Trespasses and Sins

1 Καὶ ὑμᾶς ὄντας νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασιν καὶ ταῖς ἁμαρτίαις ὑμῶν, 2 ἐν αἷς ποτε περιεπατήσατε κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ κόσμου τούτου, κατὰ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῆς ἐξουσίας τοῦ ἀέρος, τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ νῦν ἐνεργοῦντος ἐν τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς ἀπειθείας· (Ephesians 2:1,2 NA28)
¹ And you were dead in your trespasses and sins  ² in which you once walked according the world system of this age, according to ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit now working in the sons of disobedience. (Ephesians 2:1,2 translated from the NA28 Greek text)

I was requested recently for input into a discussion between professing Christians that had begun about what is proper worship and what is not using some of the presentations from the recent Strange Fire conference, but had taken a “strange turn” between a few attacking the theology of those who held to the Sovereignty of God in all things, especially salvation and those who were defending it. By the time I got to the discussion the “back and forth” and become quite terse and there was one very intense person insisting that “Sovereignty” was not a Biblical word, but a man-made, theological word since it was not found her King James Bible. She was refuted quite well by several people so I didn’t get involved in it. However, I did send my friend an exegetical analysis of Ephesians 2:1-9 showing that those who insist on Salvation according to Free Will must be inconsistent with Ephesians 2:8,9. It was from that “experience” that I decided we should take a closer look at two words found throughout the New Testament, “trespasses” and “sins.” 

9 Οὕτως οὖν προσεύχεσθε ὑμεῖς· Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· ἁγιασθήτω τὸ ὄνομά σου· 10 ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου· γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά σου, ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς· 11 τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον· 12 καὶ ἄφες ἡμῖν τὰ ὀφειλήματα ἡμῶν, ὡς καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν τοῖς ὀφειλέταις ἡμῶν· 13 καὶ μὴ εἰσενέγκῃς ἡμᾶς εἰς πειρασμόν, ἀλλὰ ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. 14 Ἐὰν γὰρ ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὰ παραπτώματα αὐτῶν, ἀφήσει καὶ ὑμῖν ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος· 15 ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀφῆτε τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, οὐδὲ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ἀφήσει τὰ παραπτώματα ὑμῶν. (Matthew 6:9-15 NA28)
⁹ “You, therefore, pray in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, let your name be hallowed, ¹⁰ let your kingdom come, let your will be done as in heaven also on earth. ¹¹ Give to us our daily bread today. ¹² And forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³ And do not bring us into temptation, but rescue us from the evil one.’ ¹⁴ For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵ But if you do not forgive men, neither will your Father forgive you of your trespasses.” (Matthew 6:9-15 translated from the NA28 Greek text)

This is, of course, what many call the Lord’s Prayer from the Sermon on the Mount. Read it carefully and relate v12 with vv14-15. The word “trespasses” in vv14-15 translates the Greek noun παραπτώματα or paraptōmata, a compound word made up of παρα or para, which means “along side of,” and πίπτω or piptō, “to fall.” Therefore παραπτώματα pictures a deviation to one side or the other. In the New Testament it is always used to strongly emphasize a deliberate act with its serious consequences. The key to understanding this in our theology, therefore, is to realize that “trespasses” speaks of a willful deviation from God’s requirement.

In the Lord’s Prayer we are taught what? We sin against God and each other. When we sin, we “trespass” and become debtors to whomever we have sinned against. In the prayer we pray for God to forgive our debts as we forgive our debtors. Then in vv-14-15 we are warned that the mark of true believers are that they are forgiving while those who are not true believers do not forgive. They cling to that debt owed to them. Those in Christ must let it all go.

We find παραπτώματα again in Romans 5:15-21.

15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many. 16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification. 17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ. 18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. 20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 5:15-21 ESV)

Adam’s sin was a willful deviation from God’s command and through it came condemnation for mankind. All born of the flesh, that is, all mankind, are willful sinners. We sin because we choose to sin; we deviate from the commands of God.

The other word we will look at is “sins.” In Ephesians 2:1, the word “sins” translates the Greek noun ἁμαρτίαις or hamartiais, the Dative, Plural, Feminine case of ἁμαρτία or hamartia. This noun is derived from the verb ἁμαρτάνω or hamartanō, “to miss the mark.”
 This verb was used in ancient Greek of a spearman missing the target at which he aimed and threw his spear. It then came to be used in the ethical sense of not measuring up to a standard, or falling short of a purpose or standard.

23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, (Romans 3:23 ESV)

What is this sin and how is it different from παραπτώματα or is it different? This sin is missing the mark. What is the mark for which we shoot? It is the glory of God. In other words, the mark we shoot for is to be worthy of glory, but we miss it every time. I cringe when I see the news and hear of “innocent” people being killed or hurt or whatever. My brethren, there is no such thing. We may think we are not sinners because we are not criminals or drug addicts or whatever, but ἁμαρτία brings us face to face with what sin is, the failure to be what we ought to be and could be.

We believe that sin is something we do, but it is actually something we do not do. And what is the thing we do not do? We do not measure up to God’s standard of holiness. God is holy, perfect, absolutely pure while our sin, then, is not measuring up to that standard. All of the “sins” we do are the result of what we do not do. How far we fall short of the glory of God!

Man’s view of sin is greatly distorted and his sinfulness distorts his view of his sinfulness and guilt. However, God’s view is clear—man has willfully deviated from God’s law and has fallen far short of God’s standard of holiness.

Now, do you see why we need a Saviour who is Holy and Righteous and took our place, dying on the Cross for our Sins? We must thank God for His forgiveness, which is available to all who believe because of this.

Which Commandment Is The Most Important Of All?

28 And one of the scribes came up and heard them disputing with one another, and seeing that he answered them well, asked him, “Which commandment is the most important of all?” 29 Jesus answered, “The most important is, ‘Hear, O Israel:The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. ’ 31 The second is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” 32 And the scribe said to him, “You are right, Teacher. You have truly said that he is one, and there is no other besides him. 33 And to love him with all the heart and with all the understanding and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is much more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.” 34 And when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And after that no one dared to ask him any more questions. (Mark 12:28-34 ESV)

The rabbis of Jesus’ day engaged in an ongoing debate to determine which commandments of the Law were “light” and which were “weighty” (Matthew 23:23). It reminds me of the debate in certain circles of the visible Church today in which some are concerned with how far they can push their “Christian Liberty.” This concept is no more biblical than that of the rabbis attempting to compartmentalize their religion. Does our Lord’s answer to the Pharisee in Mark 12, Matthew 22, and Luke 10 have any significance to the Christian?

The daily walk of the Christian is one of sanctification in which God demolishes our love for our idols and draws us into a holy, spirit-filled life. The call is to be transformed by the renewing of our minds (Romans 12:1,2) by living and walking before God as living sacrifices. This may sound complicated, but it really is not. In fact, the key to making this work is found in our Lord’s answer to the Pharisees who were debating which commandment was the greatest.

The natural man, woman, or child walks through each day loving themselves. When one is hungry or cold or hot or tired, et cetera he or she will take steps to take care of the “need.” When one is injured or sick then he or she will become consumed with the pain and need to take care of what is wrong. The world is constantly reminding us of what we need to be concerned about and offers of solutions. We are constantly being bombarded with this stuff to the point that we can become so wrapped up in “meeting this need” that we will actually take steps to get what we “deserve” because we believe we are “entitled.” This is loving self.

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. 35 And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:34-40 ESV)

Do you see that we already love ourselves? This is natural. God is not telling us here that we first must learn to love ourselves. No, the command for us here is that we must love others as we love ourselves and for this to be an imperative for us it must start with us loving the Lord our God with all our hearts and with all our souls and with all our minds. If our hearts’ focus is here then we will also naturally love others as we love ourselves. What does it mean to love God this way?

1 “Now this is the commandment—the statutes and the rules —that the Lord your God commanded me to teach you, that you may do them in the land to which you are going over, to possess it, 2 that you may fear the Lord your God, you and your son and your son’s son, by keeping all his statutes and his commandments, which I command you, all the days of your life, and that your days may be long. 3 Hear therefore, O Israel, and be careful to do them, that it may go well with you, and that you may multiply greatly, as the Lord, the God of your fathers, has promised you, in a land flowing with milk and honey. 4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. 6 And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:1-9 ESV)

This passage is the source for part of our Lord’s quote in Matthew 22. From the immediate context, we learn what makes up this love of God, which encompasses the Christian in every part. It starts with fearing the Lord our God and keeping all his statutes and commandments. We are commanded to be careful to do them in all our days. Moses also tells us here that we are to teach this to our children, their children, and their children. In other words, loving the Lord is manifest in us as we obey Him in fear, awe, reverence, and diligence. This is not talking about keeping rules in a legalistic manner, like the Pharisees were trying to do, but from a grateful heart full of Love for our deliverer we obey our Lord in all parts of our lives. If we are living this way, what will our relationships be like with our spouses, relatives, and neighbors?

9 “When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not reap your field right up to its edge, neither shall you gather the gleanings after your harvest. 10 And you shall not strip your vineyard bare, neither shall you gather the fallen grapes of your vineyard. You shall leave them for the poor and for the sojourner: I am the Lord your God. 11 “You shall not steal; you shall not deal falsely; you shall not lie to one another. 12 You shall not swear by my name falsely, and so profane the name of your God: I am the Lord. 13 “You shall not oppress your neighbor or rob him. The wages of a hired worker shall not remain with you all night until the morning. 14 You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord. 15 “You shall do no injustice in court. You shall not be partial to the poor or defer to the great, but in righteousness shall you judge your neighbor. 16 You shall not go around as a slanderer among your people, and you shall not stand up against the life of your neighbor: I am the Lord. 17 “You shall not hate your brother in your heart, but you shall reason frankly with your neighbor, lest you incur sin because of him. 18 You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the Lord. (Leviticus 19:9-18 ESV)

Do you see that the one who loves the Lord with their entire being will also be generous, considerate, honest, full of love instead of hate, nor will they be vengeful. No, the spirit-filled believer shall love their neighbor as themselves.

1 Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. 3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous ( that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. 6 Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience. 7 Therefore do not become partners with them; 8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light 9 (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), 10 and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them. 12 For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret. 13 But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, 14 for anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.” 15 Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 21 submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ. (Ephesians 5:1-21 ESV)

The one who loves the Lord their God with their entire being will be an imitator of Him. He or she will walk in the love of Christ sacrificially. If you skipped this passage I exhort you to go back and carefully read it. This is how the Christian will interact with everyone. The one who belongs to God hears the truth of His Word and learns to obey it as God matures him or her. The more spirit-filled they become, the more Christlike they will be. This joyous, spirit-filled life is not defeated by circumstances. This life contains no guarantee of no trouble, but the Christian is promised that nothing can separate them from the love of God or take them from the Saviour’s hand. However, as we have seen, the genuine Christian is called to put to death their pride and self-focus by becoming humble and spirit-filled. They walk through each day with their focus on their blessed hope rather than an easy retirement.

My brethren, this is radical Christianity and it is what all who in Christ are called to. Those in this walk will have no concept of pushing the envelope of “Christian Liberty” or a form of Christianity that is carnal and fleshly. For those who have been lied to by their leaders that God doesn’t care how carnal you become, I pray that you will draw near unto God with a repentant heart seeking to commit your life to Christ’s Lordship. I pray that you will seek to enter the spirit-filled walk. I pray that you will learn to deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Christ.

The Doctrine Of Justification By Faith

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” (Romans 1:16-17 ESV)

The Protestant Reformation was used by God to restore the lost doctrine of Justification by Faith. Also, all of the reformers were adamant that the Bible be available to all people in a language they could read and understand. The Roman Catholic Church of that era was apostate and taught a corrupt gospel based on works. The Bible was kept locked up and away from non-scholars. It was always read verbally to the people in Latin, which few understood. As the Bible was translated from Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek into German, English, French, etc. the doctrine of Justification by Faith became central. Why would our enemy and his seed seek to bury this doctrine within religion?

11 But when Cephas came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he stood condemned. 12 For before certain men came from James, he was eating with the Gentiles; but when they came he drew back and separated himself, fearing the circumcision party. 13 And the rest of the Jews acted hypocritically along with him, so that even Barnabas was led astray by their hypocrisy. 14 But when I saw that their conduct was not in step with the truth of the gospel, I said to Cephas before them all, “If you, though a Jew, live like a Gentile and not like a Jew, how can you force the Gentiles to live like Jews?” 15 We ourselves are Jews by birth and not Gentile sinners; 16 yet we know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in order to be justified by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no one will be justified. (Galatians 2:11-16 ESV)

Never forget that even though we are in Christ and are regenerate and have the Holy Spirit, we can also fall into the sin of seeking to be justified by our actions. Even the Apostle Peter fell into this sin. Peter traveled to Antioch of Syria to the church there. It was made up of mostly Gentiles. He ate with and fellowshipped with them. However, when James, the brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, came to visit, Peter withdrew from fellowship with the Gentile Christians. As a result, the other Jewish Christians, except for Paul, did as well. Why would Peter, or any of the other Jewish Christians do this? Think with me. Let’s move forward to the 21st Century. I hear this a great deal so I know that this following sin is prevalent in the Church today. Pornography is rampant and it has a grip of death in the hearts of many professing Christians. However, to a man, I contend that they who are in bondage to it can control their addiction and not pursue it if their wife, or mother, or friend, or Pastor, or their children, or anyone else is with them. They go after it only when they are alone. Isn’t this revealing that their fear of man is greater than their fear of God?

That was Peter’s sin. He knew that he had been justified by faith alone and not by keeping the Law. However, when pressure was put on him from the leaders of the Jewish Christians, he succumbed to the fear of men rather than abiding in the fear of God. Our works do not justify us. If so, then we would all have to keep the Law perfectly. In God’s economy, our works are totally unacceptable as a means of salvation. Why? The root of sinfulness is in the fallenness of man’s heart, not his actions. The Law serves as a mirror to reveal sin, not as a cure for it.

All genuine believers have been justified by faith. The Greek word that is translated as “justified” is a forensic word that describes a judge declaring an accused person not guilty and therefore innocent before the law. Throughout scripture this word refers to God’s declaring a sinner not guilty and fully righteous before Him by imputing to him or her the divine righteousness of Christ and imputing the person’s sin to our sinless Saviour.

8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:8-10 ESV)

All genuine believers are saved by grace through faith. It is by God’s unmerited favor that we are saved through the conduit of faith. It is God’s work not ours. For if we did it then it would be a work and that would not be by Grace. If we did it then we could boast. However, it is not of ourselves, it is the gift of God. The way this passage is structured in Greek, the word “that” in the phrase, “and that not of yourselves,” refers to the entire previous statement of salvation. The grace and the faith are God’s work. We are required to believe in order to be justified by faith, but even that faith is part of the gift of God that saves and cannot be exercised by one’s own power. If so, then this passage is false. I prefer to believe what the Bible says rather than what my pride wants to believe. Therefore, I reject what my “common sense” says about this and believe that God saved me despite myself.

Believers are New Creations who are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works. These good works cannot produce salvation but are subsequent and resultant God-empowered fruits and evidences of it. God has ordained that all of His children walk in these good works. We are to walk before the face of God by His grace, in obedience, and in our fear of Him. We are most definitely capable of relapsing into walking in the fear of men, but when we do that we are walking outside of the good works within which God has ordained for us to walk. It does not alter our justification because that came to us by faith through grace, not works. However, if we are genuine believers we will abide in our Lord’s Word. We will not fall away.

Now we return to our original question. Why would our enemy seek to bury the doctrine of Justification by Faith in religion? If people believe they are Christians by their own works then they may not be saved, but unfortunately those in this group  who are genuine will also believe their “walk” is entirely up to them as well. It is imperative that we preach the whole Gospel. People must understand their fallen nature and hopelessness of being reconciled to God by works. Then as they hear the good news of the salvation available to those who believe, the Holy Spirit will open their hearts to do so. It is through this that God justifies those who believe. On the other hand, if this doctrine is ignored as well as man’s fallen nature, then a corrupt gospel is preached that saves no one.

6 Quotes that Luther Didn’t Actually Say

Here are a few quotes you’ll often hear attributed to Luther, though none of them are exact actual quotes, and a few of them are things that Luther would have disagreed with!
Alleged Luther quote #1:

If I believed the world were to end tomorrow, I would still plant a tree today.

Luther didn’t say this. For a thorough discussion, see Martin Schloemann, Luthers Apfelbäumchen: Ein Kapitel deutscher Mentalitätsgeschichte seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg
(Göttingen: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1994), 246-251 (via Frederick Gaiser, HT: Garrett Lee). Schloemann argues that it’s not only something Luther didn’t say but wouldn’t say, unless it was put into a Christocentric eschatology emphasizing “creaturely service of neighbor and world.”
Alleged Luther quote #2:

The maid who sweeps her kitchen is doing the will of God just as much as the monk who prays—not because she may sing a Christian hymn as she sweeps but because God loves clean floors.
The Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.

Luther didn’t say this. As with the quote from the first example, Gaiser argues that it doesn’t sit very well with Luther’s actual views on vocation. The idea that God is pleased with our work because he likes quality work “would be the American work-ethic version of vocation, theologically endorsing work as an end in itself. In the hands and mouth of a modern boss, good craftsmanship and clean floors (or a clean desk or a signed contract) to the glory of God could be a potent and tyrannical tool to promote the bottom line. . . . [W]hat marks Luther’s doctrine of vocation is the insistence that the work is done in service of the neighbor and of the world. God likes shoes (and good ones!) not for their own sake, but because the neighbor needs shoes. . . .”
Alleged Luther quote #3:

If I profess with the loudest voice and clearest exposition every portion of the Word of God except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may be professing Him. Where the battle rages there the loyalty of the soldier is proved; and to be steady on all the battle front besides, is mere flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point.

Luther didn’t say this exactly, but this one is closer. Denny Burk looked into this one:

Most writers quote other writers’ use of the term. The few that credit an original source cite a letter published in the Weimar edition of Luther’s works [D. Martin Luther's Werke : kritische Gesamtausgabe (Weimarer Ausgabe) : [3. Band] Briefwechsel

, ed. (Weimar: H. Böhlaus Nachfolger, 1933), 81-82]. Here’s a scan of the relevant text from the Weimar edition:

Here’s a rough translation:
“Also it does not help that one of you would say: ‘I will gladly confess Christ and His Word on every detail, except that I may keep silent about one or two things which my tyrants may not tolerate, such as the form of the Sacraments and the like.’ For whoever denies Christ in one detail or word has denied the same Christ in that one detail who was denied in all the details, since there is only one Christ in all His words, taken together or individually.”
As you can see, this does not match the first quotation, though the sentiments described in the former are similar to the latter.
Alleged Luther quote #4:

I’d rather be ruled by a wise Turk than by a foolish Christian.

Luther didn’t say this one, and wouldn’t have. Gene Veith offers an extended analysis. Here is his conclusion:

These statements by Martin Luther and their context within the various documents he wrote are more than sufficient to convince reasonable readers that Luther would never have uttered the falsely attributed quote and would never regard as a preferable desire or choice to be ruled by a Turk. [It] is not “Luther-esque” and in fact, it is diametrically opposed to the position on which we know from his writings Luther firmly stood.

Alleged Luther quote #5:

Justification is the article by which the church stands and falls.

This one is pretty close.
The first use of this exact Latin phrase (justificatio est articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae
) seems to be by Lutheran theologian Balthasar Meisner—born 40 years after Luther’s death—who said that it was a “proverb of Luther” (Anthropôlogia sacra disputation 24 [Wittenberg: Johannes Gormannus, 1615]).
In 1618 Reformed theologian Johann Heinrich Alsted wrote articulus iustificationis dicitur articulus stantis et cadentis ecclesiae
 (in Theologia scholastica didacta [Hanover, 1618], p. 711)— “The article of justification is said to be the article by which the church stands or  falls.”
We don’t have record of Luther using the exact phrase, but very close: quia isto articulo stante stat Ecclesia, ruente ruit Ecclesia—
“Because if this article [of justification] stands, the church stands; if this article collapses, the church collapses.” (WA 40/3.352.3)
So the famous version is more like a summary of paraphrase of his actual quote.
Alleged Quote #6

Here I stand; I can do no other.

Diarmaid MacCulloch, in his magesterial work on the Reformation, says this is the “most memorable thing Luther never said.” Many scholars believe that it was first inserted at the end of Luther’s speech by the first editor of his collected works, Georg Rörer (1492-1557).
Copyright © 2014 by the author listed above. Used by permission.

Where Does “Separation of Church and State” Come From and What Does It Really Mean?

A good brief summary from Princeton’s Robert P. George:

The best resource I know on this question is Daniel Dreisbach’s Thomas Jefferson and the Wall of Separation Between Church and State (New York University Press, 2003).

For a good summary of this history and analysis, see his online piece, “The Mythical ‘Wall of Separation’: How a Misused Metaphor Changed Church-State Law, Policy, and Discourse.”

Professor Dresibach begins by observing:

No metaphor in American letters has had a more profound influence on law and policy than Thomas Jefferson’s “wall of separation between church and state.” Today, this figure of speech is accepted by many Americans as a pithy description of the constitutionally prescribed church-state arrangement, and it has become the sacred icon of a strict separationist dogma that champions a secular polity in which religious influences are systematically and coercively stripped from public life.

In our own time, the judiciary has embraced this figurative phrase as a virtual rule of constitutional law and as the organizing theme of church-state jurisprudence, even though the metaphor is nowhere to be found in the U.S. Constitution.

Dresibach sets out “to challenge the conventional, secular myth that Thomas Jefferson, or the constitutional architects, erected a high wall between religion and the civil government.”

“Although today,” he writes, “Jefferson’s Danbury letter is thought of as a principled statement on the prudential and constitutional relationship between church and state, it was in fact a political statement written to reassure pious Baptist constituents that Jefferson was indeed a friend of religion and to strike back at the Federalist-Congregationalist establishment in Connecticut for shamelessly vilifying him as an infidel and atheist in the recent campaign.”

It’s not uncommon for advocates of the “high and impregnable wall” misunderstanding of the metaphor to suggest that Jefferson’s own policies were incompatible with his own principles (e.g., endorsement of federal funds to build churches, support of Christian missionaries among the Native Americans, etc.). But Dresibach shows that in Jefferson’s own thinking, the wall was not a separation between church and all civil government, but rather a wall between the national and state governments on matters related to religion.

Meet the Family of God

There is no denying the importance of family. My husband and children are my first priority and God’s gift to me. When my husband is discouraged, it’s a privilege to come alongside him and encourage him. When my kids are sick, my husband and I are there to nurse them back to health. Our relationships go much further than caring for one another, of course, but often these tangible expressions are the means of expressing our importance to one another. My husband and I are united through the covenant of marriage and have the great responsibility from God of shepherding our children.

I imagine you would agree that family is important. There’s another family that is of great value to the Lord and that is the family of God.

Our Adoption

As Christians we are adopted children of God. Paul tells us of our new bloodline when he writes: “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs — heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him” (Romans 8:16–17). We are children of God and a fellow heir with Christ. Before the foundation of the world God had us in mind. He created us and then he adopted us as his very own children.

But it came at a price.

In order for us to be brought into God’s family, his Son had to die. God gave his Son for us to be called sons. We know that Jesus’s death wasn’t short and quick. It was long and agonizing — and it was for us.

Even before his death Jesus affirmed the importance of being a part of the family of God. Addressing the people while his mother and brothers stood outside, Jesus said, “‘Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?’ And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, ‘Here are my mother and my brothers! For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother’” (Matthew 12:48–50).

Jesus isn’t making a statement that our biological families are no longer important (see Matthew 15:3). Rather, he is stating that following him is far greater. He takes priority, and so does his kingdom — so much so that those who follow him are counted as his brother and sister and mother — his family.

A Colorful Family

Maybe the best news about our adoption into God’s family is that it is not dependent on us. He doesn’t call the righteous, he redeems sinners. God also doesn’t look at our outward appearance to determine whether he will adopt us. He doesn’t discriminate based on ethnicity. His concern is the heart. We know that all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). We are saved by faith alone through grace alone — all our boasting is in Christ alone (Ephesians 2:8–9). The gospel is for all nations.

We know this is true, and yet so often we allow the differences in the color of our skin to dictate whether or not we accept people. God doesn’t discriminate in his family. Racial reconciliation has been accomplished in Christ. There is no distinction. Those who trust in Christ for their salvation are adopted, and therefore we are all brothers and sisters in Christ. As a result, we should be united in Christ. He’s got a colorful family, and therefore so do we. Russell Moore puts it like this in Adopted for Life:

Our adoption means . . . that we find a different kind of unity. In Christ, we find Christ. We don’t have our old identities based on race or class or life situation. The Spirit drives us from Babel to Pentecost, which is why “the works of the flesh” Paul warns about include “enmity, strife, jealousy. . . .” When we find our identity anywhere other than Christ, our churches will be made up of warring partisans rather than loving siblings.

What would it mean, though, if we took the radical notion of being brothers and sisters seriously?

What would happen if your church saw an elderly woman no one would ever confuse with “cool” on her knees at the front of the church praying with a body-pierced fifteen-year-old anorexic girl?

What would happen if your church saw a white millionaire corporate vice president being mentored by a Latino minimum wage-earning janitor because both know the janitor is more mature in the things of Christ? (paragraphing added)

Different and the Same

As we begin to view members of our churches as members of God’s family and thus as members of our family, our prejudices begin to crumble. Racial reconciliation is not only possible; it’s a must because we are the very family of God.

One way for us to truly love and care for the Church is for us to get a big God view of the family of God. Understanding the family of God is yet another weapon against racial intolerance in the church and beyond.

As we recognize, accept, and embrace our new family, we experience the walls of hostility abolished, torn down, no more. Only in the family of God can people so distinctly different be the same (equal in creation and redemption) and counted as sisters and brothers in a new family.

Isn’t It Ironic?

Alanis Morissette’s album Jagged Little Pill debuted in 1995, just as the first wave of Millennials was crashing into America’s high schools. Her music became one of the soundtracks for these critical years — for many of us, not chosen, or even necessarily positive, but unavoidable. Her distinctive voice, catchy tunes, and conspicuous distress aired nonstop on the radio and at the mall.

Other than her nasty little ditty “You Oughta Know” (we won’t rehearse those bitter lyrics here), her biggest song was “Ironic.” And it’s proved to be her most enduring, still playing almost two decades later, having reached a kind of classic status. If you’ve been in public at all in the last twenty years, you’ve likely heard it.

A Song We Can All Sing

In “Ironic,” Morissette, once crowned “the queen of alt-rock angst,” plays the part, it seems, of the observant but powerless nihilist, noting how “life has a funny way of sneaking up on you when you think everything’s okay.” It’s not just a clever and humorous celebration of irony, but it subtly begs the deeper question as it personifies “life.” At worst, it’s just a playful lament of life’s endless torrent of troubles, but at best it’s suggestive of something personal behind it all. Someone.

It only takes a few lines to catch the gist of “Ironic.”

A traffic jam when you’re already late
A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break
It’s like ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife
It’s meeting the man of my dreams
And then meeting his beautiful wife

We’ll leave the debate to the critics as to whether Morissette really understands what irony is in its strict sense, or whether what she’s really lamenting is bad timing. But however that goes, the song’s wild popularity, and sticking power, is owing not just to the mesmerizing tune and her riveting mezzo-soprano, but to the fact that we all can relate to what seem like profound ironies in our lives.

It’s like rain on your wedding day
It’s a free ride when you’ve already paid
It’s the good advice that you just didn’t take
Who would’ve thought it figures?

The Real Meaning of Irony

For those suppressing the innate knowledge of a Creator, noting the humor in the ironies is one small way of straining for some silver lining in the disappointments that come our way. But in the end, there’s no meaning to it for the nihilist. Making light of the irony, or the bad timing, is just one place to step your foot near the harrowing cliff of meaningless, right before sliding off.

But for the Christian, life’s ironies are pregnant with meaning. They aren’t just humorously coincidental and then ultimately empty. They are profoundly personal. They are pinpricks in the veil, little reminders that every moment and every detail are known and ordained by a personal God, who’s in and beneath all the minutia, working all things, even and especially life’s most tragic ironies, for our everlasting good (Romans 8:28).

Life’s ironies, whether advantageous or dreadful, make us freshly aware that our existence isn’t random, that everything coming our way has been lovingly sorted for our good, and that there is a greater goal, and deeper joy, than our comfort in the moment.

No Mere Coincidences

It’s not just the big details that are from the divine hand, but the small as well — “from him and through him and to him are all things” (Romans 11:36). Even the things which otherwise would seem most left to chance, like the roll of the dice: “The lot is cast into the lap, but its every decision is from the LORD” (Proverbs 16:33).

It is our God, personal and loving, the Father of Jesus, “who makes the clouds rise at the end of the earth, who makes lightnings for the rain and brings forth the wind from his storehouses” (Psalm 135:7). He’s the one behind the ironies and everything else. When a tree falls in the woods, and no human’s there, he’s still onsite in all his sovereign sway. And “not one [sparrow] will fall to the ground apart from your Father” (Matthew 10:29). We conclude with John Piper, “If there is a God in heaven, there is no such thing as a mere coincidence, not even in the smallest affairs of life” (Desiring God, 37).

A Little Too Ironic?

For the Christian, the seeming ironies of life — whether they make us smirk, grimace, or weep — are not random, but the fingerprints of God, majestic mementos that the Absolute who rules the universe, down to every detail, is also Personal. And that he is loving toward us who are in his Son. Often we call them providences when we spot the fingerprints. It is the best of all worlds, when the one to whom we’re joined by faith is both sovereign and good.

Morissette hints at one point how suggestive life’s ironies can be. She asks, “A little too ironic?” and answers, “Yeah, I really do think.” Whether she would say more or not, the song contains no further clues. But at least it may make us wonder. Whether she will admit to it or not, she knows deep down that life’s many ironies are too evocative to be explained away every time with chance and coincidence.

Isn’t it providential, don’t you think?

Five Truths About the Resurrection of Jesus

Five Truths About the Resurrection of Jesus| Desiring God(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');ga('create', 'UA-1853263-1', 'desiringgod.org');ga('send', 'pageview');BlogSermonsBooksMoreBrowse ByScriptureTopicLanguageResourcesConference MessagesArticlesBiographiesSeminarsInterviewsPoemsOtherEventsAboutDonateSearchMenuOr browse by Scripture, Topic or Language.

Or browse by Scripture, Topic or Language.

ResourcesOtherClose menuTweetFive Truths About the Resurrection of JesusFebruary 26, 2014 by Joseph ScheumannTopics: The Resurrection of Christ

The resurrection of Jesus is foundational to the Christian faith, and yet, oftentimes, we only give it real thought around the Easter season.

But the resurrection of Jesus is so important that Paul writes, “If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins” (1 Corinthians 15:17). And later he says, “If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied” (verse 19).

In the hopes of gaining a deeper understanding of this glorious reality, here are five truths about the resurrection.

1) Jesus had a bodily resurrection.

When Jesus was raised from the dead, he didn’t leave his body behind. In fact, after his resurrection his scars remained (John 20:27), he ate fish (John 20:12), he bodily ascended to heaven (Acts 1:9), and will bodily come again (1 Thessalonians 4:16). The Son of God will always have a bodily existence.

The fact that Jesus still has a body testifies to the dignity of the human body — both the ones that we have and the ones we will have after our resurrection. Matthew Lee Anderson writes, “The resurrection of the body means that to be human with God is to be with him not as disembodied souls, but as people with noses, faces, arms, and legs that are similar to those we currently have” (Earthen Vessels, 60–61).

2) Jesus had a justifying resurrection.

Perhaps the clearest instance of Paul connecting Jesus’s resurrection with his justification is obscured in most English translations. Paul writes in 1 Timothy 3:16, “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” The word that is translated “vindicated” is typically translated “declared righteous” or “justified” elsewhere in the New Testament.

But if Jesus was perfect, how could he be justified, since justification implies guilt (see Romans 4:5)? The answer lies in Jesus’s death and resurrection. Richard Gaffin explains, “As long as [Jesus] remained in a state of death, the righteous character of his work, the efficacy of his obedience unto death remained in question, in fact, was implicitly denied. Consequently, the eradication of death in his resurrection is nothing less than the removal of the verdict of condemnation and the effective affirmation of his righteousness” (Resurrection and Redemption, 121–122).

3) Jesus had a Trinitarian resurrection.

The pattern in the New Testament is to speak of God the Father as the one who does the raising, Jesus as the one who is being raised, and the Spirit as the means the Father used to raise Jesus. This pattern is seen in Romans 8:11: “If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.”

Here we see not only that God the Father raises Jesus through the Holy Spirit, but our resurrection will be parallel to the resurrection of Jesus — God the Father will raise us through the Spirit.

4) Jesus had a firstfruits resurrection of ours to come.

Paul describes Jesus’s resurrection as “the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep” (1 Corinthians 15:20). Firstfruits is an agricultural metaphor that points to the initial quality of the harvest. Gaffin explains, “Paul is saying here, the resurrection of Christ and of believers cannot be separated. Why? Because, to extend the metaphor as Paul surely intends, Christ’s resurrection is the ‘firstfruits’ of the resurrection ‘harvest’ that includes the resurrection of believers. This thought is reinforced in verse 23: ‘Each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ’” (By Faith, Not By Sight, 68).

5) In Jesus, believers are already spiritually resurrected.

The resurrection is not only a future event for believers. Those who believe in Christ have already been raised to life with him. Paul writes, “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God” (Colossians 3:1).Christians are people who have already been raised with Christ. Gaffin explains, “[B]elievers will never be more resurrected than they already are. God has done a work in each believer, a work of nothing less than resurrection proportions, that will not be undone” (By Faith, Not by Sight, 76).

The resurrection is an already but not-yet reality for the Christian because of our union with Christ. Jesus’s resurrection means that those who have faith in him have been raised from the dead because they are in Christ, and yet we still await the full experience of the resurrection to come (Romans 8:22–23).

Recent posts from Jospeh Scheumann:

Five Truths About the Incarnation

Five Encouragements for Everyday Work

Five Truths About Christian Suffering

Joseph Scheumann (@JosephScheumann) is a project manager for donor partnerships at Desiring God. He is pursuing a Master of Divinity at Bethlehem College and Seminary. He and his wife, Martha, live in Minneapolis.

Previous PostPreparing Teens for College (And Adulthood)February 26, 2014This Week at Desiring GodThe Gospel — At Home and at Odds in Every CultureThe Gospel — At Home and at Odds in Every CultureNew message from John PiperWatch Now God-centered resources from the ministry of John PiperLearn more© 2014 Desiring God Ministries

@johnpiper
@desiringgod

John Piper
Desiring God

Email Updates

Receive email updates from Desiring God.

Daily BlogNews & Updates© 2014 Desiring God Ministries

Admin SectionEdit Blog Post

View the original article here

Some Historical Roots of African American Big God Theology

Year after year our awareness of the historical evidence increases that “Big God Theology” is indigenous to African American leadership from the beginnings of the Christian conversion of Blacks on this continent. Again and again what we find is that the most vivid and horrible descriptions of the slave trade go hand in hand with unshakeable confidence in God’s sovereignty over and in it all.

I would dare to venture that it was precisely the steel certainty of God’s all-governing, all-wise sovereignty, in the furnace of untold suffering, that forged the spiritual treasures of what Carl Ellis calls the “theological soul dynamic” in Black culture. In the last fifty years the biblical character of that soul dynamic has been significantly compromised by the widespread embrace of (largely white!) liberal theology.

But recently there has been a rediscovery and resurgence, among younger black leaders, of confidence in God’s all-wise sovereignty in suffering. This has gone hand in hand with the increasing awareness of how deep are the roots of this confidence in the soil of African American faith.

Ironically, one of the Black historians who has increased our awareness is not a theist, let alone a Christian. Anthony B. Pinn, Professor of humanities and Religious Studies at Rice University, promotes what he calls African American humanism. In his 2002 book, Moral Evil and Redemptive Suffering: A History of Theodicy in African-American Religious Thought, Pinn assembles thirty original historical documents by African Americans from 1787 to the present. Here is a sampling of the three earliest witnesses.

Jupiter Hammon

Jupiter Hammon was the first African American writer to be published in the United States. He lived in Lloyd Harbor, New York and was never emancipated. He was a fervent Christian and renowned for his eloquence. One of his most well-known addresses was given at the inaugural meeting of the African Society, September 24, 1786, titled An Address to the Negroes in the State of New York. He speaks of the deplorable condition of his brothers and their “poor, despised, miserable state”.

When he thinks about their plight, he says,

I am pained to the heart. It is at times almost too much for human nature to bear, and I am obliged to turn my thoughts from the subject or endeavor to still my mind, by considering that it is permitted thus to be, by that God who governs all things, who setteth up one and pulleth down another. (Pinn, 28)

Hammon pleads with the Blacks of New York to take every opportunity to learn how to read because then they may read the Bible.

Therein we may learn what God is. That he made all things by the power of his word, and that he made all things for his own glory, and not for our glory. That he is over all, and above all his creatures, and more above them than we can think or conceive — that they can do nothing without him — that he upholds them all and will overrule all things for his own glory. (Pinn, 34)

Absalom Jones

Twenty-one years later, on January 1, 1808 Absalom Jones, the first African American priest ordained in the Anglican Church, preached a message of thanksgiving in Philadelphia “on account of the abolition of the African Slave Trade on that day by the Congress of the United States.”

Jones gives a painfully vivid account of the plundering of African tribes, the Middle Passage, and the conditions of slaves in their new land, “exposed for sale like horses and cattle upon the wharves; or like bales of good.” He describes the “different modes of torture by means of the whip, the screw, the pincers, and the red hot iron . . . by inhuman overseers . . . deaf to the cries and shrieks of their agonizing slaves” (Pinn, 40).

He admits that “it has always been a mystery, why the impartial Father of the human race should have permitted the transportation of so many millions of our fellow creatures to this country, to endure all the miseries of slavery.” He does not know.

But instead of assuming God was helpless, or evil, or unwise, or non-existent, he assumes an all-wise, divine purpose, even if it is beyond our comprehension. He conjectures:

Perhaps his design was that a knowledge of the gospel might be acquired by some of their descendants, in order that they might become qualified to be the messengers of it, to the land of their fathers. Let this thought animate us, when we are teaching our children to love and adore the name of the Redeemer. Who knows but that a Joseph may rise up among them, who shall be the instrument of feeding the African nations with the bread of life, and of saving them, not from earthly bondage, but from the more galling yoke of sin and Satan. (Pinn, 42)

Nathaniel Paul

Nineteen years later, Nathaniel Paul preached a message July 5, 1827, the day after slavery was abolished in the state of New York. Paul was the pastor of the first African American Baptist Church of Albany, New York. He is overflowing with thankfulness to “the all-wise disposer of events” (Pinn, 46). Slavery, he said, “the most pernicious and abominable of all enterprises, in which the depravity of human nature ever led man to engage. . . . Its visage is satanic, its origin the very offspring of hell, and in all cases its effects are grievous” (47–48).

So he is bold to ask God, why he permitted this:

And, oh thou immaculate God, be not angry with us while we come into this thy sanctuary, and make the bold inquiry in this thy holy temple, why it was that thou didst look on with the calm indifference of any unconcerned spectator, when thy holy law was violated, thy divine authority despised, and a portion of thine own creatures reduced to a state of mere vassalage and misery. (50)

And he hears God answer:

Hark! While he answers from on high hear him proclaiming from the skies — Be still, and know that I am God! Clouds and darkness are round about me; yet righteousness and judgment are the habitation of my throne. I do my will and pleasure in the heaven above, and in the earth beneath; it is my sovereign prerogative to bring good out of evil, and cause the wrath of man to praise me. (50)

What these three African American witnesses show is that two hundred years ago Big God Theology was indigenous to the African American Christian mind. It was not alien. What would have been alien is Anthony Pinn’s God-less African American humanism.

The African American recovery of this emphasis today is, therefore, not the mere echo of white, western, Big God awakenings. Instead, what’s happening, across numerous cultures and ethnicities and geographies, is that the all-sovereign God of the Bible is reasserting himself for the strength and joy of his people. And to protect us from theological ethnocentrism, he is simultaneously reminding us that he has done this before among our fathers — white and black. (And, no doubt, other ethnic groups, if I only knew the history better. But I leave that for others.)

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the founder of salvation

10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. (Hebrews 2:10 ESV)

Adherents to any man-focused religion that call themselves Christian place the onus of salvation on the person and make God a passive entity who will not or cannot interfere with Man’s free will. This is not Biblical. It is philosophical. When we debate those who elevate free will above God and His sovereignty using Sacred Scripture their response is never in kind. That is because we are actually contending against a philosophy that is based on Man’s conceptions and understandings not on Biblical exegesis. Let us look at the founder of our salvation from the source our God gave us. Through this, He will make His truth apparent to our hearts by the working of the Holy Spirit as we study His Word.

5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking. 6 It has been testified somewhere, “What is man, that you are mindful of him, or the son of man, that you care for him? 7 You made him for a little while lower than the angels; you have crowned him with glory and honor, 8 putting everything in  subjection under his feet.” Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. At present, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. 9 But we see him who for a little while was made lower than the angels, namely Jesus, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. (Hebrews 2:5-9 ESV)

The writer of the book of Hebrews is unknown to all except God. Notice that the Kingdom of God is not in the hands of angels nor will they inherit it. Then the writer quotes Psalm 8:4-6. He is actually questioning why God would go to such great lengths to provide a way of salvation for Man. It is obvious that no son or daughter of Adam is worthy of this. The “him” in vv7-9 is referring to Christ.

Jesus Christ is the Son, the second person in the Holy Trinity. He is the one through whom God created the Universe (John 1:1). He is far above the angels yet in order to accomplish the salvation of people God made Him a little lower than the angels. This is referring to His incarnation as a man. He was not sent as an angel, but a man. God originally gave dominion over the Earth to Man at creation. However, the fall in Genesis 3 made Man incapable of fulfilling that mission. However, our Lord Jesus Christ, since He became a man and fulfilled His redemptive work on the Cross has fulfilled all that is required in order that He became the supreme representative of our race (Romans 6:23; 1 John 4:10).

During the short period of His incarnation, our Lord was lower than the angels, but He is no longer. This is a point that many today overlook. When Jesus returns He will do so in all His glory. He will return to separate the Sheep from the Goats. He will tread down all who oppose Him. However, at the Cross He tasted death for everyone who believes, not everyone who has ever lived. This is a true statement because the death of Christ can only be applied in its efficacy to those who come to God in repentance and faith. This God given faith (Ephesians 2:8,9) causes all whom God draws to Christ (John 6:44) to ask God for saving grace and forgiveness of sins.

10 For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the founder of their salvation perfect through suffering. 11 For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one source. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brothers, 12 saying, “I will tell of your name to my brothers; in the midst of the congregation I will sing your praise.” 13 And again, “I will put my trust in him.” And again, “Behold, I and the children God has given me.” (Hebrews 2:10-13 ESV)

While we view our Lord’s suffering and death on the Cross as horrible, it was fitting that God used this to bring His elect to glory (Ephesians 1:3-14).  The Greek word translated in v10 as “fitting” is πρέπω or prepō. This verb literally means, “to tower up” or become conspicuous in the context of becoming suitable or proper. Since this is describing a work of God then we understand that sending the Son to the cross to become the propitiation for the elect lined up perfectly with His character and by no means violated His sovereign righteousness.  In Christ’s victory through suffering on the Cross He became the founder of the elect’s salvation. He is the author of our salvation. He is the forerunner of all who follow Him in salvation and into eternal glory.

Our Lord calls all who believe “brother.” He loves His elect and even speaks of them to those who have preceded them into eternity. Notice that all who come to Christ are “given” to Christ by God.

14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted. (Hebrews 2:14-18 ESV)

The Greek word for “share” in v14 is κοινωνέω or koinōneō. In this context it means “fellowship, communion, or partnership.” What could this mean? Believers have “shared” in what they are in flesh and blood with one who is not by nature flesh and blood. We see this in the verb “partook ,” μετέχω or metecho. This word means “to take hold of something that is not related to one’s own kind.” Our Lord Jesus Christ was not flesh and blood by nature, however, He “fellowshipped” in flesh and blood with those who were given to Him by God thereby providing redemption for them.

Never forget my brethren that Jesus was incarnated as a man so that He could die. He came to die. Why? He had to die in order to be resurrected. It was through His resurrection that the power of death, Satan, was defeated. This rendered our enemy powerless. At salvation, a believer is regenerated. This changes them forever. Formerly they walked through life in the fear of death and this made them slaves to our enemy. However, as God does His miraculous work in the heart by giving the new believer saving faith they soon realize that there is no need to fear death. Why? The power of death is broken for the believer. To live is Christ; to die is gain (Philippians 1:21)!

The Greek word translated as “help” in v16 means “to take hold of in order to rescue.” Who does our Lord “help?” It isn’t angels. No, it is the offspring of Abraham. Who is this? Who are the real children of Abraham? It is all who have faith as had Abraham.

Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross was the work of the High Priest on behalf of all given to Him by God. This sacrificial work made Him the propitiation for their sins. In other words, He atoned for their sins by taking on their sins and incurring the wrath of God in their place. Therefore, their sins are atoned for. Not some of their sins, but all of them.

What a blessing it is to know that our Lord was tempted in every way just like us! He understands and sympathizes with us because of this. He felt the full force of temptation, but never sinned.

It is a common-place thought, and yet it tastes like nectar to the weary heart–Jesus was tempted as I am. You have heard that truth many times: have you grasped it? He was tempted to the very same sins into which we fall. Do not dissociate Jesus from our common manhood. It is a dark room which you are going through, but Jesus went through it before. It is a sharp fight which you are waging, but Jesus has stood foot to foot with the same enemy. Let us be of good cheer, Christ has borne the load before us, and the blood-stained footsteps of the King of glory may be seen along the road which we traverse at this hour. There is something sweeter yet-Jesus was tempted, but Jesus never sinned. Then, my soul, it is not needful for thee to sin, for Jesus was a man, and if one man endured these temptations and sinned not, then in His power His members may also cease from sin. Some beginners in the divine life think that they cannot be tempted without sinning, but they mistake there!
It is no sin in being tempted, but there is sin in yielding to temptation. Herein is comfort for the sorely tempted ones. There is still more to encourage them if they reflect that the Lord Jesus, though tempted, gloriously triumphed, and as He overcame, so surely shall His followers also, for Jesus is the representative man for His people; the Head has triumphed, and the members share in the victory. Fears are needless, for Christ is with us, armed for our defence. Our place of safety is the bosom of the Saviour. Perhaps we are tempted just now, in order to drive us nearer to Him. Blessed be any wind that blows us into the port of our Saviour’s love! Happy wounds, which make us seek the beloved Physician. Ye tempted ones, come to your tempted Saviour, for He can be touched with a feeling of your infirmities, and will succour every tried and tempted one. – C.H. Spurgeon

My brethren, we are saved because of what God has done. Our Lord Jesus Christ is the founder of salvation. We are saved because God gave us to the Son. He is the one who draws us to Him. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to regenerate and indwell us. We are saved from first to last by God’s work. We do not become a Christian because we decide to, but because God opens the heart and causes us to believe. Praise Him, Oh Praise Him!

True Christian Liberty

25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing. (James 1:25 ESV)
Liberty – ἐλευθερία – eleutheria – freedom, generosity, independence. Freedom is presented as a distinctive blessing of the economy of grace which, in contrast with the OT economy, is represented as including independence from legal restrictions and rules of life (1 Corinthians 10:29; Galatians 2:4; 5:1, 13). In contrast to the present subjection of the creature to the bondage of corruption, freedom represents the future state of the children of God (Romans 8:21; see also vv. 20, 23). The perfect law of freedom (referred to in James 1:25 [above]) is the freedom of generosity, seen exclusively in James 2:12, 13, when the Judge shows his generosity in proportion to the mercifulness of the believers on earth.
Slavery or bondage – δουλεία – douleia – servitude, dependence; the state of a δοῦλος or doulos, a slave. That state of man in which he is prevented from freely possessing and enjoying his life; a state opposed to liberty. In NT used only figuratively (Romans 8:15, 21; Galatians 4:24; 5:1; Hebrews 2:15).
1 For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. (Galatians 5:1 ESV)

Galatians 5:1 is often used by some to teach a version of Christian liberty that is not biblical. There are some who teach that this liberty, which is for all genuine Christians, is a freedom to ignore God’s moral Law. This is a form of antinomianism. Those who teach this are giving license to believers to sin. This is not what Paul and James were talking about when they spoke of freedom in Christ and the law of liberty.

The two definitions above for “liberty” and “slavery” were adapted from the Lexical Aids to the New Testament by Spiros Zodhaiates. When we study the Word of God, in order to obtain the correct biblical interpretation of a passage such as Galatians 5:1, we must remember to always maintain context. This will give us the correct meaning of a passage. It is quite an easy thing to rip a passage of scripture out of context in order to support any teaching. However, the saints of God are edified by listening to the prophets of God as they rightly divide the Word of Truth, not by them being cool or culturally relevant. What is the proper contextual interpretation of Galatians 5:1?

The Epistle of Galatians was written by the Apostle Paul to the churches in the region of Galatia. He was responding to the very real problem of some Judiazers who had come to the region teaching the gentile Christians there that in order for them to be truly saved, they must also keep the Mosaic Law. They were saved by grace through faith to be sure, but their justification depended upon them also keeping the Law. This included things like being circumcised. This Epistle was written to address this error.

Paul’s thesis, therefore, was that for the gentile Christians in Galatia to mix their Christianity with Judaism in order to be justified is a step into slavery or bondage. This is why he exhorts them to “stand firm” in the freedom of Christ. He tells them that they must stay where they are because of the benefit of being free from the law and the flesh as a way of salvation is the fullness of blessing by grace. The statement, “For freedom Christ has set us free,” speaks of the deliverance from the curse that the law pronounces on the sinner who has been striving unsuccessfully to achieve his own righteousness, but who has now embraced Christ and the salvation granted to him by grace. This is exactly what happened when Martin Luther came to faith. He had been attempting perfection to please God all by his own efforts. It almost drove him mad. Then God saved him and he was set free for freedom by Christ.

Paul compares the act of a Christian submitting to the teaching of the Judiazers as becoming burdened by or entangled again with a yoke of slavery or bondage. Paul contends that to pursue the yoke of the law as a means of salvation was actually a yoke of slavery. On the other hand, our Lord Jesus Christ tells us to reject this yoke and take He yoke upon us.

28 Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV)

This is a very good description of true Christian liberty or freedom. To submit to Christ as Lord and learn from Him by immersing ourselves in His Word, is to find true rest. He is gentle and lowly in heart and those who take on His yoke find rest for their souls. This is a yoke of slavery as well, but slavery to Christ as Lord is true freedom. It is liberation from the law as a means of salvation, from the power of sin, and from superstition.

Therefore, instead of trying to determine what things Christians can do in their liberty and freedom while ignoring God’s moral Law, we should be seeking the true liberty of total submission to the Lordship of Christ, learning from Him by digging into His Word and listening to godly preaching and teaching. Genuine Christian ἐλευθερία is found only in being a true δοῦλος of Christ by taking on His yoke and learning from Him.

23 And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. 25 For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? (Luke 9:23-25 ESV)

This is true Christian Liberty.

Acknowledging Christ Before Men and Blasphemy of The Holy Spirit

22 And the scribes who came down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and “by the prince of demons he casts out the demons.” 23 And he called them to him and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? 24 If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. 25 And if a house is divided against itself, that house will not be able to stand. 26 And if Satan has risen up against himself and is divided, he cannot stand, but is coming to an end. 27 But no one can enter a strong man’s house and plunder his goods, unless he first binds the strong man. Then indeed he may plunder his house. 28 “Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, 29 but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin” — 30 for they were saying, “He has an unclean spirit.” (Mark 3:22-30 ESV)

Several years ago, about the time that Rob Bell’s book Love Wins came out, I got into a comment and email exchange with a fellow who insisted that God will not condemn anyone to an eternity in hell. He said that it is only a temporary place that will be emptied when all things are reconciled to God in eternity. It did no good to use clear scripture references to show him that he was ignoring a great deal God’s truth even though I tried. One thing that struck me was his stance that Romans 5 was blasphemous in reference to the doctrine of Original Sin and condemnation for all men by it, but there is justification and life for ‘the many’ (Romans 5:12-17). Was this a case of ‘blasphemy of the Holy Spirit?’

4 “I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. 5 But I will warn you whom to fear:fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! 6 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? And not one of them is forgotten before God. 7 Why, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; you are of more value than many sparrows. (Luke 12:4-7 ESV)

The Greek word Luke used here which is translated as ‘hell’ is γέεννα or géenna. This is the place or state of the lost and condemned (Matthew 5:29,30; Matthew 10:28; James 3:6). What is our Lord exhorting us to do here? He is telling us to not fear those who attack our doctrine and us. The word ‘fear’ in this passage is the Greek word φοβέω or phobeō. In classical Greek, this word is used to describe actions that cause others to run away or to terrify them or frighten them. Our Lord is exhorting us to not allow anyone to terrify us into compromising our stand. Why? What can they do to us from an eternal perspective? They can hurt or injure us. They can defame us. They can ruin us financially. They can threaten us with lawsuits. However, they cannot do anything about our standing with God because our advocate is the Lord Jesus Himself. We are to fear God in obedience instead of men.

8 “And I tell you, everyone who acknowledges me before men, the Son of Man also will acknowledge before the angels of God, 9 but the one who denies me before men will be denied before the angels of God. 10 And everyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but the one who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. 11 And when they bring you before the synagogues and the rulers and the authorities, do not be anxious about how you should defend yourself or what you should say, 12 for the Holy Spirit will teach you in that very hour what you ought to say.” (Luke 12:8-12 ESV)

Those who accuse the brethren of being of the devil are actually attributing their good works to the enemy. The Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees did this very thing against our Lord. They accused Him of doing miracles by the power of Satan and that He had a demon. This is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit. Notice that He did not say that speaking against Himself was blasphemy against the Holy Spirit and that those who did that will be forgiven. However, those who commit the sin of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven. Those who come to Christ and are saved often have said dishonorable things against Him in their spiritual blindness. When they ask Him for forgiveness they will receive it. A good example of this would be Peter’s rejection of Jesus in Luke 22:54:62 and his subsequent restoration found in John 21:15-19. What is it about blasphemy against the Holy Spirit that is unforgivable? I have been approached by many contrite individuals in secret who are terrified that they have committed “Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit.” They are tormented individuals who will not usually listen to me as I try to lead them through the Gospel. What’s going on here?

This blasphemy is committed when people are persistent in their unrepentance against the work of the Holy Spirit and His message concerning our Lord (Acts 7:51). Our Lord says that this sin will never be forgiven. Those who commit this sin persistently harden their hearts against God, against the work of the Holy Spirit, and against the provision of Christ as Saviour. They are outside the reach of God’s provision for forgiveness and salvation. Genuine believers need not worry whether they have committed blasphemy against the Holy Spirit for that very concern is evidence of the openness to the work of the Holy Spirit. I am convinced that God’s Elect will be preserved from this sin prior to salvation. After regeneration, they become incapable of it.

Therefore, the message we should take from this is to not fear men nor fear our enemy. Why? They can do nothing to us that can take away our eternal standing with God. The Holy Spirit has sealed us in Christ. However, that does not mean that we will not incur the wrath of Satan and his seed. Our Lord tells us in this passage to not be anxious about how we should defend ourselves or what we should say. Why? The Holy Spirit will teach us in that very hour what we ought to say. Whatever that is that we are going to say will bring glory to God.

What we must never forget my brethren is that the unregenerate are spiritually blind. They may be quite intelligent, but they cannot perceive God’s truth that even a child can understand by God’s grace through the faith that is His gift to the Elect. There are so many in our time who insist that they are Christians, but they are among those who are not known by our Lord and prove it by their fruit.

15 “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. 16 You will recognize them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? 17 So, every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. 18 A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits. 21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? ’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:15-23 ESV)

We are commanded to earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 1:3). However, doing so will incite the wrath of those our Lord describes above. When we recognize their bad fruit and warn the brethren about them then watch out. We must not fear them. We must stand firm and never waver from the truth. We know in whom we have believed and we know that He will keep us and hold us until we are through this life. Then we will be with Him. Our Lord also said in His Sermon on the Mount to not give what is holy to dogs or throw our pearls before pigs.

6 “Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you. (Matthew 7:6 ESV)

In our Lord’s day, dogs lived in squalor and scavenged the streets for food. The Jews considered them unclean and, therefore, used the term to describe those outside of God’s covenant grace. Pigs were unclean according to the Mosaic Law. They were also scavenging animals like dogs. What are the Pearls and who is it that we are to avoid throwing them before? The Pearls symbolize the great value of the message of the Kingdom of heaven. We are to be merciful, forgiving, and slow to judge, however, we are to also wisely discern the true character of people and not continually proclaim the Gospel to those who adamantly reject it. Why? It is to keep us from becoming bogged down in unfruitful arguing and outright word wars with those who are never going to listen. This frees us up to move on and proclaim the Gospel to others (Matthew 10:14; Acts 13:46; Acts 18:6; Titus 3:10-11).

What Is A Reprobate Mind?

28 And since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, God gave them up to a debased mind to do what ought not to be done. 29 They were filled with all manner of unrighteousness, evil, covetousness, malice. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, maliciousness. They are gossips, 30 slanderers, haters of God, insolent, haughty, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, 31 foolish, faithless, heartless, ruthless. 32 Though they know God’s righteous decree that those who practice such things deserve to die, they not only do them but give approval to those who practice them. (Romans 1:28-32 ESV)
28 Καὶ καθὼς οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν τὸν θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει, παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ὁ θεὸς εἰς ἀδόκιμον νοῦν, ποιεῖν τὰ μὴ καθήκοντα, 29 πεπληρωμένους πάσῃ ἀδικίᾳ πονηρίᾳ πλεονεξίᾳ κακίᾳ, μεστοὺς φθόνου φόνου ἔριδος δόλου κακοηθείας, ψιθυριστὰς 30 καταλάλους θεοστυγεῖς ὑβριστὰς ὑπερηφάνους ἀλαζόνας, ἐφευρετὰς κακῶν, γονεῦσιν ἀπειθεῖς, 31 ἀσυνέτους ἀσυνθέτους ἀστόργους ἀνελεήμονας· 32 οἵτινες τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπιγνόντες ὅτι οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα πράσσοντες ἄξιοι θανάτου εἰσίν, οὐ μόνον αὐτὰ ποιοῦσιν ἀλλὰ καὶ συνευδοκοῦσιν τοῖς πράσσουσιν. (Romans 1:28-32 NA28)

The word translated as “debased” in the ESV rendering of Romans 1:28 is the Greek word ἀδόκιμον. This anarthrous adjective means, “unapproved, unworthy, spurious, or worthless.” In the context of Romans 1:28 it is speaking of those who do not have a sense of pending judgment. They have a reprobate, abominable mind that is abhorred by God and men who do know God’s truth. The word “mind” here is νοῦν. This anarthrous noun is the intellectual faculty of the natural man, applicable to God or Christ (Romans 11:34; 1 Corinthians 2:16), employed in practical judgment, capable of being good or evil, and of being regenerated, the mind, the reason, the reasoning faculty.

What does the grammatical form called anarthrous mean? It is a word or group of words which appear without definite article. Anarthrous constructions are most often intended to point out the quality of something. Therefore, when we see this we should dig even deeper for this could be a marker of a definitive point in the God-inspired text to which those who do not have an ἀδόκιμον νοῦν should pay close attention because God is teaching us something vital.

Notice the cause of a person having an ἀδόκιμον νοῦν. Those who have this horrible condition got it because they did not (οὐκ) see fit (ἐδοκίμασαν) to acknowledge (ἔχειν) God (θεὸν). Here is an alternate rendering of this phrase, “And as they tried not to hold God in full knowledge.” The word rendered here as “in full knowledge” and “to acknowledge” in the ESV and “to hold in full knowledge” in the KJV, is ἔχειν, which is a verb in aorist tense, indicative mood, and active voice. This means that the action described here is not continuous nor does it indicate the relative time of the action to the time of speaking or writing. It describes “the action of having, holding, holding on, counting, considering, regarding, or wearing.” However, remember those being described here, “tried NOT to hold God in full knowledge.” That is their crime. In other words, they are guilty of pushing all true knowledge of God out of their minds which God then allowed that truth to be replaced with something else. God delivered them up (παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς) unto a debased mind (ἀδόκιμον νοῦν). The word παρέδωκεν describes God handing over or giving up or yielding up these people to the very thing they were seeking. He allowed them to no longer consider His truth. Instead, His truth was seen as false and what was really false was seen as true in these people’s minds. This caused them to be seen in God’s eyes as completely worthless. Those who sought full rebellion against God and the incarnation of Christ for their sins, were given over to that rebellion so that what they sought seemed perfectly right to them while the truth of the Gospel is seen as foolishness, et cetera. This is what the reprobate mind is. It does not hold any of God’s truth in it and sees no need to be concerned about the coming judgment.

18 ἐσκοτωμένοι τῇ διανοίᾳ ὄντες, ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν τὴν οὖσαν ἐν αὐτοῖς, διὰ τὴν πώρωσιν τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν, (Ephesians 4:18 NA28)

18 They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart. (Ephesians 4:18 ESV)

Those with reprobate or debased minds are darkened (ἐσκοτωμένοι) in their understanding (διανοίᾳ). Those who reject the knowledge of God think of themselves as “enlightened” (cf. Hebrews 10:32). Their ignorance here is not due to a lack of general education, some are brilliant in their own way, but such brilliance is all wasted and futile in the end when combined with hardness of heart toward the truth of the gospel in Christ (cf. Matthew 13:14-15; John 12:40; Acts 28:26-27; Romans 11:8). These unbelievers are intellectually unproductive. As far as spiritual and moral issues are concerned, their rational processess are distorted and inadequate, inevitably failing to produce godly understanding or moral living. Their lives are empty, vain, and without meaning (cf Romans 1:21-28; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Colossians 2:18). They are also spiritually separated from God, thus ignorant of God’s truth (1 Corinthians 2:14), and their willing spiritual darkness and moral blindness are the results (Romans 1:21-24; 2 Timothy 3:7). They are blind, “hard” like a rock.

Now my brethren, consider what we have just seen in these passages. Those separated from God and His truth are so because of their own rebellion. They attempted to push God and His truth from their minds so He gave them over to their rebellion and they got what they were after which is what God is going to use to condemn them to the Lake of Fire at the Final Judgment. That is, unless He has mercy on them and draws them into the light via the washing of regeneration. However, when God gives people over to this full rebellion it is accompanied by a heart hardening that is purposeful and will keep these people from ever being affected by the preaching of the Gospel. Only God is able to break through it.

I read today that many in other countries see the United States as a once Christian nation whose leaders have caused it to descend into a godless, moral sewer. If the shoe fits…

Does Jesus Know You?

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name? ’ 23 And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (Matthew 7:21-23 ESV)

This life here and now on planet Earth is only a small fragment of reality. I once encountered a fellow who tried to shut this blog down with his hateful attack on me and everyone who commented here. One of his attacks was that we are paying way too much attention to eternity. In his “theology” we needed to forget all about that and treat it as a myth because this life is what its all about. Even though most professing Christians would not agree with that statement they actually appear to live out their life here and now as if what that fellow said was true. For instance, some “church services” appear to be little more than rock concerts these days in an attempt to make a select group of people happy and keep them coming back each Sunday.



One of the best tests of the veracity of how we live this life here and now is how it will appear in the moment of death, in the morning of resurrection, and at the day of judgment. That is the true reality my brethren. That is why we must not become so tied down to this life and the things that most people cling to in order to have “significance.” In Matthew 7 our Lord gives us a picture of certain persons as they will appear “in that day.” What is seen as “valuable” or “desirable” should be viewed within the light of “that day.” I am positive that if we will do that it will change a great deal of how we live now.

For instance, I have been in some form of Information Technology since 1973. I probably have forgotten more about computers than the majority of people know. There are times that I find myself “lusting” after the latest and greatest monitors or computers or printers. What I have now works just fine so I don’t “need” those things, but they are way cool! I can discover myself lusting after these things as if I just have to have them. However, I have begun to analyze what I am pursuing like this in light of eternity. When I do that I quickly realize how foolish it is to be so wrapped up in “stuff.” Then those “desires” just melt away. This works for money, sports cars, cameras, and nice new houses too.

Riches, honors, pleasures, successes, self-congratulations, et cetera should all be set in the light of “that day.” This test should especially be applied to all religious professions and exercises. Why? It will happen in “that day” that all of these things will  be tried by fire. Now let us look at our Lord’s exposition of what will happen on “that day.” He uses the example of certain professing Christians who went a long way in their religion.

Read the passage I placed at the top of this post (Matthew 7:21-23) if you haven’t already then come back here. In that passage we see that these folks made an open profession of faith. They called Jesus, “Lord, Lord!” Most Christians I know would look upon people who professed Christ like that as brothers and sisters in the Lord. These folks also undertook Christian service at the highest level. They habitually prophesied and worked miracles. They obtained remarkable success in that they appeared to be casting out demons. They had high energy as well as they had done many wonders. These folks were not just pew sitters. Their ministries actually astonished most people. They were diligently orthodox in that they did everything in the name of Christ. These folks sound like Christian leaders who had it all together.

They kept it up for a long time and were not silenced by men. However, as we read in this passage, the were not genuine, but no one discovered their falsehood, or detected their inconsistencies. They were not openly disowned by the Lord Himself during life. They were not made a laughing stock by being left to use the Holy Name without result like the Jewish itinerant exorcists Luke wrote about in Acts 19:13-17. Demons were actually cast out. Because of all of this, these folks expected to enter the Kingdom. They clung to that false hope right unto “that day” then they dared to say, “Lord, Lord,” to Christ Himself.

However, these folks were fatally mistaken. They spoke like Christians and claimed many good works, but what they spoke was belied by what they actually did. Even though they said, “Lord, Lord,” they were not doing the will of the Father. They used His name, which is used by genuine disciples in their walks and works, but they did not possess the nature of obedient servants.

46 “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you? (Luke 6:46 ESV)

They prophesied, but did not pray. They cast our demons, but Satan was not cast out of them. They surrounded themselves with marvels, but no essentials. They produced wonders, but were also workers of iniquity. Who does this sound like in our day my brethren?

However, these folks found out the truth in a terrible way. They obviously had some knowledge of our Lord and professed that He was theirs, however, please take careful notice of these truths. Our Lord solemnly stated, “I never knew you.” They claimed to know Him, but that is not the standard by which men are saved. No, the saved, the genuine Christians, are known by the Lord. He had been omitted from their religion.

Notice that what our Lord said to them must have created terror beyond our understanding. He told them that they must depart from all hope, and continue forever in that departure. Our Lord always speaks the truth my brethren. What He said to these folks is the truth, but it is an awful truth. They were utter strangers to His heart. He had not chosen them, nor communed with them, nor approved them, nor cared for them. Our Lord’s command, “depart form me,” would never be recalled, altered, or ended. No, it will stand for eternity.

Now my brethren, what about you and I? Can the Lord say to some of us that He does not know us? He has often heard our voices and answered our prayers, right? He has known us in repentance as we sought mercy and received it. He has known us in gratitude as we blessed His gracious name. He has known us in adversity as we sought His aid and thrived through the fire as He came along side. He has known us in reproach as we became targets for those who despise Him. He has known us in difficulty as we sought His help and safety under His wing. He has known us in love as we have enjoyed happy fellowship with Him. In these things and in innumerable others, He knows us.

Does Jesus know you? Your church may know you. The place of your employment may know you. The world knows you, but does Jesus know you?

Note our Lord’s open confession before men and angels, and specially to the men themselves: “I never knew you.” I knew about you; I knew that you professed great things; but you had no acquaintance with me; and whatever you knew about me, you did not know me. I was not of your company, and did not know you. Had he once known them, he would not have forgotten them.
Those who accept his invitation, “Come unto me,” shall never hear him say, “Depart from me.” Workers of iniquity may now come to the Savior for mercy; but if they set up a hope of their own, and ignore the Savior, he will bid them depart to endure the rigors of his justice. Is it not striking that preachers, casters-out of devils, and doers of wonders, may yet be workers of iniquity? They may work miracles in Christ’s name, and yet have neither part nor lot in him. – Charles Spurgeon

Come unto Him all ye who are being called by Him and find eternal life in Him. Then He will know you.