truth

I will close with Alexander’s helpful remarks on the “two grand marks of fundamental doctrine.” (125)

First, “that the denial of them destroys the system.” (125) A denial of the virgin birth of Christ, for example, destroys the Christian religion. Likewise, a denial of the premillennial reign of Christ does not destroy the Christian religion.

Second, “that the knowledge of them is essential to piety.” (125) In other words, if I deny this doctrine will I be able to grow in holiness? Deism, the belief that God is no longer involved in the present world eliminates the need to pray. One can easily see how this denial inhibits growth in holiness.

Alexander’s words are most helpful. Rightly dividing the Word of truth involves distinguishing between fundamental truth and truth that is not so. Are you rightly dividing the Word of truth?

7 Observations on Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth: A Trip to Princeton (Part 2)

In our previous post, we introduced the first of seven observations Archibald Alexander made on “rightly dividing the Word of truth.” The second observation is, “It is necessary to divide the truth not only from error, but from philosophy, and mere human opinions and speculations.”

Philosophy

In this warning, Alexander is warning against giving in to too much philosophical speculation. There is nothing wrong with metaphysics. In fact, in another excellent book, Craig Carter’s Interpreting Scripture with the Great Tradition, Carter makes a superb argument that all engage in metaphysical reasoning, it is just a matter of what kind of metaphysics one is using.

Alexander seems to be warning against the empty, merely speculative aspects of metaphysics, devoid of any connection to the Word of God. He writes, “Thus, it often happens, that a sermon contains very little Scripture truth. After the text is uttered, the preacher has done with the Bible, and the hearers are fed, or rather starved, by some abstruse discussion of a subject, not treated of in the word of God; or which there is taken for granted as a thing which requires no discussion, or which is above the human intellect” (124).

Mere human opinions and speculations

Here Alexander is warning against imposing the preacher’s views into the text. He writes, “They are forever connecting with the doctrines of God’s word, their own wire-drawn and uncertain speculations” (124).

One may immediately think of the Pharisees in the earthly days of Christ (cf. Mark 7:13). The Pharisees added their own views to the traditions given in the sacred Scriptures. However, this reminder is needful today.

Many preachers will try to defend their view using Scripture, rather than developing their views from Scripture and then presenting them. In the first, preachers abuse the Word by placing themselves in authority over the Word of God. They do not study it and then interpret it. They find words that are connected with their own views and take them out of context.

In the second, the preacher submits to the Word of God. He submits his views to the truths of Scripture. He studies intently what the Word says and what it means, and after this develops his view, constantly returning it to the Word to measure it against the perfect standard of truth.

Implementing observation 2

How can the preacher avoid this too errors? First, gain a proper view of philosophy and metaphysics. Here Carter is most helpful, “Theology is the study of God and all things in relation to God. Metaphysics is theological when it allows biblical revelation to determine the true ontological nature of reality as it contemplates the biblical teaching on God and all things in relation to God.” (Carter, Interpreting Scripture with the Great Tradition, 64)

Carter notes that all people engage in metaphysics, even if they do not know the word nor what it means. Preachers who herald the glorious promises of the Word of God should be biblical philosophers.

Second, preachers should be very careful when inserting their own views into their preaching and teaching. There are few times indeed when the preacher should share “his thoughts.” When it is appropriate to do so, the preacher should make it abundantly clear that what he is saying is truly his own views and not biblical.

By following Alexander’s words, preachers can “rightly divide the Word of truth.”

7 Observations on Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth: A Trip to Princeton (Part 1)

Archibald Alexander, the first professor of theology at Princeton University, preached a sermon titled, “Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth.” In his sermon, Alexander sought to elaborate on Paul’s exhortation for ministers to “rightly divide the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15). He offers seven observations.

1. The truths of god’s Word must be carefully distinguished from error

Alexander’s first observation addresses the minister’s need to expose false teaching. He is to utilize the Word of God like a scalpel and cut out the rancid, infected teachings that infiltrate the Church.

Although this is not popular today, ministers who seek to divide the Word of God rightly must be willing and able to expose error. In being willing, ministers must realize that they will not nor, if they serve the Lord faithfully, cannot be friends with the world (James 4:4–5). Worldly doctrine is false doctrine and must be called out, both in public and in private.

In being able, the minister must “do [his] best to present [himself] to God as one approved” (2 Tim. 2:15, ESV). Being an able minister means being a master of biblical doctrine. He should be so familiar with right doctrine that the moment a whiff of false teaching enters his nostrils he is on high alert. This requires diligent and consistent study of right doctrine. The Creeds and Confessions of the Church (my personal favorite being the 1689 London Baptist Confession of Faith) are most helpful. Having faced the test of time and fought the various theological battles, these documents are wonderful, systematic, and doxological presentations of true, God-glorifying and church-edifying doctrine.

The minister must move beyond his own willingness and ability to help teach and train the church, too. Alexander writes, “By a clear exhibition of gospel truth, on all the important points of religion, the people should be so instructed, and so imbued with the truth, that error shall make no impression on them.” (124)

In order to divide the truth of God’s Word rightly, then, ministers must be willing to distinguish truth from error.

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These observations can be found in further detail in the book The Pastor: His Call, Character, and Work printed by Banner of Truth Trust.