Zane C. Hodges

Zane C. Hodges (born in 1933 in Texas) is an American Christian pastor and Bible scholar. Hodges received his B.A. degree from Wheaton College and his Th.M. degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. He taught New Testament Greek and Exegesis (1960-1987) at Dallas Theological Seminary, where he also served as the Chairman of the New Testament Department. Hodges is currently President of Kerugma Ministries.

Hodges is known for his development of theological positions, especially for (1) his agreement with "Free Grace Theology," which posits that belief (or faith, as simple persuasion) is the “sole condition” of both the offer of eternal life itself and of knowing that one indeed possesses eternal life (assurance), and (2) his position on the Majority Text.

Free Grace and the Lordship Salvation Controversy

In the late 1980’s, Hodges debated Dr.John F. MacArthur over the gospel, generally known as the "lordship salvation" controversy. Hodges position, based on his dispensational views, is that faith leading to final salvation does not necessarily produce a generally persistent Christian lifestyle. MacArthur, though himself a dispensationalist, replied with a defense of the traditional Reformed view of salvation, and argued that because the faith that saves invariably results in works, works "can" be seen as necessary, though not a condition, for eternal salvation. (MacArthur, "The Gospel According to Jesus", 1988, pp170-176) At a more practical level, Hodges position is that apostasy, or the wandering away from the essentials of Christian doctrine or lifestyle, fails to supply legitimate evidence that a person is or is not born again. (For MacArthur, apostasy is evidence that the person is not born again, though lifestyle apostasy is less conclusive. [ [MacArthur, John The Gospel According to Jesus, 1988, Zondervan] ] ) The dispute was conducted through several published books (Hodges: "Absolutely Free!", "The Gospel under Siege 2nd ed"; MacArthur: "The Gospel According to Jesus", "Hard to Believe"). More recently, Hodges' views on the gospel are promoted by organizations like The Grace Evangelical Society, but are controversial in conservative Evangelical scholarly circles.

Majority Text

In 1985, Hodges published with Arthur L. Farstad the second edition of "The Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text with Apparatus." The Byzantine text-type, or “Majority Text”, is considered by its advocates to be a more accurate rendering of the Greek New Testament, though the more commonly accepted New Testament text, called the Alexandrian text-type, which is used in the Nestle-Aland (N/A) text and the United Bible Societies Greek Testament (UBS), is based on more ancient New Testament fragments. Hodges argues:

The amount of variation between the manuscripts containing the Majority Text appears to be significantly less than the variations found in the papyrus texts of Egypt. This is to say that any two manuscripts containing the Majority Text are likely to differ with each other less than any two papyri might differ from one another. .. [A] dditionally, many of the uncial (capital letter) manuscripts contain a predominantly Majority form of text. The Majority form, however, is much less well represented in the Egyptian papyri…Is it possible that the N/A and UBS editions of the New Testament represent only an approximation to an early form of text that once circulated in Egypt? Where is the evidence that this kind of text really existed elsewhere in the ancient would? …Perhaps the great numerical superiority of the Majority Text (80% in the minuscule manuscripts) is its own argument for the high antiquity of that text. All other explanations of its majority status lack real plausibility. Indeed, the predominance of this majority can actually be understood as the expected outcome of a normal and natural transmission of the New Testament manuscripts. (Zane Hodges & Earl Radmacher, "The NIV Reconsidered: A Fresh Look at a Popular Translation", 1990 pp. 136, 137, 143, 144)

Minor Positions

In dispensational circles, Hodges is known for his rejection of the traditional view of repentance as a "change of mind", preferring instead the view that it is a God fearing decision to turn from sin. "Repentance is the decision to turn from sin to avoid, or bring to an end, God's temporal judgment."(p.57, "Harmony with God") Hodges stresses that repentance facilitates faith in Christ, but is not a condition for eternal salvation, nor is it part of faith itself. "It is one thing to say that repentance "facilitates" faith in Christ--the Bible teaches that. It is quite another thing to say that repentance is a "requirement" for eternal life. That the Bible does "not" teach." (p. 93, "Harmony with God")

His view that every member of the bride of Christ will not be entitled to gain entry into the marriage feast of the lamb due to deficient "righteous deeds of the saints" has also been controversial. Hodges' view is that these believers will be sent into the "darkness outside" the walls of the celebration. (pp. 83-95, "Grace in Eclipse") His view is in contrast to the traditional view that they will be sent into the "outer darkness" which is understood as Hell.

References

Published Books

*"The Hungry Inherit" (1980)
*"Here Walks My Enemy" (1982)
*"The Greek New Testament According to the Majority Text with Apparatus: Second Edition 2ND ed" (1985), with Arthur L. Farstad
*"Grace in Eclipse" (1985)
*"Absolutely Free!" (1989)
*"The NIV Reconsidered" (1990), with Earl Radmacher
*"The Gospel Under Siege 2ND ed" (1992)
*"The Epistle of James, Proven Character Through Testing" (1994)
*"Power to Make War" (1995)
*"The Epistles of John" (1999)
*"Harmony with God: A Fresh Look at Repentance" (2001)
*"Six Secrets of the Christian Life" (2004)

Key Articles

*" [http://www.inthebeginning.org/newtestament/revelation/the%20first%20horseman%20of%20the%20apocalypse.htm First Horseman of the Apocalypse] "(1962, Bibliotheca Sacra)
*"Light on James Two from Textual Criticism"(1963, Bibliotheca Sacra)
*"Modern Textual Criticism and the Majority Text: A Response" (1978, Journal of the Evangelical Theological Society)

*"The Epistles of John" (1985, Bible Knowledge Commentary)
*"Hebrews" (1985, Bible Knowledge Commentary)
*" [http://www.faithalone.org/journal/1996i/Hodges.html Post-Evangelicalism Confronts the Postmodern Age] (1996, The Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society)
*" [http://www.faithalone.org/journal/1996ii/Hodges.html Legalism: The Real Thing] (1996, The Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society)
*" [http://www.faithalone.org/journal/1997i/Hodges.html Assurance: of the Essence of Saving Faith] (1997, The Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society)
*" [http://www.faithalone.org/journal/1998i/Hodges.html Making Your Calling and Election Sure: An Exposition of 2 Peter 1:5-11] " (1998, The Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society)
*" [http://www.chafer.edu/journal/back_issues/v6n4_2.pdf 1 Thessalonians 5:1–11 and the Rapture] " (CTS Journal 6, 2000)
*" [http://www.faithalone.org/journal/2000ii/Hodges.htm How to Lead People to Christ Part 1 of 2] " (2000, The Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society)
*" [http://www.faithalone.org/journal/2000i/Hodges.htm How to Lead People to Christ Part 2 of 2] " (2001, The Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society)*" [http://www.faithalone.org/journal/2005ii/hodges.pdf
*" [http://www.faithalone.org/journal/2005ii/hodges.html Regeneration: A New Covenant Blessing] "(2006, The Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society)
*" [http://www.faithalone.org/journal/2006ii/05%20Hodges-Justification.pdf Justification: A New Covenant Blessing] "(2007 The Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society)

External links

* [http://www.chafer.edu/ Chafer Theological Seminary]
* [http://www.dts.edu/ Dallas Theological Seminary]
* [http://www.faithalone.org/ Grace Evangelical Society]
* [http://www.faithalone.org/journal/index.html The Journal of the Grace Evangelical Society]
* [http://www.revisedstandard.net/text/WNP/ap_c.html Appendix to "The Identity of the New Testament Text II] " Wilbur N. Pickering, ThM PhD
* [http://www.chafer.edu/journal/back_issues/v8n3_1.pdf Harmony With God: A Fresh Look at Repentance Part 1 of 3]
* [http://www.chafer.edu/journal/back_issues/v8n4_3.pdf Harmony With God: A Fresh Look at Repentance Part 2 of 3]
* [http://www.chafer.edu/journal/back_issues/Vol%209-1%20ar2.pdf Harmony With God: A Fresh Look at Repentance Part 3 of 3]
* [http://www.faithalone.org/Audio/index.html Various Parables discussed by Hodges (Audio)]