One of the things that hits me every time I read faithful Baptists of the past is the simplicity with which they saw and communicated the Scriptures. Leaning not to their own understanding, they were less prepared to enter the realm of Christian philosophy and much more apt to simply read and restate the truth of God’s word. This is what we find in John Gill’s work that we are currently reading. The question is simple, where in Scripture is the gospel ordinance of Baptism instituted? The NT! Where then are we to find the answers to it’s application ? The NT! No need to interpret the ordinances through the lens of the OT rites and rituals. A wise pastor once told me, “Interpret the difficult passages of Scripture by looking to the plain passages of Scripture.” Wise words indeed. Thoughts?
A wise pastor once told me, “the NT interprets the OT.” We don’t need hermeneutical hoops to make OT signs fit into the New Covenant. They either ceased with the passing of the Old Covenant people (ethnic Israel) or they were completed in Christ... Not sure if that’s what you’re looking for, but those were my thoughts when reading this.
Very true. It is a hermeneutical principle call the redemptive-historical principle.
It's a good reminder that we always need to be conforming to Scripture, like the Bereans.