Thursday, February 2, 2023

Refuting Ron Rhodes on Philippians 2:12 and the Meaning of "Fear and Trembling"

Commenting on Phil 2:12, in an attempt to salvage his (4-Point Calvinist) soteriology, Ron Rhodes wrote that:

 

The Philippians were to accomplish their appointed task with an attitude of “fear and trembling.” This doesn’t mean Paul wanted the Philippines to have terror in their hearts as a motivation. Rather, the words “fear and trembling” comprise a Jewish idiomatic expression that speaks of great reverence for God and a humble frame of mind. (Ron Rhodes and Marian Bodine, Reasoning from the Scriptures with the Mormons [Eugene, Oreg.: Harvest House Publishers, 1995], 338)

 

Note a couple of things:

 

1. Latter-day Saints do not have a fear for our salvation when we work out our salvation “with fear and trembling”—it is out of love of God. For Rhodes, anything done out of love of God cannot affect positively or negatively salvation, which is the result of his unbiblical theology (which is why he and his fellow co-religionists struggles on passages such as Acts 2:38, for e.g.)

 

2. Rhodes does not offer any support for this claim. He presents the reader with a bald assertion and his ipse dixit. This is intellectual disingenuous and deceptive. There is a reason for this.

 

3. When one examines literature contemporary with the New Testament, we see that “fear and trembling” is not out of reverence for God merely, and oftentimes, it is out of horror, contra Rhodes. Note the following examples where “fear” (φοβος) and “trembling” (τρομος) are coupled together:

 

Then the fear and dread (φοβος και ο τρομος) of them fell on all the people, for they said, "There is no truth or justice in them, for they have violated the agreement and the oath that they swore." (1 Maccabees 7:18 NRSV)

 

And while Apollonius was going up with his armed forces to seize the money, angels on horseback with lightning flashing from their weapons appeared from heaven, instilling in them great fear and trembling (φοβον τε και τρομον ενιεντες). (1 Maccabees 4:10 NRSV)

 

May fear and trembling (φοβος και τρομος) fall upon them; by the magnitude of your arms, they became petrified. Until your people could pass by, Lord, until these your people, whom you possess, could pass by. (Odes 1:16 The Lexham English Septuagint)

 

And all shall be smitten with fear, And the Watchers shall quake, And great fear and trembling (τρομος και φοβος) shall seize them unto the ends of the earth. (1 Enoch 1:5, trans. R. H. Charles)

 

1 And Enoch went and said: Azazel/span bwsymbs, thou shalt have no peace: a severe sentence has gone forth

2 against thee to put thee in bonds: And thou shalt not have toleration nor request granted to thee, because of the unrighteousness which thou hast taught, and because of all the works of godlessness and unrighteousness and sin which thou hast shown to men.'

3 Then I went and spoke to them all together, and they were all afraid, and fear and trembling seized them (τρομος και φοβος). (1 Enoch 13:1-3, trans. R. H. Charles)

 

I entered into that house, and it was hot as fire and cold as ice: there were no delights of life therein: fear covered me, and trembling gat hold upon me. (φόβος με ἐκάλυψεν καὶ τρόμος με ἔλαβεν) (1 Enoch 14:3, trans. R. H. Charles)

 

9 "Do you not most certainly know that it is written: 'And those who repent never see punishment?'

10 "And [they did not hearken to] the Apostles or to my word in the Gospels, and they grieve my angels, and truly they do not attend to my messenger in the assemblies (for communion) and in my services, and they do not stand in my holy churches, but they stand and do not fall down and worship in fear and trembling (ἐν φόβῳ καὶ ἐν τρόμῳ), but boast things which I do not accept, or my holy angels." (Apocalypse of Sedrach 14:9-10, trans. Craig E. Evans)

1 And when Aseneth finished confessing to the Lord, behold, the morning star rose in the eastern sky. And Aseneth saw it and rejoiced and said:

2 "The Lord God has indeed heard me, for this star is a messenger and herald of the light of the great day."

3 And behold, the heaven was torn open near the morning star and an indescribable light appeared.

4 And Aseneth fell on her face upon the ashes. And there came to her a man from heaven. And he stood at her head and called to her: ["Aseneth."]

5 And she said: "Who called me? For the door of my chamber is shut and the tower is high. How then did anyone get into my chamber?"

6 And the man called her a second time [and said]: "Aseneth, [Aseneth]." And she said: "Here am I, my lord, tell me who you are."

7 And the man said: "I am the commander of the house of the Lord and chief captain of all the army of the Most High. Stand up, and I will speak to you."

8 And she lifted up her eyes and saw. And behold, a man like Joseph in every respect, with a robe and a crown and a royal staff.

9 But his face was like lightning, and his eyes were like the light of the sun, and the hairs of his head (were) as flames of fire, and his hands and feet like iron from the fire.

10 And Aseneth saw and fell on her face at his feet in [great] fear [and trembling] (ἐν φόβῳ μεγάλῳ καὶ τρόμῳ). (Joseph and Aseneth 14:1-10, trans. Craig A. Evans)

 

1 For her faith and hospitality Rahab the harlot was saved.

2 For when the spies were sent to Jericho by Joshua the son of Nun, the King of the land knew that they had come to spy out his country, and sent men to take them, that they might be captured and put to death.

3 So the hospitable Rahab took them in, and hid them in the upper room under the stalks of flax.

4 And when the king's men came and said, "The spies of our land came in to thee, bring them out, for the king orders thus," she answered "The men whom ye seek did indeed come to me, but they went away forthwith, and are proceeding on their journey," and pointed in the wrong direction.

5 And she said to the men, "I know assuredly that the Lord God is delivering to you this land; for the fear and dread of you has fallen on those who dwell in it ( γὰρ φόβος καὶ τρόμος ὑμῶν ἐπέπεσεν τοῖς κατοικοῦσιν αὐτήν). When therefore it shall come to pass, that ye take it, save me and my father's house." (1 Clement 12:1-5, Kirsopp Lake translation)

 

In Psa 55:5 (LXX: 54:6) provides another example, where "fear and trembling" is the result of treachery, and the psalmist wishes to flee from such, showing that Rhodes' argument is a failure:

 

4 (3) by the noise of an enemy and by the affliction of a sinner, because they tilted lawlessness against me, and in wrath they kept being indignant at me.

5 (4) My heart was troubled within me, and death's terror fell upon me.

6 (5) Fear and trembling (φόβος καὶ τρόμος) came upon me, and darkness covered me.

7 (6) And I said, "Who will give me wings like a dove, and I shall fly away and be at rest?" (New English Translation of the Septuagint)

 

In spite of his attempt to portray himself as an exegete of the Bible and a skilled theologian, Ron Rhodes, here and all throughout his works on “Mormonism,” cannot exegete his way out of a paper bag. His bogus claim about the meaning of “fear and trembling” in Phil 2:12 is just one example.

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