Thinking on Scripture with Dr. Steven R. Cook

Dr. Steven R. Cook is a Christian educator and traditional dispensationalist with a passion for teaching and writing about Scripture and Christian theology. He provides verse by verse analysis of Scripture and engages in discussions about Christian theology, rooted in his studies of the original languages of Scripture, ancient history, and systematic theology. As a voluntary ministry activity, Dr. Cook records weekly Bible studies at his home in Arlington, Texas, which are then shared through his podcast and YouTube channel. In addition to his audio and video messages, he has written several Christian books and dozens of articles on Christian theology. Dr. Cook also brings his theological expertise to the classroom, having taught undergraduate courses in theology at Tyndale Theological Seminary. Despite his busy schedule as a Case Manager for a local nonprofit agency, which helps the elderly and disabled in the community, Dr. Cook remains committed to his ministry and sharing his knowledge and insights with others. If you’re looking for a knowledgeable Christian educator and traditional dispensationalist, look no further than Dr. Steven R. Cook.

Listen on:

  • Google Podcasts
  • Podbean App
  • Spotify
  • Amazon Music
  • Pandora
  • TuneIn + Alexa
  • iHeartRadio
  • PlayerFM
  • Listen Notes
  • Samsung
  • Podchaser

Episodes

Sunday Sep 24, 2023

Jesus’ Sinless Life
     The record of Scripture is that Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), “committed no sin” (1 Pet 2:22), and in whom “there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). But why was the sinless humanity of Jesus necessary? The biblical teaching is that all mankind is sinful and separated from God (Rom 3:10-23). We are sinners in Adam (Rom 5:12; 1 Cor 15:21-22), sinners by nature (Rom 7:14-25; 13:12-14), and sinners by choice (Isa 59:2; Jam 1:14-15). Because of our fallen sinful state, we are completely helpless to solve the sin problem and save ourselves (Rom 5:6-10; Eph 2:1-3), and good works have no saving merit before God (Isa 64:6; Rom 4:4-5; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). Being completely sinless, Jesus was qualified to go the cross as “a lamb unblemished and spotless” (1 Pet 1:19) and die a substitutionary death in our place, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). Charles Lee Feinberg states, “Though tempted in all points as we are, He was nevertheless without sin (Heb 4:15); indeed, we are told, He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners (Heb 7:26). In short, the combined testimony of Scripture reveals that in Him is no sin (1 John 3:5).”[1] According to R. B. Thieme Jr.:
"As true humanity living on earth, Christ was free from all three categories of human sinfulness: the sin nature, Adam’s original sin, and personal sins. The first two categories were eliminated from our Lord’s life through the virgin birth, but personal sin remained an issue throughout the Incarnation. Scripture confirms that our Lord can “sympathize with our weaknesses,” because He “has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Heb. 4:15). The temptation to personal sin did not come from within, because the humanity of Christ had no inherent sin nature. He did, however, receive temptation from outside His person—even being tempted by Satan himself…By constantly relying on the provisions of the spiritual life (the same provisions available to us), Jesus Christ was able to resist every temptation and remain perfect (1 John 3:3, 5)."[2]
     Sinners need salvation, but cannot save themselves, nor can they save another. All are trapped in sin and utterly helpless to change their condition. But God the Son did what we cannot do for ourselves. He obeyed the Father and stepped into time and space, taking true and sinless humanity to Himself, and living a perfect life before the Father. Then, at a point in time, He surrendered Himself to the cross and died a penal substitutionary death on behalf of all humanity, bearing the wrath of God in their place. Then He was placed in a grave and rose again to life on the third day, never to die again. The benefits of the cross are applied to those who come to Jesus with the empty hands of faith, believing He died for them, was buried, and raised again on the third day. When they place their faith in Him as Savior, they have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. This is given freely by grace. R. B. Thieme Jr. states:
"Every human being needs to be saved, because everyone enters this world in a state of spiritual death, total depravity, and total separation from God. Because man is born hopelessly lost from God and helpless to do anything about it, God, in His grace, designed a perfect plan to reconcile man to Himself. God the Son took the burden of responsibility: He became true humanity and remained sinless so that He could be judged for the sins of the world (1 Pet 3:18). While Jesus Christ hung on the cross, God the Father poured the full wrath of His justice upon the Son He loved so perfectly (Matt 27:46; Rom 5:8–10; 2 Cor 5:21). Christ “bore our sins in His body” (1 Pet 2:24) and took the punishment in our place. God’s righteous standard approved of Jesus’ sacrifice as payment for all human sins."[3]
Jesus’ Willingness to Die
     Jesus was not forced to go to the cross, but willingly went and bore our sin (Isa 53:4-11; John 10:17-18; 1 Pet 2:24). Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep” (John 10:11), and “No one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative” (John 10:18a). It was the will of the Father for Jesus to die a penal substitutionary death, and Jesus willingly accomplished it. Jesus said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me” (Heb 10:5). And once in hypostatic union, Jesus said, “Behold, I have come to do your will” (Heb 10:9). It was necessary for Jesus to be fully human and free from sin to be the atoning sacrifice. Thomas Constable states, “Jesus willingly offered Himself; no human took His life from Him. However, He offered Himself in obedience to the Father’s will.”[4] According to Leon Morris, “The Lord’s death does not take place as the result of misadventure or the might of his foes or the like. No one takes his life from him. Far from this being the case, he himself lays it down, and does so completely of his own volition.”[5] William MacDonald adds:
"No one could take the Lord’s life from Him. He is God, and is thus greater than all the murderous plots of His creatures. He had power in Himself to lay down His life, and He also had power to take it again. But did not men kill the Lord Jesus? They did. This is clearly stated in Acts 2:23 and in 1 Thessalonians 2:15. The Lord Jesus allowed them to do it, and this was an exhibition of His power to lay down His life. Furthermore, He “gave up His Spirit” (John 19:30) as an act of His own strength and will."[6]
Jesus’ Substitutionary Atonement
     Atonement is a very important concept in the Bible. In the OT, the word atonement translates the Hebrew verb kaphar (כָּפַר) which means to “cover over, pacify, propitiate, [or] atone for sin.”[7] Theologically, it means “to bring together in mutual agreement, with the added idea, in theology, of reconciliation through the vicarious suffering of one on behalf of another.”[8] The animal sacrificial system—which was part of the Mosaic Law—taught that sin must be atoned for. The idea of substitution was clearly taught as the sinner laid his hands on the animal that died in his place (Lev 4:15, 24; 16:21). The innocent animal paid the price of death on behalf of the guilty sinner.
     The animal sacrificial system under the Mosaic Law taught that God is holy, man is sinful, and that God was willing to judge an innocent creature as a substitute in place of the sinner. The animal that shed its blood gave up its life in place of the one who had offended God, and it was only through the shed blood that atonement was made. A life for a life. The animal sacrificial system under the Mosaic Law was highly symbolic, temporary, and pointed forward to the work of Jesus Christ on the cross. The Levitical priests would regularly perform their temple sacrifices on behalf of the people to God, but being a symbolic system, the animal sacrifices could never “make perfect those who draw near” to Him, for the simple reason that “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Heb 10:1, 4). For nearly fourteen centuries the temple priests kept “offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins” (Heb 10:11), until finally Christ “offered one sacrifice for sins for all time” (Heb 10:12), and through that one offering “perfected for all time those who are sanctified” by it (Heb 10:14). What the Mosaic Law could never accomplish through the sacrifice of symbols, Christ did once and for all time through His substitutionary death on the cross when he died in the place of sinners.
     Jesus’ death on the cross was a satisfactory sacrifice to God which completely paid the price for our sin. We owed a debt to God that we could never pay, and Jesus paid that debt in full when He died on the cross and bore the punishment that rightfully belonged to us. In Romans 3:25 Paul used the Greek word hilasterion (ἱλαστήριον)—translated propitiation—to show that Jesus’ shed blood completely satisfied God’s righteous demands toward our sin, with the result that there is nothing more for the sinner to pay to God. Jesus paid our sin-debt in full. The Apostle John tells us “He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world” (1 John 2:2; cf., 1 John 4:10). Jesus’ death on the cross forever satisfied God’s righteous demands toward the sins of everyone for all time! God has “canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Col 2:14). Regarding Christ’s death, J. Dwight Pentecost states:
"You can be adjusted to God’s standard, because God made Christ to become sin for us. The One who knew no sin, the One in whose lips had never been found guile, took upon Himself our sin in order that He might bear our sins to the cross and offer Himself as an acceptable substitute to God for us—on our behalf, in our place. And when Jesus Christ identified Himself with sinners and went to the cross on their behalf and in their place, He was making possible the doctrine of reconciliation. He was making it possible for God to conform the world to Himself, to adjust the world to His standard so that sinners in the world might find salvation because “Jesus paid it all.” You can be adjusted to God, to God’s standard, through Christ, by His death, by His cross, by His blood, and by His identification with sinners."[9]
     In the NT, the idea of substitution is observed in the use of two Greek prepositions. The first is the preposition huper (ὑπὲρ), translated “for,” which means “in behalf of, for the sake of someone.”[10] The idea of Jesus dying as a substitute in the place of sinners is seen in Romans 5:8 where Paul wrote, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” The second preposition that denotes substitution is anti (ἀντὶ), also translated “for,” which expresses the idea “that one person or thing is, or is to be, replaced by another, instead of, in place of.”[11] The preposition anti (ἀντὶ) is seen in Jesus’ statement, “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28). According to Robert Lightner:
"The biblical view of the Savior’s death is that he died to satisfy the demands of the offended righteousness of God. The Savior died in the sinner’s place. This is an essential, indispensable truth in evangelicalism. It is true that Christ died for the sinner’s benefit, but that does not fully describe the nature and purpose of his finished work. He gave his life in the sinner’s place. He died as the sinner’s substitute. The strongest expression of Christ’s substitutionary death is given with the Greek preposition anti, translated “for.” Christ himself used this word when he said, “even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28; cf. Matt 26:28; 1 Tim 2:6). Christ died in the sinner’s place. He died instead of the condemned."[12]
     Jesus’ atonement for sins is the basis for reconciliation, because God has judged our sins in the Person of Christ who died on the cross in our place. The death of Christ has forever satisfied God’s righteous demands for our sin and it is on this basis that He can accept sinners into heaven. The blood of Christ is the only coin in the heavenly realm that God accepts as payment for our sin-debt, and Christ paid our sin debt in full. That’s good news!
     Because Jesus’ death satisfied God’s righteousness demands for sin, the sinner can approach God who welcomes him without reservation. God has cleared the way for sinners to come to Him for a new relationship, and this is based completely on the substitutionary work of Christ. God has done everything to reconcile humanity to Himself. The debt that was owed to God was paid in full by the blood of Christ. 
Dr. Steven R. Cook
 
[1] Charles Lee Feinberg, “The Hypostatic Union,” Bibliotheca Sacra 92 (1935): 423.
[2] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Impeccability of Christ”,  Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, (Houston, TX., R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, 2022), 135.
[3] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Salvation”,  Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, (Houston, TX., R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, 2022), 232.
[4] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Jn 10:18.
[5] Leon Morris, The Gospel according to John, The New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1995), 456.
[6] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 1526.
[7] Francis Brown, S.R. Driver and Charles A. Briggs, The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius Hebrew-English Lexicon (Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers 1979), 497.
[8] G. W. Bromiley, “Atone; Atonement,” ed. Geoffrey W. Bromiley, The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, Revised (Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1979–1988), 352.
[9] J. Dwight Pentecost, Things Which Become Sound Doctrine (Grand Rapids, Mi., Kregel Publications, 1965), 89.
[10] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 1030.
[11] Ibid., 87.
[12] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology: A Historical, Biblical, and Contemporary Survey and Review (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1995), 194.

Sunday Sep 17, 2023

Jesus’ Humility
     It is only natural that the subject of Jesus’ humility be discussed after examining His position as the Suffering Servant. W. H. Griffith Thomas notes:
"In the Old Testament our Lord is called “the Servant of Jehovah,” and in the New Testament He is described as having taken “the form of a servant.” In order to do the will of God and redeem mankind, it was necessary for Him to humble Himself and become a “Servant,” so that along the pathway of service He might come to that Cross which was at once the exemplification of devoted duty, redeeming grace, and Divine love."[1]
     Matthew records Jesus’ mental attitude of humility when He said, “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart” (Matt 11:29). The word humble translates the Greek adjective tapeinos (ταπεινός), which denotes being “lowly, undistinguished, of no account.”[2] Jesus’ mental attitude of humility was in contrast with that of the world which regards the virtue of humility in a negative way. Moisés Silva notes, “In the Greek world, with its anthropocentric approach, lowliness is looked on as shameful, to be avoided and overcome by act and thought. In the NT, with its theocentric perspective, the words are used to describe our relationship with God and its effect on how we treat fellow human beings.”[3] For Jesus, being humble meant He was more concerned with doing the Father’s will than that of the world around Him, or even His own will (Luke 22:42). And there was no greater act of humility than Jesus being obedient to the point of death on the cross. Paul wrote that Jesus “humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil 2:8). Wiersbe states, “His was not the death of a martyr but the death of a Savior. He willingly laid down His life for the sins of the world.”[4] Homer Kent notes, “He was so committed to the Father’s plan that he obeyed it even as far as death (Heb 5:8). Nor was this all, for it was no ordinary death, but the disgraceful death by crucifixion, a death not allowed for Roman citizens, and to Jews indicative of the curse of God (Deut 21:23; Gal 3:13).”[5] And Earl Radmacher comments:
"Jesus came to the earth with the identity of a man. Here the word appearance points to the external characteristics of Jesus: He had the bearing, actions, and manners of a man. He humbled Himself: Jesus willingly took the role of a servant; no one forced Him to do it. Obedient: Although He never sinned and did not deserve to die, He chose to die so that the sins of the world could be charged to His account. Subsequently He could credit His righteousness to the account of all who believe in Him (2 Cor 5:21; Gal 1:4)."[6]
     As stated before, Jesus was not forced to go to the cross, but willingly went to the cross and bore our sin (Isa 53:4-11; John 10:17-18; 1 Pet 2:24). As God, He could have avoided the cross altogether, or even stepped down from the cross if He’d wanted. Jesus died on a cross to accomplish the Father’s will. To be an atoning sacrifice for our sins, so that we could receive forgiveness and eternal life and enjoy heaven forever with Him. His being humble to the point of death was for our wellbeing. He died for us, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). Walvoord notes:
"No one else has ever come from infinite heights of glory to such a shameful death. If there had been a better way or another way by which the sin of the whole world could have been taken away, surely God would not have required His beloved Son to submit to such a death. This was the only way. There had to be a perfect sacrifice, an atonement of infinite value. This could be accomplished only by a person who was both God and man, who was without sin and yet was truly a man representing the human race. No other could take the place of Christ, no act of devotion, however unselfish, no act of ordinary man, however courageous, for  sin. As we contemplate the mind of Christ which made Him willing to die on the cross, we must realize that if Christ had not died men would still be in their sins with a hopeless eternity and facing just as certain a judgment as that which is the lot of the lost angels who know nothing of salvation."[7]
Jesus’ Sinless Life
     The record of Scripture is that Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), “committed no sin” (1 Pet 2:22), and in whom “there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). But why was the sinless humanity of Jesus necessary? The biblical teaching is that all mankind is sinful and separated from God (Rom 3:10-23). We are sinners in Adam (Rom 5:12; 1 Cor 15:21-22), sinners by nature (Rom 7:14-25; 13:12-14), and sinners by choice (Isa 59:2; Jam 1:14-15). Because of our fallen sinful state, we are completely helpless to solve the sin problem and save ourselves (Rom 5:6-10; Eph 2:1-3), and good works have no saving merit before God (Isa 64:6; Rom 4:4-5; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). Being completely sinless, Jesus was qualified to go the cross as “a lamb unblemished and spotless” (1 Pet 1:19) and die a substitutionary death in our place, “the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). Charles Lee Feinberg states, “Though tempted in all points as we are, He was nevertheless without sin (Heb 4:15); indeed, we are told, He was holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners (Heb 7:26). In short, the combined testimony of Scripture reveals that in Him is no sin (1 John 3:5).”[8] According to R. B. Thieme Jr.:
"As true humanity living on earth, Christ was free from all three categories of human sinfulness: the sin nature, Adam’s original sin, and personal sins. The first two categories were eliminated from our Lord’s life through the virgin birth, but personal sin remained an issue throughout the Incarnation. Scripture confirms that our Lord can “sympathize with our weaknesses,” because He “has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin” (Heb 4:15). The temptation to personal sin did not come from within, because the humanity of Christ had no inherent sin nature. He did, however, receive temptation from outside His person—even being tempted by Satan himself…By constantly relying on the provisions of the spiritual life (the same provisions available to us), Jesus Christ was able to resist every temptation and remain perfect (1 John 3:3, 5)."[9]
     Sinners need salvation, but cannot save themselves, nor can they save another. All are trapped in sin and utterly helpless to change their condition. But God the Son did what we cannot do for ourselves. He obeyed the Father and stepped into time and space, taking true and sinless humanity to Himself, and living a perfect life before the Father. Then, at a point in time, He surrendered Himself to the cross and died a penal substitutionary death on behalf of all humanity, bearing the wrath of God in their place. Then He was placed in a grave and rose again to life on the third day, never to die again. The benefits of the cross are applied to those who come to Jesus with the empty hands of faith, believing He died for them, was buried, and raised again on the third day. When they place their faith in Him as Savior, they have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. This is given freely by grace. R. B. Thieme Jr. states:
Every human being needs to be saved, because everyone enters this world in a state of spiritual death, total depravity, and total separation from God. Because man is born hopelessly lost from God and helpless to do anything about it, God, in His grace, designed a perfect plan to reconcile man to Himself. God the Son took the burden of responsibility: He became true humanity and remained sinless so that He could be judged for the sins of the world (1 Pet 3:18). While Jesus Christ hung on the cross, God the Father poured the full wrath of His justice upon the Son He loved so perfectly (Matt 27:46; Rom 5:8–10; 2 Cor 5:21). Christ “bore our sins in His body” (1 Pet 2:24) and took the punishment in our place. God’s righteous standard approved of Jesus’ sacrifice as payment for all human sins.[10]
Dr. Steven R. Cook
 
[1] W. H. Griffith Thomas, The Christian Life and How to Live It (Chicago: The Bible Institute Colportage Association, 1919), 59–60.
[2] William Arndt et al., A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 989.
[3] Moisés Silva, ed., New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014), 452.
[4] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 75.
[5] Homer A. Kent Jr., “Philippians,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Ephesians through Philemon, ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, vol. 11 (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1981), 124.
[6] Earl D. Radmacher, Ronald Barclay Allen, and H. Wayne House, Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Commentary (Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers, 1999), 1550–1551.
[7] John F. Walvoord, To Live Is Christ (Galaxie Software, 2007), 45.
[8] Charles Lee Feinberg, “The Hypostatic Union,” Bibliotheca Sacra 92 (1935): 423.
[9] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Impeccability of Christ”,  Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, (Houston, TX., R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, 2022), 135.
[10] Robert B. Thieme, Jr. “Salvation”,  Thieme’s Bible Doctrine Dictionary, (Houston, TX., R. B. Thieme, Jr., Bible Ministries, 2022), 232.

Wednesday Aug 30, 2023

Introduction
     In the previous pericope, we saw where God worked providentially to connect Cornelius, a Roman Centurion living in Caesarea, with Peter, who was living in Joppa (30 miles south). Cornelius is described as a God-fearer (Acts 10:2, 22). God-fearers were Gentiles who were drawn to the simplicity of monotheism and the high morality offered through the Mosaic Law in Judaism. The Greeks and Romans were polytheistic and their fickle and violent gods were often at war with each other. Their gods were little more than amplified representations of humanity, and the multiplicity of gods made their whole religious system unstable. As a God-fearer, Cornelius showed signs of positive volition, and he sought the Lord in prayer and through acts of kindness. Prayer and acts of charity in an unbeliever have no saving value; however, in the case of Cornelius, they demonstrated positive volition toward God, so the Lord sent him gospel information so he could believe in Christ for salvation (Acts 10:24-44). Cornelius was not saved, but he would be, after hearing and responding to the gospel of grace (Acts 11:13-14). What follows is the account of God’s providence to orchestrate an evangelistic opportunity.
Text
     Luke tells us, “On the next day, as they were on their way and approaching the city, Peter went up on the housetop about the sixth hour to pray” (Acts 10:9). We observe these events occurring in time and space as Luke employs the words day and hour, city and housetop. Cornelius’ servants had traveled the 30 miles south from Caesarea to Joppa in a day, which either meant they were on horseback, or travelled all night. The sixth hour was about noontime and may have reflected a pattern in Peter’s prayer life. Other godly believers had a habit of prayer at certain times of the day (Psa 55:17; Dan 6:10). The Lord would use this situation to teach Peter a theological truth. 
But he became hungry and was desiring to eat; but while they were making preparations, he fell into a trance, 11 and he saw the sky opened up, and an object like a great sheet coming down, lowered by four corners to the ground, 12 and there were in it all kinds of four-footed animals and crawling creatures of the earth and birds of the air. A voice came to him, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” 14 But Peter said, “By no means, Lord, for I have never eaten anything unholy and unclean” (Acts 10:10-14)
     In the vision, Peter saw the sky open up and saw what appeared to him something like a great sheet descending to the ground. On the sheet was a variety of animals, crawling creatures and birds. Peter heard the Lord’s voice instruct him, saying, “Get up, Peter, kill and eat!” (Acts 10:12b). The Lord’s directive was a command with two verbs in the imperative mood (θῦσον καὶ φάγε). The Mosaic Law distinguished between clean and unclean animals, and if one touched or ate an unclean animal, one became ceremonially unclean (see Lev 11). The primary reason for the vision was to teach Peter that he was now to accept the Gentiles as equal in the body of Christ, and that he “should not call any man unholy or unclean” (Acts 10:28). In the Church Age, God has declared all foods clean (Mark 7:19; Rom 14:14; Col 2:16; 1 Tim 4:4). But old habits die hard, and Peter was challenged to conform to the new standard, and this was not the first time Peter resisted the Lord (Matt 16:22). Ultimately, God was teaching Peter that He has declared Gentiles and Jews equal in the body of Christ, and that the wall of division had been removed (see Acts 10:28; cf., Gal 3:26-29; Eph 2:14-16). God used repetition for emphasis as well as to seat the matter in Peter’s mind.
     And God was gracious and persistent, as Luke tells us, “Again a voice came to him a second time, ‘What God has cleansed, no longer consider unholy.’ This happened three times, and immediately the object was taken up into the sky” (Acts 10:15-16). The timing of the vision was intended to prepare Peter for what followed. Luke tells us, “Now while Peter was greatly perplexed in mind as to what the vision which he had seen might be, behold, the men who had been sent by Cornelius, having asked directions for Simon’s house, appeared at the gate, and calling out, they were asking whether Simon, who was also called Peter, was staying there” (Acts 10:17-18). Here we see God’s providence at work, as He prepares Peter and Cornelius’ servants to meet for the first time. But Peter did not know Cornelius’ men were at the gate, so “While Peter was reflecting on the vision, the Spirit said to him, ‘Behold, three men are looking for you. But get up, go downstairs and accompany them without misgivings, for I have sent them Myself’” (Acts 10:19-20). This shows that God the Holy Spirit is behind evangelism.
     Peter, being positive to the Lord and His directives, obeyed and did as He was told. Luke records, “Peter went down to the men and said, ‘Behold, I am the one you are looking for; what is the reason for which you have come?’ They said, ‘Cornelius, a centurion, a righteous and God-fearing man well-spoken of by the entire nation of the Jews, was divinely directed by a holy angel to send for you to come to his house and hear a message from you” (Acts 10:21-22). The result was, “So he invited them in and gave them lodging. And on the next day he got up and went away with them, and some of the brethren from Joppa accompanied him” (Acts 10:23). Peter displayed hospitality to his guests by inviting them in and giving them a place to sleep for the night. This was a big change for Peter, for Jews normally did not entertain Gentiles, let alone lodge them in their home for the night. They left the next morning and journeyed from Joppa to Caesarea, and some of Peter’s Jewish brethren came along with him. One wonders why God did not use Philip to preach to Cornelius and family, since Philip was already in Caesarea (Acts 8:40). Whatever the reason, God always works through the right servant at the right time, and Peter was His selection for evangelism.
Summary of Acts 10:9-23:
     The Central Idea of the Text is that God revealed to Peter that Gentiles and Jews are both equally acceptable to Him in Christ.
Present Application
God is the One who works to create evangelistic opportunities as He works behind the scenes, creating and controlling circumstances for His purposes. Here we observe an example where an angel was used as a “ministering spirit, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation” (Heb 1:14). Though God used an angel to tell Cornelius what to do, the sharing of the gospel is a privilege for humans, and Peter was the Lord’s man to share that salvific information.
By God’s sovereign will He controls all the events of our lives, and the things we consider mundane or coincidence are used by Him to direct us to the places and people He has predetermined. In this, we know there are no accidental events in our lives, nor chance encounters with other people, for God is working “all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph 1:11; cf. Psa 103:19; 135:6; Dan 4:35), and causing “all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose” (Rom 8:28).
God used a visual aid and repetition as pedagogical tools to help Peter uproot a lifetime of thinking that was now a hindrance to his spiritual service. The Lord was changing His historical program through the institution of the Church, and the separation that existed historically between Jews and Gentiles was removed (Gal 3:26-29; Eph 2:11-16; Col 3:11). Peter, having originally said to God, “By no means, Lord” (Acts 10:14; cf. Matt 16:21-23; John 13:8), soon revealed himself as teachable and willing to adjust his theology and life as God corrected him. Theology must have application, and the correction to Peter’s theology became evident when he actually went with the Gentiles to the house of Cornelius (Acts 10:23-48).
It’s tough to make personal changes in ministry because we’re challenged to unseat longstanding values and traditions which may have served us well at one time, but are no longer useful. Inertia is easier and requires no action to change. However, if we’re unwilling to change, the end result is death to ministry. In Peter’s case, inertia would have rendered him useless as a servant of the Lord, and may have brought divine discipline.
Gospel Presentation
     If you are here this morning without Christ, without hope, and without eternal life, I want you to know that when Jesus was on the cross, He had you personally in mind as He bore your sin and paid the price for it. He died and paid the penalty for your sins so that you would not have to. Scripture reveals, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8), and “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). The good news for us is that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4), and if we place our faith in Him as the only Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), we are promised forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7), eternal life (John 10:28), and place in heaven forever (John 14:1-3). I “beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20).
 
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday Aug 26, 2023

     It is in the understanding of the suffering and death of Christ that the sinner appreciates God’s great love and the price that was paid for our salvation. Christ suffered in our place, bearing the penalty that rightfully belongs to us. Scripture tells us that “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18a). Perhaps no section of Scripture in the Old Testament bears greater testimony to this truth than Isaiah 52:13 through 53:12, in which the prophet reveals the Messiah as the Suffering Servant. Isaiah 53 is mentioned several times in the New Testament as specifically referring to Christ (Matt 8:17; John 12:38; Acts 8:30-35; Rom 10:16; 1 Pet 2:22-25), so that there is no mistake in the minds of the New Testament writers that the passage points to Jesus. According to John Stott, “The New Testament writers quote eight specific verses as having been fulfilled in Jesus…eight verses out of the chapter’s twelve are all quite specifically referred to Jesus.”[1] And Arnold Fruchtenbaum notes:
"It was Isaiah the Prophet who first provided the hope that the day would come when the burden will be lifted. In Isaiah 53, God declared that the Suffering Servant, the Messiah, would be the sacrifice for sin…The point of Isaiah 53 is basically this: The animal sacrifices under the Mosaic Law were intended to be of temporary duration, a temporary measure only. God’s intent was for there to be one final blood sacrifice, and that would be the sacrifice of the Messiah Himself."[2]
     In Isaiah 53:10 we observe the Father’s judgment on Christ for our sin, and Christ’s willingness to be judged in our place. Isaiah wrote, “But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand” (Isa 53:10). It was the Father’s will for the Son to go to the cross to die for sinners, but we must also realize that Christ willingly went to His death and bore the Father’s wrath in our place. It is simultaneously true that God sent and Christ went. Jesus was not forced upon the cross, but willingly, in love, surrendered His life and died in our place. Jesus said, “I lay down My life for the sheep” (John 10:15), and “no one has taken it away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative” (John 10:18). Paul wrote, “Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Eph 5:2), and “Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her” (Eph 5:25), and “the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me” (Gal 2:20). The writer to the Hebrews tells us that Christ “offered up Himself” (Heb 7:27), and “offered Himself without blemish to God” (Heb 9:14).
     As a result of Jesus bearing the sin of many, Isaiah wrote, “He will see His offspring, He will prolong His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand” (Isa 53:10b). When Isaiah said, “He will see His offspring”, it meant that Christ’s death would bear the fruit of spiritual offspring as people turn to Him as Savior and are born again (cf. John 3:3; 1 Pet 1:3, 23). Fruchtenbaum notes, “The Servant’s seed would be those who benefit from His death by spiritual rebirth. The moment they accept for themselves His substitutionary death for their sins, they are born again spiritually by the Holy Spirit. By this spiritual rebirth, they become the Servant’s seed.”[3] And the phrase, “He will prolong His days” refers to Jesus’ bodily resurrection, never to die again. And the phrase, “the good pleasure of the LORD” most likely speaks of heaven’s wealth that will be known to those whom Christ will justify and who will share in His riches and heavenly estate (John 14:1-3; 1 Pet 1:3-4).
     Though Jesus suffered greatly on the cross, His death was infinitely purposeful, as it satisfied the Father’s demands toward our sin, and also justified the many who would trust in Christ as Savior. Isaiah wrote, “As a result of the anguish of His soul, He will see it and be satisfied; by His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities” (Isa 53:11). Here is a picture of substitutionary atonement, as the Suffering Servant will “justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities” (Isa 53:11b). Peter also reveals the doctrine of substitution when he states, “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). It is important to grasp that Christ bore our sin, but this did not make Him a sinner in conduct. On the other hand, we are declared righteous in God’s sight because of the righteousness of Christ imputed to us at the moment of salvation, but this does not make us righteous in conduct. God gives us “the gift of righteousness” (Rom 5:17) at the moment we trust Christ as our Savior. This is what Paul meant when he stated, “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor 5:21). Paul understood the doctrine of substitution, that Christ died in the place of sinners and that sinners are declared righteous because of the work of Christ credited to their account. This explains Paul’s desire to “be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith” (Phil 3:9). Concerning Isaiah 53:11, Edward Young states:
"When the servant bears the iniquities of the many and has been punished for the guilt of these iniquities, the act of bearing the iniquities in itself has not changed the character of those whose iniquities are borne. When the iniquities are borne, i.e. when the guilt those iniquities involved has been punished, the servant may declare that the many stand in right relationship with God. Their iniquities will no longer be able to rise up and accuse them, for the guilt of those iniquities has been punished. Thus, they are justified. They are declared to be righteous, for they have received the righteousness of the servant and they are received and accepted by God Himself. Of them God says that they no longer have iniquities, but they do have the righteousness of the servant. This can only be a forensic justification."[4]
     If we had stood at the trials of Jesus, seen His beatings, seen His crucifixion and sat at the foot of the cross, surely we would have wept at the injustice and brutal cruelty of it all. However, the Scripture reveals that it was the will of God that Christ go to the cross and die for sinners (Acts 2:23; 4:28), that His death would be an atoning sacrifice that satisfied every righteous demand of the Father (Rom 3:25; 1 John 2:2). In the willing death of Christ, we have the Father’s righteousness displayed toward our sin as well as His love toward us, the sinner, whom He seeks to save.
     There is a purpose to the suffering of Christ. He suffered that we might have forgiveness of sins and eternal life. His substitutionary death propitiated the Father’s righteous demand for justice concerning our sin and now we can come to God with the empty hands of faith and receive the free gift of eternal life and be clothed in perfect righteousness. This was accomplished while we were helpless, ungodly, sinners and enemies of God (Rom 5:6-10). God graciously acted toward us to reconcile us to Himself, and this was accomplished through the suffering of Christ.
 
[1] John R. W. Stott, The Cross of Christ (Downers Grove, Ill. Intervarsity Press, 1986), 145.
[2] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Messianic Christology: A Study of Old Testament Prophecy Concerning the First Coming of the Messiah (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 1998), 130.
[3] Arnold Fruchtenbaum, The Book of Isaiah: Exposition from a Messianic Jewish Perspective (San Antonio, TX. Ariel Ministries, 2021), 577-578.
[4] Edward Young, The Book of Isaiah, Chapters 40–66, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1972), 358.

Saturday Aug 19, 2023

     At a point in time, the eternal Son of God added humanity to Himself, simultaneously becoming God and man, Creator and creature, the unique theanthropic person (John 1:1, 14, 18; 8:58; 10:33; 20:28; Col 2:9; Heb 1:8). Jesus is the God-man and exists in hypostatic union, as a single Person with a divine and human nature (John 1:1, 14; 1 John 4:2-3), both natures being distinct and preserved, not mixed or confused, fully God and fully man. The hypostatic union is forever, from conception onward. Jesus was supernaturally conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin Mary (parthenogenesis – Isa 7:14; Matt 1:23; Luke 1:26-38), who is the mother of Jesus’ humanity (Christotokos – bearer of Christ). Some see Mary as the mother of God (Theotokos – bearer of God), and though Jesus is God, His divine nature is without origin and eternal. Being the mother of Jesus’ humanity honors Mary without elevating her to a place beyond what the Scriptures teach. And Jesus was a Jew, born a son of Abraham, in the line David (Matt 1:1), the promised Messiah (Matt 1:17). Jesus grew in wisdom (Luke 2:40, 52), and lived a perfectly righteous life before God and man. The record of Scripture is that Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor 5:21), was “without sin” (Heb 4:15), “committed no sin” (1 Pet 3:22), and “in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). In His humanity, Jesus walked in perfect conformity to God the Father’s holy character and divine revelation. Cults such as Mormonism and Jehovah’s Witness deny the full humanity and deity of Jesus, and for this reason are not within the true Christian community. Thiessen states:
"The Council of Chalcedon, in AD 451, established what has been the position of the Christian church. There is one Jesus Christ, but He has two natures, the human and the divine. He is truly God and truly man, composed of body and rational soul. He is consubstantial with the Father in His deity and consubstantial with man in His humanity, except for sin. In His deity He was begotten of the Father before time, and in His humanity born of the virgin Mary. The distinction between the natures is not diminished by their union, but the specific character of each nature is preserved and they are united in one person. Jesus is not split or divided into two persons; He is one person, the Son of God."[1]
His Deity
     The Bible presents Jesus as God. In the OT, the proper name of God is Yahweh (יהוה) and is generally translated LORD, using all capital letters. When the Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew OT) was written around 250 B.C., the translators chose the Greek word kurios (κύριος) as a suitable substitute for the Hebrew name Yahweh (יהוה). Though kurios (κύριος) is sometimes used in the NT to mean sir (John 4:11; Acts 16:30), and master (Col 3:22), it is also used to refer to the deity of Jesus Christ (compare Isa 40:3 with John 1:23; and Deut 6:16 with Matt 4:7; cf. John 20:28; Rom 10:11-12; Phil 2:11). According to Thiessen, “Although the second person of the trinity often appears in the Old Testament, He is never referred to as Christ. Instead, we have the names Son, Jehovah, and the angel of Jehovah. In Psalm 2:7 Jehovah calls him His Son. More frequently He is called Jehovah.”[2]The NT writers clearly saw Yahweh-God from the OT as referring to Jesus.
     Concerning the NT evidence, the apostle John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God...And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). And “the Word” which became flesh also existed with the Father “before the world was” (John 17:5). The Jews of Jesus’s day understood His claims to deity, that He “was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God” (John 5:18). On another occasion they said to Jesus, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God” (John 10:33). The apostle Thomas, after seeing the resurrected Jesus, said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28). Paul wrote of Jesus, saying, “For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form” (Col 2:9), and elsewhere said that He is “our great God and Savior” (Tit 2:13). And the writer to the Hebrews said of Jesus, “But of the Son He says, ‘Your throne, O God, is forever and ever’” (Heb 1:8).
     As God, Jesus created the universe, for “He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:2-3). And Paul wrote, “For by Him [Jesus] all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things have been created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together” (Col 1:16-17).
     As God, Jesus accepted the worship of men and angels. The magi who came to see the newborn Jesus said, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him” (Matt 2:2), and “after coming into the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother; and they fell to the ground and worshiped Him” (Matt 2:11a). On three separate occasions the disciples worshipped Jesus. Matthew wrote, “And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, ‘You are certainly God’s Son!’” (Matt 14:33), “And behold, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they came up and took hold of His feet and worshiped Him” (Matt 28:9), and “When they saw Him, they worshiped Him” (Matt 28:17a). And after Jesus healed a lame man, we are told “he worshiped Him” (John 9:38). And of the angels it is written, “Let all God’s angels worship him” (Heb 1:6). It follows that Jesus is God, since only God can receive worship. Walvoord states, “In any orthodox statement of the doctrine of the Trinity, the second Person is described as possessing all the attributes of the Godhead, being distinguished as the second Person in contrast to the first or third Persons of the Trinity and as the eternal Son in contrast to the Father or the Holy Spirit.”[3]
Hypostatic Union
     The apostle John wrote, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1, 14). At a point in time, God the Son added to Himself humanity, forever uniting His divine nature with a perfect sinless human nature, becoming the God-man (John 1:1, 14, 18). In the field of systematic theology, this is called the hypostatic union. Chafer states, “Though His deity is eternal, the humanity was gained in time. Therefore, the theanthropic Person—destined to be such forever—began with the incarnation.”[4] God the Son did not indwell a human, but forever added humanity to Himself. According to Paul Enns, “When Christ came, a Person came, not just a nature; He took on an additional nature, a human nature—He did not simply dwell in a human person. The result of the union of the two natures is the theanthropic Person (the God-man).”[5] Reading through the Gospels, there were times that Jesus operated from His divine nature (Mark 2:5-12; John 8:56-58; 10:30-33), and other times from His human nature (Matt 4:2; Luke 8:22-23; John 19:28). Concerning both natures, Paul Enns wrote:
"The two natures of Christ are inseparably united without mixture or loss of separate identity. He remains forever the God-man, fully God and fully man, two distinct natures in one Person forever. Though Christ sometimes operated in the sphere of His humanity and in other cases in the sphere of His deity, in all cases what He did and what He was could be attributed to His one Person. Even though it is evident that there were two natures in Christ, He is never considered a dual personality. In summarizing the hypostatic union, three facts are noted: (1) Christ has two distinct natures: humanity and deity; (2) there is no mixture or intermingling of the two natures; (3) although He has two natures, Christ is one Person."[6]
     Jesus is the God-Man. He is eternal God (Isa 9:6; John 8:56-58), yet He was born of a woman in time and space (Gal 4:4). As God, He is omniscient (Psa 139:1-6), but as a boy, He grew in knowledge (Luke 2:52). As God, He created the universe (Gen 1:1; John 1:3; Col 1:15-16), but as a man, He was subject to weakness (Matt 4:2; John 19:28). Walvoord notes, “When the second Person of the Godhead became incarnate there was immediately introduced the seemingly insuperable problem of uniting God with man and combining an infinite and eternal Person with one that is finite and temporal.”[7] Concerning the complexity of the union, Lewis Chafer states:
"The reality in which undiminished Deity and unfallen humanity united in one Theanthropic Person has no parallel in the universe. It need not be a matter of surprise if from the contemplation of such a Being problems arise which human competency cannot solve; nor should it be a matter of wonder that, since the Bible presents no systematized Christology but rather offers a simple narrative with its attending issues, that the momentous challenge to human thought and investigation which the Christ is, has been the major issue in theological controversy from the beginning to the present time."[8]
     As finite humans, we struggle to comprehend the union of God and Man; however, it is with certainty that the Bible portrays Him this way (John 1:1, 14; 20:28; Heb 1:8 cf. Luke 1:31-33; 2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15), and this truth is essential to Christianity.  As God, Jesus is worthy of all worship and praise (Luke 24:51-52; John 9:38; 20:28; Heb 1:6). As a perfect sinless Man, He went to the cross and died a substitutionary death in our place (Mark 10:45; Rom 5:6-10; 1 Cor 15:3-4; 1 Pet 3:18), and bore the wrath of God that rightfully belongs to us (Isa 53:1-12), so that we might have the gifts of righteousness and eternal life (John 3:16; 10:28; 2 Cor 5:21; Phil 3:9).
Dr. Steven R. Cook
 
[1] Henry Clarence Thiessen and Vernon D. Doerksen, Lectures in Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979), 208.
[2] Ibid., 209.
[3] John F. Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord (Chicago, Ill; Moody Press, 1969), 106.
[4] Lewis S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 1993), 383.
[5] Paul P. Enns, Moody Handbook of Theology, (Chicago, Illinois: Moody Press, 1989), 227.
[6] Paul P. Enns, Moody Handbook of Theology, 225.
[7] John F. Walvoord, Jesus Christ Our Lord (Galaxie Software, 2008), 107.
[8] Lewis S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. 1, 387.

Acts 9:32-43 - Serving Others

Wednesday Aug 16, 2023

Wednesday Aug 16, 2023

Introduction
     After Saul’s conversion to Christ (Acts 9:1-19), he stopped persecuting the church and began to preach Jesus as “the Son of God” (Acts 9:20). This resulted in peace throughout the region. Luke records, “the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase” (Acts 9:31). In the following pericope (Acts 9:32-43), Luke records the spreading of the gospel and Peter’s ministry outside of Jerusalem, specifically in the cities of Lydda and Joppa.
Text
     Luke, turning from Saul’s conversion, recounts an event with Peter in the city of Lydda. Luke wrote, “Now as Peter was traveling through all those regions, he came down also to the saints who lived at Lydda” (Acts 9:32).[1]
     That there were saints (ἅγιος hagios) in Lydda shows that the gospel had been preached there and some had believed in Jesus as Savior. The word saint is a synonym for a believer in Christ, not a description of one’s character. All Christians are saints (Rom 1:7; 1 Cor 1:1-2; 2 Cor 1:1; Eph 1:1; Phil 1:1; Col 1:1). After Peter had arrived in Lydda, Luke tells us, “There he found a man named Aeneas, who had been bedridden eight years, for he was paralyzed” (Acts 9:33). That Luke described Aeneas as “a man” (ἄνθρωπος anthropos) and not a saint or disciple might imply he was not a believer. Luke tells us Aeneas had been paralyzed for eight years, which meant he was totally dependent on others for help. Aeneas, being paralyzed, could not sit up, dress, feed, or clean himself. Someone had to care him. If he were transported anywhere, someone had to move him and care for him along the way. Apparently the man had a support structure in place to assist him during his years of paralysis; most likely his family. Caring for others can bring great stress. First, there is the mental and emotional stress of caring for a loved one who is in a declining situation. The caregiver will experience states of mental frustration and emotional exhaustion. In addition, there are the ongoing physical demands of caring for them, a commitment to be physically present, the financial costs, and a loss of independence by the caregiver as he/she surrenders personal interests to care for their loved one.
     Luke recounts Peter’s interaction with Aeneas, informing us, “Peter said to him, ‘Aeneas, Jesus Christ heals you; get up and make your bed.’ Immediately he got up” (Acts 9:34). This account is similar to that of the Lord Jesus who had healed a paralytic in Capernaum, telling the man to take up his bed and go home (Matt 9:6; Mark 2:11; Luke 5:24), and also the paralytic at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:8). This healing of Aeneas was done specifically in the name of Jesus Christ, which was intended to draw attention to Jesus as the living One who had authority over physical maladies. This healing was immediate and total, as Luke uses the Greek adjective eutheos (εὐθέως), which, according to Mounce, means “immediately, instantly, at once.”[2] The healing of Aeneas brought instantaneous health to the man, and also brought relief to his caregiver(s) who had provided for him over the eight years. Though this was certainly a blessing to Aeneas and his loved ones, God intended a greater purpose, which was the salvific healing of souls. Luke records, “And all who lived at Lydda and Sharon saw him, and they turned to the Lord” (Acts 9:35). Lydda was the city, and Sharon was the coastal region where the city was located. All those who knew the paralyzed man now saw him in perfect health. The result was, “they turned to the Lord,” which is theological shorthand meaning they believed in Christ as their personal Savior. It may also connote they were obedient in baptism and became disciples. Thomas Constable notes:
The phrase “believed in the Lord” is similar to “turned to the Lord” (Acts 9:35; cf. Acts 11:21; 15:19). It is another way of saying that they became Christians, and both phrases emphasize that the Person they believed in was the Lord Jesus. Notice that “turned” is equated with “believed,” and that Luke mentioned no other condition for salvation.[3]
     Sometimes God heals people for His purposes, and sometimes He does not. He is sovereign and “works all things after the counsel of His will” (Eph 1:11). If/when God does not heal someone, it is for His own purposes, and sometimes sickness leads to death, which is the vehicle He uses to bring His children home to heaven (2 Ki 13:14).
     Luke transitions to his next account of Peter’s ministry, saying, “Now in Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which translated in Greek is called Dorcas); this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did” (Acts 9:36). Joppa was a coastal town that once had a thriving seaport; however, it lost much of its trade when Herod built the seaport of Caesarea in honor of his friend, Caesar. Of course, Joppa was known in the OT as the place where Jonah fled when disobeying the Lord’s call to preach to Gentiles (Jonah 1:3). Luke tells us about a woman named Tabitha, who also had the Greek name Dorcas (both names mean Gazelle). That Tabitha was a disciple meant she was a believer. This woman was loved and greatly known in her community as Luke tells us she “was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity which she continually did” (Acts 9:36b). Whereas Luke had previously focused on a paralyzed man as one who needed help, here he focuses on a woman who was a caregiver and provided help to others. Her work was not to a family member, but to the community where she lived. This means she had a heart of compassion as well as a sense of responsibility to help meet the physical needs of others. This is true of many healthy Christian ministries which have outreach services for those in the communities around them.
     Luke tells us, “And it happened at that time that she fell sick and died; and when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room” (Acts 9:37). This was a tragedy for others who lost this gracious woman. But the account is also unusual, as we’re informed after “they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room” (Acts 9:37b). This is unusual as the dead were commonly buried in short time to mitigate the experience of the sights and smells of decaying flesh. It’s possible this was an act of faith by those who cared for her body, as perhaps they’d heard about the miracle in Lydda and thought the Lord may perform a miracle for them as He’d done there. Luke states, “Since Lydda was near Joppa, the disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, imploring him, ‘Do not delay in coming to us’” (Acts 9:38).
     When Peter received word from the disciples in Joppa, we’re told, “So Peter arose and went with them. When he arrived, they brought him into the upper room; and all the widows stood beside him, weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them” (Acts 9:39). Here we observe Peter as a leader who was willing to serve others and responded quickly to their call for help. Those who are not willing to serve are not qualified to lead (see Matt 23:11; Luke 22:26; John 13:14-15; 1 Pet 4:10). This is true today, as the church has an obligation to help the needy, as “Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans: and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world” (Jam 1:27). And, “while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Gal 6:10).
     After Peter arrived, we’re told, “But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed, and turning to the body, he said, ‘Tabitha, arise.’ And she opened her eyes, and when she saw Peter, she sat up. 41 And he gave her his hand and raised her up; and calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive” (Acts 9:40-41). This account is parallel to Mark’s account of Jesus raising Jairus’ daughter (Mark 5:37-43). Regarding the similarity of these two events, Warren Wiersbe notes, “In both cases, the mourning people were put out of the room; and the words spoken are almost identical: “talitha cumi: little girl, arise; Tabitha cumi: Tabitha, arise.”…In both instances, it was the power of God that raised the person from the dead, for the dead person certainly could not exercise faith.”[4]
     Furthermore, we’re told that after Tabitha had been resuscitated, that Peter called “the saints and widows” back into the room and there “he presented her alive” (Acts 9:41). This is similar to the account where Elijah resuscitated the son of the widow of Zarephath and then afterwards gave “him to his mother” (1 Ki 17:23), and Jesus, after resuscitating the son of the widow of Nain (Luke 7:11-14), “gave him back to his mother” (Luke 7:15). The restoration of a deceased child to a widow mother was a blessing, and here, Peter’s restoration of Tabitha was a blessing to the widows of Joppa. Luke tells us the outcome of the miracle, that “It became known all over Joppa, and many believed in the Lord” (Acts 9:42). Though these poor widows were blessed to have their friend and provider back, the greater blessing was that others came to believe in the Lord, and as a result, came to have forgiveness of sins and eternal life.
     Though the Bible presents many miracles, historically they are rare and usually mark a historical shift where God is grabbing the attention of His people to let them know He’s doing something new. This was true during the Exodus, wilderness wanderings, and the time of conquest under Joshua. It was also true during the time of ministry for Elijah and Elisha when God was turning the nation from egregious idolatry. And also during the time of Jesus and His apostles to mark the coming of the Messiah as well as the shift from Law to Grace. God still continues to act supernaturally in people’s lives, but often behind the scenes in ways that people often do not detect, or detect later in their lives when hindsight is clearer. John Walvoord states:
With the completion of the New Testament, and its almost universal acceptance by those true to God, the need for further unusual display of miraculous works ceased. The preacher of today does not need the outward evidence of ability to heal or speak with tongues to substantiate the validity of his gospel. Rather, the written Word speaks for itself, and is attended by the convicting power of the Spirit.[5] 
     Luke closes out this pericope, saying, “And Peter stayed many days in Joppa with a tanner named Simon” (Acts 9:43). Peter’s staying with a tanner would have been regarded as scandalous by many of the religious Jews who considered the practice unclean (Lev 11:35-40). This might also express a shift in Peter’s theology and practices as he was moving from the dispensation of Law to Grace. Thomas Constable notes:
Evidently Peter remained in Joppa for quite some time (“many days”) in order to confirm these new converts and to help the church in that town. His willingness to stay with a tanner shows that Peter was more broad-minded in his fellowship than many other Jews. Many Jews thought that tanners practiced an unclean trade because they worked with the skins of dead animals, so they would have nothing to do with them.[6]
Summary:
     The Central Idea of the Text is that Peter traveled to Lydda and Joppa and performed miracles in order to draw attention to Christ so others might believe in Him and be saved. 
Personal Application:
Below are a few principles of ministry extrapolated from the Tabitha narrative:
Tabitha was a believer who was marked by acts of kindness and charity towards others.
Though some ministries are corporate in nature, Tabith’s appears to be singular and personal, as she actively sought to meet the needs of those near her, displaying compassion and generosity in tangible ways.
Tabitha’s work revealed a heart of love and sacrifice as she gave of her resources, talents, and time to make clothing that blessed others.
The display of Tabith’s tunics and garments by the widows reveals how deeply they were impacted by her kindness. This shows that a ministry’s impact can partly be measured in the lives of people who have been impacted.
Tabitha also displayed a sense of personal responsibility and leadership, as she did not wait for others to act, but took it upon herself to meet the needs of those around her.
When God resuscitated Tabitha as a result of Peter’s prayer, it is assumed she restarted her ministry to others.
No ministry lasts forever; and a ministry that has diminished or died can be revived if the Lord wills it.
The Gospel
     If you are here this morning without Christ, without hope, and without eternal life, I want you to know that when Jesus was on the cross, He had you personally in mind as He bore your sin and paid the price for it. He died and paid the penalty for your sins so that you would not have to. Scripture reveals, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8), and “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). The good news for us is that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4), and if we place our faith in Him as the only Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), we are promised forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7), eternal life (John 10:28), and place in heaven forever (John 14:1-3). I “beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20).
 
 
[1] Charles R. Swindoll, Acts, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Commentary (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2016), 183.
[2] William D. Mounce, Mounce’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old & New Testament Words (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2006), 1159.
[3] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Acts 9:42.
[4] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 444.
[5] John F. Walvoord, The Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids, Mich: Zondervan Publishing, 1965), 174.
[6] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible, Acts 9:43.

Saturday Aug 12, 2023

     God the Father is seen as the initiator, planner, and orchestrator of the salvation of mankind, and this because He is loving, merciful, and kind, and “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim 2:4), and is “not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance” (2 Pet 3:9). Salvation is necessary because of the problem of sin in the human race. All mankind is utterly helpless to bring about a remedy by human effort (Rom 3:10, 23; 5:6-10; Gal 2:16, 21; 3:21-22). Everyone is said to be “darkened in their understanding, excluded from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart” (Eph 4:18), and “dead” in their “trespasses and sins” (Eph 2:1; cf., Col 2:13). This refers to spiritual death, which means separation from God. We are trapped in sin and stand guilty before a holy and righteous God and are completely unable to save ourselves. Wiersbe observes:
The unbeliever is not sick; he is dead! He does not need resuscitation; he needs resurrection. All lost sinners are dead, and the only difference between one sinner and another is the state of decay. The lost derelict on skid row may be more decayed outwardly than the unsaved society leader, but both are dead in sin—and one corpse cannot be more dead than another! This means that our world is one vast graveyard, filled with people who are dead while they live (1 Tim 5:6).[1]
If God had not made a way for us to be saved, we would be forever lost. Lightner states:
God is the only one who could solve the problem which man’s sin presented to Him. After man’s fall God the Father began in time the plan of salvation which He devised before time began. This divine plan centered in his divine Son: “He gave His only begotten Son” because He “so loved the world” (John 3:16). “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because He laid down His life for us” (1 John 3:16). “In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only-begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9).[2]
     But God intervened. He broke into time and space and displayed His mercy, love, and grace upon mankind. The apostle Paul wrote:
But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), 6 and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, 7 so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; 9 not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph 2:4-9)
     The Father’s actions are based on His love for all mankind. He loves because of who He is and not because of the beauty or worth of the object. Scripture reveals that “God is Love” (1 John 4:8), which means love is part of His nature. God loves because it is His nature to love.
The Father’s eternal plan for salvation
     God the Father’s soteriological work is traced back to what He planned before time began. He was motivated to provide for our salvation before we existed. According to Lightner, “We are often led to believe that our salvation began when we made our decision to trust Christ as Savior. The fact is, God was at work on our behalf long before that time.”[3] Paul wrote that God the Father “chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him” (Eph 1:4). That the Father elected us to salvation is straightforward in this passage, and the doctrine of election will be addressed later in this work. For now, this passage is noted because it speaks of the Father’s salvation-work “before the foundation of the world.” According to Lightner:
God the Father’s work in salvation centers primarily in what he did before time began. With infinite love and compassion he acted on our behalf even before we were born. Paul told the Ephesian Christians that they had been chosen in Christ by the Father before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4). To the Roman Christians the same apostle wrote about the Father’s foreknowledge, predestination, and call of them before time (Rom 8:29–30). Peter, writing to saints scattered throughout Asia Minor, described them as “elect” of God the Father (1 Pet 1:2). While evangelicals differ on how these and other such passages are to be understood, they all agree that God the Father initiated the plan of salvation in eternity past.[4]
     God’s election starts with His sovereign choice, but also includes the individual choices of those who trust in Christ as Savior. Both are true. Though there is tension at this point—and this because of limited information and limited human capacity to comprehend—both God’s sovereignty and human volition must be acknowledged at the same time. Lightner states, “God the Father is sovereign. He must be to be God. Human responsibility is just as biblical as divine sovereignty. Jesus stressed both. Jesus said no one can come to him unless drawn by the Father but he also said none who come to him would be cast out (John 6:37).”[5]And Paul Enns states, “While there is human responsibility in salvation, there is first a divine side to salvation in which God sovereignly acts to secure the sinner’s salvation.”[6]The Christian must be content to live with this tension and not try to force a solution one way or another.
     The salvation of mankind, with all its details, was fully comprehended and planned by God the Father from eternity past. It’s not as though God was surprised by the fall of Lucifer and mankind. He is eternal, and His plan is eternal. Lightner states, “We must never view salvation as an afterthought or as the only possible way out of a hopeless dilemma on the part of God. The plan of salvation is as eternal as God is. God was not shocked when Satan and then man fell. He is eternal, and his plan is from eternity past to eternity future.”[7]
God the Father commissioned God the Son
     God the Father commissioned God the Son to provide our salvation. God the Son agreed to the Father’s mission, came into the world, added humanity to Himself, and executed the Father’s plan perfectly. Though Jesus said and did many things during His time on earth, of which many books have been written, His primary mission was to save sinners. Jesus said, “the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost” (Luke 19:10), and “the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). Jesus lived a sinless life and then sacrificed Himself on the cross as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of humanity. Through His death, burial, and resurrection, salvation is offered to all who believe in Him as Savior. Bruce Ware notes, “In eternity, the Father commissioned the Son who then willingly laid aside the glory He had with the Father to come and purchase our pardon and renewal.”[8]
God the Father sent the Son to die
     It was the Father’s will for the Son to go to the cross to die for lost sinners, and the Son willingly went to His death and bore the Father’s wrath in our place. This was explained in Isaiah, where the prophet wrote about the Suffering Servant, saying, “But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would render Himself as a guilt offering” (Isa 53:10a). It is simultaneously true that the Father sent and the Son went. In the Gospel of John, we’re told, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16-17). Jesus said, “This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent” (John 6:29), and “I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me” (John 6:38). The apostle John wrote, “God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:9-10), and “the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world” (1 John 4:14). Walvoord states:
Jesus Christ’s main purpose in coming to the world…was to provide salvation for those who put their trust in Him. Jesus expressed this in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” In His public ministry Jesus spoke of many truths, and His teachings were so comprehensive that a systematic theology could be written based on what He said and taught. However, this was a background to His dying on the cross for our sins. In this supreme act of dying, He fulfilled His main purpose in becoming incarnate, of being “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world” (John 1:29).[9]
 
 
[1] Ibid., 18.
[2] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology: A Historical, Biblical, and Contemporary Survey and Review (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1995), 189–190.
[3] Ibid., 192.
[4] Ibid., 191.
[5] Ibid., 191.
[6] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 328.
[7] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 192.
[8] Bruce A. Ware, “Tampering with the Trinity: Does the Son Submit to His Father?,” in Biblical Foundations for Manhood and Womanhood, ed. Wayne Grudem, Foundations for the Family Series (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2002), 248.
[9] John F. Walvoord, What We Believe, 73.

Sunday Aug 06, 2023

In Christian theology, the Bible reveals there is one God who exists as three distinct Persons within the Trinity (Gen 1:26; 11:6-7; Matt 28:19; 2 Cor 13:14; 1 Pet 1:2): God the Father (Gal 1:1; Eph 6:23; Phil 2:11), God the Son (John 1:1, 14, 18; 8:58; 20:28; Col 2:9; Heb 1:8), and God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Cor 2:11-12; 2 Cor 13:14). God is three in Person, but one in essence, sharing the same attributes. The use of the Hebrew numeral echad (אֶחָד) reveals, in some contexts, the idea of a complex one, which supports the doctrine of the Trinity (Deut 6:4; cf., Gen 2:24; Ezra 3:1; Ezek 37:17). All three are co-equal, co-infinite, co-eternal, and worthy of all praise and service. According to John Walvoord:
In contrast to the polytheism of the heathen world with its many gods and idols, the Christian faith centers in one God. This God, however, is revealed to be a Trinity, including the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. As such, we distinguish the Father from the Son and both of them from the Holy Spirit…All students of scriptural truth labor to understand the doctrine of the Trinity, but it eludes them because it is beyond anything that they experience in this life…Accordingly, the best procedure is to accept the Bible as true and accept the fact that there is one God who exists in three persons and leave the explanation of this to the life after this.[1]
     The three Persons of the God-head are one in essence (Deut 6:4; Isa 43:10; 44:6; 45:5-6), and share the same divine attributes. The attributes of God consist of intrinsic characteristics that are equally representative of the God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. God’s attributes are revealed in Scripture, which means they are objective and can be learned by God’s people. Furthermore, the attributes of God explain His actions. And we cannot separate or elevate one attribute above another. The Bible reveals God is: Living, which means “He is the living God and the everlasting King” (Jer 10:10), He “has life in Himself” (John 5:26; cf. Psa 42:2; 84:2; Matt 16:16; John 1:4) and is the ultimate source of life. Paul states, “for in Him we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). This attribute takes priority, for if God is not living, none of the other attributes are possible. Self-existent (aseity), which means His existence depends on nothing outside of Himself (Ex 3:14). Moses said, “from everlasting to everlasting, You are God” (Psa 90:2). There is no prior cause that brought God into existence, He will never cease to be, and He depends on nothing outside of Himself. Holy (Lev 11:44; Psa 99:9; Isa 45:5-19), which means God is morally perfect and separate from all that is sinful. Spirit (John 4:24; 2 Cor 3:17), which means the nature of God’s being is spirit, not material. Sovereign (Psa 115:3; Isa 46:9-11; Dan 4:35; Acts 17:24-28), which means God acts freely as He pleases, always as He pleases, and only as He pleases. Immutable (Psa 102:26-27; Mal 3:6), which means God’s essential nature does not change. Eternal (Deut 33:27; 1 Tim 1:17), which means God has always existed, does exist, and forever will exist. Infinite (1 Ki 8:27; Jer 23:24), which means God exists in space and beyond space. Omniscient (Psa 139:1-4; Matt 6:31-33), which means God knows all things and is infinite in knowledge. Omnipresent (Psa 139:7-10; Jer 23:24), which means He is equally and fully everywhere present. Omnipotent (Job 42:2; Isa 40:28), which means God is all-powerful and able to accomplish all He desires. Righteous (Psa 11:7; 119:137), which refers to His intrinsic moral perfection, from which He commands all things in heaven and earth, and declares as good that which conforms to His righteousness and as evil that which deviates. Just (Psa 9:7-8; 19:9), which refers to the outworking of His righteousness in which He justifies or condemns, blesses or curses, that which does or does not conform to His righteous character. True (Jer 10:10; John 17:3), which means He is genuine, in contrast to false idols. This means He truthful (2 Sam 7:28; John 17:17). His knowledge and declarations define reality and help us make sense of what is. Love (Jer 31:3; 1 John 4:7-8), which means He is committed to us, desires our best, and acts for our benefit. Good (Psa 100:5; 145:9; Nah 1:7; Jam 1:17), which means all He does is good, and that He is the ultimate source of all that is good. Faithful (Deut 7:9; Lam 3:21-23), which means He is reliable in all He says and does, always keeping His Word. Merciful (Psa 86:15; Tit 3:5), which means He is kind toward us and does not judge us as we deserve. Gracious (Psa 111:4; 116:5), which means He treats us better than we deserve.
     All three Persons of the Godhead are involved in providing salvation. Our salvation is said to be planned and initiated by God the Father, agreed upon and executed by God the Son, and imparted to each person by God the Holy Spirit. According to Lewis Chafer:
[It] is essential to recognize that the “salvation [which] is of Jehovah” includes the three Persons of the Godhead as actively engaged in the realization of this stupendous undertaking…In every aspect of saving grace the three Persons are concurring. Even when hanging on the cross, the Son was not alone in His vast achievement. It was God who was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself; the Father was offering His Lamb; and that sacrifice was offered through the eternal Spirit (Heb 9:14).[3]
Robert Lightner states:
Evangelical Christians, in harmony with the historic orthodox Christian faith, worship God who is one in three and three in one, one in essence and three in person. The entire Godhead—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is involved in the salvation of the sinner. The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died for sinners. He is the Savior! It is customary in evangelical circles to put such emphasis on the second person’s part in our salvation that the roles of the Father and the Spirit are often slighted…Even though it is not always expressed in the same way, evangelicals agree that man’s salvation is the product of the Holy Trinity.[4]
Warren Wiersbe adds:
You will note that all three Persons in the Godhead are involved in our salvation (see also 1 Peter 1:3). As far as God the Father is concerned, you were saved when He chose you in Christ in eternity past. But that alone did not save you. As far as God the Son is concerned, you were saved when He died for you on the cross. As far as God the Spirit is concerned, you were saved when you yielded to His conviction and received Christ as your Savior. What began in eternity past was fulfilled in time present, and will continue for all eternity![5]
     In the following lessons, special attention will be given to the specific members of the Trinity and their work in salvation.
 
[1] John F. Walvoord, What We Believe (Grand Rapids, Mi; Discovery House Publishers, 1990), 38-39.
[2] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 200.
[3] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1993), 207.
[4] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology: A Historical, Biblical, and Contemporary Survey and Review (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1995), 190–191.
[5] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 11.

Saturday Jul 29, 2023

Saved from God’s wrath
     Being saved from God’s wrath means we will never experience eternal separation from Him in the lake of fire. John wrote, “He who believes in the Son has eternal life; but he who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him” (John 3:36). And Paul said, “having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him” (Rom 5:9). Also, When writing to the Christians at Thessalonica, Paul assured them they would be saved “from the wrath to come” (1 Th 1:10). This last verse could refer to the eternal wrath all unbelievers will experience because they have rejected Christ as their Savior, which is the lake of fire (Rev 20:15). However, it could also refer to the wrath of the Tribulation (Rev 6-18), whereby God will judge the world after the rapture of the church (1 Cor 15:51-53; 1 Th 4:13-18). Christians living in the dispensation of the church age will be spared from both forms of God’s wrath, so there is no need to be concerned with this.
Saved from Satan’s domain of darkness
     As Christians, we are also saved from “from the dominion of Satan to God” (Act 26:18), and transferred from Satan’s “domain of darkness” (Col 1:13a) into “the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col 1:13b). This transference happens at the moment of faith in Christ and is a spiritual reality that is true for all Christians. The kingdom of Christ mentioned here does not refer to the future eschatological kingdom that will come, in which Jesus, a biological descendant of David, is prophesied to rule over the world in righteousness.[1] Rather, it refers to the current spiritual kingdom where God rules in the hearts of His people. Concerning this passage, Ryrie states, “It refers to the kingdom into which all believers have been placed (Col 1:13), and it is entered by the new birth. The Ruler is Christ; in this concept of the kingdom He rules over believers only; and the relationship exists now.”[2] And Fruchtenbaum adds, “The Spiritual Kingdom is composed of all believers, and only believers, of all time. The means of entering this Kingdom is by regeneration by the Holy Spirit. In the present age, from Acts two until the Rapture, the Spiritual Kingdom and the Church are synonymous, but only during the period between Acts two and the Rapture.”[3]
Saved from the coming tribulation
     Jesus, when speaking to the church at Philadelphia, said, “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth” (Rev 3:10). The hour of testing here refers to the time of the future Tribulation that follows the rapture of the church. Robert Thomas affirms this, saying, the hour of trial refers to “the future period of trouble just before Christ’s personal return to earth.”[4] Charles Ryrie adds, “The promise of Revelation 3:10 not only guarantees being kept from the trials of the Tribulation period but being kept from the time period of the Tribulation. The promise is not, “I will keep you from the trials.” It is, “I will also keep you from the hour of trial” (NIV).”[5] Fruchtenbaum states:
"In this passage, the Church is promised to be kept from the period of trial that is about to fall upon the whole earth. In the context of the Book of Revelation, it is the Tribulation found in chapters 6–19 that is this period of trial that is to fall upon the whole earth. It is from this period of trial that the Church is to be kept. This verse does not say that the Church will be merely kept safe during the trial, but it will be kept from the very hour of the trial, that is, from the very time of it."[6]
Saved from hell
     Scripture reveals we are saved from hell. Jesus talked about hell (Matt 5:22, 29-30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33), saying, “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt 10:28). The word hell translates the Greek word Gehenna (12x in the NT), which means “a place of fire.”[7] Biblically, it is a place of eternal torment. Moisés Sylva notes, “Gehenna is elsewhere referred to by such phrases as ‘the blazing furnace’ (Matt 13:42, 50), ‘the eternal fire’ (Matt 25:41), and ‘the fiery lake’ (Rev 19:20 et al.). Gehenna is distinguished from Hades, which evidently houses the souls of the dead before the last judgment; indeed, Hades along with death will be thrown into the lake of fire (Rev 20:14).”[8]
     Hell is that final place of suffering where all unbelievers go. Speaking to unbelievers at the end of the Tribulation, Jesus said, “Depart from Me, accursed ones, into the eternal fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels” (Matt 25:41), and of them He said, “These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life” (Matt 25:46). John tells us, “if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15). Concerning hell, J. I. Packer wrote:
It is thought of as a place of fire and darkness (Jude 7, 13), of weeping and grinding of teeth (Matt 8:12; 13:42, 50; 22:13; 24:51; 25:30), of destruction (2 Th 1:7–9; 2 Pet 3:7; 1 Th 5:3), and of torment (Rev 20:10; Luke 16:23)—in other words, of total distress and misery. If, as it seems, these terms are symbolic rather than literal (fire and darkness would be mutually exclusive in literal terms), we may be sure that the reality, which is beyond our imagining, exceeds the symbol in dreadfulness. New Testament teaching about hell is meant to appall us and strike us dumb with horror, assuring us that, as heaven will be better than we could dream, so hell will be worse than we can conceive. Such are the issues of eternity, which need now to be realistically faced.[9]
What about those who never hear the gospel?
     Someone might say, “What about those who never hear the gospel message about Jesus? Are they condemned to hell?” The Bible reveals that God is “the Judge of all the earth” (Gen 18:25; Psa 58:11), that He “is a righteous judge” (Psa 7:11), and is “righteous in all His ways” (Psa 145:17a). This means God is absolutely fair to everyone, and no one will go to hell who did not choose it.
     God has revealed Himself to everyone. In a general sense, He has made Himself known through His creation. Knowledge of God’s existence is clearly revealed through His creation.[10] David wrote, “The heavens are telling of the glory of God; and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands. 2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge” (Psa 19:1-2). God is declared and revealed through His creation, much like a painter is revealed through a masterpiece painting. The apostle Paul wrote of God’s wrath which is revealed toward those who reject Him after they come to the know about Him through His creation. Paul wrote, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, 19 because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them” (Rom 1:18-19). There’s nothing wrong with God’s revelation of Himself through his creation. The problem lies in people “who suppress the truth in unrighteousness” (Rom 1:18b). Furthermore, God has made Himself known “within them”, which means that each person with normal mental capacity intuitively knows that God exists. In theology, we call this the sensus divinitatis, or sense of the divine. Paul continues his line of reasoning, saying, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse” (Rom 1:20). Those who reject God after becoming aware of Him, are held morally responsible and are “without excuse” for their choices before a holy and righteous God who will hold them accountable. Robert Mounce states:
Seeing the beauty and complexity of creation carries with it the responsibility of acknowledging the Creator both as powerful and as living above the natural order. Disbelief requires an act of rebellion against common sense. It displays fallen humanity’s fatal bias against God. Although the created order cannot force a person to believe, it does leave the recipient responsible for not believing.[11]
     Of those who are negative to God, three times it is written that He “gave them over” to “the lusts of their hearts” (Rom 1:24), and “to degrading passions” (Rom 1:26), and “to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper” (Rom 1:28). Once God permits a person to operate by his sinful passions, that person is given a measure of freedom to live as he wants, but not without consequence, both in time and eternity.
     If someone is positive and wants to know God personally, then He will make certain that person receives gospel revelation in order to be saved. If the person goes negative and does not want to know Him, then God—who is no bully—will let that person go his own way, but will hold him accountable for his decision. For those who are negative to God and reject Him after coming to know about Him through His creation, that rejection is sufficient to condemn that soul forever. The only heaven they will ever know—if we can call it heaven—is the life they’ll enjoy in this world during their fleeting time on earth. But after they die, all unbelievers will suffer for eternity in hell, forever separated from God, with no hope of their situation changing. Robert W. Yarbrough states:
Jesus spoke repeatedly of ‘the fire of hell’ (Matt 5:22) and ‘eternal fire’ (Matt 18:8). He urged his followers, ‘Fear him who, after the killing of the body, has power to throw you into hell’ (Luke 12:5). The double-edged nature of Jesus’ ministry is well summarized in John 3:36: “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life, but whoever rejects the Son will not see life, for God’s wrath remains on him.” Those who reject God’s righteousness become targets of his wrath (Rom 1:18, 24, 26, 28; Eph 5:6; Col 3:6; Heb 10:26–31; Rev 19:11–21).[12]
     Those who spend eternity in hell are there by choice and not by chance. According to J. I. Packer, “Scripture sees hell as self-chosen; those in hell will realize that they sentenced themselves to it by loving darkness rather than light, choosing not to have their Creator as their Lord, preferring self-indulgent sin to self-denying righteousness, and (if they encountered the gospel) rejecting Jesus rather than coming to Him (John 3:18–21; Rom 1:18, 24, 26, 28, 32; 2:8; 2 Th 2:9–11).”[13]
     Those who stand before the great white throne for judgement (Rev 20:11) will know the One who is sitting on that throne, and they will know they are there to be judged for their sins. Not a single person will ask, “Who are you?” For they will all know Who He is, and that they are there to face judgment for eternity. All this is avoidable if one will only acknowledge God and respond positively to the gospel of grace and believe in Christ as Savior. One needs only to believe in Christ as Savior to avoid eternity in hell. God has made a way for all to be saved, so if any are not, it’s by their choice and not because there was no divine provision available. When one turns to Christ as Savior, he has forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7) and eternal life (John 3:16; 10:28). These have their names written “in the Lamb's book of life” (Rev 21:27). But the opposite is true, for “if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire” (Rev 20:15).
Dr. Steven R. Cook
 
[1] The Lord focused specifically on David, promising that one of his descendants would rule forever (2 Sam 7:16; Psa 89:3-4, 34-37; Jer 23:5-6; 33:14-15). This descendant would be a righteous king (Isa 9:6-7; 11:1-9; Jer 23:5-6; 33:14-18), and his kingdom will last forever (Dan 2:44; 7:13-14; 1 Cor. 15:24). Jesus is identified as that king (Luke 1:30-33). When Jesus came, He repeatedly offered the earthly kingdom to Israel (Matt 3:1-2; 4:17; 10:5-7), a literal kingdom that was future (Matt 6:10; Luke 19:11; Acts 1:3-6). But they rejected Him and His offer (Matt 11:20; 12:14; Mark 15:12-15; John 19:15); therefore, the earthly kingdom was postponed for a future time (Matt 21:43; cf. Matt 19:28; 25:31; Luke 22:28-30; Acts 1:3-6; Rev 20:4-6).
[2] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 461–462.
[3] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah : A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events, Rev. ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2003), 663.
[4] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7: An Exegetical Commentary (Chicago: Moody Publishers, 1992), 284.
[5] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 563–564.
[6] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, The Footsteps of the Messiah : A Study of the Sequence of Prophetic Events, Rev. ed. (Tustin, CA: Ariel Ministries, 2003), 153.
[7] Moisés Silva, ed., “Gehenna” New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014), 548.
[8] Moisés Silva, ed., “Gehenna” New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology and Exegesis (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2014), 548.
[9] J. I. Packer, Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1993), 261–262.
[10] God has also revealed Himself in special ways in the person of Christ (John 1:18; Heb 1:1-3), through the Scriptures (Luke 16:31), and through the lives of His people (Matt 5:16). However, if the unbeliever goes negative at the moment of God consciousness, he/she may never know anything more about God through special revelation, as He is under no obligation to reveal Himself further. 
[11] Robert H. Mounce, Romans, vol. 27, The New American Commentary (Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers, 1995), 78.
[12] R. W. Yarbrough, “Atonement,” in New Dictionary of Biblical Theology, ed. T. Desmond Alexander and Brian S. Rosner, electronic ed. (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000), 390.
[13] J. I. Packer, Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1993), 262–263.

Wednesday Jul 26, 2023

Introduction
     Previously, Saul had been persecuting Christians. But his efforts to crush them were frustrated, and the gospel spread further and further. In this pericope, Luke recorded Paul’s conversion (Acts 9:1-19). Paul gave personal accounts of his conversion in Acts 22:4-21 and 26:12-18. It was at Paul’s conversion that he personally saw the Lord Jesus (1 Cor 9:1).  
Text
     Luke opens this section, saying, “Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem” (Acts 9:1-2). Saul, contrary to his tremendous education, was spiritually blind and was serving as an instrument of Satan to attack the church. The believers here are called disciples of the Lord (Acts 9:1) and belonging to the Way (Acts 9:2; cf., Acts 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14, 22). In this pericope Luke will also use the terms saints (Acts 9:13), and brother (Acts 9:17). Later they will also be called Christians (Acts 11:26).
     Saul thought he was doing God’s will in chasing down Christians and arresting them and bringing them back to Jerusalem. According to Warren Wiersbe, “Like many others of his countrymen, he stumbled over the Cross (1 Cor 1:23) because he depended on his own righteousness and not on the righteousness of God (Rom 9:30–10:13; Phil 3:1–10). Many self-righteous religious people today do not see their need for a Savior and resent it if you tell them they are sinners.”[1] Damascus was 135 miles north of Jerusalem and a seven-day journey. It’s thought that there were as many as forty Jewish synagogues in Damascus at this time. That there were Christians in Damascus shows how quickly the gospel message was spreading. The Christian gospel was proving effective.
     It was during the time when Saul was persecuting Christians that the Lord interrupted his life for the better. Luke states, “As he was traveling, it happened that he was approaching Damascus, and suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him; 4 and he fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?’” (Acts 9:3-4). Later, Paul described the light as occurring at noontime (Acts 22:6), and being brighter than the sun (Acts 26:13). Paul also said that when the Lord spoke to him, it was in Hebrew (Acts 26:14). The flash of light startled Saul and he lost his balance and fell to the ground. It’s true that God sometimes knocks us down so that we’ll look up. Saul then heard a voice saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4b). This statement is theologically rich, for it shows that an attack upon a Christian is an attack upon the Lord Jesus Himself. This adds significance to the understanding that when we are spiritually baptized into Christ, we become part of His spiritual body, the church, and are one with Him. How we treat other Christians is how we treat the Son of God.
     Saul did not understand who he was talking with, “And he said, ‘Who are You, Lord?’ And He said, ‘I am Jesus whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5). Saul called Jesus Lord (κύριος kurios), which was more than a show of respect (i.e., sir), and meant he understood he was talking with God. What a shock it must have been for Saul to hear the words, “I am Jesus whom you are persecuting” (Acts 9:5a). This second reference to Saul’s persecution against Jesus reinforced His identity with Christians as part of His body. But rather than destroy Saul, Jesus treated him in grace and sent him on a mission, saying, “get up and enter the city, and it will be told you what you must do” (Acts 9:6). Wiersbe states, “Some thirty years later, Paul wrote that Christ had ‘apprehended him’ on the Damascus road (Phil 3:12). Saul was out to arrest others when the Lord arrested him. He had to lose his religion before he could gain the righteousness of Christ.”[2]
     Luke follows on, saying, “The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing the voice but seeing no one” (Acts 9:7). Saul’s traveling companions were dumbfounded and speechless. They’d heard the voice, but saw no one. Later, when recounting his conversion, Paul said, “those who were with me saw the light, to be sure, but did not understand the voice of the One who was speaking to me” (Acts 22:9). I take it to mean Saul’s companions heard the words of Jesus but did not grasp the significance of what was being said. Next, we’re told, “Saul got up from the ground, and though his eyes were open, he could see nothing; and leading him by the hand, they brought him into Damascus” (Acts 9:8). The aggressive and hostile Saul appears here as a docile lamb who had to be led by the hand like a little child. His physical eyes had been closed, though his spiritual eyes were opened. And once in the city, we’re informed, “And he was three days without sight, and neither ate nor drank” (Acts 9:9). No doubt Saul’s Pharisaic theology was rocked to the core. All he thought he knew about God was shaken to the foundation. His theological presuppositions were smashed and now he had to rework his entire theological framework from the ground up. The three days Saul spent in Damascus waiting on the Lord were probably filled with many theological reasonings.
     Luke shifts his account and introduces us to a man named Ananias whom the Lord would use as a conduit of His truth and grace. Luke states, “Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, ‘Ananias.’ And he said, ‘Here I am, Lord’” (Acts 9:10). Here, Ananias is presented as a willing servant of the Lord who responded positively when called. Luke recounts, “And the Lord said to him, ‘Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, 12 and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight’” (Acts 9:11-12). In this situation, the Lord told Ananias that Saul was praying and that he’d already received a vision from the Lord that Ananias was coming to him. Ananias’ going to Saul was so certain to happen, that God told him it would come to pass, even before he called upon Ananias to go. Ananias had positive volition and the Lord selected him because He knew he would do as he’d been directed. Luke’s account reveals God working at both ends of these events and orchestrating the outcome that He desired.
     But there was hesitation by Ananias, as Luke tells us, “But Ananias answered, ‘Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; 14 and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name’” (Acts 9:13-14). Ananias spoke honestly with the Lord about his concern. Ananias had heard about Saul and the harm he’d done to the Lord’s saints, and that he also operated with the authority of the Sanhedrin to arrest God’s people. Luke informs us, “But the Lord said to him, ‘Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; 16 for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake’” (Acts 9:15-16). Here, to be chosen (ἐκλογή ekloge) denotes divine selection. Saul did not choose God. God chose Saul; and He chose him to salvation, service, and suffering. And Saul displayed positive volition and obeyed the Lord; not only in the moment for salvation, but also for a lifetime of service. Saul was one of those people who trusted Christ as Savior and at the same time submitted to Him for a lifetime of service. Concerning election, God is sovereign and people have volition. The Lord calls His people to Himself, and they respond positively in faith.
     Saul’s calling was to a lifetime of suffering for Christ, as the persecutor would become the persecuted (2 Cor 11:23-29). Upon hearing this, Ananias did as the Lord directed. Luke states, “So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, ‘Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit’” (Acts 9:17). Laying on of hands was a form of identification. In this way, Paul was personally identified with the Christians he’d been persecuting. The touch would have brought comfort to Saul, as a human touch does. And, Ananias called Saul his brother, which was an expression of faith by Ananias, as well as a word of relief to Saul. Here was grace in both the touch and the word. The Lord who had met Saul on the road to Damascus was the very one who had sent Ananias to him that he might regain his sight. Sometimes the Lord works directly in the lives of people, and other times works through secondary agents to accomplish His will. Jesus could have spoken directly to Saul (as He’d already done), but instead, chose to speak through Ananias, His divinely appointed representative. And by God’s power, Saul’s sight was restored. Saul was also “filled with the Holy Spirit”, which meant God Himself had welcomed Paul into His family and empowered him for his new mission. After Ananias had spoken with Saul and laid his hands on him, Luke tells us, “And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; 19 and he took food and was strengthened” (Acts 9:18-19a). God worked through Ananias to touch the life of Saul, who, in turn, has touched the lives of millions of people. The godly actions of one person can change the course of world history for the better and bring many people to faith in Jesus. After Saul regained his vision, his first act was to be obedient by way of water baptism. Saul’s water baptism preceded his caring for himself, as we are told that after he had been baptized, he then “took food and was strengthened” (Acts 9:19a). Thomas Constable wrote:
"Saul later wrote that immediately following his conversion he did not consult with others about the Scriptures but went into Arabia—and later returned to Damascus (Gal 1:15–17). “Arabia” describes the kingdom of the Nabateans that stretched south and east from Damascus beyond Petra. Damascus was in the northwest sector of Arabia. After Saul’s conversion and baptism, he needed some time and space for quiet reflection and communion with God. He had to rethink the Scriptures, receive new understanding from the Lord, and revise his Pharisaic theology."[3]
Conclusion
     The Central Idea of the Text is that Saul set out to destroy the church at Damascus, but the Lord stopped him, humbled him, saved him, and called him into Christian service by means of an obedient disciple named Ananias.
Personal Application
Though people may violently rage against God’s church and His children, it is the Lord who sovereignly determines whether they are permitted to have their way or not. Stephen was allowed to face a martyr’s death with honor, but the Lord overruled the intentions of Saul and put a stop to his madness. Rather than kill Saul for his violence against the church, the Lord of grace called him to salvation, Christian service, and a lifetime of suffering for the name of Christ. Though saved by grace and effective in Christian ministry, Paul never fully overcame his sense of shame for having persecuted the church of God and four times mentioned his lifestyle prior to his conversion (Acts 22:4-5; 26:9-11; 1 Cor 15:9; Gal 1:13).
When attacked for our faith, the Christian is “never to pay back evil for evil to anyone” (Rom 12:17), and is commanded “never take your own revenge, beloved, but leave room for the wrath of God, for it is written ‘vengeance is mine, I will repay’ says the Lord” (Rom 12:19; cf., 2 Th 1:6). There is no place for violent retaliation in the Christian life, as the Lord Himself will execute vengeance in His time and way.
The Gospel
     If you are here this morning without Christ, without hope, and without eternal life, I want you to know that when Jesus was on the cross, He had you personally in mind as He bore your sin and paid the price for it. He died and paid the penalty for your sins so that you would not have to. Scripture reveals, “God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8), and “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God” (1 Pet 3:18). The good news for us is that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor 15:3-4), and if we place our faith in Him as the only Savior (John 14:6; Acts 4:12), we are promised forgiveness of sins (Eph 1:7), eternal life (John 10:28), and place in heaven forever (John 14:1-3). I “beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Cor 5:20).
Dr. Steven R. Cook
 
 
[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1996), 438.
[2] Ibid., 439.
[3] Tom Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Ac 9:18.

Saturday Jul 22, 2023

     The first and third aspects of our salvation (i.e., justification and glorification) are accomplished by God without any human assistance whatsoever. Concerning our justification, Scripture reveals that “God is the one who justifies” (Rom 8:33), and “who justifies the ungodly” (Rom 4:5). This is a work of God alone. No works are required for the one who trusts in Christ as Savior (Rom 4:4-5; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). Concerning our future glorification, Jesus Christ is the One “who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory” (Phil 3:21), and “We know that when He appears, we will be like Him” (1 John 3:2), and that “in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). This means our future heavenly body will have no sin nature. This also is a work of God alone. However, the second aspect of our salvation, our sanctification, requires positive volition on our part. This is obvious by the use of NT verbs that are in the imperative mood (i.e., commands), which require the Christian to obey. As believers, we play a role in our sanctification as we learn and live God’s Word (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18), yield to God the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18; Gal 5:16, 25), walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6), and advance to spiritual maturity (Heb 6:1). After being justified (and awaiting glorification), it is possible for the Christian to go negative to God, not learn or live His Word, and remain a carnal Christian (1 Cor 3:1-3). These Christians will be subject to divine discipline (Heb 12:5-11), even to the point of physical death if their sinful lifestyle becomes egregious (1 Cor 11:30; 1 John 5:16-17), and they will forfeit future rewards (1 Cor 3:10-15; 2 John 1:8). Paul, speaking to believers who will be present in heaven at the bema seat of Christ, said, “If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Cor 3:15). The work Paul refers to here is the lifetime production of the Christian who fails to live spiritually and advance to maturity. His work is the production of the flesh and not the Spirit, and such work will be “burned up” at the bema seat evaluation, and “he will suffer loss” of reward in eternity. Yet, this same Christian “will be saved, yet so as through fire” (1 Cor 3:15c). This is a worst case scenario for the Christian and one which fails to glorify God and bless others. The best case scenario is seen in the believer who lays hold of his spiritual blessings in Christ (Eph 1:3), daily learns and lives God’s Word (2 Tim 2:15; Jam 1:22), and advances to spiritual maturity (Heb 6:1).
Dr. Steven R. Cook

Saturday Jul 15, 2023

Three tenses of salvation
     Concerning the Christian’s spiritual deliverance, the NT describes it in three tenses (past, present, and future). Because we have trusted Christ as our Savior, we have been saved from the penalty of sin (John 5:24; Rom 8:1, 33-34; Eph 2:8-9), are being saved from the power of sin that we might live righteously (Rom 6:11-13; Col 3:5), and will be saved from the presence of sin when we leave this world and enter heaven (Phil 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2, 5). These three aspects of our salvation are also referred to as justification (declared just before God once for all), sanctification (our progressive righteousness over time), and glorification (removal of the sin nature after we leave this world). According to Chafer, “In its broadest significance, the doctrine of salvation includes every divine undertaking for the believer from his deliverance out of the lost estate to his final presentation in glory conformed to the image of Christ.”[1] Charles Ryrie adds:
"The inclusive sweep of salvation is underscored by observing the three tenses of salvation. (1) The moment one believed he was saved from the condemnation of sin (Eph 2:8; Tit 3:5). (2) That believer is also being saved from the dominion of sin and is being sanctified and preserved (Heb 7:25). (3) And he will be saved from the very presence of sin in heaven forever (Rom 5:9-10)."[2]
     The first and third aspects of our salvation (i.e., justification and glorification) are accomplished by God without any human assistance whatsoever. Concerning our justification, Scripture reveals that “God is the one who justifies” (Rom 8:33), and “who justifies the ungodly” (Rom 4:5). This is a work of God alone. No works are required for the one who trusts in Christ as Savior (Rom 4:4-5; Eph 2:8-9; Tit 3:5). Concerning our future glorification, Jesus Christ is the One “who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory” (Phil 3:21), and “We know that when He appears, we will be like Him” (1 John 3:2), and that “in Him there is no sin” (1 John 3:5). This means our future heavenly body will have no sin nature. This also is a work of God alone. However, the second aspect of our salvation, our sanctification, requires positive volition on our part. This is obvious by the use of NT verbs that are in the imperative mood (i.e., commands), which require the Christian to obey. As believers, we play a role in our sanctification as we learn and live God’s Word (2 Tim 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet 2:2; 2 Pet 3:18), yield to God the Holy Spirit (Eph 5:18; Gal 5:16, 25), walk by faith (2 Cor 5:7; Heb 10:38; 11:6), and advance to spiritual maturity (Heb 6:1).
Dr. Steven R. Cook
 
[1] Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology, vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1993), 6.
[2] Charles Caldwell Ryrie, Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1999), 318–319.

Expositional Bible Studies

This site contains verse by verse studies on various books of the Bible. The hermeneutical approach to Scripture is literal, historical, and grammatical. Dr. Cook is currently teaching through the book of Deuteronomy. Completed Bible studies include: Judges, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, John, Acts, 1 Peter, and Revelation.

There are also many doctrinal studies on subjects such as Bibliology, Theology Proper, Anthropology, Christology, Pneumatology, Soteriology, Angelology, Demonology, Ecclesiology, Eschatology, and others. 

To find a book or doctrinal study, go to the search option and type what you're looking for (i.e. John, Acts, salvation, angels, spiritual warfare, etc.). 

Thinking on Scripture is a grace ministry that offers Bible teaching without charge. 

Copyright 2013 Steven Cook. All rights reserved.

Podcast Powered By Podbean

Version: 20230822