Axioms - Jackson Hole Bible College

An axiom, as defined by Jackson Hole Bible College, is a fact that ought to be a widely held and understood truth. This list of axioms has defined and set apart the two-semester program at JHBC, laying a foundation for a better, more fluent understanding of the Word of God.

Axiom #1: God created all things from nothing

Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

John 1:1-3 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.”

God as an infinite being, outside of time, created time space and matter. This ex nihilo (out of nothing) creation took place over the course of a literal six-day solar week involving all three persons of the Trinity. Ex nihilo creation also reveals that God is omnipotent and is the Ultimate Cause of everything.

The literal understanding of the aforementioned passages leaves us with no room to place millions of years of evolution before, during, or after the creation account in Genesis 1-2. Millions of years of death, disease and bloodshed traced to it’s ultimate starting point, will have to be recognized as an eternal space-mass-time continuum which in essence does not avoid the fact that there is a god. After the Lord had finished His creation, He stated that what He had made was perfect and complete. (Genesis 1:31) This imply’s that there was no sin prior to Adam and Eve’s fall in Genesis 3 and definitely no death, weeds, hominids, etc. prior to the curse. If there was sin, disease, and death prior to the creation of mankind, then when man sinned, God lied, and Jesus’ physical death on the cross would not have been necessary. If physical death had existed before Adam’s fall, then physical death could not have been included in the curse of sin as mentioned in Genesis 3:14-19. If you are willing to avoid this passage, then you must, to be consistent, avoid Romans 5:12 which states:

“Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.”

and Romans 5:15 “But the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many.”

The source of all things is the Lord and His Word is to be taken literally, otherwise, what foundation are we able to stand upon.

Axiom #2: There is a priority of God in all things.

Colossians 1:16-17 “For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.”

Revelation 22:13 “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.”

The beginning of all information is founded in the Lord and in knowing Him personally. We also know that throughout history Satan has been perverting God’s message and trying to thwart God’s plans on earth. Thus we should not be surprised when we see that there are many perversions in the world, but we must not fail to recognize that the Lord had an important purpose for the originals that have been corrupted. We must not just look at the perversion, but we must take it a step back and look for God’s original purpose for those areas that have been defiled. This is the priority of God in all things, that he had an intended design for many objects and subjects but that we only recognize them now because of their perversions.

A brief example of this is mountains: Mount Sinai is called the mount of God, the temple mount is very holy to the Lord, the Lord Jesus went to the mountains to pray, and the list goes on. At the tower of Babel Satan deceived mankind and enticed them to build a man-made mountain, with man-made materials that are counterfeit of that which God created. When the Lord dispersed the people from Babel, you see throughout history and across the globe how the man-made mountains have been perverted. You see pyramids, mounds and ziggurats all over the globe that are made by men to worship the stars. Man is trying to copy that which the Lord created, but the Lord originally created mountains for a purpose and Satan is just trying to pervert them.

Axiom #3: Christians today are living like pagans because their feet are on two different foundations.

James 1:8 “Being a double-minded man unstable in all his ways.”

As Christians, we must believe on Jesus Christ’s atonement for our sins as Redeemer and yet we so often forget about placing our faith in Him as Creator. If Jesus Christ was not truly the redeemer of mankind, a belief that we see as prevalent in the American culture, those believers are standing upon one foundation of the Gospel of Jesus and also upon the opposing worldview which states that the Genesis account is fiction and just a good story. If there is not a literal understanding of the issues in Genesis there is no need for physical atonement for the physical death of Jesus Christ. Upon such a foundation no man is able to stand, they must admit that their views contradict each other, and this is what James is talking about, sharing two opposing world views are personally destructive.

Axiom #4: Satan can’t create, he can only pervert.

Proverbs 14:12 “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.”

John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.”

Hebrews 11:25 “Choosing rather to endure ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin.”

As a created and thus finite being, Satan is not able to to create anything. The only power that the Satan has is the power that the Lord has chosen to give to him. Thus in the present times as well as in history, Satan has only been able to take that which the Lord created and pervert it to attempt to deceive the nations into believing his lies. Thus there is always something that the deception can be traced to a truth that was created by God.

Axiom #5: Everything Satan does is a counterfeit.

Isaiah 14:14 “‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’”

Satan seeks to take the glory away from the Lord, that is his main objective in this world, and when he deceives the human race, ultimately destroying their lives, even then his purpose and plan is thwarted. At that end of the world, after the sinners have been judged and found guilty, they will all bow down at the name of Jesus.

Philippians 2:10-11 “So that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Once again the principle applies that Satan is not able to create, he is only able to pervert.

Axiom #6: The origin of evolution is older than people realize.

Isaiah 14:14 “I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High”

Ezekiel 28:17 “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, that they may see you.”

Satan, who was created with the ability to choose and reason for Himself, chose to reject God as the one true God, and believed that he could become god himself. This is the first origin of evolution, that a being can evolve into something that is more sophisticated than it currently is. This is called the sin of pride from the Bible and is the root of evolution. Satan has been deceiving men throughout the centuries that they are able to become like God, and throughout history you can track man trying to “evolve” into gods.

Axiom #7: Those who reject God as creator are still religious.

Psalm 53:1 “The fool has said in his heart, ‘There is no God,’ they are corrupt and have committed abominable injustice;”

Romans 1:18-19 “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within the; for God made it evident to them.”

People who subscribe to Darwinian evolution state that they believe scientific fact, yet they are truly missing an important part of their “belief.” When they say that they believe in the big bang as the beginning of their origin, they fail to recognize that they are truly believing in something eternal.

Their belief follows this train of thought: This present earth began after a previous universe collapsed upon itself (about the size of a pinhead), exploded within itself and caused everything that we have today. When asked where the previous universe came from they would say that it came from a previous big bang, which was a previous universe that collapsed upon itself and exploded. If you keep asking them how long that this process went on they would have to say that either at one point in time a universe was created or they would have an eternal space, mass, time continuum which is eternal by its very definition.

Thus as a result the element of faith is employed more in evolution than in creation. Evolutionists must believe in something that they have no evidence for, nothing to support them, and as a result they must employ faith, thus making evolution a religion.

Axiom #8: There are only two possible world views.

Matthew 7:13-27

In Matthew 7, Jesus in the sermon on the mount gives several examples that point to the same conclusion, that there are only two kingdoms in this world: the kingdom of God the Father, and the kingdom of Satan which is a direct counterfeit of the Father’s kingdom. There are not thousands and thousands of religions in the world; all religions besides Christianity are sourced in their father the Devil and seek to do his will not the will of our Father.

The correct worldview, that which is based upon Scripture, directly contradicts the kingdom of Satan. They are not compatible with each other and must be kept distinct in our minds. Either a Christian will be partaking of the good tree (when he is walking in the Spirit) or he will be partaking of the bad tree when following the schemes of the world.

Recognizing the different elements of Satan’s kingdom will provide for us a kind of immunity, an ability to perceive counterfeit more easily. As Christians we must become so familiar with the Word of God that we quickly recognize the counterfeit when we are confronted with it in our daily lives. The old man, the flesh that fights in our life is sourced in the kingdom of Satan and desires to bring anyone glory besides the Lord. Our actions as believers are sourced in one of these two kingdoms, focusing on pleasing the old self and our sinful habits, or having our actions as a proof of the kingdom that lives within us.

Axiom #9: All goes back to the nature and character of God.

The authority structure for our lives follows several simple steps:

Precept: The statement of right or wrong – the rule given in precept form
Principle: The reason behind the precept
Person: The Ultimate Person of God who stands behind the principle

In our instruction we must not shy away from teaching the whole council of God, teaching the specific commands and instructions of the Lord as well as teaching the reason why we live the way we live, founded upon the basis of Scripture. Many times we teach just the precept or the principle and forget to point everything back to the character and nature of God that is orderly and organized, providing the reason to follow the rules.

Axiom #10: An immutable God demands absolutes.

Relating to the previous axiom, yet expounding and building upon it, the character and nature of God, being unchanging and immutable, requires that His people live their lives according to absolutes. If the God that we served was a changing, ever fluctuating God, we would have no reason to hold to absolutes, yet we must realize that our God is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Hebrews 13:8 “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.”

Be assured that you do not have to cast aside your brain when discussing your faith with unbelievers, understanding that your faith is the only defensible faith in this world. For example those who claim that they live by the standard of no absolutes are themselves making an absolute statement that they are expecting you to live by. If you take the time to discern and decipher the statements made by an unbeliever you will be able to show them that their world view falls apart when taken logically and projected to its final conclusion.

2 Corinthians 10:5 “We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.”

1Peter 3:15 “But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence.”

Axiom #11: God wants to be known.

Genesis 3:8a “They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day”

Jeremiah 32:38 “They shall be My people and I will be their God”

Revelation 21:3 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, ‘Behold the tabernacle of God is among men, and He will dwell among them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself will be among them.’”

God desires to have fellowship with the human race that He created. The sole purpose for man being created was so that the Father would receive glory to Himself. He is a jealous God that desires to be glorified alone, not among others, but “solo gloria.” Throughout the course of human history we see how the Lord has been in the business of restoring that which was lost in the garden of Eden when mankind rebelled and destroyed the fellowship that existed between God and man.

Axiom #12: There is nothing that we know about God that He did not have to tell us.

1 Corinthians 2:14 “But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

As sons of Adam who are “spiritually appraised,” or in other words we cannot understand anything about God without direct illumination from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit draws and quickens human beings to come to a knowledge of the Lord, but without this work all humanity would have no ability in themselves to understand anything of God.

Axiom #13: The Bible is all we need.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 “All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

Through the imparting of the Scriptures, God has given to mankind all that he needs to live his life to the praise and glory of God.

2 Peter 1:3 “Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.”

We do not need further revelation for our lives to be successful, the Lord has promised that if we are faithful in studying and applying that which he has given us, that we will be prepared for whatever trials that we experience in this life.

Axiom #14: The best hermeneutic for studying Scripture…

To correctly understand and apply Scripture we need a consistent pair of glasses through which we interpret God’s Word. A literal, historical, grammatical, contextual approach to the Word of God is the only hermeneutic that will allow the Word of the Lord to speak without our own world view to filter out that which we do not like or enjoy. We must take the time and read the passage in context, we must understand what was being said in the original languages, we must consider the historical context around the time that the book was written, and generally take the literal reading of the Text.

So many times in Christianity today, believers will use the cut, copy, and paste method for determining truth. They do not enjoy being convicted by Scripture and so they take the liberty of discarding that which they deem unnecessary. They are then placing themselves in the place of God, as the ultimate authority in their life, replacing God’s Word.

Axiom #15: The Bible needs to be approached as supernatural.

1 Peter 2:20-21 “But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God.”

If the Word of God was not inspired text, from a holy God, we would expect to find errors in the text, we would come to Scripture expecting to find contradictions, but throughout history we do not/have not found these supposed contradictions. We see the Lord divinely protecting His Word as it has been translated through the ages, providing us confidence that the Word of God that we are holding today is an accurate translation of the original autograph manuscripts.

Axiom #16: When God created man He had a challenge.

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

2 Corinthians 5:7 “For we walk by faith and not by sight”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of Christ.”

How would an infinite God reveal Himself to finite creatures in such a way that they would desire to worship Him? Saying that God had a challenge is anthropomorphic language, which means that God really didn’t have a challenge but in our human minds it would have been a challenge. God knew how He would reveal Himself from the beginning, that we would not be able to know everything about God. Faith is the avenue that the Lord created by which a finite being may understand and rest in that which they do not understand.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.”

This is the only way that we are able to remotely grasp the attributes of an eternal being, through faith.

Axiom #17: People’s theology and practice pendulum swing because they do not understand antinomies.

As Christians, we understand the God of the Bible is completely sovereign and yet commands us to pray, truths that in our mind oppose one another. Modern day Christians like to polarize themselves to one side of the argument or the other, throwing away the accurate understanding of Scripture to hold on to the truth that is most comfortable for them. This then makes the human being the definer of truth and not the Word of God, it takes man and elevates him to the place and position of God, allowing him to decide the difference between right and wrong. As finite creatures we must understand and take by faith the fact that we will not be able to understand all things about God, and as we “bump” into God through the reading of the Word of God, we will have more and more questions that we are unable to answer.

There is a huge importance in understanding the practical application of an antinomy, or a truth that in our finite mind seems polar opposite of what we know to be true. Holding these truths together, holding both truths that are taught in Scripture that seem to oppose each other, unlocks the key to understanding difficult passages and parts of the Bible that we originally thought opposed one another.

Axiom #18: God wants us to know a lot about the future.

Isaiah 46:10 “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things which have not been done, saying, ‘My purpose will be established, and I will accomplish all My good pleasure.’”

When the Word of God was written, at the time of its writing, 43% of the Word of God was prophetic. Just in this fact alone, we must understand and take away the fact that God desires us to be learning and to be interested in the events of the future. God does not desire that we stick our heads in the sand and not be concerned with what is going to happen, we are called to live in the mindset that this world is not our home (Hebrews 11:13-16). We are called to be a discerning people, a people who understand the times that we live in.

1Chronicles 12:32a “Of the sons of Issahcar, men who understood the times with knowledge of what Israel should do,”

Axiom #19: Bible prophecy confirms God.

Seeing Bible prophecy that is fulfilled accurately and to the letter is proof that there is a God. For God to be able to provide accurate information about the future He must be omniscient and outside of time, knowing the end from the beginning and knowing the choices that man will make. We see throughout Scripture that the Lord, through His prophets makes prophecies and that they are fulfilled with astonishing accuracy. What else should we expect from an all-knowing God who has dwelt from eternity past and dwells in eternity future.

Axiom #20: Christians today have been taught thousands of unrelated facts which makes them susceptible to every wind of doctrine.

Acts 20:20 “How I did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable, and teaching you publicly and from house to house”

2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

As a Christian in this world which seems full of deceptions and counterfeits, we must be constantly discerning between truth and error, so that we are remaining true to the Word of God in all that we do. Yet, through many Sunday School lessons and church services, the average Christian is taught fact upon fact of scripture that does not seem to relate to one another, they seem very disconnected and not applicable to our daily lives. If today’s Christian would understand the different economies that the Lord has worked through over the course of history, if he would have a coherent understanding of the timeline of Scripture and the counterfeit that Satan is constantly bombarding us with, their discernment would be vastly strengthened. Another result of understanding the overall “play” of God’s Word is that the our discernment will be strengthened and that the lines between God’s plan and Satan’s perversion become more distinct and defined.

Knowing where to properly “park” or store information in the overall timeline of Scripture will help provide a better memory retention and quicker cross-referencing. This example is more adequately explained through an understanding of the parking system of Disney World. Since there are so many parking lots with so many rows and sections there is no way that you will remember where you had your car parked unless you attach a place or time with where you parked your car. With a proper understanding of markers or the overall timeline of Scripture when you learn that next piece of information that you do not want to forget or is revolutionary in your daily walk, placing that information in a marked lot is much easier to recall.

Axiom #21: The Hebrews had a different learning system than the Greeks.

The Hebrew learning system, in opposition to the Greeks, taught the universals and worked down until they reached the particulars. This relates to the previous axiom that provides areas upon which to store the information that you are learning. The Greek mindset of focusing on the particulars and then building upon the foundation and finally reaching the particulars provides nowhere to park information that you are learning except that you must continue to remember all in rote memory with no place to store the information. The Hebrew schools started with God, the universal, and worked their way down to reaching the particulars of daily living.

Looking at the overall scheme of the Bible it was you are able to understand more deeply that the Bible was written from a Jewish mindset, the universals were taught in Genesis, then you arrive towards the end of the New Testament with the particulars of daily living as described by the Apostle Paul. Thus if we do not understand the universal foundation that is started in Genesis 1-11 then how are we able properly store the information that we are taught later in the Bible. Genesis 1-11 are literally the foundation of the Bible, even from the perspective of Hebrew vs. Greek learning.

Axiom #22: Learning must be repetitive.

Isaiah 28:10 “For He says, ‘Order on order, order on order, line on line, line on line, a little here, a little there.’”

For the learning to stick and make an impact in our lives, we must be taught and taught the principle from Scripture. We continue to be learning, even focusing on the same thing time and time again that the lesson would be driven deep into our soul. Unfortunately we are slow learners and we usually suffer through the same issues over and over again before we finally learn our lesson. God the Father made us this way, and instructs us in our learning to be repetitive and sooner rather than later hopefully we will learn our lesson.