Commentaries as a Ministry

By Douglas Moo 6/01/2013

     I love writing commentaries. I feel as if it is what God made me to do. I have written around twelve of them, ranging from thirty-page overviews to one-thousand-page detailed expositions. I just finished one and will start another in a year or so. I am incredibly thankful that I can spend so much of my time doing what I love.

     As much as I like writing commentaries, however, I could hardly justify the work I put into them on that basis alone. I write them because I am convinced that, as flawed as they are, they help God’s people understand God’s Word and teach and preach it faithfully. The Christian faith, while centered on the Living Word, Jesus Christ, is defined by the written Word, the Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments. God addresses His people through these writings. When we read or hear Scripture, we read or hear God speaking to us. His words, however, come to us in the form of human words. Scripture is the product of what theologians call “concurrence”: God and human beings together producing the words of life. Good commentaries help people grapple with God’s Word as this fully divine yet fully human product.

     On the one hand, therefore, commentaries illuminate the human element of Scripture. The authors of our biblical books wrote in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek. We are very blessed to live in an age, and to speak a language that has many good and varied translations. But no translation is able to communicate the full meaning of the original. Translators have a limited number of words that they can use to bring over into English the meaning of the original text. But where translators have to choose a single word or phrase to convey a particular word, a commentator can spend a paragraph or even more explaining the word.

     Scripture was also written by people immersed in their own cultures — whether the second-millennium BC ancient Near East of Moses or the first-century Greco-Roman world of the Apostle Paul. Good commentators are familiar with those cultures and can illuminate for readers how the words of Scripture might have been “heard” in those contexts. For instance, commentators might explain that terms such as “good news” and “Savior” were used in Paul’s day by Roman emperors, who claimed their policies were “good news” because they brought peace and security, “saving” people from the depredations of bandits and the aggression of other nations. First-century Christians would have “heard” Paul’s claim that Jesus alone brings true “good news” and is the “Savior” of the world as a challenge to the emperors’ claims.

     Good commentaries, however, are not satisfied with explanations of the human dimension of Scripture. To be sure, many scholarly commentaries, some of them written by people who do fully appreciate the divine element of Scripture, can be gold mines of useful information. Ultimately, however, a commentary that fails fully to engage both the divine and the human side of Scripture cannot do justice to Scripture — simply because it is, indeed, a divine - human product. The best commentaries, therefore, move from explanation of the linguistic and historical dimensions of the text to engagement with its theological message. We must understand the ancient context in which the Bible was written to appreciate fully its meaning. But we also have to hear the Bible as a Word from God addressed to His people today. Good commentators, therefore, not only explain the ancient situation of the text but the meaning of the text today. To do this well, the commentator must especially be keen to set any particular text in the context of all of Scripture. We call the Scriptures “the Bible” (singular) because the church sees these sixty-six books as ultimately a single book with God as its author. Commentaries usually explain how a particular verse or paragraph fits within the message of the Bible as a whole.

     If the ministry of commentaries is important for the church, how can we best utilize this resource? A quick Google search on “commentaries on John” turns up a bewilderingly long list. Which commentaries should we use? First, use more than one. The very best commentator who has ever written made all kinds of mistakes. Comparing commentaries reveals these errors. Second, use commentaries from different times and cultures. John Chrysostom in the ancient church and John Calvin at the time of the Reformation still have a lot to teach us. And we are blessed to live in a time when more and more commentaries are being written by scholars from different parts of the world. Reading commentaries distant from us in time or culture can help reveal our own biases. Third, read commentaries from different theological traditions. We may not agree with everything such commentators say, but they help us think better about the text and why we believe what we do about it. Finally, use different levels of commentaries. Commentaries vary from massive scholarly tomes that require a lot of dedication to plow through to brief, often superficial reflections on the text. Our tendency is to be content to read the easy ones. But it is good to challenge ourselves sometimes with more detailed commentaries. It pays rich dividends in getting us to think more deeply about Scripture.

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The Basis of a Christian Marriage

By R.C. Sproul 6/01/2013

     Some years ago, I attended an interesting wedding. I was especially struck by the creativity of the ceremony. The bride and the groom had brainstormed with the pastor in order to insert new and exciting elements into the service, and I enjoyed those elements. However, in the middle of the ceremony, they included portions of the traditional, classic wedding ceremony. When I began to hear the words from the traditional ceremony, my attention perked up and I was moved. I remember thinking, “There is no way to improve on this because the words are so beautiful and meaningful.” A great deal of thought and care had been put into those old, familiar words.

     Today, of course, many young people not only are saying no to the traditional wedding ceremony, they are rejecting the concept of marriage itself. More and more young people are coming from broken homes, and as a result, they have a fear and suspicion about the value of marriage. So we see couples living together rather than marrying for fear that the cost of that commitment may be too much. They fear it may make them too vulnerable. This means that one of the most stable and, as we once thought, permanent traditions of our culture is being challenged.

     One of the things I like most about the traditional wedding ceremony is that it includes an explanation as to why there is such a thing as marriage. We are told in that ceremony that marriage is ordained and instituted by God — that is to say, marriage did not just spring up arbitrarily out of social conventions or human taboos. Marriage was not invented by men but by God.

     We see this in the earliest chapters of the Old Testament, where we find the creation account. We find that God creates in stages, beginning with the light (Gen. 1:3) and capping the process with the creation of man (v. 27). At every stage, He utters a benediction, a “good word.” God repeatedly looks at what He has made and says, “That’s good” (vv. 4, 10, 12, 18, 21, 25, 31).

     But then God notices something that provokes not a benediction but what we call a malediction, that is, a “bad word.” What was this thing that God saw in His creation that He judged to be “not good”? We find it in Genesis 2:18, where God declares, “It is not good that the man should be alone.” That prompts Him to create Eve and bring her to Adam. God instituted marriage, and He did it, in the first instance, as an answer to human loneliness. For this reason, God inspired Moses to write, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh” (v. 24).

     But while I like and appreciate the words of the traditional wedding ceremony, I believe the form of the ceremony is even more important. This is because the traditional ceremony involves the making of a covenant. The whole idea of covenant is deeply rooted in biblical Christianity. The Bible teaches that our very redemption is based on a covenant. Much could be said here about the character of the biblical covenants, but one vital facet is that none of them is a private matter. Every covenant is undertaken in the presence of witnesses. This is why we invite guests to our weddings. It is so they will witness our vows — and hold us accountable to keep them. It is one thing for a man to whisper expressions of love to a woman when no one will hear, but it is quite another thing for him to stand up in a church, in front of parents, friends, ecclesiastical or civil authorities, and God Himself, and there make promises to love and cherish her. Wedding vows are sacred promises made in the presence of witnesses who will remember them.

     I believe marriage is the most precious of all human institutions. It’s also the most dangerous. Into our marriages we pour our greatest and deepest expectations. We put our emotions on the line. There we can achieve the greatest happiness, but we also can experience the greatest disappointment, the most frustration, and the most pain. With that much at stake, we need something more solemn than a casual promise.

     Even with formal wedding ceremonies, even with the involvement of authority structures, roughly fifty percent of marriages fail. Sadly, among the men and women who stay together as husband and wife, many would not marry the same spouse again, but they stay together for various reasons. Something has been lost regarding the sacred and holy character of the marriage covenant. In order to strengthen the institution of marriage, we might want to consider strengthening the wedding ceremony, with a clear, biblical reminder that marriage is instituted by God and forged in His sight.

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Robert Charles Sproul, 2/13/1939 – 12/14/2017 was an American theologian, author, and ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America. Dr. R.C. Sproul was founder and chairman of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian education and discipleship organization located near Orlando, Fla. He was also copastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Fla., chancellor of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. Dr. Sproul has contributed dozens of articles to national evangelical publications, has spoken at conferences, churches, and schools around the world, and has written more than one hundred books. He also served as general editor of the Reformation Study Bible.

The Good Life

By Trip Lee 6/01/2013

     I am a lover of hip hop. I fell in love with the music form when I was 10, and I’ve never been the same since. As a child and a teenager, when I wasn’t in class or asleep, I was listening to my favorite rappers. I hung on their every word, and they had a lot to say. Most rappers don’t intend to be teachers, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t learning. I listened closely to their ideas about the good life — and I liked what I heard.

     With albums in my CD player such as Get Rich or Die Trying, are you surprised my idea of the good life was having a wallet so stuffed it wouldn’t even close? It wasn’t all about money, though. I can’t forget the lessons I learned about status (chase it), women (chase them), and happiness (chase it by chasing the first two).

     Don’t get me wrong, though. Hip hop music was not the problem; sinful lies were. The rest of the culture told me those exact same lies in a more subtle fashion. And my self-centered, glory-hungry heart ate them up. All of us live by faith, and sadly, I believed the lies of the enemy over the truth of God. But when I was still a teenager I met Jesus, and what I heard from Him challenged every idea I had about the good life.

     I remember being puzzled by something I read in Philippians for the first time. Paul spoke about death in a peculiar way. At the time, I’d heard many quotes about death. I’d heard it said that death is certain, and even that death should be accepted, but the Apostle Paul took it a step further. He said, “to die is gain” (Phil. 1:21).

     Death is when your brain, your heart, and your lungs stop doing their job. Death means you’re separated from family and that your life work is over. Unlike our other trials, death is, for the deceased, literally “the end of the world” — the end of this one anyway. So how could death possibly be gain? It just didn’t fit with my old views of the good life.

     In order for us to understand what Paul meant by these four words, to die is gain, we have to understand the four that came right before them. In Philippians 1, Paul explains why he seems to be okay with either staying alive or dying at the hands of his persecutors. He writes in verse 21, “to live is Christ”. With those words, the apostle told me what life is really all about — Jesus. How could my self-centered, status-obsessed world view survive next to that truth?

     To live is not wealth. To live is not worldly success. To live is not sex. To live is not family. To live is Christ. We were created by Jesus and for Jesus, the merciful Savior who stood in our place and offers us new life. Jesus is our mediator before the Father, the motivation for all our decisions, and the driving force behind our every move. It’s all about Jesus. There is no good life apart from Jesus, because without Jesus life has no meaning.

     This is why Paul could say, “to die is gain.” Whether he died or lived, Jesus would be honored. Life meant he got to serve Jesus and death meant he would get to be with Jesus — and there’s nowhere he would have rather been (v. 23). We can learn from Paul here. The truth is,  it’s better to be dirt poor in the presence of Jesus than to be filthy rich in the presence of men.

     Even though Paul was imprisoned and suffering when he wrote this, he was living an abundant life. He was living a satisfying life. He was living the good life. After reading those words as a teenager, I could no longer see the good life as just living it up. I began to see the good life as a life renewed by Jesus, driven by Jesus, and lived to the glory of Jesus.

     There are many differences between the picture of the good life I learned from Paul and the picture I learned from the culture. But one of the biggest differences is how we get there. The world sells us a “good life” we have to earn. Yet this life remains out of reach even for some of those who work the hardest to achieve it. The biblical picture of “the good life” is different. It’s a free gift that’s available to all who believe. In John 11:25, Jesus says: “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die.” That is good news.

     As long as I believed the lies the culture told me, I wasn’t living the good life. But when I began to live by faith in the good God, my good life began. The man who lives for himself gains nothing lasting in this life, and he will only experience devastating loss in the next. But the man who lives for Christ gets a taste of the good life now, and his death only brings him what he desires most.

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Deliver us from Evil (Prayer)

By Charles Haddon Spurgeon (1834-1892)

     O GOD, let us not be formalists or hypocrites at this time in prayer. We feel how easy it is to bow the head and cover the face, and yet the thoughts may be all astray, and the mind may be wandering hither and thither, so that there shall be no real prayer at all. Come, Holy Spirit, help us to feel that we are in the immediate presence of God ; and may this thought lead us to sincere and earnest petitioning.

     There are some who know not God ; God is not in all their thoughts ; they make no reckoning of Thee, Thou glorious One, but do their business and guide their lives as if there was no God in heaven or in earth. Strike them now with a sense of Thy presence. Oh! that Thine eternal power might come before their thoughts, and now may they join with Thy reverent people in approaching Thy mercy seat.

     We come for mercy, great God ; it must always be our first request, for we have sinned, sinned against a just and holy law of which our conscience approves. We are evil, but Thy law is holy and just and good. We have offended knowingly ; we have offended again and again ; after being chastened we have still offended, and even those of us who are forgiven, who through Thy rich love have been once for all washed from every stain, yet have we sinned grievously ; and we confess it with much shame and bitter self-reproach that we should sin against such tender love, and against the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, who is in His people ; and who checks them and quickens their consciences ; so that they sin against light and knowledge when they sin.

     Wash us yet again. And when we ask for this washing it is not because we doubt the efficacy of former cleansing. Then we were washed in blood. Now, O Saviour, repeat upon us what Thou didst to the twelve when Thou didst take a towel and basin and wash their feet. And when that was done Thou didst tell them that he who had been washed had no need save but to wash his feet. After that was done he was clean every whit. Oh ! let Thy children be in that condition this morning— clean every whit—and may they know it ; and thus being clean may they have boldness to enter into the Holy of Holies by the blood of Christ ; and may they now come and stand where the cherubim once were, where the glory still shines forth. And may we before a blood-besprinkled mercy seat, ourselves washed and cleansed, pour out our prayers and praises.

     As for those that never have been washed, we repeat our prayer for them. Bring them, oh ! bring them at once to a sense of sin. Oh ! that we might see them take their first complete washing, and may they become henceforth the blood washed and blood redeemed consecrated ones, belonging for ever unto Him who has made them white through His atoning sacrifice.

     And, blessed Lord, since Thou dost permit Thy washed ones to come close to Thyself we would approach Thee now with the courage which comes of faith and love, and ask of Thee this thing. Help us to overcome every tendency to evil which is still within us, and enable us to wear armour of such proof that the arrows of the enemy from without may not penetrate it, that we may not be wounded again by sin. Deliver us, we pray Thee, from doubts within and fears without, from depression of spirit, and from the outward assaults of the world. Make us and keep us pure within, and then let our life be conducted with such holy jealousy and watchfulness that there may be nothing about us that shall bring dishonour to Thy name. May those who most carefully watch us see nothing but what shall adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.

     Lord help Thy people to be right as parents. May none of us spoil our children ; may there be no misconducted families to cry out against us. Help us to be right as masters ; may there be no oppression, no hardness and unkindness. Help us to be right as servants ; may there be no eye service, no purloining, but may there be everything that adorns the Christian character. Keep us right as citizens ; may we do all we can for our country, and for the times in which we live. Keep us right, we pray Thee, as citizens of the higher country ; may we be living for it, to enjoy its privileges, and to bring others within its burgess-ship, that multitudes may be made citizens of Christ through our means. Lord help us to conduct ourselves aright as Church members ; may we love our brethren ; may we seek their good, their edification, their comfort, their health. And oh ! may such of us as are called to preach have grace equal to that responsibility. Lord make every Christian to be clear of the blood of all those round about him. We know that there are some who profess to be Thy people, who do not seem to care one whit about the souls of their fellow men. God forgive this inhumanity to men, this treason to the King of kings. Rouse the Church, we pray Thee, to a tenderness of heart towards those among whom we dwell.

     Let all the churches feel that they are ordained to bless their neighbours. Oh ! that the Christian Church in England might begin to take upon itself its true burden. Let the Church in London especially, with its mass of poverty and sin round about it, care for the people and love the people ; and may all Christians bestir themselves that something may be done for the good of men, and for the glory of God Lord, do use us for Thy glory. Shine upon us, O Emmanuel, that we may reflect Thy brightness ; dwell in us, O Jesus, that out of us may come the power of Thy life. Make Thy Church to work miracles, because the miracleworker is in the midst of her. Oh! send us times of revival, seasons of great refreshing ; and then times of aggression, when the army of the Lord of Hosts shall push its way into the very centre of the adversary, and overthrow the foe in the name of the King of kings.

     Now forgive Thy servants all that has been amiss, and strengthen in Thy servants all that is good and right. Sanctify us to Thy service, and hold us to it. Comfort us with Thy presence ; elevate us into Thy presence. Make us like Thyself ; bring us near Thyself, and in all things glorify Thyself in us, whether we live or die. Bless the poor, remember the needy among Thine own people ; help and succour them. Bless the sick, and be very near the dying. The Lord comfort them. Bless our country. Let every mercy rest upon the Sovereign ; send peace to disquieted districts ; give wisdom to our senators in the making and in the seeing to the keeping of the law. And may Thy kingdom come not here only, but in every land and nation. Lands across the flood remember with the plenitude of Thy grace. Let the whole earth be filled with Thy glory. We ask it for Jesus' sake. Amen,

Rest and the Gospel

By Chan Kilgore 7/01/2013

     John Calvin is often quoted as saying, “From birth, our hearts are idol factories.” We hit this planet in pursuit of the created, searching for what can be found only in the Creator. When I ask people how they are doing, they often reply, “busy.” We define ourselves by what we do rather than by what Christ has done. The result is that we are weary and restless. We need more than just a day off. I find myself coming back from a week’s vacation needing a vacation from my vacation. A day (or week) off is not enough to give my soul the deep rest it longs for. Jesus gives us this invitation in Matthew 11:28, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” I find within my soul that I am weary and heavy laden by the endless pursuit of idols. Every idol promises you life — to its fullest — but in the end causes you to sacrifice everything in pursuit of it. The cost is often seen in everyday weariness. What we really need to do is rest in the Savior who has sacrificed everything for us up front and can give us life and life to its fullest every day, as well as for eternity.

     The gospel gives us that rest. The pursuit of idols is a relentless and endless pursuit of acceptance whereas the gospel gives us a position of acceptance in Christ Jesus. We already have in Christ Jesus all the acceptance, security, and hope that every idol promises, but can never deliver. The gospel frees us to work from a position of acceptance versus in pursuit of acceptance. The first leads to rest, the latter to restlessness.

     We can live our lives in one of three ways:

     1. REACTIONARY—passively dominated by urgencies and pushy people. Your life is dominated by the tyranny of the urgent. This results in a life that is a frazzled mess: disorganized, without a sense of priorities, full of half-finished tasks, tardiness, and a frantic lifestyle. This is a life in which our compulsions cause us to exceed our calling.

     2. CONFORMITY—succumbing to the fear of man and just being and doing what everyone else wants, which is not necessarily following God’s will for you and your family. This results in a boring life where everyone but God is pleased, and the person who is easily pushed around keeps busy and seemingly productive, but not passionate or free.

     3. GOSPEL IDENTITY—when we live our lives from the position of acceptance instead of the pursuit of acceptance, we allow the King of the universe to be Lord of our calendars. We live in response to who Christ is and what He accomplished for us on the cross. We allow the Lord of the Sabbath to set our schedules, not the tyranny of the urgent. This gospel truth empowers us to say no to our compulsions and say yes to Christ. This gospel truth frees us to love people more deeply because we don’t need them for our own acceptance. It frees us to love people when they are least capable of loving us and when they need our love the most. The gospel frees us to live our lives out in a radically different way.

     One of the great myths we all fight is that if we take frequent time off, we will be less productive. The opposite could not be more true. We all have limited physical, emotional and spiritual capacities. On a scale of one to ten, we are most productive when we are operating from the overflow of our emotional barrel rather than from the bottom of the barrel. We are most productive between a seven and ten, and least productive between one and five. Typically, we let ourselves drain out to a two or three (or worse) and then take a day off or a vacation. The problem is that typically a day or even a week off can renew you only about two or three points. So, if you wait to rest at a one or two, a day off gets you up to only a three or four. You are still operating at your lowest productivity and creativity levels. The key is to rest at a five so that you can recover and operate at a seven, eight, or higher. Resting in your gospel identity will empower you to establish Sabbath rhythms in your life that prevent you from draining out below a five. The result is that you will operate most often at your highest levels of productivity and have the ability to love others out of the abundance of the heart.

     The best way to gauge whether you are working from a position of rest is to ask, “What is my relational capacity?” Am I often frustrated, impatient, anxious or angry? If so, you are operating below a five. When I am working from a position of rest, I find myself filled with love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When I am working in pursuit of acceptance, I find just the opposite takes place in my soul. The gospel reminds us that Jesus is enough, more than enough, so rest.

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Sticks and Stones

By Scott Sauls 7/01/2013

     “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me.” Really? Let’s not kid ourselves. Words are potent. Words start with God, who spoke galaxies into being. “God said … and there was” (Gen. 1:3). God’s words have impact (Isa. 55:11); are living, active, and sharp (Heb. 4:12); illuminate dark places (Ps. 119:105); nourish souls (Matt. 4:4); and defeat death (Luke 11:43). The words of the gospel are “the power of God.”

     To a lesser but significant degree, our words have power also. Our words transfer ideas. They can heal. And they can “hurt me.” I will never forget Mariah Carey saying in an interview that for her, one criticism will instantly overrule a thousand praises. There is something to this.

     Words can wound and steal life. Gossip and slander bring a cheap thrill to some, while exploiting and objectifying others (the similarities to pornography are striking). False testimony uses words to misrepresent, caricature, or malign the reputation of fellow humans, usually for selfish gain. Words of condemnation, accusation, and cutting sarcasm create pain as they shame, belittle, and discourage. Coarse joking uses humor to draw attention to oneself, while sending rotten fruit into the atmosphere.

     There are also “healing words” (Prov 12:18). Words of praise have healing power. Communities and families thrive when members notice the best in each other and verbalize it. Mutual celebration is a hallmark of life together as Spirit-filled daughters and sons. Words of encouragement will “put courage into” those who are weak, afraid, and torn down. A timely rebuke protects a friend from self-destructive patterns. A gentle word turns away wrath (Prov. 15:1) and halts the cycle of evil. Grace-filled words engage skeptical minds and doubting hearts (1 Peter 3:15–16).

     The question remains, how are toxic words transformed into healing words? Scripture tells us how. It begins by identifying the source of our words: “Out of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Luke 6:45). Our words are healed as we replace what fills our hearts.

     Why do we gossip, slander, condemn, accuse, slash with sarcasm, joke crudely, boast, and lie? Every toxic word traces to some sort of pseudo-savior—something that the heart is clinging to more tightly than Jesus. The comedian Tom Arnold once admitted that he uses humor so people will like him. “It’s the reason behind almost everything I do,” he said. For some, human approval is the preferred narcotic. For others like Rachel, it was having children: “Give me children or I’ll die” (Gen 30:1). For the Pharisee, it was the feeling of superiority: “Thank you, my God, that I’m not like other men” (Luke 18:9–14). The options are endless. Our words echo the beat of our hearts.

     Words are transformed through what Thomas Chalmers called “the expulsive power of a new affection.” For our words to become life-giving, and for toxic words to fade from our vocabularies, this new affection must be Jesus. Hearts taken by the beauty of Jesus will yield beautiful words.

     What makes Jesus beautiful? He only spoke beautiful words — never careless, unkind, hateful, or untruthful words. Even His sharp, strong words were beautiful, always perfectly suited for the occasion. But there’s more. Jesus also is the Beautiful Word Incarnate, the Word who became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:1-14). His perfect words flowed naturally from His perfect life, which secured the benediction or “good word” of His Father: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well-pleased.” This same benediction has since been transferred to and secured for us who believe. At our best and at our worst, by grace and through faith, we are clothed, with Jesus’ righteousness, credited with His beauty and goodness.

     Since our daughters’ births, at bedtime I have regularly pronounced a benediction over them: “God made you beautiful and special, and he loves you so much. So does your Daddy. Don’t ever forget that.” My hope is that these last words of today will register as the first words of tomorrow. They crave a paternal blessing that overrules the negative verdicts that the outside world, as well as their own hearts, so easily pronounce against them. Words of life welcome them back to their true identity as daughters, precious and beloved—an identity that’s fixed when they’re at their best and when they’re at their worst.

     The Father’s benediction is ours. Through Christ and because of Christ, we are pronounced as His beloved. We can enjoy deep rest because the last word of Jesus’ life — “It is finished” — is the first word for ours. With us He is well pleased. Nothing can change this.

     There’s one more thing. For us to gain the Father’s benediction, Jesus had to lose it. At His baptism, Jesus received the “good word” from on high. On the cross, He heard no word from the Father. Just shaming, condemning, deafening silence. The silence did not break Jesus’ bones like sticks and stones, but it broke every other part of Him. This was for our healing. Heaven’s cold silence toward Jesus secured the Father’s “good word” toward us, once and for all. If that doesn’t melt our hearts and transform our words, what will?

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The Preacher’s Character

By Rick Gamble 7/01/2013

     The Apostle Paul demonstrated how we can love God and others in our speech. He used words that could sting and rebuke as well as heal and comfort. His ministry was one of words—speaking God’s very own Word. His companion Luke painted a moving portrait that connected the importance of a minister’s words with his ministry and gives great insight on the preacher’s character.

     Paul had ministered the word successfully in Ephesus and called for the finest fruit of that work, the elder preachers, to come and hear his final advice (Acts 20:17–38). Paul gave an account of his work in Ephesus from the first day of his significant three year ministry there. From Paul’s standpoint, his ministry was dangerous (with plots), intense (with tears), and exhausting (night and day). His manner of conduct was to serve with all humility (v. 19); he coveted no one’s silver or gold (v. 33); and he worked hard to provide for himself (v. 34).

     This text was not autobiography but was written about Paul from Luke’s perspective and guided by the Holy Spirit. Thus, we have one great minster’s commentary on another. Luke’s message was that Paul’s manner of life was important to the overall context of his ministry.

     In Acts 20:20–25, Paul’s preaching included five parts: four regarding content and one regarding application. First, he preached that which was profitable; second, repentance toward God combined with faith in Christ; third, God’s grace; fourth was the “kingdom”; and, finally he admonished with tears (vv. 20–21, 24–25, 31), all of which was summarized in Paul’s powerful statement (v. 27): “For I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole counsel of God.”

     Luke employed the phrase “whole counsel” to denote the divine decree concerning redemption, (see Luke 7:30). In Acts 2:23, he connected the word to Jesus, who was “delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God.” Acts 4:28 tells us that Jesus was attacked to fulfill “whatever your hand and your purpose determined before to be done.”

     There was continuity between Luke’s understanding of the whole counsel of God and Paul’s teaching. Ephesians 1:9–11 is a good synopsis of Paul’s thoughts on the content of the whole counsel, one that is particularly helpful for our purposes because he was addressing the Ephesian church in his letter.

     God made known the mystery of His will, which was set forth in Christ. It was a plan to unite all things in Christ. The counsel of God’s will speaks of redemption in Christ and the unity that the church shares in Christ. It presents the eschatological accomplishment, in the fullness of time, in Christ. These are theologically comprehensive terms that describe the whole work of Christ, our redemption as both accomplished in Him and applied by His Spirit.

     At Ephesians 1:11, Paul presents the eschatological (final or ultimate) direction of God’s plan. The list of benefits, including redemption, are part of the new economy that is being realized in Christ. When combined with what Paul said in Acts, the meaning concerns the preaching of God’s comprehensive eschatological fulfillment of all of His saving promises, focused in Christ. Stated more strongly, the “whole counsel of God” is the proclamation of the kingdom of God with the covenant as the kingdom’s administrative structure. The whole counsel of God consists in Christ as the fulfillment of the kingdom through God’s covenants.

     Paul’s teaching to the Ephesians and Luke’s presentation of Paul’s words to the elders included a call to faith that is incomprehensible if torn from the context of the risen Christ’s mediatorial kingship—His lordship over the whole of life.

     Now we can connect the content of Paul’s presentation with the lifestyle or context that went with it. Paul’s life was consumed with teaching, testifying, preaching, and shepherding—all wrapped up in tears—both his own and of those who loved him so much. The true context or lifestyle of the well trained preacher is well summarized in Acts 20:19 as “serving the Lord with all humility, with tears and with trials.”

     This text admonishes preachers and theologians to deep personal piety. There is an undoubted connection between the person (in this case Paul) who has a message, and the message itself (the whole counsel of God). To paraphrase Paul’s teaching, the whole counsel of God must be proclaimed by men who are clothed in humility, bathed in tears, and who have endured through difficult trials. Paul did not separate the wonderful content of the gospel from the context of presentation. Theology and preaching are done in humility, which Paul defines in Colossians 3:12: “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience.” Paul admonishes humility in Ephesians 4:2: “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love.” In Philippians 2:3, he commands, “Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.” He turns us to Christ, who: “humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (v. 8).

     Paul was a living memorial of the truth that the mouth speaks out of the abundance of the heart. This is the model to which all preachers must aspire.

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The Judgment of Charity

By R.C. Sproul 7/01/2013

     Every time I read the Gospels, I am struck by how Jesus seems to have found Himself in the middle of controversy wherever He went. I am also struck by how Jesus handled each controversy differently. He did not follow the example of Leo “The Lip” DeRosier, the former manager of the New York Giants and treat every person He encountered in the same manner. Although He expected everyone to play by the same rules, He shepherded people according to their specific needs.

     The Old Testament depicts the Good Shepherd as One who carries both a staff and a rod, for His responsibility is both to guide His sheep and to protect them from ravenous wolves (Ps. 23:4). In the Gospels, we see Jesus exercise His protective rod most often against the scribes and Pharisees. When Jesus dealt with these men, He asked no quarter and gave none. When He pronounced the judgment of God on them publicly, He used the oracle of woe that was used by the Old Testament prophets: “Woe unto you Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte [convert], and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves” (Matt. 23:15).

     Jesus dealt with many of the religious leaders of His day so forcefully because of their hard-hearted hypocrisy. Other people who were cognizant of their sin and ashamed of it — these He addressed with love and encouragement. Consider the woman at the well (John 4). Jesus sat and talked with a Samaritan woman, which was unheard of for a Jewish rabbi in those days because of common biases against women and Samaritans. He patiently drew a confession of sin out of her and revealed His Messianic office to her. Jesus treated her as a bruised reed and smoldering wick, tenderly confronting but not crushing her (Matt. 12:15–21).

     Among many other things, I think Christ’s example teaches us how we are to deal with those with whom we disagree. Sometimes we must be forceful and sometimes we must be gentle—forceful with the wolves and gentle with Jesus’ lambs.

     There are disagreements we have with our brothers, but also disagreements we have with those who claim to be our brothers but who may, in fact, be wolves in sheep’s clothing. Such wolves always represent a clear danger to the safety, health, and well-being of Christ’s sheep. No quarter can be given to wolves, but we are called to exercise gentleness toward those whose disagreements with us do not touch the heart of Christian orthodoxy.

     To know the difference between when to be gentle and when to be forceful is one of the most difficult matters for mature Christians to discern. I don’t have a formula that is easily applied, but I do know that we are always called to deal with the disputes and disagreements we have on the basis of charity, that is, love.

     Charity and Its Fruits: Christian Love as Manifested in the Heart and Life by Jonathan Edwards is the deepest exposition of 1 Corinthians 13 that I know of. I’ve read it at least half-a-dozen times, probably more. In this work, Edwards writes:

     A truly humble man, is inflexible in nothing but in the cause of his Lord and master, which is the cause of truth and virtue. In this he is inflexible because God and conscience require it; but in things of lesser moment, and which do not involve his principles as a follower of Christ, and in things that only concern his own private interests, he is apt to yield to others.

     The humility of which Edwards is speaking here is a humility that must be brought to every disagreement that erupts among believers. It is a humility that brings to the fore what in church history many have called the judgment of charity. The judgment of charity works something like this: When we disagree with one another, I believe that we are called as Christians to assume the motives of the person with whom we disagree are pure motives. This is the approach we are to have with those with whom we have an honest difference in biblical interpretation but who love the Bible and aren’t trying to change what it teaches. Such people are unwilling to compromise the essential truths of the Christian faith.

     Now, the judgment of charity assumes in a Christian dispute that the brother or sister with whom we are disagreeing is disagreeing honestly and with personal integrity. Here I think of my friend John MacArthur. If I disagree about something with John—I don’t care what it is—and we go to the mat and talk about it, John will change his position—no matter the cost— if I can persuade him that the Bible teaches my view and not his. That’s because what he wants more than anything else is to be faithful to the Word of God.

     That’s what I mean by the judgment of charity. We don’t impugn people’s motives and don’t assume the worst of them when we disagree with them. We make a distinction between best-case and worst-case analysis. The problem we all have as sinners on this side of glory is that we tend to reserve best-case analysis to our own motives and give worst-case analysis to our brother’s and sister’s motives. That’s just the opposite of the spirit we’re called to have in terms of biblical humility.

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Robert Charles Sproul, 2/13/1939 – 12/14/2017 was an American theologian, author, and ordained pastor in the Presbyterian Church in America. Dr. R.C. Sproul was founder and chairman of Ligonier Ministries, an international Christian education and discipleship organization located near Orlando, Fla. He was also copastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Fla., chancellor of Reformation Bible College, and executive editor of Tabletalk magazine. Dr. Sproul has contributed dozens of articles to national evangelical publications, has spoken at conferences, churches, and schools around the world, and has written more than one hundred books. He also served as general editor of the Reformation Study Bible.

Read The Psalms In "1" Year

Psalm 104

10 You make springs gush forth in the valleys;
they flow between the hills;
11 they give drink to every beast of the field;
the wild donkeys quench their thirst.
12 Beside them the birds of the heavens dwell;
they sing among the branches.
13 From your lofty abode you water the mountains;
the earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work.

14 You cause the grass to grow for the livestock
and plants for man to cultivate,
that he may bring forth food from the earth
15 and wine to gladden the heart of man,
oil to make his face shine
and bread to strengthen man’s heart.

16 The trees of the LORD are watered abundantly,
the cedars of Lebanon that he planted.
17 In them the birds build their nests;
the stork has her home in the fir trees.
18 The high mountains are for the wild goats;
the rocks are a refuge for the rock badgers.

Alone with My Thoughts

By R.C. Sproul Jr. 7/01/2013

     It is, of course, a sound and biblical truth that what comes out of our mouths reveals what is in our hearts. And, in turn, it is true that what is in our hearts is desperate wickedness. To be sure we are regenerate, indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but the old man is still kicking and screaming. Because of the deceit that remains in our hearts, however, we are wont to miss what actually comes out of our mouths. We end up thinking our hearts are rather sunny places because we find rather sunny things coming out of our mouths, at least when people are listening.

     I know this because I have just lived this. Over the course of the past few days, I have found myself logging some long hours and long miles on this nation’s interstate system. That’s not all that unusual. With a family as large as mine, road trips come along for the ride.

     What has been unusual is that I have been driving alone. I’ve been alone in the car on some rather crowded highways. That, sadly, doesn’t mean I have been driving in silence. If my windows could talk, well, parental guidance is suggested.

     When we assess our hearts via assessing our minds, I suspect we tend to pick those memories which are the safest, the tamest recordings we can remember. We think that how we spoke to that sweet old woman at the library with the big cross around her neck reflects what is actually in our hearts. In truth, it may be what we say when no one is listening that reveals us most fully.

     This is because of common grace. It, along with the spread of the gospel in Western culture, has created notions of manners, chivalry, and discretion. We understand that some things are just not said in polite company. Or at least most of us do.

     There are both psychological and physical ailments that can restrain whatever mechanisms we have that restrain our speech. Some folks are missing that filter that greases social discourse. They are the ones who are quick to point out that you’ve put on some weight. Children, in turn, can be slow to develop these nuances. They aren’t afraid to ask why two of my sons have skin that is so much darker than my own.

     Most of us also are missing the nuances when we are engaged in internal conversation, when we are just talking to ourselves. We think it is safe to be honest in the quiet of our own minds. There we admit our dislike of this neighbor, and perhaps even our attraction to that neighbor. There we confess to our own assurance that we are quite gifted with this skill, that we are the ones deserving of this honor or that. We seem to think that these things can’t hurt us as long as we don’t speak them, as long as we keep them inside.

     Oh, the lies we tell ourselves. What comes out of our hearts reveals what we are. What goes into our hearts, that creates what we are. Our internal dialogue is not meaningless background noise. It becomes instead the soundtrack of our lives.

     We are blessed to live in an age and a culture which has easy access to the Word of God. And we are cursed to live in an age and culture which has easy access to the Word of God. Our fathers had to internalize the Word of God. They sang the Psalms so they would learn them. They learned them so they could sing them, even if it was only in the quiet of their own minds. We, on the other hand, are more apt to have the wisdom of last night’s big winner on American Idol reverberating in our minds. We have Bibles in every room in our homes and apps on our smart phones, but we don’t hide it in our hearts.

     When I was driving down the highway yelling and sputtering, I did so reflecting the wisdom of the world. What I was saying was: “I am important. I have important things to do. I have to hurry. You all are failing to understand how to treat me properly.” What I should have been thinking was more like this: “If the Lord wills, I will get there on time.”

     The song I should have had playing in my mind was “The Lord is my Shepherd; I shall not want.” What I should have been rejoicing over is the glorious gospel truth that when I am stuck in traffic, I am already where I need to be, that no matter how many more miles I have to drive, the kingdom I am called to pursue first is already with me.

     What I and we all need to remember is that whether we are alone in the car or alone with our thoughts, there is no thought in the woods that no one hears. The Word Himself hears every word, and every word of ours that is not an Amen to every word of His will burn up as wood, hay, and stubble. What I should have thought about in that traffic was not a resigned but a joyful reminder: “Where else can I go Lord? You alone have the words of eternal life.”

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The Continual Burnt Offering (Romans 8:4)

By H.A. Ironside - 1941

September 18

Free from the law, O happy condition!
Jesus hath died, and there is remission!
Cursed by the law, and bruised by the fall,
Christ hath redeemed us once for all.

The Coming of the Kingdom part 28

By Dr. Andrew Woods 02/06/2015

Evangelical Confusion

We began scrutinizing New Testament texts that "kingdom now" theologians employ in their attempt to argue that the kingdom is a present reality to show that none of these passages, when rightly understood, teach a present, spiritual form of the kingdom. We began to scrutinize the typical texts from the Book of  Acts used by "kingdom now" theologians.

Jesus Currently Reigning On David's Throne?

Perhaps the primary reason advanced by "kingdom now" theologians in their attempt to equate God's present work in the church with the present, spiritual manifestation of the Messianic kingdom is that following His Ascension Christ supposedly took His seat on David's Throne in heaven. From this regal position He now orchestrates the spiritual Messianic kingdom through the church. However, it is far better to reject the notion that the Davidic Kingdom is present in any sense today and instead to maintain that the Davidic Kingdom will not be inaugurated until the millennial age. At least six reasons exist in support of this conclusion.

First, we noted that the Old Testament consistently depicts the Davidic Throne in terrestrial rather than celestial terms. Second, we noted that because of this scriptural portrayal of the Davidic Throne, to argue that the Davidic Throne is now manifesting itself in this age from heaven is to place under unnatural duress the notions of progress of revelation and literal or normal, grammatical, historical hermeneutics. Third, as we began explaining in the last issue, no New Testament verse or passage clearly puts Christ on David's Throne in the present age.

Peter's use of  Psalm 110:1 in  Acts 2:34-35 is often used to justify Christ's present Davidic enthronement. Yet of  Psalm 110, Johnson observes that the Messiah's present position as depicted in this  Psalm fails to include imagery of coronation. Only Christ's priestly activity is mentioned. Such coronation imagery would certainly have been mentioned if in fact the  Psalm were intended to describe Christ's enthronement as Davidic King. Notice the word "until" in  Psalm 110:1: "The LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at My right hand Until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet'" Based upon the psalmist's use of this word "until," Johnson observes that in  Psalm 110 the Messiah is awaiting a future conquest while He currently resides at the Father's right hand. [1]

In an attempt to argue that Christ is now ruling from David's Throne, "kingdom now" theologians of all varieties also typically connect the prediction that the Messiah would one day sit on David's Throne in  Psalm 132:11 ( Acts 2:30 ) with Christ now seated in His present session in  Psalm 110:1 ( Acts 2:33-35 ). Yet, Craven notes the invalidity of this parallel:

It is assumed by many that the exaltation of ver.  33 constitutes the session on the throne of David of ver.  30. But the assumption is wholly gratuitous. Nowhere in his sermon did the apostle declare the oneness of the two events; and most certainly the exaltation there spoken of does not imply the session as already existing — it may be an exaltation begun, to culminate in a visible occupancy of the throne of David. (The visible establishment by an emperor of the seat of his government in the heart of a once revolted province, does not derogate from his dignity — does not imply an abdication of government in the rest of his empire.) But beyond this, not only is the assumption gratuitous; it is against probabilities that amount to certainty. The apostle, be it remembered, was arguing with Jews, to prove that the absent Jesus was the Messiah (ver.  36 ); he was arguing with those, one of whose most cherished beliefs it was that the Messiah should occupy a visible throne. To suppose that, under such circumstances, he should advance a doctrine at war with this belief without a word of explanation or proof, and that too in a sentence capable of an interpretation consistent therewith, is inconceivable. The interpretation suggested by the writer is confirmed not only by its consistency with the previous teachings of our Lord, but by the address delivered by the Apostle Peter shortly after,  Acts 3:19, 20. The literal translation of the passage referred to is as follows...: "Repent ye, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, in order that the times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that He may send the Messiah Jesus, who was appointed unto you, whom the heavens must receive until the times of the restitution of all things," etc. It is also confirmed by the subsequent teachings of the apostle in his epistles; comp.  1 Peter 1:4–7, 13; 2 Peter 1:11, 16; the kleronomia and apokalypsis of the I Epistle are manifestly synonymous with the basileia and parousia of the II. [2]

Craven raises several important points. Peter's sermon never unambiguously or overtly declares that the present session of Christ ( Acts 2:33-35 ) is the same as His Davidic reign ( Acts 2:30 ).  Acts 2:30 simply describes Christ as the Davidic heir or a Davidite who will one day inherit and occupy David's Throne in Jerusalem, just as He is now seated on His Father's throne in heaven ( Rev. 3:21 ).  John 1:29 ("Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!") is similar by denoting what Christ will accomplish as sin bearer in present tense terms before He actually spilled His blood. When John the Baptist uttered the words, it was a done deal from the divine side regarding what Jesus would do as sin bearer before He became in fact and in time the sin bearer. Similarly, it was a done deal that David would reign for the soon to be deposed Saul as early as his anointing in  1 Samuel 16 although David did not actually reign from David's Throne in Jerusalem until much later ( 2 Sam. 2; 5 ). Thus, all that  Acts 2:30 really conveys is that it is already a foregone conclusion that Jesus will reign from David's Throne one day although His Davidic rule from earthly Jerusalem has not begun. Craven also points out that had it been Peter's intention in  Acts 2 to convert the terrestrial Davidic Throne into a celestial reality, this would have certainly required a far more in-depth explanation beyond what is actually furnished in Peter's sermon, given Peter's Jewish audience that still understood the Davidic Covenant in terrestrial terms.

Craven also points out that Peter's message of a future Davidic enthronement of Christ is consistent with what Peter conveys in his two epistles as well as his message given in the very next chapter ( Acts 3:19-21 ). However, kingdom now theologians sometimes use these verses ( Acts 3:19-21 ) in an attempt to argue that the Davidic Kingdom is a present reality. For example, Progressive Dispensationalists interpret the "times of refreshing" in verse  19 to refer to the "already" stage of the kingdom and the "restoration of all things" in verse  21 to refer to the "not yet" stage of the kingdom. [3] However, because the two clauses follow hopos, are connected by kai, and both contain subjunctive verbs, nothing grammatically separates the two clauses. Thus, they are speaking of the same event rather than two unrelated events. [4] Viewing both clauses as referring to the same event is strengthened upon recognizing that the plural kairoi (times) in verse  19 is parallel to the plural chronon (seasons or times) in verse  21. [5]

Other reasons make the  Acts 2 Davidic enthronement of Christ interpretation improbable. For example, Toussaint observes:

...the word Kingdom does not occur in  Acts 2 ...It is difficult to explain why  Luke does not use the term if the kingdom is being inaugurated. He employs it forty-five times in the gospel and uses it two more times in  Acts 1 ...one would expect   Luke to use the word if such a startling thing as the inauguration of the kingdom had taken place. The fact that  Luke uses kingdom only eight times in  Acts after such heavy usage in his gospel implies that the kingdom had not begun but was in fact, postponed. [6]

Moreover, Ryrie asks, "If Christ inaugurated His Davidic reign at His ascension, does it not seem incongruous that His first act as reigning Davidic king was the sending of the Holy Spirit ( Acts 2:33 ), something not included in the promises of the Davidic Covenant?" [7]

Far from teaching that the Davidic enthronement of Christ has begun, in actuality the New Testament teaches that Christ's present position is in expectation of His future Davidic reign.  Hebrews 10:12-13 says, "but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet." Of this passage Newell writes, "Our Lord is not now on His own throne, the throne of David. He is at the Father's right hand, on the Father's throne, and is now the Great High Priest, leading the worship of His saints; and also our Advocate against the enemy. But He is there in an expectant attitude..." [8]

ENDNOTES

By John Walvoord (1990)

Israel’s Glorious Future

     Romans 11:11–12. As previously explained, Paul pointed out how Gentiles are receiving a blessing because Israel had rejected the gospel. Paul restated this: “Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. But if their transgression means riches for the world, and their loss means riches for the Gentiles, how much greater riches will their fullness bring!” (vv.  11–12 ).

     The argument here is that if Israel being temporarily set aside has brought great riches to the Gentiles, how much more will the riches of God’s grace be manifested when Israel will once again be restored. Just as  Romans 9 deals with Israel’s failures in the past and  Romans 10 with their present opportunity to be saved, so  Romans 11 paints a picture that Israel has a glorious future that will fulfill their expectation based on Old Testament prophecy.

Israel’s Return to Blessing

     Romans 11:22–24. As Paul brought out, Gentiles have been grafted into the place of blessing, the olive tree. The Jews, on the other hand, have been temporarily cut off as a nation. However, it will be easier for Israel to be grafted into their own olive tree than it was for the Gentiles to be grafted in: “After all, if you were cut out of an olive tree that is wild by nature, and contrary to nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more readily will these, the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree!” (v.  24 ). Speaking to the Gentiles, he warned them that while Israel temporarily as a nation is not grafted in, it will be far easier for them to be grafted into the tree of blessing that they had in the Old Testament than it was to graft in the Gentiles, as is true in the present age.

     The olive tree in Scripture represents the blessings that come through Abraham to both Jews and Gentiles. Because the Abrahamic covenant had provision for Gentile blessing ( Gen. 12:3 ), it was possible for the Gentiles to be grafted in, but most of the promises that are involved in the Abrahamic covenant relate to the Jews, their future possession of the land, and their restoration spiritually. Accordingly, it is more natural for Israel to be grafted into the Abrahamic olive tree than it is for Gentiles.

The Promise of Israel’s Restoration

     Romans 11:25–27. The outworking of God’s present purpose of calling out both Jew and Gentile on an equal basis to form the body of Christ was not anticipated in the Old Testament. Its major features were mysteries, that is, truths that were not revealed in the Old Testament but are revealed in the New Testament. Paul indicated he wanted Israel to understand this factor: “I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins’” (vv.  25–27 ).

     In God’s program, the project of calling out His church of both Jews and Gentiles must be completed first ( 1 Cor. 12:12–13; Eph. 1:22–23; 4:11–13 ). What is being predicted here is that after the purpose of God for His church has been fulfilled, then God will deliver Israel ( Rom. 11:25–26 ). The reference to Israel being saved is not in respect to freedom from the guilt of sin or the redemptive truth but rather that Israel will be delivered from her enemies at the time of the second coming. As brought out in the quotation in verse  26 that a deliverer will come, this assures, on the one hand, a completion of God’s purpose for the Gentiles and on the other hand, Israel’s restoration after this period is over. The answer to the question of whether God rejects His people (v.  1 ) is answered by the fact that God has not rejected them but will carry out His purposes as indicated in prophecy.

1 Corinthians 12:12–13 (ESV) 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body — Jews or Greeks, slaves or free — and all were made to drink of one Spirit.

Ephesians 1:22–23 22 And he put all things under his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.

Ephesians 4:11–13 11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ,

     Prior to Israel’s deliverance, however, during the present age they are experiencing “a hardening of heart,” that is, many in Israel turn away from the gospel. This will continue until God’s purpose in His church is complete. Then there will be a revival in Israel and many will turn to the Lord.

     The background of this is the New Testament doctrine of the rapture of the church. When the church is taken out of the world in fulfillment of God’s purpose for the church, Israel’s present experience of hardening will also be removed and revival will come to Israel (v.  25 ). Their early conversion to the gospel will help spread the gospel throughout the world after the rapture of the church as there are Israelites in every major nation who already know the languages and the people.

     It is obvious from Scripture that not every individual Israelite will be saved from the guilt and power of sin. In  Ezekiel 20:33–38, it is predicted that the rebels in Israel, those who were not saved prior to Christ’s second coming, will be purged out, and only those converted will be allowed to enter the millennial kingdom.

Ezekiel 20:33–38 (ESV) 33 “As I live, declares the Lord GOD, surely with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out I will be king over you. 34 I will bring you out from the peoples and gather you out of the countries where you are scattered, with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and with wrath poured out. 35 And I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face. 36 As I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord GOD. 37 I will make you pass under the rod, and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant. 38 I will purge out the rebels from among you, and those who transgress against me. I will bring them out of the land where they sojourn, but they shall not enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the LORD.

     Accordingly, the deliverance in salvation referenced in verse  26 refers to a national deliverance, that is, a cessation of their persecution by the Gentiles. Those delivered are not necessarily saved in the sense of being saved from the guilt and power of sin. Though some expositors labor to try to prove that Israel has no future, the whole of  Romans 11 teaches otherwise. It predicts that Israel does have a future once God’s present purpose is fulfilled in the church.

     The quotation in verses  26–27 is a combination of several verses in the Old Testament. What is being taught is that the Redeemer will come out of Zion, that He will turn ungodliness away from Jacob, and this will be a fulfillment of God’s promise to extend mercy and salvation to Israel.

     The Old Testament speaks of Christ’s coming to Zion as well as coming from Zion ( Ps. 14:7; 20:2; 53:6; 110:2; 128:5; 134:3, 135:21; Isa. 2:3; Joel 3:16; Amos 1:2 ). The point is that in the second coming, Christ comes to Zion both to rule over Israel and to rule the world, including the Gentiles. Zion here is used as a reference to Jerusalem, as is common in Scripture.

Psalm 14:7 (ESV) 7  Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When the LORD restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Psalm 20:2 May he send you help from the sanctuary
and give you support from Zion!

Psalm 53:6 Oh, that salvation for Israel would come out of Zion!
When God restores the fortunes of his people,
let Jacob rejoice, let Israel be glad.

Psalm 110:2 The LORD sends forth from Zion
your mighty scepter.
Rule in the midst of your enemies!

Psalm 128:5 The LORD bless you from Zion!
May you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life!

Psalm 134:3 May the LORD bless you from Zion,
he who made heaven and earth!

Psalm 135:21 Blessed be the LORD from Zion,
he who dwells in Jerusalem!
Praise the LORD!

Isaiah 2:3 and many peoples shall come, and say:
“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,
to the house of the God of Jacob,
that he may teach us his ways
and that we may walk in his paths.”
For out of Zion shall go forth the law,
and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

Joel 3:16 The LORD roars from Zion,
and utters his voice from Jerusalem,
and the heavens and the earth quake.
But the LORD is a refuge to his people,
a stronghold to the people of Israel.

Amos 1:2  And he said:

“The LORD roars from Zion
and utters his voice from Jerusalem;
the pastures of the shepherds mourn,
and the top of Carmel withers.”

     The fulfillment predicted in  Romans 11:25–27 is in keeping with the Abrahamic covenant, which promises that Israel will endure as a nation forever and that the Israelites ultimately will be restored spiritually and to their land politically. Though this truth is opposed by some scholars who do not accept the concept of a millennial kingdom after the second coming, the only way to understand these passages, dealing with truths such as the Scripture presents here, is to take literally the fact that Israel has a future as a nation and that that future is linked to the second coming of Christ.

     In the verses that follow (vv.  28–32 ), a further statement is given of God’s plan to give mercy to Israel and the certainty of that being fulfilled in the future.  Romans 11 closes with a remarkable statement of the wisdom of God in dealing with His purposes in the world, and especially with Israel.

The Promise of Blessing to Those Committed to God

     Romans 12:1–2. These verses promise to reveal God’s will to those committed to God. It is important to note that the revelation of God’s will is to individuals who have committed themselves to Him.

The Future Judgment Seat of Christ

     Romans 14:9–12. In  Romans 14 the subject is how “gray” areas in the Christian life should be handled. A case in point is the question as to whether the Christian in the time of Paul could eat meat that had been previously offered to idols. The Christian community was divided on this; some said meat is meat regardless what happened to it before they bought it, and on the other hand, others claimed that by buying it they participated in the worship of idols it involved.

     The exhortation that comes out of the situation is that we should not judge our Christian brethren, especially in areas where there is difference of opinion as to what is the right thing to do. As Paul pointed out, the important fact is that Christ died and was resurrected so that He might be Lord over both the dead and the living: “For this very reason, Christ died and returned to life so that he might be the Lord of both the dead and the living” (v.  9 ). In view of this, Paul declared that Christians should not judge each other, especially in the area of evaluating the ministry of a brother. “You then, why do you judge your brother? Or why do you look down on your brother? For we will all stand before God’s judgment seat” (v.  10 ).

     Paul gives further exposition of the judgment seat of Christ in  1 Corinthians 3:11–15; 9:24–27; 2 Corinthians 5:10. The matter of judgment or evaluation of a brother’s ministry is committed to Christ. Inasmuch as all Christians will stand before the judgment seat of Christ to be evaluated, believers should concentrate on their own problems instead of on the problems of others.

     The absolute certainty of this judgment is stated in a quotation from  Isaiah 45:23: “‘As surely as I live,’ says the Lord, ‘every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God’” ( Rom. 14:11 ). Scripture is clear in both the Old and New Testaments that every individual will stand before God’s judgment, not necessarily at the same time or for the same reason. The judgment at the judgment seat of Christ is for those who have been saved who will then be evaluated as to their contribution to the Lord’s work.

     Paul continued to summarize this: “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God” (v.  12 ). The figure is that of a steward, or a trustee, who has responsibility for handling the business affairs of another and eventually reporting what he does with it. In life, Christians are endowed with spiritual and natural gifts that differ. No two Christians are exactly alike, and no two Christians have exactly the same opportunities, but each will be required to give an account for what he has done with them. Obviously, the more a person has, the greater is his responsibility.

     The issue here is not success or amount of success but rather the question of faithfulness in using properly what God has given to an individual Christian. Inasmuch as this is the main problem in a Christian’s life, he should not turn aside to try to be a judge of his fellow Christians, except as it may be required in certain circumstances. Instead, he should be preoccupied with the fact that his own life is going to be judged, and he should give himself to things that will count in eternity.

Gentiles to Praise the Lord

     Romans 15:8–13. As Paul had previously explained, God’s purpose in the present age is to call out Gentiles as well as Jews to form the body of Christ. Though the Old Testament did not anticipate the specific features of the body of Christ, it did make promises to the Gentiles and pictured them as singing praises to God. Paul stated, quoting from  2 Samuel 22:50 and  Psalm 18:49, “Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles; I will sing hymns to your name” ( Rom. 15:9 ). He quoted additionally from  Deuteronomy 32:43: “Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people” ( Rom. 15:10 ). Paul again quoted from  Psalm 117:1: “Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and sing praises to him, all you peoples” ( Rom. 15:11 ). His final quotation was from  Isaiah 11:10: “The Root of Jesse will spring up, one who will arise to rule over the nations; the Gentiles will hope in him” ( Rom. 15:12 ). In each of these, it was anticipated that the Gentiles will praise the Lord, which to some extent is fulfilled in the present age, but will have its ultimate fulfillment in the millennial kingdom, in which Gentiles will be blessed as well as Jews.

     Paul is arguing here for Jew and Gentile Christians to enter the full blessing of their fellowship one with the other and their enjoyment of God’s mercy and grace. His final prayer was, “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit” (v.  13 ).

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Every Prophecy of the Bible: Clear Explanations for Uncertain Times