Gospel Translations - User contributions [en]

Sustained by the Faithfulness of God/pt

Greetje — Thu, 21 May 2009 19:43:25 GMT

Greetje:

{{info|Sustentados pela Lealdade de Deus}} 
<blockquote>'''1 Coríntios 1:1-9''' </blockquote>
==== A Centralidade de Quem Somos Em Relação a Deus ====

Nas treze cartas de Paulo ele começa quase sempre por nos contar quem ele é na relação a Deus e quem nós somos em relação a Deus. Isto é muito diferente daquilo que nós vimos na televisão. Os anúncios de publicidade dos automóveis querem que nós pensemos da nossa vida em ralação ao que temos. Os anúncios publicitários de cerveja querem que nós pensemos a nossa vida em relação à fraternidade nos bares. Os anúncios publicitários de seguros de vida querem que nós pensemos a nossa vida em relação à nossa familia com cenas tocantes da infância e da formatura e o casamento e a primeira casa e o primeiro filho. E uma centena de sabonetes e desodorizantes e champôs e comidas querem que você pense a sua vida em relação ao seu corpo.

==== A Testemunha Implacável da Escritura ====

Mas a Bíblia é implacável nesta coisa: chama-nos de volta vezes sem conta, não para negar a existência de coisas como os carros, os amigos os cafés, ou famílias, ou os nossos próprios corpos, mas para dar o verdadeiro significado destas coisas em relação a Deus. A Bíblia define tudo em relação a Deus. Tudo tem o seu verdadeiro significado ou insignificância em relação a Deus.

==== A Compreensão de Paulo Sobre Si Mesmo ====

Verso 1: "Paulo, chamado pela vontade de Deus para ser um apóstolo de Jesus Cristo." Você não ama a força e a solidez e a claridade da compreensão de Paulo sobre si mesmo? Ele sabe quem ele é— Paulo, e não havia mais nenhum como ele. Ele sabe porque está aqui— para ser um apóstolo de Jesus Cristo, um mensageiro, um porta-voz com autoridade inspiradora. E ele sabe como lá chegou— pela vontade de Deus.

 Ele sabe de onde veio— de um Deus cuja vontade governa o mundo e guia os assuntos dos homens. Ele sabe para onde vai— para falar a verdade pelo rei dos reis e chamar os homens para se submeterem ao Senhor. E ele sabe quem ele é— Paulo, com o seu espinho na carne, com as suas falhas nos Romanos 7, com as suas perseguições e noites sem dormir, e com a sua inabalável fé no Filho de Deus que o amou e se entregou por ele.

==== O Que Deus Quer Para Todas As Suas Crianças ====

Eu acredito que Deus quer que todas as suas crianças tenham essa compreensão sólida, forte e clara sobre si próprios. Pode pôr o seu nome no 1 verso com as devidas alterações? David, chamado pela vontade de Deus para ser um conselheiro financeiro para a glória de Jesus Cristo! Dennis, chamado pela vontade de Deus para ser um conselheiro financeiro para a glória de Jesus Cristo! Judy, chamada pela vontade de Deus para ser uma professora para a glória de Jesus Cristo! Rute, Judy, chamada pela vontade de Deus para ser uma enfermeira para a glória de Jesus Cristo! Noël, chamada pela vontade de Deus para ser um construtor civil para a glória de Jesus Cristo!

==== A Liberdade De Sermos definidos Em Relação A Deus ====

Uma estabilidade tremenda chega à nossa vida quando nos deixamos definir pela Bíblia em relação a Deus em vez de deixarmos o mundo definir quem somos em relação a coisas ou grupos ou ao nosso corpo. Para sabermos de onde vimos em relação a Deus, e para onde vamos em relação a Deus, e onde você está agora em relação a Deus, irá torna-lo num agente livre.

Você não será o criado da publicidade contemporânea. Você não será o escravo das manias, da moda ou das tendências. Quando o mundo tentar travar a sua decisão ao defini-lo em termos de um corpo ou um carro ou uma conta bancária que você não tem, você não irá sucumbir com insegurança e insatisfação e cobiça, mas irá erguer-se como um agente livre sabendo quem é na realidade e saber aquilo que a sua vida vale realmente em relação a Deus.

==== A Ajuda Que Este Texto Oferece Para Esse Fim ====

Virtualmente cada um dos nove versos no texto de hoje tem a intenção de nos ajudar a saber quem somos em relação a Deus. Ele olha para trás para o passado para definir de onde vieram estes Cristãos. Ele olha para o presente para ver as suas experiências como cristãos. E ele olha para o futuro para ver a certeza que eles podem ter como Cristãos. Esta manhã só iremos ter tempo de ver o passado e o futuro.

As raízes da compreensão de nós próprios centrado em Deus irá mais funda se conseguirmos responder a estas duas perguntas:

O que foi que aconteceu no passado para torna-lo num Cristão?

O que irá acontecer no futuro para mantê-lo como um Cristão?

 

==== 1. O Que Aconteceu No Passado? ====

O que foi que aconteceu no passado para torna-lo num Cristão?

Verso 2: "À igreja de Deus que está em Corinto, aos santificados em Cristo Jesus, chamados santos, com todos os que, em todo o lugar invocam o nome do nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo, Senhor deles e nosso.”

Três coisas aconteceram no passado para tornar estas pessoas em Cristãos.

#Eles foram santificados em Jesus Cristo.
#Eles foram chamados para serem santos.
#Eles foram chamados sob o nome do Senhor Jesus Cristo.

Vamos pensar nestes por um pouco.

 

==== Santificados em Jesus Cristo ====

Normalmente nós pensamos na santificação como um processo de uma vida inteiro de nos tornarmos mais e mais sagrados, mais e mais como Cristo (1 Tessalonicenses 4:3; Romanos 6:19; 1 Pedro 2:15f.). Mas este verso fala disso como uma coisa decisiva que já aconteceu no passado: "À igreja de Deus . . . aos santificados," isto é, para aqueles que "têm sido," não "estão a ser," santificados em Jesus Cristo.

O que este verso nos ensina, então, é que por detrás e por baixo do processo de santificação de uma vida inteira há uma quebra das decisões com o caminho velho da descrença e pecado, e um alinhamento com o novo caminho da fé e obediência. Foi isto que aconteceu para nos tornarmos Cristãos.

Podemos ver isso novamente em 1 Coríntios 6:9 – 11. "Não sabeis que os injustos não hão-de herdar o reino de Deus?" Depois dá-nos uma lista dos exemplos dos injustos: idólatras, homossexuais, ladrões, gananciosos bêbados, etc. E depois diz no verso11: "E é o que alguns têm sido. Mas haveis sido lavados, haveis sido santificados, haveis sido justificados no nome do Senhor Jesus Cristo e no Espírito do nosso Deus."

Aqui também a santificação é no passado. Houve alguma coisa decisiva. E tem a haver com a experiência. Fostes um bêbado, mas depois uma quebra decisiva. Fostes um homossexual e depois uma quebra decisiva. Fostes ganancioso por dinheiro, mas depois uma quebra decisiva. Foste santificado! Quebrastes o modo de vida antigo e fostes posto de lado para Deus.

Mas agora isso levanta um problema: como é que esta quebra decisiva encaixa com o processo de nos tornarmos sagrados? Como é que a santificação pode ser tanto a quebra decisiva com o antigo, como ser um processo contínuo de limpeza?

 

==== Chamada de Deus e a Nossa Chamada ====

Vamos deixar que as próximas duas descrições de um Cristão no verso 2 nos leve à resposta. Uma descrição é uma coisa que Deus faz. E a outra é alguma coisa que nós fazemos. Deus chama-nos para sermos santos, e nós chamamo-lo a ele para pedir Ajuda e salvação. Verso 2: " . . . para aqueles santificados em Jesus Cristo chamados para serem santos [é isso que Deus faz] com todos os que, em todo o lugar invocam o nome do nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo [isto é o que nós fazemos]."

Existe uma chamada decisiva para a santidade que Deus dá e uma resposta decisiva que nós lhe damos ao chamá-lo.

Um Cristão é uma pessoa que foi santificada nestes dois sentidos:

#Deus levou-nos para a comunhão com Jesus (é isso o que quer dizer ao sermos chamados),
#E nós respondemos ao quebrar-mos a velha lealdade para com os outros mestres e começamos a chamar Cristo para nos ajudar e guiar na vida (é isso o que quer dizer ao chamarmos pelo nome de Deus).

E esses dois juntos— uma chamada de Deus para nós e uma chamada de nós para Cristo— são o significado de nos tornarmos em Cristãos. É esse o significado neste sentido inicial e decisivo.

Portanto não existe conflito nenhum entre dizer que a santificação é uma coisa do passado e decisiva mas também dizer que é uma coisa do presente e um processo contínuo. Quando dizemos que é do passado e está feita, queremos dizer que Deus decisivamente chamou-nos sem nenhum aviso prévio e pôs-nos na lealdade do seu Filho, e em resposta à sua chamada eu decisivamente voltei-me daquilo em que confiava e a partir desse momento comecei a chamar por Jesus pela ajuda e orientação que eu preciso na vida. Isso é uma quebra decisiva com o antigo; é um cenário aparte de Deus. Mas também deixa muito espaço para o crescimento e progresso na santidade real (como se tornará óbvio antes de avançarmos com este livro).

 

==== A Nossa Auto-Compreensão À Medida Que Olhamos Para Trás ====

Então o que é a nossa auto-compreensão à medida que olhamos para trás e perguntamos o que aconteceu no passado para nos tornar-mos Cristãos? Isto: nós somos pessoas a quem Deus chamou para a lealdade com o seu Filho, e quem, por causa dessa chamada, começou a chamar por Jesus para a satisfação dos nossos pertences e libertação dos nossos pecados. Podemos chamar isto pelas muitas frases bíblicas: nascer novamente, ser salvo, ser convertido, tornarmo-nos em criaturas novas, tornarmo-nos em discípulos, receber Jesus, etc. No verso 2 Paulo chama a isso, "ser santificado," ou, "tornarmo-nos em santos." (Santidade não é uma posição ou escalão da Cristianismo. Simplesmente é sinónimo de ser um Cristão.)

 

==== Clarificar O Que É A Chamada de Deus ====

Antes de partirmos deste relance ao passado de quem nós somos como Cristãos, preciso de clarificar o que é a chamada de Deus. Não podemos saber exactamente o que quer dizer ser Cristão até sabermos o que quer dizer sermos chamados por Deus. Não irá somente afectar a nossa compreensão de como vocês se tornaram em Cristãos, mas também a vossa atitude de Cristãos agora e a vossa esperança no futuro.

 

==== O Objectivo de Lealdade com Jesus ====

Primeiro tomem nota no verso 9 onde aprendemos o objectivo da chamada, nomeadamente, lealdade com Jesus: "Fiel é Deus, pelo qual fostes chamados para a comunhão de seu filho Jesus Cristo, nosso Senhor." Portanto para sermos Cristãos significa ser chamados por Deus para a lealdade com o seu Filho. Esta é a base bíblica da nossa conversa sobre uma relação pessoal com Jesus Cristo.

Quando perguntamos a alguém, "Você tem uma relação pessoal com Jesus?" o que queremos dizer é, "Tal como 1 Coríntios 1:9 tornarmo-nos verdadeiros na nossa vida?" Aprecia a lealdade de viver com Cristo? As vossas vidas estão tão unidas que você retira-se dele em perdão e força e esperança e orientação e alegria enquanto ele retira-se de si com fé e amor e oração e obediência? Se assim é, então você foi chamado.

 

==== Não Somente O Sermão do Evangelho ====

Mas qual é esse significado? Veja os versos 23 – 24. "Mas nós pregamos o Cristo crucificado, que é o escândalo para os Judeus, e loucura para os Gregos, mas para os que são chamados, tanto Judeus como Gregos, Cristo o poder de Deus e a sabedoria de Deus."

O que é que nós aprendemos da nossa chamada nestes versos? Primeiro, aprendemos que a chamada de Deus não é somente o sermão do evangelho. Paulo diz que existem muitos Judeus e Gregos que ouvem os seus sermões que não são chamados. Ele pode chamá-los, mas o sermão seria em vão. Portanto a chamada de Deus é muito mais do que uma chamada de um homem.

 

==== Uma Chamada Que Afecta Uma Mudança No Coração ====

O que é? Bem ele diz que quando Deus chama, nós deixamos de ser cegos ao significado da cruz. Deixamos de vê-la com insensatez, e abraçamos como o verdadeiro poder e sabedoria de Deus. Portanto a chamada de Deus é uma chamada que afecta uma mudança no coração. Acorda os pecadores do sono da morte. Não convida somente como a chamada do homem. Muda as pessoas. Converte.

Alguém pode dizer, isso parece uma eleição. Parece que Deus é aquele quem no final das contas escolhe quem irá responder ao evangelho. É isso o que quer dizer a chamada de Deus? Sim. E no verso 26 faz a ligação com a eleição explícita.

"Porque vede irmãos, a vossa vocação, não são muitos os sábios, segundo a carne, nem muitos os poderosos, nem muitos os nobres, que são chamados; mas Deus escolheu as coisas loucas deste mundo para confundir as sábias." Consegue ver a ligação: "Considerem a vossa chamada . . . Deus escolheu o que é louco . . . "? Quando ele diz, considerem a chamada, ele quer dizer, olhem à vossa volta e vejam quem está na igreja. Foi essa chamada que os levou lá. E depois ele diz, estes são aqueles que deus escolheu. Noutras palavras, a chamada de Deus é trabalhar mais que a experiência da escolha de Deus.

 

==== O Que Aconteceu Quando Deus Chamou-nos ====

Nós iremos ter muito mais para dizer sobre isto. Por agora eu só quero que saibamos que quando olhamos para trás e vimos as nossas vidas e dizemos que o que aconteceu para nos tornarmos Cristãos foi que Deus chamou-me. O que queremos dizer foi que ele somente não nos convidou para a lealdade do seu Filho, ou que ele somente me ofereceu a lealdade do seu filho, mas que ele veio atrás de mim quando eu não quis a lealdade do seu Filho,

►E quebrou toda a minha resistência,

►E abriu-me os olhos para ver a beleza de Cristo,

►E ganhou-me de uma submissão livre e feliz para o seu Filho, para que eu chamasse o seu nome e fosse salvo.

A chamada de Deus é uma experiência pessoal de ser escolhido por Deus para a vida eterna quando eu era de natureza rebelde e uma criança furiosa.

==== Que Diferença É Que Isso Faz? ====

Agora porque é que isso é importante? Que diferença é que isso faz em viver o dia-a-dia na nossa vida? Serão as doutrinas bíblicas de eleição e chamada efectiva somente para a discussão dos teólogos? Ou eles fazem diferença na sua vida dia a dia?

Para responder a isso eu poderia dizer, vejam os versos 26 – 31! Paulo diz para considerarmos a nossa chamada . . . Deus escolheu as coisas loucas. Noutras palavras, pense neste assunto! Considere-o! Pondere nas maneiras que Deus na sua eleição e chamada efectiva! Porquê? No verso 29, "Para que nenhuma carne se glorie perante Deus." Ou, positivamente no verso31: "Aquele que se glória glorie-se no Senhor!" Eu digo que poderia falar convosco sobre estes versos, mas isso fica para daqui a duas semanas.

Em vez disso deixem-me acabar ao perguntar a outra pergunta que fiz no início.

 

==== 2. O Que Irá Acontecer No Futuro ====

O que irá acontecer no futuro para que continue a ser um Cristão?

 

==== A Doutrina Tremendamente Prática da Chamada de Deus ====

A resposta a esta pergunta irá mostrar-nos como é que a doutrina da chamada de Deus é tão prática na nossa vida diária. Para aqueles que levam as coisas de Deus seriamente, uma das questões mais práticas que iremos encontrar é de como podemos ter a certeza que a fé que temos hoje iremos ter daqui a dez anos. Podem ver no capitulo15 deste livro diz o (verso. 1–2), "Eu preguei o evangelho para vós . . . pelo qual vós estais a salvo, se segurarem nele rapidamente—a não ser que não acreditem." E em Colossenses 1:23 diz que iremos ser apresentados sem culpa perante Cristo, "se continuarmos na fé, estáveis e leais, sem nos afastarmos da esperança no evangelho."

Sem perseverança não iremos ser salvos no dia de Cristo—"quem preservar até ao fim, esses serão salvos" (Marcos 13:13). Mas depois o que acontece à segurança? E sem segurança o que acontece à alegria, e sem alegria o que acontece ao amor e zelo? Esta é uma questão tremendamente prática!

 

==== O Compromisso de Deus Para Continuarmos a Acreditar ====

A resposta é dada no verso 8 do nosso texto: "Cristo irá sustê-lo [literalmente "confirmá-lo a si"— torná-lo firme e estável na fé] até ao fim, irrepreensíveis até ai dia do nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo." Noutras palavras, a segurança do crente não é de que Deus o irá salvar mesmo que ele pare de acreditar, mas que Deus irá mantê-lo a acreditar— Deus irá sustê-lo na fé, irá fazer com que a sua esperança seja firme e estável até ao fim. Ele irá fazer com que você persista.

É essa a promessa. Agora qual é a base dessa promessa? O verso 9 diz-nos: Deus é fiel!

Mas espere um minuto. Porque é que a fidelidade de Deus o obriga manter-me crente? Paulo dá-nos essa resposta nesta frase: "Fiel é Deus, pelo qual fostes chamados." Conseguem ver a ligação entre a chamada de Deus e a fidelidade de Deus? O elo da ligação é este: se Deus o chamou, então a sua fidelidade obriga-o a mantê-lo—a si persistente na fé. (O mesmo em Tessalonicenses 5:23f.) Mas porquê? Porque é que a fidelidade de Deus em causa na persistência daqueles a quem ele chamou?

Se a chamada de Deus for somente um convite para vir e divertir-se na comunhão do seu Filho, então a lealdade de Deus não o obriga a manter-nos lá se quisermos partir. Não, a razão da sua fidelidade está em causa na nossa persistência—a razão pela qual ele está tão empenhado a manter-nos na fé—é porque a sua chamada é o trabalho da sua escolha de que nós deveríamos ser trazidos perante a glória. "E aos que predestinou, a estes também chamou; e aos que chamou, a estes também justificou; e aos que justificou, a estes também glorificou" (Romanos 8:29–30).

O que é que está em causa na nossa persistência é o propósito de eleição de Deus (Romanos 9:11). Por isso é que a sua fidelidade está em causa. Se Deus nos escolheu para ele próprio (Efésios 1:4), se ele nos destinou à glória (1 Coríntios 2:7), então a sua fidelidade compromete-o a manter-nos na sua fé. Porque fora da fé não existe comunhão com Deus e nenhuma glória.

 

==== Saiba Quem Você É! ====

Portanto esta manhã acabo ao implorar-vos que compreendam vós próprios na vossa relação com Deus. Quando olharem para trás, conheçam-se a vós próprios como chamados por Deus. Quando olharem para a frente, conheçam-se a vós próprios como guardados por Deus. O que vos aconteceu de modo a se tornarem Cristãos é a chamada de Deus. O que vos irá acontecer de modo a manter-vos Cristãos é a fidelidade de Deus. Saiba quem você é!! Chamado por Deus! Mantido por Deus!

Não diga a si próprio está manhã: Não há nenhuma esperança para mim porque eu não estou entre esses números. A liberdade de Deus na chamada aos pecadores tem a intenção de dar esperança, e não para retirar a esperança. Quer dizer que nada é muito mau. Nada é muito duro. Nada é longe demais. Deus é livre. Deus é rico para todos aqueles que chamam por ele. Vejam o quão expansivo ele é no verso 2: ele escreve "com todos os que invocam o nome do nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo." Todos que chamem pelo nome do Senhor serão salvos (Romanos 10:13). Se consegue chamar, será chamado.

 "http://gospeltranslations.org/wiki/Sustained_by_the_Faithfulness_of_God"

Sustained by the Faithfulness of God/pt

Greetje — Thu, 21 May 2009 19:36:29 GMT

Greetje:

{{info|Sustentados pela Lealdade de Deus}}
<blockquote>'''1 Coríntios 1:1-9''' </blockquote>
==== A Centralidade de Quem Somos Em Relação a Deus ====

Nas treze cartas de Paulo ele começa quase sempre por nos contar quem ele é na relação a Deus e quem nós somos em relação a Deus. Isto é muito diferente daquilo que nós vimos na televisão. Os anúncios de publicidade dos automóveis querem que nós pensemos da nossa vida em ralação ao que temos. Os anúncios publicitários de cerveja querem que nós pensemos a nossa vida em relação à fraternidade nos bares. Os anúncios publicitários de seguros de vida querem que nós pensemos a nossa vida em relação à nossa familia com cenas tocantes da infância e da formatura e o casamento e a primeira casa e o primeiro filho. E uma centena de sabonetes e desodorizantes e champôs e comidas querem que você pense a sua vida em relação ao seu corpo.

==== A Testemunha Implacável da Escritura ====

Mas a Bíblia é implacável nesta coisa: chama-nos de volta vezes sem conta, não para negar a existência de coisas como os carros, os amigos os cafés, ou famílias, ou os nossos próprios corpos, mas para dar o verdadeiro significado destas coisas em relação a Deus. A Bíblia define tudo em relação a Deus. Tudo tem o seu verdadeiro significado ou insignificância em relação a Deus.

==== A Compreensão de Paulo Sobre Si Mesmo ====

Verso 1: "Paulo, chamado pela vontade de Deus para ser um apóstolo de Jesus Cristo." Você não ama a força e a solidez e a claridade da compreensão de Paulo sobre si mesmo? Ele sabe quem ele é— Paulo, e não havia mais nenhum como ele. Ele sabe porque está aqui— para ser um apóstolo de Jesus Cristo, um mensageiro, um porta-voz com autoridade inspiradora. E ele sabe como lá chegou— pela vontade de Deus.

 Ele sabe de onde veio— de um Deus cuja vontade governa o mundo e guia os assuntos dos homens. Ele sabe para onde vai— para falar a verdade pelo rei dos reis e chamar os homens para se submeterem ao Senhor. E ele sabe quem ele é— Paulo, com o seu espinho na carne, com as suas falhas nos Romanos 7, com as suas perseguições e noites sem dormir, e com a sua inabalável fé no Filho de Deus que o amou e se entregou por ele.

==== O Que Deus Quer Para Todas As Suas Crianças ====

Eu acredito que Deus quer que todas as suas crianças tenham essa compreensão sólida, forte e clara sobre si próprios. Pode pôr o seu nome no 1 verso com as devidas alterações? David, chamado pela vontade de Deus para ser um conselheiro financeiro para a glória de Jesus Cristo! Dennis, chamado pela vontade de Deus para ser um conselheiro financeiro para a glória de Jesus Cristo! Judy, chamada pela vontade de Deus para ser uma professora para a glória de Jesus Cristo! Rute, Judy, chamada pela vontade de Deus para ser uma enfermeira para a glória de Jesus Cristo! Noël, chamada pela vontade de Deus para ser um construtor civil para a glória de Jesus Cristo!

==== A Liberdade De Sermos definidos Em Relação A Deus ====

Uma estabilidade tremenda chega à nossa vida quando nos deixamos definir pela Bíblia em relação a Deus em vez de deixarmos o mundo definir quem somos em relação a coisas ou grupos ou ao nosso corpo. Para sabermos de onde vimos em relação a Deus, e para onde vamos em relação a Deus, e onde você está agora em relação a Deus, irá torna-lo num agente livre.

Você não será o criado da publicidade contemporânea. Você não será o escravo das manias, da moda ou das tendências. Quando o mundo tentar travar a sua decisão ao defini-lo em termos de um corpo ou um carro ou uma conta bancária que você não tem, você não irá sucumbir com insegurança e insatisfação e cobiça, mas irá erguer-se como um agente livre sabendo quem é na realidade e saber aquilo que a sua vida vale realmente em relação a Deus.

==== A Ajuda Que Este Texto Oferece Para Esse Fim ====

Virtualmente cada um dos nove versos no texto de hoje tem a intenção de nos ajudar a saber quem somos em relação a Deus. Ele olha para trás para o passado para definir de onde vieram estes Cristãos. Ele olha para o presente para ver as suas experiências como cristãos. E ele olha para o futuro para ver a certeza que eles podem ter como Cristãos. Esta manhã só iremos ter tempo de ver o passado e o futuro.

As raízes da compreensão de nós próprios centrado em Deus irá mais funda se conseguirmos responder a estas duas perguntas:

O que foi que aconteceu no passado para torna-lo num Cristão?

O que irá acontecer no futuro para mantê-lo como um Cristão?

 

==== 1. O Que Aconteceu No Passado? ====

O que foi que aconteceu no passado para torna-lo num Cristão?

Verso 2: "À igreja de Deus que está em Corinto, aos santificados em Cristo Jesus, chamados santos, com todos os que, em todo o lugar invocam o nome do nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo, Senhor deles e nosso.”

Três coisas aconteceram no passado para tornar estas pessoas em Cristãos.

#Eles foram santificados em Jesus Cristo.
#Eles foram chamados para serem santos.
#Eles foram chamados sob o nome do Senhor Jesus Cristo.

Vamos pensar nestes por um pouco.

==== Santificados em Jesus Cristo ====

Normalmente nós pensamos na santificação como um processo de uma vida inteiro de nos tornarmos mais e mais sagrados, mais e mais como Cristo (1 Tessalonicenses 4:3; Romanos 6:19; 1 Pedro 2:15f.). Mas este verso fala disso como uma coisa decisiva que já aconteceu no passado: "À igreja de Deus . . . aos santificados," isto é, para aqueles que "têm sido," não "estão a ser," santificados em Jesus Cristo.

O que este verso nos ensina, então, é que por detrás e por baixo do processo de santificação de uma vida inteira há uma quebra das decisões com o caminho velho da descrença e pecado, e um alinhamento com o novo caminho da fé e obediência. Foi isto que aconteceu para nos tornarmos Cristãos.

Podemos ver isso novamente em 1 Coríntios 6:9 – 11. "Não sabeis que os injustos não hão-de herdar o reino de Deus?" Depois dá-nos uma lista dos exemplos dos injustos: idólatras, homossexuais, ladrões, gananciosos bêbados, etc. E depois diz no verso11: "E é o que alguns têm sido. Mas haveis sido lavados, haveis sido santificados, haveis sido justificados no nome do Senhor Jesus Cristo e no Espírito do nosso Deus."

Aqui também a santificação é no passado. Houve alguma coisa decisiva. E tem a haver com a experiência. Fostes um bêbado, mas depois uma quebra decisiva. Fostes um homossexual e depois uma quebra decisiva. Fostes ganancioso por dinheiro, mas depois uma quebra decisiva. Foste santificado! Quebrastes o modo de vida antigo e fostes posto de lado para Deus.

Mas agora isso levanta um problema: como é que esta quebra decisiva encaixa com o processo de nos tornarmos sagrados? Como é que a santificação pode ser tanto a quebra decisiva com o antigo, como ser um processo contínuo de limpeza?

==== Chamada de Deus e a Nossa Chamada ====

Vamos deixar que as próximas duas descrições de um Cristão no verso 2 nos leve à resposta. Uma descrição é uma coisa que Deus faz. E a outra é alguma coisa que nós fazemos. Deus chama-nos para sermos santos, e nós chamamo-lo a ele para pedir Ajuda e salvação. Verso 2: " . . . para aqueles santificados em Jesus Cristo chamados para serem santos [é isso que Deus faz] com todos os que, em todo o lugar invocam o nome do nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo [isto é o que nós fazemos]."

Existe uma chamada decisiva para a santidade que Deus dá e uma resposta decisiva que nós lhe damos ao chamá-lo.

Um Cristão é uma pessoa que foi santificada nestes dois sentidos:

#Deus levou-nos para a comunhão com Jesus (é isso o que quer dizer ao sermos chamados),
#E nós respondemos ao quebrar-mos a velha lealdade para com os outros mestres e começamos a chamar Cristo para nos ajudar e guiar na vida (é isso o que quer dizer ao chamarmos pelo nome de Deus).

E esses dois juntos— uma chamada de Deus para nós e uma chamada de nós para Cristo— são o significado de nos tornarmos em Cristãos. É esse o significado neste sentido inicial e decisivo.

Portanto não existe conflito nenhum entre dizer que a santificação é uma coisa do passado e decisiva mas também dizer que é uma coisa do presente e um processo contínuo. Quando dizemos que é do passado e está feita, queremos dizer que Deus decisivamente chamou-nos sem nenhum aviso prévio e pôs-nos na lealdade do seu Filho, e em resposta à sua chamada eu decisivamente voltei-me daquilo em que confiava e a partir desse momento comecei a chamar por Jesus pela ajuda e orientação que eu preciso na vida. Isso é uma quebra decisiva com o antigo; é um cenário aparte de Deus. Mas também deixa muito espaço para o crescimento e progresso na santidade real (como se tornará óbvio antes de avançarmos com este livro).

 

==== A Nossa Auto-Compreensão À Medida Que Olhamos Para Trás ====

Então o que é a nossa auto-compreensão à medida que olhamos para trás e perguntamos o que aconteceu no passado para nos tornar-mos Cristãos? Isto: nós somos pessoas a quem Deus chamou para a lealdade com o seu Filho, e quem, por causa dessa chamada, começou a chamar por Jesus para a satisfação dos nossos pertences e libertação dos nossos pecados. Podemos chamar isto pelas muitas frases bíblicas: nascer novamente, ser salvo, ser convertido, tornarmo-nos em criaturas novas, tornarmo-nos em discípulos, receber Jesus, etc. No verso 2 Paulo chama a isso, "ser santificado," ou, "tornarmo-nos em santos." (Santidade não é uma posição ou escalão da Cristianismo. Simplesmente é sinónimo de ser um Cristão.)

==== Clarificar O Que É A Chamada de Deus ====

Antes de partirmos deste relance ao passado de quem nós somos como Cristãos, preciso de clarificar o que é a chamada de Deus. Não podemos saber exactamente o que quer dizer ser Cristão até sabermos o que quer dizer sermos chamados por Deus. Não irá somente afectar a nossa compreensão de como vocês se tornaram em Cristãos, mas também a vossa atitude de Cristãos agora e a vossa esperança no futuro.

==== O Objectivo de Lealdade com Jesus ====

Primeiro tomem nota no verso 9 onde aprendemos o objectivo da chamada, nomeadamente, lealdade com Jesus: "Fiel é Deus, pelo qual fostes chamados para a comunhão de seu filho Jesus Cristo, nosso Senhor." Portanto para sermos Cristãos significa ser chamados por Deus para a lealdade com o seu Filho. Esta é a base bíblica da nossa conversa sobre uma relação pessoal com Jesus Cristo.

Quando perguntamos a alguém, "Você tem uma relação pessoal com Jesus?" o que queremos dizer é, "Tal como 1 Coríntios 1:9 tornarmo-nos verdadeiros na nossa vida?" Aprecia a lealdade de viver com Cristo? As vossas vidas estão tão unidas que você retira-se dele em perdão e força e esperança e orientação e alegria enquanto ele retira-se de si com fé e amor e oração e obediência? Se assim é, então você foi chamado.

==== Não Somente O Sermão do Evangelho ====

Mas qual é esse significado? Veja os versos 23 – 24. "Mas nós pregamos o Cristo crucificado, que é o escândalo para os Judeus, e loucura para os Gregos, mas para os que são chamados, tanto Judeus como Gregos, Cristo o poder de Deus e a sabedoria de Deus."

O que é que nós aprendemos da nossa chamada nestes versos? Primeiro, aprendemos que a chamada de Deus não é somente o sermão do evangelho. Paulo diz que existem muitos Judeus e Gregos que ouvem os seus sermões que não são chamados. Ele pode chamá-los, mas o sermão seria em vão. Portanto a chamada de Deus é muito mais do que uma chamada de um homem.

==== Uma Chamada Que Afecta Uma Mudança No Coração ====

O que é? Bem ele diz que quando Deus chama, nós deixamos de ser cegos ao significado da cruz. Deixamos de vê-la com insensatez, e abraçamos como o verdadeiro poder e sabedoria de Deus. Portanto a chamada de Deus é uma chamada que afecta uma mudança no coração. Acorda os pecadores do sono da morte. Não convida somente como a chamada do homem. Muda as pessoas. Converte.

Alguém pode dizer, isso parece uma eleição. Parece que Deus é aquele quem no final das contas escolhe quem irá responder ao evangelho. É isso o que quer dizer a chamada de Deus? Sim. E no verso 26 faz a ligação com a eleição explícita.

"Porque vede irmãos, a vossa vocação, não são muitos os sábios, segundo a carne, nem muitos os poderosos, nem muitos os nobres, que são chamados; mas Deus escolheu as coisas loucas deste mundo para confundir as sábias." Consegue ver a ligação: "Considerem a vossa chamada . . . Deus escolheu o que é louco . . . "? Quando ele diz, considerem a chamada, ele quer dizer, olhem à vossa volta e vejam quem está na igreja. Foi essa chamada que os levou lá. E depois ele diz, estes são aqueles que deus escolheu. Noutras palavras, a chamada de Deus é trabalhar mais que a experiência da escolha de Deus.

==== O Que Aconteceu Quando Deus Chamou-nos ====

Nós iremos ter muito mais para dizer sobre isto. Por agora eu só quero que saibamos que quando olhamos para trás e vimos as nossas vidas e dizemos que o que aconteceu para nos tornarmos Cristãos foi que Deus chamou-me. O que queremos dizer foi que ele somente não nos convidou para a lealdade do seu Filho, ou que ele somente me ofereceu a lealdade do seu filho, mas que ele veio atrás de mim quando eu não quis a lealdade do seu Filho,

►E quebrou toda a minha resistência,

►E abriu-me os olhos para ver a beleza de Cristo,

►E ganhou-me de uma submissão livre e feliz para o seu Filho, para que eu chamasse o seu nome e fosse salvo.

A chamada de Deus é uma experiência pessoal de ser escolhido por Deus para a vida eterna quando eu era de natureza rebelde e uma criança furiosa.

==== Que Diferença É Que Isso Faz? ====

Agora porque é que isso é importante? Que diferença é que isso faz em viver o dia-a-dia na nossa vida? Serão as doutrinas bíblicas de eleição e chamada efectiva somente para a discussão dos teólogos? Ou eles fazem diferença na sua vida dia a dia?

Para responder a isso eu poderia dizer, vejam os versos 26 – 31! Paulo diz para considerarmos a nossa chamada . . . Deus escolheu as coisas loucas. Noutras palavras, pense neste assunto! Considere-o! Pondere nas maneiras que Deus na sua eleição e chamada efectiva! Porquê? No verso 29, "Para que nenhuma carne se glorie perante Deus." Ou, positivamente no verso31: "Aquele que se glória glorie-se no Senhor!" Eu digo que poderia falar convosco sobre estes versos, mas isso fica para daqui a duas semanas.

Em vez disso deixem-me acabar ao perguntar a outra pergunta que fiz no início.

==== 2. O Que Irá Acontecer No Futuro ====

O que irá acontecer no futuro para que continue a ser um Cristão?

==== A Doutrina Tremendamente Prática da Chamada de Deus ====

A resposta a esta pergunta irá mostrar-nos como é que a doutrina da chamada de Deus é tão prática na nossa vida diária. Para aqueles que levam as coisas de Deus seriamente, uma das questões mais práticas que iremos encontrar é de como podemos ter a certeza que a fé que temos hoje iremos ter daqui a dez anos. Podem ver no capitulo15 deste livro diz o (verso. 1–2), "Eu preguei o evangelho para vós . . . pelo qual vós estais a salvo, se segurarem nele rapidamente—a não ser que não acreditem." E em Colossenses 1:23 diz que iremos ser apresentados sem culpa perante Cristo, "se continuarmos na fé, estáveis e leais, sem nos afastarmos da esperança no evangelho."

Sem perseverança não iremos ser salvos no dia de Cristo—"quem preservar até ao fim, esses serão salvos" (Marcos 13:13). Mas depois o que acontece à segurança? E sem segurança o que acontece à alegria, e sem alegria o que acontece ao amor e zelo? Esta é uma questão tremendamente prática!

==== O Compromisso de Deus Para Continuarmos a Acreditar ====

A resposta é dada no verso 8 do nosso texto: "Cristo irá sustê-lo [literalmente "confirmá-lo a si"— torná-lo firme e estável na fé] até ao fim, irrepreensíveis até ai dia do nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo." Noutras palavras, a segurança do crente não é de que Deus o irá salvar mesmo que ele pare de acreditar, mas que Deus irá mantê-lo a acreditar— Deus irá sustê-lo na fé, irá fazer com que a sua esperança seja firme e estável até ao fim. Ele irá fazer com que você persista.

É essa a promessa. Agora qual é a base dessa promessa? O verso 9 diz-nos: Deus é fiel!

Mas espere um minuto. Porque é que a fidelidade de Deus o obriga manter-me crente? Paulo dá-nos essa resposta nesta frase: "Fiel é Deus, pelo qual fostes chamados." Conseguem ver a ligação entre a chamada de Deus e a fidelidade de Deus? O elo da ligação é este: se Deus o chamou, então a sua fidelidade obriga-o a mantê-lo—a si persistente na fé. (O mesmo em Tessalonicenses 5:23f.) Mas porquê? Porque é que a fidelidade de Deus em causa na persistência daqueles a quem ele chamou?

Se a chamada de Deus for somente um convite para vir e divertir-se na comunhão do seu Filho, então a lealdade de Deus não o obriga a manter-nos lá se quisermos partir. Não, a razão da sua fidelidade está em causa na nossa persistência—a razão pela qual ele está tão empenhado a manter-nos na fé—é porque a sua chamada é o trabalho da sua escolha de que nós deveríamos ser trazidos perante a glória. "E aos que predestinou, a estes também chamou; e aos que chamou, a estes também justificou; e aos que justificou, a estes também glorificou" (Romanos 8:29–30).

O que é que está em causa na nossa persistência é o propósito de eleição de Deus (Romanos 9:11). Por isso é que a sua fidelidade está em causa. Se Deus nos escolheu para ele próprio (Efésios 1:4), se ele nos destinou à glória (1 Coríntios 2:7), então a sua fidelidade compromete-o a manter-nos na sua fé. Porque fora da fé não existe comunhão com Deus e nenhuma glória.

==== Saiba Quem Você É! ====

Portanto esta manhã acabo ao implorar-vos que compreendam vós próprios na vossa relação com Deus. Quando olharem para trás, conheçam-se a vós próprios como chamados por Deus. Quando olharem para a frente, conheçam-se a vós próprios como guardados por Deus. O que vos aconteceu de modo a se tornarem Cristãos é a chamada de Deus. O que vos irá acontecer de modo a manter-vos Cristãos é a fidelidade de Deus. Saiba quem você é!! Chamado por Deus! Mantido por Deus!

Não diga a si próprio está manhã: Não há nenhuma esperança para mim porque eu não estou entre esses números. A liberdade de Deus na chamada aos pecadores tem a intenção de dar esperança, e não para retirar a esperança. Quer dizer que nada é muito mau. Nada é muito duro. Nada é longe demais. Deus é livre. Deus é rico para todos aqueles que chamam por ele. Vejam o quão expansivo ele é no verso 2: ele escreve "com todos os que invocam o nome do nosso Senhor Jesus Cristo." Todos que chamem pelo nome do Senhor serão salvos (Romanos 10:13). Se consegue chamar, será chamado.

"http://gospeltranslations.org/wiki/Sustained_by_the_Faithfulness_of_God"

Raising Up Pastors Is the Church's Work-Part 1/pt

Greetje — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 20:20:53 GMT

Greetje: Raising Up Pastors Is the Church's Work-Part 1/pt moved to Preparar Pastores é Tarefa da Igreja

{{info|Preparar pastores é tarefa da igreja}}

'''A RESPONSABILIDADE DA IGREJA'''

Uma entrevista com Pr. Mark Dever

Mark Dever é pastor da igreja Batista de Capitol Hill; é fundador do ministério 9Marcas e um dos organizadores do ministério Juntos Pelo Evangelho.

'''9Marcas: Por que você acha que preparar a próxima geração de pastores é responsabilidade da igreja local?'''

'''Mark Dever:''' Primeiramente, porque vemos isso nas Escrituras. No livro de Atos, observamos que Paulo e Barnabé são enviados pela igreja local. Paulo pede a Timóteo, o pastor de Éfeso, que confie as verdades do evangelho a homens fiéis que as ensinem a outros (2 Tm 2.2). Jesus entrega as chaves do Reino à igreja e promete que ela prevalecerá (Mt 16.18-20). Em nenhum momento Ele relaciona a vitória da igreja a seminários financeiramente viáveis ou doutrinariamente fiéis (espero que sejam viáveis e fiéis!).

Não sou contra os seminários, apesar de que eram desconhecidos entre os protestantes antes dos séculos XVIII e XIX. Apenas quero dizer que a Bíblia nos mostra a igreja local – uma comunidade em que as pessoas são conhecidas, a sua conversão é testificada, e seus dons, testemunhados – como o local apropriado para se fazer essa afirmação de tanta importância a respeito do dom e da chamada de Deus na vida de alguém. Preparar líderes é parte da comissão da igreja.

'''9M: Quanto à tarefa de preparar ministros, de que recursos uma igreja local dispõe que um seminário não possui?'''

'''Dever:''' Uma visão de 360º sobre a vida de alguém. Amizades. Muitas pessoas que se relacionam com essa pessoa de maneiras diversificadas, o que é diferente de ser um dos 62 alunos que um professor tem de conhecer numa classe. A igreja local tem sido o instrumento ao qual Deus confia a clareza de seu evangelho, tanto na pregação como naqueles que são admitidos à mesa do Senhor ou afastados dela. Os seminários não possuem tal aptidão ou comissão.

Além disso, na igreja local há vidas que afetam a pessoa em questão. Portanto, ela tem a oportunidade de observar os exemplos dos presbíteros ou líderes – como o mostra Hebreus 13.7. Esse membro da igreja pode considerá-los, e eles, por sua vez, a esse membro. Portanto, há uma experiência de aprendizado na vivência natural.

'''9M: O pastor e a igreja são responsáveis por não tomarem as medidas adequadas ao preparo de futuros pastores?'''

'''Dever:''' Bem, minha resposta é “sim”. Quero ser amável e compreender que há algumas igrejas ou muito pequenas ou não preparadas. Contudo, devemos entender que preparar futuros ministros é uma oportunidade que o Senhor coloca diante de nós, que devemos aspirar e orar por essa tarefa.

'''9M: Quando você fala sobre a importância da igreja ter uma visão de 360º sobre a vida de uma pessoa, está se apoiando em determinada filosofia de ministério. Que pressupostos você faz a respeito de como o ministério e o crescimento cristão ocorrem? Por que não basta apenas que eu seja treinado em grego e em homilética e, depois, colocar-me atrás do púlpito, como o faz um seminarista?'''

'''Dever:''' Esta é uma pergunta muito interessante. Presumo que o ministério é mais do que uma simples proclamação. A proclamação simples é essencial ao ministério – isso é indiscutível. Mas essa proclamação acontece num contexto de uma comunidade de pessoas que se conhecem. Estão geograficamente no mesmo lugar, se reúnem com regularidade e, como conseqüência, conhecem uns aos outros.

No Novo Testamento, parece haver um pressuposto de que a autoridade pastoral acompanha os relacionamentos pastorais, como em Hebreus 13. Nesta passagem, os membros são admoestados a considerar a vida dos líderes (v. 7), antes de serem instruídos a que obedeçam a esses líderes (v. 17).

A importância de conhecermos uns aos outros também se harmoniza com aquilo que o Senhor nos diz a respeito de nosso testemunho, em João 13: o mundo saberá que somos seus discípulos por meio do amor que temos uns pelos outros.

De modo algum quero denegrir a centralidade da pregação da Palavra. No entanto, se apenas pregarmos a Palavra sem a integração relacional ou sem o contexto para o ministério, que é a igreja local, não saberemos como formar a membresia, como disciplinar, como discipular; tampouco seremos um bom testemunho (se o somos, isso é acidental).

Os frutos do Espírito que Paulo menciona em Gálatas são virtudes expressas a outras pessoas. Há um contexto relacional na igreja que é absolutamente perfeito para identificar quem possui o dom de ser ministro, bem como para desafiar e preparar tais indivíduos. Portanto, o fato de sentar-me para assistir a uma de suas classes de Escola Dominical me ensina algumas coisas a respeito de sua habilidade para pastorear. Observá-lo discipulando outras pessoas ou vê-lo dar-se ao incômodo de levar estudo bíblico até o quarto de Helen, que se recupera de um AVC, são atitudes que me permitem saber mais a seu respeito e me dão referências suas como pastor, coisas que eu nunca saberia se você fosse apenas um dos alunos da classe de seminário em que eu leciono.

'''SOBRE O BENEFÍCIO DOS SEMINÁRIOS'''

'''9M: Seria interessante considerarmos as implicações de tudo que você acabou de dizer para igrejas que têm ministérios e tarefas múltiplas. De qualquer maneira, qual a melhor utilidade dos seminários?'''

'''Dever:''' Os seminários são um grande dom de Deus para nós, pois nos transmitem grande conhecimento no estudo de línguas, da teologia sistemática e da história do cristianismo, dos quais provavelmente a congregação local não terá entendimento suficiente.

Não estou dizendo que os seminários são ruins e desnecessários, e sim que eles são usados para o propósito errado. Até diria que os seminários são “costumeiramente”usados para propósitos errados. Quando um jovem dá evidências de dons para o ministério pastoral, muitas igrejas simplesmente o enviam ao seminário, a fim de formá-lo como ministro. E Deus ajuda os seminários para que isso aconteça. Penso que isso se aplica a todos eles. Seminários não fazem pastores. As igrejas fazem pastores.

'''9M: Num contexto urbano contemporâneo, o seminário é “necessário”, “aconselhável” ou algo mais para o jovem que se sente chamado para o ministério?'''

'''Dever:''' Certamente não é necessário. E não é obrigatoriamente aconselhável. Tenho de dizer que é algo mais. O seminário é, às vezes, aconselhável.

Temos enviado irmãos de nossa congregação para pastorear igrejas, os quais não tiveram o benefício de um Mestrado em Divindade, obtido em um seminário. No entanto, esses irmãos conhecem ao Senhor e sua Palavra, dão testemunho disso em sua vida e família e são sábios em relação ao mundo.

Creio que a educação de um seminário teria beneficiado qualquer desses homens. No entanto, há muitas questões práticas que devem ser levadas em conta: a idade da pessoa, as oportunidades que surgem para o ministério, e assim por diante. Portanto, eu diria que isso é uma questão de chamada individual.

Em geral, eu diria: se você é mais jovem, vá para o seminário. Estou mais inclinado a dizer a um jovem de 22 anos do que a um de 32: “Faça um mestrado em Divindade”. Apesar disso, você será mais beneficiado se gastar mais tempo com sua congregação, desenvolvendo relacionamentos mais profundos e passando mais tempo ministrando entre eles.

'''O ESTÁGIO NA IGREJA BATISTA DE CAPITOL HILL'''

'''9M: Quando o comparo com outros estágios pastorais, o estágio na Igreja Batista de Capitol Hill é excepcional. Você nem mesmo dá aos rapazes oportunidade de pregar ou ensinar! O que você está tentando realizar no estágio da IBCH? E o que não deseja realizar?'''

'''Dever:''' Estou tentando fazer o que chamamos de “treinamento de recrutas” na eclesiologia: introduzir os jovens ministros numa história de reflexão cristã sobre o que a Bíblia diz a respeito da igreja.

Hoje, na América do Norte, tendemos a ser muito pragmáticos. Temos em mente o sucesso visível e imediato. No entanto, quando começamos a conversar sobre crentes de épocas anteriores e de outros lugares, descobrimos o valor de séculos de reflexões sobre o que a igreja deve ser e fazer; percebemos também que essas reflexões não se conformam com o liderar a igreja por meio daquilo que produz sucesso imediato e exterior.

Portanto, queremos afetar os ministros em seu entendimento quanto ao que a igreja deve ser e, por meio da Palavra, ensinar-lhes que Deus se importa com coisas que eles talvez pensem Ele não se importa. Os crentes do passado reconheceram isso; vivemos uma amnésia comparativamente recente – talvez, o último século.

O que estamos tentando fazer? Não estamos tentando formar pastores sem a ajuda de outras pessoas. Como você disse, não damos aos irmãos a oportunidade de pregar durante o estágio (apesar de fazermos isso, como igreja, para os nossos membros, os quais estão conosco a mais tempo do que apenas alguns meses).

Ao contrário, fazemos a mente deles trabalhar, dando-lhes bastante leitura e instando-os a escrever muitos artigos. Damos também a oportunidade de uma experiência na igreja – eles participam das reuniões com os presbíteros e fazem parte da membresia durante 5 meses.

'''9M: Você diria que estão tentando dar aos futuros pastores uma visão da vida cristã “centralizada na igreja” ou “moldada em função da congregação”? Diria que procuram fazer que a cosmovisão ou o paradigma mude na mente deles?'''

'''Dever: '''Exatamente. Desejamos fazer isso cognitivamente, por meio de leituras e argumentações, mas também por meio da experiência que vivem nesses poucos meses em uma igreja como a nossa.

Who is This Divided Man Part 3

Greetje — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:25:28 GMT

Greetje: Who is This Divided Man Part 3 moved to Who is This Divided Man? Part 3

#REDIRECT [[Who is This Divided Man? Part 3]]

Who is This Divided Man? Part 3

Greetje — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 01:25:28 GMT

Greetje: Who is This Divided Man Part 3 moved to Who is This Divided Man? Part 3

<blockquote>
{{info}}'''Romans 7:14-25'''
</blockquote><blockquote>
For we know that the Law is spiritual, but I am of flesh, sold into bondage to sin. 15 For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate. 16 But if I do the very thing I do not want to do, I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good. 17 So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the willing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. 19 For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. 20 But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me. 21 I find then the principle that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good. 22 For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, 23 but I see a different law in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, on the one hand I myself with my mind am serving the law of God, but on the other, with my flesh the law of sin. 
</blockquote>
I argued last time ("Who Is This Divided Man? Part Two") that Romans 7:14-25 was written to defend the Law from false inferences – namely (among others), that Paul makes God's Law the culprit in Christian living that isn't all it should be. In other words, it is as if someone says to Paul:

See, you tell people that they are "dead to the law" (Romans 7:4) or "released from the law" (Romans 7:6). But look at what that assault on the Law results in: people who do what they don't want to do and don't do what they want to do. The problem with you Christians, Paul, is that you don't honor the Law the way you should. In fact, you tell Christians they are not "under law" (Romans 6:14-15; Galatians 4:21; 5:18). So you treat the law like sin and disease. But what do you get?

So we find Paul arguing for three things in Romans 7:14-25.

==== What Paul Is Arguing for in Romans 7 ====

First, he is arguing for the goodness and spirituality of the Law of God.

· Romans 7:14a, "For we know that the Law is spiritual."

· Romans 7:16b, "I agree with the Law, confessing that the Law is good."

· Romans 7:22, "I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man."

· Romans 7:25b "I myself with my mind am serving the law of God."

So we see Paul defending the law against the false inference from his teaching that he makes it out to be sin and death.

Second, he is arguing for the reality of what he calls "indwelling sin" to explain why Christians are not perfect and don't measure up to their own highest standards.

· Romans 7:17, "So now, no longer am I the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.

· Romans 7:20: "But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me."

So on the one hand he is arguing that the Law is good, and on the other hand that indwelling sin is the culprit in the Christian life.

Third, he is arguing for his own genuine Christianity – that he is a new man, a new creature in Christ, even though he still sins.

For example, he says in Romans 7:22-23: "I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man, but I see a different law in the members of my body." I have been changed. There is a new spiritual taste for God and his law in me. I am a Christian.

==== Who Is This Divided Man? ====

But now here we are at the most controversial thing about this passage: Is the divided man a Christian? A new Creature in Christ? A person who trusts Christ as Savior and Lord and therefore has the Holy Spirit dwelling in his heart? I answered "Yes" in the last message and promised that I would give you the reasons. So that is my main aim today. Why do I believe that in Romans 7:14-25 Paul is describing part of his own Christian experience, not his experience before conversion or the way a Christian would see his experience before his conversion?

==== The Practical Implications for Rescuing People ====

One of the reasons this matters is the immense practical importance it has for rescuing people from the devastating hopelessness of perfectionism. I told the story last time of J. I. Packer who was rescued from suicidal thoughts soon after his conversion by the solid teaching of John Owen on "indwelling sin."(Owen's book is based on Romans 7:21.) There is a hopelessness that comes from rejecting all of God's standards for faith and life. And there is a hopelessness that comes from having perfectionistic standards that give no place in real life for the sins of true saints. Paul's teaching in this passage has a powerful pastoral effect to help people navigate the troubled waters between these two kinds of hopelessness. And that is where we all live.

I stressed last time – and I stress it again briefly – that the point of this text is not that we should make peace with sin, but that we should make war on sin in our own lives and know how to understand ourselves and how to respond when we suffer tactical defeats in the war. Chapter six makes clear that we will win the war against sin (see 6:14). Chapter seven makes clear that it will not be without tactical defeats that will make us love our Savior all the more. It's the earnestness of the war and the response to defeat that show your Christianity, not perfection.

So what I want to do now and again next time is give reasons for believing this text really does talk about Christian experience, and so really does give the kind of guidance and encouragement for Christians that most interpreters in the history of the church has believed that it does.

The arguments: 

==== 1. Paul's Use of First-Person Pronouns ====

The most natural way to understand Paul's use of the first person "I" and the present tense, is that he is talking about himself and a part of his life that he experiences now as a believer. He uses "I" or "me" or "my" about 40 times in this text. And he explains his situation in the present tense all the way through: "I am of flesh . . . what I am doing, I do not understand . . . I do the very thing I do not want . . . I find then the principle that evil is present in me . . . For I joyfully concur with the law of God . . . with my mind I am serving the law of God . . ."

It will take a very compelling argument to overthrow the simple, straightforward impression you get that Paul is talking about himself and a part of his present Christian experience. I don't think there is such an argument. At least I've never heard it.

==== 2. Paul Speaks of the Law as Only a Christian Could ====

Paul speaks about the Law of God in this passage in a way that sounds like the way a Christian believer would talk about it, not the way an unregenerate, non-Christian Jewish man would talk about it. I am thinking not just of him calling the law "good" (7:16) or even "spiritual" (7:14), but especially 7:22 when he says, "I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man." It's this phrase "inner man" that sounds so much like the way Paul talks about the Christian's real, inner self. And when you put that together with the word "joyfully concur" ("I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man") it sounds to me like Paul's description of his present deep joy in the truth and law of God, not a carnal and superficial and ungodly joy that would be the experience of an unregenerate Pharisee. So it seems to me that Paul treats the law in this passage the way a believer would.

==== 3. Paul's Other Pre-Conversion Descriptions Do not Match Romans 7 ====

And what about the description of Paul as a divided and sometimes tormented man in relation to the law? Does that fit with what we know about Paul before his conversion? No it doesn't. Paul gives us a few glimpses of his pre-Christian life, and what we see there is anything but a man who is torn because of any perceived failures to live up to the law of God.

For example, in Galatians 1:13-14 he says,

For you have heard of my former manner of life in Judaism, how I used to persecute the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it; 14 and I was advancing in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries among my countrymen, being more extremely zealous for my ancestral traditions.

So Paul saw his life before his conversion as a life of unrivaled zeal for the law and the traditions. He doesn't give us any hint of torment or conflict or inner division as we see in Romans 7.

Similarly in Philippians 3:4-6 he speaks of how he might have boasted before his conversion in his relation to the Jewish law:

If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more: circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee; as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

So in the few glimpses Paul does give us into his pre-Christian life we do not get the picture of conflict and torment that we see in Romans 7.

So it seems to me that what we are reading in Romans 7:14-25 is not Paul's description of his pre-Christian experience, but of part of his Christian experience. The real battle with loving the law and hating what we do against the law begins when God saves us and gives us a spiritual taste for God's glory and for the obedience of faith and for what the law is really pointing toward in a life of love. So I think it is more likely that the conflict we read about here is part of Paul's Christian experience than his pre-Christian experience.

==== 4. Paul Speaks of Himself as Only a Christian Could ====

Paul talks about himself in a way that I don't think he would have talked about a person who is not a new creature in Christ – a person without faith and the Holy Spirit. The main verse that I have in mind here is Romans 7:18, "For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh." Two things stand out in this statement. First, is the devastating self-assessment, "I know that nothing good dwells in me." This does not sound like the self-confident pre-Christian Paul that said he was blameless before the law (Philippians 3:6). It sounds like what a broken-hearted and meek sinner might say who has been saved by grace alone and who knows that he was dead in trespasses and sin (Ephesians 2:5) and that "none is righteous, no not one" (Romans 3:10).

But, we might ask, if Paul is a Christian, and a new creature in Christ, can he really say that – "I know nothing good dwells in me." What about Christ dwelling his heart by faith (Ephesians 3:17) and the Holy Spirit dwelling in his heart (Romans 8:11)?

Well, Paul's answer would be, "That is why I qualified what I said. When I said, 'I know that nothing good dwells in me,' I added this qualification: 'that is, in my flesh.'" This is the second thing that stands out about this verse. If Paul were giving a Christian assessment of his former, pre-Christian life, I don't think he could have added this qualification. Only the Christian is more than "flesh." Only the one who believes on Christ is born again and has a new nature and is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Before that happens to us we are merely "flesh." That's all. Merely human. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh," Jesus said in John 3:6. Only when we are born again can we say, I am more than flesh. I now have the Holy Spirit. I now have a new nature.

And so when Paul qualifies his own self-description in verse 18, "Nothing good dwells in me," with the phrase, "that is, in my flesh," he means: "Apart from Christ, apart from the Spirit, apart from my new nature in Christ, I am not good." In other words, this is Paul's description of himself as a Christian, not a pre-Christian. There is something good in the Christian, namely, Christ and the work of Christ.

==== 5. Peter as an Example of a Divided Man ====

There are several more arguments for saying that Paul is describing his Christian experience. I will save most of them for next time. But I will mention one more here as a way of applying it all to our daily lives. Let's consider the life of Peter and his failures as a Christian to show that Paul's description here is not far-fetched even to describe a man of Peter's Christian caliber.

We all know how Peter denied Christ three times. I don't doubt that as we went away and wept bitterly he said something like, "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this cowardly body of death?" But some might say, "Well, that was before the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and Peter did not have the full strength of the Spirit, and so it is not a fair example.

So let's go to an illustration from Peter's life long after he was filled with the Spirit. In Galatians 2:11ff Paul describes a failure of Peter that was so serious Paul had to rebuke him in public.

He said in verse 12-13:

Prior to the coming of certain men from James [the strict Judaizers from Jerusalem], he used to eat with the Gentiles; but when they came, he began to withdraw and hold himself aloof, fearing the party of the circumcision. The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy.

Now notice who was involved: two of the finest Christians in the first century. They were both heroes in Luke's story of Acts: Peter and Barnabas.

Next, notice the two terrible words of indictment that Paul uses to describe their behavior: "fear" and "hypocrisy." Verse 12 at the end: ". . . ''fearing ''the party of the circumcision." And verse 13 at the end: ". . . even Barnabas was carried away by their ''hypocrisy''."

Peter had been enjoying his freedom in Christ, eating as a Jew with Gentiles, which many would have considered ceremonially unclean. But he was not "under the law" as Paul would have said. But when influential people from Jerusalem came, Peter feared their censure, and became – again! Note that! Again! – a ''coward''. Same old sin. The kind that make you say, "O wretched man that I am!" He pretended in front of these people that he did not do what in fact he did do – namely, eat with Gentiles. He was coveting the approval of men. He was fearing whom he should not fear. And he was lying and deceiving with his behavior. And it was so serious that Paul thought the very Gospel was at stake, because he said in verse 14, "But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth of the gospel . . ." and then he rebuked him in front of everyone.

Well, I could go on and describe this in the very terms of Romans 7:14ff. But I will save that for another time. Suffice it to say here that you and I know what this is like. It happens to us and we hate it. Indwelling sin is to be mortified, put to death. But there are times when it suddenly captures us and makes slaves of us before we know what is happening.Or sometimes it comes with such subtle wooings that we know exactly what is happening and we let ourselves be deceived.

This does not mean we are not Christian. The test is, Do we love the law? Do we hate our failure? Do we cry out in dismay over our sinful condition? Do we look to Christ and his righteousness? Do we fly to the cross? Do we confess and repent and renounce Satan and set our faces to go forward with Jesus on the Calvary road?

Do that! Let us pray for each other that we do that.

 

 

----

This 150-page work from the 17th century is still in print in ''The Works of John Owen'', Vol. 6 (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth Trust, 1967), pp. 153-322. Its full title is "The Nature, Power, Deceit, and Prevalency of the Remainders of Indwelling Sin in Believers; Together with the Ways of Its Working and Means of Prevention, Opened, Evinced, and Applied: with A Resolution of Sundry Cases of Conscience Thereunto Appertaining."

I am aware that one of the main arguments for a pre-Christian interpretation is that a Christian of the Romans 6 variety cannot be "sold under sin" (7:14, "I am of flesh, ''sold ''into bondage to sin"). I take "sold" here to be an image of "sold into slavery." But I take it to be a temporary experience of what Paul says not to let happen in Gal. 5:1, "Keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery." I think Paul would have said that is what Peter let happen in Gal. 2:12ff. So my understanding is that we are not in constant slavery to sin and that we have been decisively manumitted out of that state and condition, but that we slip back into it from time to time, and sin is spoken of as "enslaving" us in one sense in those times.

Why the Gift of Prophecy Is Not the Usual Way of Knowing Gods Will

Greetje — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:15:08 GMT

Greetje: Why the Gift of Prophecy Is Not the Usual Way of Knowing Gods Will moved to Why the Gift of Prophecy Is Not the Usual Way of Knowing God's Will

#REDIRECT [[Why the Gift of Prophecy Is Not the Usual Way of Knowing God's Will]]

Why the Gift of Prophecy Is Not the Usual Way of Knowing God's Will

Greetje — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:15:08 GMT

Greetje: Why the Gift of Prophecy Is Not the Usual Way of Knowing Gods Will moved to Why the Gift of Prophecy Is Not the Usual Way of Knowing God's Will

<blockquote>
{{info}}'''Romans 12:1-2'''
</blockquote><blockquote>
I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. We have spent two weeks on the gift of prophecy, defending its relevance today and defining it. We said last Sunday evening that the gift of prophecy is a very different thing than the verbally inspired speech of the apostles and prophets who wrote Scripture. It is based on a spontaneous revelation from the Holy Spirit, but it is fallible and in need of sifting because our perception of the revelation and our thought about it and our delivery of it are all fallible. The Bible teaches that the very words of Scripture are inspired (2 Timothy 3:16). But the spiritual gift of prophecy is different from the inspiration of Scripture. It does not guarantee that the report of God's revelation will be infallible. Instead the Bible teaches us to test these prophecies and hold fast to whatever is good. In fact it teaches that much good—much edification—is to be expected from such timely words in the congregation.
</blockquote>
==== The Danger of Overestimating Prophecy's Role ====

Now what I want to try to show today is that this gift of prophecy is not meant by God to be the usual way we should make decisions about the will of God. I think this is necessary to say because the discovery of a new spiritual reality almost always makes us overestimate its role in the Christian life. I think this is especially true of prophecy. If God really speaks today (we begin to feel), then surely this is the way to know his will about jobs and mates and investments and purchases and travel plans. And pretty soon we tend to forsake the language of wisdom and insight and reason and persuasion, and instead use the language of "God told me to do this," and "God told me to do that" about almost everything.

So what I want to do first with some examples is to show you that Paul himself, who believed so much in the gift of prophecy, did not live his own life by constant words from the Lord or encourage others to.

==== How Paul Thought Through Life Decisions ====

For example, in Philippians 2:25 he said, "I have thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus." The word is "reckon." I have reckoned that it is necessary to send him. He did not get a revelation from the Lord. He "reckoned" with the needs and the circumstances and the principles of Scripture and made his decision, confident that it pleased the Lord.

Another example is in 1 Corinthians 16:4 where he describes his plans like this: "If it seems advisable for me to go also, they will accompany me." The word for "advisable" is "fitting" or "worthy." Paul is asking about the fitness of the decision. He anticipates being led not by a prophetic revelation in this case, but by a sober assessment of what is fitting and advisable in view of the situation and what he knows of God.

He advises others the same way. To the Corinthians who are embroiled in a dispute between some members, he does not counsel them to ask for a prophecy; he says, "Can it be that there is no man among you wise enough to decide between members of the brotherhood?" (1 Corinthians 6:5). He expects that spiritual wisdom should be used in the ordinary course of life to settle matters that arise.

So we are alerted not to carry our enthusiasm for prophecy beyond limits. It is not supposed to become the usual way we make the hundreds of decisions that we must make each day.

==== Why Did God Set Things Up This Way? ====

Why do you think this might be? I think the basic reason is this: if you live your life not on the basis of spiritual wisdom but on the basis of external revelations, you are not compelled to deal so deeply with the corruption of your own heart and mind. It is possible for a servant to hear the commands of his master and do them without really loving his master or being like him. But if the master refrains from telling the servant the details of what he wants done, and simply says, "Go now, and be a good representative for me in what you choose," then the servant is forced to consider what his master is really like and how deeply his own heart and mind conform to the heart and mind of the master.

God wants conformity to his Son Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29), not just external compliance with instructions. He wants us to see the way he sees and desire the way he desires and assess the way he assesses and be repelled by what repels him. And so he does not short-circuit all this inner transformation of likeness to Christ when he calls us to do his will.

==== Three Crucial Aspects of Confirming God's Will ====

We can see this most clearly in Romans 12:2. As Paul makes the great turn from the weighty theological matters of chapters 9–11 to the practical considerations of chapters 12–15, he says right at the outset that the basic means of doing the will of God is a mental ability to prove or confirm what is the will of God. "Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect."

This verse shows us at least three crucial things about confirming what the will of God is.
<blockquote>
#First it shows us that the will of God must be "proved," that is, it must be examined and verified and embraced. " . .  that you may prove what the will of God is . . "
#The second thing it shows us is that this examining and verifying and accepting is done by the Christian mind: "Be transformed in the renewal of your mind, that you may prove . . . " It is the mind of the Christian that does the proving of the will of God.
#Third, it shows us that for this to happen the mind must be renewed. "Be transformed in the renewal of your mind, that you may prove . . . " Ordinary human thinking will not be able to examine and verify and embrace the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. So you can see, can't you, why God would not make prophecy the usual means of finding his will? If he did, it would minimize, or even evade, this utterly necessary transformation and renewal that is so crucial. God does not want mere external compliance to a set of rules or even a set of prophecies. He wants a people who are deeply, deeply different from the world in the kind of minds that they have. He wants us to have minds that think the way he thinks and see the way he sees and feel the way he feels so that they choose the way he chooses. Therefore he doesn't tell us to leave thinking behind and listen for messages. He tells us to be changed, be transformed, be metamorphosed in the way we think. "Be transformed in the renewal of your mind."
</blockquote>
==== How Can We Be Transformed in Our Minds? ====

How then shall we be transformed in this way? How can we make our minds new so that we don't think the way the world thinks but the way God thinks about what is good and bad, helpful and harmful, beautiful and ugly, true and false? Let me point you to four biblical steps.

===== 1. Recognize Your Need for Renovation =====

Recognize that you are in need of a deep renovation of the mind.

Ephesians 4:17–18 describes what we are all like apart from this renovation. "Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds; they are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart."

The reason I said we need a deep renovation of the mind is because the root of our futile thinking goes down deep into the hardness of our heart. If you follow Paul's thought backwards up from the root of hard-heartedness to the terrible fruit of futility, it goes like this: hardness of heart gives rise to blameworthy ignorance, which gives rise to alienation from God, which gives rise to a pervasive darkness of understanding, which gives rise to incredible uses of the human mind in the service of futility. When the heart is out of love with God, the mind knows not what it is for. It stumbles like a genius in the dark along a precipice of destruction. Can you think of anything more tragic and painfully ironic than thousands of brilliant men and women of intellect hearing the final sentence: "Your thinking was futile; I never knew you."

So the first step in the renewal of our minds is to recognize the need for deep renovation of heart and mind.

===== 2. Depend on the Holy Spirit =====

The second step to a renewed mind that proves the will of God is to depend on the Holy Spirit.

Paul says in Titus 3:5 that "God saved us not because of deeds done by us in righteousness, but in virtue of his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal in the Holy Spirit." The renewing agent is the Holy Spirit. We cannot make ourselves new. It is a supernatural divine work of God's Spirit. It is just as wonderful as the Spirit's revelation in the gift of prophecy. And it is more wonderful than prophecy because Satan can copy prophecy in soothsaying and sorcery, but Satan cannot copy the renewal of the mind in righteousness and holiness. The main work of the Holy Spirit is not to give us prophecies about the will of God but to change us into new, holy people who know and love the will of God.

So the second step to mental newness is to depend on the Holy Spirit. Humbly rely on him and not yourself.

===== 3. Pray for Spiritual Understanding =====

Pray for the Spirit to give you spiritual understanding that can prove the will of God.

We know that Paul made this a top priority for his churches because this is what he prays for them again and again. For example in Philippians 1:9–10, "It is my prayer that your love may abound more and more, with knowledge and all discernment, so that you may approve what is excellent." Love abounding with knowledge and insight is the renewal of the mind that can examine and verify and embrace things that are excellent. And Paul pursues it by prayer.

Colossians 1:9 is another example: "We have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding." Do we want to be filled with the knowledge of God's will? Yes. That is our heart's desire! Then (according to Paul) we need spiritual wisdom and understanding—that is, we need to be renewed in the "spirit of our minds" (Ephesians 4:23). And that is what Paul prays for "without ceasing." "We have not ceased to pray for you . . . "

So the third step to a renewed mind is to pray for it. Ask, seek, knock. Will not your Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (Luke 11:13)?

===== 4. Focus on the Glory of God =====

The fourth step is to focus your attention on the glory of God.

You can see this most clearly in 2 Corinthians 3:18, "And we all with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit." Beholding the glory of the Lord we are being changed. You become like what you behold.

You live like what you look at most.

Consider 2 Corinthians 4:16–18, "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, because we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal."

Daily renewal of the inner person—the person who proves what the will of God is—that renewal comes from looking not at the world with all its fleeting glory, but at the unseen things of eternity which are radiant with the glory of God.

==== Conclusion ====

So I affirm again in closing: the gift of prophecy, precious and edifying, is not meant to be the usual way of knowing the will of God. Rather the usual way is by proving—by examining and verifying and embracing—the will of God by means of a renewed mind. So I ask you:
<blockquote>
#Do you see how deep is the need for the renovation of your mind?
#Do you trust in the work of the Holy Spirit?
#Do you pray without ceasing for spiritual wisdom and understanding?
#And do you look steadily at the glory of God in things that are eternal—in the face of Jesus Christ—in the Bible? There is no other way to become like Christ in the world than to behold Christ in the Word. 
</blockquote>
"Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of the sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the Lord and on his law he meditates day and night." Do you? Day and night? It is the only way. We become what we behold.

Why the Gift of Prophecy Is Not the Usual Way of Knowing God's Will

Greetje — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:14:45 GMT

Greetje:

Why Does it Matter Which Came First: Circumcision or Justification?

Greetje — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:03:14 GMT

Greetje:

<blockquote>{{info}}'''Romans 4:9-12'''</blockquote><blockquote>Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also? For we say, "FAITH WAS CREDITED TO ABRAHAM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS." 10 How then was it credited? While he was circumcised, or uncircumcised? Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised; 11 and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them, 12 and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also follow in the steps of the faith of our father Abraham which he had while uncircumcised. </blockquote>
Why is Paul so riveted on the truth that God's righteousness is credited to people by faith alone apart from works? We might be tempted to say to Paul, we've got it! We got it in Romans 3:22. We got it in 3:28. We got it from the story of Abraham in 4:1-5. We got it from the illustration of David's psalm in 4:6-8. We got it! Why do you keep pursuing this? Why do you go back to Abraham in Romans 4:9-12 - today's text?

There are at least four answers to that question, two in what we have seen so far and two in today's text.

==== "Faith Alone, Apart from Works" - Undercuts Boasting ====

First, Paul is riveted on this truth because it undercuts pride and boasting. Look at Romans 3:27-28. "Where then is boasting? It is excluded. By what kind of law? Of works? No, but by a law of faith. For we maintain that a man is justified by faith apart from works of the Law."

It may seem strange in our self-saturated and self-exalting and self-aggrandizing day that anyone would be attracted to something because it destroys boasting rather than enabling boasting. Bumper stickers are an in-your-face kind of boasting: "Pagan and proud of it," "I smoke and I vote," "Get in touch with your inner grown-up for a change." The quick, clever put-down, the sarcastic one-liner, is the communication of choice. Public figures from politicians to preachers posture with a kind of bravado and swagger: if they don't know the answer to the question, they answer a question that wasn't asked and try to keep up the impression that the king has clothes on. Ours is a self-assertive age.

In this atmosphere where we all live, the story of Jesus about the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18:9-14) won't get quoted on your average T-shirt. The Pharisee prayed and looked down at the tax collector with disdain. But the tax-collector stood at a distance, beat his chest with his fists and said, "God, be merciful to me, the sinner!" To which Jesus responded, "I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Paul is totally in tune with Jesus Christ when he says, in effect: I am riveted on the truth of justification by faith apart from works because it undermines my boasting and your boasting. When having right standing with the most important Person in the universe, namely, God, is based on child-like dependence on mercy, rather than on will-power performances of good works, boasting is excluded.

And that is important because in the end, this universe is all about the greatness of God, not the greatness of man. We were put here to enjoy making much of God; we were not put here to be made much of by God or man. Creation is about God. He must increase; we must decrease (John 3:30). "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord" (1 Corinthians 1:31). The most basic way to make much of God is to trust his free and undeserved mercy -like a little child trusts his father. Our joy is not in self-exaltation but God-exaltation. There is more lasting satisfaction looking up into the Himalayas than looking up into the mirror.

We know we are on the right track here because a few verses later in Romans 4:20-21, Paul shows that Abraham glorifies God by trusting him: "With respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform." So the first reason Paul is riveted on the truth of justification by faith alone apart from works is because getting right with God by faith undermines boasting and glorifies God.

==== "Faith Alone, Apart from Works" - Preserves the Blessedness of Imputed Righteousness ====

The second reason Paul is riveted on the truth that righteousness is credited to us by faith alone apart from works is that this preserves for us the great blessedness of forgiven sins and imputed righteousness. That is what we saw last week from Romans 4:6. "David also speaks of the blessing on the man to whom God credits righteousness apart from works." Paul wants to bless you. He wants you to see that the gospel is good news, not hard news or bad news. He is for you and not against you. He wants you to rejoice and be glad. The point of taking away your boasting is not to take away your joy. It's not to take away your blessing. It's to preserve your blessing.

If getting right with God (being justified) were based on works, or on faith plus works, then our blessing would be taken away. The blessing of Romans 4:6, that God and his spokesman Paul want for you, is a solid, unshakable basis for your acceptance with God, namely, the righteousness of God in Christ, not your own righteousness. And therefore Paul is jealous for us to get this righteousness and this acceptance with God the only way it can be gotten, namely, by faith apart from works.

So the second reason Paul is riveted on this truth of justification by faith alone is to preserve the great blessing for us of forgiven sins and imputed divine righteousness. Boasting is excluded; being right with God is included.

Now we come to Romans 4:9-12 and find two more reasons why Paul is so riveted on this truth that righteousness is credited to us by faith alone apart from works. Let's get our bearings in this text and see these two reasons.

==== "Is This Blessing on the Uncircumcised Also?" ====

After describing the blessing of justification and forgiveness in verses 6-8, Paul asks in verse 9, "Is this blessing then on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also?" Why does he ask that? For the Jewish people, circumcision was one basic act of obedience that defined them as Jews. This was the mark that they had a special covenant of acceptance with God. So Paul's question is: Did they get right with God by getting circumcised? Did the work of circumcision - this act of obedience - put them in a right relationship with God?

So he asks, "Is this blessing [referred to in verses 6-8 -God's imputed righteousness and the forgiveness of sins] on the circumcised, or on the uncircumcised also?" His answer has two steps and a conclusion.

Step one in verse 9b: "We say, 'Faith was credited to Abraham as righteousness.'" Step one says, "Let's take Abraham again as our example here, the father of the all the Jewish people. His faith was credited as righteousness (Genesis 15:6).

Step two in verse 10: "How was his faith credited as righteousness? While he was circumcised or uncircumcised?" Answer: "Not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised." Genesis 15:6, where Abraham is declared righteous by faith comes before Genesis 17 where the practice of circumcision is instituted.

Conclusion: The blessing of getting right with God and being accepted by God did not come by means of circumcision. It came before circumcision and independent of circumcision. It came by faith, apart from works. That's what Paul wants to establish here with the example of Abraham.

Now let's look at two implications of this which show two more reasons why Paul is so riveted on this truth of justification by faith apart form works.

==== "Faith Alone, Apart from Works" - Keeps Clear the Proper Place of Works and Acts of Obedience ====

First he stays riveted here on Abraham's righteousness by faith alone apart from the work of circumcision because he wants to show the proper place and value of circumcision. So the third reason for Paul's absorption with this truth of righteousness being credited by faith alone is to make clear that works or acts of obedience have their proper and essential place in the believer's life, but not as the means of justification.

What is that proper place of works and obedience? Verse 11a: "He received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised." Two words describe the relationship between circumcision and the righteousness of God that comes by faith: sign and seal.

This is the third reason Paul cares so much about this issue. He wants us to put obedience and works in their proper place in relation to faith and justification. Paul is not just interested in throwing works and obedience out the window. In fact, he said in Romans 1:5 that the aim of his whole ministry was the obedience of faith: "We have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name's sake."

I take that to mean that true, God-exalting obedience comes from faith. Any other kind of obedience is not true obedience at all. So Paul is utterly committed to making clear that what's at stake in all his talk about justification by faith alone, apart from works, is making sure that works find their proper place. And that place is not as the basis of justification. But as the sign and seal of the righteousness that comes by faith alone.

When your life begins to conform to the will of God, this is a sign. It is a sign and seal that your faith is real and that you have an unshakable righteousness, namely, the righteousness of God in Christ. An act like circumcision, or any other act in obedience to God, does not give you your right standing with God. Faith alone does. But the acts of obedience are a sign and a seal that your faith is real and that Christ is your perfect righteousness.

That's the third reason Paul is so riveted on this truth: his aim is not to destroy works, but to put them on their proper foundation, namely, the foundation of our complete forgiveness - God's perfect imputed righteousness. "He breaks the power of canceled sin" - as Charles Wesley wrote ("Oh, For a Thousand Tongues to Sing!"). First he cancels the sin. Then he breaks the power of the canceled sin. First justification. Then, on the basis of that, sanctification. Paul wants to make this plain for us. He wants us to enjoy this and glory in it. We do not have to break the power of sin first and then hope that God will cancel it. This would not only destroy justification, it would destroy any hope of holiness in this life.

==== "Faith Alone, Apart from Works" - Opens the Way for All Peoples to Be Children of Abraham ====

Finally, the fourth reason Paul is so riveted on the truth that righteousness is credited to people by faith alone apart from works is that it opens the way for Gentiles to be a part of the covenant people who will one day inherit the world (verse 13) and who have Abraham as their father. In short, justification by faith alone is a missionary doctrine of the first order. It is all about God's heart for the nations, both Jews and all the other ethnic groups in the world - including Anglo-Saxons, African-Americans, Hispanic, Asian, Somali, Ethiopian, Turkish people, Kosovars, Kazaks, Uzbeks, Maninke, Sukumu.

Notice how verse 11 reasons. "[Abraham] received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while uncircumcised, so that he might be the father of all who believe without being circumcised [Gentiles, nations], that righteousness might be credited to them." God's point in justifying Abraham by faith alone before his being circumcised is to make clear that Abraham is the spiritual father of all who are justified by faith, no matter what people group they are from.

This means that you do not have to be a physical Jew or even a kosher proselyte to be a part of the covenant that God made with Abraham. What makes you a child of Abraham and a fellow heir of the promise is not circumcision or any other Jewish custom. It is faith in the God who justifies the ungodly. That is what united Abraham to God. And that is what will unite others to God and to him. Paul says it again in Galatians 3:7, "Therefore, be sure that it is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham."

So here is the evangelistic and missionary significance of this. It was not easy for Judaism to be a missionary religion in Old Testament times. There were the obstacles of circumcision, the dietary laws, the cumbersome sacrificial furnishings, the central tabernacle, and the ceremonial laws for ritual purification. This was mainly a come-see religion, not a stripped down, missionary, go-tell religion that fits a lot of different cultures.

But now Paul is making something crystal clear that was not as clear in the Old Testament. All the nations - all the ethnic groups - are meant by God to be included in the promises of Abraham. And the way he is making it clear here (which he does in other ways elsewhere, 1:16; 2:10, 26-28; 3:22, 29-30; 9:8, 24; 11:17-23) is by focusing our attention on the fact that Abraham obtained his covenant relation with God not by means of circumcision or any other Jewish ritual, but by faith - a faith he had before he was circumcised.

Therefore, Paul says (verse 11), Abraham is "the father of all who believe without being circumcised, that righteousness might be credited to them." So the message of justification by faith alone should be at the heart of all our missionary preaching and teaching. And all our evangelizing. Every kind of person is included in the gospel - everybody you know -because faith is the most universally accessible act of the human heart in every people and tribe and tongue and nation. Faith is not a performance based on education or personality or culture or ritual or strength or riches. It is what happens when the heart finds itself turning away from all those things and depending entirely on the mercy of God in Christ. Paul is passionate about justification by faith alone because it is the foundation for the great missionary work of his life.

==== Conclusion ====

In sum then, Paul rivets our attention on justification by faith alone apart from works for four reasons. First, because it undermines boasting. Second, because it preserves the blessing of forgiven sins and imputed righteousness. Third, because it puts obedience and works in their proper place after justification as signs and seals. And fourth, because Paul is passionate about reaching every people group in the world with the gospel and showing that they can be children of Abraham and heirs of the promise by faith in Jesus Christ alone apart from Jewish ritual - or American culture.

So let us embrace this great truth to our souls and be humble and be blessed and be obedient and be about the great work of taking the gospel to every people and tongue and tribe and nation.

Why Christ Became a Servant of the Jews

Greetje — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 15:01:29 GMT

Greetje:

<blockquote>{{info}}'''Romans 15:1-9'''</blockquote><blockquote>We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak, and not to please ourselves. 2 Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to build him up. 3 For Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, "The reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me." 4 For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. 5 May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, 6 that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. 8 For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name." </blockquote>
Just the way he has done all through Romans 14 Paul continues to use his biggest biblical, doctrinal truths to support the most personal, practical behaviors. Let’s look first at the behavior he wants to motivate. Then look at the big doctrinal support for it.

==== The Behavior Paul Wants to Motivate ====

The behavior he is pressing is in verse 7: “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.” Welcoming, or receiving, or accepting, or loving each other is the practical behavior he wants to press on for the Roman church and for Bethlehem Baptist Church. If he were here today, he would look us in the eye and say, “Bethlehem, look around you. When you come and when you go, welcome each other. Be a receiving people. Welcome each other not just into the church and not just into your space. Welcome each other into your homes.” “Practice hospitality” is a Christian biblical command (Romans 12:13; Hebrews 13:2; 1 Peter 4:9).

And the stress falls on the fact that this should happen in spite of non-essential differences we have from each other—disagreements over days and food and drink. And today we can take it a step father because he moves seamlessly from talking about the weak and the strong in verse 1 to talking about Jews and Gentiles in verses 8 and 9. Verse 1: “We who are ''strong'' have an obligation to bear with the failings of the ''weak''.” Verses 8-9: “For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the ''circumcised'' (that means the Jews) to show God’s truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the ''Gentiles'' . . .” He moves from the weak and the strong to Jew and Gentile, but the issue is the same for both: welcome each other.

So probably there is some pretty deep ethnic tension behind this weak and strong matter. Jews are probably bringing some of their food scruples, and Gentiles are probably bringing some of their looseness. So now we can say that what Paul is pressing in verse 7 is not just a general command to welcome each other, but to welcome each other across ethnic and racial lines. So he would say, “Be encouraged Bethlehem to broaden the range of your welcoming. Cross the aisle. Cross the commons. And by all means cross the ethnic lines. Get in each other’s lives. Pray toward it. Move toward it.”

And the end of verse 7 makes sure that we do not view this as an end in itself. Do it for the glory of God. Verse 7: “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, ''for the glory of God''.” Nothing human is an end in itself. Only God is an end in himself. Everything human will be more human if we do not make it an end in itself, but put its end in God. And everything human that is treated as an end in itself will in the end be dehumanized. God made us human for his glory. And we are fully human only when we live for his glory. Human community, human togetherness, human bonding, human society was ordained by God for his glory. Therefore where human community does not live as community for the glory of God, it will become in the end destructive.

Even more specifically, we can say that human life and human community were conceived and created to ''consciously'' glorify God. You were not created and put in relationships to unconsciously or inadvertently glorify God—like mountains and birds and galaxies do. They make God look amazing without knowing that’s what they are doing. That is not what Paul means here. He doesn’t mean: Love each other and someone might see God’s beauty in that, whether that’s your goal or not. We know that’s not what he means because of verse 6, “That together you may ''with one voice glorify the God'' and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The aim is voluntary, joyful, authentic, vocal acclamation that God is great and glorious.

So Bethlehem, for the glory of God, cross the commons, cross the aisle, cross the parking lot, cross the city from home to home, and cross ethnic lines and welcome each other—into your church, and into your pew, and into your classes and small groups, and into your homes and into your lives—your prayers and pains and joys.

==== The Big Biblical Support for Paul’s Practical Passion ====

Then comes the big biblical support for this practical passion that Paul has for our lives. And the basic thrust of the argument is that we should do this—welcome each other for God’s glory—because Christ became a servant to the Jews for God’s glory. Before we unfold that, let the inspired structure of Paul’s thinking land on you. Be a welcoming community, Bethlehem, because the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the Son of God was incarnate in history as a Jew to serve the Jewish people for God’s glory. Do you see what this implies just structurally: Don’t join those who say that doctrine isn’t relevant for life. Paul is laboring to cultivate a welcoming, mutually loving and accepting community in Rome (and at Bethlehem), and he does it by taking us into some of the biggest biblical doctrines there are. If you say this doesn’t work for you, you need to ask God to change you. The inspired word of God makes the doctrine of Romans 15:8-9 the motivating foundation of our becoming a more welcoming church.

Let’s look at this foundation. Welcome each other—weak and strong, Jew and Gentile—why? . . . Verses 8-9: “For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised [that is, to the Jews] to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, 9 and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.”

I see six steps in this argument. So let’s walk through it and let the fullness of Paul’s doctrine fill your mind and shape your thinking and your passions. Don’t be conformed to this world, but be transformed in the renewal of your mind. Fill your mind, shape your mind, mold your way of thinking and feeling about how you welcome people and love people, by brooding with me over Paul’s argument here.

==== Step 1: Jesus Became Incarnate as a Jew ====

Step #1. The Son of God became incarnate as a Jew. Verse 8: “For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised.” Here’s the way Paul puts it in Galatians 4:4-5, “When the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law.” That is, God sent his Son as Jew into the world. Don’t minimize the importance of the Jewish people in history. Jesus is the fulfillment of 2,000 years of Jewish history. To this very day the sheer existence of the Jewish people is a wonder. Anne Rice, the vampire novelist who recently turned from 30 years of atheism, said in her new book ''Christ the Lord,'' “I stumbled upon a mystery without a solution, a mystery so immense that I gave up trying to find an explanation because the whole mystery defied belief. The mystery was the survival of the Jews. . . . It was this mystery that drew me back to God.”1 Step #1, the eternal Son of God was incarnate as a Jew.

==== Step 2: Jesus Came as a Jew to Serve the Jewish People ====

Step #2. He came as Jew to serve the Jewish people. He came as a servant for the Jews. Verse 8: “For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised.” Jesus said in Mark 10:45, “The Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The primary service that Christ rendered for the Jews was to pay a ransom for the disobedience of the people so that they could be saved from the wrath of God. John 3:36 says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him.” Christ paid the ransom to free us from the wrath of God so that every Jewish person who believes on him would be saved.

==== Step 3: Jesus Confirmed the Promises of God ====

Step #3. In coming to serve the Jews Christ confirmed the promises of God. Verse 8: “For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, ''in order to confirm the promises ''given to the patriarchs.” 2 Corinthians 1:20 puts it like this: “For all the promises of God find their Yes in him. That is why it is through him that we utter our Amen to God for his glory.” Or Galatians 3:16 puts it like this: “Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say, ‘And to offsprings,’ referring to many, but referring to one, ‘And to your offspring,’ who is Christ.” Everything promised to Abraham is found in Christ. The ransom that he paid, not only averted the wrath of God, but secured and confirmed all the promises of God. When sins are covered by the blood of Christ, there is no hindrance to any promise coming true.

==== Step 4: Jesus Did This to Vindicate the Truthfulness of God ====

Step #4. Christ did this promise confirming work to vindicate the truthfulness of God. Verse 8: “For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised ''to show God's truthfulness'', in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs.” In other words, Paul is telling us to welcome each other and serve each other specifically ''for the glory of God'', because Christ came to serve the Jews for the glory of God’s truthfulness.

==== Step 5: Jesus Showed Mercy to the Gentiles in the Way He Served the Jews ====

Step #5. The Gentiles—that’s most of us—have been shown mercy in the way Christ served the Jews. Verse 9 gives the second reason why Christ became a servant to the Jews: First, verse 8 says, “Christ became a servant to the circumcised . . . to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs.” And then verse 9 adds the second reason: “. . . and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.” So in the very act of serving the Jews by his incarnation and his ransom and his confirmation of promises he also served and had mercy on the Gentiles. Here’s the way Paul put it in Galatians 3:28-29, “There is neither Jew nor Greek . . . for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise.” When we Gentiles put our faith in Christ, the Jewish Messiah, we become offspring of Abraham and heirs of all the promises. We didn’t deserve any of this. It is all mercy.

==== Step 6: Jesus Gave Us This Mercy So That We Would Glorify God for It ====

Step #6. We Gentiles received this mercy so that we would glorify God for it. Verse 9: “. . . in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.” Our receiving mercy is not the ultimate end of salvation. God being glorified for it is the ultimate end.

And so you can see how Paul has never moved far from his practical purpose in verse 7: “Welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, ''for the glory of God''.” Do it for the glory of God, Bethlehem. Serve each other this way—for the glory of God. Because Christ became a servant to the Jews so that they would glorify God for his truthfulness and so that the Gentiles would glorify God for his mercy. Welcome each other for the glory of God because Christ came and died for the glory of God.

Why Christmas? Why did he come? So that we might glorify God for his mercy. And show how precious it is by the way we welcome each other mercifully for the glory of God.

==== Footnotes ====

1 Anne Rice, ''Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt'' (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005), pp. 308-309.

Who is This Divided Man? Part 3

Greetje — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:55:36 GMT

Greetje:

Who is a True Jew? Part 2

Greetje — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:54:06 GMT

Greetje:

<blockquote>
{{info}}'''Romans 2:25-29'''

For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law? 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.
</blockquote>
==== Gentiles Can Become Jews ====

Paul's purpose in this chapter is to underline the need of the Jewish people (along with the rest of the world) for the gift of righteousness which God gives freely to those who trust Christ (Romans 3:20,28; 1:16-17). Both Gentiles and Jews are under the dominion of sin (3:9), and in need of a salvation that God is ready to give to all those who put their trust in his Son.

Now in these verses (2:25-29) the way Paul underlines this need that Jewish people have is to show that Gentiles, are actually becoming the true Jews, and will even stand in judgment over the Jews at the judgment day. This was a staggering thought to Paul and his fellow Jews - that Gentiles could be counted as Jews who inherit God's promises to Israel, while natural-born Jews are judged and perish.

==== How Can This Be? ====

===== How could this be? =====

Well, Paul's argument is remarkable and is full of rich truth for us today. There are implications in this text for us that are breathtaking. Let's quickly get into Paul's flow of thought and then broaden our horizon to another passage of Scripture that will help us understand this one even better.

Amazingly, he says in verse 26 that the uncircumcised man (the Gentile) will be regarded by God as a circumcised man (a true Jew) if he "keeps the requirements of Law." "So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?" So it isn't circumcision that makes you a true Jew, it is keeping the requirements of the Law - that is, it is understanding what the Law was really all about and being changed by it in the heart and living out God's purpose for man taught in it (see 1 Corinthians 7:19).

Then in verse 27, even more amazingly, Paul says that the Gentiles will be a living indictment of the disobedient Jews at the judgment day if the Gentiles "keep the law." "And he who is physically uncircumcised (=Gentile), if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who, though having the letter of the Law and circumcision, are a transgressor of the Law?"

So in both verses 26 and 27, Paul pictures some Gentiles really being part of God's people and being saved from judgment, while some natural-born Jews are judged and perish at the judgment day. This underlines the need of Jews not to presume upon their privileged place as Jews. They are sinners like everyone else and liable to judgment.

===== How Can Some Jews Not Be Jews? =====

Now, again, how can this be? How can Paul say that natural-born Jews may not really be Jews, and Gentiles, even without being circumcised, may really be Jews? Because if this is true, then you and I today may actually become true Jews and part of God's chosen people with all the privileges promised to the children of Abraham.

Paul knows this is a staggering thought for the Jews and Gentiles of his day and so he gives some supporting explanation in verses 28-29.

But before I show you his argument, I want to make sure you are with me and that you see this truth in at least one other place in the New Testament -namely, the truth that Gentiles actually become part of God's chosen people Israel.

The clearest place to see this is Ephesians 2:11ff.
<blockquote>
Remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh, who are called "Uncircumcision" by the so-called "Circumcision," which is performed in the flesh by human hands [Note! The Jews are the "so-called circumcision" - this is the same point as in Romans 2:25ff: they are Jews, but not true Jews] -(12) remember that you were at that time separate from Christ [=the Jewish Messiah], excluded from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. (13) But now in Christ Jesus you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. . . . (19) So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household.
</blockquote>
So you can see how Paul thinks in this regard. In relation to Christ, Gentiles really do become part of the "commonwealth of Israel" (verse 12). They become "true Jews."

But how does Paul explain and defend this in Romans 2:28-29? What makes these two verses so remarkable is that they are given as the explanation of how Gentiles become true Jews by "keeping the requirements of the law" (verse 26) and "fulfilling the law" (verse 27, more literal than "keeping" the law). Verse 26 says that an uncircumcised Gentile will be regarded as truly circumcised "if he keeps the law." And verse 27 says that the uncircumcised Gentile will judge transgressors of the law "if he fulfills the law."

Then comes the explanation for how such "Law-keeping" or "Law-fulfilling" makes a person a Jew. He answers, verses 28-29: "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God."

This is amazing. The reason it's amazing is that what Paul is trying to show is why Law-keeping - Law-fulfilling - makes one a true Jew, and his answer is all about internal change, not external activity. He says, in essence, that Law-keeping or Law-fulfilling makes you a true Jew because it is not mainly an external thing, but an internal thing. It has to do mainly with the sense of the heart and not the seeing of the letter. It has to do mainly with praise that comes from God in secret, not the praise of man in public (see Matthew 6:4,6,18). That is what the Law is really all about. Otherwise the argument doesn't work.

The argument says: "Gentile, you can be truly circumcised to God and belong to him as a true Jew, if you fulfill the Law!" "Really?" says the Gentile, "How so?" And Paul answers, "Because being truly circumcised and being a true Jew is a matter of the heart and happens by the Spirit." Now, that answer only makes sense if "fulfilling the law" means experiencing this heart-change by the Spirit, and then living in sync with that inner change.

So the point is that a person is a true Jew - a true part of God's redeemed people - if he fulfills the Law, that is, if his heart is circumcised by the Spirit to love God. Deuteronomy 30:6 promised, "The LORD your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul, so that you may live." That's what Paul is talking about here, and you don't have to be a natural-born Jew, he says, for it to happen to you.

But it wasn't happening for many Jews and it was happening for some Gentiles. Why?

==== Draw a Picture ====

Let me try a picture to see if I can make this plain for the children, and then maybe the adults will get it too.

At the top of the picture is God. You can't see God, so we will just write the word G-o-d. At the bottom of the picture there is a heart - our heart. In the middle between God and us there is the Law -picture a book, the Bible. Now the ultimate aim of the Law is to bring our heart and God together in a personal relationship of love and trust and obedience, not just an acquaintance like you might have with the store clerk or the mailman. But a deep and personal love relationship and fellowship.

But this was not happening for the very people of the Book. Most of the Jews were reading the Law and learning the Law and summing it up in lists of regulations and doing most of them. And in all this, Paul has said, they were transgressing the Law, and their circumcision was useless and didn't help them at all (verse 25).

Why? Because something is missing from the picture. What's missing? Tell me on the basis of verse 29 alone. "He is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God." What is missing is the Spirit.

How shall we draw the Spirit? He is invisible. Let's use arrows. Draw an arrow from the Law in the middle down to the heart. The Spirit takes the Law and writes it on the heart (Jeremiah 31:33; Ezekiel 11:19-20; 36:27) so that we love it and it becomes part of us, rather than being merely an external pressure from the outside.

Then draw another arrow from the heart up through the Law to God. The Spirit not only takes the Law through our eyes into our hearts; it also takes us through the Law into God. And that's the ultimate goal of the Law: a personal relationship of love with the living God through his Word.

==== Writing Equations ====

Without the Spirit we either reject the Law of God out of hand, or we change it into something we can manage. And in either case we lose, and the Law condemns us: you can become a transgressor of the law by rejecting it or by trying to keep it in your own strength. Paul calls the law minus the Spirit: "letter." And he says in another place, "the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life" (2 Corinthians 3:6).

===== So let's put two summary equations in the corner of our picture. =====

Law minus Spirit = 1) external religious ritual (like circumcision) 2) the need for the praise of man to keep you going 3) death, because the Law becomes mere "letter," and that kills

Law plus Spirit = 1) internal circumcision of the heart 2) satisfaction in the praise of God, even if no man approves you 3) life, because the Spirit unites us to God in love

Now what's the point of all this? The main point I want you get this morning is this: Seek and cherish the work of the Spirit of God in your life to make you a true Jew. Our salvation hangs on this - the work of the Spirit -
<blockquote>
1) circumcising our heart to love the Lord (Deuteronomy 30:6) 2) writing the Law of God on our heart (Jeremiah 31:33) 3) freeing us from our need for the praise of man (Romans 2:29)
</blockquote><blockquote>
All of this is what Christ obtained for us when he shed his blood to seal the new covenant (Luke 20:22; Hebrews 13:20).
</blockquote>
But still someone may say, "Is it really important that we think this way about our salvation? Can't I just be a simple Christian, and not worry about being a Jew, or a descendant of Abraham, or circumcised in heart?

==== Wild Branches Grafted into the Olive Tree ====

I think the way I will answer that question is to take you to Romans 11 and simply walk with you through one more text and let you decide how important you think this is. In Romans 11:17-25, Paul compares the true Israel to a cultivated olive tree with natural branches, and the Gentile world to a wild olive tree with wild olive branches. I will make a few comments as we read starting at verse 17.
<blockquote>
(17) But if some of the branches [= some Jews by birth] were broken off, and you, being a wild olive [= Gentiles], were grafted in among them [= became true Jews, or the true circumcision, as Paul says in Romans 2:26-29] and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree [the root of the olive tree is the covenant God made with Abraham and his true descendants, and to become a partaker of this root is to became a beneficiary of salvation, the promise made to Abraham and his descendants that he would be their God and they would be his people; if you are grafted in -if you become a part of true Israel - that's yours], (18) do not be arrogant [you Gentiles] toward the branches [the natural Jews]; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you [O how easily we get this turned around, thinking that Christianity is the mother and Judaism is the dependent daughter, when in fact, Judaism is the mother and Christianity is the dependent daughter. Our life, our hope, our salvation is sustained only by God's commitment to the covenants he has made with Israel -"the root supports you," not vice versa].
</blockquote><blockquote>
(19) You will say then [you Gentiles], "Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in." (20) Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief [so we see that faith is what makes you a Jew or not, which, in view of 2:26-27, means the essence of Law - keeping it in faith], but you stand by your faith [you have a part in this rich root of the promise of God to be your God if you believe in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, as Paul said in Galatians 3:7, "It is those who are of faith who are sons of Abraham" - you stand only by faith; that's the essence of being a true Jew and part of the Israel of God]. Do not be conceited, but fear; (21) for if God did not spare the natural branches [Jews have been broken off and condemned for unbelief], He will not spare you either [you can be as deceived as they were about being a true Jew if you try to cling to this tree without the Spirit changing your heart].
</blockquote><blockquote>
(22) Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell [Jews who were not true Jews, uncircumcised in heart], severity, but to you [Gentiles who have the Spirit of God and faith in Christ], God's kindness, if you continue in His kindness [that is, continue in faith by the power of the Spirit]; otherwise you also will be cut off [O how many professing Christians there are whose attachment to the tree of life is simply external and ritualistic, without the work of the Spirit circumcising their hearts to love God]. (23) And they [the broken-off branches of the Jews] also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. (24) For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? (25) For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery - so that you will not be wise in your own estimation - that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so [= thus] all Israel will be saved.
</blockquote>
Is it important for you to be a true Jew? All of God's saving blessings come to the world through the rich root of the olive tree, the covenant he made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be their God. There is no salvation outside Israel. Paul wrote these things to the Gentile church in Rome for a reason; and I preach them to you for a reason. I want you to be grafted into the olive tree and to remain firm by faith and drink of the rich root of God's promises and be saved.

So consider the kindness and severity of God (Romans 11:20) and remain in his kindness.

==== Other Relevant Texts to Be Studied ====
<blockquote>
Genesis 17:25 - And Ishmael his son was thirteen years old when he was circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin. 26 In the very same day Abraham was circumcised, and Ishmael his son.
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Leviticus 26:40 - If they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their forefathers, in their unfaithfulness which they committed against Me, and also in their acting with hostility against Me—41 I also was acting with hostility against them, to bring them into the land of their enemies—or if their uncircumcised heart becomes humbled so that they then make amends for their iniquity, 42 then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and I will remember also My covenant with Isaac, and My covenant with Abraham as well, and I will remember the land.
</blockquote><blockquote>
Deuteronomy 10:14 - Behold, to the LORD your God belong heaven and the highest heavens, the earth and all that is in it. 15 Yet on your fathers did the LORD set His affection to love them, and He chose their descendants after them, even you above all peoples, as it is this day. 16 So circumcise your heart, and stiffen your neck no longer. 17 For the LORD your God is the God of gods and the Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God who does not show partiality nor take a bribe.
</blockquote><blockquote>
Jeremiah 4:4 - Circumcise yourselves to the LORD And remove the foreskins of your heart, Men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem, Or else My wrath will go forth like fire And burn with none to quench it, Because of the evil of your deeds.
</blockquote><blockquote>
Jeremiah 9:23 - Thus says the LORD, "Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, let not a rich man boast of his riches; 24 but let him who boasts boast of this, that he understands and knows Me, that I am the LORD who exercises lovingkindness, justice and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things," declares the LORD. 25 "Behold, the days are coming," declares the LORD, "that I will punish all who are circumcised and yet uncircumcised—26 Egypt and Judah, and Edom and the sons of Ammon, and Moab and all those inhabiting the desert who clip the hair on their temples; for all the nations are uncircumcised, and all the house of Israel are uncircumcised of heart."

Matthew 8:10 - Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, "Truly I say to you, I have not found such great faith with anyone in Israel. 11 "I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; 12 but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

Matthew 15:22 - And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, "Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed." 23 But He did not answer her a word. And His disciples came and implored Him, saying, "Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us." 24 But He answered and said, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." 25 But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" 26 And He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." 27 But she said, "Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." 28 Then Jesus said to her, "O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you wish." And her daughter was healed at once.

Romans 9:6 - But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For they are not all Israel who are descended from Israel; 7 nor are they all children because they are Abraham's descendants, but: "THROUGH ISAAC YOUR DESCENDANTS WILL BE NAMED." 8 That is, it is not the children of the flesh who are children of God, but the children of the promise are regarded as descendants.

1 Corinthians 7:19 - Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.

Galatians 5:6 - For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything, but faith working through love.

Galatians 6:15 - For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation.

Philippians 3:1 - Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. To write the same things again is no trouble to me, and it is a safeguard for you. 2 Beware of the dogs, beware of the evil workers, beware of the false circumcision; 3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh,

Colossians 2:11 - In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;

Revelation 3:9 - Behold, I will cause those of the synagogue of Satan, who say that they are Jews and are not, but lie—I will make them come and bow down at your feet, and make them know that I have loved you.

Revelation 2:9 - I know your tribulation and your poverty (but you are rich), and the blasphemy by those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan.
</blockquote><blockquote></blockquote>

Who is a True Jew? Part 1

Greetje — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:49:01 GMT

Greetje:

<blockquote>{{info}}'''Romans 2:25-29'''</blockquote><blockquote>For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 26 So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 27 And he who is physically uncircumcised, if he keeps the Law, will he not judge you who though having the letter of the Law and circumcision are a transgressor of the Law? 28 For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. 29 But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God. </blockquote>
==== How a Gentile Becomes a Jew ====

The main point that I want to make from this text this morning is that God will regard you as a Jew - that is, will count you, though you be a Gentile, as a member of his chosen people - if you keep the requirements of the Law, that is, if you fulfil the Law. I base it mainly on verse 26: "So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?" In other words, a Gentile (that's what is meant by "the uncircumcised man") who fulfils the requirements of the Law will be counted as a true Jew - a true member of God's chosen people, Israel.

==== Now, there are at least three urgent questions you may ask about this main point. ====

1. One would be: I thought the point of this unit (Romans 2) was to show that the Jews are under sin and in need of the Gospel of justification by faith (Romans 3:9). Why does Paul make a point about Gentiles becoming Jews? It seems out of place. How does this fit into his over-all purpose to show that all are under sin? 2. Another question you may ask would be: How does the promise that Gentiles will be regarded as true Jews, if we keep the requirements of the Law, fit together with the promise that we are justified not by works of the Law but by faith (Romans 3:28)? Does this promise in Romans 2:26 really come true for anybody? Or is it hypothetical? Is this really Christian experience - to fulfil the requirements of the Law and so be counted as a true Jew?

3. Finally, you might ask, Why does it matter if I am counted as a Jew or not? I don't get up in the morning wishing I were a Jew. Why would you even think of preaching a sermon that has such a foreign notion as its main point? This is not a felt need. Who wants to be a true Jew anyway? And why would they want that?

Now that is the way I want to built this message - by answering those three questions, one at a time.

==== Questions - Possible Objections ====

1. First of all, If the point of Romans 2 is to show that the Jews are under sin and in need of the Gospel (Romans 3:9), why does Paul make a point in verse 26 about Gentiles becoming Jews? It seems out of place. How does this fit into his over-all purpose to show that all are under sin?

Notice verse 25 and its connection with verse 26. "For indeed circumcision is of value if you practice the Law; but if you are a transgressor of the Law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision." Now that is what we expect in this section: a word to Jews. What's the point of verse 25? The point is that external marks of election and privilege - external marks of being a Jew - are really of no value at all if the person who has those marks lives a life of transgressing the Law. In other words, if you reject the real message of the Law of God and have a rebellious heart against God, then external rituals, such as circumcision, will not do you any good. You will not be right with God.

So Paul is supporting the point from verses 17-24 that the Jewish people in general in his day were not teaching themselves the real meaning of the Law (verse 21), and were transgressing it at its core. And having the external marks of the covenant, like circumcision, was of no value at all to keep them from judgment. They are under sin and in need of the gift of God's righteousness, just as we Gentiles are.

Now the connection with verse 26. Paul draws out a lesson for the Gentiles: "So (= therefore) if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?" In other words, if your failure to fulfil the Law means that your circumcision is of no value (verse 25), then it follows that the crucial thing is not externals like circumcision, but a true grasp of what the Law was really teaching about the heart and about faith and about the obedience that comes from faith (see last week's message). And if that is what really matters, then Gentiles - the uncircumcised - who grasp the real meaning of the Law and have their hearts changed by the Spirit and live out the obedience of faith (see 1:5; 16:26), they will, in reality, be the true Jews.

==== Gentile Conversions Leading to Jewish Conversions ====

Why make this point? Because it underlines at least two things Paul wants to say to his Jewish kinsmen to help prepare them for the gospel.

1) If outsiders, like the Gentiles, are really inheriting the promises given to the Jews while the Jews aren't, it shows how badly the Jews misunderstood their own Law. As verse 21 says, they did not teach themselves. They stumbled over the real message of faith, and turned the Law into a catalog of external performances. If the Gentiles can become Jews and inherit the promises, then the Jews really missed it. They put external reality, like circumcision, where internal reality, like faith, should have been (see Romans 9:32).

2) If outsiders, like the Gentiles, are really taking the place of natural-born Israelites in the kingdom of God, then this shows how badly the Jewish people need to be saved. They are not just seen to be lost, because everyone else is lost; their lostness is even more clear, because those who are less likely candidates than themselves are being saved and taking their own place at the table of salvation, while Jews are missing out.

So my answer to the first question is: Paul brings up the issue of Gentiles becoming Jews to help the Jews see that they really have misread their Bibles and really do need salvation by grace through faith, the same as the Gentiles who are inheriting the very promises they thought belonged only to Jews.

2. The second question might be: If your main point is that God will regard Gentiles as Jews if they keep the requirements of the Law, how does that fit together with the promise that we are justified not by works of the Law but by faith (Romans 3:28)? Does this promise in verse 26 really come true for anybody, or is it hypothetical? Is this really Christian experience - to fulfil the requirements of the Law and so be counted as a true Jew?

Keep in mind the verse that we are focusing on - verse 26: "So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?" I take this to mean that, if you keep the Law as it was really meant to be kept, then, even if you are a Gentile, you will be reckoned by God to be a part of his true chosen people -which includes inheriting eternal life. That is, you will enter eternal life if you fulfil the true intention of the Law (see 2:7).

Now let me give two responses to the question of whether this is a Christian experience and how it fits with justification by faith alone. Let's start with the immediate context and then go to Romans 8.

In verse 27, Paul repeats the truth that the one who is "physically uncircumcised" will be in a position of judging, not of being judged, at the last day, "if he keeps [literally: fulfils] the Law." Then verse 28 starts with the word "for" to show that Paul is giving some support for what he has just said, namely, that Gentiles who fulfil the Law will be counted as true Jews and will be in the position of judges, not of being judged, at the last day.

And what he says in this support, especially verse 29, is very helpful for understanding how Gentiles are counted to be Jews if they fulfil the true meaning of the Law. Verses 28-29: "For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter . . ."

The point of verse 29 is that the Holy Spirit is the one who makes uncircumcised Gentiles into circumcised Jews, namely, by circumcising their hearts. Circumcision, Paul says, is, in essence, an internal change of heart, not an external change of the sexual organ. When he contrasts "letter" and "Spirit" (verse 29), he means that the Jews had been experiencing the Law at the external level ("letter"). But, in fact, the Law called for an internal change produced by the Spirit, even if the Law itself couldn't produce that change (see Romans 8:3f).

Well, all of this shows that Paul has Christians in mind, because this is the way he talks about Christian conversion. For example, in 2 Corinthians 3:5-6, he says, "Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life."

==== Letter of the Law - Spirit of the Law ====

In other words, behind this language of "letter" and "Spirit" is Paul's whole understanding of the Christian life as an expression of the "new covenant." In the promises of the new covenant, which Jesus bought with his own blood (Luke 22:20), God promises to take out the heart of stone and give us a new heart and put his Spirit within us and cause us to walk in his Law. Listen to Ezekiel 36:37b: "I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances" (see also Ezekiel 11:19-20).

This promise shows that keeping the Law and fulfilling the Law are something that God promised when the Holy Spirit was given to his people in the fuller measure of the new covenant. So when verse 26 says, "If the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision"?, we should understand this of the Christian Gentile who has been given the "Spirit" and has stopped treating the Law as a dead "letter" that kills. Rather, the Law now has become the expression of God's good moral will for life that grows like fruit from a circumcised heart of faith that the Holy Spirit has brought about. In other words, keeping the requirements of the Law is a free gift of the Spirit.

This is not legalism. This is not earning salvation. This is the obedience of faith which Paul, in Romans 1:5, said was the goal of all his ministry: "We have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for His name's sake." Keeping the requirements of the Law means discovering that the Law really teaches us to trust God's grace and then live in a way that shows the reality of that trust by the power of God's indwelling "Spirit," not the powerless, dead "letter."

The second response I have to the question (Is the keeping of the Law so as to be counted a true Jew really a Christian experience?) is to look at Romans 8:3-4: "For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh, so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, [the same idea as Romans 2:26-27], who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit."

This makes it clear that the idea of fulfilling the Law is a Christian experience and that it really does happen, and that it happens in the lives of those who walk according to the Spirit. Christ died for us and purchased for us the new covenant blessings of the Spirit, and now He is at work in our lives enabling us to live out - not perfectly, but enough to show we trust him - the moral law of God.

So now we go back to Romans 2:26, "So if the uncircumcised man keeps the requirements of the Law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision?" What this means is that Christ has died for us and has purchased for us the gift and power of the Holy Spirit the way the new covenant promised. The Spirit within us has freed us from the Law as a dead "letter" (Romans 7:6), and has shown us that the Law is really a call to trust a merciful and gracious God for the free gift of forgiveness and righteousness, and then to let his moral will guide the way we express our faith in life.

So, even though we are Gentiles and may not be physically circumcised, we fulfil the Law and are regarded by God as true Jews on the basis of our faith, which is confirmed by our obedience to God's moral law. And we know he is talking about God's moral law and not the ceremonial law, because circumcision is not included. And we know he is talking about sincere obedience, not sinless obedience, because at the very heart of the new covenant is the blood of Christ which covers all our sins (Luke 22:20; Hebrews 8:12), which we wouldn't need if we were made sinless at conversion.

3. Finally, someone might ask, Why does it matter whether or not I am counted as a Jew? I don't get up in the morning wishing I were a Jew. Why would you even think of preaching a sermon that has such a foreign notion as its main point? Who wants to be a true Jew anyway? And why would they want that?

Since our time is up and I intend to pick it up here next week, I will content myself with two short and very important reasons.

One is that God is at pains to explain to you that you are a true Jew. This is God's word to you about who you are if you are a believer. To say that you are not interested in being a Jew is like saying you are not interested in knowing your true identity. Since the Fall, we are all like people who have gone through a horrific ordeal and have lost our memory. We are all plagued with amnesia. And we are wandering about in the world trying to figure out who we are.

One Person knows who we are. God. He made us. He defines us. If we are ever going to know who we are in our essence, we will learn it from God or not at all. Therefore it is a great gift to us that he should tell us that an essential part of our identity is that we are true Jews if we fulfil the obedience of faith. Don't reject God's good gift because you can't see the benefits of being a true Jew. That's the first thing I would say: God is telling you who you are. Pay attention. Receive the gift. Don't assume you know a better thing to be than what God says you are.

And finally, I would say, you ought to want to be a true Jew because "salvation belongs to the Jews" (John 4:22), and all the promises of God are yours if you are a true Jew (see Romans 11:17-18). What a great thing it is to be able to go to the whole Bible, Old and New Testament, and know that "this is my book." I am a Jew. These are my promises. This is my story. This is my Messiah. This is my God (Jeremiah 31:33). You can say that today - Jew or Gentile - if you will trust in the all-satisfying mercy of God in Christ Jesus and repent of your sins.

Here is where I will pick it up next week. I want you to revel in this. All I have been able to do today is lay some foundations. Next week we will step back and get the bigger picture of why it is so thrilling to be a true Jew.

Watch Out for Those Who Lead You Away from the Truth

Greetje — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:11:42 GMT

Greetje:

<blockquote>
{{info}}'''Romans 16:17-20'''

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. Such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
</blockquote>
I recall talking to a wise leader of a large missions organization about doctrinal faithfulness. He said something to this effect, “It’s crucial. And so is unity. Some people emphasize one, and some the other. Our organization is made of two kinds of people: purity boys and unity boys.” The unity boys naturally emphasize the preciousness of personal relationships and tend to neglect an emphasis on truth. The purity boys naturally emphasize the preciousness of truth and tend to neglect the nurture of personal relationships.

In fact, you could probably categorize people and churches and denominations and institutions and movements in the evangelical church today (or even in society in general) along these lines: There are those who emphasize doctrinal purity, and there are those that emphasize relational unity.

==== Loving People and Loving Truth ====

I hope you are feeling uncomfortable with that description. A good impulse inside of you would be saying right now: “Do we have to choose? Can’t it be both? Can’t you love truth and love people?” In fact, it would be an even more biblical impulse if you found yourself thinking, “I don’t even think you can love people if you don’t love truth. How can you do what is ultimately good for people if you don’t have any strong convictions about what is ultimately good?”

And yet there is no escaping the reality that people and churches and denominations and schools and even whole periods in history lean one way or the other. I think the period of history we live in is not an easy time to be a lover of truth. The most common criticism, if you stand for an important truth and imply by that stand that others should believe it, is that you are arrogant, which is the opposite of being loving (1 Corinthians 13:4), and therefore you are undermining relationships.

For many thoughtful people today the only path to peaceful relationships in a pluralistic world is the path of no truth that deserves assent from everyone. It seems on the face of it to make sense. If no one claims that what he believes deserves assent from anyone else, then we can live together in peace. Right? So peaceful pluralism and diminished truth claims go hand in hand.

But it doesn’t work like that. When there is no truth that deserves assent from everybody, the only arbiter in our competing desires is power. Where truth doesn’t define what’s right, might makes right. And where might makes right, weak people pay with their lives. When the universal claim of truth disappears, what you get is not peaceful pluralism or loving relationships; what you get is concentration camps and gulags.

==== Purity for the Sake of Unity ====

I want you to see from the Bible—and feel in your bones—the importance of being a purity boy ''for the sake of'' being a unity boy. I want you to see and feel how out of step this text is with today’s Western culture. It pictures a way of thinking and living that most of our fellow Americans would consider offensive, unloving, fundamentalistic, and out of date. It’s mainly a purity text—a text calling for vigilance in matters of truth and doctrine. But it’s not only that. In a striking way, it is a unity text. The goal of the vigilance for right teaching is to avoid Christ-belittling, self-exalting dissension.

So my hope in preaching from verses 17 and 18 is that you will be freed from any blindness or bondage to this truth-diminishing period of time in which we live. And I pray that, because of this liberty, you would know what it is to love your adversaries and that you would have fresh power from the gospel to magnify Christ in showing that love.

Let’s read again Romans 16:17-18,
<blockquote>I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. </blockquote>
Verse 17 gives two commands that seem contradictory, but they are joined by a phrase that shows why they are not contradictory. And verse 18 gives two reasons why these two commands are so crucial. Let’s look first at the commands in verse 17.

==== Watch Out for Those Who Cause Divisions ====

The first command in verse 17 is to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles or stumbling blocks. “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles.” So it is clear from this command that Paul is concerned about unity. He wants to promote unity. Watch out for those ''who cause divisions''. These are enemies of unity. Watch out for them. I don’t want them to have that effect on you.

==== Avoid Them ====

The second command in verse 17 is to avoid these people. The last phrase in the verse: “Avoid them.” Stay away from them. Now the reason I said these two commands sound contradictory is that the first one is driven by a passion for unity: Watch out for those who cause divisions. And the second one is, in fact, a call for division. When you spot such a division-causing person, divide from him. Avoid him.

==== The Dividing Line of Doctrine ====

What is it then between these two commands that helps us see how they are not in fact contradictory? It’s Paul’s reference to ''doctrine''. Verse 17: “I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles ''contrary to the doctrine'' that you have been taught.” The issue here is not the same as in chapter 14 where Paul is dealing with different convictions about non-essential things. There he said, in verse 5, “Each one should be fully convinced in his own mind.” There was no talk in chapter 14 about avoiding people. The whole point was to help the strong and the weak Christians live ''together'' in mutual respect and understanding.

But now here in Romans 16:17, the approach is dramatically different. Here Paul says: Avoid them. Divide from them. Why? Because they are promoting doctrine contrary to what they had been taught. Now Paul’s response to this could have been: Well, nobody has all the truth, and everybody has a piece of it, and unity is more important than truth, and so don’t divide. And we would say: That impulse would not be all bad, would it? Unity is a good thing. Paul cares about it. His first command is: “Watch out for those who cause divisions.”

==== Truth-Based Division for the Sake of Truth-Based Unity ====

But that is not the way he responded to this situation. Instead, for the sake of unity—that is, truth-based unity—Paul calls for truth-based division. Avoid them. I don’t know how Paul could make any clearer how he relates doctrine and unity. For Paul, doctrine is the basis of unity. Without the common doctrine they had been taught, the unity would not have been Christian unity. So he is willing to call for truth-based disunity (“Avoid them.” “Divide from them.”) for the sake of truth-based unity.

In other words, when a person departs from the doctrine that the apostles had taught, Paul sees this as a greater threat to unity than the disunity caused by avoiding such people. If we say: How can that be? How can dividing from a false teacher who rises up in the church promote unity in the church? The answer is that the only unity that counts for unity in the church is rooted in a common apostolic teaching. Isolating false teachers—avoiding them—is Paul’s strategy for preserving unity that is based on true teaching.

==== Joy in the Truth Is Dominant ====

Now let’s pause here before looking at the reasons for these commands in verse 18. I want to make a clarifying comment about both of these commands and the doctrine that connects them.

First, with regard to the command to “watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught,” it is possible to go overboard on this. I hesitate even to say it, since I don’t think this is the temptation of most churches or most Christians today. But it is possible, and there are churches and people that do go overboard.

What I mean is that they become so obsessed with spotting doctrinal error that they lose their ability to rejoice in doctrinal truth. They’re like dogs that are trained so completely to sniff out drugs at the airport, that even when they’re off duty they greet everybody that way. It doesn’t make for a very welcoming atmosphere.

The book of Romans does not make this mistake. Periodically Paul warns against doctrinal or ethical error. But most of Romans is a glorious display of the work of Christ for us and in us. So let’s ask the Lord to help us get the balance right here. We must do this: “Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught.” But this is not the main thing we do. Vigilance over error is necessary, but joy in the truth is dominant.

==== There Is a Defined Body of Doctrine ====

Second, with regard to the doctrine, don’t miss the obvious: There is such a thing—a body of doctrine that someone can go against. Verse 17: “Watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles ''contrary to the doctrine'' that you have been taught.” There is a doctrinal standard. There is something you can depart from. Paul refers to it in several ways. In Romans 6:17, he calls it ''the standard of teaching'': “[You] have become obedient from the heart to ''the standard of teaching'' to which you were committed.” In 2 Timothy 1:13-14, he calls it ''the pattern of sound words'' and ''the good deposit''. “Follow ''the pattern of the sound words'' that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard ''the good deposit'' entrusted to you.” In Acts 20:27, he calls it ''the whole counsel of'' God. “I did not shrink from declaring to you ''the whole counsel of'' God.”

So there is a body or standard or pattern of sound doctrine. The caution here, of course, is that we must not put every minor opinion about hundreds of Bible verses in this category so that there is no room for any disagreement at all (cf. Philippians 3:15). The pattern of sound doctrine would be a faithful summary of biblical essentials determined by how crucial they are in expressing and preserving the history of redemption, the nature and condition of man, the nature and work of Christ, the nature and word of the Holy Spirit, and the nature and work of God the Father. One of the greatest challenges in the quest for unity is deciding what belongs in this body of doctrine when Paul says, if someone departs from it, avoid him. That’s part of what the elders were working on last year in the baptism question. And which we are still working on.

==== Leave Room for Enemy Love ====

Third, with regard to the second command at the end of verse 17 (''avoid them''), we need to be sure we leave room for obedience to the teaching in Romans 12 that says we should “Bless those who curse you” (v. 14), and, “If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all” (v. 18), and so on.

Avoiding someone does not mean: Stop caring about him, or stop praying for him, or even stop talking to them. When Peter acted contrary to the gospel in Galatians 2, Paul did not first avoid him. He first confronted him with a view to winning him back. That kind of contact is not forbidden. What Paul commands with the words ''avoid them'', is not no contact at all, but the kind of contact that communicates life can go on as usual between us. It can’t. If you, as a professing Christian, persist in departing from the doctrine the apostles taught, we can’t simply hang out together like we used to.

==== False Teachers Seem Nice ====

That brings us finally to verse 18 and the two reasons Paul gives for why doctrinal vigilance is so important. Verse 18: “For such persons [that is, the persons who depart from the doctrine] do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.”

Let’s take the second one first. Verse 18b: “By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive.” The word for ''flattery'' is simply ''blessing''. And ''smooth talk'' doesn’t necessarily mean ''manifestly slippery''. It just means pleasant and plausible. So the reason we must be so vigilant over biblical doctrine is that those who depart from it take simple people with them by pleasant, plausible speech that presents itself as a blessing. False teachers don’t get a following by being rough and harsh. They get a following by being nice.

Just take two examples from history: Arius (d. 336) and Socinus (d. 1604)—both of whom denied the deity of Christ. Parker Williamson describes Arius like this:
<blockquote>Here was a bright, energetic, attractive fellow, the kind of citizen whom any Rotary Club would welcome. Singing sea chanties in dockside pubs and teaching Bible stories to the Wednesday night faithful, this was an immensely popular man. His story reminds us that heresy does not bludgeon us into belief. We are seduced. (Parker T. Williamson, ''Standing Firm: Reclaiming the Chastain Faith in Times of Controversy'' [Lenoir, North Carolina: PLC Publications, 1996], p. 31.) </blockquote>
And another writer describes Socinus like this:
<blockquote>He was a gentleman. His morals were above reproach and he distinguished himself by his unfailing courtesy. Unfailing courtesy was remarkable in an age when even the great Protestant leaders, Luther and Calvin would use vile street language when arguing with their opponents. </blockquote>
This means that it will seldom be popular to resist false teachers in the church because they are almost always perceived as bringing a blessing and speaking with winsome words. They are gentlemen. And Paul says the innocent are carried away. Hence he says, “Watch out for them. And avoid them.”

==== False Teachers Serve Their Own Appetites ====

The other reason why doctrinal vigilance is so crucial, Paul says, is (verse 18a) because “such persons [the false teachers] do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites”—literally their own belly. In other words, the issue in false teaching is not a simple intellectual mistake. Behind the plausible speech and the smooth gentlemanly demeanor is idolatry, and the idol is the belly—the appetite for food or sex or human approval. Behind serious false teaching, we almost always find not merely intellectual mistakes, but worldly passions enslaving the mind.

==== Watch Out ====

So I close with a pointed call to vigilance: Watch out for smooth talkers who pastor large churches, write many books, lead wide ministries, and do not manifestly prize above their earthly good the whole counsel of God.

Using Our Gifts in Proportion to Our Faith Part 3

Greetje — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:04:35 GMT

Greetje: Using Our Gifts in Proportion to Our Faith Part 3 moved to Using Our Gifts in Proportion to Our Faith, Part 3

#REDIRECT [[Using Our Gifts in Proportion to Our Faith, Part 3]]

Using Our Gifts in Proportion to Our Faith, Part 3

Greetje — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:04:35 GMT

Greetje: Using Our Gifts in Proportion to Our Faith Part 3 moved to Using Our Gifts in Proportion to Our Faith, Part 3

<blockquote>
{{info}}'''Romans 12:3-8'''

For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4 For as in one body we have many members,and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads,with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
</blockquote>
Last time what I stressed is from this text is that ''the spiritual gifts of verses 6-8 are to be used in humility''. Paul is continuing the exhortation of verse 3 that we should not think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think, but to think in accordance with the measure of faith God has assigned to us. In other words, the opposite of high self-regard is faith in Christ. The opposite of high self-regard is not mainly low-self-regard, though that is a needed starting place in view of our sin and God’s holiness. The opposite of high self-regard is high regard for Christ. The opposite of pride is not paralyzing self-condemnation, but liberating Christ-exaltation. Which means that the best way to use your spiritual gifts is to forget about yourself as your joy in Christ spills over in love to other people.

Then we saw the way this looks in verse 8 when Paul described how the last three gifts were to be used. Verse 8b: “the one who contributes, ''in generosity''; the one who leads,''with zeal''; the one who does acts of mercy, ''with cheerfulness''.” I think Paul’s point is: when you ''don’t think too highly of yourself, but you forget about yourself and are filled with love to Christ,'' ''your ministry has the character of overflow''. In giving your joy in Christ overflows with generosity. In leading your joy in Christ overflows with zeal. In mercy your joy in Christ overflows with cheerfulness. These three words (''generosity, zeal, joy'') are meant to show us that Christian ministry is not duty-driven or begrudging. It’s the overflow of a self-forgetting, happy relationship with Christ.

==== Six Gifts of the Spirit ====

Now, let’s take one more pass at these six gifts of the Spirit in verses 7 and 8 before we move on to verse 9 next time.

Let’s look at three things. First, let’s look at the relationships among the gifts themselves and draw out an application for how to seek the gifts. Second, let’s look at the relationship between the gifts and ordinary Christian virtue, and draw out an application for what the gifts really are. And third, lets look at how each of these gifts might look here at Bethlehem.

==== 1. The Relationships Among the Gifts Themselves ====

The main observation I want to make here is that ''these gifts overlap with each other and even include each other, and therefore are not mutually exclusive or even rigidly defined''. For example, in 1 Corinthians 14:3 Paul says, “The one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.” The word “encouragement” is the same word as “exhortation” here in Romans 12:8, “the one who exhorts, in his exhortation.” So here two gifts, exhortation (or encouragement) and prophecy overlap. Another example is Titus 1:9 which (literally) says that the elders should “exhort in sound teaching.” These are the same words that we find here at the end of verse 7 and the beginning of verse 8: teaching and exhorting. Only exhorting is said to use teaching. So again the gifts overlap.

And if you just look at the list itself, how would you precisely draw a line in verse 8 between contributing generously and doing acts of mercy cheerfully? Surely the one who is joyfully merciful is a generous person. So these two gifts overlap. Or take “service” at the beginning of verse 8. How will you distinguish “serving” from “doing mercy”?

My conclusion is that ''Paul does not intend to give us tightly distinguishable categories''. The implication of this is that in seeking to receive and use spiritual gifts (which we should surely do, 1 Corinthians 14:1), we should not think mechanically, as if there is a set number, or that they have fixed boundaries, or that they come in separate packages, so that if you have one you can’t have the other, or that they come complete and in no varying proportions or mixtures. Don’t think like that.

Instead, leave to God how he will gift you and use you. Your combination of gifts may—probably will—be utterly different from anyone else’s. I doubt that any Christian has ever had only one spiritual gift, and I doubt that any Christian has ever had the same spiritual gift in the same degree. They come in degrees, and they come in mixtures. Instead of trying to figure out the definitions and boundaries and names and differences of your gifts, do this: Go back to verse 1 and hear the call to be mercy-dependent and mercy-loving because of how much Christ has done for you mercifully on the cross. Then go to verse 3 and surrender all high thoughts about yourself and look away with joy to the glories of Christ. Then begin to let this joy overflow in love for other people in all the ways you can. And the ways of love that seem more ''joyful ''and more ''fruitful ''are your gifts, whatever you call them or whatever mix they are of mercy and service and giving and teaching and exhorting and leading.

Now I have jumped ahead to the second point of the message.

==== 2. The Relationship Between the Gifts and Ordinary Christian Virtue ====

I said let your joy in Christ overflow in love for other people in all the ways you can. And the ways of love that seem more ''joyful ''and more ''fruitful ''are your gifts. Where do I get that idea?

Well think with me for a moment about the relationship between these gifts and what all Christians are supposed to be like. Take the gift of “service,” for example, from the beginning of verse 7: “if service, in our serving.” Now the word for “service” here is the same word for “ministry” in Ephesians 4:12 where the pastors are supposed “to equip the saints for the work of ''ministry''—service.” So all Christians are supposed to be involved in “service.” Yet it is called a spiritual gift of some.

Or take the gift of doing mercy at the end of verse 8. Well, we know that all Christians are supposed to be merciful. Jesus said, “Blessed are the merciful” (Matthew 5:7). And he told a parable about a person who was treated mercifully by a king and then choked his brother who owed him a few dollars—to which the king responded, “Should not you have had mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy on you?” (Matthew 18:33).

Or consider the gift of contributing. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 9:7 that all of us should be free and willing, liberal givers, “for God loves a cheerful giver.” And in Ephesians 4:28 Paul says, “Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share [same word as Romans 12:8, “contribute”] with anyone in need.” So either every converted thief should have the gift of contributing, or contributing is an ordinary Christian virtue—which it is!

Or take the gift of exhortation in verse 8 (“the one who exhorts, in his exhortation”) and compare it to the command in Hebrews 3:13, “''Exhort ''one another every day.” This is addressed to all in the church. We all have a Christian calling to exhort one another, whether we have a spiritual gift of exhortation or not.

So what shall we conclude from this observation that some spiritual gifts are things that God expects in some measure from all believers? Service, mercy, contributing, exhorting—they are all ordinary Christian virtues.

My conclusion is this: ''Some of these virtues come more ''joyfully ''and'' ''are more ''fruitfully ''for some than for others.'' ''When that happens I think we can call it a spiritual gift''. In other words, it seems to me that some take unusual spiritual delight in serving, or giving, or doing mercy, or teaching, or leading, or exhorting. The Holy Spirit has shaped their hearts so that they find themselves unusually drawn to these things.

Or it may be that only for a specific season God may come upon a person for an unusual ministry of church leadership or financial contribution which is simply extraordinary. Then after that season the gifting (anointing, unusual inclination and empowerment) may subside. So I say that ''a spiritual gift in this sense is one of the Christian virtues that one has unusual joy and satisfaction in doing—either over a lifetime or for an unusual season.''

Then I also use the word “fruitful.” If your activity is not bearing fruit in helping other people grow in faith, it’s probably not a spiritual gift. Spiritual gifts are not just natural abilities used in church. Spiritual gifts are Spirit enabled forms of love that over time build up other people. If you think you have the gift of exhortation but no one is helped by your words, you probably don’t. If you think you have the gift of teaching, but no one is growing in joyful grasp of the ways of God, you probably don’t. If you think you have the gift of service, but in your attempts you make others feel insulted, you probably don’t. In other words, one of the measures of our spiritual gifts is that others are spiritually helped. ''A spiritual gift is a fruitful form of love.''

So my conclusion is that mercy and service and contributing and exhorting, as well as others, are ordinary Christian virtues that we should all have. But they become spiritual gifts when we find the virtues pouring out with unusual joy and with unusual fruitfulness for others.

So I think the way to seek these gifts is to pray broad, earnest prayers that God would make you joyful and fruitful in every form of Christian love. Lord help me to overflow joyfully in mercy and service and giving and exhorting, as well as in the more role-specific gifs of leading and teaching. Help me to be joyful and fruitful in all the manifold ways of love.

And I think it would be totally fitting that some of you would have a special burden to become especially gifted in one or the other. And so specific prayers would be fitting. Lord, grant me the gift of mercy. Make me delight more and more in acts of mercy and make me more and more fruitful in seeing others come to Christ as I show them mercy.

Or: Lord, I feel a great burden to be more and more fruitful in teaching and in exhorting. I want to see people profoundly changed in my teaching and in every exhortation that I make. Please grant me to overflow with more and more joy and power in teaching and in exhortation.

Which brings us to the last point.

==== 3. How Would These Gifts Look Here at Bethlehem? ====

Here is one snapshot for each of these gifts.

'''Service''', verse 7a: “''if service, in our serving.''” I suspect Paul has in mind here the practical, often lowly, ordinary needs of people. So my prayer is that God may continue to raise up a small army of people at Bethlehem who don’t seek the limelight, but have the gift of service: who joyfully and fruitfully serve. Who say: Is there a need I can fill? Is there a need for a dreamer and lover and mobilizer in the service of parking, to stand with a band of hearty souls in the winter wind and help guests and members find their way to a parking place? I would love to serve.

'''Teaching''', verse 7b: “''the one who teaches, in his teaching''.” I pray two things. First, I pray that everyone who learns anything about God and his ways at Bethlehem would seek the gift to teach it to another. And second, I pray that all leadership at Bethlehem would lead by teaching and persuading, not by power and compulsion. May all leaders at every level pray for the gift of teaching.

'''Exhorting''', verse 8a: “''the one who exhorts, in his exhortation''.” Amazingly in Philemon 1:8-9 Paul, the great apostle, who teaches with divine authority, writes to his friend, “Though I am bold enough in Christ to command you to do what is required, yet for love's sake I prefer to appeal [literally “exhort”] to you.” In other words, if the gift exhortation abounds in this way, Bethlehem will be motivated by love and not coercion. May the gift of exhorting abound and may all our ministry be love.

'''Contributing''', verse 8b: “''the one who contributes, in generosity''.” The only way that this church survives and thrives with its $4.5 million church and mission budget and its $10 million campus-multiplying, church-planting Global Diaconate strategy for spreading a passion for God’s supremacy (called Treasuring Christ Together)—the only way we survive and thrive is that God does two things: he causes hundreds of you to delight in the ordinary, radical Christian virtue of proportionate, regular, sacrificial, cheerful giving. And, second, he give dozens of you the spiritual gift of contributing with extraordinary joyful and fruitful generosity (some are poor who have this gift, and some are rich). God knows who you are. And in the last day the books will be opened and you will see the fruit.

'''Leading''', verse 8c: “''the one who leads,with zeal''.” Very simply, I pray that God will continue to give to this church a pastoral staff and a council of elders who have the gift of zealous leadership, that is, who lead with a burning zeal for Christ and for his word and for the mission of this church to spread a passion for the supremacy of God in all things for the joy of all peoples through Jesus Christ. Oh, may the Lord spare us lazy, coasting, sluggish, elders and staff. May he grant to us leaders with the gift of burning zeal to see the Twin Cities and the nations Treasuring Christ Together!

'''Doing mercy''', verse 8d: “''the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness''.” May the Lord make us all merciful. May we be a mercy-dependent, mercy-loving church that treasures Christ together above all. But also may the Lord raise up among us, as he is doing, more and more people who find their special joy and their unusual fruitfulness in showing mercy to the poor in Jesus’ name.

Lord, for your great name’s sake and for the good of the church and for the joy of all peoples, grant these gifts to abound. Amen.

Using Our Gifts in Proportion to Our Faith, Part 3

Greetje — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 14:03:55 GMT

Greetje:

To Him Be Glory Forevermore

Greetje — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:28:56 GMT

Greetje:

<blockquote>
{{info}}'''Romans 16:25-27'''
</blockquote><blockquote>
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
</blockquote>
Last week we talked mainly about the ''wisdom ''of God because in verse 27 Paul says, “To the only wise God be ''glory ''forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.” This week we will talk about the ''glory ''of God because in the last words of his letter, Paul bows his head, as it were, and lifts his hands, no longer teaching or defending or explaining or confirming; he is simply worshiping. “To the only wise God be ''glory ''forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.”

==== Our Focus: The Glory of God ====

So we will focus today on the glory of God. Here’s the plan: First, I will try to do the impossible and define the indefinable, ''the glory of God''; second, we will look at the words “to him ''be ''glory” in Romans 16:27, and ask what it means to say “glory ''be ''to something.” And third, instead of a systematic treatment of Paul’s understanding of the glory of God, we will start with chapter one and simply walk through the entire book and see the role that the glory of God plays in the book of Romans as a whole. My prayer is that you see and love the glory of God for what it is.

==== Defining the Glory of God ====

First, an attempt at the impossible—a definition of the ''glory of God''. The reason I say it is impossible is that''glory ''is more like the word ''beauty ''than it is like the word ''basketball''. You can define a basketball by saying its round, inflated, about nine or ten inches in diameter; it’s used in a game to bounce and put through a hoop. But you can’t do the same with the word ''beauty''. We all know it exists, but the reason we can talk about it is because we have seen it, not because we can say it.

What might help get at a definition of ''the glory of God ''is to contrast it with the ''holiness of God''. God is ''holy ''means that God is in a class of perfection and greatness and value by himself. He is incomparable. His holiness is ''his utterly unique and perfect divine essence''. It determines all that he is and does and is determined by nothing and no one outside himself. His holiness is what he is as God which no one else is, or ever will be, and it signifies his intrinsic, infinite worth.

Then we hear the angels in Isaiah 6:3 say, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory.” The glory of God is the ''manifestation ''of his holiness. God’s ''holiness ''is the incomparable perfection and greatness of his divine nature; his glory is the display of that holiness. His glory is the open revelation of the secret of his holiness. In Leviticus 10:3, God says, “I will be shown to ''be holy ''among those who are near me, and before all the people I will be ''glorified''.” When God shows himself to ''be ''holy, what we see is his glory—the ''beauty ''of holiness. The holiness of God is his concealed glory. The glory of God is his revealed holiness.

So here’s my effort at a definition: The glory of God is ''the infinite beauty and greatness of his manifold perfections''.

==== To God Be Glory ====

Second, what do we mean, for example, in verse 27, when we say, “To God ''be ''glory”? In the way Paul wrote it, there is no verb at all. It simply says literally, “To him, glory!” I think the absence of any verb opens the meaning to both a worshipful statement of fact and a worshipful expression of longing. The statement of fact would be: “To him belongs glory!” In other words, we are heralding the truth in worship: God is glorious! Whether you or I see it or not, God has it and displays it.

On the other hand, the expression of longing would be, “May glory be given to him!” That is, may people see him as glorious and praise him as glorious. “Give him glory,” not in the sense of adding anything to his glory, but acknowledging it and treasuring it. So when Paul leaves the verb out and simply says, “To the only wise God, glory!” I think he has both of these in mind: God ''is ''glorious! And the longing, the prayer: May all the nations see it and acknowledge it and value it as their highest treasure!

So as we turn to chapter one and our walk through Romans, keep this in mind. Paul’s final word in Romans (just before “through Jesus Christ! Amen.”) is his acclamation of the greatest fact of all: God is glorious! And his aspiration for all the nations: May you see it and savor it above all things!

==== The Glory of God in Romans ====

I think we need to start with Romans 1:5—even though the word ''glory ''is not there—because the substance is there so clearly as the goal of Paul’s life and ministry—and ours! “We have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith''for the sake of his name ''among all the nations.” ''For the sake of his name among all the nations ''means that Paul’s goal is that the name of Christ be seen as infinitely glorious above all other names and all other persons and all other ideas and all other possessions and all other possible dreams. In other words, his aim is that the glory of Christ be known and valued in all the world above all other things.

==== Exchanging the Glory of God ====

But the presence of Jesus Christ assumes the need for a Savior. Paul backs up and explains why there is a universal need for a Savior. First, he addresses the condition of the nations outside Israel in Romans 1:21 and says, “For although they knew God, they did not honor (the word is “glorify,” ''doxasan'') him as God or give thanks to him.” How did they not glorify him? What have human beings done? Verse 23 gives the answer: They “exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images.” And of course, the image most common then and today is not one that we carve in wood or stone, but the one we see in the mirror. (This is why the gospel, as we saw last week, is designed by the wisdom of God to strip us of all grounds for boasting in ourselves and make the Lord the only object of our exultation—this is the universal need of the nations who have exchanged the glory of God.)

==== Blaspheming the Glory of God ====

Then Paul turns to his own Jewish people and shows that they are in a similar condition and need a Savior. For example, after multiple indictments, he says in Romans 2:24, “For, as it is written, ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.’” In other words, you do not glorify God’s name; you bring it into reproach.

==== Lacking the Glory of God ====

Paul sums up the condition of all humans in Romans 3:23 with this virtual definition of sin: “For all have sinned and fall short of [literally, ''lack''] the glory of God.” This links back to Romans 1:23. We have all exchanged the glory of God for other things. That is why we “lack” it, or “fall short” of it, and that is the very essence of sin. We are created to treasure the glory of God above all things, and none of us does that. Which means we have committed an outrageous crime against God. Far more serious than murder or rape or theft or lying. Therefore, we stand under the wrath of God and need a Savior.

==== Faith Glorifies God ====

It’s tempting here to move immediately to Romans 3:24 (and the following verses) and talk about how Jesus saves us through his death, but I will save that for our final message on Romans next week. Let’s stay on the track of glory and keep going. The salvation from sin and death and judgment that Christ brings is received by faith. Paul illustrates this faith with the case of Abraham in Romans 4:20 and shows how it relates to the glory of God: “No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God [literally, ''giving glory to God''].” In other words, one reason that faith is the way God saves us is that faith gives glory to God. That is, faith calls attention to and magnifies the glory of God. Faith puts us in the position of weak and dependent and puts God in the position of strong and independent and merciful. So faith is essential to displaying the glory of God.

==== The Hope of Glory ====

Then in chapters five and eight, Paul shows that our salvation through Christ secures for us the hope of the glory of God. This is ultimate gift of the gospel. But this hope happens to us in two senses: We see and experience the glory of God in full display, instead of in a mirror dimly, and we are transformed by it into glorious, God-reflecting beings ourselves.

First, consider Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice ''in hope of the glory of God''.” We are justified now by faith. We are declared righteous now. That gives us incomparable peace with God—in ''fact ''and in ''feeling''. But in this life, there are many hard things both emotionally and physically and relationally. Without the hope of something more, we would be of all men most to be pitied. And there ''is ''more. And the greatest thing that Christians hope for is to see and enjoy the greatest beauty in the universe—the greatest good and the greatest power and the greatest justice and grace, namely, the glory of God—the beautiful totality of God’s infinite and manifold perfections. Verse 2: “We have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in ''hope of the glory of God''.”

==== The Glory That Will Be Revealed to Us ====

In Romans 8:18, Paul says this hope makes all the sufferings we have to experience in this life worth it: “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.” The glory of God will be so overwhelmingly satisfying that the horrors of a long illness and a painful death will be as nothing in comparison. “For this slight momentary affliction [this whole painful life seen as momentary!] is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

==== The Glory of the Children of God ====

Then in Romans 8:21 and 8:30, he speaks of our sharing in that glory so that we become glorious, God-reflecting persons. Verse 21: “The creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of ''the glory of the children of God''.” First, we are made glorious at the resurrection; then the whole creation is made a suitable habitation for the glorious children of God. Then verse 30 says that it is so certain that Paul can speak of it as virtually completed: “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified ''he also glorified''.” So the glory of God is our supreme hope, both in the sense of ''seeing ''and ''being''—we see it and all our longings for beauty are satisfied, and we are changed by it and all our longings for ''being ''beautiful, uncontaminated reflectors of God’s glory are satisfied. ''Beholding ''and ''becoming''.

==== To Make Known the Riches of His Glory ====

Then in chapter nine, Paul begins to tackle the question of God’s faithfulness to his covenant with Israel, and the related question arises in verse 14 about God’s righteousness in view of his sovereignty over so much lostness and so much evil. In verses 22-23, Paul gives his ultimate and final answer to the question, and he does it with a view to the glory of God. He says, “What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order ''to make known the riches of his glory ''for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand ''for glory''.” In other words, the final argument for the righteousness of God in a world with so much evil and destruction is that this evil serves the revelation of God’s glory. That is, God’s just judgment of it and God’s gracious rescue from it display more fully the glory of God than if there had been no evil.

It is hard to overstate the centrality and ultimacy of the glory of God in view of Romans 9:23. The highest and deepest and most ultimate answer to why the world is the way it is when God is sovereign is that ''in his infinite wisdom this world reveals the fullness of his glory''—including the glory of wrath and power (v. 22) as well as mercy. If you grasp the biblical vision of God and his glory as the highest value of the universe, you will become a strong and gracious and useful person in the world—for the glory of God.

==== To Him Be Glory Forever ====

Then, as Paul finishes his description of the inscrutable ways of God in dealing with Israel and the nations in Romans 9-11, he concludes with the doxology that we focused on last time: “For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen” (Romans 11:36). God is the ultimate origin, the ultimate sustaining power, and the ultimate goal of all things. Therefore, to him, glory! To him belongs the glory. And may all praises rise to him!

==== With One Voice, Glorify Jesus’ Father ====

Then in Romans 15, as Paul is finishing his handling of how weak and strong Christians should relate to each other in the church, he tells them the purpose of the church and how Christ set the pattern for how to build the church. The purpose of the church is in verses 5-6: “May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice ''glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ''.” That’s why Christ bought and builds the church. Not just isolated, individual worship, but united voices, whether speaking or singing, that glorify God. Displaying the glory of God is the aim of the church.

==== Welcome One Another for the Glory of God ====

Then in verse 7, Paul gives Christ as the pattern for building this church. He says, “Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, ''for the glory of God.''” Christ does everything he does—including welcoming you into his family, building his church—“for the glory of God.” You are saved by Christ for the glory of God. You are welcomed into his friendship for the glory of God. This is humbling because we are never the final reason for anything; God is. And it is gloriously good news, because we wouldn’t want it any other way. God gets the glory; we get the joy.

==== To Glorify God for His Mercy ====

And then in verses 8-9, Paul underscores Christ’s pattern of building the church by showing that this is the very reason he came for the nations: “For I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs, and ''in order that the Gentiles might glorify ''God for his mercy.” Christ came to prove that God is faithful to his promises and to be glorified among the nations. That is why evangelism and missions and church planting and Treasuring Christ Together and Bethlehem exist.

==== The Glory of God in the Gospel ====

Which brings us finally back to where we started in the closing doxology of Romans 16:27, “To the only wise God, glory! Forevermore, through Jesus Christ! Amen.”

Is that the cry of your heart? Do you love the glory of God? God is calling for your attention and admiration every day because Psalm 19:1 says, “The heavens declare the glory of God.” And Isaiah 6:3 says, “The whole earth is full of his glory!” God is calling out to you: Behold my glory! And next week we will see that the gospel itself—the gospel of Christ crucified and risen—is radiant with the glory of God in the face of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6).

Do you see it and do you love it? You were made for this. Something deep in your soul is saying to you: I was made for this—to behold the glory of God and to become a glorious, God-reflecting person. Receive the Lord Jesus Christ and you will become a child of God (John 1:12), and if you become a child of God, you will see him and love him and grow up—all the way up—to be like him. Unspeakably glorious.

Thoughts on Worship and Culture

Greetje — Mon, 02 Mar 2009 13:19:51 GMT

Greetje: New page: {{info}}1. There is very little in the New Testament about the forms and style and content of corporate worship. Following Old Testament forms too closely contradicts the obsolescence of t...

{{info}}1. There is very little in the New Testament about the forms and style and content of corporate worship. Following Old Testament forms too closely contradicts the obsolescence of the wineskins. God must mean to leave the matter of form and style and content to the judgment of our spiritual wisdom—not to our whim or our tradition, but to prayerful, thoughtful, culturally alert, self-critical, Bible-saturated, God-centered, Christ-exalting, reflection driven by a passion to be filled with all the fullness of God. I assume this will be an ongoing process, not a one time effort.

2. One way to describe the differences in how people approach worship is to speak in terms of fine culture and folk culture. By "culture" I mean a pattern of life including thought and emotion and speech and activity. By "fine culture" I have in mind the pattern of life that puts a high priority on intellectual and artistic expressions that require extraordinary ability to produce and often demand disciplined efforts to understand and appreciate. By "folk culture" I have in mind the pattern of life that puts a high priority on expressions of heart and mind that please and help average people without demanding unusual effort.

For example it's the difference between classical music and blue grass (or easy listening or rock or show tunes or oldies or country western —all of which are "the music of the people", though I realize there is a continuum rather than a neat box for all kinds and qualities of music.)

Or another example would be the contrast between a Shakespearean drama at the Guthrie and "The Empire Strikes Back" at a theater.

Or one might think of the difference between reading Gerard Manley Hopkins' Poem "The Windhover - To Christ Our Lord".
<blockquote>
"I caught this morning's minion, kingdom of daylight's dauphin, dapple-dawn-drawn Falcon, in his riding Of the rolling level underneath him steady air, and striding High there, how he rung upon the rein of a wimpling wing.
</blockquote>
Or on the other hand reading the homespun poetry of Edgar A Guest,
<blockquote>
It takes a heap o' livin' to make a house a home.
</blockquote>
3. We should not pass judgment on fine culture or folk culture per se. There are caricatures of the excesses in both that are easy to condemn. That is not our purpose. It is more profitable is to consider the strengths and weaknesses built in to both of them so has to avoid the weaknesses and affirm the strengths in both. Fine culture and folk culture have intrinsic vulnerabilities to sin and unique potentialities for God-glorifying goodness. They are redeemable.

4. Intrinsic vulnerabilities of high culture include elitism and snobbishness. In demanding high levels of intellect and skill, it easily inflates the ego of those who succeed in it, and tempts them to look with contempt on folk culture with its simpler achievements. It easily isolates technical expertise from the larger issues of life and attempt to give it intrinsic value instead of defining its value in relation to other, more important spiritual and personal realities. It is inevitably less accessible to average people and therefore tends toward performance rather than participation, and this performance orientation carries again the tendency toward an atmosphere of aloofness and distance.

5. Intrinsic vulnerabilities of folk culture include a laziness and carelessness. There is an intrinsic drift toward increasing indifference to simple disciplines that define excellence at the most rudimentary levels (for example, using bad grammar in worship songs like "you reigneth" or having "you" and "thou" in the same line. This is not like the word "ain't" in "You ain't nothin' but a hound dog." It's like singing "Thou ain't nothin but a hound dog."). Folk culture, with its intrinsic anti-intellectualism tends to short circuit the mind and move the emotions with shortcuts. Thus folk culture is not generally a preservative force for great Biblical doctrine.

6. The positive potentials of fine culture include the preservation of what we might call the "life of the mind". Fine culture is more likely than folk culture to inject into the stream of society the commitment to think hard and think clearly. It is more likely than folk culture to keep the intellect from atrophying. It is especially crucial that Christians not surrender the life of the mind to the secular world, first, because it belongs to God, and he commanded us to love him with our minds, and second, because we will lose succeeding generations if we do not have intellectually credible expressions of faith to pass on to them.

Further, fine culture has the potential of preserving the very concepts of truth and excellence and beauty as objective ideals rooted in God as our Absolute. Folk culture tends always to exalt what works. It is intrinsically pragmatic and colloquial and does not measure its achievements in terms of objective, absolute ideals, but generally in terms of wide appeal and practical effect. Fine culture tends to march the beat of a drummer other than mass appeal or practical effect. At its best it strives to create images of excellence and beauty and truth that echo more faithfully the ultimate excellence of God. Fine culture thus has the potential (if not contemporary success) of helping preserve the real complexities of truth and thus guarding against the intrinsic tendency of folk culture toward over-simplification and eventual distortion.

Fine culture has the potential of touching some emotions that folk culture will not touch. Folk culture tends toward what can be commonly shared and therefore minimizes what is rare. However some emotions that belong to God are rare and profound, and may be awakened and carried best through the expressions of fine culture. For example there are probably some senses of grandeur that find preservation and expression best in some grand and magnificent artistic statements that are not part of folk culture.

7. The positive potentials of folk culture include meeting people where they are in order to communicate. Folk culture affirms the importance of building bridges of shareable experience. It is a go-and-tell mentality rather than a come-and-see mentality. It goes the extra mile to make its vision accessible to the average person.

Folk culture keeps the truth clear that elite groups of intellectuals and artists that look with contempt on the common man and his needs and tastes are not admirable persons no matter how accomplished their talents. Folk culture has the potential of reminding us that God must have loved the common people because he made so many of them. Folk culture is by nature incarnational: it clothes its claims with the skin of ordinary people and affirms implicitly the value of getting though to the mind and heart of the masses.

Folk culture at its best has the potential of touching emotions that fine culture will not generally touch. Thus folk culture honors the preciousness of average wonders. Falling in love, taking a walk, eating a good meal, talking to a friend, swimming in the ocean, having a baby, planting a garden—all these are likely to be the subject of folk culture creations and communications. It helps us not neglect ordinary beauty.

8. In the church all that we do falls somewhere on the continuum between fine culture and folk culture. Our music, our architecture, our furnishings, our dress, our written materials, our preaching and teaching, our conversation between services, etc.

9. In thinking about our worship forms and about the general tone and atmosphere of our church we should take the possible weaknesses and potential strengths of fine culture and folk culture into account. We will hopefully be able to affirm all that is good in both cultures find a way both to "be ourselves" (which is partly inevitable) and be what we need to be to honor the excellence and truth and beauty of God and reach out to all the kinds of people God is calling us to touch.

10. This will be an ongoing process, not a once for all discovery

Those Whom He Justified He Also Glorified

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:46:32 GMT

Greetje:

{{info}}<blockquote>'''Romans 8:28-30'''</blockquote><blockquote>We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose. For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the first-born among many brethren. And those whom he predestined he also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he justified he also glorified. </blockquote>
At the close of this series let me remind you again that the wonderful confidence that tribulation and distress and persecution and famine and nakedness and peril and sword and slaughter and all the groaning from our unredeemed bodies and the all the frustrations of our imperfect spirits—the wonderful, deep confidence that all this will work together for our good is built on the massive foundation of God's sovereign work of salvation described in Romans 8:29–30. The reason I have preached these messages is to make you strong and happy in God when you lose your health and your spouse and your child and your job and your friend and your dream.
<blockquote>The promise of the Lord proves true; He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. For who is God but the Lord? And who is a rock, except our God? </blockquote>
==== Four Questions ====

We see the final extent of the Rock in the last phrase of verse 30: "Those whom he justified, he also glorified." We have time, perhaps, to ask four questions:

#What happens when God glorifies a human being?
#Who are the ones God will glorify?
#How is this a fulfillment of the New Covenant which Jesus certified with his blood?
#What happens when believers try to hold on to the certainty of glorification while rejecting the sovereignty of grace?

==== 1. What happens when God glorifies a human being? ====

===== 1.1. Sharing in the glory of Jesus =====

He gives them a share of his own glory and the glory of his Son.

Romans 8:17—"If we are children, then heirs, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him."

Notice: "Glorified WITH HIM!" When God glorifies his children, he does to them something like what he did to Jesus when he exalted him to his right hand above every rule and authority. He gives us a share in that glory.

Romans 5:2—"Through Christ we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of the glory of God."

1 Peter 5:1—"So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed."

When God glorifies a human being, he grants to that person the privilege of beholding his infinite beauty and becoming like him as much as a creature can. We will not see him the way you see a parade on television. We will see him the way you see a hurricane when you fly into the eye of the storm. "When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with him IN glory" (Colossians 3:4).

===== 1.2. Receiving a new and glorious body =====

More specifically, when God glorifies a person, he gives that person a new and glorious body.

Romans 8:21–23—"The creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now; and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved."

When Paul refers in verse 21 to the "freedom of the GLORY of the children of God," he means the freedom from groaning that comes from the glory of our new bodies. For now we groan awaiting the redemption of our bodies. But then our bodies will be glorious, like the resurrected body of Jesus.

Philippians 3:20–21—"Our commonwealth is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will change our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power which enables him even to subject all things to himself."

Or as the apostle Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 15:42–43,
<blockquote>So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable, what is raised is imperishable. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. </blockquote>
No more pain. No more frustration with weakness and weariness. No more disability or wheel chairs or crutches or braces or allergies or addictions or diseases. Everyone strong. Everyone radiant with the beauty of Christ (see Romans 8:29).

===== 1.3. Receiving the inward beauty of holiness =====

When God glorifies his children, he gives them inward beauty—called holiness. This begins as a process in this life (called sanctification) and culminates when we come into the presence of Christ at death or at his second coming.

I think the reason that Paul omitted sanctification from his chain in Romans 8:29–30—the reason he did not say, "Those whom he justified he also sanctified, and those whom he sanctified he also glorified"—is that Paul is thinking of glorification in a way that includes sanctification. So glorification is the work of God by which he makes his children both spiritually and physically glorious. It begins now as a process of becoming holy, and it ends at the resurrection when we receive our new and glorious bodies.

2 Corinthians 3:18—"And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, and are being changed into his likeness from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit."

2 Corinthians 4:16–17—"So we do not lose heart. Though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed every day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison."

Paul clearly says that glorification has begun within as we give our attention to Christ. The biblical maxim is not, "Seeing is believing," but, "Seeing is becoming."

Look to Christ with a steady gaze and you will become like him from one degree of glory to another. Your inner nature will be renewed every day—that's the process! And all the adversities of life will be preparing for you an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison—that's the consummation.

In sum then, when God glorifies us, he shares his own glory with us, he gives us a new and glorious body, and he imparts the inward beauty of holiness partially in this life and fully when we come into the presence of the Lord.

==== 2. Who are the ones God will glorify? ====

The answer is plain from the text: "those whom he foreknew he predestined, and those whom he predestined he called, and those whom he called he justified, and those whom he justified he glorified." Have you got a good grip yet on what this chain means? It means that no one who is foreknown fails to be predestined. And no one who is predestined fails to be effectually called. And no one who is called fails to be justified. And no one who is justified fails to be glorified.

The point of the chain is certainty and confidence and assurance and security. The point is that God does not just offer salvation, but that he SAVES! "You shall call his name Jesus, for he will SAVE HIS PEOPLE from their sins" (Matthew 1:21). Those whom he has predestined are SAVED! It is as good as finished—that's why even the future work of God in glorifying his people is put in the past tense in verse 30: those whom he justified he also glorified.

The glorification of God's predestined, called, and justified people is absolutely certain. None can be lost. The chain is unbroken, because the links have been forged in the furnace of God's eternal purpose. All those branches and distortions of the Christian faith that deny the reality of eternal security and deny the possibility of the full assurance of salvation shatter on the rock of Romans 8:30. For it is as plain as anything in Scripture that the justified WILL be glorified.

The answer, then, to the second question is that all who are effectually called, that is, all who have been quickened and enabled to believe, and have therefore heard the word of acquittal (justification) WILL BE GLORIFIED. It is done in the mind of God.

==== 3. How is this a fulfillment of the New Covenant which Jesus certified with his blood? ====

When Jesus said at the Last Supper, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood" (1 Corinthians 11:25), or, "This is my blood of the covenant which is poured out for many" (Mark 14:24), what was he referring to? He was referring to a promise made by the prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel that God would one day make a new covenant with his people that would be better than the old covenant made at Mount Sinai.

Jeremiah 31:31–34,
<blockquote>Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant which I made with their fathers when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant which they broke, though I was their husband, says the Lord. But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it upon their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each man teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, "Know the Lord," for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, says the Lord; for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more. </blockquote>
Ezekiel 36:26–27,
<blockquote>A new heart I will give you, and a new spirit I will put within you; and I will take out of your flesh the heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances. </blockquote>
So the reason the new covenant is better (Hebrews 8:6) than the old is that the new covenant contains a pledge from God not only to give blessing to those who obey but also to cause the obedience! "I will cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to observe my ordinances." God does not make our salvation sure by separating it from obedience, but by guaranteeing our obedience.

The eternal security that is so clearly taught in the last phrase of Romans 8:30 ("whom he justified he also glorified") is not based on the fact that obedience is unnecessary for salvation, so that you can feel secure if you don't have it. O, no! Obedience IS NECESSARY: "He is the source of eternal salvation to all who OBEY him . . . Strive for . . . the holiness without which no one will see the Lord" (Hebrews 5:9; 12:14). Eternal security is based on the new covenant oath of God that he will cause the obedience which he requires in those whom he has called and justified.

If someone—say a Jehovah's Witness—asks you how you know you are going to heaven when you die (which is the same as how you know all things work together for good), I hope that after this series you will not be content to answer, "I know that I am going to heaven because I prayed one time and asked Jesus to come into my heart." Instead, I hope that we will answer something like this: I know that I am going to heaven because God chose me for his own and predestined me for glory. He has born witness of this in my life by calling me effectually out of rebellion and unbelief and by giving me the declaration of acquittal in his Word. I am justified—my sin went onto Christ, his righteousness went onto me.

And now my confidence rests in the covenant oath of God that he will cause me to walk in his will. He who did not spare his Son but gave him up for me, will he not work in me that which is pleasing in his sight (Romans 8:32)? By his Spirit he will cause me to fulfill the just requirement of the law (Romans 8:4), sin will not have dominion over me for I am now under the rule of sovereign grace (Romans 6:14), and that grace will reign through righteousness unto eternal life (Romans 5:21).

The Father planned it ages ago. The Son purchased it centuries ago. The Spirit is causing it today in my heart. It is he who is at work in me to will and to do his good pleasure (Philippians 2:13). And he who began in me this work will complete it at the day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). It is as sure as the oath and power of the sovereign God. And therefore I know that I am going to heaven, for THOSE WHOM HE JUSTIFIED HE ALSO GLORIFIED.

==== 4. What happens when believers try to hold on to the certainty of glorification while rejecting the sovereignty of grace? ====

I ask this question because the answer is a present reality all around us, and it is tragic. I want to save you from it and I want to enlist you in the opposition to it.

===== Two Theologies—Six Differences and Similarities =====

Let me try to answer the question by contrasting two different theologies. We will describe the one theology as "Sovereign grace—trusting saint." And we will describe the other theology as "Assisting grace—sovereign saint." Let's look at six differences and similarities between these two theologies.

===== 4.1. Definitions =====

What I mean by "sovereign grace—trusting saint" is that grace is a sovereign power that accomplishes all of salvation by overcoming the resistance of our will and making us love and trust Jesus Christ.

On the other hand what I mean by "assisting grace—sovereign saint" is a theology which says that God's role in conversion is to give some conviction and some enlightenment but not to overcome all resistance and not to call effectually, but to leave the final vote with the self-determining power of the individual. God assists. He gets the ball rolling. But the saint is sovereign in that conversion is decisively—not wholly, perhaps not even mainly—but DECISIVELY his own work. God gives general assistance to people and then lets them cast the deciding vote. So what distinguishes one person above another is not the work of God but the personal wisdom or courage or virtue or whatever that causes one person to embrace Christ while others who had the same assistance don't.

===== 4.2. How a person hears the word of acquittal =====

Both of these two theologies agree that by faith a person hears the word of acquittal and is thus justified.

===== 4.3. The connection between justification and glorification =====

Both of these theologies agree that those whom God justified he will also most surely bring to final glory. In other words both theologies believe in eternal security for the justified believer. No one who has come to faith in Christ and the enjoyment of justification can ever be lost.

===== 4.4. The process of sanctification =====

But what about the process of sanctification that connects the initial event of justification and the final experience of glorification? Well, the theology of "sovereign grace—trusting saint" says that this process is a work of God just as much as conversion was a work of God.

"He who began a good work in you will complete it at the day of Jesus Christ" (Philippians 1:6). "God is the one who is at work in you both to will and to do his good pleasure" (Philippians 2:13). "I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I but the grace of God which is with me" (1 Corinthians 15:10). "It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me, and the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). Sanctification is the work of God overcoming my own remaining bent to sinning.

But the theology of "assisting grace—sovereign saint" did not give God the right to overcome resistance in conversion and so does not give him that right in sanctification either. God assisted with some conviction of sin and some enlightenment, but he did not transgress the sovereign territory of human self-determination. Therefore, this is his role in sanctification as well. He can assist with nudges and reminders and the like, but the final and decisive cause of progressive holiness is the self-determining power of the human will.

In the one theology God decisively causes me to walk in his statutes. And in the other theology he suggests that I walk in his statutes but I provide the decisive urge from my self-determining power.

===== 4.5. The certainty of sanctification =====

Therefore, the theology of "assisting grace—sovereign saint" can only treat sanctification as possible but not certain. Sanctification is left it in the hands of the self-determining saint and God is denied the right to overcome the saint's rebellion. So there is no assurance that the saint's self-determined will, will in fact have holy inclinations. Since God does not cause the saint to will and to do his good pleasure, there is no guarantee that the saint will progress in holiness. So in this theology there is no certainty that a Christian converted will live a holy life. He provided the decisive impulse for his own conversion. It now remains to be seen whether he will use his self-determining power to be holy.

On the other hand the theology of "sovereign grace—trusting saint" says that sanctification is absolutely certain for all those who are called, because God himself has sworn by the "blood of the eternal covenant" that he will work in us that which is pleasing in his sight (Hebrews 13:20–21), and write his laws on our hearts (Hebrews 8:10 = Jeremiah 31:33), and put his Spirit within us and "cause us to walk in his statutes and be careful to observes his ordinances" (Ezekiel 36:27). "He who calls you is faithful, and he will do it" (1 Thessalonians 5:10; 1 Corinthians 1:8–9; 1 Peter 5:10; 2 Thessalonians 2:13–14).

In the one theology a life of holiness is uncertain after conversion because holiness is finally a work of man. In the other theology a life of holiness is certain after conversion because it is finally the work of God—a God whose covenant oath is to work in us what is pleasing in his sight.

===== 4.6. Holiness and glorification =====

Now we are prepared to see the terrible result of the theology of "assisting grace—sovereign saint." Since real holiness is uncertain in the Christian convert, but glorification is certain, therefore, holiness is not the necessary path to glory. If glory is assured to you on the basis of your initial act of faith, but sanctification is not guaranteed, then the only way you can maintain assurance is to believe that holiness is not necessary for final salvation.

And that is in fact what thousands of professing Christians believe today. They cling to the doctrine of eternal security but reject the sovereignty of grace which guarantees holiness of life, and therefore they reject the necessity of holiness and imperil their souls. For the Scripture says that there is a holiness without which no one will see the Lord (Hebrews 12:14; cf. Galatians 5:21; 1 Corinthians 6:10).

If that holiness is not the work of God, if it is not secured for the believer by the covenant oath of God to work in us what is pleasing in his sight, then there is no security.

What I am trying to point out is that many people want the skyscraper promise of Romans 8:28, many want the precious reality of eternal security. But they don't want it on God's terms. They want their security AND their sovereignty. They want God to step in at the end of their lives with sovereign power and give them glory, but they do not want him to step in now with his sovereign grace and make them holy.

O how many unregenerate people are at ease in Zion thinking that they are secure without holiness! Why? Because for generations teachers and pastors have been saying that you can have the security of glorification without the necessity of holiness.

And they have been saying this because they have rejected the biblical teaching of sovereign grace which alone explains how the New Testament on the one hand can give the eternal security of glory, and yet on the other hand make that glory dependent on practical holiness. If God's grace is sovereign, it not only fulfills promises of glory, it also fulfills the practical conditions of those promises.

If only the road of obedience leads to glory, then the sovereign grace of God will infallibly keep his people on the road that they may get the promised glory. Those whom he justified, he also sanctified and THEREFORE glorified.
<blockquote>For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory for ever and ever.</blockquote>

The Word of Faith that We Proclaim, Part 2

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:31:28 GMT

Greetje:

<blockquote>
{{info}}'''Romans 10:5-13'''
</blockquote><blockquote>
For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them. 6 But the righteousness based on faith says, "Do not say in your heart, 'Who will ascend into heaven?'"(that is, to bring Christ down) 7 or "'Who will descend into the abyss?'"(that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); 9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For "everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
</blockquote>
We would be untrue to this scripture in verses 9-13 this morning if we did not preach it and hear it as amazingly expansive and inclusive and big-hearted and free and bountiful and enthralling. What we are going to focus on in just a few minutes is three things in these verses that press upon us for our joy the outreaching, merciful, generous heart of God.

We can hang these three things on three words: call, all, and riches. And if you wish the third one rhymed, then use enthrall and you will be profoundly right. 1) Coming to God for salvation is simply a believing in Christ expressed in "calling on the Lord" or confessing the Lord. 2) God invites "all" to come to him in this way, no matter what culture or religion or race. 3) And when anyone comes he finds all the "riches" of God. That is, God ''enthralls'' the one who ''calls'' with all the wealth that he is for him in Christ Jesus.

That’s where we are going. But first let’s make sure that we are tracking with the apostle Paul – with the Holy Spirit – in the flow of his thought so that we put the emphasis in the right place.

==== Review of Romans 9-10 So Far ====

Romans 9:1-23 gives the ultimate explanation why so few in Israel are saved. Why are so few physical Israelites not included in the true spiritual Israel? Answer: God’s purpose according to election, not ethnic identity or things we do (9:11-12), decides finally who are the vessels of mercy. "Not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel . . . It is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring" (Romans 9:6, 8).

This freedom of God in election opens a door for the Gentiles to belong to the true Israel. Paul walks right through that door in Romans 9:24-29, and says that Gentiles are included in the true Israel of God. Verse 24: "He has called [us], not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles." This amazing truth is Paul’s burden now for the rest of chapters nine and ten: Why are so many Jews not included in the true Israel while so many Gentiles are included?

This time his answer is not election (as in 9:1-23). This time the answer is justification is by faith alone. The Gentiles are seeing this and receiving it with joy, but Israel is stumbling over it because they still embrace justification by obedience to commandments not faith in the Messiah.

We need to pause here and feel the wonder and joy that those first century Gentiles felt when they heard the news that by faith alone they could be justified and become part of the covenant people and inherit all the promises of the God of Israel. They had been excluded so long. They were not only ethnically un-Jewish, they were unclean and uncircumcised and "alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world" (Ephesians 2:13). Listen to what happens when Paul turns to preach grace to them in Antioch of Pisidia in Acts 13:46-48.
<blockquote>And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, "It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you [Israel]. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’" And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed. </blockquote>
==== The Ground of Entrance into True Israel ====

Three times in Romans 9:30 to 10:8 Paul explains why Gentiles are entering the true Israel and Jews are turning away. Each time it is justification by works versus justification by faith. Notice each of them. This should make you leap for joy to see clearly the ground of your entrance into God’s family.

First, Romans 9:30-32, "What shall we say, then? That Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness have attained it, that is, a righteousness that is by faith; but that Israel who pursued a law that would lead to righteousness did not succeed in reaching that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as if it were based on works. They have stumbled over the stumbling stone." The issue that divides is: whose righteousness do you count on for righteousness and entrance into God’s family?

Second, Paul says it again in Romans 10:3-4, "For, being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they [Israel as a whole] did not submit to God's righteousness. [And what is that?] 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes." Israel stumbled over this stone and the Gentiles believed and entered the true Israel: We trust not in our own righteousness but the righteousness of another, Jesus Christ.

Third, Paul says it one more time in Romans 10:5-8 which we looked at last week. We won’t go into it again. Just notice the two phrases. Verse 5: "For Moses writes about the righteousness that is based on the law, that the person who does the commandments shall live by them." Then the contrast in verse 6: "But the righteousness based on faith says . . ." That’s the dividing line: righteousness from law or righteousness from faith.

In summary then, why are so many in Israel not part of the true spiritual Israel and so many Gentiles a part of it? Paul’s first answer in Romans 9:1-23 is: God’s purpose according to election. And Paul’s second answer is: Israel, by and large, rejected Christ for righteousness while many Gentiles embraced Christ’s righteousness by faith alone.

==== Gentiles Are Included! ====

So as we enter verses 9-13, the overwhelming emphasis we see is: Gentiles are included! Gentiles are included by grace alone, through faith alone because of Christ’s righteousness alone! That’s the dominant note as we enter these verses. And to drive it home Paul quotes two more Old Testament Texts to strengthen his case and make it firm: Isaiah 28:16 in verse 11, and Joel 2:32 in verse 13.

And what makes these two Old Testament texts so relevant is that they both include all three of the points I referred to at the beginning which show the outreaching, merciful, generous heart of God. Recall those three words: call, all, and riches (or enthrall). 1) Coming to God is believing in Christ expressed in "calling on the Lord," or confessing the Lord. 2) God invites all to come to him in this way. 3) And when we come, we receive all the riches of God; that is, he enthralls us with all that he is for us in Jesus.

===== 1. Call on the Lord =====

Let’s look first at # 1 – believing on Christ expressed in calling on the Lord or confessing the Lord. This is where Paul begins in verses 9-10. "Because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved." The reason Paul mentions both the heart and the mouth in these two verses is that he saw these two in Deuteronomy 30:14 which he quotes in verse 8: "But what does it [the righteousness from faith] say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart’ (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim)."

You recall from last week that Paul saw verses 5-8 pointing to Christ. He put Christ where the commandment was because he believed that the commandment pointed to Christ the perfect commandment-keeper. Now he says in verse 8 that this word of Christ – this reality of Christ – is in your mouth and in your heart. What does that mean? You can see Paul’s thinking in verse 10: What does the heart do with Christ? It believes. What does the mouth do with Christ? It confesses. That’s what hearts and mouths are for. Hearts believe, and mouths confess what the heart believes, "that is the word of faith that we proclaim" (v. 8).

So he draws the great conclusion in verse 9 – a precious gospel text that we love so much: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." What is the pathway to salvation that opens the door to the Gentiles? Belief in the heart what is true about Christ, and confession with the mouth what the heart believes, not ethnic distinctives, not culture, not works.

Now be careful here: the mouth is not at odds with the heart. And the heart is not left behind when the mouth speaks. Paul doesn’t mean: Just believe that God raised Jesus from the dead but you don’t have to confess he’s Lord with the mouth; and he does not mean you must confess Jesus is Lord but you don’t have to believe it in the heart. No. The point is: The mouth confesses what the heart believes, and what the heart believes when it believes that God raised Jesus from the dead, is that Jesus is Lord! The resurrection is God’s vindication of everything Jesus accomplished in his life and death. And what he accomplished was a triumph over all our guilt, our condemnation, our death, Satan, and hell. And now as the risen victor over all his enemies he given a name that is above every name: Lord.

And let that sink in. Because even though there were many lords and many gods (1 Corinthians 8:5), this does not mean that Jesus was one lord among many. "Lord" (kurios) was the word the Greek Old Testament used to translate God’s personal name, Yahweh (Jehovah). And, most important, here in verse 13 Paul puts Jesus precisely where Yahweh was in Joel 2:32: "For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’" The staggering fact is: to be a Christian means to confess: Jesus is God. Not a god. Jesus is Lord – the Lord. Not a lord. That is what a Christian believes.

Paul carries the heart and the mouth on through verses 11-13. That is, he speaks of what the heart does in verse 11 and what the mouth does in verses 12-13. In verse 11 the heart believes: "Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame." And in verses 12-13 the mouth calls: "The same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’"

So we can sum up this first point – the "call" – like this: Coming to God for salvation means believing on Christ in your heart for all that he has done for you, and then giving expression to that with your mouth by confessing him and calling on him as Lord.

===== 2. God Invites All =====

Second, after the word "call," we take up the word "all." We Gentiles are included in the true Israel not only because coming is by believing and confessing rather than by works of the law; we are included because the invitation is lavishly for all. This note is struck in verses 11, 12, and 13. And we know this is Paul’s own emphasis because he adds the word "everyone" to the quote from Isaiah 28:16 in verse 11, which he did not add in Romans 9:33. Verse 11: "For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’"

Then verse 12 underlines it: "For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him." And then verse 13 strikes the note one more time: "For ‘everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’"

Paul’s point here is that "Yes, in a sense, it is surprising that Gentiles are being included in the true Israel. Yes, it is surprising that the invitation from God to trust Christ (the Jewish Messiah) as God and be a part of his covenant family is given indiscriminately to all races, all religions, all cultures." But, he is trying to show, once you catch on to the larger meaning of the Old Testament, it is not surprising. Isaiah 28:16; Joel 2:32; Hosea 1:10; 2:23 (=Romans 9:25-26), point to an expansive, inclusive, big-hearted, free, bountiful, enthralling heart of God.

Just as Christ is the goal of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes, so the goal of the whole Old Testament was to offer this way of salvation to all. That is why you and I are saved, and why we are debtors to the whole world.

===== 3. The Riches of His Glory =====

Finally, after Paul’s focus on all and his focus on our faith and confession and call, there is the goal of it all, namely, the riches of God – God’s enthralling us with all that he is for us in Jesus. What do we receive when we believe on Christ with our heart and confess Christ with our mouth? Every one of these five verses (9-13) gives an answer to that question. I take the word riches from verse 12, "There is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him." I put this one first because I think it sums up all the others and goes deep than the others.

God’s riches are not mainly earthly treasures – though he is very generous with those. He meets our earthly needs again and again. God’s riches are mainly what we need most, and what satisfies us most deeply and permanently – and that is not stuff, things, toys, cars, houses, lands, businesses, investments. These things do not satisfy the heart and they do not last. What are his riches?

They are called salvation in verses 9, 10, and 13. Verse 9: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved." Verse 10b: "With the mouth one confesses and is saved." Verse 13: "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved." Saved, saved, saved. From what? Saved from guilt, saved from condemnation, saved from the wrath of God, saved from hell, saved from sinning. These are precious riches beyond all price. But they are all negative. They are all leaving something behind, not gaining something.

The riches of verse 11 are also negative – gloriously negative: "For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’" The wealth of God includes no shame. The children of God will be revealed for who they really are (Romans 8:19). Here they may be the off-scouring of the world. Here they may be shamed time and again as happened to Peter in Acts 5:41. Remember what Jesus said, "Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account [in other words, shame you]. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven" (Matthew 5:11-12). Your riches are great. They will reverse all shame. You will be vindicated in due time.

Indeed, in the eyes of God, you are already vindicated. That is the riches of verse 10a: "For with the heart one believes and is justified" (or literally: "with the heart one believes unto righteousness"). When your heart is wakened to see and embrace Christ as your righteousness, immediately you are in him and his righteousness is credited to you. That is wealth indeed. Better to be righteous before God with the righteousness of Christ, than have all the riches in the world and meet him in your own righteousness!

But is that the ultimate riches of God: a right standing before him in the righteousness of Christ, no guilt, no condemnation, no shame? No. All of that aims at the ultimate riches. The ultimate riches of God are, as Romans 9:23 says, "the riches of his glory." God’s riches are the riches of seeing him and knowing him admiring him and enjoying him forever. He himself is the sum of the riches that we have in Christ. Paul counts everything as loss because of the surpassing value of just knowing Jesus Christ – the very image of God.

==== God’s Word to You ====

God’s word to you this morning is: all his riches of forgiveness and justification and freedom from guilt, condemnation, and shame, and all his satisfying fellowship is extended freely to all of you – whatever your background (O hear the expansive heart of God!) – and it is offered not on the basis of working or measuring up. It is offered on the basis of Christ through belief in your heart that God raised Jesus from the dead, expressed through confession with your mouth that Jesus is Lord. Trust in him today, call upon him, and tell somebody: Jesus is Lord.

The Wells of Salvation and the Work of Missions

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:26:46 GMT

Greetje:

{{info}}''Fergus Falls Missions Conference''
<blockquote>'''Isaiah 12:3-5'''</blockquote><blockquote>With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day: "Give thanks to the LORD, call upon his name; make known his deeds among the nations, proclaim that his name is exalted. "Sing praises to the LORD, for he has done gloriously; let this be known in all the earth. </blockquote>
This is the text about the ''perseverance'' and ''preaching'' of God-centered missionaries. Another way to put it is to say that the text is about ''how'' a missionary can survive and thrive when he or she is called upon to give and give and give; and it is about what a missionary is called by God to give and give and give.

Why should I focus on the perseverance and preaching of God-centered missionaries at a conference where most people are not missionaries? First, because one of the ways God calls people to be missionaries is by showing them a thrilling picture of what the missionary calling is all about-what is it to thrive as a missionary, and what is the great message that we have to tell? And I pray that some of you will hear the Lord's call in what I say tonight.

A second reason is that if I can give you a clear vision of missionary perseverance and missionary preaching from this text, it can have a profound impact on the way you pray for them.

Finally, I focus on HOW a missionary survives and thrives and WHAT a missionary is called to say, because with very few changes, it is the way YOU survive as a Christian in secular America and what YOU are called to say as well. So may the Lord give us all ears to hear what he is saying to ALL of us in this text.

==== First let's talk about persevering (surviving and thriving) ====

Verse 3 of Isaiah 12 says, "With joy you will drink water from the wells of salvation." This is the key to perseverance in the missionary life. One of the greatest enemies of missions is the drying up of the missionary. And if missionaries dry up, a lot of people go thirsty. Therefore, I regard it as the highest priority of missionary life that they not dry up, but that every day they drink water from the wells of salvation. An electric cord should stay plugged into the socket; and a hose pipe should stay fastened to the faucet and a tree should stay planted in the ground. And missionaries should drink water at the wells of salvation. Their life depends on it, and their ministry depends on it.

Let's meditate for a few minutes on "the wells of salvation." Sometimes we think of salvation only as that moment when we come to faith in Christ and he saves us once and for all from our sin and guilt. It's not wrong to think about it this way. Paul says, "By grace you ''have been saved''" (Ephesians 2:8). It is past. It is once and for all.

But that is not all it is. Paul also says in 1 Corinthians 1:18, "To us who are ''being saved ''the cross is the power of God." We are ''being saved''. Salvation is a present work of God in our lives. It is going on now, not just in the past.

And then Paul says in Romans 13:11, "Salvation is ''nearer to us now ''than when we first believed." In other words, salvation is still in the future. We don't have it all yet. So it is past (we have been saved) and it is a present process (we are being saved) and it is future (it is nearer now than when we first believed).

==== Many wells, not one well ====

This is important for understanding the wells of salvation. If we didn't understand this, we might stumble over the fact that the word is plural. Isaiah says, "You will draw water from the wells of salvation" (not the well). If you are crossing a desert or passing through a wilderness, it won't do to have a well at the beginning and a well at the end—a well in Egypt and a well in the Promised Land. There have to be wells along the way; otherwise, you will drop dead of thirst in the sand. The wells of salvation are plural. They are as many as your days, and they are located everywhere you go.

How can we say this? The reason for this is wonderfully simple and deep. ''God ''is your salvation. And your ''wells ''are the places and the times when you come to him. And there is no place and no time when he is not ready to meet you.

This is what Isaiah 12:2 says, "Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and he ''has become my salvation''." God is your salvation, and the wells of salvation are the places and the times you draw near to God and drink from the springs of his truth and power and love and glory. So there are as many wells in the missionary wilderness as there are acts of willingness to seek God.

Salvation is not just past and not just future. Salvation is also God's appointed path of oases through the wilderness from the salvation of escape from Egypt to the salvation of entrance into the Promised Land. If you make it your first priority to drink from the wells of salvation every day, you will never lose your way in the wilderness. God guides us by the wells of salvation.

==== Wells, not bowls or buckets ====

And not only are there enough of them all along the way, but they will always have enough water to meet your need—indeed, way beyond your need. If Isaiah had said, "You will draw water from the''bowls ''of salvation, or from the''buckets ''of salvation, we might wonder if they would be drunk dry. Would there be enough? But wells aren't like that. A well is self-replenishing. You draw bucket after bucket and there is still more water.

That's the way the wells of salvation are, because that's the way God is. God is inexhaustible. And so the source of refreshment in missionary life, the source of persevering grace that enables you to give and give and give, will never run dry. The wells of salvation are deep enough and numerous enough to sustain you in ministry all the way through the wilderness.

The pathway of the wells may lead to Ethiopia or China or Argentina or Papua New Guinea or Tunisia, but we may be of good cheer because there are as many wells in Addis Ababa and Beijing and Buenos Aires and Port Morsbey and Tunis as there are in Fergus Falls or Minneapolis. So be encouraged, wherever God calls you, he digs wells for you. He is your salvation, and he will be with you to the end of the age.

==== Now let's turn to the preaching of the missionary ====

I should tell you that this text took hold of me last summer because it describes a wonderful experience that has come true again and again in my ministry.

What happens when you go to the wells of salvation tired and thirsty and even desperate at times? What happens when you draw up the cool water and put your face in it? My answer is that before I take my face out of the water I have begun to preach.

What I mean is this: When I bow down before the Word of God and seek to get myself encouraged and refreshed and strengthened, God often opens wonderful truth to me. He gives me some new insight or some fresh angle on his glory or some deeper grasp of an old truth, and without my even realizing it, I find myself packaging this treasure to share with someone else.

I don't come to the well seeking sermons and lessons. I come seeking life and hope and joy and strength and wisdom to solve my problems. But there is something about this living water that as soon as it begins to meet my need, I feel like it would probably meet lots of people's needs, and before I know it, I am putting a sermon together in my mind.

Now I used to think that was just me, but then I saw it in this text. Verses 3 and 4 say, "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in that day ..." Do you see it? When you draw up the water and drink, YOU WILL SAY - you will begin to SPEAK! There is something about this water that makes you a minister of the Word. "You will draw water from the wells of salvation; and you will SAY ..."

One evidence of God's call in your life—his call to minister the Word—is that this happens when you meditate on the Bible. I don't mean that you should go to the wells of salvation for primarily sermons or lessons. We ought to go every day for refreshment and strength and hope and joy and sustaining grace—that is what I meant by the key to perseverance and surviving and thriving. But when God himself begins to turn personal refreshment into preaching, you need to understand what he is doing in your life.

===== Notice three things: =====

''1) First, the preaching that springs up from drinking at the wells of salvation is missionary preaching.''

Verse 3: "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. And you will say in the day: "Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name; ''make known his deeds among the peoples."''

There is something deeply wrong when a person drinks at the wells of salvation for himself day in and day out and never feels an impulse to make known the deeds of God among the peoples of the earth.

We can be more precise about the kind of missionary preaching caused by drinking deeply at the wells of salvation. We can say that it is mobilization preaching. That is, it is a preaching that calls us to make known the deeds of God to others. "Make known his deeds among the peoples," is not only what the missionary says, but what the missionary-mobilizer says. And that can be any of us-may it be more and more of us!

The second thing we can say about the kind of missionary preaching that comes from drinking deeply at the wells of salvation is that it focuses on peoples. "Make known his deeds among the ''peoples."''

This has been a revolutionary discovery in my own missions thinking in recent years—learning that the goal of the great commission is to reach peoples, not every individual necessarily, but every people.

For example, Revelation 5:9-10 states, "Worthy art thou to take the scroll and to open its seals, for thou wast slain and by thy blood didst ransom men for God from every tribe and tongue and people and nation, and hast made them a kingdom and priests to our God."

Or Matthew 24:14, "This gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole world, as a testimony to all nations [not states but peoples, like the Sioux and Cherokee nation]; and then the end will come."

So the Great Commission is finishable.

There are about 12,000 unreached peoples, according to Ralph Winter, or far fewer if you use the definitions of Patrick Johnstone or David Barrett. And one of the most remarkably encouraging statistics is the ratio between still unreached peoples and members of Christian congregations in the world that can team up to reach them.

Year A.D. Non Christians per Believer Unreached People Groups Congregations per unreached people group 100 360 to 1 60,000 1 to 12 1000 220 to 1 50,000 1 to 5 1500 69 to 1 44,000 1 to 1 1900 27 to 1 40,000 10 to 1 1950 11 to 1 17,000 162 to 1 1980 7 to 1 12,000 583 to 1

Yet only 10 percent of the missionary force is focused on these unreached people groups. So we need to take heed to what Isaiah says here. When we drink from the wells of salvation we will say not simply, "Make known his deeds to individuals," but "Make known his deeds among the ''peoples''." Finish the Great Commission. Reach every unreached people group.

''2) Second, the preaching that springs up from drinking at the wells of salvation is God-exalting preaching.''

Those who drink will say (according to verse 4) in that day: "Give thanks to the Lord, call upon his name; make known his deeds among the peoples,''proclaim that his name is exalted."''

Remember you are drinking at the wells of salvation, and remember:''God ''is our salvation. Therefore, what you are drinking in when you go to the wells of salvation is God. Whether we go to the well for strength of hope or peace or comfort or joy or cleansing, what we are really going for is ''God''! If we know what we really need we talk like David in Psalm 42: "As a hart longs for flowing streams, so longs my soul for thee, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God."

And when we discover at the well of salvation that all we need and all we want is God, then something happens to our preaching—to our missionary message. We find a voice in our soul crying again and again, "Proclaim that his name is exalted. Proclaim that his name is exalted." If he is our vision and our portion and our treasure and our refuge and our truth and hope and joy when we drink at the well of salvation, then it is inevitable that when we open our mouths to preach we will say again and again, "Be exalted, O God! Be exalted, O God! Exalt the Lord, O you his people! Exalt the Lord, O you peoples of the earth!"

There is a very profound truth here.''God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him''. Drinking at the wells of salvation in search of our own satisfaction in God produces God-exalting preaching. And that leads to the final point.

''3) Third, the preaching that springs up from drinking at the wells of salvation is worship-producing preaching.''

When you drink, Isaiah says (in verse 5) you will say, "Sing praises to the Lord." In other words, you will not be content to make God known. You will not be content to tell people about him. Your aim will be to fill people with a song. You will call on them not just to know him but to sing to him, to praise him. You will want people to feel something, not just know something.

Why? Because this is what you go to the well of salvation for again and again. Your heart for God is dying of thirst and you need a long drink from the well of salvation. The reason drinking at the well of salvation produces a passion to get others to praise God is because this is what we find at the well.

We don't come to the well merely to analyze the water or discuss the water or memorize the water. We come mainly to taste the water. We come not just because we know the water is good for us; we come because we ''love ''the water, we crave the water, we enjoy the water, we savor the water.

Therefore, the message we find welling up in us is not some impersonal, neutral, dispassionate lecture on a religious topic. The preaching is a passionate longing for others to taste and see that the Lord is good and then love him and crave him and delight in him and savor him-and then with utter reality praise with all their hearts.

Let me close with this point: Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church; worship is. Missions exist because somewhere true worship doesn't. Missions is a means to creating worship in the hearts of those who have never drunk from the wells of salvation. The father is seeking people to worship him in spirit and in truth. This is the ultimate meaning of missions—to bring about Christ-exalting worship in all the peoples of the world.

But the source of all our perseverance and all our preaching and all our worship is the wells of salvation. The wonder of this water is that it makes you a preacher, a messenger with a missionary passion to see God exalted and to hear the praises of his name from all the peoples. So I encourage every one of you to drink deep and to drink every day. Keep on drinking. Keep on drinking

The Spirit Will Give Life to Your Mortal Bodies

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:15:36 GMT

Greetje:

{{info}}''Easter Sunday''
<blockquote>
'''Romans 8:9-11'''
</blockquote><blockquote>
But you are not in the flesh, you are in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Any one who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. (10) But if Christ is in you, although your bodies are dead because of sin, your spirits are alive because of righteousness. (11) If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you.
</blockquote>
I would like to try to show from God's Word this morning that if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, then he most certainly is going to give life to your mortal bodies. God ''promises'' clearly and unmistakably that if his Spirit has taken up residence in your heart, then, even though your body dies, he will raise it from the dead like he did the body of Jesus. Let's rivet our attention on Romans 8:11 and let God write it on the tablet of our hearts as the supreme personal relevance of Easter.

==== Two Big "Ifs" ====

"If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit who dwells in you." There are two big "ifs" here, not just one. There is the "if" of Jesus' resurrection. Is this story factual? Did God raise Jesus from the dead? And there is the "if" of your conversion. Have you received the Spirit of God into your heart? Does the Spirit of God lead your life? Has he adopted you into God's family and begun to give you the character of your heavenly Father?

==== The Two Most Important Questions ====

If either of these two "ifs" is untrue for you, then the promise is in vain, and your mortal body will not be raised unto life but unto fearful judgment. So the two most important questions I can pose for you this morning are: Are you sure God raised Jesus from the dead? And: Are you sure that the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you? Let me try to point you to the source of assurance in these two questions. First, are you sure God raised Jesus from the dead? This question really boils down to the credibility of witnesses. How do you decide whether to believe a man's testimony or not? Take Paul, for example, as he writes the book of Romans—how do you come to a reasonable conviction that his assertions are true, specifically his assertions about the resurrection of Jesus?

==== Seven Questions to Pose to a Witness ====

I think you pose the same seven questions about Paul that you pose about any witness today:

#Am I open to the possible truth of what Paul is saying and ready to change my life if it's true?
#Does his moral character (the humility and love and submission to God) make it unlikely that he is given to easy deception or outright fabrication?
#Do his witness and teachings hang together? Are they coherent? Or does he speak out of both sides of his mouth and contradict himself?
#Does he offer any supporting evidences for his claim and do they hold up?
#Are there other credible corroborating witnesses or is he alone in his claim?
#Does his claim yield insight that helps make sense out of our total picture of things and does it fit the true needs of man?
#Are there lasting effects from his claim that give some independent support for its reality?

==== How Paul Fares Against Those Seven Questions ====

The reason I am a Christian is because I answer yes to all those questions. 1) Yes, I am open to change if Paul's claim proves true. 2) Yes, I have seen enough of Paul in his thirteen letters to convince me of his moral integrity—he is not easy prey for deception and he is not a fabricator. 3) Yes, the more I study, the more I am convinced of the coherence and unity of his total message. He does not contradict himself. 4) Yes, Paul gives supporting evidences like the well-known story (open to public scrutiny) of his conversion from a church persecutor to a church planter (Galatians 1:12ff.), and like the signs and wonders he did among the churches (Romans 15:19; 2 Corinthians 12:12). 5) Yes, there are other credible witnesses: Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Peter, James, and Jesus himself when he said, "Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19). 6) Yes, Paul's teaching about the resurrection fits into a total picture of things that helps make sense out of history and life, and that meets the needs that we all feel for forgiveness and hope. It fulfills centuries-old prophecy (Isaiah 53:12), and reveals how God will not be defeated by death but will make all things new. 7) Yes, there are lasting effects from the resurrection of Jesus: it transformed fearful fishermen into fearless apostles. And those of us who have received the living Christ as Lord know the wonderful changes in our own lives. The resurrection of Jesus spawned a world Christian movement of stupendous proportions. Today virtually every country on the face of the earth has a Christian witness in it. Christianity is the only world faith without a cultural home base or headquarters. There are far more professing Christians in the world than there are adherents of any other religion. Sixty thousand new people a day claim allegiance to the risen Christ, and sixteen hundred new Christian churches are started each week in his name.

Therefore I think any of you here this morning can have a reasonable assurance that God raised Jesus from the dead, if you will deal honestly with these seven questions. Most people fail to become Christians not because evidence is lacking but because interest is lacking. And that leads us to the second big "if" in Romans 8:11, "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you . . . " It is not enough to be persuaded that God raised Jesus from the dead. The devil is more convinced of that than any of us is, but that conviction does not save Satan; nor will it secure our resurrection.

==== Being a Christian Is Being Led by the Spirit ====

In order for the resurrection of Jesus to do us any good we have to receive the Spirit of God into our heart. To be a Christian is to be led by the Spirit. The next verses in Romans 8 spell this out in detail (vv. 13–17):
<blockquote>If you live according to the flesh you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live. For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive the Spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. When we cry Abba! Father! it is the Spirit himself bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God. </blockquote>
==== Three Evidences of Having the Holy Spirit ====

Reading backward there are three evidences in this text which can give you assurance if you have the Holy Spirit.

#Verse 15: If you can cry out with sincerity to God, "Abba! Father!" then you have the witness of the Spirit in your life. That is, you have the Spirit of God if you look to God as your Father for security and guidance.
#Verse 14: If you are led by the Spirit of God you are a child of God. Do you look to the Word of God given by the Spirit for your guidance? And do you yield when he prompts you in paths of righteousness? If so, the Spirit dwells in you.
#Verse 13: If you put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit, you will live—you attain the resurrection. When faced with a temptation to do wrong, do you seek help from God's Spirit and rely on his power to slay the act before it happens?

If you do battle with evil like this, then you can have assurance that the Holy Spirit dwells in you.

==== How to Receive the Holy Spirit ====

God does not want you to be unsure if you have his Spirit dwelling in you. Because if you don't know whether the Spirit dwells in you, then you can't know whether God will give life to your body at the resurrection. The text says, "If the Spirit. . . dwells in you, then [God] . . . will give life to your mortal bodies." So before we leave our two big "ifs" behind, let me make sure each of you knows how to receive the Holy Spirit. Your own resurrection and eternal life depend on it. Acts 2:38 says, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." ''Repentance'' is a decisive turning away from sin and self-direction to follow Christ. ''Baptism'' in his name is an act of obedience that signifies death to your old life and faith in Christ to help live a new life according to his will. The essence of repentance and baptism is ''faith''. So Paul says in Galatians 3:2, "You did not receive the Spirit by works of the law, but by hearing with ''faith''." The Holy Spirit is given to anyone and everyone who trusts Christ—trusts him for forgiveness; trusts him to show us how to live; trusts him to help us live that way; and trusts him to give us the best future forever. You can receive in this very hour the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead if you pray this prayer in your heart: "Merciful and mighty Jesus Christ, I now turn from guilt, and trust in the provision of your forgiveness; I turn from sin and trust your new path for my life; I turn from self-reliance and trust your power to help me obey; and I turn from fear and trust in your promises for my future." If you pray that prayer from your heart and the sincerity of it is borne out in your life, then you can know that the Spirit of God dwells in you and the rest of this message is for you.

==== The Spirit and the Promise of Resurrection ====

Romans 8:11 promises, "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also through his Spirit which dwells in you." We could spend wonderful hours delving into the relationship between the resurrection of our bodies and the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We could go to Romans 8:23 and see how the first fruits of our adoption by God is the presence of God's Spirit in our lives and the completion of our adoption is the redemption of our bodies. We could go to 1 Corinthians 15:44 and see that when our body is raised from the dead, it will be a new spiritual body—not a mere bodiless spirit, not mere flesh and blood, but a new body like Christ's body, perfectly suited for constant spiritual fullness and for life in a new heaven and new earth. We could go to Romans 6:5 and see how the Spirit secures our resurrection by uniting us to Christ: "If we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his."

==== Practical Implications of the Resurrection ====

But instead of exploring all those texts let's spend the rest of our time simply unpacking some of the practical implications of Romans 8:11—the all-important truth that if the Spirit of God indwells you this morning, God is going to raise you from the dead at Christ's second coming and give new life to your mortal bodies.

===== God Really Cares About Your Body =====

The first implication I want to mention is that God is profoundly concerned with your body. If he weren't, he would let it rot in the grave and tell you to say good riddance. But he never says that. Look, for example, at 1 Corinthians 6:13–14. Here Paul is refuting people who said it doesn't matter what you do with your body because the Lord is only interested in your spirit. After quoting the slogan of his opponents in v. 13, he says (at the end of the verse), "The body is not meant for immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power." There are two amazing statements in v. 13: the body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. What does Paul mean that the body is for the Lord? Look to verses 19 and 20. "Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." "The body is for the Lord" means your body exists to glorify God. There is a use of your eyes and ears and tongue and hands and feet and appetites and sex drive which glorifies God. And there is a use of your eyes and ears and tongue and hands and feet and appetites and sex drive which dishonors God. Your bodies with all their appetites and drives and limitations are no accident in God's plan. On the contrary, verse 13 says, "The Lord is for the body." He is not against the body. He is for it. Why else would he raise it from the dead?

===== God Will Transform Your Body for His Glory =====

Would you like to see a biblical snapshot of what God is going to make out of your body? Here's one from Daniel: "Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake . . . and those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars, for ever and ever" (12:2–3). Here's another one, taken from a parable of Jesus. "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father" (Matthew 13:43; cf. 17:2). And here's one more from Philippians 3:21, "Christ will transform the body of our lowliness to have the same form as the body of his glory by the power with which he is able to subdue all things to himself." God created you with a body and he created you for his glory. Therefore he is going to raise your mortal body no matter how mangled, or deformed, or emaciated, or disease-ridden, and he is going to make it so strong, so healthy, so beautiful, that when I see it, I will say, "You are like the broad blue sky on a bright summer day. You are like the splendor of a million stars against the black night of space. Your radiance is like the sun; yes, in you I see the form and grandeur of the glory of Jesus Christ who made you, redeemed you, raised you, and glorified you with his glory for ever and ever."

===== The Resurrection Provides Strength to Love =====

But what about now? How does this spectacular hope of being raised to share the glory of Christ make a difference now? Once Jesus was at a banquet with many eminent people. He turned to his host and said (for all of us to hear), "When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind and you will be blessed because they cannot repay you. ''You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just''" (Luke 14:12–14). Now think for a moment. Are not these words of our Lord intended to answer this question: Where can a person find power to press on in a life of love when there are very few earthly rewards? Where does a husband or wife get the emotional strength to keep on giving when there is no reciprocation? Where does a man or woman who would like to be married get the strength to be content and continent for seventy years of singleness? Where did Maud Cary get the strength to press on in 54 hard years of missionary service in Morocco only to be rewarded at her funeral with two sprays, a few visitors, and no tears? Where did Jesus get the strength to endure the cross and despise the shame (Hebrews 12:2)—fleeing disciples, and the denial of Peter, and the beating and scoffing and thorns and nails?

Answer: "You shall be repaid at the resurrection of the just." For the joy set before us at the resurrection we endure everything for Christ. Jesus did not promise that obedience to him would be rewarded by men in this life. On the contrary, he said, "Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account. Rejoice, and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so men persecuted the prophets who were before you." O, there is joy in obeying Christ—vastly more joy than if we lived for the praise of men and sought our reward in this life—but our joy flows from the unshakable hope of Romans 8:11, not from the shifting circumstances of our life. "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies." If you really believe that God is for you and not against you, and that he will give life to your mortal body, and that whatever good you give up in this life will be repaid one-hundred-fold in the resurrection of the just, and that you will shine like the sun in the kingdom of your Father, then you have an inexhaustible reservoir of strength to keep doing the good God has called you to do whether anyone appreciates it now or not. Therefore the essence of the Christian life is not the struggle to win the reward of men but the struggle to keep believing in the resurrection of your body in glory.

And the great foundation of this hope is that God raised Jesus from the dead, that he reigns now as King over earth and heaven and death and hell, and that he cannot fail in his purpose to raise us up to glory. To him belong all praise and honor and glory and thanks for ever and ever. Amen.

The Spirit of the Age and the Reality of the Risen Christ

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:11:47 GMT

Greetje:

{{info}}''Easter Sunday''
<blockquote>'''Romans 8:11'''</blockquote><blockquote>If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. </blockquote>
==== What Hinders Belief? ====

I wonder what you would say are the main hindrances today in America to believing - really believing with deep commitment of life - in a good and holy and sovereign God, in the reality of sin as a breaking of God's law, in the death and resurrection of Christ to save sinners from the wrath of God and give them eternal life, and the necessity of firm, life-changing faith. What stands in the way of people being persuaded that these things are true and real and beautiful and necessary?
<blockquote>
*Some might say: people don't even know about them. There is just plain ignorance of what the Bible teaches.
*Others might say: lack of proof. There's no way to know if these claims are true.
*Others might say: There can't be a good God, because there is too much evil in the world.
*Others might say: people are just too distracted by the immediate pressures and pleasures of life to ask ultimate questions and spend any time or effort trying to figure them out.
*Others might say: too many people who claim to believe these things are jerks.
</blockquote>
The reason I ask is that I want to try to help you this morning see the truth of Christianity and be persuaded that it is real and beautiful and necessary for your everlasting life. That's a huge order in one message. And I know that all I can do is try to overcome maybe one or two obstacles and open the way for you to pursue truth more freely, until by God's grace, you are persuaded that no other claim to reality explains as much of the world and no other claim meets as many deep needs and no other claim reveals a more authentic view of God and his ways as Christianity does.

So my aim this morning is not proof. The way to think about my proclamation this morning is that I am a little part of what a big God is doing in your life. Your being here and hearing this message is one more piece in the Mosaic of Truth that sooner or later you will recognize as the face of Christ.

==== The Pervasive Relativism of our Culture ====

The obstacle to embracing Christianity that I want to address this morning is the obstacle of growing, pervasive relativism in our culture - that neutralizes any claim to truth, especially the Christian claim that is so big and all-encompassing.

What do I mean by growing and pervasive relativism? Let me illustrate it in a few ways. It's only half a joke (and I heard recently of an instance where I don't think it was a joke at all) that to get a job in some places the answer you must give to the question: "What is two plus two?" is, "What do you want it to be?" In other words, truth is not an objective standard that we shape our lives around; instead, our personal desires are sovereign and truth is a wax nose that we shape to get what we want. So if "two plus two is four" feels too confining and hinders some desire that I have, I change it. Because what is absolute is my desire, not objective truth outside of me. That's the relativism I mean.

In that atmosphere it becomes almost impossible to make Christianity intelligible, because of its claim to objective, external, historical truth. So I want to help you be aware of how pervasive this relativism is, and how it affects us all, and then put over against it the Biblical witness to ultimate reality.

Another example of this pervasive relativism would be from several years ago when the DeMoss foundation was playing the pro-life ads on TV that said, "Life. A Beautiful Choice." In other words, life was presented as intrinsically valuable and choosing it was right and good and beautiful. In response, one chapter of the abortion advocacy group NARAL produced counter-ads that used the slogan reversed: "Choice: a beautiful life." Now, what you need to see here is that beneath this change is not just a different view on abortion but a radically different view of truth and reality.

One report of NARAL's TV spot said that it "centers on personal preferences in areas like food, religion, and hairstyles, then segues into the issue of '. . . whether you have a baby - or an abortion.'" So Roger Lundin, a teacher at Wheaton College, comments: "Chinese food or French cuisine, Jesus or Nostradamus, permed or straight, life or death: they are all the same. Whatever tool you choose to use to enhance your own wellbeing does not matter; only your freedom in choosing does" ("The Ultimately Liberal Condition," First Things, No. 52, April, 1995, p. 25). This is what I mean by pervasive relativism. The value of life is not the standard that our choices are shaped by. Instead, our choices are the standard that life is shaped by. Which means that there is no standard; and we are seeing the effects of that in the collapse of our culture on many sides.

==== Effects of Relativism in Many Spheres ====

What is so stunning about this pervasive relativism is that it has sophisticated advocates in virtually every sphere of learning and life. Nowadays it is usually called postmodernism. Gertrude Himmelfarb (Emeritus Professor of History at the City University of New York) describes the effect of postmodernism on four areas ("Tradition and Creativity in the Writing of History," First Things, No. 27, November, 1992, p.28):
<blockquote>
*In literature, there is no objective meaning that gives what the author intended any priority over what the reader claims to see; and no standard that makes the great books preferable to comic books.
*In law, the meaning of the constitution is not controlled by what the founders intended it to mean, but by what contemporary Judges say it means, or what society needs for it to mean.
*In philosophy, language itself has no sure reference to reality. Language doesn't faithfully describe what is there. It doesn't submit to reality; it creates reality. And therefore it is an instrument of power, not a servant of truth.
*In history the past has no fixed reality. It is only what creative historians choose to make of it.
*And, of course in political scandals, we see this pervasive relativism played out not only in the sense that objective right and wrong seem to be lost categories, but also in the very existence of so-called "spin-doctors": What is a sexual relationship? Well what do we need it to be - or not to be? We will make it be what we want it to be.
</blockquote>
And so on.

Now how serious is this pervasive relativism? Well, let me read what Michael Novak said in 1994 when he received the Templeton prize for Progress in Religion:

Vulgar relativism is an invisible gas, odorless, deadly, that is now polluting every free society on earth. It is a gas that attacks the central nervous system of moral striving. The perilous threat to the free society today is, therefore, neither political nor economic. It is the poisonous corrupting culture of relativism. ("Awakening from Nihilism," First Things, No. 45, August/September, 1994, pp. 20-21)

My purpose this morning isn't political or philosophical or even cultural. My aim is to help overcome obstacles to believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died for sinners and rose from the dead, and who will raise his people up to eternal life just as he said: "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day" (John 6:40).

So my concern with this pervasive relativism, this postmodernism, of our culture is this: it hinders people's ability to grasp the Biblical reality of God and sin and Christ and faith, because it undermines our ability to believe in any objective reality. People begin to absorb the notion that there is no reality besides ourselves and our own desires and whatever we can manipulate the world to give us.

==== "Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?" - A Relativist Answer ====

The connection between all this and the resurrection of Jesus came home to me on Thursday as Noel and I drove to lunch together and were listening to the midday public radio program. John Dominic Crossan was being interviewed by Lynn Neary. Now, Crossan is a radical critic of the gospels and rejects much of what the church has always believed about Jesus. Lynn Neary began by asking him, "Did Jesus rise from the dead?" His answer was an immediate, "Yes, yes, yes - for Christians." And he didn't mean "on behalf of Christians." He meant, "In the view of Christians."

In other words, the resurrection of Jesus is not an objective, physical, historical fact, but is whatever Christians make of it. Jesus is risen because his memory and influence go on in the hope of the church and in its passion for justice. Lynn Neary didn't press him while we were listening. But if she had, I think he would have said, "It doesn't really matter whether the body of Jesus was still in the tomb, or if he rose bodily from the dead, and is alive today in heaven ready to judge the living and the dead. What matters is not reality out there, but reality in here - in our hearts and our minds and our choices."

That is what is so deadly about pervasive relativism. Because this is exactly the opposite of what the Bible actually teaches.

==== What the Bible Teaches About Jesus ====

===== First, the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is eternal and is himself God. =====

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Therefore he cannot be just what we want him to be. His reality is massively independent of us. He is before us and over us. We have to deal with him as a given. Christ is there as the Way, the Truth and the Life absolutely, no matter how we feel about it or what we make of it.

===== Second, the Bible teaches that this divine, eternal Christ, who was God, became a man. =====

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Or, as Paul says it: "In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). Christ is a historical person and his historical reality is unchangeable. We may try to persuade ourselves that we can make history mean what we like. But every boy and girl in this room knows that yesterday is as unchangeable as 2+2=4. You can't go back and redo yesterday. And no amount of sophistication will make the facts of yesterday anything other than what they always have been. If Christ became a man once, that fact never changes.

===== Third, the Bible teaches that this divine, incarnate, God-man, Jesus Christ died willingly for our sins. =====

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:3, "I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." This death was as real and objective and necessary as Patty Larson's death on Tuesday. And the meaning of the death of Jesus is not a subjective guess by his followers. God designed it and Jesus taught it and the apostles received it.

He was the sin-bearing fulfillment of all God's promises in the Old Testament: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:56). God, the Lord, did something objectively outside of us to give this death its meaning. He laid our sins on Jesus. That is the meaning of it. He is a sin-bearing Savior. We don't make him that. That is what he is.

===== Fourth, the Bible teaches that he rose bodily from the grave. =====

And this was not a ghost or a vision, like people have today of their departed loved ones. The grave was empty. It was a great embarrassment to his enemies. But even more important were his physical appearances to his disciples. "To [the apostles] He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). He proved to these witnesses that he was really, objectively, physically alive (Luke 24:38-43):

And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; and He took it and ate it before them.

In other words, I am not an idea. I am not a cause of justice spreading in the world. I am not a feeling of hope in the breast of my followers. I am not a collective illusion in the minds of gullible people. I am rock-solid reality. I was dead, and I am alive, and you can touch me and watch me eat fish. That's how real I am, Jesus says.

===== Fifth, the Bible teaches that this risen Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth and will never die again. =====

Romans 6:9 says, "We know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him." Which is why, Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go make disciples from all nations." And it's why Paul said, "God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 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" (Philippians 2:9-11). This is reality outside ourselves. This is not what you can make out of history. This is why history can make something out of you.

Which leads us to the final word.

===== Sixthly, the Bible teaches, in Romans 8:11, that "if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies." =====

There is coming a real, objective, historical day when God's people will be raised as Jesus was.

==== Please Consider the Biblical Claims ====

So I close by asking: Are you free enough from the relativistic spirit of our age to deal with objective reality outside yourselves? I plead with you to consider these six Biblical claims:

1) Christ has always existed as God. 2) Christ became a man full of grace and truth. 3) Christ died for sins. 4) Christ rose bodily from the dead. 5) Christ will never die again and has all authority in heaven and earth. 6) He will raise you from the dead if the Spirit of his Father dwells in you.

How do you receive the Spirit of God so that he dwells in you? Here is the answer the Bible gives in Galatians 3:5. Paul says, "Does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?" There's the answer: you receive the Spirit of God by hearing the gospel, the word of God, with faith. That is, you come to a point, when you have heard the word of God and, by his grace, you see that this is the truth, and you take it and believe it and live it.

The Spirit of the Age and the Reality of the Risen Christ

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:11:26 GMT

Greetje:

{{info}}''Easter Sunday''
<blockquote>
'''Romans 8:11'''

If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
</blockquote>
==== What Hinders Belief? ====

I wonder what you would say are the main hindrances today in America to believing - really believing with deep commitment of life - in a good and holy and sovereign God, in the reality of sin as a breaking of God's law, in the death and resurrection of Christ to save sinners from the wrath of God and give them eternal life, and the necessity of firm, life-changing faith. What stands in the way of people being persuaded that these things are true and real and beautiful and necessary?
<blockquote>
*Some might say: people don't even know about them. There is just plain ignorance of what the Bible teaches.
*Others might say: lack of proof. There's no way to know if these claims are true.
*Others might say: There can't be a good God, because there is too much evil in the world.
*Others might say: people are just too distracted by the immediate pressures and pleasures of life to ask ultimate questions and spend any time or effort trying to figure them out.
*Others might say: too many people who claim to believe these things are jerks.
</blockquote>
The reason I ask is that I want to try to help you this morning see the truth of Christianity and be persuaded that it is real and beautiful and necessary for your everlasting life. That's a huge order in one message. And I know that all I can do is try to overcome maybe one or two obstacles and open the way for you to pursue truth more freely, until by God's grace, you are persuaded that no other claim to reality explains as much of the world and no other claim meets as many deep needs and no other claim reveals a more authentic view of God and his ways as Christianity does.

So my aim this morning is not proof. The way to think about my proclamation this morning is that I am a little part of what a big God is doing in your life. Your being here and hearing this message is one more piece in the Mosaic of Truth that sooner or later you will recognize as the face of Christ.

==== The Pervasive Relativism of our Culture ====

The obstacle to embracing Christianity that I want to address this morning is the obstacle of growing, pervasive relativism in our culture - that neutralizes any claim to truth, especially the Christian claim that is so big and all-encompassing.

What do I mean by growing and pervasive relativism? Let me illustrate it in a few ways. It's only half a joke (and I heard recently of an instance where I don't think it was a joke at all) that to get a job in some places the answer you must give to the question: "What is two plus two?" is, "What do you want it to be?" In other words, truth is not an objective standard that we shape our lives around; instead, our personal desires are sovereign and truth is a wax nose that we shape to get what we want. So if "two plus two is four" feels too confining and hinders some desire that I have, I change it. Because what is absolute is my desire, not objective truth outside of me. That's the relativism I mean.

In that atmosphere it becomes almost impossible to make Christianity intelligible, because of its claim to objective, external, historical truth. So I want to help you be aware of how pervasive this relativism is, and how it affects us all, and then put over against it the Biblical witness to ultimate reality.

Another example of this pervasive relativism would be from several years ago when the DeMoss foundation was playing the pro-life ads on TV that said, "Life. A Beautiful Choice." In other words, life was presented as intrinsically valuable and choosing it was right and good and beautiful. In response, one chapter of the abortion advocacy group NARAL produced counter-ads that used the slogan reversed: "Choice: a beautiful life." Now, what you need to see here is that beneath this change is not just a different view on abortion but a radically different view of truth and reality.

One report of NARAL's TV spot said that it "centers on personal preferences in areas like food, religion, and hairstyles, then segues into the issue of '. . . whether you have a baby - or an abortion.'" So Roger Lundin, a teacher at Wheaton College, comments: "Chinese food or French cuisine, Jesus or Nostradamus, permed or straight, life or death: they are all the same. Whatever tool you choose to use to enhance your own wellbeing does not matter; only your freedom in choosing does" ("The Ultimately Liberal Condition," First Things, No. 52, April, 1995, p. 25). This is what I mean by pervasive relativism. The value of life is not the standard that our choices are shaped by. Instead, our choices are the standard that life is shaped by. Which means that there is no standard; and we are seeing the effects of that in the collapse of our culture on many sides.

==== Effects of Relativism in Many Spheres ====

What is so stunning about this pervasive relativism is that it has sophisticated advocates in virtually every sphere of learning and life. Nowadays it is usually called postmodernism. Gertrude Himmelfarb (Emeritus Professor of History at the City University of New York) describes the effect of postmodernism on four areas ("Tradition and Creativity in the Writing of History," First Things, No. 27, November, 1992, p.28):
<blockquote>
*In literature, there is no objective meaning that gives what the author intended any priority over what the reader claims to see; and no standard that makes the great books preferable to comic books.
*In law, the meaning of the constitution is not controlled by what the founders intended it to mean, but by what contemporary Judges say it means, or what society needs for it to mean.
*In philosophy, language itself has no sure reference to reality. Language doesn't faithfully describe what is there. It doesn't submit to reality; it creates reality. And therefore it is an instrument of power, not a servant of truth.
*In history the past has no fixed reality. It is only what creative historians choose to make of it.
*And, of course in political scandals, we see this pervasive relativism played out not only in the sense that objective right and wrong seem to be lost categories, but also in the very existence of so-called "spin-doctors": What is a sexual relationship? Well what do we need it to be - or not to be? We will make it be what we want it to be.
</blockquote>
And so on.

Now how serious is this pervasive relativism? Well, let me read what Michael Novak said in 1994 when he received the Templeton prize for Progress in Religion:

Vulgar relativism is an invisible gas, odorless, deadly, that is now polluting every free society on earth. It is a gas that attacks the central nervous system of moral striving. The perilous threat to the free society today is, therefore, neither political nor economic. It is the poisonous corrupting culture of relativism. ("Awakening from Nihilism," First Things, No. 45, August/September, 1994, pp. 20-21)

My purpose this morning isn't political or philosophical or even cultural. My aim is to help overcome obstacles to believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died for sinners and rose from the dead, and who will raise his people up to eternal life just as he said: "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day" (John 6:40).

So my concern with this pervasive relativism, this postmodernism, of our culture is this: it hinders people's ability to grasp the Biblical reality of God and sin and Christ and faith, because it undermines our ability to believe in any objective reality. People begin to absorb the notion that there is no reality besides ourselves and our own desires and whatever we can manipulate the world to give us.

==== "Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?" - A Relativist Answer ====

The connection between all this and the resurrection of Jesus came home to me on Thursday as Noel and I drove to lunch together and were listening to the midday public radio program. John Dominic Crossan was being interviewed by Lynn Neary. Now, Crossan is a radical critic of the gospels and rejects much of what the church has always believed about Jesus. Lynn Neary began by asking him, "Did Jesus rise from the dead?" His answer was an immediate, "Yes, yes, yes - for Christians." And he didn't mean "on behalf of Christians." He meant, "In the view of Christians."

In other words, the resurrection of Jesus is not an objective, physical, historical fact, but is whatever Christians make of it. Jesus is risen because his memory and influence go on in the hope of the church and in its passion for justice. Lynn Neary didn't press him while we were listening. But if she had, I think he would have said, "It doesn't really matter whether the body of Jesus was still in the tomb, or if he rose bodily from the dead, and is alive today in heaven ready to judge the living and the dead. What matters is not reality out there, but reality in here - in our hearts and our minds and our choices."

That is what is so deadly about pervasive relativism. Because this is exactly the opposite of what the Bible actually teaches.

==== What the Bible Teaches About Jesus ====

===== First, the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is eternal and is himself God. =====

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Therefore he cannot be just what we want him to be. His reality is massively independent of us. He is before us and over us. We have to deal with him as a given. Christ is there as the Way, the Truth and the Life absolutely, no matter how we feel about it or what we make of it.

===== Second, the Bible teaches that this divine, eternal Christ, who was God, became a man. =====

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Or, as Paul says it: "In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). Christ is a historical person and his historical reality is unchangeable. We may try to persuade ourselves that we can make history mean what we like. But every boy and girl in this room knows that yesterday is as unchangeable as 2+2=4. You can't go back and redo yesterday. And no amount of sophistication will make the facts of yesterday anything other than what they always have been. If Christ became a man once, that fact never changes.

===== Third, the Bible teaches that this divine, incarnate, God-man, Jesus Christ died willingly for our sins. =====

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:3, "I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." This death was as real and objective and necessary as Patty Larson's death on Tuesday. And the meaning of the death of Jesus is not a subjective guess by his followers. God designed it and Jesus taught it and the apostles received it.

He was the sin-bearing fulfillment of all God's promises in the Old Testament: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:56). God, the Lord, did something objectively outside of us to give this death its meaning. He laid our sins on Jesus. That is the meaning of it. He is a sin-bearing Savior. We don't make him that. That is what he is.

===== Fourth, the Bible teaches that he rose bodily from the grave. =====

And this was not a ghost or a vision, like people have today of their departed loved ones. The grave was empty. It was a great embarrassment to his enemies. But even more important were his physical appearances to his disciples. "To [the apostles] He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). He proved to these witnesses that he was really, objectively, physically alive (Luke 24:38-43):

And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; and He took it and ate it before them.

In other words, I am not an idea. I am not a cause of justice spreading in the world. I am not a feeling of hope in the breast of my followers. I am not a collective illusion in the minds of gullible people. I am rock-solid reality. I was dead, and I am alive, and you can touch me and watch me eat fish. That's how real I am, Jesus says.

===== Fifth, the Bible teaches that this risen Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth and will never die again. =====

Romans 6:9 says, "We know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him." Which is why, Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go make disciples from all nations." And it's why Paul said, "God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 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" (Philippians 2:9-11). This is reality outside ourselves. This is not what you can make out of history. This is why history can make something out of you.

Which leads us to the final word.

===== Sixthly, the Bible teaches, in Romans 8:11, that "if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies." =====

There is coming a real, objective, historical day when God's people will be raised as Jesus was.

==== Please Consider the Biblical Claims ====

So I close by asking: Are you free enough from the relativistic spirit of our age to deal with objective reality outside yourselves? I plead with you to consider these six Biblical claims:

1) Christ has always existed as God. 2) Christ became a man full of grace and truth. 3) Christ died for sins. 4) Christ rose bodily from the dead. 5) Christ will never die again and has all authority in heaven and earth. 6) He will raise you from the dead if the Spirit of his Father dwells in you.

How do you receive the Spirit of God so that he dwells in you? Here is the answer the Bible gives in Galatians 3:5. Paul says, "Does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?" There's the answer: you receive the Spirit of God by hearing the gospel, the word of God, with faith. That is, you come to a point, when you have heard the word of God and, by his grace, you see that this is the truth, and you take it and believe it and live it.

The Spirit of the Age and the Reality of the Risen Christ

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:10:58 GMT

Greetje:

{{info}}''Easter Sunday''

'''Romans 8:11'''
<blockquote>If the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. </blockquote>
==== What Hinders Belief? ====

I wonder what you would say are the main hindrances today in America to believing - really believing with deep commitment of life - in a good and holy and sovereign God, in the reality of sin as a breaking of God's law, in the death and resurrection of Christ to save sinners from the wrath of God and give them eternal life, and the necessity of firm, life-changing faith. What stands in the way of people being persuaded that these things are true and real and beautiful and necessary?
<blockquote>
*Some might say: people don't even know about them. There is just plain ignorance of what the Bible teaches.
*Others might say: lack of proof. There's no way to know if these claims are true.
*Others might say: There can't be a good God, because there is too much evil in the world.
*Others might say: people are just too distracted by the immediate pressures and pleasures of life to ask ultimate questions and spend any time or effort trying to figure them out.
*Others might say: too many people who claim to believe these things are jerks.
</blockquote>
The reason I ask is that I want to try to help you this morning see the truth of Christianity and be persuaded that it is real and beautiful and necessary for your everlasting life. That's a huge order in one message. And I know that all I can do is try to overcome maybe one or two obstacles and open the way for you to pursue truth more freely, until by God's grace, you are persuaded that no other claim to reality explains as much of the world and no other claim meets as many deep needs and no other claim reveals a more authentic view of God and his ways as Christianity does.

So my aim this morning is not proof. The way to think about my proclamation this morning is that I am a little part of what a big God is doing in your life. Your being here and hearing this message is one more piece in the Mosaic of Truth that sooner or later you will recognize as the face of Christ.

==== The Pervasive Relativism of our Culture ====

The obstacle to embracing Christianity that I want to address this morning is the obstacle of growing, pervasive relativism in our culture - that neutralizes any claim to truth, especially the Christian claim that is so big and all-encompassing.

What do I mean by growing and pervasive relativism? Let me illustrate it in a few ways. It's only half a joke (and I heard recently of an instance where I don't think it was a joke at all) that to get a job in some places the answer you must give to the question: "What is two plus two?" is, "What do you want it to be?" In other words, truth is not an objective standard that we shape our lives around; instead, our personal desires are sovereign and truth is a wax nose that we shape to get what we want. So if "two plus two is four" feels too confining and hinders some desire that I have, I change it. Because what is absolute is my desire, not objective truth outside of me. That's the relativism I mean.

In that atmosphere it becomes almost impossible to make Christianity intelligible, because of its claim to objective, external, historical truth. So I want to help you be aware of how pervasive this relativism is, and how it affects us all, and then put over against it the Biblical witness to ultimate reality.

Another example of this pervasive relativism would be from several years ago when the DeMoss foundation was playing the pro-life ads on TV that said, "Life. A Beautiful Choice." In other words, life was presented as intrinsically valuable and choosing it was right and good and beautiful. In response, one chapter of the abortion advocacy group NARAL produced counter-ads that used the slogan reversed: "Choice: a beautiful life." Now, what you need to see here is that beneath this change is not just a different view on abortion but a radically different view of truth and reality.

One report of NARAL's TV spot said that it "centers on personal preferences in areas like food, religion, and hairstyles, then segues into the issue of '. . . whether you have a baby - or an abortion.'" So Roger Lundin, a teacher at Wheaton College, comments: "Chinese food or French cuisine, Jesus or Nostradamus, permed or straight, life or death: they are all the same. Whatever tool you choose to use to enhance your own wellbeing does not matter; only your freedom in choosing does" ("The Ultimately Liberal Condition," First Things, No. 52, April, 1995, p. 25). This is what I mean by pervasive relativism. The value of life is not the standard that our choices are shaped by. Instead, our choices are the standard that life is shaped by. Which means that there is no standard; and we are seeing the effects of that in the collapse of our culture on many sides.

==== Effects of Relativism in Many Spheres ====

What is so stunning about this pervasive relativism is that it has sophisticated advocates in virtually every sphere of learning and life. Nowadays it is usually called postmodernism. Gertrude Himmelfarb (Emeritus Professor of History at the City University of New York) describes the effect of postmodernism on four areas ("Tradition and Creativity in the Writing of History," First Things, No. 27, November, 1992, p.28):
<blockquote>
*In literature, there is no objective meaning that gives what the author intended any priority over what the reader claims to see; and no standard that makes the great books preferable to comic books.
*In law, the meaning of the constitution is not controlled by what the founders intended it to mean, but by what contemporary Judges say it means, or what society needs for it to mean.
*In philosophy, language itself has no sure reference to reality. Language doesn't faithfully describe what is there. It doesn't submit to reality; it creates reality. And therefore it is an instrument of power, not a servant of truth.
*In history the past has no fixed reality. It is only what creative historians choose to make of it.
*And, of course in political scandals, we see this pervasive relativism played out not only in the sense that objective right and wrong seem to be lost categories, but also in the very existence of so-called "spin-doctors": What is a sexual relationship? Well what do we need it to be - or not to be? We will make it be what we want it to be.
</blockquote>
And so on.

Now how serious is this pervasive relativism? Well, let me read what Michael Novak said in 1994 when he received the Templeton prize for Progress in Religion:

Vulgar relativism is an invisible gas, odorless, deadly, that is now polluting every free society on earth. It is a gas that attacks the central nervous system of moral striving. The perilous threat to the free society today is, therefore, neither political nor economic. It is the poisonous corrupting culture of relativism. ("Awakening from Nihilism," First Things, No. 45, August/September, 1994, pp. 20-21)

My purpose this morning isn't political or philosophical or even cultural. My aim is to help overcome obstacles to believing in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who died for sinners and rose from the dead, and who will raise his people up to eternal life just as he said: "For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day" (John 6:40).

So my concern with this pervasive relativism, this postmodernism, of our culture is this: it hinders people's ability to grasp the Biblical reality of God and sin and Christ and faith, because it undermines our ability to believe in any objective reality. People begin to absorb the notion that there is no reality besides ourselves and our own desires and whatever we can manipulate the world to give us.

==== "Did Jesus Rise from the Dead?" - A Relativist Answer ====

The connection between all this and the resurrection of Jesus came home to me on Thursday as Noel and I drove to lunch together and were listening to the midday public radio program. John Dominic Crossan was being interviewed by Lynn Neary. Now, Crossan is a radical critic of the gospels and rejects much of what the church has always believed about Jesus. Lynn Neary began by asking him, "Did Jesus rise from the dead?" His answer was an immediate, "Yes, yes, yes - for Christians." And he didn't mean "on behalf of Christians." He meant, "In the view of Christians."

In other words, the resurrection of Jesus is not an objective, physical, historical fact, but is whatever Christians make of it. Jesus is risen because his memory and influence go on in the hope of the church and in its passion for justice. Lynn Neary didn't press him while we were listening. But if she had, I think he would have said, "It doesn't really matter whether the body of Jesus was still in the tomb, or if he rose bodily from the dead, and is alive today in heaven ready to judge the living and the dead. What matters is not reality out there, but reality in here - in our hearts and our minds and our choices."

That is what is so deadly about pervasive relativism. Because this is exactly the opposite of what the Bible actually teaches.

==== What the Bible Teaches About Jesus ====

===== First, the Bible teaches that Jesus Christ is eternal and is himself God. =====

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Therefore he cannot be just what we want him to be. His reality is massively independent of us. He is before us and over us. We have to deal with him as a given. Christ is there as the Way, the Truth and the Life absolutely, no matter how we feel about it or what we make of it.

===== Second, the Bible teaches that this divine, eternal Christ, who was God, became a man. =====

"And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). Or, as Paul says it: "In Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form" (Colossians 2:9). Christ is a historical person and his historical reality is unchangeable. We may try to persuade ourselves that we can make history mean what we like. But every boy and girl in this room knows that yesterday is as unchangeable as 2+2=4. You can't go back and redo yesterday. And no amount of sophistication will make the facts of yesterday anything other than what they always have been. If Christ became a man once, that fact never changes.

===== Third, the Bible teaches that this divine, incarnate, God-man, Jesus Christ died willingly for our sins. =====

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:3, "I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures." This death was as real and objective and necessary as Patty Larson's death on Tuesday. And the meaning of the death of Jesus is not a subjective guess by his followers. God designed it and Jesus taught it and the apostles received it.

He was the sin-bearing fulfillment of all God's promises in the Old Testament: "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way, and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:56). God, the Lord, did something objectively outside of us to give this death its meaning. He laid our sins on Jesus. That is the meaning of it. He is a sin-bearing Savior. We don't make him that. That is what he is.

===== Fourth, the Bible teaches that he rose bodily from the grave. =====

And this was not a ghost or a vision, like people have today of their departed loved ones. The grave was empty. It was a great embarrassment to his enemies. But even more important were his physical appearances to his disciples. "To [the apostles] He also presented Himself alive after His suffering, by many convincing proofs, appearing to them over a period of forty days and speaking of the things concerning the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). He proved to these witnesses that he was really, objectively, physically alive (Luke 24:38-43):

And He said to them, "Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? See My hands and My feet, that it is I Myself; touch Me and see, for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have." And when He had said this, He showed them His hands and His feet. While they still could not believe it because of their joy and amazement, He said to them, "Have you anything here to eat?" They gave Him a piece of a broiled fish; and He took it and ate it before them.

In other words, I am not an idea. I am not a cause of justice spreading in the world. I am not a feeling of hope in the breast of my followers. I am not a collective illusion in the minds of gullible people. I am rock-solid reality. I was dead, and I am alive, and you can touch me and watch me eat fish. That's how real I am, Jesus says.

===== Fifth, the Bible teaches that this risen Christ has all authority in heaven and on earth and will never die again. =====

Romans 6:9 says, "We know that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him." Which is why, Jesus said in Matthew 28:18, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go make disciples from all nations." And it's why Paul said, "God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, 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" (Philippians 2:9-11). This is reality outside ourselves. This is not what you can make out of history. This is why history can make something out of you.

Which leads us to the final word.

===== Sixthly, the Bible teaches, in Romans 8:11, that "if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies." =====

There is coming a real, objective, historical day when God's people will be raised as Jesus was.

==== Please Consider the Biblical Claims ====

So I close by asking: Are you free enough from the relativistic spirit of our age to deal with objective reality outside yourselves? I plead with you to consider these six Biblical claims:

1) Christ has always existed as God. 2) Christ became a man full of grace and truth. 3) Christ died for sins. 4) Christ rose bodily from the dead. 5) Christ will never die again and has all authority in heaven and earth. 6) He will raise you from the dead if the Spirit of his Father dwells in you.

How do you receive the Spirit of God so that he dwells in you? Here is the answer the Bible gives in Galatians 3:5. Paul says, "Does He who provides you with the Spirit and works miracles among you, do it by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith?" There's the answer: you receive the Spirit of God by hearing the gospel, the word of God, with faith. That is, you come to a point, when you have heard the word of God and, by his grace, you see that this is the truth, and you take it and believe it and live it.

The Son of God Appeared to Destroy the Works of the Devil (1998)

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:02:12 GMT

Greetje: New page: <blockquote> {{info}}'''1 John 3:4-10''' </blockquote><blockquote> Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He appeared in order to ta...

<blockquote>
{{info}}'''1 John 3:4-10'''
</blockquote><blockquote>
Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him. 7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous; 8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. 10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
</blockquote>
==== This Passage Will Help Our Understanding of Romans 2:6-10 ====

I chose this text this morning for two reasons. One is because it is the Sunday before Christmas when we are thinking about the coming of Christ into the world, and verse 8 is one of the clearest statements in the Bible about why Christ came. Verse 8b: "The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil." We will come back to see what that means.

The second reason I chose this text is that, in our series on Romans, we have been wrestling with the teaching in Romans 2:6-10 that eternal life is given to those who persevere in a life of good works or a life of love. I have tried to show that this does not contradict justification by faith alone, because our good deeds confirm faith, but don't replace faith as the means of our justification. This passage in 1 John, and indeed the whole book of 1 John, sheds light on this issue.

So let's begin by seeing what's helpful in this book in regard to the issue of Romans 2:6-10. Here's what's helpful. 1 John seems to be one of the most perfectionistic books in the New Testament and one of the least perfectionistic books in the New Testament. It has verses in it that sound like Christians simply don't sin. As if we are perfect. But it also has some of the verses that say most clearly that everybody, including Christians, does sin.

So if we can understand why this is, it will help us grasp Paul's point in Romans 2:6ff that you have to persevere in a life of love in order to have eternal life, but this does not mean that you have to be perfect.

==== Christians Are Perfect? ====

Let me show you these two sides of 1 John. First, let's look at a group of verses that seem to say Christians are perfect and don't sin. Maybe you would want to put "NS" in the margin beside these verses for "not sin".

1 John 2:3 - "By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments." Keeping the commandments is one means of our assurance.

1 John 3:6 - "No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him." And again in 3:9 - "No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God." Same thing again in 5:18 - "We know that no one who is born of God sins."

1 John 4:8 - "The one who does not love does not know God, for God is love." Loving others is the evidence that you know God. If you don't love people, you don't know God.

These verses show you what I mean when I say that 1 John seems to be one of the most perfectionistic books in the New Testament. We will come back in a minute to see what this means.

==== Christians Are Not Perfect? ====

But look at the other side. I said that 1 John also seems to be one of the least perfectionistic books in the New Testament. It has some of the clearest statements that everyone sins, including Christians. Let's take a look at these. You might want to put "S" in the margin for "sin". Then you can show someone who is stumbling over the perfectionistic verses that there is another side to the issue.

1 John 1:8-10 - "If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us." This is written to Christians. The "we" of verse 9 is believers. We must confess our sins, because we do sin.

1 John 2:1 - "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." Here is the heartening realism: "If anyone does sin, we have an advocate." The aim is that we not sin, but the reality is that we do sin.

1 John 3:2 - "Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is." We are already God's children because of immense and incomprehensible love, but we are not yet like him the way we will be when he comes. There is yet a purifying work to do.

1 John 5:16-17 - "If anyone sees his brother committing a [omit "a" - the Greek text does not require it] sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death. There is a [omit "a"] sin leading to death; I do not say that he should make request for this. All unrighteousness is sin, and there is a [omit "a"] sin not leading to death." This last verse seems to be targeted pointedly at perfectionists who say: all sinning is equally damning and the only person who can escape judgment is the one who commits no sin. John emphatically says in verse 17b, "There is a [omit "a"] sin not leading to death."

==== What Does John Mean by "Sin" ====

Now let's go to our text and look at it against this bigger backdrop. When 1 John 3:6 says, "No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him," and when verse 9 says, "No one who is born of God practices sin," the key is to realize that the present tense verbs used here in Greek for "sins" (verse 6) and "practices" (verse 9) imply ongoing, continuous action. This probably means that, in John's mind, what is impossible for the Christian is a life of unchanged continuation in sin the same as when he was not born of God. In view of all his insistence that Christians do sin, we can't take these verses to mean Christians don't sin at all. We should take them to mean that Christians don't go on sinning without conflict and confession. Christians see it, hate it, confess it and fight it. And they do so with increasing vigilance as they grow up into Christ.

That is what Romans 2:7 is trying to say: "To those who by perseverance in doing good seek for glory and honor and immortality, [God will give] eternal life." The point is not that doing good earns eternal life or gets us connected to the life of God in Christ. The point is that a changed life shows you are already connected to God as his child. 1 John 3:9 says that the reason born-again people don't go on casually sinning is that "no one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin." In other words, God has come into their lives, caused them to be born again, put his "seed" - or his Spirit - in them, and is working in them to awaken them to the ugliness and folly and danger of sin so that they will be unable to choose it.

They don't avoid sin first, in order to get God into their lives. God gets into their lives first, and then they start overcoming sin. You can see this clearly in 3:14, "We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren." Passing out of death into life happens first, and then we know that it has happened because of its effect in our lives. We start to love people like we never did before. You don't love people in order to get out of death into life by new birth. You experience new birth, pass out of death into life and the effect is love.

==== What Can I Do to Make New Birth Happen? ====

So if you ask, Well, what can I do, then, to make the new birth happen?, the answer is that you can't do anything to make the new birth happen, any more than an unborn baby can do anything to get born. We can't believe the new birth into happening, we can't love the new birth into happening, because the new birth has to happen first so that we can believe and so that we can love.

The truth is that we are dead in trespasses and sins and cannot make ourselves alive, any more than Lazarus could raise himself from the dead. God must make us alive, as Paul said in Ephesians 2:5, so that we can believe. Look at 1 John 5:1, "Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God." Not "will be born of God," but "is born of God," or more literally, "has been born of God." The new birth precedes and enables faith. Faith is the evidence of new birth, not the cause.

If you want to know what to do this morning to be right with God, the answer is "believe that Jesus is the Christ." Put your trust in Jesus as the fulfillment of all God's promises and bank on those promises as your only hope. When you believe in Christ, you know that you are born of him. Therefore, believe this morning. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved" (Acts 6:31). You will find God working in your life to save you and you will rejoice and give him the glory.

==== The Christmas Message ====

But now go back to the text with me for a moment to get the Christmas message. When verse 8b says, "The Son of God appeared [deity - clothed with humanity and born of virgin -who walked in obedience, laid down his life and rose from the dead] for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil," what are the "works of the devil" that he has in mind? The answer is clear from the context.

First, verse 5 is a clear parallel: "You know that He appeared in order to take away sins." The phrase "he appeared to . . ." occurs in verse 5 and verse 8b. So probably the "works of the devil" that Jesus came to destroy are sins. The first part of verse 8 makes this virtually certain: "The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning." The issue in this context is sinning, not sickness or broken cars or messed up schedules. Jesus came into the world to help us stop sinning.

Before I draw out three practical implications of this, let me put it alongside the truth of 1 John 2:1: "My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin." In other words, I am promoting the purpose of Christmas (3:8), the purpose of the incarnation. Then he adds (2:2), "And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world."

==== Implications for Your Life ====

But now look what this means: it means that Jesus appeared in the world for two reasons. He came that we might not go on sinning; and he came to die so that there would be a propitiation [a substitutionary sacrifice that takes away the wrath of God] for our sins, if we do sin.

Now ponder this remarkable situation with me in a few closing minutes. If the Son of God came to help you stop sinning - to destroy the works of the devil -and if he also came to die so that, when you do sin, there is a propitiation -a removal of God's wrath - then what does this imply for living your life?

Three things. And they are wonderful to have. I give them to you briefly as Christmas presents.

'''1. A Clear Purpose for Living'''

It implies that you have a clear purpose for living in 1999 -the last year of this century and this millennium. Negatively, it is simply this: don't sin. "I write these things to you so that you may not sin" (2:1). "The Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil" (3:8).

If you ask, "Can you give us that positively, instead of negatively, the answer is: Yes, it's all summed up in 1 John 3:23. It's a great summary of what the whole book requires. Notice the singular "commandment": "This is His commandment, that we believe in the name of His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as He commanded us." These two things are so closely connected for John he calls them one commandment: believe Jesus and love others. That is your purpose in 1999. That is the sum of the Christian life. Trusting Jesus, loving people. Trust Jesus, love people. There's the first gift: a purpose to live.

'''2. Hope that Our Failures Will Be Forgiven'''

Now consider the second implication of the twofold truth that Christ came to destroy our sinning and to forgive our sins. It's this: We make progress in overcoming our sin when we have hope that our failures will be forgiven. If you don't have hope that God will forgive your failures, when you start fighting sin, you give up.

Many of you are pondering some changes in the new year, because you have fallen into sinful patterns and want out. You want some new patterns of eating. New patterns of TV watching. New patterns of giving. New patterns of relating to your spouse. New patterns of family devotions. New patterns of sleep and exercise. New patterns of courage in witness. But you are struggling, wondering whether it's any use. Well here's your second Christmas present: Christ not only came to destroy the works of the devil - our sinning - he also came to be an advocate for us when we fail in our fight.

So I plead with you, let the freedom to fail give you the hope to fight. But beware! If you turn the grace of God into license, and say, "Well, if I can fail, and it doesn't matter, then why bother fighting?" - if you say that, and mean it, and go on acting on it, you are probably not born again and should tremble. But that is not where most of you are. Most of you want to fight sinful patterns in your life. And what God is saying to you this morning is this: let the freedom to fail give you hope to fight. I preach to you that you might not sin, but if you sin you have an advocate, Jesus Christ.

'''3. Christ Will Help Us'''

Finally, the third implication of the double truth that Christ came to destroy our sinning and to forgive our sins, is this: Christ will really help us in our fight. He really will help you. He is on your side. He didn't come to destroy sin because sin is fun. He came to destroy sin because it is fatal. It is a deceptive work of the devil and will destroy us if we don't fight it. He came to help us, not hurt us.

So here's your third Christmas gift: Christ will help overcome sin in you in 1999. 1 John 4:4 says, "He who is in you is greater than he that is in the world." Jesus is alive, Jesus is almighty, Jesus lives in us by faith. And Jesus is for us, not against us. He will help you. Trust him.

==== Summary ====

In summary, three gifts: because Christ came to destroy sinning and to forgive sins

1. We have a clear purpose for living in 1999: fight sin. Trust Jesus and love others.

2. The freedom to fail gives us hope in the fight.

3. Jesus will really help us. He really will. Trust him.

The Son of God Appeared to Destroy the Works of the Devil

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:57:11 GMT

Greetje: The Son of God Appeared to Destroy the Works of the Devil moved to The Son of God Appeared to Destroy the Works of the Devil (1984)

#REDIRECT [[The Son of God Appeared to Destroy the Works of the Devil (1984)]]

The Son of God Appeared to Destroy the Works of the Devil (1984)

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:57:11 GMT

Greetje: The Son of God Appeared to Destroy the Works of the Devil moved to The Son of God Appeared to Destroy the Works of the Devil (1984)

{{info}}
<blockquote>'''1 John 3:1-10''' </blockquote><blockquote>1) See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are. The reason why the world does not know us is that it did not know him. 2) Beloved, we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. 3) And every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure. 4) Every one who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5) You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6) No one who abides in him sins; no one who sins has either seen him or known him. 7) Little children, let no one deceive you. He who does right is righteous, as he is righteous. 8) He who commits sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9) No one born of God commits sin; for God's nature abides in him, and he cannot sin because he is born of God. 10) By this it may be seen who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not do right is not of God, nor he who does not love his brother. </blockquote>
The people who will experience the fullest meaning of Christmas on Tuesday are the people who know and feel that there is something in them that needs to be destroyed. It is true, as John said (John 3:17), that "God sent the Son into the world not to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved." But he saves by destroying. Like a doctor who amputates a foot full of gangrene or cuts out a cancerous lung.

==== Jesus Came to Destroy Something ====

Jesus said, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick; I came not to call the righteous but sinners" (Mark 2:17). The only people who understand Christmas and embrace Christmas for what it is are people who feel sick, and who desperately want their sickness destroyed. Unless you welcome Jesus as a destroyer in your life, you can't have him as a Savior.

The point of this morning's message is taken from 1 John 3:8, "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil." Christmas is the celebration of the appearing on earth of God's eternal Son. And the reason he appeared is to destroy the works of the devil. So the reason there is a Christmas is because God aims to destroy something. Or if you like the imagery of contemporary space odysseys, picture Christmas as God's infiltration of rebel planet earth on a search and destroy mission. Or if you come from the Dr. Kildare and Ben Casey era, picture Christmas as the arrival of a single brilliant doctor in an isolated Appalachian village ravaged by a deadly virus. Or, if you antedate all that, picture Christmas as the arrival of John Joseph Pershing as full commander of the U.S. 1st Army on the Western Front of the Argonne Forest in the fall of 1918.

The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. The spaceship has landed, the doctor has arrived, the general has taken command—mission: search and destroy the works of the devil.

==== Three Questions About the Christmas Mission ====

There are three questions I want to try to answer in relation to this Christmas mission.

#''What'' did the Son of God come to destroy?
#''How'' did he destroy it?
#''How can we participate ''personally in his victory?

==== 1. What Did the Son of God Come to Destroy? ====

Verse 8 says he came to destroy "the works of the devil." What are the works of the devil? Let's work out in concentric circles from the term "works of the devil" in verse 8. The closest concentric circle is the sentence before in verse 8a and the sentence after in verse 9. Verse 8a: "He who commits ''sin'' is of the devil; for the devil has''sinned'' from the beginning." Then comes our text that the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil. Verse 9: "No one born of God commits ''sin''; for God's nature abides in him and he cannot ''sin'' because he is born of God."

===== The "Works of the Devil" Are Sins =====

First, John says the devil ''sins'' and those who sin are his. Then he says Christ came to destroy Satan's works. And then, he says, so no one born of God commits sin. Wouldn't you agree then that the "works of the devil" which the Son of God came to destroy are ''sins''? Surely we should put the word "therefore" at the beginning of verse 9. "The Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil. ''Therefore'' no one born of God commits sin." When people commit sin, it is a work of the devil. The work of the devil is to tempt people to sin. When they sin, his work is accomplished. So what the Son of God came to destroy is not just the guilt of sin (which might enable us to stay like we are and go right on sinning into heaven) but actually sinning. The Son of God came to destroy sinning. The enemy on the rebel planet is sin. The deadly virus in the Appalachian village is sin. The force to be conquered on the Western Front is sin. Christmas is God's invasion of enemy territory to rescue a people from the devil and destroy the sin in their lives.

==== Sin Is Lawlessness ====

Now let's take in another concentric circle of our text and try to define the "works of the devil" more precisely. What is sin? Verse 4: "Everyone who commits sin is guilty of lawlessness. Sin is lawlessness." The law in John's mind here is not the U.S. Constitution. It is God's law. It's the expression of God's revealed will for his creatures.

Lawlessness is living as though your own ideas are superior to God's. Lawlessness says, "God may demand it, but I don't prefer it." Lawlessness says, "God may promise it, but I don't want it." Lawlessness replaces God's law with my contrary desires. I become a law to myself. Lawlessness is rebellion against the right of God to make laws and govern his creatures.

So now we can see better what the Son of God came to destroy. The "works of the devil" are''sin''. Sin is''lawlessness''. And lawlessness is rebellion against the right of God to rule over us. The work of Satan is to tempt us to reject the authority of God and become like God ourselves. Satan works to nurture and cultivate the pride that puts its own desires above the law of God. This is lawlessness; this is the essence of sin; and this is what the Son of God came to destroy in you and me.

==== 2. How Did He Destroy It? ====

The text gives two answers and we need to ask how these two are related to each other.

===== Two Answers—His Appearing and the New Birth =====

First, verse 8 says the Son of God ''appeared'' to destroy the works of the devil. In other words, the way Christ destroys sin is ''by appearing''—that is, by ''coming'' from heaven and ''being born'' in the form of man. Probably John has in mind here not just the presence of the Son of God but all that he did by living and dying and rising from the dead. So the first answer to how Christ destroys the works of the devil is that he appears: he comes to live and die and rise again, and somehow that destroys sin.

The second answer is in verse 9. "No one ''born of God ''commits sin." Sin is conquered, the work of the devil is destroyed, when a person is born of God.

So there are two ways the works of the devil are destroyed in this text. One is by the appearing of the Son of God and the other is by new birth. Now how are these two related? Why are both necessary and not just one? It's not enough for Jesus to come and die and rise again. People must be born of God. Otherwise the works of the devil are not destroyed. Sin goes on reigning. Nor is it possible that God should just cause people to be born anew without the appearance of the Son of God. Both are necessary. So we ask, how are these two related?

===== What It Means to Be Born of God =====

To answer this we need to see what it means to be born of God. Verse 9 tells us: "No one born of God commits sin; for God's nature (literally: God's seed) abides in him and he cannot sin because he is born of God." Now anybody can sin who ''wants ''to sin. So when John says that a person born of God ''cannot'' sin, he must mean that a person born of God has new wants, new desires. It's like a birth; something new has come into existence. Paul calls it a new creation (Ephesians 2:10; 4:24). Jeremiah calls it a new heart (24:7). Ezekiel calls it a new spirit (36:26). Being born of God is being changed by God so that the dominion of sin is broken.

How is it broken? Verse 9 says that when a person is born of God, God's seed abides in him. That's why he cannot sin. The image is taken from ordinary human birth. When a father begets a child, the father's seed abides in the child. Something of the father is in the child and it makes him like his father. God's character is the very opposite of sin, therefore the child of God will be like his Father—he will not be able to sin.

===== Why John Isn't Teaching Sinless Perfection =====

I know this sounds like John is teaching sinless perfection. But there are several reasons we know he isn't. One is that the Greek verb "commit sin" or "sin" in verse 9 implies continuous action. It would be well translated, "No one born of God ''is content to keep sinning'', for God's seed abides in him, and he cannot ''be content to keep on sinning ''because he is born of God."

The most obvious reason (even if you don't know Greek) we know John isn't teaching sinless perfection is what he says in 1:8 and 10, "If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us . . . if we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us." So John goes so far as to tell Christians that it is a sin to say you are sinless.

===== The Christian Life Is Walking in the Light =====

Well, if a person who is born of God does not become sinlessly perfect in this life (3:2) and yet (as 3:9 says) ''cannot'' be content to go on sinning, what is the Christian life? How should we describe it?

1 John 1:7 gives a lot of help here. "If we ''walk in the light ''as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son ''cleanses us from all sin''." The blood of Jesus will cleanse you from all your sin,''if'' you walk in the light. So walking in the light is very different from walking in the dark, but it does ''not'' mean sinless perfection. Verse 7 teaches that if you walk in the light, the sins that you commit are cleansed—forgiven, swept away, blotted out—by the blood of Jesus.

Walking in the light doesn't mean that you are sinless; it means you see your sins now in God's light and respond to them the way God does. Verse 9 is a clear parallel to verse 7 and teaches this. "If we confess our sins (that corresponds to 'if we walk in the light'), he is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (that corresponds to 'the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin')." A person who walks in the light "confesses sin." That means he sees sin the way God does and agrees with God. He hates sin, he is sorry for sin, he turns and flees from known sin. When sin is pointed out in his life, he does not bristle with self-righteousness; he confesses, admits, repents.

Walking in the light means having your eyes opened to the truth about God and sin and Christ.

When the lights are off in a room, you might be there with a horrid black monster called sin, ready to devour you, and with a great knight in shining armor called Christ, ready to save you, but you can't see because you are in the dark. And in the dark the monster might have a warm, furry coat that feels attractive, and the armor of the knight might feel cold and forbidding.

But when the light goes on, you can see sin and Christ for what they really are: sin is a horrible destroyer and Christ is a glorious Savior. When the light goes on, sin doesn't drop dead. The battle begins in earnest. You see it the way God sees it and you hate it and you confess it and you fight it.

===== Summarizing the Argument =====

Now let's step back and see if we can gather up the loose ends of the argument. We're on the second question of the message. The first was: What did the Son of God come to destroy? Answer: the works of the devil, namely, sin or lawlessness or rebellion. He came to give us victory over sin in our lives. The second question was: How did Christ destroy the works of the devil? We saw two answers. First, he did it by appearing at Christmas as the Son of God, living, dying for our sins, and rising again. Second, he did it through the new birth. 1 John 3:9 says that when we are born of God, we cannot sin. But we saw that this does not mean sinless perfection in this life; it means that God works a change in us so that we can't be content to go on sinning.

Then we asked, How do these two ways of destroying the works of the devil relate to each other? How does the work of ''Christ in Palestine ''relate to the work of ''God in my heart''? Of you might ask it like this: How does the blood of Christ work together with the new birth to destroy the works of the devil in my life?

And we saw the answer in 1:7. "If we walk in the light as he is in the light . . . the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin." Here the two answers for how the works of the devil are destroyed come together. Coming into the light of God is what happens when you are born again. The new birth is the sovereign work of God in which he turns the light on in our heart so that we see things the way he does. We see God as awesome in holiness, sin as horrible in ugliness, and Christ as a beautiful Savior. We bow before God in worship, we confess and turn from sin, and we embrace Christ as our hope. And while we walk in that frame of mind (in the light), the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. The works of the devil are destroyed in our life. And Christmas is fulfilled.

===== The Answer to Question 2 =====

So what is the answer to question two? How are the works of the devil destroyed? Two stages: 1) The Son of God appeared and died for our sins so that they can be washed away and the devil can no longer accuse us or discourage us with them. 2) But in order to experience this salvation from sin we have to be born of God. We have to have the eyes of our hearts opened so that we come into the light and see things the way God does and agree with God about the beauty of his holiness and the ugliness of our sin and the surpassing value of Christ. When that happens, the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin and the works of the devil are destroyed.

I promised a third question but I've really already answered it.

==== 3. How Can We Participate Personally in the Victory of Christ? ====

Let me refer to one more verse and close with an illustration. 1 John 5:4 says, "Whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the ''victory'' that overcomes the world, our ''faith''." The way to participate personally in Christ's victory over the world and the works of the devil is by ''trusting'' him—believing he is the very Son of God, with all that implies about his power to work for your good.

===== A Personal Illustration =====

Advent is a hard time for me spiritually. When I was a student and taught school, it was a time of relief and rest. But now it is very pressured. I tend to get discouraged and have to fight against the works of the devil in my life. The way I fight is by focusing on a promise of God. Sometimes it happens in strange ways.

Last week I woke up discouraged one morning and could barely drag myself out of bed. Then the thought entered my head, "Today my printer may come." I had ordered a little dot-matrix printer to print out my sermons at home from the word processor. The thought that the printer might come today all of a sudden made me happy. The day seemed hopeful. I suppose it was like a kid feels the day before vacation. One possible bright spot conquered the gloom.

Then I went to my room to pray, and I read in Psalm 139, "Thy eyes beheld my unformed substance, in thy book was written every one of them, the days that were formed for me when as yet there was none of them." The truth hit me that God has made ''all ''my days. And he has promised to work everything together for my good. In his mercy every day brings experiences that are one hundred times more valuable than a printer. He designs all my days for my strengthening and joy. The battle is to believe him—to get up in the morning and meditate on the truth that God has planned a day full of unexpected printers, even if they are veiled in affliction or tragedy.

===== Encouragement for Christmas =====

So my encouragement to you this Christmas is that the Son of God appeared to destroy the works of the devil—our sins and lawlessness and rebellion. The way he did it was by dying for sin and through the new birth. The way we participate in this victory is by trusting in the promises of God to work all things together for our good.

May the Lord open our eyes to his glory and give us this faith.

The Risen Christ Satisfied with His Suffering

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:49:45 GMT

Greetje: The Risen Christ Satisfied with His Suffering moved to The Risen Christ: Satisfied with His Suffering

#REDIRECT [[The Risen Christ: Satisfied with His Suffering]]

The Risen Christ: Satisfied with His Suffering

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:49:45 GMT

Greetje: The Risen Christ Satisfied with His Suffering moved to The Risen Christ: Satisfied with His Suffering

{{info}}''Easter Sunday''
<blockquote>'''Isaiah 53:3-12'''</blockquote><blockquote>He was despised and forsaken of men, A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; And like one from whom men hide their face He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted. 5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, And by His scourging we are healed. 6 All of us like sheep have gone astray, Each of us has turned to his own way; But the Lord has caused the iniquity of us all To fall on Him. 7 He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered That He was cut off out of the land of the living For the transgression of my people, to whom the stroke was due? 9 His grave was assigned with wicked men, Yet He was with a rich man in His death, Because He had done no violence, Nor was there any deceit in His mouth. 10 But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief; If He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand. 11 As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors. </blockquote>
One of the great advantages of having the Old Testament and the New Testament in one Bible is that they give support to each other. Together they strengthen our faith that both are God's word.

So if you are Jewish or come from a Jewish background your confidence in the Old Testament – the Jewish Scriptures – may be strong. Yes, and with good reason. And so when you see the amazing fulfillments of the Old Testament in the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, and his teachings, and the movement of Christianity that he unleashes, your confidence in the New Testament is made stronger.

Or if you have never read a syllable of the Old Testament and hear the story of Jesus Christ and his life and teaching and death and resurrection and the movement he unleashed you may be overpowered by the truth and relevance and credibility of Christ and believe that he really is who he says he is and become a Christian. And then you discover that this Jesus embraces and endorses the whole Old Testament as true and reliable Scripture (as in Matthew 5:17 when he said, "Do not think that I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill."). And so your confidence in the Old Testament grows because of the New Testament.

And so it works all through the Christian life. The better you know Jesus Christ, the better you know the roots of his life and ministry in the Old Testament where God was at work to prepare for the coming of his Son into history. And the better you know the Old Testament, the better you know the meaning of Jesus Christ and what he came to fulfill that God had been planning for so long.

So this morning I thought it would deepen our understanding and strengthen our faith if we fixed our gaze on the resurrection of Jesus as it was described by the prophet Isaiah 700 years before it happened. Here in Isaiah 53 we will see the content and the confirmation of the resurrection of Christ – ''content'' because the precious meaning of it for our lives is opened to us; and ''confirmation'' because it was predicted 700 years before it happened.

==== The View of Islam ====

Don't miss the significance of this in a day when the question of Islam is much on people's mind. I had my first serious conversation with a well-trained Muslim about 20 years ago. I discovered for the first time that if you share the good news of the death and resurrection of Christ with a Muslim you will find out that Muslim's do not believe Jesus died on the cross for sinners and rose again but that there was a replacement on the cross, he escaped death and later was taken to heaven. The Q'ran, sura 4:156-157 says:

. . . and for their [the Jews'] saying: "We slew the Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, the Messenger of God" – yet they did not slay him, neither crucified him, only a likeness of that was shown to them. Those regarding him; they have no knowledge of him, except the following of surmise; and they slew him not of a certainty – no indeed; God raised him up to Him; God is all-mighty, All-wise.

Therefore Muslims in general believe that the central message of the New Testament and of Biblical Christianity is built on a mistake: Christ did not die, and Christ did not rise. Therefore the very heart of Christianity is false.

There are significant historical reasons why the Islamic reconstruction of the life of Jesus is not true. But here's the point in taking our text from Isaiah 53 this morning. This chapter was not written by Christians ''after'' Christ's coming, trying to distort or failing to understand what really happened on Good Friday and Easter. This chapter was written by a Jewish prophet 700 years before Christ came. And what he saw in the future was not a Messiah who escapes death and resurrection, but a Messiah who dies – and dies explicitly in the place of sinners – and then rises again to make intercession for his redeemed and forgiven and justified people for ever.

So let's go to Isaiah 53:3-12 and see the prophecy that the Servant of the Lord (52:13; 53:11), the Messiah, would die and would rise again, and that this death and resurrection are planned by God and necessary. And as we look at this, keep in mind, it has to do with you here and now and for the rest of your life and eternity. What becomes clear from this chapter and from its fulfillment in the New Testament is that your sins can be forgiven, you can be declared righteous before God, and you can have eternal life with the risen Christ in everlasting joy.

==== The Promised Servant of the Lord Was to Die ====

First, let's notice that the promised Servant of the Lord was to die and why.

The death is made explicit in verses 8, 9, and 12. First verse 8. After verse 7 says he was led "like a lamb to the slaughter," verse 8 says that the slaughter actually was successful: "By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people?" He was "''cut off out of the land of the living''." He was killed. It was execution, not accidental.

Then verse 9 makes the death clear by referring to his burial: "''And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death'', although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth." He died and he was buried, and if we had time we could draw out the details of fulfillment in the life of Jesus here in relation to where and how he was buried. But I focus now simply on the fact that the death of God's redeeming Servant is predicted clearly.

One more confirmation from verse 12: "Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, ''because he poured out his soul to death''."

==== Ten Statements of Why God Planned for His Holy Servant to Die ====

Now, why did he die? Ten times we are told why. I will let the words of scripture have their own multiplying effect by just saying them to you, without comment on each one. Ten times. Before I mention them notice verse 10, "But the Lord was pleased To crush Him, putting Him to grief." This death is not a historical accident. It is the purpose and plan of God. So as we hear these ten statements of why he died, keep in mind: these are God's purposes, not human accidents. And if you will receive it, they are God's love to you. Here they are. Ten statements why God planned for his holy Servant to die:

1. Verse 4: "Surely our griefs He Himself bore."

2. Verse 4: " . . . And our sorrows He carried."

3. Verse 5: "But He was pierced through for our transgressions."

4. Verse 5: "He was crushed for our iniquities."

5. Verse 5: "The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him."

6. Verse 5: "And by His scourging we are healed."

7. Verse 6: "The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

8. Verse 8: "[He was] stricken for the transgression of my people."

9. Verse 11: "He will bear their iniquities."

10. Verse 12: "He bore the sin of many."

If you are here this morning and you have ever asked, What is the essence of Christianity? What's at the heart and center of it all? Here is the answer. Let's use the words of verse 6: All humans have gone astray. All of us have turned to our own way. This is called sin. Turning from God and making ourselves our own master and our own treasure.

But God was not willing to leave us in this guilty and condemned condition. He planned from ages past to send a Suffering Servant, not mainly to model love for us, but to bear our sins as a substitute for us. "The Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." This is the heart of Christianity. Jesus Christ came into the world to fulfill this prophecy – yes, many others to be sure, but this one is central and basic. He came to die. He came to die in our place. He came to die for our sins. This is our only hope. And the New Testament is all about how this happened and how it affects our lives now and in the ages to come. I urge you to pursue the knowledge of these things with all your heart and all your mind.

==== The Redeeming Servant of the Lord Was to Rise ====

Now what about the resurrection? Let's look at the resurrection of the redeeming Servant of the Lord in these words written 700 years before it happened. At least three times Isaiah tells us that the sacrifice that the servant made in dying results in a resurrection triumph. He does not use the word "resurrection," but the reality is plain.

First, verse 10b: "If He would render Himself as a guilt offering [which he ''did''] . . ." now three things will result: "(1) He will see His offspring, (2) He will prolong His days, (3) And the good pleasure of the Lord will prosper in His hand." In other words, if he dies for others as a guilt offering – as a substitute – 1) he will live to see his offspring – those whom he has saved by dying for them – and 2) he will live for a long time ("prolong his days"), by implication, forever since when death is conquered it can't defeat you again (Romans 6:9); and 3) God's great purposes will triumph in his hands – he will take the scroll of history and unroll it as the Lord of heaven and earth (Revelation 5:5). This is a picture of the Messiah who was dead and is alive and victorious forever as the Lord of all those who receive his salvation.

Then verse 11. Again triumph comes from death. "As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, As He will bear their iniquities." Again three results from his dying for sinners: 1) He sees the fruit of his death and is satisfied. He is not dead. He is living and satisfied. His work is complete, and he is glad. He is alive and satisfied. 2) He justifies many – all those who trust in him. If you trust him, you are declared just and righteous before God. That is what "justify" means. A dead Christ does not justify. A living Christ justifies. 3) "He will bear their iniquities." Yes, he bore these iniquities when he died. But he goes on making intercession and bears them forever in the sense that as long as he lives it is plain that his death was utterly sufficient to pay for all your sins.

He is satisfied. We are justified. And all our sins are carried by another forever. We will never bear them again.

Finally, verse 12. God speaks. "Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; ''Because ''[there is the third statement that this resurrection existence is because of his obedient death for sinners] He poured out Himself to death." In other words, after he pours out himself to death he lives and divides the booty with the strong – as though his death were a great triumph in war with much booty.

==== He Will See It and Be Satisfied, among His Offspring ====

Let's end on this note. The resurrection of Jesus did not happen for his sake alone. It was for his sake! O yes! And we would not have it any other way. Let him be honored for his great work of salvation on the cross! Verse 11: "He will see it and''be satisfied''." Christ was raised from the dead for HIS satisfaction.

But what is the Son satisfied with? Verse 11 says, literally "He will see [it and] be satisfied." Verse 10 says, "He will see his offspring." I conclude that part of Jesus' satisfaction in the resurrection is looking out on a great assembly of people from every race and tribe and language and nation who have trusted him and been forgiven and justified. And with tremendous joy he walks among them now and in the ages to come – a people "great" and "strong" (verse 12). And he divides the spoil of his triumphs with them all. This is what he loves to do. This is his satisfaction. He delights to save. He loves to bring people from death to life so they can enjoy his majesty forever.

In just a moment we are going to sing two songs. One is "Crowns Him with Many Crowns" and the other is "Victory in Jesus." One rivets our attention on the Majesty of Christ the risen Lamb upon the throne. The other catches us up into the victory and celebrates our salvation: "He sought and he bought me with his own precious blood." That's exactly the way it should be: Exult in your salvation and make much of Christ in his majesty.

But first: Are you his? You can be. You can belong to that great and strong people, even though you feel utterly unworthy. That is the whole point of the death of Christ. He died in our place. And all who trust him as the Savior and Lord and Treasure of your life will be forgiven and justified and live forever with him. I urge you to say "no" to all that pulls you away and say "yes" to Jesus Christ.

The Risen Christ: Satisfied with His Suffering

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:49:13 GMT

Greetje:

The Reformed Faith and Racial Harmony

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:41:42 GMT

Greetje:

{{info}}''Racial Harmony Sunday''
<blockquote>'''Romans 3:28'''</blockquote><blockquote>For we hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also? Yes, of Gentiles also, since God is one. He will justify the circumcised by faith and the uncircumcised through faith. </blockquote>
My main point today is that ''the more you understand and the more you cherish the biblical vision of God as absolutely free and gracious and sovereign over all things, the more you will love and live and labor for racial diversity and racial harmony''.

A year ago at this time I was wrestling to put into words my understanding of how "the soul dynamic" of the African-American experience relates to a biblical vision of the Sovereignty of God. The upshot of that wrestling was the message I gave to the Pastor’s Conference. The term "soul dynamic" was coined by Carl Ellis in his book, Free at Last (InterVarsity, 1996), p. 266. You can see what that means and how I wove the two together by getting that message from Desiring God.

What I want to do this morning is continue that effort to think biblically about the relationship between racial harmony and the biblical vision of God in the Reformed Faith. I believe what I will say relates to all ethnic groups and the tensions that sometimes rise between them. But I admit that my focus is mainly on the historic and ever-present and unique and critical issue of black-white relations (which are even now in the news again, because of the President’s weighing in on the University of Michigan’s admission policies and Codoleezza Rice’s subsequent comments). It is ever present – if not explicitly, then just beneath the surface. If you don’t feel that, its because you are part of the majority culture so that it never enters your mind that someone might treat you differently because of your race.

==== Our Prayer ====

My prayer this morning is that you would see racial harmony, and what it costs to pursue it, as a necessary fruit of embracing the biblical vision of God expressed in the Reformed Faith. In other words, I pray that you will love the God of the Bible and labor for racial diversity and racial harmony and racial justice – that is, labor for love.

Pastor Sherard’s article in this weeks STAR got it exactly right. Among the many powerful things he said there was this crucial prayer:
<blockquote>My prayer for us at Bethlehem is that we will love racial harmony because we love the gospel and that we strive to be known as a gospel centered church that exalts the glory of God and the person of Christ and who, as a result of gospel passions, reflect the multicolored wisdom of God. He is faithful and He, by sovereign design, will do it!" </blockquote>
In other words, racial harmony has roots in the gospel and in the sovereignty of God. That is why it matters. Where it doesn’t flourish, the cross of Christ is dishonored and the sovereignty of God is obscured.

==== The Reformed Faith ====

What I mean by the Reformed Faith is the biblical vision of God and his ways recovered in the Reformation under leaders like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and Ulrich Zwingli. I don’t mean that all these men taught was true. Only the Bible is perfectly true. I mean that all these men saw the same thing at the center of the Bible and spoke it with power. We see the same things in the Bible and so we believe them and love them. Being biblical is more important than being Reformed. But at the center, being Reformed is being biblical.

One way to describe the Reformed Faith is with the five "alones." Salvation is by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone, to the glory of God alone, on the authority of Scripture alone. At the center of these "alones" is the precious teaching of justification by faith alone. That is not my focus this morning, but I don’t want you to miss its relevance for racial harmony. Listen to the way Paul draws this out in Romans 3:28-30:
<blockquote>We hold that one is justified by faith apart from works of the law. 29 Or is God he God of Jews [one ethnic group] only? Is he not the God of Gentiles also [all ethnic groups]? Yes, of Gentiles also, 30 since God is one. He will justify the circumcised by faith [Jewish ethnic group] and the uncircumcised through faith [the rest of the ethnic groups]. </blockquote>
In other words, the fact that there is one God who justifies human beings in his court in one way – by faith alone – is made a race issue by Paul. Justification is by faith alone precisely, Paul says, to nullify ethnic advantages and feelings of superiority or exclusion. "Is he not the God of the nations!" Yes, and he will justify in only one way – a way that makes clear that ethnic distinctions do not create advantages or disadvantages. They do not save and they do not damn. Christ saves. Sin damns. And everyone is justified by faith alone.

But my focus today is on another way of summing up the biblical vision of God and his ways in the Reformed Faith. At the heart of the Reformed Faith are what we sometimes call the doctrines of grace. Sometimes we sum these up in the acronym TULIP: total depravity, unconditional election, limited atonement, irresistible grace, perseverance of the saints. I said that my main point is that the more you understand and''the more you cherish the biblical vision of God as absolutely free and gracious and sovereign over all things, the more'' ''you will love and live and labor for racial diversity and racial harmony''. When I said that I had in mind this vision of God – the one expressed in these five biblical "doctrines of grace."

So let me take them one at a time and give some biblical basis and then mention how they relate to racial diversity and racial harmony.

==== Total Depravity ====

The Bible teaches that, since the original sin of Adam, all humans are spiritually dead and morally incapable of submitting to God in faith and obedience. We have a mindset that "cannot submit to God." Romans 8:7-8, "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God." The reason for this moral inability is given in Ephesians 2:1, "You were dead through your trespasses and sins." The natural person – the way we are by nature – apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, does not see the truth as true and desirable, but considers it foolishness. So he cannot embrace it as true and precious. 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned."

The implications of this doctrine for racial harmony are huge. Most often Christians celebrate the great positive common denominator among races, namely, that we are all created equally in the image of God (Genesis 1:27; 5:1; 9:6; James 3:9). That is true and powerful and relevant. But there is a problem if we treat that doctrine in isolation. The problem is: we are not good enough to hear it and make good use of it.

If you convince a sinful, depraved, unrepentant, unregenerate person that he is created in the image of God, you will probably fuel his innate pride. And that pride will so distort a person’s view of reality he will easily convince himself that he is above others. What is desperately needed is another conviction – no less strong, but shattering to pride – namely, the conviction that all human beings, including me, are corrupt, depraved, guilty, condemned, and under the just sentence of hell where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth: red and yellow, black and white.

The ethnic diversity of hell is a crucial doctrine. Romans 2:9 puts it like this: "There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek." God is no respecter of persons in salvation or in damnation. The human race – and every ethnic group in it – are united in this great reality: we are all depraved and condemned. We are all lost in the woods together, sinking on the same boat, dying of the same disease.

If we saw this more clearly, two things would happen. We would be humbled and frightened and made desperate like a little child to find a Savior. I have never seen a white-hooded Klansman or a Farrakhan follower who was brokenhearted for his sin, humble, and desperate for a Savior. The other thing that would happen if we saw how united we are in sin is that the sins of others would look like the outworkings of our own hearts, and we would be slow to judge and quick to show mercy.

The doctrine of total depravity has a huge role to play in humbling all ethnic groups and giving us a desperate camaraderie of condemnation.

==== Unconditional Election ====

This is the doctrine that we have seen most clearly in our study of Romans 9. God chooses his people before the foundation of the world apart from any conditions in them. It is unconditional. This does not mean we don’t have to believe on Christ to be saved. Nor does it mean we will be condemned apart from sin and guilt. We are saved by faith. And we are condemned because of sin and unbelief. What it does mean is this: who believes and is saved, and who rebels and is not saved, is ultimately decided by God.

Acts 13:48 puts it like this after Paul’s sermon in Antioch of Pisidia: "When the Gentiles heard this they were glad and glorified the word of God. And as many as were for ordained to eternal life believed." First comes God’s sovereign "purpose according to election" as Paul says in Romans 9:11, then comes faith. So the "purpose that accords with election" is not conditional on faith or any other human decision or feeling or behavior or distinctive. It is unconditional. God is free and unconstrained by anything outside his own will when he elects his people.

This means that God does not choose his people on the basis of skin color or any other ethnic distinctive. No ethnic group can say they are chosen because of God’s preference for their physical or psychological or spiritual qualities. And no ethnic group can say that they are not chosen because of their qualities. God’s choice is unconditional. It is not based on anything in us. He is absolutely free and unconstrained. This is his glory, his name. And acting this way is his righteousness.

Therefore unconditional election severs the deepest root of all racism and all ethnocentrism. If I am among God’s elect, it is owing entirely to God’s free grace, not my distinctives. Therefore there is no ground in God’s election for pride. And there is no ground in God’s election for despair. Nothing in me caused him to choose me. And nothing in you could have stopped him from choosing you. When it comes to election, we are on the absolutely level field of unconditional mercy: "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion" (Romans 9:15).

==== Limited Atonement (Definite Atonement, Particular Redemption) ====

The main point of the doctrine of limited atonement is not to assert that Christ did not die for everyone in the sense that John 3:16 says he did: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." That is absolutely true: Christ died so that whoever believes in him will have eternal life. Christ’s death is sufficient for all, and should be offered to all as gloriously sufficient to save them if they will believe. "Limited atonement" does not deny any of that.

What it denies is that God’s design in the atonement is the same for everyone. It affirms that Christ dies for his bride in a way that is different from the way he dies for all people. Ephesians 5:25 says, "Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her." In other words, Christ died for the church, his bride, with the sovereign purpose that he would accomplish her salvation in the cross. He would purify her and purchase her. He was dying not just to create an opportunity for her to believe, but to purchase the belief itself. His death was not just sufficient for the salvation of the church. It was efficient, effective, and decisive for the salvation of the church. Jesus says, "I lay down my life for the sheep" (John 10:15). "I am praying for them. I am not praying for the world but for those whom you [Father] have given me, for they are yours" (John 17:9). "And for their sake I consecrate myself [to die], that they also may be sanctified in truth" (John 17:19).

And Paul carried this understanding of Christ’s work through when he said in Romans 8:32-33, "He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how shall he not with him freely give us all things? Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect?" In other words, all those for whom he died will most certainly obtain all things – they will finally inherit the kingdom of God. His death is effectual for the elect.

Which means that no person, no matter what ethnic group, ever made any contribution to the ransom that frees him from the slavery of sin. We are all equally slaves to sin and corruption and futility and death and condemnation because of our depravity. That is our common slavery. We saw that. Now we see that the payment for our liberation – the blood and righteousness of Christ – is so complete that we could not and did not make any contribution to it – whether by our willing, or running, or ethnic distinctives. When Christ died in our place and for our sins, the whole ransom was paid. So fully paid, in fact, that our freedom was not just offered but secured, guaranteed.

The cross of Christ is a great leveler of human beings not just because it shows that we are all desperate sinners, and not just because it can only be received by faith, but also because it is such a full and effective ransom for the elect that no child of God dare ever think that we made any contribution to purchase. No color, no ethnicity, no intelligence, no skill, no human wealth or power can add anything to the all-sufficient, all-effective sacrifice of Christ. We are one in our utter dependence on his blood and righteousness.

==== Irresistible Grace ====

Just as the cross is effective in purchasing the elect, so that grace of God is effective in drawing the elect to believe and be saved. Irresistible grace does not mean you can’t resist the grace of God when he is drawing you to himself. It means that when he chooses to, he can and will overcome your resistance. He may allow resistance for a long time (Acts 7:51). Recall how Paul said that God set him apart before he was born (Galatians 1:15). But think of all the persecution that God tolerated in Paul before he decided to move in power and take him captive on the Damascus road (Acts 9:1-20).

Irresistible grace simply means that, since no human being can submit to God because of our hardness of heart and rebellion and spiritual deadness, the only way any of us is saved is by sovereign grace. Jesus said, "No one comes to me unless the Father draws him" (John 6:44). "No one can come to me unless it is granted to him by my Father" (John 6:65). We are saved by grace through faith, Paul said, and that is not of ourselves it is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9). Our faith is a gift from God. And so is repentance: 2 Timothy 2:25, "God may perhaps grant them repentance."

This means that not only did your ethnic distinctives contribute nothing to your election, and nothing to your ransom by the cross, but your ethnic distinctives also contributed nothing to the rise of your faith and the emergence of your repentance. We are all equally dependent on irresistible grace to be called and to believe and to be saved.

Not only that but irresistible grace also means that there is no scoundrel – no racist, no black or white or brown or red or yellow arrogance that God cannot overcome and subdue and bring to humble repentance and faith and everlasting holiness and joy. We are comrades in dependence on irresistible grace, and comrades in hope that none of us are too far gone in our racial sins to be saved.

==== Perseverance of the Saints ====

This simply means that those whom God calls, he keeps. If you are a true believer, you will persevere in faith and obedience (not perfection) to the end and be saved. God will see to it. "Those whom he predestined he also called and those whom he called he also justified and those whom he justified he also glorified" (Romans 8:30). "My sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me; and I give them eternal life and they shall never perish, and no one shall snatch them out of my hand" (John 10:27-29). "I am sure that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Christ Jesus" (Philippians 1:6; see 1 Corinthians 1:8; 1 Thessalonians 5:23f).

What does this mean for racial harmony? I pick out one implication. If the pursuit of racial harmony is woven into the very fabric of God’s sovereign grace, and if therefore pursuing racial harmony is part of what it means to be a Christian, then the promise of perseverance is a promise to keep us pursuing till we die or Jesus comes.

This is utterly crucial, and crucial to believe. Because of all the issues, even abortion which we will address next week, this one we are tempted to abandon more often because of we get wounded along the way. If you have a thin skin, or if you have a bigger sense of rights than mercies, or if you have small faith in God’s persevering grace, you will set out on the road of racial harmony and then quit. Because you are going to be criticized. You will try to say something or do something and the first thing you hear is: you said it wrong, or you should have said it a long time ago, or you should have also said such and such, or it was not the time to say anything.

What will you do when that happens? I pray that you will persevere. I pray that you will ponder your own sin, your own unconditional election, your ransom by the blood of Christ, your own miraculous and merciful awakening to faith, and the promise of God to complete the word that he has begun – and then press on in what you know is right, and show that Christ is your comfort in life and death.

Take heart and inspiration from people like John Perkins who left Mississippi when he was 17 after his brother was murdered, vowing never to return. But after he was converted to Christ in 1960 he went back and has been fighting for racial harmony for over 40 years. He wrote in the foreword to Dwight Perry’s book, ''Building Unity in the Church of the New Millenium ''(Moody, 2002), that he had seen in this book what he wanted to see and said, "I can almost say as Simeon said when he saw the child Jesus, "Now may this old man depart in peace" (p. 20).

Get old in the pursuit of Biblical truth, persevering obedience, and racial harmony.

The Meanings of Love in the Bible

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 05:06:24 GMT

Greetje:

{{info}}Love in the Bible, as in our everyday usage, can be directed from person to person or from a person to things. When directed toward things, love means enjoying or taking pleasure in those things. Love towards persons is more complex. As with things, loving persons may mean simply enjoying them and taking pleasure in their personalities, looks, achievements, etc. But there is another aspect of interpersonal love that is very important in the Bible. There is the aspect of love for persons who are not attractive or virtuous or productive. In this case, love is not a delight in what a person is, but a deeply felt commitment to helping him be what he ought to be. As we will see, the love for things and both dimensions of the love for persons are richly illustrated in the Bible.

As we examine the Old Testament and the New Testament in turn, our focus will be on God’s love, then on man’s love for God, man’s love for man and man’s love for things.

==== '''Love in the Old Testament''' ====

Jesus said that the greatest commandment in the Old Testament was, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind” (Matthew 22:36ff; Deuteronomy 6:5). The second commandment was, “Love your neighbor as yourself” (Matthew 22:39; Leviticus 18:19). Then he said, “On these two commandments hang all the law and prophets” (Matthew 22:40). This must mean that if a person understood and obeyed these two commandments, he would understand and fulfill what the whole Old Testament was trying to teach. Everything in the Old Testament, when properly understood, aims basically to transform men and women into people who fervently love God and their neighbor.

==== '''God’s Love''' ====

You can tell what a person loves by what he devotes himself to most passionately. What a person values most is reflected in his actions and motivations. It is plain in the Old Testament that God’s highest value, his greatest love, is his own name. From the beginning of Israel’s history to the end of the Old Testament era God was moved by this great love. He says through Isaiah that he created Israel “for his glory” (Isaiah 43:7): “You are my servant Israel in whom I will be glorified” (Isaiah 49:3).

Thus when God delivered Israel from bondage in Egypt and preserved them in the wilderness it was because he was acting for his own name’s sake, “that it should not be profaned in the sight of the nations” (Ezekiel 20:9, 14, 22; cf Exodus 14:4). And when God drove out the other nations from the Promised Land of Canaan, he was “making himself a name” (2 Samuel 7:23). Then finally at the end of the Old Testament era, after Israel had been taken into captivity in Babylon, God plans to have mercy and save his people. He says, “For my name’s sake I defer my anger, for the sake of my praise I restrain it for you…For my own sake, for my own sake, I do it, for how should my name be profaned? My glory I will not give to another” (Isaiah 48:9, 11 cf. Ezekiel 36:22, 23, 32). From these texts we can see how much God loves his own glory and how deeply committed he is to preserving the honor of his name.

This is not evil of God. On the contrary, his very righteousness depends on his maintaining a full allegiance to the infinite value of his glory. This is seen in the parallel phrases of Psalm 143:11, “''For thy name’s sake'', O Lord, preserve my life! ''In thy righteousness'', bring me out of trouble.” God would cease to be righteous if he ceased to love his own glory on which his people bank all their hope.

Since God delights so fully in his glory—the beauty of his moral perfection—it is to be expected that he delights in the reflections of this glory in the world. He loves righteousness and justice (Psalm 11:7; 33:5; 37:28; 45:7; 99:4; Isaiah 61:8); he “delights in truth in the inward parts” (Psalm 51:6); he loves his sanctuary where he is worshipped (Malachi 2:11) and Zion, the “city of God” (Psalm 87:2, 3).

But above all in the Old Testament, God’s love for his own glory involves him in an eternal commitment to the people of Israel. The reason this is so is that an essential aspect of God’s glory is his sovereign freedom in choosing to bless the undeserving. Having freely chosen to establish a covenant with Israel, God glorifies himself in maintaining a loving commitment to this people. The relationship between God’s love and his election of Israel is seen in the following texts.

When Moses wanted to see God’s glory, God responded that he would proclaim his glorious name to him. An essential aspect of God’s name, his identity, was then given in the words “I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will show mercy on whom I will show mercy” (Exodus 33:18, 19). In other words, God’s sovereign freedom in dispensing mercy on whomever he pleases is integral to his very being as God. It is important to grasp this self-identification because it is the basis of the covenant established with Israel on Mount Sinai. God’s love for Israel is not a dutiful divine response to a covenant; rather, the covenant is a free and sovereign expression of divine mercy or love. We read in Exodus 34:6-7 how God identified himself more fully before he reconfirms the covenant (Exodus 34:10): “The Lord … proclaimed, ‘The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin …’”

Thus the Mosaic Covenant, as with God’s oath to the patriarchs earlier (Deuteronomy 4:37; 10:15), was rooted in God’s free and gracious love. It is wrong, therefore, to say that the Mosaic Law is any more contrary to grace and faith than are the commands of the New Testament. The Mosaic Covenant demanded a lifestyle consistent with the merciful covenant God had established, but it also provided forgiveness for sins and thus did not put a man under a curse for a single failure. The relationship which God established with Israel and the love he had for her was likened to that between a husband and a wife: “When I passed by you again and looked upon you, behold, you were at the age for love; and I spread my skirt over you, and covered your nakedness: yea, I plighted my troth to you and entered into a covenant with you,” says the Lord God, “and you became mine.” This is why Israel’s later idolatry is sometimes called adultery, because she goes after other gods (Ezekiel 23; 16:15; Hosea 3:1). But in spite of Israel’s repeated unfaithfulness to God, he declares, “I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore, I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jeremiah 31:3; cf. Hosea 2:16-20; Isaiah 54:8).

At other times, God’s love to his people is likened to a father for a son or a mother to her child: “I will make them walk by brooks of water, in a straight path in which they shall not stumble; for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my first-born” (Jeremiah 31:9, 20). “Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15; 66:13).

However, the love of God for Israel did not exclude severe judgment upon Israel when it lapsed into unbelief. The destruction of the Northern Kingdom by Assyria in 722 B.C. (2 Kings 18:9, 10) and the captivity of the Southern Kingdom in Babylon in the years following 586 B.C. (2 Kings 25:8-11) show that God would not tolerate the unfaithfulness of his people. “The Lord reproves him whom he loves, as a father the son in whom he delights” (Proverbs 3:12). In fact, the Old Testament closes with many of God’s promises unfulfilled. The question of how God’s undying love for Israel will express itself in the future is picked up in the New Testament by Paul. See especially Romans 11.

God’s relationship to Israel as a nation did not mean that he had no dealings with individuals, nor did his treatment of the nation as a whole prevent him from making distinctions among individuals. Paul taught in Romans 9:6-13 and 11:2-10 that already in the Old Testament “not all Israel was Israel.” In other words, the promises of God’s love to Israel did not apply without distinction to all individual Israelites. This will help us understand such texts as the following: “The way of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, but he loves him who pursues righteousness” (Proverbs 15:9). “The Lord loves those who hate evil” (Psalm 97:10). “The Lord loves the righteous” (Psalm 146:8). “His delight is not in the strength of the horse, nor his pleasure in the legs of a man; but the Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his steadfast love” (Psalm 147:10, 11; 103:13).

In these texts, God’s love is not directed equally toward all. In its full saving effect, the love of God is enjoyed only by “those who hope in his steadfast love.” This does not mean that God’s love is no longer free and unmerited. For on the one hand, the very disposition to fear God and obediently hope in him is a gift of God (Deuteronomy 29:4; Psalm 119:36) and on the other hand, the appeal of the saint who hopes in God is not to his own merit, but to God’s faithfulness to the lowly who have no strength and can only trust in mercy (Psalm 143:2, 8, 11). Therefore, as in the New Testament (John 14:21, 23; 16:27), the full enjoyment of God’s love is conditional upon an attitude appropriate for receiving it, namely, a humble reliance upon God’s mercy: “''Trust'' in the Lord and he will act” (Psalm 37:5).'

==== '''Man’s Love for God''' ====

Another way to describe the stance which a person must assume in order to receive the fullness of God’s loving help is that the person must love God. “The Lord preserves all who love him; but all the wicked he will destroy” (Psalm 145:20). “Let all who take refuge in thee rejoice, let them ever sing for joy; and do thou defend them, that those who love thy name may exult in thee” (Psalm 5:11; cf. Isaiah 56:6, 7; Psalm 69:36). “Turn to me and be gracious to me as is your way with those who love you” (Psalm 119:132).

These texts are simply an outworking in the life of the stipulations laid down in the Mosaic Covenant (the Abrahamic covenant had its conditions too, though love is not mentioned explicitly: Genesis 18:19; 22:16-18; 26:5). God said to Moses, “I am a jealous God, showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:6; Deuteronomy 5:10; Nehemiah 1:5; Daniel 9:4). Since loving God was the first and all-embracing condition of the covenant promise, it became the first and great commandment in the law: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord; and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5).

This love is not a service done for God to earn his benefits. That is unthinkable: “For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty and terrible God who is not partial and takes no bribe” (Deuteronomy 10:17). It is not a work done for God, but rather a happy and admiring acceptance of His commitment to work for those who trust him (Psalm 37:5; Isaiah 64:4). Thus the Mosaic Covenant begins with a declaration which holds great promise for Israel: “I am the Lord your God who brought you out of the land of Egypt” (Exodus 20:2). The command to love God is a command to delight in him and to admire him above all else and to be content with his commitment to work mightily for his people. Thus, unlike God’s love for Israel, Israel’s love for God was a ''response'' to what he had done and would do on her behalf (cf. Deuteronomy 10:20-11:1). The response character of man’s love for God is seen as well in Joshua 23:11 and Psalm 116:1. In its finest expressions, it became the all-consuming passion of life (Psalm 73:21-26).'

==== '''Man’s Love for Man''' ====

If a person admires and worships God and finds fulfillment by taking refuge in his merciful care, then his behavior toward his fellow man will reflect the love of God. The second great commandment of the Old Testament, as Jesus called it (Matthew 22:39), comes from Leviticus 19:18, “You shall not take vengeance or bear any grudge against the sons of your people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord.” The term “neighbor” here probably means fellow-Israelite. But in Leviticus 19:34 God says, “The stranger who sojourns with you shall be to you as a native among you and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God.”

We can understand the motivation of love here if we cite a close parallel in Deuteronomy 10:18, 19, “God executes justice for the fatherless and the widow and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt.” This is a close parallel to Leviticus 19:34, because both refer to Israel’s sojourn in Egypt and both command love for the sojourner. But most important, the words “I am the Lord your God” in Leviticus 19:34 are replaced in Deuteronomy 10:12-22 with a description of God’s love, justice and mighty deeds for Israel. The Israelites are to show the same love to the sojourners as God has shown them. Similarly, Leviticus 19 begins with the command, “You shall be holy for I, the Lord your God, am holy.” Then the phrase, “I am the Lord,” is repeated fifteen times in chapter 19 after the individual commands. So the intention of the chapter is to give specific instances of how to be holy as God is holy. Seen in the wider context of Deuteronomy 10:12-22, this means that a person’s love for his fellow man should spring from God’s love and thus reflect his character.

We should notice that the love commanded here relates to both outward deeds and inward attitudes. “You shall not hate your brother ''in your heart''” (Leviticus 19:17). “You shall not take vengeance (deed) or bear any grudge (attitude)” (Leviticus 19:18). And to love your neighbor as ''yourself'' does not mean to have a positive self-image or high self-esteem. It means using the same zeal, ingenuity and perseverance to pursue your neighbor’s happiness as you do your own. For other texts on self-love see Proverbs 19:8; 1 Samuel 18:1, 20:17.

If love among men is to reflect God’s love, it will have to include the love of enemies, at least to some degree. For God’s love to Israel was free, unmerited and slow to anger, forgiving many sins that created enmity between him and his people (Exodus 34:6, 7). And his mercy extended beyond the bounds of Israel (Genesis 12:2, 3; 18:18; Jonah 4:2). Therefore, we find instructions to love the enemy. “If you meet your enemy’s ox or ass going astray, you shall bring it back to him. If you see the ass of one who hates you lying under its burden, you shall not leave him with it, you shall help him lift it up” (Exodus 23:4, 5). “Do not rejoice when your enemy falls” (Proverbs 24:17). “If your enemy is hungry, give him bread to eat” (Proverbs 25:21). See also Proverbs 24:29; 1 Kings 3:10; Job 31:29, 30; 2 Kings 6:21-23.

But this enemy-love must be qualified in two ways: First, in the Old Testament, God’s way of working in the world had a political dimension which it does not have today. His people were a distinct ethnic and political group and God was their law-giver, their king and their warrior in a very direct way. Thus, for example, when God decided to punish the Canaanites for their idolatry he used his people to drive them out (Deuteronomy 20:18). This act by Israel cannot be called love for their enemies (cf. Deuteronomy 7:1, 2; 25:17-19; Exodus 34:12). We should probably think of such events as special instances in redemptive history in which God uses his people to execute his vengeance (Deuteronomy 32:35; Joshua 23:10) on a wicked nation. Such instances should not be used today to justify personal vindictiveness or holy wars, since God’s purposes in the world today are not accomplished through an ethnic political group on par with Israel in the Old Testament.

The second qualification of the enemy-love is required by the psalms in which the psalmist declares his hate for men who defy God, “who lift themselves up against thee for evil! Do I not loathe them that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred; I count them my enemies.” (Psalm 139:19-22). The psalmist’s hate is based on their defiance against God and is conceived as virtuous alignment with God’s own hate of evildoers (Psalm 5:4-6; 11:5; 31:6; Proverbs 3:32; 6:16; Hosea 9:15). But as strange as it may seem, this hate does not necessarily result in vengeance. The psalmist leaves that in God’s hands and even treats these hated ones kindly. This is seen in Psalm 109:4, 5 and 35:1, 12-14.

There may be two ways to justify this hate. On the one hand, it could sometimes represent a strong aversion toward the ill will that seeks the destruction of person. On the other hand, where there is a will for destruction expressed, it may represent the God-given certainty that the evil person is beyond repentance with no hope of salvation and therefore under the just sentence of God expressed by the psalmist (compare 1 John 5:16).

Besides these more religious dimensions of love, the Old Testament is rich with illustrations and instructions for love between father and son (Genesis 22:2; 37:3; Proverbs 13:24), mother and son (Genesis 25:28), wife and husband (Judges 14:16; Ecclesiastes 9:9; Genesis 24:67; 29:18, 30, 32; Proverbs 5:19), lovers (1 Samuel 18:20; 2 Samuel 13:1), slaves and masters (Exodus 21:5; Deuteronomy 15:16), the king and his subjects (1 Samuel 18:22), a people and their hero (1 Samuel 18:28), friends (1 Samuel 18:1; 20:17; Proverbs 17:17; 27:6), daughter-in-law and mother-in-law (Ruth 4:15). Especially worthy of note is the Song of Solomon, which expresses the wholesome delight in the sexual fulfillment of love between a man and a woman.'

==== '''Man’s Love for Things''' ====

There are a few instances in the Old Testament of simple, everyday love of things: Isaac loved a certain meat (Genesis 27:4); Uzziah loved the soil (2 Chronicles 26:10); many love life (Psalm 34:12). But usually when love is not directed toward persons it is directed to virtues or vices. For the most part, this sort of love is simply an inevitable fruit of one’s love for God or rebellion against God.

On the positive side, there is love for God’s commandments (Psalm 112:1; 119:35, 47), his law (Psalm 119:97), his will (Psalm 40:8), his promise (Psalm 119:140) and his salvation (Psalm 40:16). Men are to love the good and hate evil (Amos 5:15), love truth and peace (Zechariah 8:19) and love mercy (Micah 6:8) and wisdom (Proverbs 4:6). On the negative side, we find people loving evil (Micah 3:2), lying and false prophecy (Psalm 4:2; 52:3, 4; Zechariah. 8:17; Jeremiah 5:31; 14:10), idols (Hosea 9:1, 10; Jeremiah 2:25), oppression (Hosea 12:7), cursing (Psalm 109:17), laziness (Proverbs 20:13), foolishness (Proverbs 1:22), violence (Psalm 11:5) and bribery (Isaiah 1:23). In short, many people “love their shame more than their glory” (Hosea 4:17), which is the same as loving death (Proverbs 8:36). The sum of the matter is that satisfaction is not to be had in setting one’s affections on anything but God (cf. Ecclesiastes 5:10; 12:13).'

==== Love in the New Testament ====

What makes the New Testament new is the appearance of the Son of God on the scene of human history. In Jesus Christ we see as never before a revelation of God. As he said, “If you have seen me, you have seen the Father” (John 14:9; cf. Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:3). For in a real sense, Jesus was God. (John 1:1; 20:28).

But the coming of Christ not only brings about the revelation of God. By his death and resurrection Christ also brings about the salvation of men (Romans 5:6-11). This salvation includes forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7), access to God (Ephesians 2:18), the hope of eternal life (John 3:16), and a new heart which is inclined to do good deeds (Ephesians 2:10; Titus 2:14). Therefore, when dealing with love, we must try to relate everything to Jesus Christ and his life, death and resurrection. In the life and death of Christ we see in a new way what God’s love is and what man’s love for God and for others ''should be''. And through faith, the Spirit of Christ, living in us enables us to follow his example.'

==== '''God’s Love for His Son''' ====

In the Old Testament we saw that God loves his own glory and delights to display it in creation and redemption. A deeper dimension of this self-love becomes clear in the New Testament. It is still true that God aims in all his works to display his glory for men to enjoy and praise (Ephesians 1:6, 12, 14; John 17:4). But what we learn now is that Christ “reflects the very glory of God and bears the stamp of his nature” (Hebrews 1:3). “In him dwells all the fullness of deity” (Colossians 2:9). In short, Christ is God and has eternally existed in a mysterious union with his Father (John 1:1). Therefore, God’s self-love, or his love for his own glory, can now be seen as a love for “the glory of Christ who is the likeness of God” (2 Corinthians 4:4; cf. Philippians 2:6). The love that God the Father has for the Son is expressed often in the Gospel of John (3:35; 5:20; 10:17; 15:9, 10; 17:23-26) and occasionally elsewhere (Matthew 3:17; 12:18; 17:5; Ephesians 1:6; Colossians 1:13).

This love within the Trinity itself is important for Christians for two reasons: First, the costly beauty of the incarnation and death of Christ cannot be understood without it. Second, it is the very love of the Father for the Son which the Father pours into the hearts of believers (John 17:26). The ultimate hope of the Christian is to see the glory of God in Christ (John 17:5), to be with him (John 14:24) and to delight in him as much as his Father does (John 17:26).'

==== '''God’s Love for Men''' ====

In Romans 8:35 Paul said, “Who shall separate us from the love of ''Christ''?” In verse 39 he says, “Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of ''God in Christ'' Jesus our Lord.” This change from “Christ” to “God in Christ” shows that under the heading “God’s love for men” we must include Christ’s love for men, since his love is an extension of God’s.

The most basic thing that can be said about love in relation to God is that “God ''is'' love” (1 John 4:8, 16; cf. 2 Corinthians 13:11). This does not mean that God is an old-fashioned name for the ideal of love. It suggests, rather, that one of the best words to describe God’s character is love. God’s nature is such that in his fullness he needs nothing (Acts 17:25) but rather overflows in goodness. It is his nature to love.

Because of this divine love, God sent his only Son into the world so that by Christ’s death for sin (1 Corinthians 15:3; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18) all those who believe might have eternal life (John 3:16; 2 Thessalonians 2:16; 1 John 3:1; Titus 3:4). “In this act we see what real love is: it is not our love for God, but his love for us, when he sent his Son to satisfy God’s anger against our sin” (1 John 4:10). Indeed, it is precisely God’s wrath from which believers are saved by faith in the death and resurrection of Christ (Romans 5:9). But we must not imagine that Christ is loving while God is angry. “''God''shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). It is God’s own love which finds a way to save us from his own wrath (Ephesians 2:3-5).

Nor should we think of the Father forcing the Son to die for man. The repeated message of the New Testament is that “''Christ'' loved us and gave himself for us” (Galatians 2:2; Ephesians 5:2; 1 John 3:16). “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end” (John 13:1; 15:9, 12, 13). And the love of the risen Christ guides (2 Corinthians 5:14), sustains (Romans 8:35) and reproves (Revelations 3:19) his people still.

Another misconception that must be avoided is that the love of God and Christ can be merited or earned by anyone. Jesus was accused of being a friend of tax collectors and sinners (Matthew 11:9; Luke 7:34). The answer he gave was, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick” (Mark 2:17). At another time when Jesus was accused of eating with tax collectors and sinners (Luke 15:1, 2) he told three parables of how it gladdens the heart of God when one sinner repents (Luke 5:3-32). In this way, Jesus showed that his saving love aimed to embrace not those who thought they were righteous (Luke 18:9) but rather the poor in spirit (Matthew 5:3) like the tax collector who said, “God be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13). The love of Jesus could not be earned; it could only be freely accepted and enjoyed. Unlike the legalism of the Pharisees, it was a “light burden” and an “easy yoke” (Matthew 11:30).

The reason Jesus demonstrated a love for those who could not merit his favor is that he was like his Father. He taught that God “makes the sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:45), “he is kind to the grateful and to the selfish” (Luke 6:35). Paul too stresses that the unique thing about divine love is that it seeks to save even enemies. He describes it like this: “While we were yet helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man—though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die—but God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6-8).

While it is true that God in one sense loves the whole world in that he sustains the world (Acts 14:17; 17:25; Matthew 5:45) and has made a way of salvation for any who will believe, nevertheless, he does not love all men in the same way. He has chosen some before the foundation of the world to be his sons (Ephesians 1:5) and predestined them for glory (Romans 8:29-30; 9:11, 23; 11:7, 28; 1 Peter 1:2). God has set his love on these chosen ones in a unique way (Colossians 3:12; Romans 11:28; 1:7; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; Jude 1) so that their salvation is sure. These he draws to Christ (John 6:44, 65) and makes alive (Ephesians 2:4, 5); others he leaves in the hardness of their sinful heart (Romans 11:7; Matthew 11:25, 26; Mark 4:11, 12).

There is a mystery in God’s electing love. Why he chooses one and not another is not revealed. We are only told that it is not due to any merit or human distinctive (Rom 9:10-13). Therefore, all boasting is excluded (Romans 3:27; 11:18, 20, 25; Ephesians 2:8; Philippians 2:12, 13), it is a gift of God from start to finish (John 6:65). We deserved nothing since we were all sinners, and everything we have is due to God who has mercy (Romans 9:16).

The way one finds oneself within this saving love of God is by faith in the promise that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Romans 10:13). Then Jude 21 says, “''Keep'' yourself in the love of God” and Romans 11:22 says, “''Continue'' in God’s kindness.” It is clear from Romans 11:20-22 that this means keep on trusting God: “You stand fast only through faith.” So one never earns God’s saving love; one remains within it only by trusting in the loving promises of God. This is true even when Jesus says that the reason God loves his disciples is because they keep his word (John 14:23), for the essence of Jesus’ word is a call to live by faith (John 16:27; 20:31).'

==== '''Man’s Love for God and Christ''' ====

Jesus sums up the whole Old Testament in the commandments to love God with all your heart and soul and mind and to love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:37-40). The failure to love God like this characterized many of the religious leaders of Jesus’ day (Luke 11:42). Jesus said this was the reason they did not love and accept him (John 5:42; 8:42). He and the Father are one (John 10:30), so that loving one with all the heart involves loving the other, too.

Since the “greatest commandment” is to love God, it is not surprising that very great benefits are promised to those who do. “All things work together for good for those who love God” (Romans 8:28). “No eye has seen nor ear heard … what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9; cf. Ephesians 6:24). “If one loves God, he is known by God” (1 Corinthians 8:3). “God has promised a crown of life to those who love him” (James 1:12; 3:5; cf. 2 Timothy 4:8). But on the other side there are grave warnings to those who do not love God (2 Timothy 2:14; 1 John 2:15-17) and Christ (1 Corinthians 16:22; Matthew 10:37-39).

Now the question arises: If the same benefits depend on loving God and Christ which at the same time depend on faith, what is the relationship between loving God and trusting him? We need to recall that love for God, unlike love for a needy neighbor, is not a longing to supply some lack on his part by our service (Acts 17:5). Rather, love for God is a deep adoration for his moral beauty and his complete fullness and sufficiency. It is delighting in him and a desire to know him and be with him. But in order to delight in God, one must have some conviction that he is good, and some assurance that our future with him will be a happy one. That is, one must have the kind of faith described in Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for and the conviction of things not seen.” Therefore, faith precedes and enables our love for God. Confidence in God’s promise grounds our delight in his goodness.

There is another way to conceive of loving God: not just delighting in who he is and what he promises, but wanting to please him. Is there a place for this love in the life of the believer? Indeed, there is (John 8:29; Romans 8:8; 1 Corinthians 7:32; 2 Corinthians 5:9; Galatians 1:10; 1 Thessalonians 4:1); however, we must guard very closely here against dishonoring God by presuming to become his benefactors. Hebrews 11:6 shows us the way: “Without faith it is impossible to please God. For whoever would draw near to God must believe that he ''exists'' and that he becomes the ''rewarder'' of those who seek him.” Here the faith which pleases God has two convictions: that God exists and that to find him is to be greatly rewarded.

Therefore, in order to love God in the sense of pleasing him, we must never approach him because we want to reward ''him'', but only because he rewards us. In short, we become the source of God’s pleasure to the extent that he is the source of ours. We can do him a favor only by happily accepting all his favors. We best express our love for him when we live not presumptuously, as God’s benefactors, but humbly and happily as the beneficiaries of his mercy. The person who lives this way will inevitably keep the commandments of Jesus (John 14:15) and of God (1 John 5:3).'

==== '''Man’s Love for Man''' ====

Jesus’ second commandment was, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself (Matthew 22:39; Mark 12:31, 33; Luke 10:27). We already discussed what this meant in Leviticus 19:18. The best interpretations of it in Jesus’ own words are the Golden Rule (“As you wish that men would do to you, do so to them,” Luke 6:31) and the parable of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:29-37). It means that we should seek the good of others as earnestly as we desire good to come our way. This is the most frequently cited Old Testament commandment in the New Testament (Matthew 19:19; Romans 13:9; Galatians 5:28; James 2;8).

After this commandment, probably the most famous passage on love in the New Testament is 1 Corinthians 13. Here Paul shows that there can be religiosity and humanitarianism without love. “If I give away all that I have, and if I deliver my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing” (1 Corinthians 13:3). This raises the question of what this love is if one could sacrifice his life and still not have it.

The New Testament answer is that the kind of love Paul is talking about must spring from a motivation which takes into account the love of God in Christ. Genuine love is born of faith in the loving promises of God. Paul says that “whatever is not from faith is sin” (Romans 14:23). More positively he says, “Faith works through love” (Galatians 5:6). Or as John puts it, “We know and ''believe'' the love God has for us …. We love because he first loved us” (1 John 4:16, 19). Therefore, Christian love exists only where the love of God in Christ is known and trusted. This profound link between faith and love probably accounts for why Paul mentions the two together so often (Ephesians 1:15; 6:23; Colossians 1:4; 1 Thessalonians 3:6; 5:8; 2 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Timothy 6:11; 2 Timothy 1:3; 2:2; Titus 2:2; 3:15; cf. Revelations 2:19).

But why is it that faith always “works through love”? One of the hallmarks of love is that it “seeks not its own” (1 Corinthians 13:5). It does not manipulate others in order to win their approval or gain some material reward. Rather, it seeks to reward others and build them up (1 Corinthians 8:1; Romans 14:15; Ephesians 4:16; Romans 13:10). Love does not use others for its own ends; it delights to be a means to their welfare. If this is the hallmark of love, how can sinful men, who by nature are selfish (Ephesians 2:3), ever love each other?

The answer of the New Testament is that we must be born again: “the one who loves has been born of God and knows God” (1 John 4:7). To be born of God means to become his child with his character and to be transferred from death to life: “We know that we have passed out of death into life because we love the brethren” (1 John 3:14). God himself abides in his children by his Spirit (1 John 3:9; 4:12, 13) so that when they love it is because his love is being perfected in them (1 John 3:7, 12, 16).

Paul teaches the same thing when he says love is a “fruit of the Spirit” (Galatians 5:22; Colossians 1:8; 2 Timothy 1:7), that it is “from God” (Ephesians 6:23) and is “taught by God,” not men (1 Thessalonians 4:9). The fact that love is enabled only by God is seen in Paul’s prayers also: “May the Lord ''make'' you increase and abound in love to one another and to all men” (1 Thessalonians 3:12; Philippians 1:9).

Now we are in a position to answer our earlier question: Why does faith always work through love? Faith is the way we receive the Holy Spirit, whose fruit is love. Paul asks, “Did you receive the Spirit by works of law or by hearing with faith” (Galatians 5:2)? The answer is clearly faith. This means that the essential characteristic of the person who has been born again and is being led by the Spirit of God is faith (John 1:12, 13). Therefore, while love is a fruit of the Spirit, it is also a fruit of faith, since it is by faith that the Spirit works (Galatians 3:5).

To understand fully the dynamics of this process, another factor must be brought in: the factor of hope. Faith and hope cannot be separated. Genuine faith in Christ implies a firm confidence that our future is secure (Heb. 11:1, Romans 15:13). This essential oneness of faith and hope helps us grasp why faith always “works through love.” The person who has confidence that God is working all things together for his good (Romans 8:28) can relax and entrust his life to a faithful Creator (1 Peter 4:19). He is free from anxiety and fear (1 Peter 5:7; Philippians 4:6). So he is not easily irritated (1 Corinthians 13:5). Rather, he is freed from self-justifying, self-protecting concerns and becomes a person who “looks to the interest of others” (Philippians 2:4). Being satisfied in God’s presence and promise, he is not bent on selfishly seeking his own pleasure, but rather delights “to please his neighbor for his good to edify him” (Romans 15:1, 2).

In other words, having our hope pinned on the promises of God frees us from the attitudes that hinder self-giving love. Therefore, Paul said that if there were no Resurrection hope, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die” (1 Corinthians 15:32). If God has not satisfied our deep longing for life, then we may as well try to get as much earthly pleasure as possible, whether it is loving to others or not. But God has in fact given us a satisfying and confident hope as a basis for a life of love. Therefore in Colossians 1:4, 5, hope is the ground of love: “We always thank God … because we have heard of … the ''love'' which you have for all the saints,''because'' of the ''hope'' laid up for you in Heaven.”

Thus, we conclude that faith, when understood as a deep contentment in the promises of God, always works through love. Therefore, the way to become a loving person is to set our hope more fully on God and delight more fully n the confidence that whatever is encountered on the path of obedience is for our good.

The love that is born of faith and the Spirit is especially manifest in the Christian home and in the community of believers. It transforms husband-wife relationships on the pattern of Christ’s love (Ephesians 5:25, 28, 33; Colossians 3:19; Titus 2:4). It is the fiber in the Christian community that “knits everything together in perfect harmony” (Colossians 3:14; 2:2; Philippians 2:2; 1 Peter 3:8). It enables the members to “endure one another” in meekness and lowliness when wronged (Ephesians 4:2; 1 Corinthians 13:7). But more importantly it is the force behind positive deeds of spiritual edification (Romans 14:15; 1 Corinthians 8:1; Ephesians 4:16) and the meeting of material needs (Luke 10:27-37; Romans 12:13; Galatians 5:13; 1 Thessalonians 1:3; 1 Timothy 3:2; Titus 1:8; Hebrews 13:1-3; James 1:27; 2:16; 1 Peter 4:9; 1 John 3:17, 18).

Love is not to be—cannot be—restricted to friends. Jesus said, “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I say to you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” (Matthew 5:43-44; Luke 6:27). This same concern was carried into the early church in verses like Romans 12:14, 19-21; 1 Corinthians 4:12; Galatians 6:10; 1 Thessalonians 3:12; 5:15; 1 Peter 3:9. The great desire of the Christian in doing good to his enemy and praying for him is that the enemy might cease to be an enemy and come to glorify God (1 Peter 2:12; 3:14-16; Titus 2:8, 10).

Toward friend and foe, love is the attitude that governs the Christian in “all things” (1 Corinthians 16:14). It is the “most excellent way” of life (1 Corinthians 12:31). And since it does not wrong anyone, but seeks the good of all, it fulfills the whole law of God (Romans 13:19; Matthew 7:12, 22:40; Galatians 5:14; James 2:8; compare Romans 8:4 and Galatians 5:22). But it is not automatic; it can cool away (Matthew 22:12; Revelation 2:4). Therefore, Christians must make it their aim (1 Timothy 1:15) to “stir one another up to love and good works” (Hebrews 10:24). We must pray for God to cause our love to abound more and more (Philippians 1:9; 1 Thessalonians 3:12, 13).

We must concentrate on the examples of love in Christ (John 13:34; 15:12, 17; Ephesians 5:2; 1 John 3:23; 2 John 5) and in his saints (1 Corinthians 4:12, 15-17; 1 Timothy 4:12; 2 Timothy 1:13; 3:10). In this way, we will make our call and election sure (2 Peter 1:7, 10) and bear a compelling witness in the world to the truth of the Christian faith (John 13:34, 35; 1 Peter 2:12).

==== '''Man’s Love for Things''' ====

On the one hand, the New Testament teaches that the things God has created are good and should be enjoyed with thanksgiving (1 Timothy 4:3; 6:17). But on the other hand, it warns against loving them in such a way that our affections are drawn away from God.

The great danger is that the love of money (Matthew 6:24; Luke 16:14; 1 Timothy 6:10; 2 Timothy 3:2; 2 Peter 2:15) and earthly pleasures (2 Timothy 3:4) and human acclaim (Matthew 6:5; 23:6; Luke 11:43; 3 John 9) will steal our hearts from God and make us insensitive to his higher purposes for us. John says, “If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him” (1 John 2:15-17). And James echoes this: “Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity toward God” (James 4:4; cf. 2 Timothy 4:10)? The “world” is not any particular class of objects or people. It is anything which lays a claim on our affections to be loved other than for Jesus’ sake. Saint Augustine offered a prayer that catches the New Testament spirit on this issue: “He loves thee too little who loves anything together with thee which he loves not for thy sake.”

The Joyful Purpose of God

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:52:30 GMT

Greetje:

<blockquote>
{{info}}'''Isaiah 43:1-7'''
</blockquote>
Over the past several years the Lord has been burdening the pastoral staff more and more with the urgency of local evangelism. Telling people about God and sin, Jesus and faith rises again and again as a burning priority for Bethlehem.

==== The Urgency of Evangelism ====

No matter what part of your Christian commitment you focus on, the Bible leads you from that focus to the urgency of evangelism. For example:

If we focus on Christianity as a life of love, the Bible shows us that love is hollow if we are willing to do nice things for people but not tell them about how to escape hell and gain everlasting joy with God (Luke 10:27).
<blockquote>
*Or if we focus on Christianity as obedience to the commands of God, the Bible shows us quickly that God commanded us to make disciples and to rescue the perishing (Matthew 28:19–10; cf. James 1:22 with 5:20).
*Or if we focus on Christianity as a life of joy and fulfillment, the Bible makes clear that it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35) and that those we lead to Christ will be our joy and hope and crown of exultation (1 Thessalonians 2:19).
*Or if we focus on Christianity as the way of filling the earth with the glory of God, the Bible shows us quickly that God is glorified when we bear much fruit (John 15:8) and that unbelief is the root of all that dishonors God (Romans 14:23).
*Or if we focus on Christianity as a force for social change and justice, the Bible shows us that apart from saving grace the human heart and human society will sink deeper into sin and immorality and decay (Romans 1:16–32).
*Or if we think of Christianity as a demonstration of kingdom power, the Bible shows us that the gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:16) and that the great demonstration of kingdom power is when Satan's grip on unbelievers is broken through the power of the Holy Spirit in saving faith (Mark 3:27; Colossians 1:13).
</blockquote>
In other words no matter what we focus on as the meaning and purpose of Christianity, evangelism inevitably rises to the surface with urgency. God has shown us more and more that there is no authentic Christianity that doesn't have a sense of urgency about evangelism. And Bethlehem will not be a faithful, obedient church unless there is a longing and an effort among us to tell unbelieving people around us about God and sin and Christ and faith, in the hope that the Holy Spirit will use our words to bring people to faith in Jesus and to everlasting salvation and joy.

==== One of Our Responses to This Urgency ====

One of our responses to this growing sense of urgency (not the only one!) is the development of the pamphlet you have in your hands called "Quest for Joy" and this series of messages based on each of the points in that tract. We printed 5,000 of these and they are available to you free if God leads you to use them in your own efforts to tell people about the meaning of your faith.

Let me stress at the outset that making Christ known and winning people to trust and follow him is an enterprise as varied as the persons involved and as rich and deep as the truth of Jesus himself. There are as many ways to make Christ known as there are ways to describe his glory and obey his teaching.

We believe our job as leaders in the church is not to press everybody into the same mold with regard to how you tell people about Christ, but to inspire you to do it and to give biblical foundations and to throw out possibilities for you to consider. That's what we are up to in this pamphlet and in this series of messages.

How did this come about? The book ''Desiring God'' is an attempt to capture in writing the vision of God and Christian life that drives and guides the leadership of this church. I don't know whether God will use the book extensively in converting unbelievers. Dan Chalmers did tell us at Missions in the Manse of a nominal Catholic priest in Manila who was converted through studying the book.

But probably it assumes too much to be an effective book for unbelievers. So people began to ask me the question: could we develop a gospel tract that would be basic enough for unbelievers and yet be rooted in the vision of God cherished at Bethlehem and laid out in ''Desiring God''? That's what we've tried to do in the pamphlet, "Quest for Joy."

==== The Aim of These Messages ====

My aim in this series of messages is to unfold for us the six biblical truths in the pamphlet, explain why we regard these six as so important, and along the way show how they function in making the Christian gospel plain in our day. My prayer is that God would use the messages to make you very strong in your grasp of the nature of God and the nature of sin and the work of Christ and the meaning of saving faith. God—sin—Christ—faith! That's what has to be explained to people.

What is God like? What's the meaning and consequence of sin? What did Christ achieve when he died? And what is faith? How you answer those questions makes a tremendous difference in how you share your faith—that IS your faith. Hundreds of people have come to see these questions in fresh and exciting ways at Bethlehem, and I hope that what makes God exciting to so many of us at Bethlehem will come through in this pamphlet and will come through in your life as you grow in the knowledge and grace of the Lord.

==== A Look at the Pamphlet "Quest for Joy" ====

Let's look at it together.

===== Our Common Ground with All People =====

The front panel is intended to establish very honestly a common ground that exists, we believe, between us Christians and every person we will ever meet ("Quest for Joy: Six Biblical Truths"). We and they want to be happy. They may be seeking it in the fast lane while we seek it in the narrow way, but I don't think there is any serious doubt that everyone wants to be happy—or use whatever word you like: joy, satisfaction, fulfillment, pleasure. Even those who seem bent on ruining their lives are trying to minimize pain in the things they do. We do have a common ground with everyone we meet.

===== An Alluring Tension =====

On the first inside panel we ask a question to arrest attention and to begin a bridge between God and their desire for joy. "Did you know that God commands us to be happy?" The question is annoying. For most people today, being happy does not fit well with being commanded to do anything. And yet the question is alluring because most people have never heard anyone say this about God before.

There is no escaping the tension this creates: God is an authority—and people don't like authority. But God uses his authority to command us to be happy—and people do like happiness. There's the tension. Only the Holy Spirit can overcome it and make people willing to find their happiness from a God who has absolute authority over their lives. That's our goal.

The biblical evidence for God's authoritative command to be happy is Psalm 37:4 (at the bottom of the panel): "Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart." And of course there are dozens of other places in the Bible where we are commanded to rejoice in the Lord or to be glad or to sing for joy or be content.

===== The Heart of the Gospel =====

Then at the top of the facing panel come three sentences that I would die for. They are not mere rhetoric. They are not mere verbal flourishes. They are the heart of biblical gospel. They are the release of the tension created between God's awesome authority and my desire for happiness. These three sentences are a summary of the whole book, ''Desiring God''. These are the sentences that have to be explained in sharing the gospel.

The best news in the world is that there is no necessary conflict between our happiness and God's holiness. Trusting God for everything brings him honor and us happiness. God's purpose to be glorified and our longing to be satisfied succeed together.

We signal from the very outset that the Christian message is not merely about my happiness but also about God's holiness. It is not merely about my happiness but about God's honor. It's not merely about my passion to be satisfied but about God's aim to be glorified.

These three sentences signal loud and clear that you can't make the gospel plain if people don't know about the holiness and the honor and the glory of God. But these sentences also signal loud and clear that there is a way—there is a way!—for God to be God, great and glorious and holy and honorable, and for me to be happy. Man's happiness is not emphasized at the expense of God's greatness. And God's greatness is not emphasized at the expense of man's happiness. There is a way—there is a way!—for God to be glorified and for me to be satisfied together forever.

===== The Way to Full and Endless Joy =====

As Psalm 16:11 says (at the bottom of the panel), "You [God] have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand." This is what people are after: fullness of joy and endless pleasure. Full and endless. Full and endless.

The gospel we have to share is that there is a way to know this joy, but only if we are willing and eager for God to be God—for God to be glorified above all things.

And that takes us to the six truths inside which give the biblical basis for God's being glorified and our being satisfied together.

==== Truth #1: God Created Us for His Glory ====

Now why do we begin here?

===== 1. "Falling Short of God's Glory" =====

Virtually all presentations of the gospel eventually quote Romans 3:23, "All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." But hardly any gospel presentations have laid the groundwork for understanding what the falling short of God's glory means. If you begin with God's commitment to his glory, you don't have that problem.

===== 2. Restoring the Centrality of God's Glory =====

God's glory—his greatness, his excellence, his power and beauty and wisdom and goodness and worth and perfection (you would take the time to open up this word glory!)—God's glory is central in biblical revelation. Paul could often assume that fact among the Jews when he preached the gospel, since they knew the Old Testament. We can't assume this today at all.

That's why the gospel sermons in the book of Acts won't look just like this tract. But compare what Paul stressed in his sermon to the Greeks in Acts 17. He stresses the glorious, sovereign freedom of God before he ever gets to the work of Christ (see verse 25: "He is not served by human hands as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and breath and everything").

We have to restore the centrality of God in the universe before the work of Christ can be understood. We can't just appeal to the self-centeredness of people, and expect to keep the gospel pure.

===== 3. Discovering Why We Exist =====

The third reason for beginning with the statement that God created us for his glory is that it can make sense to people that discovering why they exist is a good means of finding fulfillment and happiness. If people believe there is a Creator God (or will grant it for the sake of argument), they will perhaps see that we're on a dead end street if our purposes in life are different than the purposes of the one who made us and rules the world.

Suppose you walk into a house of a person who just came to America from a very primitive part of the world, and notice he has a pan in the fireplace and is grumbling. He says, "It doesn't work." And you say, "What doesn't work?" "The water catcher. It doesn't work. There's a hole right up through the roof and open to let the rain in but it doesn't work." You would say to that person, "That's not a water catcher. It's a fireplace. You burn wood in there and the hole is for smoke to get out of the house. It's made to keep you warm not collect water."

Everyone can see that when you know what something is for you get more out of it. So it is with life. If we know what we were made for, there is far greater hope of getting all out of life possible.

Those are the reasons for beginning with Truth #1: GOD CREATED US FOR HIS GLORY. And so we add the brief word of interpretation:

Deep and lasting joy comes from being what we were created to be. And we were created to be mirrors of God's glory—to fill the earth with the light of his beauty by reflecting it to others.

==== A Personal Word of Application ====

I'm going to pick it up here in two weeks because there is so much more to say about this foundational truth. But let me close with a personal word of application. In Isaiah 43:7 God says that he created men and women for his glory. That includes you. He made you—he conceived your personality, he knit you together in your mother's womb—for his glory. Your life is not an accident. It is not the meaningless consequence of random evolutionary mutations.

God created you. And he did so with a high and noble purpose in mind—that your utterly unique personality, and even your body (1 Corinthians 6:20), might reflect some feature of God's glory that no other person can. You are like a crystal, shaped like no other crystal. And the reason you exist is to walk in the light of God's glory in such a way that its rays and colors will reflect off of you and cause others to admire God.

What we will see more fully in the weeks to come is that walking in the light of God's glory means trusting in the greatness of God's grace. And nothing is more satisfying than a confident repose in the omnipotent grace of God. Therefore God's purpose to be glorified and your longing to be satisfied succeed together. Trusting God for everything brings him honor and brings you happiness. It is a glorious gospel of a glorious God.

I urge you, put your whole trust in him!—for his glory and for your joy. And let that joy begin to spill over and enlarge itself in bringing others to the light.

The Innkeeper

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:50:12 GMT

Greetje:

{{info}}''(The audio of John Piper's reading is from a studio recording.)''

Jake's wife would have been fifty-eight The day that Jesus passed the gate Of Bethlehem, and slowly walked Toward Jacob's Inn. The people talked With friends, and children played along The paths, and Jesus hummed a song, And smiled at every child he saw.

He paused with one small lass to draw A camel in the dirt, then said, "What's this?" The girl bent down her head To study what the Lord had made, Then smiled, "A camel, sir!" and laid Her finger on the bulging back, "It's got a hump." "Indeed it does, And who do you believe it was Who made this camel with his hump?" Without a thought that this would stump The rabbi guild and be reviled, She said, "God did." And Jesus smiled, "Good eyes, my child. And would that all Jerusalem within that wall Of yonder stone could see the signs Of peace!" He left the lass with lines Of simple wonder in her face, And slowly went to find the place Where he was born.

Folks said the inn Had never been a place for sin, For Jacob was a holy man. And he and Rachel had a plan To marry, have a child or two, And serve the folk who traveled through, Especially the poor who brought Their meal and turtle-doves, and sought A place to stay near Zion's gate. They'd rise up early, stay up late, To help the pilgrims go and come, And when the place was full, to some Especially the poorest, they would say, "We're sorry there's no room, but stay Now if you like out back. There's lots Of hay and we have extra cots That you can use. There'll be no charge. The stable isn't very large But Noah keeps it safe." He was A wedding gift to Jake because The shepherds knew he loved the dog. "There's nothing in the decalogue," He used to joke, "that says a man Can't love a dog!"

The children ran Ahead of Jesus as he strode Toward Jacob's Inn. The stony road That led up to the inn was deep With centuries of wear, and steep At one point just before the door. The Lord knocked once then twice before He heard an old man's voice, "‘Round back!" It called. So Jesus took the track That led around the inn. The old Man leaned back in his chair and told The dog to never mind. "Ain't had No one to tend the door, my lad, For thirty years. I'm sorry for The inconvenience to your sore Feet. The road to Jerusalem Is hard ain't it? Don't mind old Shem. He's harmless like his dad. Won't bite A Roman soldier in the night. Sit down." And Jacob waved the stump Of his right arm. "We're in a slump Right now. Got lots of time to think And talk. Come, sit and have a drink. From Jacob's well!" he laughed. "You own The inn?" The Lord inquired. "On loan, You'd better say. God owns the inn." At that the Lord knew they were kin, And ventured on: "Do you recall The tax when Caesar said to all The world that each must be enrolled?" Old Jacob winced, "Are north winds cold? Are deserts dry? Do fishes swim And ravens fly? I do. A grim And awful year it was for me. Why do you ask?" "I have a debt To pay, and I must see how much. Why do you say that it was such A grim and awful year?" He raised The stump of his right arm, "So dazed, Young man, I didn't know I'd lost My arm. Do you know what it cost For me to house the Son of God?" The old man took his cedar rod And swept it ‘round the place: "Empty. For thirty years alone, you see? Old Jacob, poor old Jacob runs It with one arm, a dog and no sons. But I had sons . . . once. Joseph was My firstborn. He was small because His mother was so sick. When he Turned three the Lord was good to me And Rachel, and our baby Ben Was born, the very fortnight when The blessed family arrived. And Rachel's gracious heart contrived A way for them to stay—there in That very stall. The man was thin And tired. You look a lot like him." But Jesus said, "Why was it grim?"

"We got a reputation here That night. Nothing at all to fear In that we thought. It was of God. But in one year the slaughter squad From Herod came. And where do you Suppose they started? Not a clue! We didn't have a clue what they Had come to do. No time to pray, No time to run, no time to get Poor Joseph off the street and let Him say good-bye to Ben or me Or Rachel. Only time to see A lifted spear smash through his spine And chest. He stumbled to the sign That welcomed strangers to the place, And looked with panic at my face, As if to ask what he had done. Young man, you ever lost a son?"

The tears streamed down the Savior's cheek, He shook his head, but couldn't speak.

"Before I found the breath to scream I heard the words, a horrid dream: ‘Kill every child who's two or less. Spare not for aught, nor make excess. Let this one be the oldest here And if you count your own life dear, Let none escape.' I had no sword No weapon in my house, but Lord, I had my hands, and I would save The son of my right hand . . . So brave, O Rachel was so brave! Her hands Were like a thousand iron bands Around the boy. She wouldn't let Him go and so her own back met With every thrust and blow. I lost My arm, my wife, my sons—the cost For housing the Messiah here. Why would he simply disappear And never come to help?"

They sat In silence. Jacob wondered at The stranger's tears.

"I am the boy That Herod wanted to destroy. You gave my parents room to give Me life, and then God let me live, And took your wife. Ask me not why The one should live, another die. God's ways are high, and you will know In time. But I have come to show You what the Lord prepared the night You made a place for heaven's light. In two weeks they will crucify My flesh. But mark this, Jacob, I Will rise in three days from the dead, And place my foot upon the head Of him who has the power of death, And I will raise with life and breath Your wife and Ben and Joseph too And give them, Jacob, back to you With everything the world can store, And you will reign for evermore."

This is the gift of candle three:

A Christ with tears in tragedy And life for all eternity.

The Inner Essence of Worship

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:48:42 GMT

Greetje:

<blockquote>
{{info}}'''Philippians 1:18-24'''
</blockquote><blockquote>
What then? Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed; and in this I rejoice. Yes, and I will rejoice, 19 for I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayers and the provision of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. 22 But if I am to live on in the flesh, this will mean fruitful labor for me; and I do not know which to choose. 23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.
</blockquote>
==== Worship is Inner, Godward Experience ====

Last week, the main point was that the New Testament reveals a stunning silence about the outward place and forms of worship and a radical intensification of worship as an inner, Godward experience of the heart manifest in everyday life. The silence about outward forms is obvious in the fact that the gathered life of the church is never called "worship" in the New Testament. And the main Old Testament word for worship (proskuneo) is virtually absent from the New Testament letters.

The intensification of worship as an inner, Godward experience of the heart is seen in the words of Jesus that the hour is coming and now is when worship will not be located in Samaria or Jerusalem, but will be "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:21-23). Inner spiritual reality replaces geographic locality. And we see it again in Matthew 15:8-9 when Jesus says, "This people honors me with their lips but their heart is far from me. In vain do they worship me." Worship that does not come from the heart is vain, empty. It is not authentic worship. It is no worship. You can see it also in Romans 12:1, where Paul says that Christians should present our bodies to God in daily obedience to his will as a "spiritual service of worship."

So I concluded that the essence of worship is not external, localized acts, but inner, Godward experience that comes out not primarily in church services (though they are important) but primarily in daily expressions of allegiance to God - in your sex life, in the way you handle your money, or keep your marriage vows, or speak up for Christ.

==== What Experience Magnifies God? ====

Now today I simply want to identify what the essence of that inner experience is which we call worship. If it is not essentially an outward act, but an experience of the heart, what is that experience?

Now I take it as a given that worship, whether an inner act of the heart, or an outward act of the body, or of the congregation collectively, is a magnifying of God. That is, it is an act that shows how magnificent God is. It is an act that reveals or expresses how great and glorious he is. Worship is all about reflecting the worth or value of God.

So the question we are asking this morning is: What inner experience of the heart does that? If the essence of worship is not mere outward form, but inner, Godward experience, what experience reveals and expresses how great and glorious God is? To answer that question we go to Philippians 1:20-21.

Notice from verse 20 what Paul's mission in life is. He says it is "my earnest expectation and hope, that I will not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ will even now, as always, be exalted [the key word, "magnified" - shown to be great and glorious] in my body, whether by life or by death." So what Paul is saying is that his earnest hope and passion is that what he does with his body, whether in life or death, will always be worship. In life and death his mission is to magnify Christ - to show that Christ is magnificent, to exalt Christ, and demonstrate that he is great. That's plain from verse 20 - "that Christ shall be exalted in my body, whether by life or death."

==== Exalting Christ by Life and by Death ====

So the question now becomes: Does Paul tell us what kind of inner experience exalts Christ in this way? Does he reveal the essence of worship? The answer is that he does, and he does so in the next verse (verse 21) by the way it is connected to verse 20.

Notice the reference to "life" and "death" in verse 20 - "that Christ shall be exalted in my body, whether by life or death," and then notice the link-up with the corresponding words "live" and "die" in the next verse (21): "For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain." So "life" and "death" in verse 20 correspond to "live" and "die" in verse 21. And the connection between the two verses is that verse 21 shows the basis for how living and dying can exalt or magnify Christ. Verse 21 begins with "for" or "because." My expectation and hope is that Christ will be exalted whether by my life or my death, for (because) to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Verse 21 describes the inner experience that exalts Christ and is the essence of worship. To see this, let's take each pair separately, starting with "death" in verse 20 and "die" in verse 21. Boil down the verse to read: My expectation and hope is that Christ will be exalted in my body by death, for to me to die is gain. Christ will be exalted in my dying, if my dying is for me gain. Do you see it? The inner experience that magnifies Christ in dying is to experience death as gain.

Why is that? Verse 23 shows why dying is gain for Paul (and for you if you are a Christian): "My desire is to depart [that is, to die] and be with Christ for that is much better." That is what death does: it takes us into more intimacy with Christ. We depart and we are with Christ, and that, Paul says, is gain. And when you experience death this way, Paul says, you exalt Christ. Experiencing Christ as gain in your dying magnifies Christ. It is the essence of worship in the hour of death.

==== Exallting Christ by Life and by Death ====

Which means that we can now say that the inner essence of worship is cherishing Christ as gain - indeed as more gain than all that life can offer - family, career, retirement, fame, food, friends. The essence of worship is experiencing Christ as gain. Or to use words that we love to use around here: it is savoring Christ, treasuring Christ, being satisfied with Christ. This is the inner essence of worship. Because, Paul says, experiencing Christ as gain in death is the way he is exalted in death.

If you have ever wondered where I get the slogan: "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in him," this is the place. Christ is magnified in my death, when in my death I am satisfied with him - when I experience death as gain because I gain him. Or another way to say it is that the essence of praising Christ is prizing Christ. Christ will be praised in my death, if in my death he is prized above life. The inner essence of worship is prizing Christ. Cherishing him, treasuring him, being satisfied with him. 

==== The Surpassing Value of Knowing Christ my Lord ====

Philippians 3:8 gives the answer. There Paul says, "I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish in order that I may gain Christ."

"To live is Christ" means to count everything as loss now in this life in comparison to the value of gaining Christ. Do you see the word "gain" turning up here again in 3:8 just as it did in 1:21? "To live is Christ" means experiencing Christ as gain now, not just in death.

So Paul's point is that life and death, for a Christian, are acts of worship - they exalt Christ, and magnify him and reveal and express his greatness - when they come from an inner experience of treasuring Christ as gain. Christ is praised in death by being prized above life. And Christ is most glorified in life when we are most satisfied in him even before death.

The authenticating, inner essence of worship is being satisfied with Christ, prizing Christ, cherishing Christ, treasuring Christ. When we say that what we do on Sunday morning is to go hard after God, this is what we mean: we are going hard after satisfaction in God, and going hard after God as our prize, and going hard after God as our treasure, our soul-food, our heart-delight, our spirit's pleasure. Because we know from Philippians 1:20-21 that treasuring Christ as gain magnifies him, exalts him, worships him.

==== Implications for Worship ====

Let me draw out some implications of this for worship.

1. The pursuit of joy in God is not optional. It is our highest duty.

There are millions of Christians who have absorbed a popular ethic that says it is morally defective to seek our happiness, even in God. This is absolutely deadly for authentic worship. To the degree that this ethic flourishes, to that degree worship dies. Because the inner essence of worship is satisfaction in God, experiencing God as gain.

Therefore I say to you that the basic attitude of worship on Sunday morning is not to come with your hands full to give to God, but with your hands empty, to receive from God. And what you receive in worship is God, not entertainment. You ought to come hungry for God. Come saying, "As a deer pants for the flowing springs, so my soul pants for thee, O God." God is mightily honored when a people know that they will die of hunger and thirst unless they have God.

Recovering the rightness and indispensability of pursuing our satisfaction in God will go a long way to restoring authenticity and power of worship.

2. Another implication of saying that the essence of worship is satisfaction in God is that worship becomes radically God-centered.

Nothing makes God more supreme and more central than when a people are utterly persuaded that nothing - not money or prestige or leisure or family or job or health or sports or toys or friends - nothing is going to bring satisfaction to their aching hearts besides God. This conviction breeds a people who go hard after God on Sunday morning.

They are not confused about why they are here. They do not see songs and prayers and sermons as mere traditions or mere duties. They see them as means of getting to God or God getting to them for more of his fullness, which they want because God is gain.

If the focus shifts onto our giving to God, one result I have seen again and again is that subtly it is not God that remains at the center but the quality of our giving. Are we singing worthily of the Lord? Are our instrumentalists playing with quality fitting a gift to the Lord? Is the preaching a suitable offering to the Lord? And little by little the focus shifts off the utter indispensability of the Lord himself onto the quality of our performances. And we even start to define excellence and power in worship in terms of the technical distinction of our artistic acts.

Nothing keeps God at the center of worship like the Biblical conviction that the essence of worship is deep, heartfelt satisfaction in Him, and the conviction that the pursuit of that satisfaction is why we are together.

3. A third implication of saying that the essence of worship is satisfaction in God is that it protects the primacy of worship as an end in itself.

If the essence of worship is satisfaction in God, then worship can't be done authentically as a means to anything else. You simply can't say to God, I want to be satisfied in you so that I can have something else. Because that would mean that you are not really satisfied in God but in that something else. And that would dishonor God, not worship him.

But in fact for thousands of people and pastors the event of "worship" on Sunday morning is conceived of as a means to accomplish something other than worship. We "worship" to raise money; we "worship" to attract crowds; we "worship" to heal human hurts; we "worship" to recruit workers; we "worship" to improve church morale. We "worship" to give talented musicians an opportunity to fulfil their calling; we "worship" to teach our children the way of righteousness; we "worship" to help marriages stay together; we "worship" to evangelize the lost among us; we "worship" to motivate people for service projects; we "worship" to give our churches a family feeling, etc., etc.

In all of this we bear witness that we do not know what true worship is. Genuine affections for God are an end in themselves. I cannot say to my wife: "I feel a strong delight in you - so that you will make me a nice meal." That is not the way delight works. It terminates on her. It does not have a nice meal in view. I cannot say to my son, "I love playing ball with you - so that you will cut the grass." If your heart really delights in playing ball with him, that delight cannot be performed as a means to getting him to do something else.

Now I am not denying that authentic worship may have a hundred good effects on the life of the church. It will, just as true affection in marriage makes everything better. My point is that to the degree that we do "worship" for these reasons, to that degree it ceases to be authentic worship. Keeping satisfaction in God at the center guards us from that tragedy.

4. Finally, the last implication of saying that the essence of worship is being satisfied with God is that this accounts for why Paul makes all of life an expression of worship in Romans 12:1.

But for that point, we will wait two weeks, and build a whole sermon around it. In the meantime, a celebration of Thanksgiving is coming next Sunday morning. We don't meet here, but we meet all together in the great hall at Bethel at 10:00 AM. Our aim is to magnify God by enjoying him authentically in the presence of as many unbelievers as we can. So would you pray with me that God would reveal to you in these next seven days, as never before, the preciousness of his love and the greatness of his mercy and power and wisdom. Then when we come together he will be duly praised, because he is duly prized. And who knows what God might reveal to those among us, if we really, authentically prize God in their midst. If we really come, saying: "As a deer pants for the flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God."

The Great Work of the Only Wise God

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:43:34 GMT

Greetje:

<blockquote>
{{info}}'''Romans 16:25-27'''
</blockquote><blockquote>
Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed and through the prophetic writings has been made known to all nations, according to the command of the eternal God, to bring about the obedience of faith—to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.
</blockquote>
When Paul comes to the final phrases of his doxology—the final phrases of the entire book of Romans—he emphasizes one attribute of God, namely, his wisdom. Verse 27: “To the only ''wise ''God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen.” My aim in this message is to open a window in your mind to the infinite expanses of the wisdom of God, so that you see it more clearly and ''admire ''him more intensely and ''trust ''him more firmly and thus ''obey ''him more consistently and joyfully—to the end that your life would ''display ''the glory of his wisdom more compellingly. You don’t have to remember all that. Just pray that it happen.

==== God Is Infinitely Wise ====

The main truth I want to focus on with you is simply that God is infinitely wise. And underneath that main truth we will look two expressions of it. First, that ''God is infinitely wise ''in ''the way he saves sinners''. And second, God is infinitely wise in ''the way he keeps his covenant with Israel.''

First, God is infinitely wise. Let’s start with a definition. ''Wisdom is knowing what the greatest goal is in any situation, and what the best way is to achieve it.'' It’s different from knowledge, but it assumes knowledge. They overlap. You can’t exercise wisdom without knowledge; because in order to figure out the best way to achieve a goal, you have to have knowledge of many factors. On the other hand, you can have a lot of knowledge and not have wisdom. There are many brilliant fools. And many less-educated sages.

But we are talking about God’s wisdom, not ours. The difference is that he always knows the best goal in every situation, and he always has total and perfect knowledge of billions and billions of relevant factors in every situation that enable him to now the best way to achieve the goal.

==== To God Alone Who Is Wise ====

When Paul calls him “the only wise God” in Romans 16:27, he doesn’t mean that there are many gods and that all but one are foolish. He says in 1 Timothy 1:17, “To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, ''the only God'', be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” He is not just the only ''wise'' God. He is the only God, period. In 1 Timothy 2:5, he says, “There is''one God'', and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (see also 1 Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6). When he adds here in Romans 16:27 the word wise, he means, “to God alone who is wise be glory forevermore.” The one and only God is wise—gloriously wise, infinitely wise.

The way he expresses the extent of God’s wisdom is seen in Romans 11:33-36.
<blockquote>Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. </blockquote>
The wisdom of God is very deep! “O the depth of the . . . wisdom of God.” It is so deep that his judgments are unsearchable. It is so deep that his ways are inscrutable. It is so deep that no one has been, or ever could be, his counselor. In fact, the wisdom of God is so deep and so expansive that he does not and cannot increase in wisdom. To increase in wisdom, something would have to go into God’s mind that has not already come out of God’s mind. But Romans 11:36 emphatically says that this does not happen: “From him and through him and to him are all things.” And if all things are from him, there is no wisdom in the universe that is not already his. Therefore, we conclude: God is infinite in wisdom. That is, his wisdom cannot be increased, not because he has limits, but because every conceivable increase is already his.

==== God’s Wisdom in Saving Sinners ====

That is the main truth of the message: God is infinite in wisdom. ''He always knows the greatest goal in every situation and the perfect way to achieve it.'' Now underneath that main truth there are two expressions of it I want to mention. First, God is infinitely wise in ''the way he saves sinners''—namely, through the incarnation, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ his only Son.

The point I want to make here is that God chose the way of salvation through Christ because it was the perfect way to achieve the greatest goal, namely, the humility of man and the glory of God. The incarnation as a peasant at Christmas time, the brief three-year ministry of word and deed, the scandalous execution as a criminal, the resurrection after three days just to depart and leave a band of imperfect disciples—this, God says, is infinite wisdom. This was the perfect way to accomplish the greatest goal. It could not have been done better.

==== The Work of Christ and the Wisdom of God (1 Corinthians 1:21-31) ====

All of Romans is unfolding this. But look with me at 1 Corinthians 1:21-31 where Paul connects the work of Christ directly with the wisdom of God.
<blockquote>(Verse 21) Since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom. . . </blockquote>
In other words, God wisely rejected the possibility of salvation by human intellect and wisdom and knowledge. We will see why in a moment.
<blockquote>. . . it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. </blockquote>
So for now, he calls God’s way of salvation foolishness—that is, ''foolishness ''in the eyes of the world.
<blockquote>(Verses 22-24) For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. </blockquote>
In his infinite wisdom, God chose a way of salvation through Christ that strikes a blow against the Jewish demand for signs and against the Gentile demand for human wisdom. With infinite wisdom, he chose to save sinners through the human foolishness of a crucified Messiah. This Christ, he says, precisely in his most foolish-looking moment is the wisdom of God. And in his weakest-looking moment is the power of God.
<blockquote>(Verse 25) For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. </blockquote>
“The foolishness of God is wiser than men.” In other words, God chose to express his infinite wisdom in the form of human foolishness and weakness.

Now, why does he do it this way? Why is this an infinitely wise way to save sinners? Because it is the perfect way to achieve the greatest goal. And what is that goal? You will see it if we keep reading.
<blockquote>(Verses 26-29) For consider your calling, brothers: not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. </blockquote>
The infinitely wise way of salvation in the death of Christ is rooted in an infinitely wise way of choosing sinners before the cross, and an infinitely wise way of calling sinners after the cross. And the purpose of it all is clear in verse 29, “so that no human being might boast in the presence of God.” God chose us, purchased us, and called us in a way that would strip us of every ground of boasting in ourselves. Stated negatively, this is the greatest goal of our salvation, and God has chosen the perfect way to bring it about. No boasting in ourselves in the presence of God.

But Paul does not state the greatest goal merely negatively. Leaving it there would not be good news, nor infinite wisdom. So Paul continues like this:
<blockquote>(Verses 30-31) He [God the Father] is the source of your life in Christ Jesus, whom God made our wisdom and our righteousness and sanctification and redemption. Therefore, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” </blockquote>
This is the greatest goal of salvation. This is what infinite wisdom was aiming at. “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.” God has chosen us, purchased us, called us, and done everything else involved in our salvation, from eternity to eternity, with perfect wisdom—that is, in such a way as to strip us of all boasting before God in ourselves, and replace it with boasting only in the Lord.

The great goal of God’s work in salvation is that all the elect from every people and tribe and language and nation would boast with white hot allegiance only in the Lord, and not in themselves. Beware of saying you could have found a better way to do it. “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” You do not know enough to counsel God about the way he saves. Rather, let us bow our heads with broken-hearted humility and learn what infinite wisdom does. And then, let your whole life be one consistent boasting in the Lord alone.

==== God’s Wisdom in Keeping Covenant with Israel ====

Now, finally, I said there was a second expression of God’s infinite wisdom I wanted to mention. The first was that he is infinitely wise in the way he saves sinners. And the second is that he his infinitely wise in the way he keeps his covenant with Israel. I chose to mention the first one because that’s what Romans 1-8 is about. And I choose to mention the second because that’s what Romans 9-11 is about. I know that both sections are about both realities. But the emphasis in Romans 9-11 is on the issue of God’s covenant with Israel.

The reason it is an issue is found in Romans 9:6, “But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.” The issue as Romans 9 begins is: Has the word of God—that is, God’s word of promise, his covenant promise made to Abraham and his descendants—failed? If Gentiles are streaming to the Jewish Messiah and becoming children of Abraham by faith alone (Romans 2:24-29; Galatians 3:7), and if the Jews, by and large, are turning away from the Messiah and being cast into outer darkness (cf. Matthew 8:11-12), then has the covenant that God made with Israel, reaffirmed over and over again in the Old Testament in the midst of their most horrific disobedience, fallen?

Paul’s resounding answer in these three chapters is ''no''. The word of God is not fallen. God’s way of being faithful to Israel while saving the Gentiles is so counterintuitive and so extraordinary that when he sums it up near the end of chapter 11, he breaks out into the doxology about the unfathomable wisdom of God. Like the way of saving sinners through Christ, so the way of keeping covenant with Israel is an expression of infinite wisdom.

So let’s go there and look at that final summary. And for those who have ears to hear, what you will hear is the same great goal that God has in the salvation of sinners. His way of keeping covenant with Israel is designed with infinite wisdom to strip Gentile and Jew of all boasting in ourselves—Jewishness or non-Jewishness.

==== God’s Wisdom in Destroying Human Pride (Romans 11:25-26) ====

Look at verses 25-26 addressed to us Gentiles.
<blockquote>Lest you be wise in your own conceits, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved . . . </blockquote>
The point of that strange strategy (Jews are hardened, so that we Gentiles get saved, so that when the fullness of Gentiles is in, the fullness of Israel will come in as well)—the point of that strategy is “''lest you be wise in your own conceits''”! So that no human being might boast in the presence of God! God’s way of keeping covenant is infinitely wise in achieving his main goal of striping human beings of pride.

==== God’s Wisdom in the Glory of His Mercy (Romans 11:30-32) ====

But again, Paul does not leave us mainly with the negative goal. He gives one last summary of God’s infinite wisdom in keeping covenant with Israel while saving Gentiles, and then breaks into the acclamation of God’s wisdom. The summary goes like this in Romans 11:30-32,
<blockquote>Just as you [Gentiles] were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their [Jewish] disobedience, so they [the Jews] too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you [Gentiles] they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all. </blockquote>
Infinite wisdom keeps covenant and saves sinners in a way that strips every human soul of boasting in itself and makes every soul utterly dependent on mercy alone. Why? Because the greatest goal of all things is to boast in the glory of the mercy of God.
<blockquote>I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show God's truthfulness, in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs [covenant keeping!], and in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy [the salvation of sinners!]. (Romans 15:8-9) </blockquote>
Should we not then join the apostle Paul at the end of Romans 11 and at the end of Romans 16 and fulfill from our hearts the greatest goal for which we were made—let him who boasts boast ''in the Lord.''
<blockquote>Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. (11:33-36) </blockquote><blockquote>
To the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. (16:27)
</blockquote>
(John Piper summarizes this message in a song.)

The Great Invitation Come Drink Eat Live

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:40:39 GMT

Greetje: The Great Invitation Come Drink Eat Live moved to The Great Invitation: Come! Drink! Eat! Live!

#REDIRECT [[The Great Invitation: Come! Drink! Eat! Live!]]

The Great Invitation: Come! Drink! Eat! Live!

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:40:39 GMT

Greetje: The Great Invitation Come Drink Eat Live moved to The Great Invitation: Come! Drink! Eat! Live!

<blockquote>
{{info}}'''Isaiah 55:1-3'''
</blockquote>
The Lord is moving among us at Bethlehem to stir up a heart for people without Christ. For many of us new ventures in evangelism are in the offing. New power and new boldness are coming to many.

As I returned from vacation, I was eager to stoke this fire with the Word. I was eager to get into the Old Testament for a while. And I was eager to do some continuous exposition of a longer passage of Scripture. I believe the Lord led me to Isaiah 55 to satisfy all these goals.

I'm calling the series The Great Invitation.

==== God Is a Very Inviting God ====

And what I want us to see in this first message based on verses 1–3 is that God is a very inviting God.

The word inviting has two meanings doesn't it? You can say, This spot is inviting. And you mean that it is pleasant and attractive and that you feel drawn to come here.

Or you can say, Tom is inviting us to come to his house on Thursday. And you mean that something special is happening and he says he wants us to come.

The great and wonderful thing about God is that he is inviting in both these ways. No text in the Bible shows this more vividly than Isaiah 55:1–3.

==== The Work of Redemption Foreseen in Isaiah ====

Let me put it in context for you. Back in Chapter 53 Isaiah described in amazing detail 700 years ahead of time how Christ would come and suffer and bear the sins of God's people and die in our place and rise again. Look at 53:4–6,
<blockquote>Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all. </blockquote>
There is the great substitution. Christ in our place, taking our sins on himself.

Now look at his death in verse 8,
<blockquote>By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? </blockquote>
So he died not for his own sin but for the sin of his people—the people who trust him and follow him.

Then look at his resurrection in verse 12,
<blockquote>Therefore I [God the Father] will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to death, and was numbered with the transgressors; </blockquote>
So death was not the end of Christ. He bore the sins of many. But God then honored him with the spoils of victory over death and sin. He is now alive and reigning in heaven till he comes again.

So in Chapter 53 we can say that the prophet Isaiah sees the work of redemption as accomplished in the death and resurrection of Christ 700 years in the future.

==== Great Blessings as a Result of Redemption ====

Then in Chapter 54 Isaiah foresees some of the great blessings that will come to God's people because the Messiah has overcome the problem of their guilt and sin (described in Chapter 53). Let me just show you one of these that will lead us to our Great Invitation in Chapter 55.

On Wednesday, May 31, 1792, William Carey, about to become the father of modern missions preached a sermon to his fellow Baptist pastors from Isaiah 54:2–3. He argued that this text is a great missionary text and that the point of it is that God wills for his people to expand until all the peoples of the world are included.
<blockquote>Enlarge the place of your tent, and let the curtains of your habitations be stretched out; hold not back, lengthen your cords and strengthen your stakes. For you will spread abroad to the right and to the left, and your descendants will possess the nations and will people the desolate cities. </blockquote>
In other words, one of the great blessings that would come to the people of God because of Christ's death and resurrection is that all the nations would be touched. Christ's redemption is not just for Jews. It's not just for us. It is for all the nations.

And this leads us then to The Great Invitation in Isaiah 55. If redemption is accomplished, and God's will is that the blessings of this redemptions spread to all the nations, then it does not surprise that God comes forward with a Great Invitation not just for a few, and not just for those who can pay their way, but for everyone.

==== Three Questions About Isaiah 55:1–3 ====

Let's look at Chapter 55:1–3 and ask three questions:
<blockquote>1.  Who are invited?</blockquote><blockquote>2.  What are they offered?</blockquote><blockquote>3.  What are they told to do in order to get it? </blockquote>
==== 1. Who Are invited? ====

The answer is, two kinds of people. The first kind is described in verse 1: "Ho every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money come buy and eat! Come buy wine and milk without money and without price."

===== The Thirsty and Broke =====

The first kind of person that God invites to come to him is thirsty people who can't pay for what they need. Two things: thirsty, and can't pay.

So let me say a word to those of you in this category. You have come this morning with thirst in your heart. Your heart feels like the brown grass in my back yard. It hasn't rained for a long time. A lot of old hopes have dried up. Dreams have waited and almost died. Dead end streets again and again. Empty. Unfulfilled. Dissatisfied. Knowing there has to be something more to life.

But now everything that looks good is out of reach. No money. No strength. No motivation. But at least a longing. A thirst.

And the Lord says, your just the candidate I am after: "Ho everyone who thirsts and has no money—no resources, no bargaining position, no track record, no power, no prestige, no pull. God is inviting you this morning to enjoy the banquet of salvation.

===== The Self-Sufficient =====

But there is a second kind of person whom God invites. And I'm glad, because I think that the rest of you who don't feel like you are in that category will fit into this one if you are honest. This kind of person is described in verse 2.
<blockquote>Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? </blockquote>
In verse 1 God said, "He who has no money come!" In verse 2 he talks to someone who has money, who has the strength to labor. The first kind of person is spiritually bankrupt and knows it. They are thirsty and broke. But the second kind of person isn't there yet. He's got money and he is spending it. He's got strength and he is laboring.

But what's the result? Frustration. He's not like the other guy—burnt out, at the end of his rope. He is still spending and still working, dreaming, chasing, searching, experimenting—different job, different city, different car, different house, different wife, new computer, new boat, new books, new bike, new grill, new season tickets, new diet, new looks—there's still a lot of looking around left in this person. But still no pot at the end of the rainbow. No fountain of youth. And every triumph peters out. The applause fades. The boat is boring. The style passes. Everything new gets old and the options get fewer and fewer.

When you are honest, you know there is a canyon of need and longing on the inside no matter how self-sufficient you look on the outside. And God knows even better than you. He has you in mind when he says, "Why do you spend your money for bread which is no-bread, and labor for dreams that do not satisfy?

So two kinds of people are invited by the Lord: the thirsty who are broke and cannot pay; and the thirsty who think they can pay and work their way to satisfaction.

I think everybody in this room would have to admit to being in one of those two groups if we were honest with ourselves.

==== 2. What Are We Offered? ====

The answer is given in three steps:
<blockquote>1.  the benefits are pictured for us in verse 1,</blockquote><blockquote>2.  the quality and quantity of these benefits are mentioned in verse 2,</blockquote><blockquote>3.  and the reality behind the pictures is described in verse 3. </blockquote>
===== The Benefits =====

In verse 1 we are offered water, wine, and milk. "Ho every one who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."

Don't these three beverages correspond to deep needs that every one of us has?

Water corresponds to the need for refreshment. When you are most thirsty and most desperate, most dehydrated, it's water that you want and nothing else. "He leads me beside still waters, he restores [refreshes] my soul." God invites you this morning to receive refreshment, restoration, reviving, a new beginning.

Milk corresponds to the need for ongoing nourishment. When someone is gasping for life, you give them water. But when you want a little baby to grow day after day, you give it milk again and again. God is not just for emergencies and mountain peaks. He is for health in the long haul. He invites you not only to come alive with water, but also to be stable and strong with milk.

Wine corresponds to the need for exhilaration. We want to live and not die. We want to be strong and stable instead of weak and wavering. But that is not all we need in life. No matter how stoic, unemotional, phlegmatic, laid-back, or poker-faced we may seem to others, there is a child inside of every one of us that God made for exhilaration—for shouting and singing and dancing and playing and skipping and running and jumping and laughing.

So what verse 1 says is that God is willing to revive us from the heat of Death Valley with the miracle of his water; and make us strong and healthy and stable with the miracle of his milk; and then give us endless and ever-fresh exhilaration with the miracle of his wine.

===== The Quality and Quantity of the Benefits =====

The last part of verse 2 describes the quality and quantity of these benefits of water, milk, and wine. It says, "Hearken diligently to me, and eat what is good, and delight yourselves in fatness." The word "good" means that what God offers is top quality; it's the best there is. And the word "fatness" means there is a lot of it (Psalm 65:11; 36:8). The water is good and it's plentiful. The milk is good and it's plentiful. The wine is good and it's plentiful. The Bible loves to talk about the riches of God's glory and the fullness of joy at his right hand. He gives what is best and it never runs out. "Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst; the water that I shall give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life" (John 4:14).

===== The Reality Behind the Imagery =====

Then in verse 3 God tells us what the reality is behind all this imagery. "Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you and everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David."

In verse 1 he said, "Come to the waters . . . come for wine and milk." In verse 3 he explains, "Come to me." God is our living water. God is our nourishing milk. God is our exhilarating wine. "Whom have I in heaven but thee? And there is nothing upon earth that I desire besides thee. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart my portion for ever" (Psalm 73:25–26; 42:1–2; 63:1–3).

But we can even be more specific. He goes on to say in verse 3 that when we come to him, he makes a covenant with us. What kind of covenant? The same kind of covenant that he made with King David in 2 Samuel 7—a covenant of "steadfast, sure love." This means that when you come to God, he binds himself by an unbreakable oath to pursue you with goodness and mercy all your days right into eternity—with ever-refreshing water, and ever-strengthening milk, and ever-exhilarating wine, forever and ever!

Which brings us to a final practical question . . .

==== 3. What Are We Told to Do to Get These Benefits? ====

There are 12 imperatives in these three verses. The most pleasant, most inviting, 12 commandments you will ever hear. I'll point them out as we read it together.
<blockquote>1) Ho, every one who thirsts, come to the waters[#1]; and he who has no money, come [#2], buy [#3] and eat [#4]! Come [#5], buy wine and milk [#6] without money and without price. 2) Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which does not satisfy? Hearken diligently to me [#7] and eat what is good [#8], and delight yourselves in fatness [#9]. 3) Incline your ear [#10], and come to me [#11]; hear [#12] that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant, my steadfast, sure love for David. </blockquote>
When you ponder these 12 commandments for a moment, they fall into a natural pattern. First there are three commands to listen carefully to what God is saying (one in verse 2 and two in verse 3). So I urge you, as we close, take heed how you hear. Are you leaning into God's Word? God pleads this morning: don't let the advertisements for the world drown out this invitation to heaven!

Then all the rest of the God's bidding fall into four steps:
<blockquote>1.  Come, 2.  buy, 3.  eat, 4.  enjoy. </blockquote>
And this is what the Bible means by faith.

Remember: in verse 1 he says, "Come to the waters," but in verse 3 he says, "Come to me." God himself is the water and the milk and the wine.

==== A Closing Exhortation ====

Everybody in this room is somewhere in these four steps. And I call you to take another one this morning.
<blockquote>1.  If you are distant from God, you need to come, draw near.</blockquote><blockquote>2.  If you have drawn near in recent days or just this morning, but hold back from any transaction analyzing and appraising, you need to buy. I admit it is a strange transaction: there is no price and you are spiritually bankrupt. But you must take this water and milk and wine, and count it yours just as much as if you had bought it, for there is one who has bought it.</blockquote><blockquote>3.  If you have made the transaction and hold the water and milk and wine in your hand, you need to eat. God is not a thing to be studied. He is a person to be experienced. He is food and life and joy for the soul.</blockquote><blockquote>4.  Finally, if you have eaten, delight yourself in the Lord. And say with the psalmist, "Thou dost show me the path of life; in thy presence there is fulness of joy, in thy right hand are pleasures for evermore." </blockquote>

The Great Invitation: Come! Drink! Eat! Live!

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:40:04 GMT

Greetje:

The Great Invitation Call Others Too

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:38:30 GMT

Greetje: The Great Invitation Call Others Too moved to The Great Invitation: Call Others Too!

#REDIRECT [[The Great Invitation: Call Others Too!]]

The Great Invitation: Call Others Too!

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:38:30 GMT

Greetje: The Great Invitation Call Others Too moved to The Great Invitation: Call Others Too!

<blockquote>
{{info}}'''Isaiah 55:1-3'''
</blockquote>
==== The Amazing Promise Held Out to You Today ====

We saw last week that God invites thirsty, bankrupt, frustrated people to come to him for water, milk, and wine.
<blockquote>
*Spiritual water for refreshment of dry and dead souls.
*Spiritual milk for the nourishment and strengthening of weak souls.
*Spiritual wine for the exhilaration and joy of sad and disheartened souls.
</blockquote>
And he says that these life-giving beverages are free. They can be bought, but not by us. There is no price that we could ever pay. Chapter 53 makes it clear that another Person had to bear our griefs and carry our sorrows and pay the price for our forgiveness and our life. That's what Jesus, the Messiah, did for all who trust in him. Now the water and milk and wine of God's grace is free for all who will turn from sin and seek their satisfaction in fellowship with God.

Verse 3 tells us what the reality behind these pictures of water, milk, and wine is, namely, an everlasting covenant that God makes with all who come to him to have their needs met.
<blockquote>Incline your ear, and come to me; hear, that your soul may live; and I will make with you an everlasting covenant. </blockquote>
Then in the last line of verse 3, this covenant that God promises to make with all who come to him is described as the steadfast, sure love that God has for David. In other words, God promises to share the love that he has for David with any who will come to him for satisfaction.

==== A Glimpse at What It Could Mean for You ====

Now this is an amazing promise held out to you this morning. What it could mean for you is glimpsed in Psalm 89. This whole Psalm is written to affirm the covenant that God made with David (2 Samuel 7) and to plead that God would apply it to the people in their misery.

'''Psalm 89:3–4; 27–29'''
<blockquote>Thou hast said, "I have made a covenant with my chosen one, I have sworn to David my servant: 'I will establish your descendants for ever, and build your throne for all generations.'" And I will make him the first-born, the highest of the kings of the earth. My steadfast love I will keep for him for ever, and my covenant will stand firm for him. I will establish his line for ever and his throne as the days of the heavens. </blockquote>
===== David Is Dead When the Psalm Is Written =====

Now what makes this psalm so relevant for us is that David is long dead when this psalm is written, and what the psalmist is doing is claiming God's covenant love for a later generation. Look at verse 49:
<blockquote>Lord, where is thy steadfast love of old, which by thy faithfulness thou didst swear to David? </blockquote>
So what this psalmist is doing is just what you could do this morning if you come to God for the satisfaction of his forgiveness and fellowship. You could say, "O Lord, you promised to David a throne of triumph over all his foes that would endure forever. You promised to be his Shepherd, to give him green pastures and still waters, to lead him in righteousness and protect him in the valley of the shadow of death. You promised to follow him with goodness and mercy all his days. And now, Lord, in Isaiah 55:3 you promised me that if I come to you, and seek my satisfaction in your presence, you will make me a partner in that covenant with David. And I believe that you will do it. I come. Show me now your steadfast, sure love for David."

===== Has God Been Faithful to His Covenant? =====

But you might ask, just like the psalmist did, "Has God been faithful to his covenant? Does the throne of David endure for ever?" And the angel comes to the virgin Mary and gives the answer in Luke 1:31–33.
<blockquote>Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end. (See Isaiah 9:6–7.) </blockquote>
So the covenant made with David, comes to fulfillment in Jesus Christ, the son of David who was raised from the dead and now sits on an everlasting throne until all the world is subdued to him.

So the awesome promise that God holds out to you this morning in verse 3 is that if you will hear his voice and come to him, he will make a covenant with you that is just as sure, and unshakable, and full of never-failing hope as the covenant that brought his Son to earth and raised him from the dead and seated him forever at the right hand of the Majesty on High.

If you are looking for something solid in life, something that doesn't change or let you down, something that will make you happy and be satisfying to your soul forever, God offers you in this verse (3) the unswerving love and unbreakable commitment that he has toward his own Son. When you believe this, the roots of your life go down around the boulders of God's grace and you become a strong tree against the gusts of Satan's indictments and deceptions.

==== The Crucial Question Facing Christians and Churches ====

Now just at this point Christians and churches face an utterly important question: will we take this awesome privilege of God's covenant love and sit down with it (to drink our water, milk, and wine), or will we read on to verses 4 and 5 and really understand the new covenant God makes with us? Will we be satisfied that God has made a covenant with us to give us eternal life? Or will be dissatisfied until he has made a covenant of life with disciples from all the nations and peoples of the world?

There are thousands of professing believers and thousands of Christian churches that don't even ask this question about world missions. Will you be like them because you say, "Look, it's all I can do to keep my nose above hometown water?" Or will you read on to verses 4 and 5 and discover that missions is not a kind of burdensome caboose behind the boxcars of God's blessing, but instead is part and parcel of God's covenant mercies FOR YOU?

I know that when I sit down in 30 or 40 years to meditate on the chapters of God's mercy in my life, I will date the beginning of one of the most thrilling chapters from November 1983, when I preached my first missions sermon ever, called "Missions: the Battle Cry of Christian Hedonism." When I see what vistas of hope and joy have broken onto my life in the last five years with a growing vision for world missions, I am tempted to go back to last Sunday's sermon and say that the wine of God—the exhilaration of spiritual life—is none other than the gift of missionary vision and hope and involvement.

==== The Missionary Purposes of God ====

Let's look at verses 4 and 5 and see some of the exhilarating missionary purposes of God. I see two purposes of God expressed and two means of achieving those purposes.

===== 1. That Unknown Nations Be Called =====

The first purpose of God is this: GOD'S PURPOSE IS THAT UNKNOWN NATIONS BE CALLED.

Verse 5: "Behold, you shall call nations that you know not."

God could see a lot farther than they could 2,700 years ago. He could see tribes and peoples of Northern Europe and China and Africa and South America. And his purpose for the world would not be limited by the ignorance of his own people. "You will call nations that you know not."

And what ought to knock the socks off of every Christian alive at the end of the 20th century is that the fulfillment of this purpose is at hand. For the first time in the history of Christian missions the unknown peoples (not places, but peoples!)—the unknown peoples are the center of concern and study and rising missionary effort. We call them "hidden peoples" or "frontier peoples" or "unreached peoples." And there is immense global effort in our day to know the unknown.

What we see happening all around us is the fulfillment of Isaiah 55:5—unknown peoples being identified and called. This is the purpose of God—that unknown nations be called to the banquet of salvation.

===== 2. That the Unknown Peoples Come =====

The second purpose of God we see in this text is this: GOD'S PURPOSE IS THAT THE UNKNOWN PEOPLE COME.

Verse 5: "Behold, you shall call nations that you know not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you."

God's purpose is not merely world missions, but the SUCCESS of world missions. The nations will respond. They will run to you. Look down at verse 11 to see this stated very boldly.
<blockquote>So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and prosper in the thing for which I sent it. </blockquote>
God's missionary purpose will succeed.

Those are God's two purposes in this text—
<blockquote>1.  that unknown peoples be called to the banquet of salvation, and</blockquote><blockquote>2.  that these unknown peoples come. </blockquote>
==== How God Intends to Accomplish These Purposes ====

Now how does God intend to accomplish these two purposes? There are three answers in the text.

===== 1. Jesus Will Bring Them to the Banquet =====

The first is given in verse 4:
<blockquote>Behold, I made him a witness to the peoples; a leader and commander for the peoples. </blockquote>
Who is this talking about?

It's possible that it simply refers back to the life of king David 300 years earlier. He was a witness with his great poetry and he was a great leader and commander as king of Israel.

But if the connection between verses 4 and 5 is close, it seems to me that verse 4 would have in mind a future work of witnessing and leading and commanding, not a merely past one. What binds verses 4 and 5 close together is the reference to peoples and nations, and the point of the passage is that God aims to call them in. So it seems likely to me that both verses focus on the future and what God aims to do for the peoples of the world who don't know God.

So I take verse 4 to refer not merely to the work of king David in the past but also to the Son of David in the future, namely, the Messiah prophesied in Isaiah 9:6—
<blockquote>Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and over his kingdom, to establish it, and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and for evermore. </blockquote>
So the first answer to the question how God aims to accomplish his purposes for the nations is that he has appointed David—the New David, Jesus Christ, the Son of David—to be a witness to the peoples and a leader and commander to the peoples.

Jesus said in John 18:37, "For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, to bear witness to the truth." And in Revelation 1:5 John says, "Jesus is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the leader [same word as the Septuagint of Isaiah 55:4] of the kings of the earth."

Jesus is God's answer to the question how the nations will be included in salvation. He speaks as a witness and he reigns as a leader and commander. So the answer is that the word and the power of Jesus will bring the nations to the banquet.

But how will this happen? Where do you and I fit into God's purpose to gather the nations? That is the second answer to the question how God aims to fulfill his purposes and it is given in verse 5.

===== 2. We Will Be Sent to Call Them =====

Those of us who have come to the water and the milk and wine of God's promises will be sent to call the nations:
<blockquote>Behold, you shall call nations that you know not, and nations that knew you not shall run to you. </blockquote>
The witness of Jesus (v. 4) is heard in the call of the church (v. 5). And the power of Jesus (v. 4) is seen in the response of the nations running to the salvation of God (v. 5). So God means to bring in the nations by the witness and power of Jesus, yes, but not without you and me as the ones who do the calling. "He who hears you hears me!" (Luke 10:16).

This means, very practically, that we at Bethlehem should be devoted to discovering who the hidden peoples are who are not yet called and bending tremendous prayer and effort to call them in. Nothing has happened in the last 2,700 years to change God's purpose in this matter. He has simply made it more clear than ever in the Great Commission of the New Testament. We are at an amazing point in missions history as the church awakens to this challenge as never before. Don't miss out on it.

===== 3. We Will Invite and Be Inviting =====

There is one last answer to the question how God means to gather the peoples to his banquet. It's given in second part of verse 5.
<blockquote>. . . and nations that knew you not shall run to you, because of the Lord your God, and of the Holy One of Israel, for he has glorified you. </blockquote>
In essence this says that not only will the church invite the nations, but the church will be inviting. The missionary thrust of the church will be most successful when the glory of God is most evident in the daily life of the church. When we let our light shine and when people see our good works, they will glorify our Father who is in heaven.

And so the circle closes in harmony between frontier missions and domestic ministries, between evangelism and nurture, between witnessing and worshiping, between heralding and healing, between spiritual foxholes and spiritual hospitals. Competition is excluded. The beautification of the body of Christ is an invitation to a broken world.

==== Summary ====

In summary, then, what the Lord says to us this morning is this:
<blockquote>I intend that unknown peoples around the world be called to the banquet of salvation. And I intend that when they are called, they will come running. I will accomplish this by sending my church to call them to the banquet, and by beautifying the church with holiness and grace. And I have appointed the Son of David as witness and leader to the peoples—he will go forth in word and power, and his word will not return empty but accomplish that for which I send him. To join him in this great work is not a burdensome caboose behind the boxcars of blessing. If one box car is full of water to give life, if another is full of milk to give growth, this is the boxcar full of wine—the most exhilarating cause to live for in the world. </blockquote>

The Great Invitation: Call Others Too!

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:37:18 GMT

Greetje:

The God of Peace Will Soon Crush Satan Under Your Feet

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:33:49 GMT

Greetje:

<blockquote>
{{info}}'''Romans 16:17-20'''

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. 18 For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. 19 For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. 20 The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
</blockquote>
Up till now in the book of Romans, Paul has never mentioned the devil (except indirectly in passing in Romans 8:38 where he said that neither “angels nor rulers” can separate us from the love of God in Christ). In view of how much he treats the truth of justification in chapters 3-5 and the Christian life in chapters 6-8, that silence about Satan should caution us against making too much of the devil in how we fight the fight of faith.

==== Satan’s One Mention in Romans: He’s Doomed ====

Those who think of all struggles in terms of conflicts with the devil to be fought in face-to-face combat must wonder how Paul could write fifteen chapters about salvation and Christian living and not mention the Satan. Paul’s silence till now does not mean that Satan is insignificant, or that he can be trifled with. But it does mean that we deal with Satan mainly indirectly rather than keeping him in our mind and going toe to toe (see in addition 2 Timothy 2:24-26).

But now, finally, near the end, Paul does mention Satan in Romans 16:20. And that’s the main thing I want to talk about. When Paul finally mentions the devil, he has one thing to say about him. To use the words of Martin Luther, “His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure.” Paul has one sentence to say about Satan in sixteen chapters. Verse 20: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” That’s all. He get’s one mention. And the mention is: He’s doomed. You will crush him under your feet.

==== Avoid Horny, Gluttonous Smooth-Talkers ====

Now before we talk about that, let’s see how that fits into the flow of Paul’s thought. In verse 18, Paul said we should watch out for people who depart from the apostle’s doctrine and try to take others with them. Avoid them, Paul says. Verse 19 gives the reasons for this vigilance: Because the false teachers are not always easy to spot with their smooth talk and their words of blessing. And so the danger is greater that they will sweep away the innocent and unsuspecting. And beneath is all is not an innocent intellectual mistake but deep bondage to the appetites of the flesh. The smooth talkers in their private lives, it appears, turn out to be horny and gluttonous.

==== The Well-Known Obedience of the Romans ====

That’s what we saw last week. Now in verse 19, Paul commends the Romans for their obedience and mentions this as a reason why they need to be vigilant over error and why he is so happy about them. He says, “For your obedience is known to all.” In other words, if false teachers get the upper hand among you, then all the more reproach will come to the name of Christ because your obedience is know everywhere. The greater your reputation for obedience, the more damage can be done if you get sucked into false teaching. So be vigilant “for your obedience is know to all.” You have a great responsibility.

And, he says, I want you to know that your obedience brings me great joy. Verse 19: “Your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you.” Paul had not founded this church. He had never been there. He was simply joyful over the reputation of a church that walked in obedience to Jesus. When you rejoice in churches, is it because they are big or have good music or because they are obedient to the radical demands of Jesus?

==== Experts in Good; Not Even Beginners in Evil ====

Then Paul gives one more warning like he did in verse 17. Even though you are a basically obedient people and even though I have great joy in your obedience, I want to be sure to caution you one more time. Verse 19b: “I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” Paul said something like this to the Corinthians. He said, “Brothers, do not be children in your thinking. Be infants in evil, but in your thinking be mature” (1 Corinthians 14:20). He got this way of talking from Jesus. Jesus had said, “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves” (Matthew 10:16).

Sheep in the midst of wolves. That makes an interesting link with the context in Romans. Here Paul is warning against wolves in sheep’s clothing—people departing from the doctrine who talk like sheep and bless like sheep but “do not serve our Lord Christ.” They are wolves ready to devour the naïve. When it comes to wisdom—the discerning of false teaching and destructive behaviors—don’t be naïve. Be wise; be mature. But when it comes to evil—erroneous destructive doctrines and appetite-worship that goes with them—be innocent. Be like a child in the sense that you don’t even make a beginning in evil. J. B. Phillips paraphrases Romans 16:19, “I want to see you experts in good, and not even beginners in evil.”

So, Bethlehem, let’s be that way: “Wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.” You don’t even need to be a beginner in evil. O how many pangs you young people will spare yourselves if you don’t make any beginning in evil. There is evil enough in your own heart for Christ to deal with. You don’t need to burden him with more.

==== Satan, the Head of Evil, Is Coming Off ====

Finally, we come then to verse 20 and the point seems to be this: Do not be tricked or lured into any evil—false teaching or bondage to appetite—because the great head of evil, Satan, is going to be crushed. Be warned not to get involved with the works of Satan, because “lo, his doom is sure.” And be encouraged to press on in your battle against all that is false and destructive because the Father of all lies and destruction will be destroyed.

I take verse 20a to be a broad, general, glorious promise about the triumph of the church over the Satan. “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” I don’t take it mainly as a reference to any current event in the Roman church because Paul hasn’t described any crisis that appears to be coming to a head like that. The troubles he describes are of an ongoing kind. We will have to be vigilant for false teachers till the last day. I don’t think it’s a reference to a current event but to the last great events of history when Satan is finally crushed and put in the pit (Revelation 20:2-3) and in the lake of fire (Revelation 20:10). It’s a warning not to be friends with evil because evil will loose. And it’s an encouragement to stay vigilant against the false teaching because the fountain of all error will one day be destroyed.

==== The Larger Picture of Satan’s Defeat ====

So let’s step back here and get the larger picture of what the New Testament says about the defeat of Satan. In Genesis 3:15, God promised that the seed of the woman would crush the head of the serpent: “He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Jesus comes to fulfill that promise. First John 3:8 says, “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” So we can sum up the work of Christ as destroying Satan in three stages.

1) Satan has been decisively defeated in the death and resurrection of Christ; 2) he is being defeated now by Christ through Christians who speak the word of God and put on the whole armor of God; and 3) he will finally be vanquished and thrown into the lake of fire never to deceive or torment the world again.

===== 1. Satan Has Been Decisively Defeated in the Death and Resurrection of Christ. =====

Paul puts it like this in Colossians 2:14-15, “[Christ cancelled] the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.” By nailing our sins to the cross he took all the damning weapons out of the devil’s hands. Now he can rage against us, but he cannot condemn. It is God who justifies, who is to condemn (Romans 8:33-34)? (See also Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 John 3:8; Ephesians 1:22; John 12:21; 16:11.)

===== 2. Satan Is Being Defeated Now by Christ Through Christians Who Believe and Speak the Word of God and Put on the Whole Armor of God. =====

Ephesians 6:12-13, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm.” (See also Revelation 12:11; 2 Corinthians 4:4-6). So we today embrace and apply the victory of Christ by faith in our battles against the devil—mainly by believing and wielding the word of God (cf. 2 Timothy 2:24-26).

===== 3. Satan Will Finally Be Vanquished and Thrown into the Lake of Fire Never to Deceive or Torment the World Again. =====

Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15:25, “[Christ] must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.” The defeat was decisive in the cross and resurrection, but the final blow will be delivered in the future when Christ puts all things manifestly under his feet. There’s the link with Romans 16:20—“under his feet.” Only here it’s under ''your'' feet: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” And the reason it’s your feet is that we are in Christ and his triumphs will be our triumphs.

This is as certain to happen as the fact that Christ already came and died and rose again. That’s why Ephesians 1:22 speaks of all things as ''already'' under Christ’s feet. “God put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church.” Romans 16:20 is a glorious promise to beleaguered saints in times and places where it seems as if evil has the upper hand and Satan is devouring the world. And it is a warning not to give up and change sides. It is an encouragement to keep on being vigilant against falsehood and idolatry and to “be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil.”

==== Grace for the Battle ====

And in the meantime—till the final victory comes and Satan is vanquished—there will be grace for long battle. Verse 20b: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.” It arrives every day in just the right amount for the battles we face. It is new every morning. Great is his faithfulness.

==== How Long, O Lord? ====

Which leaves one last question. How long, O Lord? How long till the victory comes? “How long, O God, is the foe to scoff? Is the enemy to revile your name forever?” (Psalm 74:10).

And Paul answers, “Soon.” Verse 20: “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.” What does that mean? He said that two thousand years ago. Two thousand years ago he said in Romans 13:12, “The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light.” How are we today to understand the statements in the New Testament that the coming Christ and the triumphs of his appearing will be soon, and yet two thousand years have gone by?

There is one book in the New Testament that addresses this issue directly, 2 Peter.
<blockquote>Scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires. 4 They will say, “Where is the promise of his coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all things are continuing as they were from the beginning of creation.” . . . 8 But do not overlook this one fact, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. 9 The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. (2 Peter 3:3-4) </blockquote>
Peter’s way of handling the delay of Jesus’ second coming when people began to ask this question is to draw attention to God’s peculiar relationship to time. “With the Lord . . . a thousand years [is] as one day.” So taking my cue from Peter, I want to close this morning by imagining a conversation between Paul and the Lord who is guiding what he writes. It goes like this:

'''Paul''': O Lord, how long? How long till this great enemy is finally removed and the troubles of the church come to an end?

'''The Lord''': It is not for you to know. My Father has the time fixed in his secret councils. And he is infinitely wise and infinitely good.

'''Paul''': Lord, could it be long—hundreds or even thousands of years?

'''The Lord''': And if it were a thousand years—or two thousand? Would that be long? A thousand years is like a day with me.

'''Paul''': Lord, how then should I speak of this coming triumph? What should I say about the time?

'''The Lord''': Be true to me the way I really am, and say what will help people be ready at my coming. They must not think that they can presume upon my delay. For if they do, they will drift into patterns of indifference and be snatched away to destruction in a moment.

'''Paul''': So do you mean, Lord, that I should say that you are coming soon even though I don’t know that from our side whether it will be soon? That would not be a mistake to say that?

'''The Lord''': No that would not be a mistake. Say that. It will cause some to stumble, like many other things that I say. Scoffers will come and ridicule my promise. I know that. But if you give the impression that it will not be not soon, you will do far more damage to the truth and to the souls of men than if you stay true to my timeless haste and help the people be always ready and full of hope.

'''Paul''': Lord, if a thousand years or two thousand should pass and you do not come, what should your people think who read these words in those days? Will they not think, So many hundreds of years have come and gone, there is no reason to think it will be soon any more or that our lives will be interrupted by his appearing?

'''The Lord''': They should remember that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night. It will be sudden and unexpected by almost everyone. The world will be going on as usual (Luke 17:26-31). And sudden destruction will come upon them. Pray for them, Paul, that they not stumble over the word ''soon''. Pray that they will know that for me it will be soon, and for them it will be sudden. Pray that they will understand that ''expecting'' it to be ''soon'' is the best way not to drift into indifference and be snatched away in destruction.

'''Paul''': Thank you, Lord. You know that I would love for you to come back while I am still alive. I would love to be clothed with life rather than stripped of my body in death. Come, Lord Jesus. Come quickly.

'''The Lord''': Paul, my dear servant, your desire for me and my quick return is a great honor to me. I would not want you to desire anything less. Finish this letter to the Romans and pray that those who come after you will have your same desire. And until then, never forget—and don’t let the people forget—when I come I will crush Satan under your feet. My grace be with you.
<blockquote>And though this world, with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, We will not fear, for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us: The Prince of Darkness grim, we tremble not for him; His rage we can endure, for lo, his doom is sure, One little word shall fell him. That word above all earthly powers, no thanks to them, abideth; The Spirit and the gifts are ours through Him Who with us sideth: Let goods and kindred go, this mortal life also; The body they may kill: God’s truth abideth still, His kingdom is forever. </blockquote>

The Faith - Grace - Certainty Connection

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:25:15 GMT

Greetje:

<blockquote>{{info}}'''Romans 4:16-21'''</blockquote><blockquote>For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants, not only to those who are of the Law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all, 17 (as it is written, "A FATHER OF MANY NATIONS HAVE I MADE YOU") in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. 18 In hope against hope he believed, so that he might become a father of many nations according to that which had been spoken, "SO SHALL YOUR DESCENDANTS BE." 19 Without becoming weak in faith he contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb; 20 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, 21 and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. </blockquote>
==== Heirs of the World ====

Let's start where we left off last week: with the promise that Abraham and his descendants - that is, all who have the faith of Abraham (Jews and Gentiles) - will be heirs of the world. Verse 13: "The promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world. . ." This was the summary and implication of all God's promises to Abraham: he and his descendants would inherit the world - or as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 3:21, "All things belong to you . . . and you belong to Christ and Christ belongs to God." I closed with four exhortations: Rejoice in this great hope; be secure in all your affliction; venture something a little bit crazy for Christ; give God the glory. Some of you did that this past week, and some radical choices were made that will change the rest of your life.

Now today it only gets better. Paul is so serious and so eager for you to bank your hope on the promise of being an heir of all things - and for you to live your life with the kind of radical abandon for Christ that will make people see and wonder and give glory to God - that he now labors to show what God has done to make the promise guaranteed and certain. So the question you should have in your mind during the message today is: What has God done to make sure and certain and firm and guaranteed the promise that his people will inherit the world?

==== Faith ====

Let's start with verse 16 and answer the first question that turns up: "For this reason it is by faith . . ." What does "it" refer to? "For this reason it is by faith." If you have the NIV, they interpret it for you by saying: "the promise comes by faith." The original simply says, "For this reason, by faith, in order that according to grace . . ." What then is "by faith"? Is it simply the promise that is by faith?

Look back at verse 13: "For the promise to Abraham or to his descendants that he would be heir of the world was not through the Law, but through the righteousness of faith." Here he says that the "promise" comes not just through faith, but through "the righteousness of faith." It's certainly not wrong to say that the promise is through faith. But Paul is saying something more. Don't forget what this whole chapter is about: it's about justification by faith. That is, it's about having a righteousness that is not our own, but is credited to us by faith apart from works. Verse 13 says that the promise that we are heirs of the world is ours through "the righteousness of faith" - that is, through the righteousness of God credited to our account through faith. (See Romans 4:5,9,11.)

So then what is "by faith" in verse 16 when Paul says, "For this reason it is by faith"? Answer: the righteousness of God that obtains the promise for us is by faith. It's true to say that the promise is by faith, but it is by faith through the righteousness of God in Christ that is credited to us by faith. We believe - we trust God's promise to us obtained for us by Christ - and God imputes his righteousness to us through this faith, and on the basis of that imputed righteousness, the promise is secured for us that we will be heirs of the world.

==== Grace ====

The next question verse 16 raises for us is what "For this reason" refers back to? "For this reason the righteousness that obtains the promise is by faith." For what reason? Verse 14 gives the answer: "If those who are of the Law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise is nullified." The reason the righteousness that obtains the promise is "by faith" is that if it were by law, then the promise would be nullified. Why? Verse 15: because the law brings wrath. If you try to use the law of commandments to do things for God so that you will have righteousness before him, you will fail. You will only get wrath, because justification is by faith alone, and all works before faith are self-wrought rebellion, not acceptable righteousness (Romans 10:3).

So here's the way we can paraphrase the first part of verse 16, "Since trying to keep the law of commandments as a way of justification only brings wrath, therefore the righteousness that obtains the promise for us is by faith, not law."

Now comes the new thought in verse 16. Paul wants to show us another reason why God makes faith the only way to have the righteousness of God and obtain the promise. The first reason was that the alternative to faith is the trying to be justified by the law of commandments; and that fails; it brings wrath; it nullifies the promise. The second reason why faith is the only way to be justified - the new reason in verse 16 - is that faith is in accordance with grace.

Verse 16: "For this reason it is by faith (that is, since the law brings wrath, the righteousness we need to inherit the promise is by faith) in order that it may be in accordance with grace." Why is it important that the way to inherit the promise be "in accordance with grace"? The next clause in verse 16 gives the answer: "So that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants" - both kinds of descendants: believing Jews ("those who are of the Law") and believing Gentiles ("those who are of the faith of Abraham"). Why must the way of inheriting the promise of being heir of all things be "in accordance with grace"? Answer: So that the promise will be guaranteed - or certain and sure and unshakable.

==== Certainty ====

So now we see what Paul is up to. In all this weighty writing he has a precious practical aim in view: your certainty that the promise of being an heir of the world will come true for you, an imperfect, stumbling, believing, justified, sinning saint. Paul is not interested in stretching your brain with this kind of writing and thinking for no urgent reason. He wants you to be sure, to know a guarantee, to be certain about the promise that we talked about last week.

The people whose certainty about the promises of God is most unshakable in the suffering and the sensuality of life are the people who have meditated their way into the mind of God with the help of his Word - which is what I am trying to help you do right now.

So what is Paul's foundation in verse 16 for a guaranteed and certain promise? Read it with me again and follow the three steps of his reasoning: "For this reason it is by faith, in order that it may be in accordance with grace, so that the promise will be guaranteed to all the descendants." Faith . .. grace . . . guaranteed promise.

Now meditate on this with me for a moment. Ponder this. Think about this for the good of your soul. Sink some roots down into this great statement. What is it that really, at bottom, guarantees the promise that you will be an heir? The answer is: God's grace. Your faith is essential, but the reason it's essential is that it is the only condition of the heart that accords with grace. And God's grace is the deepest foundation of our guarantee.

Notice the way Paul says it in verse 16. Why is faith so essential? He answers: it's because it accords with grace. And why is that important? Because God's grace is what gives the guarantee. The only way that our eternal future can be guaranteed is if it rests on God's grace. Grace is the free and undeserved work of God to bring his people to glory. Grace is the mighty, omnipotent purpose of God to make sure we get our inheritance. Grace is the ground of our guarantee. And faith is the only condition of the heart that "accords" with that free and undeserved work.

==== What Is This Grace? ====

Now I want you to taste the glory of this powerful promise-guaranteeing grace. To do that, let's look back to something we have seen and then forward to something we have not seen. What is this grace? How does it guarantee that we will obtain our inheritance?

Look back at Romans 4:4-5. "Now to the one who works, his wage is not credited as a favor [literally: "in accordance with grace" - the exact phrase found in verse 16, "in accordance with grace"] but as what is due. But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is credited as righteousness." Paul is talking here about how to be justified, how to have a righteousness before God that will inherit the promise. Notice the opposite of grace and faith in these verses. The opposite of faith is working, and the opposite of grace is due (or debt or desert). If you try to work for righteousness instead of trusting God, he says you will get a wage that you are due, and that is not "in accordance with grace," but is the opposite of grace. But if you don't try to work for your righteous standing with God, but trust him who justifies the ungodly, God's righteousness will be credited to you as a gift. That is grace and the only condition of the heart that corresponds to it is faith.

So grace is the purpose of God to give you the righteousness and the promise that you do not deserve. That is why grace is the guarantee of the promise. It overrides our demerit. O, hear this! Wake up to this! What condition of the heart "accords with" this grace? Faith alone. Faith is the restful experience of the work of grace in our lives. If we think of that first act of justifying faith in Christ, we can say faith is to grace what seeing is to light and what hearing is to sound and what waking up is to the alarm clock. Faith corresponds to grace the way tasting sweetness corresponds to honey on the tongue.

Why do I say it like this? I know this is not a common way of talking about faith today. But it was three hundred years ago. There is a widespread loss of understanding today about the Biblical nature of grace and faith. Most church-going Christians today are so uninterested in Biblical doctrine and rich Biblical truth that they have forfeited much truth and with it much blessing. O, how I hope God will be merciful to us in this series on Romans and waken us from those unthinking slumbers!

So I ask again, why do I say that faith is to grace what seeing is to light and hearing is to sound and tasting is to honey on the tongue? Doesn't this imply that God's grace actually awakens the faith - the way light awakens sight and sound awakens hearing and honey awakens the taste of sweetness? The answer to that is yes. I think that is exactly what God's grace does. And that's the second reason why it guarantees that we will obtain the promise. You can see a picture of it in verses 17 and 19.

Follow carefully. At the end of verse 16, Paul says that grace guarantees the promise to all the descendants of Abraham, both believing Jews and believing Gentiles, since he is the father of us all. Then in verse 17, Paul quotes Genesis 17:5 to show that Abraham was going to be the father of many nations. Then, in the rest of verse 17, he says that Abraham's faith was "in the presence of Him whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist."

Now why does he say this? Why does he call attention to this kind of sovereign, divine activity? The point is this: in order for Abraham to have a guarantee that he would inherit the promise, God must bring life from death and call into being what does not exist. This is sovereign, omnipotent, free grace. He is describing here what he means by the grace that guarantees the promise. Deadness must come to life and non-existence must exist. That is what grace does. Man cannot do this. Man cannot raise the dead. And man cannot create something out of nothing. But God can and God does in order to guarantee the promises for his people. That is the meaning of grace.

==== Grace Does the Humanly Impossible ====

Without the birth of Isaac, the promise to Abraham will have failed. But Isaac does not exist, and humanly cannot exist. His Father is ninety-nine years old. His mother is ninety and barren all her life. Human works and resources have been tried: a concubine named Hagar and a son named Ishmael. But God says, No. The promise will be fulfilled and guaranteed not by my cooperation with your human resources, but by my sovereign grace to do the humanly impossible.

Paul explains in verse 19: "Without becoming weak in faith [Abraham] contemplated his own body, now as good as dead since he was about a hundred years old, and the deadness of Sarah's womb." If the promise is to be guaranteed, God must do the impossible. He must do what humans cannot do: "give life to the dead and call into being that which does not exist." That is the meaning of grace.

The supernatural birth of Isaac is a picture of how God creates children of promise - you and me. Paul says in Galatians 4:28, "You brethren, like Isaac, are children of promise." Not like Ishmael, born from what humans can do. Isaac was born by a miracle of the Spirit; you are born by a miracle of the Spirit. He was brought forth from deadness; you are brought forth from deadness. His faith was called into being out of nothing; your faith is called into being out of nothing. That is the meaning of grace. And that is why grace guarantees the promise. It does what human resources cannot do.

Grace not only gives us better than we deserve (Romans 4:4-5); grace gives us what we cannot produce: life from the dead -the sight of glory, the hearing of divine truth, the tasting of spiritual sweetness. It all comes into being by the sweet and sovereign grace of God. That is why the promise is certain.

==== Life to the Dead ====

Let me close by drawing one parallel from outside Romans that I had never noticed before, but is tremendously compelling in this understanding of grace. Ephesians 2:4-5 tells us that grace is precisely this: it is the work of God to raise spiritually the dead - to do for us what we could never do for ourselves. "But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved)." The fact that Paul inserts the words "by grace you have been saved" right after "we were dead and God made us alive" shows that grace is just what Romans 4:17 makes it out to be: it is the work of God "who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist."

And what does he call into being for us? Ephesians 2:8, "For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God." Faith is the gift of God's grace the way seeing is the gift of light and the way hearing is the gift of sound and the way tasting is the gift of honey on the tongue.

The light of the gospel is shining this morning. The word of the gospel is sounding this morning. The sweetness of the gospel is falling this morning. And the loving command of God is this: Look and see; listen and hear; taste and enjoy the glory of the grace of God.

This is faith. This accords with grace that gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist. And that sovereign grace guarantees, above all human fickleness and frailty, that you will inherit the world.

The Effect of Hypocrisy, Part 2

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:20:40 GMT

Greetje:

{{info}}''Dishonoring God''
<blockquote>'''Romans 2:17-24'''</blockquote><blockquote>But if you bear the name "Jew" and rely upon the Law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, 21 you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? 22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? 24 For "THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written. </blockquote>
==== Why Dwell on Sinfulness? ====

It may seem strange to us that Paul would devote several chapters to demonstrating the sinfulness of all people. We might think that he should get to the good news and camp there and help people see the good news as really good. That would feel more positive than lingering as long as he does over the sinfulness of Gentiles and Jews - that is, all of us.

But there are probably some very profound reasons for this lingering over the sinfulness of Gentiles and Jews. I think of two at least. One is that the gospel of justification by grace alone through faith alone simply does not land on us as overwhelmingly good news until we have some deeper sense of our sinfulness and hopelessness before God. The other reason Paul may draw out his demonstration of our sinfulness is that we are so resistant to seeing it and feeling it.

I think we can sense this behind today's text. Let me illustrate the point from an article I just read this week about the careless intermingling of a therapeutic worldview with a Biblical worldview. One difference between these worldviews is that one assumes that our problems should be framed mainly in terms of mental health and therapeutic treatment, while the other assumes that our problems should be framed mainly in terms of sin and righteousness and redemption through faith in Christ and his Word. The name of the article is "Faith and Therapy" and it is by William Kilpatrick, a professor in the Education Department at Boston College.

He wrote:

One of the most destructive consequences of carelessly mixing therapy with faith is a diminished sense of sin. The best evidence that this has already happened in the Catholic Church is the tremendous drop-off in the practice of confession of the last thirty years. When we couple this with the nearly 100 percent communion turnout in most parishes, we have to conclude that most parishioners don't have a strong consciousness of sin. They seem to have been so schooled in the gospel of self-acceptance that they can't think of any sins they need to confess.

A colleague at Boston College told me a story that reinforces the point. He once asked members of his philosophy class to write an anonymous essay about a personal struggle over right and wrong, good and evil. Most of the students, however, were unable to complete the assignment. "Why?" he asked. "Well," they said - and apparently this was said without irony - "We haven't done anything wrong." We can see a lot of self-esteem here, but little self-awareness - the absence of a sense of sin seems strange when one considers that most of these students have had years of Catholic schooling. (First Things, Feb. 1999, no. 90, p. 23)

Don't jump to the conclusion that this is an isolated Catholic phenomenon. The article documents the kinds of teaching in both Catholic and Protestant evangelical children's and youth curricula that lead to this kind of thing.

==== We Are Resistant to Recognizing Our Sin ====

My point is simply this: one of the reasons Paul dwells on the demonstration of sinfulness in Romans 1-3 is that we are so resistant to seeing it and feeling it. We find ways of avoiding the issue and softening the indictments and escaping the evidences of our sinfulness. And there are endless ways, it seems, to admit to a little bit of it, while not being broken and humbled by it. But brokenness and humility are the gateway to paradise, and indeed they are the road to paradise. In this life, we never outgrow our need for ever-new experiences of brokenness and humility because of our sinfulness.

Now, Paul realizes the resistance and obstacles that he is up against in Romans as he tries to help his readers see the depth and universality of sin. Remember, he is aiming at Romans 3:9, "What then? Are we [Jews] better than they [Gentiles]? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin." This has been his aim in chapters 1 and 2 - to show that both Jews and Gentiles are "under sin." That is, under the dominion of sin, in the grip and power of sin, apart from the gospel of Christ. His aim in all this painful diagnosis of the disease of sin is to make the world aware of its need for the gospel of justification by grace through faith, and the wonderful way it fits our condition and meets our need for forgiveness and righteousness.

In today's text, Paul deals with a form of resistance that is common among those of us who are religious and who believe in the Bible as God's word and who even have responsibilities to preach or teach. The resistance is the assumption that, having so much revelation and so much knowledge and so much truth, our business is to set each other right rather than to repent ourselves. This is a huge danger.

==== Correcting Others or Repenting? ====

Let's set it before ourselves the way Paul does. In Romans 2:17-24, he paints a remarkable picture of privileges of the Jewish nation in having the Law of God in their Scriptures. I don't think he is entirely negative here. He is a Jew and counts this a tremendous privilege. You can see this in Romans 3:1-2, "Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God." This is a great advantage, if the Jews understand these oracles and apply them to their lives and trust in the God they reveal and do them the way God intended. So when we read Romans 2:17ff, we must not think that these are all bad distinctives here.

Notice that after saying that they bear the name "Jew," he gives two lists of four claims that Jewish people were making, and shows after each of these that they are both rooted in the Law. Here's the first list of four: verses 17b-18, (1) "[you] rely upon the Law and (2) boast in God, and (3) know His will and (4) approve the things that are essential." Then Paul gives the basis of these four claims that they made (verse 18b) - "being instructed out of the Law." In other words, since you are instructed out of the Law, therefore you do these four things: "(1) rely on the Law, (2) boast in God, (3) know his will, and (4) approve the things that are essential." All these are traced back to the privilege of "being instructed in the Law."

These Jews are people of the book. And Paul agrees with that. But there is clearly something wrong. And we, who are Christian people of the book, should be all ears and on the edge of our seats to find out what went wrong, lest we make the same mistake. There is nothing wrong, in themselves, with relying on the trustworthiness of God's law or boasting in God or knowing his will or approving things essential. But evidently there is a way that all that can go wrong. All of that good use of the Law can be a part of what shows a person to be a sinner.

Take the next unit of four claims. Verses 19-20, (1) "[You] are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, (2) a light to those who are in darkness, (3) a corrector of the foolish, (4) a teacher of the immature." Then, again Paul names the basis of these four claims, namely, "having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth." In other words, "Because you have in the Law the form or the embodiment of knowledge and truth (which I think Paul would agree with), therefore you claim to be (1) a guide to the blind, (2) a light in the darkness, (3) a corrector the foolish, (4) a teacher of the immature." All this is possible, Paul says, because "you have in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and truth."

Notice the difference between these two groups of four claims. The first group in verses 17-18 simply describes the Jews' own experience with the Law, not how it affects the way they relate to others. They rest in it and boast in God and know his will and recognize excellent things. But in the second group (verses 19-20), the entire focus is on what the Jews do with all this in relation to others: they guide and shine and correct and teach. So the second group goes beyond the first: the first says we have the light; the second says we shine the light.

==== You Who Teach Others, Don't You Teach Yourselves? ====

Now that is not bad in itself. If you have light, you ought to shine the light. And the Law was a precious gift from God to Israel and she should have shone the light of it to the nations. If Paul were criticizing that, someone could say, "Well, Paul, you are doing the same thing. You are claiming to know God and have his Word and preach it for others to see and believe." It's not a sinful thing to have the Word of God and be enlightened by the Word of God and teach the Word of God.

So what's the problem? The problem is seen in verse 21a, "You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself?" The "therefore" means, I think, "Now it seems that, given all these amazing advantages you have within the Law of God - it seems that therefore you would teach yourselves. But you don't." His question expects a negative answer. We know that from verses 23 and 24. You have all this revelation and all this light and all this knowledge and all this truth and you don't get it. You teach a form of it to others but you don't go to the heart of it and the root of it. You just don't get what the Law is really about.

I think that's what Paul means in verse 21a: "You, therefore, who teach others, you just don't teach yourselves." And the upshot of this is that the Law itself becomes a means of boasting, not a means of love. Love uses truth to bless others; but sin uses truth to exalt self. Both use truth, both can use the Bible. But only one is really taught by the truth and taught by the Bible.

Now Paul illustrates this failure to really be taught by the Law. In verses 21b-22, he gives three examples of how their failure to teach themselves expresses itself: "You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?" Now what would Paul respond if his non-Christian Jewish readers were to say, "No, we don't steal and commit adultery and rob temples. Never have, never will"?

==== But We Don't Do Those Kinds of Sins, Paul! ====

I think Paul would - or could - answer at three levels. First, I think he could say, "I know that not every Jewish person does these very acts externally. But some do, even though they have the Law and all the advantages listed. So what I am saying is that merely having the Law and being an instructor of others does not, in itself, spare you from God's judgment if you don't live up to it. Your boast of having the Law and teaching the Law is not enough. There must be a doing of the Law."

Secondly, I think he could say, "Yes, I know that not all Jewish people do these acts externally, but do you do anything like them? These are illustrative of all that the law demands. Do you keep the whole law? Are you without sin? Does not your sin, even if different from these, put you in need of a Savior? Are you not under the power of sin, even though you have the Law and teach others?

Thirdly, and most importantly, I think Paul could say, "Yes, you really do steal and commit adultery and rob temples." "How so?" you ask. Because you do not understand what the Law most essentially demands, namely, faith. Faith in God for his gracious gift of forgiveness, and a right standing with him, and the enablement to obey his commandments. But instead, you use the law to establish your own righteousness and thus rob God of the most basic thing he demands from you, humble trust in him for his mercy. And what is this but adultery as you give your heart and trust - that belong only to God - to another? And what is this spiritual adultery except the taking of the very idols of the world and making them your own - as if to rob their temples because God himself is not good enough for you. And do not the nations then blaspheme God, if you take their values, but call yourselves the people of God?

Where does this interpretation come from? First, from Romans 9:30-32, "What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works." What does this teach? It teaches that Israel, while having the form or embodiment of the Law, and while teaching others, did not teach herself what the Law really meant. They did not get to the heart and essence of the Law. The Law taught faith and a life of faith - deeds done by faith. But Israel did not teach themselves these things. They stayed at the level of external righteousness and did not understand that all the commandments were a call to live by faith in the all-supplying grace of God.

==== Robbing God ====

So they robbed God of the one main thing that the Law demanded, faith. The one thing that honors and glorifies God (Romans 4:20), they kept for themselves. They seemed to have knowledge of the Law at one level, but they did not have knowledge of the Law at the essential level. You see this again in Romans 10:1-3, "Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God."

So they knew the Law of righteousness at one level, but not at another. They took the commandments and made them into a means of self-righteousness, instead of seeing them as the description of the life of faith. So they robbed God of the faith and trust that he demands; and in robbing God, they committed adultery by giving their hearts and their faith to another (to themselves or religious ritual or moral striving or the praise of men). And in doing that, they embraced the same idols that the world embraces, and thus plundered the temples of the world.

Now here is the warning and the gospel invitation - mainly for me, but also for you. Let us be careful - O so watchful and careful - all of us lovers of the Bible. Beware lest we rest in the Word and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent and guide the blind and correct the foolish and teach the immature, but do not teach ourselves. Beware lest the Word become a formal thing. An external thing.

If it does not break us, if it does not humble us, if it does not lead us to a sweet, childlike trust in free grace - in other words, if it does not lead us to the Gospel of justification by grace, through faith in Christ - then we are not yet taught by the Word of God, and are not fit to teach others. Woe to me and other teachers and preachers - lovers of the Book - who have in the Word of God the embodiment of knowledge and truth, but only know the letter of the Law and not the Spirit - who only know the form of righteousness and not the righteousness that comes by faith.

O that everyone in this room would be taught, even now, by the Spirit, the difference between establishing our own righteousness and receiving the righteousness as a gift through faith in Christ!

The Effect of Hypocrisy, Part 2

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:20:09 GMT

Greetje: New page: {{info}}''Dishonoring God'' <blockquote> '''Romans 2:17-24''' But if you bear the name "Jew" and rely upon the Law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and approve the things that are e...

{{info}}''Dishonoring God''
<blockquote>
'''Romans 2:17-24'''

But if you bear the name "Jew" and rely upon the Law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, 21 you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? 22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? 24 For "THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written.
</blockquote>
==== Why Dwell on Sinfulness? ====

It may seem strange to us that Paul would devote several chapters to demonstrating the sinfulness of all people. We might think that he should get to the good news and camp there and help people see the good news as really good. That would feel more positive than lingering as long as he does over the sinfulness of Gentiles and Jews - that is, all of us.

But there are probably some very profound reasons for this lingering over the sinfulness of Gentiles and Jews. I think of two at least. One is that the gospel of justification by grace alone through faith alone simply does not land on us as overwhelmingly good news until we have some deeper sense of our sinfulness and hopelessness before God. The other reason Paul may draw out his demonstration of our sinfulness is that we are so resistant to seeing it and feeling it.

I think we can sense this behind today's text. Let me illustrate the point from an article I just read this week about the careless intermingling of a therapeutic worldview with a Biblical worldview. One difference between these worldviews is that one assumes that our problems should be framed mainly in terms of mental health and therapeutic treatment, while the other assumes that our problems should be framed mainly in terms of sin and righteousness and redemption through faith in Christ and his Word. The name of the article is "Faith and Therapy" and it is by William Kilpatrick, a professor in the Education Department at Boston College.

He wrote:

One of the most destructive consequences of carelessly mixing therapy with faith is a diminished sense of sin. The best evidence that this has already happened in the Catholic Church is the tremendous drop-off in the practice of confession of the last thirty years. When we couple this with the nearly 100 percent communion turnout in most parishes, we have to conclude that most parishioners don't have a strong consciousness of sin. They seem to have been so schooled in the gospel of self-acceptance that they can't think of any sins they need to confess.

A colleague at Boston College told me a story that reinforces the point. He once asked members of his philosophy class to write an anonymous essay about a personal struggle over right and wrong, good and evil. Most of the students, however, were unable to complete the assignment. "Why?" he asked. "Well," they said - and apparently this was said without irony - "We haven't done anything wrong." We can see a lot of self-esteem here, but little self-awareness - the absence of a sense of sin seems strange when one considers that most of these students have had years of Catholic schooling. (First Things, Feb. 1999, no. 90, p. 23)

Don't jump to the conclusion that this is an isolated Catholic phenomenon. The article documents the kinds of teaching in both Catholic and Protestant evangelical children's and youth curricula that lead to this kind of thing.

==== We Are Resistant to Recognizing Our Sin ====

My point is simply this: one of the reasons Paul dwells on the demonstration of sinfulness in Romans 1-3 is that we are so resistant to seeing it and feeling it. We find ways of avoiding the issue and softening the indictments and escaping the evidences of our sinfulness. And there are endless ways, it seems, to admit to a little bit of it, while not being broken and humbled by it. But brokenness and humility are the gateway to paradise, and indeed they are the road to paradise. In this life, we never outgrow our need for ever-new experiences of brokenness and humility because of our sinfulness.

Now, Paul realizes the resistance and obstacles that he is up against in Romans as he tries to help his readers see the depth and universality of sin. Remember, he is aiming at Romans 3:9, "What then? Are we [Jews] better than they [Gentiles]? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin." This has been his aim in chapters 1 and 2 - to show that both Jews and Gentiles are "under sin." That is, under the dominion of sin, in the grip and power of sin, apart from the gospel of Christ. His aim in all this painful diagnosis of the disease of sin is to make the world aware of its need for the gospel of justification by grace through faith, and the wonderful way it fits our condition and meets our need for forgiveness and righteousness.

In today's text, Paul deals with a form of resistance that is common among those of us who are religious and who believe in the Bible as God's word and who even have responsibilities to preach or teach. The resistance is the assumption that, having so much revelation and so much knowledge and so much truth, our business is to set each other right rather than to repent ourselves. This is a huge danger.

==== Correcting Others or Repenting? ====

Let's set it before ourselves the way Paul does. In Romans 2:17-24, he paints a remarkable picture of privileges of the Jewish nation in having the Law of God in their Scriptures. I don't think he is entirely negative here. He is a Jew and counts this a tremendous privilege. You can see this in Romans 3:1-2, "Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God." This is a great advantage, if the Jews understand these oracles and apply them to their lives and trust in the God they reveal and do them the way God intended. So when we read Romans 2:17ff, we must not think that these are all bad distinctives here.

Notice that after saying that they bear the name "Jew," he gives two lists of four claims that Jewish people were making, and shows after each of these that they are both rooted in the Law. Here's the first list of four: verses 17b-18, (1) "[you] rely upon the Law and (2) boast in God, and (3) know His will and (4) approve the things that are essential." Then Paul gives the basis of these four claims that they made (verse 18b) - "being instructed out of the Law." In other words, since you are instructed out of the Law, therefore you do these four things: "(1) rely on the Law, (2) boast in God, (3) know his will, and (4) approve the things that are essential." All these are traced back to the privilege of "being instructed in the Law."

These Jews are people of the book. And Paul agrees with that. But there is clearly something wrong. And we, who are Christian people of the book, should be all ears and on the edge of our seats to find out what went wrong, lest we make the same mistake. There is nothing wrong, in themselves, with relying on the trustworthiness of God's law or boasting in God or knowing his will or approving things essential. But evidently there is a way that all that can go wrong. All of that good use of the Law can be a part of what shows a person to be a sinner.

Take the next unit of four claims. Verses 19-20, (1) "[You] are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, (2) a light to those who are in darkness, (3) a corrector of the foolish, (4) a teacher of the immature." Then, again Paul names the basis of these four claims, namely, "having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth." In other words, "Because you have in the Law the form or the embodiment of knowledge and truth (which I think Paul would agree with), therefore you claim to be (1) a guide to the blind, (2) a light in the darkness, (3) a corrector the foolish, (4) a teacher of the immature." All this is possible, Paul says, because "you have in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and truth."

Notice the difference between these two groups of four claims. The first group in verses 17-18 simply describes the Jews' own experience with the Law, not how it affects the way they relate to others. They rest in it and boast in God and know his will and recognize excellent things. But in the second group (verses 19-20), the entire focus is on what the Jews do with all this in relation to others: they guide and shine and correct and teach. So the second group goes beyond the first: the first says we have the light; the second says we shine the light.

==== You Who Teach Others, Don't You Teach Yourselves? ====

Now that is not bad in itself. If you have light, you ought to shine the light. And the Law was a precious gift from God to Israel and she should have shone the light of it to the nations. If Paul were criticizing that, someone could say, "Well, Paul, you are doing the same thing. You are claiming to know God and have his Word and preach it for others to see and believe." It's not a sinful thing to have the Word of God and be enlightened by the Word of God and teach the Word of God.

So what's the problem? The problem is seen in verse 21a, "You, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself?" The "therefore" means, I think, "Now it seems that, given all these amazing advantages you have within the Law of God - it seems that therefore you would teach yourselves. But you don't." His question expects a negative answer. We know that from verses 23 and 24. You have all this revelation and all this light and all this knowledge and all this truth and you don't get it. You teach a form of it to others but you don't go to the heart of it and the root of it. You just don't get what the Law is really about.

I think that's what Paul means in verse 21a: "You, therefore, who teach others, you just don't teach yourselves." And the upshot of this is that the Law itself becomes a means of boasting, not a means of love. Love uses truth to bless others; but sin uses truth to exalt self. Both use truth, both can use the Bible. But only one is really taught by the truth and taught by the Bible.

Now Paul illustrates this failure to really be taught by the Law. In verses 21b-22, he gives three examples of how their failure to teach themselves expresses itself: "You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples?" Now what would Paul respond if his non-Christian Jewish readers were to say, "No, we don't steal and commit adultery and rob temples. Never have, never will"?

==== But We Don't Do Those Kinds of Sins, Paul! ====

I think Paul would - or could - answer at three levels. First, I think he could say, "I know that not every Jewish person does these very acts externally. But some do, even though they have the Law and all the advantages listed. So what I am saying is that merely having the Law and being an instructor of others does not, in itself, spare you from God's judgment if you don't live up to it. Your boast of having the Law and teaching the Law is not enough. There must be a doing of the Law."

Secondly, I think he could say, "Yes, I know that not all Jewish people do these acts externally, but do you do anything like them? These are illustrative of all that the law demands. Do you keep the whole law? Are you without sin? Does not your sin, even if different from these, put you in need of a Savior? Are you not under the power of sin, even though you have the Law and teach others?

Thirdly, and most importantly, I think Paul could say, "Yes, you really do steal and commit adultery and rob temples." "How so?" you ask. Because you do not understand what the Law most essentially demands, namely, faith. Faith in God for his gracious gift of forgiveness, and a right standing with him, and the enablement to obey his commandments. But instead, you use the law to establish your own righteousness and thus rob God of the most basic thing he demands from you, humble trust in him for his mercy. And what is this but adultery as you give your heart and trust - that belong only to God - to another? And what is this spiritual adultery except the taking of the very idols of the world and making them your own - as if to rob their temples because God himself is not good enough for you. And do not the nations then blaspheme God, if you take their values, but call yourselves the people of God?

Where does this interpretation come from? First, from Romans 9:30-32, "What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith; but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works." What does this teach? It teaches that Israel, while having the form or embodiment of the Law, and while teaching others, did not teach herself what the Law really meant. They did not get to the heart and essence of the Law. The Law taught faith and a life of faith - deeds done by faith. But Israel did not teach themselves these things. They stayed at the level of external righteousness and did not understand that all the commandments were a call to live by faith in the all-supplying grace of God.

==== Robbing God ====

So they robbed God of the one main thing that the Law demanded, faith. The one thing that honors and glorifies God (Romans 4:20), they kept for themselves. They seemed to have knowledge of the Law at one level, but they did not have knowledge of the Law at the essential level. You see this again in Romans 10:1-3, "Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation. For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge. For not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God."

So they knew the Law of righteousness at one level, but not at another. They took the commandments and made them into a means of self-righteousness, instead of seeing them as the description of the life of faith. So they robbed God of the faith and trust that he demands; and in robbing God, they committed adultery by giving their hearts and their faith to another (to themselves or religious ritual or moral striving or the praise of men). And in doing that, they embraced the same idols that the world embraces, and thus plundered the temples of the world.

Now here is the warning and the gospel invitation - mainly for me, but also for you. Let us be careful - O so watchful and careful - all of us lovers of the Bible. Beware lest we rest in the Word and boast in God and know his will and approve what is excellent and guide the blind and correct the foolish and teach the immature, but do not teach ourselves. Beware lest the Word become a formal thing. An external thing.

If it does not break us, if it does not humble us, if it does not lead us to a sweet, childlike trust in free grace - in other words, if it does not lead us to the Gospel of justification by grace, through faith in Christ - then we are not yet taught by the Word of God, and are not fit to teach others. Woe to me and other teachers and preachers - lovers of the Book - who have in the Word of God the embodiment of knowledge and truth, but only know the letter of the Law and not the Spirit - who only know the form of righteousness and not the righteousness that comes by faith.

O that everyone in this room would be taught, even now, by the Spirit, the difference between establishing our own righteousness and receiving the righteousness as a gift through faith in Christ!

The Effect of Hypocrisy, Part 1

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:14:37 GMT

Greetje:

{{info}}''Dishonoring God''
<blockquote>'''Romans 2:17-24'''</blockquote><blockquote>But if you bear the name "Jew" and rely upon the Law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, 21 you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? 22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? 24 For "THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written. </blockquote>
==== Warning Against Anti-Semitism ====

I want to begin this morning with a caution. Anti-Semitism has been a great sin in the world, acted out by Christians and non-Christians throughout the centuries. By this I mean that there has been terrible mistreatment of Jewish people for no reason other than their Jewishness. Just one horrible glimpse from 1919, during the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia:

There were bands of Ukrainian bandits. The most fearsome was under the command of an anarchist and anti-Semite called Makhno. Makhno's men delighted in "drying the herrings," as they called the process of hanging Jews. They would suspend several between posts on a loose rope; as the rope tightened the victims tried to cling on to each other in their death-agonies, the Makhnovtsi sitting around laughing, drinking, and betting on who would survive the longest. (D. M. Thomas, ''Alexander Solzhenitsyn: A Century in His Life'' [New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998] p. 31)

And in Christian England, the Jews were expelled from the island in 1290 and not allowed to enter England again for 365 years, until Oliver Cromwell gave freedom of religion to the Puritans and other non-conformists in 1655. The story of anti-Semitism is a terrible story and I mention it as a warning.

It is true that God reigns over such terrible things, and even uses them at times to bring about his own judgments (as the prophets make very clear, Deuteronomy 28:20-68; Jeremiah 9:16; 24:10; 25:16; Ezekiel 5:17), but never does that make the hatred or the persecution less sinful. Remember the word of Jesus in Matthew 18:7, "It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!" In other words, even if there are judgments in the world on Jew and Gentile, woe to Christians (or any others) who presume to usurp the Lord's vengeance (Romans 12:19-20).

I mention the danger of anti-Semitism because Paul is now, in this text, continuing his indictment of the Jewish world as sinners. Verse 17: "But if you bear the name 'Jew' . . ." and so on. How easy it would be to turn this passage into an ethnic slur. It is not that. Paul himself was a Jew, all the apostles were Jews, and Jesus was a Jew. And in Romans 9:3, Paul was ready to be accursed for his unbelieving Jewish kinsmen. In Romans 10:1 he said, "Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation." Paul loved his Jewish kinsmen who were not Christians, and he risked his life over and over for their salvation.

==== Both Jews and Gentiles Need the Gospel ====

The point of these verses is not an ethnic slur, but an argument that Jews -along with the entire Gentile world - are sinners like us, and in need of the gospel, in spite of having so many advantages in the Law. Remember where Paul is coming from and where he is going in this book. He is coming from the great gospel statement of Romans 1:16-17, "The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith." In other words, the righteousness that God demands from us - but that we do not have and cannot produce in our depravity - he now makes available to us through faith in Christ (see Romans 3:21-24).

Then in Romans 1:18, Paul begins the explanation why this gospel is so desperately needed by both Jew and non-Jew. First he treats the morally corrupt world of the Gentiles in Romans 1:19-32; and then he treats the more moral world of people with higher standards to show that they too are sinners, and Jews are among those with the highest standards of all in the ancient pagan world. So he must show that even they are in need of the gospel of Christ for salvation. He is aiming toward Romans 3:9, "What then? Are we [Jews] better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin."

So the point here is not to isolate the Jews as uniquely defective. The point is that even their higher standards of morality - even their possession of God's Law - does not exclude them from the need to hear and believe the gospel of Christ. They are under the power of sin, just as the rest of the world is. Paul aims to show that all of us - us, not just them - are sinners and in need of salvation that comes through the gospel of Christ alone. This is an act of love toward Jews and Gentiles, even when it is interpreted as arrogant or demeaning.

==== "Do You Dishonor God?" ====

What, then, is the specific point of today's text, Romans 2:17-24? The main point is found in verse 23: "You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?" The answer to that question is, Yes. We know this because verse 24 assumes a "yes" answer. Paul puts it in a question to help his readers be honest with themselves: You ask and answer this question. You search your own heart. Is this not so?

So verse 23 really means: "You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, you do dishonor God." The main point of this passage is that the Jewish people, along with all the world, dishonor God. I say, "with all the world," because of what we saw back in Romans 1:21 - that all the Gentile world was guilty of the same thing: "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks."

Jewish people and Gentile God-fearers might have heard that and said, "That's right, those godless, irreligious pagans dishonor God. But Paul has been at pains now, since Romans 2:1, to say, "It isn't any better among the people with high moral standards, even the Jews. They, too, dishonor God.

So the great issue in these chapters is the honor - or the glory - of God. This is crucial to see. If we want to think Biblically - think the way the apostles thought and the way God thinks, we do not merely talk about everybody being a sinner; we get more specific than that and ask, "What is sin?" What is at the heart of our corruption and our depravity as human beings? What is wrong with us? Why is there so much evil in the world and what is the essence of this?

==== The Essence of Evil - Dishonoring God ====

Given what we have seen in Romans 1:21 (pagans dishonor God) and Romans 2:23 (Jews dishonor God), we get the message that the essence of evil is dishonoring God. Evil is the feeling and thinking and acting that treats God as less than infinitely valuable and satisfying. So when we get to Romans 3:23 and Paul gives his own definition of sin, this is what he says: "There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The essence of sin is falling short of the glory of God, that is, not treating the glory of God for what it really is - the most valuable reality and the most satisfying treasure in the universe.

This is why we all need to be saved. This is why we need a gift of righteousness that is not our own. We have fallen short of God's glory. Or as Romans 1:21 says, we have "not glorified him or thanked him as God." Or as Romans 2:23 says, "Through your breaking the Law, you dishonor God."

O how we need to hear this today, because almost all the forces around us urge us to think of sin - if at all - as an offense against man, not God. Evil is when man is hurt, not when God is dishonored. Evil is when I am abused, not when God is dishonored. Evil is when I am threatened, not when God is dishonored. We need to hear Paul's unrelenting witness to the God-centered understanding of sin and righteousness. Only this will prepare us to understand and receive the gospel of the gift of God's righteousness. And that is Paul's goal in these chapters - to prepare Jew and Gentile to understand and receive the Gospel.

Now we ask, how was God dishonored among the Jewish people? Next week we will answer that question from verses 17-22. We will ask, How can Paul really claim that the Jewish people were thieves and adulterers and temple-plunderers, when this was not their main reputation? We will come back to that.

==== Ruining God's Reputation ====

But today we ask: How was God dishonored according to Romans 2:24? Here Paul quotes an Old Testament prophet to explain and support his statement in verse 23 that the Jews "dishonor God." He says, "You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? (24) For [and here he quotes Isaiah 52:5] 'THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,' just as it is written." In other words, the dishonor Paul has in mind is that the reputation of God among the nations is contaminated. The nations look at God's people and think little of their God. The quote from Isaiah referred to the derision that the nations gave Israel when Israel went into captivity. We know it was Israel's sin that brought the captivity on them. So in their breaking the law, as verse 23 says, they dishonored God. They brought contempt on the name of God.

This was exactly the opposite of why God had chosen Israel. "'I made the whole household of Israel . . . cling to Me,' declares the LORD, 'that they might be for Me a people, for renown, for praise and for glory.'" They were created (Isaiah 43:7) and chosen for the honor of God - to display his worth and value and beauty and greatness and trustworthiness and all-satisfying excellence. But instead, they lived as if their God were worthless and the world was valuable instead. And God handed them over to their enemies. The result was that God was ridiculed and his reputation was belittled.

The point of all this is that sin is "falling short of the glory of God" (3:23), and that Jews, as well as Gentiles, are under the power of sin (3:9). Both of them - all of us - dishonor God. That is our situation. That is our danger and liability. That is our curse and our guilt and our bondage. We don't love the glory of God. Or, as Romans 1:23 says, we "exchange the glory of the incorruptible God for images."

==== The Good News ====

The Gospel is the good news that God has sent his Son, Jesus, into the world to set this condition right - in three ways. 1) Jesus came to vindicate the worth of God's glory by living for it with all his might (John 17:4) and by dying to show that it is worth the greatest possible sacrifice (John 12:27-28; Romans 3:25-26). 2) Jesus came to rescue us from the wrath of God against all that dishonors his glory. He did this by dying in our place and by becoming for us a righteousness that we could never achieve on our own (Romans 3:24; Philippians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 5:21) - the righteousness that we have in union with Christ by trusting him (Romans 3:21). 3) Jesus came to change us into the kind of people who value the glory of God above all things and who live to show his worth (Matthew 5:16; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Peter 4:11).

For example, turn with me to Romans 15:8-9. Why did Christ come? Why is there a Christian Gospel? Why a book of Romans? Why a Bethlehem Baptist Church? Why a saving of your soul? Here's Paul's answer, and it is in direct response to the problem of God's dishonor in the world and in our lives: "I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision [=the Jews] on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy."

So he mentions a purpose of Christ's coming in relation to the Jews and a purpose for Christ's coming in relation to the Gentiles. For the Jews it is to confirm God's trustworthiness. To vindicate his truthfulness. In other words, to confirm and restore God's honor and integrity. And for the Gentiles, verse 9 says, Christ came so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. In other words, Christ came to reestablish God's honor - God's glory - for Jews and Gentiles, that is, to repair what Romans 1:19-3:20 says was ruined.

==== All Have Fallen Short ====

That is where we are this morning. No one in this room loves the glory of God the way he should. We have all fallen short. We have dishonored God. We have exchanged his glory for images. He is not cherished and treasured and admired and loved with a fraction of the fervor that he deserves. So we have fallen short. We are under the power of sin. And we are guilty before God.

Our only hope is that Christ came to change that. To vindicate the God we have belittled. To clothe us with a righteousness that we cannot provide on our own. And to change us into the kind of people who delight in the glory of God and the honor of God above all things.

So I want us to end with a time of prayer that God would come and save us from the unbelief that makes other things look more attractive than God.

The Effect of Hypocrisy, Part 1

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:11:46 GMT

Greetje:

{{info}}''Dishonoring God''
<blockquote>'''Romans 2:17-24'''</blockquote><blockquote>But if you bear the name "Jew" and rely upon the Law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, 21 you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? 22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? 24 For "THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written. </blockquote>
==== Warning Against Anti-Semitism ====

I want to begin this morning with a caution. Anti-Semitism has been a great sin in the world, acted out by Christians and non-Christians throughout the centuries. By this I mean that there has been terrible mistreatment of Jewish people for no reason other than their Jewishness. Just one horrible glimpse from 1919, during the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia:

There were bands of Ukrainian bandits. The most fearsome was under the command of an anarchist and anti-Semite called Makhno. Makhno's men delighted in "drying the herrings," as they called the process of hanging Jews. They would suspend several between posts on a loose rope; as the rope tightened the victims tried to cling on to each other in their death-agonies, the Makhnovtsi sitting around laughing, drinking, and betting on who would survive the longest. (D. M. Thomas,  '''''Alexander Solzhenitsyn: A Century in His Life'''''</u  [New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998] p. 31)

And in Christian England, the Jews were expelled from the island in 1290 and not allowed to enter England again for 365 years, until Oliver Cromwell gave freedom of religion to the Puritans and other non-conformists in 1655. The story of anti-Semitism is a terrible story and I mention it as a warning.

It is true that God reigns over such terrible things, and even uses them at times to bring about his own judgments (as the prophets make very clear, Deuteronomy 28:20-68; Jeremiah 9:16; 24:10; 25:16; Ezekiel 5:17), but never does that make the hatred or the persecution less sinful. Remember the word of Jesus in Matthew 18:7, "It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!" In other words, even if there are judgments in the world on Jew and Gentile, woe to Christians (or any others) who presume to usurp the Lord's vengeance (Romans 12:19-20).

I mention the danger of anti-Semitism because Paul is now, in this text, continuing his indictment of the Jewish world as sinners. Verse 17: "But if you bear the name 'Jew' . . ." and so on. How easy it would be to turn this passage into an ethnic slur. It is not that. Paul himself was a Jew, all the apostles were Jews, and Jesus was a Jew. And in Romans 9:3, Paul was ready to be accursed for his unbelieving Jewish kinsmen. In Romans 10:1 he said, "Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation." Paul loved his Jewish kinsmen who were not Christians, and he risked his life over and over for their salvation.

==== Both Jews and Gentiles Need the Gospel ====

The point of these verses is not an ethnic slur, but an argument that Jews -along with the entire Gentile world - are sinners like us, and in need of the gospel, in spite of having so many advantages in the Law. Remember where Paul is coming from and where he is going in this book. He is coming from the great gospel statement of Romans 1:16-17, "The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith." In other words, the righteousness that God demands from us - but that we do not have and cannot produce in our depravity - he now makes available to us through faith in Christ (see Romans 3:21-24).

Then in Romans 1:18, Paul begins the explanation why this gospel is so desperately needed by both Jew and non-Jew. First he treats the morally corrupt world of the Gentiles in Romans 1:19-32; and then he treats the more moral world of people with higher standards to show that they too are sinners, and Jews are among those with the highest standards of all in the ancient pagan world. So he must show that even they are in need of the gospel of Christ for salvation. He is aiming toward Romans 3:9, "What then? Are we [Jews] better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin."

So the point here is not to isolate the Jews as uniquely defective. The point is that even their higher standards of morality - even their possession of God's Law - does not exclude them from the need to hear and believe the gospel of Christ. They are under the power of sin, just as the rest of the world is. Paul aims to show that all of us - us, not just them - are sinners and in need of salvation that comes through the gospel of Christ alone. This is an act of love toward Jews and Gentiles, even when it is interpreted as arrogant or demeaning.

==== "Do You Dishonor God?" ====

What, then, is the specific point of today's text, Romans 2:17-24? The main point is found in verse 23: "You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?" The answer to that question is, Yes. We know this because verse 24 assumes a "yes" answer. Paul puts it in a question to help his readers be honest with themselves: You ask and answer this question. You search your own heart. Is this not so?

So verse 23 really means: "You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, you do dishonor God." The main point of this passage is that the Jewish people, along with all the world, dishonor God. I say, "with all the world," because of what we saw back in Romans 1:21 - that all the Gentile world was guilty of the same thing: "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks."

Jewish people and Gentile God-fearers might have heard that and said, "That's right, those godless, irreligious pagans dishonor God. But Paul has been at pains now, since Romans 2:1, to say, "It isn't any better among the people with high moral standards, even the Jews. They, too, dishonor God.

So the great issue in these chapters is the honor - or the glory - of God. This is crucial to see. If we want to think Biblically - think the way the apostles thought and the way God thinks, we do not merely talk about everybody being a sinner; we get more specific than that and ask, "What is sin?" What is at the heart of our corruption and our depravity as human beings? What is wrong with us? Why is there so much evil in the world and what is the essence of this?

==== The Essence of Evil - Dishonoring God ====

Given what we have seen in Romans 1:21 (pagans dishonor God) and Romans 2:23 (Jews dishonor God), we get the message that the essence of evil is dishonoring God. Evil is the feeling and thinking and acting that treats God as less than infinitely valuable and satisfying. So when we get to Romans 3:23 and Paul gives his own definition of sin, this is what he says: "There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The essence of sin is falling short of the glory of God, that is, not treating the glory of God for what it really is - the most valuable reality and the most satisfying treasure in the universe.

This is why we all need to be saved. This is why we need a gift of righteousness that is not our own. We have fallen short of God's glory. Or as Romans 1:21 says, we have "not glorified him or thanked him as God." Or as Romans 2:23 says, "Through your breaking the Law, you dishonor God."

O how we need to hear this today, because almost all the forces around us urge us to think of sin - if at all - as an offense against man, not God. Evil is when man is hurt, not when God is dishonored. Evil is when I am abused, not when God is dishonored. Evil is when I am threatened, not when God is dishonored. We need to hear Paul's unrelenting witness to the God-centered understanding of sin and righteousness. Only this will prepare us to understand and receive the gospel of the gift of God's righteousness. And that is Paul's goal in these chapters - to prepare Jew and Gentile to understand and receive the Gospel.

Now we ask, how was God dishonored among the Jewish people? Next week we will answer that question from verses 17-22. We will ask, How can Paul really claim that the Jewish people were thieves and adulterers and temple-plunderers, when this was not their main reputation? We will come back to that.

==== Ruining God's Reputation ====

But today we ask: How was God dishonored according to Romans 2:24? Here Paul quotes an Old Testament prophet to explain and support his statement in verse 23 that the Jews "dishonor God." He says, "You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? (24) For [and here he quotes Isaiah 52:5] 'THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,' just as it is written." In other words, the dishonor Paul has in mind is that the reputation of God among the nations is contaminated. The nations look at God's people and think little of their God. The quote from Isaiah referred to the derision that the nations gave Israel when Israel went into captivity. We know it was Israel's sin that brought the captivity on them. So in their breaking the law, as verse 23 says, they dishonored God. They brought contempt on the name of God.

This was exactly the opposite of why God had chosen Israel. "'I made the whole household of Israel . . . cling to Me,' declares the LORD, 'that they might be for Me a people, for renown, for praise and for glory.'" They were created (Isaiah 43:7) and chosen for the honor of God - to display his worth and value and beauty and greatness and trustworthiness and all-satisfying excellence. But instead, they lived as if their God were worthless and the world was valuable instead. And God handed them over to their enemies. The result was that God was ridiculed and his reputation was belittled.

The point of all this is that sin is "falling short of the glory of God" (3:23), and that Jews, as well as Gentiles, are under the power of sin (3:9). Both of them - all of us - dishonor God. That is our situation. That is our danger and liability. That is our curse and our guilt and our bondage. We don't love the glory of God. Or, as Romans 1:23 says, we "exchange the glory of the incorruptible God for images."

==== The Good News ====

The Gospel is the good news that God has sent his Son, Jesus, into the world to set this condition right - in three ways. 1) Jesus came to vindicate the worth of God's glory by living for it with all his might (John 17:4) and by dying to show that it is worth the greatest possible sacrifice (John 12:27-28; Romans 3:25-26). 2) Jesus came to rescue us from the wrath of God against all that dishonors his glory. He did this by dying in our place and by becoming for us a righteousness that we could never achieve on our own (Romans 3:24; Philippians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 5:21) - the righteousness that we have in union with Christ by trusting him (Romans 3:21). 3) Jesus came to change us into the kind of people who value the glory of God above all things and who live to show his worth (Matthew 5:16; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Peter 4:11).

For example, turn with me to Romans 15:8-9. Why did Christ come? Why is there a Christian Gospel? Why a book of Romans? Why a Bethlehem Baptist Church? Why a saving of your soul? Here's Paul's answer, and it is in direct response to the problem of God's dishonor in the world and in our lives: "I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision [=the Jews] on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy."

So he mentions a purpose of Christ's coming in relation to the Jews and a purpose for Christ's coming in relation to the Gentiles. For the Jews it is to confirm God's trustworthiness. To vindicate his truthfulness. In other words, to confirm and restore God's honor and integrity. And for the Gentiles, verse 9 says, Christ came so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. In other words, Christ came to reestablish God's honor - God's glory - for Jews and Gentiles, that is, to repair what Romans 1:19-3:20 says was ruined.

==== All Have Fallen Short ====

That is where we are this morning. No one in this room loves the glory of God the way he should. We have all fallen short. We have dishonored God. We have exchanged his glory for images. He is not cherished and treasured and admired and loved with a fraction of the fervor that he deserves. So we have fallen short. We are under the power of sin. And we are guilty before God.

Our only hope is that Christ came to change that. To vindicate the God we have belittled. To clothe us with a righteousness that we cannot provide on our own. And to change us into the kind of people who delight in the glory of God and the honor of God above all things.

So I want us to end with a time of prayer that God would come and save us from the unbelief that makes other things look more attractive than God.

The Effect of Hypocrisy, Part 1

Greetje — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 04:08:35 GMT

Greetje: New page: {{info}}Dishonoring God <blockquote> '''Romans 2:17-24''' </blockquote><blockquote> But if you bear the name "Jew" and rely upon the Law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and approve ...

{{info}}Dishonoring God
<blockquote>
'''Romans 2:17-24'''
</blockquote><blockquote>
But if you bear the name "Jew" and rely upon the Law and boast in God, 18 and know His will and approve the things that are essential, being instructed out of the Law, 19 and are confident that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 20 a corrector of the foolish, a teacher of the immature, having in the Law the embodiment of knowledge and of the truth, 21 you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? 22 You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? 23 You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? 24 For "THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU," just as it is written.
</blockquote>
==== Warning Against Anti-Semitism ====

I want to begin this morning with a caution. Anti-Semitism has been a great sin in the world, acted out by Christians and non-Christians throughout the centuries. By this I mean that there has been terrible mistreatment of Jewish people for no reason other than their Jewishness. Just one horrible glimpse from 1919, during the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia:

There were bands of Ukrainian bandits. The most fearsome was under the command of an anarchist and anti-Semite called Makhno. Makhno's men delighted in "drying the herrings," as they called the process of hanging Jews. They would suspend several between posts on a loose rope; as the rope tightened the victims tried to cling on to each other in their death-agonies, the Makhnovtsi sitting around laughing, drinking, and betting on who would survive the longest. (D. M. Thomas, '''''Alexander Solzhenitsyn: A Century in His Life'''''</u[New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998] p. 31)

And in Christian England, the Jews were expelled from the island in 1290 and not allowed to enter England again for 365 years, until Oliver Cromwell gave freedom of religion to the Puritans and other non-conformists in 1655. The story of anti-Semitism is a terrible story and I mention it as a warning.

It is true that God reigns over such terrible things, and even uses them at times to bring about his own judgments (as the prophets make very clear, Deuteronomy 28:20-68; Jeremiah 9:16; 24:10; 25:16; Ezekiel 5:17), but never does that make the hatred or the persecution less sinful. Remember the word of Jesus in Matthew 18:7, "It is inevitable that stumbling blocks come; but woe to that man through whom the stumbling block comes!" In other words, even if there are judgments in the world on Jew and Gentile, woe to Christians (or any others) who presume to usurp the Lord's vengeance (Romans 12:19-20).

I mention the danger of anti-Semitism because Paul is now, in this text, continuing his indictment of the Jewish world as sinners. Verse 17: "But if you bear the name 'Jew' . . ." and so on. How easy it would be to turn this passage into an ethnic slur. It is not that. Paul himself was a Jew, all the apostles were Jews, and Jesus was a Jew. And in Romans 9:3, Paul was ready to be accursed for his unbelieving Jewish kinsmen. In Romans 10:1 he said, "Brethren, my heart's desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation." Paul loved his Jewish kinsmen who were not Christians, and he risked his life over and over for their salvation.

==== Both Jews and Gentiles Need the Gospel ====

The point of these verses is not an ethnic slur, but an argument that Jews -along with the entire Gentile world - are sinners like us, and in need of the gospel, in spite of having so many advantages in the Law. Remember where Paul is coming from and where he is going in this book. He is coming from the great gospel statement of Romans 1:16-17, "The gospel is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith." In other words, the righteousness that God demands from us - but that we do not have and cannot produce in our depravity - he now makes available to us through faith in Christ (see Romans 3:21-24).

Then in Romans 1:18, Paul begins the explanation why this gospel is so desperately needed by both Jew and non-Jew. First he treats the morally corrupt world of the Gentiles in Romans 1:19-32; and then he treats the more moral world of people with higher standards to show that they too are sinners, and Jews are among those with the highest standards of all in the ancient pagan world. So he must show that even they are in need of the gospel of Christ for salvation. He is aiming toward Romans 3:9, "What then? Are we [Jews] better than they? Not at all; for we have already charged that both Jews and Greeks are all under sin."

So the point here is not to isolate the Jews as uniquely defective. The point is that even their higher standards of morality - even their possession of God's Law - does not exclude them from the need to hear and believe the gospel of Christ. They are under the power of sin, just as the rest of the world is. Paul aims to show that all of us - us, not just them - are sinners and in need of salvation that comes through the gospel of Christ alone. This is an act of love toward Jews and Gentiles, even when it is interpreted as arrogant or demeaning.

==== "Do You Dishonor God?" ====

What, then, is the specific point of today's text, Romans 2:17-24? The main point is found in verse 23: "You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God?" The answer to that question is, Yes. We know this because verse 24 assumes a "yes" answer. Paul puts it in a question to help his readers be honest with themselves: You ask and answer this question. You search your own heart. Is this not so?

So verse 23 really means: "You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, you do dishonor God." The main point of this passage is that the Jewish people, along with all the world, dishonor God. I say, "with all the world," because of what we saw back in Romans 1:21 - that all the Gentile world was guilty of the same thing: "For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks."

Jewish people and Gentile God-fearers might have heard that and said, "That's right, those godless, irreligious pagans dishonor God. But Paul has been at pains now, since Romans 2:1, to say, "It isn't any better among the people with high moral standards, even the Jews. They, too, dishonor God.

So the great issue in these chapters is the honor - or the glory - of God. This is crucial to see. If we want to think Biblically - think the way the apostles thought and the way God thinks, we do not merely talk about everybody being a sinner; we get more specific than that and ask, "What is sin?" What is at the heart of our corruption and our depravity as human beings? What is wrong with us? Why is there so much evil in the world and what is the essence of this?

==== The Essence of Evil - Dishonoring God ====

Given what we have seen in Romans 1:21 (pagans dishonor God) and Romans 2:23 (Jews dishonor God), we get the message that the essence of evil is dishonoring God. Evil is the feeling and thinking and acting that treats God as less than infinitely valuable and satisfying. So when we get to Romans 3:23 and Paul gives his own definition of sin, this is what he says: "There is no distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." The essence of sin is falling short of the glory of God, that is, not treating the glory of God for what it really is - the most valuable reality and the most satisfying treasure in the universe.

This is why we all need to be saved. This is why we need a gift of righteousness that is not our own. We have fallen short of God's glory. Or as Romans 1:21 says, we have "not glorified him or thanked him as God." Or as Romans 2:23 says, "Through your breaking the Law, you dishonor God."

O how we need to hear this today, because almost all the forces around us urge us to think of sin - if at all - as an offense against man, not God. Evil is when man is hurt, not when God is dishonored. Evil is when I am abused, not when God is dishonored. Evil is when I am threatened, not when God is dishonored. We need to hear Paul's unrelenting witness to the God-centered understanding of sin and righteousness. Only this will prepare us to understand and receive the gospel of the gift of God's righteousness. And that is Paul's goal in these chapters - to prepare Jew and Gentile to understand and receive the Gospel.

Now we ask, how was God dishonored among the Jewish people? Next week we will answer that question from verses 17-22. We will ask, How can Paul really claim that the Jewish people were thieves and adulterers and temple-plunderers, when this was not their main reputation? We will come back to that.

==== Ruining God's Reputation ====

But today we ask: How was God dishonored according to Romans 2:24? Here Paul quotes an Old Testament prophet to explain and support his statement in verse 23 that the Jews "dishonor God." He says, "You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? (24) For [and here he quotes Isaiah 52:5] 'THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,' just as it is written." In other words, the dishonor Paul has in mind is that the reputation of God among the nations is contaminated. The nations look at God's people and think little of their God. The quote from Isaiah referred to the derision that the nations gave Israel when Israel went into captivity. We know it was Israel's sin that brought the captivity on them. So in their breaking the law, as verse 23 says, they dishonored God. They brought contempt on the name of God.

This was exactly the opposite of why God had chosen Israel. "'I made the whole household of Israel . . . cling to Me,' declares the LORD, 'that they might be for Me a people, for renown, for praise and for glory.'" They were created (Isaiah 43:7) and chosen for the honor of God - to display his worth and value and beauty and greatness and trustworthiness and all-satisfying excellence. But instead, they lived as if their God were worthless and the world was valuable instead. And God handed them over to their enemies. The result was that God was ridiculed and his reputation was belittled.

The point of all this is that sin is "falling short of the glory of God" (3:23), and that Jews, as well as Gentiles, are under the power of sin (3:9). Both of them - all of us - dishonor God. That is our situation. That is our danger and liability. That is our curse and our guilt and our bondage. We don't love the glory of God. Or, as Romans 1:23 says, we "exchange the glory of the incorruptible God for images."

==== The Good News ====

The Gospel is the good news that God has sent his Son, Jesus, into the world to set this condition right - in three ways. 1) Jesus came to vindicate the worth of God's glory by living for it with all his might (John 17:4) and by dying to show that it is worth the greatest possible sacrifice (John 12:27-28; Romans 3:25-26). 2) Jesus came to rescue us from the wrath of God against all that dishonors his glory. He did this by dying in our place and by becoming for us a righteousness that we could never achieve on our own (Romans 3:24; Philippians 3:9; 2 Corinthians 5:21) - the righteousness that we have in union with Christ by trusting him (Romans 3:21). 3) Jesus came to change us into the kind of people who value the glory of God above all things and who live to show his worth (Matthew 5:16; 1 Corinthians 10:31; 1 Peter 4:11).

For example, turn with me to Romans 15:8-9. Why did Christ come? Why is there a Christian Gospel? Why a book of Romans? Why a Bethlehem Baptist Church? Why a saving of your soul? Here's Paul's answer, and it is in direct response to the problem of God's dishonor in the world and in our lives: "I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision [=the Jews] on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy."

So he mentions a purpose of Christ's coming in relation to the Jews and a purpose for Christ's coming in relation to the Gentiles. For the Jews it is to confirm God's trustworthiness. To vindicate his truthfulness. In other words, to confirm and restore God's honor and integrity. And for the Gentiles, verse 9 says, Christ came so that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. In other words, Christ came to reestablish God's honor - God's glory - for Jews and Gentiles, that is, to repair what Romans 1:19-3:20 says was ruined.

==== All Have Fallen Short ====

That is where we are this morning. No one in this room loves the glory of God the way he should. We have all fallen short. We have dishonored God. We have exchanged his glory for images. He is not cherished and treasured and admired and loved with a fraction of the fervor that he deserves. So we have fallen short. We are under the power of sin. And we are guilty before God.

Our only hope is that Christ came to change that. To vindicate the God we have belittled. To clothe us with a righteousness that we cannot provide on our own. And to change us into the kind of people who delight in the glory of God and the honor of God above all things.

So I want us to end with a time of prayer that God would come and save us from the unbelief that makes other things look more attractive than God.