Loving the Brethren (1 Peter 1:22 – 2:3)

God commands Christian to always love one another out of a pure heart. He said it in the Old Testament. Jesus repeated it in the New Testament. It’s important. Most of us probably don’t do it well.

This past Sunday School, I discussed the first bit of Peter’s command from 1 Peter 1:22 – 2:3. It’s an important topic. So much more can be said. It’ll probably take me three lessons to get through this material.

The PDF notes are available here. As always, the entire 1 & 2 Peter teaching series is available here. Unless I note otherwise, assume the English translation in my notes (and in the Scripture graphics, below) is mine.

1 pet 2(22-25)

Preaching the Book of Esther

A while back, I preached through the Book of Esther. I learned a lot. It was fun. I don’t think Esther is a role model for any Christian woman. With that teaser in place, I’ll have you know I’ve uploaded the audio and PDF notes here, if you wish to listen. I’m outta here. Ciao.

 

The Way of Salvation

big-beautiful-stack-of-books-231x300This continues my long-suffering series on the 1833 New Hampshire Confession of Faith. See the rest of the series here.

I’ve switched from a straight exposition to a question and answer format.  This is an important project to me, because it is effectively my own summary of what the Bible teaches – my own systematic theology. Because this article is extraordinarily long, I’ve included a PDF version here.

Article 4 – The Way of Salvation:

We believe that the salvation of sinners is wholly of grace,[1] through the mediatorial offices of the Son of God;[2] who by the appointment of the Father, freely took upon him our nature, yet without sin;[3] honored the divine law by his personal obedience,[4] and by his death made a full atonement for our sins;[5] that having risen from the dead, he is now enthroned in heaven;[6] and uniting in his wonderful person the tenderest sympathies with divine perfections, he is every way qualified to be a suitable, a compassionate, and an all-sufficient Saviour.[7]

Questions & Answers:

  1. What does it mean that salvation is “wholly of grace?”

It means salvation is completely unearned. If you’re a Christian, God decided to save you because He wanted to – not because of anything you did. There is nothing you can do to earn merit or favor with God.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “I do not nullify the grace of God; for if justification were through the law, then Christ died to no purpose,” (Galatians 2:21). He means that, if it were possible to become righteous and justified by keeping the Mosaic Law, then Christ died for no reason at all. If it were possible to do things to gain merit and favor with God, and be rewarded with salvation, then why did Jesus even need to come here? Of course, the Bible tells us it isn’t possible to keep God’s law perfectly and be righteous through it, so therefore Christ did have to come (see also Galatians 3:1-14).

So, there is nothing you can do to become righteous and gain points with God. The miracle of salvation is that, knowing all this, the Lord decided to save some people anyway. This is why it is “wholly of grace;” because we can never earn this favor.

As the Apostle Paul wrote, “For by grace you have been saved through faith; and this is not your own doing, it is the gift of God – not because of works, lest any man should boast,” (Ephesians 2:8).

Salvation is entirely, completely and “wholly of grace.”

  1. What is a mediator? How was Christ our Mediator?

A mediator is somebody who stands between two parties and resolves a conflict. Everybody is born into this world belonging to Satan. We are born as “children of wrath,” (Ephesians 2:3). We are spiritually dead through our trespasses and sins, which include both what we think and what we do. We naturally “follow the course of this world,” energized and influenced by Satan, “the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience,” (Ephesians 2:2).

That is one side of the conflict.

On the other side, you have God Himself. He created the world, sustains the world, gives you life, gives you a job, family, money, and all the blessings you have. Some people have more than others, to be sure – but everything anybody has is from God. He gives us life, and rules and reigns over all creation. In return, we should worship and adore Him, and obey His commands. After all, we’re under His jurisdiction and authority. And, because of all He’s done for us, we should love Him and want to serve Him.

But, we don’t.

That is where Jesus Christ comes in. He is our mediator. He stands in the gap and resolves this conflict between you and God. Salvation is wholly of grace, and God accomplishes it “through the mediatorial offices of the Son.” He sent Jesus to accomplish His people’s salvation. That is why there is no other mediator between God and man, except the man Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 2:5)!

  1. When was Christ appointed by the Father to be our mediator?

God appointed Christ to be the mediator for His children before the world even began. The Apostle Peter wrote:

He was destined before the foundation of the world but was made manifest at the end of the times for your sake. Through him you have confidence in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God (1 Peter 1:20).

Jesus was always a part of God’s plan, and He appointed His eternal Son to this role before time itself even existed. All the Scriptures point to Jesus and His perfect life, substitutionary death, and miraculous resurrection from the dead for all the people the Father has given to Him.

Read what Jesus Himself said, after His resurrection, to two discouraged disciples:

And he said to them, ‘O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?’ And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself (Luke 24:25-27).

Later that same evening, Jesus continued to explain:

Then he said to them, ‘These are my words which I spoke to you, while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures, and said to them, ‘Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city, until you are clothed with power from on high,’ (Luke 24:44-49).

The whole Bible points to Jesus, and you need to realize the Father appointed Him to this job before the beginning of time. The Apostle Paul tells us this, when he writes,

Do not be ashamed then of testifying to our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel in the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not in virtue of our works but in virtue of his own purpose and the grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus ages ago (2 Timothy 1:8-9).

The last bit of the quotation means “before time.” If you’re a Christian, Christ was appointed to be your mediator before the world began.

  1. Did Jesus grudgingly or reluctantly take on our nature?

Jesus took on a human nature “freely.” He did it willingly, eagerly, voluntarily. He wasn’t forced to do it, coerced to do it, guilted into it, or shamed into it. We all remember times when we “have” to do something, and we drag our feet and go along out of obligation – but we really don’t want to have anything to do with it! I feel that way every time I go with my wife to the mall, and take her to her favorite stores. I patiently follow her around, smile and tell her, “Don’t worry, take your time! I don’t mind!” Of course, I’m really not having fun.

This wasn’t Jesus’ attitude. He freely took upon our human nature. He counted Himself to be less than those He came to save. He humbled Himself, and made Himself nothing. He emptied Himself, stripped Himself of all the external trappings of divinity – like a king who hangs his royal robes in the closet and deliberately cloaks Himself in the clothes of a commoner, and suffers all the inconveniences and indignities that come with that lowly status (see Philippians 2).

Jesus did this because He was obedient to the Father’s will, and because He loves His brethren. Did you know that, if you’re a Christian, Jesus Himself – the spotless, co-equal and co-eternal Son of God – is proud to call you a brother or sister in God’s family!? Read what the writer of the Book of Hebrews has to say,

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage (Hebrews 2:14).

Jesus took on our nature freely, willingly, voluntarily and eagerly. He did it so that, though death, He would destroy the curses of sin and death, and break Satan’s power over His brethren.

  1. What does it mean that Jesus “took upon him our nature, yet without sin?”

It means two things.

First, it means Jesus added a human nature to His divine nature.

Jesus didn’t originally have a human nature. He only had a divine nature. But, at a particular point in time, Jesus added a completely human nature to His divine nature. This doesn’t mean Jesus had multiple personalities, or that He was half man, half God. It means that, since His incarnation, He’s been 100% man and 100% God at the very same time.

Christians in the fifth century had to deal with all sorts of heretical and blasphemous ideas about how Christ could be both divine and human. They took all the work that had bene done by so many other Christians down through the years, gathered all the evidence about what the Bible teaches about Jesus and, like good detectives, they summarized this evidence into a statement that has endured for centuries – because it’s so clear and so accurate. They wrote that Jesus should:

. . . be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one Subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and only begotten, God the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ: as the prophets from the beginning [have declared] concerning him, and the Lord Jesus Christ himself has taught us, and the Creed of the holy Fathers has handed down to us.[8]

So, Jesus never had a human nature until He left the Father’s side in heaven and was conceived by a miracle of the Holy Spirit in Mary’s womb. There is one very special passage in the Bible that makes this all very clear. It’s so important that I’ll quote it here, for you to read:

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any incentive of love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfishness or conceit, but in humility count others better than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross.

Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father,” (Philippians 2:1-11).

This passage tells us many things. I’ll number them and briefly explain each one:

  1. The ultimate example of humility is Jesus Christ, who didn’t stay in heaven and plead that He is too righteous, holy and pure to bother Himself with miserable sinners like us. He could have done, you know. But, He chose not to. He was humble for our sake, when He didn’t have to be.
  2. Jesus was “in the form of God.” This means He had the same outward pomp, glory, honor and divine majesty that Yahweh Himself has. Nobody shares God’s glory – except Jesus. To look upon Him is the same as looking upon God Himself.
  3. Yet, despite all this, Jesus didn’t consider this equality something to be grasped, held onto for dear life, or clung to stubbornly. He didn’t plead His form, likeness or majesty as an excuse to stay put. No – He came anyway. He has always existed in the form of God, and yet He laid aside all the trappings, insignia, royal robes and clothing of divine majesty. He didn’t consider it something to be held onto.
  4. Instead, He emptied Himself. He made Himself nothing. He went from the very form of God, to nothing. He didn’t stop being God. He just stopped claiming divine privilege. He put His royal insignia in the closet, shut the door, put on workers clothes and left the heavenly throne room for a while – for our sake.
  5. He did this by taking on the form of a slave, by being born in the likeness and form of man, and by being confirmed to be just like men. He made Himself like us.

This is why we worship Jesus and adore Him – because of what He did for us. It’s important you know the truth about Jesus. He is the co-equal and co-eternal Son of God. He is equal with God. He has always existed with God, in the same form as Him. And yet, He voluntarily and freely took upon Himself a human nature just like ours – except without sin. This leads to the next important point:

Second, Jesus made Himself a perfect person like Adam, not a sinful person like you.

Some people think Jesus made Himself exactly like us. That isn’t true – otherwise He would have had a sinful nature and been born as a child of wrath, belonging to Satan! So, why does this confession say Jesus took on a human nature, but was without sin?

To understand this, you have to ask, “well, what is sin, exactly?” Sin is more than just something you do:

  • It’s also something you think. After all, we think bad things, even if we never do those things. Jesus said we’ve committed adultery if we even think about lusting after somebody else. Jesus’ point was that you’re still a sinner even if you don’t actually do anything – your own thoughts and your own heart condemn you.
  • Sin is also a status, a state of being we’re saved from. We were enslaved to sin, but now we’re alive in Christ.

This idea of sin as a status is the reason why you think evil things, and sometimes do them. So, when the Bible talks about how Jesus “knew no sin,” it means all three of these definitions:

  • Jesus never committed a sinful act
  • He never thought a sinful thought
  • He was never in the state or status of “a sinner”

Where does the Bible teach that Jesus wasn’t born as a sinner? Read on:

And Mary said to the angel, ‘How shall this be, since I have no husband?’ And the angel said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God,’ (Luke 1:34-35).

Pay attention to what the angel tells Mary. She asks how she can conceive a child, because she isn’t married! The angel answers:

  • This won’t be a normal conception, so her lack of a husband is irrelevant. How is that!?
  • The Holy Spirit will come upon her, and the power of God will overshadow her. This is how the conception will happen – it will be a miracle
  • Therefore, as a result of this miraculous conception, the child will be called holy. To be more specific, He will be the Son of God.

Here is the point:

  • Nobody is born holy. We’re born as sinners. There is nothing we can do to perfectly obey God’s law. It actually isn’t possible for anybody born infected with sin to perfectly obey God. This is why, when Jesus added a human nature to His divine nature, He couldn’t add a sinful human nature – He added a pure and holy one, instead.
  • When sinful men and women get together, they produce sinful children.
  • This is why Jesus was conceived miraculously – so He wouldn’t be a sinner. This is why (“therefore”) the child will be called “holy,” because He is holy, because He wasn’t conceived by sinful parents. He was conceived by a miracle of the Holy Spirit.

Here is another verse:

For it was fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, blameless, unstained, separated from sinners, exalted above the heavens (Hebrews 7:26).

In light what of the angel said to Mary, and because we know sin is more than an action, we can interpret this verse. It means Jesus is separate from us, somehow different than us. How? He lived a perfect life as a man. He is holy, blameless, and separate from us, in a class all by Himself. He isn’t holy because He didn’t sin. He didn’t sin because He is holy!

He “knew no sin,” (1 Peter 1:22), and “in Him is no sin,” (1 John 3:5). Jesus is righteous, and we aren’t (1 Peter 3:18). He couldn’t be righteous if He had a sinful nature. Then, He’d be just like us. We’re not “sinful people.” We’re “sinners,” (Romans 5:8) and this means a status or a state of being. In just the same way that we’re more than people from America (we’re actually Americans!), we’re more than just people who commit sin – we’re sinners.

It’s important to know that Jesus didn’t come as a person with a sinful nature. He came as the second Adam. This is the way Paul talked about it in Romans 5. The first Adam ruined everything and imposed the curse of death on everybody. But, through Jesus Christ (the second Adam), we can be set free from that. This is what Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness was all about; proving He succeeded where the first Adam failed.

Think of Jesus as a “ringer,” who deliberately came out of left field and was conceived by a miracle of the Holy Spirit specifically so He could defeat Satan and live a perfect life for us, in our place, as our substitute.

  1. How did Jesus honor God’s divine law by His personal obedience?

He did it by perfectly obeying God’s law in your place, as your substitute and representative. Remember the temptation in the wilderness (Luke 4:1-12). Jesus faced continuous trials and genuine opportunities to sin against God. He stayed holy and righteous. He rebuked Satan. This, in a nutshell, is what Jesus (as a man) did His entire life. He obeyed God’s law absolutely, perfectly and completely. He did it for you, as your representative and your substitute.

Jesus was conceived by a miracle of the Holy Spirit so that He would not inherit the sin nature the rest of us are cursed with (cf. Luke 1:35). He challenged the apostate Jewish leaders to prove He had violated the law (Jn 8:46). He declared that Satan had no power over Him (Jn 14:30), which is only possible if He was not subject to the curse of the Fall. The Apostle Paul declared that Jesus “knew no sin,” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Peter proclaimed, “He committed no sin,” (1 Peter 2:21). Jesus is the sacrificial lamb without spot or blemish (Hebrews 9:14; 1 Peter 1:20); that is, He is morally pure and undefiled.

The Apostle Paul explains:

Therefore, [there is] now no punishment to those in union with Christ Jesus, because the law of the life-giving Spirit, in union with Christ Jesus, has liberated you from the law of sin and death. For [God did what] the law could not ever do, because it was weakened by the flesh. God sent His own Son as like a sinful man and, regarding sin, He imposed judgment against the sin while He was in the flesh, so that the requirement of the law would be fulfilled among us who are not living according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit, (Romans 8:1-4; my own translation).

God sent Jesus to do what the Mosaic Law could never do. He sent Jesus to impose judgment against sin while He was incarnate here on earth. He did this so that the righteous requirement of the law would be fulfilled among those who live according to the Spirit. This speaks of our obligation to live by the Spirit if we’ve been set free from the law of sin and death. It also speaks about what Christ did; He fulfilled the perfect, holy and righteous requirement of the law for us, in our place, as our substitute.

  1. What is atonement?

Sin is rebellion against God’s law, by what you think about and do. This encompasses a whole lot of things, but the most basic idea of sin is about rebellion; the desire to make and live by your own rules, and not God’s. Theologians call this autonomy. God made us, and gets to be in charge of us. He sets the rules. We’re born as “sinners.” Which means we don’t want to live by God’s rules or be under His jurisdiction and authority. So, we break His law. This makes us criminals.

Criminals are law-breakers. Criminals have to pay for their crimes. If somebody commits a crime, your community has a law that specifies an appropriate punishment. The bigger the crime, the bigger and more appropriate the punishment.

This punishment does two related, but distinct things:

  1. It pays for the crime you committed. It, as it were, “squares things” between you and society. You’ve probably heard the phrase, “he paid his debt to society.” This means the criminal paid for his crime, did his time, and now he’s been set free. The slate is clean. He isn’t a prisoner any more. In a sense, it means justice has been done.
  2. It appeases the injured and offender party. If you beat somebody with a club and steal his money, that person has a legitimate “bone to pick” with you. He has a moral right to demand you be punished. Once you serve your time, his grievance has been resolved. Of course, the greater the crime, the greater the offense, and the greater the grievance. The sentence has to match the crime. If you murder somebody, the victim’s family won’t be happy if you’re sentenced to three weeks of “community service.” That isn’t right, and they’d be correct to still have a grievance!

These simple examples from everyday life in our American criminal justice system help us understand what “atonement” is:

  • If you’re a human being alive today, you’re a sinner.
  • If you’re a sinner, then you’re a criminal who has broken God’s law.
  • If you’ve broken God’s law, then you deserve to pay the appropriate punishment – you deserve a sentence proportional to your crimes

Why is that? Well, for the two reasons I just mentioned! Only, this time, remember that God Almighty is the injured party. He’s the One with the grievance. He’s the One with the “bone to pick” with you:

  1. You must pay for the crimes you’ve committed, or else things will never be “squared” between you, and
  2. God is angry with you, and your proper sentence is the only thing which will appease His wrath because of your crimes.

The Bible teaches that punishment, when Jesus Christ returns, He will be:

revealed from heaven with his mighty angels in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance upon those who do not know God and upon those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. They shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might, when he comes on that day to be glorified in his saints, and to be marveled at in all who have believed, because our testimony to you was believed (2 Thessalonians 1:7-10).

Destruction will be eternal and everlasting, and it will be done “in flaming fire.” The punishment will be eternal, sinners will be conscious of it, and it will never end. This is how serious sin against our God is.

When the confession reads that Jesus “made a full atonement for our sins,” it means the Bible teaches that Jesus accomplished atonement for all His children.

  1. How did Jesus’ death make a full atonement for our sins?

Atonement is presented in the Book of Leviticus as an object lesson for what Christ did. This is how the object lesson worked (this procedure is from Leviticus 4):

  1. A covenant believer (i.e. an Israelite, or a Gentile who has come to faith in God) sins.
  2. The believer must repent, which means to honestly confess and decide to forsake his sin.
  3. The believer must bring an offering from his flock or herd, one that was spotless and without blemish. This represented Christ’s moral purity and perfection.
  4. The believer must bring the offering to the temple. The believer must lay his head on the animal’s head, signifying a symbolic transfer of guilt from himself to the animal.
  5. Then, the offeror must kill the animal himself. This means he has to cut the animal’s throat himself, and watch the life-blood drain out of the dying animal. The blood of the animal represents life, and the parallel is that the animal’s life was given in place of the believer’s. He has sinned, and instead of taking his life, God will accept the life of a spotless animal in exchange. But, the animal must die. The object lesson is about substitution; its life for yours – all because of your sin.
  6. The Levite priest then takes the animal’s blood, and sprinkles it onto the altar, and onto the horns of the altar. This means the sacrifice has been formally presented to God.

Jesus fulfilled this grand object lesson. The Book of Hebrews tells us all about it; “Thus it was necessary for the copies of the heavenly things to be purified with these rites, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these,” (Hebrews 9:23). Here is how He fulfilled it:

  1. Jesus bore our sins and carried our sorrows (Isaiah 53:4-6); our sins were, as it were, transferred to Him. All our iniquity was laid upon His shoulders.
  2. Jesus allowed Himself to be taken and sacrificed. His blood was shed in place of our own; His life for ours. He died for us, in our place, as our substitute.
  3. When Jesus rose from the dead and returned to the Father’s side in heaven, He presented His own blood to God, who accepted it, “thus securing an eternal redemption,” (Hebrews 9:12).

The Bible teaches that, by His single and perfect sacrifice, Jesus fulfilled the object lessons from the Levitical law and secured an eternal, full and perfect atonement for all His children. “[H]e has appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself,” (Hebrews 9:26).

  1. Why does it matter that Jesus rose from the dead?

This is a very important question, and many Christian don’t think much about it. Christians often focus only on the Cross as the central act of Jesus’ work. But, the apostles often focus on the resurrection. Peter, especially, does this often (Acts 2:24-46; 3:15; 4:10; 4:19-20; 5:29-32; 10:39-41). For example, in 1 Peter 1:3-5, the Apostle wrote that God:

has caused us to be born again in order to have a living hope, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, in order to obtain an inheritance which is imperishable and undefiled and will not fade away, which has been reserved in heaven for you, who are being protected by the power of God through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed at the last time.

You were born again for two purposes; (1) to have a living hope, and (2) to obtain an eternal inheritance. Peter is saying the resurrection is one way how God achieves our new birth in Christ. This is a bold statement; your living hope of eternity with God is achieved through more than the Cross – it’s also achieved through the resurrection!

Why? What does the resurrection have to do with the new birth? If Jesus was already perfect for us (and He was), and if He already let Himself be punished and die for our sins (and He did), then why does the resurrection matter?

There are four basic reasons why it matters that Jesus Christ rose from the dead:

  1. Death doesn’t apply to Jesus, because of who He is – therefore death won’t apply to His children, either. If you’re a Christian, that means you.
  2. Jesus was resurrected as the “firstfruits” because the curse of death has no hold on Him – therefore you will be resurrected to be with the Lord forever, too.
  3. Jesus must return to rule, reign, defeat all enemies, and set everything right that has gone so horribly wrong – therefore, because He has risen from the dead, you know how this will all end!
  4. Jesus lives forever to make intercession for His children in the Father’s presence in heaven (Heb 7:23-28)

Perhaps the best way is to explain this is to point you to a passage of Scripture. You should read 1 Corinthians 15, and follow along as I make a few points. I could say much more, but I’ll say enough for you to get the point:

  1. The Christian faith is useless without Christ’s resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:13-14; 30-34).
  2. Your sins are not forgiven if Christ hasn’t been raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:17-19).
  3. Christ’s resurrection is the “first-fruits” of all who have died (1 Corinthians 15:20-23). If Christ wasn’t raised, you have no future after death. But, He did, and therefore so do you, too!
  4. Christ must reign over everything and defeat all enemies, including the curse of death (1 Corinthians 15:24-26). If Christ isn’t raised, He won’t reign, He won’t defeat any enemies, and He will have been conquered by the curse of death.
  5. Then, Jesus must “hand over” all creation to the Father, in a sort of “mission accomplished” moment (1 Corinthians 15:28). If Christ isn’t raised, He isn’t going to hand over all creation to God – because He’s dead.
  6. Your physical (i.e. sinful) body must be replaced by a spiritual (i.e. holy) body – because flesh and blood (i.e. our sinful, corrupted physical bodies) cannot inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 15:42-58; esp. vv.54-57). Our cleansed and righteous souls must be joined to cleansed and righteous bodies to be with the Lord in the new creation forever.

This is why Jesus’ resurrection matters.

  1. What does it mean to say Jesus is “enthroned in heaven?”

It means Jesus rules over the entire world, all the people in it, and even over the very forces of darkness (Colossians 1:15-20; Hebrews 1-2). He is the King, and He is in charge. Of course, this isn’t the full story. People don’t obey Jesus’ rule. They don’t care about His authority. They don’t respect His jurisdiction over their lives.

During His ministry here on earth, during the incarnation, Jesus told a parable to explain how He’d brought the Kingdom of God to the Israelites – it was right there, available, ready to be instituted! Read what He said:

But if it is by the finger of God that I cast out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you. When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own palace, his goods are in peace; but when one stronger than he assails him and overcomes him, he takes away his armor in which he trusted, and divides his spoil. He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters (Luke 11:20-23).

Jesus used a figurative illustration to make a simple point:

  1. Satan is a strong man, who guards his palace and his goods (i.e. sinners, who are his slaves)
  2. But, Jesus is the stronger man. He’s assailed Satan and overpowered him. He’s bound Satan and chained him up; Jesus proved that by the easy way He conducted exorcisms and rebuked and commanded demons!

What should these Jewish leaders have concluded, then? Follow the logic:

  1. This man, Jesus, casts demons out of people and has power over these fallen angels;
  2. The only one more powerful than fallen angels is God;
  3. So, this man, Jesus, must be the promised Messiah who has brought the Kingdom of God to the world, through the Israelites!

So, as I said, Jesus is in charge, but the world doesn’t recognize His rule. That will change when He returns to take His throne here on earth, and impose holiness and righteousness on the whole earth (cf. Psalm 2; 110) – both this one, and the one to come. Revelation 19-22 tell us all about those events, but we’ll save that for later.

  1. Why is Jesus a perfect, holy and yet understanding Savior?

Jesus is an understanding, compassionate Savior because He took on a human nature, lived life in this wicked world, and understands first-hand the trials and tribulations of real life. But, unlike you, He defeated Satan and never sinned at all, in word, deed or thought.

The Book of Hebrews tells us all about this. The writer mentioned that God put everything in subjection to Jesus, even though things don’t seem that way now.

Now in putting everything in subjection to him, he left nothing outside his control. As it is, we do not yet see everything in subjection to him. But we see Jesus, who for a little while was made lower than the angels, crowned with glory and honor because of the suffering of death, so that by the grace of God he might taste death for every one.

For it was fitting that he, for whom and by whom all things exist, in bringing many sons to glory, should make the pioneer of their salvation perfect through suffering. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified have all one origin. That is why he is not ashamed to call them brethren (Hebrews 2:8-11)

He went on:

Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong bondage. For surely it is not with angels that he is concerned but with the descendants of Abraham.

Therefore he had to be made like his brethren in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make expiation for the sins of the people. For because he himself has suffered and been tempted, he is able to help those who are tempted (Hebrews 2:14-18).

What does all this mean? It means Jesus came here as a flesh and blood man so that he’d be able to be a merciful, compassionate, faithful High Priest before God on your behalf.

What is a priest and why should you care? Why does the writer mention it? A priest is somebody who represents somebody to God on their behalf, who stands in the gap between you and God. This is why Jesus is called:

  • An advocate (1 John 2:1)
  • A mediator (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 8:6; 9:15; 12:24)
  • An intercessor (Romans 8:34; Hebrews 7:25)

The reason why the Israelite priesthood isn’t around anymore, and why the institution didn’t carry over into the New Covenant, is because Jesus is our faithful High Priest who perfectly represents all believers before God. Jesus fulfilled the “shadows” (cf. Hebrews 10:1) the sacrificial system pointed to.

So, why does the Book to the Hebrews tell us Christ is a merciful and compassionate High Priest?

  1. Because He knows first-hand how powerful Satan is
  2. Because He knows what it’s like to be poor
  3. Because He knows what it’s like to be tired and exhausted
  4. Because He knows what’s like to know what God wants you to do, and at the same time to be too exhausted and frightened to go forward without divine help
  5. Because He knows what it’s like to rely completely and totally on the Lord
  6. Because He knows what it’s like to feel alone and abandoned by friends
  7. Because He knows what it’s like to be persecuted by the authorities

Most of all, though – Christ knows what it’s like to be handicapped by all these difficulties, but He still perfectly overcame them and defeated Satan anyway. Jesus can sympathize, be merciful and show such a depth of compassion to you because He’s been in your shoes!

His compassion is a real one, not an intellectual one. He knows everything you’re going through now, or will ever go through – because He’s been there and defeated your problems firsthand as your representative.

Why does the writer make it a point to say that Christ is a faithful High Priest? Because all the men in the OT, and in the beginning of the NT, who held that office messed it all up in some way (e.g. Eli, Annas, Caiaphas, etc.)! Christ is the perfect advocate, mediator, intercessor and High Priest because He’s perfectly faithful to do what God wants, the way God wants it done (cf. 1 Samuel 2:35)! He’ll never disgrace the office and fall short in representing us before God.

  1. Why is it important to know Jesus is an “all-sufficient Savior?”

Because there is nothing for you to do. You can’t contribute anything to your salvation, your legal standing before God, or your eternal life. If it were possible for somebody to be good, righteous, holy and completely follow God’s law and earn His love, then Christ wouldn’t have had to come (Galatians 2:21). But, it isn’t possible, so Christ did come, and so He is an “all-sufficient” Savior.

Notes:

[1] Eph. 2:5; Matt. 18:11; 1 John 4:10; 1 Cor. 3:5–7; Acts 15:11.

[2] John 3:16; 1:1–14; Heb. 4:14; 12:24.

[3] Phil. 2:6, 7; Heb. 2:9; 2:14; 2 Cor. 5:21.

[4] Isa. 42:21; Phil. 2:8; Gal. 4:4, 5; Rom. 3:21.

[5] Isa. 53:4, 5; Matt. 20:28; Rom. 4:25; 3:21–26; 1 John 4:10; 2:2; 1 Cor. 15:1–3; Heb. 9:13–15.

[6] Heb. 1:8; 1:3; 8:1; Col. 3:1–4.

[7] Heb. 7:25; Col. 2:9; Heb. 2:18; 7:26; Psa. 89:19; 14.

[8] From the Chalcedonian Creed, in The Creeds of Christendom, 3 vols., ed. Philip Schaff (New York: Harper & Brothers, 1890), 2:63.

Don’t be a Fraud

Hypocrisy is a problem. Always has been. Always will be. But, don’t let that make you all warm and fuzzy inside. Don’t bask in the comfortable glow of a shared failure. God hates hypocrisy. God hates a fraud.

  • Are you a fraud?
  • Do you go through the external motions of worship, without sincerity from your heart?
  • Do you think God is pleased with empty externalism?
  • Do you have an actual covenant relationship with God, through repentance and faith in Jesus Christ? Or, is it all a sham? A fraud? A show?

The good news Jesus lived, suffered, died and rose again to bring to you can solve all that, and can give you perfect peace (cf. Romans 5:1ff).

If you’re a Christian who has lost the love for the Lord you once had, read the Scriptures, pray to the Lord, and ask him to help you. Go to your church (you do have one, don’t you?), and let the preached Word of God change your heart. Take comfort in the fellowship of your Christian brothers and sisters. Talk to your Pastor about your struggles. You won’t be bothering him – it’s why he’s there!

Here are some brief thoughts from Proverbs 15:8. My children tried to distract me halfway through the video, but I soldiered on anyway!

Living With Fearful Reverence (1 Peter 1:17-21)

The Apostle Peter has a lot of practical advice for real life. But, he doesn’t issue commands and then stop. He tells you why:

  • Why should a Christian try his best to be holy, because God is holy?
  • Why should you prepare your minds for action, by being sober-minded?
  • Why should you not conform yourself to the wicked lusts you had during your earlier ignorance, before you were a Christian?

We talked a bit about that last week, but here Peter gives us one all-important reason – gratitude. Peter could have answered in so many different ways. He could have emphasized judgment and wrath. He could have stressed God’s holiness. He could have warned about certain punishment. He didn’t, even though all those answers would have been right.

Instead, Peter focuses on loving obedience that flows from your gratitude and thankfulness to God because of what Christ has done. This is at the heart of what it means to “live with fearful reverence.” Listen to today’s Sunday School lesson for more:

The PDF notes are available here. As always, the entire 1 & 2 Peter teaching series is available here. Unless I note otherwise, assume the English translation in my notes (and in the Scripture graphics, below) is mine.

peter

What Does it Mean to Be Holy?

Peter wrote that Christians must be holy, because God is holy. Great. Fantastic. Things like this always sound nifty in the abstract. So, forget abstractions – what on earth does this actually mean? You know, in real life?

We talked about that in Sunday School this past week. Juicy topics included:

  • What areas of our lives should Christians be holy in?
  • Is personal holiness an external thing, an internal thing, or both? What does this say about your motivation for wanting to “be holy?”
  • How do you avoid being legalistic about all this?
  • What is repentance, and what on earth does it have to do with personal holiness?

I’m sure you can’t wait to dive in. I’m here to help. Behold, the audio for this past Sunday’s lesson:

The PDF notes for the entire passage (1 Peter 1:13-16) is here. As always, all notes and audio for the entire series are available here.

Next week, Peter talks about why we should be holy. Yes, God is holy, so we ought to set ourselves apart for His use. But, specifically, why? I’ll paraphrase the learned philosopher Janet Jackson, and ask, “what has God done for you lately?”

Well, swing by church this coming Sunday and, verily, it shall be made manifest to thee.

Forgive and Forget? No!

angry smileyIf a Christian has been personally wronged by another Christian, should he just forgive and forget? It’s a popular idea, fostered by a well-meaning but mushy social climate. This is a simple question, and it’s too bad many people are unable to offer a simple answer.

Ask the question, and you’re likely to see a whole lot of tap-dancing. There’s no need for that. I’ll tell you the answer:

  1. If the offender has been made aware of their offense
  2. and if the offender refuses to repent and ask for forgiveness
  3. the victim should not forgive him

There! I said it . . . uh . . . wrote it! How low can I go? How heartless can I be? Have I no soul left? Don’t I know that God forgives people unconditionally? Actually, He only forgives people if they repent, but anyway . . . behold this short passage (Luke 17:3-4):

Take heed to yourselves; if your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him; and if he sins against you seven times in the day, and turns to you seven times, and says, `I repent,’ you must forgive him.

What is the situation?

One Christian sins against another. Matthew 18:15-19 deals with how a church should handle disputes among brethren. This passage addresses the individual aspect. This is about how you and the other Christian should handle the matter.

This is important, so get this straight in your head up front – when we talk about forgiveness, there is a difference between a believer and an unbeliever. These are completely different categories. How so?

  • An unbeliever will act like an unbeliever. Expect it. Don’t expect repentance for sin, or even an acknowledgment of sin. Won’t happen. You’re not dealing with a child of God, but a child of Satan. Guess what? Unsaved people act like unsaved people. Big surprise, right?
  • Believers are members of the same family, saved by the same Gospel, indwelt by the same Spirit, and baptized by the same Spirit (cf. Ephesians 4). There is a shared understanding of the Gospel, sanctification, and the concepts of sin, repentance, atonement and forgiveness. On that basis, you hold a believer to a much higher standard. You don’t “forgive and forget” a believer’s deliberate sin. You expect and demand repentance, confession and (above all else) restoration between the two injured parties. Nothing less is biblical or right.

If you don’t understand this category distinction, this entire article will seem mean-spirited to you. I was once told that I was being “unloving” for demanding a unrepentant Christian, in deliberate and terrible sin, repent and confess his sins. How did I reply? I said, “When I’m commanding you to repent, confess and make this right, I’m actually doing the most loving thing possible for you.”

The man didn’t agree, but anyway . . . you get the idea (I hope).

What should you do?

If your Christian brother or sister sins against you, you must confront him. If you decide to be childish, sulk in your pew, ignore the other person, and let your bitterness fester – then you’re in deliberate rebellion yourself. The other person may not know he did anything wrong. If you were sinned against, you have a duty to lovingly confront that person in a spirit of meekness.

It’s likely you’ll decide to sulk, instead. Or gossip to other people about it, telling them just how evil that person was to you. Too bad. You’re sinning yourself, at that point. Stop it, and confront the person. You have a duty to.

When should you forgive?

You forgive if your brother repents. There. I wrote it again. Black and white. Simple. Read the words again, if you don’t believe me. Check the Greek, if you’re really interested. I’ll tell you what it means. Get ready . . . Are you ready? Here is what it really means: “and if he repents, you must forgive him.”

Revolutionary. Now you know the truth. So simple. If the guy repents, you have a duty to forgive him. No tap-dancing necessary.

What is repentance?

God doesn’t want external, superficial change. He hates hypocrisy (read Zeph 1:2-6). There has to be an internal change, which produces outward action. That internal change is repentance – what is repentance?

Repentance is when you confess your sin, and forsake it:

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy (Prov 28:13)

In practical terms:

  1. you realize you’ve sinned against God, your Heavenly Father
  2. you’re sorry,
  3. you truly mean it,
  4. and you prove it by stopping your sinful behavior

Repentance is the seed that produces action, that produces progressive holiness, in your life

Are you saying I shouldn’t forgive somebody!?

Yes, I am. Actually, Jesus said it. God never forgives anybody unless they repent. Never did, never will. Don’t you realize that? Look past the Jell-O rhetoric and Christian-ese you’re so used to hearing, and think about it. Does God forgive people if they refuse to repent? No. Neither should you.

But, what about believers? Doesn’t God forgive any Christian for sins they do?

Ah, now you’re getting closer to the heart of the issue. I still won’t start tap-dancing, but now is the time for some nuancing. This is an inter-family issue, now. We’re not talking about outsiders, we’re talking about brothers and sisters inside the family of God. We’re talking about maintenance of inter-family relationships. What does this text tell you:

If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just, and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 Jn 1:9-10)

I’ll tell you what it tells me:

  1. You have to confess your sins. That means you have to acknowledge them, realize they’re sinful, offensive to God, and contrary to His holy law. In other words (gasp), you have to repent.
  2. If you do that, God is faithful and just to forgive you for your sin, and be cleansing you from all unrighteousness.
  3. If you pretend you haven’t sinned, then you’re making God a liar. John wrote this passage against some heretics who believed God freed us so that sin didn’t apply to us anymore – so we could do whatever we wanted. Nonsense, John said. Foolishness. Liar.

Your brother is making God out to be a lair, if you confront him with his sin, and he refuses to acknowledge it and repent.

What does it mean to “not forgive” a fellow Christian?

Now we’re really getting down to brass tacks. I’m so glad you asked. It means you treat them with kindness, respect and grace – but you realize there is a breach of relationship there that must be healed. You don’t pretend it doesn’t exist.

You don’t “forgive and forget.” The Bible knows no such thing. If you disagree, show me where. Point to a passage (not an isolated verse), and explain from the context how it teaches this, and how it fits with the general theme of forgiveness from the entire Bible.

God only forgives people and adopts them into His family because He sent His unique and only Son in the likeness of sinful men to live a sinless and perfect life, and to die in their place, as their substitute. He didn’t forgive and forget.

If your brother can’t be persuaded that he committed sin, take it to your Pastor(s). Eventually, if it cannot be fixed, church discipline may be necessary.

Church discipline! Isn’t that mean?

A lady told me once, “church discipline is a Roman Catholic thing! It’s not a Baptist idea.” How silly. Of course, it’s not entirely her fault. She’s never seen it in action. It sounds mean. Rude. Not Christian. Unloving. In our current culture, we don’t want to be unkind. That would be, like, the eighth deadly sin . . .

Christians are part of God’s family. We’re saved from bondage to Satan, and adopted into God’s household. We’re organized into local congregations; our local families. Sometimes, family members act silly. They do stupid and sinful things. These things need to be dealt with, so things can be healed.

In your biological family, people also do silly things. Eventually, things might get so bad it’s time for a “family meeting,” where everything is laid out on the table, and mom and dad call for a resolution. Enough is enough, they’ll say. Time to settle this, say you’re sorry, and move on.

Exactly. That’s what church discipline is about, in the church family. Settle this. Say you’re sorry. Admit you did wrong. Bury that hatchet (no, not into the other person’s head). The dispute is now over. Depart with the relationship healed and fixed. As long as the issue festers, there will be problems in the family.

What attitude should I have?

You should be living a life worthy of the adoption you’ve been called by God to. Your attitude, demeanor and conduct in your congregation, with the people in your congregation, should be characterized by meekness and lowliness. You must be patient with people, putting up with them because you love them. They’re not perfect, and neither are you. By the way, I just paraphrased Ephesians 4:1-2 . . .

Are you looking for something to be angry about? Yes? Sin.

Are you eager to maintain the spirit of unity in the bond of peace? No? Sin.

Are you willing to be patient with other Christians in your church, just as others are patient with you? No? Sin.

Does this mean you should just sweep everything under the carpet and pretend nothing is ever wrong? Sounds like a great idea, right? Isn’t that the “loving” thing to do? Sure it is. Because, ignoring problems always makes things better, right?

Wrong. Re-read Luke 17:3-4 again.

Family strife is often the hardest. But, as the saying goes, they’re family – so you have to find a way to make it work. Why go to all that effort? ‘Cuz it’s family. It’s the same with your church family.

Doesn’t the passage from Matthew 18:21-22 contradict this?

No; repentance is assumed by both parties in that passage. Jesus had just finished explaining how a congregation should handle sin between two Christians (Mt 18:15-19). If the offender doesn’t repent, after all lesser means are exhausted, then he is removed from the congregation and treated as a functioning unbeliever. This is done to shame him and drive him to repentance (see also 1 Cor 5).

After that, Peter asks how often he should forgive somebody. Repentance is assumed. Either Jesus changed his mind about repentance, or it is assumed. It is an integral part of the Mosaic Law, and the efficacy of the trespass offerings and the burnt offerings depended on it.

How often should I forgive?

An unlimited amount of times. Jesus made that clear. He didn’t mean, literally, “77 times.” He meant, “over, and over, and over, and over again.” He forgives you every day for your sin, doesn’t He? And, He’ll do the same tomorrow.

What about bitterness?

Pray for the person. Pray for the ability to love him, yet not pretend all is well. Pray for the Holy Spirit to heal the relationship. Pray for the Spirit to give a spirit of repentance and godly sorrow to the person.

Sounds easy. It isn’t.

No kidding. This isn’t easy. It’s very hard. The apostles responded to this by asking Jesus to increase their faith (Luke 17:5)! This is very, very hard.

Each situation is different, and each context is different. People are fickle, and we’re all very good at lying to ourselves, at making ourselves think the other guy is the real bad guy. Of course he is. We’re good, they’re bad. If people would just agree with us, things would be so much easier! I understand.

Nobody’s disputing this is hard. It’s easy to write about. Harder to implement.

But, still . . .

The text says what it says, and it means what it means. What are you gonna do about it?

Eager for Corruption

The prophet Zephaniah wrote his little book during King Josiah’s reign in the southern kingdom of Judah (ca. 640 – 609 B.C.). Josiah was a godly man (2 Chr 34:1-5) who implemented a whole host of religious reforms. The rot had spread far in his day. It was so bad, in fact, that a priest stumbled upon the law of Moses in the temple, and brought it forth in wonder – he’d never heard of it before (2 Chr 34:13-21)!

Not good! It makes you wonder what on earth the Israelite priests thought they were doing every day . . .

But, the reform appears to have been superficial and external, in many cases. Zephaniah tells us so. He doesn’t mince words (Zeph 3:1-8):

 Woe to her that is rebellious and defiled,
    the oppressing city!
2 She listens to no voice,
    she accepts no correction.
She does not trust in the Lord,
    she does not draw near to her God.

3 Her officials within her
    are roaring lions;
her judges are evening wolves
    that leave nothing till the morning.
4 Her prophets are wanton,
    faithless men;
her priests profane what is sacred,
    they do violence to the law.
5 The Lord within her is righteous,
    he does no wrong;
every morning he shows forth his justice,
    each dawn he does not fail;
    but the unjust knows no shame.

6 “I have cut off nations;
    their battlements are in ruins;
I have laid waste their streets
    so that none walks in them;
their cities have been made desolate,
    without a man, without an inhabitant.
7 I said, ‘Surely she will fear me,
    she will accept correction;
she will not lose sight
    of all that I have enjoined upon her.’
But all the more they were eager
    to make all their deeds corrupt.

The Jewish leaders are corrupt predators. Her judges, who ought to be upholding justice and righteousness (founded on God’s word), and instead “evening wolves.” Her priests are apostates who don’t know the Lord.

Nevertheless, God is still there, showing forth His justice. Yet, “the unjust knows no shame.” He has shown His favor to Israel. He has destroyed pagan nations, and utterly annihilated enemies. Surely, Israel will reverence, respect and obey Him! Right?

Wrong. Instead, the prophet concludes with this:

But all the more they were eager
    to make all their deeds corrupt.
How sad. And yet, in the rest of this chapter, Zephaniah explains how God intends to rescue and redeem His people from themselves. He will purge the hypocrites and idolaters from their midst, and create a pure people for His name from among the Israelites (Zeph 3:11):
On that day you shall not be put to shame
    because of the deeds by which you have rebelled against me;
for then I will remove from your midst
    your proudly exultant ones,
and you shall no longer be haughty
    in my holy mountain.
This is real mercy and grace. People deserve destruction and annihilation for their sins. God withholds it, just because He can. People don’t deserve favor and kindness from God, and cannot ever earn it. God extends it anyway, just because He wants to. This is the same mercy, grace, love and kindness every Christian has in union with Jesus Christ.
Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God (Rom 5:1-2).
You can have this peace, too. Read about the Good News of Jesus Christ here.

Prepare Your Minds for Action!

If you’re a Christian, are you serious about your faith and your great God and Savior, Jesus Christ?

  • Do you try to begin each day (after a few cups of coffee!) by dedicating yourself to serve the Lord?
  • Have you prepared your mind for action?
  • Are you sober-minded about the realities of real Christian life, in the real world? We all know how to “pretend” when we gather to worship on Sundays – what about the other six and a half days?
  • What is your hope completely set on? Is it money? Career? Education? Your own self-righteousness? Your reputation? Your spouse? Sex? The Apostle Peter said your hope ought to be fully set on the grace that will be brought to you when Christ returns.

Of course, nobody is perfect. We all lose focus. We each have good days, and bad days. I understand. So does the Apostle Peter. So does the Lord. This is why the Apostle Paul characterized the Christian life as a race, an endurance event (cf. 1 Cor 9:24-27). It isn’t a sprint. It’s a marathon – a long marathon. If you’re a Christian, you’ve already been given every single need you need for life and godliness (see especially 2 Pet 1:3-15). You have it. All of it. You’re not lacking anything. We just need to be reminded sometimes where our focus should be.

That’s what the Apostle Peter does, beginning in 1 Peter 1:13. This is where he takes all the wonderful things God has done for His children, and tells us all what that should mean for our lives:

“Therefore,” he writes, “in light of all this, you must prepare your minds for action! Ne serious! Be sober-minded! Put your hope completely in the grace and deliverance Christ will bring you when He returns. Keep your eye on the prize!”

Well, what does it look like to be “sober-minded?” How do we “prepare our minds for action?” What does this actually look like? Peter tells us all about that in the following verses . . . next week!

For this week, listen and follow along as Peter tells us how to become sober-minded, how to prepare our minds for action. I pray that the Apostle’s words comfort and encourage you:

PDF notes

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