The Ohio Independent Baptist, February 1972

SOUND WORDS he Lord Je tl hr1. t tt e hun1an n1ean b) \\ h1 h t carr n H i o - p l pr gran1. o long a the work g e , n. H \\ ill continue to u e thi n1ean to propagate and to guard the gr at o pel depo it. Timothy wa thu a mo t important mean tl1en as \\ e are in our day. Paul was oon to depart from the earth ly cene. Others appear, a he had previou ly warned ( ct 20: 19-30) who would not ad– here to the truth as Paul had taugh t it, but who would attempt to corrupt and de troy it. So, the Apostle mu t warn Timothy and admonish him to remain true to the life-giving words of God H im elf. T his cautionary urg– ing to Timothy for his time, is God 's special wor d to H is servants today. Here is the pattern for true teaching and preaching. Timothy had it before us - we have it now. "H old fast the form of sound wor ds . .. ~" Or, as it may be rendered somewhat more liter– ally, 'A pattern of sound words which you heard from me, hold!' ' The for,n of sound words which we must hold fast, is designated by the interesting term hupotuposin , from the verb hupotupoo, "to outline, sketch". The noun there£ore refer s to Han outline sketch' ', but more than th is - "an example, model, pattern , to be followed' '. (See the word in I Tim . 1: 16 "pattern"). So the sense here is that Timothy is to cling to the sub– stance of what Paul taught him and when teaching these truths, he is to use the form of expression which he learned from Paul - not mer ely to repeat what Paul has said to h im, in parrot fashion, but using Paul s teaching as a safe, sound model, as a basis for his own teaching. Paul re– ceived what he taught "by the revela– tion of Jesus Christ" . He did not speak or write in words which man's wisdom teaches, but which the Holy Spirit teaches (1 Cor. 2-9-13). All these words of Paul we have today, as 12 FEBRUARY, 1972 Timothy had then1 to be used as our model, the in pired pattern for our theology and our teaching. Moreover these words are usound word " ( h ugiainonto n Iogon ) to which we must hold. "Sound" is the G reek h ugiainonton , the present parti– ciple for hugiaino, " to be sound, healthy". This word is very common in private letters found among the papyri , to describe the sound physical health of various people. It is also used of material objects, as in a papyrus no te dated 3 B.C. where the writer referred to a load of good br icks with the words " all the sound ( h ugieis) ones". On Papyrus Oxy I , 84: 4 , 3 A .D. , a public official records his vow to serve the community "honestly" (hugios) . This is the same word which occurs in Luke 5: 31 , where it is recorded that the Lord said to the Pharisees and scribes: "Th ey that are well ( hoi hugiainontes) need not a physician, but they that are sick" . John also uses the word in his Third Epistle, v .2, "Beloved, I wish above all things that you mayest prosper, and be in health ( /1ugianinein ) even as thy soul pros– pereth" . Hence, these are words that are heal thy words, sound and true, whole– some and edifying. They are words tha t are free from any admixture of error, words that are not infected or diseased with untruth or heresy. This is the kind of words Timothy was re– sponsible to teach - and we today are bound to adhere to the same kind of words, never turning even in the least from the lines, tracings, and the design and meaning laid down for us in this divine pattern of healthy words. Timo– thy had these words directly from Paul - we have them today, and they are to be used by us as the pattern for our teaching and preaching, as the ground and substance for our theo– logy. Our duty is clearly stated by the Apostle - "Hold!" The present im– per ative form leaves no doubt as to our obligation - ' 'Keep holding!" ( e 11 ) • T l1i i the ,od-givcn cot1rse for t i s in s,1ch days a~ these - there is no other. We arc bound by duty. b obligation, by divine command, by od's claim on us. by personal re– lationship and all egiance to the aviour - to keep holding to health y, sot1nd. wholcc,omc worcls in our teach– ing and in our livi ng, and we cannot ever deviate o r digress from them in the slightest degree. The peopl e of th i age desperately need uch word<;, and no other kind wi ll avai l fo r them. Paul ine words, then, are good words. Pauline theology is that which Paul received from the Lord Himse]f by direc t revelation. It is the G ospel truth ; we need not be afraid of it . Stepping aside from it is apostasy. This is the divine verdict upon Jibera)– ism with its cla ims that the words of Scripture are "outmoded, antiquated, out of date, not for this modem age''. The liberal theologians tell us that we must substitute processes and pat– terns of thought and speech that are new, which the wisdom of this new day produces. The old words must be replaced by a new manner of speaking. New ways for expressing these musty old dogmas must be adop– ted. But the new ways and the new words do not teach the old truths! The new words of human wisdom do not contain the old truths at all , but are cleverly coined, devised, and des– ignated to deceive and beguile hap– less, gullible people. All these new . theological proposals are words of human wisdom, cancerous, gangre– nous, which eat away n1en·s minds. May the eternal God give us the grace, the strength, and the courage - to keep holding ever and always to sound, healthy words: in faith , never doubting them ourselves; in truth, administering them with integrity and honesty. Genuine faith and sincere love will never hold to, and will never offer to anyone else - anything that is unhealthy, unsound, or untrue... ..-....,'WA"'..____.....,. YOUTH ASSOCIATION WEEKDAY BIBLE CLUBS Bible Centered Evangelistic Unified material Area Mission• ry W.DENTON REILLY 528W. ParkAve . Libert yvill e, 11160048 - INTRODUCTORY FOLIO, ea. $5.00 GIRLS CLUB Cl BOYS CLUB I I THE OHIO INDEPENDENT BAPTIST •