Page 478 - Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible Christianity. Based on the King James Bible

PRECEPT - PRESBYTERIAN

Example of Ph. 1:19. (3) Example of Phile. 22. (4) from heaven prior to the 1,000 year period spoken of in
Example of He. 13:18-19. Hindrances to Prayer (1) Re. 20:2-7. Thereafter, all of the O.T. prophecies
Selfish purposes (Ja. 4:3). (2) sin (Is. 59:1-2; Ps. concerning Israel’s glorious earthly kingdom will be
139:23-24; 66:18). (3) Idols in the heart (Eze. 14:3). fulfilled literally. [See Allegorical, Daniel, Great
These can be friends, pleasures, possessions, business, Tribulation, Kingdom of God, Millennium, Prophecy,
reputation, money, or anything that comes before God. Rapture, Revelation, Second Coming.]
(4) Ignoring the needs of others (Pr. 21:13). (5) PRESBYTERIAN. The history of the Reformed or
Disobedience to God’s Word (1 Jn. 3:22; Pr. 28:9). (6) Presbyterian churches cannot be traced to one single
Not forgiving others (Mk. 11:25). (7) Poor relationship man but to a group of men, as follows:
between husband and wife (1 Pe. 3:7). (8) Unbelief (Ja. Huldreich Zwingli (1484-1531) was a Reformation
1:5-7; He. 11:6). (9) Not abiding in Christ (Jn. 15:7). leader in Switzerland. He was ordained a Catholic priest
(10) Not abiding in Truth (Ps. 145:18). [See High Priest, and after several years, he obtained a Greek New
Intercession, Intreat, Supplication, Tabernacle.] Testament published by Erasmus. The light of scriptural
PRECEPT. Command; charge (Ne. 9:14; Ps. truth began to dawn upon him gradually, and he
119:4-173; Is. 28:10; 29:13; Je. 35:18; Da. 9:5; Mk. preached more and more boldly against Rome’s errors.
10:5; He. 9:19). He eventually rejected the pope and married. The city of
PRECIOUS. (1) Valuable; very desirable (Ge. 24:53; Zurich followed his leadership and rejected Catholicism.
1 Ki. 10:2-11; 2 Ki. 20:13; Ps. 116:15; 126:6; Pr. 6:26; The city council dissolved the monasteries and
12:27; 20:15; 24:4; 1 Co. 3:12; Ja. 5:7; 1 Pe. 1:7, 19; abolished the mass and image worship.
2:4, 6-7; 2 Pe. 1:4; Re. 17:4; 18:12-16; 21:11, 19). (2) Like Luther, Zwingli intertwined his church with the
Rare (1 Sa. 3:1). Some things which are precious: state. He drew up plans for a supposed model Christian
Redemption of the soul (Ps. 49:8); the death of God’s community and enforced Christian belief and practice
saints (Ps. 116:15); the seed of the Word of God (Ps. by the force of law.
126:6); God’s thoughts toward His children (Ps. Switzerland was then divided into 13 loosely
139:17); lips of knowledge (Pr. 20:15); Jesus Christ, the federated states or cantons. Some of the cantons
precious corner stone (Is. 28:16); the trial of our faith followed Zurich’s reformation, but others remained
(1 Pe. 1:7); the blood of Christ (1 Pe. 1:19). committed to the Catholic Church. In 1531, war broke
PRECIOUS LIFE. This phrase emphasizes the out between the Catholics and the Reformers in Zurich.
destructive power of adultery (Pr. 6:26). It will rob a The military forces of Zurich were defeated, and
man of his precious life: (1) loss of innocence (v. 29). Zwingli, who took up arms as a soldier, was killed in
(2) loss of substance (v. 31). (3) loss of his soul (v. 32). battle. Zwingli’s son-in-law, Heinrich Bullinger, took
(4) loss of honor (v. 33). (5) loss of tranquility (vv. over leadership of the Protestants in Zurich, but they
34-35). Pr. 6:26 also speaks of the evil intent, cunning, were forbidden to spread their beliefs in the rest of
and persistence of the wicked woman. “The adulteress Switzerland.
will hunt for the precious life.” Compare Ge. 39:7-14; John Calvin (1509-1564) is the next name we come
Jud. 16:18-21, Pr. 2:16; 5:3; 7:5-21; 9:13-17. [See across in the history of Presbyterianism. He was a
Adultery, Strange Woman.] Roman Catholic in early life but was never ordained as a
PREDESTINATION. God planned man’s salvation priest. In his pursuit of literary studies in various
before the creation (Ep. 1:5, 11). This does not mean universities, he learned Greek and Hebrew; and through
God arbitrarily chooses who will be saved and who will reading the New Testament, he became dissatisfied with
not be. He has revealed that He wants all men to be Rome’s dogmas and practices. Eventually, around the
saved (1 Ti. 2:3-4; Jn. 3:16; 2 Pe. 3:9). God knows the year 1533, he found peace in Christ alone. In 1534, he
future and knows who will receive His offer of was caught by the French inquisition and imprisoned for
salvation; predestination is based on God’s his faith. Calvin’s brother was burned at the stake later
foreknowledge and has more to do with what the that year, with a group of 34 other Protestants. Gaining
Christian is predestinated TO than WHO is his freedom, Calvin moved to Switzerland and in 1536,
predestinated (1 Pe. 1:2; Ro. 8:29). Predestination he published the first edition of his famous Institutes of
assures eternal salvation. [See Election, Foreknow, the Christian Religion.
Presbyterian.] He settled in Geneva and joined William Farel in
PREFER. To put before; to advance; promote; give establishing a Protestant community there. The city had
preferment to (Es. 2:9; Da. 6:3; Jn. 1:15,27). broken with the Catholic Church in 1535 and had
PRE-MILLENNIAL. The method of prophetic confiscated Rome’s properties. A Protestant church was
interpretation which teaches that the Lord will return established which sought to implement Christian

478 Way of Life Encyclopedia of the Bible & Christianity