"Knowledge Falsely So-called"

The "impregnable rock of Holy Scripture" has recently been lashed by further waves of intellectual unbelief. The Adversary's past success in overwhelming the faith of many by this means is guarantee that he will persist in using the same insidious methods. How important that we should be alert to his devices!

In 1988 Bible-believing Christians in the United States were outraged by the formation of a self-appointed "supreme court" of leading academics from university theological faculties. They assumed the title of "The Jesus Seminar". Their objective? To investigate the authenticity of the Lord's sayings in the Gospels. The Seminar was to meet twice a year to decide by majority votes on whether each saying was authentic or not.

As a result of several years' activity they have now produced a book entitled "The Five Gospels". What they regard as genuinely the words of the Lord Jesus are printed in red type. Other colours are used to classify what was in their view probably genuine; what was doubtful; and what they judge was never spoken by Him at all. Only 20% of His words are printed in red! The fifth Gospel included in the review is the Gospel by Thomas: a work which was rejected early in the Christian era as not being Godbreathed.

On what principle do these theologians decide whether the sayings of Jesus are genuine or not? They call it the "principle of dissimilarity". A text can be regarded as reliable only if it contrasts with the thinking of both Jews contemporary with Christ and the first Christian believers. For a saying that sounds odd or unique is unlikely to have been fabricated by a Gospel writer. In the opinion of "The Jesus Seminar" this was the case with the story of the Good Samaritan, because the hero was not a Jew but a hated foreigner with a different religious background.

How appropriately the apostle Paul pleaded with his true child in faith, "0 Timothy, guard that which is committed unto thee, turning away from the profane babblings and oppositions of the knowledge which is falsely so called; which some professing have erred concerning the faith" (1 Tim. 6:20,21). Human religious philosophy, divorced from divine revelation, leads only to spiritual darkness.

"For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the prudence of the prudent will I reject".

"Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of the world?... in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God..." (1 Cor. 1:19-21).

Thankfully there has been robust defence of the truth of all Christ's sayings in the four Gospels of our New Testament, by competent scholars who believe that "all Scripture is Godbreathed" (2 Tim. 3:16 NIV). When the publication of "The Five Gospels" was featured in a widely circulated secular magazine, there was a mountain of mail from readers' responses. Some of course favoured the liberal theologians, and a few sample letters were published. But 99% of those who wrote to the magazine disagreed with "The Jesus Seminar" academics.

Dr. J.D. Crossan, of De Paul University, Chicago, and a member of "The Jesus Seminar", has published a book entitled "Jesus: a Revolutionary Biography" - revolutionary because it turns upside down any plain understanding of the Gospels. The virgin birth of Jesus is dismissed as a myth; miracles are discounted; the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is denied. It has been well commented that in any historical investigation "if you tear up the only evidence you've got, you can say anything you like". Evidence confirming the authenticity of the Gospels by Matthew, Mark, Luke and John has been rigorously examined and found reliable. As F.F. Bruce wrote:

"The evidence for our New Testament writings is ever so much greater than the evidence for many writers of classical authors the authenticity of which no one ever dreams of questioning. And if the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt. It is a curious fact that historians have often been much readier to trust the New Testament records than have many theologians".

(The New Testament Documents: are they reliable? F.F. Bruce. London Intervarsity Fellowship).

"Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom ... But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth Me ..." (Jer. 9:23,24)

"For some have no knowledge of God" (1 Cor. 15:34).

unknown | Jun 1994
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