Quoting Ephesians

by Brian L. Martin

A while back my wife and I had the pleasure of spending an afternoon of food and fellowship with three other couples—all of whom were Preterists. In fact, everyone at the table could trace their Preterist roots—either directly or indirectly—to one man at the table. In a way, he was our Preterist “patriarch.” As the meal wound to a close, one of the men asked the “patriarch”—a man in his eighties—if he could still recite the first chapter of Ephesians. The patriarch replied that he thought he could, and proceeded to recite the first half of chapter one. He then said, “this is my favorite part,” and started quoting chapter two.

The power of those verses as he spoke was moving beyond words. The inflection and emphases he placed on particular words and phrases went beyond a mere recitation of memorized text. And it’s not as though he is trained in recitation or oratory, for he is not. No, the power of those words did not come just from the mind which had memorized them, but also from the heart which had felt their impact. Here was a person who knew what it was to be dead in trespasses, and yet to be made alive in Christ. He knew that he had been saved by faith—and that not of himself. Nor was this just “shallow” emotionalism, for when this individual begins talking theology, the average Christian, including me, is quickly left in the dust.

I said all of that to say this: the opponents of Preterism often insist on continuing to “swallow camels” until we can answer every single last gnat at which they strain. Therefore, many Preterists must spend an undue amount of time engrossed in eschatology. But there is a subtle danger to this. We can get to the place that when we read the Bible, the only thing that “jumps off the page” at us is another point that supports Preterism, or another verse that disagrees with Futurism. Our search of the Scriptures can turn into an exegetical exercise, like a lawyer preparing a case, rather than a heartfelt cry to know more of God. In short, we can become modern-day Pharisees, able to define, defend and debate our position, but all the while growing more and more distant from the One who is the very focal point of the Scriptures. Jesus told the Pharisees, “You search the Scriptures—you do well, for they speak of Me.”

If we find in our Bible study that the only thing that “moves” us is finding another “gem” for Preterism, or finding another refutation of Futurism, then perhaps it is time to lay down our eschatology for a while. Perhaps it is time to rekindle our first love with the One who bought us with His imperishable blood; the One who, while we were yet sinners, gave His life for us that we might pass from spiritual death into life.

Yes, it is important (and Biblical) to be able to define, defend and debate our position. But as Jesus told Martha, “you are worried and bothered about so many things; but only a few things are necessary, really only one, for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Have we chosen the good part?

In Acts chapter 4, the Pharisees, who were the bastions of defining and defending their faith, viewed Peter and John as “uneducated and untrained men.” But they also recognized that they had been with Jesus. When all is said and done, I would rather that the “Pharisees” of my day not acknowledge me as a defender of Preterism. Instead, by His grace, I would much rather be recognized as “uneducated, untrained” and “as having been with Jesus.”