Discovering Christ in All the Scriptures
Don Fortner, 1950-2020
Epistles through Revelation
ROMANS
"I am not Ashamed of the Gospel"
The Book of Romans is considered by many to be the most profound piece of literature in existence. It is, without question, an epistle of pure gold from beginning to end. It has powerfully influenced and altered the lives of countless men and women for nearly two thousand years. John Calvin said, "When anyone gains a knowledge of this Epistle, he has an entrance opened to him to all the most hidden treasures of Scripture."The importance of this Epistle cannot be overstated. Martin Luther called the Book of Romans "the perfect Gospel" and referred to it as "the true masterpiece of the New Testament." He wrote, "This letter is truly the most important piece in the New Testament. It is purest Gospel. It is well worth a Christian's while not only to memorize it word for word but also to occupy himself with it daily, as though it were the daily bread of the soul. It is impossible to read or to meditate on this letter too much or too well. The more one deals with it, the more precious it becomes and the better it tastes."
It was this Book, Paul's Epistle to the Romans, that God used to cause "the light of the glorious gospel of Christ" to shine in Luther's heart and light the fire that lit up the world, that we call "the Reformation."
Background
Paul wrote this Epistle to the saints at Rome while he was in Corinth. It was not the first of Paul's inspired Epistles. In fact, it was one of Paul's latter Epistles. It is placed where it is in the New Testament by the arrangement of divine providence, perhaps because of its tremendous importance.
We do not know how the church in Rome was started. Paul wrote to them because he had heard of their faith in Christ, and he wanted to serve their souls. He wanted all God's elect to be firmly grounded in the truth. What a magnanimous heart he must have possessed! He took the time, under the pressure of immense responsibilities, to write this masterpiece of pure gospel doctrine to people he had never seen. These things make the Book of Romans interesting.
The Gospel
The Book is important because it reveals every essential aspect of Gospel doctrine. In the 1st chapter Paul clearly defines the gospel. Remember, there is but one gospel (Galatians 1:69). The New Testament does not reveal a gospel. It reveals the gospel. Here the gospel is defined by a man writing under divine inspiration. All other definitions and descriptions of the gospel given by men must be judged in the light of this definition.
"Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Which he had promised afore by his prophets in the holy scriptures,) Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name: Among whom are you also the called of Jesus Christ" (verses 16).
The Gospel is of God. It is defined here as "the gospel of God" for at least these four reasons: (1.) God is the Author of it, (2.) God is the Subject of it, (3.) God is the Revealer of it, and (4.) God is the Executor of it (Ephesians 1:314). The Gospel we believe and preach was "Promised afore by his prophets in the Holy Scriptures." It is not a novel doctrine. This is the everlasting gospel. It was conceived in the heart of God from all eternity. It was ordained before the world was. It was hid in Christ, the Wisdom of God, from the beginning (Proverbs 8). It was revealed to the sons of men in promise, by the prophets, in pictures, in type and in ceremony throughout the Old Testament (Acts 10:43; Hebrews 1:1, 2; Luke 24:44, 45). It was manifested in time by the coming of our Lord (2 Timothy 1:9, 10).
It is "concerning his Son." The gospel of God is all about Christ. The gospel is not about baptism, morality, or religious reformation and ritualism of any kind. The gospel is all about Christ. Christ is the express and solitary subject of the gospel. Christ is the gospel. The gospel concerns his person and his work. The whole gospel is included in Christ; and if a man removes one step from Christ, he departs from the gospel (2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 John 5:1113, 20).
It is all about Christ, who was "declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (verse 4). Be sure you get this. Christ was made or became a man, the seed of David (Galatians 4:4); but he was not made the Son of God. He was "declared to be the Son of God" (John 10:30). He is declared to be the Son of God with power (Hebrews 1:2, 3; Matthew 28:18; John 17:2; 5:36). He was declared to be the Son of God with power, "according to the spirit of holiness," by whom he was justified when he raised him from the dead (1 Timothy 3:16).
He was declared to be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead. It is upon this great fact, the fact of his resurrection from the dead that the whole gospel rests (1 Corinthians 15:1219). Our Lord's resurrection from the dead declares visibly and undeniably that he is all that he claimed. His resurrection is the declaration of our justification (Romans 4:255:1). And his resurrection from the dead is the guarantee of ours.
Then, Paul tells us (verses 56) that it is in Christ and by the gospel that we receive grace unto the obedience of faith, being called of God by the irresistible grace and power of his Spirit. It is against this backdrop that Paul declares in verses 1517, "So, as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. (16) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believes; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek. (17) For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."
Total Depravity
Beginning with verse 18 in chapter 1 and going through 3:19, Paul shows us the universal need of the gospel by setting forth the utter depravity and total inability of all men to know God or attain salvation without the gospel. All men by nature are condemned and under the wrath of God because all "hold (hold down and suppress) the truth of God in unrighteousness" (1:18). The heathen know the truth of God by the light of nature and conscience, but suppress and pervert it according to their own lusts. The Jews know the truth of God, both by the light of nature and conscience and by the revelation of God in the Old Testament Scriptures, but suppress and pervert it according to their own lusts.
Men and women the world over who have the inspired Volume of Holy Scripture, and who have heard the gospel preached in this day are in a position of even greater responsibility. Yet, the world over, fallen men and women sin against the light of creation, the light of conscience, and the light of inspiration in Holy Scripture, suppressing and perverting the truth of God in unrighteousness according to their own lusts."Therefore you are inexcusable, O man For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law" (2:1, 12).
That simply means that salvation by the works of men is utterly impossible. Salvation must come by the gospel. "Now we know that what things soever the law says, it says to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God" (3:19).
Justification
Beginning in verse 20 of chapter 3 and going through chapter 5, the Holy Spirit shows us that justification is altogether the work of God's free grace in Jesus Christ, without works of any kind on our part. The gospel of Christ is the proclamation of free justification by Christ, the declaration of redemption accomplished, showing forth the righteousness of God, righteousness earned by the faithful obedience of Christ unto death as the sinner's Substitute. It is the proclamation of the good news that the God of Heaven is "a just God and a Savior" (Isaiah 3:20).
"Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God has set forth to be a atoning sacrifice through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believes in Jesus" (3:2026).
Abraham and David
In the 4th chapter Paul uses both Abraham and David as examples of this free justification. Both Abraham and David received justification by faith in Christ, just as believers do today. Believing on Christ, God declared them righteous, without any righteousness or righteous works of their own.
"For what says the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness. Now to him that works is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that works not, but believes on him that justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. Even as David also describes the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputes righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." (4:38).
Justification is not accomplished by faith. If faith added anything to justification, Paul's statement in Roman's 4:16 would not make any sense. Rather, faith receives the blessedness of free justification accomplished by Christ. "Therefore," we read, "it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed" (verse 16).
When we read in Romans 4:22 that God imputed the righteousness of Christ to Abraham, Paul tells us that that was not written for Abraham's sake alone, "but for us also, to whom it is being imputed, if we believe on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead" (verse 24my translation). In verse 25 Paul tells us that justification was accomplished by Christ at Calvary. He was delivered unto death as our Substitute because of our sins imputed to him. On the third day he was raised from the dead because he had accomplished our justification. In Romans 5:111, building upon what he has just declared, Paul assures us of justification accomplished and eternal salvation made certain by Christ's finished work.
"Therefore being justified, by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation works patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope makes not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet perhaps for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commends his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement" (5:111).
Two Men
In Romans 5:1221 Paul shows that our father Adam, and the sin and fall of our race in and by him, was typical and representative of our salvation by Christ. Just as all the human race were made sinners by what Adam did as our representative before God, so all God's elect are made righteous before God by what Christ did as the last Adam, our all-glorious Federal Head, Substitute and Representative before God.
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as sin has reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord" (5:12, 1821).
Paul's message here is very simple and clear.Righteousness and justification are things accomplished for us by Christ, totally outside our experience and altogether without contribution of any kind from us.
Sanctification
Chapter 6 begins with a brief discussion of believer's baptism, declaring that by baptism every believer is symbolically baptized into Christ and into his death, asserting that when Christ died as our Substitute, we died with him and in him. Rising up from the watery grave, we declare, that when Christ arose, we arose with him and in him. Then, Paul draws this conclusion to our symbolic profession of faith in Christ,"Even so, we also should walk in the newness of life." With that, he begins to tell us about our new life in Christ which we refer to as "sanctification."
Being sanctified, separated from all men by the grace of God and made righteous in Christ, we must not serve sin (verses 611). Having assured us that God reckons every believer dead to sin in free justification, he tells us that we who believe ought to use God's reckoning with reference to ourselves."Likewise reckon you also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord."
Being saved by the grace of God, we are free in Christ. We do not live as slaves under the yoke of legal bondage, but as sons and daughters of our God and heavenly Father. Twice in two verses he declares that we "are not under the law" (verses 1415). Then, in the 7th chapter he tells us that we are free from the law in exactly the same way as a woman whose husband is dead is free from the law of her husband."Wherefore, my brethren, you also are become dead to the law by the body of Christ; that you should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God" (7:14).
Yet, as long as we live in this body of flesh, God's saints in this world live in a constant struggle with sin. Believers are men and women constantly at war with themselves. We would love God with all our hearts and our neighbors as ourselves; but we simply are not able (yet) to do so. We would never sin against our God; but we cannot (yet) live without sin.
"For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin. For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I. If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good. Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwells no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not. For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin" (7:1425).
This subject of our sanctification continues in chapter 8 (verses 127). Sanctification is life in the Spirit, and life in the Spirit is neither more nor less than living by faith, walking with God by faith in Christ Jesus. Those who are born of God no longer live after the flesh. That is to say, we do not live by the bondage of the law, but in the blessed liberty of grace. And living by grace, trusting Christ alone as our righteousness before God, the law of God is fulfilled in us (Romans 3:31).
"There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: That the righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness" (8:110).
Paul proceeds to tell us that all who live by faith in Christ, that all who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit, being totally free from all fear of condemnation, or even the possibility of it, live in the constant, immediate hope and expectancy of the glorious liberty of the sons of God, as "heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ."
God's Purpose
Many modern commentators, preachers, and religious leaders tell us that, "The Book of Romans reveals God's great plan of salvation." Nothing could be further from the truth. God almighty does not have a plan of salvation! I make plans; and you make plans. But, we all know that "the best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." God almighty doesn't have a plan. He has an eternal, unalterable purpose of grace called divine predestination, by which he sovereignly rules the universe all the time. That is the subject of Romans 8:2811:36.
Romans 8:28 gives us the sweet assurance of God's wise, adorable, unerring providence, which is but the execution of his eternal purpose of grace in predestination. God's eternal purpose of grace in predestination secured the eternal glory of God's elect before the world began and assures every believing sinner of the certainty of eternal glory with Christ, even while we live in this world, struggling with our own unbelief and sin.
"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestine to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestine, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? He who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ that died, yes rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For your sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (8:2839).
No passage in the Book of God is sweeter to the tastes of believing hearts, no pillow can be found that is more soft and restful for our aching heads, there are no words from our God in which our souls more greatly rejoice than Romans 8:2839, unless it is Romans 9. Romans 8:2839 declares God's purpose of grace, his determination to save the people of his love. Romans 9 declares that nothing in that great purpose of grace is ever in jeopardy, because nothing in the purpose of God hinges upon the will and work of men. Nothing hinges upon what we call the good choices and works of men or the evil choices and works of men. Everything hinges upon, is determined, and comes to pass according to his sovereign will, according to his good purpose of grace.
"(For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calls;) It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated. What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God? God forbid. For he says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. So then it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy. For the scripture says unto Pharaoh, Even for this same purpose have I raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore has he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardens" (9:1118).
"Whoever"
Does that mean that men have no responsibility? Does that mean that some cannot be saved? Perish the thought! This all means that some men most certainly shall be saved. This means that every sinner in the world who believes on Christ has eternal life. This is a matter of certainty because the work is already done. That is what Paul tells us in verses 48. In verse 13 he declares, "whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." Then, he tells us that God has determined that all he has purposed to save, he has purposed to save by the hearing of the gospel (verses 1417). But what if they live in a heathen land? What if no one in that land has ever heard of Christ? That would create a problem for the plannings of men, but not for the purpose of God!
Chapter 11 describes how the Lord God raised up the nation of Israel and used their rebellion and unbelief, and his resulting judgment upon them, called "the casting away" of Israel after the flesh, to send the Gospel into all the world and save his elect out of every nation, his true Israel, the Israel of God.
"For I would not, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins." (11:2527).
Yes, God raises up men and nations and tears them down, precisely according to his own eternal, sovereign, good, wise, and adorable purpose of grace toward his elect (Isaiah 43:37). Paul was simply overwhelmed by this fact. Let every redeemed sinner who reads this Epistle join him in his adulation of our great God
"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who has known the mind of the Lord? or who has been his counselor? Or who has first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen" (11:3336).
Something Very Reasonable
In chapters 1216 the Apostle Paul calls upon all of us who are the objects of God's eternal love and the recipients of his saving operations of grace to devote our lives entirely to him, to the glory of his name and the welfare of his people, and tells us that this entire consecration of our lives to God is the only reasonable thing that can be expected from saved sinners.
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith" (12:13).
In the rest of chapter 12 he tells us to love one another. In chapter 13 he tells us to live as good citizens in this world, rendering evil to none, not even our most implacable enemies, but only good. In chapters 14 and 15 he teaches us to bend over backwards to get along with our brethren, never despising the young and the weak, but nurturing them as the children of God, following the example of Christ
"Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached you fell on me. For whatever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope. Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus: That you may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore receive you one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God" (15:27).
In the 16th chapter Paul closes this Epistle with a sweet, blessed promise of grace."And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen" (verse 20). Then, he adds
"The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. Now to him that is of power to establish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith: To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen" (16:2427).
A Precious Book
The Book of Romans is very interesting when we see how the Lord has been pleased to use it. It is very important because of its content and message. But it has become precious to those who have experienced its message. As I read this great Epistle, I identify with what I read. Do you?
I am not ashamed of the gospel (1:117). Though I am, by nature, a guilty sinner, without excuse before God (1:183:19), I am completely, freely, forever justified in Christ (3:205:21). As I am justified by the grace of God, so too, I am sanctified by the grace of God (chapter 6). Yet, I am a man at war with myself (chapter 7). Though I am a man at war with myself, I am a man without guilt before God, free from all possibility of condemnation, living in hope of eternal life, and assured of eternal glory with Christ (chapter 8). I am a chosen vessel of mercy (chapter 9). I know that I am because I believe on the Lord Jesus Christ (chapter 10). I am amazed as I stand in awe before my all-wise, ever-gracious, sovereign God and Savior (chapter 11). I belong to God my Savior by the sweet constraint of his grace. I belong to him. All the world belongs to him. All my brothers and sisters in Christ belong to him (chaps. 1216)."O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory forever. Amen."
1 CORINTHIANS
"Is Christ Divided?"
Paul began this Epistle to the church at Corinth by reminding them that he is "an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God" (1:1). That fact had been challenged. So Paul simply states the fact of his apostleship as the basis of his authority in writing to them about their souls and the things of God. Then (1:29), before addressing the many things that had to be addressed, he reminded the Corinthian believers who they were, lest they or anyone else misinterpret the stern rebukes of this Epistle as declarations of condemnation.He begins by reminding the Corinthians that they had been sanctified in Christ and been called of God. The apostle assures them of continued grace and peace from God the Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ, and of his continual thanksgiving to God for the grace bestowed upon them by Christ (verses 34). He then proceeds to assure them of his complete confidence that the gospel and the boundless grace of God had been confirmed to them by the operations of God the Holy Spirit upon them in effectual calling, causing them to ever look for Christ's coming (verses 56). He goes so far as to assure these Corinthian believers that our ever-faithful God, who had called them into the fellowship of Christ, would at last bring them blameless into glory in the resurrection (verses 89).
The Corinthian Church
All these assurances of grace and glory were given by divine inspiration to the church at Corinth. I cannot imagine a local church anywhere in the world, at any time in history, plagued with more evil than the church at Corinth. Among these saints, horrid immorality was winked at as a matter of indifference (chapter 5). Yet, they embraced the notion that by abstaining from physical pleasure they could make themselves more holy and spiritual (chap 7). God's faithful servant, by whom they were taught the gospel, was scorned among them. Pride caused them to disdain the poor and the weak. Those who possessed, or thought they possessed, great spiritual gifts looked down their noses at those they considered less spiritual. Though the Corinthian church was probably the wealthiest of the New Testament churches, it was the most miserly in giving. They horribly abused the ordinances of God, making the person by whom they were baptized a matter of pride and spiritual superiority, and turning the Lord's Table into a carnal, religious feast. And they denied the resurrection of our Lord.
All these things divided the local church at Corinth into factions, threatening to destroy it. Yet, when Paul wrote this Epistle to them, he addressed them as "them that are sanctified (having been sanctified) in Christ, called to be saints" (1:2), assuring them that God would confirm them unto the end and make them "blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ" (verse 6).
A Needful Lesson
I call your attention to these things because they set before us a very, very important lesson, a lesson of which we need to be constantly reminded.God's saints in this world are often plagued with moral weaknesses, poor judgment, spiritual evil, and doctrinal error. So long as we are in this world, God's saints (all of us) are sinners still. We dare not make excuse for our own sins or the sins of others, giving license to evil. But, even more importantly, we dare not make ourselves judges over our brethren, pronouncing those whom God has sanctified accursed. If men and women profess to believe the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ, they are to be received and embraced by us as our brothers and sisters in Christ, "not to doubtful disputations" (Romans 14:2)."Who are you that judge another man's servant? to his own master he stands or falls. Yes, he shall be held up: for God is able to make him stand" (Romans 14:4).
God's Work, Not Ours
Such judgment is God's work, not ours. There are many who think they have the ability to distinguish between sheep and goats, between tares and wheat, between good fish and bad, and try to make it their business to separate the one from the other. They foolishly and arrogantly think they have the ability to determine who is saved and who is lost. The fact is:No one has that ability. Our Lord Jesus pointedly tells us to let the wheat and tares grow together (Matthew 13:30).
If we try to separate the good from the bad, we will do so basing our judgment upon the outward appearance. We have no other basis of judgment. That means, our judgment is always wrong."For the LORD sees not as man sees; for man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks on the heart" (1 Samuel 16:7).
If it were left to us, we would always run off the sheep and hug the goats, pull up the wheat and cultivate the tares, throw out the good fish and keep the bad (Matthew 13:2830). Our business is to cast out the gospel net, gathering in fish, both good and bad, as the Lord determines, knowing that where Christ plants his wheat, Satan plants tares, and where Christ gathers his sheep, Satan brings in goats. It is the business of God's church and his servants to faithfully preach the gospel. As we do, God will, by the preaching of the gospel, separate "the precious from the vile" (Jeremiah 15:19), gather his wheat into his barn and bind up the tares for the burning. The gospel fan is in our Lord's hand."He will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Matthew 3:12).
Four Letters
It was during Paul's two tears in Ephesus that he became aware of the problems in Corinth and began corresponding with them about their problems. He actually wrote four letters to them. Two of them were not inspired and are lost. First and Second Corinthians, his second and fourth letters, were written by divine inspiration and are preserved for us, for our learning and edification.
In the first letter he had written, which he mentions in 1 Corinthians 5:9, Paul had obviously rebuked the saints at Corinth sharply because of the many things by which they brought reproach upon the name of Christ and the gospel of his grace. But the evil practices continued. However, it did at least get their attention, and they wrote to Paul asking him a number of questions (7:1), which he answers by divine inspiration in this Epistle.
Problems Addressed
Before answering their questions, Paul confronted the issues dividing the church, urging them to unite their hearts in the cause of Christ for the glory of God (1:106:20)."Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment" (verse 10).
He asked in verse 13, "Is Christ divided?" Of course, the answer is, "No." Therefore, God's people must not allow anything to divide them. Let us ever bend over backwards, swallowing our shameful, sinful pride (the cause of division), to promote the unity of God's church (Ephesians 4:16). Anytime a person causes division in the body of Christ, specifically in a local assembly of God's saints, he is courting divine judgment (1 Corinthians 3:1617). The problems dividing the saints at Corinth were basically twofold:
1. The members of the church were divided according to their admiration of one preacher over another (1:104:21)
Some claimed to be followers of Apollos, the great orator, others of Peter, the apostle to the Jews, others of Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, and others of Christ. Roger Ellsworth correctly observes,"These Christ-boasters' were claiming that Christ belonged exclusively to them." In fact, it appears that each group thought it had a corner on divine truth the others all lacked.
The cause of the division was clearly an infatuation with carnal, worldly wisdom and an utter failure to understand that the preaching of the gospel is the wisdom of God. The Corinthians vainly imagined (as many do today) that men and women could be persuaded to believe on Christ, converted, and attain spiritual knowledge by carnal means.
One Message
In chapter 1 (verses 1825) Paul declares that it is only by the preaching of the gospel that God calls out, saves, and teaches his elect. This, and this alone, is "the power of God and the wisdom of God." In verses 2631 he tells us that the instruments God is pleased to use as his voices in this great work are themselves nothing (3:7). He uses nothings and nobodies to call out his elect specifically for the purpose "that no flesh should glory in his presence." In chapter 2 he tells us that the power of the gospel preached is neither in the intellectual ability or rhetorical ability of the preacher, but in the gospel message itself (2:15).
"And I, brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom, declaring unto you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God" (2:15).
In chapters 3 and 4 Paul shows us clearly who God's servants are and how they serve the cause of Christ. He has shown that God's servants are all men with one message,"Jesus Christ and him crucified." In chapter 3 he tells us that they are all totally insignificant and meaningless in themselves. Gospel preachers are but hoes and hoses by which God tills, and plants, and waters his garden.
"For while one says, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are you not carnal? Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom you believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. So then neither is he who plants anything, neither he who waters; but God that gives the increase. Now he who plants and he who waters are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labor" (3:48).
Yet, he carefully points out that those instruments God uses are to be respected as his instruments of good to the souls of men. God's servants are not to be idolized; and they are not to be despised. They are to be respected, honored, and received as God's servants; and each is to be equally respected, honored, and received as God's servant. Though nothing in themselves, Paul says, we are "ministers by whom you believed" (3:5) and "laborers together with God" (3:9).
Then he tells us that the only labor that shall be of any lasting value is gospel preaching. God's servants all have one Foundation upon which to build and the church and kingdom of God is built on that one Foundation, which is Christ. Everything that passes for religious exercise, everything else that is brought into the church, every other means by which anyone attempts to build the church and kingdom of God is just wood, hay, and stubble and will be burned in the fire of God's wrath.
Stewards of God
In the 4th chapter Paul asserts that God's servants are but stewards in the house of God. As such they must have no concern for any man's approval or disapproval, but of God's only, knowing that all things will soon be revealed in their true light (4:15).
"Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful. But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged of you, or of man's judgment: yes, I judge not mine own self. For I know nothing by myself; yet am I not hereby justified: but he who judges me is the Lord. Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God" (4:15).
Only one thing is required of stewardsFaithfulness. God's servants are not required to brilliant or even smart, impressive or even mediocre, successful or even useful in the eyes of men. The one thing required of them is that they be found faithful, faithful to God, faithful to his glory, faithful to the gospel, and faithful to the souls of men. If one man is more useful or less useful than another as the steward of God, more talented or less talented than another, there is no cause for pride or division. God alone makes the difference (4:7).
Worldliness
2. The other problem and cause of division at Corinth was worldliness, the love of this world (5:16:20)
Worldliness, contrary to popular religious opinion, is not dressing like the world, eating and drinking like the world, or doing business where the world does business. Worldliness is the love of the world. Nothing is more dangerous to our souls than that which our Lord calls "the care of this world and the deceitfulness of riches and the lusts of other things" (Matthew 13:22; Mark 4:19).
It was the love of the world that caused the Corinthian believers to wink at one of their own living in incest with his father's wife (chapter 5). Such a thing was commonly accepted in the Roman world; and they did not wish to offend or appear judgmental of ungodliness.
Paul demanded that the man be put out of the assembly, so that he might be converted from the error of his ways and to prevent him from corrupting the lives of others by the church's obvious approval of his conduct. As Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us, we must sacrifice ourselves to him if we would keep the feast of faith and of the Lord's Table "with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." Sometimes that means saying publicly, "We do not approve of the evil the world embraces," thereby inviting the world's frowns and sneers.
Lust after material wealth (love of the world) further stirred strife in the church, so much so that they were suing one another in courts of law (chapter 6). Men who were destined to sit in judgment over angels were bickering about money and property before unbelievers!
How does Paul seek to correct the evil? Does he bring out the whip of the law? Never! He was addressing believers, people who live by a far higher rule and are motivated by a far higher principle. He seeks to correct the evil of their conduct, not by threatening them with punishment, but by reminding these Corinthian saints of what God had done for them in Christ by his marvelous grace (6:911, 1920).
Questions Answered
Beginning in chapter 7, Paul answers the questions the Corinthian church had asked in their letter to him.
Asceticism
Someone had persuaded some of these saints that if they would deprive themselves of natural, physical pleasure they would be more holy and spiritual. The particular thing about which they raised question was marriage. Would a brother or sister be more spiritual and useful if he or she chose not to enjoy the privileges of marriage? If so, then should married couples live as celibates? Should those who are married get a divorce, so that they can be more devoted to the Lord?
Ridiculous as these questions may appear to us, they were serious to the Corinthians. Once a person embraces the idea that evil is outside himself, there is no limit to the incredible extremes into which he will run to make himself appear more holy, devoted, and spiritual than another. I once knew a man who moved his family into a remote mountainous place, more than a hundred miles from the nearest neighbor (literally). When I asked him why he had done so, he answered, "I want to keep myself and my family holy"! Granted, such cases are extreme, but the evil behind such extreme separatism is very real and very common. The Holy Spirit warns us of it and urges us to avoid it in the strongest terms possible (Colossians 2:1623).
The essence of Paul's reply to such foolish notions is just this.Holiness is not outward, but inward. Marriage, the privileges of marriage, and all other things in this world, except those things prohibited by God in his Word, are perfectly lawful and right. God did not save you to make life in this world miserable, but useful and meaningful.
Meats Offered to Idols
The same thing applies to meats offered to idols (chapter 8). If the Corinthian believer went to the meat market and bought a piece of meat, he did not need to ask whether it was meat left over from a pagan religious ceremony. If the person selling the meat made a point of the matter, or if one of his weaker brethren pointed out the fact that that was the case, he ought to choose something else to avoid offense.
In other words, the idol is nothing and its meat is nothing. We are at perfect liberty to use and enjoy anything in God's creation for its intended purpose. But we must not use our liberty in a way that puts a stumbling block before our brethren.
Paul's Apostleship
Many at Corinth questioned Paul's credibility as an apostle. He displays the folly of such judgment in those who had been converted under his ministry, who had learned the things of God from his lips in chapter 9.
Paul had labored with his hands at Corinth, making tents for his livelihood, lest any should accuse him of serving himself and preaching for personal gain. But he found that men who are determined to make evil accusations are never concerned with facts. Some at Corinth used Paul's willingness to labor for his own bread as a reason to be suspicious of his genuineness as an apostle of Christ. So he seized the opportunity to teach them, and us, that God's servants ought never be allowed, much less required, to provide for themselves. They are to be provided for and supported through the generosity of God's people (9:714).
Yet, a faithful man will never allow the unfaithfulness of others to keep him from doing what God has called him to do."For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of: for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel" (verse 16).
Worship
The Corinthian church had so perverted the ordinances of our Lord that every aspect of worship in their public assemblies was wrong. They appear to have mixed both the laws and ceremonies of the Old Testament and the practices of their pagan neighbors with the worship of God, much like churches do today.
In chapter 10 Paul tells us that all that happened to Israel in the history recorded in the Old Testament happened to teach us spiritual, gospel truths. As the Jews were baptized symbolically with reference to Moses, believers are baptized with reference to Christ. The Rock that followed them through the wilderness was Christ. The Water of Life that flowed to them from the smitten Rock portrayed the grace of God flowing to sinners through the Lamb of God smitten and crucified by the law of God as our Substitute. As that Rock could be smitten but once, so Christ was "once slain to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." As God was faithful to bring his chosen through all their temptations and trial into the land of promise, so he is faith to keep and preserve his elect today. As Israel in all their sacrifices professed themselves to be one with the altar, so all who worship God in Christ are one with Christ, and we symbolically show that oneness at the Lord's Table.
"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread." (10:1617).
Chapters 1114 address the matter of order in the worship of God. Paul had been asked about the role of women in public worship, the observance of the Lord's Supper, and spiritual gifts. All these things the Corinthian church was perverting. Paul commands that women are to keep silent in the church and show proper respect for men before God, particularly for their own husbands. He told the church to observe the Lord's Supper in faith, discerning the Lord's body, in remembrance of Christ, not as a religious party. And he required that in all things the worship services of the public assembly were to be in a decent, reverent, orderly manner. The rule in all these things must be the glory of God and brotherly love (10:31; 12:3113:8).
The Resurrection
In chapter 15 the apostle displays his utter shock that some of the Corinthians had doubts about the resurrection of Christ. He tells us that there is but one gospel and that Christ's resurrection is vital to its message (15:14). Then he declares that our Lord's resurrection from the dead is an undeniable fact of history (15:511). Next, Paul assures us that Christ's resurrection guarantees the resurrection of all God's elect in and by him unto everlasting glory and immortality (15:1758).
"But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. Then comes the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. For he must reign, until he has put all enemies under his feet" (15:2025).
"Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting? O grave, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be you steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as you know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord" (15:5158).
Giving
As is ever the case with those who look for an excuse to be miserly in giving, the Corinthians asked Paul how much each should give and how. In chapter 16 he tells them and us that our giving is to be done as an act of worship in the house of God, as we gather in his house on the first day of the week, and that the measure of our giving is to be the liberality of love (16:13, 13).
Paul closes this Epistle urging us to "stand fast in the faith and be strong" (16:13), to do all things in love (16:14), and to addict ourselves to serving our brethren (16:15). His very last word is an inspired word of condemnation against all who do not love the Lord Jesus Christ, and an inspired blessing of grace upon all who do."If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. My love be with you all in Christ Jesus. Amen" (16:2224).
2 CORINTHIANS
For the Glory of Christ
BackgroundPastor Roger Ellsworth gives an excellent introduction to 2 Corinthians in his very helpful book, The GuideThe Bible Book by Book.
"In the conclusion of 1 Corinthians we find Paul anticipating Timothy making a visit to the church of Corinth (1 Corinthians 16:10). That visit apparently took place and yielded the bad news of considerable opposition to the apostle. Paul responded to this report by visiting Corinth himself. His visit, while not reported in the book of Acts, can be inferred from Paul's own statements (2 Corinthians 2:1; 12:14; 13:12). This visit is known as the painful visit' because it evidently featured an ugly incident in which one of the congregation insulted Paul while the other members sat idly by.
After returning to Ephesus, Paul sorrowfully wrote to the church and sent the letter of tears' with Titus. In this letter, which we do not possess, the apostle called the church to discipline the man who had opposed him. Paul was so eager to receive Titus' report on the reception of this letter that he left Ephesus and went first to Troas (2:12) and then to Macedonia to meet him (7:6, 13). He was greatly relieved to learn that most of the Corinthians had repented of their opposition, and the man who so vigorously opposed Paul had been disciplined by the congregation and had repented. While in Macedonia, Paul wrote 2 Corinthians and dispatched Titus and another brother (12:18) to carry it to Corinth."
Key Verse
That which is central in 2 Corinthians is the sacrifice of our Lord Jesus Christ as our great Substitute. We cannot understand the message of this Book until we understand the message of its key verse (5:21). Indeed, we cannot understand the Bible until we understand the message of 2 Corinthians 5:21."For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him."
What profound truth, what stupendous grace, what wondrous mystery those words contain!"He," God the Father, "has," in holy justice and infinite mercy, "made," by divine imputation, "him," the Lord Jesus Christ, his infinite, well-beloved, only begotten, immaculate Son, "to be sin," an awful mass of iniquity, "for us," God's elect, helpless, condemned, sinful rebels! Now, as the result of Christ being made sin for us, and suffering all the horrid wrath of God as our Substitute to the full satisfaction of divine justice, all for whom he died are made to be the very righteousness of God in him by that same divine imputation.
Substitution
2 Corinthians 5:21 declares the great, glorious, and effectual substitutionary work of Christ upon the cross, as "he bare our sins in his own body upon the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24). This is the foundation truth of Christianity, the rock upon which our hopes are built. This is the only hope of the sinner, and the only joy of the true believer.
"The heart of the gospel," wrote C. H. Spurgeon, "is redemption, and the essence of redemption is the substitutionary sacrifice of Christ." The great substitutionary work of Christ, the mighty transfer of sin from the sinner to the sinner's Surety, the punishment of the Surety in the sinner's place, the pouring out of the infinite, indescribable wrath of God, which was due to us, upon our SubstituteThis is the greatest transaction that ever took place upon the earth, the most marvelous sight that men ever beheld, and the most stupendous wonder that Heaven ever executed. Jesus Christ was made to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Jesus Christ, the spotless Son of God was made to be sin; and every sinner who trusts him is made the righteousness of God in him!
Personal Letter
2nd Corinthians is clearly the most personal and emotional of all Paul's letters. These thirteen chapters are filled with passion. They contain far more personal information about Paul and his labors for the gospel than any of his other Epistles. But it is a great mistake to imagine that Paul wrote this Epistle merely to defend himself, or to give us an account of what he did and suffered for Christ. Paul was far too concerned for the glory of God, the souls of men, and the gospel of Christ than that. His defense of himself and his ministry was not a personal defense. Rather it was the defense of Christ and the gospel of his grace that Paul preached.
Christ Crucified
Jesus Christ and him crucified is the message of 2nd Corinthians. The theme throughout these thirteen chapters is, as in all his Epistles, the glory of Christ in redemption and grace. 2nd Corinthians is filled with Christ and the glory of God's free grace in him. Every argument for obedience, every promise of grace, every hope set before us in these chapters, and every motivation by which Paul inspires us to live in this world for the glory of God is built upon the mercy, grace, and love of God in our all-glorious Christ. Let me show you.
When Paul speaks of grace and peace from God the Father, he tells us that it is "from the Lord Jesus Christ" (1:2). When he speaks of the blessedness of God, "the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulations," he tells us that our mercies and consolations come to us and abound from our Lord Jesus Christ and his sufferings for us (1:35), and that as surely as he was raised from the dead, our God will deliver us from all our woes by his grace (1:810). What blessed titles Paul here gives to our God:"the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort."
The Tenses
In the 10th verse of chapter 1 Paul speaks of God's gracious deliverance in three tenses. He is telling us how the Lord continually delivered him from death. Though he had the sentence of death in himself and was so troubled that he "despaired even of life," he learned not to trust in himself, but "in God which raises the dead." Then he tells us how the Lord had delivered him, was delivering him, and would deliver him."Who delivered us from so great a death, and does deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us."
In these things we have a magnificent picture of every believer's experience of grace. Though we once despaired of life, living under the sentence of death in ourselves, the Lord God graciously saved us. But it is a great mistake to think of salvation only as something we experienced in the past. "Salvation" is a very big word. It includes all the work of God in bringing his elect from the ruins of fallen humanity into "the glorious liberty of the sons of God" in Heaven. Salvation includes God's past works of grace, his present works of grace, and his future works of grace.
The Lord our God has saved us. There is a very real sense in which it must be said that every believer's salvation is a completed work in the past. Our God saved his elect in his eternal purpose of grace in Christ, the Lamb of God slain from the foundation of the world (Romans 8:2830; Ephesians 1:36; Revelation 13:8). Election, predestination, and adoption are works by which God saved us in eternity. He saved us by the sin-atoning sacrifice of Christ at Calvary, too. When the Son of God cried, "It is finished!" redemption's work was done. Sin was put away. And "we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son" (Romans 5:10). And, at the appointed time of love, the Lord God saved us in regeneration by the effectual, irresistible work of his Holy Spirit in omnipotent grace, giving us life and faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:15).
The Lord is saving us now, ever supplying us with grace, preserving and keeping us, because he has declared that we "shall never perish" (John 10:28). His daily providence and his all-sufficient grace are constantly engaged in saving us.
There is also a sense in which it must be said that our salvation is future, "for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed" (Romans 13:11). There is a day appointed when Christ shall come again. When he does, our salvation will be complete in resurrection glory. All who have been saved are being saved, and shall yet be saved. He who has kept us will keep us unto the end. And, at the last day, he will raise us up into Heaven in the perfection of resurrection glory.
The Promises of God
When Paul declares his own veracity as the servant of God, he turns our attention immediately away from himself to the veracity of God our Savior and all the promises of God in him (1:1822). He declares, "all the promises of God in Christ are yes, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us." Then, he tells us of four great works of grace, by which all the promises of God are verified to us (verses 2122).(1.) He has established us in Christ.(2.) He has anointed us with his Spirit.(3.) He has sealed us in his grace.And (4.) he has "given us the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts."
Always Triumphant
In chapter 2, when Paul asserts the certain and constant acceptance and triumph of gospel preachers and their message, he says, "For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ" (verses 1416). He asserts that this is true regardless of the response of men to the message of the gospel. "For we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ in them that are saved, and in them that perish: To the one we are the savor of death unto death; and to the other the savor of life unto life." Then, in the light of this awesome fact, the apostle declares his own sense of utter insufficiency to engage in such a labor by raising the question,"And who is sufficient for these things?" The answer to that question is given in chapter 3."And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God" (verses 45). The gospel is a trust given into the hands of men made sufficient to the work by God's grace.
When he declares that unbelieving men and women read the Scriptures with a blindfold over their eyes, and therefore cannot see the things of God, he asserts that that "veil is done away in Christ." Once God gives faith in Christ, the blindfold is taken away, and we are able to see and enter into the kingdom of God."Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (3:14, 17, 18).
A Trusted Treasure
Paul looked upon the ministry God had given him as a heavenly treasure trusted to his care, to which he was determined to be faithful. In chapter 4 he declares that the message he preached, the message we must preach, is "the glorious gospel of Christ," that by which God gives light and grace to chosen sinners.
"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the God of this world has blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Corinthians 4:37).
Trouble Everywhere
Beginning with verse 8 (chapter 4), Paul tells us the he had trouble everywhere, all the time. For him, heartache and woe were relentless. He was "always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus" (4:10). Yet, when he speaks of his countless afflictions, he declares them to be but light afflictions and momentary compared to the glory awaiting us in Heaven with Christ (4:85:9). Blessed is that man or woman who learns to live constantly in the immediate prospect of eternity. It would lighten our load, brighten our days, drive away our gloom, and cheer our hearts to live every day as though we were on the doorstep of Heaven.
"Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God. For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, works for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." (2 Cor 4:145:1).
Persuasions
In chapter 5, knowing the terror of the Lord awaiting sinners at the judgment seat of Christ, the apostle seeks to persuade all who read this Epistle to be reconciled to God. How does the inspired writer persuade sinners to trust Christ? By declaring to them the finished work of and redemption accomplished by the crucified Son of God (5:146:2).
"For the love of Christ constrains us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yes, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more. Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who has reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and has given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and has committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be you reconciled to God. For he has made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that you receive not the grace of God in vain. (For he says, I have heard you in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succored you: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)"
Unequal Yoke
Paul's words in 2 Corinthians 6:147:1 have been terribly misapplied by many to teach that believers are to separate themselves from unbelievers in their daily lives and normal earthly connections. But that is not the meaning of this passage. Paul is calling for all who trust Christ to come out of Babylon, to make a clean break with all false religion. Here, the apostle Paul promises, by divine inspiration, that God will receive all who abandon the religion of the world (all freewill, works religion), trusting Christ alone as Savior and Lord. He promises that all who trust Christ shall be received by God as his own sons and daughters (6:147:1)."Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." As we relentlessly separate ourselves from the filth of Babylon's religion, we are continually perfecting (bringing to its end and completion) our separation from the world by our God and our separation unto our God.
Christian Giving
When Paul instructs the saints at Corinth about giving, he inspires and motivates generosity in them by reminding them, and us, of Christ's great love for us, and the unspeakable gift of God in him (8:79; 9:15).
There is an abundance of instruction in the New Testament about Christian giving. All of 1st Corinthians 9 and 2nd Corinthians 8 and 9 are taken up with this subject. But there are no commands to the people of God anywhere in the New Testament about how much we are to give. Tithing and all systems like it are things altogether foreign to the New Testament. Like all other acts of worship, giving is an act of grace. It must be free and voluntary. But there are some plain, simple guidelines laid down in 1st and 2nd Corinthians for us to follow.
1. Christian giving must be motivated by love and gratitude towards Christ (2 Corinthians 8:89). Love needs no law. It is a law unto itself. It is the most powerful and most generous of all motives.
2. Our gifts must arise from willing hearts (2 Corinthians 8:12). If that which we give arises from a willing heart, if it is given freely and cheerfully, it is accepted of God. The Lord is not concerned with the amount of our gift, be it great or small; he looks to the motive behind it.
3. We should give to the work of the gospel in proportion to our blessings from the Lord (1 Corinthians 16:2). We are expected to give generously in accordance with our own ability.
4. All of God's people should give ("everyone," 1 Corinthians 16:2;"every man," 2 Corinthians 9:7). Men and women, rich and poor, old and young,all who are saved by the grace of God are expected to give for the support of God's church and kingdom.
5. We should be both liberal and sacrificial in our giving (2 Corinthians 9:56). We have not really given anything until we have taken that which we need, want, and have use for and have given it to the Lord (Mark 12:4144).
6. Our gifts must be voluntary (2 Corinthians 9:7).
7. Our gifts must be purposed."Every man according as he purposes in his heart, so let him give" (2 Corinthians 9:7).
8. We are to give as unto the Lord (2 Corinthians 9:7; Matthew 6:15). We give, not to be seen of men, but for the honor of Christ, hoping for nothing in return.
9. This kind of giving is well-pleasing to God."God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7; Philippians 4:18; Hebrews 13:16).
Our Warfare
In the 10th chapter Paul tells us that the weapons of our warfare (prayer, faith, and gospel preaching), by which we bring rebels to the obedience of faith, are not carnal, but spiritual (10:35). God's church is an army at war in hostile, enemy territory. Our battle is not political or social, but spiritual. We are engaged in a war for the souls of men and the glory of God. In this great army there are five ranks of soldiers: the foolish, the weak, the base, the despised, and the things which are not (1 Corinthians 1:2629). And the weapon by which the church of God shall march over the gates of Hell and prevail is the gospel of Christ.
Paul's Fear
In chapter 11 the apostle Paul shows great concern, lest anyone be "corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ," by those who preach another Jesus, another, spirit, another gospel, and another righteousness (11:25, 1315). He was fearful that the influence of false apostles (men who claimed to speak as God's messengers, but were really Satan's messengers) might turn some away from the singular hope of faithChrist.
It is very important that we see how Paul describes these messengers of Hell, by whom the souls of men are deceived with a false gospel, preaching "another Jesus" and "another spirit." They are not described as promoters of licentiousness, immorality, and open blasphemy. They are far more subtle than that. These men are wicked men who, as "Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light," present themselves as "the ministers of righteousness." They promote righteousness, devotion, morality, and religious works. But the righteousness they preach and promote is self-righteousness, righteousness produced by men, not the righteousness of God in Christ.
Abundant Revelations
When Paul describes his temporary translation into Heaven, he says very little about that experience and focuses our attention instead upon the lessons he had learned about the all-sufficient grace of God in Christ (12:210). The things he saw and heard in Paradise were things that no tongue could describe. When the experience ended, lest he "should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations" given to him, the Lord gave him a "thorn in the flesh." He sent Satan to him as a messenger, constantly beating him in the face, to keep him from glorying in what he had experienced.
Prayer
Though he did not look upon it as such at the time, Paul tells us that this thorn in the flesh was God's gift to him (Philippians 1:29). At the time, it was so aggravating, painful, and hard to bear that Paul earnestly prayed for the Lord to take this thorn from him.
We must not miss the lesson here given about prayer. None of us knows what is best for the glory of God, the good of our own souls, or the accomplishment of God's purpose of grace in Christ (verse 8). Because we do not know what is best, we do not know how to pray for anything as we ought. It is written, "We know not what we should pray for as we ought" (Romans 8:26). Prayer is not for the gratification of our carnal lusts. It is not the means by which we obtain what we want from the Lord. Prayer, true prayer, involves submission to the will of God. It is the cry of the believer's heart to his heavenly Father to do what is right and best. If I am God's child, if truly I know him and trust him, I want what he has purposed. I bow to him, surrendering my will to his will, my desires to his purpose, my pleasure to his glory, knowing that his will is best. Therefore, when we pray (in our ignorance) the Holy Spirit cleans up our prayers and presents to the Father the true groanings of our hearts (Romans 8:26).
Our Lord Jesus taught us ever to surrender our will to the Father's will. When the will of God appears to contradict that which might appear to be most pleasing to our flesh, we ought always to follow our Masters example, saying, "Not my will, your will be done." (See John 12:2728.)
In this passage Paul tells us plainly that, though the Lord graciously refused to give him what he asked for, he graciously granted him what he really wanted and needed. "The Lord always hears and answers his people sooner or later, in one form or another, though not always in the way and manner they desire; but yet in such a way as is most for his glory and their good. The apostle had not his request granted, that Satan might immediately depart from him, only he is assured of a sufficiency of grace to support him under the exercise, so long as it should last" (John Gill).
All-sufficient Grace
The Lord graciously assured Paul of his all-sufficient grace."He said unto me, My grace is sufficient for you: for my strength is made perfect in weakness" (verse 9). Here God's elect are assured of his grace in Christ and the absolute sufficiency of it always and in all things. One of the names of our great God is El-Shaddai, which means God All-sufficient. The grace of God in Christ and that alone is our sufficiency. Nothing but the grace of God in Christ is sufficient grace; and that is sufficient for all his elect, all the time, and in all circumstance.
Look at verse nine again. In the second part of the verse our Savior declares that his strength is made perfect in our weakness. Obviously, our weakness contributes nothing to the perfection of Christ's strength. He is the omnipotent God. The meaning of this statement is that the strength of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ appears to be, or is manifestly perfect through the weakness of those sinners who are saved by his grace. Paul writes in another place, "When we were yet without strength, in due time, Christ died for the ungodly."
Read the last sentence of verse nine one more time."Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." It is only when we are brought to acknowledge our weakness, infirmity, frailty, nothingness, and insufficiency that the power of Christ and his all sufficient grace rests upon us. The moment we flex our muscles, straighten our backs, lift our chins and say, "I can do this," we are in trouble.
Pleasure in Infirmity
In 2nd Corinthians 12:10 we read, "Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." Here, writing by inspiration, Paul obeys the admonition given in Joel 3:10, where it is written, "Let the weak say, I am strong". He who is weak and sees himself to be so is strong in Christ, and has the blessed experience of renewed strength from him day by day. May God give us grace, always, in all things, to know our weakness, that we may have his strength.
Self-examination
When he calls for us to examine ourselves (13:56), the one thing to be determined is whether or not we are in the faith, whether or not we trust Christ."Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know you not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except you be reprobates? But I trust that you shall know that we are not reprobates."
We are not to examine one another. And we are not to subject ourselves to the examination of others. If we examine others, we will become hardened in self-righteousness, harsh and judgmental, arrogantly making ourselves the standard by which we judge others. If we subject ourselves to the examinations of others, we will have nothing but the words and opinions of men as the basis of our faith. Our assurance, if we get any, will be nothing but a temporary, self-righteous confidence, varying with the opinions of the person to whom we are listening.
The point of examination is this one thing:"Whether you be in the faith." It does not matter when, where, or how you came to be in the faith, or even who was preaching when you believed. It only matters that "you be in the faith." For most of God's people conversion is not a climatic experience, but a gradual process. Some, like Saul of Tarsus, have great, climatic experiences. But most are brought to Christ one faltering step at a time. And even those who have Damascus road experiences must be gently led into the knowledge of Christ by one like Ananias (Acts 9:618). Are you, or are you not now in the faith? That is the only issue of examination. If you are in the faith, you are saved. If you are not, you are lost.
"Prove your own selves."The only way to know "whether you be in the faith" is to bring your faith to the Word of God, crying with David, "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try (prove) me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me (see if I am in the way of the wicked), and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalm 139:2324).
If God will "say unto my soul, I am your salvation" (Psalm 35:3), I want no other proof. Does the Lord God give such a word to believing sinners, a word by which we may be assured of his grace? Indeed, he does."Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God He who believes on the Son of God has the witness in himself: he who believes not God has made him a liar; because he believes not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; and he who has not the Son of God has not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God" (1 John 5:113).
GALATIANS
"I do not frustrate the grace of God."
If I had opportunity to address all the preachers, religious leaders, theologians, and religious people of this world at one time, who believe and teach that salvation is in any way, to any degree dependent upon or determined by the will or work of man, I would lay this solemn charge, this horrible indictment against them:You frustrate the grace of God and make the death of the Lord Jesus Christ an insignificant, meaningless, useless thing. That is precisely the charge Paul laid against those who taught such heresy in Galatia. Then, he declared, as spokesman for all who believe and preach the gospel of God's free, sovereign, saving grace in Christ, "I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain" (Galatians 2:21). That is just how serious the book of Galatians is.
When Paul sat down to write this Epistle, he was clearly provoked and angry. This book was intended (intended by Paul and by God the Holy Spirit who inspired it) to be a deliberate, forceful confrontation. There are no friendly greetings, no gentle salutations, no kind, soothing reflections in this book. Everything in these six chapters is "in your face" confrontation.
An Angry Apostle
To say the least, the apostle was a little hot under the collar. Why? What provoked Paul and stirred his anger? The Galatian churches, churches God raised up under the influence of Paul's ministry among them, were being led away from Christ and his gospel by false teachers in their midst. These men, professing to be the servants of Christ, were slandering Paul, accusing him of being a false prophet, and denying the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ. All the while they pretended to promote and defend it. They were trying to make Christianity a mere extension of Judaism, just as multitudes do today.
They did not openly deny that salvation is by the free grace of God in Christ. They did not openly state that Christ is not enough, that Christ is not sufficient, or even that works must be mixed with faith. The messengers of Satan are far too subtle for that. They were teaching salvation by grace through works; but they did not state it quite that way. The Galatian heretics taught that true faith is a faith that expresses itself in the observance of the Mosaic law and that any faith that did not express itself in law obedience was a false faith. These men and their heresy were being embraced by the Galatian churches.
Paul was shocked. How could they be confused about this? If salvation is by grace, it cannot be by works. If salvation is by works, it cannot be by grace."If by grace, then is it no more of works: otherwise grace is no more grace. But if it be of works, then is it no more grace: otherwise work is no more work." (Romans 11:6). There can be no mixture of the two.
The issue at Galatia, unlike the issues at Corinth (horrible as they were), was the gospel of God, the glory of God, the finished work of Christ, and the souls of men. Therefore, Paul jumped in, as one writer put it, "with both fists flying." Paul had reason to be provoked. His anger was completely justified.
One Gospel
It is ever the practice of those who oppose the gospel of God's free grace to slander the men who preach it. The legalists at Galatia knew they could not refute Paul's doctrine by Scripture. If they were to turn men away from Paul's message, they must turn them away from him. Therefore, they sought to discredit Paul as God's messenger.
For this reason, the opening verses of Galatians 1 identify Paul decisively as an apostle of God, not an apostle of men, or an apostle by the authority of men, but of and by the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father. With that as his authority, Paul denounces as false every rival gospel. He tells us that every "gospel" that teaches the sinner to look for righteousness and salvation anywhere except in Christ alone is no gospel at all, but a frustration of the grace of God; and with regard to those who preach another "gospel" he says, "let him be accursed""Let him be damned forever." Paul could not have used stronger language to convey his thoughts on this matter.
"I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from Heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that you have received, let him be accursed" (1:69).
The gospel of God is good news about something done, not good advice about something you must do. The gospel is the good news of redemption obtained, righteousness brought in, sin put away, and salvation secured by the obedience and death of Christ as the sinner's Substitute (Daniel 9:24; John 19:30; Hebrews 1:13; 9:12, 26, 28; 10:1014). Anyone who asserts that something must be done by the sinner before these things can be accomplished is a false prophet, preaching a false gospel, and those who follow him follow him to Hell.
That is just how serious this matter is. And that is exactly what Paul asserts in Galatians 1:69. Having said that, the fat was in the fire. In verses 1024 Paul asserts that, contrary to the accusations of his detractors at Galatia, he had no desire to please men and made no effort to do so. The gospel of God was not something he learned from men. He learned it by divine revelation. His authority as an apostle and preacher, though confirmed by the other apostles (2:110), was not derived from them, but from Christ himself.
Peter's Compromise
So far was Paul from being a compromising man-pleaser that when Peter compromised the gospel by his actions at Antioch Paul withstood him to the face (2:1117). While at Antioch, Peter enjoyed a good barbeque dinner with the Gentile brethren there, until he saw some of his Jewish brethren approaching. At the sight of these men, Peter got up from the table and separated himself from the Gentiles, as if to say, "Oh, I should not have done that. The law of Moses forbids eating good barbeque."
When he did that, by his mere act, he led many into error, even Barnabas. By his mere action, Peter led others to believe that righteousness, justification, salvation, and acceptance with God is not totally the work of God's grace, but in some way dependent upon our own obedience to the law of God.
Frustrating Grace
Peter's actions were far more evil than most imagine. His implied doctrine was a frustration of the grace of God. He implied that justifying righteousness can be obtained by the works of men. Therefore, Paul publicly withstood him to the face before both the Jews and the Gentiles at Antioch.
"But when I saw that they walked not uprightly according to the truth of the gospel, I said unto Peter before them all, If you, being a Jew, live after the manner of Gentiles, and not as do the Jews, why compel you the Gentiles to live as do the Jews? We who are Jews by nature, and not sinners of the Gentiles, Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid" (2:1417).
Justification
We are justified by the faith of Christ, not by our faith in Christ, but by the faith and faithful obedience of Christ himself unto death as our Substitute (Romans 4:25). By our faith in Christ we receive and enjoy the blessedness of justification. We are not justified by something we do, but by Christ alone. To suggest, or imply in any way that our works, or even our experience, have anything at all to do with making us righteous before God for justification is to deny the gospel altogether. Paul puts it this way:"I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain" (2:21). If righteousness could be established by something men do, then Christ died for nothing! Again, Paul could not have used stronger language to denounce the heresy of mixing works with grace for justification. Salvation is by grace alone, in Christ alone, received by faith alone, without works of any kind.
Antinomianism
Paul understood exactly what he was saying, and understood exactly what his detractors would say about his doctrine. He could almost hear them screaming with clinched fists, "Antinomianism! That is antinomianism! If our works have nothing to do with righteousness, if we can be saved without obeying God's law and doing good works ourselves, you are telling us that we can go out and live like we want to in lawlessness, licentiousness, and lasciviousness."
I know that is what they said, both because that is what Paul says they said (2:17), and because I have heard those words countless times. The legalist never really wants to live as he pretends to live. The very language he uses to denounce free grace betrays the fact that if he could be saved without serving God, he would not serve him.
The fact is, any man who preaches salvation by grace alone, without works, will be accused of antinomianism and of promoting licentiousness; but the charge is baseless and false (2:17).
Sanctification
In chapter 3 Paul moves from justification to sanctification. He argues with the Galatians (and us) that their experience of grace forbids the idea that righteousness can be obtained by their works.
"O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you? This only would I learn of you, Received you the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are you now made perfect by the flesh?" (3:13)
Sanctification and justification are two distinct works of God's grace; but the two cannot be separated. Those who are justified are also sanctified. And sanctification as well as justification is a work of grace alone. Once we have received righteousness in justification by faith in Christ, we do not make ourselves more holy, more righteous before God by our works in sanctification. Believers grow in grace: in faith, in love, and in consecration to God. But believers do not become more holy and righteous before God as they grow in grace. The only time the word "holy" is used in the Scriptures in connection with a man in a relative sense is in Isaiah 65:5. There the Lord God says such people who think they are holier than others "are a smoke in my nose."
Christ is both our justification and sanctification (1 Corinthians 1:30; Hebrews 10:1014). His name is Jehovah-tsidkenu"THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jeremiah 23:6). We have no righteousness before God but him. To suggest that we make ourselves righteous by our works in sanctification is to mix grace and works; and that is a frustration of the grace of God."I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain" (2:21).
No Mixture
In a word, Paul's doctrine is this:Any mixture of grace and works in the matter of righteousness is a total denial of grace, for it is a frustration of grace. Therefore (3:194:31), he tells us that the whole purpose of the law was fulfilled when Christ suffered, died, and rose again as our Substitute. The law was our schoolmaster unto Christ. Once Christ came and fulfilled it, the law's work was finished."Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believes" (Romans 10:4).
There is no place for legal bondage in the household of faith. Those who would bring God's saints under the yoke of legal bondage deny the whole gospel of the grace of God and every believer's experience of grace. All who attempt to make themselves righteous by the works of the law are still under the curse of the law.
"For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith" (3:1011).
Those who would bring believers under the yoke of legal bondage deny every believer's experience of grace (3:15). They deny the Old Testament Scriptures, which assert that Abraham was justified by faith without works (3:69). They deny the efficacy of Christ's atonement, asserting that Christ died in vain, that he did not actually secure the blessing of grace for God's elect by his death (3:1314). They deny the whole purpose of the law as a schoolmaster unto Christ (3:1529). And they deny the blessed liberty of the gospel and the grace of God, the very liberty Christ obtained for us by his obedience to the law and his death by the law, by attempting to bring us back under the yoke of bondage (4:111).
"But when the fullness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore you are no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ" (4:47).
Christ died for God's elect (his eternally adopted children), that we might receive the Spirit of adoption in regeneration, giving us faith to look upon God through the blood of our Savior with confidence as our heavenly Father (Hebrews 10:1922). Trusting Christ, we are no longer servants, but sons. The promoters of law righteousness would have us swap sonship for slavery! No wonder Paul was fearful for their souls! No wonder he stood in doubt of them (4:19). These Gentile believers, to whom the law was never given, were being duped by their false teachers to swap the liberty of Christ for the bondage of Moses.
"But now, after that you have known God, or rather are known of God, how turn you again to the weak and beggarly elements, whereunto you desire again to be in bondage? You observe days, and months, and times, and years. I am afraid of you, lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain" (4:911).
In the latter part of chapter 4 (verses 2131) Paul uses Sarah and Hagar and their sons Isaac and Ishmael as an allegory. The allegory teaches us, that as Hagar and Ishmael (the fruit of Abraham's shameful works by which he attempted to perform God's righteous promise) had to be cast out of Abraham's house, so all our own works righteousness (all attempts to make ourselves righteous before God) must be cast out as filthy rags. It is written, "Cast out the bond woman and her son." There is no room in the house of grace for the works of the flesh, for legal obedience.
Stand Fast
In the 5th chapter Paul urges us to stand fast in the blessed liberty of the gospel, warning us that if we do anything by which we hope to gain God's favor, improve our standing in God's favor, or keep ourselves in God's favor, we have abandoned the gospel and abandoned grace altogether. He says, "Christ is of no value to anyone who attempts to make himself righteous before God."
"Stand fast therefore in the liberty with which Christ has made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if you be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor to do the whole law Christ is become of no effect unto you, whoever of you are justified by the law; you are fallen from grace" (5:14).
There is no antinomianism here, no licentiousness, no encouragement to sin. Far from it! The rest of the book of Galatians is a declaration that this liberty of grace is life in the Spirit. As we walk in the Spirit, looking to Christ alone for righteousness and salvation, we will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. It is self-righteousness and legalism that causes men and women to bite and devour one another (in the name of righteousness!). Grace teaches believers to restore their fallen brethren, to bear one another's burdens, to love one another, and so to fulfill the law of Christ. Grace teaches us not to sow to the flesh and reap corruption, but to sow to the Spirit and reap life everlasting. Our only hope is the cross of Christ. Our only motivation, our only rule of life is the cross. And all who have this hope and live by this rule are blessed as "the Israel of God."
"But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision avails anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God" (6:1416).
The Cross
The sum and essence of all true doctrine, the essence of all true Christianity, and of all motivation in the lives of God's elect in this world is the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (6:14). When Paul writes, "God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ," he is telling us that his only trust, his only hope before God is that which Christ accomplished as our all-sufficient, effectual Redeemer at Calvary.
Throughout the book of Galatians the cross of Christ is central. The cross, as Paul uses it, refers not to the wooden cross upon which Christ died, or the historic fact of the cross, but the doctrine of the crossRedemption and salvation by the death of our Lord Jesus Christ as our sin-atoning Substitute.
The cross is deliverance by blood atonement (1:35). The cross is life (2:1920). The cross is righteousness (2:21). The cross is the removal of our curse (3:13). The cross is the certainty of God's blessing (3:14). The cross is the center of our faith (3:22). The cross is the ground of our adoption (4:47). The cross is an offense to the unbelieving (5:11). The cross is the source of all grace (5:2224). The cross is that by which we are crucified unto the world and the world unto us (6:1415). And the cross is our rule, our peace, our mercy, and our life (6:1618).
"I must needs go home by the way of the cross,
There's no other way but this;
I shall ne'er get sight of the gates of light,
If the way of the cross I miss.
I must needs go on in the blood sprinkled way,
The path that the Savior trod,
If I ever climb to the heights sublime,
Where the soul is at home with God.
So I bid farewell to the way of the world,
To walk in it never more;
For the Lord says, "Come," and I seek my home,
Where He waits at the open door.
The way of the cross leads home,
The way of the cross leads home,
It is sweet to know as I onward go,
The way of the cross leads home."
EPHESIANS
"To the Praise of His Glory"
In the very first chapter of Ephesians we are brought immediately into the counsel chambers of the triune God, caused to think about electing love, blood atonement, effectual grace, and preserving mercy, and made to worship before the august throne of our triune, covenant-keeping God, our Father in Heaven, our beloved Savior, and our divine Comforter. Unless it is the Book of Psalms, there is, perhaps, no section of Holy Scripture to which I turn more often and meditate upon more constantly than Paul' Epistle to the Ephesians. I find it delightful. I never read these pages without coming away with something fresh for my heart from the throne of God.
Speaks of Christ
I love this book because of the Person of whom it speaks. When I open the book of Ephesians, no matter where I am reading, no matter where I sit down, no matter where I walk in this treasure house, I feel as if I am immediately in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ. The words "in Christ," "in him," "by Christ," "through Christ," and "for Christ," or other words with the same meaning, are used fifty-five times in this book. Fifty-five times the Holy Spirit reminds us that everything we have from God, everything we are by grace, and everything we hope to enjoy in heavenly glory is in Christ. In Christ God has given us all that he can give and all that we can enjoy. He has given us himself!
The Ephesians
I love to muse upon the things written in these pages because of the people to whom this book was writtenThe Ephesians. Ephesus was a large, wealthy, metropolitan city of Asia Minor. It was called, "The Light of Asia". It was a city filled with brilliant, wealthy people. It was the envy of the world in its day. Tradesmen, scholars, philosophers, and orators flocked to Ephesus. They thought it had everything a man could want. But Ephesus was a godless society. Actually, that is not true. They had gods galore. But they were altogether without the knowledge of God. Like the society in which we live, idolatrous, man-centered religion walked hand in hand with superstition, immorality, lasciviousness, and utter decadence. The great temple of Diana at Ephesus, just like many religious people in our day, openly promoted every moral perversity imaginable. Yet, from among these hell-bent pagans, the Lord God was pleased to raise up a people, objects of his everlasting love, to whom he revealed his gospel, in whom he revealed his Son, and by whom he made known his grace.
Contrast
What a contrast there is in the very first verse of the epistle between the person who wrote it and the people to whom it was written. It is a contrast that singularly displays the great sovereignty of our God in the exercise of his grace."Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints (those who are sanctified) which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful (those who have been and are made faithful) in Christ Jesus."
Not many of the wise, the mighty, and the noble are called, but a few are. Most of God's servants, most of the prophets of the Old Testament, most of the apostles in the New Testament, and most gospel preachers today were nobodies and nothings when God called them, just shepherds and fishermen. But Paul was one of the most brilliant and most highly educated men of his day. Like Isaiah in the king's court, this man was a man whose words were respected and heard. Yet, before God saved him, Saul of Tarsus would not have allowed himself to even come into contact with these pagan Gentiles at Ephesus, for whom he later risked his life, that he might preach the gospel to them!
Truly, God is no respecter of persons. He has mercy on whom he will have mercy. God's servants are just messengers. It matters not whether the messenger has an eloquent, trained and polished, baritone voice, and uses perfect grammar, or has a coarse, gravely voice and obviously does not know the difference between an adverb and an adjective. God's messengers are not sent to impress, but to instruct, to deliver his message. Paul considered himself nothing but God's messenger, and counted it his highest honor to be such."Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (3:8).
Heavenly Places
I love the book of Ephesians because it brings me into "heavenly places". The words "heavenly places" are found nowhere else in the Bible, except in the book of Ephesians. The Holy Spirit inspired Paul to use this term five times (1:3; 1:20; 2:6; 3:10; 6:12). Some prefer to translate the word used in these places "heavenlies" instead of "heavenly places". Whichever way it is translated, this term, "heavenly places," refers to heavenly things, heavenly words, heavenly doctrines, heavenly promises, heavenly possessions, and heavenly experiences belonging to God's elect in Christ.
"Heavenly places" refer to the place of eternal, covenant blessings in Christ."Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ" (1:3).
"Heavenly places" speak of the place of our great High Priest's royal, kingly intercession, advocacy, and sovereign dominion."And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come" (1:1921).
"Heavenly places" identify our spiritual union and communion with Christ as well."And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (2:6). There he is, yonder, at the Father's right hand, seated, accepted, and blessed. But here is something more. Yonder, "in heavenly places," I am, seated, accepted, and blessed at the Father's right hand. Frequently, I do not feel so close to my God. Indeed, I often feel far off from him. But my faith does not rest in my feelings. My comfort and assurance are not derived from the cracked cistern of my feelings. My faith is in, and my comfort, hope, and assurance are founded upon the Word of God. And God says in his Word, right here in Ephesians 2:6, that I am with Christ "in heavenly places". And I prefer what God says to what my deceitful hearts says.
"Near, so very near to God, nearer I cannot be,
For in the Person of His Son, I am as near as He!"
"Heavenly places" are those places in which we are taught of God by divine revelation."To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God" (3:10). This passage of Scripture refers to the gathered assemblies of God's saints around the world as "heavenly places" of spiritual instruction. Here, as we sing, and pray, and worship, and receive instruction in the knowledge of Christ by the gospel of the grace of God, the angels of God are also instructed in the wonders of blood atonement, pardoning love, and saving grace!
"Heavenly places" are the place of spiritual privilege and stern perplexity, blessed assurance and bothersome anxiety, sweet communion and stubborn conflict."For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places" (6:12 marginal translation). The world is the enemy of our Father. The devil is in arms against our Master. The flesh is at war with the Spirit. And our carnal hearts are enmity against God. Therefore, we need not be surprised to find our daily experience an experience of unceasing, constant warfare.
Grace
And I love this blessed book of Ephesians because it talks so much about grace, God's free, sovereign, saving grace in Christ. All grace is ours in Christ by divine purpose and joyful experience, to use for our own comfort and peace, and for one another's good, and for the glory of our great God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Explanation of Grace
In the first chapter of Ephesians Paul explains what God has done for us by his wonderful, free, saving grace in Christ. He begins this epistle by telling us what the triune God has done for us, according to his own sovereign will and eternal purpose, for the praise of his glory. The grace of God flows to us from the three persons of the Holy Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Grace comes to sinners according to the Father's purpose, the Son's purchase, and the Spirit's power.
All Spiritual Blessings
The apostle assures us that all God's elect have been blessed of God with all spiritual blessings in Christ from eternity (1:3), and that all the blessings of grace come to chosen sinners according to God's eternal purpose of grace in election (1:4). At the very outset of his letter, he declares that there is no possibility of grace, salvation, and spiritual blessedness apart from God's eternal election and sovereign, loving predestination. Having asserted that all the blessings of God's grace are the eternal, unalterable possession of every sinner who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, Paul proceeds to name ten of those great, spiritual blessings in verses 314.
1. Election is the first blessing named (1:34) The Lord God chose a vast multitude of sinners unto salvation in Christ before the world began. He chose us to make us "holy and without blame before him." And he will accomplish his purpose (5:27; Jude 2425).
2. The second great blessing of grace is divine predestination (1:45). In eternal love for us our heavenly Father predestined all his elect to what Paul calls in the book of Romans "the glorious liberty of the sons of God."
3. The third blessing of grace Paul names is adoption (1:5). Imagine thatThe God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ adopted us into his family in and by Christ before he called the world into existence (1 John 3:1). Why? Just because he would! He did it "according to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace" (1:56).
4. Next, the apostle tells us that our great God "has made us accepted in the Beloved" (1:6), not acceptable, accepted! By an act of free and sovereign grace, he accepted all the objects of his eternal love in Christ before the world began. And those he accepted in eternity can never be made unaccepted in time.
5. Redemption is named as the fifth bounty of God's grace possessed by all who are in Christ (1:6). Redemption is deliverance from all sin, all condemnation, and all the consequences of our sin and fall in Adam, deliverance into "the glorious liberty of the sons of God." This redemption is that which was accomplished and obtained for us by the precious, sin-atoning blood of Christ (Hebrews 9:12).
6. Then, Paul tells us that the forgiveness of sins is ours in Christ (1:7). Where there is redemption accomplished there is also pardon. In fact, Paul explains what he means by redemption by saying, redemption means forgiveness."In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace."Grace does not proclaim a redemption that offers pardon, but a redemption that demands pardon. Justice satisfied means pardon granted. This acceptance with God, this redemption by the blood of Christ, this blessed forgiveness is ours "according to the riches of God's grace."
7. In verses 9 and 10 Paul tells us that God has given to every believer the knowledge of "the mystery of his will." The secret things belong to God; but he has revealed his purpose of grace to his children. He has made "his good pleasure" known to us in his Word and by his Spirit. It is the purpose and good pleasure of God to save all his elect; and that is exactly what he is doing in his daily works of providence and grace. When time is fulfilled, he will "gather together in one all things in Christ."
8. In Christ, who took possession of heavenly glory for us as our Forerunner (Hebrews 6:20), we have obtained an eternal inheritance in Heaven, "being predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things after the counsel of his own will" (1:1112). Yes, the inheritance of heavenly glory is the present and eternal possession of every sinner who trusts the Son of God (John 17:5, 22). We are "heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ."
9. In verse 13 the apostle tells us that every believer has been sealed by God the Holy Spirit. We believe by the almighty operations of God the Holy Spirit, and believing we are sealed.
Grace is not a proposition, but a performance. Grace is not something God offers, but something God does. We do not believe as the result of God's offer, but as the result of God's operation. And this operation of grace, by which we believe, has an intimate, indivisible relationship to the word of truth, the gospel of salvation accomplished in Christ.
The gospel is called "the word of truth" because it reveals Christ who is the Truth. It is called "the gospel of your salvation" because it reveals salvation accomplished by Christ. It is called "the word of life" because it is the means by which God the Holy Spirit conveys life to dead sinners (1 Peter 1:2325). Do you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ? If you do, it is because God the Holy Spirit has revealed Christ to you and in you by the gospel (2 Timothy 1:910).
Where the Holy Spirit has performed his work of grace in regeneration, he also performs his work of grace in preservation. He seals all the blessings of covenant grace to us and seals us in the covenant (1:1314). A seal implies three things. (1.) PropertyThat which is sealed is the property of the one whose seal is upon it. (2.) PreciousnessAny item that is sealed is of great value. (3.) PreservationWhen a thing is sealed it is preserved from harm or spoilage.
10. The tenth blessing of God's boundless grace possessed by every sinner who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, is "the earnest of the Spirit" (1:14). The Holy Spirit dwelling in us as the Spirit of adoption, by whom we believe, is the pledge and guarantee of our eternal inheritance in Heaven.
A Prayer for Understanding
These great riches of God's boundless grace in Christ are the present possession of all believers; but none of us knows how rich we are in Christ. Therefore, Paul prayed that the Lord God would grant us some understanding of our vast spiritual wealth as the sons of God (1:1523). Here are three things hidden from all natural men, that Paul asked God to cause his believing people to see and understand. (1.) What is the hope of his calling?It is Christ's obedience unto death as our Substitute. (2.) What are the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints?They are the complete satisfaction of the Father's purpose, Christ's finished work of redemption, and the Holy Spirit's mighty operations of grace. (3.) What is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe?It is the sovereign, irresistible power of God's omnipotent grace by which we are called from death to life in Christ. It is the very power by which God raised his Son from the dead (verse 20).
Grace is power, sovereign, omnipotent, effectual, irresistible power. According to the words of the Holy Spirit, it takes the very same power to cause a dead sinner to live and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ as it took to raise the dead body of our crucified Redeemer from the grave.
The Fullness of Christ
In verses 2023 Paul declares the greatness, glory, supremacy, and dominion of our exalted Savior as the Head of his church. Then, at the end of chapter one, he makes a statement that is as comforting as it is astounding. He tells us that the church of God's elect, the body of Christ, is "the fullness of him that fills all in all" (verse 23). Paul is speaking of Christ in his mediatorial capacity. As he is the fullness of all things, so his church is his fullness as the God-man Mediator. What does that mean? It means that he cannot be complete as a Mediator and Savior if even one chosen member of his body is lost. It means that the salvation of every chosen, adopted, predestined, redeemed, called, and sealed sinner is a matter of absolute certainty. The fullness of Christ as our Mediator could never be accomplished without the salvation of his people. "He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied."
The Experience of Grace
In chapter 2 the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostle to give us a detailed description of every believer's experience of grace. The grace of God, as we experience it in this world, involves two things. It involves the new birth and the consequent reconciliation of our hearts to God in Christ. We must be born again because we were all born in spiritual death by nature. And we must be reconciled to God because we all hate God by nature. Ephesians 2 deals with these two aspects of grace.
Regeneration
Regeneration is the sovereign work and operation of grace performed in the hearts of chosen, redeemed sinners by God the Holy Spirit, sinners who are by nature both dead and depraved (2:110). The new birth is not accomplished by man's will, but by God's power, not by man's choice, but by God's purpose. It is not something God offers, but something he does. The new birth is a resurrection from the dead. It is that first resurrection spoken of in Revelation 20:6, of which we are told, "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." Look at Ephesians 2:110.
Here is the condition of all men by nature."And you has he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; Wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience: Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as other" (2:13). Man by nature is spiritually depraved and spiritually dead.
Here is the mighty work of God in the new birth, in raising us from our spiritual death to life in Christ."But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses and in sins, has quickened us together with Christ, (by grace you are saved)" (2:45). The reason for all this is the love of God (verse 4). The new birth is the effect of God's work in us (verse 5). And the result of it is union, communion, and fellowship with Christ in the power of his resurrection."And has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" (verse 6). As we were raised together with Christ representatively, we have been raised together with him spiritually in the new birth (John 5:2426).
Why has the Lord been so gracious to such sinners as we are? Paul answers that question in Ephesians 2:7."That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." Then, in verses 810 he summarizes all that he has said in the first seven verses of chapter two.
"For by grace are you saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them."
Reconciliation
The result of regeneration is reconciliation (2:1122). Remember, Paul is dealing with the believer's experience of grace. We were legally reconciled to God at Calvary by the death of his Son (Romans 5:1011). But our hearts were still enmity against God until he conquered us by his grace and graciously forced us to bow to him in reconciliation.
Here is a fact we must never forget."Wherefore remember, that you being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time you were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world" (verses 1112; Isaiah 51:12)."But now in Christ Jesus you who sometimes were far off are made near by the blood of Christ" (2:13). There is that blessed phrase again"IN CHRIST". To be in Christ is to be
Chosen In Him.
Redeemed In Him.
Justified In Him.
Called in Him.
Sanctified In Him.
United To Him.
Accepted In Him.
In verses 1421, Paul tells us that the grace of God experienced in the soul, not only unites and reconciles us to God in Christ, it also unites and reconciles us to one another in Christ. All rocks in a building, built upon one foundation and connected to one cornerstone, are united to and connected to one another. So, too, all who are built on Christ are fitted together.
This is Paul's doctrine in Ephesians and in all his writings.That which God requires of us God alone can do for us!
Atonement For Sin (2 Corinthians 5:21).
Perfect Righteousness (Matthew 5:20).
Spiritual Life, A Spiritual NatureThe New Birth (John 3:7).
Faith in Christ (Hebrews 11:6).
These are the things the Lord God almighty has done for us and in us by his grace in Christ.
The Enjoyment of Grace
In chapter 3 Paul describes what I call the enjoyment of grace. There comes a time, sometime after you are converted, as you grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you begin to really enjoy the grace of God. Much like a husband and wife really begin to truly enjoy one another, comfortably and confidently enjoy one another only after they have been married for a while, believers, while never getting over the wonder of grace, do not really enjoy grace until they have lived in it and experienced it a while.
A Mystery Revealed
The gospel of the grace of God is a wondrous mystery revealed. It is the revelation of how God justified sinners and reconciles them to himself and to one another, in one body with Christ as our Head. Though it cost him his very life, as it will every faithful gospel preacher, Paul considered it his greatest honor, highest privilege, and most delightful joy to be made a preacher of this gospel (3:78).
"Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ."
A Pastor's Heart
As a faithful gospel preacher, as a pastor with a pastor's heart, Paul wanted those people to whom he preached to know in the fullest way possible, by experience, all the blessedness of God's abundant, free grace in Christ (verses 921). It was the desire and burning passion of his heart that these Ephesian saints might be made to see
The manifold wisdom of God in the scheme of grace."And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world has been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: To the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God" (verses 910).
The eternal purpose of his grace."According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (verse 11).
And the free, accessibility we have to our God in Christ by his grace."In whom we have boldness and access with confidence by the faith of him" (verse 12; Hebrews 10:1922).
A Pastor's Prayer
In verses 1419 Paul tells the Ephesians his hearts prayer to God for them; but there is more here than Paul's prayer for the saints at Ephesus. This was his prayer for all God's elect, even you and me. As a true under shepherd of Christ, Paul labored for the good of those under his immediate influence and for the good of God's church as a whole. Read his prayer and ask the Lord to answer it for you.
"For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passes knowledge, that you might be filled with all the fullness of God."
In all his labors and in all his desire his confidence was in Christ and his aim was the glory of Christ."Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen" (verses 2021).
The Education of Grace
The fourth chapter of Ephesians shows us the education of grace. He urges us to labor at maintaining the blessed unity of God's church and kingdom, the unity of all true believers in Christ by the Spirit of God (4:16). All that we know and experience of God's grace teaches us that God's people are one and that we ought to cherish and promote that oneness. The way to do that is to walk before God and with one another in humility, with longsuffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one another relentlessly.
"I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation with which you are called, With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" (4:16).
Then he tells us that in the church and kingdom of God there is no room for and no basis for envy and jealousy. Each of us are given specific gifts to use for the glory of Christ, the interests of the gospel, and the benefit of God's elect (4:7). When the Lord Jesus Christ ascended up into Heaven and took his seat at the right hand of the majesty on high, he received gifts for men and gives those gifts to men, as he will. One of the gifts, with which he has endowed his church, is the gift of the ministry (4:816). Read verses 1114.
"And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Until we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive."
No Licentiousness
Grace does not cause or promote licentiousness, but true godliness (verses 1724). The gospel of the grace of God and the grace of God experienced in the soul teaches believing men and women to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present evil world for the glory of Christ. We are totally free from the law; but believers are not lawless. Saved sinners seek to glorify God in all things. If a person's religion promotes, permits, or allows room for lasciviousness, greed, and deceitful lusts, his religion is not the religion of grace. Grace teaches people to bridle their passions and their tongues (verses 2529). And grace causes saved sinners to fear the thought of grieving the Holy Spirit (verse 30).
In a word, grace makes people gracious. "Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be you kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake has forgiven you" (verses 4:3132).
The Exercise of Grace
Ephesians chapter 5 describes the exercise of grace by people who have experienced it and have been taught by it. We who have been the recipients of grace ought to always take care to magnify the grace of God in our deeds, as well as with our words. As we have been loved of God, we ought to walk in love with one another."Be you therefore followers of God, as dear children; And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us, and has given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor" (5:12). As people who are called to be saints, we should always seek to live in a manner becoming saints (verses 313).
We must endeavor, for Christ's sake, to shake ourselves from our natural tendency toward lukewarmness, indifference, and indolence in spiritual things, and buy up every opportunity to worship and serve our Master."Wherefore he says, Awake you that sleep, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give you light. See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be you not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is" (verse 1417).
If we would live for Christ in this world, we must ever seek to be filled with the Spirit (5:186:9). Being filled with the Spirit is not some charismatic fit or Pentecostal spasm. To be filled with the Spirit is exactly what verses 1833 tell us it is. To be filled with the Spirit is to
Offer thanks and praise to God in all things, for all things, in your heart.
Submit to one another in the will of God.
Imitate Christ in all things: As husbands, As fathers, As masters, As servants.
The Exhortation of Grace
The latter half of chapter 6 concludes this blessed book with the exhortation of grace (6:1024). Paul urges us to be strong in the Lord and to stand firm in the gospel and in the cause of Christ."Having done all stand!" He tells us to put on, as our continual, daily clothing, "the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil." In verses 1421 Paul tells us what the believer's complete, sevenfold armor is:
1. The Belt of Truth is the firm, settled conviction regarding the Revelation of God in his Word
2. The Breastplate of Righteousness is not the breastplate of our own pretense of righteousness, but the righteousness that is ours in Christ.We put it on by continually looking away from ourselves to Christ, and reminding ourselves continually of what we are in him and what he has done for us by his grace.
3. Gospel Shoes are to be put on every day, standing firm in the grace and peace revealed and given to us by the gospel
4. The Shield of Faith is reliance upon the promises of God."My Grace is sufficient for theeHim that comes unto me, I will in no wise cast out!I am with thee!I will never leave you, nor forsake you!"
5. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God. We are to use it to protect ourselves from the assaults of Satan.
6. Praying always for ourselves, but more importantly for one another, we war a good warfare in this world.
Finally, if we would serve our God and Savior and the interests of his kingdom, let us make it our hearts ambition that all God's people in this world have and enjoy his peace and love with faith, and his boundless grace continually. Let us make it our life's ambition to promote these things, for the glory of God our Savior."Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen" (verses 2324).
PHILIPPIANS
"Rejoice in the Lord"
The book of Philippians was written to the saints at Philippi while Paul was a prisoner at Rome. In fact, four of Paul's Epistles were written while he was a prisoner at Rome (Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon). It is striking that the book of Philippians was written at that time because this is an epistle of joy. The central message of these four chapters is found in this blessed admonition:"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice" (4:4).
In the midst of terribly difficult circumstances, even in the prospect of being put to death because of his faithfulness in preaching the gospel, Paul repeatedly speaks of his unbridled joy in Christ and calls upon us to "rejoice in the Lord always."
"The words joy' and rejoice' appear sixteen times in this brief letter, and references to Christ (including pronouns) are found 61 times in its 104 verses. It is obvious that Christ, not circumstances, was the source of Paul's joy."
Roger Ellsworth
In the midst of great heaviness Paul here teaches us to rejoice in Christ. In the midst of great tribulation he teaches us to be content in our Savior. The Philippians might well remember that he and Silas rejoiced as they sang praises to God with bleeding backs when they were prisoners at Philippi (Acts 16:25). Here, he calls upon them and us to follow his example.
Matters of Joy
Pause to consider those things presented in these chapters as things in which Paul rejoiced and for which he tells us we ought to rejoice.
1. He rejoiced in the sweet fellowship of God's saints.
Paul counted the church of God his family. He rejoiced in fond memories, sweet experiences, and loving fellowship with his brothers and sisters in Christ (1:311; 4:1). In verse 6 Paul gives a word of confident assurance to his brethren. He says to these saints at Philippi and to every sinner who trusts Christ as his Savior and Lord, I am "confident of this very thing, that he which has begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ." Salvation is altogether the work of God. That makes the security and ultimate resurrection glory of God's elect a matter of absolute certainty (Ecclesiastes 3:14). Those to whom the Son of God gives eternal life "shall never perish" (John 10:28).
Paul was confident that these Philippian believers (and all believers) would persevere unto the end, because he was confident that the work of God cannot be overturned. In verse 7 he says it was right for him to think this way, because they had been made partakers of the same grace of God he had experienced and proclaimed.
Look at the tender words he uses to describe his feelings for these saints he had not seen in a long, long time."I thank my God upon every remembrance of you" (verse 3)."I have you In my heart" (verse 7)."I long after you all in the affections of Jesus Christ" (verse 8).I pray for you, that you may be "filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" (verse 11).
2. He rejoiced that, in God's good providence, his sufferings for the gospel were one means by which the Lord God was pleased to advance the gospel (1:1220; 2:17).
3. Paul rejoiced and was completely happy to suffer, or to die, or to live, as the Lord willed, because he knew that Christ would be magnified and the best interests of his people served, as God graciously accomplished his will (1:1926).
4. This faithful servant of God found his joy full when he knew that God's saints walked and worshiped together as one (2:12).
The unity of God's saints is something Paul mentions in all his epistles. It was a great grief to him when the fellowship of God's saints was interrupted and a great joy when he saw it being promoted.
5. Paul rejoiced in the company and ministries of his fellow-laborers in the gospel.
He is truly the servant of Christ who rejoices in and promotes the labors of other servants of Christ, as laborers together with him. Paul specifically mentions Timothy and Epaphroditus (2:1930). He could not have spoken more highly than he did of his young friend Timothy (2:1923). And he could not have spoken more honorably and tenderly of his old friend Epaphroditus, who was (apparently) the pastor of the Philippian church (2:2530).
How could a man in the midst of such adversities express such joy in so many directions? How could a man who was about to be executed on trumped up charges be joyful and content? What was the secret of his joy? Read Philippians 4:47 and you will find the answer.
"Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passes all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."
6. Paul rejoiced in, and would have us rejoice in, the Lord.
If ever we learn to rejoice in the Lord, we will be able to rejoice in the Lord always, no matter what our circumstance may be. "Rejoice in the Lord." If ever we learn to rejoice in the Lord, we will learn to "rejoice in the Lord always." I cannot rejoice in my sorrows; but I can rejoice in the Lord who sent them. I cannot rejoice in my bed of languishing; but I can rejoice in the Lord who makes my bed. I cannot rejoice in bereavement; but I can rejoice in the Lord who gives and takes away as he will. I cannot rejoice in my emptiness; but I can rejoice in the Lord's fullness. I cannot rejoice in my pain; but I can rejoice in his presence.
Life and Death
In the first chapter Paul teaches us, by his own marvelous example, what our attitude ought to be about life and death as believers (1:2024). Of this one thing, every believer ought to be certain."Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death." If we are confident of this, what more can we want?
"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. But if I live in the flesh, this is the fruit of my labor: yet what I shall choose I know not. For I am in a strait between two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you."
The Mind of Christ
In Philippians 2 Paul admonishes us ever to have the mind of Christ. In verses 511 he tells us of the matchless goodness and grace of our Savior as the voluntary Servant of God, descending step by step in humiliation, until he had fulfilled all the will of God as our Redeemer in this world, telling us that his humiliation under the hand of God was not only the accomplishment of our salvation, but also his path to exaltation.
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also has highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in Heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
May God give us grace to have the mind of Christ. That is the secret to unity and fellowship in the kingdom of God. If we live with the mind of Christ, we will walk in sweet fellowship, each preferring the other better than himself (2:15).
Rejoice
In chapter 3 we come to the heart of this epistle. The chapter begins with another call to rejoice. Paul says, "Finally, my brethren, rejoice in the Lord." We ought always, in the depths of our hearts and souls, to rejoice in the Lord. No matter what our providential experiences and circumstances are, we always have reason to rejoice in the Lord. Here is an exhortation to joy. What a blessed command! "Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say rejoice!" Rejoice in the greatness of his person as our all-sufficient Substitute. Rejoice in the power of his blood, which cleanses us from all sin. Rejoice in the perfection of his righteousness, which is imputed to us for justification. Rejoice in the abundance of his grace, which is always sufficient for us. Rejoice in the immutability of his love, which never fails. Rejoice in the rule of his providence, which works all things together for our good. Rejoice in the fact of his intercession, which is continual and effectual on our behalf. Rejoice in the fact that your names are written in Heaven.
This is the exhortation with which Paul opens this chapter."Rejoice in the Lord!" May God give us grace ever to do so for the glory of Christ and the good of his people. This is "the joy of faith" (1:25).
Beware
In verse 2, the apostle gives us a serious warning."Beware of dogs." He warns us to beware of false prophets. He calls them dogs because that is what the Word of God calls male prostitutes. False prophets are men who have, for their own sakes, prostituted the gospel of Christ and the glory of God (Deuteronomy 23:18; Isaiah 56:1011). He continues, "beware of evil workers."This is a warning against those who teach, preach, and promote any system of man centered, works based, free will religion. Our Savior calls such people "workers of iniquity" (Matthew 7:2223). Paul is not finished with his warning yet. Verse 2 concludes with "beware of the concision."Those who are of the concision are men and women who cut, mutilate, and torture their bodies in hope of winning God's favor. He specifically refers to those who taught that believers had to be circumcised. But the warning reaches to all who teach that holiness is to be attained by depriving ourselves of things created for us and observing religious ceremonies and taboos (Colossians 2:1623). In essence Paul is saying, "Beware of Christless religion". Beware of any religious custom, doctrine, or service that is centered in yourself and encourages you to focus attention on yourself.
True Religion
In verse 3 we are given a description of true religion."For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh." True religion is not man centered, but Christ centered. True religion is not ceremonial, but spiritual. True religion is not a matter of creed, but of conviction. True religion is not outward, but inward. "For we are the circumcision," God's true, covenant people, the Israel of God, Abraham's true children, which "worship God in the Spirit." We worship God as he is revealed in the Scriptures, by the power of his Holy Spirit, in our spirits, and in a spiritual manner. True worship is spiritual worship, not carnal, ceremonial ritualism (John 4:2324).
God's elect are people who "rejoice in Christ Jesus."We trust the Lord Jesus Christ alone, placing all our confidence in him as our Savior. We are complete in him (1 Corinthians 1:3031; Colossians 2:910). "And have no confidence in the flesh."We place absolutely no confidence in our flesh, the experiences, emotions, or (imaginary) excellencies of our flesh. The privileges of the flesh, the feelings of the flesh, and the works of the flesh are no basis of confidence before God.
Self-denial
In verses 48 Paul is set before us as an example of self-denial. Self-denial is an essential aspect of saving faith. Though it increasingly comprehends all aspects of life as we grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, self-denial begins with and is essentially a denial of all personal worth and merit as a grounds of hope before God.
Here is a legalist of the highest order laying aside the filthy rags of his self-righteousness for the blessed, pure, perfect righteousness of Christ. Paul counted all his fleshly, carnal, natural privileges, religious distinctiveness, and educational advantages as nothing but dung before God. He placed no confidence in his flesh. He found that one Pearl of Great Price, and sold everything he had to get it (Matthew 13:4546). This was done on the Damascus Road when the Lord saved him (verse 7). And this was a decision he made everyday with increasing, growing commitment and consecration to Christ. He counted all things but dung for Christ.
Why? What was the cause of this man's self-denial, consecration, and commitment? What made this man willing to forsake everything and follow Christ? Paul was inspired, motivated, and driven to the point of utter obsession by four great ambitions of faith.
Ambitions of Faith
He gives us those four great ambitions in verses 811. Look at the last line of verse 8.
1. "That I may win Christ!"
What an ambition! The life of faith is the lifelong pursuit of Christ. Faith looks upon Christ as the most precious, most desirable, most lovely, and most valuable Person and Object in the world. The more he is known, the more he is wanted. Therefore true faith willingly forsakes all to follow him. Christ is the Treasure hidden in the field, for which we would gladly spend all. He is the Pearl of Great Price, for which we must sell all. Jesus Christ is the "one thing needful" who must be chosen. Christ is the one thing we must have. Blessed are those who can say with Paul, "I count all things loss that I may win Christ."
2. "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (verse 9).
This is the believer's standing. We are in Christ. This is Christianity. This is salvationto be in Christ, nothing less, nothing more, nothing different. It is not partly in Christ and partly in the law, or partly in the ordinances, or partly in the church. To be saved is to be in Christ. Religion is knowing doctrines and facts. Salvation is knowing God (John 17:3; 1 John 5:20). Religion is knowing what I believe. Christianity is knowing whom I believe (2 Timothy 2:12). Religion is being reformed. Salvation is being regenerated (John 3:3). Religion makes men new converts. Christianity makes us new creatures (2 Corinthians 5:17). Religion is being in the church. Salvation is being in Christ (John 15:1; Ephesians 5:30). Believers are people who are in Christ by God's eternal decree, the Holy Spirit's operations of grace, and by personal faith in the Son of God.
To be in Christ is to have perfect righteousness before God. Our righteousness is not something we establish by performing good works, but something Christ established for us as our Representative before God. We do not make ourselves righteous by our obedience. Christ made us righteous by his obedience to the law, satisfying its every demand for us as our Substitute (Romans 5:19). Our righteousness before God is the righteousness of God in Christ imputed to us by God himself.
As we stand before the holy Lord God, we want to be found in Christ while we live in this world, as we offer our services, prayers, and sacrifices to him, when we leave this world, and when we stand before his great bar of judgment.
3. "That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death" (verse 10).
To know Christ in the power of his resurrection is to know that his resurrection is the assurance of our justification (Romans 4:25). It is to be born of God, living by that same power that raised Christ from the dead (Ephesians 1:19). The power of his resurrection guarantees our resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:4749). To know Christ in the power of his resurrection is to live everyday, experimentally, walking in the knowledge of the power of his resurrection. Walking with Christ in the newness of life, we want the power of his resurrection to dominate, control, and direct our lives in all things. We want to be continually made new by him.
To know Christ "in the fellowship of his sufferings" is to know our personal interests in his sin-atoning sufferings unto death as our Substitute. It is to know that he died for me. There is only one way that anyone can know that, and that is by trusting him. To know him in the fellowship of sufferings is to know, being convinced by God the Holy Spirit through the revelation of the gospel, that he has put away my sin by the sacrifice of himself, that he has brought in everlasting righteousness for me by his obedience unto death, that he has fully redeemed me from the judgment and condemnation of God's holy law by his sin-atoning death as my Substitute (John 16:811), and that he has obtained eternal redemption for me (Hebrews 9:12).
As his sufferings are Christ's glory, Paul wanted Christ's sufferings to be his glory (Galatians 6:14). He wanted to know Christ and the fellowship of his sufferings to such an extent that he was ever "being made conformable unto his death." He wanted to be conformed to Christ in his death, to be entirely consecrated to the glory of God, perfectly submissive to the will of God, and motivated by nothing but love for his God and his people.
4. "If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead" (verses 1114)
Certainly, this includes a great desire for the resurrection of his body at the last day. But, primarily, the yearning spoken of here is a yearning for that moral, spiritual resurrection of grace that lifts us out of the death and darkness of sin. The world, the flesh, and all human life are death. In Christ there is life, real life, eternal life, a life of righteousness, peace and joy in communion with God. This is what Paul wanted. This is the thing he continually sought (2 Corinthians 5:19). He wanted all that the Lord God purposed for him in eternity and Christ purchased for him at Calvary (Ephesians 1:36). He wanted to be like Christ.
These are the ambitions of every believer's heart, the goals he seeks, the things for which he lives. Children of God, set your hearts upon these things and, by the grace of God, you shall have them."For our conversation is in Heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: (Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself" (verses 2021). These are the things Paul has in mind, which he urges us to think upon continually, that we might have peace and joy and contentment in this world (4:813).
An Acceptable Sacrifice
In the latter part of chapter 4 Paul speaks of the thoughtful, loving gift the saints at Philippi sent to him by Epaphroditus, assuring them that their gift to him was "an odor of a sweet smell, a sacrifice acceptable, well-pleasing to God" (verse 18). Then, he assures them that as they had ministered to him according to their ability, so the Lord God would supply all their needs according to his ability."But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus" (verse 19). Notice, Paul promises that God will supply the needs of his saints, not "out of," but "according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus." That means that he supplies our needs according to his infinite ability and infinite goodness in Christ.
Three Great Comforts
Go back to chapter 1 and look at three great facts revealed in this chapter that sustained and comforted Paul as he lived in this world and as he prepared to leave it. Let us learn them, and they will comfort and sustain us as well.
1. Paul understood that everything that happened to him was brought to pass by the will of God and would serve the cause of Christ's gospel (verse 12).
2. He knew that everything he experienced in this world was for the good of his soul and worked for his own eternal salvation (verse 19).
3. And Paul knew that everything he suffered in this world, he suffered by the will of God (verse 29).
COLOSSIANS
"Christ is All"
Three words are found in Colossians 3:11 that need to be emblazoned upon the hearts of all who would seek to understand, interpret, and proclaim the message of Holy Scripture. Those three, simple, one-syllable words are"Christ is all!"
These three words are the essence and substance of all true Christianity. Christ is the foundation of all true doctrine and motive for all godliness. Christ is the message of all true preaching and the object of all true worship. In what sense does the Holy Spirit mean for us to understand that "Christ is all"? How far are we to take those words?In all things concerning our souls, eternity, the will of God, the knowledge of God, and the glory of God "Christ is all." The book of Colossians is all about Christ, our all-glorious Savior.
This letter to the church at Colosse was written while Paul was a prisoner at Rome, about thirty years after our Savior died at Calvary. Paul wrote this epistle about the same time that he wrote Ephesians, Philippians, and Philemon.
We do not know who first brought the gospel to the city of Colosse. Though some in this assembly had never seen Paul's face (2:1), Luke tells us that some years earlier he and Paul went throughout the region of Phrygia (Asia Minor) preaching the gospel (Acts 16:6 and 28:23). While preaching in that region, many were converted by the grace of God and turned from their idols to worship the true and living God (Acts 19:11, 22, and 26).
After he had sown the seed of the gospel, Satan sowed his tares among the wheat. As it is now, so it was then.Wherever Paul preached the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ, work mongers came behind him preaching freewill/works religion.
Epaphras' Concern
When, Epaphras (called Epaphroditus in Philippians 2:25 and 4:18), the pastor of the church, came to visit Paul in Rome, he told Paul of the faithfulness of God's saints at Colosse and of his concern for their souls because of the heretics who sought to corrupt the gospel and turn the hearts of the saints away from Christ.
They came in the name of Christ, pretending to be the servants of Christ, but they were in reality the messengers of Satan. Judaizers tried to mix law and grace, mingling Moses and Christ, teaching that works must play some part in salvation. Others sought to corrupt the gospel by mixing vain philosophy with the revelation of God, teaching for doctrine the commandments, superstitions, and reasonings of men. Some even taught the veneration (worship) of angels and saints, and taught for mortification the punishing of the body! Still others crept in among God's saints teaching the proud Gnostic notion that salvation is to be attained by knowledge, teaching that men arrived at Christ by knowledge. They all preached righteousness. They all called it the righteousness of Christ; but the message they preached was the righteousness of man, a righteousness that was ultimately gained by something man must do, experience, feel, or know. It was not that righteousness sinners have by faith alone.
Paul, inspired by God the Holy Spirit, wrote this epistle to confirm God's elect in the gospel of Christ, to warn them of the heresies by which Satan's messengers sought to pervert the gospel, and to urge them to "continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel" (1:23).
An Encouraging Salutation
This letter, like most of Paul's epistles, opens with a gracious, encouraging salutation (1:18). "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God."Paul refers to himself as "an apostle of Jesus Christ," not "the apostle of Jesus Christ." Paul was one voice among many; and he looked upon himself that way. In the beginning of this gospel age there were twelve apostles. Paul was the apostle born out of season, the one God had chosen to take Judas' place. The apostles were men chosen by Christ. They saw the Lord personally. They had infallible knowledge of the gospel as they wrote the words of Holy Scripture, being inspired by the Holy Spirit. They were gifted to work miracles for the confirmation of their doctrine. When the last of the apostles went to glory, the apostolic age and the apostolic gifts, by which the apostles were identified as God's inspired messengers, ended. This was all done "by the will of God." There are no apostles in the church today. There are many preachers sent as messengers of God to his people, but there are no apostles.
"And Timothy, our brother."Though Timothy was not an apostle Paul included him in this salutation, because God's servants are all brethren, fellow-laborers, and workers together in his vineyard. Commenting on this verse, Pastor Henry Mahan wrote, "The highest office-bearer in the church recognizes even the least as being a brother and worthy of respect and recognition. In Christ we are one, and he who is greatest is but a servant." God's servants are not rivals, but fellow laborers in the Master's vineyard. There is no such thing as "Big Me" and "Little You" in the kingdom of God.
"To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ."All believers are saints (sanctified men and women). All believers are faithful. And all believers are brethren. We are sanctified by God the Father in election, God the Son in redemption, and God the Holy Spirit in the new birth. We are brethren because we have the same Father, because we are in one body and family, and because we have one elder brother, Christ Jesus. All who are born of God are "in Christ." We are saints, we are brethren, and we are faithful only because we are "in Christ."
"Grace be unto you and peace."Believers seek that which is best for one another and truly wish one another well. We cannot desire anything better for anyone than this: "Grace be unto you, and peace." Grace saves us. Peace makes us know that we are saved. Grace is the root of every blessing. Peace is the flower that makes life sweet and fragrant. "Grace be unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ."There is no grace for anyone and no peace except that which is freely bestowed upon needy sinners by God the Father through the mediation of our Lord Jesus Christ.
"We give thanks to God."Because grace, peace, faith and love, and all things pertaining to salvation are the gifts of God, he alone is to be thanked and praised for them. It is right for us to recognize and commend these things in our brothers and sisters in Christ; but thanks and praise goes to our God alone (Psalm 103:15; John 3:37; James 1:17). Every gift of grace is from God through our Lord Jesus Christ (John 3:27; James 1:17).
Faith, hope, and love always go hand in hand. Where one is found, the other two are always present. All are the gifts of God's grace. Faith is that gift of grace that unites us to Christ and gives us peace with God. Love is that gift of grace that unites us to one another and gives us peace. Hope is that gift of grace that unites us to eternity and gives us peace.
"Whereof you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and brings forth fruit, as it does also in you, since the day you heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth."We do not know the grace of God in truth unless it brings forth fruit in us. We may know it in our heads, but we do not it in truth, we do not really know it at all if it does not affect our lives, and bring forth faith, love, and hope:faith, which lifts us above the world;love, which preserves us from selfishness;and hope, which keeps us up under all trials.
"Dear Fellow servant"
In verses 7 and 8 the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to commend to this church their beloved pastor, thereby encouraging them to highly esteem him and hear him."As you also learned of Epaphras our dear fellow servant, who is for you a faithful minister of Christ; Who also declared unto us your love in the Spirit." Epaphras was Paul's fellow-servant. He was a faithful minister of Christ. And he loved and spoke well of those people whose souls he served.
How I rejoiced to read of Epaphras speaking well of God's people and of Paul speaking well of Epaphras! Many these days seem to think godliness requires them to pick holes in the armor of others, point out their faults, and castigate them for their failures. Grace teaches men, who experience it, better. Grace teaches us to honor our brethren, cover their faults, extol their virtues, forgive their offenses, and help them (lift them up) when they fall.
Paul made it his business to remind the saints at Colosse what a great blessing of God they had in their faithful pastor and promoted his honor in their eyes. Every preacher ought to follow his example when speaking of other faithful pastors (4:1213).
Fit for Heaven
In verses 914 the apostle Paul declares that the Lord our God has, by the almighty, effectual operation of his grace, made us fit for Heaven. Here (1:911) Paul tells these saints, "Since the day Bro. Epaphras came here and told me about you and God's grace in you, I have not ceased to give thanks to God for you and have not ceased to pray for God's grace ever to be upon you and work in you."
"That you may be filled with the knowledge of his will"His revealed will, his purposed will, his providential will, his redemptive will. Paul prayed not only that they might have a knowledge of these, but that they might be "filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding."
"That you might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing."This is talking about our conduct and behavior in the church, in our homes, on the job, and on the street. Let us seek to live, and walk, and talk as those who are in Christ, seeking to please and glorify God.
"Being fruitful in every good work."Believers are trees of righteousness, planted by the Lord to bear the fruit of the Spirit and to walk in good works in the kingdom of Christ (Galatians 5:2223; Ephesians 2:10).
"Increasing in the knowledge of God."We honor God by believing him and by living for him as we grow in the knowledge of him. We cannot grow in grace if we do not grow in knowledge of Christ. And we cannot grow in the knowledge of Christ without growing in grace (2 Peter 3:18).
"Strengthened with all might according to the glorious power."We do not and cannot attain these things or do these things by our own strength and power, but by his (2 Corinthians 12:9).
We read in verse 12 that our great God has made all who trust his Son "meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light." Pastor Epaphras spoke to Paul in glowing terms of the Colossian saints, of their faith and hope in Christ, and their love for Christ, his gospel, and his people. The Lord our God has, by his almighty, free, saving grace in Christ, qualified us, has made us fit, to enter into and possess Heaven itself, the bright and glorious inheritance of the saints. By nature we are fit for Hell. Grace has made us fit for Heaven in Christ, by his blood atonement and perfect righteousness (1 Corinthians 1:30).
In verses 13 and 14 he tells us that this fitness for Heaven is altogether the work of God's free grace in Christ."Who has delivered us from the power of darkness, and has translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins."
What a Great Savior
Having barely declared what Christ did for us at Calvary, Paul was inspired by the Holy Spirit to extol, magnify, honor, and praise him as our all-glorious Savior and Lord (1:1529). Several years ago one of our deacons read these fifteen verses in my office one night before we had prayer together. As soon as he finished reading them, another of our deacons quietly exclaimed, "What a great Savior!" That is as good a summary of the passage as I have ever seen or heard. Here Paul is showing us what a great Savior our Lord Jesus Christ is. Throughout the chapter, he plays a symphony on just one string"HE!"
Christ is exactly what God is, for he is God. And he is that One, the only One in whom God is seen and known. He is "the image of the invisible God" (1:15) and "the express image of his person" (Hebrews 1:3). He is himself God (John 1:13)."For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Colossians 2:9)
He is the firstborn of every creature (1:15). That is to say, he is "the Beginning of the creation of God" (Revelation 3:14). We know that is what this means because the next verse, verse 16, tells us so."For by him were all things created, that are in Heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him." He is the eternal Creator of all things."He is before all things and by him all things consist" (1:17).
He is the Head of the Church, the beginning of all things, the firstborn from the dead, the upholder of all things, that he might have the pre-eminence."And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence" (1:18).
Christ is Fullness (1:19)"For it pleased the Father that in him should all fullness dwell:" All divine fullness (Colossians 2:9), all mediatorial fullness, all covenant fullness, all saving fullness, all everlasting fullness, undiminishable fullness!
He is Reconciliation (1:2022). It is Christ who has reconciled all the elect to God in redemption, and who reconciles them to God in conversion, and who shall reconcile all things to the glory of God in eternity. That is to say, he will cause all things to show forth the praise of God forever (Revelation 5:1314).
Christ is our hope of glory (1:27). He is the One "whom" we preach, because he is the revelation of the great mystery hid in ages past under the types and shadows of the law, and hidden from all unbelievers (2 Corinthians 4:34), but is revealed in every believer as our only and all-sufficient hope of glory (1:2329).
Complete in Christ
In chapter 1 Paul shows us that Christ is a complete Savior. In chapter 2 he shows us that every believer is complete in him. Many had crept into the church who denied the gospel of Christ and, with great subtlety, endeavored to turn the people of God away from "the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Corinthians 11:3). In Colossians 2:115 Paul communicates his concern to the Colossians and instructs them to be steadfast in the faith of Christ.
The instruction Paul gives in these verses is just as applicable to the church today as it was to the saints at Colosse. Many today would turn us away from the simplicity that is in Christ. They tell us that we must have more than Christ, do more than simply trust Christ, experience more than the grace of God in Christ, and seek more than the fullness that is in Christ. Any doctrine that turns you away from Christ, any doctrine that turns your eyes away from Christ, is not of God. I admonish you to flee from such doctrine as you would flee the plague. That doctrine that turns you away from Christ will land your soul in Hell!
"In him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (2:3).God has put all the riches of grace and glory, all the treasures of divine wisdom and spiritual knowledge in his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior. Do not look for God's mercy, grace, and righteousness anywhere but in Christ. All the knowledge of God and everything pertaining to salvation is in Christ (1 John 5:12, 20).
"And this I say, lest any man should beguile you with enticing words" (2:4).Satan tries to sow seeds of error wherever the gospel of Christ is preached. His messengers do not openly deny Christ and salvation by grace. They mix the work of Christ with the works of men. They mix law and grace. And if Satan can get you to look to yourself and trust your own works, experiences, feelings, or emotions even partially he has ruined your soul altogether (Galatians 5:2, 4).
Though Paul was absent from them physically, his heart was with the people of God. Their orderly manner of life, orderly worship, and steadfastness in the faith of Christ caused him great joy (2:5). These men and women had not yet been moved away from the hope of the gospel. And Paul was very concerned to do what he could to promote their continued steadfastness. His instructions are very simple and clear and vital to the interests of our souls.
"As" and "So"
"As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk you in him" (2:6).How did you first receive Christ? You received him by faith alone, without any works whatever of your own. You had no experiences upon which to lean, no works, no feelings, no resolutions. You had nothing to bring to Christ but your sin. You received Christ alone as the sum and substance of all truth, the fulfillment of all promises, the fountain of all grace, the singular object of faith and love, and the only foundation of your hope before God. You trusted his blood alone for atonement, his righteousness alone for acceptance, and his intercession alone for salvation. In exactly the same manner as you first received Christ, now walk in him.
Continue living by the same faith, as a sinner trusting Christ alone for all things. If you get above this, you will forsake Christ altogether. We do not begin with Christ and then go on to perfection in the strength of the flesh. The true believer begins by faith, lives by faith, and dies by faith, trusting Christ, only Christ, and nothing but Christ, all the way from the gates of Hell to his entrance into glory.
If we would live in faith, constantly trusting Christ, we must be "rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving" (2:7). Like a tree, deeply rooted in the ground, faith takes hold of Christ, draws all strength, nourishment, and life from him, and bears fruit by the constant supply of his grace. As a building is built upon and shaped according to its foundation, the believer is built upon Christ alone, and his life is molded to Christ. Child of God, see to it that you abound in this faith. Never forsake it. Never weary of it. Never look for any other source of comfort, strength, hope, or assurance than faith in Christ. Trusting Christ alone, you have abundant reason for thanksgiving before God. But there are many who would turn you away from the simplicity of the faith.
Beware
"Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (2:8).Do not allow anyone to turn you away from Christ by a show of intellectualism, philosophy, and human reason. Our faith must be ruled by the Word of God alone. We build our doctrine only upon "thus says the LORD." Let no one impose upon you the traditions of men, no matter how impressive and popular they are. There is no place for human tradition in the worship of the living God. Exactly in proportion as we receive the traditions of men, we depart from the worship of God.
And we must never allow anyone to bring us back under the "rudiments of the world," Mosaic ordinances. The rites and ceremonies of the Mosaic law: Circumcision, abstaining from certain meats, Sabbath observance, and all such things were altogether typical. Christ has fulfilled them all. Any observance of such things today is sinful. All true worship is spiritual. God is not worshiped where dead men and women observe dead, carnal ordinances. There is absolutely no need for men to observe these things, seek any other foundation of hope before God, or look anywhere else for acceptance with God. Christ is all we need.
"For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (2:9).All that God is is in Christ, for he is himself God. All that God requires of sinners is in Christ. All that God gives to men and women is in Christ. And all that we can need, or desire, for time and eternity, is in Christ. All grace, all mercy, all love, all peace, all wisdom, all righteousness, all redemption, all sanctification, all salvation, all life is in Christ alone. And it is all in him in all fullness. You cannot add anything to his fullness.
"And are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power" (2:10).The Lord Jesus Christ is the head of all things. By virtue of his obedience to God as our Mediator, Christ has been given the place of supremacy, dominion, and rule over the entire universe. And all who believe are complete in him. As all the fullness of the triune Godhead resides in Christ our Mediator, so all the fullness of Christ, the Mediator, is ours by faith; and we are complete in him.
In Him
What does it mean to be in Christ? Many answers are given to that question in the Word of God. We who believe are in Christ by God's elective purpose. We are in the heart of our Savior's love, in the hand of his protective power, and in the eye of his constant care. Here Paul tells us what it is to be in Christ experimentally.
To be in Christ is to be born again, by God's sovereign grace (2:11). Paul uses the word "circumcised" to represent the new birth, because that is what circumcision symbolized in the Old Testament. Circumcision was instituted by God, as the token and seal of his covenant with Abraham (Genesis 17:1013). It was a mark by which Israel was distinguished from all other nations. And it was a picture of what happens in a man's heart in regeneration (Romans 2:2829; Philippians 3:3). In the Old Testament a child was named at the time of his circumcision (Luke 1:59; 2:21); and in regeneration we have been given a new name. We have been made the sons of God (Galatians 4:67; 1 John 3:13). Circumcision gave the children of Israel the right to eat the Passover (Exodus 12:48). This spiritual circumcision is made without hands. It is altogether a matter of the heart. It is the work of God the Holy Spirit.
To be in Christ is to trust him (2:12). All who are born of God are given faith in Christ. The one certain mark of the new birth is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. And faith in Christ is publicly confessed by believer's baptism. Baptism is the ordinance of God by which we confess the faith of the gospel. It is described by Paul as a burial and a resurrection (Romans 6:46). In baptism we confess to both the church of God and the world our faith in the finished work of Christ and our allegiance to him as our sovereign Lord. This faith in Christ, which we confess in our baptism, is the gift of the operation of God (Ephesians 2:8), the fruit of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and the effectual work of his omnipotent grace in regeneration (Ephesians 1:19).
To be in Christ is to be the object and recipient of God's immutable, saving grace in him (2:1315). When God raised his Son from the dead, he was raised as our Representative. Christ lived, died, and rose again as the Representative and Substitute of God's elect. As the result of his finished work, the blessings of God's saving grace have been effectually secured to his people. We all by nature are born dead in sin because of our sin and fall in our father Adam (Romans 5:12). But God has been gracious to us through Christ.
He quickened us, gave us life, and raised us up, together with Christ. That means two things: (1.) When Christ arose from the dead, we rose in him representatively. And (2.) In the new birth we were raised from spiritual death to spiritual life by the power of Christ, our risen Savior.
God has freely and completely forgiven us of all sin through the merits of Christ's righteousness and shed blood. All our sins, past, present and future, sins of youth and old age, sins of omission and sins of commission, sins of deed and sins of heart, all are freely and eternally forgiven by God through the merits of Christ our Substitute.
And God's forgiveness of our sins is a just and righteous forgiveness. He does not simply ignore or excuse our sins. He removed our sins from us entirely by punishing them to the full extent of his own justice in Christ (Romans 3:2426). The oracles and ordinances of God's holy law, being broken by us, were against us. The law of God demanded our execution. But Christ, by his blood, blotted out the law's accusations, and blotted out all our sins, nailing them to his cross (Isaiah 43:25; 44:22)."There is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:1).
Are you, or are you not in Christ? If you knew the value of your soul, if you knew the riches of his grace, if you knew the love of Christ, you would give no rest to your eyes until you found yourself to be in Christ. God help you to seek him. If you seek him with all your heart, you will find him. If you are in Christ, it is all because of God's free grace toward you. And if you are in Christ, "You are complete in him."
Complete in Him
What does it mean to be complete in Christ? The word "complete" means "entire, finished, made full, perfect." Essentially, it is the same word used in verse 9, where Paul says, "In him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily." As all the fullness of the eternal God is Christ's, all the fullness of Christ as the Mediator for sinners is ours in him. This is astonishing grace indeed.
If I am complete in Christ, I have in Christ all that God requires of man (1 Corinthians 1:30). Whatever God, in his holiness, righteousness, justice and truth, requires of fallen men, we have in Christ. God cannot require more than he has given us in Christ. When he gave us his dear Son, our heavenly Father freely gave us all things in his Son.
If I am in Christ, I possess all that God can or will bestow upon man (Ephesians 1:3). God is the Author and Giver of all blessings. He alone can bless. If he blesses not, none can bless. But if he blesses, we are blessed indeed. And Paul tells us plainly that God has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. Nothing good, nothing of real spiritual value, nothing we require is omitted. All the fullness of grace, all the blessings of the covenant, all the sure mercies of God, all things pertaining to life and godliness in this world and in the world to come have been bestowed upon all who trust the Son of God.
This is what it means to be complete in Christ. In him we have been given justification, sanctification, peace, pardon, eternal life, and title deed to Heaven. And all these blessings were given to us irrevocably by the gift of God's sovereign grace in Christ before the world began (Ephesians 1:3). We are members of Christ. He is our Head and Representative. We are members of his body and partakers of him. We are blessed in him, through him, and for his sake. And Christ himself is the Substance of all blessing and blessedness. He received the blessings of grace in our name in the covenant of grace. All the blessings bestowed upon us are dependent upon Christ's obedience, not ours. And we already possess every blessing of grace in Christ (Romans 8:2830). We may not yet enjoy all the blessings of the covenant experimentally, but they are all already ours in Christ. And as surely as he has received them for us, we shall in time receive them from him.
This is the glorious heritage of the sons of God. "You are complete in him!" There is nothing lacking. Everything God can or will give to man he has from eternity given to all who are in Christ. And every blessing of grace in Christ is secure to all God's elect forever.
If I am in Christ, I am complete in him. That means I have in Christ all that I need to carry me through this world and bring me safe to Heaven (Isaiah 40:29; 2 Peter 2:9). I do not know what lies ahead, what forces of darkness lie in wait for me, what trials or temptations shall meet me. But our great God and Savior declares, "My grace is sufficient for you." No matter what I need of earthly good, my God shall supply my need (Philippians 4:19). No matter what temptation I meet, my God shall give me grace to escape it (1 Corinthians 10:13). No matter what trial I face, my God shall sustain me with grace to endure the trial (Isaiah 41:10). No matter how I may fail him, sin against him, and dishonor his name, as I often do, my faithful Savior shall not fail me.
Fail him, I often do. Fail me, he never shall. He will lift me up when I fall. He will pray for me when I am tempted. He will plead for me when I sin. He will preserve me and keep me to the end and bring me safe to Heaven. If left to myself, I know, I would forsake him. But, blessed be his name, Christ will not leave me to myself (Jeremiah 32:3840).
Being complete in Christ, I shall have all that I need to satisfy my heart in the world to come. "The desire of the righteous shall be granted" (Proverbs 10:24). Child Of God, what do you desire? Do you desire to be free from all sin? It shall be granted. Do you desire to be perfectly obedient to Christ? It shall be granted. Do you desire to know, love, and worship Christ perfectly? It shall be granted. Do you desire to be like Christ entirely? It shall be granted. Do you desire to be free of all fear? It shall be granted. Do you desire to be free of all trouble? It shall be granted. Do you desire to see the glory of God your Savior? It shall be granted. Do you desire to glorify your beloved Lord? It shall be granted. Whatever it is that your renewed, sanctified heart desires, it shall be granted to you in heaven's eternal glory. If even one small desire were left unfulfilled, you would not be complete in Christ; but "you are complete in him."
Practical Results
What are the practical results of our being complete in Christ? Are you in Christ, united to him by a living union of faith? If you are, you are complete in him. Before God, in the sight of God, you are complete, perfect, full, and entire. You lack nothing. Let no man set as judge over you, beguile you with false doctrine, bring you into bondage, move you from your steadfastness, or turn your eyes away from Christ.
If we are complete in Christ, we are entirely free in him (Colossians 2:1623). We are entirely free from the curse of God's holy law (2:14). We are entirely free from the rule of the Mosaic law as a system of life, government, or motivation for service to God. And, being in Christ, we are entirely free from the traditions, commandments, and doctrines of men (2:2022). We are complete in Christ. What do we care for the religious customs and traditions of men? Christ is our only Lord, Master, and Lawgiver. We obey none but him. Christ is our only Prophet. We get our doctrine and practices from no one but him. Our religion is the religion of Christ. We have no regard for the religion of men.
If we are complete in Christ, we should be steadfast in him (2:89). Though others are carried about with every wind of doctrine, seeking new, deeper, more emotional experiences, we are content to seek the old paths and walk in them (Jeremiah 6:16). Nothing is more exciting to our hearts than that which is most substantial. Only those who have no sure foundation for their souls need to be constantly seeking some new experience.
Being complete in Christ, we have a settled assurance of our acceptance and eternal salvation in him. Our assurance before God is not based in any way upon anything done, felt, or experienced by us. We delight in times of reviving, in the sweet manifestations of Christ to our hearts, those blessed times of spiritual communion with our God. We delight in those times when the Spirit of God comes upon us and enables us to worship and serve him with exceptional liberty. There is no experience on earth so delightful to my heart as that of being enabled to preach the gospel with the power of the Spirit, or worship God in the Spirit. But our hope and assurance rests in none of these things. Our assurance is Christ alone (2 Timothy 1:12).
Hearts Set
All believers are one with Christ; "and you are complete in him." He is our hope. We are dead, buried, and risen with him. Therefore, Paul admonishes us to put off the old and to put on the new (1:27; 2:10, 12; 3:111), setting our hearts upon those great, glorious things above, which he has been declaring to us in chapters 1 and 2, realizing that "Christ is all and in all."
"If you then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall you also appear with him in glory" (3:14).
As was his custom, Paul concludes the book of Colossians (chapters 3 and 4) by giving us very practical applications of gospel doctrine. Our union with Christ demands that we set our hearts on him, devoting ourselves to his honor in our daily lives (3:18; Romans 12:12), in the church of God (3:917), in our homes (3:184:1; Ephesians 5:226:9), and in the world (4:26).
Let no one imagine that God's boundless, free grace in Christ leads to licentiousness. It is the love and grace of God that we have experienced that constrains us both to love and serve one another and to love, serve, and honor him. That is precisely Paul's argument. Because "Christ is all and in all," we are inspired and motivated to these things to the glory of God our Savior.
"Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, affections of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering; Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do you. And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also you are called in one body; and be you thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him" (Colossians 3:1217).
1 THESSALONIANS
"How You Ought to Walk and to Please God"
As believers, our lives are a constant disappointment to us. Aren't they? We want to walk in this world in a way that honors our God. We want to please him in all things. How miserably we fail! God the Holy Spirit gives us plain, clear instructions in the book of 1 Thessalonians about "how we ought to walk and to please God" (4:1).
Paul wrote his first letter to the church at Thessalonica specifically to communicate to them his love for them and his desire to return to them, that he might again preach the gospel to them. How he rejoiced when he thought about God's goodness and grace in his people! He told the Thessalonians that he prayed for them night and day, exceedingly desiring to see them, that he "might perfect that which is lacking in your faith" (3:10), that is, that he might be an instrument through which the Lord God would graciously cause them, through the preaching of the gospel, to grow in grace and in the knowledge of Christ into the full maturity of faith (3:1113).
Background
Thessalonica was the capital city of the Roman province of Macedonia. When Paul and Silas came there preaching the gospel of Christ, telling them all "that Christ must needs have suffered and risen again from the dead," and asserting that Jesus of Nazareth whom we preach is the Christ, after three weeks of gospel preaching, a riot broke out and Paul and Silas were run out of town (Acts 17:110). But the Word of God is never preached in vain. Though many opposed Christ and his gospel, and were enraged by it, a great multitude believed (Acts 17:4). In time a gospel church was established in Thessalonica. It is to this church that Paul wrote 1 and 2 Thessalonians.
1 Thessalonians was written specifically to teach God's saints, "how you ought to walk and to please God." Paul's salutation (1:1) is very similar to his salutations in other epistles, with one notable exception.Here Paul makes no mention of his apostolic office. There was no need for him to do so, because there were none in that church who were even slightly suspicious of him.
Election Known
In chapter 1 Paul tells the saints of God at Thessalonica how very thankful he was to God for them and for the manifest grace of God in them (verses 23). Then, he makes what may appear to some a very strange statement. He says in verse 4"Knowing, brethren beloved, your election of God." He tells these saints at Thessalonica that they were numbered among that vast multitude of sinners chosen to salvation in Christ before the world began. How could he have known that? Is it possible to know who the elect are? Indeed, it is. If you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, your faith in him is the result of "your election of God."
Election is a blessed doctrine of Holy Scripture. It is taught in every book of the Bible, on almost every page of Inspiration. Hundreds of texts could be quoted to show this. Look up the words, "choose," "chosen," "elect," and "election" in a concordance. You will be astounded at the prominence of this doctrine in the Word of God. It cannot be denied that election is a Bible doctrine (John 15:16; Acts 13:48; Ephesians 1:34; 2 Thessalonians 2:1314; 2 Timothy 1:9; Psalm 65:4). And it is a blessed doctrine, full of consolation. Election was an act of God's eternal sovereignty (Romans 9:1123), an act of free, unconditional grace (Matthew 11:2526), unalterable, immutable, and irreversible (Malachi 3:6; Romans 11:29), infallibly effectual, securing the salvation of all whom God has chosen (Romans 8:2830), and the fountain of all other grace (Ephesians 1:34). Our election by God was personal and distinguishing. It was in Christ. And the only cause for our election was the everlasting love of God for us (Jeremiah 31:3; Ephesians 1:4).
But election is a doctrine that is often misrepresented and, therefore, misunderstood by many. Some people oppose the doctrine of election, simply because they have never heard it taught as the Bible teaches it. Election is not in anyway contrary to, or inconsistent with, the promises of God in the gospel (Matthew 11:28; John 3:36; Romans 10:913; Acts 16:31; Mark 16:16). And election does not diminish man's responsibility before God. God commands all to repent and trust his Son. And all are responsible to do so (Isaiah 45:22; John 6:29; 1 John 3:23; 5:1013).
The Holy Spirit here tells us that our election of God is something that may be known (1:310). Repentance, faith, conversion, and good works are the fruit and the evidence of election. If you are born of God, if you trust Christ, you are one of God's elect.
No mere man can open and read the Lamb's Book of Life. No mortal can ever know who the elect are until they are regenerated and called by God the Holy Spirit. However, each of us can prove our own selves. We can make our calling and election sure. In 1 Thessalonians the Apostle Paul, writing by divine inspiration, tells us that he knew these men and women in the Church at Thessalonica were elect, chosen of God, and precious by five distinct marks of grace upon them. If you are one of God's elect, these five marks are upon you. If I am one of the elect, these marks are upon me. Who are God's elect? Look into the Word of God and you will see. There is no need for guesswork about this matter. The Holy Spirit shows us five evidences of God's election in 1 Thessalonians chapter one. Here the Holy Spirit holds up these saints at Thessalonica as examples to all who believe of what God's electing grace does for sinners (1:7).
1. God's elect are people who hear the gospel preached and receive the gospel as it is preached in the power of God the Holy Spirit (verse 5). The elect are those who are called by the effectual, irresistible power and grace of God the Holy Spirit. They are called by the Spirit through the preaching of the gospel (Romans 1:1517; 10:1317; 1 Corinthians 1:2123; 15:13; Hebrews 4:12; James 1:18; 1 Peter 1:2325).
2. God's elect are those who follow Christ (verses 3, 6). Chosen sinners, when saved by the grace of God, are made disciples, followers of Christ, voluntary servants of King Jesus. Believers are not perfect, and never pretend to be. They know something of the corruption of their own hearts. Yet, in the tenor of their lives those who are born of God follow Christ.
3. God's elect are a people who are committed to Christ and the gospel of his grace (verse 8). As the saints at Thessalonica sounded out the gospel to perishing sinners in their generation, so God's saints today make it their business to make the gospel known for the glory of God.
4. God's elect experience repentance and conversion by the power of his grace. They turn from their idols to serve the living God (verse 9). Believers forsake their idols and the idolatrous religious practices of their former manner of life. They will not be found worshiping a false God. You will not find a child of God kneeling before a pagan deity, kissing a crucifix, or professing faith in a helpless, frustrated God whose purpose, will, and work are prevented by man's imaginary free-will.
5. God's elect are waiting for Christ (verse 10). Believers live upon the tiptoe of faith, looking for that blessed hope, the glorious appearing of the great God, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. Believing his Word, we live in hope and expectation of the resurrection, being confident that he who died for us and rose again has, by his blood atonement, effectually "delivered us from the wrath to come."
An Overwhelming Trust
In the 2nd chapter Paul tells us that he looked upon the ministry God had given him, the blessed work of preaching the gospel, as a great trust committed to him by God. He was simply overwhelmed by the fact that he was "allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel" (verse 4).
Paul's attitude toward the work of the ministry stands before us, throughout his writings, as a constant challenge to all those men in every age to whom the Lord God has granted this great trust (Ephesians 3:8). He came to Thessalonica with the deep conviction that the Lord God himself had sent him there to preach the gospel (verses 2 and 7; Acts 16:610). His goal in doing so was the honor of God and the good of their immortal souls (verse 4). Therefore, he did not use flattering, deceitful words to please his hearers. He was not motivated by covetousness and self-interests, and did not seek the honor that men might give him (verses 36). As a faithful servant of God, he dealt with their souls in all the tenderness and affection of a nursing mother caring for her children, laboring night and day for them as a father for his family (verses 712).
"But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherishes her children: So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because you were dear unto us. For you remember, brethren, our labor and travail: for laboring night and day, because we would not be chargeable unto any of you, we preached unto you the gospel of God. You are witnesses, and God also, how holily and justly and unblamably we behaved ourselves among you that believe: As you know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father does his children, That you would walk worthy of God, who has called you unto his kingdom and glory."
The saints at Thessalonica received Paul as God's messenger to their souls and treated him with the love and honor that reflected their gratitude to God for sending his gospel and his servant to them (verses 1314; Isaiah 52:7). It is not surprising to see Paul saying to them, "You are our glory and joy" (verse 20). Paul was absent from them physically, but very much present with them in heart, and longed to be with them again physically (verses 1719).
"These Afflictions"
In the 3rd chapter the apostle gives us very tender and wise instruction concerning the things that all believers suffer in this world for Christ's sake. He would have come again to them already, had Satan not hindered him (2:18). When he could not come himself, he sent Timothy to establish them and comfort them in the midst of their trials and temptations, and was greatly encouraged by the grace manifest in them in the face of those things (3:19).
"Wherefore when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone; And sent Timothy, our brother, and minister of God, and our fellow-labourer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you, and to comfort you concerning your faith: That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto. For truly, when we were with you, we told you before that we should suffer tribulation; even as it came to pass, and you know. For this cause, when I could no longer forbear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labor be in vain. But now when Timothy came from you unto us, and brought us good tidings of your faith and charity, and that you have good remembrance of us always, desiring greatly to see us, as we also to see you: Therefore, brethren, we were comforted over you in all our affliction and distress by your faith: For now we live, if you stand fast in the Lord. For what thanks can we render to God again for you, for all the joy with which we joy for your sakes before our God."
Did you catch Paul's words in verse 3?"That no man should be moved by these afflictions: for yourselves know that we are appointed thereunto." He told the Thessalonians that these things would come. They should not have been surprised by them. Neither should we. Our Lord said, "In the world you shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." "These afflictions" are things appointed by our God, and are things to which we are appointed by him. They are for an appointed time, an appointed purpose, and have an appointed end.
How We Ought to Walk
In chapter 4 Paul follows his instruction about our afflictions with a word of instruction about how we ought to walk and to please God in the midst of all "these afflictions." Let it be our goal in all things and at all times to walk in this world in a manner that is pleasing to our great God and Savior, by whom we have been saved.
It must be stated that the only way we can please God is by faith in Christ (Hebrews 11:56; Colossians 2:6). Yet, we must never imagine that our personal behavior in this world is a matter of indifference. We must never forget who we are and whose we are. Everything we say and do reflects either positively or negatively upon the honor of our God and the gospel we believe. Therefore, Paul urges us to live for the glory of God, ruled by the Word of God, possessing our vessels in sanctification and honor (4:14).
"Furthermore then we beseech you, brethren, and exhort you by the Lord Jesus, that as you have received of us how you ought to walk and to please God, so you would abound more and more. For you know what commandments we gave you by the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, even your sanctification, that you should abstain from fornication: That every one of you should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor."
He specifically urges us to abstain from fornication, sexual perversity (verse 3), and to live in moral uprightness (verses 58). Then he tells us who have been taught of God to love one another, and to increase loving one another more and more (verses 910). In verses 11 and 12 he tells us to pursue a quiet, industrious life of honesty, not prying into other people's affairs.
"Them Which Are Asleep"
In the last part of chapter 4 (verses 1318) the apostle turns our minds to eternity, and tells us to live in the sweet comfort of resurrection glory, particularly encouraging us to honor God in times of bereavement. Let us ever remember, the Holy Spirit does not here tell us that we must not sorrow when loved ones are taken from us, but urges us not to sorrow as others, "who have no hope."
"But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that you sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from Heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words."
"The Day of The Lord"
In the 5th chapter Paul continues with his instructions concerning Christ's glorious second advent. He urges us to live in the constant, immediate anticipation of Christ's second coming with watchfulness and sobriety, as children of God walking in the light, "putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and for an helmet, the hope of salvation. For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ" (verses 711).
High Esteem
The saints at Thessalonica highly esteemed Paul as God's servant and messenger to them. In chapter 5 (verses 1213) he urges them and the saints of God in every age to give that same honor to all those men who faithfully preach the gospel, laboring in the Word of God and laboring for their souls."And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labor among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves."
God's saints are to highly esteem and give honor to those men who faithfully labor in the Word and preach the gospel to them (Isaiah 52:7; Romans 10:15; 1 Timothy 5:17). Only those preachers who faithfully preach the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ are worthy of this high esteem. All heretical work-mongers and promoters of will-worship are to be held in utter contempt (Galatians 1:68). But God's servants are to be honored. This honor is to be extended, beyond the local church, and beyond one's own pastor, to all who faithfully preach the gospel: pastors, elders, missionaries, evangelists, etc. Here the Holy Spirit shows us three things about God's servants and the honor they are to be given.
1. Faithful pastors are men who "labor among you." The work of the ministry involves labor. I readily grant that many self-serving men use the pastoral office only to please themselves; and, therefore, may lazily go about their pastoral duties, doing only what is required of them. God's servants labor in the Word and in doctrine. They study diligently, pray earnestly, and preach with urgency, using every gift and opportunity God bestows upon them for the furtherance of the gospel, the glory of Christ, and the benefit of his people (1 Timothy 4:1216).
2. They are "over you in the Lord." Pastors are not bullish tyrants; but they are the spiritual rulers of God's house in exactly the same sense that a man is the ruler of his house in the Lord (1 Timothy 3:45; Acts 20:28; Hebrews 13:7, 17). As such they must take the oversight of the flock, ruling in the name of God, by the Word of God (1 Peter 5:13).
3. As overseers in the family of God, God's servants faithfully "admonish you," teaching you the Word of God, the will of God, and the ways of God. They teach you what to believe and how to live for the glory of God.
The believer's responsibility to his pastor is also set before us as involving three things.
1. "Know them which labor among you." Make yourself acquainted with God's servants. Seek to understand their labors and burdens. Find out what they need. And learn how best to assist them in their work.
2. "Esteem them very highly." This high esteem is not esteem given to the man because he is intelligent, an unusually gifted preacher, or a well-liked man, but for his "work's sake," because he is God's faithful servant. As such, he is a man worthy of your honor, worthy of your financial support, and worthy of respectful, honorable terms when you talk about him.
3. This high esteem is to be given "in love." Let every child of God see that he loves and promotes love for his pastor.
The result of this high esteem and honor of believers for God's servants is peace. In the churches of Christ you will "be at peace among yourselves" exactly in proportion to your love for and high esteem of God's servants.
"That Which is Good"
In verses 14 and 15 Paul urges us to take care to exercise patience toward all men, rendering to none evil for evil. Then, he urges us to follow that which is good, both among ourselves and with regard to all men (verses 1522)."Rejoice evermore." Let us ever be found rejoicing in the Lord."Pray without ceasing." His is not an admonition to spend all our time on our knees literally, but to spend all our days on our knees spiritually, constantly living by faith in Christ, trusting him for all things."In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Everything that comes to pass is the will of God in Christ concerning you; and it is his will that we give thanks to him in everything."Quench not the Spirit." Let us take care that we do not quench the Holy Spirit within us by evil deeds, particularly by hardness and bitterness toward one another (Ephesians 4:30)."Despise not prophesyings." Nothing so quickly and effectually quenches the Spirit of God as the willful neglect of gospel preaching, by which we are taught of God and led in the worship of God."Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of evil." It is our responsibility to prove all things spiritual by the gospel, holding firmly those things that honor our God and Savior. Anything (doctrine, ordinance, ceremony, or practice) that appears in any way to contradict the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ and his great glory in salvation, or appears to promote the flesh, we must refuse to embrace.
In verse 23 he tells the Thessalonian saints of his prayer for them. What a prayer this is!"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." In verse 24 he gives them and all believers a great, inspired word of assurance regarding our salvation."Faithful is he that calls you, who also will do it." Then, he closes this great epistle with these final, tender, affectionate words."Brethren, pray for us. Greet all the brethren with a holy kiss. I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen" (verses 2528).
2 THESSALONIANS"The Lord Jesus Shall be Revealed from Heaven"
In 1 Thessalonians Paul gave a word of comfort to God's saints regarding those who have died in faith, assuring us of their resurrection and ours when the Lord Jesus comes again. In this epistle he picks up that same theme, assuring us again that "the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven" (1:7).
Before he ascended back into Heaven, our blessed Savior promised that he would return. He also assured us that before his second coming there would be a time of "great tribulation," widespread lawlessness, and apostasy. He described that time in horrific terms. One writer put it in these words:"The seams of society would come apart, and disorders, violence and riot would be so widespread that men's hearts would literally fail them for fear of the things that were coming on the face of the earth." Our Savior put it this way:"For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be" (Matthew 24:21).
The saints at Thessalonica were enduring such great persecutions and tribulations because of their faith in Christ that they appear to have been convinced that the day of the Lord was at hand in their day. Some had even quit their jobs, because they were convinced that the Lord Jesus was about to appear. In the three chapters of this epistle Paul corrects very common errors that many people still have regarding Christ's second coming.
Our Trials and Christ's Coming
In the first chapter Paul assures us that the trials and persecutions we endure in this world shall be corrected when Christ comes again. In that great day everything will be set in order and manifest in its proper light. Soon, the Lord God our Savior will avenge his elect.
The epistle begins with a gracious commendation of the saints at Thessalonica for their obvious growth in grace, for which Paul gave thanks to God. The grace of God was obviously working in them. That fact was reflected in their growing faith, love for one another, and patience in trials, persecutions, and tribulation (verses 15).
"We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith grows exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other abounds; So that we ourselves glory in you in the churches of God for your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that you endure: Which is a manifest token of the righteous judgment of God, that you may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which you also suffer."
A Day of Recompense
Then he assures them of the glorious second advent of Christ (verses 610).
"Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; And to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from Heaven with his mighty angels, In flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power; When he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe (because our testimony among you was believed) in that day."
When Christ comes again, we shall be well recompensed for anything and everything we suffer in this world for Christ's sake (Matthew 19:2628; Romans 8:17; 1 Peter 1:39). Paul is reminding God's troubled, afflicted, and persecuted saints that our God has not forgotten us. He is going to straighten things out in that great day. He tells us that those things we suffer here, in God's providence, particularly those things that we suffer because of our faith in Christ, both demonstrate that God has made us "worthy of the kingdom of God", and that soon we shall inherit it with Christ. God has made us worthy of his kingdom. He has made us worthy to inherit heavenly glory (Colossians 1:12) by Christ's blood atonement, his imputed righteousness, and his grace in the new birth. That thought ought to be enough to comfort and sustain us amidst our temporary troubles in this world (2 Corinthians 4:145:1).
Our Lord's glorious second advent will also bring a day of recompense to unbelieving rebels. There is a day coming when God will set them straight, when those who oppose him, his gospel, and his people will stand before that Man who is our God and Savior, the Judge of all the earth who must do right. This is not to be a secret thing, no secret rapture, but the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior. Our Lord will be revealed "in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God and obey not the gospel." They shall be punished "with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power."What horrible terror awaits all who refuse to obey the gospel! Hell is everlasting destruction! Hell is everlasting banishment from the presence of the Lord.
For unbelievers Christ's second coming will be a terrifying thing, terrifying beyond description. But for believers it shall be the consummation of all hope and indescribably glorious. When our Lord Jesus appears in that day, "he shall come to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all them that believe" (1:10).
Paul does not say that Christ is going to be glorified "by" his saints. But as the world sees the wisdom, the power, and the righteousness of God's great grace in the salvation of his elect, our great God and Savior shall be glorified in his saints. In that great day our God will show all the universe "the exceeding riches of his grace, in his kindness toward us, through Christ Jesus" (Ephesians 2:7).
In the last two verses of the first chapter he assures them of his unceasing prayers on their behalf (verses 1112).
Great Apostasy and Christ's Coming
In chapter 2 Paul tells the Thessalonians that there would be a time of great apostasy, "a falling away," a departure from the gospel that shall engulf the professed church of Christ in darkness. Apparently, someone had written to the Church there, or visited it, and told them that Paul said, "The Lord Jesus is coming real soon" (2 Thessalonians 1:12).
"Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, That you be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand."
In these first two verses five things are obvious. (1). Our Lord Jesus Christ is coming again. He is on his way back at this very moment. "Behold, he comes!" (2.) There are no signs or prophecies yet to be fulfilled before the Lord's return. (3.) We are never told to look for signs, but always to look for Christ himself. (4.) We should live every day upon the tiptoe of faith, looking for Christ at any moment, while laboring in his vineyard as responsible servants. And (5.) Our Lord may appear at any moment; but we must never allow anyone to dupe us into thinking he knows when. He may not return for another thousand years.
Throughout church history there have been some who predicted the second coming of Christ, setting dates, and trying to scare people into the Kingdom of God. Do not be fooled by such things. No one has an inside track on God's purpose. No one knows when Christ shall appear. No one knows the day or the hour of our Lord's glorious second advent, or (for that matter) the month, or year, or century! Any man who makes such predictions does not speak by the authority of God. Our Savior said to his disciples, "It is not for you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father has put in his own power" (Acts 1:7).
The Apostasy
(Verse 3)"Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition."While there are no visible signs or prophecies to be fulfilled before our Lord's return, the Apostle does tell us that before Christ's second advent, there will be a wholesale, universal apostasy and departure from the faith.
Paul is not talking here about liberals, open heretics, and vile ungodliness. He talks about those things in other places. Here he is talking about a departure of men and women from the faith who claim to be in the faith, a subtle, deceiving, damning departure from the faith by professed believers throughout the world. Look at this third verse. Here the Holy Spirit tells us that heresies must come. They had already begun in apostolic times; and they only get worse as time passes (1 Corinthians 11:19; 1 Timothy 4:13; 2 Timothy 3:19; 1 John 4:13). And the man of sin, antichrist, will be revealed.
Forget about what you see coming out of Hollywood and read in books of fiction, masquerading as books on Bible prophecy. This man of sin will not be revealed to the world. He is not some hideous looking, green-eyed monster in a red suit, with horns and a pitch fork. He is so smooth and slick that unless God himself enables you to recognize him, you cannot recognize him. However, he shall be revealed to God's elect. Read on
Antichrist Revealed
(Verse 4)"Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."Here the Apostle identifies the antichrist, this man of sin. The antichrist is not one man.
I have no problem at all in stating as many of our forefathers did, in great faithfulness, that the pope is antichrist and the church of Rome is antichrist. I do not mean that is the way it used to be. I mean that "his unholiness," the pope, is antichrist. I mean that Roman Catholicism is antichrist. That cannot be stated too often, or too emphatically. However, it is a serious mistake to limit antichrist to one man, or one religious sect. Antichrist was already at work in the Apostolic age. John said many antichrists had gone out into the world. Paul had to contend with antichrists at Galatia, Colosse, Corinth, and Jerusalem.
Notice how Paul describes this thing called "the man of sin, the son of perdition." He is one who opposes God, exalts himself above God, and sits himself up in the temple of God and is worshiped as God, showing that he is God.
Antichrist is any system of religion, any man, any preacher, any church, any denomination that makes salvation to be dependent upon or determined by the will, works, and worth of man, rather than the will, works, and worth of Christ. It does not matter whether that system of religion is conservative or liberal, a mainline Protestant Church or a wild cult, Baptist or Methodist, Pentecostal or Presbyterian. Any church, doctrine, preacher, or religious system that makes man the center-piece is antichrist.
Those who teach that God's will can be altered, hindered, or thwarted by man's will are, according to Colossians 2, will worshipers, not God worshipers. They are antichrists. Those who teach that the merit and efficacy of Christ's atonement resides in man's will, man's decision, and man's faith are antichrists. Those who teach that the gracious operations of God the Holy Spirit may be successfully resisted by man are antichrists. Those who teach that grace can be forfeited or taken away as the result of something a man does are antichrists.
Satan Loosed
(Verses 57)"Remember you not, that, when I was yet with you, I told you these things? And now you know what withholds that he might be revealed in his time. For the mystery of iniquity does already work: only he who now lets will let, until he be taken out of the way."Paul told these saints at Thessalonica that the Holy Spirit now restrains, or withholds, the power and influence of antichrist. However, the time shall come, he wrote, when the Lord God will turn all Hell loose to deceive the nations of the world again. At the end of the age, he said, Satan shall be loosed for a little season (Revelation 20:17).
Signs and Wonders
(Verses 810)"And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."
Read the Apostle's inspired words with care. Do not allow a single syllable to pass before your eyes without prayerful thought and consideration. Here are five things revealed in these three verses
1. Antichrist arises, is revealed, consumed, and destroyed exactly according to the purpose of God.
2. Signs, wonders, and miracles are as certainly marks of antichrists in the last days as they were of Christ and his Apostles in the Apostolic Era.
3. The deception of antichrist is tremendous, so tremendous that were it possible, the very elect of God would be deceived.
4. The religion of antichrist, self-righteousness, is here called "unrighteousness." Those who teach men to work out their own righteousness before God are promoting and teaching unrighteousness.
5. The reason for the delusion of men is their own, willful rejection of truth. It is not that they do not receive the truth, theoretically, but that "they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved."
It is not merely giving mental assent to truth that is evidence of saving faith. Saul of Tarsus had that. Judas had that. The demons who confessed Christ had that. Saving faith not only embraces truth, it loves the truth. We love Christ, the embodiment of truth; and we love the truth of the gospel revealed in and by him. All believers do.
Strong Delusion
(Verses 1112)"And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."
Do not imagine that things are out of control. We get a little fearful. We sometimes act as though the circumstances in which we are living are overwhelming. We must never entertain such thoughts. This day of religious deception and delusion is no more outside God's plan, purpose, and power than the formation of a rose. Things have come to pass as they are exactly according to God's sovereign purpose. God sends blindness in judgment, just as he sends light in grace. He gives unbelievers the fruit of their own way and sends them to Hell singing, "blessed assurance, Jesus is mine" (Proverbs 1:31; 16:25). Again, the Apostle tells us that the religion of man, free will, works religion, that which men think is righteousness, is unrighteousness before God.
A Cause for Thanksgiving
Can you imagine what shouts of "Hallelujah!" "Glory!" and "Bless God!" must have gone up from the hearts of these people when they read these next lines?"But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (verses 1314).
Be sure you get the message contained in these two glorious verses of Scripture. Here the Holy Spirit is telling us that the only reason you and I are not lost and ruined, the only reason we are no longer under the spell of antichrist, trusting our dead works of self-righteousness, the only reason we are not worshiping at the altar of our own free will, the only reason we are not reeling to and fro in drunkenness, intoxicated with the wine of Babylon's fornications is God's sovereign election. Every time we hear or read the words election, electing love, and electing grace we ought to lift our hearts to our great, gracious, and all-glorious God with thankful praise and say, "Thank God, for electing love!"
Election is God's sovereign work. We give thanks to God for it because God did it. The cause of election is God's free, sovereign, everlasting love. All who are "beloved of the Lord" were chosen to salvation in Christ. Election took place in eternity."God has from the beginning chosen you" (Ephesians 1:36). Election is unto salvation."God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation." Those who were chosen to salvation must be saved. Else, the purpose of God is meaningless. God's elect were chosen to be saved "through sanctification of the Spirit." God will not save sinners apart from or without the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, by which all the chosen are made "partakers of the divine nature." We were chosen to salvation by the instrumentality of specific means."Belief of the Truth!"
Not only has God chosen and predestined us to salvation, he has also ordained that every chosen sinner be saved by "belief of the truth." God does not use religious lies to save sinners. He uses the truth. It is not the delusion of free will, works religion that sets sinners free, but the truth, not truth, but the truth! Christ is the Truth. We are saved as we are brought to know him who is the Truth through the preaching of the gospel (John 6:4445; Ephesians 1:1214). God never by passes the use of means in accomplishing his purpose of grace. The only way a person can ever come to believe the truth is by the effectual, irresistible call of the Holy Spirit, which comes to chosen, redeemed sinners through the preaching of the gospel."Whereunto he called you by our gospel."
Every saved sinner has been chosen, redeemed, and called "to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ!" Whatever that glory is which our Lord Jesus Christ now possesses as our Mediator, we shall obtain in all its fullness and blessedness, because of God's sovereign election (John 17:5, 22). The glory of Christ has something to do with the perfection of holiness, the possession of power, and the totality of satisfaction. These things shall be ours forever in that blessedness that awaits us at the throne of our God!
The Traditions
(Verse 14)"Therefore, brethren, stand fast, and hold the traditions which you have been taught, whether by word, or our epistle."In these days of wholesale apostasy, in these days of spiritual darkness, famine, and utter perversion we who have been taught of God must stand fast in the traditions, not in the traditions of religious custom and superstition, but in the traditions of Holy Scripture and gospel truth. Let others say and do what they will, for those who have experienced grace, hesitation, shifting, shirking, shrinking, evading, and compromise would be treason to the Son of God! We must stand fast (2 Timothy 1:13; Jeremiah 6:16).
In verses 16 and 17 we read, "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which has loved us, and has given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace, Comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work." This was Paul's blessing, his inspired declaration of divine blessing upon God's elect. This is God's word of promise to every sinner who trusts Christ alone as Savior and Lord. The Triune God "has loved us." The Lord God has given us "everlasting consolation" through the everlasting gospel of his everlasting grace (Isaiah 40:12). God has given us a "good hope through grace."Christ is our Hope! "The Lord is my portion, says my soul. Therefore will I hope in him." The God of all grace will "comfort your hearts, and establish you in every good word and work," for Christ's sake. With those words of blessing and grace, Paul brings us to the very practical instructions of chapter 3.
Waiting For Christ
In the first chapter of 1 Thessalonians the apostle tells us that believers are to be constantly waiting for Christ's glorious return. He commended the Thessalonian saints for doing so (1 Thessalonians 1:10). But some at Thessalonica had become fanatically obsessed with the thought of Christ's coming. They decided that, since we are to live in constant anticipation of Christ's return, they would quit their jobs and just pray, read their Bibles, and sing hymns until the Lord returned.
You may think, "No sensible person would do that." You are mistaken. The error of these saints at Thessalonica has been repeated many times. I know several people who were duped by a preacher just a few years ago, who had persuaded multitudes across the country and around the world that the Lord Jesus would return on September 4, 1994. Many sold their homes, quit their jobs, and sent him their money. They were convinced that they were acting in faith, doing what devotion to Christ required. They were not heretics. They believed the gospel and still do. But they were duped by a man.
That is exactly what happened to some in Thessalonica."For we hear that there are some which walk among you disorderly, working not at all, but are busybodies" (3:11). Therefore, in this 3rd chapter, after requesting prayer for himself, Paul assures them of God's faithfulness and of his confidence that the Lord would teach them to patiently wait for Christ, not in slothful, uselessness, but as faithful servants (3:15).
"Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified, even as it is with you: And that we may be delivered from unreasonable and wicked men: for all men have not faith. But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that you both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ."
Let me try to illustrate this.I am often away from home for several days at a time preaching the gospel. Usually my wife stays at home to take care of things in my absence. When the time nears for me to return, if you were in the house you would think she was behaving rather strangely, if you did not know what she was doing. She will finish up all her cleaning, get all dolled up, and go look out the front widow. By this time she has already started preparing one of my favorite meals. She will set the table, and go look out the front window. Then she will stir everything that needs stirring, put on a pot of coffee, and go look out the window. If you were to call her and ask, "Shelby, what are you doing?" I know exactly what her answer would be. She would say, "Oh, nothing. I'm just waiting for Don to get home." Then, she would look out the front window again. This time she sees me driving up the road. And if she were talking to the President of the United States, she would say, "Oh, Don's here. I've got to go," and run outside to meet me.
That is what Paul teaches us in 2 Thessalonians 3. We are to wait for our Savior's glorious second advent every moment, standing on the tiptoe of faith, while we go about our business as his stewards in this world serving him."Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he comes shall find so doing" (Luke 12:43).
1 TIMOTHY
"Teach No Other Doctrine"
Up to this point, all of Paul's letters have been addressed to local churches. 1st and 2nd Timothy and Titus are Pastoral Epistles. They were written by divine inspiration to give us specific, clear instructions about how we are to behave ourselves in the house of God (1 Timothy 3:15). These three epistles are specifically addressed to Timothy and Titus, divinely appointed pastors of local churches, because it is the pastor's responsibility in any local church to guide God's people in the worship and service of Christ.
Timothy
The first two of these very important, Pastoral Epistles was written to Paul's friend and faithful co-laborer in the gospel, Timothy (1:14). Timothy had enjoyed the rare, blessed privilege of being raised under the influence of Holy Scripture. He was taught the Word of God as a child, both by his mother and his grandmother (2 Timothy 1:5; 3:15); and he was converted when he was just a young man.
Because Paul speaks of Timothy as his "own son in the faith" (1:2), many have thought he was converted under the influence of Paul's ministry. But that does not appear to have been the case. In Acts 16:12 we discover that Timothy was already converted when Paul first met him. Though he was but a very young man, he was already a disciple "well reported of by the brethren."
Paul calls Timothy his "own son in the faith," because he was to him, in the family of God, like a father. Paul was the man through whom Timothy was taught, by whom his spiritual life was directed. And Timothy served him with all the love, and loyalty, and faithfulness of a son serving his father, though Timothy was himself a faithful gospel preacher.
Paul had sent Timothy to Ephesus; but for some reason he wanted Paul's approval (if not permission) to leave there and go to another place. We are not told why he wanted to leave; but Paul urged him to stay, that he might charge those who were wavering from the faith "that they teach no other doctrine" (1:3).
Christ in 1st Timothy
It will be edifying, I am sure, to see how Paul sets forth the person, work, and glory of our Lord Jesus Christ in this book. He tells us in the very first verse of the first chapter that Christ is our Hope. We have no hope before God but him. His blood, his righteousness, and his intercession give us a good hope. The Lord Jesus Christ is the Savior of sinners. He came into this world specifically to save sinners (1:15). What blessed good news this is! This great Savior is God, the Eternal King (1:17). He is also our Mediator, the one Mediator between God and men (2:5), our Daysman, our Advocate with the Father. The Lord Jesus Christ is our Ransom. He gave himself a ransom for our souls and ransomed us out from under the curse of the law (2:6). This all-glorious Christ, our great Savior, has been received up into Glory as our Ransom and Mediator (3:1416). Our exalted Redeemer is the Savior and Preserver of all men in providence, and he is specially, distinctly, the Savior and preserver of all who trust him (4:910). And he in whom we trust is the Blessed and only Potentate (the only Possessor of power), King, and Lord of the universe (6:1316).
"No Other Doctrine"
In chapter 1 Paul tells Timothy to "charge" (command, order, or demand) that those under his care "teach no other doctrine" than the gospel of God's pure, free, sovereign grace in Christ (1:320). The errors and heresies Timothy had to resist in Ephesus in his day are the same as those the church of God faces in every generation and in every part of the world. Some added to the Revelation of God in Holy Scripture the moral fables of human wisdom and philosophy. Others claimed to find secret codes and meanings hidden away in the genealogical records of the Old Testament. They taught nothing that was comforting and edifying. Their doctrine only raised questions and stirred strife and division in the church. And there were legalists at Ephesus, as there are everywhere, who tried to put God's saints back under the yoke of bondage to the Mosaic law.
Paul tells us that such people "have turned aside unto vain jangling, desiring to be teachers of the law; but they simply do not know what they are talking about. They try to put righteous men and women, the saints of God, under the terror of the law, not knowing that the law was made for the unrighteous (1:811). Paul tells us that all such doctrine is "contrary to sound doctrine," contrary to "the glorious gospel of the blessed God."
After telling Timothy to command that no one in the church of God be allowed to teach such things, having just mentioned "the glorious gospel of the blessed God," Paul tells us what great things the Lord God had wrought in him by the gospel (1:1217), assuring us of its reliability (1:15).
First Charge
Paul gave Timothy (and every gospel preacher) four distinct charges in this epistle (1:1820; 4:1116; 5:2125; 6:1116). The first chapter closes with a charge issued to all who preach the gospel to "war a good warfare, holding faith with a good conscience" (1:1820).
Orderly Worship
In chapters 2 and 3 Paul tells us that all matters involved in the worship of God must be orderly and ordered by the Word of God. It is clear that he considered the matter of public worship to be a matter of highest priority in the lives of God's saints. He specifically discusses three things in these two chapters: (1.) Prayer, (2.) The Role of Women, and (3.) The Qualifications for Pastors and Deacons.
With regard to the matter of prayer, specifically public prayer in the house of God, Paul tells us that we ought always to pray for all men, that is for men of every rank and order in society, particularly for those who are in authority over us (2:18).
In verses 915 of chapter 2 he tells us that women ought to display a conscientious awareness of the fact that they are women, behaving as ladies in the house of God, filled with modesty and observing God's order in creation. When women come to the house of God, they are to dress modestly, as "women professing godliness," "learn in silence, with all subjection," never teaching or usurping authority over men, but always "to be in silence."
In chapter 3, verses 113 the apostle tells us that pastors and deacons must be men of proven faith and faithfulness.
He concludes the chapter with a tremendous statement concerning the purpose and message of God's church in this world (3:1416).
"These things write I unto you, hoping to come unto you shortly: But if I tarry long, that you may know how you ought to behave yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth. And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory."
Instructions to Preachers
The entire last half of 1 Timothy (chapters 46) is taken up with instructions to preachers. In these chapters he tells Timothy and all who are trusted with the blessed work of preaching the gospel the kind of men they should aspire to be as the servants of God.
He begins this section by telling us that God's servants in this world must constantly deal with and help God's people to resist an ever-increasing departure from the gospel (4:15).
"Now the Spirit speaks expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God has created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer."
He tells us that a good preacher will both constantly put the brethren in remembrance of these things and steadfastly resist every temptation to turn away from the message of the gospel (4:68).
Second Charge
In verses 1116 Paul urges Timothy, and every man to whom God has given the blessed privilege of preaching the gospel of Christ, to give himself in wholehearted devotion to the work of the ministry. This is Paul's second charge to Timothy.
"These things command and teach. Let no man despise your youth; but be you an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Until I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in you, which was given you by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give yourself wholly to them; that your profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto yourself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this you shall both save yourself, and them that hear you."
Third Charge
In the 5th chapter we are told how we are to respect and care for God's saints, particularly those who are widows (widows in deed), and those elders who labor in the Word and doctrine. The chapter concludes with a third charge, demanding that these things be done, that God's saints and his preachers be cared for without partiality."I charge you before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that you observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality." (5:21).
Preachers and Money
One of the greatest difficulties preachers have is the handling of money. Faithful men are often in a position to abuse the gifts of others; and greed and covetousness are powerful lusts of the flesh that must be constantly resisted. Therefore, Paul (the Holy Spirit speaking by Paul) commands every gospel preacher to flee from the love of money and the will to enrich himself (6:612).
"But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But you, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto you are also called, and have professed a good profession before many witnesses."
Fourth Charge
Paul's fourth charge to Timothy, his fourth charge to all who preach the gospel, is that we keep this commandment with regard to money and material things as those who are indeed the servants of the King of kings (6:1316).
"I give you charge in the sight of God, who quickens all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; That you keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall show, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only has immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man has seen, nor can see: to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen."
"Them that Are Rich"
In verses 1719 of chapter 6 the apostle moves from the preacher and his attitude toward money to the people who actually are rich, and tells Timothy to instruct those of God's saints in this world who are entrusted with material wealth to use it wisely and graciously for the glory of God and the good of his people.
"Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life."
This instructive epistle closes with a passionate appeal to Timothy to look upon the gospel of the grace of God as a great treasure trusted to his hands, a treasure to be guarded as one would guard his life, faithfully (2 Corinthians 4:7; 6:2021)."We have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us."
"O Timothy, keep that which is committed to your trust, avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with you. Amen."
2 TIMOTHY
"Endure Hardness as A Good Soldier of Christ."
2nd Timothy was the last epistle written by the Apostle Paul before he was put to death for preaching the gospel of Christ. This epistle was written primarily to encourage Timothy to remain loyal and faithful as the servant of God. I find it remarkable that this man, knowing that his executioner was at the door, as one of his last acts, writes to a friend and fellow laborer in the gospel to encourage him to be steadfast in the midst of trial and opposition, to, as he puts it, "endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." What a remarkable man Paul must have been!
The aged Apostle is sitting alone in the dark, miserable Roman prison, the imminent flash of the swordsman's ax etched in his mind's eye. Yet, his heart is full of concern for his dear son in the ministry, Timothy, who was serving as pastor of the local church at Ephesus. Timothy was being confronted with the onslaught of grievous wolves entering from without and with corrupt men arising from within the assembly (Acts 20:2932). The flagship church of Asia Minor had become the battleground for the gospel of God and the cause of Christ.
The church of God, the truth of God, and the glory of God were under assault. The souls of men were at stake. So, before leaving this world, Paul wanted to encourage his friend and God's faithful servant to remain faithful. Can you picture Timothy reading this powerful, emotion filled letter from his cherished and admired mentor? His eyes must have been full of tears. As he got to the last chapter, he understood clearly that this was Paul's last will and testament to him.
It is likely that even before this letter reached Timothy, Paul's head had been severed from his body. This great man of God died just as he had livedas a living sacrifice to his God (Romans 12:1). A more fitting epitaph could not have been written for him than that which the Holy Spirit inspired him to write at the end of this epistle, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:7).
For Us
But these four chapters were not written for Timothy alone. They were written for us (Romans 15:4), particularly for God's servants who labor as gospel preachers in the midst of relentless opposition. This great epistle is written to encourage us to be faithful to our God. As "he abides faithful," let us be faithful to him. The contents of this letter can be summed up in three words: personal, pastoral, and practical.
2nd Timothy is a very personal letter. It displays the great, personal affection Paul had for Timothy. He prayed for him night and day (1:36). He calls Timothy his "dearly beloved son," looking upon him as one as dear to him as a son (1:2; 2:1). He longed to see him one more time before leaving this world (4:9, 21). Such personal love and concern ought to ever be manifest in God's saints toward one another, and should be distinctly manifest in gospel preachers toward one another.
This is also a pastoral letter, along with 1st Timothy and Titus. Timothy was pastor of the church in Ephesus during very disturbing times. His was not an easy task (1 Timothy 1:34, 18; 2 Timothy 1:68). Paul wrote this epistle to encourage and exhort him to continue faithful in all things, to make a full proof of his ministry (4:5).
And 2nd Timothy is a very practical letter. Of course, all the Book of God is practical; but this epistle distinctly concentrates on the practical aspects of daily taking up our cross and following Christ. Here we are encouraged to "fight the good fight faith," and told how to do it. 2nd Timothy is indispensable.
"A Sound Mind"
In the opening verses of chapter 1 Paul expresses his love for Timothy and tells him how thankful to God he is for him (verses 17). He assures his dear friend that he prayed for him continually, and urged him to "stir up the gift of God" that was in him. Timothy was a man gifted of God for the work of the ministry; and the gifts God had given him he was responsible to use. If nothing else will rouse a gospel preacher to faithfulness in the work trusted to his hands and courage in performing it, the bare fact that God has made him his servant ought to do it (Ephesians 3:812).
But Paul would leave no stone unturned as he sought for arguments that would encourage Timothy to continue faithful in the cause of Christ. He reminds him of his mother's faith in Christ, his grandmother's faith in Christ, and of his own unflinching faithfulness in serving God with a pure conscience. Then, he tells Timothy and us that there is never a reason for us to give way to cowardice and fear before men or before Hell itself, because our God has given us the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind needed to serve him (1:67). Having the Spirit of God ("power from on high") dwelling in us, having our hearts motivated by love for Christ and his people, and having our minds established firmly by the gospel, we have no reason to be afraid as we go about our lives doing the will of God.
"Hold Fast"
Beginning in verse 8 and going to the end of chapter 1, Paul urges Timothy (The Spirit of God urges us!) to hold fast and remain faithful in believing and proclaiming the gospel in the very teeth of Hell itself.
Remember, Paul was writing from prison. Many who pretended to be the servants of Christ, and some who truly were the servants of Christ, were intimidated and cowered by his imprisonment and had abandoned him, just as our Lord's disciples abandoned him. He was particularly hurt by Phygellus and Hermogenes who had turned away from him (1:15). Still, there were others like Onesiphorus who comforted and refreshed him.
Paul understood well that Timothy's strength would not come from himself. To inspire his strength he turned Timothy's attention to the gospel of Christ. He says in verses 812, "Timothy, let me remind you that I am here, in these chains, because of the gospel I have preached. You do the same." He knew, as Roger Ellsworth puts it, "our willingness to stand for the gospel will be in direct proportion to our understanding of it." He tells us exactly what that gospel is for which he was imprisoned and put to death. This is that form of sound words we must hold fast (1:910).
The gospel is a declaration that salvation is entirely God's work.God "has saved us." It is the declaration of salvation done.God "has saved us, and called us." It declares that salvation is altogether God's work, without the aid of man"not according to our works." The gospel is the blessed good news that salvation is a matter of free grace, God's work alone, accomplished according to God's eternal, unalterable purpose. Salvation comes to chosen sinners "according to his own purpose and grace." The gospel is the revelation of the fact that God's salvation and grace were given to chosen sinners in Christ before the world began. God's saving grace "was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." The gospel of Christ is the declaration, the manifestation, the revelation of light, life, and immortality in and by Christ, in whom is "the promise of life" (verse 1)."Who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death, and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel."
Though imprisoned and facing immediate execution, Paul was not ashamed, shaken, confused, or confounded by his circumstances in the good providence of God, or with regard to the gospel for which he was about to die. In fact, that was his only comfort and peace. He says, "I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (1:12).
It is against this backdrop that Paul calls for Timothy and us to "hold fast" (1:1314). With that as the backdrop, how dare we do otherwise?"Hold fast the form of sound words, which you have heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed unto you keep by the Holy Spirit which dwells in us."
"Be Strong"
In chapter 2 (verses 126) Paul calls for us to "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." Like Timothy, we are not only to hold the gospel firmly ourselves, we are to commit it to others. Faithful men learn the gospel from faithful men, and then teach it to other faithful men, generation after generation.
Clearly, Paul is passing the torch to Timothy. He is urging him to continue to depend upon God, assuring him that he would find the strength needed and the grace sufficient in Christ. Paul's long ministry with Timothy had included many hardships, and as Timothy took up the mantle he could expect more of the same. So Paul urged him to submit to difficulties as a good soldier.
In verses 36 we are given examples of how we are to "be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus." He uses three examples to help him and us understand the responsibilities upon us in this world. First, he tells us that, like good soldiers, we must remain free from entanglement with other lesser goals and activities while serving the cause of Christ in this world (verses 34). Then, he tells us that we must, as disciplined athletes, do the work of building Christ's kingdom, spreading his gospel, and ministering to his people according to the rule of his Word (verse 5). Third, Paul tells us that as laborers in God's vineyard, we must give ourselves to the constant toil of tending the vineyard, like any good farmer tends his ground (verse 6).
In a word, that which is required in the service of Christ (required of gospel preachers and required of all who serve Christ in their own place) is dogged, relentless persistence. If ever this dogged persistence was exemplified in a mere man, that man was the apostle Paul (verses 810).
Then, Paul assures us that "the Word of God is not bound" and cannot be bound (verse 9). And he assures us that our great God is ever faithful. He does so to inspire our dogged persistence in faithfulness to him, no matter the temporary cost or opposition (verses 1113).
Requirements for Preachers
In the remaining portion of chapter 2 (verses 1426) Paul tells us what is required of those who preach the gospel. Remember, however, this book was not written only to instruct preachers. If we are to instruct eternity bound men and women in the truth of God, if we are to teach people the things of God as his witnesses in this world, whether preaching from the pulpit or discussing the gospel with our barber or hair-dresser, we must heed these requirements.
We must avoid strife about words (verse 14); and we must study the Word of God (verse 15). We must shun the profane and vain babblings of men about the things of God, being confident that "the foundation of God stands sure," that God will save his elect (verses 1619). We must purge ourselves of all false religion and the vain babblings of it (verses 2021). We must flee those youthful lusts that inspire religious debate, following righteousness, faith, love, and peace (verses 2223). And we must instruct those who hear us with gentleness, meekness, and patience (verses 2426).
"This Know Also"
In chapter 3 Paul continues telling us what is necessary for us to know and understand if we are to be useful as God's witnesses in the day and generation we have been put here to serve. We cannot possibly minister to our generation if we fail to understand it. So this 3rd chapter begins with a plain declaration of what we face in these "last days" (verses 17).
"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural affection, truce breakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts, Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth."
"The last days" began with our Lord's first advent and will continue until his second coming (Acts 2:1417; Hebrews 1:12; 1 John 2:18). They are days of continually increasing (verse 3) ungodliness, and self-centeredness, and rebellion accepted and practiced by religious people who have a form of godliness, but deny the gospel which is the power of godliness (Romans 1:16) altogether.
Lest we be discouraged, intimidated, and overwhelmed at the realization of these things, Paul assures us that the cause of Christ and the purpose of God cannot and will not be hindered by them (verses 89).
"Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith. But they shall proceed no further: for their folly shall be manifest unto all men, as theirs also was."
All that those "men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith," who oppose God, his gospel, and his church can do is resist the truth. They shall not prevail over it, even momentarily. It is certain that "evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived" (verse 13); but as Aaron's rod swallowed up the rods of Jannes and Jambres when they turned them into snakes, so the Word of God will swallow up all who oppose it. Therefore, Paul writes, "Continue you in the things which you have learned and have been assured of, knowing of whom you have learned them; and that from a child you have known the holy scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness" (verses 1416).
The Word of God and the Word of God alone is sufficient as the means by which we are to know all things spiritual and withstand the evil influence of false religion. It is profitable for doctrine, to teach us everything we need to know about God, salvation, and ourselves. It is profitable for reproof, refuting error and false religion. It is profitable for correction, correcting our own misunderstandings and wayward behavior. It is profitable for instruction in righteousness, teaching us the way of life, faith, and righteousness in Christ.
"Preach the Word"
Paul's last word to Timothy (chapter 4) and to us is this"Preach the Word!" God's remedy for the wickedness of this age and every age is gospel preaching (verses 15).
"I charge you therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch you in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of your ministry."
Then, he concludes this epistle and his life with a description of his own life and ministry as the servant of God (verses 68), and calls upon Timothy to come to him quickly, desiring to see him one more time before leaving this earth for heavenly glory (verses 922).
"I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." (2 Timothy 4:68)
Paul knew that his execution was at hand. He had already appeared before Nero once. Now he must appear before the monstrous wretch again, and he knew what the outcome would be. But he is looking beyond all that. He is about to depart from this world, about to enter into a "house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens" with Christ. Yet, he was cold and lonely. He says
"Do your diligence to come shortly unto me: For Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with you: for he is profitable to me for the ministry. And Tychicus have I sent to Ephesus." (2 Timothy 4:912)
He asked Timothy to bring him his coat, his books, and the Scriptures, desiring to the end to learn more of Christ (verse 13). He had been greatly injured by Alexander the coppersmith (verses 1415). When he first stood before Nero, no one stood with him. All forsook him. Still, the Lord stood with him and delivered him out of the mouth of the lion (verses 1617). Though he knew that Nero (the monstrous raging lion), from whom he had been delivered, would have him killed this time, he tells Timothy and us that God had indeed given him the spirit "of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." Nero would kill his body; but by Nero's hand, he declares confidently, "the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom be glory forever and ever" (verse 18).
Paul closes this epistle with some personal words to his friends. What a delightful letter this is! What a challenge and comfort it must have been to Timothy. But remember, this was written to you and me as much as it was to Timothy. Paul wrote this, his last epistle, to encourage us to stand firm, to hold fast to the form of sound words given to us in the gospel of Christ, to endure hardness as good soldiers of Christ, remembering that he is able to keep that which we have committed to him, and he will.
TITUS
"Adorn the Doctrine of God"
This Epistle was addressed to Titus, the pastor of the church at Crete. It was Titus who Paul sent to Corinth to settle the difficulties that threatened the survival of that congregation (2 Cor 2:13; 12:18; 7:615). This is the last of Paul's very short, but very important and instructive Pastoral Epistles. It begins with a salutation that is more lengthy than most of Paul's salutations. The salutation itself is instructive (1:15).
Election
Have you ever noticed that one of the most common names used in the New Testament referring to believers in general is "elect"? Divine election was in the New Testament era such a commonly understood thing that believers were commonly addressed as "the elect." In the opening verse of this epistle Paul speaks of the saints of God as "God's elect." Among the early churches, election was so commonly talked about and understood that when someone wanted to speak of saved sinners, they referred to them as "the elect." Our Lord declared that the elect cannot be deceived by antichrists (Matthew 24:24), and that God gathers his elect from the four corners of the earth (Matthew 24:31). God shall avenge his own elect (Luke 18:7). Paul calls upon "the elect of God" to put on Christ (Colossians 3:12.). Peter addressed his first epistle to God's elect (1 Peter 1:2). John addressed his second epistle to "the elect lady" (2 John 1) and spoke of her "elect sister" (2 John 13). In those days everyone who professed to be followers of Christ rejoiced in the electing love of God our Savior and understood the blessedness of his great grace, who declared, "You have not chosen me, but I have chosen you" (John 15:16).
Our Faith
Paul declares himself to be God's servant and an apostle of Christ "according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness." The faith of God's elect is one. That is to say, all God's elect have the same faith. In verse 4 he calls it "the common faith." We all have our faith from one common source. It is the gift of God's grace (Ephesians 2:89) and the operation of God the Holy Spirit in us (Colossians 2:12). The faith that God gives his elect embodies and acknowledges one common truth, "the truth" of the gospel: redemption, grace, and salvation by Christ's substitutionary accomplishments (1 Corinthians 15:13; Galatians 1:69). This is the faith "which is after godliness." Religion will produce morality; but only the gospel of Christ will produce godlinessthe worship of God.
Believing the gospel, we have "hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began" (verse 2). Without Christ, we are "without hope." Believing Christ, trusting his blood and righteousness, we have "a good hope through grace" of eternal life. We have every reason to confidently expect eternal life, because "God, that cannot lie," promised it to all who are in Christ "before the world began." This promise of our salvation is a promise that was made by God the Father to God the Son as our Surety in eternity (Psalm 2:8). The Father promised our Surety, the Lord Jesus Christ, that he would give eternal life to his elect by virtue of his obedience unto death as our Substitute. This word of promise is now made manifest by the preaching of the gospel."But has in due times manifested his word through preaching, according to the commandment of God our Savior" (verse 3; 2 Timothy 1:910).
Our Savior
Titus was Paul's son in the faith. That is to say, he was one of many who were converted under the influence of Paul's ministry. We see this in verse 4. There we also see a combination of titles used in all three chapters in the book of Titus that must not be overlooked. Paul speaks of "God our Savior" and of "Christ our Savior" in that order in 1:34, in 2:10 and 13, and in 3:4 and 6. His obvious intent is to emphasize the eternal deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who is our Savior is himself the eternal God.
Set In Order
Paul left Titus in Crete "to set in order the things that were wanting", and to ordain elders in every city in which God raised up an assembly of believers (verse 5). His purpose in writing this epistle was to give his son in the faith instructions about setting things in order in the churches of Christ.
The first matter of order in every local church involves the man who serves as pastor. The church is only as strong as the man who leads it. Therefore, the Holy Spirit again gives us a description of the kind of man who is to be set aside for the work of the gospel ministry (verses 59). Along with all the other qualifications for a pastor, Paul asserts that he must be one who holds fast "the faithful word." He must be a man who is thoroughly convinced of and committed to the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ, "that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers." The reason for this is clear.He will always have plenty of "gainsayers" to convince (verses 1016).
Gainsayers
The man who leads God's saints in the worship and service of Christ must never allow false teaches to go uncorrected and unrebuked. They are here called "gainsayers" because those who preach any other gospel oppose and speak against the gospel of Christ. Paul specifically identifies those in Crete of whom he spoke. They were men who taught that faith in Christ is not enough, that the blood of Christ is not enough, that the righteousness of Christ is not enough, that we must add to his righteousness our own righteousness if we would really be pure in the eyes of God.
All who teach such doctrine are, in the words of inspiration, "unruly, vain talkers, deceivers, liars, and evil beasts." They are motivated by gain, and their "mouths must be stopped." Paul specifically names those who are "of the circumcision," those who seek to impose the yoke of the law upon God's saints. Having turned from the truth, they teach "Jewish fables and the commandments of men." Do not miss what Paul here declares.Those who attempt to make our obedience to the law of God the basis of righteousness (justification and/or sanctification) by subverting the law turn it into nothing but "Jewish fables and the commandments of men." Of all such false teachers, Paul writes,"They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate" (verse 16). In their works of self-righteousness (their attempts to establish their own righteousness) they deny God, his grace, and his salvation altogether.
Grace Teaches
In chapter 2 Paul shows us that the gospel of the grace of God, not the law of Moses, teaches all to whom it is revealed that salvation is by grace alone and teaches us how to live in this world for the glory of God. In this chapter the apostle is urging us to adorn the doctrine of the grace of God that we profess to believe by the way we live in this world. As he does, he makes no appeal to the law, but only to grace.
In verses 110 he tells both the man who preaches the gospel and the people who hear and believe the gospel how to adorn the gospel. He is telling us how to behave ourselves so that we may "adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things" (verse 10).
This is both our personal responsibility and our privilege. I hope it is your desire and my own. We are to "adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things." That is to say, we are to set forth in our lives, as well as in our doctrine, the beauty, glory, and attractiveness of the gospel of Christ. If we hope to persuade men and women to believe the gospel we preach, we must show them, by our lives, the beauty of the gospel. If we would honor Christ and his gospel in the eyes of men, we must have our lives regulated and governed by the gospel.
The Pastor
Every pastor, every man who speaks to men in the name of God, is responsible to adorn the gospel by faithfully preaching it."But speak you the things which become sound doctrine" (verse 1). Every preacher has a mandate from God. And the preacher's mandate is always the same. All who are sent of God as his messengers to eternity bound men and women are sent to preach the gospel, to constantly declare those "things which become sound doctrine" (2 Timothy 4:15).
The doctrine we preach is the doctrine of grace, which is the doctrine of Christ. And those things which become sound doctrine are those things that are consistent with and honoring to the gospel: Divine SovereigntyEffectual, Substitutionary RedemptionSatisfaction by the Blood of ChristRuin by the FallRedemption by the BloodRegeneration by the Holy Spirit.
Specifically, gospel preachers are responsible to pointedly apply the gospel to the daily affairs and responsibilities of men and women in this world. It is a pastor's responsibility to faithfully teach people how to live in this world for the glory of Christ, applying the Word of God to every area of life. And it is the responsibility of God's saints to personally obey the gospel, applying it to every area of their lives.
I realize that many people prefer to ignore this fact; but it is a fact nonetheless.God almighty does interfere with people's lives. If the God of glory is pleased to open the windows of Heaven and drop his saving grace into our hearts, he takes over. He insists on it. Christ will either be Lord of all or he will not receive you at all. This is what Paul teaches in verses 210. He has a word here for just about everyone.
Aged Men"That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience" (verse 2).
Aged Women"The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becomes holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children" (verses 34).
Young Women"To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed" (verse 5).
Young Men"Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded" (verse 6).
Pastors"In all things showing yourself a pattern of good works: in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he who is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you" (verses 78).
Employees"Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; Not purloining, but showing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things" (verses 910).
The Holy Spirit here calls for all who believe the gospel of the grace of God to adorn it, to show forth the beauty and grace of the gospel in all things for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31). If we are indeed born of God, if we truly are believers, if we have really experienced the grace of God, we know that grace teaches us so to live.
The Work of Grace
"For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men" (verse 11).As Paul uses the phrase, "the grace of God," in this place he is referring to "the doctrine of God our Savior." "The grace of God" in this verse means "the gospel of the grace of God." The gospel we preach, "the doctrine of God our Savior," is "the gospel of the grace of God."
The doctrine of the gospel is the message of grace, not freewill, but grace, not works, but grace, not grace and works, but grace alone. Grace is the origin of the gospel. Grace is the message of the gospel. Grace is conveyed by the gospel (1 John 1:1; 1 Peter 1:2325). And grace is the rule of the gospel (Romans 6:1214; 2 Corinthians 5:1415).
This gospel, the grace of God, brings salvation. Salvation is by God's sovereign, omnipotent operations of grace. It is an act and work of grace that is almighty and irresistible. But in this context "the grace of God" is used as a synonym for "the gospel of God." The Holy Spirit is telling us that the gospel is the means by which salvation is brought to and wrought in chosen, redeemed sinners. The gospel of the grace of God shows us the way of salvationFaith in Christ. It proclaims the person and work of Christ, who is salvation. It is the announcement of salvation accomplished by Christ. And the gospel of the grace of God is the means by which God the Holy Spirit brings salvation to elect sinners (Romans 10:1317). No sinner is given life, faith, and salvation in Christ apart from the preaching of the gospel.
This gospel of the grace of God has appeared unto all men. Certainly, Paul does not mean for us to understand that every person in the world has heard the gospel. Obviously, that is not so. There are many who have never heard the gospel. What Paul is telling us is that the gospel has been and is preached freely to all men and women, people of every rank, race, and region (Romans 16:2526). God has his elect among all people. It is our responsibility to preach the gospel to all men (Matthew 28:1920). And we are assured that the gospel we preach brings salvation to all who believe."It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believes" (Romans 1:16).
The Teaching of Grace
"Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world" (verse 12).Whenever the gospel of the grace of God comes into a sinner's heart by the life giving, regenerating power and grace of God the Holy Spirit, it effectually teaches him some things. The grace of God does not simply give out the lesson and leave it to us to get the lesson. Grace sees to it that we get the lesson. It teaches us to whom we must look for eternal life (Isaiah 45:22), what we must believe (Galatians 1:69), and how to live in this world.
The gospel is not given for intellectual speculation, but for practical direction. It is given for our eternal salvation and for the ordering of our lives. It tells us plainly what we are to do and what we are not to do. It tells us what to follow and what to shun.
The grace of God effectually teaches saved sinners to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts. The gospel teaches us to say "No" to unbelief and the neglect of God, his Word, his worship, and his will. It also teaches us to say "No" to worldly lusts, sensuality, covetousness, ambition, and the desire for recognition and praise. The grace of God teaches people to live right. It teaches us to live soberly (with temperance and moderation) with respect to ourselves, righteously (doing what is right) with respect to others, and godly with respect to God, worshiping him in the totality of our lives (Romans 12:12; 1 Corinthians 6:1920).
The Expectation of Grace
"Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (verse 13).Paul does not tell us to set dates, or even to speculate about when the time of our Lord's coming may be. He does not tell us to look for signs of the end time, or to even think about when the end time may be. Grace teaches us to look for Christ himself, and to do so standing upon the tiptoe of faith and expectation. Grace gives us a good, well-grounded hope, a hope that breeds expectation, anticipation, and desire.
There is one common and blessed hope for all believers. There is not one hope for one group and another hope for another group. We all have the same hope, upon the same grounds, a glorious, blessed hope, a hope that no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and no mind has imagined. The basis of our hope is grace, free grace through a crucified Substitute (Ephesians 1:18). The thing hoped for is glory with Christ. It is the design of the gospel to set our hearts upon the hope laid up for us with Christ in Heaven, not upon the things of this world (Matthew 6:33; Colossians 3:14).
Fade, fade each earthly joy, Jesus is mine.
Break every tender tie, Jesus is mine!
Dark is this wilderness,
Earth has no resting place
Jesus alone can bless. Jesus is mine!
Farewell, mortalityJesus is mine!
Welcome, eternityJesus is mine!
Welcome, oh loved and blessed!
Welcome sweet scenes of rest!
Welcome my Savior's breast! Jesus is mine!
Our hope of eternal glory with Christ, if we trust him, is a well-grounded hope. Our Father promised it (Titus 1:2). Our Savior purchased it (Hebrews 9:12). Our Substitute possesses it (Hebrews 6:20). We have the earnest of it (Ephesians 1:14). And in Christ we are worthy of it (Colossians 1:12). Our blessedness will be attained when Christ, who is our hope, appears. Notice how Paul describes our Savior. He appears unable to find words worthy of him. Jesus Christ is "the great God." He is the great God and "our Savior." Soon, this great God, who is our Savior, "shall appear." Then, "we also shall appear with him in glory." This is the expectation of grace (1 John 3:13).
The Motivation of Grace
Paul is calling for us, in every aspect of our lives, to "adorn the doctrine of God our Savior." How does he induce us to obey his admonition? How does he persuade us? How does he motivate us? He does not threaten us with punishment or loss of reward. He does not entice us with promises of rewards, or higher degrees of glory in Heaven (higher decrees of salvation!). He induces us to love and serve our great God and Savior, to seek in all things to honor him, simply by reminding us of what he has done for us by his matchless grace."Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works" (verse 14). Christ loved us and gave himself for us, that he might redeem and deliver us from all iniquity, from all sin and all the consequences of it, that he might purify us (by blood and by grace) unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
God's saints are a peculiar people. We are loved with a peculiar love, objects of God's peculiar delight, blessed with peculiar blessings, supplied with peculiar provisions, and separated from the world by peculiar grace (1 Corinthians 4:7). The word "peculiar" means "distinctively excellent, valuable, and honorable." We are Christ's portion, the lot of his inheritance, the jewels of his crown, his fullness (Ephesians 1:23), his peculiar people.
Christ's peculiar people are made, by the grace of God, to be zealous of good works. God the Father ordained that we should walk in good works (Ephesians 2:10). God the Son redeemed us that we should walk in good works. And God the Holy Spirit effectually teaches every chosen, ransomed sinner to be zealous of good works. The gospel teaches us to "maintain good works" (3:8). Let us, therefore, "learn to maintain good works," not for salvation, not for justification, not to make ourselves more holy and acceptable to God, but "for necessary uses" (3:14), that we may honor our great God and Savior and the gospel of his grace in all things, not being unfruitful.
This is Paul's admonition to Titus; and this is the Word of God the Holy Spirit to every preacher of the gospel."These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise you." He is to declare the doctrine of the gospel, pointedly applying it to every area of life. The pastor is to exhort, to press with earnestness the claims of Christ upon his people. He is responsible to "rebuke," too, to reprove all who neglect, oppose, contradict, and deny these things, these doctrines and duties of grace. He must do so "with all authority," speaking as he does in God's name, with God's authority, and with God's approval. Then, Paul says, "Let no man despise You." The preacher must give no one reason to despise him because of his conduct. And when people despise him because of the gospel he preaches, he is to have no regard for the opinions of disobedient men. Paul shows us by his own example what he means in 1 Corinthians 4:13.
A Re-enforcement
In chapter 3 Paul gives a re-enforcement to all that he has said in chapter 2. Why? Because these things need to be constantly pressed upon our hearts."Whether therefore you eat, or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God" (1 Corinthians 10:31). In all things Paul urges us to honor our God and the gospel of his grace, reminding us to even be gentle in our dealings with the base and the wicked, remembering that we were once exactly as they are (verses 13).
"Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, showing all meekness unto all men. For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another."
Our Motivation
Then, once more, he motivates us to heed these tremendous admonitions, contrary as they are to human flesh, by reminding us of what our God has done for us in Christ by his matchless grace. Always, he uses grace, not the whip of the law, to motivate God's people (verses 47).
"But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit; Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
The question is often asked, "If you do not preach the law, how do you get people to live right, to do what they ought to do?" The answer is, "Preach up Christ and free grace. It is the grace of God that brings salvation, and that alone, that effectually teaches all who have experienced it to say no to ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world." This is certainIf the whip of the law can get a person to do what the grace of God does not inspire him to do, he has simply never known the grace of God.
That makes all "contentions and strivings about the law" unprofitable and vain (verse 9). Those who persistently refuse to heed these things, who will not cease from legalism, who will not give up their own righteousness, trusting Christ alone as Jehovah-tsidkenu, "The Lord our Righteousness" (Jeremiah 23:6), are heretics who are condemned by their own doctrine.
There is no motive to godliness like the assurance of free salvation, complete redemption, and perfect righteousness in Christ by the grace of God (Jeremiah 23:6; 33:16; 50:20; 1 Corinthians 6:911, 1920)."This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that you affirm constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable unto men" (3:8).
PHILEMON
"Put That On My Account"
The book of Philemon is a personal letter written by Paul while he was a prisoner at Rome to a man at Colosse by the name of Philemon. It is a personal letter, dealing with a very personal matter; but it was written by divine inspiration to teach us things concerning our Lord Jesus Christ and the gospel of God's free grace in him.
Paul wrote to Philemon about one of his slaves who, having robbed him, fled to Rome. While in Rome, Onesimus came into contact with Paul, heard the gospel, and was converted by the grace of God. After his conversion, Paul sent Onesimus back to Philemon with this letter urging Philemon to receive Onesimus as his brother in Christ, just as he would receive Paul himself, assuring him that he would gladly pay whatever Onesimus owed him (verses 1018).
"I beseech you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten in my bonds: Which in time past was to you unprofitable, but now profitable to you and to me: Whom I have sent again: you therefore receive him, that is, mine own affections: Whom I would have retained with me, that in your stead he might have ministered unto me in the bonds of the gospel: But without your mind would I do nothing; that your benefit should not be as it were of necessity, but willingly. For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that you should receive him forever; Not now as a servant, but above a servant, a brother beloved, specially to me, but how much more unto you, both in the flesh, and in the Lord? If you count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he has wronged you, or owes you ought, put that on mine account."
The story we have before us in this short epistle is a beautiful picture of what the Lord Jesus does for every chosen, redeemed sinner. He has paid our debt, all that we owed to the law and justice of God. He intercedes for us with God, against whom we have sinned, from whom we have gone astray. Our blessed Savior said to the offended justice and inflexible law of God, regarding all his people and our sins, "put that on mine account," and, with his one great sacrifice for sin as our substitute, he paid our debt. Because Christ is our Mediator, Substitute, and Surety, because all God's elect are one with him, the Father receives and accepts every believing sinner as he receives and accepts Christ himself (Ephesians 1:6).
Philemon
Philemon was a truly gracious man."Hearing of your love and faith, which you have toward the Lord Jesus, and toward all saints" (verse 5). He maintained a church in his house (verse 2). He loved Christ and his people (verse 7). He was a benevolent friend to the Apostle Paul. He treated his servants kindly and graciously. And Paul was confident that he would be obedient to the word of God, the word of God sent to Philemon by his servant Paul (verse 21).
Onesimus
Onesimus was a slave Philemon had come to trust. He had given Onesimus charge over at least some of his household goods. He trusted his treasures to the care of this slave as a steward. But Onesimus betrayed his master's trust. Knowing his guilt and fearing his master's wrath, Onesimus ran away to Rome. There he must have hoped to lose himself in the crowded streets among the vagabonds and street people. At last, (by one means or another) in God's good providence Onesimus was brought into that room where God's servant, Paul, was a prisoner. He heard Paul preach the gospel of God's saving grace in Christ; and this poor runaway slave was arrested by God's omnipotent grace, converted by the power of his Spirit, born again by the gospel, and made to be believer, a child of God.
But Onesimus still belonged to Philemon. He was a wanted man. His master had a lawful right to have him executed. The only right thing for this slave to do was to return to his master and hope that he would be gracious.
The Picture
What a picture the Lord here gives us of his amazing grace! We who are now converted by God's omnipotent mercy were once just like Onesimus. We went astray from the womb speaking lies (Psalm 58:3). We robbed God (or attempted to) of his glory as God. We despised him and his goodness; but we still belonged to God. If we had what we deserved, we would have perished under his wrath. It would be lawful, righteous, and just for the holy Lord God to slay us in his fury. Our only hope was (and is) his mercy. Fleeing to him for mercy, pleading for mercy in Christ, he received us graciously in Christ, for Christ's sake, even as he receives Christ.
Sinner
All men belong to God. We are his property. It is right for him to do with us whatever he will (Matthew 20:15). The unbelieving sinner belongs to God. Though he refuses to acknowledge it, he is God's property. He is a wanted man. Justice cries out for his execution. It would be lawful, righteous, and just for God to slay him. But, if he pleases, he can have mercy upon him. The only thing for the sinner to do is to go to God, confessing his guilt and sin, pleading the merits of God's own dear Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, and hope that he will be gracious.
"Come, humble sinner, in whose breast
A thousand thoughts revolve,
Come, with your guilt and fear oppressed,
And make this last resolve
I'll go to Jesus, though my sin
Has like a mountain rose:
I know His courts I'll enter in,
Whatever may oppose.
Prostrate, I'll lie before His throne,
And there my guilt confess.
I'll tell Him I'm a wretch undone
Without His sovereign grace.
I'll to the gracious King approach,
Whose scepter pardon gives.
Perhaps He may command my touch,
And then the suppliant lives.
Perhaps He will admit my plea,
Perhaps will hear my prayer;
But if I perish I will pray
And perish only there.
I can but perish if I go,
I am resolved to try;
For if I stay away I know,
I must forever die.
But if I die with mercy sought,
When I the King have tried,
This were to die, (delightful thought!)
As sinner never died!' "
Once Onesimus was converted, the Apostle Paul took down his pen and paper, and by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, he wrote this little epistle to Philemon with his own hand, with the hope of both preserving Onesimus' life and making reconciliation between Onesimus and Philemon.
Christian Love
Here is an example of true Christian love (verse 5). Indeed, there is no true love in the hearts of men except Christian love, the love that Christ gives to and creates in his saints by his grace. Paul showed great love in his regard for Onesimus. He took this degraded, loathsome creature in. Once he had been converted by the grace of God, Paul regarded him and treated him as his own son. Though Onesimus and Timothy were very different men before they were converted (Timothy was a moral, upright young man, one who believed God from his youth. Onesimus was the offscouring of society.), after they were converted, they were both equal in Paul's eyes. In Christ there is no such thing as rank. And in Christ our past is irrelevant.
Philemon showed great brotherly love in his reception of Onesimus. Though Philemon had been greatly wronged by this man, he received him again into his household, freely forgiving him the wrong he had done (Matthew 6:1415; Ephesians 4:32).
If God forgives us, surely we ought to forgive one another. If Christ receives us, surely we ought to receive one another. This kind of love is the law that rules God's elect. It is the principle by which saved people live (John 13:3435).
Substitutionary Redemption
Here is an example of substitutionary redemption. Onesimus had wronged Philemon. He had betrayed his master's trust, despised his master's goodness, and stolen his master's goods. Onesimus owed much to Philemon. But Paul says, "If you count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he has wronged you, or owes you ought, put that on mine account" (verses 1718). That is exactly what the Lord Jesus Christ has done for us (Isaiah 53:410).
Divine Forgiveness
Here is an example of divine forgiveness. Paul says, "If you count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself" (verse 17). Onesimus was forgiven through the intercession of another. He was accepted, not as a slave, but as a brother, an equal. And he was accepted because of another. The God of Glory receives every sinner who trusts his dear Son as he receives Christ himself. We are "accepted in the Beloved." We have been forgiven through the intercession of Christ. We have been accepted as the sons of God, in every way equal to Christ in God's sight (1 John 3:1). We have been accepted because of another, accepted because of the Lord Jesus Christ, and accepted as Christ is accepted.
"Near, so very near to God,
Nearer I cannot be,
For in the Person of His Son
I am as near as He!
Dear, so very dear to God,
Dearer I cannot be,
For in the Person of His Son
I am as dear as He!"
Wondrous Grace
Perhaps the thing that stands out most beautifully in the book of Philemon is the picture it gives us of God's wondrous, amazing, irresistible grace. In the case of Onesimus, we see clear evidence that the grace of God is always effectual and irresistible, and can never be thwarted in its purpose. Grace is not merely God's will to save. Grace is God's act of saving. In the matter of salvation grace is always first! The grace of God always takes the initiative in salvation.
"Grace first contrived the way
To save rebellious man;
And all the steps that grace display
Which drew the wondrous plan.
Grace first inscribed my name
In God's eternal book:
Twas grace that gave me to the Lamb,
Who all my sorrows took."
Onesimus was the object of sovereign election. This poor slave did not know it, but he was the chosen object of God's eternal, electing love. He was not worthy of God's love. He did not desire God's love. He did not seek God's love. Nevertheless, he was loved of God from eternity. God had said concerning Onesimus, "I will be his God and he shall be my son." And so it came to pass. God passed by many slaves who were just like Onesimus, and chose him. And the Lord God passed by many men and women at Colosse who were far nobler than Onesimus, and chose him.
As a general rule, the most unworthy of the unworthy, the most loathsome of the loathsome, the most useless of the useless, the most vile of the vile are the objects of God's grace (1 Corinthians 1:2629; Jeremiah 31:3). What are you, and what am I that God should be merciful to us? Let us never forget where we were, who we were, and what we were when the grace of God found us and called us by his grace (1 Corinthians 1:2628; 6:911; Isaiah 51:1).
Sovereign Grace
Be sure you understand thisThe grace of God is always sovereign (Romans 9:1516). Man has no claim upon the grace of God. God is in no way obliged to show anyone his mercy. He can save us if he will, or he can damn us if he will. It is entirely up to him. God is not in our hands. We are in God's hands.
The Lord God is sovereign. He does as it pleases him. God chooses some, and passes by others (Romans 9:1113). God sent his Son to redeem some, but not others (John 10:11, 15, 26). God sends the gospel to some, and refuses to send it to others (Acts 16:613). God sends his Spirit to call some, and leaves the rest to their own chosen darkness and ignorance (Acts 13:48). This is God's right as God. Believers gladly submit to his total, absolute sovereignty (Romans 9:1821).
"Mortals, be dumb; what creature dares
Dispute His sovereign will?
Ask no account of His affairs,
But tremble and be still.
Just like His nature is His grace,
All sovereign, and all free;
Great God, how searchless are
Your ways,
How deep your judgments be!"
The grace of God sought Onesimus. Onesimus did not seek God. God sought Onesimus. Onesimus was not looking for the Lord. The Lord was looking for Onesimus. Onesimus did not want grace. Grace wanted Onesimus. Onesimus did not come to grace. Grace came to Onesimus. Onesimus did not find the Lord. The Lord found Onesimus. The name of God's church is "Sought Out" (Isaiah 62:12). The Lord God declares, "I am found of them that sought me not" (Isaiah 65:1).
Modern religion says to the sinner, "You take the first step, and God will do the rest." God says to the sinner, " Without me, you can do nothing.' You have no ability and no will to come to me. I will come and be gracious to whom I will be gracious."
Grace always takes the initiative in salvation. God chose us; we did not choose him. God gave us life; we did not give life to ourselves. God sought us; we did not seek him. God came to us; we did not come to him.
" Tis not that I did choose You,
For, Lord, that could not be,
This heart would still refuse You,
But You have chosen me.
You from the sin that stained me
Washed me and set me free,
And to this end ordained me,
That I should live to You.
Twas sovereign mercy called me,
And taught my opening mind;
The world had else enthralled me,
To heavenly glories blind:
My heart owns none before You,
For Your rich grace I thirst;
This knowing, if I love You,
You must have loved me first."
Prevenient Grace
Grace is always on time. It is never before time, and it is never behind time, but always on time. The grace of God rules and overrules all things to accomplish its purpose (Psalm 76:10; John 17:12; Romans 8:28). Onesimus had no right to rob his master and runaway; but God was pleased to make use of Onesimus' sin to accomplish his conversion. In the wise arrangement of divine providence, Onesimus' evil deed brought him to the place where God was determined to be gracious to him (Psalm 76:10). Read verse 15."For perhaps he therefore departed for a season, that you should receive him forever."
Onesimus did exactly what he wanted to do. He freely exercised his "free-will" and chose the path of wickedness. Still, God had a hand in the whole affair. This is what the old writers used to call prevenient grace, grace that goes before and prepares the way for grace. (Compare Acts 2:23; 4:2728; 13:29).
Onesimus madly ran the sinful course of his own "freewill." Had not the Lord God sovereignly intervened, this man's actions would surely have brought him to ruin and to Hell. But God's purpose of grace could not and would not be overturned. Onesimus must come to Rome. Onesimus must hear the gospel from Paul's lips, hear it at precisely the time he heard it, in the place where he heard it, and in the exact circumstances in which he heard it. That meant that Paul and Onesimus had to be brought to Rome at the same time, at "the time of love" (Ezekiel 16:8) the Lord God had ordained for Onesimus from eternity.
How will it all happen? The Lord God called the old serpent, Satan, into his service. Satan is not God's rival, but his devil. He is not a wild beast out of control, but a conquered lion on the chain of omnipotence, under the total dominion of God our Savior (Revelation 20:13). Satan tempted Onesimus, just at the right time, and persuaded him to steal his master's goods. At about the same time, he led an angry mob to have Paul arrested at Jerusalem. Having robbed his master, Onesimus was filled with fear and fled to Rome. At last, on the appointed day, at "the time of love," Onesimus comes before Paul, and Paul preached the gospel to him in the power of the Holy Spirit. And Onesimus was converted.
God almighty, when he intends to be gracious to a sinner, always brings the sinner, whom he has chosen, to the preacher, whom he has chosen, to hear the gospel (Romans 10:1417). Perhaps Onesimus had been arrested. Perhaps he came to Paul for help. We are not told. But Onesimus and Paul meet face to face at the appointed time, in the appointed place, for the appointed purpose. It is still true
"God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea,
And rides upon the storm.
Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill,
He treasures up His vast designs
And works His sovereign will."
Here is a word of comfort and encouragement for you whose sons and daughters break your hearts through their rebellion and waywardness. Sometimes this is God's appointed way of grace. It is far better to lose them for a season and gain them for eternity, than to keep them at home in self-righteousness and to lose them for eternity. The chosen sinner must, by one means or another, be brought down; and God knows exactly the best way to bring his own down before him (Psalm 107:143). The wise thing for us to do is to humbly submit to the wise and good will of our God."It is the Lord, let him do what seems him good."
Aren't you glad to know that the grace of God rules and overrules all things to accomplish its purpose? Grace is always on time.
Successful Grace
The grace of God is always successful. Grace cannot be defeated. Grace cannot be thwarted. Grace cannot be overturned. Grace cannot be resisted. God had chosen Onesimus, and Onesimus must be saved. Grace preserved him, provided for him, protected him, and led him all the days of his life, even in his rebellion (Hebrews 1:14; Hosea 2:8; Jude 1). And at the appointed time, grace conquered Onesimus' heart (Ezekiel 16:38).
By the power of God's grace, Onesimus was made a new man in Christ. Behold the wondrous, transforming power of the grace of our God!He who was an unprofitable wretch, a common thief, was transformed into a profitable servant of God and a profitable servant among men. Grace changes a man's character, and grace changes his behavior:At HomeAt WorkIn All Things! Rowland Hill once said, "I would not give half a penny for a man's piety if his dog and cat were not better off after he is converted."
The grace of God is successful. It is always successful (Romans 8:2930). The good Shepherd goes seeking his sheep. He never gives up the search until he finds his sheep. And he always fetches his sheep home.
God Honoring
Grace honors God. Grace always gives God the glory. This is the reason why God does things the way he does them, so that we might be "to the praise of the glory of his grace to the praise of his glory who first trusted in Christ" (Ezekiel 16:6263; Ephesians 1:314)."Salvation is of the LORD." It was the Lord God who chose Onesimus, who redeemed him, sought him, called him, gave him life and faith in Christ, and who kept him.
Gives Hope
Grace gives us hope. The grace of God is a door of hope for perishing sinners. The God of all grace is he who "delights in mercy." Let all who need grace come to the throne of grace to obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Oh, what a difference grace makes in the lives of sinners! And it is grace alone that makes the difference."For who makes you to differ from another? and what have you that you did not receive? now if you did receive it, why do you glory, as if you had not received it?" (1 Corinthians 4:7).
HEBREWS
Christ is Better!
The Psalmist David, speaking prophetically of Christ's great accomplishments as our Savior, sang, "His glory is great in your salvation: honor and majesty have you laid upon him. For you have made him most blessed forever" (Psalm 21:56). In the book of Hebrews the Holy Spirit tells us something of the great glory of our God and Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. In the opening words of this magnificent epistle we see that this is the theme of the book.
"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Has in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he has appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they" (1:14).
Truly his glory is great in salvation
We are not told who wrote this epistle, when it was written, or to whom it was written. It was obviously written to men and women of Jewish ancestry who were born of God; but we have no indication where they were located. This lack of information is not accidental. God the Holy Spirit, whose Word this is, intended for every person who picks it up and reads it to read it as God's Word specifically to him.
These Jewish believers, being constantly pressured by family and friends to go back to their former religion, to go back to Judaism, needed encouragement to remain steadfast, to "hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of hope firm unto the end" (3:6). Like the saints at Galatia, Judaizers were trying to get them to go back to the Mosaic law, back to Jewish ritualism, back to empty, meaningless religious activity, to give up the way of life and faith in Christ. Everywhere, on every side, they were harassed, pressured, and persecuted for the gospel's sake, because they had abandoned the religion of their father's and trusted Christ alone for righteousness with God.
In a word, they faced the same pressures God's saints face in all places and in all ages. This epistle was written by divine inspiration to God's saints everywhere, inspiring relentless devotion to Christ, by showing us his great glory in salvation.
Christ's Work
As we read these 13 chapters describing the greatness of our Savior's glory in the salvation he accomplished, we should not be at all surprised to see that the focus of the entire epistle is that salvation which the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, has accomplished. We are reminded of four great facts about Christ and his work as our Mediator throughout this epistle.
1. Everything that the Lord Jesus Christ did for us as our Substitute and Savior he did by himself, alone (1:3; 2:14, 18; 7:27; 9:1214, 2526; 12:3).
There was none to help him. He purged our sins by himself, offered himself, gave himself, and obtained eternal redemption for us by himself. His glory is great in salvation precisely because it is his work alone.
2. Everything that the Lord Jesus Christ did for us, as our Substitute and Savior, he did just once (7:27; 9:12, 2628; 10:10).
There was no need for anything he did to be done twice. Once was enough. He lived once. He obeyed once. He brought in righteousness once. He died once. He arose once. He obtained eternal redemption once. Once is enough.
3. Everything the Son of God did as the God-man our Savior, our Substitute, everything he did for the salvation of God's elect, he did for us all alike (2:9; 6:20; 9:12; 10:10, 20; 11:40).
He tasted death for us all (2:9). The Son of God died to bring all God's elect to glory. He entered into Heaven for us as a forerunner (6:20). He sanctified every sinner for whom he died by his blood, and perfected us all forever by his once for all sacrifice for us (10:10, 14). The Lord Jesus has made a way for us all to approach and find acceptance with God (10:20). And all God's elect, every sinner in the universe who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, shall obtain the same eternal inheritance in Christ (11:40). Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, Peter, James, and John, Paul, and you, and I shall all be made perfect together.
4. Everything that our Savior did for our salvation, he did perfectly. Nothing needs to be, and nothing can be added to it (10:1014).
The Lord Jesus Christ is the perfect God, the perfect Man, the perfect Son, the perfect priest, the perfect Sacrifice, the perfect Altar, the perfect Tabernacle, the perfect Captain of our Salvation, and the perfect Surety. And he has "perfected forever them that are sanctified!"
5. Because everything he did, he did perfectly, and because he is the perfect God-man, because all that he did, he did as our Representative, Substitute, and Surety, everything he did is of infinite value and efficacy.
That simply means everything he did has everlasting consequence. It is forever (1:8; 5:6; 6:20; 7:17, 21; 10:1214; 13:20). His throne is forever. His priesthood is forever. He has perfected and sanctified his people forever. His covenant is an everlasting covenant.
God-man
Nowhere in Scripture is our Savior's eternal deity and glorious humanity more clearly set forth than it is in the first two chapters of Hebrews. Remember, the purpose of this epistle is to show forth the greatness of Christ's glory in the accomplishment of our salvation and to encourage us to remain steadfast in the confidence of our faith in him. What better way could this goal be accomplished than by reminding us at the outset that he who is our Savior is both God and man in one glorious person? Because he is a man like us in all things, sin alone excepted, he is able to understand all our needs. Because he is God over all, he is able to meet all our needs.
Central Doctrine
The central doctrine of this epistle is Christ's eternal priesthood and his finished, efficacious sacrifice for the redemption and salvation of his people. The book of Hebrews stresses the infinite importance and efficacious power of Christ's sin-atoning blood in obtaining eternal redemption for us, in purging the conscience, and in opening to us the heavenly sanctuary.
Better
The key word in the book of Hebrews is "better" (1:4; 6:9; 7:7, 19, 22; 8:6; 9:23; 10:34; 11:16, 35, 40; 12:24). One purpose of this book is to show us that Christ is "better" than all who came before him. He is better than the prophets, better than the angels, better than Moses, better than Joshua, and better than Aaron. He is Surety of a better covenant, established upon better promises, giving a better hope. Christ our Savior is better than the tabernacle, the altar, and the mercy-seat. He is a better Sacrifice, offering better blood, giving us a better access to and better standing before the holy Lord God. In all things Christ is better than all others. He is infinitely better. He is the best!
Better than the Prophets
Christ is better than the prophets (1:14). Each of the prophets gave us a partial revelation of God and his purpose. Reading the prophets and studying their messages, we leave each one thinking (as they intended), "This is not the final word. There is more to be revealed." Christ is the perfect, complete, full, and final revelation of God.
The prophets were mere messengers. Christ is the Message. The prophets were mere men. Christ is the Creator, Ruler, Redeemer, and Savior of men. The prophets were sinners in need of atonement. Christ is atonement. By his one sacrifice, "he purged our sins" and "sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high," because his work was finished and accepted.
Better than the Angels
Christ is better than the angels (1:42:18). The angels are creatures of God. He is the Son of God (verse 5). The angels were commanded of God to worship the Lord Jesus Christ, his incarnate Son, as God, even in his humiliation as he came into the world (verse 6). God never commanded an angel to sit with him on his throne; but he said to his Son, when he had finished his work of redemption as our Substitute, "Sit you on my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool" (verses 713). Christ is one with the Father, in every way his equal. But the angels are "all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation" (verse 14).
They minister for those who shall be the heirs of salvation; but Christ is our Savior (2:618). He visited the earth in human flesh, made a little lower than the angels, that he might taste death for all his elect (referred to by the words "every man" in verse 9). His elect are every man numbered among the many sons he shall bring to glory (verse 10). His elect are those who are sanctified by him, whom he calls brethren (verse 11). His elect are the children the Father gave him to redeem and save (verse 13). His elect, the every man for whom he tasted death, are the seed of Abraham, on whom he took hold to redeem and save (verse 16).
Better than Moses
Christ is better than Moses (3:119). Moses, of course, represents the law of God. He was a servant in the house. Christ is Builder and the Master of the house. God's elect, his church and kingdom, are his house (3:6). In this house Moses was a servant for a season. But Moses could not bring the children of Israel into the land of promise because he represented the law, and the law cannot save. It cannot give rest. Moses had to die in the wilderness. Joshua was raised up to take his place and to lead Israel into Canaan, into the land of rest. But Joshua, too, was but a man typical of Christ.
Better than Joshua
Christ is better than Joshua (4:116). As Joshua brought Israel into the typical land of promise, the land of blessedness, bounty, and rest, so the Lord Jesus Christ brings God's elect into rest by his omnipotent grace. As Israel's enemies were conquered by the hand of God in Joshua's day, so our enemies were conquered by God our Savior, our Joshua, the Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 2:1315).
Better than the Sabbath
Christ is better than the Sabbath (4:911). The Old Testament Sabbath was, like everything else in Old Testament worship, typical of Christ who is our true Sabbath. The Sabbath rest of faith in Christ was typified by God ceasing from his works of creation and resting on the seventh day, and in Israel resting in Canaan. As the Lord God ceased from his works, sinners enter into rest when they cease from their works and trust Christ alone for acceptance with God. Just as surely as Christ our Substitute has entered into his rest in glory, there is a vast multitude of sinners in this world who must also enter into his rest. They must enter in because God ordained it, and because Christ has obtained it for us.
Better than Aaron
Christ is better than Aaron (4:147:28). Beginning at the end of chapter 4 and going through chapter 7, the Holy Spirit tells us that the Lord Jesus Christ is our great High Priest, and that he is a Priest better than Aaron, with a better priesthood than Aaron's typical priesthood in Israel.
"Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (4:1416).
All Aaron could do was offer typical sacrifices and make ceremonial cleansings. Christ is a better Priest. His work is neither typical nor ceremonial, but real and sure. He is a Priest who is able to save and save unto the uttermost all who come to God by him. He who is our Priest is the omnipotent Lion of the tribe of Judah (7:1127). If our Lord, who came not from the tribe of Levi but from the tribe of Judah, was to be our High Priest, "there is made of necessity a change also of the law" (7:12). The law regarding these things was disannulled because of its weakness and unprofitableness (7:18; Romans 8:4).
The Lord Jesus Christ could not be our great High Priest before God, except the Levitical law which required the priests to be of the tribe of Levi be set aside and be made of no effect. That legal system under which the Jews lived and worshiped God in the Old Testament was only temporary and typical. Once Christ came and fulfilled it in its entirety, he put and end to the typical, Levitical system altogether (Romans 10:4).
"It is yet far more evident" that our Lord Jesus Christ is a great High Priest infinitely superior to Aaron because those priests were temporary, made priests "after the law of a carnal commandment," without an oath, for a limited time. Christ was made a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek and the oath of God in his eternal decree, by the power of an endless life (Hebrews 7:1127).
A Better Covenant
Christ is the Surety and Mediator of a better covenant (8:113). The old covenant was a conditional covenant of law and works. In that covenant the whole weight of responsibility was upon the shoulders of men. The new covenant, of which Christ is the Surety, is an unconditional covenant of pure, free grace. In this covenant nothing depends upon men. In this covenant the whole weight of responsibility was laid upon the shoulders of One who is mighty, our great Surety, the Lord Jesus Christ. This new covenant of grace is that of which Jeremiah spoke (Jeremiah 31:3134).
"But now has he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises. For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second. For finding fault with them, he says, Behold, the days come, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, says the Lord. For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me, from the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more" (8:612).
A Better Tabernacle
Christ is a better Tabernacle (9:128). Everything in the Old Testament tabernacle, and later the temple, was typical of Christ. They were but "a figure for the time then present until the time of reformation." Christ is the true Tabernacle. He is the true place of worship and blessing.
"Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator" (9:1116).
A Better Sacrifice
Christ is a better Sacrifice (10:139). All the laws, sacrifices, holy days, and religious observances of the Old Testament were only typical rituals. They could never take away sin and give sinners acceptance with God. Christ did and does!
"Not all the blood of beasts
On Jewish altars slain,
Could give the guilty conscience peace,
Or wash away the stain.
But Christ, the heavenly Lamb,
Takes all our sins away:
A Sacrifice of nobler name
And richer blood than they.
Believing, we rejoice
To see the curse remove:
We bless the Lamb with cheerful voice,
And sing redeeming love!"
Christ and his sacrifice, his finished work as our Substitute and Savior is the whole of our acceptance with God, the whole of our peace from God, and the whole of our assurance before God (10:422).
A Better Object of Faith
Christ is the better Object of faith (11:140). In chapter 11 the Apostle shows us that Christ is the better Object of faith, better than any that any man may choose, for he is the only Object of faith among God's saints throughout the ages. He alone is the One by whom Abel worshiped God and by whom Enoch walked with God and pleased him. Christ is the Ark of Salvation in whom Noah trusted. He is the One with whom Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob walked. Joseph, Moses, and Joshua, Rahab, Samson, and David, all God's saints of old believed him, lived by him, died in him, and reign with him in Heaven today.
Let us, like those countless multitudes of old, trust Christ alone as our Savior. It is only by believing him that we can know our election by him (11:13). It is only by faith in him that we can understand the things of God. (11:3). And it is only by believing him that we can please God (11:6).
A Better Motive
Christ is the better motive (12:129). The book of Hebrews calls for perseverance in faith, urging us to continue in the grace of God. We have many examples to follow. But our best and only real inspiration and motive is Christ himself.
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which does so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest you be wearied and faint in your minds" (12:13).
In a word Christ is a better Savior than any to whom we might look, for he is the only Savior there is, "the same yesterday, and today, and forever" (13:125). Those who serve at the altar of freewill, works religion cannot eat at this Altar (verse 10). As he suffered outside the city for us, bearing our reproach, "Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach" (verse 14). "By him let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name" (verse 15). Truly, his glory is great in salvation!
"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (13:2021).
JAMES
"Be Doers of the Word"
The book of James is thought to be the earliest of all the New Testament epistles. It was written by James, the half-brother of our Savior. The epistle was written to Jewish believers who had been greatly scattered in God's good providence (1:1).
In these five short chapters James addresses those to whom he writes as "brethren" fifteen times (1:1, 16, 19; 2:2, 5, 15; 3:1, 10, 12; 4:11; 5:7, 9, 10, 12, 19). He is writing to men and women who were born of God, to people who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. This epistle was written to all in every place who are washed in the blood of Christ and robed in his righteousness, to all who trust the Lord Jesus Christ.
In these five chapters James gives us divinely inspired instructions about how we are to live in this world for the glory of God. He is not writing as a counselor offering advice, but as God's messenger giving authoritative instruction. Throughout the book, James speaks in imperatives.
Our Trials
In chapter 1 (verses 212) he tells us that we are to always look upon our trials, those things that try, test, and prove the reality of our faith in Christ, as tokens of God's grace. Those heartaches and troubles God's saints experience in this world are not evidences of anger, wrath, and judgment, but evidences of mercy, love, and grace (Hebrews 12:514). This is particularly true when the things we suffer are the result of our faith in Christ (2 Timothy 2:12).
In Acts 8:1 we read, "And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles." In chapter 11 we are told that the persecuted saints were scattered "as far as Phoenicia, and Cyprus, and Antioch," and that they went everywhere "preaching the word" (Acts 11:19). Our Savior said, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven. Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in Heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you" (Matthew 5:1012).
James seems to have those very words in mind, as he writes the opening verses of his epistle. He urges us to always count it our honor as the children of God to suffer anything at the hands of wicked men for Christ's sake. Yet, what he says to us applies to anything we suffer in this world in the good and wise providence of our God.
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith works patience Blessed is the man that endures temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord has promised to them that love him" (1:2, 3, 12).
"God in Israel sows the seeds
Of affliction, pain, and toil;
These spring up and choke the weeds
That would else o'erspread the soil.
Trials make the promise sweet;
Trials give new life to prayer;
Trials bring me to His feet;
Lay me low and keep me there."
The word "temptation," as it is used in these verses, refers to a test or a trial by which our fidelity is proved, by which our faith is proved. In verses 1316 the same word is used, but it is obvious that it is used in a different sense. In verses 1317 the word "tempted" refers to an enticement to evil.
Our Temptations
Our trials we are ever to ascribe to the work of our heavenly Father and his goodness. They are always the blessings of his grace and favor. Our temptations to evil we must never ascribe to or blame on God. This distinction James makes with great clarity in verses 1316.
"Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempts he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust has conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death. Do not err, my beloved brethren."
God sends us trials to teach us patience (verse 3), to cause us to grow in grace and in faith; but God never tempts anyone to sin (verse 13). Yes, God has ordained from eternity all things that come to pass in time (Ephesians 1:11). Yes, God works all things together for the good of his elect (Romans 8:28). And, yes, God graciously and wisely rules and overrules the evil deeds of men and devils to sovereignly accomplish his will (Psalm 76:10). But the holy Lord God cannot be tempted with evil and he does not tempt any to evil.
When we sin, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Let us never seek to excuse our sin by attributing it to God's sovereign purpose. We are tempted to evil when we are drawn away by our own wicked lusts. It is our lust, nothing else that is to be blamed for our sin (verses 1415). "Do not err, my beloved brethren" (verse 16). Your sin is your faultno one else's, your responsibilityno one else's.
God's Work
In verses 1725 James tells us that God's work is good. He tells us that every good thing in this world comes down from our Father in Heaven. Just as all the evil there is in this world erupts from the festering corruption of our vile hearts (Mark 7:2023), every good thing there is in this world comes down from the throne of God and is the gift of his grace."Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning" (verse 17).
Then, in verse 18 James tells us that it is by the work and good gift of God's omnipotent grace that chosen, redeemed sinners are born again, born again by the good gift of the gospel."Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures." What a blessed good gift the preaching of the gospel ("the Word of truth") is! Let us ever cherish it. By it God has been pleased to save us (Romans 10:1017; 1 Peter 1:2325). He has done so "of his own will" (Romans 9:1516), "that we should be a kind of first fruits of his creatures." First fruits are the best. First fruits belong to God. First fruits are the pledge of the full harvest.
The Power of Godliness
"The Word of Truth" is the whole Volume of Sacred Scripture, which is the Revelation of Christ, redemption, grace, and salvation by him. The Word of Truth is the whole Revelation of God in Holy Scripture, the gospel of his free grace in Christ. This is the power of God unto salvation (Romans 1:1617), and the power of godliness, by which we live in this world for the glory of God (2 Timothy 3:5).
If we would live in this world for the glory of God in the exercise of true religion, our lives must be ruled and guided by the gospel of Christ. If we would live under the influence of God's powerful grace, by the power of godliness, we must hear the gospel (verses 1920), receive the message of God (verse 21), and obey it (verses 2225).
Whenever we come into the house of God, it should be with an intense desire to hear the Word of God. Thomas Manton made this wise observation, "If we were as swift to hear as we are ready to speak there would be less wrath and more profit in our meetings."
Usually, I find that when men do not profit from the ministry of the Word it is because they practice exactly the opposite of what James commands in James 1:19, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath." They are slow to hear, swift to speak, and swift to anger. There are men who seem to come to church for no other reason than to find some point of disagreement. They can hardly wait for the preacher to finish his message so they can point out his errors. Such men are a continual source of strife and division. They do not worship, and they try to keep others from worshiping. Let us guard against this tendency of proud, self-willed flesh. May God make us swift to hear and slow to speak.
Hearing the Word
Let me give you some practical advice on hearing the Word of God. Prepare yourself to hear the Word (Ecclesiastes 5:12). Before you go to the place of worship, spend some time in prayer. Ask God to speak to you. Ask God to enable his servant to speak with clarity and power. Go seeking a message from Heaven.
Submit yourself to the Word of God. When you are sitting in the assembly, listen personally for yourself. Submit your ideas, your traditions, and your doctrines to the Scriptures. Be willing to forsake anything that is not plainly taught in the Bible. And be willing to obey everything that is required by the gospel.
Meditate upon the Word. Do not swiftly speak against what you hear. Do not become angered by what you hear. Rather, meditate upon it. Ask God to apply the Word to your heart and give you understanding. Seek the glory of Christ in your response to his Word.
True Religion
Beginning in verse 26 of chapter 1 and going through chapter 5, James tells us how we are to live in this world for the glory of God. He tells us what true religion is in verses 2627 of the first chapter."If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridles not his tongue, but deceives his own heart, this man's religion is vain. Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world." Then, beginning in chapter 2, he explains the details.
True religion involves caring for one another, particularly caring for our needy brethren (2:126). You will notice that James speaks of good works, as they are ever spoken of in the New Testament, as works of faith and love. By these things we justify our professed faith in Christ before one another. There is no contradiction between James and Paul. James is not teaching that we justify ourselves before our God by our works. Rather, the Holy Spirit here teaches us that we justify our professed faith in Christ before one another by our works. Any professed faith that does not cause a person to take care of the needs of his brethren, be it ever so orthodox, is a useless, dead profession.
"What does it profit, my brethren, though a man say he has faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be you warmed and filled; notwithstanding you give them not those things which are needful to the body; what does it profit? Even so faith, if it has not works, is dead, being alone. Yes, a man may say, You have faith, and I have works: show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. You Believe that there is one God; you do well: the devils also believe, and tremble. But will you know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?" (2:1420)
True religion necessitates the bridling of our tongues (3:112). Gossip and slander, speaking evil to or about our brothers and sisters in Christ, is totally inconsistent with a profession of faith in Christ (Ephesians 4:175:2). We do more to hurt one another and do more harm by the use of our tongues than in any other way. If the Lord will give us grace and wisdom to control our tongues, we will be useful, not harmful to one another. The person who has learned when to speak, what to speak, and how to speak for the glory of God and the good of the church is mature in faith. His actions justify his professed faith. He is controlled in his life by grace and love.
True religion demands gracegrace that only God our Savior can supply (3:135:6). We must drink from the right FountainChrist (3:1318). We must recognize that our greatest foe is ourselves (4:15:6). That will put an end to warring among ourselves. Let us resist the devil and submit to our God in all things, and be at peace. Loving one another, let us carefully guard against gossip and slander, hardness and unkindness, and protect one another. Let us particularly take care to protect one another's name.
If we would honor our God, if we would do all things for the glory of our Savior, we must seek by his grace to be patient (5:712), pray for one another (5:1318), and seek to restore one another (5:1920)."Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, you which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Bear you one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself" (Galatians 6:13).
1 PETER
"The Salvation of Your Souls"
It is commonly agreed that Peter wrote his first epistle in the year 65 A.D. within a year after the Emperor Nero burned the city of Rome to the ground. That happened in July of 64 A.D. Let me summarize what took place.
A fire broke out in the city of Rome that eventually engulfed the whole city in flames, leaving it a virtual heap of ashes. You can imagine the devastation. Historians are certain that the fire was set by Rome's insane Emperor, Nero. He wanted to make space in the city to build some great palaces that would give his name an unforgettable place in history.
You have all heard that "Nero fiddled while Rome burned." Actually, the story is slightly embellished. The violin had not yet been invented. So the Emperor was not fiddling. However, he was seen looking over the city, playing some kind of instrument, as he watched the devastation with delight. Of course, he was never charged with the crime; but historians are agreed that he was the man responsible.
The inhabitants of Rome were convinced that he had done it and were enraged. They were on the brink of anarchy and ready to overthrow the Emperor. Nero needed a scapegoat, someone he could blame for the fire.
There was a group of people in Rome who were just suited for his wicked scheme. They were called "Christians." They followed a man called Christ. They were a strange group of people, commonly disliked and evil spoken of by the masses. Rumors about this strange religious sect were many. It was commonly reported that your were cannibals, because when they got together in their homes to worship that man they called God, they greeted each other with "a holy kiss", and it was reported that they ate someone's body and drank his blood.
Of course, that led to more rumors. People commonly accused these Christians of engaging in horribly evil things. They were a people looked upon with great suspicion. So, when Nero needed a scapegoat, he started the rumor that the Christians had burned down the city of Rome, and it was readily accepted.
That is what was behind the infamous persecutions that took place under Nero's infamous reign as Emperor of Rome. Believers were hunted, arrested, tortured, and put to death by the hundreds. They were dipped in tar and burned as torches to light Nero's courtyards while he threw an outdoor party. They were tied to chariots and dragged to death through the streets of Rome. They were thrown to the lions. They were tied up in leather bags and thrown into pools of water. In countless other ways the saints of God were persecuted and slaughtered as the most despicable people of the world.
It was during this time of persecution that Peter wrote this blessed epistle to God's suffering saints scattered as "strangers throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia." Peter wrote this letter of encouragement and hope to his suffering, persecuted brothers and sisters in Christ, encouraging them (and us) to endure the things they suffered as Christians, knowing that even the sufferings they endured at the hands of wicked men were according to the purpose of God, just as our Savior did (3:2122).
How can men and women enduring such evil, such hardships be expected to take it patiently? What will inspire them to persevere? How can they be comforted? Peter knew exactly what they needed. He wrote to them about redemption and grace in Christ, about the salvation of their souls (1:19).
"Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in Heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."
Salvation
The first part of this epistle (1:12:12) beautifully describes God's free, saving grace in Christ, "the salvation of your souls." Multitudes live in frustration because they think their lives are meaningless. And the fact isLife in this world is meaningless until we find its' meaning in eternity, until we find meaning in Christ.
There is nothing that is of greater importance than the salvation of your soul. You are a living soul. You have a body; but you are a living soul. You will spend eternity somewhere, in some state. You will live forever, either in the eternal bliss of salvation in Heaven, or in the eternal state of death, the second death, in the torment of divine wrath in Hell.
The salvation of your soul involves the very glory of God himself. If the Lord God is pleased to save you by his almighty, free and sovereign grace in Christ, it will be to show forth the praise of the glory of his grace. God saves sinners for his name's sake (Ephesians 1:314). He says, "For mine own sake, even for mine own sake, will I do it" (Isaiah 48:11; Psalm 106:8). The salvation of your souls is the subject of 1 Peter.
Because the salvation of our soul is of such immense importance, we are admonished in the Scriptures to make our calling and election sure, lest we be deceived with one of Satan's devices to the damning of our souls. May God the Holy Spirit make us honest with ourselves and honest before him. As we look at the salvation described in this book, let us ask ourselves one question"Is this the salvation I have?"
If the salvation described here is your salvation, you have reason to give thanks to God continually. If the salvation you think you have is not described in these terms, then your imagined salvation is a vain delusion, a refuge of lies that will crush your soul down to Hell forever, unless the Lord delivers you from it.
Ten Things About Salvation
In the first twelve verses of this epistle God the Holy Spirit describes what salvation is. If we are saved by the grace of God, this is the salvation we have experienced. If we have not experienced this salvation, we have not yet been saved by the grace of God. Here Peter tells us ten things about God's great gift of salvation in Christ.
1. In Bible terms salvation is a radical thing (verse 1).
Salvation is something so radical, so life altering that it makes every saved sinner a stranger in this world. Religion makes people strange; but grace makes believers strangers to the world. "Therefore the world knows us not, because it knew him not." Believers are strangers to the people of the world. We are a paradox, a people puzzling to the world. The world can never understand what makes us tick, why we do what we do, how we live, or what motivates us. The world can understand and explain any and every form of human religion. But the world can never understand a child of God. It's a grace thing. They just can't get it. Grace experienced in the soul makes a person a stranger in this world.
2. Salvation is the work of the triune God alone (verse 2).
It begins in that blessed, eternal work of God the Father called, "election". Salvation is wrought in us by the regenerating, sanctifying work of God the Holy Spirit by irresistible grace. This salvation was earned and purchased for us by the obedience and death of God the Son, our Lord Jesus Christ in effectual redemption.
God's salvation brings both grace and peace. It brings every gift and blessing of grace as a matter of pure, free grace. And where there is grace, there is peace.Peace With God.Peace From God.The Peace of God.Grace and peace are multiplied to saved sinners in Christ, never subtracted or divided.
3. Salvation, as it is described in the Bible, both honors God and gives all praise and honor to God (verses 34).
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy has begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fades not away, reserved in Heaven for you." Compare Ephesians 1:36.
4. That salvation which is described in the Book of God gives hope.
Grace gives us a living hope. That hope is "Christ in you, the hope of glory." It is a hope that is based upon and is found in God's abundant mercy in a risen Savior. It is a hope for eternity, the hope of an inheritance, an incorruptible inheritance, an undefiled inheritance, an inheritance that fades not away, an inheritance reserved in Heaven for us.
5. God's salvation is a salvation that keeps all by grace who are in grace (verse 5).
Believers are a people "kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." Grace chose us. Grace found us. Grace put us in the way. Grace keeps us in the way. Grace keeps us through faith. Yes; and it is grace that gives us the faith through which we are kept.
6. This great salvation, great as it is now, in this present, earthly experience of it, is a salvation "ready to be revealed" (verse 5).
7. Salvation, real salvation, causes saved sinners to rejoice in the Lord (verse 6).
"Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations."This is real joy, joy in the very depths of our hearts and souls, joy in God our Savior. When we have nothing else in which to rejoice, we can and should rejoice in our God and in his salvation (Philippians 4:45).
"Wherein you greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, you are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls" (1 Peter 1:69).
Joy In The Midst Of Heavy TrialsNotice that we are here told three things about our trials in this world. Let us never forget them.(1.) They are only for a season.(2.) There is a "need be" for them all.(3.) They will make Heaven more glorious and blessed than it otherwise would be, or could be (verse 7).
Joy Because Of Christ (verse 8)."Whom having not seen, you love; in whom, though now you see him not, yet believing, you rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory."
Joy Because Of The End (verse 9)."Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls."
8. This salvation is a salvation which is consistent with all the Scriptures (verses 1011).
This salvation that God performs and gives freely to chosen sinners in Christ is the fulfillment of all the Old Testament Scriptures.The prophets of old inquired and searched diligently for it (verse 10).He who taught them was the Spirit of Christ, who was in them and "testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow" (verse 11).
Now, let's look at verse 12.
9. The only way any sinner can ever know and experience this salvation is by divine revelation (verse 12).
Those prophets in the Old Testament era wrote the things they wrote by divine inspiration, not just for themselves, but for us also."Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Spirit sent down from Heaven; which things the angels desire to look into." And the salvation they received was the salvation we receive. It is salvation revealed unto us by the grace of God. It is revealed by type, shadow, promise, and prophecy in the Old Testament through the report of the gospel by the Holy Spirit sent down from Heaven.
10. This great salvation is a salvation that the angels desire to look into (verse 12; Ephesians 3:810).
Our Response
That is how the Word of God describes this thing we call "salvation." Have I described your salvation? If I have, how thankful we ought to be! How we ought to love our God! That is what we are told in 1 Peter 1:132:12. How we ought to consecrate ourselves to our Savior, remembering that
We have been saved from a meaningless, useless existence (1:1315).
The holy Lord God of Heaven is our Father and we are his dear children (1:1617).
We have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ (1:1820).
He who loved us and redeemed us has given us faith and hope in God (1:2122).
We have been born again by the Word of God (1 Peter 1:2325).
We are living stones in the temple of God, built upon the Foundation Stone, Christ Jesus (2:512).
Hear what Peter says to you and me. Hear the motives he gives for us to live in utter consecration to our God. Begin at verse 10 and go backwards to verse 5. We are the recipients of mercy (2:10), saved to show forth the praises of him who called us (2:9), God's own, special, distinct, peculiar people (2:9), a holy nation (2:9), a royal priesthood (2:9), a nation of kings and priests unto God, a chosen generation (2:9), and a royal priesthood offering up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God by the merits and mediation of Christ (2:5). Not only is it true that our prayers and gifts, our specific deeds of worship and love are accepted of God as spiritual sacrifices, but our very lives (Romans 12:12; Ecclesiastes 9:7).
The Will of God
Perhaps you are thinking, "I want to live for Christ, I want to honor God. I just don't know how. I just don't know what I should do and not do." If you are a believer, I know that it is your soul's desire to live for Christ, to honor God in your life. I also know that it is the nature of man to desire rules and laws by which he can measure his success. But the Holy Spirit, instead of giving us rules and laws and commandments to fulfill, gives us a principle by which our lives (all areas of our lives) are to be governed. That principle by which grace governs the lives of God's saints in this world is submissionSubmission to the will of God. That is what Peter shows us in 1 Peter 2:133:12.
Grace teaches us to submit to all God ordained authority; particularly, Peter tells us to submit to our political, civil rulers for Christ's sake (2:1317). If the saints, to whom this epistle was addressed, were expected to honor and submit to Nero and the Roman rulers under him, it certainly applies to us today. Where there is no honor given to government, there is no fear of God.
Grace teaches us to submit to our employers (2:1819). Peter is not here giving approval to the inhuman, horrid practice of slavery that was so common throughout the world in that day. He is simply using the common practice to teach submission to the will of God. He tells even those who were slaves with wicked masters to be subject to them for Christ's sake. Believers ought to be the best, most dependable, most trustworthy workers in any place of employment.
Grace teaches us to patiently endure suffering, even from wicked men, just as our Savior did, knowing that the things we suffer are according to the will of God and ordained by him for our eternal good (2:2025).
Grace teaches us to honor God in our homes, submitting one to another (3:17). Wives, even those married to unbelieving men, are to live in submission to their husband's as their heads. One reason given for this is that their unbelieving husbands might be converted because they observe true grace manifest in their wives, "even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price."
1 Peter 3:34 is not a prohibition to women fixing their hair and wearing make up and jewelry. It is simply a declaration that the believing woman is to be more concerned about living in godliness than about dressing in gaudiness
Husbands are to love their wives, submitting to their needs as the weaker vessel. Believing husbands and wives ought always to live together "as heirs together of the grace of life."
Grace teaches us to live together in the church of God as brethren, submitting our own wills and preferences to one another (3:812)"Let nothing be done through strife or vain glory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves" (Philippians 2:3). The church of God ought to be the one place in this world where God's saints find nothing to hurt them. It ought to be a blessed habitation of peace, a household of faith and grace in which every person is treated with pity, kindness, and courtesy, in which none should ever experience gossip, slander, reproach or abuse of any kind.
Suffer Well
Even when we are called upon by God's good and wise providence to suffer evil at the hands of men, let us suffer well, as those who believe God. Peter teaches us how to do so in 1 Peter 3:134:9. Even in such circumstances as these persecuted saints found themselves, he asks in verse 13, "Who is he who will harm you, if you be followers of that which is good?" Let us behave in such a way that we do not suffer as evil men, because we have done evil. And when we do suffer for the gospel's sake, let us sanctify the Lord God in our hearts, not murmur against him (3:15). Let us ever be ready to give reason for the hope that is in us (3:15). Let us remember that Christ suffered much more for us (3:18). And let us remember that he who suffered and died for us, that he who loved us and gave himself for us is seated in Heaven and has dominion over all things, even over those who cause us to suffer by their evil deeds (3:22).
"Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: But rejoice, inasmuch as you are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, you may be glad also with exceeding joy. If you be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are you; for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief, or as an evildoer, or as a busybody in other men's matters. Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf" (1 Peter 4:1216).
Serving God in His House
In chapter 5 Peter moves directly from the matter of how we are to endure suffering from the hands of wicked men to how we are to serve God in his house. It is as though he is telling us to make certain that none of God's elect suffer anything in his house, but that we should labor together as one body in peace for the glory of God, strengthening one another for life in this world.
Let every pastor in the church of God be a faithful shepherd, tenderly caring for Christ's sheep, feeding them, watching over them, guiding them, and showing them by example how to live for the honor of God in a world of woe (5:14). Let every child of God walk in loving submission to our God and to one another, casting all our care upon him, knowing that he cares for us (5:59). Let us ever remind ourselves and one another of God's boundless, sure grace in Christ, keeping our hearts fixed upon eternity, not upon our temporary trials here (5:1011; 2 Corinthians 4:185:1).
You will notice that, at the close of this letter, Peter says he wrote it from Babylon. Many imagine that Peter is here using the word Babylon as a spiritual term for Rome. But there is no foundation for that supposition. There is no historical or biblical evidence that Peter ever visited Rome. Peter was obviously in Babylon (Baghdad) on the Euphrates River in Assyria.
2 PETER
Grow in Grace and Knowledge
The apostle Peter wrote his first epistle to God's saints who were suffering the horrible trial of persecution under the Roman Emperor, Nero. His second epistle was written shortly afterward, just before his death (1:14), and is addressed to the same suffering saints. Their circumstances had not changed.
The first epistle dealt with the hard, hard trial of persecution, of suffering for Christ's sake. In that epistle Peter urges us to persevere in the faith, assuring us of God's great grace in Christ and urging us to follow the example our Savior set before us (1 Peter 2:2124).
In 2nd Peter the inspired apostle deals with a trial even more difficult to endure, and urges us to remain steadfast in faith in the face of the ever-increasing onslaught of false religion. In these three chapters Peter urges us to remain steadfast and persevere in the faith, assuring us again of God's great grace to us in Christ, and urging us to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (3:18). In 1st Peter we are taught to rejoice in hope in the face of great trials. Here, in 2nd Peter, we are taught to remain faithful to the truth in the midst of great falsehood.
Precious Things
In these two epistles the apostle Peter reminds us of the many blessings of grace our God has given us in Christ. In fact, he tells us that the Lord God has, according to his divine power, "given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that has called us to glory and virtue" (1:3). Among these many gifts of grace, Peter names six that he calls "precious."
1. He tells us that the trial of our faith is more precious than gold that perishes, because the trials of our faith in this world will make Heaven more glorious than it could otherwise have been (1 Peter 1:7).
2. In 1 Peter 1:19 he tells us that the blood of Christ, by which we have been redeemed, is "the precious blood of Christ," because it is the effectual, sin-atoning blood of the Lamb of God, who was foreordained as our Redeemer.
3. He tells us (1 Peter 2:6) that we who are God's spiritual temple are living stones in the house of God, built upon Christ, the precious Corner Stone and Foundation Stone laid in Zion.
4. Then, he says, "Unto you therefore which believe he is precious" (1 Peter 2:7).Truly, Christ is precious to all who believe! Everything about him, all that he is, all that he has done and is doing is precious!
5. Peter begins this second epistle by telling us that the great gift and grace of faith that we have obtained from the Lord is "precious faith" (1:1). It is that which we have obtained "through the righteousness of God and (even) our Savior Jesus Christ."
6. Then, in 2 Peter 1:4 he tells us that the promises of God given to us in Christ are "precious promises," precious because they are "yes and amen in him," because they are unalterable and sure.
As I read these three chapters, I think to myself, "Bro. Peter, you could not have written anything more suited to the needs of God's saints in this present day." It is as though Peter knew, way back then, what we would need today. That is because this Book, the Word of God, is written by divine inspiration and is written specifically for God's saints in every place, circumstance, and time. Its message is God's message for you and me right now. Every word in these three chapters is pertinent to us and filled with instruction for us. It is specifically addressed "to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Savior Jesus Christ." May God give us grace to receive and obey his message to us.
Grow in Grace
In chapter 1 Peter's admonition to us is to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ. He knew that the secret to spiritual strength is Christ, knowing Christ, and that the source of spiritual strength and knowledge is the grace of God.
If we would be strong in faith, we must have an ever-increasing knowledge of our utter weakness in ourselves. A knowledge that our only acceptance with God is Christ, and that our only hope of salvation is the grace of God freely bestowed upon us and given to us in Christ. Paul said, "When I am weak, then am I strong," and that is true of all believers. If we would be strong in faith, if we would grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, "He must increase, and (we) must decrease" (John 3:30).
The Same Gifts
Peter begins this epistle by assuring us that all believers have the same gifts of grace. We do not all possess the same gifts of ministry and service; but all believers do possess the same gifts of grace (Ephesians 1:36). We tend to think of the apostles and prophets as men who had greater grace than we have; but that was not the case. They were all, just like us, sinners saved by grace. Peter tells us in verse one that he is writing to people just like himself, who "have obtained like precious faith with us," and have obtained it in exactly the same way, through the merit, virtue, and efficacy of Christ.
Then, in verse 3 he tells us that God has "given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness." Someone once said, "Even the weakest believer holds in his hands all that the mightiest saint ever possessed." That is exactly what Peter tells us here. All that we need to live forever before God is ours in Christ. And all that we need to live in this world in godliness is ours in Christ, too. In other words, Peter is telling us that God has given us in Christ everything needed to handle whatever comes up in life, and to handle it with grace.
Do we understand that? Very few do. Multitudes there are who are always looking for something more than Christ and the grace of God in him. They want something new, something different, some new experience, some new revelation, something greater than grace!Something greater than Christ! May God save us from such folly. If Christ is all (and he is), then Christ is enough!
This is what that means in the context of 2nd Peter.If we have everything in Christ, we only need to know more of him, and we will have all that it takes to handle the problems we deal with in this world. And having Christ, we have all we need for "life and godliness."
Faith in Christ is the gift of God's grace; and the faith we have obtained of God through the righteousness of God, and the grace and peace that sustains us in life come to us "through the knowledge of God and (even) of Jesus our Lord" (verse 2). And, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ, God has given us "exceeding great and precious promises: that by these we might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (verse 4). In other words, Peter tells us that being born of God, believing on Christ, we have (past tense) escaped everything in the world that once held us in corruption through our lust.
The Influence of Grace
In verses 511 Peter calls for us to grow in grace, and faith, and the knowledge of Christ. He calls us to give diligence in making our calling and election sure, as Paul puts it, working out our own salvation, because it is God who works in us to will and to do of his own good pleasure. The grace of God that brings salvation teaches us how we are to live in this world (Titus 2:1014). John Gill wrote
"The Gospel, and the precious promises, being graciously bestowed and powerfully applied, have an influence on purity of heart and conversation, and teach men to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly; such are the powerful effects of Gospel promises, under divine influence, as to make men inwardly partakers of the divine nature, and outwardly to abstain from and avoid the prevailing corruptions and vices of the times."
"And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ" (verses 58).If we are born of God we have all this in Christ; but we must diligently work at discovering it and applying it in our lives. The secret to living in this world in the enjoyment of peace is faith in and obedience to God our Savior.
"Trust and obey, for there's no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey."
The knowledge God's grace and promises in Christ, and the application of them to our lives will keep us from being barren and unfruitful. There is a knowledge of Christ that is barren and unfruitful. As James tells us, "Faith without works is dead." And those who have a dead faith are spiritually dead. That is what Peter tells us in verse 9."But he who lacks these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and has forgotten that he was purged from his old sins" (verse 9). Their professed faith is just that, a profession of faith that has cleaned up their lives outwardly; but they are still spiritually blind.
Make Sure
"Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if you do these things, you shall never fall" (verse 10).We do not make our calling and election sure to ourselves by these evidences of grace. It is God the Holy Spirit who makes our calling and election sure to us by giving us faith in Christ (Hebrews 11:1). As James speaks of us justifying our profession of faith before men by our works, Peter here tells us that we make our faith in Christ manifest and sure before one another in the same way."For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (verse 11). If you and I have that faith which is made manifest and shows itself by love, these graces: virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly kindness, and love, (verses 57) shall be added to us abundantly as we leave this world and enter into heavenly glory.
The Basis of Faith
In verses 1221 Peter directs our hearts to the source of and basis of our faithThe Word of God. If we would grow in faith and in the knowledge of Christ, we must ever be established in the revealed truth of God, ever remembering that which God reveals to us in his Word. The apostle reminds us that the gospel we have received is the testimony of men who were eye-witnesses of Christ's divine majesty (verses 1618). Peter, James, and John saw the glory of Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration (John 1:14). They heard the testimony of God the Father from Heaven.
Yet, we have an even more sure Word than the mere eyewitness account of those faithful men. In fact, Peter says in verses 1921 that the basis of his faith in Christ was something far more sure and dependable than his own experience upon the Mount of Transfiguration. The basis of all true faith, the authority for all that we believe as the children of God is not our experience, but the written Word of Inspiration.
This is Peter's doctrine in verses 1921.We believe that Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ, the Son of God, in whom alone God is well-pleased and in and by whom alone God is well-pleased with us, because he has perfectly fulfilled everything written in the Old Testament.
False Prophets
In chapter 2 Peter identifies false prophets and warns us of their subtlety. He is not talking here about atheists and agnostics. He is talking about wolves in sheep's clothing. He is talking about men who claim to be the servants of God and preachers of the gospel, who profess to love and serve the Lord Jesus Christ. Watch how he describes them (verses 13).
"But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingers not, and their damnation slumbers not."
They are sneaky, deceitful men. They bring in damnable heresies. They deny the Lord Jesus Christ by denying the efficacy of his work and his dominion as Lord. The ways (Proverbs 14:12; 16:25) they preach are pernicious ways to Hell. They speak evil of the Way, the Way of TruthChrist and his finished work. They are motivated by covetousness. They make merchandise of men's souls. They shall be damned.
Because there are many (following the very men of whom Peter here speaks) who point to this passage as a "proof text" to deny Christ's effectual atonement for the sins of God's elect and his effectual redemption of his people, and to prove the blasphemy of universal atonement and universal redemption, I must call your attention to the language Peter uses here.
The word used for "Lord" in verse 1 is despothv (despotes). The word translated "bought" is agorazw (agoradzo). Peter is not suggesting that there is some sense in which Christ made atonement for or died to make salvation possible for reprobate men. He is telling us that as a man, as the God-man our Mediator, Christ bought the right to rule over and dispose of all things for the salvation of his own elect (John 17:2; Romans 14:9; Philippians 2:911). As our Mediator, our Savior bought the field of the world that he might redeem and save the treasure of his elect hidden in the field (Matthew 13:44).
Remember, these are men who profess to believe, love, worship, and preach the Lord Jesus Christ in all his fullness. But they deny him in the very message they preach. Those who preach conditional grace deny his effectual grace. Those who preach conditional election deny his effectual election. Those who preach conditional atonement deny his effectual atonement. Those who preach conditional salvation deny his effectual salvation. Those who preach salvation by man's works deny his redeeming work. Those who preach salvation by man's will deny his sovereign will. And those who deny the efficacy of his work and accomplishments as the sinners' substitute deny him altogether, no matter how loudly they profess to love him.
In verses 1021 Peter gives us a more detailed description of these false prophets. He tells us that all such men are presumptuous, self-willed, and ignorant men who speak evil of God's true servants and of the gospel of his grace that his servants preach, because these are "things they understand not." They are men with eyes full of adultery, who cease not from sin, ever "sporting themselves with their own deceivings." Like Balaam, they "have forsaken the right way" because they love "the wages of unrighteousness." Be warned! All preachers of free-will/works religion are a curse to your children, beguiling unstable souls. They promise liberty, but bring bondage, the bondage of corruption. If you follow them, you will follow them to Hell.
Word of Comfort
Yet, even as he describes the horrible perversity of false religion and warns us that those who follow the false prophets will perish with them, Peter assures us that trusting Christ, following him, God's saints need not be alarmed (2:49). God knows exactly what he is doing. He is saving his own elect. His purpose is sure. He spared not the angels that fell; but he saved his elect angels. He spared not the old world; but he saved Noah and his family. He spared not Sodom and Gomorrah; but he saved Lot. And though he will destroy all who "stumble at the Word, being disobedient, whereunto also they were appointed" (1 Peter 2:9), "the Lord knows how to deliver the godly out of temptations."
Christ's Coming
In chapter 3 Peter concludes his epistle by assuring us of the certainty of Christ's coming and the certain salvation of God's elect before Christ comes again in his glory, urging us to live in anticipation of eternal glory.
In the opening verses of this chapter he reminds us again of false prophets, "walking after their own lusts, and saying, Where is the promise of his coming?" He tells us that these scoffers are willingly ignorant of the Scriptures (verse 5). Then he explains to us that the reason Christ has not yet returned to the earth is just thisGod has not yet saved all his elect (verses 9 and 15).
The elect family is not all in the Ark. God's Lots have not all yet been brought out of Sodom. But they will be! Then, Christ will come and make all things new (verses 814). Be patient. God does not judge time like we do. He is not in a hurry.
"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in all holy conversation and godliness, Looking for and hastening unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that you look for such things, be diligent that you may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless" (verses 814).
Final Admonition
Peter's final admonition is found in verses 1718 of chapter 3. It is twofold. First, he urges us to be steadfast in the faith of the gospel."You therefore, beloved, seeing you know these things before, beware lest you also, being led away with the error of the wicked, fall from your own steadfastness" (verse 17). We must ever guard against the influence of false prophets. The surest way to avoid the subtle influence of false doctrine is to cling to plainly revealed truth, refusing to even give an ear to anything new.
Second, he urges us to "grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (verse 18). Here the apostle reemphasizes what he said in chapter 1. As we cling tenaciously to that which we know, let us constantly seek grace to grow in grace, in the gifts of grace (faith, hope, love, etc.) and in the exercise of grace. We grow in grace only as we grow "in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." Learn everything you can about Christ. Look for him in his Word (John 5:39). Seek not only to know all you can about him, but also to know him (Philippians 3:10), growing continually in the knowledge of your need of him and the bounteous grace of God that is yours in him, ever seeking his glory."To him be glory both now and forever. Amen."
1 JOHN
The Church of GodHis Family
The church of God is set before us in many ways in the Scriptures. It is the kingdom of God. It is the bride of Christ. And it is the family of God. It is as the family of God that God's saints are addressed in 1st John. This is an intimate, family epistle. John was an old man when the book was written, an old man who had faithfully served Christ and his church for many years. Though this epistle is not specifically addressed to an individual local church, John writes in these five chapters as a father to his beloved children. It is obvious that he wrote this letter to an assembly in which he was in very close, personal relationship, an assembly that loved and respected him as children do a good and faithful father. The fact that this epistle is not addressed to any specific local church is clearly an indication that it is the intent of the Holy Spirit that every gospel church receive it as a Word from God our Father specifically to his family, to his beloved children in this world.
Robert Hawker wrote, of this epistle, "One sweet feature runs through the whole of it, in relation to the church, namely, the apostle's testimony to the Father's love, the Son's grace, and the Holy Spirit's fellowship."
Heresy
Like the apostles Peter, Paul, and James, John was very concerned with the evil influence of false teachers and false religion. John specifically exposes the Gnostic heresy so prevalent in his day, and increasingly so in our day. Gnostics claim to have a special degree of knowledge, by which they have arrived at salvation. Salvation does not come by knowledge, but by revelation. Salvation is not in what we know, but who."This is life eternal, that they might know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent (John 17:3). John deals with this decisively (1:13; 4:13; 5:1, 7).
Another heresy common in John's day, and increasingly so in ours, is the teaching that that which is physical is evil. This leads many to deny that the Lord Jesus Christ is truly God in human flesh. It also gives rise to the ascetic heresy that righteousness is to be obtained by denying ourselves of natural, physical pleasure. The grace of God teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this world; but godliness is nowhere associated in the Book of God with what we eat, or drink, or wear. Rather, it has everything to do with "faith which works by love" (Galatians 5:6).
In John's day, as in ours, there were also many who taught perfectionism, who asserted that sinless perfection was attainable by diligent self-denial, that one could and must increase in holiness and sanctification until he has eradicated sin from his life. Of course, such heretics always deny that their doctrine is in any way a doctrine of works. They insist that they are teaching that their notion of "progressive holiness" is the result of God working in us by his Spirit and grace. John asserts that their doctrine is a total denial of all gospel truth (1:810). Believers know and confess their sin, looking to Christ alone for righteousness.
Then there are always those who teach that a believer's character and conduct are of no consequence, that as long as we have knowledge of and confess the right doctrine, we may live in licentiousness, gratifying the flesh, and live in communion with God at the same time. Such crass antinomianism has plagued the church from its beginning. But John declares that all who live in licentiousness are children of the devil, not children of God, no matter what they profess to believe (1 John 3:10).
A Pastor's Concern
John obviously did not write as an academic. Everything in these five chapters displays the concern of a faithful, loving pastor's heart. Throughout the book he addresses his readers as his "little children" (2:1, 12, 13, 28; 3:7, 18; 4:4; 5:21), first stating something and then repeating it again and again, as one would instruct a small child.
The gospel of John was written that we might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing they might have life through his name (John 20:31). John wrote this epistle because he wanted every believer to know, to be confidently assured of the fact, that he has eternal life in Christ (5:913).
The Word of God
In chapter 1 the apostle assures us that the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, that One in whom we trust, is the eternal Word of God. He is the Word of life, by whom we live (1:13; John 1:14).
What a mammoth volume of theology John gives us in the first three verses of this epistle. He tells us that the man Christ Jesus is eternal"That which was from the beginning." He is eternal life"That eternal life, which was with the Father." The Lord Jesus is the Word of LifeThat One by whom and in whom God who is life resides and is revealed.That One who is life and gives life.That One in whom and by whom we have life. And he is the incarnate God"For the life was manifested, and we have seen it," heard it, gazed upon it with wonder, and handled it.
John wants all who believe to live together in the sweet, blessed fellowship of Christ. He tells us that which is the basis and the life of all true fellowship in verse 3."That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that you also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." This fellowship rises from the knowledge of God in Christ and the blessed life that is ours by the sin-atoning sacrifice of Christ our Savior (1:7, 9; 2:12, 12; 3:5, 16; 4:910, 14; 5:1113). It is the fellowship of light and knowledge (1:57; 2:20). It is the fellowship of faith in Christ (3:23; 5:1, 13). This blessed fellowship is the fellowship of life, righteousness, hope, and love in Christ (2:29; 3:13, 910; 4:711; 5:1).
Walking together in life with God, by faith in Christ, John tells us that all who are born of God, all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are the possessors of God's boundless free grace in Christ: forgiven of all sin (1:7, 9; 2:12; 3:5), possessors of eternal life who can never perish (2:25), taught of God (2:2027), adopted as the children of God (3:1), loved of God and made to be lovers of God (4:19), and forever accepted of God (5:1115).
The Grace of God
In chapter 2 John gives a clear and assuring declaration of the grace of God that is ours in Christ. He begins the chapter by dealing with that which is most perplexing and troubling to God's saints in this worldour sins! What happens when the believer sins? Do our sins destroy our relationship with God? Do our sins destroy our fellowship with God?
In the first verse John tells us that the things he has told us, and the things he is about to tell us are written for the express purpose of preventing us from sin. Then, he immediately assures us that our sins do not and cannot in anyway destroy our relationship with our Father. Do not misunderstand what John is declaring here. Yes, our sins do, very greatly, interrupt our enjoyment of God's favor. But our sins do not and cannot destroy or lessen our acceptance with God, because the whole of our acceptance with God is in Christ, who is our unceasing, unfailing Advocate with the Father."My little children, these things write I unto you, that you sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (2:12).
These are two of the most precious, most comforting, most soul-cheering verses to be found in the whole Word of God. Yet they remind us of a very sad fact, which we must never, forget.All of God's children in this world, at their very best, are still sinners. John says, "My little children, these things write I unto you, that you sin not." Children of God, do not sin! We should never sin. We must oppose sin and resist it. It is an astonishing thing to realize that men and women who are loved of God, redeemed by the blood of Christ and regenerated by the power and grace of God the Holy Spirit need to be urged not to sin. But the admonition is needed by us allDo not sin!
Still, John knew very well that all of God's saints in this world do sin. Therefore, he says, "If any man sin." The apostle uses gentle language, but he knew that we would sin. It was John who said, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not, in us" (1:8). So long as we live in this world, in this body of flesh, we shall sin. Sin is what we are by nature. Sin is mixed with all we do. Sin mars even our best deeds. "We are all as an unclean thing; and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags" (Isaiah 64:6). All of God's people in this world have learned to confess, with the apostle Paul, "I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwells no good thing" (Romans 7:18). Every believer mournfully cries, "O wretched man that I am!" (Romans 7:24), because every believer knows himself to be a vile sinner.
We do sin, but John assures us that our sins will never deprive us of our interest in Christ. Notice John's words: "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father." Yes, though we do sin, we have an Advocate with the Father still. The text does not read, "If any man sin, he has forfeited his Advocate with the Father." It says, "We have an Advocate," sinners though we are.
All the sin a believer ever has committed, or ever can commit, cannot destroy his interest in Christ. We may, any one of us, fall into some dreadful, shameful, sorrowful transgression. God forbid that it should ever happen. But there is no sin, no evil thought, imagination, or deed of which you and I are not capable. Yet when we do sin, these horrible, treasonable acts can never tear us from our Savior's heart. Aren't you glad that God "has not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities" (Psalm 103:10)?
Child of God, I tell you plainly that the Lord Jesus Christ will never forsake his wandering sheep. He will not leave his erring child. I say, with John, "Do not sin." May God strengthen you with grace to resist sin and to hate evil. But when you do sin, do not despair. God still declares, "I am the Lord, I change not; therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed" (Malachi 3:6). Mark this down as a solid pillar of gospel truth:notwithstanding all our sin, we are perfectly justified, accepted, righteous, and beloved in Christ.
John also gives us a reason for this blessed assurance. God has provided his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, as an Advocate for his sinning people."We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins." God will never charge his believing children with sin, because Christ has completely satisfied the justice of God for us, and he pleads the merits of his righteousness and blood for us in Heaven.
The Son of God ever bears our names before the Father, pleading the merits of his own blood and righteousness for our eternal salvation. We need never fear wrath and condemnation from God, because "We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins." We know that our Advocate in Heaven is an effectual Advocate, because he is "Jesus," the "Christ," "the Righteous," "and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins."
Because Christ is our Advocate, though we face countless enemies to our souls in this world, within and without, enemies by which multitudes are destroyed, God's elect shall abide forever (verse 17). The grace of God shall remain in you, and you "shall continue in the Son, and in the Father" (verse 24). "And this is the promise that he has promised us, even eternal life" (verse 25). Our Savior said, "I give unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish."
The Sons of God
In chapter 3 the apostle John sets before us the great and glorious privilege that is ours in Christ as "the sons of God." Here is a cause for great wonder."Behold, what manner of love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God." God Almighty so loved us that he has made us his own dear children (verses 13). John Gill wrote
"This is a privilege that exceeds all others. It is better to be a son than to be a saint. Angels are saints, but not sons. They are servants. It is better to be a child of God than to be redeemed, pardoned, and justified. It is great grace to redeem from slavery, to pardon criminals, and justify the ungodly; but it is another and a higher act of grace to make them sons; and which makes them infinitely more honorable, than to be the sons and daughters of the greatest potentate upon earth; yes, gives them an honor which Adam had not in innocence, nor the angels in Heaven, who though sons by creation, yet not by adoption."
Here is a cause for grave concern.Our every sin is the transgression of God's holy law and calls for judgment, wrath, and condemnation."Whoever commits sin transgresses also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law" (verse 4). Here is a cause for unceasing joy and praise."And you know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin" (verse 5). Christ has taken away our sins, all our sins: past, present, and future.
"There's pardon for transgressions past:
It matters not how black their cast.
And, Oh, my soul, with wonder view,
For sins to come there's pardon too!"
Here is a cause for constant thanksgiving and earnest prayer.The Lord Jesus Christ, our great God, so loved us that he laid down his life for us, to save us; and we ought to love each other just that way."Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (verse 16).
The Servants of God
In chapter 4 John tells us to test, try, and prove every preacher who claims to speak for God, distinguishing the servants of God from the messengers of Satan and antichrist by one specific thingWhat they have to say concerning the person and work of Christ (verses 13). Every true servant of God confesses in public as well as in private that the Lord Jesus Christ is God the Son, come in the flesh, having accomplished all that he came here to accomplish, having accomplished fully everything written in the prophets concerning the Christ. He brought in righteousness. He made an end of sin. He magnified the law and made it honorable. He saved his people from their sins. He has accomplished and obtained eternal redemption and salvation for all his people by the sacrifice of himself.
Every false prophet, every messenger of Satan, every servant of antichrist, while professing to believe in and worship Christ, denies that he has accomplished redemption by the sacrifice of himself. Every false prophet declares that you must do something to make up for that which Christ did not complete, that you must do something to make his redemption complete and effectual, that you must do something to make yourself righteous, that you must do something to atone for your own sin.
"We Love Him"
Then, John assures us both of God's great love for us and of every believer's love for him, telling us that our love for him is the response of our hearts to his love for us, not the other way around (verses 910, 19).
"In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins We love him, because he first loved us."
"We love him, because he first loved us."God's saints differ on many points. But in this one thing every true child of God is like every other child of God: "We love him." We do not love him as we desire. We do not love him as we know we should. We do not love him as we soon shall. But we really do love him. It is not possible for a person to experience the grace of God in salvation and not love the God of all grace. It is not possible for a person to know the efficacy of Christ's blood in his own soul and not love his gracious Redeemer. It is not possible for a person to have his heart renewed by the power and grace of the Holy Spirit and not love the Spirit of life. In spite of our many weaknesses, sins, and failures we do honestly and sincerely confess, "Lord, you know all things, you know that I love you."
We know also that we would never have loved him if he had not loved us first. The love of God for us precedes our love for him."He first loved us." He loved us before we had any desire to be loved by him. He loved us before we sought his grace. He loved us before we had any repentance or faith. He loved us before we had any being. He loved us eternally. Does he not say, "I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have I called you"? He chose us, redeemed us, and called us because he loved us.
Not only does God's love for us precede our love for God; but God's love for us is the cause of our love for him."We love him, because he first loved us." We would never have loved the Lord, if he had not intervened to conquer us with his love. In the midst of our sins and corruption, he passed by, and behold it was "the time of love." He revealed his great love for us in Christ. As we beheld the crucified Christ dying in the place of sinners, the love of God conquered our rebel hearts. Trusting Christ as our only Savior, we are compelled to love him because he first loved us. And now we know that whatever we are, by the grace of God, we are because he loved us.
The Witness of God
In the 5th chapter John gives us the witness of God, by which our hearts are assured of salvation in Christ and acceptance with him. In the opening verses of this chapter he declares plainly that all who trust Christ are born of God and love God (verses 13). Then, he assures us that all who trust Christ overcome the world (verses 45). Beginning in verse 6, John gives us assuring witnesses God has given concerning his Son and the efficacy of his grace and salvation in his Son.
There are three witnesses in the earth (verses 6 and 8). The witness of the water has reference to our Savior's baptism, in which he symbolically fulfilled all righteousness for us, and the Father spoke from Heaven declaring him to be the Son of God. The witness of the blood has reference to our Lord's sin-atoning sacrifice, which he accomplished at Calvary. The witness of the Spirit is the witness of God the Holy Spirit to the finished work of Christ in the Scriptures and in that conviction that creates faith in God's elect (John 16:711).
There are also three witnesses in heaven."For there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit: and these three are one" (verse 7). God the Father bears witness to the accomplishments of Christ, having accepted him as our sin-atoning Sacrifice. God the Son bears witness to his own accomplishments as our Mediator, pleading the merits of his blood and righteousness before God for us. And God the Holy Spirit bears witness, convincing sinners to come to the throne of grace for mercy, through faith in Christ alone.
God's Witness Within
In verses 915 John concludes that if we receive anything at the mouth of two or three witnesses among men, we surely ought to receive the infinitely greater witness of our God, and be assured of his grace.
"If we receive the witness of men, the witness of God is greater: for this is the witness of God which he has testified of his Son. (He who believes on the Son of God has the witness in himself: he who believes not God has made him a liar; because he believes not the record that God gave of his Son. And this is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; and he who has not the Son of God has not life. These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that you may know that you have eternal life, and that you may believe on the name of the Son of God. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us: And if we know that he hear us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."
The apostle gives us one final word of assurance in verse 20."And we know that the Son of God is come, and has given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life." Then he gives us a tender, but much needed, admonition in verse 21."Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen."
2ND JOHN
"For the Truth's Sake"
Though it does not bear his name, it is evident that this epistle was written by the apostle John. When we compare its language (2 John 1:59) with that of 1st John (1 John 2:78; 3:23; 4:13; 5:3), we see that the language used here is the same. John's purpose in writing this brief epistle is to exhort and encourage us to continue in the truth and faith of the gospel, to walk in love to God and his people, and to avoid false teachers and their doctrines.
The Elect Lady
John addresses this epistle to "the elect lady." Did you ever pause to think about what name is used most often in the New Testament to describe God's people? They are called "saints" forty times, "sons of God" sixteen times, "strangers" six times, "Christians" just three times, and "believers" just twice. But the term that is used more often than any other, except for "saints," to describe the people of God in the New Testament is "the elect." In fact, the word "saints" is but another way of saying, "elect." God's saints are those separated from others, separated unto God from eternity by electing love.
Election was such a commonly known and commonly discussed theme in the early church that when believers spoke to and about one another they used the word "elect" to distinguish God's people from the rest of the world.
Many suggest that this "elect lady" was a certain, believing woman, and that John wrote this epistle to her and her believing children. Perhaps that is the case. In Christ there is neither male nor female. Both are one in him. And it would not be unlikely that one of the epistles of the New Testament might be addressed to a woman.
It is certain that our Lord gave special attention to and showed special care for certain women:the Samaritan woman,Mary and Martha,the woman with an issue of blood,the Syrophenician, and the woman who anointed him for his burial. After his resurrection he appeared to a woman and sent her to tell the disciples that he was alive. If we think of Miriam, Ruth, Deborah, Esther, Dorcas, Lydia, Priscilla, Lois, and Eunice, we should not be at all surprised to see the Holy Spirit honor and distinguish a certain woman by addressing an apostolic epistle to her.
If the epistle was written to an individual woman and her children, it should be noted that her children were addressed as grown, mature children who were found "walking in truth" (verse 4). They were children who had themselves professed faith in Christ and walked in truth.
I think, however, that John uses the term, "the elect lady", to refer to a local church. It really does not matter which. Neither is there any need for us to know which. The epistle was written by divine inspiration for and to all who walk in truth. It is certain that John's words are written to every child of God in this world, for God's children are God's elect. His church is his "elect lady." God's elect are those chosen by his grace to eternal life in Christ before the world was made (Matthew 24:31; Romans 8:33; Ephesians 1:36; Colossians 3:12; 1 Thessalonians 1:4; 2 Thessalonians 2:1314; 1 Peter 1:2).
We are not told when the epistle was written, or where John was when he wrote it. But, again, such things are not material. It is God's Word to us today. May he teach us its message and make it sweet to our souls.
The Truth
"The elder unto the elect lady and her children, whom I love in the truth; and not I only, but also all they that have known the truth" (verse 1).John calls himself an Elder because he was both a pastor and an old man. At the time he wrote this epistle, he was at least a hundred years old. He expresses his sincere and heartfelt love for this elect lady and her children, whom he and his companions loved in the truth. He speaks of the joy he and his companions, who were lovers of the truth, found in these who walked in the truth.
Believers love all men as men, but God gives his elect a special love for those who are in the family of faith (Galatians 6:10; Titus 3:15). Notice the connection between John's love for God's saints and their love for the truth. Those who love Christ, who is the Truth, love all who walk in the Truth. We love one another for Christ's sake. It is he who dwells in us and abides in us forever.
Notice this tooJohn speaks to God's elect with great confidence, as well as with great tenderness and affection. "The elect lady," as John calls her, had in her election all the blessings, benefits, and effects of election. As the bud contains all the future blossoms and foliage of the flower, so God's elect have all the blessings of grace in Christ (Ephesians 1:36), "according as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world." Robert Hawker wrote
"Together with this electing grace, there is the calling grace appointed also. For whom he did predestine, them he also called' (Romans 8:30). And in the season of that call, there is given the pardoning grace to all sins. So blessedly speaks the Apostle. And you being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, has he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses' (Colossians 2:13).
And neither does the blessing stop here. For justification immediately follows. Being justified freely by his grace, through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus' (Romans 3:24). And both sanctification and glory bring up the rear, in the sure events involved in the blessed act of God's sovereign love, when, from all eternity, the Lord chose the church in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:4; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 2 Timothy 1:9; Romans 8:30, 31)."
The Truth's Sake
"For the truth's sake, which dwells in us, and shall be with us forever" (verse 2).The word "truth" occurs five times in the first four verses of this epistle. It refers both to Christ and to the doctrine of Christ. The two cannot be separated. Truth is more than mere facts about Christ. Truth is Christ himself (John 14:6; 4:24; 8:32; 18:37). Christ dwells in us and his Word dwells in us, as an inward principle of grace forever (John 15:47; 17:17).
John's Salutation
"Grace be with you, mercy, and peace, from God the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, in truth and love" (verse 3).John's salutation is like that used by other apostles (1 Timothy 1:2; Rom 1:7), but he characteristically adds, with respect to Christ, that he is the Son of God. This was a special issue to John and it appears that he never missed a chance to state it emphatically (John 1:1; 10:30; 1 John 1:3, 7; 4:2, 15).
"In truth and love"These two words, "truth" and "love", are used repeatedly in this epistle. They are companions. They cannot be separated. God is light (truth) and God is love. Let them ever be united in our minds and hearts. Truth without love becomes stern, cold, and even cruel. Love without truth (if such were possible) would be unstable and without foundation.
Great Joy
"I rejoiced greatly that I found of your children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father" (verse 4).God's children rejoice when they find others who are God's children. The Psalmist sang, with regard to God's church, his "elect lady,""Lo! Children are an heritage of the Lord, and the fruit of the womb is a reward" (Psalm 127:3).
Apply these words, as we may to an individual household, and see cause for great joy to any parent. To see our children walking in truth is, perhaps, the greatest blessing we can experience in this world as believers. When they are blessed with grace, we are blessed with grace!
Even when that is not the case, even when we must, like David, look over our sons and daughters with sorrow, seeing nothing but Absaloms, Adonijahs, and Amnons coming from our loins, let us, as we sigh, "although my house is not so with God," take solace in God's covenant grace "ordered in all things and sure" (2 Samuel 23:5).
Apply this to a pastor looking over a local church he has served or a church with which he has any connection, and the same joy is the expression of a faithful pastor's heart and love. God's servants dance in their hearts when we see his children walking in truth, walking with Christ in the blessed truth of Christ revealed in the gospel.
It brought great joy to the apostles to find the children of this elect lady "walking in truth," living day by day in a continual, progressive spirit, attitude, and conversation which revealed that Christ was in them. They not only professed to know Christ, but their conduct and conversation revealed a living union with him. This is the commandment we have received from the Father (Micah 6:8; 1 John 3:18).
Love One Another
"And now I beseech you, lady, not as though I wrote a new commandment unto you, but that which we had from the beginning, that we love one another" (verse 5).This is the same thing John told us in 1 John 2:7, 8. He is probably referring to the words of our Savior in John 13:34. It is that which our Lord taught from the beginning. How sweetly the life of grace in Christ leads to a life of love."As you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk you in him, rooted and built up in him" (Colossians 2:67). It is impossible to be otherwise. Where Christ is, there must be fruitfulness in Christ. Where the Spirit of God is, the love of Christ shines.
The love John is talking about is much more than warm feelings and emotions about God and one another. We cannot love one another and walk in love if we do not walk in truth, if we do not walk with Christ in the truth he reveals in his Word"And this is love, that we walk after his commandments. This is the commandment, That, as you have heard from the beginning, you should walk in if" (verse 6).
Antichrist
"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist" (verse 7).John is referring to false teachers and preachers, who are described by their character and work. They are seducers, who cause others to go astray. They pretend to be gospel preachers, to love the truth, to be concerned for men's souls, and to desire the glory of God. But they handle the Word deceitfully. They are impostors (1 John 2:18; Matthew 7:15, 16; 2 Peter 2:13).
The primary error of these false prophets is their denial of the person and work of Christ. They profess to believe in Christ as a prophet, teacher, healer, a messenger from God, and even the Messiah and the Son of God, but they deny him altogether by denying that he has come in the flesh and accomplished all that the Scriptures declare he would accomplishThe redemption and salvation of his people (Daniel 9:24; Isaiah 53:1011; Matthew 1:21; Hebrews 9:12). They do not necessarily deny that he came. They deny that he has effectually accomplished what he came to do, but assert that he merely made redemption and salvation possible. These whom John describes as antichrists deny that the Lord Jesus actually finished the transgression and made an end of sins, that he brought in everlasting righteousness, that he fulfilled all the prophets, "sealed up the vision," and that he was anointed as Lord over all because he finished the work.
He who is the Christ "shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied." The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ shall never be discovered a miscarriage! He satisfied the justice of God and the justice of God shall satisfy him. "He shall see his seed" brought out (out of captivity, prison, bondage, and the world), brought in (into his kingdom), brought up (taught and cared for), and brought home! All who deny, either in word or in doctrine, by statement or implication, that Jesus Christ is God are deceivers and anti-Christ (John 10:3033; Matthew 1:2123).
Look to Yourselves
"Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward" (verse 8).This is an exhortation to the elect lady and her children to look about them, be aware of these antichrists and their doctrine, to take care of themselves and beware of these false teachers and their doctrines (2 Corinthians 11:14).
We must take care not to lose, or throw away, those things that we have wrought by faith, those things that we profess have been wrought in us by grace, and in the end lose our own souls. If we depart from the gospel of Christ, there remains no sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 10:26; 6:46). Christ is our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30). If we are not redeemed in him, we have no life or hope (Galatians 4:4, 5). Let us persevere in the faith of Christ until we are made like him. This shall be our full reward (Hebrews 3:6, 14; Colossians 1:1923).
The Doctrine of Christ
"Whoever transgresses, and abides not in the doctrine of Christ, has not God. He who abides in the doctrine of Christ, he has both the Father and the Son" (verse 9).Anyone who denies the doctrine of Christ, the Messiah, has not, knows not, and believes not God. "The doctrine of Christ" concerns:
His person as the Son of God, as truly God, and the union of the two naturesdivine and human, in one person.
His offices as Mediator, Surety, Prophet, Priest, and King.
His redemptive workhis obedience, suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension, by which he obtained eternal redemption for his people.
His return to judge and to reign.
This is the doctrine of grace, redemption, and eternal glory. The man who abides in the truth of Christ has both the Father and the Son. He has an interest in them and a knowledge of them (John 17:3; 1 John 5:1113).
Receive Them Not
"If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed" (verse 10).If anyone comes to your church or your home (pretending to be a gospel preacher), one who does not preach this doctrine but despises and denies it, do not allow him to preach in the house of God and do not entertain him in your home" (Romans 16:17; Galatians 1:8, 9).
"Neither bid him God speed."Do not help him, encourage him, or pray for him. Do not give him the impression that you are sympathetic with him.
"For he who bids him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds" (verse 11).Those who wish false teachers well, who encourage them, or who converse with them in a friendly and familiar way instead of reproving them and shunning them as they ought, are aiding and abetting them, supporting them in their attacks on Christ and can be considered partakers in their evil deeds.
Conclusion
John concludes this epistle very graciously, expressing his love for these dear saints, and his desire to see them face to face, and by conveying to them the greetings of another gospel church, the elect sister of this elect lady."Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full" (verse 12).
Although he had many things to write to them and teach them, he preferred not to do so with paper and ink. This blessed old man hoped to visit God's dear saints and talk to them personally, so that their joy may be complete. There is a great value in correspondence between believers; but nothing replaces personal fellowship, exhortation, and encouragement (Hebrews 10:24, 25; 3:13; Colossians 3:16).
"The children of your elect sister greet you. Amen" (verse 13).Let us learn (especially gospel preachers) from this short, but gracious epistle of John the elder, how to address God's elect with words of comfort and consolation in Christ. They are to be spoken to graciously and affectionately, for comfort and edification, to build them up in mutual love, in the fellowship of the Truth, in the fellowship of Christ, not harshly and bitterly. As Robert Hawker wrote
"There is nothing more strengthening to the Church of God, than when old disciples speak to young ones, concerning God's purposes in Christ, as manifested in his electing, converting, redeeming, establishing grace! It is blessedly said by one of old, "the righteous shall bring forth fruit in his old age, to show that the Lord is upright." Did not the Lord the Spirit cause this Epistle to be sent by John to one Elect Lady, to be recorded in the Church, and handed down, through the several ages, to the present hour, on purpose to teach old saints, and especially faithful old ministers, how to speak to the elect children of Christ, in the several stations and characters as they stand in grace?"
3 JOHN
Gaius, Diotrephes, and Demetrius
Here is a letter written by the apostle John to his beloved son in the faith, Gaius. Gaius was not a pastor, preacher, or elder. He was a man whom God had saved, a believer, a member of a local church, which had been visited by some missionaries. These missionaries were traveling about, preaching the gospel to the Gentiles. In their journeys they stopped at the town where Gaius lived to visit the brethren there. So Gaius took them into his house, fed them, entertained them, and lodged them for several days, perhaps for several weeks. When they left, he gave them some traveling money to help with their expenses.
When they got back to the church of which John was the pastor, these traveling evangelists, these missionaries, could not stop talking about Gaius. They told John about him. They told their friends about him. They told the whole church about Gaius. When John heard these men talking about his spiritual son, his heart bubbled up with joy and gratitude. He wrote this letter, by the inspiration of God the Holy Spirit, to commend Gaius. And he does commend him! He tells us that Gaius loved the gospel (verses 34), that he was faithful in all things (verse 5), and that he was generous, charitable, and hospitable to his brethren, even to those who were total strangers (verses 56). Like Abraham, Gaius entertained strangers who came to him in the name of Christ, and in so doing he entertained angels unawares (Genesis 18:3; Hebrews 13:2).
2nd John was written to the elect lady, whom John loved in the truth. This epistle is addressed to a man named "Gaius", "whom," John also says, "I love in the truth." Truth and love are companions, twin graces that can never be separated. This epistle commends truth and love displayed in Gaius' deeds. It is written, "faith works by love" (Galatians 5:6).
In this epistle we have a clear contrast of three men, Gaius, a very gracious man, to whom the epistle is addressed, and Diotrephes, who was a proud deceiver, and Demetrius, who was a man of good report. God the Holy Spirit directed John's heart and pen to write this brief epistle for our learning and admonition. He has preserved it for us in the Sacred Volume.
Gaius
"The elder unto the well beloved Gaius, whom I love in the truth" (verse 1).We see the name "Gaius" four other times in the New Testament (Acts 19:29; 20:4; Romans 16:23; 1 Corinthians 1:14). Each time it refers to different men. This man's name was as common in the Roman Empire as the name "John Smith" is today. The Gaius to whom this epistle is addressed was a beloved brother, who was converted under John's ministry, one of his children in the faith and dearly beloved (verse 4). Not only did John love him, he was a man "well-beloved"beloved of God and chosen unto eternal salvation in Christ (Jeremiah 31:3; Ephesians 1:36; 2 Thessalonians 2:13), and beloved of his brethren.
Gaius was beloved of those saints who knew him because he was a man of great faith, integrity, and generosity. He had experienced the grace of God; and that made him gracious. He was sound in doctrine and sound in heart. Gaius was a loving and lovable man.
Prosperity
"Beloved, I wish above all things that you may prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers" (verse 2).The word "above" would be better translated "in." That is obvious in the context in which the word is used. John would not desire prosperity in temporal things above Gaius' prosperity in spiritual and eternal things. Yet, his love for Gaius and his desires for him included temporal things. What he is saying here is"I wish that you may have a prosperous journey through this world and be in good health, even as your soul prospers. I pray that the Lord will grant his continual, manifest blessings upon you." The Amplified Bible interprets verse 2 this way."Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in every way and [that your body] may keep well, even as [I know] your soul keeps well and prospers."
Physical health is a great blessing and is altogether the gift of God's providential goodness. Among the countless promises of God to his people, there are many that relate to temporal things (Deuteronomy 28:114). The Scriptures teach us that, with regard to all who are called of God by the effectual, irresistible grace and power of God the Holy Spirit to life and faith in Christ, everything for time and eternity prospers and is the blessing of God upon us (Romans 8:28). He who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, will with him freely give us all things (Romans 8:32).
Temporal Things
God's saints in this world are given liberty to use all things temporal as we live to serve and honor God our Savior. It is written, "all things are yours and you are Christ's" (1 Corinthians 3:2123). If the Lord causes us to abound in earthly goods and/or in good health, he accompanies those blessings with grace sufficient to make them prosperous to our souls. When that is the case, let us, like Gaius, use such blessings of providence "faithfully in whatever" we do (verse 5), both in connection with our brethren in the church and kingdom of God, and in connection with the world, doing good to all men, and especially to them who are of the household of faith.
If the Lord sends adversity he takes out all the bitterness of it, still his grace is sufficient. He assures us that this, too, is his blessing, the very best thing for us. So that, though the fig-tree does not blossom and fruit is not found in the vine, though the labor of the olive fail and the fields yield no meat, though the flock be cut off from the fold and there be no herds in the stall, yet, the child of God can, and will say, I will rejoice in the Lord, I will joy in the God of my salvation (Habakkuk 3:17, 18).
Spiritual Things
As in temporal things, so, too, in spiritual things, the child of God is always blessed and prospers. It is written,
"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: According as he has chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him: In love having predestined us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he has made us accepted in the beloved." (Ephesians 1:36)
We are blessed, in time and to all eternity, with the Father's love, the Savior's redemption, and the Holy Spirit's grace. All the blessings of grace, so boundlessly bestowed upon us from eternity in Christ, are gifts of God which shall not be taken away neither in this world nor in the world to come (Romans 11:29). Our God has given us peace and pardon through the blood of the cross. He gives us continual manifestations of his boundless love. The Lord Jesus comes to bless, comfort, and encourage us, and to make himself known to us in ways with which he does not deal with the world (John 14:1823). "Who shall describe," asked Robert Hawker, "the outpourings of divine love, or the incomings of divine grace, the child of God is continually receiving from the Lord, who is blessing him with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus?"
Eternal Things
Regarding eternal blessings, our God has not only given us the promise of the life that now is, but of that which is to come. Indeed, eternal life is ours now. It is already begun in our souls. "He who has the Son of God has life." He enjoys it now by faith."For faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen" (Hebrews 11:1). And faith in Christ is the earnest given by the Spirit of glory to come.
Gaius' Testimony
"For I rejoiced greatly, when the brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, even as you walk in the truth" (verse 3).Some brethren came to John from the place where Gaius lived and told him that Gaius was a man who believed the truth of the gospel and that he was a man of a truly gracious spirit. He walked before God and men in such a way that he was known by God's saints as one who lived for the glory of God. His life was a life that adorned the doctrine of God our Savior in all things (Titus 2:10). The report of these men concerning Gaius filled the old pastor with joy (verse 4).
"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth" (verse 4).Nothing makes a faithful gospel preacher happier than to hear that those to whom he has preached the gospel, and for whom he has been the means God used to bring them to the knowledge of Christ, believe and walk in the truth. We can bestow no greater gift upon our friends, and no greater inheritance upon our families than the gospel of Christ. And they can bring no greater joy and satisfaction to our hearts than to receive the truth and walk therein (Acts 3:26; Philemon. 2021).
Proper Honor
"Beloved, you do faithfully whatever you do to the brethren, and to strangers" (verse 5).The Holy Spirit teaches us to give honor to whom honor is due (Revelation 13:7). We are not to flatter men, but it is altogether proper to honor and commend one another. Here John commends Gaius for his hospitality and charity to God's saints and to strangers who crossed his path. He was a kind and generous man, who cared for and ministered to the needs of others. Both his heart and his home were open to men. He used that which God had given him for the benefit of others. Thus, he both blessed the lives of many and was blessed of God in his own life (Hebrews 13:12).
Gaius did "faithfully" that which he did. He did not do things in a hypocritical and pretentious way to be seen of men and gain their applause. But he did what he did because he loved Christ and his people (Matthew 6:14).
"Which have borne witness of your charity before the church: whom if you bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, you shall do well" (verse 6).This 6th verse makes it clear that the "strangers" referred to in verse 5 were traveling preachers, evangelists (missionaries), who were strangers to Gaius before they came to his town. They testified before the church at Ephesus of his love, friendship, and care of them. They were greatly moved by his spirit of grace and love and gave thanks to God for the grace of God in him.
Supporting Missionaries
Notice what John tells us here about the support of gospel preachers, particularly about the support of missionaries."Whom if you bring forward on their journey after a godly sort, you shall do well." In 2nd John, he warned us not to support those false teachers and preachers who come preaching "another gospel" (2 John 1011). Here he tells us that we do well to aid God's children and to help make their journey through this world to be more pleasantespecially those who are traveling missionaries (Matthew 10:42; 2 Kings 4:810).
In verses 7 and 8 he tells us why we do well in supporting those brethren who go forth in the name of Christ preaching the gospel. Such men have gone out from home and family for Christ's sake. They are not supported by the heathen to whom they preach, taking nothing from them, lest the gospel be reproached. Freely we have received and freely we give. We ought to support and provide for such men. In doing so we are fellow-laborers and fellow-helpers to the truth. It is a great privilege to preach the gospel and an equal privilege and blessing to provide for those who preach it, for in doing so we also serve the cause of the gospel.
The only proper reason for the existence of any local church in this world is the furtherance of the gospel. The church exists on earth only for the preaching of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. The church of God is a sounding board for the gospel. It is our responsibility to use every means at our disposal to proclaim the gospel of Christ as fully and universally as we possibly can to the generation in which we live. We have no other commission (Matthew 28:1820; Mark 16:1516; Luke 24:4648; Acts 1:8). One of the most effective means we have of preaching the gospel in any age is gospel missions, sending out missionaries to preach the good news of redemption and grace in Christ around the world.
Missionaries are men called and gifted of God to establish churches, train pastors, and help establish those pastors and churches in the gospel of the grace of God, so that they might carry on the work of the gospel for the years to come. Medical missionaries, educational missionaries, and cultural missionaries are not true missionaries, and should not be supported by local churches. Missionaries are men who have a mission from God, and their mission is to preach the gospel of Christ.
With these things in mind, I want us to examine what the Spirit of God teaches in these verses of 3rd John about the church's responsibility to missionaries. After highly commending this man, Gaius, for all that he had done, John urged him to do even more. Realizing that God's servants are to be supported entirely by the generous, free, voluntary gifts of his people, John gave Gaius, and us, four reasons why we should support missionaries.
1. It is pleasing to God for us to do so
John told Gaius that when God's servants come to town, we are not only to care for them while they are with us, but we are to "bring (them) forward on their journey after a godly sort" (verse 6). It is the responsibility of local churches to provide all those things that God's servants need to carry on their work. Missionaries have all the earthly needs that the rest of us have and many that we do not have. They must have homes, food and clothing for their families. They must provide health care for their households. They have to educate their children, and they have to have some means of transportation, just like we do. In addition to these things, every expense for the work on the field comes out of the missionary's pocket! Whatever it takes to keep faithful men free of earthly care, so that they may give themselves whole-heartedly to the work of the ministry, we must do!
John tells us that this is a "godly sort" of work. The marginal translation of these words is: This is a work "worthy of God". It is a work becoming to those who serve God. If we do this, if we support God's servants in the work of the gospel, we do well. This is a work pleasing to God. God delights to see those who love Christ showing their love by generosity towards his servants (2 Corinthians 9:7).
2. We should give "for his name's sake."
"For his name's sake they went forth" (verse 7).And "for his name's sake" we must supply their needs. There is only one thing that compels the true servant of God to take his wife and children to a remote, far distant country to preach the gospel, leaving behind the comforts of his homeland, the company of his friends, and the warmth of his family: He is motivated by a burning jealousy for the name of Christ (Romans 1:5, 1617).
That same burning jealousy for Christ's name inspires God's saints to give of their means to supply those men with the support they need. Every believer wants all men and women to hear the gospel of Christ, so that our great Savior may be known, trusted, worshiped, and glorified throughout the world. The best means we have of accomplishing that great goal is giving of our means to support faithful gospel-preaching missionaries.
Our Lord is so highly honored by the service of those whom he sends out to preach the gospel that he counts anything we do for them as having been done for him (Matthew 10:4042), and indeed it is. God's servants are his ambassadors. Those men who faithfully preach the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ (the gospel of his electing love, accomplished redemption, effectual grace, and saving fullness) are God's representatives and spokesmen in this world (2 Corinthians 5:1821). Anything we do to one of God's ambassadors, we do to him. Anything done for God's ambassador is done for him; and anything done against God's ambassador is done against him.
3. Faithful men have no other means of support
"Because that for his name's sake they went forth, taking nothing of the Gentiles" (verse 7).These men preached to the Gentiles freely, refusing to seek, or even take financial support from unbelievers. Because they are faithful to Christ, the gospel of his grace, and the souls of men, they have no means of support other than the generosity of God's people. There are three things we need to know about God's servants.
4. By our loving, free generous support of God's faithful servants, we become "fellow-helpers to the truth" (verse 8)
When we supply a man's needs, so that he can preach the gospel of Christ freely to others, we become allies with him in the work of preaching the gospel. What a privilege! The work of the ministry is God's work; but God does his work through the labors of faithful men, through the preaching of the gospel. And these men do their work by the generosity of faithful men and women, who work hard and freely give of their means, so that the gospel may be preached freely around the world.
God's church is one, and we are one with those missionaries we are privileged to support. Their cause is our cause; their work is our work, and their reward is our reward. The next time we have the opportunity to show hospitality to, entertain, give to, or do anything for one of God's servants, let us remember these things:This is a work that is pleasing to God.This is a work that is done by faith in and for the honor of Christ's name.This is a work done for worthy men, men who have forsaken all to preach the gospel. They are worthy to live by the gospel.By these things we are "fellow-helpers to the truth."
Diotrephes
"I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, receives us not" (verse 9).John wrote a letter to the church of which Gaius was a member. It was a letter of instruction, counsel, and apostolic orders. But Diotrephes, who was evidently an officer in the church (perhaps the pastor), refused to accept his instruction and counsel, because he loved to have preeminence. He wanted people to honor and follow him. He craved recognition. Pastor Henry Mahan wrote, "Everything in a church ought to be done by pastor and people in love, meekness and with mutual consent, with each seeking the glory of Christ and the good of all (Philippians 2:38; Romans 12:3, 10:1; 1 Corinthians 4:6, 7)." Diotrephes did what he did for the glory of Diotrephes! He was one of those wolves in sheep's clothing Paul told the church at Ephesus would arise from their midst "speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after them" (Acts 20:30).
"Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither does he himself receive the brethren, and forbids them that would, and casts them out of the church" (verse 10).John was determined, when he next visited the church, to expose this wicked man to the church and reprove him for his deeds (Galatians 2:11). He describes Diotrephes as one who spoke prating (empty) things against him and other faithful servants of God.
How common Diotrephes' behavior is to this day among self-serving preachers! True servants of God, true preachers of the gospel are prated against, not only by men of the world, but also by professors of religion. That which is spoken against them is just "prating," silly, idle, and empty slanders. Such slanders take up any little matter and rail against faithful men in order to hurt their character, spoil their usefulness, and render their labors ineffective. But all their railing and prating is only to exalt themselves in the eyes of the people (1 Timothy 5:19; 2 Corinthians 10:10).
Diotrephes was not satisfied with speaking against John and his ministry. He refused to receive the preachers and missionaries sent by John. He threatened to cast those who received them out of the church.
"Beloved, follow not that which is evil, but that which is good. He who does good is of God: but he who does evil has not seen God" (verse 11).The apostle here tells Gaius and us not to follow Diotrephes' wickedness. Such pride, ambition, love of preeminence, and self-exaltation is to be rebuked; and those who engage in it are to be rejected as evil men (Titus 3:1, 2; James 4:11; Ephesians 4:31, 32). He who manifests the grace and spirit of Christ in attitude and action is of God, and he who does not has evidently not experienced the grace of God and does not know God at all (1 John 4:68, 2021).
Demetrius
"Demetrius has good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yes, and we also bear record; and you know that our record is true" (verse 12).Demetrius was a man whose character, like Gaius', was exactly opposite to that of Diotrephes. His was an example to be followed. Demetrius was kind, considerate, and gracious. He had a good reputation and report. He was loved and respected by all who knew him.
It is sad, but terribly common, that trouble makers and those of a critical spirit find many followers. Let those who are wise mark the man of a Christ-like attitude and a loving spirit and follow his example. John bore record to the character of Demetrius, and we know that his word is true and dependable."
Diotrephes and Demetrius are known to us only by name. Robert Hawker wrote of them, "How different their characters were! How opposed while they lived! How differently regarded when they died. How opposite in the esteem of the church, through all ages! And how everlastingly opposite, if dying as they are here said to have lived, through all the eternal world? How blessed to have a good report of all men; yes, and of the truth itself, which is Christ (John 14:6). Oh! For the whisper of Jesus, in a dying hour, to confirm his grace in the soul, as manifested in a living hour; that both in life and in death the soul be found in him (Isaiah 43:14)."
The tenderhearted Apostle concludes his epistle with these words."I had many things to write, but I will not with ink and pen write unto you: But I trust I shall shortly see you, and we shall speak face to face. Peace be to you. Our friends salute you. Greet the friends by name" (verses 1314).
Reflections
I cannot conclude this study of 3rd John in a more edifying way than by giving you Robert Hawker's reflections upon these fourteen verses of Inspiration.
"What a beautiful view is here afforded, of the beloved Apostle in his pastoral office, addressing the faithful Gaius, beloved in the Lord. To behold the venerable saint of God, amidst all the infirmities of declining years, thus blessing God, and blessing the servant of God, in his wishes both for spiritual and temporal prosperity.
But while we look at John, who justly commands our veneration and our love, let us look infinitely above John, and behold John's Lord still blessing all his church; and every Gaius of his redeemed family below, with blessings in himself.
Precious, precious Jesus! We desire to praise you for all that is lovely, in the disciple whom Jesus loved; for all that is lovely in John, was, and is derived from you! Lord! Hasten on your blessed purposes, and bring on your glorious day when you will come to be glorified in your saints, and to be admired in all that believe! To you, Lord, it belongs, to keep your Church from falling, and to present it faultless before the presence of your glory with exceeding joy. In the blessed hope of your appearing, may all your Church in you, and through you, daily ascribe to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Israel's God in covenant, endless praises. Amen."
JUDE"Certain Men Crept in Unawares"
Jude was one of our Savior's half-brothers (Matthew 13:55), and James' full brother. He out-lived all the Apostles, except John. His epistle was written no more than 3035 years after our Lord's ascension. The purpose of God the Holy Spirit in giving this epistle to the church is evident from its contents.Heresies had already sprung up and the church was infested with them (verse 4).
It is a great mercy to us that both Jude and John lived to see those things come to pass that our Lord Jesus, the Apostle Paul, and the Apostle Peter had prophesied. Had they not lived to see the heresies and heretics prophesied filling the church in those early days, we would never have had the instructive epistles they were inspired to write, equipping us to deal with them. Indeed, the Apostle Paul tells us plainly that heresies must come that the truth of God and the people of God might be made manifest (1 Corinthians 11:19).
Common Salvation
Jude addresses all he has to say to the church of God's elect, to all who are born of God (verses 13). Then, through the greater part of these twenty-five verses (verses 419), he describes the terrible character and state of the reprobate. Yet, these things are written to God's saints for our consolation and instruction. At the end of his letter (verses 2025), he reminds us of the safety, security, and blessedness of God's elect and ascribes all praise to our all-glorious Christ, our God and Savior.
He begins his epistle by describing the common salvation of all God's elect. He calls it "the common salvation", because all who are saved by the free and sovereign grace of God in Christ enjoy all the blessings and privileges of grace in common and all embrace one faith, the faith of the gospel.
"Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace and love, be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints" (verses 13).
"The faith which was once delivered unto the saints," the faith of the gospel, the faith that God gives to all his people by the teaching of his Holy Spirit in effectual grace involves certain doctrines (though commonly unknown in today's religious world), that are now and have always been commonly embraced and proclaimed among those who believe God: election, preservation, effectual calling, and the trinity of persons in the Godhead."Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called" (verse 1). They are such common things in the household of faith that Jude, like Peter, uses them as a salutation.
God the Holy Spirit inspired his servant Jude to open his epistle with words of tender affection and boundless grace. He speaks of the most weighty, soul-cheering, and essential truths of the gospel in simple, brief, unmistakable terms. In this one, short verse, Jude declares that
All who believe God in time were sanctified by God the Father in eternal election,separated unto God, declared and made to be holy in Christ, and accepted in the Beloved!
All who were sanctified by God in election were, are, and shall forever be preserved in Christ, our Mediator, unto the time of love, when they are called, preserved in eternity, preserved through Adam's fall, preserved in the days of their rebellion, preserved after conversion, and preserved unto eternal glory! Blessed be God, those who are preserved in Christ Jesus shall never perish!
Who can describe such grace? God's elect are preserved in Jesus Christ, before called to Jesus Christ, and preserved in all the after stages of life, when called by grace, until grace is finished in glory. We ought to meditate on these things continually. But we must enter into eternity, and look back over the everlasting hills, through all the path by which the Lord has brought us on our way, before that we can have any real sense and apprehension of the unspeakable blessings contained in these four words, "preserved in Jesus Christ."
And all who were set apart by the Father unto himself in Christ and preserved in Christ, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world, are, at the appointed time of love, graciously, irresistibly, and effectually called to life and faith in Christ by the omnipotent mercy of God the Holy Spirit. Robert Hawker wrote
"So infinitely blessed and important is this great grace of the Holy Spirit, in calling, that, until it is wrought, no child of God can have any apprehension, either of God the Father's love in election, or God the Son's grace in redemption. It is by regeneration that we are made partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world, through lust! (2 Peter 1:4, 5)."
Just as the other Apostles (Ephesians 1:314; 1 Peter 1:29), Jude opens his epistle with a declaration that salvation is the work of God alone, the eternal, indestructible, effectual work of God alone, and the work of God in the trinity of his holy persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And he knew that all who worshiped God would know and rejoice in that which he declared (1 John 5:712; 2 Timothy 1:910; Titus 3:37).
We date all our mercies from eternity. We find their source in the election of grace. It was in Christ that we were chosen, accepted, blessed with all spiritual blessings, and given all grace and salvation before the world began. And it is in Christ that we are preserved and "kept by the power of God." Therefore, we delight to say, with Paul, concerning all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, "We are bound to give thanks always to God, for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation, through sanctification of the Spirit, and belief of the truth; whereunto he called you by our Gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thessalonians 2:13, 14). "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift!"
Common Blessings
In verse 2 Jude assures us that this common salvation, about which he is writing, brings common mercies to every believer."Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied." Mercy from the Father, peace in and from Jesus Christ, and love in and by the Holy Spirit, sweetly flow to us in boundless streams of grace as the fruits and effects of those glorious acts of the Triune God described in verse 1.
Common Faith
The 3rd verse speaks of that common faith possessed by all who have God's gift of faith in Christ."Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints."
What is that faith? The Scriptures show us the answer plainly and fully.The great and leading doctrines of the gospel in the everlasting love of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are written on every page. The Person, glory, blood shedding, and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ, with redemption only in his blood, and regeneration only by God the Holy Spirit are the foundation of all our mercies. To contend for these, and with earnestness, is to contend for the very life of our souls. Any reluctance on our part to openly profess these glorious truths, or any denial of them by others, is the wounding of the Redeemer in the house of his friends and high treason against the Majesty of God.
The Distinction
Jude draws a clear line of distinction between the elect and the reprobate, between the believer and the religious unbeliever. In verses 13 he speaks of God's elect. In verses 419 he speaks only of apostates, describing them as those who walk after their own ungodly lusts, who were of old ordained to this condemnation, sensual, and having not the Spirit. These are two distinct classes of people: the elect and the reprobate.
Common Foes
In verses 419 Jude describes those men who are the common foes of God's elect in every age. In these verses we have one horrid portrait of apostasy drawn out in many characters. The language Jude uses describes one specific class of men who come under the same condemnation. Taken together, as Jude sets them before us, in one view, these apostates form one picture. And they all come to the same condemnation. We shall do well, under God the Spirit's teaching, to look both at their persons, and their features, and mark them one by one.
"For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" (verses 47).
"Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke you. But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withers, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever" (verses 813).
"And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints. To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaks great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage. But, beloved, remember you the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit" (verses 1419).
Certain Men
First, they are said to have been "certain men" (verse 4), which had crept in unawares. Jude is not speaking of infidels, men who totally disown Christ. He is describing certain men, who had crept into the church, men who professed to believe in Christ. These are the very apostates Paul warned us to beware of (Acts 20:29, 30). Peter also gave us warning concerning them (2 Peter 2:13). But Jude had lived to see some of them arise among the saints of God.
Crept In
Second, Jude says, they have "crept in unawares." Like slithering serpents, they come into the church, professing to be lovers of Christ. They worm themselves into the church under the guise of believers. As Satan transformed himself into an angel of light, that he might more successfully deceive, his ministers appear as ministers of righteousness, in a pretense of love for Christ before his people that they might destroy the souls of men (2 Corinthians 11:14, 15).
Jude is talking about well-known, highly esteemed men, not just church members, but preachers, teachers, and religious leaders. They were the Korahs and Balaam's (Numbers 16 and 22) of their day, famous in the churches, men of reputation.
What swarms have followed those apostates Jude describes! They blaze like comets for a while. Like "wandering stars" as Jude calls them, they make a big show for a time. To them "is reserved the blackness of darkness forever." They are full of promises, empty promises, like "clouds without water." Like "clouds without water, carried about of winds," there is no grace in their hearts and no work of regeneration upon their souls. They have a name to live, but are dead before God, "twice dead," spiritually dead and under the sentence of the second death, "of old ordained to this condemnation" (Revelation 20:6).
Ungodly Men
Third, they are described as "ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." Notice that there are no charges of immorality. Had their lives been notorious for any breaches of the moral law, surely such would have been mentioned. Had their conduct been notoriously corrupt in any flagrant acts of licentiousness, they would soon have been discovered.
These men are called "ungodly men" because their doctrine was directly leveled against the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in Christ. They turned "the grace of God into lasciviousness," not by using grace as an excuse for ungodly behavior, but by daring to charge the grace of God that brings salvation with leading to lasciviousness, asserting that the gospel of free, absolute, unconditional grace promotes evil behavior among those who believe it. They turned the grace of God into lasciviousness by asserting that the glorious gospel of God's free grace, which proclaims free, full, complete, irrevocable pardon to sinners through the blood and righteousness of Christ alone, opens the floodgates of sin (Romans 3:8; 6:1). Again, I say, what swarms follow them!
This "turning the grace of God into lasciviousness" was accompanied with "denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." As we have seen, it is not possible that these men openly denied God's being, or the fact that our Lord Jesus Christ lived, died, and rose again. Had that been the case, they could not have crept into the church.
How could they be said to deny the only Lord God, except by denying his free grace? Yet, by denying (as multitudes do today) the absolute efficacy of God's purpose and work, by denying the absolute efficacy of the Father's purpose and love, the Son's blood atonement, and the Spirit's omnipotent call. By denying that our Lord Jesus Christ actually redeemed and saves all God's elect by his finished work of redemption, they do in effect deny the very being of God. Robert Hawker issued the following challenge in his excellent commentary on Jude
"Look at this Scripture in every way and direction in which it can be placed, and look for grace from the Almighty Author of inspiration, to have a right understanding of it. And then ask your own heart, what was Jude directed by the Holy Spirit to give all diligence to write to the Church of the common salvation, unless to have guarded the minds of the faithful against the creeping in of such certain men as are here described? What faith but the faith of God's elect, in God the Father's everlasting love, and God the Son's complete, and finished salvation, could the Apostle mean, when he exhorted the Church, earnestly to contend for the faith once delivered unto the saints'?"
Their Condemnation
Fourth, the judgment such ungodly men shall forever endure is exactly correspondent to their conduct."And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his saints, To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him" (verses 1415).
When the Lord Jesus comes with his saints; he will convince them all, not only of their ungodly deeds, but also of all their hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken against him (John 5:2223; Acts 10:42; 17:31; 2 Thessalonians 1:710). Every place in Holy Scripture, which describes the day of judgment, speaks of Christ the Son of God, as the Judge in that day (Matthew 25:31, 32; Acts 10:42; 2 Thessalonians 1:710). He, whose eyes are as a flame of fire, "shall judge the quick and the dead, at his appearing and his kingdom" (2 Timothy 4:1).
Read these solemn verses again and again. Ask God the Holy Spirit to burn them into your heart that you may be able in the light of Holy Scripture to understand what is going on in the religious world around us today. Do we not daily hear and read the hard speeches spoken against Christ, and by certain men crept in unawares into the church? Multitudes of famous religious leaders, verbally deny our Savior's being as God. Others, who would never openly assert such, just as fully deny it by denying the merit and efficacy of his blood and righteousness and intercession, asserting that all is vain without some contribution from man. Such doctrine is the blasphemous assertion that the Son of God is a failure! But that shall never be (Isaiah 42:4; 53:1112). The cross of our Lord Jesus Christ shall never be discovered a miscarriage. His grace shall never be frustrated. "He shall see of the travail of his soul and shall be satisfied." He who satisfied the justice of God for his elect, shall be satisfied by the justice of God in the salvation of his elect.
Nothing could be more suitable than the punishment here denounced upon all such blasphemy. When the Lord Jesus comes in his glory with all his holy angels, showing forth the glory of his grace in the salvation of all his people, he shall, by the overwhelming brightness of his glory, convince all who oppose him who he is and what he has done to their everlasting horror in Hell. He shall, in that great day, "execute judgment upon all and convince all of their hard speeches," which they have spoken against him.
Sensual Men
Fifth, Jude tells us that these men are "sensual, having not the Spirit" (verse 19). This is the thing that in all ages distinguishes "between the righteous and the wicked; between him that serves God, and him that serves him not" (Malachi 3:18).
Here the Holy Spirit tells us plainly that all who oppose the gospel of God's free and sovereign grace in our Lord Jesus Christ are unregenerate and have not been given the gift of eternal life and salvation in Christ by God the Holy Spirit. Such men, as we might expect, "speak evil of those things which they know not; but what they know naturally as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. They have gone into the way of Cain; they have ran greedily after the error of Balaam, for reward; and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity. Their mouth speaks great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration, because of advantage."
These are different descriptions of the same, sensual, unregenerate men who have not the Spirit, and yet profess to be worshipers of God and disciples of Christ. Like their father, the devil, they rage against the authority and dominion of God. Like Cain, they presume that their works can and do give them some measure of righteousness and acceptance with God. Like Balaam, they mingle the worship of God with the worship of idols, compromising the truth of God in the name of unity, peace, and brotherly love. Like Korah, they are ambitious, motivated by the gratification of their own lusts, "feeding themselves without fear."
Divine Sovereignty
Jude began his description of these apostate false prophets by telling us that they were "before of old ordained to this condemnation (verse 4; 2 Thessalonians 2:1314). This testimony to God's sovereignty, so offensive to those sensual people who have not the Spirit of God and so precious to every believer who knows by distinguishing grace his acceptance with the holy Lord God in Christ, his Beloved, is a clear display of the fact that the only distinction there is between the righteous and the wicked is the distinction our God has made by his distinguishing grace (1 Corinthians 4:7). For this we shall forever praise him.
Every child of God, in this present Christ-despising generation, is a wonder of grace, a testimony to God's infallible mercy. We ought to esteem it our highest honor to bear testimony to God's holy name and wondrous grace in Christ. Our great and gracious God has reserved to himself thousands who have not and will not bow the knee to Baal. "Even so now, at this present time also, there is a remnant according to the election of grace" (Romans 11:45).
Israel, Angels and Sodom
Jude reminds us of the apostates among the children of Israel who came out of Egypt and perished in the wilderness in unbelief (verse 5). Though they had all the advantages of a temporal salvation, yet, having no part nor lot in the matter of grace and eternal salvation in Christ, their carcasses fell in the wilderness (Romans 9:6, 7; Hebrews 3:1619).
"The angels, which kept not their first estate," not being elect angels, were left to the mutability of their own will, fell, and in that fall, were everlastingly condemned. Here again, we find cause for endless praise. Had we not been sanctified and preserved in Christ Jesus by God's eternal grace, we too would be everlastingly condemned. Had the Lord God left us to our own wills, as he did those angels, we would perish forever (Romans 9:16). Were it not for the fact that we are yet "preserved in Jesus Christ' even now, we would perish immediately.
What cause we are given for unceasing thanksgiving and praise for God's electing, preserving grace in Christ! And truly, we may say with the prophet, "except the Lord of hosts had left unto us a very small remnant, we should have been as Sodom, and we should have been like unto Gomorrah" (Isaiah 1:9).
Enoch
The Holy Spirit has given us no record of Enoch's prophecy. It may have been an oral, rather than a written prophecy. All we know concerning it is the account Jude gives in verses 1415. But it is a blessed prophecy of our Lord's glorious second advent. When Enoch is called "the seventh from Adam," the meaning is that his was the seventh generation of believing men in the earth: Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalaleel, Jered, Enoch (1 Chronicles. 1:12).
Blessed Safety
"But you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (verses 2021).Here Jude assures us of the absolute safety of God's elect, being "preserved in Jesus Christ," even in the midst of a reprobate age. This is much the same as Paul's declaration to the Thessalonian saints in 2 Thessalonians 2:114.
When he tells us that we must build up ourselves in our "most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, and keep" ourselves in the love of God, "looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life," Jude does not mean that we are our own keepers, or that we can create faith in our own hearts. The Scriptures everywhere teach us that all who are kept are kept by the power of God unto eternal life. Our Lord declares regarding his church, "In that day, sing you to her a vineyard of red wine. I the Lord do keep it. I will water it every moment: lest any hurt it, I will keep it night and day" (Isaiah 27:23; 1 Peter 1:5).
Jude is telling us that we must ever wait for the grace and power of God the Holy Spirit. Ever aware of our need of Christ, we must abide in him, looking to him alone for life, grace, and eternal salvation (Colossians 2:6). Let us have a sure, fixed, and certain hope in him regarding all the blessed and glorious events of that great day of God our Savior, ever expecting "the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life."
It is nothing but mercy, mercy alone, and mercy sure that is the hope and expectation of every believing soul. For chosen, redeemed, believing sinners, justified, sanctified, called, and kept in Christ, there is nothing doubtful about the issue of that day (2 Peter 1:34; 1 Corinthians 1:30; 6:11; Isaiah 45:2425). Jude would not have been inspired by the Holy Spirit to give us this confidence were it a matter of uncertainty (Titus 2:13; 2 Peter 3:12).
Compassion
The mercy, love, and grace we have experienced, we are to show to one another. Jude writes, "And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh" (verses 2223).
There is nothing found among men so affectionate and tender as the love of brethren in Jesus. The compassion God's saints show to wanderers and backsliders, to those who are tempted and fallen, and to those who are ignorant and out of the way is sweetness itself. Saved sinners are compelled by the grace we experience to stretch out the helping hand in any way and every way we can to raise up the fallen (2 Corinthians 5:14; Galatians 6:12). Because we cannot know who God's elect are, until they are called by his grace and given faith in Christ, we seek to save, as from the fire, all who are tottering upon the brink of Hell. Though we loathe their sins as we loathe our own garments, which are defiled and spotted when we put them upon our corrupt bodies, we earnestly desire their eternal salvation in Christ.
To God Be The Glory
"Now unto Him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy; to the only wise God, our Savior, be glory, and majesty, dominion, and power, both now and ever. Amen" (verses 2425).
He who has all along preserved us is the One who keeps us from falling. It shall be the special and personal joy and glory of Christ our Surety and Substitute to present his Church to himself at the last day. We nowhere read in Scripture of God the Father or God the Holy Spirit presenting the Church before the throne. It shall be God the Son's, our all-glorious Savior's, final work as our Mediator to bring his church home as a bride adorned for her husband, and present her to himself before the Father (1 Corinthians 15:2428). He "loved the Church and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word; that he might present it to himself a glorious Church, not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy, and without blemish (Ephesians 5:2527).
REVELATION
The Revelation of Jesus Christ!
It has been my singular object in these surveys of the Bible to show clearly that the singular subject, theme, and message of the entire Book of God, the Old Testament and the New, is the Person, work, and glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. As in creation, providence, and redemption, so in the Holy Scriptures, it is the purpose of God "that in all things he might have the preeminence" (Colossians 1:18).
Him Book
The Book of God is a book all about Christ (Luke 24:27, 4448). The Bible is a Him Book. It is all about Him. All the promises and blessings of God given to sinful men and women are in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). Apart from Christ, God promises nothing but wrath; and every supposed blessing will prove to be a curse. All the love, mercy, and grace of God is in Christ. All the revelation and knowledge of the triune God is in Christ. Christ is not only the central message of Holy Scripture; he is the message of Holy Scripture. To understand that is to have the key that opens the Word of God and reveals its treasures.
That which is true of the whole Volume of Inspiration is especially and gloriously true of the last, closing chapters of the Volume, the Book of Revelation. This last book of the Bible is Christ's revelation of himself to his servants. This Book is "The Revelation of Jesus Christ" (1:1). It is not the revelation of St. John, but "the Revelation of Jesus Christ" given to and recorded by John. It is not the book of revelations (plural). It does not contain many revelations. It contains one revelation seen in many things. It is "the Revelation of Jesus Christ."
Two Points
In his book, "More Than Conquerors," William Hendriksen made two points that are crucial to a proper understanding of the Book of Revelation. First, "the theme of this book is: the Victory of Christ and of his Church over the Dragon (Satan) and his helpers. The Apocalypse intends to show you, dear believer, that things are not what they seem!" God's purpose is not in jeopardy. Christ, his church, and his truth will be triumphant at last.
The second point Hendriksen made is about the visions John describes. Each vision, or section of this book, must be interpreted as a vision covering the entire gospel age. "Each section," Hendriksen wrote, "gives us a description of the entire Gospel Age, from the first to the second coming of Christ, and is rooted in Israel's history under the old dispensation to which there are frequent references." Confusion comes when men try to mix the visions together and make them form a prophetic history of world events. Each vision is a picture of the Person and work of Christ in redemption, grace, and judgment throughout the gospel age.
Follow that basic, simple guide and you will not greatly err in interpreting the Book of Revelation, and your heart will be comforted and thrilled in reading what God has determined to do for you and with you in Christ. A general survey of these twenty-two chapters of Inspiration will give the reader a clear understanding of the fact that the revelation given to John and recorded in this Book is "The Revelation of Jesus Christ."
Faithful Witness
Christ is "the faithful witness" (Revelation 1:5). This title refers to our Savior's prophetic office. He is that Prophet of whom Moses spoke (Deuteronomy 18:15; John 6:14), both faithful and true. He is the faithful witness of God to his people (John 1:14, 18), and our faithful witness before the holy Lord God, as our Advocate with the Father (1 John 2:12).
First Begotten
Our Savior is "the first begotten of the dead" (Revelation 1:5). This refers to our Redeemer's priestly office. If he is "the first begotten of the dead," then he must have once died. He died for the sins of his people and rose again for their justification. When he arose as our Head and Representative, "he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us" (Hebrews 9:12). With his own precious blood, our great High Priest has opened for us a way of free access to God (Hebrews 10:1922).
Prince of Kings
Our Redeemer is "the prince of the kings of the earth" (Revelation 1:5). By virtue of his finished work of redemption, the God-man, our Mediator, has been made the sovereign Monarch of the universe (John 17:2; Romans 14:9; Philippians 2:911). He is Lord and King even over his enemies. The kings of the earth have their crowns and kingdoms from him; they rule by his decree, doing his will (Proverbs 21:1); and one day soon they will all bow before his throne and glorify him as King.
Him that Loved Us
The Lord Jesus is "him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and made us kings and priests unto God" (Revelation 1:56). He "loved us" particularly and distinctively, with an everlasting, immutable love. Because he loved us, he chose us in eternal election, became our Surety in the covenant of grace, and with his Father, predestined us unto heavenly glory.
Therefore, he "washed us from our sins in his own blood." By the shedding of his blood, the Lord Jesus Christ effectually washed away the sins of God's elect. He washed our sins from the record of Heaven, from the memory of God, and washed us from our sins, making us holy and righteous in the sight of God! That is the work of Christ in redemption.
All whom he loved, he washed; and in the fullness of time, he makes them "kings and priests unto God." That speaks of regeneration and conversion. Christ, sending his Spirit to redeem sinners, gives us a new, holy nature by which we are made to reign over the lusts of our flesh, so that we are no longer under the dominion of sin. And as priests, consecrated to God, we have direct access to God through his blood.
Him that Lives
The Son of God says, "I am he who lives" (Revelation 1:18). He lives forever because he is Life! Apart from him there is no life. He lives forever because he is the living God. But here he is talking about himself as the God-man, our Mediator, who once was dead, having died as our Substitute for the satisfaction of divine justice. He died! We thank God for that; but he is now alive for evermore. Christ Jesus lives forever on behalf of his elect, those for whom he died. He lives to make intercession for us (Hebrews 7:25). He lives to give eternal life to all his redeemed ones (John 17:2). Because He lives, we live also. We live in him, by the virtue of his death and by the power of his life.
Holds the Keys
Our all-glorious Lord Jesus Christ holds "the keys of Hell and of death" (Revelation 1:18). Hell in this place simply refers to the grave. The Lord Jesus Christ, by the virtue of his resurrection, has power, authority, and dominion over death and the grave (Psalm 68:1820; 1 Corinthians 15:5158). He conquered death, Hell, and the grave when he died for us and rose again. Therefore, these great terrors have no power over us to do us harm, and should cause us no fear (Hebrews 2:1415). Christ has delivered us from spiritual death in regeneration, the first resurrection (John 5:25), and shall deliver us from death and the grave in the resurrection of our bodies at the last day. It is written, "Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection: on such the second death has no power" (Revelation 20:6).
Holds the Stars
He who is the Head of the church is "he who holds the seven stars in his right hand, who walks in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks" (Revelation 2:1). These seven golden candlesticks are the churches of Christ in this world. How blessed are those people who are privileged to gather with God's saints in public worship (Matthew 18:20). The Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, walks in the midst of his churches!
The seven stars are gospel preachers, God's appointed pastors, who are the angels, messengers of God, to his churches. The Lord Jesus Christ holds them in his right hand, puts them where he wants them, gives them the messages they are responsible to deliver, uses them as he sees fit, and protects them as they go about his business. Let every true gospel preacher be esteemed by God's saints as an angel of God sent with a message from God for their souls (1 Thessalonians 5:1213).
Lion of Judah
He who is our Savior is "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Revelation 5:5). Our Savior sprang from the tribe of Judah and is comparable to a lion. Like a lion, he is strong and courageous. Like a lion, he devours his enemies. Like a lion, he always prevails. He prevailed over our enemies. He prevailed with God as our Surety and Substitute. And he prevails over the hearts of chosen sinners in saving grace.
Root of David
Our Savior is called "the Root of David" (Revelation 5:5). Later, he is called "the Root and offspring of David" (22:16). He is both the God from whom David obtained his life and the Man who came from the root of David's house. As a Man, our Savior arose "as a root out of a dry ground" (Isaiah 53:2). Yet, he is the Root from which all his people draw their life. The Root of our family tree is Jesus Christ himself!
The Lamb on the Throne
"In the midst of the throne stood a Lamb" (Revelation 5:6). That Lamb standing in the midst of the throne of God is Christ our Savior, who was slain for us. He is seen standing in the midst of the throne because he is the center of God's decrees and works and the One who executes all God's purposes. He alone is worthy and able to open the book of divine predestination and fulfill it. Christ stands in the midst of the throne and of the twenty-four elders (the church of God) and the four beasts (the preachers of the gospel) as the Savior of all his people and the One of whom all his servants speak. The throne John saw represents the glory of God as well as the dominion of God; and Christ, as the Lamb of God, is the revelation and accomplishment of God's glory.
The Mighty Angel
In chapter 10 we see our Lord Jesus Christ as the "the mighty Angel come down from Heaven" (10:13). Our blessed Savior is the Angel of the Covenant (Malachi 3:1), the Angel of the Lord's Presence (Isaiah 63:9), the Archangel (Jude 9), and the mighty Angel of the Lord who rules the universe, fulfilling the book of God's decrees. To the wicked and unbelieving, he is the Angel of Judgment. But on behalf of his covenant people, he is seen as the Angel of Providence. He is the Messenger sent by God to reveal his will, accomplish his purpose, and redeem his people.
In the 20th chapter we see our Savior as the mighty Angel again, binding Satan and casting him into the bottomless pit (Revelation 20:13; John 12:31). This great and mighty Angel is God our Savior (18:1). He alone has the keys of death and Hell (1:18). No creature could ever bind the devil, or even hinder his influence. He was the greatest, most powerful creature of the Almighty. None but Christ, the Creator, could bind him. In order to accomplish our salvation Satan had to be bound. And here we see Christ coming with the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. He came to shackle a treasonous rebel and lock him away. The Scriptures plainly tell us that one purpose of our Lord's incarnation and birth was to make war with, conquer, and bind the prince of darkness (Genesis 3:15; 1 John 3:8; Revelation 12:511). And he has won the war!
The Lamb Slain
The Lamb we saw standing in the midst of the throne (5:6) is "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Revelation 13:8). In the purpose and decree of God, in anticipation of the fall, for the fulfilling of God's covenant, Christ was looked upon by God the Father as our all-sufficient, sin-atoning sacrifice before ever the world was made. God's elect were looked upon in him as being saved from eternity (Romans 8:2831; Ephesians 1:36; 2 Timothy 1:9). All that we experience in time of God's redeeming grace was done for us in eternity in God's decrees. Before the world was made, in the mind and purpose of almighty God, Christ was the Lamb slain. That means that in the mind of God, from all eternity, the covenant of grace was fulfilled, the ransom price was paid, the Surety was exalted, and God's elect were saved.
Faithful and True
The Lord Jesus Christ is called "Faithful and True" (Revelation 19:11). What a name for the Son of God! He well deserves it, for he is faithful and true in all things. He is Faithful to his people, to his covenant, to his promises, and to himself. He is True. He is both the Truth and the True One. Jesus Christ is a true Friend and Brother (Proverbs 17:17), a true Savior (1 John 1:9; 2:12), and a true Husband (Song. 5:19). So true is this Husband to his bride that he will never leave her and will never let her leave him.
The Word of God
He is "The Word of God" (Revelation 19:13). "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (John 1:1). Christ is the Word, by which God reveals himself and through which the triune God performs all his works. He is the eternal, creating Word, by whom all things were made (John 1:3; Hebrews 11:2). He is the incarnate, revealing Word, by whom God is revealed to man (John 1:14, 18). And he is the almighty, saving Word (Hebrews 4:1213), by whom God calls out and saves his people in regenerating grace.
King of Kings
Our Savior is the "King of kings and Lord of lords" (Revelation 19:16). As we saw in chapter 1, verse 5, the Lord Jesus Christ is the absolute, singular, rightful, sovereign Monarch of Heaven and earth (Acts 2:3236).
Makes All Things New
The Lord Jesus Christ is that one who declares, "behold, I make all things new" (Revelation 21:56). In grace he makes all things new. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). In heavenly glory he makes all things new, granting to his people a new name and a new life, without the possibility of sin, sorrow, or death. And in the last days he will create "a new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness" (2 Peter 3:13).
Alpha and Omega
So great and glorious, so full and perfect is our Lord Jesus that he is declared to be the "Alpha and Omega" (Revelation 22:13). He is the "a" and the "z," the first and the last, the beginning and the end of all things. The covenant of grace begins and ends with Christ. The whole of creation has its origin in Christ and shall find its consummation in Christ. Every event of providence comes from Christ and shall glorify Christ. The entire Volume of Holy Scripture, from beginning to end, speaks of Christ. And in the salvation of God's elect Jesus Christ is the beginning, the end, and everything between (1 Corinthians 1:3031).
Bright and Morning Star
Our Redeemer is "The Bright and Morning Star" (Revelation 22:16). He is the Light that shines in darkness, that shines in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God. He is the Day Star of grace, the Sun of Righteousness, risen over this sin-cursed earth, with healing in his wings. And he is the Star of that great eternal day yet to come.
Comes Quickly
Our dear Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, declares, "Surely, I come quickly" (Revelation 22:20). Soon he shall appear! Suddenly, without warning, the King of glory shall come again to destroy his enemies, save his people, restore his creation, and glorify his Father. "Then comes the end," when the God-man Mediator will perform his last mediatorial work. He shall deliver up the kingdom, all the hosts of his elect unto God the Father, saying, "Behold I and the children which God has given me!" And God shall be "all in all" (Hebrews 2:13; 1 Corinthians 15:2428).
No More Tears
Then, we shall see his face, "and God shall wipe away all tears from our eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Re 21:4).
Impossible as it is for us to imagine, there is a time coming when we shall weep no more, when we shall have no cause to weep! Heaven is a place of sure, eternal, ever-increasing bliss; and the cause of that bliss is our God! Heaven is a place of joy without sorrow, laughter without weeping, pleasantness without pain! In Heaven there are no regrets, no remorseful tears, no second thoughts, no lost causes, no sorrows of any kind!
If God did not wipe away all tears from our eyes, there would be much weeping in Heaven. We would surely weep much over our past sins, unconverted loved ones forever lost in Hell, wasted opportunities while we were upon the earth, our many acts of unkindness toward our brethren here, and the terrible price of our redemption! But God will wipe away all tears from our eyesall of them! In heaven's glory there will be no more death to part loving hearts. There will be no more sorrow of any kind. There will be no more crying for any reason. There will be no more pain of any sort. Why? How can these things be?"The former things are passed away!"
Our great God shall, in heaven's glory, remove us from all sin, remove all sin from us, and remove us from all the evil consequences of sin. He will remove us from every cause of grief. He will bring us at last into the perfection of complete salvation and every desire of our hearts will be completely gratified. Then, we will be like Christ. We will be with Christ. We will see Christ. We will love Christ perfectly. We will serve Christ unceasingly. We will worship Christ without sin. We will rest in Christ completely. We will enjoy Christ fully. We will have Christ entirely. These things shall be our everlasting experience, without interruption!
Face to Face
We are told in Revelation 22:4, "And they shall see his face." What a blessed, glorious prospect this is! This is the great object of our hope, the great desire of our hearts, the great joy of Heaven, and the great fullness of our heavenly reward. The very Christ who died in our place at Calvary, fully satisfying the wrath and justice of God for us, will be seen by us.
We shall literally see his face. It is delightfully true that we shall see and enjoy many things in Heaven. But that which is now desired, and will then be enjoyed above all else is the sight of Christ himself. It seems to me that our text also implies a spiritual sight of Christ, which is far sweeter. In the next world we shall have a greater ability to see Christ than we now possess. We shall see him perfectly and know him fully. And our vision of him will be uninterrupted. The paradise of God is a Heaven of pure, intense, eternal, perfect, spiritual fellowship with Christ.
In that future estate of glory and bliss we shall have a clear, undimmed vision of Christ, because everything that now hinders our sight of him will be removed. Our many sins, our earthly cares, and our sorrows in this world now prevent us from seeing our Lord as we desire. But then there will be nothing between us and our Savior. In glory there will be nothing in our hearts to rival Christ. We will love him as he ought to be loved, perfectly. Christ will not only be supreme, he will be all.
Why do we consider this vision of Christ the greatest bliss of Heaven? Why do we place such importance upon this one aspect of our heavenly inheritance? The reason is just this: When we see the Lord's face our salvation will be complete. Every evil thing will be completely eradicated from us. When we see his face we shall be forever conscious of his favor. And when these eyes see his face a complete transformation will take place."We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is." We shall see things as he sees them. We shall think as he thinks. Our will will be one with his will. Our hearts will be one with his heart. Then, when we see his face, we shall be perfectly satisfied.
How sweet, then, is this promise of our Savior, "Surely, I come quickly!" How earnestly our souls ought to pray, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus."