Biblical Reformed Studies

Saturday, March 1, 2014

Five Truths About the Resurrection of Jesus

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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).

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.