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Post by Admin on Feb 5, 2024 23:14:23 GMT -5
Biblical Theology and the Transfer of the Sabbath (Part 1)
JON ENGLISH LEE
Biblical Theology and the Transfer of the Sabbath (Part 1)
It is often objected that there is no direct evidence of Sunday observance in the New Testament, and therefore there must not have been any command to continue any sort of weekly Sabbath observance in continuity with the Old Testament Sabbath.[1] However, this series will demonstrate that there is evidence for the change in day of worship both foreshadowed in the Old Testament and expressly demonstrated in the Lord’s Day (Sunday) worship by the New Testament church. Furthermore, the seemingly universal observance of Sunday in the early church indicates an early apostolic origin to the practice, perhaps even stemming from Jesus’s direct teaching.
Old Testament Shadows of the Day Change
Several institutions and patterns in the Old Testament served as types that foreshadowed the change in Sabbath day. Two of these include: the difference between Sabbath motivations in the two givings of the law and the eighth day references in Mosaic law.[2]
First, the different motivations for Sabbath observance found in the Exodus and Deuteronomy Sabbath commands. The fourth commandment in Exodus 20 states that the Sabbath should be remembered because of God’s rest after creation: “For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (20:11). However, the Deuteronomic version of the fourth commandment offers a different motivation: “You shall remember that you were a slave[c] in the land of Egypt, and the Lord your God brought you out from there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the Lord your God commanded you to keep the Sabbath day (5:15). This additional impetus for Sabbath observance (i.e., redemption) points forward to the great redemption to be found later in the new covenant. Haldane explains:
That God purposed to appoint the day of his resting from the work of this new creation, as the Sabbath which he was afterwards to bless and hallow in remembrance of it, in place of that day which he had formerly consecrated to the memory of his resting form the first creation, appears from his commanding the Israelites to observe the Sabbath in remembrance of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage. That deliverance was an eminent type of the redemption of his people by Christ from the bondage of Satan.[3]
Thus, because the day was a typological pointer to a greater redemptive rest to come, a rest secured by Jesus, then it is fitting that when the antitype is secured by Jesus’s resurrection that the day of commemoration changes. Sunday observance as the Lord’s Day is fitting. Just as the Israelites commemorated their redemption from Egypt on Saturday, so too should Christians commemorate their redemption from slavery on the day that their redemption was secured: Sunday, the day of Christ’s resurrection.
Eighth Day Theme
A second example of types foreshadowing the change in Sabbath day in the new covenant is the eighth day theme. Again, Haldane explains:
The change of the day of weekly rest, from the last to the first day of the week, that is from the seventh to the EIGHTH day, is indicated in various places throughout the Old Testament Scriptures. The work of creation was finished in six days, and on the seventh day God rested from his work, which completed a week, or the first series of time. The eighth day, then, was the first of a new series, and on this, the day of his resurrection, the Lord Jesus rested from the work of the new creation. The eight day is accordingly signalized in the Old testament, pointing in a manner the most express to the day when Jesus entered into his rest, and when the commemoration thereof, his people are to rest.[4]
Various examples may be given of this eighth day theme in the Old Testament that are fulfilled in the New Testament, such as: circumcision, sacrifices, consecration, cleansing, atonement, the dedication of the temple, and the conclusion of the feast of tabernacles. An examination of just a few will suffice.
First, circumcision was administered to children on the eighth day as a sign of the covenant that God made with Abraham. As a sign of the righteousness that Abraham received by faith, circumcision was impressed Abraham and his posterity on the eighth day: “a day on which that [justifying] righteousness was, by the resurrection of the Messiah, to be ‘brought in.’ As soon as the pledge was thus redeemed, the rite of circumcision ceased. At that early period, then, we find a clear indication of the high distinction which, in a distant age, was to be conferred on the eighth day.”[5] The final circumcision, Christ’s, and His triumph over the “rulers and authorities” is commemorated every Sunday, the day to which every previous eighth day pointed.
Other aspects of the old covenant likewise point toward the eighth day fulfillment in the new covenant. The firstborn of cattle, which belonged to God, were not offered or received by Him until the eighth day (Ex 22:30). Not until the eighth day were animals accepted in sacrifice (Lev 22:27). Aaron’s consecration was not completed until the eighth day (Lev 9:1). On the eighth day of cleansing, lepers were pronounced clean, typical of the cleansing from sin that Jesus would procure (Lev 14:10; cf. Lev 15:14, 29). On the eighth day too was atonement made for the defiled Nazarite (Num 6:10). These all point forward to the fulfillment of the eighth day:
The eighth day corresponds with the first day of the week, on which, according to all these typical appointments, Jesus was received as the first-born from the dead, his sacrifice was accepted, and on which, as the great High Priest, he was “consecrated for evermore,” and when he made atonement for his people, by which they are cleansed from sin.[6]
Thus, the difference in motivations between the two Sabbath commands, circumcision, and the ceremonial types found around the eighth day in the old covenant all point forward to a greater reality which has its antitype on the Lord’s Day. Therefore, the change of day was typological foreshadowed in the old covenant.
The next post in the series will look at the New Testament evidence of Lord’s Day observance.
[1] Bauckham, Richard, “The Lord’s Day,” in From Sabbath To Lord’s Day, ed. D. A. Carson (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 1999), 236.
[2] These points on the foreshadowing of the change of day are drawn principally from: Robert Haldane, Sanctification of the Sabbath: The Permanent Obligation to Observe the Sabbath Or Lord’s Day (Edinburgh: William Whyte & Co., 1842), 380–87.
[3] Ibid., 379.
[4] Ibid., 381.
[5] Ibid., 381–82.
[6] Ibid., 382 Emphasis original.
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Post by Admin on Feb 10, 2024 17:22:52 GMT -5
Biblical Theology and the Transfer of the Sabbath (Part 2)
JON ENGLISH LEE
*This post is the second in a series examining the transfer of the sabbath day. The previous post can be found here.
Moving on to the New Testament, the same pattern remains: the change of day that was foreshadowed in the Old Testament is actualized in the resurrection of our Lord, and it is confirmed by apostolic example. The legitimacy of the change of day is shown by:
(1) the honor conferred to the day by the Lord;
(2) by the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost;
(3) by the practice of the apostles; and
(4) by the title given to the day (i.e., “Lord’s Day”).[1]
The first reason to affirm the transfer of the day of Sabbath observance from Saturday to Sunday is because of the honor given to it by the Lord. As a first example it should be noted that every recorded post-resurrection appearance of Jesus to the disciples happens on Sunday.
[2] Jesus appears on the evening of the resurrection day (e.g., Jn 20:19). Likewise, eight days later (counting inclusively, as the Jews did) Jesus came to the disciples again on a Sunday (Jn 20:26). Jesus’s recorded appearances to the disciples appear on Sunday.
A second reason to affirm the transfer of day from Saturday to Sunday is the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. This event was foreshadowed by the giving of the law fifty days after the Exodus:
Here [in Pentecost] we have the explanation of the mystery in the Old Testament of the fiftieth day…On the fiftieth day after the departure from Egypt, the law was delivered from Mount Sinai, which, corresponding with the first day of the week, was 1500 years afterwards fulfilled on that day. That the law was delivered, accompanied with thunderings and lightings, and now, on the corresponding day, came “a sound from heaven, as a mighty rushing wind,” and “cloven tongues, like as of fire” sat upon each of the disciples.[3]
The striking similarities between Pentecost and the giving of the law in Exodus affirm: “the coming of the promised Comforter, being thus vouchsafed on the first day of the week, confirmed the newly instituted season,” that is, the new Sabbath pattern for the new people of God: Lord’s Day worship.[4]
A third reason to affirm the change of day, and perhaps the most important, is the apostolic example found in the New Testament. While the New Testament does not expressly command weekly observance of the Lord’s Day, there does exist much apostolic precedent; Haldane affirms: “The duty of sanctifying the first day of the week is taught in the New Testament, not by direct precept, but in a way of approved example or reference, in which several other institutions are enjoined.”[5] Indeed, because there were details about the administration of the church which where given directly to the apostles and not expressed by the Lord during his earthly ministry (e.g., administration of the sacraments, the ordering of worship), apostolic teaching and example retains the force of divine command (e.g., 1 Cor 14:37).[6]
Whether the transfer of Saturday to Sunday as the day of worship came from direct command of Jesus to the apostles or by the leading of the Holy Spirit, what is clear is that the apostolic-era church did gather on Sundays.[7] One passage indicating Lord’s Day worship is found in 1 Corinthians where Paul telling the church at Corinth to make a collection “on the first day of every week,” (16:2). However, this injunction was not limited to just the Corinthian church, for Paul explains, “as I directed the church of Galatia, so you also are to do” (16:1). This passage assumes that the church would be meeting regularly on the Lord’s Day, a command that Paul taught in all the churches (cf. 1 Cor 4:17; 7:17). Another passage indicating Lord’s Day worship is Acts 20:7a: “On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread.”[8] The breaking of bread reference is often seen as a reference to the partaking of the Lord’s Supper. As one (anti-sabbatarian) notes, that Luke specifies the day is significant:
We are faced with the conclusion that Luke’s specification of the day of the week in Acts 20:7 probably should not be relegated to the category of irrelevant personal reminiscence. It represents a state in the growing consciousness of, and ecclesiastical importance of, the “first day of the week.” The brevity of Luke’s notice would suggest that he considered such meetings to be uncontroversial and to require no further explanation, from which we may infer that they were relatively widespread and regular.[9]
Thus, the transfer of Saturday to Sunday was set at early as pre-Pentecost and was affirmed by apostolic example.
In the next post, I will conclude this series by examining the honorific title given to the new covenant day of worship: the Lord’s day.
[1] These arguments are adapted from: Robert Haldane, Sanctification of the Sabbath: The Permanent Obligation to Observe the Sabbath Or Lord’s Day (Edinburgh: William Whyte & Co., 1842), 388–96.
[2] Lane Keister, “The Sabbath Day and Recreations on the Sabbath: An Examination of the Sabbath and the Biblical Basis for the ‘No Recreation’ Clause in Westminster Confession of Faith 21.8 and Westminster Larger Catechism 117,” Confessional Presbyterian 5 (January 1, 2009): 235.
[3] Haldane, Sanctification of the Sabbath, 389. Haldane explains other connections: “The day of Pentecost, too, was the fiftieth day from the resurrection of Jesus Christ when he ‘became the first fruits of them that slept,’ and the day of the first fruits of the Christian Church. The fiftieth year of jubilee, when every man returned into his own possession, which he had sold or forfeited, also corresponded with that fiftieth day, the day of Pentecost, on which so remarkable a proof was given that the price of the redemption of Christ’s people had been paid, and that for them he had entered into the possession of his and their eternal inheritance.” Ibid., 389–90.
[4] Ibid., 390. It is also significant that “not merely the Apostles, but all the disciples…were in one accord—as being the day of their stated meeting—in one place.” Ibid.
[5] Ibid., 387.
[6] This argument drawn principally from: Benjamin Keach, The Jewish Sabbath Abrogated, Or, The Saturday Sabbatarians Confuted in Two Parts: First, Proving the Abrogation of the Old Seventh-Day Sabbath: Secondly, That the Lord’s-Day Is of Divine Appointment: Containing Several Sermons Newly Preach’d upon a Special Occasion, Wherein Are Many New Arguments Not Found in Former Authors, Early English Books, 1641-1700 / 280:06 (London : Printed and sold by John Marshall …, 1700., 1700), 176–279, gateway.proquest.com .ezproxy.sbts.edu/ openurl?=ctx_ver=Z39.88-2003&res_id=xri:eebo&rft_id =xri:eebo:citation:12417506 Keach argues that there are many things comprehended in the great commission which are not expressed, including the day of worship: Sunday. Keach argues that Christ probably gave this teaching, among others, during His 40 days before His ascension. Ibid., 176–80. See also: ; Iain H. Murray, Rest In God: A Calamity in Contemporary Christianity (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 2010), 18–23; Glen Knecht, The Day God Made (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth Trust, 2003), 62–66.
[7] Keach offers three reasons to believe that the transfer was taught directly to the Apostles by Jesus. (1) “Consider Jesus Christ, Son of God, as Mediator, is the only Head, Sovereign Lord, and Lawgiver to his Church; and therefore it may seem strange, that the special Day or Time of Gospel-worship in his own Kingdom-state should not be given forth by himself. (2) “Now no doubt but during these 40 days [between the resurrection and the ascension], he fully settled all things appertaining to his Spiritual Kingdom, and instructed them in all matters they should both do and teach. And can any rationally judg [sic.] that he did not then command them which day in seven he would have observed as a Day of Rest and Solemn Worship?” And (3) “Consider, that from the day of his ascension into Heaven, till the day of Pentecost, there were but ten days, during which we do not read they had any special general Assembly for Religious Worship, tho on the two first days some were together, and on both those days he appeared to them. And remarkable it is, that there were two Jewish Sabbath-days between his Ascension and the day of their first general solemn meeting. Now had not the old Sabbath been gone, certainly they had assembled on both those days: but no doubt our Lord had told them on what day they should first meet together, in expectation of the Gift and Promise of the Father; which hay he purposed to ratify as the only Day of Gospel-Worship, by a marvelous effusion of the Spirit. To me nothing deserves more to be observ’d than this, viz. on what day of the week the first general Gospel-Assembly was held, after our Lord’s Resurrection, and just upon (or soon after) his Ascension: for no doubt that the day which Christ did settle in his Gospel-Church. And that they were bit to be altogether on this day, and to wait till it was come, seems plainly implyed [sic.] in the very words of the Text, Acts 2.1 ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come;’ fully come, doth not that denote they waited for it?” Keach, The Jewish Sabbath Abrogated, 182–85. While his mildly speculative arguments are interesting, it does not matter whether Christ gave the commands directly or if the Apostles, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, gave the commands to the church; either way, the pattern immediately and universally shifts by divine command from Saturday to Sunday worship.
[8] For a defense of this passage speaking of Sunday evening, not Saturday evening, see: Max Turner, “The Sabbath, Sunday, and the Law in Luke/Acts,” in From Sabbath To Lord’s Day, ed. D. A. Carson (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock, 1999), 130.
[9] Ibid., 132.
SABBATH
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Post by Admin on Mar 29, 2024 17:52:36 GMT -5
Why Is Good Friday Good?
JON ENGLISH LEE
Why Is Good Friday Good?
“It is finished,” He cried. This work of Christ on the cross is called by theologians the doctrine of the atonement. The atonement is really at the heart of the gospel and the heart of Christianity itself, and I’d like to examine various aspects of the atonement, and show how each one is important for us in our Christian walk.
Expiation
A first aspect of the atonement is expiation. This is not a word we hear very often, but expiation refers to the removal of guilt. Because Christ endured the full curse of the law, he has borne our guilt. We have had our guilty sentence removed. He has freed us from the burden that we had earned under the law.
Paul touches on this aspect in 2 Corinthians 5:21 when he says that Christ was made sin for us in order that we might be made the righteousness of God. That is, Christ was treated as sin, he was given what sin deserved, that is death, so that we might instead be given what righteousness deserved, which is life. Isaiah 53 also teaches this: “he has surely borne our griefs and sorrows…upon him was laid the iniquity of us all.” Christ has taken our guilt from us; he has expiated us.
And this is crucial for us in our Christian life. Have you have ever lingered under a sense of looming guilt for your past sins? Have you had thoughts, deep down, that come up and tempt you to believe that God really doesn’t love you? Have you ever felt like God is punishing you for your foolishness, that there is an angry Father keeping you down, holding back his love, because you’re still a sinner–that because you’re still struggling with this sin or that sin, God is punishing you for your rebellion by holding back good things?
Well, the doctrine of expiation reminds us that our guilt has been removed. All of it. Christ has removed it completely by bearing it in his body on the cross. You’re not being punished again for sins that have already been removed, for guilt that has already been dealt with. You’re free in Christ.
God is not punishing you for something in your past. Indeed, if Christ has truly expiated our guilt on the cross, if he has truly removed our guilt and curse from sin, then God would be unjust to punish you again for something that has been removed. God cannot condemn you with the law once you have been declared not-guilty. Divine double jeopardy is impossible. Once the Son frees you from guilt, you are free indeed.
Remember your freedom from guilt the next time your feelings start to condemn you. Tell yourself again that you have been declared not guilty in Christ. Speak to yourself from Scripture, and ignore false feelings that try to put again upon you the yoke of the curse that was the result of the law. The doctrine of expiation ought to help us every day. It should help us to sleep at night. It should help us when our feelings condemn us. It should help us when the world would try to declare us guilty. Christ has cleared us from the sentence of guilt that we so rightfully earned.
Propitiation
Second, another aspect of the atonement is propitiation. Propitiation is another word that we don’t hear often these days. It is very much related to expiation; indeed, we might call it the other side of the same coin. If expiation was concerned with us and our guilt, then propitiation is concerned with God and his righteousness. Propitiation means the absorption or the appeasement of God’s wrath toward sin. Christ has taken the full weight of divine wrath that was earned by us because of our sin.
We see this idea throughout the Bible. For example, Isaiah 53 again says:
But he was pierced for our transgressions;
he was crushed for our iniquities;
upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace,
and with his wounds we are healed.
The apostle Paul does something similar in 1 Thessalonians 1:10, where he says Jesus “delivers us from the wrath to come.”
John uses the exact word “propitiation” in his first letter. 1 John 2 says that Christ “is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.” 1 John 4:10 likewise says, “In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” Christ has taken the wrath that was earned by God’s people and absorbed it in his body. He felt the punishment that we deserved. He suffered that we might be free.
This is a doctrine that the world hates. They hate it because it assumes that there is an absolutely holy God who judges sin. They hate it because the doctrine assumes that they will be punished; indeed, they will feel wrath from God because of sin.
This doctrine is important for us to know because we can be tempted by Satan to believe that God is not happy with us. Our feelings and the lies of this world can lead us to believe that the bow of God’s wrath is still aimed at us, that we really have not been forgiven, and that can lead us to cower and fear. We can come to doubt our own salvation, and doubt the very goodness of God himself. But knowing that Christ has truly propitiated for the sins of his people means that we can rest in God’s goodness shown toward us. We must remind ourselves that God’s wrath is not aimed at us, even when we suffer or are afflicted. Even when times get tough, this is not the wrath of an angry God punishing you for sins, this is the tender guidance of a faithful Father who is seeking your good, even through the trials.
God does not fly off the handle. God does not hold grudges against you. God does not say that he forgives you and then pour out his judgement upon you. God is steady and unrelenting in his wrath against sin, but that wrath is not aimed at you because it has been assuaged by the work of the Son in your place. Trust that God is a good and loving Father to you, and that he has no hint of wrath stored up for you, only goodness and love.
Reconciliation
A third aspect of the atonement is reconciliation. This is a word that is much more familiar to us. On the cross, Christ has brought reconciliation between us and God. He has brought former enemies together and made them friends. This is really what the word atonement means. Atonement comes from an old English word that literally meant to be made “at one,” to be united, to be reconciled. We were at war with God. We were hated enemies, seditious traitors, having no hope of even coming into his presence to talk about peace. We were outside of the realm of his grace, and branded as enemies of the state. But Christ on the cross has made a way for us to be reunited with our God.
Romans 5:10-11 speaks of this reconciliation: “For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.” Similarly, Colossians 1:19-20 speaks of this work of reconciliation: “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.”
God has made a way for us to have peace with God through the work of Christ on the cross. If you believe, you are no longer God’s enemy, but God’s friend. He no longer has ill-will toward you, but only blessings. He no longer feels hostility toward you, but only feels charity. No more enmity, only amity.
Believer, rest in the reconciliation that Christ has provided for you. Consider the great blessing this is for us; that we have been brought near to God. We’ve been made friends with him, and friends don’t mistreat one another. Friends look out for each other’s best interests. Friends defend one another. Friends provide for each other’s needs. This is what God does for us. He doesn’t mistreat us. He looks out for our best interests. He defends us. And he provides for our needs. Praise God and thank him for the reconciliation that he has provided for us in Christ.
Satisfaction
A fourth aspect of the atonement is satisfaction. When we hear that word now we usually think of something like happiness, or gratification. Like, “he smiled with satisfaction when he was finished mowing the grass.” But the word has a much stronger meaning. It usually refers to the payment of a debt. Indeed, the Greek word used here for “it is finished” is actually a transactional term. In that day, when you’d finish paying off a debt, they’d give you something like a receipt that said tetelestai across the top of it: “It is finished.” The debt has been paid in full.
That’s what Christ has done for us. In our sinful rebellion, we had robbed God of what was due to him. The service and obedience, the allegiance and faithfulness that should have been given to him, was taken away and given to another, the God of this world, Satan. We robbed God of the glory that ought to have been given to him. And that made us debtors to him. We owed him a debt we could never repay. But Christ on the cross made up for the debt that we owed. He makes the payment of his very own life to pay our debt in full.
Colossians 2:13-14 says: “And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross.” Christ has canceled our record of debt. He has removed our file from the divine claims department, and stamped “paid in full” across our records. We don’t owe a single penny. You’ve been vouched for, you’ve been covered. Christ has completely removed our debt.
Believer, have you considered the debt that Christ has paid on your behalf? Do you praise the Son for his willingness to take on your foolish balances? Meditate on what the Son has removed from you. Contemplate the gift of the Son and his sacrifice. Thank God that the debt has been removed, because none of us could ever have removed it on our own. None of us had the means to pay for it. Indeed, the Bible says that none of us even had the inclination to remove the debt, if it weren’t for the work of the Holy Spirit. We were, prior to Christ, sprinting down the path toward hell, running up an even higher tab with each sin, sinking ourselves deeper and deeper into divine debt. But God, being rich in mercy, because he loved us, showed us the great debt that we owed him. He pulled us out of the mire of sinful debt, he nailed our invoice for sins on the cross, and he placed us back on a right standing at the cost of his very own Son.
That is the love of the Father. Not merely that he would be willing to buy his own enemies out of a debtor’s prison, but that he would do it even at the great cost of his very own Son’s life. Believer, don’t take for granted the great work of God on your behalf. Don’t neglect so great a salvation and spoil it on the sinful temptations of this world. Don’t rack up again a debt of foolishness that will bring nothing but suffering to you and dishonor to the Father. Walk in the path of faithfulness, and honor the One to whom we owe a debt that we could never afford. Rest in the work of satisfaction that the son has done on our behalf.
Substitution
A fifth aspect of the atonement is substitution. This aspect has been woven through all the other points thus far, and is really the most marvelous of the aspects of the atonement. Christ stands as a Substitute for those he came to save. The Bible speaks of this in many places. 2 Corinthians 5 tells us that God made him who had no sin to be sin for us. 1 Peter 2 says that he himself bore our sins in his body on our behalf. Even at the Last Supper, Jesus said, “this is my body which is broken for you.”
Christ’s work was done in our place. He was willing to give up everything and become nothing so that we might be saved. He stood in our place, even while we were sinners. He was the final Passover lamb that was slain, his blood spreading over his people so that their lives would be protected from the angel of death. He was the scapegoat that was cursed and sent outside the gate so that we might have our sins forgiven. He is our Substitute, that we might be treated not as we deserve, but as he deserved. Praise God for his inconceivable substitution.
Redemption
A sixth aspect of the atonement is redemption. To redeem something means to buy it back, usually from slavery of some kind. God has worked to free his people from bondage. Christ is our great Emancipator, our great Liberator, who has freed us from the chains of slavery to sin, slavery to the God of this world, and slavery to the cares of this world.
The Bible speaks of this great ransom price that Christ paid on behalf of his people. Matthew 20:28 says that Christ came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many. That is, his life was the cost needed to buy back his captured people. Ephesians 1:7 says that we have redemption through his blood. And 1 Peter 1:18-19 says that “you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ.” Christ redeemed us, bought us out of slavery, paid the ransom needed for our freedom because he loved us. And the cost of that redemption was his very own life. His blood was the redemption ticket. His pain and suffering was our emancipation proclamation. His life was the cost of our emancipation, and his perfection was the cost of our liberation.
Believer, when you are tempted to sin, remember that that you have been freed from slavery. When the temptation comes and it feels so strong–that sin you’ve struggled with for so long, that you feel powerless to overcome, that feels like it has its tail wrapped around your neck–remind yourself that you have been freed. You’ve been bought out of slavery to that sin. It is no longer your master. Remember that Christ’s work on the cross has liberated you from the power of sin. You don’t have to give in. You don’t have to succumb to the temptation. You’re freed from sin’s dominion. And you’ve been given the Holy Spirit to help you fight. You’re no longer trapped by your flesh; you can battle against it. You’ve been redeemed from the power of sin, and you’ve been liberated from slavery to it. Praise God that he is a redeeming God! Thank him for the redemption we have through Christ Jesus.
Victory
A final aspect of Christ’s work on the cross victory. Christ is victorious.
This part of the atonement has been called Christus Victor throughout church history, especially in the early church, and it refers to Christ as the conquering King. Christ has defeated his enemies, subdued the cosmic foes, and succeeded in accomplishing his mission. Christ’s people–indeed all of creation–were under the power of the Evil One. But, because of Christ’s victory, Satan and his powers have been dealt the fatal blow, and it was done in the very way that seemed to be his defeat. The world looked on and saw Jesus hanging and dying on the cross, but the moment of his apparent defeat, was only the beginning of his coronation. His path to the grave was the first step in his victory march to Glory.
Colossians 2 tells us that God has “disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame by triumphing over them in Christ.” Christ is the victorious King that has defeated the Villain and saved the hostages.” He is the valiant Knight that slew the Dragon and saved his Bride, the Church. He is the rescuing God that saves a people for himself.
Believer, when you are doing battle against Satan and his temptations, remember these aspects of Christ’s work. Remember that you have been liberated by a victorious King, that you’ve been freed from slavery to sin, that you’ve been forgiven of all your debts, washed of your guilt, and have no wrath looming over you anymore. Preach these truths to yourself when you are weary from battle and tempted to give in to sin. Don’t let the lies of the Evil One distract you by taking away some part of Christ’s atoning work.
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Post by Admin on Apr 17, 2024 20:44:57 GMT -5
3 Freedoms found in the Doctrine of Scripture
JON ENGLISH LEE
3 Freedoms found in the Doctrine of Scripture
The Second London Baptist Confession contains several strong statements on the doctrine of scripture. This doctrine is the bedrock of any true christian faith and, thus, must be clearly defended in every generation.
While the framers of the Westminster and Second London confessions were keen to counter several particular errors they saw in their day (e.g., Roman claims of authority, the “enthusiasts” and their supposed new revelations), the truths that they articulated are still relevant to us today. Below I list several reasons why a robust doctrine of scripture is necessary to preserve the actual freedom found in Christ.
Freedom From False Claims of Ecclesial Authority
Chapter 1 paragraph 10 from the confession reads:
The supreme judge, by which all controversies of religion are to be determined, and all decrees of councils, opinions of ancient writers, doctrines of men, and private spirits, are to be examined, and in whose sentence we are to rest, can be no other but the Holy Scripture…
The authors knew that the Roman claims of authority were not consistent with what is found in God’s Word. Wherever the Roman Catholic church claimed authority to reside (they didn’t even agree; was it the Pope, the Magisterium, the councils, or “tradition”?), the drafters of the confession refused to confess that there is any infallible authority on earth outside of the canon.
This truth is still exceedingly relevant today. Pastors, leaders, or even whole churches might want to enforce their preferences and desires upon believers by using their position of authority. However, if a pastor or leader cannot defend his decisions based on the Word of God and the principles found therein, he likely is overstepping his authority. A strong doctrine of scripture defends Christians from being trampled by domineering leaders of any kind. When we are clear that our consciences are bound by God’s Word alone, then we have found true freedom from any sort of over-bearing ecclesiastical claims of authority.
Freedom From False Claims of New Revelation
Similarly, the framers of the confession sought to defend against the problems posed by the “enthusiasts” of their day that were claiming to have received new revelation from God. Chapter 1 paragraph 6 speaks clearly to the issue of the closing of the canon:
The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelation of the Spirit, or traditions of men.
Thus, the Holy Spirit has ceased giving new special revelation to men. God’s Word is complete and sufficient for life and godliness.
This is still relevant for us today. Nobody can claim to have an infallible revelation from the Lord today, outside of that which has been delivered to us in the Bible. I have been in churches where someone might come up and claim to have a word from the Lord that I need to hear. While what they tell me might be wise or encouraging, I have no reason to heed their word unless it is consistent with scripture. Because the canon is closed and special revelation has ceased, I am not bound to follow any man’s advice or teaching, even my own pastor’s, unless it has been tested by the Word of God first. Only when we have a firm doctrine of scripture can we be free from the claims of special knowledge or the claims of false teachers that they have been gifted with new revelation from God.
True Freedom of Conscience
A corollary of a strong doctrine of scripture is that we are free to follow our conscience in matters not addressed by God’s Word. Chapter 21 paragraph 2 states:
God alone is Lord of the conscience, and has left it free from the doctrines and commandments of men which are in any thing contrary to his word, or not contained in it.
Here we find that we are in no way bound by the opinions of man; God alone dictates our doctrine and behavior. No pastor or teacher has the authority to command of me anything that has not first been commanded by God in His Word. There is terrific freedom found in this. No domineering pastor can demand of me anything that my loving Father in Heaven hasn’t already stated in His Word. No over-bearing leader can force me to give a certain amount, serve in a specific way, or otherwise bind my conscience with extra-biblical demands. Only under the protection of a strong doctrine of scripture are we able to enjoy the true freedom that Christ has provided.
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Post by Admin on Apr 18, 2024 23:42:38 GMT -5
Thomas Manton on Thanksgiving
JON ENGLISH LEE
Puritan Thomas Manton gave a sermon entitled “The Christian’s Special Duty of Giving Thanks,” in which he reflects upon Psalm 119:62: ““At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee, because of thy righteous judgments.” His main point of emphasis in the sermon is that Christians ought to often be busy in the business of thanksgiving, and, since it is Thanksgiving, I thought it would be profitable to reflect upon some of Manton’s reasons why we Christians ought to be busy in the business of thanking God with hearts full of gratitude.
1. God both gives daily mercies, and has given the mercy of Christ.
Manton writes: “The necessity of being much and often in thanksgiving will appear by these two considerations: Because God is continually beneficial to us, blessing and delivering His people every day and by new mercies giveth us new matter of praise and thanksgiving: ‘Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation’ (Ps 68:19). He hath continually favored us and preserved us and poured His benefits upon us. The mercies of every day make way for songs which may sweeten our rest in the night; and His giving us rest by night and preserving us in our sleep, when we could not help ourselves, giveth us songs in the morning. And all the day long we find new matter of praise: our whole work is divided between receiving and acknowledging.
Some mercies are so general and beneficial that they should never be forgotten but remembered before God every day, such as redemption by Christ: ‘He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered’ (Ps 111:4). We must daily be blessing God for Jesus Christ: ‘Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift’ (2 Cor 9:15), [which] I understand [to be] of His grace by Christ. We should ever be thus blessing and praising Him; for the keeping of His great works in memory is the foundation of all love and service to God.”
2. Thanksgiving is a profitable duty.
“The usefulness of thanksgiving appeareth with respect to faith, love, and obedience. With respect to faith. Faith and praise live and die together: if there be faith, there will be praise; and if there be praise, there will be faith. If faith, there will be praise, for faith is a bird that can sing in winter: ‘In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me’ (Ps 56:4); and verse 10, ‘In God I will praise his word, in the Lord I will praise his word.’ His word is satisfaction enough to gracious hearts; if they have His word, they can praise Him beforehand for the grounds of hope before they have enjoyment.”
Regarding thanksgiving’s relationship to love, Manton continues by explaining that thanksgiving helps to fuel our prayers: “The great respect it hath to love. Praise and thanksgiving are acts of love, [which] cherish and feed love. They are acts of love to God; for if we love God, we will praise Him. Prayer is a work of necessity, but praise a mere work of duty and respect to God. We would exalt Him more in our own hearts and in the hearts of others: ‘I will hope continually, and will yet praise thee more and more’ (Ps 71:14).”
3. Thanksgiving is a delightful duty.
“It is a most delightful work to remember the many thousand mercies God hath bestowed on the church, ourselves, and friends. To remember His gracious word and all the passages of His providence; is this burdensome to us? ‘Praise ye the LORD: for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant; and praise is comely’ (Ps 147:1); and ‘Praise the LORD; for the LORD is good: sing praises unto his name; for it is pleasant’ (Ps 135:3). No profit so great as spiritual; is not to be measured by the good things of this world or a little pelf or the great mammon, which so many worship. But spiritual and divine benefit, which tendeth to make us spiritually better, more like God, more capable of communion with Him, that is true profit. It is an increase of faith, love, and obedience. So for pleasure and delight—that which truly exhilarateth the soul [and] begets upon us a solid impression of God’s love—that is the true pleasure.”
On this Thanksgiving Day, may we hear the call from our brother Thomas Manton and be faithful to give thanks to God for our daily mercies and for the grace of Christ, may we let our thanksgiving fuel our love and prayer, and may we be delighted by thankfulness in response to our delightful God.
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