Inspire, Fall 2005

16 Fall 2005 L O G O S W h a t ’ s t h e W o r d ? Throughout the centuries, Bible scholars and teachers have affirmed the importance of drawing the meaning out of the biblical text itself (and not reading one’s own views into the text) and then illustrating the proper relevance of that meaning. As one popular Bible teacher and theologian says, “Meaning is married to the text and only the text.” Application of the meaning is referred to as significance. Significance answers the question of how the meaning of the text relates to the readers. Both meaning and significance are critically important in Bible study and teaching. We celebrate several recent appointments and accomplishments here in the department of biblical education that foster this faithfulness and commitment to the meaning-significance paradigm. Dr. David Hoffeditz ’92 Has Book Published As Dr. David Hoffeditz ’92, assistant professor of Bible and Greek, begins his sixth year at Cedarville, he has been honored with his first book publication, titled, They Were Single Too: Eight Biblical Role Models . David writes: Our culture is inundated with ideas about the single life. Even in the Church preconceived ideas and biases exist — notions such as an individual is “complete” when married, contentment is the litmus test for the “gift,” or only married individuals can serve in leadership roles. This volume takes a fresh look at the topic through God’s perspective by examining the lives of eight individuals from Scripture who were single at some point in their adult lives. Via these various biblical portraits, we will address common issues facing singles, such as understanding what Paul meant by the “gift of singleness,” living with shattered dreams, serving despite social ostracism, remaining committed, and struggling with loneliness, temptation, and self-centeredness. This work is not intended to foster a pity party, create a dating service, or cast stones at the Church. Instead, David seeks to explore how God intends single women and men to live in this fallen world. The volume should prove to be an excellent resource, not only for the one living solo, but for all who seek to know what God’s Word states concerning this subject. Meaning-Significance Kudos to Dr. Tim Gombis Congratulations to Dr. Tim Gombis, assistant professor of Bible, who recently defended his dissertation and received his Ph.D. from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. Tim’s dissertation addressed a number of interpretative and literary issues in the book of Ephesians. Tim stated: In my dissertation, I aim to show that there is indeed a very clear and compelling argument that runs throughout Ephesians and that this argument is brought to light when it is read through the lens of divine warfare from the Old Testament. The ideology of divine warfare forms the structure of many passages in the OT and particularly in Psalms. For example, many Psalms proclaim the kingship of God, whose sovereignty is demonstrated by God’s victories over the enemies of Israel, or by His ability to keep the forces of chaos from tearing the orderly universe apart. Because God is the Great King over all the earth, Israel gathers at His temple to celebrate and give Him praise. I argue that these very same elements are found in Ephesians, where Paul first asserts the cosmic lordship of Christ in 1:20-23 and then lists His triumphs over the powers that hold the present evil age in their grip in 2:1-16. This is followed by Paul noting that the people of God do not now gather at the temple to worship, but rather as the temple, the place on earth where God now dwells by His Spirit (2:18-22). Thus, Ephesians has a bit more of an argumentative edge to it, so that in it Paul is asserting and expounding on how it is that Christ is no longer in the grave but is exalted as Cosmic Lord over the entire universe. The rest of the letter shows what this means for living as the people of God in Christ. For Paul, manifesting this triumph means embracing his position of shame and humiliation as a prisoner in order to more effectively show the power of God in the gospel (3:2-13). Triumph is again present in 4:1-16 as God is depicted as the victorious warrior who leads a train of captive powers while dispersing gifts to His church. The ethical section of Ephesians (4:17-6:9) gives direction on how God’s people participate in His cosmic triumph as they live as “the new humanity” while still living among “the old humanity.” As they participate in their identity as the body of Christ, loving others self- sacrificially and pursuing holiness and obedience, the people of God constantly proclaim the triumph of God in Christ. They demonstrate that the power of God is greater than the power of the fallen and defeated powers, and they point to the final day when God’s triumph will be fully manifest and the powers will go down to utter defeat. For Paul, spiritual warfare against the evil powers is fought through daily acts of obedience and self-sacrificial love of others. As we live this way, we manifest