DOCTRINES OF FAITH
Doctrine 12 / 36: Relation of the Old Testament Law to the Christian
"Thou shalt not" is the phrase most recognizable as being a part of the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments, found in Exodus 20, were just the beginning of a much greater set of commandments that God gave to His people. A sampling of these many commandments given are: no murder (Exodus 20:13); no stealing (Exodus 20:15); no homosexuality (Leviticus 18:22); adulterers are to be put to death (Leviticus 20:9); the land is to rest and not be sowed every seventh year (Leviticus 25:4); anyone that curses father or mother is to be put to death. On top of these types of commandments there were restrictions placed on the kinds of food people could eat, the types and frequencies of animal sacrifices that needed to be offered, and other restrictions and commandments.
There are a couple of different trains of thought as to what application these commandments in the Old Testament have for the New Testament believer. There is an antinomian understanding, a traditional division of the laws, a position in which the New Testament changes some of the laws, and what I believe to be the most consistently biblical, the position in which the New Testament law replaces the Old Testament law, yet the Old Testament contains principles that need to be learned.
The antinomian position is based upon verses such as Galatians 2:21: "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain"; and also Romans 6:14: "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace." The antinomian position teaches that Christ has freed mankind from being bound to the law. It teaches that a person now simply puts their faith in Christ, and he is then free to live in whatever manner he sees fit. He is no longer under the law, so there is nothing he can do that would be sin. The problem with this position is that Jesus said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments" (John 14:15). I John 2:4 makes it even stronger when John writes, "He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him." If God has totally removed the Christian from being under any law to God, then these verses are meaningless.
The traditional position of this subject divides all of the laws of the Old Testament into three distinct categories. There are the civil laws, the ceremonial laws, and the moral laws. The civil laws were laws that God gave to the children of Israel to help them govern themselves. Included in the civil laws would be those that determine the penalty for certain crimes. The ceremonial laws were those laws that had to do with the religious ceremony of the Old Covenant. These laws would include the animal sacrifices, and the special feasts of Israel where all Jewish men had to go to Jerusalem three times in a year. According to this position, the civil and ceremonial laws were done away with Christ when the veil rent in the temple at His death, and He became the ultimate sacrifice. The third division of Old Testament laws are the moral laws. The moral laws are those laws that transcend all of time, and would include the Ten Commandments. The major problem with the idea of the three divisions of laws is that the Bible does not divide them. That is, the Bible never distinguishes certain laws of the Old Testament as being civil laws, yet to violate them is not immoral. It never says that certain of the laws are ceremonial versus civil, etc. Man's tradition and reason has attempted to break up all of the law into these groups, and therefore they are not God's divisions.
The third position which could be taken is that of accepting the entire Old Testament law as it is, and only replacing or updating those laws which have been explicitly changed in the New Testament. For example, 1 Corinthians 5:7 declares that Christ is the Passover. Therefore, the laws for the Passover feasts are no longer laws that need to be followed by believers. Acts 10, when Peter is told to eat of the animals on the sheet, which God in the Old Testament demanded them not to eat, is another example of laws that were overturned. When a law has not been overturned from the Old Testament, then it still stand in full force. Those who claim to believe this doctrine end up being inconsistent to some degree in their application of it. For example, many of the so-called civil laws of the Old Testament were never overturned. Therefore, any of those that hold this belief, ought to stone their child if he becomes rebellious; they are to stone a child if he curses mother or father. And even the mixing of materials in clothing is a law that has not been overturned.
The correct understanding of the role of the Old Testament law for the Christian is that the Old Testament teaches the Christian about the character and nature of God, and how important holiness needs to be for God's people. It can help define some of the meanings of things, or principles which should be followed. However, the commands of the Old Testament were just that, commands given under a covenant which God made with Israel. A Christian is not without law, as all of the commandments that Jesus gave for His church, and all of the commandments in the Epistles during the Church Age, were commandments given for the believer. A Christian is not antinomian, however as those verses in Galatians and Romans clarified, the Christian is not under the Old Covenant's laws. The laws in the Old Testament can demonstrate God's expectations. For example, 1 Corinthians 6:9 says that fornicators shall not inherit the kingdom of God. This is a New Testament command to abstain from fornication. However, in the Old Testament, specifically Leviticus 18, God states what His standards are for fornication. It includes homosexuality, bestiality, incest, etc. The Christian is not obligated to obey those laws because they are found in Leviticus, but because they are found in the New Testament. The Old Testament was "written for our learning" (Romans 15:4), but that does not mean that they are laws still binding for the Christian.
"For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death."
Saturday, March 29, 2008
Thesis 11/36: Twelve Mysteries of the New Testament
DOCTRINES OF FAITH
Doctrine 11 / 36: The 12 Mysteries of the New Testament and how they relate to the Christian
A mystery in the Bible is something that is not previously known, but has been or is being revealed. The common connotation of the word is that something is a mystery if a person can not understand it, however in the Bible, a mystery is something that, though often it can not fully be grasped, is something that is being revealed.
1) The Mystery of God: The mystery of God speaks of His hidden wisdom. The natural man can not understand the things of God, and through the Bible, God reveals these things unto the Christian by the power of the Holy Spirit. "...To the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:2-3).
2) The Mystery of the Kingdom of God: When Jesus came and preached to His disciples, He preached to them the mystery of the kingdom of God (Mark 4:11; Luke 8:10). Romans 14 explains that the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness, joy and peace in the Holy Ghost. What is revealed here is that God has a kingdom, a place for His rule, in the spiritual realm, not only in the physical. Jesus came and preached this message.
3) The Mystery of Godliness: "God was manifest in the flesh" (1 Timothy 3:16). That truly is a great mystery. For God to fully reveal the mystery of His kingdom, He determined to clothe Himself in human flesh. The Son of God became the Son of man. Without Christ, there is no kingdom of God possible for a Christian.
4) The Mystery of the Gospel: This phrase speaks of the new message that Paul and the other apostles were preaching during the early days of the church. The gospel, the good news of Jesus Christ, was something that until the life and death on the cross was something unknown to man. Paul asked for prayer that he would be able to boldly make known that mystery (Ephesians 6:19). It is the job of every Christian today as well to make known the truths of the gospel to all men.
5) The Mystery of God's Will: As was already stated, a mystery in the Bible is something that is revealed. It is not something that is left hidden. When Paul speaks of the mystery of God's will in Ephesians 1:9, he is speaking of that fact that God has chosen to save those whom exercise faith in Christ's work on the cross. God purposed to save only those that come by faith, and no others. He did not choose to save those that did any good work, or that were born in a particular country, but rather He chose to save those that had faith in the finished work of Christ. This will of God is revealed to the Christian.
6) The Mystery of Faith: One of the requirements of a deacon, found in 1 Timothy 3:9, is that he holds "the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience." This mystery of the faith may refer to the whole set of Christian doctrine, that is, the faith of Christianity. However, it also can refer to the mystery that only by faith, is a man justified. Many stumbled in the Old Testament times, and they failed to see that only by faith in God could they be justified, not in fulfilling the law (Romans 9:31-32).
7) The Mystery of Iniquity: The context of 2 Thessalonians 2:7 is speaking of the Antichrist, the son of perdition. It says, while referring to things about him, "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work." It seems that Paul is saying that this iniquity of the son of perdition is already alive in the world. And though the immediate context is referring to the iniquity associated with the Antichrist, it truly is a mystery that a Christian would commit iniquity. The revelation is that the old nature is still with man, and it still causes the person to stumble.
8) The Mystery of Israel's Blindness: "Blindness in part is happened to Israel" (Romans 11:25). Paul desires that Christians would not be ignorant of that fact. The Old Testament's emphasis was almost exclusively on the nation of Israel. However, when they rejected Christ, they went into a state of national blindness. This blindness is only for a time, and their sight will be restored. God is not done with Israel yet.
9) The Mystery of the Gentiles: When Israel was blinded, their falling away allowed the Gentiles the opportunity to partake in the riches of God's grace. Paul was given special revelation of this mystery, and was charged to share it: "How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words, (4) Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) (5) Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit; (6) That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel" (Ephesians 3:3-6).
10) The Mystery of the Marriage of Christ and the Church: When a husband and wife are married, they are said to become one flesh. Paul uses the same analogy when writing about the relationship between Christ and His church. "For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church" (Ephesians 5:31-32). The church is actually the body of Christ. A believer is baptized into and becomes a part of Christ.
11) The Mystery of the Indwelling Christ: Not only does a believer get put into the body of Christ when he is saved, but at the same time, Christ gets put into the believer. The Bible says that this is the Spirit of Christ that is put in the believer (Romans 8:9), as Christ is sitting on the right hand of God. This idea of God dwelling inside of a man, so that he becomes the temple of God, was not a concept understood in the Old Testament (Colossians 1:26-27). But this indwelling Christ is the only hope of glory that the Christian has.
12) The Mystery of the Final Sanctification at the Rapture: 1 Corinthians 15:51 says, "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed." This principle is also found in 1 John 3:2, "...We know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him." When Jesus comes to call His saints at the rapture, the Bible reveals the mystery that they will not keep the same bodies as they had during their earthly lives. Their bodies will be changed; their mortality will put on immortality. The sinful flesh which so long plagued them, will be put off, and they will be changed and become like Christ.
"Now is made manifest, and by the scriptures..."
Thesis 10/36: Israel Versus the Church
DOCTRIES OF FAITH
Doctrine 10 / 36: Israel versus the Church
With the exception of the first eleven chapters of Genesis, the entire Old Testament is essentially a group of books written by, to and for the nation of Israel. It begins with Abraham in Genesis 12 who is the father of the Israelites, and to whom God gave certain promises that were going to be fulfilled in Abraham's seed, the Jews. From there, the story of the Old Testament is the story of the Jewish nation for the subsequent 1,500 years or so. When Jesus comes, and the New Covenant is established, there is a very obvious shift from the focus being on the Jews, to the focus being on the entire world of Jews and Gentiles.
Some of the promises made to the Israelites through Abraham and through David had to do with things on earth. Abraham was promised a particular tract of land in the Middle East. This land was also promised to be his seed's inheritance for an everlasting possession (Genesis 15:18; Genesis 17:8). Promises made to David were that his throne would be established for ever (1 Kings 2:45). These are promises made to Israel that God made unconditionally to that nation.
There were also promises made to Abraham that were more than promises for Israel. God promised that Abraham's seed would be a blessing to all the families of the earth (Genesis 12:3). The fulfillment of this promise was in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16). Romans 9 clarifies that not everybody that was born in the physical family of Abraham was to be a recipient of those promises that God made, but rather those that followed in the steps of Abraham's faith - which includes Gentiles.
1 Corinthians 10:32 distinguishes three groups of people that exist in the time of the New Testament. "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God." Those of national Israel are distinguished from those that are of God's church. In Christ Jesus, there is neither Jew nor Greek (Galatians 3:28). There are spiritual promises given in the New Testament that are particular to the members of the church, whether Jew or Gentile, promises such as eternal life, a hope in heaven, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. These are promises not made for Abraham's physical seed, but for Abraham's spiritual seed.
The Bible teaches that there is a period of time, in which the Jews, having rejected Christ, will be blinded. And even though there are some Jews that turn to Christ individually, the nation of Israel as a whole is not for God. Jesus came for the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24), but as He knew they would do, they rejected Him, and so God opened it up to the Gentiles. "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob" (Romans 11:25-26).
"To the Jew first and also to the Greek."
Doctrine 10 / 36: Israel versus the Church
With the exception of the first eleven chapters of Genesis, the entire Old Testament is essentially a group of books written by, to and for the nation of Israel. It begins with Abraham in Genesis 12 who is the father of the Israelites, and to whom God gave certain promises that were going to be fulfilled in Abraham's seed, the Jews. From there, the story of the Old Testament is the story of the Jewish nation for the subsequent 1,500 years or so. When Jesus comes, and the New Covenant is established, there is a very obvious shift from the focus being on the Jews, to the focus being on the entire world of Jews and Gentiles.
Some of the promises made to the Israelites through Abraham and through David had to do with things on earth. Abraham was promised a particular tract of land in the Middle East. This land was also promised to be his seed's inheritance for an everlasting possession (Genesis 15:18; Genesis 17:8). Promises made to David were that his throne would be established for ever (1 Kings 2:45). These are promises made to Israel that God made unconditionally to that nation.
There were also promises made to Abraham that were more than promises for Israel. God promised that Abraham's seed would be a blessing to all the families of the earth (Genesis 12:3). The fulfillment of this promise was in Jesus Christ (Galatians 3:16). Romans 9 clarifies that not everybody that was born in the physical family of Abraham was to be a recipient of those promises that God made, but rather those that followed in the steps of Abraham's faith - which includes Gentiles.
1 Corinthians 10:32 distinguishes three groups of people that exist in the time of the New Testament. "Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God." Those of national Israel are distinguished from those that are of God's church. In Christ Jesus, there is neither Jew nor Greek (Galatians 3:28). There are spiritual promises given in the New Testament that are particular to the members of the church, whether Jew or Gentile, promises such as eternal life, a hope in heaven, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. These are promises not made for Abraham's physical seed, but for Abraham's spiritual seed.
The Bible teaches that there is a period of time, in which the Jews, having rejected Christ, will be blinded. And even though there are some Jews that turn to Christ individually, the nation of Israel as a whole is not for God. Jesus came for the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matthew 15:24), but as He knew they would do, they rejected Him, and so God opened it up to the Gentiles. "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob" (Romans 11:25-26).
"To the Jew first and also to the Greek."
Thesis 09/36: Redemption Justification Sanctification
DOCTRINES OF FAITH:
Doctrine 9 / 36: Redemption, Justification, Sanctification
Three terms in the Bible that are similar in meaning and aspect, yet have quite distinct meanings are the words redemption, justification and sanctification. Though all of these terms are directly related to the doctrine of salvation, they are different components of them.
Redemption: To redeem something is to buy something. The redemption of mankind was the purchase of man with the great price of the blood of Jesus Christ. His death was actually a payment for the debt, which sin caused, that was owed to God. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 explicitly says that because the Christian is bought with a price, he is no longer his own. The redemption, the buying, which Jesus did at the cross was for all men (Hebrews 10:29; 1 John 2:2). Again, the redemption of man took place at the cross.
Justification: The justification of a man is when God looks at man, and instead of seeing his sin, sees him in a right standing before Him. A man is justified by putting his faith in Jesus Christ; he is not justified until he does that. Before salvation, a man is a child of wrath by nature, but when he trusts Jesus Christ, his sins are washed away, and God no longer imputes his sin to him. Instead, God reckons Jesus Christ's righteousness to that man's account, and that man has a right standing with God. Redemption took place at the cross; justification takes place when a person is born again.
Sanctification: There are different types of sanctification in the Bible. There is an instantaneous sanctification that takes place at salvation, which is the same as justification. Because God has imputed Christ's righteousness to the believer, instantly the believer is completely holy and sanctified. However, because the believer still is attached to the "old man," he will have a struggle with sin throughout his life. The sanctification process is the conforming of the man into the image of Jesus Christ. As a Christian grows in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, he is being sanctified. Sanctification takes place as the Holy Spirit makes the word of God alive to the believer. And though Christians are commanded to be holy, the old nature still causes him to be less than perfect. 1 John 3:2 declares that when Jesus Christ comes back and appears, then all believers will be changed and will become like Him. At that point, complete sanctification takes place, and as was predestined, all believers will be perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
"Such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus."
Doctrine 9 / 36: Redemption, Justification, Sanctification
Three terms in the Bible that are similar in meaning and aspect, yet have quite distinct meanings are the words redemption, justification and sanctification. Though all of these terms are directly related to the doctrine of salvation, they are different components of them.
Redemption: To redeem something is to buy something. The redemption of mankind was the purchase of man with the great price of the blood of Jesus Christ. His death was actually a payment for the debt, which sin caused, that was owed to God. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 explicitly says that because the Christian is bought with a price, he is no longer his own. The redemption, the buying, which Jesus did at the cross was for all men (Hebrews 10:29; 1 John 2:2). Again, the redemption of man took place at the cross.
Justification: The justification of a man is when God looks at man, and instead of seeing his sin, sees him in a right standing before Him. A man is justified by putting his faith in Jesus Christ; he is not justified until he does that. Before salvation, a man is a child of wrath by nature, but when he trusts Jesus Christ, his sins are washed away, and God no longer imputes his sin to him. Instead, God reckons Jesus Christ's righteousness to that man's account, and that man has a right standing with God. Redemption took place at the cross; justification takes place when a person is born again.
Sanctification: There are different types of sanctification in the Bible. There is an instantaneous sanctification that takes place at salvation, which is the same as justification. Because God has imputed Christ's righteousness to the believer, instantly the believer is completely holy and sanctified. However, because the believer still is attached to the "old man," he will have a struggle with sin throughout his life. The sanctification process is the conforming of the man into the image of Jesus Christ. As a Christian grows in the grace and knowledge of the Lord, he is being sanctified. Sanctification takes place as the Holy Spirit makes the word of God alive to the believer. And though Christians are commanded to be holy, the old nature still causes him to be less than perfect. 1 John 3:2 declares that when Jesus Christ comes back and appears, then all believers will be changed and will become like Him. At that point, complete sanctification takes place, and as was predestined, all believers will be perfectly conformed to the image of Jesus Christ.
"Such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus."
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thesis 08/36: Sovereignty of God versus Free Will of Man
(Ok, here's a new topic for this blog... or maybe not!)
DOCTRINES OF FAITH
Doctrine 8 / 36: The Sovereignty of God versus the Free Will of Man
The age old conflict of God's Sovereignty verses Man's Free Will is a debate primarily over this question: "If God completely controls everything, then how can man be held responsible for his actions?" There are many sidebars that take place to attempt to resolve this dilemma, but it ultimately comes back to how God can judge man for something that man is incapable of doing.
One way to answer this dilemma is to simply say that God is completely causing everything to happen, including man's actions. In this, God essentially has caused man to sin so that He could show His power and wrath over those that are damned, and show his completely arbitrary grace to some men. This concept magnifies God's grace, towards those whom He saved, and it makes His wrath so much greater towards the lost man. Romans 9 is used heavily to support this teaching when it says, "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory" (Romans 9:21-23).
The problem with this idea is that it goes against the teaching in the Scripture that God does not desire the death of the lost. "As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 33:11). And again, "[God] will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). If God does not desire to destroy the wicked, then He would not have made them for that purpose.
The resolution to this seems to be in the fact that God made man in His own image and in His likeness. When God created Adam, He created a sinless being that had the capability of choosing to not sin. However, Adam made the conscious decision to go against God's commandment and he ate of the fruit in Genesis 3. Because of this sin, all of Adam's descendants have inherited his sinful nature. Man no longer has that same capability of living without sin. Every child, once it knows the difference between right and wrong, will definitely make the same conscious decision to go against God as Adam did. This is because of the nature that child received being a descendant of Adam. However, even with this corrupted nature, man is still said to be made in the similitude of God (James 3:9). And although man no longer has the nature to go without sin, he does have the ability to respond positively or negatively to the Holy Spirit's conviction of sin.
It is true that man's depravity is such that he is unable to bring about his own salvation, however the Bible teaches that God has shown His grace not only for certain of mankind, but for all of the world. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men" (Titus 2:11). Not only has His grace appeared to all men, but the Bible also teaches that the propitiation for the sins of the Christians is also the propitiation for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Jesus' sacrifice was made so that any man that responded to the Spirit's conviction (which is only given by God's grace in the first place) with faith would be saved. For God so loved the world that He gave His Son. It is not that He only loved certain of the world, but that He loved the world. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
Some would argue that this teaching takes sovereignty away from God in some way. However, either God has a "permissive will" in which He has allowed man to determine things (always within His limits and control), or He is the immediate mover of all things, and therefore the author of sin. God is too holy to be the cause of sin, so it must be that He has given the ability to determine some things to man.
What of the "elect"? God has chosen some to save, and He has chosen them before He even founded the earth. However, this choosing was not the choosing of certain individuals to put into the body of Christ, or to give them faith unconditionally. Rather, the election was the choosing to save all of those that would be in Christ. Christ is called "the chosen of God." All those that are in Christ receive the benefits of the election. Truly God is omniscient, and when He created the world, He did know the eternal destiny of all souls before they were even born. Foreknowledge, though, does not require causation; that is, just because God knows what will happen to a man does not mean that He has to cause it to happen. God's election is based on His foreknowledge (Romans 8:29; 1 Peter 1:2). God in His sovereignty and omnipotence, has created man with the ability to respond or reject the Spirit.
"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!"
DOCTRINES OF FAITH
Doctrine 8 / 36: The Sovereignty of God versus the Free Will of Man
The age old conflict of God's Sovereignty verses Man's Free Will is a debate primarily over this question: "If God completely controls everything, then how can man be held responsible for his actions?" There are many sidebars that take place to attempt to resolve this dilemma, but it ultimately comes back to how God can judge man for something that man is incapable of doing.
One way to answer this dilemma is to simply say that God is completely causing everything to happen, including man's actions. In this, God essentially has caused man to sin so that He could show His power and wrath over those that are damned, and show his completely arbitrary grace to some men. This concept magnifies God's grace, towards those whom He saved, and it makes His wrath so much greater towards the lost man. Romans 9 is used heavily to support this teaching when it says, "Hath not the potter power over the clay, of the same lump to make one vessel unto honour, and another unto dishonour? What if God, willing to shew his wrath, and to make his power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath fitted to destruction: And that he might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory" (Romans 9:21-23).
The problem with this idea is that it goes against the teaching in the Scripture that God does not desire the death of the lost. "As I live, saith the Lord GOD, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 33:11). And again, "[God] will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Timothy 2:4). If God does not desire to destroy the wicked, then He would not have made them for that purpose.
The resolution to this seems to be in the fact that God made man in His own image and in His likeness. When God created Adam, He created a sinless being that had the capability of choosing to not sin. However, Adam made the conscious decision to go against God's commandment and he ate of the fruit in Genesis 3. Because of this sin, all of Adam's descendants have inherited his sinful nature. Man no longer has that same capability of living without sin. Every child, once it knows the difference between right and wrong, will definitely make the same conscious decision to go against God as Adam did. This is because of the nature that child received being a descendant of Adam. However, even with this corrupted nature, man is still said to be made in the similitude of God (James 3:9). And although man no longer has the nature to go without sin, he does have the ability to respond positively or negatively to the Holy Spirit's conviction of sin.
It is true that man's depravity is such that he is unable to bring about his own salvation, however the Bible teaches that God has shown His grace not only for certain of mankind, but for all of the world. "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men" (Titus 2:11). Not only has His grace appeared to all men, but the Bible also teaches that the propitiation for the sins of the Christians is also the propitiation for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2). Jesus' sacrifice was made so that any man that responded to the Spirit's conviction (which is only given by God's grace in the first place) with faith would be saved. For God so loved the world that He gave His Son. It is not that He only loved certain of the world, but that He loved the world. God is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9).
Some would argue that this teaching takes sovereignty away from God in some way. However, either God has a "permissive will" in which He has allowed man to determine things (always within His limits and control), or He is the immediate mover of all things, and therefore the author of sin. God is too holy to be the cause of sin, so it must be that He has given the ability to determine some things to man.
What of the "elect"? God has chosen some to save, and He has chosen them before He even founded the earth. However, this choosing was not the choosing of certain individuals to put into the body of Christ, or to give them faith unconditionally. Rather, the election was the choosing to save all of those that would be in Christ. Christ is called "the chosen of God." All those that are in Christ receive the benefits of the election. Truly God is omniscient, and when He created the world, He did know the eternal destiny of all souls before they were even born. Foreknowledge, though, does not require causation; that is, just because God knows what will happen to a man does not mean that He has to cause it to happen. God's election is based on His foreknowledge (Romans 8:29; 1 Peter 1:2). God in His sovereignty and omnipotence, has created man with the ability to respond or reject the Spirit.
"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God!"
Thesis 07/36: Separation
DOCTRINES OF FAITH
Doctrine 7 / 36: Separation
When a man is redeemed, he is bought with a great price, the blood of Jesus Christ. The redeemed are no longer their own. "Ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price: therefore Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). God's people called a peculiar people; they are called to be peculiar. Peculiar means belonging exclusively to one person. A Christian belongs exclusively to God, and he is no longer his own. Jonathan Edwards wrote in his diary on January 12th, 1723:
“I have been before God, and have given myself, all that I am, and have, to God; so that I am not, in any respect, my own. I can challenge no right in this understanding, this will, these affections, which are in me. Neither have I any right to this body, or any of its members – no right to this tongue, these hands, these feet; no right to these senses, these eyes, these ears, this smell, or this taste. I have given myself clear away, and have not retained any thing, as my own… I have this morning told him, that I did take Him for my whole portion and felicity, looking on nothing else, as any part of my happiness, nor acting as if it were…”
The question then becomes, what does God want the Christian to do with his body and with his spirit? When a man is born again, he becomes a new creature; old things are passed away, and all things became new. It is important to understand this principle that the Christian is no longer his own. Only then will he be willing to follow God's command to be holy, peculiar, belonging and pertaining only unto Him, and not unto the world. There are many verses in which God tells His people that they ought to be different from the rest of the world.
Ephesians 4:17: "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind." The Christian is to change, and to walk differently than the rest of the lost Gentiles. Before salvation, all men walk the same. They walk according to the "course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:3). There is to be a change in a person's daily walk after salvation.
2 Corinthians 14-16: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (17) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." The point of this passage is that the goals of the Christian, and the goals of the lost world should be drastically different. With goals that are ultimately different, it should not be possible for a saved and lost person to be "yoked together" without there being major problems in the relationship. The temple of God, the Christian's body, is to be kept pure and free from sin. God wants the Christian to be separated from it.
This separation which God demands from the Christian does not mean that he is to disconnect from all of the lost world and live and interact only with those that are believers. Jesus clarifies this when His request to the Father in John 17:15 is that He would not take them out of the world, even though they are not of the world. He requests the Father to keep them from evil. Christians are in the world, but they are not to be of it. That is, they are not to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. This renewing of the mind comes from walking in the Spirit and letting God's word dwell in the heart. The church it to take Jesus to the world, it is not to bring the things of the world into the church.
What then is meant by the world? From what is it that the Christian is to be separated? I John 2:15-16 gives the answer. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." The Bible teaches that those three areas define the things that are in the world: Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life. The separation from the world simply has to do with living a holy and sinless life. The Christian is to avoid doing things that are for the lust of the flesh. He ought to avoid doing things simply to appeal to the eye's lust or for pride. The motives behind all the actions of the Christian needs to be examined. Is whatever action being done, being done for the glory of God, or for the glory of self? This self-examination must take place in every area of life, including food, drink, dress, speech, places to visit, people with whom to fellowship, etc. The Christian is no longer his own.
"Be ye holy; for I am holy."
Doctrine 7 / 36: Separation
When a man is redeemed, he is bought with a great price, the blood of Jesus Christ. The redeemed are no longer their own. "Ye are not your own. For ye are bought with a price: therefore Glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). God's people called a peculiar people; they are called to be peculiar. Peculiar means belonging exclusively to one person. A Christian belongs exclusively to God, and he is no longer his own. Jonathan Edwards wrote in his diary on January 12th, 1723:
“I have been before God, and have given myself, all that I am, and have, to God; so that I am not, in any respect, my own. I can challenge no right in this understanding, this will, these affections, which are in me. Neither have I any right to this body, or any of its members – no right to this tongue, these hands, these feet; no right to these senses, these eyes, these ears, this smell, or this taste. I have given myself clear away, and have not retained any thing, as my own… I have this morning told him, that I did take Him for my whole portion and felicity, looking on nothing else, as any part of my happiness, nor acting as if it were…”
The question then becomes, what does God want the Christian to do with his body and with his spirit? When a man is born again, he becomes a new creature; old things are passed away, and all things became new. It is important to understand this principle that the Christian is no longer his own. Only then will he be willing to follow God's command to be holy, peculiar, belonging and pertaining only unto Him, and not unto the world. There are many verses in which God tells His people that they ought to be different from the rest of the world.
Ephesians 4:17: "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind." The Christian is to change, and to walk differently than the rest of the lost Gentiles. Before salvation, all men walk the same. They walk according to the "course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Ephesians 2:3). There is to be a change in a person's daily walk after salvation.
2 Corinthians 14-16: "Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (15) And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel? (16) And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (17) Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you." The point of this passage is that the goals of the Christian, and the goals of the lost world should be drastically different. With goals that are ultimately different, it should not be possible for a saved and lost person to be "yoked together" without there being major problems in the relationship. The temple of God, the Christian's body, is to be kept pure and free from sin. God wants the Christian to be separated from it.
This separation which God demands from the Christian does not mean that he is to disconnect from all of the lost world and live and interact only with those that are believers. Jesus clarifies this when His request to the Father in John 17:15 is that He would not take them out of the world, even though they are not of the world. He requests the Father to keep them from evil. Christians are in the world, but they are not to be of it. That is, they are not to be conformed to the world, but to be transformed by the renewing of the mind. This renewing of the mind comes from walking in the Spirit and letting God's word dwell in the heart. The church it to take Jesus to the world, it is not to bring the things of the world into the church.
What then is meant by the world? From what is it that the Christian is to be separated? I John 2:15-16 gives the answer. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." The Bible teaches that those three areas define the things that are in the world: Lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life. The separation from the world simply has to do with living a holy and sinless life. The Christian is to avoid doing things that are for the lust of the flesh. He ought to avoid doing things simply to appeal to the eye's lust or for pride. The motives behind all the actions of the Christian needs to be examined. Is whatever action being done, being done for the glory of God, or for the glory of self? This self-examination must take place in every area of life, including food, drink, dress, speech, places to visit, people with whom to fellowship, etc. The Christian is no longer his own.
"Be ye holy; for I am holy."
Thesis 06/36: Faith
DOCTRINES OF FAITH
Doctrine 6 / 36: Faith
Faith is the means used by God to apply His saving grace to man. Salvation is by grace alone through faith and is not dependent upon any work of man. No flesh will be justified by the works of the law (Romans 3:20). What is this saving faith? It is more than a simple mental assent to the facts of God and of Jesus. It is not enough to simply believe that there truly was a man that lived in Israel during the Roman Empire, and that this man was crucified. It is even not enough to accept as truth that this same Man rose from the dead. Believing in these facts is not saving faith. While it is necessary to believe them as true, saving faith is when the belief of the facts plays an active role in the person's life. This idea could be related to a man that is in an airplane that has major engine failure and appears inevitable that it will crash. This man has a parachute, and he believes the parachute is able to save him. However, if that person gets to the door of the airplane and is too afraid to actually jump, that shows that the belief is only in the head, and is not a true trust in the parachute.
The Bible defines faith as being the substance of things that are not seen and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). While faith in God is not a totally blind faith, there are things that are necessary to accept just because God says so. For example, it is foolish to believe that this world came into existence from nothing by random chance. It does not require faith to believe that there is a Being of some sort that created the universe. Faith in the existence of God is not a blind faith. Faith in God is not an unreasonable thing, yet at the same time reason does not supersede faith; that is, if a truth in God's word goes against man's reason or experience, God's word is to be believed because of faith. Faith is higher than reason. At the same time, as reason becomes more close to the truth, and as understanding draws closer to God's wisdom, then reason will be in complete agreement with faith. It is because of man's sin that his reason is flawed and it does not always agree.
Faith is contrasted from works throughout the Scripture. Romans 4 contains a very clear declaration of this truth when it says, "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Romans 4:4-5). He that believes is he who receives justification, not he that works. God's grace is given through faith and not through works (Ephesians 2:8-9). If a man could do something to earn God's favor, then it would not be grace. In that case, God would owe man something, and God does not owe anybody anything. Faith is the means by which God's grace is given because faith recognizes that man is totally incapable of meeting God's standards and relies completely on God's mercy. That is faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). The moment a man believes in Christ is the first moment in his life that he did something to please God. Salvation is the beginning, not the end of man's purpose on earth.
Faith does not end at salvation, but it just begins there. Those that are saved are supposed to live their lives in the faith of the Son of God, walking by faith and not by sight. How is this faith increased? Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. The more time the Christian spends hearing from God, the more that man's faith will increase. Saving faith comes when man believes with the heart, and he will not believe in Christ until he has heard of Christ which necessitates God's word to be preached.
"The just shall live by faith."
Doctrine 6 / 36: Faith
Faith is the means used by God to apply His saving grace to man. Salvation is by grace alone through faith and is not dependent upon any work of man. No flesh will be justified by the works of the law (Romans 3:20). What is this saving faith? It is more than a simple mental assent to the facts of God and of Jesus. It is not enough to simply believe that there truly was a man that lived in Israel during the Roman Empire, and that this man was crucified. It is even not enough to accept as truth that this same Man rose from the dead. Believing in these facts is not saving faith. While it is necessary to believe them as true, saving faith is when the belief of the facts plays an active role in the person's life. This idea could be related to a man that is in an airplane that has major engine failure and appears inevitable that it will crash. This man has a parachute, and he believes the parachute is able to save him. However, if that person gets to the door of the airplane and is too afraid to actually jump, that shows that the belief is only in the head, and is not a true trust in the parachute.
The Bible defines faith as being the substance of things that are not seen and the evidence of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). While faith in God is not a totally blind faith, there are things that are necessary to accept just because God says so. For example, it is foolish to believe that this world came into existence from nothing by random chance. It does not require faith to believe that there is a Being of some sort that created the universe. Faith in the existence of God is not a blind faith. Faith in God is not an unreasonable thing, yet at the same time reason does not supersede faith; that is, if a truth in God's word goes against man's reason or experience, God's word is to be believed because of faith. Faith is higher than reason. At the same time, as reason becomes more close to the truth, and as understanding draws closer to God's wisdom, then reason will be in complete agreement with faith. It is because of man's sin that his reason is flawed and it does not always agree.
Faith is contrasted from works throughout the Scripture. Romans 4 contains a very clear declaration of this truth when it says, "Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness" (Romans 4:4-5). He that believes is he who receives justification, not he that works. God's grace is given through faith and not through works (Ephesians 2:8-9). If a man could do something to earn God's favor, then it would not be grace. In that case, God would owe man something, and God does not owe anybody anything. Faith is the means by which God's grace is given because faith recognizes that man is totally incapable of meeting God's standards and relies completely on God's mercy. That is faith. Without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6). The moment a man believes in Christ is the first moment in his life that he did something to please God. Salvation is the beginning, not the end of man's purpose on earth.
Faith does not end at salvation, but it just begins there. Those that are saved are supposed to live their lives in the faith of the Son of God, walking by faith and not by sight. How is this faith increased? Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. The more time the Christian spends hearing from God, the more that man's faith will increase. Saving faith comes when man believes with the heart, and he will not believe in Christ until he has heard of Christ which necessitates God's word to be preached.
"The just shall live by faith."
Thursday, March 27, 2008
Thesis 05/36: Hell
DOCTRINES OF FAITH
Doctrine 5 / 36: Hell
One of the most difficult doctrines of the Bible for a man to accept is the doctrine of Hell. This is not because the Bible is not clear on the subject, but rather it is because man simply does not want to believe it. Man does not think that he is bad or wicked enough to deserve to be sent to a place of torment for all eternity. However, this train of thought simply adds to the merit of Hell. When he says this, he is saying that God's judgment is not right. When he says this, he is saying that his wisdom is greater than God's. This pride just adds to the righteousness of God's judgment. The doctrine of Hell gives a greater picture of God's holiness more than any other, with the possible exception being the Cross. That is, the severity of God's disdain of sin demands a punishment that is greater than any that man could have imagined, and to add to it, the only appeasement of God's wrath was the brutal death of His own Son on the cross. God abhors sin.
One way in which man tries to rid himself of the doctrine of Hell is by claiming that the Bible simply refers to the grave when speaking of hell. The original language words of Sheol and Hades are simply words meaning the grave. He may claim that man does not die and go to a place of eternal fire, but rather just the grave and basically goes to sleep forever. This explanation does not line up with the way that Jesus spoke of it. Jesus, when speaking of hell, describes it using the following terms: fire, everlasting fire, damnation, fire that never shall be quenched, and a place of torments (Matthew 5:22; Matthew 18:8; Matthew 23:33; Mark 9:43; Luke 16:23). These terms are nonsensical if He was referring to the grave. Again, it is not that the Bible is unclear on this subject, but rather that man simply is not willing to accept it. Paul adds this description of the return of Christ when He comes to pass judgment: "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power" (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).
Luke 16 sheds much light on the doctrine of Hell. This account, told by Jesus, is of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man had a great life on earth, while Lazarus was poor and suffered. When they passed into eternity, the rich man found himself in Hell and Lazarus in a place called "Abraham's bosom." The rich man is said to be "in torments." He begs Father Abraham to have mercy on him. He begs that the poor beggar Lazarus would even dip his finger in water and touch his tongue, because of the torment of the flame. The passage describes that there is some "great gulf" that is fixed between these two places. It appears that Hell was separated by Abraham's bosom only by this great gulf. To add to the description, Jesus said to the thief while on the cross, "To day thou shalt be with me in paradise." In other places Jesus is said to be going to Hell for the three days while His body laid in the grave. Jesus then "led captivity captive" and later on Paul is said to have been caught up into paradise.
It seems based on those passages, that Hell is in the center of the earth. That would explain the title of "the bottomless pit" in Revelation. If a man is in Hell in the center of the earth, every way would be down to him. Hell was in the center of the earth with a gulf fixed between it and Abraham's bosom, also known as paradise. After Jesus spent the three days in the "belly of the earth" like Jonah, He then was able to take those Old Testament believers to Heaven with Him when He ascended to the Father. They were not able to go to Heaven nor be in the presence of the Father as of yet, because Jesus' blood had not been shed, and all the animal sacrifices in the world were not going to take away their sin. They were held in paradise until after Christ's sacrifice.
Not only was Abraham's bosom a temporary holding place, but Hell also is a temporary holding place. In the same way that a guilty criminal is held in a jail until his trial, after which he is cast into prison to serve his sentence, so it is with God and His judgment. The sinner is kept in Hell until the time of the great white throne judgment of Revelation 20. At which time, the sea, death and Hell will give up the dead people that are in them. They will stand before God and will be judged. Then they are sentenced, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14-15). What a sobering thought that last judgment should be to Christians. It ought to inspire fervent witnessing.
"Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men."
Doctrine 5 / 36: Hell
One of the most difficult doctrines of the Bible for a man to accept is the doctrine of Hell. This is not because the Bible is not clear on the subject, but rather it is because man simply does not want to believe it. Man does not think that he is bad or wicked enough to deserve to be sent to a place of torment for all eternity. However, this train of thought simply adds to the merit of Hell. When he says this, he is saying that God's judgment is not right. When he says this, he is saying that his wisdom is greater than God's. This pride just adds to the righteousness of God's judgment. The doctrine of Hell gives a greater picture of God's holiness more than any other, with the possible exception being the Cross. That is, the severity of God's disdain of sin demands a punishment that is greater than any that man could have imagined, and to add to it, the only appeasement of God's wrath was the brutal death of His own Son on the cross. God abhors sin.
One way in which man tries to rid himself of the doctrine of Hell is by claiming that the Bible simply refers to the grave when speaking of hell. The original language words of Sheol and Hades are simply words meaning the grave. He may claim that man does not die and go to a place of eternal fire, but rather just the grave and basically goes to sleep forever. This explanation does not line up with the way that Jesus spoke of it. Jesus, when speaking of hell, describes it using the following terms: fire, everlasting fire, damnation, fire that never shall be quenched, and a place of torments (Matthew 5:22; Matthew 18:8; Matthew 23:33; Mark 9:43; Luke 16:23). These terms are nonsensical if He was referring to the grave. Again, it is not that the Bible is unclear on this subject, but rather that man simply is not willing to accept it. Paul adds this description of the return of Christ when He comes to pass judgment: "In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power" (2 Thessalonians 1:8-9).
Luke 16 sheds much light on the doctrine of Hell. This account, told by Jesus, is of the rich man and Lazarus. The rich man had a great life on earth, while Lazarus was poor and suffered. When they passed into eternity, the rich man found himself in Hell and Lazarus in a place called "Abraham's bosom." The rich man is said to be "in torments." He begs Father Abraham to have mercy on him. He begs that the poor beggar Lazarus would even dip his finger in water and touch his tongue, because of the torment of the flame. The passage describes that there is some "great gulf" that is fixed between these two places. It appears that Hell was separated by Abraham's bosom only by this great gulf. To add to the description, Jesus said to the thief while on the cross, "To day thou shalt be with me in paradise." In other places Jesus is said to be going to Hell for the three days while His body laid in the grave. Jesus then "led captivity captive" and later on Paul is said to have been caught up into paradise.
It seems based on those passages, that Hell is in the center of the earth. That would explain the title of "the bottomless pit" in Revelation. If a man is in Hell in the center of the earth, every way would be down to him. Hell was in the center of the earth with a gulf fixed between it and Abraham's bosom, also known as paradise. After Jesus spent the three days in the "belly of the earth" like Jonah, He then was able to take those Old Testament believers to Heaven with Him when He ascended to the Father. They were not able to go to Heaven nor be in the presence of the Father as of yet, because Jesus' blood had not been shed, and all the animal sacrifices in the world were not going to take away their sin. They were held in paradise until after Christ's sacrifice.
Not only was Abraham's bosom a temporary holding place, but Hell also is a temporary holding place. In the same way that a guilty criminal is held in a jail until his trial, after which he is cast into prison to serve his sentence, so it is with God and His judgment. The sinner is kept in Hell until the time of the great white throne judgment of Revelation 20. At which time, the sea, death and Hell will give up the dead people that are in them. They will stand before God and will be judged. Then they are sentenced, "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation 20:14-15). What a sobering thought that last judgment should be to Christians. It ought to inspire fervent witnessing.
"Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men."
Thesis 04/36: Salvation
DOCTRINES OF FAITH
Doctrine 4 / 36: Salvation
The term "salvation" often carries different connotations. In a general sense, when somebody receives salvation, he is simply being saved or delivered from some danger or situation in which he finds himself. When speaking of the salvation of a man's soul, the predicament in which he finds himself is the predicament which his sins have caused. His sins cause him to be under the wrath of God. God would be just and right to immediately damn the soul that sins without any hesitation. However, for no reason other than the grace, mercy, longsuffering and love of God, man has been afforded the opportunity for salvation: Jesus Christ. "By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
God's holiness demands satisfaction for offenses made against Him. When man sins, he is offending God. Man's wicked mind thinks that he is able to do something in his own power. He is so proud as to think that he could make things right with God. This mindset is what causes all the different religions in the world. When man tries to do something to appease God, he is failing to see the infinite holiness which is God. The satisfaction to God for offences against Him is either the eternal death in hell of a man's soul, or, the only alternative, the substitutional sacrifice of His only begotten Son Jesus. Jesus' death on the cross was satisfaction of God's wrath on man. However, this atonement is only applied to those that receive the gift by faith. It is by grace through faith.
Salvation is not a process but an event. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24). Jesus said that a person that believes on Him is passed from death unto life. He did not say that he may pass from death unto life, or that he is in the process of getting close to passing unto life. Jesus said he is passed. Jesus also speaks of a person being born again. In His dialogue with Nicodemus in John 3, Jesus says that a person must have a second birth, a regeneration as it is called in other places. He said that people are "born of the Spirit." He does not say that they will be born of the Spirit, but that they already are born of the Spirit. After a person is saved, after that event, there is a process which is called progressive sanctification. Although sanctification in God's eyes happens at the time of salvation, there is also a growing in holiness as a Christian grows in his walk with the Lord. But there will have been a point in that man's life when he passed from death unto life, and the Holy Spirit came and sealed him (Ephesians 1:13).
The sealing of the Holy Ghost has two main concepts that go with it. First of all, when a man is born of the Spirit he is said to be baptized into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). The man becomes a real part of Jesus Christ's body on earth. He has been redeemed by God, so that he is no longer his own, instead he is to follow the head of the body, Jesus.
The second concept that goes along with the sealing of the Holy Ghost is the eternal security of the believer. Jesus said that He puts His sheep in His hand, and that the Father holds them in His hand (John 10:28-29). There is nothing that could ever separate God's sheep from His hands or from His love. God performs a spiritual circumcision, an operation, on a person when they pass from death unto life. It is "the putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ" (Colossians 2:11). Circumcision is not a reversible procedure. When a man responds with faith to the Spirit's reproof, He is then regenerated, given new life, born into a new family. It is impossible for that son to be unborn. It is impossible for that son to take away the spiritual life which he was unable to give himself. The salvation of the believer is kept by the power of God. A man was not saved by his own actions, nor does he keep his salvation by his own actions.
A word of caution should be said on the doctrine of the eternal security of the believer. It is clear in the Scripture that a person that is saved can and will never lose their salvation. However, there is also a sad truth in the Bible and is readily experienced today of many people who believe that they are saved, yet they are horribly deceived. 1 John 5:13 tells the Christian that they can know for sure that they are saved. That way to know is not a simple way. The way to know if a person is saved is whether or not they are walking in the light (1 John 1:7), obeying God's commandments (1 John 2:4), loving the brethren (1 John 2:9-10). These things are not the cause of the person's salvation; these things could never appease the wrath of God that was on them. But these things are the result of the Holy Spirit of God living inside them. These things are the fruit of a genuine repentance. It is a fearful thing to assure somebody that they are saved when there is no evidence of a true conversion or regeneration. Salvation has no causation in works, yet it will yield works. That is the reason for the charge of Paul to, work out your own salvation (Philippians 2:12).
"He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him."
Doctrine 4 / 36: Salvation
The term "salvation" often carries different connotations. In a general sense, when somebody receives salvation, he is simply being saved or delivered from some danger or situation in which he finds himself. When speaking of the salvation of a man's soul, the predicament in which he finds himself is the predicament which his sins have caused. His sins cause him to be under the wrath of God. God would be just and right to immediately damn the soul that sins without any hesitation. However, for no reason other than the grace, mercy, longsuffering and love of God, man has been afforded the opportunity for salvation: Jesus Christ. "By grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God" (Ephesians 2:8).
God's holiness demands satisfaction for offenses made against Him. When man sins, he is offending God. Man's wicked mind thinks that he is able to do something in his own power. He is so proud as to think that he could make things right with God. This mindset is what causes all the different religions in the world. When man tries to do something to appease God, he is failing to see the infinite holiness which is God. The satisfaction to God for offences against Him is either the eternal death in hell of a man's soul, or, the only alternative, the substitutional sacrifice of His only begotten Son Jesus. Jesus' death on the cross was satisfaction of God's wrath on man. However, this atonement is only applied to those that receive the gift by faith. It is by grace through faith.
Salvation is not a process but an event. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24). Jesus said that a person that believes on Him is passed from death unto life. He did not say that he may pass from death unto life, or that he is in the process of getting close to passing unto life. Jesus said he is passed. Jesus also speaks of a person being born again. In His dialogue with Nicodemus in John 3, Jesus says that a person must have a second birth, a regeneration as it is called in other places. He said that people are "born of the Spirit." He does not say that they will be born of the Spirit, but that they already are born of the Spirit. After a person is saved, after that event, there is a process which is called progressive sanctification. Although sanctification in God's eyes happens at the time of salvation, there is also a growing in holiness as a Christian grows in his walk with the Lord. But there will have been a point in that man's life when he passed from death unto life, and the Holy Spirit came and sealed him (Ephesians 1:13).
The sealing of the Holy Ghost has two main concepts that go with it. First of all, when a man is born of the Spirit he is said to be baptized into the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-13). The man becomes a real part of Jesus Christ's body on earth. He has been redeemed by God, so that he is no longer his own, instead he is to follow the head of the body, Jesus.
The second concept that goes along with the sealing of the Holy Ghost is the eternal security of the believer. Jesus said that He puts His sheep in His hand, and that the Father holds them in His hand (John 10:28-29). There is nothing that could ever separate God's sheep from His hands or from His love. God performs a spiritual circumcision, an operation, on a person when they pass from death unto life. It is "the putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ" (Colossians 2:11). Circumcision is not a reversible procedure. When a man responds with faith to the Spirit's reproof, He is then regenerated, given new life, born into a new family. It is impossible for that son to be unborn. It is impossible for that son to take away the spiritual life which he was unable to give himself. The salvation of the believer is kept by the power of God. A man was not saved by his own actions, nor does he keep his salvation by his own actions.
A word of caution should be said on the doctrine of the eternal security of the believer. It is clear in the Scripture that a person that is saved can and will never lose their salvation. However, there is also a sad truth in the Bible and is readily experienced today of many people who believe that they are saved, yet they are horribly deceived. 1 John 5:13 tells the Christian that they can know for sure that they are saved. That way to know is not a simple way. The way to know if a person is saved is whether or not they are walking in the light (1 John 1:7), obeying God's commandments (1 John 2:4), loving the brethren (1 John 2:9-10). These things are not the cause of the person's salvation; these things could never appease the wrath of God that was on them. But these things are the result of the Holy Spirit of God living inside them. These things are the fruit of a genuine repentance. It is a fearful thing to assure somebody that they are saved when there is no evidence of a true conversion or regeneration. Salvation has no causation in works, yet it will yield works. That is the reason for the charge of Paul to, work out your own salvation (Philippians 2:12).
"He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him."
Thesis 03/36: Holy Spirit
DOCTRINES OF GOD:
Doctrine 3 / 36: Holy Spirit
The third Person of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit, also called the Holy Ghost. The Bible refers to the Holy Spirit in a masculine tense to confirm that the Spirit is a Person, not just a thing. That is why it is proper to refer to the Holy Spirit as "He" and not always "It." The Holy Spirit has a distinct role in the lives of Christians in this present age of the Church. While He has always worked in the world, and will always work, He has a peculiar function in the lives of believers. In a sense unlike to the Father and Son, the Spirit lives inside of the believer.
There are a few verses in the Bible that show clearly that the Holy Spirit is a distinct, third Person of the Trinity, and not just the Spirit which the Father is. The Baptism of Jesus is a great place to look at this. Matthew 3:16-17 says, "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." In this scenario, Jesus, the Son of God, is coming up out of the water. He is physically seen to all men. Jesus sees the Holy Ghost like a dove coming down. And while the Son sees the Spirit, everybody hears the audible voice of God the Father speaking about Jesus. Another example of the distinction between the Father and the Spirit is found in John 14:16-17: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth..." Jesus asked the Father to send the Spirit. The three distinct persons of the Trinity.
As for the Deity of the Holy Spirit, it can be seen in the fact that He shares some of the incommunicable attributes of God. He was involved in the creation of the world in Genesis 1:2, even though it was God that created, and all things were made by Jesus. He shared in the creative work of God. He also is called in Hebrews 9:14, "the eternal Spirit." Only God is eternal; only God is eternal. For the Holy Spirit to share the incommunicable attributes of God, it must be that He is God. Also, the name in which Christians are to be baptized, is a name shared between the three of them: "...baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19).
The role that the Holy Spirit plays in the world today can be found in John 16:7-11: "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. (8) And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (9) Of sin, because they believe not on me; (10) Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; (11) Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." Referring to the Holy Spirit, Jesus says that when He comes he will reprove the world of three things: sin, righteousness and judgment. This is the Spirit's role specifically to the lost world, in which all men begin.
He will reprove the world of sin. The Holy Spirit convicts the lost man that he is sinful. If a man were left to his own, his depravity would continue to move him deeper and deeper into sin. He would not care about the effects on others, and would digress until he could be no more vile. However, God, in His grace, did not leave man to his own self. God gave the world the Holy Spirit to reprove the world of sin. The Spirit teaches the lost man that their deeds are sinful, and it restrains man from being as vile as he is capable of being.
He will reprove the world of righteousness. The lost world has no idea of what righteousness really is apart from the Spirit's reproof. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes. What is right? If man is left to answer that for himself, he will answer with whatever pleases him. However, with the Spirit, righteousness is revealed in God's word. When Jesus was on the earth, everybody could know exactly what righteousness was. However, since Jesus has left, the Spirit is necessary to lead a man to recognize what is right.
He will reprove the world of judgment. The Holy Spirit convicts people that their sin deserves a punishment. Even a lost man knows, or at least fears, that their immoral actions will bring about consequences. This is true, and will even be demonstrated in the final judgment of Satan. The Holy Spirit is that spirit which puts those ideas and thoughts into the lost man.
His work for the world is reproof of sin. He does the same in the life of the Christian, but it does not stop there with him. First of all, the Christian is regenerated by the Holy Spirit. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth," Jesus said in John 6:63. Man can not make himself born again. He does not have the power to regenerate himself. The Holy Spirit convicts the man of sin, and if man responds with faith, then the Holy Spirit quickens that man, makes him born again, born of the Spirit (John 3:5). After a man is born of the Spirit, he then is sealed by the Spirit as well (Ephesians 1:13). The Spirit then dwells inside the life of the believer, making the man's body the temple, the habitation of God, through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:22). In this indwelling role of the Spirit, He continues to work in the life of the believer as: Comforter, Teacher, Leader, Intercessor, and Source of Fruit.
The Holy Spirit is also the medium through which gifts are given to the church to empower them to move the body of Christ aright. Jesus promised His disciples that they would receive power after the Holy Ghost came. That was fulfilled in Acts 2 at Pentecost, and the disciples were given the power necessary to fulfill the purposes of the church - to witness and to worship (Acts 1:8; John 4:24). Anything that the church can do for God, it must be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Without God they can do nothing. However, the Holy Spirit gives gifts to the saints, such as: teaching, administration, preaching, wisdom, knowledge and more. There is no place in the Bible that produces one exhaustive list, as God can work in whatever way He wants. With the apostles at Pentecost, He had them speak in languages that they had not known, and to confirm His word through them, He gave them power to do miracles and signs (Hebrews 2:3-4).
One last consideration of the Spirit is in what way a Christian is "filled with the Spirit." That phrase, from Ephesians 5:18, has been given different interpretations. Some would say that to be filled with the Spirit is something that happens after a person is saved, he is later "baptized in the Spirit," tha it is some sort of second giving of the Spirit. However, as was already noted, when a person is born again, he is sealed by the Holy Spirit. He either has the Spirit, or he is "none of his" (Romans 8:9). To be filled with the Spirit is to walk in the Spirit. To walk in the Spirit is to abide and be in communion with God, hearing His word come alive and being obedient to it. How can one know if he is walking in the Spirit? There will be fruit if a person is walking in the Spirit. This fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
"Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh."
Doctrine 3 / 36: Holy Spirit
The third Person of the Trinity is the Holy Spirit, also called the Holy Ghost. The Bible refers to the Holy Spirit in a masculine tense to confirm that the Spirit is a Person, not just a thing. That is why it is proper to refer to the Holy Spirit as "He" and not always "It." The Holy Spirit has a distinct role in the lives of Christians in this present age of the Church. While He has always worked in the world, and will always work, He has a peculiar function in the lives of believers. In a sense unlike to the Father and Son, the Spirit lives inside of the believer.
There are a few verses in the Bible that show clearly that the Holy Spirit is a distinct, third Person of the Trinity, and not just the Spirit which the Father is. The Baptism of Jesus is a great place to look at this. Matthew 3:16-17 says, "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." In this scenario, Jesus, the Son of God, is coming up out of the water. He is physically seen to all men. Jesus sees the Holy Ghost like a dove coming down. And while the Son sees the Spirit, everybody hears the audible voice of God the Father speaking about Jesus. Another example of the distinction between the Father and the Spirit is found in John 14:16-17: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth..." Jesus asked the Father to send the Spirit. The three distinct persons of the Trinity.
As for the Deity of the Holy Spirit, it can be seen in the fact that He shares some of the incommunicable attributes of God. He was involved in the creation of the world in Genesis 1:2, even though it was God that created, and all things were made by Jesus. He shared in the creative work of God. He also is called in Hebrews 9:14, "the eternal Spirit." Only God is eternal; only God is eternal. For the Holy Spirit to share the incommunicable attributes of God, it must be that He is God. Also, the name in which Christians are to be baptized, is a name shared between the three of them: "...baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Matthew 28:19).
The role that the Holy Spirit plays in the world today can be found in John 16:7-11: "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. (8) And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: (9) Of sin, because they believe not on me; (10) Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; (11) Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." Referring to the Holy Spirit, Jesus says that when He comes he will reprove the world of three things: sin, righteousness and judgment. This is the Spirit's role specifically to the lost world, in which all men begin.
He will reprove the world of sin. The Holy Spirit convicts the lost man that he is sinful. If a man were left to his own, his depravity would continue to move him deeper and deeper into sin. He would not care about the effects on others, and would digress until he could be no more vile. However, God, in His grace, did not leave man to his own self. God gave the world the Holy Spirit to reprove the world of sin. The Spirit teaches the lost man that their deeds are sinful, and it restrains man from being as vile as he is capable of being.
He will reprove the world of righteousness. The lost world has no idea of what righteousness really is apart from the Spirit's reproof. Every way of a man is right in his own eyes. What is right? If man is left to answer that for himself, he will answer with whatever pleases him. However, with the Spirit, righteousness is revealed in God's word. When Jesus was on the earth, everybody could know exactly what righteousness was. However, since Jesus has left, the Spirit is necessary to lead a man to recognize what is right.
He will reprove the world of judgment. The Holy Spirit convicts people that their sin deserves a punishment. Even a lost man knows, or at least fears, that their immoral actions will bring about consequences. This is true, and will even be demonstrated in the final judgment of Satan. The Holy Spirit is that spirit which puts those ideas and thoughts into the lost man.
His work for the world is reproof of sin. He does the same in the life of the Christian, but it does not stop there with him. First of all, the Christian is regenerated by the Holy Spirit. "It is the Spirit that quickeneth," Jesus said in John 6:63. Man can not make himself born again. He does not have the power to regenerate himself. The Holy Spirit convicts the man of sin, and if man responds with faith, then the Holy Spirit quickens that man, makes him born again, born of the Spirit (John 3:5). After a man is born of the Spirit, he then is sealed by the Spirit as well (Ephesians 1:13). The Spirit then dwells inside the life of the believer, making the man's body the temple, the habitation of God, through the Spirit (Ephesians 2:22). In this indwelling role of the Spirit, He continues to work in the life of the believer as: Comforter, Teacher, Leader, Intercessor, and Source of Fruit.
The Holy Spirit is also the medium through which gifts are given to the church to empower them to move the body of Christ aright. Jesus promised His disciples that they would receive power after the Holy Ghost came. That was fulfilled in Acts 2 at Pentecost, and the disciples were given the power necessary to fulfill the purposes of the church - to witness and to worship (Acts 1:8; John 4:24). Anything that the church can do for God, it must be empowered by the Holy Spirit. Without God they can do nothing. However, the Holy Spirit gives gifts to the saints, such as: teaching, administration, preaching, wisdom, knowledge and more. There is no place in the Bible that produces one exhaustive list, as God can work in whatever way He wants. With the apostles at Pentecost, He had them speak in languages that they had not known, and to confirm His word through them, He gave them power to do miracles and signs (Hebrews 2:3-4).
One last consideration of the Spirit is in what way a Christian is "filled with the Spirit." That phrase, from Ephesians 5:18, has been given different interpretations. Some would say that to be filled with the Spirit is something that happens after a person is saved, he is later "baptized in the Spirit," tha it is some sort of second giving of the Spirit. However, as was already noted, when a person is born again, he is sealed by the Holy Spirit. He either has the Spirit, or he is "none of his" (Romans 8:9). To be filled with the Spirit is to walk in the Spirit. To walk in the Spirit is to abide and be in communion with God, hearing His word come alive and being obedient to it. How can one know if he is walking in the Spirit? There will be fruit if a person is walking in the Spirit. This fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
"Walk in the Spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh."
Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Thesis 02/36: Deity of Christ
If you are confused as to why I'm posting this, you should read this post...
DOCTRINES OF GOD:
Doctrine 2 / 36: Deity of Christ
The doctrine of the Trinitarian God is truly mysterious in many ways. As will be seen, however, the plain teaching of Scripture declares that Jesus Christ is God in fleshly form. Many religions will teach that Jesus was either a lesser god, or simply the son of God. This misunderstanding can come either from an attempt to encapsulate the incomprehensible teaching of the Trinity into a form man can understand, or it can come from an honest, yet erroneous, view based on some statements in Scripture - statements like: "My Father is greater than I," and speaking of Jesus, "he humbled himself" and "though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience." The doctrine of the Deity of Jesus Christ is that Jesus is the same in nature, sharing the same incommunicable attributes as God the Father, even though Jesus also took on the nature of man.
The plain, clear teaching of the Bible is that Jesus Christ was God. This can be seen in direct statements that Jesus made about Himself. It can be seen in His enemies responses to Him. The deity of Christ can be found also throughout the apostle Paul's writings and other Old and New Testament books.
John 10:30: "I and my Father are one." This verse shows the unity Christ has with God the Father. Even though a husband and wife are said to be one, and even as Christians are desired to be one with God, the unity with the Son and the Father does not stop there. Jesus said, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9). In the book of Hebrews, this idea of Christ being the visible image of the Father is expanded, calling Jesus, "the express image of his person." Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God.
Jesus' enemies in the gospels, confirm the truth that Jesus claimed to be God. The Pharisees understood this claim when He declared Himself to be the Son of God. Being the son of man, means that you are the same nature as a man. A son has the same nature of his father. It is true that a human child needs to grow and learn in order to share some of the characteristics of his father, but in nature they are the same. Jesus had the nature of God, and claimed to have it when He called Himself the Son of God. However, not only did Jesus have the same nature, but He even shared with the glory of God the Father before the world was (John 17:5). The enemies of Jesus understood these claims and in John 5:18: "Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God."
There are other very clear statements in the Bible that confirm this doctrine. John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Verse fourteen of that chapter clarifies that the Word became flesh, and that this Word was Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was God. 1 Timothy 3:16 is also another clear proof: "And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..." The Almighty Creator, took upon Himself the form of sinful man. He left the glory of Heaven, and He was manifest in the flesh. His name was called, Immanuel. Isaiah 9:6 calls Him, The Mighty God. Philippians 2:6 says that He had the same form as God. Hebrews 1:8 has God the Father saying to the Son, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever..."
Two Old Testament prophecies also demonstrate the Deity of the Messiah. In Malachi 3:1, Jehovah God speaks through His prophet Malachi and says, "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me..." the messenger coming, was going to prepare the way for the LORD. This prophecy is fulfilled by John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus Christ. A second prophecy found in Zechariah 12:10: "...And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced." Again, this is the LORD God, Jehovah, talking. He says that they will look upon Him, and that He is Whom they pierced. When Christ came to earth, He is Who was pierced.
What then is to be said about the sayings of humiliation of Jesus. How can Jesus be equal with God, and yet say that His Father is greater than He? The answer lies in the fact that Jesus' humbling of Himself was not a changing of His nature, but rather a perfect obedience demonstrated. By voluntarily submitting His role to that His Father, He put Himself in a position of obedience. That did not change His nature, or take away from His omnipotence or infinite greatness.
God purchased His church, with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
DOCTRINES OF GOD:
Doctrine 2 / 36: Deity of Christ
The doctrine of the Trinitarian God is truly mysterious in many ways. As will be seen, however, the plain teaching of Scripture declares that Jesus Christ is God in fleshly form. Many religions will teach that Jesus was either a lesser god, or simply the son of God. This misunderstanding can come either from an attempt to encapsulate the incomprehensible teaching of the Trinity into a form man can understand, or it can come from an honest, yet erroneous, view based on some statements in Scripture - statements like: "My Father is greater than I," and speaking of Jesus, "he humbled himself" and "though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience." The doctrine of the Deity of Jesus Christ is that Jesus is the same in nature, sharing the same incommunicable attributes as God the Father, even though Jesus also took on the nature of man.
The plain, clear teaching of the Bible is that Jesus Christ was God. This can be seen in direct statements that Jesus made about Himself. It can be seen in His enemies responses to Him. The deity of Christ can be found also throughout the apostle Paul's writings and other Old and New Testament books.
John 10:30: "I and my Father are one." This verse shows the unity Christ has with God the Father. Even though a husband and wife are said to be one, and even as Christians are desired to be one with God, the unity with the Son and the Father does not stop there. Jesus said, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9). In the book of Hebrews, this idea of Christ being the visible image of the Father is expanded, calling Jesus, "the express image of his person." Jesus is the visible image of the invisible God.
Jesus' enemies in the gospels, confirm the truth that Jesus claimed to be God. The Pharisees understood this claim when He declared Himself to be the Son of God. Being the son of man, means that you are the same nature as a man. A son has the same nature of his father. It is true that a human child needs to grow and learn in order to share some of the characteristics of his father, but in nature they are the same. Jesus had the nature of God, and claimed to have it when He called Himself the Son of God. However, not only did Jesus have the same nature, but He even shared with the glory of God the Father before the world was (John 17:5). The enemies of Jesus understood these claims and in John 5:18: "Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God."
There are other very clear statements in the Bible that confirm this doctrine. John 1:1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Verse fourteen of that chapter clarifies that the Word became flesh, and that this Word was Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ was God. 1 Timothy 3:16 is also another clear proof: "And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh..." The Almighty Creator, took upon Himself the form of sinful man. He left the glory of Heaven, and He was manifest in the flesh. His name was called, Immanuel. Isaiah 9:6 calls Him, The Mighty God. Philippians 2:6 says that He had the same form as God. Hebrews 1:8 has God the Father saying to the Son, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever..."
Two Old Testament prophecies also demonstrate the Deity of the Messiah. In Malachi 3:1, Jehovah God speaks through His prophet Malachi and says, "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me..." the messenger coming, was going to prepare the way for the LORD. This prophecy is fulfilled by John the Baptist preparing the way for Jesus Christ. A second prophecy found in Zechariah 12:10: "...And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced." Again, this is the LORD God, Jehovah, talking. He says that they will look upon Him, and that He is Whom they pierced. When Christ came to earth, He is Who was pierced.
What then is to be said about the sayings of humiliation of Jesus. How can Jesus be equal with God, and yet say that His Father is greater than He? The answer lies in the fact that Jesus' humbling of Himself was not a changing of His nature, but rather a perfect obedience demonstrated. By voluntarily submitting His role to that His Father, He put Himself in a position of obedience. That did not change His nature, or take away from His omnipotence or infinite greatness.
God purchased His church, with His own blood (Acts 20:28).
Thesis 01/36: God the Father
Some people have made the observation that I tend to be a critical person. To me, that is simply them being critical. (I'm just kidding, Shannon.) Anyway, I am going to open myself up to criticism here in the next seven weeks, and I am actually asking for some criticism (criticism is just the result of a 'critique'; ignore the negative connotation). As I mentioned in my Declaration, I have to write my thesis some time before graduation on May 14th. The NSBI thesis is a compilation of summaries of 36 different doctrines. I will be posting each of the doctrinal summaries here on my blog once they are completed. I am open to criticism in, but not limited to, the following areas:
DOCTRINES OF GOD -
Doctrine 1 / 36: God the Father
"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen" (I Timothy 1:17). This verse, describing God, happens to be the verse on which Jonathan Edwards was meditating when he truly awoke to spiritual things. Included in this verse are a few of the communicable and incommunicable attributes of God. There are characteristics about God that He shares with His creation, and there are characteristics about God in which His creatures are unable to partake. There are many characteristics which can be spoken about God, but this is a great place to start.
Eternal: The Bible teaches that God is outside of the domain of time to which His creatures are subject. Isaiah 57:15 says that God inhabits (present tense) eternity. To God, all of the time in eternity is in front of Him, as the present time is in front of any person at that time. He does not learn things that will happen in the future, as He already knows what the future holds. He is able to write down the events that are coming, as they are constantly before Him. He does not have to guess what will happen, nor does He even need to cause or make them to happen for Him to accurately predict what things will come to pass. As a result of God being eternal, He is also omniscient.
Immortal: Because God is not subject to time, He also is not subject to the law of entropy. God will never die, and His nature will never deteriorate at all. As He is today, He was yesterday and will be for all of eternity. There is nothing that has the power to cause harm or injury to God, and as He is the source and sustainer of all life, no creation could ever remove His life from Him. He is the ultimate power in the universe; He is omnipotent. He is immortal.
Invisible: Unlike God the Son Jesus, God the Father is a spirit. No man has seen the Father at any time (John 1:18). God is not able to be seen by eyes of flesh. However, when mortal bodies are changed in a moment, at the return of Christ, then the Father shall be visible to humans. Because God is invisible, He requires that man looks towards Him through faith. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. In Genesis 1:26-27, God says that He made man in the image of God. A part of this image is that man is a three part being, just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Man has a soul, and has his spirit quickened when he goes to God in faith. The invisible world is more real than the visible (2 Corinthians 4:18).
The only wise God: In this phrase is found the omniscience of God. God is infinitely wise and good. His counsel shall stand, and what He determines to be the best course of action is, without doubt, the best course of action. Man shows his exceeding pride when he questions the actions of God and suggests that man's counsel and wisdom is greater than God's. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). He works in ways that man does not understand, sometimes with affliction, sometimes with grace. The best way for man to respond to God's actions towards him is to submit to the infinitely wise counsel of God.
Be honour and glory for ever and ever: God created the universe, and all that is in it, for His own pleasure (Revelation 4:11). Everything that a man does in this life is supposed to be done for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). He is worthy of man giving all to Him because of His grace, mercy and love that He has shown towards man, even in his sinful state. "What is man that thou art mindful of him?" That is the question that man ought to ask, and when viewed with the right eyes, the result will be to do everything for the glory of God.
When Moses asked God to show him His glory, the ensuing account was God's declaration of Himself. Exodus 34:5-7 says, "And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear [the guilty]; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth [generation]." These verses contain God's proper name, which in the Hebrews is the tetragrammaton YVHV, and which in the Authorized Version is mostly translated, "The LORD." The English transliteration of God's proper name is Jehovah. That verse contains some of God's qualities: merciful, gracious, longsuffering, good, true, yet righteous. He has demonstrated His grace and mercy towards man through sending His Son Jesus, yet those that despise His Son, are those guilty to whom the Lord will not clear, but will rather visit iniquity on them.
"Be still and know that I am God."
- Logical thought processes
- Grammar and spelling
- Major doctrinal issues that have been overlooked
So, here's your chance to constructively criticize me. I may or may not take your advice and apply to my thesis, but I will consider it all. (On a side note, this is also a great way to 'backup' my thesis as I go!)
"The purpose of your Thesis is to show, through a scholarly work, that you have a full and complete understanding of the basic doctrines adhered to by both First Bible Baptist Church and the North Star Bible Institute."DOCTRINES OF GOD -
Doctrine 1 / 36: God the Father
"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen" (I Timothy 1:17). This verse, describing God, happens to be the verse on which Jonathan Edwards was meditating when he truly awoke to spiritual things. Included in this verse are a few of the communicable and incommunicable attributes of God. There are characteristics about God that He shares with His creation, and there are characteristics about God in which His creatures are unable to partake. There are many characteristics which can be spoken about God, but this is a great place to start.
Eternal: The Bible teaches that God is outside of the domain of time to which His creatures are subject. Isaiah 57:15 says that God inhabits (present tense) eternity. To God, all of the time in eternity is in front of Him, as the present time is in front of any person at that time. He does not learn things that will happen in the future, as He already knows what the future holds. He is able to write down the events that are coming, as they are constantly before Him. He does not have to guess what will happen, nor does He even need to cause or make them to happen for Him to accurately predict what things will come to pass. As a result of God being eternal, He is also omniscient.
Immortal: Because God is not subject to time, He also is not subject to the law of entropy. God will never die, and His nature will never deteriorate at all. As He is today, He was yesterday and will be for all of eternity. There is nothing that has the power to cause harm or injury to God, and as He is the source and sustainer of all life, no creation could ever remove His life from Him. He is the ultimate power in the universe; He is omnipotent. He is immortal.
Invisible: Unlike God the Son Jesus, God the Father is a spirit. No man has seen the Father at any time (John 1:18). God is not able to be seen by eyes of flesh. However, when mortal bodies are changed in a moment, at the return of Christ, then the Father shall be visible to humans. Because God is invisible, He requires that man looks towards Him through faith. Faith is the evidence of things not seen. In Genesis 1:26-27, God says that He made man in the image of God. A part of this image is that man is a three part being, just as the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. Man has a soul, and has his spirit quickened when he goes to God in faith. The invisible world is more real than the visible (2 Corinthians 4:18).
The only wise God: In this phrase is found the omniscience of God. God is infinitely wise and good. His counsel shall stand, and what He determines to be the best course of action is, without doubt, the best course of action. Man shows his exceeding pride when he questions the actions of God and suggests that man's counsel and wisdom is greater than God's. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isaiah 55:8-9). He works in ways that man does not understand, sometimes with affliction, sometimes with grace. The best way for man to respond to God's actions towards him is to submit to the infinitely wise counsel of God.
Be honour and glory for ever and ever: God created the universe, and all that is in it, for His own pleasure (Revelation 4:11). Everything that a man does in this life is supposed to be done for His glory (1 Corinthians 10:31). He is worthy of man giving all to Him because of His grace, mercy and love that He has shown towards man, even in his sinful state. "What is man that thou art mindful of him?" That is the question that man ought to ask, and when viewed with the right eyes, the result will be to do everything for the glory of God.
When Moses asked God to show him His glory, the ensuing account was God's declaration of Himself. Exodus 34:5-7 says, "And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD. And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed, The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear [the guilty]; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children's children, unto the third and to the fourth [generation]." These verses contain God's proper name, which in the Hebrews is the tetragrammaton YVHV, and which in the Authorized Version is mostly translated, "The LORD." The English transliteration of God's proper name is Jehovah. That verse contains some of God's qualities: merciful, gracious, longsuffering, good, true, yet righteous. He has demonstrated His grace and mercy towards man through sending His Son Jesus, yet those that despise His Son, are those guilty to whom the Lord will not clear, but will rather visit iniquity on them.
"Be still and know that I am God."
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