A Modern-Day Holy Week Parable

 In Romans 4:25 Paul summarizes what we will celebrate from today (Maundy Thursday) through Sunday (Easter): “He [Jesus] was handed over to die because of our sins, and he was raised to life to make us right with God.” Here is a parable to give clarity to what Jesus has done for us and how we should respond to it. 

Imagine that you are one hundred thousand dollars in debt through your own irresponsible decisions. Creditors are now coming after you so much that you are convinced you will not survive it.  

Then out of the blue the investor, business tycoon, philanthropist, and the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, Warren Buffett, calls you up to say, “Hey, I have heard about your tough situation and I would like to give you a gift of one hundred million dollars. That will not only wipe out your debt, it also will assure that you have sufficient resources for all you need the rest of your life. Will you accept this gift? I will transfer the funds to your bank account.”

Let’s say that you have learned that Buffett is a man of his word and he can afford such a gift. Two questions arise. First, will you turn from trying to make your predicament right yourself and turn to Warren Buffett, trusting him to wipe out your debt and to supply you with wealth for the rest of your life? In other words, will you accept the gift? Most likely, the answer would be, “Yes.”  Second, with what kind of attitude would you respond to this offer? For many the answer is with great gratitude but also a heightened sense of grief over your irresponsible decisions that made his actions necessary and with a resolve to be faithful into the future with such a gift.

No parable is perfect, but this one does help illustrate what Jesus Christ has done for sinners like you and me and so it gives us a picture of what we remember during Holy Week.

We all are in debt to God as those who have rebelled against him, lived as if he is not there, and this debt is beyond what we can pay. What we owe God is to face the eternal punishment for our transgressions against an eternal God. Jesus took the penalty for sinners upon himself and paid it in full through his death upon the cross.

At the same time, we not only face that debt, we face the need for a perfectly righteous and holy life so that we can be in God’s presence and his heaven forever. Jesus also met this requirement for sinners by living a perfect life, always doing the will of the Father.

And what is more, when Jesus was raised from the dead he not only proved his death was a saving death and not just that of a criminal, he conquered sin and death and this results in the  spiritual resurrection of sinners now to a new way of living. His resurrection also results in the future physical resurrection of those same persons to an eternal life with no pain, suffering, illness or death, i.e. to ever-increasing joy in his presence.

The main question that is posed to us as a result of the work Jesus accomplished that first Holy week is this: Will you turn from trying to save yourself and with grief over your sin and a desire to follow Jesus in love and gratitude, will you trust him alone so you can be forgiven of your sins by God with the result that you will want to follow Jesus? In other words, will you, by faith, receive this free gift of salvation? When someone does this, God credits them with the perfect righteousness (his life and death) of Jesus Christ.

“This is the work of God, that you believe in him [Jesus] whom he [God the Father] sent.” “And this is his commandment, that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he commanded us.” (John 6:29; 1 John 3:23)

Joyfully Trusting In The Savior, 

Tom

Faith In Jesus Christ (The New City Catechism #30)

“What is faith in Jesus Christ?” Since trusting in Jesus Christ alone for salvation is the only way to eternal life (John 3:36; 14:6; Acts 4:12; 16:31), there is no more important question than this asked by The New City Catechism (#30).   

One of the catechisms that The New City Catechism was derived from, The Westminster Shorter Catechism (#86), asks the same question and answers this way: “Faith in Jesus Christ is a saving grace, whereby we receive and rest upon him alone for salvation, as he is offered to us in the gospel.” Here are some biblical passages to support that answer: John 1:12; 6:35; Galatians 2:15-16, 20; Philippians 3:9; Hebrews 10:39.

Here is the answer given in The New City Catechism: “Faith in Jesus Christ is acknowledging the truth of everything that God has revealed in his Word, trusting in him, and also receiving and resting on him alone for salvation as he is offered to us in the gospel.” 

One of the most capable theologians that America has ever produced, the 18^th century New England pastor, Jonathan Edwards, explained saving faith this way:

Upon the whole, the best, and clearest, and most perfect definition of justifying faith, [the most scriptural one] that I can think of, is this, faith is the soul’s [fully] embracing the revelation of Jesus Christ as our Savior. The word “embrace” is [one of the clearest ones we could use]. [I]t is called believing, because believing is the first act of the soul in embracing a [message] or revelation: and embracing, when [talking] about a revelation or thing declared. [It] is more properly called believing, than loving or choosing. If it were [talking] about a person only, it would be more properly called loving. If it were [talking] about a gift, an inheritance, or reward, it would more properly be called receiving or accepting.

 

The definition might have been expressed in these words: faith is the soul’s entirely adhering [to] and [complying with] the revelation of Jesus Christ as our Savior—Or thus: faith is the soul’s embracing that truth of God, that reveals Jesus Christ as our Savior—Or thus: faith is the soul’s entirely [complying with], and depending upon, the truth of God, revealing Christ as our Savior.

 

It is the whole soul [trusting in] and assenting to the truth, and embracing of it. There is an entire yielding of the mind and heart to the revelation, and a closing with it, and adhering to it, with the belief, and with the inclination and affection.[1]

Praising God For The Gift Of Saving Faith With You,

Tom

 

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[1] From The New City Catechism Devotional.

How We Can Be Saved (The New City Catechism #29)

The New City Catechism #29 is this: “How can we be saved?  Answer: Only by faith in Jesus Christ and in his substitutionary atoning death on the cross; so even though we are guilty of having disobeyed God and are still inclined to all evil, nevertheless, God, without any merit of our own but only by pure grace, imputes to us the perfect righteousness of Christ when we repent and believe in him.” 

Pastor Kevin DeYoung explains the question and answer in this way:[1]

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas are in prison when a violent earthquake occurs. Prisoners are escaping, and the jailer wakes up and is absolutely dismayed that everyone is running off. The jailer is about to kill himself, and Paul stops him. And the jailer asks this very famous question: “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” (v. 30). Paul gives him the short, biblical, absolutely beautiful answer: “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved, you and your household” (v. 31).

“What must I do to be saved?” There’s no more important question in this life or for the next life. The answer to our catechism question provides a wonderful summary of what it means to have faith in Christ—the sort of faith that saves—and how God saves through faith.This summary contains two key words. First is the very first word: only. Only faith in Jesus Christ. You see, it wouldn’t be terribly controversial to talk about faith. People are into faith and believing something. But it’s only faith, not faith plus something else. It’s not faith in addition to your background, faith plus your family of origin, faith plus how many good things you can do for social justice, or faith plus how often you pray. It’s only faith, and it’s faith in Jesus Christ—there is an object to it.

Many people will wax on and on about faith and belief and say, “I’m a person of faith” or “You’ve got to have faith.” But faith by itself doesn’t mean anything. It is the object of faith that saves us. It’s not being a person who has strong beliefs, who is sincere, or who has a mystical belief in spiritual things that saves us. It’s faith in Jesus Christ. He’s the object. It’s the object of our faith that saves us. Faith is only an instrument. It’s not the one good deed that God sees and says, “Well, you don’t have much going for you, but you have faith, and I really like that.” No. Faith is what joins us to Christ, and then he saves us. It’s the object that matters.

Growing up in a cold part of the country, I often went ice skating and played hockey. I might tiptoe out onto that first freeze of the year, and sort of wonder, “Is this ice thick enough?” Someone else might be on the ice zipping around skating with great freedom and having a lot of faith in the ice, while I’m gingerly tiptoeing and have just enough faith to get out on the ice. But what makes both of us secure? It’s not the level of faith, though you’d like to have the strong faith that’s zipping around there, but it’s the thickness of the ice.

It’s the object on which you’re standing that saves you. And that’s Jesus Christ. So it’s only faith in him.

The other word that is so crucial here is imputes. It is essential to the gospel and to the Christian faith that the righteous life that Christ lived is imputed to us. That means it’s reckoned to us. It’s counted to us. It’s sort of a wire transfer of funds. And there’s a difference between a righteousness that is inherent in us, infused in us, a kind of righteousness that says, “Well, look at me, I’m righteous. I do righteous things.” That’s not what this is talking about. This is talking about the righteousness of Christ that is outside of us, but because we’re joined to Jesus by faith, it gets counted as our righteousness, so that God can be both the just and the justifier of the wicked.

That’s the problem in Romans 3, and that’s the good news of the gospel—that though we are still sinners, God justifies us. And he is just to do so not because he waves a magic wand or says sin’s not a big deal (wink-wink); it’s because we belong to Christ and his righteousness is our righteousness that God can be just and we can be justified.

Delighting In Salvation With You,

Tom

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[1] Taken from The New City Catechism Devotional.

The Difficult Biblical Teaching Of Hell (The New City Catechism #28)

The New City Catechism #28 reads: “What happens after death to those not united to Christ by faith?  Answer: At the day of judgment they will receive the fearful but just sentence of condemnation pronounced against them. They will be cast out from the favorable presence of God, into hell, to be justly and grievously punished, forever.” 

Here is how John Lin in The New City Catechism Devotional comments on this subject.

One of the Bible’s more difficult and often misunderstood teachings is that of hell being a real, conscious, eternal punishment. And this is understandable. All of us have people in our midst who don’t know Christ—friends, family members, neighbors, colleagues—about whom we would rather not think that hell could be their future. In fact, people have had discomfort about the idea of hell throughout history, because on the surface it seems inconsistent with everything we read in the Bible about God’s mercy and love. And yet the Bible’s teaching on hell as conscious and eternal suffering is unavoidable. Actually, without the existence of hell, much of what we know about God’s love comes into question.

First, Jesus, the most loving man who ever lived, spoke about hell more frequently and vividly than all other biblical authors combined. He described it as Gehenna, which was a garbage heap where fires burned constantly, or as the outer darkness, where there’s no illumination but only misery. In the story he tells of the rich man and Lazarus, hell is a place of conscious and real suffering. Jesus warns us about hell again and again (Matt. 13:41–42; Mark 9:42–48; Luke 16:19–31).

Second, the existence of hell helps us to understand the consequences of sin. In some ways hell is the outworking of what we as sinful people have always wanted: autonomy and independence from God. In hell we are therefore cut off from God and from everything that God is. So in hell there’s no love, there’s no friendship, there’s no joy, there’s no rest, because those are all things that exist only where God is present.

But most importantly, until we acknowledge the reality of hell, we cannot truly understand the meaning of the cross. Put another way, we cannot understand God’s love until we understand the reality of his wrath. God’s wrath is a settled, controlled opposition and hatred of anything that is destroying what he loves. God’s wrath flows from his love for creation. It flows from his justice. He’s angry at greed, self-centeredness, injustice, and evil because they’re destructive. And God will not tolerate anything or anyone responsible for destroying the creation and the people that he loves.

Think of it this way. Saying, “I know God loves me because he would give up everything for me” is much different from saying, “I know God loves me because he did give up everything for me.” One is a loving sentiment; the other is a loving act. And while we may try to make God more loving by diminishing the reality of hell and God’s wrath, all we’ve really done is diminish the love of God. Without a real hell we can’t understand the real price that Jesus paid for our sin. And without a real price that was paid, there’s no real love, there’s no real grace, and there’s no real praise for what he has done.

Unless you believe in hell, you’ll never know how much Jesus loves you and how much he values you. Jesus experienced hell himself on the cross. Jesus was separated from his Father. On the cross Jesus cried, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). When Jesus lost the eternal love of the Father, he experienced an agony, a disintegration, an isolation greater than anything anyone of us would have experienced in eternity in hell. He took the isolation and disintegration that we deserve upon himself. Unless you believe in hell and see what Jesus took for you, you will never know how much he loves you.

The real issue is not how a loving God would allow there to be a hell. The issue is, if Jesus Christ would experience hell for me, then, truly, he must be a loving God. It’s not “Why would God allow hell?” It’s “Why would God experience hell for me?” And yet he did.

Delighting In Divine Love With You,

Tom

“Our Gracious God” (The New City Catechism #27)

In the 14^th question and answer of the catechism we discover the biblically accurate teaching that because of Adam’s sin “we are all born in sin and guilt, corrupt in our nature and unable to keep God’s law.” In other words, we are all lost. It is this reality that leads to a good question asked in question #27: “Are all people, just as they were lost through Adam, saved through Christ?”

Here is the answer given: “No, only those who are elected by God and united to Christ by faith. Nevertheless, God in his mercy demonstrates common grace even to those who are not elect, by restraining the effects of sin and enabling works of culture for human well-being.”

Here we learn two important truths, each about a different aspect of God’s grace.   

God Saves By Sovereign Effective Grace

Though it is God’s moral will that all repent and turn to his salvation (Acts 17:30) and this is the only way to be saved (Acts 4:12), he has not ordained that all will trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation (Mt. 22:44; 1 Pt. 2:8). People are saved because God has chosen them (Rom. 8:29; Col. 3:12) and therefore they trust Christ as Savior (Acts 13:48). In trusting Christ, they are united to him (Rom. 6:1-5). Not one of those whom God has chosen and given to the Son and for whom the Son died will be lost (John 6:37, 39; 10:15, 27-30). God exercises what some call sovereign effective grace in the lives of those whom he has chosen.

God Displays Common Grace To Those Who Are Not Elect.

God displays undeserved blessings (e.g. kindnesses, sunshine, rain, etc. Mt. 5:45; Rom. 2:4) upon those whom he has not chosen to save, but whom he has ordained that he would let them stay in their sin. Common grace is the “[undeserved favor] of God by which he gives people innumerable blessings that are not part of salvation.” (Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology) The word “common” speak of what all people experience.

Specifically, what the answer focuses on are two aspects of common grace. First, even though we can look around at the world and see that it is extremely evil and painful, the effects of sin are not as bad as they could be. Even the worst of sinners could always be worse and besides, there are many unsaved people who do good things that benefit others (e.g. unsaved teachers, physicians, dentists, mechanics, engineers, carpenters, farmers, business owners, etc.).

Related is the aspect of common grace whereby people are enabled by God to bring order in the world in such a way that life can be more enjoyable and involves people flourishing. Consider just one example, the way God has graciously enabled humans to have some control over water—in irrigation of fields that would otherwise be too dry to grow crops, over areas that would normally flood and can be protected, and through digging wells such that people who would normally be without, can have fresh, clean water for drinking and washing.

Though the unsaved will not typically give thanks to God for every good gift that comes from him (James 1:17), the saved are called regularly to give him continual thanks (e.g. Col. 3:15-17).

Enjoying God’s Grace With You,

Tom

Future Glory: Free From The Presence Of Sin (The New City Catechism #26)

 The New City Catechism, #24, correctly affirmed that Christ’s saving work redeems those united to him from the penalty of sin (hell) and from the power of sin (i.e. growing to be more like Jesus, Rom. 8:29). 

In the 26^th question it is asked if there is anything else part of that redemption: “What else does Christ’s death redeem?”  The answer rightly asserts that Christ’s death brings about the eventual total removal even from the presence of sin: “Christ’s death is the beginning of the redemption and renewal of every part of fallen creation, as he powerfully directs all things for his own glory and creation’s good.”  Paul’s statement in Colossians 1:19–20 is one of the clearest passages that supports this truth: "For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."

Elsewhere, the Bible refers to this future perfection of soul, body, creation, and even the reputation of the believer as “glory” or the doctrine of “glorification (Ps. 73:24; Rom. 8:30; 1 Cor. 2:7; 2 Cor. 3:18; 2 Thes. 2:14; 1 Pt. 5:10; 2 Pt. 1:3). 

Since this future glory is our certain hope (Rom. 5:2), it is helpful to give an overview of what this doctrine entails:[1]

God created mankind with glory, a full and rich weightiness, a significance that consisted of being made in His image.  Man’s original identity was one in which he was intended to represent and reflect God in a way that none of the other creation was.  The very purpose for his existence was to bring other men and the angelic world to worship God, to glorify God in response to His glorification of man.

With the fall of mankind into sin his original identity and purpose were twisted.  Man’s history has been one of only wanting to honor himself and reflect his own glory, not God’s.  The history of redemption has consisted of God’s planning for, accomplishing, and working out His restoration of man to His full identity and purpose of God glorification. 

Man’s restoration takes place in and through Jesus Christ alone who is uniquely qualified as the perfect and second Adam and the only begotten Son of God to reflect the glory of God to and through man as no one else can.  Once united to Christ, man, through the saving work of Christ, is continually transformed into His image. 

This transformation begins with spiritual change.  Within the area of thought life, behavior, how he relates to God, man becomes more like Christ and thus is able to serve as a billboard for the greatness of God.  This change progresses through life and becomes complete at the time of death.

Yet it doesn’t stop here.  At the return of Christ God’s perfected saints will be resurrected, thus being changed physically.  This physical change will enable man to resemble Christ in His glorified body.  This transformation is necessary since man is whole only as both soul and body.  This shows the importance of the physical, it also increases God’s glory--His redemption of man includes the whole person.

Once man is glorified fully, his reputation also will be transformed.  All the world will see who each believer is, who the Church is in community, and how significant they are as billboards for God’s glory.  Their true identity may be hidden now, in fact, they may even be scorned.  Yet, at the time of their glorification they will be the very trophies of God whom He will praise and glorify that, in turn, He will be glorified.  Our desire for significance and purpose will be fulfilled throughout all of eternity as we dive into the highest  of all purposes--God Himself.

God also will transform man’s environment.  The curse of sin extended to the rest of creation and, as such, it must be transformed in order for the restoration to be complete.  It also is necessary for the realization of God’s covenantal promises and also as an accompaniment to man’s other aspects of transformation.  Glorified man cannot live in a fallen world.

Finally, we must see that glorification not only deals with the perfection of each individual, but also with the perfection of the Church collectively.  It is only as men are in perfect community with one another in the new heaven and earth that the image of God and the glory of God through His redeeming grace will shine forth with the greatest intensity.

Delighting in Future Glory With You,

Tom

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[1] The following is from Tom Barnes, Living In The Hope Of Future Glory (Evangelical Press, 2006), 263-65.

A Full Cure (The New City Catechism #25)

One of my favorite current preachers is Alistair Begg, a pastor in Cleveland, Ohio. I listen to him through his “Truth For Life” app.

Alistair also has written a helpful commentary for the 25^th question and answer in The New City Catechism, which reads: “Does Christ’s death mean all our sins can be forgiven? Answer: Yes, because Christ’s death on the cross fully paid the penalty for our sin, God graciously imputes Christ’s righteousness to us as if it were our own and will remember our sins no more.”

Here are his comments:[1]

Some years ago when I was diagnosed with cancer, my great concern was that the surgeon would get it all. I wasn’t really interested in a cure that was only partial. And when we think about Jesus bearing our sins, the mystery and the wonder of the gospel is that he deals with all of them. He who was absolutely perfect died in the place of sinners, identifying with us in our guilt and becoming liable to our punishment. When Paul writes to the Corinthians, he tells them that God was not counting their sins against them. And the reason for that is because he was counting them against him. Jesus died not as a martyr, but as a substitute. The invitation of the gospel is given to all, but the assurance of forgiveness is only for those who are in Christ, whose sins have been counted to him.

 

Augustus Toplady captured the security of this when he wrote:

 

“Rock of ages cleft for me,

let me hide myself in Thee;

let the water and the blood,

from thy riven side which flowed,

be of sin the double cure;

cleanse me from its guilt and power.”

 

Peter tells us that the angels, actually, long to look into this (1 Pet. 1:12). And what they have observed from a distance, the believer knows perfectly.

 

The wonder of it all is that our disobedience is completely covered by the obedience of the Lord Jesus—all of our sins dealt with forever.

Delighting in Christ’s Full Cure With You,

Tom

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[1] This can be found either in the app for The New City Catechism or the devotional book for the catechism.

Why The Cross? (The New City Catechism # 24)

The longer we are a Christian the more we can forget just how foreign some of the tenets of our faith sound to those who are not believers or who have just come to Christ. At the top of the list is the necessity that Jesus had to die on the cross for God to save sinners. It is common especially for the uninitiated to ask, “Why?” 

That is the question that The New City Catechism takes up and answers in #24, which reads: “Why was it necessary for Christ, the Redeemer, to die?  Answer: Since death is the punishment for sin, Christ died willingly in our place to deliver us from the power and penalty of sin and bring us back to God. By his substitutionary atoning death, he alone redeems us from hell and gains for us forgiveness of sin, righteousness, and everlasting life.”  

Here we find a fourfold answer.

To start, we are reminded that God, whose very nature is to live and exist and give life (Gen. 2:7; Jn. 10:10; 1 Jn. 5:1) and whose very nature is to be both just and merciful (Rom. 3:26), ordained that with the entrance of sin into the world the punishment would be physical and spiritual death (Gen. 2:17; Prov. 14:12), that is, a brokenness and separation from God’s blessed presence that would become permanent if a person does not turn to his remedy (Jn. 3:16; Rev. 20:14-15).

Next, the Son of God joyfully decided in eternity past to accomplish salvation for those whom God chose to save and gave to him to save (Jn. 6:37; 39; Heb. 12:2). It is true that the Father joyfully ordained salvation in eternity past (Is. 53:10), made a covenant with the Son to give the elect to him to save (Jn. 6:37), and sent his Son into the world to save sinners (Jn. 3:16). Yet, the Son was not coerced. He gladly humbled himself, took on flesh, and suffering on the cross (Phil. 2:5-8) for his sheep (Jn. 10:15).

What is more, we are reminded that since Jesus took the full punishment for sin, he satisfied God’s wrathful judgment against sin and so there is no more penalty to be paid by those who have trusted him (Jn. 3:36; Rom. 8:1). What is also true is that through this salvation Jesus both won the right to pour out the Holy Spirit permanently upon the saved (Acts 2:33) and to reconcile sinners to a holy God—having removed the sin separation between them (1 Pt. 3:18). The result of these realities is that the power of God working through the Spirit in the person delivers them from sin’s power and enslavement to it (Rm. 6:17-18).

Finally, the discovery is also made that through salvation in Jesus Christians are saved from the eternal judgment of hell (Rev. 20:14-15). Conversely, they are given true life that someday will be full restored life that lasts forever in his presence (Rev. 21-22). All of this is the case since through his perfectly righteous life and death they are forgiven of their sins and declared righteous by God (Rom. 5:1-5; Eph. 1:7; Phil. 3:9).

Though it was not necessary for God to save sinners whom he had decreed in eternity past to permit to sin, the fact that he also decreed he would save sinners made the death of the Son necessary. There was no other way to save wherein God would remain both just and merciful (Rom. 3:26).

Praise God both for his severity toward the unrepentant and his kindness toward the repentant (Rom. 11:22)!

Delighting In Our Savior With You,

Tom

The Two Natures Of Jesus Christ And Salvation (The New City Catechism #’s 22-23)

Questions 22-23 of The New City Catechism and their answers are as follows: 

Why must the Redeemer be truly human?  Answer: That in human nature he might on our behalf perfectly obey the whole law and suffer the punishment for human sin; and also that he might sympathize with our weaknesses.  

Why must the Redeemer be truly God?  Answer: That because of his divine nature his obedience and suffering would be perfect and effective; and also that he would be able to bear the righteous anger of God against sin and yet overcome death. 

Since this is part of the bedrock of the Christian faith, we need to understand that Jesus is fully God and fully man and why this is important for salvation. Here is a brief explanation meant to help to that end.

Jesus Christ is fully God (Jn. 1:1; 20:28; Phil. 2:6; Col. 1:15, 19; 2:9;  Heb. 1:3, 5-13) and fully man (Jn. 1:14; 19:17-34; 20:27; Phil. 2:7-8; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 4:15), which means all that makes up God makes up his divine nature and all that makes up humans makes up his human nature. The one distinction between Jesus and every other human is that Jesus was and is without sin (Lk. 1:35; Heb. 4:15; 7:26).

Regarding his divine nature, he has existed for all eternity as God, second person of the Godhead, and the eternally begotten Son of the Father (John 1:1, 18; 3:16; Col. 1:16-17). That means for all eternity he has existed at Son to the Father in the Trinity. Regarding his human nature, in these last days, for the salvation of the elect, he was conceived and born of Mary, the virgin (1:26-38; 2:1-14; Heb. 1:2). Though from the time of his conception onward into eternity future Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man in two distinct natures (Phil. 3:21; 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 2:9; 7:25; 1 Jn. 4:2; 2 Jn. 7), these two natures are such that they are not confused or changed (the human nature remains fully human and the divine fully divine—without either being diminished or being taken over by the other). Compare Mt. 24:36 and Lk. 2:1-7 with Mk. 2:5 and Col. 1:17 for proof. What is more, his two natures cannot be divided or separated—he is always and at one and the same time fully God and fully man [compare Jn. 20:27 with 20:28]). 

It is important to salvation that Jesus Christ was and is fully human for the following reasons:

(1) That he might obey perfectly the whole law of God on the behalf of sinners, which is required for those part of the kingdom of God (Ps. 15; Mt. 5:48; 7:21-23;  John 5:19, 30; Gal. 3:10; James 2:10).

(2) That he might suffer the punishment of death for human sin on behalf of sinners (Rom. 6:23; 2 Tim. 1:10; Rev. 20:14-15). 

(3) That he might be raised from and conquer death on behalf of sinners and thus serve as the pioneer and model for those who have been saved and persevere in salvation (Rom. 6:1-11; Heb. 2:9-18. 

(4) That he might continually apply his saving work to his people as advocate and intercessor that that they can persevere in faith and so he can save them fully (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 2:9-18; 7:25). 

(5) That, as the risen, conquering Savior he might receive and pour out richly upon his people the Holy Spirit by whom they are regenerated, sanctified, preserved, and transformed in accord with the New Covenant (Ezek. 36:25-27; John 3:1-8; Acts 2:33; Gal. 5:22-23; Titus 3:5-6).

It is important to salvation that Jesus Christ was and is fully God for the following reasons:

(1) That his obedience and suffering would be complete and effective (Lk. 1:26-38).

(2) That he would be able to undergo the righteous wrath of the Father against sin and yet still overcome death (Acts 2:24).

(3) Salvation belongs to the Lord and so it must be God providing salvation and bringing God and man back together (Joel 2:32; Jonah 2:9; Rom. 10:13; Rev. 7:10). 

(4) As the God-man he is qualified to reconcile God and humans (2 Cor. 5:14-21; Eph. 2:11-22; 1 Tim. 2:5).

Delighting In The God-Man, Our Savior, With You,

Tom

The Chalcedonian Creed (The New City Catechism #21)

 The twenty-first question and answer of The New City Catechism is this:  “What sort of Redeemer is needed to bring us back to God? Answer: One who is truly human and also truly God.”  Here we are introduced to the reality that our Savior, Jesus Christ, is fully God and fully man.

The early Church, following the teaching of the Scriptures, affirmed that Jesus is fully God and fully man, but as you can imagine, this was a doctrine that was seriously challenged. And even among those who affirmed it, there was disagreement on how to think about it and state it.

 

In the year A.D. 451 in Chalcedon (modern Kadıköy in Istanbul, Turkey) the Church held a council of leaders from throughout the known world at that time to hammer out what the Bible taught about the two natures of Jesus Christ and how to describe it. The result was what many call the Chalcedonian Definition or the Chalcedonian Creed.

 

Here is what the creed says. Read it slowly and think carefully about the teaching of this beautiful and biblically accurate affirmation.

 

We then, following the holy Fathers, all with one consent, teach men to confess one and the same Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, the same perfect in Godhead and also perfect in manhood; truly God and truly man, of a [real] soul and body; [of one essence] with the Father according to the Godhead, and [of one essence] with us according to the Manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin ; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of [the] God[-man], according to the Manhood; one and the same Christ, Son, Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures; [without confusion], [without change], [without division], [without separation]; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the [characteristics] of each nature being preserved, and [coming together] 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.[1]

 

Joyfully Delighting In The God-Man With You,

 

Tom

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[1] The translation is from Philip Schaff, Creeds of Christendom, sixth edition, vol. 2 (Baker reprint of 1931 edition), pages 62-63.

 

The Jewels Of The Gospel (The New City Catechism #20)

Few of us are unaware by now that the 117th Congress kicked off January 3 with Representative Emanuel Cleaver, Missouri Democrat and United Methodist pastor, ending his opening prayer with the words “Amen and a-woman.” It seems that this pastor-turned-politician misunderstood the meaning of “Amen” (“let it be” or “so shall it be”), taking it to have a masculine reference and so he wanted to balance that out with what he thought was its feminine counterpart, “a-woman.”

As misguided as this was, it was not as bad as what he said preceding these words: “In the name of the monotheistic god,…Brahma…and god known by many names by many different faiths.” Either Cleaver thinks there are multiple gods and the one Christians worship is one of them or more likely he believes there is one god and this is the same god all religions worship. If that were the case, then we would have little certainty about this god since the different descriptions of him within these religions are contradictory. He would have to be diminished down to the least common denominator and little is left to excite worship. What is more, we would have no certainty about how to have eternal life and to know this god, for all the various creeds’ explanations about that road to God are so different. Such a prayer not only is unfair to each of these religions, but it is not helpful at all—leaving us confused.

Yet, the Bible does not stutter when it affirms there is only one true God (Dt. 6:4; Jer. 10:10; 1 Tim. 1:17) and it speaks just as clearly when it says there is only one way to God (John 14:6; Acts 4:12) and it is through the one Savior who can bring God and man back together—Jesus Christ (2 Cor. 5:18-20; 1 Tim. 2:5).

It is this last gem that the twentieth question and answer in The New City Catechism puts on the display case for us to admire: “Who is the Redeemer?  Answer: The only Redeemer is the Lord Jesus Christ, the eternal Son of God, in whom God became man and bore the penalty for sin himself.” 

Here are four beautiful and priceless jewels we find.

To begin, there is only one who can purchase our freedom and keep us from an eternity in hell: Jesus Christ (2 Thes. 1:3-12; Rev. 5:9-10). There is no one else whom we can trust for forgiveness of sins (Eph. 1:7). Yet, we can trust him and in him we can be certain we have eternal life (1 John 5:13)!

What is more, this one who is the only Redeemer is also God, the second person of the Trinity, who for all eternity has been in relationship to the Father as Son to Father (Jn. 1:1, 18; 3:16; Col. 1:15-20). Since he is the ultimate communication from God about who God is (Jn. 1:1-18; Heb. 1:1-3), we discover there is no true God in heaven who is not like the Son, Jesus Christ. What we see, then, is great compassion, gentleness (Mt. 11:28-30; Mk. 6:34), and, at the same time, heroic sacrificial love (2 Cor. 8:9; Eph. 5:1-2, 25-27) in our God.

What stuns us the most, however, are the last two truths, that this Son of God humbled himself by taking on flesh and becoming human and then he suffered, died, and was buried in the place of sinners, to take upon himself their punishment (Is. 53:4-12).

As a result of the fact that Jesus has redeemed us, we belong to him, which means he has committed himself to us (1 Cor. 3:23; 6:19). Nothing should place within our hearts a greater desire to glorify him (1 Cor. 6:20). 

Many, like the congressman from Missouri, have concluded that Christianity needs to be made more palatable and beautiful by painting over it, making it look like what the world loves, and by hiding its true brilliance. Yet, there is nothing so exquisite as the jewels of the gospel, as they are displayed in this catechism question and answer. When we come into contact with the true gospel of Jesus Christ and hear it for the first time, there is nothing quite like it.

I pray that you have heard for the first time—really heard it—and responded to it in faith. And if you have, I pray that you never lose your sense of wonder in the face of it, as well as your gratitude to our Lord for what he has done to accomplish our salvation and what he continues to do in applying it.

Joyfully reveling in the jewels of the gospel with you,

Tom

Amazing Love (The New City Catechism #19)

Seven hundred years before the birth of Jesus the prophet Isaiah foretold in Isaiah 53:10–11 what God would do through him to display his love and to save God’s people. Its detail is stunning and its promises priceless:

Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities.

Question and answer #19 in The New City Catechism provides sweet commentary upon the truths unveiled in Isaiah’s prophecy. Here is what it asks and the answer it gives: “Is there any way to escape punishment and be brought back into God’s favor?  Yes, to satisfy his justice, God himself, out of mere mercy, reconciles us to himself and delivers us from sin and from the punishment for sin, by a Redeemer.”

 Each of these truths is precious:

• Though we are sinners only deserving punishment, we can be returned to a position of God’s favor.

• God himself has done this.

• God brings us back into his favor in the way he does to preserve his justice (that he does not overlook sin).

• God brings us back into his favor motivated by his mercy—that is, his compassion and love by which he reaches down into our plight to rescue us.

• God brings us back into his own favor by delivering us from sin’s power and someday its presence, and right now its punishment.

• Finally, God accomplishes all this by a Redeemer, one who delivers out of bondage. We will learn in future questions and answers the biblical truth this Redeemer is Jesus Christ.

This commentary is not only helping us understand how God saves, it is leading us to worship him for what he has done. We should be moved to sing with Charles Wesley:

And can it be that I should gain

An int’rest in the Savior’s blood?

Died He for me, who caused His pain—

For me, who Him to death pursued?

Amazing love! How can it be,

That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Refrain:

Amazing love! How can it be,

That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Delighting In Our Savior’s Amazing Love With You,

 

Tom

God Doesn’t Overlook Sin To Save (The New City Catechism, #18)

 One of the biggest current misunderstandings about God we run across is that since God is love and a gracious God, he saves sinners by overlooking their sin. When we conclude this, we not only distort who God is and what he is like, but we distort how he saves.

This is why our next catechism question-and-answer is so vital. It corrects that view: “Will God allow our disobedience and idolatry to go unpunished?  Answer: No, every sin is against the sovereignty, holiness, and goodness of God, and against his righteous law, and God is righteously angry with our sins and will punish them in his just judgment both in this life, and in the life to come.”

There are four reasons given for why God will not allow our sin to go unpunished. To begin, because our disobedience and idolatry are committed against the reality that God is the King of kings who reigns over the universe (his sovereignty) and, as such, he is worthy of our obedience and undivided worship (Pss. 47:2, 8; 100). When we ignore and/or place other things above him, we act against that truth and as if it is not so.

The next reason God does not simply ignore our sin is that it is committed against or in opposition to his holiness. God’s holiness means that God is altogether set apart unto himself, to his own glory (Is. 42:8; 43:7). When we ignore his glory and act as if he is not worthy of our being set apart to serve him first and foremost (Dt. 5:7-10; 10:12-13), we belittle him and we raise to the level of an idol whatever we treat as more important than him.

The remaining two reasons go hand-in-hand. Our disobedience and idolatry typically come out of a sense that God is not truly good (e.g. Gen. 3:1-8) and that his will is not for our good (Dt. 10:13). Again it belittles God and if God overlooked this, he would become idolatrous just as we are.

Given what we have said about the seriousness of our sin and idolatry, it follows that God rightly hates our sin (Ps. 11:5), which what is communicated by his being “righteously angry” (Rom. 1:18; 1 Thes. 1:10). Additionally, he is just to judge us (Rev. 20:11-15).

When we grasp the biblical truths that we find in this question-and-answer, we come to see that God cannot save us by merely overlooking sin and remain consistent with his attributes. In order for him to be both just and holy, but at the same time gracious and merciful, he must save by pouring out his wrath and judgment upon a substitute so that he can forgive those who come to him in faith and repentance. That is exactly how he expresses his love to and saves sinners (Rom. 3:21-26)!

Delighting In The Glory Of God Through Salvation With You,

Tom