Presuppositions

I. Introduction: Defined: “an act of presupposing or an assumption made in advance: a preliminary supposition” (https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/presupposition). An example: Someone asks: "Did you enjoy the movie?” The presupposition is that I watched a movie. Before I ever answer, something has already been assumed. The question is, is that assumption sound? What if you knew I was planning to watch a movie, but you are not sure I actually did? A presupposition is something assumed before all the facts are fully known.

A. Some presumptions can be sound, if the assumption is based on an unmovable fact. Example: I can have a Presupposition concerning Andronicus and Junia having been baptized, because they were “in Christ” (Romans 16:7; cf. Romans 6:3-6 and Galatians 3:27).

1. I can trust Paul’s statement because it is inspired of God (I Corinthians 2:9-13 and II Timothy 3:16-17).
2. I can trust Paul’s statement because the Lord knows those whom are His (II Timothy 2:19).
3. I have concrete information to support my presupposition.

1. Job was not being punished for his sins (Job 1:8, Job 1:22, Job 2:3, and Job 2:10).
2. Job suffered his afflictions, at the start before he did sin, at the hand of Satan (Job 1:12-21 and Job 2:7).
3. Zophar made assumptions without all the information (Proverbs 18:13 and Proverbs 18:17).

1. There are those that appear righteous before men (Matthew 23:28). However, Scriptural judgment teaches us things aren’t often as they appear…
2. The harlots had a better chance of kingdom citizenship than the Jewish chief priests and elders (Matthew 21:23-32).
3. Having more information with people is just as important as with how we handle the Scriptures. Therefore, we must not form conclusions about people without sufficient, verifiable evidence (cf. Deuteronomy 17:6).

1. Don’t go beyond what is written (Proverbs 30:5-6 and II John 1:9).
2. We must handle God’s word aright (II Timothy 2:14-18).
3. We cannot grab Scriptures without respect to context.

1. Call no man your father (Matthew 23:9).
2. Yet… Luke 15:12, Luke 15:17-21, Ephesians 6:2, Ephesians 6:4, James 2:21, and I John 2:13
3. The context of Matthew 23:1ff. is Jesus is condemning religious titles that elevate men improperly (Matthew 23:1-12).
4. A Scripture taken out of its context becomes a foundation for false conclusions.

4. If you approach the Scriptures with an unproven presupposition, your conclusion will likely be false. For example, some presuppose that God controls everything.

1. They remove time and chance (Ecclesiastes 9:11).
2. They therefore conclude man’s freewill is very limited or nonexistent.
3. The false conclusion makes us puppets on God’s string forced to do His will. This conclusion is not drawn from all Scripture, but from a presupposition imposed on Scripture.
4. In reality, God’s will can be rejected (I Samuel 8:4-7, Nehemiah 9:16-17, and John 12:48).
5. We will be rewarded based upon our own works (Matthew 16:27 and Revelation 2:20-23).

5. When we understand how to handle the word of God correctly, we can use it to measure ourselves properly.

1. Self-deception is a real factor we must be aware of (I Corinthians 3:18, Galatians 6:3, and James 1:22).
2. If we trust our own thinking first, we will naturally justify what we already believe (Proverbs 12:15).
3. We know full well the standard is God’s word (Psalms 119:1-3, Psalms 119:9-11, Psalms 119:59-60, Psalms 119:105, Psalms 119:128, John 6:63, and I Thessalonians 4:1-2).