Note: All of the articles below have a link to a downloadable PDF version at the end of each article.
by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
The biblical doctrine of justification by faith is a fundamental truth of God's Word that should be understood by every Christian believer. The word "justification" is a legal term that means that a person is forgiven of one's sins, declared "not guilty" in God's sight and given the legal status of righteousness - or being "in the right" with God. Biblically, the ground for a believer's justification is the sacrificial death and then resurrection of Christ by which he paid the price for the sins of all mankind. The means by which a person receives this justification is personal faith in Jesus Christ. The Book of Romans sets forth these truths clearly:
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify.
This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe. There is no difference,
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.
God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished -
He did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus (Rom. 3:21-26).
To be justified in God's sight means that the verdict of the final judgment has already taken place for the believer in Christ. Why? Because when someone believes in Christ he receives the gift of God's Spirit and is at that moment incorporated into the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:12-13). As a result, the believer is said to be "in Christ" and thus identifies in all that Christ accomplished for the believer by means of his sacrificial death, resurrection, etc. In short, through the Spirit the believer is "created in Christ Jesus" and receives by grace the spiritual benefits of this new relationship with God. Look at I Corinthians:
It is because of him [God] that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God - that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption (I Cor. 1:30).
The Bible clearly teaches that man's relationship with God is entered into and maintained by faith. Biblically, faith is not a meritorious work but a humble acceptance and dependence on the words of God. This is made clear in Romans:
Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness (Rom. 4:4-5)
Biblically, faith always takes place in the heart. Since God is a God who "looks on the heart" he cannot be fooled. Thus the humble acceptance of Christ by any individual always results in God's acceptance and the cleansing power and witness of his Spirit. Look at the following verses:
'Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. He made no distinction between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith' (Acts 15:7-9).
Faith, of course, is not simply mental assent but is a commitment of mind or heart to the truth of a statement or to a being, such as God. In short, it is a decision to humbly accept something as being true and then to hold to it within one's life. Because of this, true faith conditions a person's understanding, outlook and actions. The following New Testament examples illustrate this:
And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe (I Thess. 2:13).
But by faith we eagerly await through the Spirit the righteousness for which we hope. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision has any value. The only thing that counts is faith expressing itself through love (Gal. 5:5-6).
These verses are important in regards to understanding God's gift of salvation and man's proper response to it. Justification and, therefore, salvation is a gift from God to man made possible by God's gracious action in Christ for the redemption of mankind. Through faith in Christ a person receives God's gift of the Spirit and is thus acquitted from all sin, declared "not guilty" in God's sight and brought into a right relationship with God. As a result, the justified believer has "peace with God" and is able to bring forth the spiritual fruit of that relationship with God in his daily life. Again, the Book of Romans makes this clear:
Therefore, since we have been justified through faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (Rom. 5:1-2).
Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the Law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:1-4).
The New Testament stresses these same truths throughout. Salvation is by grace through faith in Christ. The gift of the Spirit is the "firstfruits" of this salvation imparting God's own nature into the heart and life of an individual. The result is a new creation of God's own making which is then manifested to the world through a life of good works. As Paul states:
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:8-10).
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
On October 31, 1517 an Augustinian Monk named Martin Luther nailed a list of 95 Theses to the door of the Castle Church in the city of Wittenburg in present day Germany. The central idea behind these "propositions for debate" was the biblical doctrine of justification by faith over against the Roman Catholic religious system of his day. Luther had some months earlier "re-discovered" this truth for himself while teaching a course as Professor of Biblical Theology at the University of Wittenburg. This re-discovery and the ramifications of the Protestant Reformation that followed radically changed the world of that day and continue to be felt today any time a man, woman or child picks up a Bible in his own native language and begins to read for him or herself the liberating truths of the gospel message.
As F. F. Bruce states in the Introduction of his commentary on the Book of Romans in the Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, the story of Luther's realization of this truth is best told in his own words:
'I had greatly longed to understand Paul's letter to the Romans, and nothing stood in the way but that one expression, "the righteousness of God", because I took it to mean that righteousness whereby God is righteous and acts righteously in punishing the unrighteous ... Night and day I pondered until ... I grasped the truth that the righteousness of God is that righteousness whereby, through grace and sheer mercy, he justifies us by faith. Thereupon I felt myself to be reborn and to have gone through open doors into paradise. The whole of scripture took on new meaning, and whereas before "the righteousness of God" had filled me with hate, now it became to me inexpressibly sweet in greater love. This passage of Paul became to me a gateway into heaven' (p.57).
The Protestant Reformation that was sparked by this initial insight by Luther set off an explosion in biblical studies, translations and understanding that has continued, with various ebbs and flows, down to our own time. Thousands upon thousands of men and women of that day risked their lives or their livelihoods to break the monolithic hold that the Roman Catholicism of that day held over the minds of an entire continent of people. The results of this struggle were not neat and orderly - as is always the case in such struggles - nor were they without gross mistakes in judgment or action by the leaders of the various reforming movements. But it is undeniable by any honest assessment of the historical situation that in the fight for truth tremendous strides were made - strides that have had a direct bearing on the rich and unprecedented availability of biblical knowledge, political freedom and social equality that is available to so many of us today.
Justification by Faith
Luther never saw his "rediscovery" of the biblical truth of justification by faith as anything other than just that. He never maintained that it was a new doctrine but rather the same doctrine that Paul and the other leaders of the first century church preached. But as in any age it was the bondage of his own circumstances and the flagrant hypocrisy of the religious life of his own day that caused his mind to be confronted with the truth that salvation was the free gift of God, received only through faith, rather than a reward received on the basis of human goodness or on the basis of the religious rituals, indulgences or pilgrimages of his day.
For Luther, as for us, the key sections in Romans for understanding the biblical truth of justification by faith were: 1:16-17; 3:19-26; 4:1-25, 5:1-5:21 and 8:1-3, 31-39. Perhaps the most important of these sections is 3:19-26. To begin our study here we will look at a very simple and clear definition of the words 'justify' and 'justification' as given in a note on Rom. 3:24 in the NIV Study Bible (p. 1710):
The term describes what happens when someone believes in Christ as his Savior: From the negative viewpoint, God declares the person to be not guilty; from the positive viewpoint, he declares him to be righteous. He cancels the guilt of the person's sin and credits righteousness to him ... The central thought in justification is that, although man clearly and totally deserves to be declared guilty, because of his trust in Christ God declares him righteous.
Simple enough except for one question: how can a righteous and holy God declare sinful man to be righteous solely on the basis of faith and still be a righteous and holy God? After all, the Old Testament makes it clear that it is the responsibility of the judge to acquit the innocent and condemn the guilty (Deut. 25:10) - not to let the guilty off free! "Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?"
It is precisely at this point that we come face to face with the wondrous truth of the gospel of the grace of God. For "Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures" (I Cor. 15). He who "knew no sin became sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (II Cor. 5:21). Or, in the words of Romans, "he was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification" (Rom. 4:25). Simply put, Christ died for us - 'on our behalf' or 'in our place' - and took our sin upon himself. He was the "ransom sacrifice" which took away the sin of the world.
To more fully understand the biblical concept of justification and its corresponding idea of righteousness I will first quote from the late G.E. Ladd's A Theology of the New Testament:
The Pauline doctrine of justification can be understood only against an Old Testament background. Among the Greeks, righteousness was an innate human quality. Plato designated dikaiosyne as one of the four cardinal virtues: justice, wisdom, temperance, and courage or fortitude. These virtues were emphasized by the Stoics and sometimes found their way into Hellenistic Judaism. However, in the Old Testament righteousness is a distinctly religious doctrine ...
Righteousness in the Old Testament is not primarily an ethical quality. The basic meaning of the word is "that norm in the affairs of the world to which men and things should conform, and by which they can be measured." One who is righteous is one who conforms to the given norm. The verb "to be righteous" means to conform to the given norm, and in certain forms ... it means "to declare righteous" or "to justify."
... Basically, "righteousness" is a concept of relationship. A person is righteous who has fulfilled the demands laid upon him or her by the relationship in which that person stands. It is not a word designating personal ethical character, but faithfulness to a relationship.
As such, righteousness becomes a word of great theological significance. Righteousness is the standard God has decreed for human conduct. The righteous person is the one who in God's judgment meets the divine standard and thus stands in a right relationship with God. The norm of righteousness depends entirely on the nature of God. Ultimately it is only God who can decide if a person has met the norm that he decreed for human righteousness. The back-ground of righteousness and justification is ... the concept of God as the ruler, lawgiver, and judge of the world.
The idea of righteousness is often understood in a forensic [law court] context: the righteous person is the one whom the judge declares to be free from guilt. It is the business of the judge to acquit the innocent and condemn the guilty (Deut. 25:1; see also I Kings 8:32). God is often pictured as the judge of human beings (Psalm 9:4; 33:5; Jer. 11:20). The verb appears almost exclusively in the forensic sense. An individual is righteous who is judged to be in the right (Exod. 23:7; Deut. 25:1), i.e., who in judgment through acquittal stands in a right relationship with God.
... The striking - indeed to a Jew, the shocking - thing about Paul's use of the word is his affirmation that in Christ God justifies the ungodly (Rom. 4:5). If the ungodly were treated as they deserve, they would be condemned. A judge in Old Testament times who justified or aquitted the wicked would prove to be an unrighteous judge. Righteousness means upholding the norms of right conduct - the acquittal of the innocent and the condemnation of the guilty. Paul asserts that in the very act of justifying the ungodly, God has shown himself to be righteous (Rom. 3:26). Furthermore, this acquittal comes entirely apart from the works of the Law (Gal. 2:16; 3:11) - by faith alone (2:16) (pp. 480-482).
... The shedding of Christ's blood, i.e., his sacrificial death, provides the means of propitiation on the ground of which acquittal or justification can be bestowed upon humanity as a free gift ... Thus the death of Christ is a demonstration in the present time that God is both righteous and that he declares righteous those who have faith in Jesus ... and we can only conclude that this act of righteousness consisted in visiting upon Christ, who was ethically sinless, the guilt and doom that sin deserves, namely, death ... It is because God manifested both his righteousness and his love by visiting upon Jesus the guilt and the doom of sin that he can now in perfect righteousness bestow the vindication of acquittal upon the sinner (pp. 489-490).
... There are several points at which the Pauline teaching is radically different from the Jewish concept; and one of the essential differences is that the future eschatological justification has already taken place. "Since therefore we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God" (Rom. 5:9). "Since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God (Rom. 5:1). "You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" (I Cor. 6:11). In these instances the verb is in the aorist tense, expressing an act that has been accomplished. Through faith in Christ, on the ground of his shed blood, people have been justified, aquitted of the guilt of sin, and therefore are delivered from condemnation ... An essential element in the salvation of the future age is the divine acquittal and the pronouncement of righteousness; this acquittal, justification, which consists of the divine absolution of sin has already been effected by the death of Christ and may be received by faith here and now (pp. 482-484).
The Firstfruits of the Spirit
The key element in effecting, or bringing to pass, this justification of the believer is God's gift of his Spirit. This "firstfruits of the Spirit" is the "first-installment" of God's gift of salvation that will be received in all of its fullness at Christ's return. It is through the agency of his own Spirit that God imparts his righteousness into the life of the believer so as to make a new creation "in Christ." The believer can then bring forth the fruits of that righteousness and be transformed into the likeness of Christ.
But it should be emphasized that for the believers of the 1st century Church these were not simply dry theological dogmas contained in theological textbooks but vivid realities made real by the visible presence of the Spirit in their lives. They had been "washed, sanctified and justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God" (I Cor. 6:11). And when questions arose as to the proper status of Gentile believers within the newly constituted 'people of God' Paul's response was to appeal to their initial, evidential and continued experience of the Spirit which they had received at the time they believed the gospel message (Gal. 3:1-5; cp. Eph. 1:13-14; Rom. 8:16; Titus 3:4-7). They had received the Spirit, they had manifested the Spirit and now they were to continue to "walk in the Spirit" so as to bring forth its fruits in their lives (Gal. 5:16-25).
Justification by faith then is simply one aspect of the entire biblical concept of 'salvation' - a salvation that for the believer in Christ has already begun with the reception of the Spirit. F.F. Bruce speaks directly to this issue:
Paul's doctrine of justification, together with his other doctrines, is set in the context of the new creation that has come into being with and in Christ. That the acquittal of the day of judgment is pronounced in advance here and now on those who believe in Jesus is part and parcel of the truth that for them 'the old order has gone, and a new order has already begun' (2 Cor. 5:17, NEB) - a truth made real in their present experience by the advent and activity of the Spirit (Romans, p. 39).
Gordon Fee in his massive work, God's Empowering Presence: The Holy Spirit in the Letters of Paul, (Hendrickson Publishers, 1994) echoes the same thoughts in more detail:
Probably the one feature that distances the New Testament church most from its contemporary counterpart is its thoroughly eschatological perspective of all of life. In contrast to most of us, eschatology - a unique understanding of the time of the End - conditioned the early believers existence in every way. The first clue to this outlook came from Jesus' own proclamation of the kingdom - as a present reality in his ministry, although still a future event. But it was the resurrection of Christ and the gift of the promised (eschatological) Spirit that completely altered the primitive church's perspective, both about Jesus and about themselves. In place of the totally future eschatology of their Jewish roots, with its hope of a coming Messiah and the resurrection of the dead, the early church recognized that the future had already been set in motion. The resurrection of Christ marked the beginning of the End, the turning of the ages. However, the End had only begun; they still awaited the final event, the (now second) coming of their Messiah Jesus, at which time they too would experience the resurrection/transformation of the body. They lived "between the times"; already the future had begun, not yet had it been consummated. From the New Testament perspective the whole of Christian existence - and theology - has this eschatological "tension" as its basic framework
This changed eschatological perspective absolutely determines Paul's theological outlook: how he talks about Christ, salvation, the church, ethics, the present, and the future. This is reflected both in his language and in many of the presuppositions that determine how he expresses himself. "We are those," he reminds the Corinthians, "upon whom the ends of the ages have come" (I Cor. 10:11). Christ's death and resurrection ... have already passed sentence on the present age (2 Cor. 5:14-15), which is thus "passing away" (1 Cor. 7:31). With the coming of Christ the new order has begun; all things have become new (2 Cor. 5:17).
For Paul, therefore, salvation in Christ is a thoroughly eschatological reality, meaning first of all that God's final (eschatological) saving of his people has already been effected by Christ. The future condemnation which we all richly deserve has been transferred from the future into the past, having been borne by Christ (Rom. 8:1-3). Thus we "have been saved" (Eph. 2:8). But since our final salvation has not yet been fully realized, he can likewise speak of salvation as something presently in process ("we are being saved," I Cor. 1:18) and as yet to be consummated ("we shall be saved," Rom. 5:9). "Redemption" is both "already" (Eph. 1:7) and "not yet" (Eph. 4:30), as is our "adoption" (Rom. 8:15 and 23) and "justification" (= the gift of righteousness; Rom. 5:1 and Gal. 5:5). It is this understanding of salvation, as both "already" and "not yet," that keeps Paul from being a triumphalist. Because we are "already," we presently experience the power of Christ's resurrection; but because we are "not yet" we also presently participate in his sufferings (Phil. 3:10).
This essential framework likewise conditions Paul's understanding that the church is an eschatological community, whose members live in the present as those stamped with eternity. We live as expatriates on earth; our true citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). Ethical life, therefore, does not consist of rules to live by. Rather, empowered by the Spirit, we now live the life of the future in the present age, the life that characterizes God himself ...
For Paul this "changed eschatological perspective" derives from two experienced realities, both of which took place at the very beginning of his life in Christ: his encounter with the risen Christ on the Damascus Road ("I have seen the Lord," he avows to the Corinthians) and the subsequent gift of the eschatological Spirit. In Paul's own prior understanding of things, the resurrection of the dead and the gift of the Spirit were the two primary events that marked the end of the ages. Both of these have now been set in motion.
First, the resurrection of the dead is for Paul the final event on God's eschatological calendar, the unmistakable evidence that the End has fully arrived. For Paul the resurrection has already taken place when Christ was raised from the dead, thus setting in motion the final doom of death and thereby guaranteeing our resurrection ... Believers therefore live "between the times" with regard to the two resurrections. We have already been "raised with Christ," which guarantees our future bodily resurrection (Rom. 6:4-5; 8:10-11).
Second, ... I have above regularly referred to the Spirit as the "eschatological Spirit." That is because apart from the eschatological dimension of "promise and fulfillment" and "already but not yet," neither Paul's own experience of the Spirit nor his perception of that experience are intelligible. From his Jewish heritage he well understood that the Spirit was part of the promise for the future. The promises of the new covenant had been put into an eschatological frame by Jeremiah [Jer. 31:31-34] and Ezekial [Ez. 36:36-37:14] and had become thoroughgoing in later Jewish expectations on the basis of Joel 2:28-30. This is why the Spirit is so crucial to Paul's understanding of Christian existence. The gift of the out-poured Spirit meant that the messianic age had already arrived. The Spirit is thus the central element in this altered perspective, the key to which is Paul's firm conviction that the Spirit was both the certain evidence that the future had dawned, and the absolute guarantee of its final consummation (pp. 803-806).
[For excellent studies dealing with many aspects of this topic and others related to it I highly recommend Romans by F.F. Bruce in the Tyndale NT Commentary series (be sure to read its Introduction); A Theology of the NT by G.E. Ladd; The Epistle to the Galatians by Ronald Y.K. Fung in the New International Commentary of the NT series; and, despite its ardent trinitarianism, Gordon Fee's God's Empowering Presence or the shorter adapted version The Holy Spirit in Paul]
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by Chuck LaMattina
Chicago, Illinois
There is a Christmas carol called, "O Little Town Of Bethlehem." The first verse is as follows:
O little town of Bethlehem
How still we see thee lie!
Above thy deep and dreamless sleep
The silent stars go by
Yet in thy dark streets shineth
The everlasting light;
The hopes and fears of all the years
Are met in thee tonight.
The birth of Jesus Christ has brought to light the hopes and fears of all the years. When Jesus Christ was presented in the temple as a baby, an aged and godly man named Simeon prophesied that Jesus Christ was destined for the fall and rising of many, and that the thoughts of many hearts would be revealed through him (Luke 2:34-35).
Through Jesus Christ, God is redeeming and saving and exalting mankind. And through Jesus Christ, God is also judging the world. The prophet Isaiah knew this.
Isaiah 9:6-7 (All scripture in NKJV):
For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
In a prophecy concerning the Messiah, Isaiah declares that he will govern and judge and that he will be known among other things as the "Prince of Peace." What a wonderful message we bring when we preach Christ, we speak of peace. The shepherds near Bethlehem heard of this peace too on the night that Jesus was born.
Luke 2:8-14
Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
Then the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people.
"For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
"And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:
Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!"
Peace! Goodwill towards men! What a wonderful proclamation. Our hopes for joy, and life, and love and for peace, can now all be fulfilled through Jesus Christ. The word for "peace" here in Luke means a blessed wholeness. It is a peace that gives one a sense of total well being. This peace comes only to those who accept God's goodwill in Christ.
But not only are the world's hopes met in Jesus Christ, so are its greatest fears. The entrance of Jesus Christ into the world not only made peace available, it also brought a sword.
Matthew 10:32-34
"Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
"But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.
"Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword.
The religious and sentimental view of Jesus Christ is that he came to fling peace around indiscriminately. Like fairy dust, a little sprinkle from the Savior and some happy and positive thoughts, and all will be well. But this is not true. This is a lie. We think of Jesus Christ as meek and mild, and he is to those who submit to his Lordship. But the Bible is clear that every knee shall bow before the Lord Jesus Christ.
Philippians 2:8-11
And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father [my emphasis].
Every knee shall bow before Christ, some in loving submission, some from force. The Scriptures not only show us a Christ who is gentle and who loves for children to sit on his lap, it also shows us a Christ who can be hot with anger, and who with whip in hand can drive the money changers from the temple!
The coming of Jesus Christ was not only to bring peace, but also judgment. People talk about the wonderful grace of God, but grace does not come cheap. The salvation we can receive comes through the cross of Christ. Our salvation cost God the death of His Son. We are saved through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, by the grace of God. But conversely, rejection of the Savior renders a devastating verdict of condemnation.
Coming face to face with Jesus Christ can be a disturbing experience. Seeing him, you are confronted with the truth that without him you are doomed. Seeing him, we realize that none of our works can save us. Our only hope is in him. But many are too proud and arrogant to accept this verdict.
Matthew 11:20-24
Then He began to rebuke the cities in which most of His mighty works had been done, because they did not repent:
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes.
"but I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you.
"And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day.
"But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."
The final judgment of condemnation is not for sin, but for the rejection of the Savior from sin, the Lord Jesus Christ. The people in these cities had seen Jesus Christ work, they had heard him preach God's Word, but they rejected him. They rejected God's goodwill that would have brought them peace.
I want you to notice in verse 23 the word "Hades." This word is also translated as hell. The world has many ideas about hell from a place of fire and brimstone, to a place where we relive all our sins throughout all eternity. But biblically hell - Hades, is used for the state of death.1 It is the realm of the grave, it is life extinguished, non-existence. Do you know that the word "hell" or "Hades" is mentioned on more pages of the Bible than the word heaven itself? I came across this quote concerning what someone has said about hell.
The idea of hell was born of revenge and brutality on the one side, and cowardice on the other ... I have no respect for any human being who believes in it ... I dislike the doctrine, I hate it, I despise it, I defy this doctrine ...2
The person who said this was Robert Ingersoll, one of the last century's great American philosophers and a foremost opponent of Christ and Christianity. Robert Ingersoll is dead and Robert Ingersoll has inherited hell [Hades]. He may have railed against it, rebelled against it, marched against it, protested against it, but he is in it. His life is extinguished and his future is simply total annihilation.
People today dislike the doctrine of hell, of eternal death, of judgment. But unless one accepts the Lord Jesus Christ, hell stands like a monolithic stone over the head of every living person. God does not delight in the death of wicked (Ezekial 18). He delights in showing mercy. In a sense God does not condemn people to extinction. People sentence themselves by their rejection of the Savior. As certain as is the love and mercy of God, so is the day of judgment.
Acts 10:34-43
Then Peter opened his mouth and said: "In truth I perceive that God shows no partiality.
"But in every nation whoever fears Him and works righteousness is accepted by Him.
"The word which God sent to the children of Israel, preaching peace through Jesus Christ - He is Lord of all,
"that word you know, which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee after the baptism which John preached:
"how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
"And we are witnesses of all things which He did in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem, whom they killed by hanging on a tree.
"Him God raised up on the third day, and showed Him openly,
"not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen before by God, even to us who ate and drank with Him after He arose from the dead.
"And he commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that it is He who was ordained by God to be Judge of the living and the dead.
"To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins" [my emphasis].
Peter proclaimed as a part of the message about Christ, a day of judgment, a time when Christ will judge the living and the dead. No one will escape!
The apostle Paul proclaimed this same message of judgment, when he preached in Athens before the intellectual elite of that city.
Acts 17:22-31
Then Paul stood in the midst of the Areopagus and said, "Men of Athens, I perceive that in all things you are very religious;
for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you:
"God, who made the world and everything in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made with hands.
"Nor is He worshipped with men's hands, as though He needed anything, since He gives to all life, breath, and all things.
"And He has made from one blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and the boundaries of their dwellings,
"so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us
"for in Him we live and move and have our being, as also some of your own poets have said, 'For we are his offspring.'
"Therefore, since we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, something shaped by art and man's devising.
"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent,
"because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead" [my emphasis].
Life is not haphazard. It has a beginning and it will have an end. There are two destinies that await the choice of every man and woman. There comes a time when every man and woman needs to held face to face with the ultimate reality of the future. Like Scrooge, with the "Spirit of Christmas Future," people need to see what might be. But unlike Scrooge and his ghost, this is no work of fiction.
Romans 2:16 states that there is a day coming when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ. So many people today do not like to hear this kind of preaching and teaching. They think it to be old fashioned, unloving and unkind. They say, "Life is tough. Give me something that will help us now." The Scriptures do provide help for the here and now. But what many people really want is a kind of spiritual morphine. If a doctor says you have a cancerous growth and it has to be cut out, is he unkind? If what the Scriptures say are true, and I believe they are, then to speak the truth about judgment is the most loving thing in the world. Wouldn't you want to be informed if you were in danger? Sure!
Our world does not like preaching on judgment because our world is sinful and selfish. We are too often like children who have been warned time and time again not to do a certain thing. Then when we are caught and we receive the consequences of our actions we think our parents are cruel. Children seldom if ever think of the great love the parent has in warning the child in the first place.
God is a God of love and justice. He does not just pronounce a judgment of condemnation. He says, "Look, here is where you are , you are doomed, but here is a way of escape." He says, "I have set before you life and death - choose life!" And we can choose life when we accept Christ. This will bring us peace.
Romans 5:1
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
We can have peace with God through the Lord Jesus Christ. We can have the peace of reconciliation, of being one with God. We can have the peace of a cleared conscience, the peace of inner tranquillity that comes from knowing that you are God's child. We can have peace from the mental anguish that comes with the harsh realities of life.
Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
John 16:33
"These things I [Jesus Christ] have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world."
The world will always be a whirlwind of confusion and turmoil as it rushes headlong to its final judgment. But for those who accept Christ there can be true peace. Jesus Christ has made peace a reality.
Colossians 1:19-20
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of the cross.
Peace in life comes through the cross of Jesus Christ. In him we are reconciled to God. The word "reconcile" in this verse means to cause a thorough change. Where there was no trust, there now is. Where there was no peace, there is now peace!
What the world offers as peace is only a temporary cessation of active war. But in the heart, war and fear still rage. The peace the world offers is no more satisfying than a cup of sand offered to a man dying of thirst. We all know in the depths of our hearts that politics, education, science, the arts, even religion leave us unfulfilled. Without Christ all these things are hollow and unsatisfying.
The heart hungers for something grand and noble and pure. The heart hungers for that which is good and satisfying. The heart hungers for peace and rest. But it is only found in Christ.
Matthew 11:28-30
"Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy and My burden is light."
This is not the peace and rest of inactivity. It is the rest of knowing that you are bound for an eternity of glory with God. It is the rest of a heart, that is in harmony with God's will. It is the rest of knowing and experiencing the full blessing of God. It is total satisfaction. It is eternal life.
John 6:35-40
And Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.
"But I said to you that you have seen Me and yet do not believe.
"All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will by no means cast out.
"For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.
"This is the will of the Father who sent Me, that of all He has given Me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up at the last day.
"And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day."
When Jesus Christ was born in the town of Bethlehem almost 2000 years ago the hopes and fears of all the years came together in that manger where he lay.
There is another Christmas carol entitled "O Holy Night." The first verse reads:
O holy night the stars are brightly shining, it is the night of the dear Savior's birth;
Long lay the world in sin and error pinning, 'til he appeared and the soul felt its worth.
A thrill of hope the weary world rejoices, for yonder breaks a new and glorious morn;
For those who accept the salvation offered in Jesus Christ, the soul does for the first time feel its worth! We realize that we are saved from sin and its consequences, and that we are also saved to bear the image of God. And our hearts thrill with hope, knowing that each new day we can manifest the life and power of God, and each new day brings us closer to history's final moments.
2 Peter 4:11-13
Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness,
looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat.
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
To those who accept the Lord Jesus Christ the future is as bright as the promise of God. For those who accept Christ as Lord and Savior there is peace and rest even in the here and now. And we look forward with great expectation to a new earth, a new world, where there will be no more sorrow and tears.
People speak of making their peace with God. But there is no peace with God except that which comes through the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed are those who have Christ Jesus as Lord and Savior.
[Chuck LaMattina is the pastor of Grace Fellowship Church of God in Front Royal, Va. This article is adapted by permission from Chuck LaMattina's book Discovering Christ. This and his other books are available from Amazon.].
Footnotes
Editor's note: as the author states the Greek word "Hades" refers to the realm of non-existence in the grave. Another Greek word "gehenna," also translated "hell," refers to the "second death" or the place of final "destruction" of the ungodly after the final judgment.
As quoted in Hell You Say, (Timothy Books, Newton, Pa., 1974), p. 7.
**
The Bible is clear that there are only two possible final destinies for every person. The first is the gift of "eternal life" while the second is called "eternal punishment" (Matt. 25). The key to understanding the biblical meaning of these terms is to grasp the proper meaning of the Greek word "aionios" which is usually translated into the English as "eternal". Literally, the adjective "aionios" means "of," or "pertaining to, the (coming) age." The word "aionios" does not of itself mean "everlasting." Instead, "it is a statement of 'quality' rather than 'duration' " (New Bible Commentary, p. 938, Note 34, IVP)
Following on this understanding of "aionios" the term "eternal life" literally means "life of the coming age". The "coming age" refers to the age of the kingdom of God which will be established in a renewed earth after Christ's second coming (I Cor. 15:50). Some of the qualities of the life of this coming age are "glory, honor, and immortality" (Rom. 2:7-10). Since the coming age of the kingdom of God will "never end" (Luke 1:33) and since those who live within it will have the quality of "immortality" (i.e. deathlessness), eternal life is also "everlasting" life.
However, when it comes to the fate of the ungodly it must be recognized that the term "eternal punishment" does not include the qualities of "life" or "immortality." Instead, it is simply "punishment pertaining to the coming age." This punishment will be according to one's deeds and will culminate in a final destruction (II Thess. 1:9) of being "burned up" like chaff. There is simply no NT basis for the idea that "eternal punishment" is everlasting torment in hell.
[For more information on final punishment see the excellent book The Fire that Consumes by Edward Fudge, Providential Press
**
by Daniel J. Mahar
East Hampton, Connecticut
The "mystery" which was revealed by God to the Apostle Paul forms the heart of the gospel which Paul preached. Any serious discussion about this "mystery" should begin with the cross of Christ. To Paul, the message of the cross was powerful, for it was at the cross where Jesus Christ established the basis for the "mystery" or "secret administration." This may be confirmed through an examination of those key passages in Paul's letters where the "mystery" is discussed:
Eph. 2:13-3:6
But now you who were sometimes afar off were made near by the blood of Christ ... having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in dogmas; in order to create in Himself of both [Jew and Gentile] one new humanity, so making peace ...
For this cause ... if you have heard of the administration of the grace of God ... How by revelation He made known to me a mystery ...
That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel.
Col. 1:20-27
And, having made peace by the blood of His cross ... to reconcile all things to Himself ... whether things in earth, or things in heaven ...
I am made a minister, according to the administration of God ... Even the mystery, which had been hid from eons and from generations, but is now made manifest to His saints;
To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you , the hope of glory ...
Col. 2:14-15 (Moffatt)
He canceled the regulations which stood against us - all these obligations He set aside when He nailed them to the cross, when He cut away the Angelic Rulers and Powers from us, exposing them to all the world and triumphing over them in the cross.
I Cor. 2:6-8
But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the eons unto our glory; Which none of the Princes of the eon knew, for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.
The accomplishments of Christ at the cross are those which comprise the mystery. We may glean from the above quoted passages at least three major points:
1. The old testament (covenant) was "done away" or "abolished" along with the rules, rituals and dogmas contained in the Mosaic Law.
2. The authority of angelic powers was abolished: a condition pertaining not only to demonic powers, but to all angelic authorities including those angelic classes which exercised their control in the old testament.
3. The grounds for a "new humanity" were established: the "new creation" of the spiritual "body of Christ," wherein all members have peace and open access with God as their Father, and are all equal members regardless of race, gender or social status.
The first point is held by most Christians at various stages; few would argue that the old testament was in some sense "done away" or "abrogated" by Jesus Christ; many assert that the old testament was actually "postponed" or "put in abeyance," but Paul was very insistent that it was "abolished." Although Paul stated that the old testament was useful "for our learning" (I Cor. 10:11), he nonetheless characterized it as a "dispensation" of "death" and "condemnation" (2 Cor. 3:7,9).
The second point in regard to the abolishment of angelic authorities will perhaps prove most difficult for many to digest in regard to what we have been accustomed to believe about the spirit world being categorically divided between evil "demons" and purely-good "angels." Nowadays, "angels" are commonly thought to be synonymous with "good spirits." But Paul and other writers of his time did not think this way. While the perception of demons as thoroughly evil held true for Paul as for us, the idea that "all" angels were "good" did not, because assorted classes of angels (outside of demons) were regarded as antagonistic as well. As T. Johnson states, "In the world view of early Christian and other first century writers, there were many supernatural spirits to contend with, good and evil angels, demonic powers, and a host of invisible spirits variously named (e.g. Rom. 8:38; Eph. 1:21; 3:10; 6:12; Col. 1:16; 2:10, 15; Heb. 1:4, 14)."1
A clear connection can be seen between the rules, rituals and dogmas contained in the old testament and the "Angelic Rulers and Powers" defeated at the cross (Col. 2:14-15), because when the old testament was "done away," the authority of these angelic powers went with it. What then was that connection? First, both Paul in Gal. 3:19 and Stephen in Acts 7:53 proclaimed that the Law was "ordained," "prescribed," or "delivered" by angels. It is clear then that angels played a very active role at the formation and transmission of the OT legislation to Israel.
Secondly, Paul also stated that such regulations contained in the old testament pertaining to "days, months, times, and years" (Gal. 4:10) and "in respect to meat ... drink ... holy days ... new moons ... and Sabbaths" (Col. 2:16) were according to the "elemental spirits of the world" (Gal. 4:3,9; Col. 2:8, 20 - Moffatt, RSV, NEB and TEV).
The "elements"2 was another title used by Paul to signify angelic beings, alluded to as such because these angels governed the forces of nature and employed such natural forces as fire, water, earth and air to prescribe penalties upon those who transgressed their laws (Heb. 2:2). Their activity becomes noticeable through the numerous catastrophes which befell sinners throughout the old testament, and is recognizable in Rev. 16:2-12. These same angels prescribed the "holy days" and "sabbaths," and also functioned as "guardians and administrators" which kept people in bondage under the Law until Christ came (Gal. 3:23; 4:2) and provided us freedom from their authority.
According to the Dead Sea Scrolls, angelic hosts were also the "holy spirits" which endowed the leaders of the congregation with "knowledge" along with other spiritual manifestations and participation with these angelic spirits of "knowledge" was zealously sought;3 even the "comforter" (Paraclete) in the Gospel of John was a title widely used of angels who functioned as mediators and advocates on behalf of the elect, though Jesus in the Gospel of John re-adapted this term to pertain to the gift of holy spirit which He would send.4 It is significant that the spirit of Christ residing in every believer carries out the same functions previously performed by angels and empowers every believer with several spiritual abilities and manifestations, thus ending the need for dependence upon angels for access to God, spiritual empowerments and the resultant benefits.
A major problem perceived by Paul with the "Judaisms" of his day (regardless of whether this was always a problem, or one which later developed), was that of "angel worship" (Col. 2:19), for people were enslaved to those "called gods" (I Cor. 8:5), but "who by nature, are not gods" (Gal. 4:8). The extent of "angel worship" is witnessed from the writings of that era, and may be discerned from the Dead Sea Scrolls, as in the writing, "The Messianic Rule" (1QSa 2:3-10):
"No man smitten with any human uncleanness shall enter the assembly of God ... No man smitten in his flesh, or paralysed in his feet or hands, or lame, or blind, or deaf, or dumb, or smitten in his flesh with a visible blemish ... for the Angels of Holiness are [with] their [congregation], for he is smitten."5
Herein we are brought to our third point concerning the "new humanity" and of its necessity in relation to the abolishment of the old testament and the authority of angelic authorities. In contrast to Qumran, where people were turned away out of reverence for the "angels of holiness," Jesus turned away no one, and lovingly embraced the "rejectees"
... But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed ..." (Luke 14:12-21):
The Gospels are filled with many examples of Jesus reaching out to the "blind," the "dumb," the "lame" and so on, and delivering them of their afflictions.
But not only did the Old Testament system magnify enmity between God and humanity, it also engendered "enmity" between human beings on the grounds of race, gender and social standing in addition to those ailments listed above. But this "enmity" was destroyed at the cross of Christ:
... having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in dogmas; for to create in Himself of both [Jew and Gentile] one new humanity, so making peace;
And that He might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross ... (Eph. 2:15-16).
In the body of Christ,
there is no Jew, nor yet Gentile, there is no slave nor yet free, there is no male and female (Gal. 3:28);
From now on, "we are aquainted with no one according to the flesh" for everyone, "in Christ is a new creation" (II Cor. 5:16-17). Through the one spirit of Christ we now enjoy open access to the Father (Eph. 2:18). We have been "sealed with the holy spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:14), bestowed to us freely by God's grace and making each one of us a member of God's family:
Consequently, then, no longer are you strangers and foreigners, but you are joint-citizens of the saints and belong to God's family,
being built up on the foundation of ... Jesus Christ himself,
in whom the entire building, being connected together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord;
in Whom you, also, are being built together for God's dwelling place, in spirit (Eph. 2:19-22).
On this behalf I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for you, the nations,
since you surely hear of the administration (gr. oikonomia) of the grace of God that is given to me for you,
that by revelation the secret [mystery] is made known to me ... (Eph. 3:1-3).
The word "administration" (gr. oikonomia) literally means "home-rule" or the "rule" or "reign" of a household. The administration spoken of in Eph. 3:3 is the "home-rule" of God's family referred to in Ephesians 2:19ff. Scholars often speak of the different Jewish sects in the first century as "home rule" parties (i.e. Pharisees, Saducees, etc.),6 each possessing their own ideas as to how a theocracy should be run. However, God's "administration" established through Christ may best be understood as being the "family" that it is, rather than a political, governmental structure. In reality, God is our Father, and we are His children.
L.B. Paton noted that the "fundamental fact" and "foundation" upon which Jesus based His gospel was the "Fatherhood of God" as attested by Jesus' continual addressing God as "Father" throughout the Gospels. While this title is used in the Old Testament, Jesus advanced to this "a new meaning both extensively and intensively" going "well beyond the teaching of the Old Testament" in magnifying that "parental love of God toward His children" with a love that transcended "the limits of race" and extends to whole world (cf. John 3:16).7
God's very heart was brilliantly expressed through Jesus Christ and in contrast to the fiery swords, condemnations and judgments which were to accompany the expected Messiah, Jesus Christ came dispensing love, grace and truth. Because of that both angels and men had Him crucified. And yet even after that Christ forgave them while hanging from the cross! Christ responded to hatred with love. The message of the cross is indeed powerful, of which there is no need to be ashamed.
In conclusion, the "mystery" is a lot more than a "gap" in God's chronological plan as often portrayed in colorful dispensationalist charts. The "mystery" is God's "secret will" which He "purposed in Christ" - to have an "administration of the complement of the eras," of which God has appointed His Son as the "Head" - through which to reconcile all those in heaven and earth to himself (Eph. 1:9-11).
As Christian believers, members of the body of Christ, we have been entrusted with the "service of reconciliation" and are emissaries for Christ to proclaim this "good news" to humans and before angels (2 Cor. 5:18-21; Eph. 3:10). The "cross of Christ" may be considered our "spiritual declaration of independence" because the work of Christ resulted in true "liberty" (cf. 2 Cor. 3:17; Gal. 5:1). In a dying world where wars, strifes and slaveries abound on account of fleshly and religious differences, the "mystery" of the cross of Christ is just as relevant and urgently needed today as it was almost two thousand years ago.
A special thanks to John Cheetham of GLSBR (Jennison, MI) for his insight on the subject of the "Mystery."
[Daniel Mahar is currently translating into English a German work on the subject of angels]
Footnotes
T. Johnson, p. 94, New International Biblical Commentary, , Letters of 1,2,3 John, v.17 (Hendrickson, 1993).
For a good introduction on the "Elements" see Ernest Martin's booklet "Angelic Powers and the Law of Moses" (ASK Pub., Portland, Oregon, 1989).
E. Earle Ellis," 'Spiritual' Gifts in the Pauline Community," pp. 128-144, NTS 20, 1974.
E. Schillebeeckx, p. 423f, Christ (Crossroad, 1983).
G. Vermes, p. 102, The Dead Sea Scrolls in English (Penguin, 1987). See also Jesus and the Dead Sea Scrolls, pp. 261-267, edited by J.H. Charlesworth (Doubleday, 1992).
M. Enslin, Christian Beginnings, pp. 68, 113, etc. (Harper & Brothers, 1938).
L.B. Paton, Spiritism and the Cult of the Dead in Antiquity, pp. 290-291 (Macmillan, 1921).
**
by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
There are few more important topics in the Bible than the biblical view of the purpose, nature and destiny of man. Our understanding in regard to many other biblical subjects is directly affected by our beliefs on these key topics. Not surprisingly, they have been the subject of countless theological discussions as well as the cause of seemingly endless controversies throughout the centuries amongst the various branches of Christendom.
The Bible, however, is amazingly clear about these matters if we allow it to speak apart from theological biases. In Psalm 8 David surveys the wonders of God's creation and exclaims:
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place,
What is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?
You made him a little lower than the heavenly beings and crowned him with glory and honor.
You made him ruler over the works of your hands; you put everything under his feet (Psalm 8:3-6).
These verses are an obvious allusion to the biblical account of the creation of man recorded in the Book of Genesis. Apparently, David was not moved when he considered the majesty of God's awesome universe to think that he may have evolved from some lower form of life. Instead, God's wondrous creation turned his mind to God's "invisible qualities - his eternal power and divine nature" - through which God had created all things, including man, for the purpose of God's own glory (Rom. 1:20f; Isaiah 43:7).
The original account of man's creation provides the sure foundation for a proper understanding of man's purpose in life and the nature of his being. With this biblical understanding also comes the key to unlocking the ultimate destiny of God's people - the people of faith. Let us begin in Genesis 1:26-27:
Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Though there has long been speculation about the meaning of the phrase "in the image of God", Old Testament scholars generally agree that this is the language of royalty. God created man in his own image in order to endow man with a "god-like" kingship or rulership over the created earth - to be exercised in fellowship with God. This intimate relationship was meant to bring blessing to man and glory to God. The NIV Study Bible explains these verses as follows:
God speaks as the Creator-King, announcing his crowning work to the members of his heavenly court ... Man is the climax of God's creative activity, and God has "crowned him with glory and honor" and "made him ruler" over the rest of his creation (Ps. 8:5-8). Since man was created in the image of the divine king, delegated sovereignty (kingship) was bestowed on him.
Victor P. Hamilton adds the following comments in relationship to the fact that much of Genesis 1 is an obvious contrasting of God's true creation order to the mythological creation stories and beliefs of the nations that surrounded Israel:
In ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian society the king, or some other high-ranking official, might be called "the image of God." Such a designation, however, was not applied to the canal digger or to the mason who worked on a ziggurat. Gen. 1 may be using royal language to describe simply "man." In God's eyes all of mankind is royal. All of humanity is related to God, not just the king (The New Int. Com. of the OT, p. 135).
Let us note that nowhere does the Bible ever say that man lost this status of being "in the image of God" after his expulsion from the garden of Eden (cf. Gen. 9:6; James 3:9). Yes, creation was "cursed" but the very fact that man was created in the image of God is the basis upon which other biblical statements are made (e.g. it is the reason for the death penalty being prescribed for murder, Gen. 9:6; cf. James 3:9).
This understanding of man created "in the image of God" has important consequences for our understanding of the nature of man as a unity rather than as separable parts. Hamilton continues in his commentary on these verses:
It is clear that v. 26 is not interested in defining what is the image of God in man. The verse simply states the fact, which is repeated in the following verse. Nevertheless, innumerable definitions have been suggested: conscience, the soul, original righteousness, reason, the capacity for fellowship with God ... etc. Most of these definitions are based on subjective inferences rather than objective exegesis. Any approach that focuses on one aspect of man - be that physical, spiritual, or intellectual - to the neglect of the rest of man's constituent features seems doomed to failure. Gen. 1:26 is simply saying that to be human is to bear the image of God. This understanding emphasizes man as a unity. No part of man, no function of man is subordinated to some other, higher part or activity.
The popular notion that man is a "spiritual being housed in a body" is totally contrary to the biblical way of thinking. In the Bible man is pictured not as a three-part or two-part being but as a single unity - a "living being" (Gen. 2:7). When the Bible speaks of man's "spirit, soul and body" (I Thess. 5:23) it is not delineating a three-part being anymore than it is teaching a four-part being when it tells us to love God with all our "heart, soul, mind and strength." This is simply a biblical way of emphasizing the whole person, not a method of differentiating parts.
In the Bible salvation has to do with the whole man and the whole creation (Rom. 8:18f). Man was the crowning achievement of that creation and the biblical doctrine of redemption and salvation has as its goal the restoration and establishment of an even greater "inhabited world to come" (Heb. 2:4). Our destiny is not to be found in a resting place "beyond the sky." Instead, the biblical hope is for "the restoration of all things"- to be fulfilled at the second coming of Christ (Acts 3:21). It is true that the "kingdom of God" which we will inherit (I Cor. 15:50) is called a "heavenly kingdom" (II Tim. 4:18) but that is only because it is now "kept in heaven" until it will be "revealed in the last time" (I Pet. 1:4-5). The letter of II Peter sums up the clear biblical hope for the final destiny of man:
But in keeping with his promise we are looking forward to a new heaven and new earth, the home of righteousness (II Pet. 3:13).
Though this was first promised to the Old Testament people of God, it continues to be a promise for God's new covenant people as well. Man was created to rule over the earth and in the re-created "world to come" God's people will once again, with Christ, enjoy that rulership free from the sin, frustrations and death of this present evil age. May this hope be the "anchor" of our lives (Heb. 6:19) as we seek in this life to truly live for him.
**
by Steve Jones
Jonesboro, GA
Many Christians consider the doctrine of endless torture a non-negotiable tenet. To deny it is to deny sound teaching and to join the ranks of the cults. Many sincere Bible teachers insist we believe in a God who torments the unconverted forever. At the same time, we are told that God does not delight in the death of the wicked, that he is full of tender mercies.
Is this the consistent doctrine of Scripture regarding final punishment? Will God, whose name is love (I John 4:7), keep most of mankind alive so that he can perpetually burn them with flames? Certainly, we have a right to ask the question, since Paul tells us to "test all things" (I Thess. 5:21).
We would concur that certain isolated texts may suggest such a punishment for the lost. These passages are very small in number. The general tenor Scripture, on the other hand, seems to suggest something different. Consistently, we read that the wicked will finally die, perish, be cut off, slain, devoured and destroyed.
Old Testament Teaching
One of the great difficulties with the popular view of final punishment or hell is the profound silence of the Old Testament. This is frequently admitted by orthodox believers. Everywhere we find God warning sinners to repent. He threatens judgment for disobedience and carries it out on many occasions. But the idea of endless torture after death is extremely obscure.
God threatened Adam and Eve with death as a punishment for their sin. This He defined, not as an eternity of pain, but as a return to the dust of the earth (Gen. 3:19). Many Bible teachers will point out that God said "in the day you eat of it [the tree of knowledge of good and evil] you shall die" (Gen. 2:17). Orthodoxy reasons that because the pair did not drop dead the same day they sinned, the "death" must be of a different kind.
This does not follow. The Hebrews often spoke in an anticipative or proleptic sense. That which is certain to happen is spoken of as a present reality. For an example, when Abimelech took Abraham's wife, God said to him, "Behold, you are a dead man" (Gen. 20:3). In other words, death was imminent, though not literally present.
The absence of explicit instructions regarding the punishment due Adam and Eve - and their posterity - is bewildering in light of the common view. Did God send sinners to hell for thousands of years before He ever disclosed this awful fact? We wonder how God could have warned Israel in precise detail about plagues, droughts and other punishments without saying a word about the worst punishment of all. Read the penalties for disobedience to the Mosaic Law (Deut. 28:15-68). Where are the warnings of hellfire in a future life?
Not a word came from the lips of Abraham, Isaac or Jacob about an endless hell. Likewise, Moses, Joshua, the Judges of Israel and the Psalmists are silent on the matter. The prophets of Israel and Judah, though they say much of God's wrath, fail to teach anything about torments after death. Jeremiah does mention "the valley of the son of Himmon" (Jer. 7:32), which any Bible dictionary will identify as the Gehenna or hell spoken of by Jesus. But in this text, the prophet calls this place "the Valley of Slaughter." Anyone can see that "slaughter" is something entirely different than an endless existence in agony.
Isaiah mentions "everlasting burnings" in his prophecy (Isa. 33:14). But, amazingly, he calls this judgment "the devouring fire." This contradicts what many Christians teach about hell. Sinners are supposed to writhe in the flames without ever being devoured. But Isaiah denies it. He also says that no one can dwell in the everlasting burnings, despite the view that hell is "the eternal abode of sinners."
The many occurrences of the word "hell" in the King James Version of the Old Testament are the result of faulty translating. Modern versions of Scripture have corrected the error. They seldom, if ever, render the Hebrew word sheol in this way. Instead, we read such words as "the pit," "the grave" or "death." The same is true of the New Testament word hades, which should never have been translated "hell" in the first place. Check any Bible dictionary.
Many times, the prophets of Israel mention fire in connection with divine judgment. But they always present fire as an agent of destruction, not torment in a future life. Zephaniah, for example, said, "In the fire of his jealous wrath, all the earth shall be consumed" (Zeph. 1:18). Malachi said, "the day comes, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of Hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch" (Mal. 4:1). He goes on to say that the wicked would be reduced to ashes under the feet of the righteous (v. 2, 3).
The Teaching of Jesus
Jesus spoke of a final judgment in which God would "destroy both soul and body in hell" (Matt. 10:28). This text is so ruinous to the common view that Bible teachers have assigned a theological meaning to the word "destroy." Many who claim to "take the Bible literally" escape the obvious meaning here by re-defining "destroy" as eternal, conscious separation from God. But the Bible nowhere else uses "destroy" in such a self-contradictory manner.
The word "hell" is translated from the word Gehenna, seldom used in the Scripture. Once the sight of idolatrous worship, it was a garbage dump outside Jerusalem where the bodies of executed criminals were cast. Worms fed on the carcasses. The imagery was familiar to the Jews. When Jesus said that the wicked would be destroyed in Gehenna, everyone knew what he meant.
In Mark 9:48, Jesus speaks of a place where "their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched." But this does not prove endless torments. The passage is actually a quote from Isaiah 66:24: "And they shall go forth and look on the dead bodies of the men that have rebelled against me; for their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh." The fire and worms are feeding on corpses, not "never-dying souls."
Jesus does speak of "eternal punishment" in Matthew 25:48. But we would affirm that the destruction of evildoers in wrath qualifies in every way as an eternal punishment. The effects of such a punishment last forever, as long as the eternal life enjoyed by the righteous. The wicked will be extinct, never to rise again. The punishment is eternal.
Some may object that we are playing games with words. But the authors of Scripture often use "eternal" to modify an activity that takes place in limited time, as long as the effects are ongoing. For example, the Bible uses the term "eternal redemption" to signify a once-for-all event with ongoing effects. Jesus Christ is not eternally redeeming his people. He did that in time, on the cross. But the effects of his redemption stretch into eternity.
Jesus often informed his hearers that unbelievers will perish in the judgment (Luke 13:1-5; John 3:16) and not see life (John 3:36). They would be gathered and burned, as men burn withered sticks (John 15:6). The meanings of these words were evident to the common people of his day.
Many will appeal to the story of the Rich Man and Lazarus in Luke 16 as proof of eternal torment. But the story is admitted on all hands as non-literal in many respects. Few believe that the story is an accurate account of what goes on after death. The Hebrew imagery of the dead carrying on conversations is not unique (Isaiah 14:3-10). Furthermore, the story does not deal with the final punishment at all. It is a pre-resurrection account (verses 27-28) and does not address the duration of punishment after the Judgment Day.
Apostolic Teaching
The apostles taught the same view. Read the evangelistic sermons in the Book of Acts and see if they speak a word about eternal torments. Peter said, "every soul that does not listen to that prophet [Jesus] shall be destroyed from the people" (Acts 3:23). Destruction, not endless suffering, is the end of God's Judgment.
The epistles take up the same idea. Paul, who "did not shrink from declaring to you anything that was profitable," (Acts 20:20) warns no one about eternal torment. On the contrary, he writes of those whose "end is destruction" (Phil. 3:10) and of the ungodly who will face "eternal destruction" at the coming of the Lord (2 Thess. 1:8-9).
"The wages of sin," says Paul, "is death" (Rom. 6:23). He does not tell his readers, "the wages of sin is to burn in hell without dying." Yet, that is the very thing orthodoxy teaches. Again, the apostle says that "if you live according to the flesh, you will die" (Rom. 8:13). If eternal torment is true, why would he cloak the doctrine in ambiguity - especially considering the gravity of the matter?
Peter also teaches the destruction of the wicked on Judgment Day. He likens their fate unto the incineration of Sodom and Gomorrah (2 Pet. 2:6-7). James speaks of the unrighteous rich who will be led off to slaughter and consumed by their wealth (James 5:1-5).
In Revelation 14:10-11, we read that God torments those who worship the beast, adding "the smoke of their torments goes up forever and ever." But this is language borrowed from the destruction of Edom (Isa. 34:10), it has nothing to do with misery in a future life. There is nothing in the text that demands such a thing.
The testimony of both the testaments is conclusive: the wicked will most surely perish. "The Lord preserves all who love him; but all the wicked will he destroy" (Psa. 145:20).
[Steve Jones is co-editor of the monthly newsletter Christian Perspectives. Copies of this article in pamphlet form may be obtained by writing to: Christian Perspectives, 3324-36 Pheasant Ridge SE, Kentwood, MI 49508]
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
In many Christian and, paradoxically, "new age" circles man is often said to be a "spiritual being." This puts man into a similar category with angels, evil spirits, etc. It also makes him a part of the so-called spiritual world. But is this biblically accurate? I quote from E.W. Bullinger's work Word Studies on the Holy Spirit, pp. 19-20:
By the union of "body" and "pneuma" [spirit], man becomes "living soul," i.e., a living being (Gen. 2:7). When the body returns to dust "as it was" (Gen. 2:19), and the pneuma returns "to God who gave it" (Ecc. 12:7; Ps. 104: 29-30), man becomes, and is called, a "dead soul." See Lev. 21:11 and Num. 6:6.
Hence, at death the pneuma is "commended" to God for his keeping (Ps. 31:5; Luke 23:46; Acts 7:59), until it shall be re-united with the body in resurrection. While man thus possesses pneuma, he is never once called "a spirit," as angels are. They are spiritual beings, man is a human being.
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
The parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, as found in Luke 16:19-31, is often appealed to as proof that Jesus and the New Testament teach a conscious existence immediately after death. But is this true? I quote from several of the leading commentaries on the Gospel of Luke:
[E. Earl Ellis, The New Century Bible Commentary, the Gospel of Luke, pp. 201-202, 206]
The general theme of the parable is familiar to the Lord's audience ... but it is not necessarily a "true after-life story". Some have thought that Jesus tells the parable to reveal what happens after death. However, the general currency of this story-theme in Judaism does not support this view. And Jesus himself expresses contrary views elsewhere about the future life (see on Luke 20:27-40). These facts indicate rather strongly that he does not intend here to give a preview of life after death. On this almost all commentators agree ... It is probable, rather, that Jesus makes use of a well known story to illuminate certain truths about the kingdom of God ... The picture of judgment and reward immediately at death is contrary to the usual New Testament understanding. Cf. Mt. 10:15; Acts 17:31; Jn. 5:28f.; I Thess. 4:13ff.; 2 Tim. 4:8; Rev. 20:13.
[Norval Geldenhuys, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Gospel of Luke p. 428. Geldenhuys here quotes A. Plummer from The International Critical Commentary]
We must remember that we have here to do with a parable and not with a real occurrence and that "it is no purpose of the parable to give information about the unseen world ... the details of the picture are taken from [popular] Jewish beliefs as to the condition of souls in Sheol, and must not be understood as confirming those beliefs ... "
[I.H. Marshall, The New International Greek Testament Commentary, pp. 632-633, 637]
The editorial comment in 17:1 reminds us that the audience for this parable is still the Pharisees; there has in fact been no break in the teaching of Jesus since v. 15 ... the background to the teaching is more probably found in non-biblical sources ... The general motif of this story found its way into Jewish lore, and it is attested in some seven versions ... It is clear that Jesus' parable bears some relation to this folk tale ... Jewish representations of the after-life were fluid and developing, so that consistent pictures are hardly to be expected ... It is manifest too that the details are not to be taken literally.
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by Don Robertson
Rock Hill, South Carolina
1. Luke 16: It was light enough to "see afar off" and recognize people (v. 23)
In Sheol: there is only "darkness" (Job 17:14; Ps. 88: 6, 12).
2. Luke 16: Lazarus was "comforted" (v. 25).
In Sheol: there is "corruption" (Job 17:14) and "destruction" (Job 26:6).
3. Luke 16: Rich man told to "remember" (v. 25).
In Sheol: there is "no remembrance" (Ps. 6:5).
4. Luke 16: "said" or "cried" is used 7 times.
In Sheol: there is "silence" (Ps. 31:17; Ps. 115:17).
5. Luke 16: Abraham and the rich man had some knowledge of their circumstances.
In Sheol: "there is no knowledge" (Eccl. 9:10); the dead "know not anything" (Eccl. 9:5).
6. Luke 16: Abraham had wisdom (v. 31).
In Sheol: "there is no wisdom" (Eccl. 9:10).
7. Luke 16: Did Abraham or Lazarus ever praise the Lord or give God thanks?
In Sheol: "the dead praise not the Lord" (Ps. 115:17; Isa. 38:18).
8. Luke 16: The rich man was "tormented in this flame" (v. 24).
In Sheol: the dead "sleep" (Job. 3:13; 14:12; Dan. 12:2) and "rest" (Job. 3:18; Dan. 12:13).
[Don Robertson has made two excellent tapes on the subjects of the Trinity and Eternal Punishment. To obtain them write to this newsletter]
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
To understand the biblical view of life, death and the future destiny of man it is necessary to first have a firm grasp of the biblical view of the nature of man. Fortunately, this is one subject of which there is a great deal of unanimity in the world of biblical scholarship - at least as regards the original creation of man and the Old Testament view of man in general. However, it does not seem that this understanding has been effectively communicated to the Church at large. The result has been an infiltration into Christian doctrine of ideas that have their origin in pagan Greek or Oriental religion and philosophy. As representative of the scholarly consensus about the biblical view of the nature of man, I quote from the chapter "Life and Death in the Old Testament" by M.A. Knibb in the book The World of Ancient Israel (ed. R.C. Clements, Cambridge):
The account of the creation of man in the ... narrative of the creation and fall (Gen. 2:4b-3:24) epitomizes the Old Testament view of the constitution of man: "Yahweh God formed man of the dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life ... and the man became a living being (nepes hayyah)" (Gen. 2:7). It is widely recognized that there is no suggestion here of a dichotomy between body and soul; the "breath of life" is not conceived of as having an existence somehow separate from the body, and it is man as an entity who becomes a "living being." Thus, for example, Westermann comments: "a human being does not consist of a number of parts (like body and soul and so on), but rather is "something" that comes into being as a human person by a quickening into life ... a person is created as a nepes hayyah [living soul]; a "living soul" is not put into one's body."
The idea that man's life depends on the breath breathed into him by God is expressed in the Old Testament in a variety of ways. Gen. 2:7 uses the expression "the breath of life", but in Job 33:4 (cf. 32:8) this is explicitly identified as "the breath of the Almighty":
"The spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life."
Here "spirit" (ruach) and "breath" (nesamah) are used virtually synonymously, as they are also in Isa. 42:5; and in some later passages ruach is used with the meaning "breath" simply as a synonym of nesamah: cf. Gen. 6:17; 7:15; Zech. 12:1 ... just as the life of man is dependent on the gift of Yahweh of the "breath" or "spirit," so the withdrawal of this by Yahweh means the death of man:
"When you take away their breath [ruach], they die and return to their dust.
When you send forth your breath [ruach], they are created, and you renew the face of the earth" (Psa. 104:29-30).
... Correspondingly, in Ezekial's vision of the renewal of the nation (Ezekial 37), sinews, flesh and skin first come upon the bones, but life only returns to them after the "breath" (ruach) comes into them at Yahweh's command [p. 398].
In addition to this understanding of life and death it must be emphasized that nowhere does the Old Testament indicate that man was created in any sense as "immortal": either as an immortal person as a whole or as having an immortal "part" such as "spirit" or "soul."
... There is no suggestion in the narratives of the creation and fall, nor indeed in the Old Testament as a whole, that man was created immortal and lost his immortality as a result of disobedience. In Gen. 2:17 death is certainly prescribed as the penalty for eating the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but there is no hint that man originally had possessed immortality ... the implication of 3:22-24, which refer to the tree of life which might have given man immortality is that man did not at that time possess it. There is thus no idea in the narrative of the creation and fall that man had once been immortal [ibid., pp. 402-403].
The Old Testament View of Death
Despite the fact that the Old Testament sometimes uses poetic imagery in regards to the state of the dead (e.g. Isaiah 14:3-23) there is no evidence that death was meant to be understood as anything other than what its natural meaning would indicate: lifelessness, without consciousness, as expressed by the metaphor of "sleep". The common idea that people were believed to continue in a "shadowy existence in a weaker form of life" (i.e., as "shades") in the underworld of Sheol does not accord well with the general picture presented in the Old Testament as exemplified by such plain statements as follow:
Lighten my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death (Psalm 13:3).
For in death there is no remembrance of thee (Psalm 6:5).
Man's breath goes forth, he returns to the earth; in that very day his thoughts perish (Psalm 146:4).
For the living know that they shall die, but the dead know not anything (Eccl. 9:5).
In short, the Old Testament view of death is summed up by James H. Charlesworth in his introduction to Vol. I of The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha (Doubleday):
At death the individual simply is gathered to his final (or father's) place, the tomb. Sheol and the netherworld is described as the abode of the dead, not of people who continue to live after death ... Only through his reputation or a son does his life continue on the earth (p. xxxiii).
Life After Death in the Old Testament Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha
After the return of many Israelites from their period of exile in Babylon and Assyria a time-span of some 400 years passed between the last book of the Old Testament, Malachi, and the coming of John the Baptist. During this time, many foreign influences were introduced into the religious thinking of Judaism by the various empires - Persian, Greek and Roman - that occupied the general area of Palestine and beyond. Here it is important to make a clear distinction between the views and beliefs of the religion of Judaism (an increasingly fragmented religion made of up various sects and views, much like Christianity today) with that of the Old Testament biblical view.
The Old Testament Apocrypha and Pseudepigrapha represent Jewish writings of this time that were heavily influenced by a combination of the Old Testament, Greek or Hellenistic thought and the popular pagan oriental religions of that day. The Apocryphal books eventually found their way into the Greek translation of the Old Testament, the Septuagint, but were never considered to be a part of the Hebrew Canon of scripture. The so-called Pseudepigraphical writings were collected only recently (mostly 19th century) so as to be a "body" of writings under the heading of "Psuedepigrapha". Many of these as individual writings such as I Enoch were apparently quite influential in the thinking of many Jewish people (and later many Christians) in the centuries just before and after Christ.
All of these books to a greater or lesser degree reflect a combination of Old Testament, Hellenistic and popular speculative thinking from the centuries just before Christ. They, together with the Dead Sea Scrolls, are extremely important for understanding the history and the thought world of early Judaism around the time of Christ. However, they are far less important for gaining an understanding of the biblical view of things and in some cases they are more likely to be detrimental to it. It is from these books that such ideas as the immortality of the soul, immediate conscious existence after death, eternal torment and all kinds of non-biblical ideas relating to angels, spirits and the after-life crept into Jewish, and later, into Christian thinking. When Paul spoke of "Jewish myths" and "speculations" to refute and to beware of, it was in all likelihood these, and similar types of writings, about which he spoke. Charlesworth summarizes the views presented in the Apocrypha and the Pseudepigrapha regarding death and the after-life:
In contrast to this [Old Testament] perception are the ideas developed in post-exilic Judaism. Some books in the Apocrypha contain numerous explicit references to the resurrection of the dead (see esp. 2 Mac 7, 14), or possibly even to the immortality of the soul (Wisdom of Solomon) ... Some pseudepigrapha, even more than these other documents, contain many passages that with pellucid clarity express the belief in a resurrection after death ...
Logically, subsequent to the development of this idea is the attempt to describe the future place of rest for the righteous. Hence, picturesque images of Paradise appear in many pseudepigrapha. The various pictorial descriptions are characterized by mutually exclusive ideas. Paradise is placed sometimes in the third heaven ... and sometimes on the earth ... It is depicted as either without inhabitants ... or with inhabitants... It is portrayed as both an eternal inheritance ... and a state preceding the end ... The Pseudepigrapha mirror a living religion in which the attempt was made to come to terms with the dynamic phenomena of history and experience [ibid. p.xxxiii].
No doubt such literature helped keep alive the hope of a future just society achieved through divine intervention and resurrection of the dead as set forth in OT passages such as Dan. 12:2, but this was often at the expense of a mixture of pagan thought concepts. E. Earl Ellis describes the resulting religious thought world at the time of the coming of Christ:
In the time of Jesus Jewish views on the future life varied from group to group. Usually more resistant to the inroads of Hellenistic culture, the Pharisees in this matter were considerably, and rather early, influenced by Greek thought. The departure of the "soul" to reward or punishment immediately at death was for them a widespread if not dominant belief ... The Essenes (or some of them) shared this view, perhaps along with the Pharisees' doctrine of resurrection ... The Sadducees believed in neither "resurrection, neither angel nor spirit." In their view soul and body perished together at death. Like the Sadducees and the Old Testament Psalms ... the Qumran writings also seem to regard the whole man as mortal, perishing at death ... But in addition there is the distinct hope ... [of] ... an immortality for the righteous via resurrection. This view is closer to the New Testament thought than the teachings of either the Pharisees or Sadducees ... [The New Century Bible Commentary, the Gospel of Luke, pp. 234-235].
The Destiny of God's People: Paradise in a New Heaven and New Earth
Whoever would profess to understand all that will take place after Christ's return or all the details concerning the final destiny of God's people would do so only in the face of clear scriptural statements that teach us that this is not now presently possible. Two verses come immediately to mind:
Dear friends, now we are the children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (I John 3:2).
Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then shall I know fully, even as I am known (I Cor. 13:12).
Without claiming to understand all the details we can, however, surely say that the final destiny of God's people is clearly stated in the Bible as being "a new heaven and earth, the home of righteousness" (II Pet. 3:13; cp. Rev. 21:1ff.). That this is also equivalent to the term "kingdom of God" or "paradise" can be seen from a comparison of the characteristics of these two terms with that of the biblical hope of the new heaven and earth.
I Corinthians 15, for instance, describes the "kingdom of God" which will be inherited at Christ's return as being "imperishable." For this specific reason flesh and blood man cannot inherit it. Man must be "changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye at the last trumpet" so that the "perishable clothes itself with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality" (I Cor. 15:50ff). Only in this way can man enter into this new "imperishable" realm. Likewise, though probably rich in symbolic language, the promise to the believer to be able to eat of "the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God" (Rev. 2:7) is without any question a promise to have an immortal life in the "paradise" of "a new heaven and earth" because that is precisely where this "tree of life" and "paradise" are located (Rev. 22:1-5, 14).
It is interesting that for neither Paul nor the writer of the Book of Revelation is the hope for man's ultimate destiny to be found in "heaven" or even in a "millennium" on earth. Instead, it is to be found in the final "imperishable" kingdom of God where sin, death and destruction can play no part. Since it is self-evident that the picture presented in Rev. 20 of the perishable millennium cannot fit with Paul's own descriptions of an imperishable kingdom of God (I Cor. 15:50), it is not surprising that many have wondered how this millennium (which is only mentioned in Rev. 20) is to be understood. R.J. Bauckham comments on this in his article "Eschatology" in the New Bible Dictionary, p. 347:
It should be emphasized that no other passage of Scripture clearly refers to the millennium. To apply OT prophecies of the age of salvation specifically to the millennium runs counter to the general NT interpretation of such prophecies, which find their fulfillment in the salvation already achieved by Christ and to be consummated in the age to come. This is also how Rev. itself interprets such prophecies in chs. 21f. Within the structure of Rev. the millennium has a limited role, as a demonstration of the final victory of Christ and his saints over the powers of evil. The principle object of Christian hope is not the millennium but the new creation of Rev. 21:1f. ...
Whatever one's understanding of the millennium may be it must be emphasized that the promise held out to the "overcomer" in Rev. 2:7 is not for a share in the millennium - it is to partake of the tree of life in the paradise of the new heaven and earth. Thus, even in the Book of Revelation itself the ultimate hope is focused on a final paradise not on an "intermediate state" - whether it be in heaven or on earth (cf. Rev. 21:1f; Rom. 8:18-21; I Cor. 15:50f). R.J. Bauckham summarizes well the biblical picture of the hope for the final destiny of God's people:
The destiny of the redeemed is to be like Christ ... to be with Christ ... to share in his glory ... and his kingdom ... to be sons of God in perfect fellowship with God ...
With the final achievement of human salvation there will come also the liberation of the whole material creation from its share in the curse of sin (Rom. 8:19-23). The Christian hope is not for redemption from the world, but for the redemption of the world. Out of judgment (Heb. 12:26; 2 Pet. 3:10) will emerge a recreated universe ... "a new heaven and a new earth in which righteousness dwells" (2 Pet. 3:13). ["Eschatology," New Bible Dictionary, p. 347-348]
And so we say in unity with whole New Testament, "Amen. Come, Lord Jesus!"
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by Chuck LaMattina
Chicago, Illinois
It may seem foolish to state this, but Jesus Christ is fundamental and central to Christianity. Christianity is not about principles and programs, it is about a person. It is not about theories, it is about reality. It is not just about adopting a new value system, it is about having life or not having it. In the Gospel of John, Jesus Christ states,
John 10:10 (all verses from NKJV)
The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.
In the epistle of I John, the apostle writes,
I John 5:12
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life.
And again in the letter to the Colossians, the apostle Paul writes,
Colossians 3:3-4
For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
According to the Word of God only those who have Jesus Christ have life. And the excellency of our life now, as Christians, depends on the clear understanding of our identification and total union with Christ. We need to fully understand and then build on the life we have through, in and with him. Indeed, our heavenly Father's goal, is that we be like Christ.
Romans 8:29
For whom He (God) foreknew [i.e. the Christian believer], He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He [Christ] might be the firstborn among many brethren.
C.S. Lewis, an English author, wrote a satire on Christianity called The Screwtape Letters. In the book there are letters from a devil spirit named "Screwtape" to his apprentice devil spirit named "Wormwood." Wormwood is trying to keep the Christian he is assigned to from really living in all the fullness and sufficiency he has in Christ. Trying to help out, Screwtape writes the following to his apprentice:
My dear Wormwood,
What we want, if men become Christian at all, is to keep them in the state of mind I call, "Christianity And." You know - "Christianity and the Crisis," or "Christianity and the New Psychology," or "Christianity and the New Order" or "Christianity and Vegetarianism," or "Christianity and Spelling Reform." If they must be Christian let them be "Christians" with a difference. Substitute for the faith itself some Fashion with a Christian coloring.
Even though The Screwtape Letters is a fictional work, it shows us why many Christians experience an anemic Christian life. It explains why there is so little true power and joy in the lives of far too many children of God. It also explains why the world really doesn't see the church as having viable and relevant truth to present in the great market place of ideas. After all why should the world accept Christ, if the church so freely buys into all that the world offers?
Many of us are being tricked into thinking that we need something more in addition to Christ. We are being told that we need to adorn the gospel of Christ with bells and whistles. We need Christ and business principles, or Christ and the new theories from sociology and psychology. We are being told that we need to wrap up the gospel in some new clothes in order to make it appealing to our age. But all the things we can add to Christianity, can only in the end, dilute the power of the pure gospel of Christ. Look at what the apostle Paul writes near the end of his letter to the Romans.
Romans 15:29
But I know that when I come to you, I shall come in the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.
Look again at the words that Paul uses, by divine revelation, when pointing to Christ. He speaks of "fullness," "blessing" and the "gospel," which literally means "good news!"
Paul wasn't bringing to Rome principles for profitable living. He wasn't going to bring pious platitudes for the Pharisees among them. He wasn't bringing academic rhetoric and theory. He wasn't going to bring a new marketing strategy for growing the church, or a new sociological or psychological study that would really make their marriages great. Paul was going to Rome, and he was bringing "the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ." He was bringing good news that could truly change people and provide all they needed for their new life!
In the book of Revelation, chapter 1 and in verse 11, Jesus Christ calls himself, "the Alpha and the Omega." This means that he is the first and the last. In our vernacular today we would say that Christ is everything from "A to Z." He is simply everything we need in life.
This world of ours is filled with real needs and stubborn problems. We are riddled with crime. We have racial, social and family strife. We have financial problems, emotional problems. Our world is full of sinful behavior. Where does the solution lie? We've tried more laws and more education. We've spent billions of dollars. The only real solution is in the knowledge of God and our Lord Jesus Christ, and then to let this knowledge make its impact on our lives.
2 Peter 1:2-4
Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord,
as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue,
by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
In the exceedingly great and precious promises in God's Word, we have given to us in Christ Jesus everything we need for life and godliness. We have everything we need to be healed physically, emotionally and spiritually. In the knowledge of God and of Christ, grace and peace is multiplied to us. As we grow in our knowledge of what we have and who we are, and what we can do through Jesus Christ, we can experience greater grace and peace. We can live with confidence, manifesting more of his character in our lives.
And we are given the power to escape the "corruption" that is in the world, a corruption driven by lust. Literally, the "corruption" refers to the influence of a huckster. The huckster is someone involved in deceitful dealings to make a dishonest gain. He is a fraud and what he is selling is fake. It seems like everyone today wants to sell you some new and improved philosophy or psychology, or religion. But all they really want to do is to make money off of you! But when you come to Christ, you come to someone who gave his life for you. You come to one who heals, who delivers, to a Savior who gives true wisdom and power.
No wonder Satan would have us grasping for every new idea, every new program, rather than learning about Jesus Christ and who we are and what we can do in and through and with him. Don't think for a moment that a thorough and practical knowledge of Jesus Christ is irrelevant to today's demands on your life. The message of the cross, of our redemption and new life in Christ has not played itself out. The gospel has not lost any of its vitality. It may be an old, old story, but it has the power to change your life.
Romans 1:15-16
So, as much as is in me, I am ready to preach the gospel to you who are in Rome also.
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also the Greek.
The gospel of Christ has in it the power to make our lives whole and complete. The gospel is the power of God to deliver us from bondage, to heal, to forgive. The gospel of Christ is the very power of God!
I Corinthians 1:18
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
To some the message of the cross is foolishness. But to others it is the power of God. And what is the message of the cross? The message of the cross is that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whoever believes in him should not perish but have everlasting life. The message of the cross is that when Christ was buried, our old sinful nature was buried with him. And the message of the cross is that when Christ was raised from the dead, we too were given newness of life in him!
Romans 6:3-4
Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death?
Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
When believers are baptized into Christ they are immersed in him. Being immersed in him we are inextricably linked together, united for all eternity. Being united with him by the glorious power of God, we are able to live differently, to become victors rather than victims. As Christians united to Christ in his death and burial and resurrection, we have the right and the privilege, and the power to change for the better.
Going back to I Corinthians we read,
I Corinthians 1:18-25
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For it is written:
"I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, And bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent."
Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the disputer of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?
For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe.
For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom;
but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness,
but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.
Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
We must say it again. Christ is the power and the wisdom of God. He is our all and all. He is all we ever need. Though it may sound foolish that because a man was crucified and buried and raised from the dead almost 2000 years ago, your life can be different, it is nonetheless true.
There are those who seek after "wisdom" - some fashionable idea, some modern method, some new program. There are those who seek after a "sign" - some spiritual phenomenon. But true wisdom and true power are found in Christ alone. In Jesus Christ we have what the world could never provide by logic or showmanship, we have the supernatural and miraculous wisdom and power of God!
I Corinthians 1:26-31
For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.
But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty;
and the base things of the world and the and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are,
that no flesh should glory in His presence.
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God - and righteousness and sanctification and redemption -
that, as it is written,
"He who glories, let him glory in the LORD" [my emphasis].
It is in Christ that we have true wisdom, the insight for living. Our guilt is gone before God. With righteousness we stand before God holy and without blame, and we have boldness to approach the throne of God with assurance. Christ is made unto us sanctification, separating us from a corrupt and corrupting world. In our sanctification in Christ we are given to God as His inheritance, made saints and destined for glory.
With Christ we have redemption. We are freed from every form of bondage whether spiritual, physical or emotional. With Christ we have all that we need for life and godliness. With Christ we can not only come to grips with the affairs of life, we can overcome the world (I John 5:4-5)! The truths of who we are and what we can do in Christ are more relevant to the present world scene than any new psychology or self help group.
Colossians 2:6-10
As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him,
rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.
For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.
The Lord Jesus Christ is our total sufficiency! We need to believe it in the depths of our hearts and then act on it. The greatest danger to the Christian believer comes from not being rooted and grounded in Christ. Satan will always try to deceive us to think that we need more than the Lord. But we must not allow anyone or anything to rob us of our total completeness in him.
There is nothing lacking in our life when we have Christ. We lack neither purpose in life, nor the power to live life more abundantly. In our Lord Jesus Christ dwells all the fullness of God and we are absolutely complete in him! He is our life!
Because of Christ we can be free from worry and fear, from the anxieties that eat away at so many people today. We can be free from the emptiness and the restlessness that permeates our world.
Matthew 11:28-30
Come unto Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.
To those who struggle with intellectual doubt, the Lord simply says come and find your rest. In him alone is to be found real and solid quietness of heart and dignity of person. To those who are ignorant of "the fullness of the blessing of the gospel of Christ," the invitation is, "come!"
[Chuck LaMattina is the pastor of Grace Fellowship Church of God in Front Royal, Va. This article is adapted, with permission, from a book by Chuck LaMattina entitled Christ Our Life. This book and two others, Our Awesome God and Essential Matters, are available on Amazon. They are all highly recommended as practical and inspirational helps in learning and applying the truth of the Bible].
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by Nelson Coffey
Raleigh, North Carolina
What a week! For those of us who have just experienced the fury of hurricane Fran it is instructive to remember the apostle Paul's life of commitment in the face of adversity - not only from natural disasters whose hardships are common to all, but especially from persecution for his life-long commitment to Christ. In Acts 26 we read the dramatic description Paul gave to King Agrippa of his Damascus road conversion.
About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, blazing around me and my companions. We all fell to the ground, and I heard a voice saying to me in Aramaic, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? It is hard for you to kick against the goads. Then I asked, "Who are you Lord?" "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting" (Acts 26:13-15).
There is a "light from heaven, brighter than the sun" and a heavenly voice. To what office was Paul being called in such spectacular fashion? Bishop? Chairman of the Board? Pope?
"Now get up and stand on your feet. I have appeared to you to appoint you as a servant and as a witness of what you have seen of me and what I will show you. I will rescue you from your own people and from the Gentiles. I am sending you to them to open
their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God,
so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me" (Acts 26: 15-18).
Here Paul is receiving his job description as an apostle of Jesus Christ. Did he suspect what was in store for him? Perhaps there is a hint in the phrase "I will rescue you from ..." Look at II Corinthians:
Rather, as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, in hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonments and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; through glory and dishonor, bad report and good report; genuine, yet regarded as impostors; known, yet regarded as unknown; dying, and yet we live on; beaten, and yet not killed; sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; poor, yet making many rich; having nothing, and yet possessing everything (II Cor. 6: 4-10).
Would Paul have accepted his calling if he had known what price he would have to pay? God asks each of us to make an absolute commitment to Him, even though none of us knows what trials await us in this life. There is no turning back for the true believer in Christ. Look again at Paul's example:
Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this). I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my own countrymen, in danger from Gentiles, in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea, and in danger from false brothers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn? (II Corinthians 11: 23-29)
Wait a minute! Didn't God love Paul? Wasn't Paul working for the Lord? Why did God permit all these catastrophes, any one of which might shake the faith of one of us? It doesn't seem fair. As mature believers, we must abandon the romantic notion that this life is somehow fair. We don't see Paul complaining to God about how he is being taken care of. How did Paul view his own life's experiences?
"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength, that he considered me faithful, appointing me to his service. Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy because I acted in ignorance and unbelief. The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus" (I Tim. 1:12).
What a fantastic attitude! Recall the mind numbing list of terrors and tortures which Paul endured in the service of the Lord! Here he speaks of being strengthened by the Lord. In Philippians 2:5-8, Paul writes of Jesus as having "made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness, and being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross". The Lord who called Paul had himself demonstrated the life of a servant. Endurance is an important quality for the believer to cultivate. Jesus cultivated endurance (Heb. 12:1,2). So did Paul, and he also exhorted Timothy to do the same (I Tim. 1:18,19; 6:11,12; II Tim. 2:3,4; 4:5-8).
How could Jesus face the shame and pain of the cross? How could Paul say "the grace of the Lord was poured out on me abundantly" as he bounced from perils and pressures to prison and from sleepless nights and shipwreck to stoning? Jesus did it for the "joy that was set before him". He trusted his life to God who "exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name" (Phil. 2:9). Paul also saw a future destiny for himself and all believers beyond the troubles of this life.
"Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal" (II Cor. 4:16-18).
Here is Paul's great secret to commitment and endurance, which he undoubtedly learned from Jesus. Seen through human eyes, the events of his life hardly seem "light" or "momentary". All of our life experiences, positive or negative, fair or unfair, pleasurable or painful, must be seen in the light of the eternal, unseen realities. Our hope, the "eternal glory" for which our Father and His Son Jesus Christ have prepared us, makes a life of self sacrificing service possible. When we realize that "no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him - but God has revealed it to us by his spirit" (I Cor. 2:9,10), the only conceivable response is to commit ourselves unreservedly to serving Him.
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by Scot Hahn
Raleigh, North Carolina
A biblical perspective on life is of key importance for anyone whose desire is to truly live for God. Where else should we find such a perspective if not from the Bible itself? Let us take for an example the apostle Paul. Anyone who has read the book of Acts can attest that Paul was devoted to truly living for God. What was his perspective on life? Where did his motivation come from? How could he live with such self-sacrificing love, denying himself of many of the world's riches and pleasures? Did he consider his way of life worthy to be imitated by other believers? Hopefully we will be able to look to the Bible to answer these questions and in so doing help each of us to better live for God.
Paul, while speaking to the leaders of the Ephesian church says,
I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given to me - the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace (Acts 20:24).
Few statements in the Bible could sum up for us so well the proper biblical perspective for the Christian believer. Simply put, nothing in Paul's life was more important for him than serving the Lord.
There are many examples of this same attitude throughout the letters of Paul. While writing to the Thessalonians Paul sums up the actions and attitude of his ministry which he had previously carried out in Thessalonica in these words:
For the appeal we make does not spring from error or impure motives, nor are we trying to trick you. On the contrary, we speak as men approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please men but God, who tests our hearts. You know we never used flattery, nor did we put on a mask to cover up greed - God is our witness. We were not looking for praise from men, not from you or anyone else.
As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. We loved you so much that we delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God, but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us. Surely you remember, brothers our toil and hardship; we worked night and day in order not to be a burden to anyone while we preached the gospel of God to you.
You are our witnesses and so is God, of how holy, righteous and blameless we were among you who believed. For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory (I Thess. 2:3-12).
Paul's perspective toward life was that he was "approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel." Therefore, he never focused any aspect of his life on pleasing men but "God who tests the heart." His "holy, righteous and blameless" way of life was the fruit of this perspective. Paul was so consumed with living for God that he could write to the Philippian believers,
Even if I am being poured out like a drink offering on the sacrifice and service coming from your faith I am glad and rejoice with all of you. So you too should be glad and rejoice with me (Phil. 2:17-18).
It is easy to see that for Paul all of life was to be lived in service to God.
But where did Paul get such motivation to devote his life to God? Two of the principles which inspired or rather drove Paul to live his life with such devotion were his complete confidence in God and his absolute certainty of Christ's return. Both of these principles were rooted in his own experience. Paul was so confident in God's ability "to work all things together for good to those who love him" (Rom. 8:28) that he even viewed the sufferings he endured as opportunities to learn to trust God's strength rather than his own. We see clearly how he gained such confidence in God in one of his letters to the Corinthians:
We do not want you to be uninformed, brothers, about the hardships we suffered in the province of Asia. We were under great pressure, far beyond our ability to endure, so that we despaired even of life. Indeed, in our hearts we felt the sentence of death. But this happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God who raises the dead. He has delivered us from such a deadly peril, and he will deliver us. On him we have set our hope that he will continue to deliver us as you help us by your prayers (II Cor. 1:8-10).
Paul also writes to Timothy encouraging him to take a firm stand on the gospel through which Christ had brought "life and immortality to light" (II Tim. 1:10). He reminds Timothy of the sufferings he faced as a result of being "a herald, apostle and a teacher" of the gospel. "Yet," says Paul, "I am not ashamed because I know whom I have believed and I am convinced that he is able to guard what I have entrusted to him for that day " (II Tim. 1:11-12). Paul could entrust his whole life to God and encourage others to do the same because he knew that "our present sufferings are not worth comparing to the glory that will be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18).
Even in his letters where he has to grapple with the greatest foe of all humanity, death, Paul's outlook is bright. He readily admits the fact that death is awaiting all who live, but rather than concluding that life is not worth living because of this grim reality, he remembers his risen Lord and reminds his fellow believers to do the same. Paul writes to the believers in Ephesus that,
... having believed [in Christ] you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of His glory (Eph. 1:13b-14).
Paul knew that all who believed the good news about Christ had the guarantee of eternal life by way of the gift of the Spirit of God. That Spirit was the "deposit" or "firstfruits" of the final inheritance of God's kingdom to come (II Cor. 5:5; Rom. 8:23). Those who have this guarantee of life forever with God need not fear what others fear.
In I Thessalonians Paul deals directly with this issue at hand:
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever (I Thess. 4:13-17).
So, for Paul not even the prospect of death caused him to shrink back from living his whole life for God. Because of his belief in Christ's return he could live his life wholly devoted to serving God - even until his very last breath - because he knew that his labor was "not in vain" (I Cor. 15:58). The God in whom he trusted and for whom he lived would surely reward him - and all who longed for Christ's appearing - "on that day" (II Tim. 4:7-8)!
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by Tracy Savage
St. Petersburg, Russia
God has given us his spirit as a deposit until we reap the full extent of His grace in the Kingdom of God (Eph. 1:13-14). Therefore, we have kingdom power in our lives today! As the Book of Romans states:
The kingdom of God ... is [a matter] of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom. 14:17-18).
Upon receiving the spirit of God, we receive also that which is of His spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23). When we possess His spirit, we possess all these qualities of His spirit. This fruit of His spirit is just that - of His spirit. They are not a result of anything we did or can do. Through faith we receive His spirit and through that same faith we receive these blessings.
So then, why do so many Christians, those possessing God's spirit, lack one or more of these qualities in their lives? Since God has been teaching me about joy, I will focus on it in this article. But what is true of joy is also true of all the fruit of the spirit listed in Galatians 5:22-23.
As believers we receive and we possess joy. It doesn't have to and shouldn't leave us. It isn't dependent on outer circumstances or even inner feelings or emotions. Joy is also not the same as happiness, which is dependent on outer circumstances. The only time we lack joy, or don't have joy, is when we choose to give it away. At times we give up our inheritance of joy for sorrow, pain, frustration, anger or hatred.
Imagine a steep rock plateaued and surrounded by an ocean. Waves of fear, sorrow, anger, etc. are present and do touch our lives. But they need not reign on our rock. Jesus is our rock on which we stand, but we are responsible for what sits on that rock with us. When frustration begins to climb up there we must acknowledge it and kick it off. We must not even let the fingers of negative thoughts or feelings pull themselves up onto our pedestals. When we see them we must sweep them right back over the edge with the broom of joy. Visualizing this helps us realize and acknowledge what is happening and that something must be done. Seeing yourself do this also helps you claim the victory that is yours.
We are entitled to joy. We are given joy. It is ours to possess. God Himself gave it to us. The joy He gives is greater than any other joy. And as I said, it isn't dependent on another person, on circumstances or on possessions, or the lack of them. Therefore, people, things or circumstances have no power over the joy that we have been given. We believe in Him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy (I Peter 1:8-9). God fills us with a greater joy than anything created can give us (Psalm 4:7). His joy in us is our strength and we need not grieve (Nehemiah 8:10). If we want to be strong, we need to have joy.
Jesus desires that we have joy and that our lives would be full and complete. He tells us that when we follow His commands and remain in His love, our joy is complete. He says that He expresses His love for us so that His joy could be in us so that our joy would be complete (John 15:9-11). If Jesus is concerned that we would have complete joy, we ought to be concerned as well. He tells us to ask for what we lack and He will give it and our joy will be complete (John 16:24).
As I searched for more of God's understanding of joy in the Word three important things were revealed to me. First of all, our joy increases as we digest the Word of God. As Jeremiah said,
When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart's delight (Jer. 15:16).
God's words are joy to us. Why? Because they bring us His salvation, His healing and His hope. He speaks to us and reveals Himself, His love and His faithfulness to us by His words. Therefore, the Bible is one place we find joy. There, it is available to us.
Secondly, and most predominately in Scripture, joy abounds in praise and worship of God. In the Old Testament we see the magnitude of worship and it's importance not only for God, but also for the worshipper as well. We aren't merely to worship to find joy, but also to express joy. Look at Nehemiah:
On that day they offered great sacrifices, rejoicing because God had given them great joy. The women and children also rejoiced. The sound of rejoicing in Jerusalem could be heard far away (Nehemiah 12:43).
In this verse (and many in the Book of Psalms) we see that praise and worship is not silent taking place only in the heart. It is expressed outwardly and with one's heart, mind, body and with all one's might. Their praises were heard even far away. WOW! What rejoicing! What Joy! In another example of praise Nehemiah (Neh. 8:17) records that the Israelites had not celebrated like this for a long time, and their joy was very great. We must reflect; when was the last time our joy was "very great?" When was the last time we "celebrated?"
God's joy is found in His presence, in his dwelling place.
O Lord, surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence" (Psalm 21:6).
You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, (Psalm 16:11).
Splendor and majesty are before Him, strength and joy in His dwelling place" (I Chronicles 16:27).
If you desire strength or joy, go into His dwelling place. There you will be strengthened, revived and restored.
"Clap your hands all you nations; shout to God with cries of joy. God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the Lord amid the sounding of Trumpets. Sing praises to God, sing praises; sing praises to our King, sing praises (Psalms 47:1,5,6).
Again we see the connection between praise and joy. They are reciprocal. We praise and are filled with joy. And we have joy and therefore we praise.
Thirdly, the Scriptures reinforced my conviction that sharing the Word brings one of the greatest joys one can attain. What greater joy is there above praising God and revealing that God and His Messiah to others?! Sharing the hope of His coming kingdom gives us that inexpressible and glorious joy. Throughout Paul's writings we see that much of his joy lies in his children, his converts, his brothers and sisters in Christ.
For what is our hope, our joy, or the crown in which we glory in the presence of our Lord Jesus when he comes? Is it not you? Indeed, you are our glory and joy" (I Thess. 2:19-20).
Indeed, people saved are God's joy. They ought to be ours as well!
If we want to keep joy and experience it more fully in our lives daily, we must not allow negative thoughts or feelings a place in our minds. Joy must remain on top of our rock, even though in the world there are struggles, heartaches and pain. What has been helping me attain this domination of joy and find victory in this spiritual battle is, as I shared earlier, visualizing the plateau and myself defending it, not allowing any thought or feeling to invade or overcome my joy. I see myself sweeping or kicking any negative thought or feeling back over the edge from where it came. Then at the same time I focus on the Lord and immediately come into His presence with a song of praise. Singing "hallelujah, hallelujah ..." is the quickest and most effective for me. I keep repeating it and giving Him praise until His joy is victorious in my heart and mind over whatever thought or person or situation invaded His territory.
At this point, recalling His Word also encourages and gives strength. This also helps us to not give the Devil a foothold in our hearts and minds. Victory is ours, if we claim it. Our joy will be restored and we will have even more reason to rejoice and praise God.
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 (Romans 15:13).
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by Adam Kleczkowski
Cambridge, England
Although the Book of Daniel is one of the best known books of the Old Testament, it is not one of the easiest to understand. Because of this, it is often misunderstood and misinterpreted. The book is full of strange visions that sometimes seem to appeal more to the imagination than to reason. Therefore it is easy to concentrate on its dramatic events or on the details of its prophecies and in this way lose the overall picture. Yet the Book of Daniel is even more applicable today than it has ever been. However, its practical teaching and example are perhaps more important than its description of miracles and prophecies.
The Book of Daniel shows us how to live in a multi-national, multi-cultural and multi- religional society. It tells us that - like Daniel - we are part of God's family. Accordingly, we need to consider ourselves foreigners living in a foreign country, no matter where we actually abide. The guidance for such a life is phrased best in Heb. 11:6:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him (Heb. 11:6).
God exists and rewards those who earnestly seek Him.
We need to believe that God exists even when everything suggests that He does not. Moreover, He - and He only - is the Rewarder, but only of those who truly and earnestly seek Him.
God exists ...
The Bible clearly says that God was, God is, and that God will be:
Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,
who was, and is, and is to come (Rev. 4:8).
... even when everything suggests that He does not.
Like Daniel we are living in times of great changes and shifts of power. The dominions of man are in a constant conflict with each other and with those who believe in God (Dan. 2,7,8). The dominions change from one to another, but all of them are either without God or against God (Dan. 7: 20-21,25). The world moves towards a culminating point - the coming of a universal kingdom of Antichrist (Dan. 7:20-21,8.9-12, 23-25). The Saints (meaning here both Israel and Church) have been, are and will be persecuted (Dan. 7).
In the latter part of their reign, when rebels have become completely wicked, a stern-faced king, a master of intrigue, will arise. He will become very strong, but not by his own power. He will cause astounding devastation and will succeed in whatever he does. He will destroy the mighty men and the holy people. He will cause deceit to prosper, and he will consider himself superior. When they feel secure, he will destroy many and take his stand against the Prince of princes. Yet he will be destroyed, but not by human power (Dan. 8:23-25).
Some people call our times a post-Christian era, having already declared that God is dead (Rom. 1:18-3:20). They often turn to other gods or people (1 Tim 4:1-6). However, mankind's - and Satan's - dominion on the Earth is limited in scope and in time. God will put all earthly powers to an end (Rom. 14:11, 1 Cor. 15:51-58, Phil. 2:9-11) and will ultimately destroy all opposition (Dan. 8:25, Ps. 2:8-12, 46:8-10, Rev. 11:15-18). He will restore the Saints to their right position (Eph. 1:.9-14). Thus, the focus of history from God's perspective is neither the culmination of man's power nor the rise of the Antichrist, but the Coming of the Messiah.
It is written: " `As surely as I live,' says the Lord, `every knee will bow before me; every tongue will confess to God.' (Rom. 14:11).
Even if the earthly powers appear at their height nowadays, God is still in control. He gives signs both to His believers and followers (Dan. 1-12) and to His enemies (Dan. 2, 5), works miracles (Dan. 1,3,5,6) and gives visions (Dan. 7-12). He reveals His plans (Dan. 7-12) to His people and thus strengthens their faith (Heb. 12:1-2). God assures us that we are not left alone, but that our struggle is a part of a bigger, supernatural war (Dan. 9-12, Eph. 6: 10-18). He also issues clear warnings and chastises those who ignore them (Dan. 4).
God can shield those who seek Him, by His power through faith (Heb. 11:33B-34, 1 Pet. 1:5), not from danger but in danger (Ps. 34:19). Faith in the face of persecutions comes from a knowledge of Him and His Word (compare Dan. 3 with Isa. 43:1-4).
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade - kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. In this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith--of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire--may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls (1 Pet. 1:3-9).
God rewards ...
God rewards (1Cor. 15:58), even if His reward is not seen yet (Heb. 11:1) and other so-called rewarders are nearby. Daniel always believed that God existed and followed God's path for his whole long life in a hostile environment in the exile. For more than 70 years of his active life he resisted the temptation of being converted by the Babylonian and Medo-Persian empires. He followed God's commands even when faced with persecutions (Dan. 1-4 and 6, Dan. 5, see Heb. 10:32-38).
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain (1 Cor. 15:58).
Remember those earlier days after you had received the light, when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. ... So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised (Heb. 10:32, 35-36).
Daniel did his best to work for the powers of this world as long as they did not contradict God's commandments (Dan. 3:16-18, Acts 4:19, Rom. 13:1-8, 1 Pet. 2:13-17, 1 Thess. 4:11-12). He was rewarded by the earthly powers and received the highest honors, but the earthly rewarders gave and took back (like in Dan. 6). Daniel was, however, looking for the better reward (Dan. 3:16-18, Heb. 11:6, 13-16, Rev. 22:12).
Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business and to work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody (1 Thess. 4:11-12).
Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right. For it is God's will that by doing good you should silence the ignorant talk of foolish men. Live as free men, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God. Show proper respect to everyone: Love the brotherhood of believers, fear God, honour the king (1 Pet. 2:13-17).
But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God's sight to obey you rather than God" (Acts 4:19).
Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up" (Dan. 3:16-18).
... those who seek Him
God does not reward everybody, but only those who really and continuously seek Him (Jer. 26:13, Rom. 2:5-8, Col. 3:1).
You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart (Jer. 26:13).
... the day of God's wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God "will give to each person according to what he has done." To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger (Rom. 2:5-8).
The words "to seek" correspond to the Greek word 'ekzeteo', meaning to search out; (fig) investigate; crave; demand; (by Hebr.) worship (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance), and comes from the word 'zeteo', to seek (implying a search for something hidden).
"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened" (Matt. 7:7).
Living in God's country
Daniel lived as a foreigner in a foreign country (Heb. 11:13-16), because he had chosen the life of a foreigner.
All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. Instead, they were longing for a better country--a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them (Heb. 11:13-16).
We are also called to live the life of foreigners (Phil. 3:20). Like Daniel, we are living in a foreign land (Ps. 137:4, Jn. 17:14-16), as strangers (1 Pet. 1:1,17), surrounded by enemies (1 Pet. 5:8-9), and like Daniel we are to be God's ambassadors (2 Cor. 5:18-20, Dan. 2,4,6).
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body (Phil 3:20-21).
I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it (Jn. 17:14-16).
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to God's elect, strangers in the world ... Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear (1 Pet. 1:1, 17).
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men's sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. We are therefore Christ's ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us. We implore you on Christ's behalf: Be reconciled to God (2 Cor. 5:18-20).
Daniel sought God: by a constant faith; by prayer alone (Dan. 2:20-23, 6:10, 9:2-19) and with others (Dan. 2:16-18); by studying God's Word (Dan. 9:2); by being meek when necessary (Dan. 1:12-13) and bold when necessary (Dan. 5:17-28). In this Daniel was a prototype of Jesus (Col. 3:12, Phil. 2:5-12, John 2:14-17) and is an example to us today (Col. 3:12- 17).
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom-- in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes. I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed: (Dan. 9:2-4).
Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him (Col. 3:12-17).
Like Daniel we should not exclude ourselves from earthly life (Jn. 17:15). Instead we are to be vigilant and should not conform to earthly standards of: education and nourishment (Dan. 1); religion and objects of worship (Dan. 3, 6); desires (Dan. 2 and 4). Like Daniel we must carry out our daily responsibilities (Dan. 8:27, 2 Pet. 3:11); we must not be falsely secure (Dan. 8:25, 1 Cor. 10:12, Gal. 6:1); must trust that God is in control (Dan 7,9); that He will finish whatever He started in our lives (Dan. 12:13); and fellowship with others in prayer (Dan. 2:17-18, 6:10, 9:3, 10:2-3, 12).
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour (1 Pet 5:8-9).
Therefore, dear friends, since you already know this, be on your guard so that you may not be carried away by the error of lawless men and fall from your secure position. But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and forever! Amen (2 Pet. 3:17).
Two examples
Regardless whether there are miracles in our lives or not, we are called to seek God with our whole heart. This is especially difficult if after a period of miracles and wonders we are back in our everyday life with its difficulties and temptations. The Letter to the Hebrews addresses this issue in detail, especially in chapters 10-12. The Book of Daniel also gives us a good lesson in this matter. King Nebuchadnezzar had at least three opportunities to see and experience God's mighty wonders (Dan. 2, 3 and 4). His dream about the tree and Daniel's explanation that followed provided him with clear warnings and guidance. Three times the king acknowledged God's power (Dan 2:47, 3:28-33, 4:31-34), but the conversions did not last long. Nebuchadnezzar experienced not only God's blessings but also God's wrath during his life (Dan.4), and became like chaff that the wind blows away (Ps. 1:4). The empire that he had brought to the heights of power did not last long after his death.
In contrast, Daniel kept his faith for many years. God worked miracles in response to Daniel's faith - not because He wanted Daniel to be convinced or converted. He was already highly esteemed in the Heavens (Dan. 9:23). As a result, Daniel lived a long and fruitful life and saw its fulfillment, like a tree planted by streams of water (Ps. 1:3).
Daniel as a "Man of God"
The life of Daniel can be summarized in the words of Psalm 1:
Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers. Not so the wicked! They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous but the way of the wicked will perish (Psalm 1).
[Adam Kleczkowski, who is from Cracow, Poland, is presently working at Cambridge University, England. This article was originally presented in oral form at a Bible Conference, sponsored in part by Foundation for Translation of Biblical Studies, Inc., in July of this year in the Tatra Mountains of Poland]
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
The New Testament word "mystery" (Gr. musterion) finds its background in the Old Testament Book of Daniel. Here the sovereign "God of heaven" is shown to be a "revealer of mysteries" (Dan. 2:18-19, 27-30, 47) in regards to his divine plan of salvation. New Testament scholar J.D.G. Dunn explains the implications and meaning of this word "mystery" while commenting on Col. 1:26 "... the mystery hidden from the ages and generations."
The term musterion [mystery] heightens still further the already eschatological and apocalyptic sense of being privileged to see the whole sweep of human history from God's standpoint. For here it is clearly dependent on Jewish apocalyptic usage, where "mystery" refers not so much to undisclosed secrets (as it is used in regard to the rituals of contemporary Hellenistic mystery cults) as to secrets of the divine purpose now revealed by divine agency. This usage begins with the first classic Jewish apocalypse, Daniel ... It is indeed at the heart of the apocalyptic rationale: what has been "revealed" to the apocalyptist is precisely the "mystery" of how the cosmos functions and particularly of how God's purpose will achieve its predetermined end.
What is claimed here, then, is the basic Jewish apocalyptic credo, which goes beyond the Platonic-Stoic axiom that the cosmos is rationally ordered (Col. 1:15-20) and claims further that not only the three dimensions of spatial existence but also the fourth dimension of time is firmly under divine control. The movement of world history is a linear progression which has also been directed by a secret purpose determined from the beginning by God. It is a secret purpose, hitherto "hidden" by divine intention (as in Luke 10:21; I Cor. 2:7: Eph. 3:9). But "now" (the eschatological Gr. nun, similar to Col. 1:22), as that purpose nears or reaches its climax ... it has been revealed. This is what gives apocalyptism its character: the claim to be privileged "now" with an insight into God's purpose for creation not [previously] given to others.
[The NIGTC The Epistles to the Col. and Philemon., Eerdmans, p. 119-120].
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
The early Christian believers of the first century church understood their entire existence in the light of all that God had made them to be "in Christ". Because of what Christ accomplished through his life, death and resurrection a new era had begun in God's plan of salvation for mankind. With the giving of the Spirit on Pentecost the "firstfruits" or "first installment" of their future inheritance in God's promised kingdom had already been received - "in Christ". The following verses make these truths clear:
And you also were included in Christ when you the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession - to the praise of his glory (Eph. 1:13-14).
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These things are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ (Col. 2:16-17).
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (II Cor. 1:20-22).
In short, for the first century believers the resurrection of Christ and the giving of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost meant that the "life of the coming age" had already begun; not in its fullness, but as the "firstfruits" of the final "harvest" that was still to come. According to the Old Testament scriptures, the resurrection of the dead and the giving of the Spirit were both foretold to take place in "the last days" or in the "end-times". This was to be a time when God would establish a "new covenant" with his people and set up a righteous kingdom - a kingdom that would never end - under the rulership of the promised Messiah (Dan. 7; 12; Isaiah 9; Jer. 31:31-; Ez. 36:26-27; Acts 2:17-; etc.).
From Pentecost onwards the entire outlook of the first century church was governed by the truth that the "last days" as foretold and foreshadowed in the OT Scriptures had finally arrived. Christ's resurrection from the dead marked the beginning of the resurrection of the end-time because he was the "firstfruits" of those who slept or, to put it another way, the "firstborn" from the dead. In the same way, the giving of the Spirit on Pentecost, which was "poured out" by the resurrected and glorified Messiah, marked the beginning of the new covenant era as prophesied by the OT prophets. This Spirit was the "firstfruits" or "first-installment" of the glorious inheritance of God's kingdom that was still to come. The whole out-look of the first century church was governed by this "already" but "not yet" mind-set. The "first-fruits" of all that the OT had promised had "already" been given, but the final harvest "not yet" arrived.
This way of understanding the events of the "end-times" was something that had not been understood until Christ himself "opened the veil" that had previously been over the reading of the Old Testament scriptures (II Cor. 3:12-16). The "sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow" (I Pet. 1:10-12) had not been previously understood; especially, in the sense of them being two separate events. But this "veil" was removed by the events of Christ's life, death, resurrection and the giving of the Spirit on Pentecost. And, it was only his own explanation of these events - in light of the Old Testament scriptures - that made them understandable to his disciples. This can be seen in the events recorded in the last chapter of Luke's Gospel:
He [Jesus] said to them, "This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms."
Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. He told them, "This is what is written: The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, and repentence and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations beginning at Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high" (Luke 24:44-49; cf. 24:25-27).
This explanation by Jesus threw a whole new flood of light upon the understanding of Jesus' apostles. And it was an understanding that guided their attitudes, lives and writings from that point on.
It is for this reason that if we are to properly understand the scriptures today we must allow the interpretation of the New Testament apostles of Christ to be "our interpretation" as well. We simply cannot read the NT texts as though they were written directly to us today and as though they used the same vocabulary, thought-patterns and idioms that we use in our own late 20th century environments. Instead, we must put ourselves in the "sandals" of the first century believers and learn to think as they thought and hear as they heard. This is true with every subject in the Bible - whether it is about the oneness of God, baptism, the Lord's Supper, biblical prophecy, etc. Yes, the truths of the Bible are certainly the same today as then, but they must first be understood correctly in their original context before they can be properly applied in our own historical and cultural situations today.
All of the terminology and way of thinking of the new covenant believers that we find in Acts and the NT letters must be understood in the light of the "already" but "not yet" perspective that so dominated their thinking. With the resurrection of Christ and his giving of the gift of holy Spirit on Pentecost the "end" has already "begun". Christ is "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep." He is "the firstborn among many brethren" and the gift of the Spirit is "the firstfruits" or "first installment" of our glorious inheritance in the kingdom of God to come. "Already" but "not yet" - this is the dominating perspective of biblical Christianity. May it become our perspective as well. The apostle John sums-up:
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (I John 3:1-2).
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
In the Bible there is one God, one people of God and one hope for all of God's people - eternal life in the coming age of the kingdom of God. Though this hope was foretold and foreshadowed in the pages of the OT, it comes clearly into focus through the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. As a result of these events Christ has "brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (II Tim. 1:10). Therefore, the hope of God's new covenant people is no longer seen "from a distance" as in OT times (Heb. 11:13) but is now centered on the clear and simple truth of Christ's own glorious resurrection and his future second coming for his people. At that time all believers - whether dead or alive - will be transformed so as to be with Christ in the glory of God's kingdom forever (I Thess. 4:13-18; I Cor. 15:50-54). This glorious "parousia" of Christ will also bring about the "universal restoration of all things" - as "foretold by all the prophets" (Acts 3:17-26) - so that even "creation itself will be delivered from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God" (Rom. 8:19-21). In short, the Christian hope for the future is now centered on the final fulfillment of God's foreordained plan "to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ" (Eph. 1:10).
In the NT this hope can be summarized in a single phrase: "Christ Jesus our hope" (I Tim. 1:1). This truth is the result of the incorporation of each believer, by way of the Spirit, into the one body of Christ (I Cor. 12:13). Because of this incorporation "in Christ" the church of the body of Christ is now bound up in all of Christ's accomplishments - past, present and future. This can be seen quite clearly in many of Paul's Letters. Look, for example, at his Letters to the Ephesians and Colossians:
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ ... And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. In order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:4-7).
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory (Col. 3:1-4).
Here we have explicitly stated the simplicity of the Christian life. Christ is our "life". For Paul and the other new covenant believers it was impossible to think of their lives - either in the present or in the future - apart from Christ. The life, death and resurrection of Christ, together with his giving of the Spirit on Pentecost, had forever changed the Christian believers' perspective on history. In the cross and in the resurrection the decisive events of history have already taken place. In Christ, God has accomplished victory for mankind over the forces of sin, death and Satan forever. As a result the life of every believer is now bound up in their existence "in Christ."
Because of this Paul's entire life was focused on Christ - whether in this life or in the life to come:
I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live. But Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me (Gal. 2:20).
For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain. If I am to go on living in the body, this will mean fruitful labor for me. Yet what shall I choose? I do not know! I am torn between the two: I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far; but it is more necessary for you that I remain in the body.
Christ was Paul's "life." Paul's whole existence - both in the present and in the future - was determined by this single overwhelming truth. It was "in Christ" that he had been redeemed and now, by way of the Spirit, Christ lived "in him." Since even now Paul's life was "hidden with Christ in God," he knew that when Christ appeared, he also would "appear with him in glory" (Col. 3:3-4).
It is often thought that Paul's words "depart and be with Christ" indicate that Paul expected to go to heaven immediately after his death and to live consciously there "with Christ." However, this seems unlikely because Paul nowhere else speaks in these terms and even in Philippians it is the resurrection and Christ's return that he longs for (Phil. 3:10-21). In fact, other clear statements by Paul seem to make such a scenario almost impossible. This can be seen in I Corinthians and I Thessalonians where he clearly expresses his understanding of how believers will come to be "with Christ" forever:
For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him (I Cor. 15:22-23).
According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever (I Thess. 4:15-17).
In these verses it is crystal clear that Paul believed that Christians who died were "asleep in Christ" and would only be "with Christ" when they were "awakened" and raised to be "with him" at his second coming. This fits both the OT and NT pattern of the state of the dead as well as the future resurrection (cp. Dan. 12:2-3, 13; Acts 24:14-16). Most likely, Paul's words "depart and be with Christ" simply indicate the degree to which Christ was indeed Paul's "life" and that for him the next stage of conscious life after his "departure" (II Tim. 4:6) would be to be "with Christ in glory" - on the day of his appearing. Look at II Timothy 4:
In the Presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who will judge the living and the dead, and in view of his appearing and his kingdom, I give you this charge: Preach the Word ...
For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, and the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day - and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing (II Tim. 4:1-8; cf. Heb. 9:27-28).
For Paul, the next stage after death, on the chronological timetable of God's plan, was to "appear with Christ in glory" - on "that day" of "his appearing and his kingdom." This was the simplicity of Paul's life and hope - may it be ours as well.
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by Don Robertson
Rock Hill, South Carolina
One of the most important questions facing Christian believers today regards the subject of immortality. The word "immortality" is defined as the quality of living forever; never dying; or having everlasting life. Although the word "immortality" is not found that many times in the Bible, the concept of living forever, never dying, or having everlasting life is set forth many times in the Scriptures. John 3:16 is a very familiar example:
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:16; Scripture verses are from KJV unless otherwise noted).
Since the Bible obviously has much to say about the subject of immortality we must ask: does the Bible present immortality as something that is conditional or does it set it forth as something that is innate? The word "conditional" is defined as "containing a condition; depending on something else; qualified; made on certain terms." Many parents make promises to their children such as, "If you graduate from high school, I will give you an automobile." In this promise receiving the automobile is conditional on the person graduating from high school. The promise is made on certain terms. It's qualified. It's not unconditional.
The word "innate" is contrasted with "conditional." The word "innate" means "inborn; natural; not acquired." It's what you have by reason of birth. That's the difference between something that is conditional and something that is innate, or something that you have within yourself by reason of birth.
So is immortality something we are born with? Are we born immortal? Are we born with a quality of living forever, never dying or having everlasting life? Do we have that by virtue of being a human being? Or, is immortality something that is conditional - something that is not natural to us, something that depends on something else, something that is qualified or is made on certain terms? How does the Bible set forth immortality? Let's turn our Bibles to I John 2:15-17:
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. And the world passeth away and the lust thereof; but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever (I John 2:15-17).
Look closely at verse 17 and see if this verse is setting forth an innate immortality, something that man is born with. Or, is it setting forth a conditional immortality that man can attain if he meets certain conditions or requirements? The word immortality is not there but the expression "abideth for ever" means the same thing. Anything that abides forever is everlasting. Is the immortality that is set forth here something that one has automatically? No. John says, "... he that doeth the will of God abideth forever." Well, if all men were to abide forever whether they do the will of God or not, then what John says in that verse is misleading. Because here he says that in order to abide forever, we must do something. We must do the will of God in order to abide forever.
The Bible teaches that God is immortal but that human beings are mortal, not immortal. Look at Romans chapter one:
Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles (Rom. 1:22-23 NIV).
If immortal means the quality of living forever, never dying or having everlasting life, then mortal is just the opposite of that. Mortal would be not living forever; it would be dying or, being subject to death. Simply put, that which is mortal does not innately possess everlasting life.
The Old Testament View of Man
Let's go to the beginning where God created mankind. I think we can learn something about the nature of man by what is said concerning Adam. Let's look at Genesis chapter three and pick up the story in verse 17. This is just after Adam and Eve committed sin and God is appearing to them and pronouncing a judgment on them as a result of their sin.
And unto Adam he said, "Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, 'thou shalt not eat of it:' cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:17-19).
Notice what God tells Adam is going to happen to him. He is going to return into the ground, "for dust thou art and unto dust shalt thou return." The word "thou" (the modern versions would have "you") is referring to Adam as a person. Adam is going to return unto the ground, to the dust. Look further at Genesis 3:
And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them. And the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from whence he was taken" (Gen. 3:20-23).
So why did God put Adam out of the garden? To prevent him from putting forth his hand and tasting of the tree of life and eating and living for ever. Would Adam have lived forever without partaking of that tree of life, whatever is involved in that? No, he wouldn't. The way Adam could have lived forever is partaking of that tree of life, whatever is involved in that. God put him out of the garden lest he partake of that tree of life and live forever. Adam wasn't created with the ability to live forever. There was an opportunity for him to live forever. If he had been obedient to God, if he had served God, then that tree of life would have been open to him and he could have eaten of it and lived forever. Because of sin, God put him out of the garden so he couldn't eat of that tree and live forever. Living forever was something conditional on his obedience, on his faithfulness to God. But because of his unfaithfulness, he was put out of the garden so he couldn't partake of that tree. The judgment pronounced on him was that he would return to the dust from which God created him.
Look at Job chapter 4 and verse 17. This is a statement by Eliphaz, one of the friends of Job who had come to comfort Job in his misery. Eliphaz is raising a question here,
"Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker?" (Job. 4:17).
I think it is obvious that the answer to the question is "No." Man shall not be more just than God and man shall not be more pure than his Maker. Notice how Eliphaz describes man in this verse - "Shall mortal man be more just than God?" Eliphaz had the idea that man is mortal. Man is subject to death. Man is not immortal. We might be thinking, "Well, that is just Eliphaz's opinion that man is mortal." Let's see if Job himself thought that. Look at Job chapter 14:
"Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not" (Job 14:1-2).
Notice how Job is describing man. Job is saying that man is not going to live forever. Man is just going to live a few days and he is going to die. Let's pick it up at verse 10 and read a few verses. Notice how Job describes man whenever he dies:
But man dieth, and wasteth away: yea, man giveth up the ghost, and where is he? As the waters fail from the sea, and the flood decayeth and drieth up; So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake, nor be raised out of their sleep. Oh, that thou wouldest hide me in the grave, that thou wouldest keep me secret, until thy wrath be past, that thou wouldest appoint me a set time, and remember me? If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come" (Job 14:10-14).
That's a tremendous question Job asked: "If a man dies, shall he live again?" You can paraphrase Job's question and put it like this: "If a man dies, is he really dead?" I say that he is and Job's question is, if a man dies shall he live again? The word "again" means "once more." Job's hope was that sometime in the future that he would live again. What would the state of man between the time he would die and the time he would live again. Notice in verse 12 he says, "So man lieth down, and riseth not: till the heavens be no more, they shall not awake or be raised out of their sleep." So that is the state man is in between death and resurrection. Job's hope for a future life was not that he would live on and on and not die. Instead, his hope was in the fact that he would live again in the resurrection.
The New Testament View of Man
Does the New Testament set forth the same view about man as the Old Testament; that is, that man is mortal and subject to death? Look at James chapter 4 and notice the way James puts it:
Go to now, ye that say, Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away (James 4:13-15).
Notice the way James states this: "For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away." The modern versions make it even more plain. Instead of saying, "It is even a vapor," they have, "You are even a vapor." You are a mist or a vapor that appears for a little while and then vanishes away. Notice it doesn't say your body is just a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away; it says you are. The King James version has "It is even a vapor ..." but the modern versions have "You are ..." You, the person, the personality, are a vapor.
Human beings then are mortal, not immortal. Immortality is something we seek and must put on. We don't have it, but we are seeking for it and we must "put it on." Look at Romans 2:6-7. It's speaking of the time of judgment when God will render to all their due:
Who will render to every man according to his deeds: To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life (Rom. 2:6-7).
Notice what people are to seek for: glory, honor and immortality. What will God render to us, what will He give us, the ones who are seeking for immortality? Eternal life!! The ones seeking for immortality will get it. You don't seek for something that you already have or already possess. We're seeking for immortality and God is going to render it to us.
Look at I Corinthians 15. Paul tells us we must "put on" immortality:
Behold, I show you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, "Death is swallowed up in victory" (I Cor. 15:51-54).
When will death be swallowed up in victory? When will we gain the victory over death? Only when we put on immortality - at the time of Christ's return and the resurrection day. The word "incorruptible" means that it is not subject to decay. The resurrection body will be incorruptible, not subject to decay. The one we have now is mortal, subject to death. The one we will get at Christ's return is immortal, not subject to death.
Immortality is something we are seeking and must put on. We don't have it now. In the light of this we must state that human beings are mortal. There is no such thing as an "immortal soul." Instead, the Hebrew and Greek words sometimes translated "soul" define something that can die. The soul is mortal, the soul can die. Look at Ezekial 18:4 in the King James Version:
Behold all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die (Ezekial 18:4).
God said, "All souls are mine; the soul that sinneth, it shall die." Notice the first sentence in verse 20: "The soul that sinneth, it shall die." We see that two times in Ezekial the scriptures state that the soul can die. Look at James chapter 5:
Let him know, that he which converteth the sinner from the error of his way shall save a soul [i.e., a person] from death, and shall hide a multitude of sins (James 5:20).
When you convert somebody, what do you do? You save a soul, or a person, from death. That's what people are saved from. What about the souls not saved from death? They will die. God says in Ezekial that it shall. But you can be saved from that death by obeying the gospel.
Only God has Absolute Immortality
Only God has absolute immortality - no beginning and no end of existence and life. Look at Psalm 90:
Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God (Psalm 90:1-2).
So before the earth existed, there was a God. After the earth is gone, there will be a God: "from everlasting to everlasting". This is hard for us to comprehend. We're so time oriented and time conscious. We're so conditioned to things having a beginning and coming to an end, that it is hard for us to imagine something that didn't have a beginning and will not have an end. Yet, that is the way the Bible presents God.
I remember several years back when my oldest daughter Terry was about 6 or 7 years old and we were coming back from the church service. Something she heard that day prompted her to ask the question, "Where did God come from?" It surprised me that a child so young would ask that question and so I answered it something like this: "God has always existed; He didn't have a beginning." She didn't reply for a while and I thought she had forgotten about it. Then she spoke out and said, "You know, that is something to think about: God has always existed." That was pushing a six-year old mind to the limit. It can even push our minds to the limit. I don't care how much education one has, that can stagger the mind; to try to comprehend something that had no beginning and will have no end.
Look at Isaiah chapter 57. Here God is speaking through the prophet Isaiah:
For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones (Isaiah 57:15).
Notice especially the first part of that verse. God inhabiteth eternity. He lives in eternity. God is eternal. Look also at I Timothy chapter 6:
I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; that thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall show, Who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord or lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; Whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to Whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen" (I Tim. 6:13-16).
Notice in describing God in verse 16 that Paul states: "Who only has immortality." If angels have eternal life and we can receive eternal life through the gospel, why does it say only God has immortality? Because only God has absolute immortality - no beginning and no end of existence. Other beings receive life from God. God had no beginning and he will have no ending. Everything else came into existence as a result of God's creative work, including both angelic beings and human beings. God is thus the fountain or source of all life. Look at Psalm 36. Here David is describing something about God:
For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light (Psalm 36:9).
Why would God be called the fountain of life? I think the word "fountain" here is used in the sense of "source." God is the source, or He is the origin of life. Just as a fountain is the source of water, so God is the source of life.
Let's look at some examples of God giving eternal life. Let's start with His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus came he came as a man so that he could die for the sins of man. Hebrews 2:9 says,
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man (Heb. 2:9).
Notice in verse 9 that Jesus was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death. Jesus was born as a man so that he might die. Look at verses 14-16:
Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he [the Lord Jesus] also himself likewise took part of the same [he took part of flesh and blood]; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil. And deliver them, who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham (Heb. 2:14-16).
Jesus was born as a man. The nature he possessed was not the nature of angels, composed of spirit, but it was the nature of man, the seed of Abraham. The reason he was made flesh was so that he would be able to die. But God raised Jesus from the dead - never to die again. When Jesus was resurrected, he was resurrected not to mortal human life anymore. He was resurrected to an immortal state - never to die again.
Look at Revelation chapter one. Here Jesus is speaking to John when he appeared to him on the Isle of Patmos. This is what he tells John:
"I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (Rev. 1:18).
Notice the phrase, "I am alive for evermore." Jesus lived as a man and died as a man, but he didn't stay dead. God raised him from the dead and he is alive for evermore. He was resurrected to immortality, never to die again. He is the first one to experience that type of resurrection. That is why Paul refers to Jesus as "the firstfruits of them that slept" (I Cor. 15:20).
There are many examples of physical resurrection in the Scriptures. There were those whom Jesus raised from the dead during his earthly ministry such as Lazarus and the daughter of Jarius. The apostles also raised people from the dead. Why then does the Bible say that Jesus is the first that was raised from the dead (Acts 26:23)? The answer is clear: Jesus was raised to immortality - never to die again. All of these others were raised back to mortal life. That's why Lazarus and Dorcas and others are not around today. They were raised back to normal, mortal, physical life and they experienced death again at some later time. But Jesus was raised to immortality, never to die again. That's also what we will experience at our resurrection (I Cor. 15:50-54).
Look at Romans chapter 6:9-10. This is a description of the state the Lord Jesus is in since he experienced that resurrection.
Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once; but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God (Rom. 6:9-10).
Why doesn't death have any dominion, reign or rule over Jesus? Because Jesus was raised to immortality and a being that has immortality can never die. Instead, Jesus has everlasting life - he will live forever. Death simply can't touch someone who is immortal.
Immortality: God's Conditional Gift to Mankind
My final point is that eternal life, or immortality, is God's conditional gift to mankind. Look at Psalm 21:4. Here David is speaking of the king that would be rejoicing in the Lord:
He asked life of thee, and thou gavest it him, even length of days for ever and ever (Psalm 21:4).
Here is a king that is asking God for life. What kind of life? Eternal life, God is going to give people eternal life. Notice how it is described: "even length of days for ever and ever." This is a good definition of eternal life: Length of days for ever and ever. Notice in the verse, however, that God had to give this to man. Romans 6:23 is a key passage in this regard. It sets forth several important truths:
For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord (Rom. 6:23).
What does sin result in? What are the consequences, or the wages, of sin? Wages is something you earn, something you work for, something that you have coming to you. God is going to pay the wages of sin - which is death. But look at the contrast: "But the gift of God is eternal life." Eternal life is a gift that comes from God. Man doesn't possess it by nature. He isn't born with this eternal life. Man isn't born with immortality. It's a gift from God. But does God give it to everybody? No! Its received only through our Lord Jesus Christ. Only the ones that are in the right relationship with Jesus Christ are going to get it. John tells us this very clearly in his first Letter:
And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life (I John 5:11-12).
Notice that this life is not in some denominational church. It's not in some man-made organization. This eternal life is in God's Son. It is a gift from God but you must be in right relationship with the Son in order to receive it. Eternal life is a conditional gift from God received through believing in his Son. It is not something that is innate or inborn. Instead, only those who "have the Son, have life."
[Don Robertson, who is the father of four and grandfather of six, lives in Rock Hill, South Carolina]
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
Most NT scholars today recognize that there is nothing in the Bible about an immortal soul. Instead, the believer's hope is the resurrection and transformation of the person himself so that he can "inherit the kingdom of God" in the "age to come" (I Cor. 15:50; Luke 20:34-38). I quote standard works:
Although the Hellenistic term psyche (soul) appears more frequently in the later epistles of the NT ... it must not be imagined that this implies the concept of the soul as the real and valuable part of man, the eternal and permanent element. That would be a misunderstanding. This kind of thinking ... deduces the immortality and permanence of the soul from its own particular quality. This is just what the NT does not teach. The soul is simply that area in which decisions are made concerning life and death, salvation and destruction. Moreover, every statement about the psyche in the NT is linked in context with eschatological statements about renewal and resurrection ["Soul," The New Int. Dict. of NT Theology, Vol. 3, p. 686, emphasis mine].
In Isaiah 26:19 and Dan. 12:2, it is the faithful individual members of God's people who are given personal assurance that their fidelity to God will be rewarded when they are raised up from among the dead. This hope was given concrete expression in the early Christian assurance that God raised Jesus from the dead and that his people will share in the resurrection of the faithful and in the age to come (I Cor. 15) ... In Hellenistic tradition there was a belief that the human soul would be released from the body at death and might ascend to the realm of the eternal and the divine ... But when Paul describes the state of the faithful in the new age, it is not in terms of a disembodied soul but as a transformed human body - the spiritual body (I Cor. 15:35-49). Similarly, in Rev. 20:11-22:5, the righteous find their ultimate fulfillment - not as souls ascending to heaven - but in the new order, the new city, and the new temple, which come down out of heaven to a renewed earth (Rev. 21:10) [The Cambridge Companion to the Bible, p. 544].
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
So, let us ask some basic questions: Was Paul a "pre-millennialist"? Or, did Paul believe in a "pre-tribulation rapture" of the church into heaven? How odd these questions would have seemed to Paul or to those who are most familiar with his life, thought and writings. Why? Simply because there is no certain evidence that Paul knew anything at all about a coming "millennium" or that he had ever even considered the concept of a "pre-tribulation rapture" of the church. In all of Paul's voluminous writings he never, ever, mentions either concept. Instead, for Paul the Christian hope was simple. It was based on OT promises that had been explained by Jesus himself and it focused on the second coming (Gr. parousia) of Christ and the complex of events that would follow: the resurrection of the just and unjust (Acts 24:15), the final judgment (Acts 17:31) and the ultimate establishment of God's kingdom in a renewed, glorious and transformed earth (I Cor. 15:50; Rom. 8:19-21). Paul's point of view about this Christian hope never varied throughout his Christian life. It is summarized in what he taught in all the churches he had founded:
They [Paul and Baranabas] preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. "We must go through many hardships [Gr. thlipsis = "tribulation"] to enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22; cp. II Thess. 1-2 for a detailed account of what is summarized here).
Let us remember that Paul was rooted and grounded in the OT Scriptures. Wherever he went he "preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ" from those scriptures (Acts 28:31; cf. Acts 8:12; 14:22; 20:25; 28:23). More importantly, Paul's understanding of those OT Scriptures was based on all that Christ himself had taught and all that he had already accomplished via his life, death and resurrection. There was, of course, no "New Testament" for Paul to consult; no Book of Revelation for him to try to "unlock;" and no multiplicity of books on the "end-times" to confuse him. Instead, it was his own understanding of Christ - begun on the road to Damascus, nurtured through the teachings of the other apostles and enlightened through the Spirit - that was Paul's "canon" in all that he did and taught. For him, the Christian hope for the future was based on all that Christ had already accomplished and the glorious transformation that had already begun to take place in the life of each Christian believer. This truth is summarized in the startling statement of Paul in Col 1:27 that each believer - even from among the Gentiles - has:
Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Simply put, for Paul future glory was based on present reality. Whatever he had to endure on this "road to glory" was for Paul simply part and parcel of the Christian life. Christ, via the Spirit, was already "in him" (Gal. 2:20) and each day he was being "transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory" (II Cor. 3:18). As Gordon Fee states:
We read the letters of Paul as part of the New Testament, the record of God's new covenant with his people, effected through Christ and the Spirit. But in fact Paul did not know that he was contributing to such a "new testament." For him the "new covenant" was not a written record at all but a historical reality, experienced anew at the Table of the Lord and through the presence of the Spirit (Gordon Fee, Paul, the Spirit and the People of God, Hendrickson Pub. p, 3).
As a "minister of the new covenant; not of the letter, but of the Spirit" (II Cor. 3:6) Paul firmly believed that the glorious transformation that had already begun in each believer would one day be completed in full at Christ's appearing (Col. 3:4). Like Peter, he believed that believers had already been "born again into a living hope" and were thus assured that they had "an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade, kept in heaven" for them (I Pet. 1:3-9; cf. Col. 1:5). It remained only for believers to "continue in the faith and be not moved away from the hope held out in the gospel" (Col. 1:21-23; cf. Acts 14:22). For, as "heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ" Christian believers are "heirs having the hope of eternal life" (Titus 3:7) and will one day, with Christ, "inherit the kingdom of God" (I Cor. 15:50).
“Inherit Salvation” = “Inherit Eternal Life”
= “Inherit the Kingdom of God”
The believer's understanding of the second coming of Christ must be based first and foremost on a correct understanding of the terminology used by the NT writers regarding the topic of salvation. It is fundamentally wrong to read back into the scriptures concepts or ideas that the NT writers did not intend to convey by their words. Concepts such as a "pre-tribulation rapture" were not a part of their vocabulary or thinking. Instead, their thinking was rooted and grounded in the OT concepts of "salvation" "eternal life" and the "kingdom of God" - all of which are used almost interchangeably throughout the NT to describe that which the believer will "inherit" at Christ's return. Look at these verses:
Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him? (James 2:5).
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable and we will be changed (I Cor. 15:50-51).
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:4-7).
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation? (Heb. 1:14).
These terms were based on OT promises and concepts and then understood in the light of all that Jesus himself had taught - as well as in the light of all that Christ had already accomplished via his life, death, resurrection and giving of the Spirit on Pentecost. The perspective of the NT writers was simple: Christ was "coming back" (cf. Acts 1:11) and when he did they would inherit "salvation," "eternal life" or "the kingdom of God." The synonymous use of these terms is recognized by almost all NT scholars today. For example, the New International Dictionary of NT Theology states:
The expression "eternal life" (zoe aionios) ... is to be understood primarily as life which belongs to God. From the Book of Daniel onwards "eternal life" is an expression of the longed-for eschatological blessings of salvation, life in the age to come (cf. Dan. 12:2) ... This is a life that is awaited in the future along with the resurrection of the dead, just as the term can be used ... alternately with ... the kingdom of God .. to denote salvation" (NIDNTT, vol. 3, p. 832, Zondervan).
This was simply the language of Judaism based on OT prophecies and promises. Let's look at each of these terms more closely.
Salvation
The terms "saved" or "salvation" are sometimes used in the NT in a comprehensive sense to speak of the whole experience of salvation. At other times they refer to what believers are "saved from." i.e., "saved from our sins," and therefore "saved from the coming wrath." This is a constant theme throughout the NT. The "coming wrath," refers to God's coming judgment against unrepentant sinners in the "the day of the Lord" or "the day of God's wrath" - which will take place after Christ's return. John the Baptist also spoke of believers fleeing from "the coming wrath" (Matt. 3:7) and Jesus spoke of "wrath" as the opposite of "salvation" (John 3:36). Paul, who used the term "saved from the coming wrath" several times (Rom. 5:9; I Thess. 1:10; 5:9), explained specifically what he meant by this "coming wrath" in Rom. 2:5-16. Instead of being condemned and destroyed in the final judgment believers in Christ are already "justified." Thus, believers will be "saved" from "God's wrath" and "inherit eternal life."
There is nothing in this concept of "salvation" that exempts believers from "tribulation" in this life - whether small or great - as Acts 14:22, II Thess. 1-2 and the rest of the NT clearly show. Nor does the term "saved from the wrath to come" mean that God cannot inflict "wrath" upon unbelievers in various ways during this "present evil age" - even while Christian believers are present (cf. Rom. 1:17ff; I Thess. 2:16; cf. Luke 21:23).
Eternal Life
In the Bible the term "eternal life" is never presented as a vague or nebulous concept; instead, it has a fixed and definite meaning that would have been understood in the light of its OT background and, especially, in the light of the teachings, illustrations and explanations of Jesus about "this present evil age" and the glorious "age to come." Biblically, the words "eternal life" (Gr. zoe aionios) mean "life of the coming age." That is, life in the coming age of the kingdom of God. Joseph Fitzmyer explains when speaking about Rom 2:7:
This is the first Pauline mention of "eternal life," an idea derived from his Jewish tradition (Dan. 12:2; 2 Macc. 7:9; 4 Macc. 15:3; cf. 1QS 4:7); It is life in the aion, in the "age" to come. See further Rom. 5:21; 6:22-23; cf. Gal. 6:8. So Paul formulates the destiny of Christian existence, which he will further specify in time as a share in the "glory" of God (3:23; 5:3) and in the life of the risen Christ (6:4), i.e., being "forever with the Lord" (I Thess. 4:17; cf. Rom. 5:21; 6:22-23). Three qualities of that destiny are mentioned: Gr. doxa, "glory," Gr. time, "honor" and Gr. aphtharsia, "imperishability, immortality" [J.A. Fitzmyer, The Anchor Bible, Romans, p. 302].
Note carefully that there is nothing whatsoever in the term "eternal life" about:
(1). The idea of dying and going to heaven;
(2). A so-called pre-tribulation rapture of the church into heaven;
(3). A one thousand year reign of Christ on earth with his saints.
Instead, the words "eternal life" always have a fixed and definite meaning - "life in the coming age" of the kingdom of God.
The Kingdom of God
According to Jesus and Paul the "kingdom of God" which believers are to "inherit" will be an "imperishable" realm in the "age to come" that will be inhabited only by people who have been made immortal (Luke 20:35-36; I Cor. 15:50-54). In addition, there can be nothing that causes sin or evil within this kingdom (Matt. 13 :37-43). It is precisely for this reason that "the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God." Instead, only believers will have an inheritance in this kingdom for it is only they who will be made immortal. Since "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" all believers must undergo a transformation at Christ's second coming into "glorious," "immortal" or "incorruptible" bodies - empowered by a "life-giving spirit" (I Cor. 15). Only after this will they "enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).
Paul's End-time Perspective: Sharing in Christ's Glory
Paul's "end-times" perspective was based on the fulfillment of Old Testament promises that God had made to his people (Acts 24:14-15; 26:6-8). In turn, these promises were understood in the light of all that Jesus himself had taught - especially the truths of the "Olivet Discourse" as recorded in Matt. 24-25; Mark 13 and Luke 21. Paul's most complete end-times chronology is set forth in passages such as I Thessalonians 4:13-18 and II Thessalonians 1-2 and I Cor. 15 and it's easy to see the similarities in those records with the Olivet discourse. Nowhere, however, in all of Paul's writings does he ever mention such concepts as a "pre-tribulation rapture"; a "two-stage" second coming of Christ, or, even, a coming "millennium." - these concepts must be read into his writings. Yes, "secrets" were revealed to him about various aspects of this hope (I Cor. 15:51; Rom. 11:25-27), but it is still the same hope. Paul's point of view is always simple: Christ is coming back and when he does evil will be destroyed and believers will "inherit the kingdom of God."
These same truths are taught throughout Paul's letters - sometimes emphasizing one aspect of the believer's hope and sometimes another. The issues he deals with and the terminology he uses always depend on the group to which he is writing at any given time and the questions or issues with which he is dealing (e.g. I Cor. 15; I Thess. 4:13-18; II Thess. 2:1ff). However, in every case there was always a common basis of understanding that Paul had already taught them - usually in person - so there was never a need to rehearse everything again in its entirety.
As G.E. Ladd states, "Our problems arise when we begin to ask questions that were not in the minds of the authors" such as Paul. There are simply many questions about the second coming of Christ that no one knows the answer to and that honest people may disagree about - e.g. such as what, or who, is the "restrainer" of II Thess. 2:6; etc. Dogmatism or pretending to "know" all the answers on such matters only causes unnecessary divisions. Ironically, it is normally those whose knowledge of biblical languages, history, culture, etc. is the most expert who are the least dogmatic in their assertions concerning such questions. Others tend to marshal their arguments to fit within pre-conceived interpretative programs that must be made to "fit" - usually, with great violence being done to the natural meaning of the biblical text.
Despite difficulties over details the biblical picture of Christ's second coming is basically clear. But the texts must be allowed to speak for themselves according to their natural meaning. The translators of versions such as the NIV, NRSV, NKJV, REB, NAB, etc. are the leading experts in their fields - compare their versions with each other and when necessary consult Study Bibles or Commentaries. No, they don't always agree with each other but the idea that someone else who is not an expert in the biblical languages, history, etc. is going to come up with a true "scoop" about something on this topic that hasn't been seen already is remote at best. From such "scoops, "insights," "prophecies," "revelations" etc. have come innumerable groups through the centuries claiming to have the truth - only to be proven wrong at a later date, to the great spiritual and emotional damage of their followers.
As for Paul, all the evidence - as in II Thessalonians 1&2 - suggests that he viewed the second coming of Christ as a single climactic event when evil would be destroyed, the earth renewed and all of God's people - whether dead or alive - transformed so as to enjoy forever "the glorious freedom of the children of God." Paul's firm conviction was that "our present sufferings" - whatever they might be - "are not worth comparing with the glory to be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:19-21). It was the clear and simple hope of "sharing in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (II Thess. 2:14) at "his appearing and his kingdom" (II Tim. 4:1) that was Paul's hope. May it be ours as well.
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
Most Bible students would agree that one of the most difficult areas of biblical study is the relationship between Old Testament prophecies and their New Testament fulfillment. Anyone who has spent much time studying NT quotations of OT passages has had to come face to face with the fact that many of these quotations do not appear to be "fulfilled" in what we in the western world of the 20th century would consider to be a literal way - not, at least, based upon their OT contexts. In his book Prophecy and Hermeneutic in Early Christianity [Baker Books], E. Earl Ellis confronts the problem:
To many Christian readers, to say nothing of Jewish readers, the New Testament's interpretation of the Old appears to be exceedingly arbitrary. For example, Hosea 11:1, "Out of Egypt I called my son," refers to Israel's experience of the Exodus; how can Mt. 2:15 apply it to Jesus' sojourn in Egypt? In Psalm 8:4ff. the "son of man" given "glory" and "dominion" alludes to Adam or to Israel's king; how can Hebrews 2:8f. and I Cor. 15:27 apply the text to Jesus? If Gen. 15:6 and 2 Samuel 7 are predictions of Israel's future, how can the New Testament writers refer them to Jesus and to his followers, who include Gentiles as well as Jews? [p. 163].
These are interesting and difficult questions for anyone who wants to honestly and "correctly handle the word of truth" (II Tim. 2:15 NIV). Without getting into too much detail I will deal with a couple of issues in this regard and then make reference to books which deal with the subject more completely.
Biblical Language
Any investigation of the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies in the New Testament must take into account the manner of speaking and writing of the Old and New Testament writers. This involves many different aspects but one that is especially important is the semitic use of hyperbole. G.B. Caird explains in his book The Language and Imagery of the Bible:
Hyperbole or overstatement is a figure of speech common to all languages. But among Semitic peoples its frequent use arises out of a habitual cast of mind, which I have called absoluteness - a tendency to think in extremes without qualification, in black and white without intervening shades of gray [p.110].
Such language can be seen throughout the Bible especially with contrasts between the absolute usage of words such as "love" and "hate" or "light" and "darkness" when the intended meaning is not in fact absolute (e.g. Gen. 29:30-31; Rom. 9:13). This use of hyperbole is especially prevalent in prophetic language. Caird goes on to explain:
Prophecy deals more often than not in absolutes. The prophets do not make carefully qualified predictions that the Israelites will be destroyed unless they repent. They make unqualified warnings of doom, accompanied by unqualified calls to repentence ... The prophet is sometimes as absolute in his optimism as in his forecasts of ruin.
Once we have acquired some familiarity with this prophetic idiom through instances in which the referent is incontrovertibly defined by the context, we may perhaps be ready to cope with advanced hyperbole in which no such direct clue is provided. The Book of Isaiah ends with a prediction of the final victory of God,
For, as the new heavens and the new earth which I am making shall endure in my sight, says the Lord, so shall your race and your name endure; and month by month at the new moon, week by week on the Sabbath, all mankind shall come to bow before me, says the Lord ... (Isa. 66:22-23).
Even if we constrict ourselves to the geographical limits of the prophet's world and to the level of population in his day, the prospect of all mankind traveling on weekly and monthly sightseeing tours to Jerusalem is too ludicrous to take literally; under ancient conditions of travel, time alone would be enough to make the idea impossibly absurd. We are dealing with a poet who has chosen this hyperbolic symbol to express his confidence in the coming of a new age in which the whole world will accept the worship of the one true God [p. 112, 115-6].
This same use of hyperbole can be seen in many OT passages which many people today insist have not yet been fulfilled and must therefore be fulfilled in a strictly literal way in some future age. But this leads us to another and even more important question. Almost all such OT prophecies - including the one quoted above - are expressed in terms that mention the retention of old covenant practices - i.e. Sabbaths, New Moon celebrations, religious festivals, altars and sacrifices - all of which, according to the New Testament, are clearly abolished and done away through the redemptive work of Christ and the institution of the new covenant era of salvation. How then could such practices be reinstituted in some future time or age, according to the will of God, without making the work of Christ of none effect?!
The Shadow and the Reality
After taking into account the type of biblical language employed in specific prophetic sections of the Old Testament we must always conform our own thinking about their New Testament fulfillment to the interpretation given by the inspired writers of the New Testament documents themselves. As to their understanding of this topic there can be no doubt that their entire perspective was shaped by Christ - both his own teachings and, most importantly, his redemptive work including his life, death, resurrection, ascension, giving of the Spirit and his future return. The following verses state explicitly the perspective which every NT writer shared:
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in Christ. And so through him the "Amen" is spoken by us to the glory of God. Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come (II Cor. 1:20-22).
The Law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming - not the realities themselves (Heb. 10:1).
Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day. These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ (Col. 2:16-17).
With the coming of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost the new covenant has been established "once for all." There can never again be a reinstitution of the old covenant Law without making of none effect that which Christ has already accomplished through his life, death and resurrection. From the New Testament perspective the old covenant has simply been made obsolete (Heb. 8:13), and now everything is to be interpreted in the light of Christ and the new covenant which he has brought. This "spiritual perspective" from which the NT views the lives of new covenant believers can be summed up in many NT verses including the following:
Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God. He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant - not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life (II Cor. 3:4-6).
But now, by dying to what once bound us, we have been released from the law so that we serve in the new way of the Spirit, and not in the old way of the written code (Rom. 7:6 ).
Simply put, with the coming of the new, the old is gone forever. As a result, all of life, including one's understanding of the OT scriptures, is to be viewed from this perspective. This does not mean that the old covenant regulations were not meant to be understood literally by the people of their day. However, with the coming of Christ the Old Testament "shadow" is now recognized. Spiritual realities that had never before been understood were made known (e.g. Matt. 13:11-12; Eph. 3:4-6; etc.), and the Old Testament is now to be interpreted in the light of these truths. In short, Christ's death, resurrection and giving of the Spirit were the decisive steps in God's plan of salvation. From that time onward "the old has gone, the new has come" (II Cor. 5:17) and all of life is to be viewed in this way. As Ellis states concerning the Old Testament,
Not only persons and events but also its institutions were "a shadow of the good things to come" [ibid., p. 166].
In this light it seems impossible that there could ever be a time again when Old Testament institutions such as the sacrifices, religious festivals, Sabbaths, New Moon festivals, food laws, etc. of the Mosaic Law could ever again be instituted - that is, according to the will of God. With the coming of the new covenant "reality" in Christ the old covenant "shadow" is no longer necessary. In fact, to continue old covenant practices as though they are still prescribed by God can have very harmful effects on the body of Christ. As F.F. Bruce states regarding Paul's meaning in Col. 2:16-18:
Perhaps he means that the reality which was foreshadowed by the now obsolete ceremonial economy is the new order whose distinctive feature is that believers of the most diverse origins - Jews, Gentiles or whatnot - are alike united by faith to Christ, incorporated into him by the Spirit. To adhere now to the ceremonial regulations of a bygone age is to fail to grasp this new order, to fail (in other words) to "hold fast to the Head, by whom the whole body is equipped and supplied through its joints and ligaments and thus increases with the increase of God" (Co. 2:18f.) [F. F. Bruce, The Time is Fulfilled, Eerdmans, p. 78].
In short, any expectation that Old Testament prophecies (e.g. Zechariah 14; Isaiah 65-66; etc.) which speak of sacrifices, religious festivals, Sabbaths, altars, etc. are still to be fulfilled in a strictly literal sense at some future time seem to have grave difficulties in the light of the new covenant that has already been established by Christ. Rather than searching the Old Testament for prophecies that one thinks have not yet been fulfilled and then teaching that they must be literally fulfilled in the future - including the re-institution of old covenant regulations - it seems far wiser to simply let the New Testament writers be our guide for the proper interpretation of the Old Testament - especially, as they point to the clear fulfillment of all God's purposes in Christ. The message of the new covenant is clear: the "shadow" has passed and the "reality" has come.
[Recommended books for studying this subject that are available from CBD include: The Time is Fulfilled, by F.F. Bruce; The Language and Imagery of the Bible, by G.B. Caird. Also, available at book stores is the highly recommended Jesus and Israel by David Holwerda (Eerdmans) and, though difficult to find, the excellent work by E.E. Ellis, Prophecy and Hermeneutic in Early Christianity, esp. pp. 147-172, (Baker)]
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by Scot Hahn
Cary, North Carolina
Recently in my personal and group study of the Bible I have been continually reminded of the importance of understanding God’s work in Christ. As we gain insight into the work of God through the New Testament writings we come to understand God’s ultimate purposes for man, spiritual principalities and powers as well as creation itself - all of which are bound up in Christ. Exposure to such marvelous knowledge, through the Scriptures, helps us to better understand our privileged position of being God’s chosen people in Christ.
It is God’s will that by understanding His work in Christ we will be better equipped to fulfill our role as believers in God’s great plan. Ephesians sums up well the purposes of God.
He (God) has made known to us his secret purpose in accordance with the plan which he determined beforehand in Christ, to be put into effect when the time was ripe: namely, that the universe, everything in heaven and on earth, might be brought into a unity in Christ (Eph. 1:9-10 NEB).
Here the fulfillment of God’s plan for the entire universe is said to be taking place in Christ. It is obvious that this plan is yet to be fully realized, for no one can deny that all things in heaven and on earth are not unified. But God has already acted in Christ to ensure that this unity will be accomplished.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Christ], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross (Col. 1:19-20 NIV).
There are different dimensions within this reconciling process. Enmity abounds within God’s creation on many different levels. Mankind, in addition to being alienated from God (Col. 1:21), is divided against itself. There are hostile forces within the heavenlies that must be brought to subjection before unity can be achieved.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:11-12 NIV)
Atop all this the creation itself "groans as in the pains of childbirth" waiting to be "liberated from its bondage to decay" (Rom. 8:19-22). God’s work in Christ is sufficient to deal effectively with all these problems. We ourselves as God’s chosen people in Christ have an important role to play in the outworking of this plan.
In dealing with man God’s work had to change the position in which we stood towards Himself and one another. He did this in Christ. God’s message to the world is that
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them... We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (II Cor. 5:19-21 NIV).
And if we have been reconciled or brought to God then it stands true that there should no longer be divisions among mankind.
For he (Christ) himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit (Eph. 2:14-18 NIV).
Although this section speaks specifically to the division of Jew and Gentile which was of utmost importance for biblical times it is also true for all men everywhere. For
here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all (Col. 3:11 NIV).
As men who have been brought to the side of God where "Christ is all and is in all" there is no longer any room for divisions instead the way to unity has been revealed.
Though there is probably a great deal that man does not know about spiritual powers, we do know that their function does not lay outside of God’s purposes in Christ. It is "all things in heaven and on earth" that will be brought into a unity in Christ. God has
seated him (Christ) at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way (Eph. 1:20-23 NIV).
God has also given Christ’s church a mediatory role to play in displaying his wisdom to these heavenly powers.
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph. 3:10-11 NIV).
The eternal purpose of unifying all things can be seen as already accomplished in part within the church. This unity is the design for all of God’s creation and when the "rulers in the heavenlies" look upon the unified people of God in Christ, God’s wisdom in accomplishing unity is revealed to them.
God’s design for creation is not separate from His design for man. As Paul stated,
In my estimation, all that we suffer in the present time is nothing in comparison with the glory which is destined to be disclosed for us, for the whole creation is waiting with eagerness for the children of God to be revealed ... that the creation itself might be freed from its slavery to corruption and brought into the same glorious freedom as the children of God (Rom. 8:18-21 NJB)
When God’s goal for man is reached and His children in Christ are "revealed" the creation itself will be freed from corruption and will be made fitting for the scene of God’s rule. What a glorious day that will be! May we as God's children "wait for it patiently" (Rom. 8:25) with steadfast hope and faith as we serve in holiness and love (Gal. 5:5-6).
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
The central purpose of God's plan of salvation was to create for himself "a people" - children of his very own - who would share in the blessings of God's goodness and bring forth the fruits of their relationship with him "to the praise of his glory." This plan of God was "purposed" in Christ1 (Eph. 1:9) before the creation of the world and "accomplished" in time through Christ's redemptive work for God's people (Eph. 3:11). The central focus of this plan is clearly set forth in Paul's Letter to the Ephesians:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will - to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves (Eph. 1:3-6).
Though God's choice to have a people in Christ was conceived in his love "before the creation of the world," it was worked out "in history" through God's choice of Abraham and his seed - Israel - to be the vehicle of bringing the blessings of his salvation to "all nations" of the world. This is explicitly recorded in the Book of Genesis:
Then the Lord said, "Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do? Abraham will surely become a great and powerful nation, and all nations will be blessed through him. For I have chosen him, so that he will direct his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord by doing what is right and just so that the Lord will bring about for Abraham what he has promised him (Gen. 18:17-19; cf. 12:1-3; 15:1ff).
This promise to Abraham culminates in the coming of Jesus the Messiah from the people of Israel (Rom. 9:4-5). He is the true "seed of Abraham" (Gal. 3:16) and the "elect" or "chosen one" of God (Isa. 42:1-4; Luke 3:22, 9:35). He is, in fact, the representative leader of God's people (Dan. 7:13ff.); indeed, he is in a sense the ideal "Israel" (Matt. 2:15; Hos. 11:1; Isaiah 49:3) - embodying in himself God's purposes and destiny for his people.
Andrew Lincoln, in his commentary on Ephesians, explains about God's election of a people and the fulfillment of his purposes "in Christ":
God's purpose in choosing out a people for himself is of course a familiar idea in the OT (e.g., Deut. 7:6-8; 14:2), which witnesses to Israel's consciousness of God's choice of her in the midst of the twists and turns in her historical fortunes. God had chosen Abraham so that in him the nations of the earth would be blessed, and Israel's election was not for her own self-indulgence but for the blessing of the nations: it was a privilege but also a summons to service. Christian believers also had this consciousness of being chosen to be the people of God. The new element was the [in Christ] phrase. Their sense of God's gracious choice of them was inextricably interwoven with their sense of belonging to Christ. God's design for them to be his people had been effected in and through Christ. They saw him as God's Chosen One. Indeed, Paul in Gal. 3 treats Christ as in a sense fulfilling Israel's election. Christ is the offspring of Abraham par excellence (3:16) so that they too, because they are Christ's, are Abraham's offspring (3:29). The notion of being chosen in Christ here in Ephesians is likely to include the idea of incorporation into Christ as the representative on whom God's gracious decision was focused [WBC, Ephesians, p. 23].
Thus, it is "in Christ" that all of God's purposes for his people - as well as for his creation - are brought to fulfillment (Gal. 3:16-29; Eph. 1:3-14).
The phrase "in Christ" therefore sets forth a key concept that ties together the Old Testament and the New and that provides the basis for the life of all Christian believers. In fact, the "in Christ" concept is the key to both the continuity - as well as the discontinuity - which the NT people of God have in relationship to the OT people of God, Israel. As for continuity, NT scholar F.F. Bruce states,
Jesus provides in himself the vital continuity between the old Israel and the new, and his faithful followers were both the righteous remnant of the old and the nucleus of the new (The Origin of the Bible, p.12, Tyndale Pub., emphasis mine).
It is "in Christ" that new covenant believers "participate" in the "body" and "blood of Christ" - a truth that is so vividly symbolized in the Lord's supper (I Cor. 10:15-17). Jesus called out and chose his twelve apostles from the nation of Israel to be the leaders of his church, beginning as the faithful remnant of Israel (Matt. 16:18). It was specifically "for them" (i.e., "for you" Luke 22:19-20) - the representatives of the new covenant people of God - that Jesus' body was "broken" and Jesus' blood was "poured out". And so, through the apostles, Christ established with his church "the new covenant in my blood" (Luke 22:14-20; cf. I Cor. 11). Thus, the continuity between the Old and the New Covenant people is established "in Christ."
But it is also "in Christ" that the discontinuity between the Old and the New takes place, for the new covenant people of God no longer consist of just "Israel according to the flesh" (I Cor. 10:18). Instead, "in Christ" the reconciliation of all mankind - both Jew and Gentile - has taken place. Therefore, all barriers between Jew and Gentile -as well as between man and God - have been broken down. The result is "one new man in Christ." As Ephesians states,
But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away (i.e., Gentiles) have been brought near through the blood of Christ. For he himself in our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two (Jews and Gentiles), thus making peace (Eph. 2:13-15).
Thus, via Christian believers' incorporation "in Christ" direct continuity is maintained with the Old Testament people of God - making the Old Testament the spiritual history of the Christian church. And yet, there is also discontinuity in the fact that the one people of God no longer consists of only "Israel according to the flesh" (I Cor. 10:18) but has expanded to include all people - both Jew and Gentile - who by faith and the Spirit are incorporated "in Christ."
It is important to understand that both "election", "predestination" and the "in Christ" concept are all corporate concepts in the Bible. It is only by being incorporated into Christ - through faith and the Spirit - that individual believers become part of the "elect" or "chosen people" of God (e.g. Col. 3:12; I Pet. 1:2; 2:9). Just as Israel as a nation was called to be the OT chosen people of God, so in the new covenant era the people of God are the "elect" or "chosen people" of God only as a corporate entity "in Christ" (Eph. 1:4). As C.K. Barrett explains:
It is important to recall here that the seed of Abraham contracted till it became ultimately Christ (Gal. 3:16) and was subsequently expanded to include those who were in Christ. This means that election does not take place arbitrarily or fortuitously; it takes place always and only in Christ. They are elect who are in him; they who are elect are in him. It is failure to remember this that causes confusion over Paul's doctrine of election and predestination (cf. Gal. 3:29 emphasis mine). [Black's NT Commentaries, Romans, p. 171.].
F.F. Bruce, then, summarizes for us the NT doctrine of election in his commentary on Ephesians:
It was in Christ, then, that God chose his people "before the world's foundation." This phrase ... denotes the divine act of election as taking place in eternity. Time belongs to the created order: believers' present experience of the blessings bestowed by God is the fulfillment on the temporal plane of his purpose of grace toward them conceived in eternity. As the fulfillment is experienced "in Christ," so is in him that the purpose is conceived. If, as Col. 1:16 affirms, it was "in him" that all things were created, so we are assured, earlier still it was "in him" that the people of God were chosen. He is the Chosen of God par excellence; it is by union with him, according to the divine purpose realized in time, that others are chosen [NICNT, Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon, p. 254, Eerdmans).
"New Creation!"
It is important to realize that the phrase "in Christ" encapsulates an eschatological perspective - i.e., a perspective which recognizes the fulfillment of God's promises, bringing "the end" to this present age, and ushering in the age to come. This perspective was the driving force of the new covenant believers of the first century church. The resurrection of Christ and the giving of the Spirit were clear signs to the first century church that the end of the present age had already begun and that the firstfruits of the age to come was already theirs. They were thus a people living "between the times" of the old and the new creation. But, as C.K. Barrett explains, it was only "in Christ" that believers now participated in this reality.
"In Christ" is itself a Pauline phrase of central ... significance. It is best explained as originating ... in primitive Christian eschatology. The death and resurrection of Jesus were eschatological events, effecting the transition from this age to the age to come. Believers could take advantage of this transition, but the transference from the one age to the other could take place only "in Christ" (ibid., p. 119).
A key verse in understanding this perspective is, of course, II Cor. 5:17. I quote this verse in several different versions for comparison sake:
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new (NKJV; italicized words are not in the underlying Greek text).
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come (NIV).
So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new! (NRSV).
For anyone united to Christ, there is a new creation: the old order has gone; a new order has already begun (REB).
All of these translations have their good points but the New Geneva Study Bible summarizes the thought behind the verse in one of its notes and points out a key matter regarding the translation of this verse:
In Christ: Union with Christ summarizes our experience of redemption. Believers are elected (Eph. 1:4, 11), justified (Rom. 8:1), sanctified (I Cor. 1:2), and glorified (3:18) "in Christ." Here Paul focuses on the momentous significance of the believer's union with the Savior. Because Christ is the "last Adam," the One in whom humanity is recreated (I Cor. 15:45; Gal. 6:16; Eph. 2:10) and who inaugurates the new age of messianic blessing (Gal. 1:4; cf. Matt. 11:2-6), the believer's spiritual union with Christ is nothing less than participation in the "new creation." Translating "there is a new creation" instead of "he is a new creation" draws this conclusion more clearly, but the thought is there either way [p. 1835].
This is certainly an important point. "In Christ" believers have already become not just a new creation but a part of God's entire "new creation" of the coming age. The whole outlook of Christian believers should be conditioned by this reality. Believers' lives are no longer to be "conformed to this age" but to be "transformed by the renewing of your minds" (Rom. 12:2).
Richard B. Hays in his book The Moral Vision of the New Testament summarizes this NT perspective for believers today:
According to Paul, the death and resurrection of Jesus was an apocalyptic [or, eschatological] event that signaled the end of the old age and portended the beginning of the new. Paul's moral vision is intelligible only when his apocalyptic perspective is kept clearly in mind: the church is to find its identity and vocation by recognizing its role within the cosmic drama of God's reconciliation of the world to himself.
The image of "new creation" belongs to the thought-world of Jewish apocalypticism. One of the fundamental beliefs of apocalyptic thought was its doctrine of the "two ages": the present age of evil and suffering was to be superseded by a glorious messianic age in which God would prevail over injustice and establish righteousness in a restored Israel." Paul's use of the phrase "new creation" echoes Isaiah's prophecy of hope:
For I am about to create a new heavens and a new earth; the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind. But be glad and rejoice forever in what I am creating; for I am about to create Jerusalem as a joy, and its people as a delight. I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and delight in my people; no more shall the sound of weeping be heard in it, or the cry of distress (Isa. 65:17-19 NRSV; cp. II Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21-22).
When we hear 2 Cor. 5 in the context of Isaiah's fervent prophetic hope for the renewal of the world, we understand that Paul is proclaiming that the church has already entered the sphere of the eschatological age.
The apocalyptic scope of 2 Corinthians 5 was obscured by older translations that rendered the phrase in verse 17 as "he is a new creation" (RSV) or - worse yet - "he is a new creature" (KJV). Such translations seriously distort Paul's meaning by making it appear that he is describing only the personal transformation of the individual through conversion experience. The sentence in Greek, however, lacks both subject and verb; a very literal translation might treat the words "new creation" as an exclamatory interjection: "If anyone is in Christ - new creation!" ... Paul is not talking about an individual's subjective experience of renewal through conversion; rather, for Paul, ktisis ("creation") refers to the whole created order (cf. Rom. 8:18-25). He is proclaiming the apocalyptic message that through the cross God has nullified the kosmos of sin and death and brought a new kosmos into being. That is why Paul can describe himself and his readers as those "on whom the ends of the ages have met" (I Cor. 10:11). The old age is passing away (cf. I Cor. 7:31b), the new age has appeared in Christ, and the church stands at the juncture between them. [The Moral Vision of the New Testament, pp. 19-20, Harper- Collins]
Whichever translation is chosen it is this perspective that should dominate the thinking of all who are "in Christ." In him "the old has gone, the new has come." It is for the purpose of participating in this "new creation" that God has called us and chosen us to be his children - so as to be a people who are transformed by the power and vision of all that we have in Christ. Once again, as so often, Paul's letter to the Ephesians summarizes these great truths in God's plan of salvation:
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:8-10 NIV).
This is truly "amazing grace!" May we be found worthy of such a high and holy calling.
Footnote
The phrase “In Christ” means “in Messiah”, God’s anointed Savior and King.
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
The biblical truth of salvation by grace is a fundamental concept which should be understood by every Christian believer. As a result of the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ into heaven to be Lord over God's people a new era has begun in God's plan of salvation for mankind. A new covenant relationship has been established between God and his people. No longer is God's relationship with his people based upon the imperfect sacrifices, rituals or legal code of the Old Testament Mosaic Law. Instead, it is based upon the perfect "once for all time" sacrifice of Christ and is "sealed" by the Spirit of the living God which is given to all of God's people (Heb. 9:15; II Cor. 3:6; Eph. 1:13-14). Those who believe in Jesus Christ, accepting him as their Lord, are born of God's Spirit becoming children in God's family and members of the church of the body of Christ. As a result, God's new covenant people are now able to know God as their own personal Father and to worship him "in spirit and in truth" (John 4:21-24; Eph. 2:18-22; Phil. 3:3). For believers in Christ, therefore, the blessings of salvation begin in this present life and will be brought to their glorious completion in the life of the coming age at Christ's second coming. The Book of Romans tells us specifically how God's gift of salvation may now be received in this age of the new covenant in which we live:
That if you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved (Rom. 10:9-10).
The "how" of receiving salvation is to confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and to believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. In these verses the words "confess" and "believe" are simply two sides of the same coin. To believe that "God raised Jesus from the dead" is to accept this testimony of God's word as being true and then to hold to it within your life. To confess that "Jesus is Lord" is to acknowledge, or state outwardly, what you believe to be true inwardly. This belief and confession are based upon the freewill decision of any individual and mark the beginning of a lifetime relationship of living in faith under Christ's lordship.
Biblically, Jesus is Lord because as the Son of God he died for our sins purchasing us for himself and then was raised to life by God to rule as Lord over God's people and creation. The Book of Acts explains:
God has raised this Jesus to life and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
'The Lord [God] said to my Lord [Christ]: 'Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'
Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:32-36).
Jesus fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies concerning the coming Christ by dying for our sins and then being raised from the dead. He was then exalted to God's right hand in heaven and "enthroned" or "coronated" as Lord and Christ in fulfillment of Psalm 110. There he will "reign" until the time, in God's eternal plan, when he will come again to bring complete salvation for God's people, destroy God's enemies and establish God's kingdom forever (I Cor. 15:24-25).
It should be understood that the terms "Lord," "Christ" and "Son of God" are all messianic titles which refer to the same essential truths in the Bible. "Lord" means "ruler or master." "Christ" means "God's anointed Savior and King." And the term "Son of God," when speaking of Jesus, refers to the one born by divine conception and then sent by God to fulfill all the Old Testament prophecies concerning the promised Messiah or Christ. All of these terms can, therefore, be used interchangeably because when we speak of Jesus as "Lord," "Christ" or "Son of God" we are speaking of the same person. Compare the following verses:
Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved ... (Acts 16:31).
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God (I John 5:1).
I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (I John 5:13).
These are all different ways of expressing the same essential truths. If we choose to believe this testimony, the biblical promise is that we will be "saved," "born of God" and have "eternal life."
By Grace You Have Been Saved
Salvation, or eternal life, is a gift from God to man. It is not something that we can work to earn by our own good works nor is it something that we deserve because of our own inherent worthiness. All men have sinned and fall short of God's perfect standard of righteousness (Eph. 2:1; Rom. 3:23; James 2:10). This is precisely why Christ came and gave himself as the ransom sacrifice on behalf of all mankind. By his sacrificial death he paid the price for the sins of all people for all time. Those who choose to accept him receive the benefits of this - the gift of eternal life. Look at the Book of Romans:
For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom. 6:23).
Sin pays a wage and that wage is death. Since all men have sinned, the Bible says that all men will also one day die (Rom. 5:12; Heb. 9:27). Simply put, man is mortal and not even all the wonders of medical science can solve this, the greatest of all problems. But this is precisely what God has done through Christ. For Christ is the firstborn from the dead, guaranteeing that all who believe in him will also receive the gift of immortality at his second coming.
The Books of Romans and Ephesians emphasize the truth that this salvation is a gift from God and cannot be earned either by works of religious ritual or by good works of service to others. Instead, salvation is received through faith - a humble trust in God and his Son:
Now when a man works, his wages are not credited to him as a gift, but as an obligation. However, to the man who does not work, but trusts God who justifies the wicked, his faith is credited as righteousness (Rom. 4:4-5).
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Eph. 2:8-10).
If righteousness, or salvation, could be earned by working for it then some would be able to boast before God about their goodness. However, the Bible clearly teaches that no one can be good enough to attain salvation through their own merit - because we all fall short. Good works in a Christian's life are the fruit of salvation - not the means to attaining it. Salvation is totally by grace; that is, undeserved divine favor from God to man. This absolutely rules out any possibility for man by his own merit or good works to be good enough to earn salvation. As the Apostle Paul states:
And if by grace, then it is no longer by works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace (Rom. 11:6; cp. Rom. 4:1-5).
Paul elaborates even further on this subject in another section of the Book of Romans:
But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus (Rom. 3:21-24).
Through believing in Jesus Christ we are forgiven of our sins and justified, or made righteous, in God's sight. This is a result of Christ's sacrificial death in which he redeemed us, or set us free, by paying the ransom price for our sins. Therefore, this righteousness and salvation are now available to all who desire to receive it through faith in Christ (Rom. 10:9-10). All of this is by grace. Why? Because "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Therefore, we all need a savior, and when we accept him the same gift of righteousness, salvation or eternal life is given to all.
Salvation: Present and Future
After the day of Pentecost, when the gift of holy Spirit was first given, the New Testament speaks of two aspects of God's gift of salvation: present and future. Believers in Christ have already "been saved" (Eph. 2:8) and yet they have not yet received the fullness of "the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time" (I Pet. 1:5). When a person believes in Christ he is at that moment born of God's Spirit (John 1:12-13; 3:1-8; I John 5:1) and becomes a child in God's family (Rom 8:16; Gal. 4:4-7), a spiritual citizen of God's kingdom (Eph. 2:18-19, Phil. 3:20) and a member of the church of the body of Christ (I Cor. 12:12-13, 27). In addition, the believer is spiritually redeemed, justified and righteous in God's sight (I Cor. 6:11; Rom. 8:10; I Cor. 1:30). All of this is a result of the believer receiving the "firstfruits of the Spirit" (Rom. 8:23), because the Spirit is a "downpayment" or "deposit, guaranteeing our inheritance" in the future kingdom of God (Eph. 1:13-14; II Cor. 1:21-22, 5:5). Therefore, the believer in Christ is able to enjoy already, in part, the blessings of salvation which will one day come in all of their fullness. Let's look at some examples of how the New Testament Letters speak of both the present and future aspects of salvation:
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:4-7).
Here we see clearly both the present and future aspects of God's gift of salvation. As believers in Christ we are already saved and justified but we also still have the hope of future eternal life. Look at the Letter of I John which also elaborates on this theme:
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! ... Dear friends, now we are children of God, and what we will be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he [Christ] appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (I John 3:1-2).
We are already God's children! And yet, there is something much greater to come in the future when Christ "appears a second time" (Heb. 9:28). For then, we will see Christ "face to face" (I Cor. 13:12) and be instantaneously changed to be "like him." Let's look at one more example of this "already" but "not yet" life of the believer:
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body (Phil. 3:20-21).
We are already, by way of the Spirit, citizens of God's kingdom which is now in heaven, but the day is coming when Christ will come again to establish God's kingdom "on earth as it is in heaven" (Matt. 6:9-10). At that time our "lowly bodies" will be transformed to become like his "glorious body." That is the Christian hope; for though even now we are the children of God, we still "groan" in these mortal bodies waiting for the time when mortality will be "swallowed up by life" and we receive "the redemption of our bodies" (II Cor. 5:1-8; Rom. 8:22-23).
The Second Coming of Christ
The Bible is absolutely clear on the truth that the second coming of Christ is the one and only hope of Christianity. It is only then that believers in Christ will be transformed from mortality to immortality so as to enjoy forever "the glorious liberty of the children of God" (Rom. 8:21). The Book of I Corinthians gives the details of this incredible transformation which will take place for all of God's people - whether dead or alive - at Christ's glorious second coming:
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep [die], but we will all be changed - in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:
'Death has been swallowed up in victory.' 'Where, O death is your victory?' Where, O death is your sting?'
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:50-57).
We are already the people of God - children in his family and spiritual citizens of his kingdom. But the fullness of eternal life will not be ours until "death has been swallowed up in victory." When, then, will this take place? At death? No! Only at the second coming of Christ and not before. Death is an enemy that must be defeated (I Cor. 15:26), not a friend which brings us into immortality with Christ. Believers in Christ who die are said to be "asleep in Christ" and their next conscious thought will be their "awakening" to immortality at Christ's second coming. They will then be raised to meet him in the air so as to be with him - from that moment on - forever. The First Letter of Paul to the Thessalonians pinpoints this climactic moment in God's plan of salvation:
Brothers, we do not want you to be ignorant about those who fall asleep, or to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope. We believe that Jesus died and rose again and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him. According to the Lord's own word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left till the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever (I Thess. 4:13-17).
When will believers be with Christ forever? Only at Christ's glorious second coming and not before. It is that moment, therefore, that must be the focal point of all Christian hope and expectation. For then, and only then, will mortality be "swallowed up by life" (II Cor. 5:4). Then, and only then, will believers in Christ "inherit the kingdom of God" (I Cor. 15:50; II Thess. 1:1-10). And then, and only then, will God's eternal purpose in Christ - destined for our glory before time began - be fulfilled in all its glory (Rom. 8:18-30; Eph. 1:9-10; I Cor. 15:20-28, 50-58).
Who Can Be Saved?
Many times sincere Christians do not think they are worthy of such grace. They feel that they are so bad that most certainly God could not accept and forgive them. But this is the whole point of why Christ came and died for us. We must always remember that salvation is the free gift of God - available to all who will accept it - because of the sacrifice of Christ on behalf of all mankind. The Apostle Paul speaks directly to this issue:
Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst. But for this very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life (I Tim. 1:15-16).
Paul knew that if there was ever anyone undeserving of God's salvation then surely it was him. For despite his great learning and rigorous adherence to the religious traditions of Judaism, he was in fact greatly deceived before the time he accepted Christ (Phil. 3:2-9; Titus 3:1-7); so deceived, in fact, that he had zealously persecuted, even to death, believers in Christ. And yet God in his wonderful grace and mercy had forgiven Paul. This incredible "salvation by grace" serves as an example of Christ's "unlimited patience" in waiting for people to recognize their need for him as their savior and to accept his gracious offer of eternal life. The Bible calls this decisive change in a person's heart and life "repentance." It is the recognition of one's unworthy life and a turning to God for the salvation which he freely gives through faith in Christ. It is God's desire "for all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth" (I Tim. 2:4). He does not wish for any to perish but to come to repentance (II Pet. 3:9). Therefore, the invitation continuously goes out to all in this day of salvation:
'In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you. I tell you, now is the time of God's favor, now is the day of salvation' (II Cor. 6:2).
Now truly is the time for "our Savior, Christ Jesus, has destroyed death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (II Tim. 1:10). Let us therefore accept this gift of salvation which God has made available through his Son. The Letter of I John sums up the choice that stands before us all and the gift that can freely be ours by faith:
And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (I John 5:11-13).
[This article is adapted from chapter three of this writer's booklet God's Plan of Salvation and can be read in its entirety here]
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by Chuck LaMattina
Chicago, Illinois
A few years back, a New York rabbi named Harold Kushner, wrote a book called, When Bad Things Happen To Good People. His book was on the New York Times best seller list for almost a year. As its title suggests, Kushner tried to deal with, and come up with, an explanation for all the tragedies we see in life. People have always tried to come to grips with this issue. The basic question is, "How can God allow bad things to happen to seemingly innocent people?"
Rabbi Kushner deals with the issue of life's tragedies by arguing that bad things happen, because in reality God is not totally Sovereign. He is not all-knowing, nor all-powerful. The rabbi believes that in the end God will ultimately triumph, but that at times, here and there, things do get out of God's control. He advises his readers that the best they can do in light of this, is to forgive God, and then do what God does - just get on with life.
The rabbi believes that it is better for us if we come to terms with the fact that God is not all-knowing, or all-powerful; rather than thinking that God is not all loving or good. That is the way he would have us deal with the question of why bad things happen to good people. Not only do I think his answer leaves much to be desired, but I think he and the rest of us are asking the wrong question. The question to ask is not, "Why do bad things happen to good people?" But, "Why do good things happen to bad people?"
In the gospel of Luke there is an unparalleled account, where some people ask Jesus Christ about the reasons behind two tragedies. In the one, a group of Galilean worshipers were killed by Pilate and his Roman soldiers, while they were sacrificing in the temple. The soldiers cruelly mixed the Galileans' blood in with the sacrifices. In the other tragedy, a tower of some kind accidentally fell and killed 18 people. The people who questioned Jesus Christ supposed that the tragedies occurred because the victims were bad sinners. Our Lord's response shows a lack of real understanding of life on the part of those who asked the question.
And Jesus answered them and said to them, "Do you suppose that these Galileans were worse sinners than all other Galileans, because they suffered such things? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them, do you think that they were worse sinners than all other men who dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish" (Luke 13:2-5 NKJV).
A harsh response, lacking in compassion? I don't think so. The Bible paints a vastly different picture of mankind than we paint. We tend to think everyone is basically good. The Bible teaches just the opposite. It teaches that from the time of Adam's fall, there is no one truly good, no not one. In Romans, chapter 3 we read, "...There is no one righteous, no not one" (vs. 10).
And thus, the amazing thing is not that bad things happen to good people, but that good things actually happen to bad people! The amazing thing is that in the face of man's rebellion against God we don't see worse tragedies. The amazing thing is that God graciously offers to save and redeem people in Jesus Christ, rather than letting us all die. For as the Scriptures teach, "...the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 6:21).
The Word of God teaches us that there are basically only two groups of people, those who are in Adam and those who are in Christ. In 1 Corinthians 15 we read,
For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.
The word "in" is the Greek preposition en, and it carries with it the idea of being within the very center of something, of being surrounded within an object, or a sphere of influence. It indicates permanence and continuance, unless a stronger force comes along. As Adam is the founder and head of the human race, all who are descended from Adam are said to be in him. The end result of this union is death. Preceding that death are all the pains and problems and sorrows that afflict every life.
But as we are going to see, Christ Jesus is the founder and the head of a new race of people. And all who are in him, find their lives lived with fullness of blessing. Because of the amazing grace of God in the Lord Jesus Christ good things can happen to bad people. The apostle Paul tells us of these good things in his letter to the Ephesians,
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence (Ephesians 1:3-8).
Notice the phrase "in Him" repeated over and over again in these verses! To have life in Christ is to have a far more significant and satisfying existence than anything we could ever imagine. To have life in Christ is to have the resources and remedy, to deal with the fundamental concerns of life. It is to be able to live life with great blessing. These verses describe for us our blessing, and status, and glory because we are in Christ.
First, verse 3 tells us that we have in Christ, every spiritual blessing. All who are saved by faith in Christ are given in him every spiritual resource they may ever need to live life abundantly. We are given love, and grace, and peace. We are made righteous, and are given strength, and hope. In Christ we are granted everything we may ever need to enjoy life and to have a vital relationship with God.
Secondly, verse 4 says that in Christ we were chosen from before the foundation of the world, to stand before Him as those who are holy and without blame. We stand before God bathed in His love! We were chosen in Christ to live our lives in a distinctly different manner from everyone else. Being blessed by God in Christ, we were chosen to enjoy the fruit of our new status with God, the fruit of love, and peace and joy. And we can carry this fruit of our blessing in Christ, into all our relationships, and into every circumstance. The Bible says that we can be,
fruitful in every good work... strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and long suffering with joy (Colossians 1:10-11).
This wonderful section of Ephesians continues by telling us in verse 5, that we were predestined to be adopted as God's sons. Literally, this means that in Christ we have been legally designated as God's heirs. In Christ we have been given a spiritual treasure that is inexhaustible and incorruptible. And there is nothing in life that could ever compare to this inheritance, good or bad. In Romans, chapter 8, we learn that,
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs -heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (Romans 8:16-18).
In the fourth place, we have been "accepted in the Beloved [Christ]" (Eph. 1:6). In other words, in Jesus Christ we have free access to God, we stand in the light of His good favor, and have available to us all the resources of our God. The practicality of this truth is that we can have a bold and loving confidence in our God as the following verses make clear.
in whom [Christ] we have boldness and access [to God] with confidence through faith in Him (Eph. 3:12).
Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful (Hebrews 10:19-23).
And lastly, Ephesians 1:7 points out that in Christ we have redemption and forgiveness of sins. In redemption we are bought out of the world's slave market, rescued from the power of sin. We are rescued from the world's foolish wisdom that really only leads to slavery rather than liberty. We are redeemed from the corrupting influences of our age. And in redemption we are redeemed, or delivered from the powers of spiritual darkness. As Colossians states,
He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins (Col. 1:13-14).
Those who are in Christ are delivered from the manipulating influences and captivating powers of every devilish force. The believer in Christ never needs to be under the tyranny of the demonic. Never! And in Christ we are forgiven of our sins, cleansed through and through, spiritually healed and reconciled to God. In Christ we are totally saved.
For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by [in] His life (Romans 5:10).
What a shame that the world around us scours the junk yard of the world's religions and philosophies, collecting trash to deal with life's problems, when the bountiful and practical blessings of God are freely given to us in Jesus Christ!
What really makes a difference in life? How do we deal with the problems we face? Do we deal with life by deciding that, yes, God is good, but incapable of real help? Do we just get on with life thinking that maybe a change in jobs, or cities, or even a husband, or wife will solve our difficulties? Do we look to education for answers, to more governmental intervention? Government and its laws change very little, if at all. Education simply provides us with more facts, or with more questions. Moving to a new location physically, or emotionally only changes the scenery, not the real issues of life!
It is changed people who change everything. And it is only God who changes people by taking them out of Adam and placing them in Christ. If you are a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ, you have been radically changed. You are a part of a new race, a new creation, with new potential and a new destiny. And we are called to live differently.
For the love of Christ compels us, because we judge thus; that if One died for all, then all died; and He died for all, that those who live should live no longer for themselves, but for Him who died for them and rose again. Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; all things have become new (2 Corinthians 5:14-17).
Once we believe in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior we are no longer who or what we were before. Even Jesus Christ is not now what he was according to the flesh. He is now glorified, filled with all the fullness of God. And in him, we are in all reality, a new creation, a new species. We can now live with new power, new purpose and with a new hope.
The word for "new" in vs. 17, is the Greek word kainos, meaning not new in time, but new in quality. Verse 17 means that we have a new nature, different from the old. It means the believer can live in a new manner, with new power, bringing new results.
In salvation God recreates us and places us in Christ. In doing this, He gives us new life. He makes us new people. We now have divine power for the present, and hope for a new future. As Colossians 1:27 says, it is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Old things, old fears, old hurts, old inabilities, old aspirations, can be gone, and all things can be made new! As a new creation in Christ life takes on a freshness and a freedom that was simply impossible while we were still in Adam. We are given new life and new hope, only by being born again. This is what Jesus told a man named Nicodemus.
There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. This man came to Jesus by night and said to Him, "Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him." Jesus answered and said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:1-3).
Without the new birth there is no new life, there is no new hope. Newness of life comes from being born again. Now, it would be good to stop and think about this man Nicodemus for a moment. He was a Jew, one of God's chosen people. He belonged to one of the strictest sects of his time. He was a member of the ruling council of Israel, the Sanhedrin. He was a teacher of the law and he earnestly endeavored to live righteously before God.
But he was also a descendant of Adam and thus possessed Adam's fallen nature and destiny. No matter how hard this man tried, he could not achieve on his own, what God could give him in Christ. Nicodemus needed to be radically changed, to be born again. In the Old Testament the prophet Jeremiah said to Israel,
Can the Ethiopian change his skin or the leopard its spots? Then may you also do good who are accustomed to do evil? (Jeremiah 13:23).
No one can change what is a part of their intrinsic nature. As Jesus Christ continued to tell Nicodemus,
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit ... You must be born again (John 3:6-7).
We must be given a new life.
The word "birth" always carries the meaning of new life. And the life always partakes of the nature of the parent. A little puppy has the nature of a dog in him and nothing will change that. A human being has the nature of Adam, and nothing can change that except to be taken out of Adam and given a new birth in Christ. The only way to escape the death and tragic way of life that is found in Adam, is to be created anew in Christ.
And you He [God] made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them (Eph. 2:1-10).
How can good things happen to bad people, to people who are dead in trespasses and sins? The answer is the grace of God in Christ Jesus! Those who are saved are now God's "workmanship created in Christ." The word "workmanship" is translated from the Greek word poema, a word used for a significant and extremely valuable work of art. The word was used for a masterpiece. We are God's masterpiece! His new creation in Christ!
Being a Christian doesn't mean making a few minor adjustments to life. It doesn't mean trying a little bit harder to be a little bit better. It doesn't mean forgiving God for His missing the call and then moving on! Being a Christian means that you have undergone a radical spiritual transformation in Christ. Now we can and we must make a radical change in our thinking and in our living. The excellency of our whole Christian life depends on understanding our secure position in our Lord.
Romans 3:24 tells us that we were justified freely by God's grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:11 states that we need to reckon ourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ. Romans 6:23 declares that the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ. Romans 8:1 simply states that there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ. Romans 8:39 boldly proclaims that nothing past, present, or future shall ever be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. 1 Corinthians 1:30 joyfully announces that God has placed us in Christ, and that he has become for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption. 2 Corinthians 1:21 tells us that it is God who establishes us, or fixes us in Christ, indicating our security. 2 Corinthians 2:14 proclaims that God always leads us in triumph in Christ. 2 Timothy 1:9 says that God saved us not according to our own works, but according to His own purposes that were given to us in Christ before time began. And Philemon verse 6 says that the sharing of our faith becomes effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing that is in us in Christ! The heart of the gospel is that we are complete in Christ!
As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power (Colossians 2:6-10).
We must not allow ourselves to be robbed out of our fullness in Christ by worldly wisdom. In Christ we are complete. In Christ we move out of death into life, we move from tragedy to victory! Being in Christ is a vital, spiritually organic, intimate union that involves a shared life, a shared love and a shared destiny which no one can ever change.
My Christ He is the Lord of lords, He is the King of Kings.
He is the Sun of Righteousness, With healing in his wings.
My Christ he is the heaven of heaven.
Upon his glorious name I call.
My Lord, my Savior, My first and last.
My Christ is my all in all!
[Chuck LaMattina is the pastor of Grace Fellowship Church of God in Front Royal, Va. This article is taken from Chuck's book Christ Our Life which is available from Amazon.]
**
by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
The central theme of the entire Bible is God’s plan of salvation which he brings to fulfillment through his Son, Jesus Christ. This plan, which was foreknown by God before the creation of the world and foretold by the prophets of the Old Testament, is to bring about a family of children who will live in intimate fellowship with God as their Father and share in the glory of his goodness forever. The working out of this plan of salvation is the thread which ties the whole Bible together from beginning to end. It brings unity to its diversity and meaning to its action and thought. The Gospel of John summarizes this plan in words that are known by many the world over:
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
The Bible consistently teaches that there are only two possibilities for the final destiny of man: to receive "eternal life" or to "perish." Since man is "mortal" - subject to death (Rom. 1:23; Rom. 5:12; Heb. 9:27), he has no hope for a life that lasts forever apart from receiving the gift of eternal life from God, who alone is "immortal" (Rom. 1:23; 1 Tim. 6:16). For those who reject God's way of salvation, Jesus Christ (John 14:6), the final end or destiny will be to perish after the final judgment. For those, however, who accept Christ there will be a very different destiny - eternal life. For the believer in Christ this eternal life begins in the present life with the "firstfruits of the Spirit" (Rom. 8:23) and will be brought to its final completion in the paradise of the kingdom of God after Christ's second coming (I Cor. 15:20-28).
In the Bible the terms "salvation," "eternal life" and "kingdom of God" are closely related to each other and are often used as almost interchangeable expressions (cp. John 3:5, 16, 17). The word "salvation" is a comprehensive term. It includes the idea of deliverance from something as well as the result of that deliverance. When speaking of the eternal salvation of man it refers to being saved from sin, its consequences, and the final condemnation of the ungodly at the last judgment. As a result, instead of being condemned to perish, the believer in Christ will receive the gift of eternal life.
Biblically, the term "eternal life" means the "life of the coming age." The Bible speaks of this present period of time in which we live as the "present evil age" (Gal. 1:4). It is influenced for the most part by the "god of this age," Satan, and his spiritual kingdom of darkness (II Cor. 4:4; Eph. 6:10-12; I John 5:19). Though God is still ultimately sovereign over all (Psalm 103:19), the Bible teaches that this world is fundamentally in rebellion against God (Eph. 2:1-3). After Christ's second coming, however, God's enemies will be destroyed and a new age will be ushered in - the age of the kingdom of God.
In this new coming age God's righteous and loving rule will be established "on earth as it is in heaven" for God's kingdom will finally have "come" (Matt 6:10). This kingdom will be a "paradise" (Rev. 2:7) consisting of "a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness" (II Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1ff). It will be everlasting in duration and those who live within it will have the "eternal life" of the coming age. This eternal life will be a life that is "immortal" and "imperishable" (I Cor. 15:53-54), for it will be life in a kingdom whose origin is "not of this world" (John 18:36) - a paradise where all of God's people will enjoy forever "the glorious freedom of the children of God" (Rom. 8:21).
Understanding the biblical concept of salvation should enable the Christian believer to live this present life within the proper spiritual framework that the Bible presents. Our central point of focus should be Christ's future second coming and the final establishment of God's kingdom. As believers in Christ our daily lives should be lived with the certainty that godly living in this life will be rewarded at Christ's future appearing (Col. 3:23-24; Titus 2:11-14). For though the Bible offers the believer in Christ promises for the present life (I Tim. 4:8), it remains true that the fullness of eternal life will only be received in the life that is to come after Christ's second coming (I Tim. 6:18-19).
Until that time Christians are still subject to the sufferings of this world - even death - because we have mortal, perishable bodies and live in the midst of a great spiritual battle (Eph. 6:12). Though Christians have the assurance of ultimate victory, it is only at Christ's second coming that the "perishable" will "clothe itself with the imperishable" and "the mortal with immortality" so that death will finally be "swallowed up in victory" (I Cor. 15:50-57). Until that time, the believer in Christ can enjoy salvation with the "firstfruits of the Spirit" and with the full assurance that "our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18).
Although our understanding is limited today, the Bible promises that after Christ's second coming we will no longer "see but a poor reflection as in a mirror," but, instead, we will see Christ "face to face" (1 Cor. 13:12). Then we will no longer know only "in part" but "fully even as we are fully known" (I Cor. 13:12). Then, and only then, we will enjoy "God's salvation" in all its fullness - eternal life in the paradise of God's kingdom forever.
The Book of Revelation offers us a pictorial glimpse of this future "kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” that “will reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 11:15; Eph. 5:5). When this comes to pass the final goal in the out-working of God’s plan of salvation will have finally been fulfilled (cf. I Cor. 15:20-28).
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.
He who was seated on the throne said, "I am making everything new!" Then he said, "Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true."
He said to me: "It is done. I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. To him who is thirsty I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God and he will be my son (Rev. 21:1-7).
Who, then, is the one who “overcomes” so as to “inherit all of this”? Only those who through faith in Christ "overcome by the blood of the lamb" (Rev. 12:11). The Book of I John confirms this truth:
Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and ... everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith. Who is it that overcomes the world? Only he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God … I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life (I John 5:1-5, 13).
**
by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
Few Bible believing Christians would dispute the fact that the study of history is meaningless apart from a realization that God, the creator and sustainer of the universe, is guiding and over-ruling history to his own appointed ends. This does not mean, of course, that all that happens is according to the will of God. God has clearly given man freedom of will and the very fact that there will be a final judgment means that man is responsible for the choices that he makes. However, God’s rule over, and in, history does mean that he has a sovereign plan that he is working-out which has a purpose and goal which he is able to fulfill. The scriptures from Genesis to Revelation witness to this plan (e.g. Acts 1:7; 2:23; 17:24-31; Rom. 8:28-30, Eph. 1:3-10; etc.) and without an understanding of it history itself is meaningless.
The New Testament literally abounds with passages of Scripture which describe God’s redemptive or salvific plan in a nutshell. One example is from Paul’s first Letter to the Corinthians:
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. For he “has put everything under his feet.” Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all (I Cor. 15:20-28).
These verses describe redemptive history. Their focus is on God’s plan of salvation which he achieves in, and through, Christ. In his commentary on chapter 5 of the Book of Revelation G.E. Ladd summarizes the Christian perspective of history:
Here is a simple but profound biblical truth which cannot be overemphasized: apart from the person and redeeming work of Jesus Christ, history is an enigma. For centuries since Augustine and his City of God, a Christian view of history as having a divinely ordained goal which was inseparable from the redemptive word of Christ has colored western thought. Since the enlightenment, many philosophers have rejected the Christian view of life, and for them history has become a problem … Christ, and Christ alone, has the key to the meaning of human history. It is not therefore surprising that modern thinkers are pessimistic; apart from the victorious return of Christ, history is going nowhere [A Commentary on the Revelation of John, p. 82, Eerdmans].
**
by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
One of the chief focuses of this newsletter has always been to emphasize the continuity of God’s plan of salvation throughout the Bible. Specifically, we have emphasized that in the Bible there is one God, one people of God and one hope of salvation for all of God’s people. Though the background of this story-line can be seen in the Old Testament Scriptures themselves, the only sure method for correct biblical interpretation of these OT Scriptures is to allow the New Testament writers to be our guides in properly understanding them. For, as has often been stated, the Old Testament is the New Testament concealed and the New Testament is the Old Testament revealed. It is only by focusing on the New Testament message of salvation - as accomplished through Christ - that we can see the whole Bible in proper perspective.
One of the best ways to do this is to follow the New Testament story of “God’s salvation to the ends of the earth” in the two-volume work of Luke: the NT Books of Luke and Acts. These two books provide a continuous account of the NT fulfillment of the OT promise of salvation in Christ and then its proclamation to the ends of the earth. Let’s look at Luke’s own stated purpose for writing both Luke and Acts:
Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us, just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, so that you may know the certainty of things you have been taught (Luke 1:1-4).
Luke states clearly that his purpose in writing is to show the certainty of the things that had been taught: i.e., the “word” concerning the fulfillment among them of God’s OT promises of salvation to his people. One of the key OT sections, against which Luke frames his two-volume work, is the “servant of the Lord” passage of Isaiah 40-55. Luke understands these verses to foreshadow the salvation which is fulfilled in Jesus, the ideal Israel and the true “servant of the Lord.” His account from beginning to end aims at the fulfillment and proclamation of “God’s salvation to the ends of the earth.” Isaiah 49:5-6 provide the central background passage for this theme:
And now the LORD says –
he who formed me in the womb to be his servant
to bring Jacob back to him
and gather Israel to himself,
for I am honored in the eyes of the Lord
and my God is my strength –
He says:
“It is too small a thing for you to be my servant
to restore the tribes of Jacob
and bring back those of Israel I have kept.
I will also make you a light for the Gentiles,
that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth”
(Isaiah 49:5-6).
In short, this OT section of scripture provides the background for Luke’s framework of his two-volume work about the announcement, fulfillment and proclamation of “God’s salvation to the ends of the earth.”
The continuity of this theme can best be seen by comparing the references in Luke and Acts about God’s salvation in Christ that tie the two books together as one continuous whole. The Book of Luke begins by several announcements about the meaning and significance of the birth of Jesus, the Messiah. He is the “horn of salvation” (1:69) through whom comes “the forgiveness of sins” (1:77) and who will “reign over the house of Jacob forever” since his “kingdom will never end” (1:33). In short, this “Savior … Christ the Lord” (2:11) embodies in himself the fulfillment of God’s OT promises of salvation for all peoples of the world. As Simeon concluded in Luke chapter 2:
Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you now dismiss your servant in peace.
For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared in the sight of all people,
a light for revelation to the Gentiles and for the glory of your people Israel (Luke 2:29-32).
The rest of the Book of Luke goes on to announce and demonstrate “God’s salvation” in the ministry of Jesus the Messiah as well as to show its accomplishment through his life, death and resurrection. This, of course, sets the stage for its proclamation throughout the Book of Acts as can be seen in three sections of Scripture in Acts. First, chapter one begins by tying the two-volume work together.
In my former book, Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach, until the day he was taken up into heaven, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles he had chosen. After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God. On one occasion, while he was eating with them, he gave them this command: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.
So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”
He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:1-8).
It would be hard for Luke to be any clearer as to the purpose of the Book of Acts.
God’s Salvation
There are two sections of scripture that set forth in detail the message of salvation that was preached in the Book of Acts, and indeed, in the entire New Testament from Pentecost onwards. First, Acts 2-4 with Peter and then Acts 13-14 with Paul. The two detailed accounts should be compared with each other but for the sake of space we will focus on the “good news” or “message of salvation” (Acts 13:26) which Paul preaches in Acts 13-14 on his first missionary journey. First, he speaks to the people of Antioch of Pisidia:
“We tell you the good news: What God promised our fathers he has fulfilled for us, their children, by raising up Jesus. As it is written in the second Psalm:
“’You are my Son;
today I have become your
Father.’
The fact that God raised him from the dead, never to decay, is stated in these words:
‘I will give you the holy and sure
Blessings promised to
David.’
So it is stated elsewhere:
“’You will not let your Holy One see
decay.’
“For when David had served God’s purpose in his own generation, he fell asleep; he was buried with his fathers and his body decayed. But the one whom God raised from the dead did not see decay.
“Therefore, my brothers, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is justified from everything you could not be justified from by the law of Moses. Take care that what the prophets have said does not happen to you:
“’Look, you scoffers, wonder and perish, for I am going to do something in your days that you would never believe.’”
As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue, the people invited them to speak further about these things on the next Sabbath. When the congregation was dismissed, many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.
On the next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and talked abusively against what Paul was saying.
Then Paul and Barnabas answered them boldly: “We had to speak the word of God to you first. Since you reject it and do not consider yourselves worthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles. For this is what the Lord has commanded us:
I have made you a light for the Gentiles,
That you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.
When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed to eternal life believed.
Then the word of the Lord spread through the whole region (Acts 13:32-49; cp. Acts 2 with Peter).
Shortly after this speech, Paul preached the word of the Lord to other parts of that same region including Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. After this he returned to each of the churches he established in those cities in order to strengthen them and to appoint elders to oversee them. Acts 14:21b-23 summarizes the message he taught them:
Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain to true to the faith. We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God” (Acts 14:21b-23).
No better summary of the “good news” which Paul and the other apostles preached can be found in the entire NT. The teachings in the NT Letters to the churches should constantly be compared with these historical accounts in Luke-Acts so as to put them in their proper historical and conceptual context. In short, Paul’s message was “good news” about the fulfillment of the OT theme of salvation. It focused on Jesus the Savior, whom God had vindicated as Lord and Christ by raising him from the dead. Those who accept him in faith have the assurance of forgiveness of sins, or justification, and eternal life1 in the kingdom of God to come.
As can be seen from these verses, Luke-Acts gives us a complete picture of the biblical concept of salvation: what salvation is, how it is be attained and whom it is for. “Salvation,” “eternal life” and “entering the kingdom of God” are all eschatological terms which speak of the same reality in regards to the biblical concept of salvation, but each are from a somewhat different perspective and with a different emphasis. In sum, we could summarize the whole message about “God’s salvation” in Luke-Acts with the following chart:
Whoever:
Jew or Gentile,
repents/believes/accepts
the good news/word of God/message of salvation
that:
Jesus is the (risen) Lord/Christ/Son of God,
will be saved:
that is,
be justified/receive eternal life/enter the kingdom of God
In Luke-Acts the basic “good news” of salvation is always the same: those who accept Jesus as God’s Messiah will be saved. But from Pentecost onwards the message of salvation takes on a new perspective of fulfillment. The salvation that had been foretold in the OT has now been fulfilled in Jesus, for God has vindicated him as the Lord Christ by raising him from the dead. Everyone who accepts him as the (now risen) Lord, Christ, Son of God will be saved (cp. Acts 2:21; Rom. 10:9-17).
To the Ends of the Earth
In the Book of Acts, the believers’ mission is to take the good news of this salvation “to the ends of the earth.” Note carefully that this is the same salvation that was first foreshadowed in the Old Testament; then preached to Israel; and finally, is preached to the ends of the earth. Simply put, there is one salvation in scripture that God accomplishes through our Lord Jesus Christ for all people; not different salvations for different peoples.
All of these truths are confirmed and established in the concluding chapter of the Book of Acts. Luke sets forth Paul as an example for all who would follow him in the mission of proclaiming the “good news”. Upon arriving in Rome – the center of the Roman empire – Paul met together with the Jews who were living there in order to explain the message of salvation that he had been proclaiming wherever he went:
Three days later he called together the leaders of the Jews. When they had assembled, Paul said to them: “My brothers, although I have done nothing against our people or against the customs of our ancestors, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Romans. They examined me and wanted to release me, because I was not guilty of any crime deserving death. But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar – not that I had any charge to bring against my own people. For this reason I have asked to see you and talk with you. It is for the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain.”
They replied, “We have not received any letters from Judea concerning you, and none of the brothers who have come from there has reported or said anything bad about you. But we want to hear what your views are, for we know that people everywhere are talking against this sect.”
They arranged to meet Paul on a certain day, and came in even larger numbers to the place where he was staying. From morning until evening he explained and declared to them the kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the Prophets. Some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe. They disagreed among themselves and began to leave after Paul had made this final statement, “The Holy Spirit spoke the truth to your forefathers when he said through Isaiah the prophet:
“‘Go to this people and say,
You will be ever hearing but never
Understanding;
You will be ever seeing but never
perceiving.’”
For this people’s heart has become
calloused;
they hardly hear with their ears,
and they have closed their eyes.
Otherwise they might see with their eyes,
Hear with their ears
Understand with their hearts
And turn, and I would heal them.’
“Therefore I want you to know that God’s salvation has been sent to the Gentiles and they will listen!
For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 28:17-31).
In Paul’s final address in Acts he summarizes the “good news” that he proclaimed wherever he went. It is a message about the fulfillment of “God’s salvation”. This was foreshadowed in the OT Scriptures and has now been fulfilled in the Lord Jesus Christ. It is in him that God’s ultimate plans for his people and creation are now proclaimed “to the ends of the earth.”
Footnote
It should always be remembered that the term “eternal life” literally means “life of the coming age.” As F.F. Bruce states, “ ’eternal life’ (zoe aionios) reflects Heb. Hayye ha olam habba, ‘the life of the age to come’” (The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Book of Acts, p. 266, Eerdmans).
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
It is impossible to study the New Testament without at the same time studying about the “end-times” or “last things.” For, in a sense, that is what the New Testament is all about. Christian believers are those “upon whom the ends of the ages have come” (I Cor. 10:11) because in Christ, God’s purposes for his people are fulfilled and the new age of salvation has already begun (II Cor. 5:17). In fact, the whole point of the New Testament is to show how God’s purposes for his people and creation are brought to fulfillment in, and through, Christ. As R.J. Bauckham states,
In contrast to cyclical conceptions of history, the biblical writings understand history as a linear movement toward a goal. God is driving history towards the ultimate fulfillment of his purposes for his creation. So biblical eschatology is not limited to the destiny of the individual; it concerns the consummation of the whole history of the world, towards which all God’s redemptive acts in history are directed (“Eschatology”, New Bible Dictionary, p. 342, Eerdmans).
Biblically, of course, the final resolution of history takes place with the return of Christ, the last judgment and the final establishment of God’s kingdom in a renewed and glorious earth (I Cor. 15:20-28). However, the unique perspective of the New Testament is that “the last days” or “the end” actually began with Christ’s death, resurrection and giving of the Spirit on Pentecost. Therefore, like it or not, we already live in “the last days” and our lives should be conducted in that light.
For Christians this should be cause for joy since with every passing day Christ’s return is closer and so "now is our salvation nearer than when we first believed” (Rom. 13:11). In short, every generation of Christian believers, including the first century church, lives in the last days and in the light of Christ’s return. This makes for a simple deduction: to study the first century church, as recorded in the NT, is to study an example of how we – or any generation of Christians – should live in “the last days.” Our responsibilities as Christians are always the same. They can be broken down into two broad responsibilities, which never change:
(1). Christians in every generation are responsible to live Christ-like lives of love and service to others as encapsulated in Gal. 6:10: “Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”
(2). Christians in every generation are responsible to help in proclaiming the good news of “God’s salvation to the ends of the earth.” This is made crystal clear in Acts 1:6: “So when they met together, they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them: “It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
As the Book of Acts shows, these responsibilities do not change even in the midst of persecution, economic depression, or tribulations or hardships of any kind. These Christian responsibilities are simply part and parcel of what it means to be ambassadors for Christ in a world that is under the corrupting influence of Satan’s kingdom – while, at the same time, having our true citizenship, and hope, in heaven.
As with most students of the Bible, my present beliefs about end-times haven’t come easily. They are the result of much study and many experiences with many Christian groups and individuals from childhood until today. Along the way I’ve learned that sensationalism, special “revelatory” insight, or “scoops” on current events are almost always wrong. By far, I’ve learned the most through my own personal reading and study of the Bible, history, etc. as well as from the works of recognized biblical scholars from a wide variety of denominations throughout the world. Amongst such scholars there is actually a wide consensus of agreement on most matters about eschatology. Disagreements that do occur among such scholars are primarily over details that do not affect the big picture. The following list presents principles for studying and living in the “end-times”, i.e., for any generation of Christians, that I’ve drawn from my own studies and from the works of scholars whose expertise far surpass my own. I recommend them and present them for your consideration:
The “end-time” began with Christ’s first coming. Specifically, the life, death and resurrection of Christ were the most important eschatological events in God’s plan of salvation. Through what he achieved, salvation is now available to all who will accept him; and, his resurrection and glorification are the prototype for all who are to follow.
Christ will return, raise, gather together and transform all his people, and then reign in life with them forever in the kingdom of Christ and of God. Before that time we must be willing to continue in the faith and to endure the sufferings of this age, because it is only through much tribulation that we will enter into the kingdom of God.
Passages such as Acts 1:6-11; 3:18-21; 14:21-23; Rom. 8:16-25; I Cor. 15; Eph. 1:9-10; Phil. 3:20-21; I Thess. 4:13-18; II Thess. 1-2; I John 3:1-3; I Peter 1:3-9; II Peter 3:1-13; Rev. 21:ff.; etc., which are clear and easy to understand, form the basis of my understanding. These truths are confirmed over and over throughout the NT and by every NT writer. No passage of scripture should be allowed to break the truth of their consistent witness.
The fulfillment of OT prophecies must be understood in accordance with the interpretation of the NT writers. Normally, this fulfillment was understood in the light of progressive revelation and in typological terms (rather than either a strictly literal, or else, allegorical way).
Sections of Scripture such as the Olivet Discourse in Matt. 24-25; Mark 13; and Luke 21 are clear in what they teach in broad terms. However, the details should not be pressed since it is notoriously difficult to be sure of what pertains, for example, to the first century destruction of Jerusalem, etc. and what might pertain to a time immediately preceding Christ’s return. By the same token, the Book of Revelation is loaded with symbolism, etc. and it is not always possible to be sure of the precise interpretation of individual passages. In all such cases, believers should focus on that which is clear throughout the rest of the NT. Those who claim “special” or “revelatory” insight about biblical passages, or current events, or date setting in regards to the last days – beyond what the scriptures clearly teach - should be rebuked and shunned.
The first century church as recorded in the pages of the New Testament should be our prime example as to how to live in the end-time. The primary Christian responsibilities of living a Christ-like life of love and service towards others, and of bearing witness to Christ to the ends of the earth, never change no matter what the circumstances may be. They should be the primary focus of action for every generation of Christians.
After many years of dealing with this subject it is my conclusion that “simpler is better.” In short, it is better to focus on the simplicity of what Christ has already accomplished, the certainty of his future return, and how to live in the light of this as a child in God’s family. What may or may not happen in-between is of comparatively little significance in the overall scheme of things. A pre-occupation with possible end-time scenarios seems more often than not to cause believers to miss the mark in regards to their Christian responsibilities and often cause hurt and divisions. Below, is a recommended list of works on biblical eschatology by first class biblical scholars for those who are interested in more information:
1. The article “Eschatology” by R.J. Bauckham in the New Bible Dictionary. This is a first-class article and a good place to begin, as well as to use as a constant reference. It defines, frames and explains all aspects of the biblical topic of eschatology .
2. The works of George Eldon Ladd including: The Gospel of the Kingdom; The Presence of the Future and A Theology of the NT (Eerdmans). Ladd has a thoroughly biblical grasp of all the issues of eschatology. He is always clear in his presentations and his godly and irenic manner always makes him a joy to read.
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
Every year just after Thanksgiving I pull out my tape of Handel’s Messiah and pop it into the cassette player of my Mazda truck. As I drive around I’m serenaded by the awe-inspiring melodies of this justly famous musical composition put together by one history’s greatest composers. Some of my favorite words come from the famous “Hallelujah Chorus”:
Hallelujah! For the Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
The Kingdom of the world is become the kingdom of our Lord, of His Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever.
King of kings and Lord of Lords. Hallelujah!
I doubt if there is more awe-inspiring music in the whole world. It resonates with truth, hope and reverence for the living God and his Christ. The hope of mankind – towards which the whole biblical record marches - is here announced in anticipation of its imminent fulfillment. Few believing listeners can fail to be impacted at the deepest level of emotion.
Not surprisingly, this has been the reaction of listeners from the very beginning as the brochure in my CD of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s rendition of Messiah makes clear:
One of the greatest works ever conceived by man is Messiah, by George Frederick Handel (1683-1759). In its pages can be found music that is, at the same time, the simplest human utterance and the most complex religious statement – all expressed in terms of the highest inspirational beauty …
Messiah, based on texts from the New Testament, was composed in just 24 days, between August 22 and September 14, 1741…
For the first public concert, on April 13, ladies were requested not to wear hoops in their skirts and gentlemen to refrain from sporting swords, so great was the expected crowd. The event was a huge success, and Faulkner’s “Dublin Journal” reported the pleasure of all who heard the “Sacred Grand Oratorio”:
“Words are wanting to express, the exquisite Delight it afforded to the admiring crowded Audience. The Sublime, the Grand, and the Tender, adapted to the most elevated, majestick and moving Words, conspired to transport and charm the ravished Heart and Ear.”
When Messiah received its London premier, legend has it that Handel’s old patron, King George II, was so moved by the Hallelujah Chorus that he rose and remained standing until its very conclusion. Protocol demanded, of course, that everyone remain on his feet when the King stood, so thus was born the custom of the audience standing during the singing of this most inspired chorus.
The famous words above from the Hallelujah Chorus are found, of course, in the eleventh chapter of the Book of Revelation in the second part of verse fifteen. They express the fulfillment of the hope and goal of the entire biblical record from Genesis to Revelation:
The kingdom of the world has
become the kingdom of our
Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign for ever and ever
(Rev. 11:15b NIV).
When these words finally come to pass believers from all ages will be “caught up” to meet our Lord Jesus Christ in the air. From that point on we will “be with him” and “reign with him” in God’s kingdom -
“for ever and ever”
(I Thess. 4:13-18; I Cor. 15:20-28, 50-58; Rev. 22:5; cp. Rom. 5:17; II Tim. 2:12; etc.). This, is the ultimate biblical hope!
The Christian Hope: Reigning with Christ for Ever and Ever
Let it be stated clearly: the ultimate biblical hope is not for a disembodied life in heaven after death; nor is it for a bodily life in heaven after a secret rapture of the church; nor is it for a life in an imperfect world in the millenium after Christ’s return. Any of those could debatably be intermediate stages along the way. But the simplicity of the Christian hope for the future is clear: it is the personal return of our Lord Jesus Christ at which time believers – whether dead or alive - will be caught up and transformed so as,
“to be with the Lord forever” (I Thess. 4:13-17).
It is the simplest logic to conclude that if we are going to be “with him forever” then our final home is the “new heaven and new earth, the home of righteousness” towards which all biblical revelation points and culminates (e.g. II Pet. 3:13 and Rev. 21:1ff). In other words, it is in “the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ” - in a renewed and glorious earth – that Christian believers will live and reign with Christ,
“for ever and ever” (Rev. 22:5)!
It is of course common for sincere Christian believers to speak of spending “eternity” in heaven. But this is simply based on misunderstandings of biblical language that have been caused by importing Greek ideas about salvation and eternal life into the Bible. Though the New Testament was originally written, at least for the most part, in Greek, the ideas behind the Greek words that are used are not Greek but Hebraic, i.e., based on the Hebrew Bible, the Old Testament. Older translations of the Bible such as the King James Version have helped to propagate these ideas widely in the thought of the common churchgoer, indeed, in the common man at large.
The Bible does of course speak of the Christian hope being “stored up” or “kept” in heaven. However, in biblical the thought this doesn’t mean that believers will go there to get it. Instead, with Christ’s return, God’s kingdom will come, so that God’s will is finally done “on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10). New Testament scholar George Eldon Ladd explains about the NT concepts “heaven” and “eternity”:
In popular Christian idiom, we often contrast the life of the present with that of the future by use of the words earth and heaven. We live our bodily life here on earth, but the future salvation will be consummated in heaven. A more philosophical approach contrasts time and eternity as though they represented two different modes of existence. Our present life is lived “in time” while the future will be “beyond time” in eternity. This concept is reflected in our popular religious idiom in the song:
“When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound and time shall be no more, When the morning breaks eternal, bright and fair …”
One of the most brilliant recent discussions in Biblical Theology is that of Oscar Cullman in which he successfully demonstrated that such concepts are foreign to the Biblical view. His book, Christ and Time, has shown that the Biblical world-view involves a linear concept, and that “eternity” as it belongs to redemptive history is simply unending time. [The Gospel of the Kingdom, p. 25, Eerdmans].
Throughout the entire Bible, the ultimate destiny of God’s people is an earthly destiny. In typical dualistic Greek thought, the universe was divided into two realms: the earthly or transitory, and the eternal spiritual world. Salvation consisted of the flight of the soul from the sphere of the transitory and ephemeral to the realm of eternal reality. However, biblical thought always places man on a redeemed earth, not in a heavenly realm removed from earthly existence.
The New Testament conceives of a heavenly Jerusalem as the dwelling place of God, the true homeland of the saints, and the dwelling of “the spirits of just men made perfect” (Heb. 12:22; see Gal. 4:26; Phil. 3:20) … In the consummation after the resurrection … the heavenly Jerusalem will descend from heaven to take up its permanent location in the new earth. [A Commentary on the Revelation of John, p. 275, 276, Eerdmans].
In short, whenever the Bible speaks of eternal life in “the Kingdom of God” it is always speaking of life in the coming reign of God – through his Messiah - in a renewed and glorious earth which lasts “for ever and ever.”
The common practice of speaking of “the kingdom of heaven” as the place where a believer will enjoy “life in heaven after death” is simply erroneous. The term “kingdom of heaven” is simply a Jewish way of avoiding uttering the (over) revered name of “God” when speaking of the “kingdom of God”. The terms “kingdom of heaven” and “kingdom of God” are synonymous – as any competent biblical research work will confirm.
But, it is also true that the terms “kingdom of heaven” or “kingdom of God” (and similar terms) never refer specifically to the millenium which the Book of Revelation places immediately after Christ’s return. No other biblical writer shows any knowledge whatsoever of a millennial reign of Christ with his saints and it is a travesty of biblical interpretation to pretend that they do. It may very well be that the millenium will be the first stage of God’s kingdom on earth but this is only mentioned in the Book of Revelation and even there it is not the final goal. The term “the kingdom of God” – as used everywhere in the Bible in its future sense - always refers to the coming reign of God and his Messiah that will last “for ever and ever.”
This truth is not hard to see if we would allow the Bible to speak for itself instead of reading things back into it. Let’s look first at the vivid Old Testament background to the concept of “the kingdom of God.” Examples can be found in the Old Testament Books of Isaiah and Daniel. Isaiah spoke of a coming ruler whose righteous kingdom would reign forever:
For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever (Isaiah 9:6-7).
The prophet Daniel also spoke of a coming everlasting kingdom. A kingdom to be brought to pass by "one like a son of man" and which would replace all other kingdoms and rule so as to establish God's righteous rule forever:
In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed ... it will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever (Daniel 2:44).
In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven ... He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed (Daniel 7:13-17).
Nothing could be clearer than that the Old Testament hope for God’s future reign on earth through his Messiah would be “forever”! Recognition of this truth would remove a lot of confusion from biblical studies.
But does the New Testament confirm this same understanding? Absolutely, as the angel’s announcement of the Messiah’s birth in the first chapter of Luke vividly shows:
“Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever; his kingdom will never end” (Luke 1:30-33).
This Old Testament background together with the announcement of the birth of Christ are prima facie evidence for what the New Testament means by the term “the kingdom of God.” It should be built into our understanding of what the term means. In short, no amount of exegetical gymnastics can escape the clearness of the biblical words “forever” and “never end” which are associated with the term “the kingdom of God”.
This should bring pause to those who teach that Jesus’ teaching about “the kingdom of God” in the Gospels is in reference to a millenium as well as to those who teach that the believer’s ultimate destiny is life in heaven. As we have seen, there is no biblical proof whatsoever for these positions. Instead, the ultimate biblical hope about which Jesus, Peter, Paul and John constantly speak, is “the universal restoration of all things” (Acts 3:21 NRSV). It is not for “life in heaven” or “life in a millennium”; instead, it is the restoration of man to his intended rule over God’s created and restored earth (Acts 3:17-21; cf. Gen. 1:26-27; Psalm 8; Heb. 2:5-8). In short, it is the culmination of the entire biblical plan which is for man to “reign in life” (Rom. 5:17),
… for ever and ever (Rev. 22:5)
“in a new heaven and new earth, the home of righteousness”(II Pet. 3:13; Rev. 21:1ff).
For, as Handel’s Messiah echoes, the day is coming when it can truly be said:
The kingdom of the world has
become the kingdom of our
Lord and of his Christ,
and he will reign for ever and ever.
Hallelujah!!
[For a precise study on the meaning of the terms: “the kingdom of God,” etc., I highly recommend chapter two “The Kingdom is Tommorrow” of George Eldon Ladd’s book The Gospel of the Kingdom or his A Theology of the NT. Both are published by Eerdman’s and can be ordered from CBD.]
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by Scot Hahn
Cary, North Carolina
Recently in my personal and group study of the Bible I have been continually reminded of the importance of understanding God’s work in Christ. As we gain insight into the work of God through the New Testament writings we come to understand God’s ultimate purposes for man, spiritual principalities and powers as well as creation itself - all of which are bound up in Christ. Exposure to such marvelous knowledge, through the Scriptures, helps us to better understand our privileged position of being God’s chosen people in Christ.
It is God’s will that by understanding His work in Christ we will be better equipped to fulfill our role as believers in God’s great plan. Ephesians sums up well the purposes of God.
He (God) has made known to us his secret purpose in accordance with the plan which he determined beforehand in Christ, to be put into effect when the time was ripe: namely, that the universe, everything in heaven and on earth, might be brought into a unity in Christ (Eph. 1:9-10 NEB).
Here the fulfillment of God’s plan for the entire universe is said to be taking place in Christ. It is obvious that this plan is yet to be fully realized, for no one can deny that all things in heaven and on earth are not unified. But God has already acted in Christ to ensure that this unity will be accomplished.
For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him [Christ], and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross (Col. 1:19-20 NIV).
There are different dimensions within this reconciling process. Enmity abounds within God’s creation on many different levels. First, mankind, in addition to being alienated from God (Col. 1:21), is divided against itself. Second, there are hostile forces within the heavenlies that must be brought to subjection before unity can be achieved.
Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms (Eph. 6:11-12 NIV)
Third, in addition to all this the creation itself “groans as in the pains of childbirth” waiting to be “liberated from its bondage to decay” (Rom. 8:19-22). Thankfully, God’s work in Christ is sufficient to deal effectively with all these problems. We ourselves, as God’s chosen people in Christ, have an important role to play in the outworking of this reconciling and unifying plan.
In dealing with man, God’s work had to change the position in which we stood towards Himself and one another. He did this in Christ. God’s message to the world is that,
God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them... We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God. God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (II Cor. 5:19-21 NIV).
And if we have been reconciled or brought to God then it stands true that there should no longer be divisions among mankind.
For he (Christ) himself is our peace, who has made the two one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, by abolishing in his flesh the law with its commandments and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two, thus making peace, and in this one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit (Eph. 2:14-18 NIV).
Although this section speaks specifically to the division of Jew and Gentile, which was of utmost importance for biblical times, it is also true for all men everywhere. For,
here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all (Col. 3:11 NIV).
As men and women who have been brought to the side of God where “Christ is all and is in all” there is no longer any room for divisions; instead, the way to unity has been revealed.
Though there is probably a great deal that man does not know about spiritual powers, we do know that their function does not lay outside of God’s purposes in Christ. It is “all things in heaven and on earth” that will be brought into a unity in Christ. God has,
seated him (Christ) at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way (Eph. 1:20-23 NIV).
God has also given Christ’s church a mediatorial role to play in displaying his wisdom to these heavenly powers.
His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord (Eph. 3:10-11 NIV).
The eternal purpose of unifying all things can be seen as already accomplished in part within the church. This unity is the design for all of God’s creation and when the “rulers in the heavenlies” look upon the unified people of God in Christ, God’s wisdom in accomplishing unity is revealed to them.
But God’s design for creation is not separate from His design for man. As Paul stated,
In my estimation, all that we suffer in the present time is nothing in comparison with the glory which is destined to be disclosed for us, for the whole creation is waiting with eagerness for the children of God to be revealed ... that the creation itself might be freed from its slavery to corruption and brought into the same glorious freedom as the children of God (Rom. 8:18-21 NJB)
When God’s goal for man is reached and His children in Christ are finally “revealed” the creation itself will be freed from corruption and will be made fitting for the scene of God’s rule. What a glorious day that will be! May we as God's children “wait” for this day “patiently" (Rom. 8:25) - with steadfast faith, hope and love - as we serve our God in the unity in Christ to which we have been called.
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by Mark Coomer
Evansville, Indiana
Do you belong to Christ?
If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham's seed., and heirs according to the promise (Gal. 3:29).
If you belong to Christ, then God counts you as Abraham's seed. As a child of Abraham, you have an inheritance according to a promise made by God Himself.
God first spoke of this promise long ago when He guaranteed an inheritance to Abraham and his seed, Jesus Christ:
The promises were spoken to Abraham and his seed. The Scripture does not say "and to seeds," meaning many people, but "and to your seed," meaning one person, who is Christ (Gal. 3:16).
Jesus Christ is the Seed, or offspring, of Abraham. If we belong to Christ, then we are incorporated into his life. God declares that we, too, have become Abraham's seed. Then we also become heirs of all that God promised Abraham and Christ.
What did God promise Abraham and his seed as an inheritance?
It was not through Law that Abraham and his offspring [seed] received the promise that he would be heir of the world, but through the righteousness that comes by faith (Rom. 4:13).
God promised Abraham that he and his seed would inherit the world! This inheritance would not come through the Law, but by faith. If we have faith in Christ, then God says we too are counted as Abraham's seed. If we are in Christ, we too will inherit the world because now we are heirs according to the promise of God.
Heirs Receive Promise by Faith
We no longer have to live under the laws of Moses to become children of Abraham. Abraham lived by faith before the Law was given. Now Christ has redeemed us from the burden of the Law. He had a magnificent purpose in mind when he accomplished this for us:
He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit (Gal. 3:14).
The blessing given to Abraham is now available to the Gentiles through faith. The blessing given to Abraham is called the promise of the Spirit (which is the pledge of our inheritance, Eph. 1:14). What did God promise to Abraham as a blessing?
May He give you and your descendants the blessing given to Abraham, so that you may take possession of the land where you now live as an alien, the land God gave to Abraham (Gen. 28:4).
The "blessing given to Abraham" is the land God gave to Abraham as an inheritance forever. God promised the land to Abraham and his seed, who is Christ. If you belong to Christ, then you also will inherit the land.
Speaking in a prophecy to Jesus Christ, the Seed of Abraham, God expanded His promise of the land to encompass the whole world with all its nations:
Ask of Me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession. You will rule them with an iron scepter. You will dash them to pieces like pottery (Ps. 2:8).
If we inherit something this means we receive possession of it. This promise of the ownership of the earth - ruled in the future by Abraham's Seed - was passed from Abraham to his son Isaac, who in turn passed in on to Jacob (see Gen. 28:4, above). Jacob was later renamed Israel. The children of Israel, Jacob's descendants, carried this promise with them for hundreds of years.
Heirs Will Govern The Earth
If we are the seed of Abraham, then owning the earth means participating in Jesus Christ's government of the world. God elaborated upon His promise to Abraham when He promised the children of Israel that they would become a kingdom of priests:
You will be for Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites (Ex. 19:6).
This same promise of ruling the earth with Christ has now been offered to the Gentiles through faith:
And they sang a new song: "You are worthy to take the scroll and open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign on the earth" (Rev.5:9-10).
This vision of the saints reigning over the earth was given to Daniel:
He [the Son of Man, Jesus Christ] was given authority, glory, and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him; his dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
Then the sovereignty, power and greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven will be handed over to the saints, the people of the Most High. His [their, GNB] kingdom will be an everlasting kingdom, and all rulers will worship and obey him [them] (Dan. 7:14,27).
Jesus called this future age the Kingdom of God. Observe that it is through the Son of Man that the Saints are to reign with power. The saints are incorporated into his life; where Messiah rules, the saints will rule also. Since Gentiles will also inherit the Kingdom of God through faith, Paul calls Christians the "Israel of God":
Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God (Gal. 6:15,16).
Heirs Are God's Children
Once we understand that God has made us heirs of the promise to Abraham in Christ, we can rejoice in His love for us:
Therefore, remember that formerly you who are Gentiles by birth and called "uncircumcised" by those who call themselves "the circumcision" (that done in the body by the hands of men) - remember that at that time you were separated from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel, and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus, you who were once far away have been brought near through the blood of Christ (Eph. 2:11-13).
People of all languages, races and nations are no longer excluded from citizenship in Israel; they are no longer foreigners to the covenants of The Promise made to Abraham and his seed:
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone (Eph. 2:19,20).
We are members of God's household. He has made us His sons and daughters. God's children inherit all that he gives them.
Now, if we are children, then we are heirs - heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may share in his glory (Rom.8:17).
We are co-heirs with Christ Jesus, the Seed of Abraham, because we are also counted as Abraham's offspring through our faith in God. If we faithfully live for Christ, regardless of the opinions or actions of others, we are guaranteed by God to share in his inheritance, which is his glory on earth forever.
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by Chuck LaMattina
Chicago, Illinois
Just for a moment think of all the key world events in your lifetime. There has been the fall of the "Iron Curtain" and the literal fall of the Berlin Wall. We’ve seen the Persian Gulf war and the conflict in Bosnia. We have experienced the "El Nino" weather events.
Or go back a little further to the political crises of Watergate. The wonder and amazement of men actually landing on the moon. Or perhaps you can remember even back to World War II. Now go back further in history. The fall of the Bastille. The American Revolution. The discovery of the "New World." The invention of the printing press. The signing of the Magna Carta. The fall of the Roman Empire. Each of these events has made a significant impact on our world. But none of them has had the kind of monumental, world wide, and eternal significance that one event 2000 years ago claims to have. That event is the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.
The most extravagant claim of Christianity is that Jesus Christ rose from the dead and is still alive. Humanity, from the very beginning of time has tried to defy and deny the reality of death. But only Jesus Christ has conquered it and deprived it of its terror over others (Hebrews 2:9, 14-18).
Two important questions, however, are raised by the claim that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. First, did Christ’s resurrection really occur? Secondly, what does it mean? What is the relevance of this past event to us today? In answer to the first question, "Did it really happen?" the Bible states clearly that it did. The book of Acts begins by declaring that Jesus
…presented Himself alive after His sufferings by many infallible proofs, being seen by them [the disciples] during forty days. (Acts 1:3 NKJV)
References to the post resurrection appearances of Jesus Christ can be found in Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20, Acts 1& 9 and 1 Corinthians 15.
The resurrection of Jesus Christ was an objective, historical fact that has far more historical evidence for it than any event recorded in the ancient world. Indeed the event was datable. It occurred on the third day after his death. Here are two examples of what two highly respected historians have written about the evidence presented in the New Testament about Christ’s life, death and resurrection:
"I claim to be an historian. My approach to the Classics is historical. And I tell you that the evidence for the life, the death, and the resurrection of Christ is better authenticated than most of the facts of ancient history." [E.M. Blaiklock, Professor of Classics, Aukland University].
"If the New Testament were a collection of secular writings, their authenticity would generally be regarded as beyond all doubt." [F.F. Bruce, Manchester University].
Granted that there is historical evidence for Christ’s resurrection, the next question is, "Does it really matter whether it happened?" Let me say simply, it matters! Christ’s resurrection is the only solid rock upon which a life of faith, hope and peace can be built. The resurrection validates Jesus’ ministry, it assures us of forgiveness, it confirms God’s power over the grave and His ultimate triumph over all His enemies. The apostle Paul put it all into perspective when he wrote,
Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. Yes, and we are found false witness of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up – if in fact the dead do not rise. For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! Then also those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable. (1 Corinthians 15:12-19)
Christianity is Christ and Christ is nothing if he is still dead. The man and the mission of Jesus Christ are the rock upon which Christianity is built. If he is not who he said he is, and if he did not do what he said that he came to do, the very foundation of our faith crumbles. If Jesus Christ is not raised from the dead, the power of the gospel is gutted. Without his resurrection, our faith will never radically change our lives now, nor will we have any hope for the future. If the resurrection of Jesus Christ is a hoax, we are pitiable and pathetic people. But Jesus Christ is risen from the dead and because of this we can walk in newness of life. As Paul states,
Therefore, we were buried with him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4).
Because Jesus Christ is alive and we are united to him, there is divine power in our lives, the very same power of God that raised Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:19-21). And this power enables us to live a life of victory; having power to overcome sin in the present, and to rejoice in the hope of eternal life in the coming kingdom of God (Romans 6:5-14; 1 Corinthians 15:20-24).
A "Peanuts" cartoon pictured Lucy and Linus looking out the window at a steady downpour of rain. "Boy" said Lucy, "look at it rain. What if it floods the whole world?" "It will never do that," Linus replied confidently. "In the ninth chapter of Genesis, God promised Noah that would never happen again, and the sign of the promise is the rainbow." "You’ve taken a great load off my mind," said Lucy with a relieved smile. "Sound theology," said Linus, "has a way of doing that."
It is my prayer that the articles in this Spring issue of "The Unity of the Spirit" newsletter will provide you with the sound theology concerning the resurrection of Jesus Christ, so that your life can be full of godly hope, joy and power as you live a life in service to him.
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by Scot Hahn
Cary, North Carolina
During the month of March in Central North Carolina the earth begins to awaken from the sleep of winter. The flowers begin to bloom, the birds begin to sing and the voices of the children of the neighborhood once again fill the air. Watching this change of things from dormant to vibrant is an annual reminder to me of the awakening to life that will occur when our Lord returns. This awakening from death, or resurrection, which all believers have to look forward to is an important topic to explore. A lot goes into understanding this great subject but we will focus our inquiry on one aspect. What are the guarantees that believers have of their coming resurrection? Two answers to this question are: 1. the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and, 2. the gift of the holy Spirit which believers possess.
In Acts Chapter 2 just after the outpouring of the holy Spirit the apostle Peter speaks concerning the life of Jesus Christ.
"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him."
There are a couple of good points to draw out from this statement about Jesus’ ministry. The first is the picture of death which it paints. Death is coupled with terms such as agony. It is said to have its hold on a person. Elsewhere death is said to be an enemy which must be destroyed. We should not make the mistake of thinking of death in terms which are positive. Death is not the avenue for being ushered into the presence of God. Instead, death is an enemy which must and will be overcome by the power of God. It is God who raised Christ from the dead and he will raise us also. Second, it is important to note that Jesus was a man who died. He felt the agony of death. In this regard Jesus is not unlike all men. We are all mortal. We will all die. But Jesus was not abandoned to the grave. Instead God raised him from the dead. Praise the Lord! Death could not keep its hold on him and it can not keep its hold on all those who belong to him.
The Bible uses different terms to describe Jesus’ role as being the one who blazed the trail from the grave to glory. But they all imply that there will be others to follow behind. Jesus is described as being "the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead", the "firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep" and the "pioneer and perfecter of our faith".
In Colossians 1 verses17&18 we read,
"He is before all things and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy."
The idea of Christ being the "beginning and the firstborn from among the dead" is important to our study. The word beginning is an everyday term which means to start something. Christ’s resurrection is simply the start of something which will find its fulfillment when the "trumpet call of God" awakens all the other believers who sleep. The idea of Christ being the firstborn has equal significance. The firstborn implies not only that Christ was the first one in time to be resurrected but also that he is the eldest in a family of which we are all members. We are in a sense on the same plain as Christ. He has led the way for his brothers and sisters to follow. Like Christ, we too will one day live a new resurrection life.
The apostle Paul, writing to the church in Corinth, speaks to the issue of the resurrection and has much to say about our subject.
"Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn; Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him." I Cor. 15:20-23
Paul here describes Christ as "the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep". The people to whom he wrote, living in the first century in an agrarian society would have understood this term firstfruits well. They knew what it was like to get the first taste of the grain, figs or olives that would soon be ready for harvest. Those first few mature fruits which come before the full harvest signify what kind of crop you will have and that it is soon on its way. They are a part of the harvest but are designated the firstfruits because the full harvest has not yet come.
This is what Paul was saying of our Lord. Christ had been raised from the dead, as the firstfruits. The people were able to know him and see what the full harvest would bring. Christ is not of a different kind than those who will soon be raised. He is the firstfruits and in him we know that our resurrection is near and we see what we have to look forward to. The possession of the gift of holy Spirit by each individual believer also serves as a guarantee of our future resurrection. The books of II Corinthians and Ephesians both contain sections which throw light on our subject.
"Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come." II Cor. 1:21-22
"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession - to the praise of his glory." Eph. 1:13-14
In both of these verses the holy Spirit is described as a deposit guaranteeing our share in the future inheritance of believers. The holy Spirit is a portion of that inheritance that we will receive. Just as the resurrection of Christ was the beginning of the resurrection of all believers, the holy Spirit we now have is the first taste of the feast we will enjoy when Christ returns.
In Christ’s resurrection and the gift of the Spirit we are guaranteed our own resurrection. His resurrection has begun the final resurrection. He is the firstborn in a family of redeemed humanity of which we are all a part. And he is the firstfruits of the full harvest of believers who will be raised to life when the time is ripe. The holy Spirit which all believers possess is the very life-giving force by which Christ was raised and by which we will all be raised as well. Therefore we can wait patiently for our Lord’s return, living for God and looking forward to that day because,
"we know that the one who raised the Lord Jesus from the dead will also raise us with Jesus and present us with you in his presence" II Cor.. 4:14
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by Jeff Tideman
Northfield, Illinois
Do you remember "doubting Thomas"? The other disciples told him the Lord had risen and that they had seen Jesus. Thomas said,
"Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe." (John 20:25 NKJV)
Eight days later (poof!), Jesus appeared in their midst and granted Thomas’ request saying,
"Reach your finger here and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing." (John 20:27)
This just shows that we should be careful what we ask for! Then in verse 29 Jesus said something very important,
"Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed."
Our Lord Jesus foresaw the time when such tangible evidence as Thomas received would not be available. After Jesus ascended permanently to God, all those who believe in his resurrection would do so without the benefit of seeing the resurrected Lord. It is clear in many places in the New Testament that God in His wisdom selected our believing in the resurrection of the Lord Jesus as a requirement for salvation. For example in his letter to the Romans, Paul wrote,
that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. (Romans 10:9)
While God places the greatest importance on our believing in the resurrection of Christ, we aren’t asked to accept it by blind faith. The Scriptures give us solid proof that the resurrection of Jesus Christ is irrefutable. In the beginning of the book of Acts Luke writes,
The former account I made, O Theophilus, of all that Jesus began to do and teach, until the day in which he was taken up, after he through the Holy Spirit had given commandments to the apostles whom He had chosen, to whom he presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them for forty day and speaking to them of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God. (Acts 1:1-3)
In order to give his apostles confidence to present his message, our Lord gave his people many infallible proofs that he was indeed raised from the dead. These proofs included his entering a locked room (John 20:19), showing his wounds (Luke 24:39), and eating and drinking with the disciples (Luke 24:41-43). The apostle Paul also attests to the historical validity of Christ’s resurrection saying that,
…He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that he was seen by over 500 brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. Then last of all he was seen by me also…(1 Corinthians 15:5-8)
Today, the average person we meet may have doubts about the historical reliability of the Bible’s historical accuracy. But what is history? Where do historians start to piece together the past? They look for source documents around the time of the person or event they are studying. They look for writings that contain eyewitness accounts of events. If there are eyewitness accounts of several people and those sources can be considered reliable the historical evidence grows stronger. Then they look for facts or accounts that might disprove the earlier evidence and if there is nothing to disprove it, then the information is considered quite reliable.
It is by these standards that we believe what we have about historical figures from Alexander the Great to Marie Antoinette. Noted historians have concluded that for the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the evidence is overwhelming. Professor Arnold Thomas, author of the famous book, History of Rome, and appointed to the chair of modern history at Oxford, said, "I have been used for many years to study the histories of other times, and to examine and weigh the evidence of those who have written about them, and I know of no one fact in the history of mankind which is proved by better and fuller evidence of every sort, to the understanding of a fair inquirer, than the great sign that God has given us that Christ died and rose again from the dead."
Here are some points to consider concerning the evidence that Scripture gives us:
1. Christ was confirmed dead
After Jesus died the soldiers stabbed him with a sword or spear in the chest to make sure he was dead (John 19:34). Mark 15:42-45 reports that when Joseph of Arimathea begged Pilate for the body of Jesus, Pilate sent for the centurion to be completely sure that Jesus was dead.
2. The burial
John 19:39-41 says that Nicodemus carried out the proper burial custom of having Christ’s body wrapped in linen strips prepared with about 100 pounds of perfume and spices in a sort of mummification process. We know that the tomb was hewn out of Rock and was big enough for at least two people to go in, so the size of the stone that covered the opening was large and extremely heavy.
3. The tomb was sealed and guarded
It is ironic that while the disciples were thinking about properly embalming the body assuming Jesus was dead to stay, the chief priests were paying more heed to what Jesus had said about his resurrection. They had remembered that he had said that he would rise from the dead after three days. And so they requested of Pilate that the tomb be officially sealed and guarded.
The consequence for the unauthorized breaking of a Roman seal was death. And a Roman soldier who fell asleep at his post was put to death, often by setting his clothes on fire and burning him alive as an example to the others. So the performance of guards on duty was usually flawless! Matthew 28 records that when the mighty angel appeared and rolled back the stone, these guards shook and became as dead men. The guards reported all of this to the chief priests who decided to pay the guards a very large sum of money to say that while they slept, the disciples stole Jesus’ body.
Again, it seems that the enemies of Jesus were quicker to understand the implications of the empty tomb than his followers were. Notice that the chief priests and elders made no attempt to deny the empty tomb at this time or later in the book of Acts when the apostles were preaching the resurrection. So, logically, all Jerusalem knew of this empty tomb and no one denied it. This makes Christ’s resurrection an historical fact to which the behavior of an entire city attests.
Other Jewish and Roman historical documents mention the empty tomb as well. Therefore to argue against the resurrection on historical ground, you have to come up with another plausible explanation for the empty tomb. You have to believe that trained Roman guards were asleep so soundly that the disciples could come and roll away a huge stone and then steal the body of Jesus.
4. The lives of the witnesses were changed
There were hundreds of eyewitnesses who saw the resurrected Christ. Indeed, a historian must view these witnesses as exceptionally credible. They lived the rest of their lives in witness to the resurrection enduring persecution and often martyrdom for their testimony. In the record with Thomas mentioned earlier, the apostles were behind closed doors for fear of the Jews. Fifty days later they are boldly preaching Christ’s resurrection to thousands of people. By the way, how do you think the crowd would have reacted to Peter’s sermon on Pentecost if there were any doubts about the empty tomb?
Brooke Foss Wescott, an English scholar said,
"Ranking all the evidence together, it is not too much to say that there is no historic event better or more variously supported than the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Nothing but the antecedent assumption that it must be false could have suggested the idea of deficiency in the proof of it."
That is precisely correct! Some have their mind made up ahead of time that it is false. The chief priests and elders wanted to guard the tomb against Jesus’ claim that he would rise from the dead. They were told by the guards that an angel rolled back the stone. In front of them was the evidence that would shatter their religious order and power, so they used bribery and intimidation in an attempt to suppress the truth. Some hearts are so hard that they will refuse to accept the truth no matter what the proof. I have witnessed to people who could see the truth and seemed about to accept it and than ran the other way. They too could see that the truth would shatter their comfortable order and take them into an entirely new direction. Even as believers we sometimes run the other way when we are confronted with truth that will change previously untouched parts of our lives. We pay a high price when we are blind to the truth of God’s Word (John 9:39-41).
God knows that proof for the resurrection was and is important and He has amply provided it. Even more important is whether one reacts to that proof with blindness of believing. "Blind faith" is a term that the world uses, but to God, it is those who refuse to have faith in the gospel who are blind. God does not want anyone to perish and His gentle love calls us to go beyond proof to faith in Him who so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son to die and rise again that we might live forever.
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by Chuck LaMattina
Chicago, Illinois
When our faith grows in the fertile soil of Scripture our fears fall away and we are filled with hope and confidence. And when our confidence and hope in God overflows, we live differently. That’s the power of divine truth and this is why the relevance of Christ’s resurrection is so important for us today. The resurrection of Jesus Christ speaks to our real needs and concerns as no other event in human history. It is the solid rock upon which a life of faith and hope, and peace and joy can be built. There are several reasons for this. The resurrection of Jesus Christ
proved his Sonship
assures us of forgiveness
provides power and wisdom for all our present needs
and it guarantees our ultimate victory over death and our eternal glory.
How do we really know that Jesus is the true Lord and Savior? The answer is his resurrection. No other religious leader of any of the world’s religions has ever been proclaimed as a risen Savior. Instead, many have shrines at their grave. They lie there decayed, with nothing remaining except the dust of their bones and their man made religious teachings. The resurrection proves that Jesus was sent by God. The apostle Paul writes that Jesus was
…declared to be the Son of God with power…by the resurrection from the dead. (Romans 1:4)
The word "declared" is translated from the Greek word horizo from which we get the English word "horizon." Just as the horizon serves as a clear demarcation line, dividing the earth and the sky, so the resurrection of Jesus marks him off from the rest of humanity. God’s mighty deed in raising Jesus from the dead clearly marked him out as the promised Messiah. It proved that he was more than just another religious leader. It powerfully validated both his mission and his message. In fact, in his first sermon Peter says that Jesus’ resurrection (and his ensuing exaltation and giving of the holy Spirit) assures us
"that God has made this Jesus…both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:36)."
This being true, we are also assured of the effectiveness of his sacrifice and the forgiveness of our sins. In Matthew 26:26-28 where Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper, he states that his blood would be shed for the forgiveness of our sins. Christ links our forgiveness with his death. The apostle Paul links the forgiveness of our sins to the blood of Christ as well, in Colossians 1:13, 14. It is because of Christ’s death, his being the ultimate and final sacrifice for sin, that we can be forgiven. But what proof do we have that God accepted Christ’s sacrifice? The answer is the resurrection. In Romans we read,
[Christ] was delivered up because of our offenses, and was raised because of our justification…Therefore having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 4:25-5:1)
Jesus Christ was raised from the dead on account of our justification. It proved that he was a worthy sacrifice to secure our salvation. Therefore, if Jesus is risen from the dead, and he is, then we are justified and made righteous, forgiven of all our sins.
Mark Twain once said, "Man is the only animal that blushes – or needs to." All of us have skeletons in our closet. And in our better moments we all know it and are ashamed. We all know that we are sinners. And no one is free who sins and is not forgiven (John 8:31-34). Without the assurance of the forgiveness of our sins through Christ, all of us would hide and cringe before God like Adam and Eve did in the Garden.
The story is told of Bill Wilson, who was the Psychology department head at Duke University. A Vietnam war veteran was in the hospital where Wilson served with severe psychological problems due to his involvement in the war. Nothing could be done medically to help this poor man. And he kept drifting further and further away from life. Finally, one day Dr. Wilson walked into this man’s room and told him that he had a message for him from God. He said that through faith in Jesus Christ he could be cleansed of all his sins and be reborn. The man started to cry and this was the first emotional response he had made to anyone in many months. The veteran came to faith in Christ and his life turned around 180 degrees!
Not only does Christ’s resurrection prove his Sonship, and that our sins are forgiven, it assures us of God’s power and wisdom for all of our present needs. As much as we need God’s forgiveness for our past sins, we need His power to sin no more! And we need His wisdom to live life with great peace and joy and hope. We need God’s wisdom and power today, because we don’t just want to be forgiven people, we want to be different people. We want to be better than we are.
So the questions come up, "Can fearful people become confident? Can selfish people become giving? Can immoral people become self-controlled?" The answer is a resounding "Yes"! 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us that,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.
No one is a clearer example of this truth than the Corinthians themselves. The apostle Paul wrote,
Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
Now, if these people can change, anyone can! In Ephesians, chapter 1, we have a prayer that the eyes of our understanding might be opened, so that we might know the awesome power of God that is available to us for all our pressing needs and to help us walk a Christ like life. The prayer is that might see,
What is the exceeding greatness of His [God’s] power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. (Ephesians 1:19-21)
The very same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead and exalted him to the right hand of God is ours when we believe! We now have power to overcome temptations and sin. We have power to overcome our fears and anxieties. We now have, through the risen Christ, the power to become the kind of people we have always wanted to be in the depth of our hearts. In fact as Ephesians 3:20 declares, God,
Is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.
And Philippians 4:13 encourages us that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. Colossians 1:27 tells us that the riches of the mystery is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
Our confidence of divine enablement, of living a new kind of life here and now, is the power of God in Christ, dwelling in us, and this confidence depends on the resurrection of Christ. One of the great tragedies of Christianity today is that it tries to minimize the power that is available to us in Christ. People talk of becoming a Christian as if it meant no more than just making a few superficial changes, like going to church and being a little more religious. But according to the Bible, to become a Christian is to undergo the most radical and profound change possible. In Galatians 2:20, Paul says,
I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave His life for me.
Our lives can be different today and tomorrow, because God raised Christ up from the dead. And finally, the resurrection of Jesus Christ guarantees us our ultimate victory over death and our eternal glory.
One of the great differences in religions and philosophies concerns their vision of the future. Some religions offer little hope teaching us that if we are perfect and spotless, or if we do enough good works, we may gain eternal life. Then there are the religions that offer the hope of reincarnation, where you keep coming back into life after death as another person, or an animal, or a bug until you get it right and enter Nirvana, which equals no-existence. Then there are the secular humanists that dream of taking control of human destiny by means of social and genetic engineering. Finally we have the atheists, like Philosopher Bertrand Russell who said,
"All our labors of all the ages, all the devotions, all the aspirations, all the noon day brightness of our genius are destined to extinction in the vast death of the universe."
For Russell, there is no hope beyond the grave. Comedian Woody Allen, in an article in Esquire Magazine, jokes about death saying, "It’s not that I’m afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens." But Allen’s humor can’t hide his true fear. Later he says, "The fundamental thing behind all motivation and all activity is the constant struggle against…death. It is stupefying in its terror and it renders anyone’s accomplishments meaningless."
As Christians we have been set free from this terror (Hebrews 2:14, 15). We know the promise is true that says,
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. (John 3:16)
We know that we have eternal life and this life is in Christ (1 John 5:11). We know that we are heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, and that when Christ, our life appears, then we shall appear with him in glory (Romans 4:14-18; Colossians 3:4).
There is a day coming when God will judge the world in righteousness through Jesus Christ. And He has given assurance of this to all by raising him from the dead (Acts 17:31). Believers have escaped this judgment and look forward to living eternally in the kingdom of God.
What’s the relevance of the resurrection of Jesus Christ? It is more important than most people ever imagine. Christ’s resurrection and its implications make our preoccupation with Easter eggs and bunnies seem absolutely absurd!
The resurrection of Jesus Christ authenticates his ministry and message. It assures us of the forgiveness of our sins and of divine power for godly living. And it guarantees our hope of eternal life and glory. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the solid rock for all of life. It is the only firm foundation to build on in an insecure and unstable world.
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
Throughout the history of the Old Testament the faithful people of God looked forward to the day when God would send his promised savior or redeemer to restore his people to their original and destined purpose with God (Acts 3:19-21). These faithful people lived by faith in the promises of God. Though living in this world they were, through the eyes of faith, looking forward to "a better country - a heavenly one"2 (Heb. 11:16) and to a "city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God" (Heb. 11:10). And yet, despite having persevered in faith, all of these Old Testament believers died not having yet received these promises (Heb. 11:13). For the day in the timetable of God's plan had not yet arrived for the promises to be fulfilled (Heb. 11:39-40).
Old Testament Prophecies: The Christ and the Kingdom of God
As the history of the faithful people of God continued through the later stages of the Old Testament the vision of this coming kingdom or paradise became even clearer and was foretold by "all the prophets" (Acts 3:21-24). Examples of these prophecies can be found in the Old Testament Books of Isaiah and Daniel. Isaiah spoke of a coming ruler whose righteous kingdom would reign forever:
For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever (Isaiah 9:6-7).3
The prophet Daniel also spoke of a coming everlasting kingdom. A kingdom to be brought to pass by "one like a son of man" and which would replace all other kingdoms and rule so as to establish God's righteous rule forever:
In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed ... it will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever (Daniel 2:44).
In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven ... He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed (Daniel 7:13-17).
This everlasting kingdom of righteousness and peace eventually came to be summed up by the one term - "the kingdom of God." The many titles of its future ruler were also summed up in one term - the "Messiah" or "Christ" - God's anointed Savior and King. It was on this biblical promise of the coming Christ and the glorious everlasting kingdom of God which he was to establish that all the hopes of the Old Testament faithful rested. For then, and only then, would their God whom they loved "wipe away the tears from all faces," "remove the disgrace of his people from all the earth," and "swallow up death forever" (Isaiah 25:8).
The Birth of Christ
When, in the plan of God, "the time had fully come" (Gal. 4:4), Jesus Christ, the promised Savior and King, was miraculously conceived by the power of God’s Spirit and then born into the world (Luke 1:26-2:38). Though the faithful people of God within the Jewish nation were looking expectantly for his coming, much confusion existed as to who this "Messiah" or "Christ" would be and as to what kind of kingdom he would establish. Some four hundred years had passed since the last Old Testament Book of Malachi and during this inter-testamental period the Jewish people had been in captivity to the Persian, Greek and, finally, Roman Empires. As a result, many of the Jewish people of that time were looking for a Messiah or King who would immediately deliver them from their political captivity to Rome and establish a kingdom that would restore Israel to its heights of glory which it had once held under the kingdom of David in the Old Testament.
Jesus was to show, however, that there was much more to his mission than this. For Christ came first and foremost to bring spiritual deliverance to mankind by destroying the work of the Devil (I John 3:8), thus making possible man's reconciliation back to his proper and intended relationship with God (II Cor. 5:18-19). Only after this was accomplished would he be able to come again in power and glory to establish the paradise of God's kingdom in a new heaven and new earth where righteousness would dwell.
The Good News of the Kingdom of God
Jesus began his public ministry at the age of thirty after being anointed with the power of the holy Spirit (Luke 3:21-23; 4:16-21). At that time he made it his chief mission to proclaim, expound, and demonstrate the true nature of the coming kingdom of God which he was to establish. All four of the Gospels - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John - show this. Look, for example, at the Gospels of Mark and Luke:
'The time has come,' he said. 'The kingdom of God is near. Repent [turn to God] and believe the good news!' (Mark 1:15).
At daybreak Jesus went out to a solitary place. The people were looking for him and when they came to where he was, they tried to keep him from leaving them. But he said, 'I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent.' And he kept on preaching in the synagogues of Judea (Luke 4:42-44).
Jesus stated that he was sent by God to preach the "good news" of the kingdom of God. Why was it good news? Because Jesus, as the anointed Messiah, promised deliverance, salvation and eternal life in the paradise of God's coming kingdom to all who believed his message and accepted him. In addition, he also demonstrated the love, power and deliverance of God's kingdom by many miraculous healings. In this way the power of the kingdom of God was already present in Jesus, the Messiah, before the kingdom itself was established in a restored earth as had been foretold by all the prophets.
This mighty display of God's love and power was a foretaste of all that God's coming kingdom was to be. It also showed the stark contrast between the goodness of God's kingdom and the oppression of Satan's spiritual kingdom that had engulfed the world since the time of Adam. Look at the following verses:
Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness among the people (Matt. 4:23).
Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see .... But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, 'it is only by Beelzebub, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.' Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, 'Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. But if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you' (Matt. 12:22-28).
Jesus' healings were an invasion of the power of the kingdom of God, which was then in heaven (Matt. 6:9-10), into the realm of Satan and his kingdom of darkness in the world. Since the time of Adam's sin this spiritual darkness and evil had engulfed the entire world (I John 5:19). Only where God's will was done and God's Spirit displayed in power did the light of God's kingdom penetrate and dispel this spiritual darkness of Satan's kingdom. The Book of Acts summarizes Jesus' entire ministry in the light of this spiritual battle as he delivered people from the oppression of the devil:
...how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went about doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him (Acts 10:38).
Here we see the key point that had been missing in the understanding of the people of Jesus' day. Their problems and oppression were not due to the Romans, Greeks or Persians who had held them in captivity. Instead, the root cause of their oppression was spiritual. Satan and his spiritual kingdom of evil had, since Adam's day, deceived the world and brought sin, sickness and death into it. The whole world was lying in the web of its spiritual deception and oppression. Until the spiritual causes of man's dilemma were defeated and overcome, God's kingdom could not come in all of its power and glory.
The True Nature of the Kingdom of God
Jesus, therefore, opened up the spiritual understanding of his followers. Though God's kingdom will one day fill a new heavens and earth, it will not be a political kingdom based on the worldly standards of this age. Instead, it will be a spiritual kingdom – that is, a kingdom that will come from heaven to a renewed and glorious earth, and whose character and standards are "not of this world" (Matt. 6:9-10; John 18:36; Rev. 21:1ff). To enter, or inherit, that future kingdom a person must now be born of God's Spirit so as to become a child in God’s family and an heir of that kingdom to come (John 3:1-16; Rom. 8:16-25). Then, at the time of Christ's future second coming all of God's faithful people from all generations will be raised and transformed so as to have a share, or inheritance, in this new world to come. For, as the Apostle Paul was later to state, "... flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God" (I Cor. 15:50).
In short, the kingdom of God which is to come will necessitate a whole new order of things where the mortal will become immortal, the perishable become imperishable and the entire creation "delivered from its bondage to decay" (Rom. 8:18-21; I Cor. 15:35-54; Rev. 21:1f). Jesus called this the "making new" or "regeneration" of all things and promised that his followers would be rewarded in that "age to come" for their faithful service in this life (Matt. 19:28-29; Luke 18:29-30).
Christ had also taught, however, that in order to enter the kingdom of God a person's righteousness must "surpass that of the Pharisees" (Matt. 5:20), for God's holiness required perfection (Matt. 5:48). However, since man was unable to attain such perfection on his own (Matt. 19:16-26; Rom. 3:23), it was necessary that Jesus give his own life as the ransom sacrifice for man's sins - the righteous for the unrighteous (I Pet. 3:18) - so that man could receive righteousness, not by his own merit, but as a gift from God through faith in Christ (Rom. 3:20-24; 5:15-19). As Jesus himself stated, " ...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matt. 20:28).
The Two-fold Purpose of Christ
It was therefore for the purpose of doing for sinful man what he was incapable of doing for himself that Christ had come into the world. As the savior of the world, the perfect man, it was necessary for him to first defeat the spiritual causes of man's oppression and separation from God: sin, death and Satan. Only after this could he come again in power and glory to bring about salvation in all its fullness by destroying God's enemies and establishing forever the kingdom of God in a new heaven and new earth where righteousness would dwell.
Though this two-fold purpose of Christ - his sufferings on behalf of mankind and his future glory - had both been foretold in the Old Testament, the first part was not understood by the people of Jesus' day - not even by his closest followers (Luke 18:31-34). It was only after his sacrificial death, and then resurrection, that Jesus was finally able to open the understanding of his disciples so that they could realize the significance of his crucifixion and resurrection (Luke 24:44-47). As the "lamb of God" who was to "take away the sins of the world" (John 1:29) Jesus freely gave up his own life as the ransom payment for the sins of all mankind (II Cor. 5:21; I Pet. 1:18-21; Isaiah 53). On the third day God raised him from the dead gaining victory over sin, death and Satan for all of God's people.
After his resurrection Christ then appeared to his chosen disciples and taught them about the significance of his death and the glory of God's kingdom to come (Luke 24:44-47; Acts 1:1-11). He then ascended into heaven where as the exalted Lord over God's people he poured out the gift of holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost upon all who believed in him. On that same day, after receiving the gift of holy Spirit, the apostle Peter set forth a summary of the events that had just taken place in fulfillment of the plan of God:
Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a man accredited by God to you by miracles, wonders and signs, which God did among you through him, as you yourselves know. This man was handed over to you by God's set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross. But God raised him from the dead, freeing him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on him .... Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear. For David did not ascend to heaven, and yet he said,
'The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.'
Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:22-24, 32-36).
Jesus freely gave up his life as a sacrificial offering on behalf of mankind. In doing this he paid the price for man's sins and made possible a new covenant relationship between God and man. No longer does sin have to keep man separated from his proper relationship with God. Because of Christ's sacrificial death, resurrection, ascension into heaven and his giving of the holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, it is now possible for man to be reconciled to God and to enjoy the blessings of salvation already in this present age. The following verses explain the significance of these events and the resulting new covenant relationship between God and man:
You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's wrath through him! For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation (Rom. 5:6-11).
For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance - now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant (Heb. 9:15).
In solving the problem of sin Jesus also made possible freedom from the bondage of death and, therefore, from the oppression of Satan himself. For it was because of sin that death had come into the world and Satan had gained power over mankind (Rom. 5:12). By his sacrificial death and then resurrection Jesus broke the power of death and destroyed Satan's hold on mankind. The NT Letters to the Hebrews and Corinthians explain:
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death (Heb. 2:14-15).
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits, then when he comes, those who belong to him (I Cor. 15:20-23).
Christ is the "firstfruits" of those who have fallen asleep; therefore, his resurrection is the guarantee that all who believe in him will also one day be resurrected to share fully in the eternal life of the coming age. With the death and resurrection of Christ, along with his giving of the holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, the end of human history in this present evil age has already begun. The spiritual cause of man's oppression, Satan, has already been defeated and his future doom awaits only the second coming of Christ. As the "firstborn from the dead" (Col. 1:18), Christ is the beginning of a new people of God (Rom. 8:28-30) - called out from every nation, family or race upon earth.
Those who believe in Christ are now born of God's Spirit becoming children in God's family and a part of his new covenant people - the church of the body of Christ. This Spirit, which the people of God now receive, is the "power of the coming age" (Heb. 6:5) and the "firstfruits" (Rom. 8:23), or "down payment" (Eph. 1:13-14), of the full harvest of eternal life which will be received at Christ's second coming. In short, the victory has already been won for God's people and history is now moving towards a known climactic end - the second coming of Christ and the final establishment of God's kingdom (I Cor. 15:20-28).
The New Covenant Perspective
It is precisely this Biblical perspective that dominates all of the New Testament writings from the day of Pentecost onwards. Christ now "reigns" at God's right hand in heaven and gives salvation, through the Spirit, to all who come to God through him (Heb. 7:22-25). However, even though his reign as Lord and Christ has already begun, it will not be fully consummated until the time of his second coming when all his enemies will be destroyed and God's kingdom will be established "on earth as it is in heaven." The time period between the first and second comings of Christ is the new age of the Spirit - that is, the age of the new covenant relationship which Christ has established between God and his people (II Cor. 3:6). For with the giving of the Spirit on the day of Pentecost the blessings of God's future salvation have already begun - even in the midst of this present evil age.
This period of time between Christ's first and second comings is sometimes called "the last days" (Acts 2:17; Heb. 1:2; etc.), "the last times" (I Pet. 1:20) or "the ends of the ages" (I Cor. 10:11; Heb. 9:26). But it is also called the "day of salvation" (II Cor. 6:2), because it is the period of time in which the salvation made possible through Christ's first coming is now being offered to the world. For those who choose to accept it the blessings of this salvation begin already in this present life and will be received in all their fullness at Christ's second coming. The Book of Hebrews summarizes the greatness of this two-fold purpose of Christ and the fullness of salvation which awaits those who believe in him:
... But now he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself .... and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him (Heb. 9:26-28).
[This article has been adapted from this writer’s booklet “God’s Plan of Salvation”. The booklet is available here]
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by Tassos Kioulachoglou
Thessaloniki, Greece
The kind of relationship we have with God is certainly one of the most important things that as Christians we should understand. The reason is that there are various kinds of relationships, and if we do not know what is the specific one that connects us with God, it is very possible to not utilize to the full extent all that God has made available to us. Given therefore the importance of this topic and the relative confusion that there is about it, it is necessary to see what the Bible says.
Our Relationship with God
The first thing that will be considered in this article is the kind of relationship that is available for us to have with God. That will leave for the next two sections the examination of how and when this relationship becomes a reality. Starting therefore from John 1:12-13, we read:
"But as many as received him, to them he gave power to become CHILDREN OF GOD, to those who believe in his name: who WERE BORN, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but OF GOD." (John 1:12-13) [All scripture verses cited in this article are from the KJV or NKJV unless otherwise noted]
As we previously said, there are various kinds of relationship that one may have. One of them, and doubtless one of the most important, is the relationship that connects us with those that bore us. However, in addition to those about whom we usually think of when we hear about birth (i.e. our human parents), there is someone else from which one can also be born. Who is he? The answer is God. As the above passage tells us, those who believe in the name that God has made available to believe in – i.e., in his Son - are CHILDREN OF GOD and ARE BORN OF GOD. In other words, there are two births that a man may have. The one is from his human parents and the other is from God. The fact that there are two births is also confirmed by other passages, as John 3:1-8, where starting from verses 1-3, we read:
"There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: This man came to Jesus by night, and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do, unless God is with him. Jesus answered and said to him, Verily, verily, I say to you, UNLESS A MAN IS BORN AGAIN, HE CANNOT SEE THE KINGDOM OF GOD." (John 3:1-3)
As we can see from this passage, to enter the kingdom of God it is necessary to be "born again". Regarding now the phrase "born again", it is a translation of the Greek phrase "gennethe anothen" which means "born from above", where the word "above" is put for God who is in heaven "above". In other words, "born from above" means "born of God", who is in heaven above. As can be seen, therefore, this passage, similarly to John 1:12-13, speaks about a second birth that a man may have, the birth from God, which, as Jesus explains, is a prerequisite for the entering into the kingdom of God.
The fact of the two births is made even plainer in verses 4-5 of the same chapter, where we read:
"Nicodemus said to him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus answered, "Verily, verily, I say to you, unless one is BORN OF WATER AND THE SPIRIT, he cannot enter the kingdom of God." (John 3:4-5)
As it can be seen, this passage again tells us that there are two births that one must have to enter the kingdom of God. The one is the birth from the water, where the word "water" is put for the first birth - which as we will see later is also called birth from the flesh. This is the birth that all people have i.e. the birth from our human parents. However, apart from this birth the above passage speaks also of a second birth, the birth from the Spirit.
Regarding now the word "spirit", though it has many usages, most of the time it is used either (i) of God who is Spirit (John 4:24) or (ii) of what God gives and which is also spirit. Determining the usage of this word in any specific passage, is something that should be seen from the context of the respective passage. Regarding our case, it is obvious that this word is used with the first usage, as it speaks of the giver, the parent of the second birth i.e. God. To this also agree, the context of the passage (see verses 1-3) that is about the birth from above which as we saw is an expression that is used to denote the birth from God.
The distinction between the two births, as well as what is taken from them, is made clearer in verses 6-8 of the same chapter of John, where we read:
"THAT WHICH IS BORN OF THE FLESH IS FLESH; AND THAT WHICH IS BORN OF THE SPIRIT IS SPIRIT. Do not marvel that I said to you, "You must be born again [Gr.: born from above]. The Spirit7 breathes where it desires, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is every one that is born of the Spirit." (NKJV - Interlinear Bible) (John 3:6-8)
As in the first birth, the birth from our human parents, we got what they are, i.e. flesh, so in the second birth, the birth from above, or from God, we get what the parent of this birth is, i.e. spirit. And as the five senses, the flesh that we inherited from the first birth, enables us to communicate with our human parents, so also the spirit that we inherited from the second birth enables us to communicate with our spiritual father, God.
To conclude therefore: God has made it available for man to become His children, through a second birth that gives them what He Himself is, i.e. spirit. How it is possible for a person to become a child of God, is something that we will now examine in the section that follows.
Our Relationship with God: the “How”
To see how one becomes a child of God, we will go again to John 1:12-13, where we read:
"But as many as received him, to them he gave power to become CHILDREN OF GOD, TO THOSE WHO BELIEVE IN HIS NAME: who WERE BORN, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but OF GOD." (John 1:12-13).
This passage, apart from telling us that one can indeed become a child of God, also states how this may happen. As it says, this occurs by believing "on his name", i.e. on the name that God has made available to believe in and on which there is no other name to believe in for salvation – that is, the name of Jesus Christ. As Peter characteristically said in Acts 4:12 about this name:
"Neither is there salvation in any other, FOR THERE IS NO OTHER NAME UNDER HEAVEN GIVEN AMONG MEN, by which we must be saved." (Acts 4:12)
The only name that God has made available to believe in and be saved by is the name of Jesus Christ. What exactly one should believe about Jesus Christ to be saved and therefore born again, is something that is given in Romans 10:9, where we read:
"That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you shall be saved." (Romans 10:9-10 NKJV-KJV)
The only that is required to be saved and born again, thus entering the kingdom of God, is to believe that Jesus is Lord and God raised him from the dead.
The fact that the only way to be born of God is through believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, is also confirmed by other passages about the same topic. One of them is I John 5:1, where we read:
"WHOEVER BELIEVES THAT JESUS IS THE CHRIST IS BORN OF GOD: and everyone who loves him who begot also loves him who is begotten of him." (I John 5:1)
Moreover I John 4:15 tells us:
"Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God."
As it can be seen from these passages, when one believes that Jesus is the Christ i.e. the Messiah, the chosen one of God, he is born of God. Thus, this passage as the previous one, tells us that the only way to be born of God is by believing in Jesus CHRIST. And because almost everyone believes something about Jesus (wrong or right) , it should be made clear that what is important is not that ones believes, but WHAT one believes. Only believing what the Bible says are the things that should be believed for salvation, can really give salvation.
This is really a point of special importance, as the devil has guided great masses of people to believe some "good" things about Jesus (as for example that he was "a good man", "a great humanitarian" etc.), denying however such fundamental truths for salvation as the resurrection or that he is the Messiah and the Son of God.
To conclude therefore: We are not all children of God, as many believe, because as they say, "we all believe in the one God". To their surprise, the Bible does not speak for one God. Instead, it speaks for ONE TRUE God, the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ and another false god, the devil, the "god of this world", as II Corinthians 4:4 characteristically calls him. Moreover, the Bible defines ONE and not many ways that guide to the ONE TRUE God. This way is no other than Jesus Christ. As Jesus said in John 14:6:
"Jesus said to him, "I AM THE WAY, the truth, and the life: NO ONE COMES TO THE FATHER, EXCEPT THROUGH ME."
Jesus is the ONLY way to God. By believing what the Bible requires to believe about him, we are saved and born of God. All the other beliefs that are supposed to guide to "the one god" are false ways that though indeed guide to a god, they do not guide to the big "G" God, the Father of Jesus Christ but to the false god, the devil.
Though from the above two passages it should already be clear that one is born of God by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, let's also examine one more passage that will reconfirm what we have seen by now. This passage is Galatians 3:22-4:7, where starting from verses 22-24 we read:
"But the scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up to the faith which would afterwards be revealed. Therefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith."
(Gal. 3:22-24 NKJV-KJV)
Many Christians believe that the law is still valid and continue to follow it, thinking that there they will find the will of God for our administration. Obviously, the main cause of this confusion is the inability of discriminating among the various Biblical administrations. As the above passage tells us, "the law WAS OUR SCHOOLMASTER to bring us unto Christ THAT WE MIGHT BE JUSTIFIED BY FAITH". Obviously therefore, the law is not still our schoolmaster. It WAS. The fact that now we are no longer under the law is made even clearer in Galatians 3:25, where we read:
"But after faith [or believing] has come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."
(Gal. 3:25 NKJV-KJV)
Who was our schoolmaster? The law. Are we still under a schoolmaster? NO. Why? Because "faith [or believing] is come" and we can, by believing in Jesus Christ, be saved, and at the same time born of God, thus becoming sons and daughters of God. Really, as verses 26-28 tell us:
"FOR YOU ARE ALL SONS OF GOD BY FAITH IN CHRIST JESUS. For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female: for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:26-28)
WHAT are we? The children of God. HOW? BY BELIEVING IN CHRIST JESUS. Now, there is neither Jew nor Gentile (this is meant by the word "Greek") there is neither male nor female, there is neither bond nor free. Instead we, all that believe in Jesus Christ, are all one, being all members of the same family, the family of God. In contrast therefore to the world, whose main characteristic is discrimination, in Christianity the main characteristic is unification, under the name of Jesus Christ. Reading further, verses 1-7 of the fourth chapter tell us:
"Now I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all; But is under tutors and stewards until the time appointed of the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because YOU ARE SONS, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. THEREFORE YOU ARE NO LONGER A SLAVE, BUT A SON; AND IF A SON, THEN AN HEIR OF GOD THROUGH CHRIST." (Gal. 4:1-7)
What are we? What is our identity? Children, sons and daughters of God. Do we have therefore the right to call God our Father? Of course yes, as we are His children. That's why the title "father" is used of God so many times in the part of the Bible that refers to our administration. For God is really our father, our "Abba father" as the text says, and as Christ called him in Mark 14:36. There, it was Christ that called Him "Abba Father". Today it is the spirit of Christ in us by which we also call Him with the same title. As also the text says, today we are no longer slaves of God, as many believe, but CHILDREN OF GOD, and thus heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. Really as Romans 8:17 tells us:
"AND IF CHILDREN, THEN HEIRS - HEIRS OF GOD, AND JOINT-HEIRS WITH CHRIST; " (Rom. 8:17)
How was this obtained? Only by believing in the Lord Jesus Christ and in his resurrection. Isn't that amazing?
Now We are the Children of God
In the above sections we considered our relationship with God and how it becomes a reality. Among the passages that speak for this reality is also I John 3:1-3. There we read:
"Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God! Therefore the world does not know us, because it did not know him. Beloved, NOW ARE WE THE CHILDREN OF GOD, and it has not yet appeared what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And everyone who has this hope in him purifies himself, just as he is pure." (I John 3:1-3)
What are we? Children of God. When? The text does not say when we reach a certain level of good works and behavior or after we ........die. What it says is that WE ARE THE CHILDREN OF GOD NOW, at the present time. It is a reality that happens NOW, and started from the day we believed in the Lord Jesus Christ and in his resurrection. If we think and care for our children, really how much more God thinks and cares for his own children, among whom many of us also belong? As Matthew 7:11 and Psalms 40:5 characteristically tells us:
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, HOW MUCH MORE will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him?" (Matt. 7:11)
and Psalms 40:5
"Many, O LORD my God, are your wonderful works which you have done, and your thoughts toward us cannot be recounted to you in order; if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered."
God thinks and cares for us, his beloved children, many times more than we care for our children (his thoughts towards us are innumerable, as Psalms 40:5 tells us). As a good father (the best), He is always with us, protecting and caring for us. As He Himself confirms and encourages us:
"I will NEVER leave you, nor forsake you. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper; I will not fear. What can man do to me." (Heb. 13:5-6)
and Matthew 10:30-31
"But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. DO NOT FEAR THEREFORE..."
We might have had reasons to fear when we didn't have the Lord as our helper. However, this does not happen now. Today we are the children of God, the children of the creator of heaven and earth, of the one that made everything, seen and unseen. Really, what is impossible, when we have such a mighty Father? What should we fear? "… tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?....NO, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us." (Romans 8:35-37). For as Jesus says in John 14:12 and Paul confirms in Philippians 4:13
"HE WHO BELIEVES IN ME, THE WORKS THAT I DO HE WILL DO ALSO; AND GREATER WORKS THAN THESE HE WILL DO, because I go to my Father." (John 14:12)
and Philippians 4:13
"I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME"
Such is the power that we have as children of God. It is not a power that comes from our first birth but from the second one, the birth from God. It is not a power that we have by "believing in ourselves", but a power that we have by believing in Christ and the abilities of the almighty God, who is now our father and who backs up our steps in life.
[This article is used by permission from the web-site of The Journal for Biblical Accuracy. It has been edited for space and can be viewed in its entirety at the following web-site address: https://www.jba.gr/Articles/nkjv_jbajan98.htm ]
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by Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
The purpose of being born of God is to become a child in God’s family and an heir of God’s glorious kingdom to come. This subject is one of the most important and, unfortunately, controversial topics in all of Bible scholarship. It is important because of its life changing and practical effects on the life of a person who is born of God by virtue of accepting Jesus Christ as his risen Lord (I John 5:1-12). However, it is also controversial because of disagreement over whether this new birth occurs by means of water baptism or simply by means of faith in Christ - irrespective of water baptism. This article will support the latter view in the firm belief that God is not bound by ritual of any kind; instead, he looks on the heart and gives his Spirit in direct response to faith (e.g. Acts 15:7-9). Though water baptism can be highly significant and very meaningful in many of its forms, we believe that it is only symbolic of the much greater spiritual reality that occurs at the moment that a person initially chooses to believe in and confess our risen Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
There are only a couple of verses that speak directly to this subject and we will let the scholars speak for themselves:
John 3:1-8:
Now there was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a member of the Jewish ruling council. He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.”
“How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he can not enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!”
Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” (NIV).
James Dunn, the highly respected NT scholar who is Professor of Divinity at the University of Durham, England, has done a close study of these verses in his book Baptism in the Holy Spirit (Westminster Press). I quote from his chapter “The Spirit and Baptism in John’s Gospel” (pp. 183-194):
Does John give us to understand that the Spirit is mediated through the sacrament of baptism? One automatically thinks of 3:5, and the affirmative answer really stands or falls with this passage. The chief arguments for seeing a baptismal reference in 3:5 are as follows:
The sacramentalism of John: together with 6:15-58, 3:5 is regarded as the most explicit of the sacramental references.
In view of the almost thematic repetition of ‘water’ in the early chapters of John, it is often said that 3:5 is the Evangelist’s [the apostle John’s] description of Christian baptism in contrast to John’s [the Baptist’s] …
The reason most frequently given is that the Christian reader of 3:5 could not fail to think of the rite of initiation [baptism] into the Church.
After exploring the background of the symbolic usage of the words “water”, “bread”, “flesh”, etc. – especially showing how “water” is used symbolically for “Spirit” in other places in other chapters of John (eg. Chs. 4, 7, and 9) - Dunn makes the following comments about the so-called sacramental understanding of John 3:5 in relation to water baptism and the new birth:
In the light of these facts we must re-assess the three arguments used to support the view that 3:5 is baptismal reference.
‘The sacramentalism of John’ is a misnomer. John is not really interested in the sacraments in his Gospel. This does not mean that he is anti-sacramentalist; but it certainly excludes the view that much of his symbolism was directed towards the sacraments. We may say that his symbolism points to and portrays the same basic facts of the eternal life won and bestowed by Jesus which the sacraments point to and portray. But that is quite different from saying that his symbols portray the sacraments themselves and indicate that the eternal life is received through the sacraments. This we cannot say. What our survey has shown is that John’s symbolism always centres on Jesus, and on, Jesus as the mediator of eschatological salvation – that is to say, on Jesus in his salvation-effecting action at the climax of his ministry in his glorification and exaltation, above all in his giving of the Spirit; for it is through the Spirit that eternal life is bestowed on his followers … This greatly lessens the probability of a sacramental reference in 3:5, and any suggestion that water-baptism is the channel through which the life-giving Spirit is mediated is almost totally excluded.
The argument drawn from the context of the Nicodemus episode is greatly weakened. In the immediate context, water stands on the far side of the contrast between the old and the new dispensations – as that which the gift of the Spirit is contrasted. But the water reference in 3:5 is of a different order: in 3:5 water is a co-ordinate, not contrasted, with the Spirit. It is more likely therefore to belong to that other set of water references which symbolize something other than water. Moreover, in the parallel episode in ch. 4 we have an example of that other Johannine use of water – as a symbol of the life-giving operation of the Spirit (4:14). If there is any significance in the fact that these water references, together with 7:38, are the only one which appear on the lips of Jesus, and that on each occasion there is a triple link between water, Spirit and life, it would suggest that the water of 3:5 likewise symbolizes the life-giving operation of the Spirit.
The argument that no Christian reader could fail to see Christian baptism, though powerful, must give precedence to the argument drawn from John’s theology. Besides assuming that we know when the Gospel was written, and the sacramental understanding of the readers to whom it was addressed, it assumes also that it was John’s intention to fit his writing into the context of that understanding and not to challenge or alter it in any radical way. But the gospel itself hardly gives these assumptions credibility. On the contrary, John seems to be challenging any sacramentalism which he assumes on the part of his readers.
We must bear in mind that Jesus expected that Nicodemus should be able understand what he was talking about based on the Hebrew Scriptures. This rules out Christian water-baptism and points rather to water as a symbol of the life-giving power of God through the Spirit, as the Old Testament often portrays it. Summing up his arguments, Dunn concludes that the phrase in 3:5 “born of water and the Spirit”
“… is a hendiadys, and the single preposition governing both words indicates … a single concept – water-and-Spirit. This implies either that Christian conversion-initiation is a (theological) unity of which both water-baptism and Spirit-baptism are integral parts (in which case the verse does not tell us how they are related), or that the water is a symbol of the life-giving power of the Spirit as in 4:14 and 7:38. The latter is perhaps more likely in view of the fact that the OT finds water a fitting symbol of God’s activity in quickening men to life (e.g. Isa. 55:1-3; Jer. 2:13; 17:13; Zech. 14:8; Ezek. 47:9), and one not infrequently linked in Jewish thought with the eschatological re-creation and renewal effected by the gift of the Spirit (Isa. 32:15-17; 44:3-5; Ezek. 36:25-27; 39:29; Joel 2:28). It should not go unnoticed that the closest parallels to the water and Spirit correlation of John 3:5 are to be found in Ezekial 36:25-27 and I QS 4:20-22 [in the Dead Sea Scrolls]. The further we set John’s Gospel into the context of Palestinian Judaism, as expressed particularly in the Qumran sect, the more weight will we have to give to this use of ‘water’ with ‘Spirit’ to symbolize renewal by the Spirit. Nor should we forget that John’s baptism seems to have been for the Baptist himself a symbol of the eschatological purging effected through the Spirit. As it is the Spirit-of-truth which makes spiritual worship possible (4:23f.), so it is the water-of-the-Spirit which effects birth from above.
The next verses are Titus 3:5-7:
But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy. He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by his grace, we become heirs having the hope of eternal life (Titus 3:4-7).
In his book, God’s Empowering Presence (pp. 857-858) Gordon Fee, Professor of New Testament at Regent College in Vancouver, B.C., Canada, explains the importance of the role of the Spirit in these passages about “washing” and “rebirth”:
The metaphor “washing” as a work of the Spirit first occurs in I Cor. 6:11 …This metaphor occurs again, along with the metaphors of “rebirth” and “renewal” in Titus 3:5 … The final genitive “of the Spirit” is the key to the whole. Salvation is not appropriated through baptism – that is foreign to Paul – but through the work of the Spirit, which in this case is imaged as a “new birth” or a “renewal” in the new believer’s life.
The two words “new birth” and “renewal” are as close as one comes to the concept of “regeneration” by the Spirit in the Pauline Corpus. But if this metaphor is itself infrequent, the idea behind it is thoroughly Pauline, namely, at the beginning of one’s life in Christ one has been given life by the Spirit himself. In Paul’s view, the “washing” is that “of the Spirit” which includes rebirth and renewal. By the Spirit, God not only cleanses people from past sins, but also transforms them into his people, “reborn” and “renewed” so as to reflect God’s likeness in their lives.
[For more information on this subject I recommend a detailed study of the two books quoted above and the articles “Baptism” and “Spirit, Holy Spirit” in New Bible Dictionary]
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By Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
In this issue of The Unity of the Spirit we begin a new calendar year of 2001 and finish the sixth full year of publishing our newsletter. Since many of our readers are fairly new to our publication I have thought it a good idea to repeat past articles from time to time that are of especially abiding significance. That practice will continue with this issue as we delve into the subject of the Christian hope of the glory and immortality which will be received at Christ’s second coming.
Perhaps the most significant biblical truths for Christian believers today regard our present status as God’s children and our future hope of glory and immortality to come at Christ’s return. These truths are the culmination of the biblical story of salvation. They set forth the framework in which both the Bible as a whole, as well as our daily lives as God’s children are to be understood. Paul’s Second Letter to Timothy sets forth a summary of these liberating truths of the victory over death – that is, the hope of immortality – which God purposed in Christ before the creation of the world for his children; and then, accomplished in history through Christ’s death and resurrection:
So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel (II Tim. 1:8-10).
Let us focus on three key elements of this good news of God’s purpose as revealed in the gospel message:
First, God’s purpose for his people which was determined by God, in Christ, before the creation of the world: This is a continual theme of scripture; it was foreshadowed in the Old Testament scriptures, accomplished by Christ’s death and resurrection, and, finally, put into effect in the new covenant era through the gift of God’s Spirit. Though its final fulfillment is still to come, the process of glorification has already begun in God’s people through the indwelling of God’s Spirit. Romans chapter 8 summarizes this purpose in its simplicity:
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. For those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified (Rom. 8:28-30; cf. Eph. 1:3-14).
God’s purpose and grace – given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time - is to bring about a family of children who are conformed to the glorious image, or likeness, of his Son. The whole Bible moves towards the final fulfillment of this purpose. Paul’s Letter to the Ephesians shows this:
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenlies with every spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons though Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the one he loves. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace that the he lavished on us with all wisdom and understanding. And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfillment – to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ (Eph. 1:3-10).
Second, based on this purpose, the actual sending of God’s Son for the accomplishment of God’s plan of salvation after the period of Old Testament preparation had been fulfilled: These truths are set forth clearly in Paul’s Letter to the Galatians:
But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman born under the law, that we might receive the full rights of sons. Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, the Spirit who calls out “Abba, Father.” So you are no longer a slave but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir (Gal. 4:4-7).
Finally, as God’s children we are heirs. We have the hope of the final fulfillment of God’s plan of salvation with the glory to come at Christ's second coming. Paul’s Letter to the Romans sets this forth in beautiful detail:
The Spirit itself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs – heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory
I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us. The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God.
We know the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. Not only so, but we who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? But if we hope for what we do not have we wait for it patiently (Rom. 8:16-25).
As God’s children we already have the firstfruits of God’s Spirit; therefore, the process of glorification has begun (II Cor. 3:18). Yet we still “groan” in our mortal bodies as we wait “in hope” for the “redemption of our bodies” and “the glorious freedom of the children of God” which we will receive at Christ’s return. It is only then that we will be “clothed with immortality” (I Cor. 15:53) so that “what is mortal is swallowed up by life” (II Cor. 5:4). Then, and only then, will we be “with Christ, in glory” (Col. 3:4) and gloriously “conformed to the image of God’s Son” (Rom. 8:29). The apostle John sums up this great biblical hope:
How great is the love the Father has lavished on us that we should be called children of God. And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him.
Dear friends, now we are the children of God, and what we shall be has not yet been made known. But we know that when he appears, we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is (I John 3:1-2)
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By Richie Temple
Cary, North Carolina
The biblical hope of immortality has been one of the most confusing subjects of Christian teaching for much of the last two thousand years. The original, simple and clear Christian belief of gaining immortality or eternal life was based solely on the truth that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead – never to die again – which was to be the pattern for all other believers to follow at Christ’s return. This Christian hope is set forth throughout the New Testament documents and is the only basis for the Christian hope of immortality.
The Bible teaches repeatedly that all men are mortal and, therefore, subject to death. We must therefore begin by asking, “what happens to the Christian believer when he or she dies?” The Book of Acts answers this question specifically when speaking about the death of Stephen:
While they were stoning him, Stephen prayed, “Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.” Then, he fell on his knees and cried out, “Lord, do not hold this sin against them.” When he had said this, he fell asleep (Acts 7:59-60; cf. Luke 23:46).
According to the New Testament, at death, the “spirit” is committed to Christ in heaven and the believer “falls asleep” in Christ. According to Hebrews 12:23, “the spirits of righteous men made perfect” are apparently in heaven awaiting the resurrection. However, according to other NT passages like I Cor. 15 and I Thess. 4, the believer continues to “sleep in Christ” until the time of the future bodily resurrection and transformation of the whole person at Christ’s return. It is only then that the gift of immortality is received. Though many biblical scholars who reject the idea of the immortality of the soul do believe that the Bible teaches, or may teach, some sort of conscious or semi-conscious ‘intermediate state’ for believers “with Christ” in-between death and resurrection, we must be very careful here. For nowhere does the New Testament ever say that Christian believers who fall asleep in Christ have a conscious existence with Christ in heaven in-between death and resurrection. Though believers may indeed be said to be “with Christ” in some corporate or spiritual sense in-between death and resurrection, the Old and New Testaments’ consistent portrayal of believers during this time is one of unconscious “sleep” and “rest” in the grave as they await their “awakening” to resurrection life at Christ’s return (cf. Psalm 13:3; 146:4; 6:5; Ecc. 9:4-6, 10; Dan. 12:2, 13; John 5:24-29; Acts 7:59; I Cor. 15:6, 18, 20, 51; I Thess. 4:13, 14, 15; 5:10). If there is something beyond this, the Bible certainly never explains it. For this reason, as James Dunn states, the question of an intermediate state is simply “a moot point”. For regardless of the exact state of the believer between death and resurrection there can be no question that biblically, believers will receive the gift of immortality only at Christ’s second coming. Hence, as Dunn states, “the impossibility of translating Paul’s hope into a belief in ‘the immortality of the soul’” (The Theology of Paul the Apostle, p. 489-90).
Thus, leaving all speculation aside about the possibility of a so-called intermediate state, the clear biblical sequence of events whereby believers receive the gift of immortality from God is specifically explained in Paul’s First Letter to the Corinthians. It is based on Christ’s own death and resurrection in which he gained victory over death both for himself and for all of God’s people to follow:
But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then when he comes, those who belong to him. Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power (I Cor. 15:20-24).
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.
If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: “The first man Adam became a living being”, the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from [of] heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from [of] heaven, so are also those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so we shall bear the likeness of the man from [of] heaven.
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we will all be changed – in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed. For the perishable put clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying will come true: “Death has been swallowed up in victory.”
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where O death, is your sting?”
The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:42-57).
The original Christian hope was clear: eternal life, or immortality, was to be received as a gift from God through resurrection and/or transformation of the whole person at Christ’s return. However, soon after the ink had barely dried on the New Testament documents this Christian belief of gaining immortality or eternal life through the power of God at Christ’s return was either totally replaced by, or mixed together with, the Platonic Greek doctrine of the immortality of the soul. This pagan doctrine, which totally contradicts the biblical concept of man, greatly diminished the need for the Christian hope of a final bodily resurrection of the whole person at Christ’s return. For if man’s immortal soul has already found its final resting place “in bliss” in heaven why is there still a need for a bodily resurrection and transformation to inherit eternal life – that is, the life of the age to come in the glorious kingdom of God at Christ’s return?
Owing to a misunderstanding of biblical terminology and biblical concepts this particular question vexed the so-called early Christian Fathers in the first five centuries just after the New Testament era and it has vexed truth-seeking Christians ever since. But let it be plainly stated that nowhere does the Bible ever speak in terms of the immortality of the soul or of an innate natural immortality of man. According to the Bible, only God is naturally immortal and immortality is the gift of God to be received by believers at the resurrection of the just (Dan. 12:2; John 5:28; Luke 20:27-38).
Since unbelievers never receive the gift of immortality - even though they will be raised in order to be judged and condemned at the final judgment - there is no logical basis for the idea that they will be tormented forever in hell. Instead, as mortals, their end, or destiny, is, as Paul said, “destruction” (Phil. 3:19); or, as John puts it, they will “perish” (John 3:16). The common idea of eternal torment for the ungodly is the result of reading the Bible in the light of pagan Greek concepts rather than against the background of biblical Hebraic concepts. This is a process that began just after New Testament times and has been thoroughly documented by any number of highly respected Christian scholars.
Unfortunately, due to the influential writings of church leaders such as Augustine and Thomas Aquinas the biblical doctrine of the bodily resurrection of the whole person – though not entirely lost – was submerged under many, many centuries of Christian belief in the immortality of the soul. This idea was especially promulgated through the art and literature of the Middle Ages including through works such as the fraudulent Apocalypse of Peter and the Apocalypse of Paul as well as Dante’s Inferno – each of which portrayed the horrific and eternal sufferings of the ungodly in hell.
It is only recently – primarily in the second half of the 20th century – that biblical scholarship as a whole has finally and firmly regained the original biblical understanding both of the nature of man, and, the corresponding biblical hope of immortality. In order to show just how wide-spread this knowledge is among biblical scholars today – ranging across all denominational boundaries from Roman Catholic to Protestant – the rest of this article will be entirely devoted to quotations from highly regarded standard reference works about this subject.
For those interested, an excellent summary of the Ancient Greek, OT, NT, and post-NT understanding of the concepts of “immortality” and “soul” can be found in the Encyclopedia of Early Christianity, 2nd Edition, ed. Everett Ferguson, Garland Publishing – available from CBD – with first class articles on the concepts of “Immortality” and “Soul” written by Richard A. Norris, Professor Emeritus, Union Theological Seminary, New York. I will be glad to send anyone interested a xeroxed copy of these articles – just write or e-mail me. Also, highly recommended along these lines, is James D.G. Dunn’s explanation of Paul’s terminology in his highly acclaimed recent work The Theology of Paul the Apostle. In this light, we should especially heed Dunn’s words when he warns on p. 56,
“… that reading Paul’s anthropology in the light of modern usage or of ancient Greek usage is likely to distort our appreciation of Paul’s thought from the outset.”
It is hoped that the information that follows will help to restore the true biblical hope of immortality – based on the power of God exhibited in raising our Lord Jesus Christ from the dead – to the glory and praise of God the Father! (Phil. 2:6-11).
The Ancient Greek and Biblical Views on the Subjects of Immortality and the Soul
I will begin this section with a short quotation from a lecture entitled “Immortality of the Soul or Resurrection of the Dead: the New Testament Witness” given by the Swiss NT scholar Oscar Cullmann in 1955. Cullmann, who at one time was simultaneously a Professor of Theology at universities in Switzerland, France and the U.S.A., was enormously influential in helping to bring the biblical perspective of salvation-history back to its proper place at the center of biblical studies. Indeed, much of the work on this entire field of studies was sparked by his books and lectures. I quote here from his lecture, as later published in the book, Immortality and Resurrection, ed. Krister Stendahl, The Macmillan Company, 1965, p. 9:
“If we were to ask an ordinary Christian today (whether well-read Protestant or Catholic, or not) what he conceives to be the New Testament teaching concerning the fate of man after death, with few exceptions we should get the answer: "The immortality of the soul.” Yet this widely accepted idea is one of the greatest misunderstandings of Christianity. There is no point in attempting to hide this fact, or to veil it by reinterpreting the Christian faith. This is something that should be discussed quite candidly. The concept of death and resurrection is anchored in the Christ-event, and hence it is incompatible with the Greek belief in immortality; because it is based on salvation-history it is offensive to modern thought. Is it not such an integral element of the early Christian proclamation that it can neither be surrendered no reinterpreted without robbing the New Testament of its substance?”
Cullmann stated later that he was widely criticized for his article since many people considered it to be destructive of ideas and concepts which they had become accustomed to in their church life. Nevertheless, its effect was like the dropping of a bomb in the midst of a Christian world which for a century and a half had been dominated by the Platonic view of the immortality of the soul that was promoted by liberal Christianity. His influence can be seen in many of the following articles from which I will quote.
A good summary of the ancient Greek and biblical views on this subject is to be found in The Eerdman’s Bible Dictionary, Eerdman’s Publishing Company, Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1987, “Immortality”, p. 518.
“The question of human immortality inevitably involves a comparison of biblical and Greek views of the subject. The Greek view, expounded classically in Plato’s Phaedo, is based on an anthropological dualism of body and soul. The body is gross, corruptible, subject to illusion. The soul, on the other hand, is immortal, eternal, essentially divine, and in a sense infallible, belonging properly to the realm of the ideal. In this life the soul is imprisoned in the body, which easily tyrannizes over the soul. Hence life ought to be a process of liberation, the weaning of the soul away from alien matter through engagement with the eternal ideas that lie behind material things. Death is the culmination of the process, the final liberation of the soul from the body, and thus is a friend and not an enemy; through death the soul is released from the prison of the body to its true home. This view is noble, full of apparent light, answers to an important dimension of human experience (the sense of alienation), and is attractive. It has influenced both Hellenistic Judaism and the history of Christian thought. Indeed, the salvation of the “immortal soul” has sometimes been a commonplace of in preaching, but it is fundamentally unbiblical. Biblical anthropology is not dualistic but monistic: human being consists in the integrated wholeness of body and soul, and the Bible never contemplates the disembodied existence of the soul in bliss. Death is the enemy of this integrity and not the friend of the soul. Immortality, in Greek thought, is of the nature of the soul, which is essentially unaffected by death except insofar as it is liberated. This involves no conflict, but rather is a peaceful escape from creation. Biblical immortality, on the contrary, is an end, which is achieved through a dramatic conflict with death and involves a new creation in which the integrity of body and soul is restored and perfected.”
“Since Hebrew thought has no concept of the independent existence of the soul, it is natural that the hope for eternal life should eventually be recognized as a hope for resurrection …The idea becomes fully visible in Daniel, where eternal life is seen to entail a double bodily resurrection of “some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan. 12:2). Daniel’s doctrine of eternal life is hardly, as some have maintained, influenced by the Greek view of the immortality of the soul; it is the reawakening of those “who sleep in the dust of the earth” and therefore, in keeping with Hebrew anthropology.”
“Paul speaks of immortality only in connection with the resurrection of the body. The presence of the Spirit within the believer now, in fact, is the guarantee of the ultimate reclothing of the resurrection body (2 Cor. 5:5), which Paul likens to Christ’s “glorious body” (Phil. 3:21) – a “spiritual” body (I Cor. 15:44) now animated by the power of the Holy Spirit rather than subject to the power of sin and death. What is sown perishable, dishonored, weak, physical, and mortal is to be raised imperishable, glorious, powerful, spiritual, and immortal (vv. 42-44, 53). Mortality is not so much as left behind as “swallowed up by life” (2 Cor. 5:4).
Many similar works can be consulted to confirm what is said here and such action is encouraged.
Problematic Sections of Scripture about the “Soul”
Of course, were there not ambiguities in certain biblical sections there would be no conflict over these matters. Reasonable people have, over the years, come to different conclusions based on the evidence. Therefore, four verses, or sections of scripture, that are commonly used to prove the immortality of the soul should perhaps be examined first. To begin with, Gen. 2:7:
The Lord God formed the man from the dust of ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being (NIV).
This verse has caused no end of confusion due to the KJV translation “and the man became a living soul” which is known by heart far and wide in the Christian world. I’ll never forget how long it took me to properly understand this verse after many years of grounding in the beautiful King James Version. However, beautiful as it is, the KJV is misleading here as in many places - and the NIV is correct, as can be seen by consulting any modern translation or commentary. Commenting on Gen. 2:7 in his book Contours of Old Testament Theology, the Protestant scholar Bernard W. Anderson, Emeritus Professor of Old Testament at Princeton University Seminary, states,
“Human nature is not a dichotomy – a body of mortal flesh and a deathless soul, as in some philosophies, but rather a unity of body and spirit, an animated body … This view is expressed classically in Genesis 2, according to which the Lord God infused “spirit” (life force) into a lump of clay and “it became a living being.” The Hebrew word should not be translated “soul”, if that means an immortal essence, but rather “person” or “self”. The self is a unity of body and spirit, a psychosomatic unity … In this view, death must be taken seriously … Death is a total event – there is no part of human nature, such as an immortal soul, that is untouched.”
This understanding of Gen. 2:7 can be confirmed by the celebrated Roman Catholic publication The New Jerome Biblical Commentary, ed. Raymond Brown, Joseph Fitzmyer and Roland Murphy, p. 1295:
In spite of the use of such words as flesh, spirit, and soul, the OT conceived of the human being as a unity and not as a composite of different principles. H. Wheeler Robinson observed in a classic remark that the Greeks thought of an incarnate spirit and the Israelites thought of an animated body … The Hebrew nefesh (nephesh) has usually been mistranslated ‘soul’ – introducing an idea that is foreign to the OT … When Yaweh breathes the spirit, the human being becomes a living nefesh (2:7). “Person” or “self” may be the basic, if not the primitive meaning of the word. The blood is sometimes said to the seat of the nefesh; in such instances nefesh is not the self or the person, but rather life, which is poured out with the blood… In none of these instances is there anything resembling the “soul” of Greek and modern thought. This difference has important corollaries in the biblical idea of survival after death.
Many other commentaries can be consulted to confirm this understanding of Gen. 2:7 and of the meaning of the OT Hebrew word “nefesh” or the Greek word “psyche” in the New Testament.
The second problematic verse that has long caused confusion is Matt.10:28:
Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot touch the soul. Rather be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell (NIV).
On the surface this verse seems to indicate that the soul is immortal, but in fact, it teaches just the opposite. From among many other commentators on this verse I quote the highly respected The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, Abridged Version, p 1349:
“Matt. 10:28 presents God as the one who can cast both body and psyche (soul, life) into Gehenna. The saying posits the unity of the two and negates the idea of the soul’s immortality … God alone controls the psyche, and for those who have true life with him he prepares a new body, just as he destroys both the body and psyche of those who do not have true life with him.”
The third group of verses concerns the biblical language “the salvation of your souls” which has become popular in preaching and commonplace in Christian thinking and speaking. Though the phrases are certainly biblical, the concepts are Hebraic, not Greek. When we read these phrases through the eyes of our Graeco-Roman culture we get a misleading idea of what is being said. The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol. 3, “Soul”, ed. Colin Brown, p. 685-6, explains the meaning of these verses in their biblical context:
“Although the Hellenistic term psyche appears more frequently in the later epistles of the NT than in other parts (I Peter 1:9, James1:21, 5:20), it must not be imagined that this implies the concept of the soul as the real and valuable part of man, the eternal and permanent element. That would be a misunderstanding. This kind of thinking deduces the immortality and permanence of the soul from its own particular quality. This is just what the NT does not teach … no reference is intended to the immortal soul as guarantee or substance of eternal life. Although such passages show definite traces of Hellenism, they are nonetheless brought on to a rather different level by biblical tradition, basic eschatological insights, and the Christian experience in the risen Lord… The soul is simply that area in which decisions are made concerning life and death, salvation and destruction. Moreover, every statement about the psyche in the NT is linked in context with eschatological statements about renewal and resurrection. Outside such a context this line of thought is impossible. Part of this context of ideas is the teaching that God is judge, that his judgement determines whether the soul shall be saved or destroyed, and the fact that the salvation of the soul is always understood in connection with the resurrection of the body, i.e. a new embodiment of the soul.”
And finally, Revelation 6:9-11, perhaps the most controversial of all because it appears on the surface that there are souls alive after death:
When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. They cried out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the earth and avenge our blood?” The each of them was given a white robe, and they were told to wait [rest KJV] a little longer, until the number of their fellow servants and brothers who were to be killed as they had been was completed (NIV).
At first glance, based on a modern Western philosophical reading of this text against the background of Graeco-Roman and New Age culture, this looks like immortal souls living and speaking in some sort of intermediate state. But a few points should be made right off the bat. First, the translation “souls” is by no means a sure thing. This Greek word could be translated as “life”, “persons”, “souls” and even “bodies.” The Greek word psyche does not, of itself, imply the translation "soul”. Second, these souls are not in a state of perfection, nor are they in their final resting place, nor is it even said that they are “with Christ.” Instead, rather than being thankful that they have escaped the prison house of the body, these souls are looking forward to a future time in which they will finally be vindicated and perfected. According to Revelation 20:4, that future time is the resurrection of the just.
Finally, given the overall scheme and language of the Book of Revelation it is most likely that the entire incident and language that is portrayed here is simply imagery and not to be taken literally. Many scholars take this view, including the highly respected evangelical scholar G.E. Ladd. In his A Commentary on the Book of Revelation, p. 103-104 states the following about Rev. 6:9-11:
“In the present instance, the altar is clearly the altar of sacrifice where sacrificial blood was poured. The fact that John saw the souls of martyrs under the alter has nothing to do with the state of the dead or their situation in the intermediate state; it is merely a vivid way of picturing the fact that they had been martyred in the name of God. In the Old Testament ritual blood of sacrificial victims was poured out at the base of the altar (Lev. 4:7). The souls of martyrs are seen under the altar as though they had been sacrificed upon the altar and their blood poured out as its base. Christian thought often employs the language of sacrificial death. Facing death, the apostle Paul wrote, “For I am already on the point of being sacrificed” (II Tim. 4:6). At an earlier date, also facing possible death, he had written, “Even if I am to be poured out as a libation upon the sacrificial offering of your faith, I am glad” (Phil. 2:17). Thus Christian martyrs are viewed as sacrifices offered to God. In fact, they were slain on the earth and their blood wet the ground; but in Christian faith, the sacrifice was really made in heaven where their souls were offered at the heavenly altar.”
The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, Vol. 3, “Soul”, p. 686, echoes the same thought:
“In Rev. 6:9 and 20:4 mention is made of the souls of those who have been slain, who are under the altar of God in heaven, i.e. under the altar in the heavenly counterpart of the temple. This imagery is probably based on the fact that the blood of sacrifice was poured out before or on the altar (Lev. 4:7). The martyrs who have shed their blood for Christ’s sake, are compared with the sacrifices. That is why their souls are under the altar, since the soul, i.e. the life, is in the blood. The dominant thought is that the souls which have been won by God, which have been saved, which believe in him and sacrifice themselves for him, are preserved in his keeping; and they are inextricably bound up with the realization of God’s aims and place, in his heavenly world with its future destiny and its future appearance upon earth.”
Short Quotations from Research Works
I will continue now with various short quotations from recognized research works and those readers who are interested can consult the works cited for greater detail if they desire to do so:
James D. G. Dunn is the Lightfoot Professor of Divinity at the University of Durham, England. He sets forth his understanding of this subject in his recent book The Theology of Paul the Apostle, Eerdmanns, p. 76:
“Paul uses psyche just 13 times, 4 of them in Romans. This itself is in striking contrast to the regular use of the term in classical Greek and of nephesh in the OT (756 times). The difference between Hebrew and Greek anthropology becomes as clear here as anywhere. For in classical Greek usage the psyche is “the essential core of man which can be separated from his body and which does not share in the body’s dissolution.” Here is the origin of the concept of “the immortality of the soul,” as the continuing existence of an inner, hidden part of the human person after death. In contrast, in Hebrew thought, nephesh denotes the whole person, the “living nephesh” of Gen. 2:7. Paul’s usage clearly echoes the typical Hebrew mind-set.”
Stanley B. Marrow is a Jesuit Roman Catholic Scholar who obtained his Licentiate in Scripture from the Pontifical Institute in Rome and his Doctorate in Theology from the Gregorian University. He has been a Professor of NT at the Biblical Institute in Rome and universities in the USA. I quote from his book, Paul: His Letters and His Theology, p. 229-230:
“The first thing that should be said about the answer Paul himself gives about the question ‘What is Man?’ is that it is not ours – certainly not that of our habitual way of thinking and speaking. We understand “man” to be made up of body and soul – one material and perishable, which is destined to return to the dust whence it came, and the other spiritual and immortal, which is what survives of us after death. Death for us is the separation of the soul from the body. The spiritual soul, we believe, receives its just recompense immediately after death and awaits the resurrection of its body at the resurrection of the dead on the last day.
Anything farther from Paul’s response to “What is Man?” is hard to imagine. For Paul, as for the biblical authors, when the pneuma leaves my body, then I, all of me, die. This by the way, is how Jesus himself died: ‘he yielded up his spirit (pneuma)” (Matt. 27:50, “he breathed his last” (Lk. 23:46).
When this mortal creature comes to the end of his days, then he dies – all of him, not just his body, nor only his flesh and blood, nor only his mind and his heart, but all of him; body and soul, flesh and spirit, heart and mind, what of him is visible and what is invisible – all die. The rich multiplicity of biblical terms, both technical and traditional, employed by Paul to describe this mortal creature, describes only aspects and facets of the individual. Thus, “body” describes him in his relation to other individuals and to other things; “mind” refers to his innermost thoughts; “flesh,” to his mortality and fragility; “heart,” to the seat of his intentions, thoughts, and affections; “soul” (psyche), to the individual life that ends in death; “spirit” (pneuma), to the breath of life that the Creator breathed “into his nostrils” (Gen. 2:7).
This is the reason why the resurrection occupies such a central position both in Paul’s theology and his anthropology. The Christian’s only hope of life after death is resurrection from the dead to eternal life. To forget this basic truth, to get caught up in the endless philosophical debates on “the immortality of the soul,” to wander aimlessly in the labyrinth of vain speculation about the dead, is, ultimately, to render Paul’s anthropology incomprehensible, and his insistence on the resurrection of our “mortal bodies” (Rom. 8:11, 23), superfluous.
Now, if this is not what one hears growing up in the Roman Catholic Church, it only shows the gap between scholarship and the traditions of men that are upheld in so many churches – both Protestant and Roman Catholic alike. As Hans Schwarz, Professor of Theology and Director of the Institute of Protestant Theology at the University of Regensburg, Germany, points out in his recently published book Eschatology, p. 272-280:
“The Roman Catholic Church is not alone in its emphasis on the immortality of the soul. Most Protestant hymns express the hope that after our life on earth our immortal soul will be united with God … But can this be maintained on biblical grounds?”
“When we consult a concordance of the Bible, we find many instances of the term “soul.” But the creation accounts at the beginning of the Bible, where we would expect mention of the human soul, are remarkably quiet about a creation or infusion of the human soul through divine intervention. Genesis 1 simply states that, "God created humankind in his image” (1:27), and in Genesis 2 we hear in more picturesque language that “the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and th man became a living being” (2:7).”
“This distinctions made is not between body and soul but between an lifeless and a living human being. In other words, God created the whole person according to the body (from dust) and then gave this body life through his life-giving breath. This can hardly substantiate the teaching that our “soul” is created immediately by God, while our body came into existence in a mediated way through evolution [the current official Roman Catholic position]. It also runs contrary to the Platonic idea that the body is a prison of the soul.”
“How incompatible the Greek idea of the immortality of the soul and the Christian belief in the resurrection are, is demonstrated by Paul’s own missionary activity [cf. Acts 17 in Athens]. We should also note that, according to Paul, death is not a passage to new life or redemption from our earthly existence, but an enemy that has been overcome by Christ.”
“Paul, and with him the whole New Testament, is not longing for the liberation of the self from the bodily prison, but for the resurrection of the body. He does not hope that from our mortal nature something worthwhile and immortal will survive, but he hopes and is sure that through the resurrection of the body our mortal nature will be transformed into immortality” (I Cor. 15:35-57).
R.K. Bauckham is a world-renowned scholar in biblical eschatology and has taught at several leading universities. He writes in New Bible Dictionary, IVP, 3rd Edition, “Eschatology”, p. 336-7, the following:
“In NT thought, immortality belongs intrinsically to God alone (I Tim. 6:16), while men by their descent from Adam are naturally mortal (Rom. 5:12) … The Christian hope for life beyond death is not based on the belief that part of man survives death. All men, through their descent from Adam, are naturally mortal. Immortality is the gift of God, which will be attained through the resurrection of the whole person.”
F.F. Bruce, the late Rylands Professor of Biblical Criticism and Exegesis at the University of Manchester, England was often called the Dean of 20th century NT evangelical scholars. In his book, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free, Eerdmans, p. 311, he writes the following:
“Paul evidently could not contemplate immortality apart from resurrection; for him a body of some kind was essential to personality. Our traditional thinking about the ‘never dying soul’, which owes so much to our Graeco-Roman heritage, makes it difficult for us to appreciate Paul’s point of view. Except when immortality is ascribed to God himself in the New Testament, it is always of the resurrection body that it is predicated, never of the soul.”
I will close with a quotation from the renowned NT scholar Howard Clark Kee, Professor of Biblical Studies, Emeritus, at Boston University. He writes the following in The Cambridge Companion to the Bible, p. 544:
“At times resurrection seems to refer to the restoration of the whole faithful community, as in Ezekiel 37. But in Isaiah 26:19 and Dan. 12:2,it is the faithful individual members of God’s people who are given assurance that their fidelity to God will be rewarded when they are raised up from among the dead.”
“This hope was given concrete expression in the early Christian assurance that God raised Jesus from the dead and that his people will share in the resurrection of the faithful and in the age to come (I Cor. 15). In passages like John 11:25-6, however, the benefits of the resurrection life are seen already being enjoyed by God’s people in the present evil age. In Hellenistic tradition there was a belief that the human soul would be released from the body at death and might ascend to the realm of the eternal and divine. That notion was taken up by some Jewish thinkers in the Hellenistic period, as Wisdom of Solomon 3:1-4 [from the Apocrypha] attests. But when Paul describes the state of the faithful in the new age, it is not in terms of a disembodied soul but as a transformed body – the spiritual body (I Cor. 15:35-49). Similarly, in Rev. 20:11-22:5, the righteous find their ultimate joy and fulfillment – not as souls ascending to heaven – but in the new order, the new city, and the new temple, which come down out of heaven to a renewed earth (Rev. 21:10).”
**
By Chuck LaMattina
Chicago, Illinois
Each January both houses of Congress gather at the Capitol building in Washington, D.C. for the state of the Union address. As the event begins, a loud voice booms forth this announcement, "Mr. Speaker, the President of the United States." The announcement pierces through all the commotion in the chambers of the House and calls forth a response. The Gospel According to Matthew, the first book of the New Testament1, in a similar way makes a dramatic announcement when in effect it proclaims, "Ladies and Gentlemen, behold, the King!" And this announcement is intended to cut through all the commotion in our hearts and call forth a response.
The book of Matthew is the bridge between the Old and the New Testaments. It connects the two testaments together. The books of the Old Testament recorded God's law and His dealings with the people of Israel, but they were also a library of expectation and hope. The prophets saw a coming time when God would rule over the world through a king who would bring salvation, justice and peace to all. For example, Isaiah predicted this coming King when he said,
For unto us a Child is born,
Unto us a Son is given;
And the government will be upon His shoulder.
And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor,
Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of His government and peace
There will be no end, upon the throne of David
And over His kingdom…(9:6, 7)2 [NKJV throughout]
Inspired by promises like this the ancient people of Israel had been waiting for a promised King. He would be the son of Abraham and the son of David.3 He would rule in righteousness and his kingdom would have no end. Matthew's goal was to prove to the Jews4 that Jesus is the promised King, the fulfillment of their hopes and dreams. He does this by demonstrating that all the Old Testament prophecies concerning the Messiah are fulfilled in Jesus.
One phrase that runs through the book, like a melody line in a symphony is, "…this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophets."5 And as we read through the gospel, Matthew shows us Jesus fulfilling prophecy in his birth, his flight into Egypt, his childhood in Nazareth, his use of parables in teaching, where he taught, his miracles of healings, his triumphant entry into Jerusalem, and his betrayal for 30 pieces of silver. The people of Israel needed to know for sure that Jesus was indeed their promised King.
But Jesus is not just the King for Israel and the Jewish people. In God's plan of salvation, the Hebrew people existed not for themselves but for the benefit of the whole world. God promised Abraham that, "In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed (Genesis 22:18)." That seed we now know to be Jesus Christ. When Jesus began his ministry he did so as the Jewish Messiah, "to confirm the promises made to the fathers" but his ministry and his message was also for the whole world "that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy (Romans 15:8, 9)." The gospel or good news of the King is for all of humanity. This is made abundantly clear in Christ's command at the end of the Matthew when he said,
"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations (Matthew 28:19)."6
Now that we know that Jesus is the promised King, what was the gospel or good news that he brought? What was his essential message? It was this:
"Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand." (Mathew 4:17)
This command marks the beginning of Christ's public ministry. What does this mean? To repent is to make a decisive change in our thinking, attitudes and actions. It is a turning away from one thing to another. Biblically, it is a renouncing of worldly hopes and fears and an acceptance of godly hopes and fears. It is a radical departure from a life of sin to a life of obedience to God. Repentance means a changing of our minds so that our values, goals and ideals line up with the standards of the Word of God. It involves a movement away from an old life style to a new and better one. This call to repent was the fundamental call of Christ's forerunner, John the Baptist,7 and for Christ's apostles after him.8
But why should we repent? The answer is this: "the kingdom of heaven is at hand."9 This Kingdom is God's sovereign rule. The message and hope of this kingdom is stamped all across the pages of Matthew from first to last.10 But before this kingdom is fully established on the earth in the age to come, it must come to each and everyone of us as a present spiritual reality by way of God’s Spirit. The kingdom must come in saving power, rescuing us from the grip and penalty of sin. The cross must precede the crown. In Matthew 16:21, Jesus began a new aspect of his ministry telling his disciples that he must,
…suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and raised the third day.11
But why must he die? A clue is given to us right at the start of the gospel in Matthew 1:21. An angel speaks to Joseph telling him that Mary will bring forth a son and he says,
…you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.
Isaiah 53 predicted this12 and Psalm 22 described it. Now, all who submit themselves to the rule of God through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are saved from the power and penalty of sin, and will one day gain eternal life in the future kingdom of God.13
Now we must bear witness to the gospel: the good news of the kingdom of God and the victorious death and resurrection of our Lord, Jesus Christ. This same Lord Jesus Christ says to us "Go…and make disciples of all the nations."14 and we must say to our world,
"Behold, the King!"
Footnotes
Though not the first New Testament book written, it always comes first in the Greek manuscripts.
See also for example: Isaiah 16:5; Jeremiah 23:5, 6; Daniel 2:44; 7:13, 14; Micah 4:2, 3
Jesus is called the Son of David more often in Matthew than in any other gospel (Matthew 1:1; 9:27; 12:23; 15:22; 20:30, 31; 21:9, 15)
Matthew also wrote to strengthen the faith of Jewish Christians. "Antioch in Syria is the most likely location for the writing of the gospel and for the church for which it was originally composed" which was "of mixed Jewish and Gentile origin (Acts15)" New Geneva Study Bible, (Nelson Pub. Nashville), p.1503.
Matthew 1:22 See also: 2:14, 15, 16-18, 23; 8:17; 12:17; 13:34, 35; 21:3-5; 26:54, 56; 27:9, 35
See also Matthew 24:14 and John 3:16
See also Matthew 24:14 and John 3:16
Mark 6:12; Acts 2:38; Acts 17:30; 26:20
The phrase "kingdom of heaven" is equivalent to "the kingdom of God (Mark 1:15).
In Matthew there are five blocks of teaching, all of which concern the kingdom of heaven. They are in chapters 5-7; 10; 13, 18, 24, 25
From this point on Jesus tries to prepare the disciples for his death (16:21; 17:22, 23; 20:18, 19).
Vss. 1-11
John 3:16, 17
Matthew 28:20
**
by Richie Temple
Cary, NC
When I was growing up during the tumultuous years of the 1960’s and 1970’s the subject of a personal “identify crisis” became a well-known topic. It was commonly taught that each individual person must search within himself to find out whom he or she was and what their corresponding purpose in life should be. Needless to say, this led to much soul-searching on the part of many people along with a rejection of many of the accepted values of those times. No doubt this quest continues for many people today. In fact, it would probably be fair to say that this search for identity and purpose in life has always been a quest for mankind. One thinks of the quest of Socrates for truth and a splendid biblical example would be the Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes in which Solomon searches for the meaning of life. Indeed, to some extent almost every person goes through this identity crisis at one time or another – sometimes more than once - whether as a teenager, as a recent college graduate, as a new parent, as someone approaching middle age or, ultimately, from the point of view of old age, with death growing ever nearer.
The Bible, of course, does give answers to the question of our identity as well as to the meaning and purpose of our lives. In fact, this is one of the central purposes of the Bible and the basic framework is set out right from the start in Genesis chapter 1. The most fundamental of all truths is that God is the creator of the heavens and earth and that man was created in the image of God to rule over God’s created earth in fellowship with God. Genesis 1:26-27 specifically sets forth this relationship between God, man and God’s entire creation:
“Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the creatures that move along the ground.’
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.”[Gen. 1:26-27 NIV].
Properly understanding our identity as men and women, begins with understanding that God is the creator and that we are God’s creatures, created for the specific purpose of living in fellowship with God and carrying out his will upon the earth. Indeed, the Old Testament goes on to teach us our specific duties before God and that we are accountable to God for our thoughts, words, and deeds in the light of those duties. The Old Testament Book of Ecclesiastes summarizes these truths:
“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear [Reverence] God and keep his commandments for this is the whole duty of man.
For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether good or evil.” [Eccl. 12:13-14].
The New Testament perspective does not contradict the Old, but it does add new and important information in the light of a changed situation due to God’s redemptive work in Christ. From the Old Testament perspective man’s duty before God was plain: fear, or reverence, God and keep his commandments. However, from the New Testament perspective - after Christ’s life, death and resurrection and the giving of the holy Spirit – life is now looked at from the eternal perspective for the believer in Christ. The apostle Paul sets forth the reasons for this:
“For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” [II Cor. 5:14-17].
This truth of being a new creation in Christ is the key to understanding our identity as individuals as well as corporately as the people of God. All of the quests of mankind for identity, meaning and purpose in life will only find their fulfillment in Christ. In fact, all of history finds its meaning and purpose in God’s redemptive work in Christ. Once again, the apostle Paul set forth this truth of the eternal perspective in Christ in his second letter to Timothy:
“So do not be ashamed to testify about our Lord, or ashamed of me his prisoner. But join with me in suffering for the gospel, by the power of God, who has saved us and called us to a holy life – not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace. This grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but is has now been revealed through the appearing of our Savior, Christ Jesus, who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel” [II Tim. 1:8-10].
The Old Testament perspective of the duty of man is certainly true. We are God’s creatures, created in his image, and our duty is to reverence him and keep his commandments. However, as both the Old and New Testaments show, man was, and is, incapable of living up to the requirements of God’s commandments as found in the Old Testament Mosaic law. Therefore, man, on his own merits, “falls short” of God’s requirements in this life (Rom. 3:22-23) and – apart from God’s redemptive work in Christ - at the final judgment when God “will bring every deed into judgment” (Eccl. 12:14) he will fall short as well. As the New Testament states,
“Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing [literally, “the deeds of”] the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin” [Rom. 3:19-20].
The New Testament thus portrays in vivid detail that we are all under the power of sin, thus leading to a permanent “identity crisis” that can only be solved by God’s redemptive work in Christ:
“Is the law, therefore, opposed to the promises of God? Absolutely not! For if a law had been given that could impart life, then righteousness would certainly have come by the law. But the Scripture declares that the whole world is a prisoner of sin, so that what was promised, being given through faith in Jesus Christ, might be given to those who believe.
Before this faith came, we were held prisoners by the law, locked up until faith should be revealed. So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law.
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.” [Gal. 3:22-29].
God’s purpose for every individual is to find his identity as a child in God’s family through faith in Christ. Once a person believes in Christ he is incorporated into Christ and becomes an heir of all of God’s plans for his people. From a NT perspective it matters not if we are black or white, rich or poor, male or female. All that matters is that we are part of God’s family and the church of the body of Christ because for believers in Christ, “Christ is all, and is in all” (Col. 3:11).
Apart from these truths, all searching for identity will always be in vain. Whether man searches within himself psychologically or outside of himself in the vast expanse of the universe he will always find that apart from a relationship with God, through Christ, “everything is meaningless” [Eccl. 1:2; 12:8]. Only through faith in Christ can we “overcome” and obtain “victory” over the spiritual forces of evil and the corruption of the present world due to sin [I John 5:1-5]. The apostle Paul summarized the true Christian perspective in his Letter to the Galatians. It is the only answer to man’s identity crisis; all others will end in futility and despair:
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” [Gal. 2:20].
“May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been crucified to me and I to the world. Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is a new creation. Peace and mercy to all who follow this rule, even to the Israel of God.” [Gal. 6:14-16].
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