1/29/2019

Philippians l:29-30

²⁹ For it has been granted to you that for the sake of Christ you should not only believe in him but also suffer for his sake,

³⁰ engaged in the same conflict that you saw I had and now hear that I still have.

A first question to understanding Scripture is, "can it be understood to apply to those to whom it is written?” The context and verse 30 give a yes answer to this question.

The suffering in Verse 29 applies immediately and primarily to those who received Paul’s letter. It is only after we do this that we can apply it in general to those who believe in Him. We do not know to what exact extent the Christians in Philippi suffered. The quality of suffering differs, this we do know. And that there are different kinds of suffering we know also.

But that there is future trib­ulation which the church will or will not suffer is strange in the face of what Paul has written in this text. This about which he writes may be as bad as suffering can be. We do not know.

What we do know is this suffering is a gift to them. It is a “gift" not only to believe in Him, but to suffer for His sake." Are all God’s gifts good?

1/28/2019

Ephesians 2:8-10

⁸ For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, ⁹ not a result of works, so that no one may boast. ¹⁰ For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.

There are two equal impossibilities stated in these verses.  The first is “works”, cf Rom. 11:6, Gal. 2:16; Titus 3:5.  The second is that a believer can be sanctified separate from works, Eph. 2:10; Phil. 2:12-13; Rom 8:29.

God’s Law is given in the Ten Commandments in Exodus 20 and Deut. 5.  In the Gospels and again by Paul, this is summarized by the two great commands of love, for God and our neighbors.  This is clarified for us in I John 3:23.  The commands to us are to believe in Jesus (this is the ultimate in loving God), and to love our brothers.  This is our sanctification.  But this is not our justification.  That comes from the free grace of God.  By faith we receive this, Romans 5:1.

For every believer this has a point of beginning, but no ending. First this is not the miracle-working faith of I Cor. 12.  It is the saving faith that is a gift of God given to all the elect.  Second this is the same faith by which the Spirit of God, who sanctifies us, comes to us, Gal. 3:2; Rom. 8:12-14.

1/25/2019

Genesis 19:11

¹¹ And they struck with blindness the men who were at the entrance of the house, both small and great, so that they wore themselves out groping for the door.

The man Lot is one of the, if not the most, interesting characters in the Old Testament.  Who can believe that Lot is a believer?  Without II Peter there is no reason to think of Lot as a saint.  But he is.  This is a warning to be cautious in the judgment of a fellow confessing believer.

Lot and the city of Sodom is a most distressing feature.  There is no more graphic picture of depravity that Genesis 19.  The description of the population (male) in verse 4 is carefully written. Notice:

1.      The men of the city, the men of Sodom.

2.      Both young and old.

3.      All the people.

4.      To the last man.

This leaves little doubt of the universal depravity of the city.  They earned for themselves, and for all who follow their wicked conduct, the right to be named Sodomites.

Then there is 19:11.  For years as I have read this I have been instructed and amazed at the blinding destructive power of sin.  Note first their desire; men who have the sacred privilege of sanctuary.  They were Lot’s guests.  As Lot’s guests they were in his house, they were to be safe.  Second they were blinded and could not pursue their intent, time to go home.

Thirdly the sudden of blindness caused no fear.  Remember this when there is an exceeding act of wickedness.

1/24/2019

Genesis 14:17-24

¹⁷ After his return from the defeat of Chedorlaomer and the kings who were with him, the king of Sodom went out to meet him at the Valley of Shaveh (that is, the King's Valley). 

¹⁸ And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.)

¹⁹ And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
²⁰ and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.

 ²¹ And the king of Sodom said to Abram, “Give me the persons, but take the goods for yourself.”

²² But Abram said to the king of Sodom, “I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth,

 ²³ that I would not take a thread or a sandal strap or anything that is yours, lest you should say, ‘I have made Abram rich.’ 

²⁴ I will take nothing but what the young men have eaten, and the share of the men who went with me. Let Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre take their share.”

What a great book the Bible is.  What a great story this is.  Here we meet this strange man, Melchizedek.  Even though he is mentioned again in Psalm 110, that is only in a passing way and not to be mentioned again for another 1000 years.

Because of our interest in Melchizedek we are prone to overlook the other king who met our hero.  Bera, king of Sodom, the deal maker who came to Abram with a deal in hand. Abram could have all the spoil if he gave the people back to Bera.  There are two matters of interest here.  First Bera had nothing to bargain.  He was defeated.  Abram was the victor.  It was all Abram’s to do with as he pleased.  Second the real bargain he offered lay in who the people were, cf Gen. 13:13. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the Lord.   These men were worthless to Abram.

The other concern of Abram, which should be of interest to us, is in verses 22-23.  This insight into both the character of Abram and his commitment to God is an early illustration of the Spiritual ethic that is required of Abram’s descendants.  We should be committed to the ethic of our father.  The world will not provide for us nor enrich us.

1/23/2019

Acts 2:41

⁴¹ So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.

The mere reading of this statement leaves the impression that numbers are important.  Before I make some comments let me add a little background.

I was reared in the Southern Baptist Church.  From my earliest memories are those of emphasis on numbers.  There was a tote board in the front of the church in a very visible place that gave the Sunday School attendance and the offering amount.  At that time these were also announced at the beginning of the church service.

This morning I have spent three hours reading of problems in the Seminary from which graduated in 1975 and my wife’s denomination.  These problems are traced to Confessional infidelity and rightly so.  But there is a question which lies behind.  “How did the camel get his nose in the tent”?

In 1975 this Seminary had around 100 students.  The overwhelming concern was growth.  I know—I was there.  When denominational Joining and Receiving with another denomination was planned, the Seminary’s single concern was growth.  I know—I was there.  What we see today is the result of an overweening quest for growth.

1/22/2019

Jonah 2:9

But I with the voice of thanksgiving will sacrifice to you;
what I have vowed I will pay. Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

Titus 3:5

⁵ he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Jonah “Salvation belongs to the Lord.”

Titus “He saved us”.

These are the confessions of honest believers.  Jonah has absolutely nothing he can contribute to his salvation.  In recognition of this his confession is classic.  If there is salvation, man in his hopeless state can with joy state salvation belongs to God alone.  I got me bad, God can get me good.

Paul in Titus 3:3 states our condition like Jonah with no ability to escape.  Then he notes the adversative, “But there is a deliverer.”  The end is not at the bottom of the sea locked in a prison, but there is a deliverer.

“He saved us.”  There is a world of theology before and behind this, but every delivered soul can say, “He saved me.”  Yes, and billions of others, but He saved me.  I rejoice that there are others past and future.  Yet there is allowed a certain selfishness here, so that I can say, “He saved me”.

I Cor. 1:29, 31.

YO CREDO

I believe God is.  Hebrews 11:6. 

I believe that Jesus is the full and final revelation of God, John 1:18. 

I believe that God is Triune, Matthew 28.

I believe man, prior to regeneration, is without any ability to act toward God, Eph. 2:1.

I believe that it is by faith in Jesus alone that we are reconciled to God, Romans 5:1.

I believe the Scriptures are the Word of God, II Tim. 3:15-16.

I believe Jesus was born of a virgin by the Holy Spirit, Matt. 1:19.

I believe Jesus is impeccably Holy, Hebrews 13:8.  Note:  If the Christ could have sinned in His  days on earth He will always be able to sin.  This is unthinkable, against my Confession, and in its truest sense wicked.

I believe Jesus was bodily resurrected and He bodily ascended into heaven.

I believe He will return bodily and the saints who are dead will be raised in their bodies while those who are alive will be changed and caught up, I Thess. 4:16-17. 

I believe that Christ’s Church is one Church from Pentecost until His return, Eph. 5:25-27.

This I believe and on this I stake my eternity.

1/18/2019

Ephesians 1:7

 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace,

Who did Christ die for? The Scripture tells us He died for the world and He died for the Church.  But the question becomes even more to the point when it is asked, “What did Christ accomplish with His death?  Did He effectively accomplish anything or did He open a number of possibilities?”

If we take Paul seriously in the statement above Jesus with His death accomplished Redemption and the forgiveness of our trespasses.  It is stated that these benefits are the result of His blood or bloody death.  And this is “according to the riches of His grace.”  The inclusion of grace in this transaction guarantees there are no works or human involvement.  We are heirs of grace and not origins of it.

There is another understanding.  That is that Jesus’ death is available for every human who has ever lived or ever will live.  His death when received by a faith generated out of a freewill will save any person so long as that person continues in his or her personal faith.

Effectively this is saying Christ’s death accomplished nothing in regards to man’s salvation.  It has made me salvable.  The real hero here is freewill.

Psalm119:7 Oh how I love your law!     It is my meditation all the day.

I John 3:14  We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers. Whoever does not love abides in death.

I Corinthians 16:22 If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come!

The three loves that mark a believer are plainly stated in the Scriptures.

Psalm 119:97:  The writer has stated a love for God’s law, but the law is used often in the Old Testament representing the whole of Divine Writ. And in Psalm 119, which is in the whole a Psalm of praise and affection for the Scriptures, it is correct to understand the inspired Word of God is as this place.

The second is I John 3:14.  In this statement John marks out the definite character of the believer.  He loves his fellow believer.  But John is concerned that this might be misunderstood so he illustrates his point in I John 3:17.  Christian love is characterized by giving.  There may be stingy Christians but it is plain they are rare.

I Corinthians 16:22:  This could not be written any more plainly.  It is left to determine what is the love spoken of and who is it we are to love.

A.     Love here is faith with commitment, obedience, and witness.  Bear in mind Acts 1:8.  Witness is not a choice, it is what we are.

B.     The Lord is the Savior as He is identified in the Scriptures. A Jesus of common birth, no miracles, and without a bodily resurrection is not the Jesus of the Scriptures.  Not the one we love.

1/16/2019

Acts 20:28

²⁸ Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.

There is an age-old question in the Church.  Who did Christ die for?

He died for the world.  Salvation is no longer within the bounds of national Israel. The gospel is international.  Both Jews and Gentiles are to have it preached and anyone who believes, Jew or Gentile, will be saved. He died for the world that by His death creation would again be under the dominion of the Sons of Adam. Adam lost this dominion by his sin, Christ regained it by His sacrifice.

As the text above, Acts 20:28, plainly states He died for His Church.  This has a two-fold sense.  First and in the broadest context, this Church is all that the name of the Triune God is as their  God and bind themselves to Him with the Covenant sign of baptism.

Just as there was a true Israel within the National Israel, so there are God’s elect within the professing Church.

For these, the elect, Christ has efficiently procured their salvation.  His shed blood given for them at that time efficiently procured their salvation.  But it doesn’t matter at what level, Christ's death is effectual to its intention.

1/15/2019

John 17:3

³ And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

Westminster Shorter Catechism

Q. 3 What do the Scriptures principally teach?

A. The Scriptures principally teach what man is to believe concerning God, and what duty God requires of man.

It is one of my greatest joys to live in the New Testament revelation of the Triune God and have an assured faith in Him. Having said that, it is one of my confidences in personal Christian growth that I can say sincerely, “I don’t know”.

This morning as Darlene and I looked at the daily confessional reminder that she receives by email, it was Shorter Catechism Q 3.  This is like question Q1 to me.  I know it because I am convinced that if our expectation from the Scriptures was confined to Question 3 we would have less debate and more unity.  And we would all say, “I don’t know” more often.

Let me give you two reasons why ministers do not admit ignorance.

1.      There comes with the recognition and appointment to office a certain amount arrogance.  And it seems as if you are admitting disqualification if you “don’t know”.

2.      Then there is the fact that the minister does think his knowledge is exceedingly great.  The only thing greater is God Himself and there is a certain propensity to define Him.

Who did Cain and Seth marry.  I don’t know.

1/14/2019

Luke 1:15, 35, 41, 67, 80

¹⁵ for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

³⁵ And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.

⁴¹ And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit,

⁶⁷ And his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, saying,

⁸⁰ And the child grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day of his public appearance to Israel.

The New Testament is a testimony to the person and work of the Holy Spirit.  These five separate statements to His presence are the first time time-wise in the New  Testament and as they indicate Luke is to be the most important writer describing the activity of God’s Spirit.

1.       It is in Luke 11:13 that makes the Father’s giving the Holy Spirit a signal answer to prayer.  Jesus rejoices in the Holy Spirit.  He does His works by the power of the Holy Spirit, and as in Acts 1:80, He always acts in obedience to the Spirit.

2.      In Luke and Acts the Holy Spirit is foremost in all of the activity of the progress of Christ’s activity and message.  When the reader looks with attention, it is a plan of the Spirit’s activity that Luke has before him, cf Acts 1:8.

3.      Acts 13:2; 16:6  The Holy Spirit is the director of Missionary activity as these verses indicate.  He determined both who and where.  There is a plain lesson here.  God has always determined who will and who won’t be saved.

1/11/2019

Acts 1:8

⁸ But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

One of the most asked questions about Acts is “Why does it end like it does?” This is because it seems to have no real ending, there are a number of questions that remain unanswered.  But a close look at Acts 1:8 shows this is not so.

It is most often stated the text above is the outline of Acts and that seems well supported.  But it is also the purpose of Acts.

It is stated what Jesus intends for His disciples to do.  They are to be agents for the spread of this witness of His death and resurrection in a particular fashion, beginning with Jerusalem and extending from there to the Gentile world.  And this is exactly what we see in Acts.

This is not the Acts of the Apostles, or the Acts of Paul, but it is the inspired account of the spread of the Gospel of Christ to the nations.  And by this the introduction of Christ’s Church in the world and not confined to Israel.  Acts ends in Rome.  The world is open. 

Luke ends here.  His job  per 1:8 is finished.

1/10/2019

Acts 8:28ff

²⁸ and was returning, seated in his chariot, and he was reading the prophet Isaiah.

There are certain facts that this context tells the reader.  So it is to the advantage of any reader to ask questions of text.

1^st Question. Where is Philip “sent by the angel?“ 8:29  “Gaza.  This is a desert place.” He is sent to a desert south of Samaria.

2^nd Question. What is Philip told to do with the chariot and the Eunuch? 8:29  It is now the Spirit rather than the Angel of the Lord and tells Philip, “Go over and join the chariot.” We can gather from the text and later information that Philip got in the chariot with the Eunuch, note vs 31. Philip then preaches the Gospel of the Savior and after the Eunuch believes the Gospel, he questions Philip about baptism.

3^rd Question. Where are the two men when the question is asked? In the chariot, vs 31, “up in the chariot”, vs 28, returning “from Jerusalem” in the desert between Jerusalem and Gaza.

4^th Question. What are we told about the water? Vs 36 “some water”. In the desert, is it a small pool, a lake, a river?  It is reasonable to think a small pool of a limited extent.

5^th Question. From where do the two men go down to or into the water? 8:38. They go down from the chariot to or into the water.

6^th Question. Where do they go from the water? 8:39, Philip was carried away by the Spirit and the Eunuch returned to his chariot. We do not know how Philip was carried away but we do know the Eunuch went on his way in his chariot. As he came down from his chariot he would have had to go up into his chariot from the water.

If you do not enter this passage with a presumption of immersion baptism there is nothing to encourage that and even more to discourage it. There are two particular problems for immersion. 

1.      It is difficult almost to an impossibility to find sufficient water in the desert to immerse.

2.      Even the beginning New Testament Greek reader finds the Greek prepositions very unspecific.  They are more general and indicate a direction rather than a point or spot. The most this text says for certain is that “they went down in the direction of the water and they came up from the direction of the water.  As usual in these historic illustrations there are no points proven from them. You go in believing your doctrine and you come out unchanged.

There is really only one real difficulty, that there has never been found any recorded instance of sufficient water on this road to immerse. As there must be a tank in the jailhouse, there has to be a lake in the desert, or whatever water that is there is only sufficient for effusion.

1/9/2019

Psalm 44:1ff

O God, we have heard with our ears, our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days, in the days of old:

There is a fact of Old Testament Scripture that absolutely must be accepted to understand the Old Testament.  That is, that there is Israel National and there is Israel Spiritual.  This Psalm 44 is an example of that fact. The Psalmist begins with the history of God’s blessings on the nation Israel.  As he recounts them you can sense his pride, in the best sense, for God’s love and provision. But then he describes the defeats that the nation has suffered which extended to deprivation and captivity.

How does the writer deal with this utter loss?  First his conclusion is that God has deserted Israel.  Second he assumes that there must be complete desertion and rampant idolatry on the part of Israel to deserve what God has done to them.  And as we read in the history and prophets we know the Psalmist is correct in his analysis.

But then he denies that these accusations are so.  Their faith has never wavered and God’s Law had always been their delight.  Is the Psalmist mistaken or is he lying?  Neither! The punishment is for the sins of National Israel. And the Psalmist is writing with conscience of elect Israel.

Two facts must be understood.  First the writer is honest in his lament.  Second his citizenship and presence in National Israel makes his experience the same as the nation.  He is subject to all the conditions God places on the nation. But he never forfeits his privilege of the unconditional promises.

This is the only way I can see to find the writer completely honest in the whole of the Psalm.  Also it is the way Paul explains Abraham’s descendants and National Israel.  All Israel is not Israel.

There are some ways that this can be applied to the Church.  If we see the Church as more than a local assembly, but as those who claim the name Christian then there are conditions that must be met and are not being met. Therefore there are judgments that come nationally which we must all suffer.  What is our responsibility?

1/7/19

Mark 10:38-39

³⁸ Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you are asking. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or to be baptized with the baptism with which I am baptized?” ³⁹ And they said to him, “We are able.” And Jesus said to them, “The cup that I drink you will drink, and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized,

Baptism in these verses cannot be immersion in water or immersion of any kind. That which fits best as a synonym is union.

Christ’s statement is aimed at identity, His suffering and service. “Can you be united with me in my service and suffering?" The men's agreement to this baptism or being united with Christ in His activity receives His agreement. They would truly have a like experience to His. They would serve and suffer unto death as He did.

If this same understanding of baptism is seen in Romans 6, it gives a sensible and a good theological understanding of the context. For all believers are united with Christ in His death as He is our substitute.  We are also united to Him in His burial and His resurrection.  Therefore we are freed by His death, and by His death our death also from the bondage of sin.

No prevailing sin can have the mastery over you when it is faced with the life you have through the resurrection of Christ and you.

1/8/19

An Answer To A Question From A Friend

Luke 10:29-37  

²⁹ But wishing to justify himself, he said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”

³⁰ Jesus replied and said, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among robbers, and they stripped him and beat him, and went away leaving him half dead. ³¹ And by chance a priest was going down on that road, and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. ³² Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. ³³ But a Samaritan, who was on a journey, came upon him; and when he saw him, he felt compassion,³⁴ and came to him and bandaged up his wounds, pouring oil and wine on them; and he put him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn and took care of him. ³⁵ On the next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper and said, ‘Take care of him; and whatever more you spend, when I return I will repay you.’ ³⁶ Which of these three do you think proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell into the robbers’ hands?” ³⁷ And he said, “The one who showed mercy toward him.” Then Jesus said to him, “Go and do the same.”

The question:  Who is my neighbor?

The question, vs 29, is answered rather subtly by Jesus.  Note vs 36.  He says you have three who are confronted with great need.  Two, with adequate reasons, do nothing.  One, with no external requirements, moves to satisfy the need.

Note these conditions of his help:

A.     He does this immediately without regard to himself.

B.     He continues his ministrations until the need is met.

C.     He meets the need without concern for his personal expense.

The answer is one of comparison.  Two who have a religious obligation to be merciful for they have been shown mercy are concerned only for themselves.  There is a conclusion here.  Being a neighbor reaches beyond self-concern.

When that is established the concern of the third man is considered. And the question is asked, when these three men are considered who gives us the answer to your question?

The answer is a neighbor is someone who thinks of others before himself.  He is considerate, self-sacrificing, fearless, and generous in his concern for others.

So the answer goes to the issue.  “What is love?” “What is “and your neighbor as yourself?”

The neighbor is one who knows how and does the deeds of love.

1/5/19

Acts 16: 30-34

³⁰ Then he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.” ³² And they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. ³³ And he took them the same hour of the night and washed their wounds; and he was baptized at once, he and all his family. ³⁴ Then he brought them up into his house and set food before them. And he rejoiced along with his entire household that he had believed in God.

 This account of the conversion of a heathen and his baptism presents a difficult problem of immersion for those who support this mode exclusively.

There are three principal difficulties. The first is where does sufficient water to immerse come from? Secondly what do you do with the words "he was baptized at once" or immediately? Thirdly how do you answer the impossibility of the jailer taking Paul and Silas and possibly others out of the jail to the river? He would have to take not only Paul and whoever was with him, but his household also. The removal of these men from the prison cannot be defended.

Therefore there are two alternatives. One is that there was a pool of some sort in this prison of sufficient area and depth to immerse. The attempt to make this argument, (a cistern, a bath, a pool of some description) is so unbelievable almost to be comical. cf A.T. Robertson  on Acts 16.

The other is that they were baptized by effusion. The theologian and Greek scholar, Dr. Robert Reymond told me, “he washed their wounds and Paul baptized them with the same water."