October 1928
602
T h e - K i n g ' s
B u s i n e s s
m PASSAGES THAT PERPLEX Concerning “ Bullingerism” To D. S. CORRESPONDENT in Scotland comments upon our recent quotation from the understanding o f church truth. It is worthy o f .notice that this system of “ dividing the word” has been a factor in dividing many churches and in leading to profane
and vain discussions. Those who read 2 Tim. 2:15 should always include v. 16 with its warning: “ But shun profane and vain babblings, fo r they will increase unto more~ ungodliness” Fenton’s translation gives i t : “ Step aside from foolish phrase-makers.” A system that leads to endless hair-splitting and division is thus shown to have missed the meaning of 2 Tim. 2:15, which is “ rightly handling the word of truth.” Our correspondent points out that Dr. Bullinger says:. “ Every word o f Scripture is fo r us "and for our learning, but every word is not about us.” This is taken to refute Dr. Gaebelein’s statement, quoted by us in an earlier issue, in which it was said that the follower of Bullinger “ con fined his Bible reading to the prison Epistles o f Paul.” W e do not suppose that Dr. Gaebelein meant that these people considered no other part o f the Bible of value. The natural tendency o f those who regard the larger part of the New Testament as: connected with the Jews and a temporal kingdom offer, would be to confine their studies chiefly to the limited portion which they considered di rected specifically to them. How one can carefully read the prison Epistles and escape the repeated injunctions to the believer to pay strictest -heed to the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, we do not understand. His teachings are certainly to be found in the portions which these students declare com prise a code of laws for the Jews in the kingdom age, not for the Church. W e are told by our correspondent that a Bible teacher recently took the position that the child of God, upon death, is immediately clothed upon with a special body prepared for him in the heavens. This theory is based upon 2 Cor. 5 :l-4. The inquirer says that she has always been taught that the glorified body was in some way to come out of the body planted in the earth when the resur rection of the saints occurs, and that in the meantime the spirit is in heaven not clothed in immortality. The writer is familiar with the interpretation referred to but does not believe it is well substantiated by the passage quoted. Verse 1 says that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were: dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. From this some assume that as soon as the spirit leaves the earthly body, it receives this new temple in heaven as a temporary condition awaiting the second advent. We believe that the apostle is referring here to the body to be received at the resurrection, not. to some intermediate stage. He nowhere dwells upon the intermediate state, but seems content in his belief that when absent from the body, he would be present with the Lord. A great longing of his soul was for the Lord’s coming, when immortality shall be put on. W e believe in this passage “ the house from heaven” is the same as that referred to. in 1 Cor. 15:47, 49, When Is the Glorified Body Received? To H. B.
Di. D. M. Panton on the Subject of “ Bullin gerism.” The use of this term (Bullingerism) would seem to carry the idea that Dr. Bullinger was the originator of, the system o f interpreta- •
tion based upon a partitioning off of the New Testament. Our correspondent points out that this was not the case and that these views were invented several years before his works were published. He mentions Rev. James Kelly ( “ The Eternal Purpose” ), Rev. Ridley Herschell ( “ The Mystery of the Gentile Dispensation” ). Another correspondent believes that these views originated with Dr. Darby. The fact, however,,that Dr. Bullinger gave such wide publicity to the scheme in his writings has caused his name to be associated with it, although it is perhaps unfortunate that the term “ Bullingerism” has come into use. Mr. Theodore Roberts, writing to Mr. Panton, points out that much of Dr. Bullinger’s teaching existed in the Brethren movement in England. In proof of this he cites B. W . Newton’s objections appearing in Dr. Tragelles’ “ Three Letters” and dated April, 1845. Says Newton: , “ It is my desire to maintain that: ; “ The twelve apostles o f our Lord arid Saviour do represent believers standing in acknowledged acceptance before God, through the name of Jesus, and that they rep resent such only. “ The Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke are Chris tian Scripture in the same sense in which the Gospel of John is Christian Scripture. “ The Pentecostal Church was not in a semi-Jewish or semi-Christian condition, or in any ‘earthly’ or ‘ formed for citizenship in the earth’ ; but in a true Church position, as partakers of the heavenly calling! “ The Epistles of Peter, and the Epistle to the Hebrews or Galatians, are not to be regarded as haying a lower ■character than the Epistles to the Ephesians or Colossians. “ Peter and the Pentecostal Church testified to the ascension and heavenly glory of Jesus, equally with St. Paul. “ Heavenly blessings, as well as earthly, were included in the promise to Abraham, and that God never purposed or proposed to. accomplish.one branch of these promises, without also addirig the other. “ The.various expressions,, etc., applied in Scripture to the Church, afford various aspects or positions of the same body, but do not imply that the Church is corres pondingly^ divided into distinct and separating compart ments.” ' . It should be understood that Dr. Bullinger was a truly great Bible scholar in many ways, and his work ( “ The Companion Bible” ) to which we have referred, contains much that is exceedingly valuable. Nevertheless, his method o f “ rightly dividing the word o f truth” we can not but regard as dangerous, for it lays out a scheme and requires all interpretation to be fitted into the mold, even though much twisting is sometimes required. It assumes, to begin with, that the church and its great est leaders throughout the centuries, have been misled in
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