1 Thess. 1:1; Acts 17:1-15, Introduction (1)

The Thessalonian epistles have much to contribute to believers today.

·        Eschatology.  There is an emphasis on “future things” as every chapter of both letters ends with encouragements based in eschatology.

·        Sanctification.  1 Thess. 4-5 emphasize various issues of spiritual growth.

·        Ecclesiology.  1 Thess. 1-3 emphasize issues of church and church ministry.  It is as amazingly relevant for today as it was when Paul wrote it.

With that in mind let us begin a study of 1 Thessalonians.

I.      Author(s), 1:1

A. PAUL.  Paul was set apart for special ministry (Acts 9).  God renewed the mind of this persecutor of Christians in the desert of Arabia.  After ministry in Damascus and Jerusalem he had ended up at Tarsus, his hometown.  Barnabas sought out Paul to come to Antioch to teach (Ac. 12) where they were set apart for ministry (Ac. 13:1-3).  After completing one journey, after the Jerusalem Council (Ac. 15) Paul desired to return to the churches they had established (Acts 15:36-40) which he did, taking Silas (Ac. 15:22) after he (Paul) and Barnabas had a disagreement over taking John Mark.


B. Silas.  Silas was known to Paul when he (Silas) came to Antioch to deliver the decision of the Council.  Silas knew of Paul’s “push” (actually, it was his calling) to take the gospel to the Gentiles and thus Silas must have been in full agreement with Paul.  After the Macedonian call (Ac. 16:6-10) the team (Timothy had joined by now) crossed over into Europe, taking them in a more heavily Roman direction.  The first stop was Philippi (Acts 16:16-40) where the two were imprisoned for serving Christ.


C. Timothy.  Timothy was from Lystra, perhaps a product of the first ministry of Paul on the first journey.  He was a disciple and recommended to Paul by the believers who knew him (Acts 16:1-5).  His mother (Eunice) was a Jewess and his father a Greek and Timothy had been spiritually encouraged by his mother and grandmother (Lois, 2 Tim. 1:5).  He was known for his sincere faith.  He had not been circumcised as a child so to avoid unnecessary obstacles from the Jews Paul had him circumcised.


These three, plus probably Luke, came to Thessalonica after leaving Philippi.  They were there for three Sabbaths, staying with Jason (who may have been Paul’s kinsman, Rom. 16:25).  In just three weeks the ministry of Christ caused the Jews to riot.  From Thessalonica they went to Berea where the Thessalonian Jews came and again caused trouble.  Paul was sent on to Athens while the other two stayed in Berea.  They regrouped in Athens but because of continuing pressure on the church in Thessalonica Paul sent Timothy back to encourage them (1 Th. 3:2-3).  He returned to Paul in Corinth where Paul then wrote the first letter and then not long after, the second letter.


There is one more things to say about “authorship” but for now let us glory in the oversight of the Sovereign God in directing us as we serve Him.

2 Peter 3:10-18, Living Steadfastly

As we come to the conclusion of this letter let us review it briefly.

·        1:1-4: We have all that we need for life and godliness.

·        1:5-11: The life we are talking about is described.  It is a life that is growing so that we will not be unfruitful, will make our calling election sure, and that will supply us an entrance into the eternal kingdom of God.

·        1:12-21: The sure word of God has been given through the OT prophets and the NT apostles of Christ.

·        2:1-22:  We must be careful because there will be false teachers in our midst.  They will be known by their worldliness: deception, lust and covetousness being their primary attributes.

·        3:1-7: Not only false teachers but scoffers will also be in our midst, denying the return of Christ, the record of Scripture and the reliability of God.

The issue is this: we have obtained like-precious-faith; but we must add to our faith, growing in our faith, lest you become subject to doubt, lest you also fall from your own steadfastness (3:17).  You may remember how often good kings of Israel stumbled in the later years of their lives (e.g. David, Solomon, Asa, Hezekiah).  What we desire was described by Paul: to fight the good fight, finish the race and keep the faith (2 Tim. 4:7).  So what reminders does Peter give us to encourage this?

v Be diligent, v14.  Peter is saying, be diligent to be what you are in Christ.  We were chosen by God to be holy and blameless and in His plan He made us His sons by adoption (Eph. 1:3-5).  This is what we are “in Christ”.  As we often say today, living holy and blameless today must be intentional; it requires moment by moment focus by those who are strong in the Lord and the power of His might.

v Be mindful, v15a.  We are to count as true what Peter said about the Lord back in 3:8-9.  God’s patience is not a problem to us; it is our salvation as well as the salvation of others.  The seemingly “extra” time we have should be devoted to the reason our Lord left us here: to make disciples of all nations (Mt. 28:18-20).  In this way our Master will find us doing His will when He comes (Luke 12:42-48).

v Be alert, v15b-17.  The issue is to beware lest you also fall … being led away with the error of the wicked (v17).  Peter has called attention to false teachers and to scoffers.  We must be alert to these who twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.  Remember how Peter said the scoffers walk according to their own lusts.  We must instead be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth (2 Tim. 3:15).

v Be growing, v18.  We must resist the thought that “I’ve made it” or “I am too old to learn”.  We must be adding the virtues of 2 Pt. 1:5-7 to our lives until we die.  We can never stop growing in the grace and knowledge of Christ.  Perhaps Peter is thinking of Paul here and his words in Phil. 3:7-16.  That I may know Him (Christ) … Not that I have already attained … I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.  Paul said these words later in his life when he was a mature servant of Christ.  Likewise Peter says these words, to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ, at a point when he thinks he is about to go to be with Christ (2 Pt. 1:14).  Let us be diligent to grow in the grace and knowledge of Christ!

TO HIM BE THE GLORY BOTH NOW AND FOREVER.  AMEN!

Psalm 75

Three motivations drive Satanic temptation: the lust of the flesh (do what feels good), the lust of the eyes (find happiness in possessions) and the pride of life (aim to be #1).  This Psalm concerns the last one.  In the Garden of Eden the hook was baited with the thought, You can be like God!  They fell for it (Gen. 3:5-6)!  Jesus was tempted to greatness sooner than later by throwing Himself off the top of the temple pinnacle.  He resisted it!  His answer to the easier, quicker path to greatness was, You shall not tempt the Lord your God (Matt. 4:7).

The simple truth of this Psalm undergirds everything the Bible says to us about greatness.  It all has to do with God!  Exaltation and humiliation is from Him.  It doesn’t come from east (lit. the rising of the sun), west (lit. the setting of the sun) or south (lit. the desert).  Rather it is of God.  The boastful wicked will surely drink and drain down the cup of God, from the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God (Rev. 19:15).  And why?  Because in His temple everyone cries “Glory” (Psalm 29:9)!

Jesus both lived and taught the truth of this Psalm.  His humanity was lived in full trust in God who exalts the humble and humbles the exalted.  The Father promised to exalt the Son (Psalm 2:4-6 and many other passages).  Yet the Son was called to the ultimate humiliation of death, even death on a cross (Phil. 2:5-8).  But in His suffering He entrusted Himself to God as to a faithful Creator (1 Peter 4:19).  And, at the proper time of God’s choosing (Psa. 75:2) He was highly exalted, given a Name above every name with every knee in the universe bowed before Him (Phil. 2:9-11).  Jesus taught His disciples to live in the same manner.  Rather than the audacity of lording it over others He called us instead to be servants and slaves (Matt. 20:25-28).  The exaltation is left to God!

The temptation to self-exaltation is everywhere.  Today at the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem (where we are currently located) I was asked to prepare communion for one person.  We commonly prepare elements for the Lord’s Table for groups desiring to share together.  But why one person?  The Lord’s Table is a Body of Christ observance.  Even Jesus did not celebrate it alone.  When I arrived with the elements I discovered it was a photo op.  The cameraman was there to record one lady eating the bread and drinking the cup, alone. 

But she was not alone in the Garden today in what appeared to be the search for greatness.  I also struggle with the temptation called the pride of life.  The demonic tendencies of envy and self-seeking (James 3:16) long to wrest control of my thoughts and deeds from the Man from heaven.  How wonderful when, by the grace of God, I am content to sing praises to the God of Jacob (Ps. 75:9). That’s when we have it right: when we live to worship God.  Humble yourself under the mighty hand of God that He may exalt you in due season (1 Peter 5:5).

2 Peter 3:10-18, Living in Hope

Peter does not speak of the rapture or the tribulation period or even of the earthly kingdom of Jesus the Messiah.  These events are real and we learn of them elsewhere in Scripture.  But Peter, I believe, takes us to the far future, if you will, to the time after the earthly reign of Christ.  I believe it is the time referred to in Rev. 20:7-21:5.


Peter refers to the day of the Lord (v10).  We have spoken of this previously, that this is a “day” when God sets thing right as they should be.  In the past God used the Babylonians and the Romans to perform His will in what is called the day of the Lord.  In the future the time of Jacob’s trouble (tribulation period) is the day of the Lord.  And in the far future, after Satan leads a final rebellion, there will be a final day of the Lord.  In each case evil seems to have the upper hand but God intervenes to bring about His will.


In the past God brought about world-wide judgment by water (the flood).  But at that time He promised never to do that again.  The judgment Peter speaks of is by fire, a fire so hot that the heavens pass away and the earth itself is burned up.  There is no reason not to take this literally.  In 2 Peter 3 we have been reminded of past catastrophic events (creation, the flood) that really happened.  We should think of the future judgment in the same way.


But the removal and destruction of the heavens and earth is not the end of the story.  The hope that we have is that the old will be replaced with a new heaven and earth.  This is language that comes from the prophet Isaiah (51:6; 65:17-18; 66:22).  In those passages what is new is said to be forever.  In the new heavens and earth righteousness will be at home; in other words, it will be the norm.  What a magnificent thought!


These facts have clear implications.  Peter asks a question in such a way that he answers the question at the same time: what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness?  Yes, our lives ought to be lived consistently with the hope we have.  We hope for a future where righteousness is at home.  Thus we should seek to live in that way now.  Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven.


Furthermore, we should be looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God.  Peter is saying that far from discouragement, we should actually have a deep anticipation of the coming of this day when all things are new.  You might wonder if he is saying we can actually speed up this coming day.  I believe what Peter is saying is that we should have the attitude that was often seen in the Psalms, as in Ps. 22:19: But you, O LORD, do not be far from Me; O my Strength, hasten to help me!  It is the prayer of Revelation 22:20: Even so, come, Lord Jesus!  The idea of hastening actually modifies looking for, emphasizing our eager anticipation of His return.


Again, let us not allow anyone to deprive us of this.  A solid hope is key to living life as faithful stewards who are looking for the Master to return at any time.  We do not run from this accountability; we long for it!

2 Peter 3:1-9, Beloved Reminders (2)

Peter is reminding us of things we know about God.

§  God is faithful.  The faithfulness of God concerns His keeping His word.  The scoffers want to describe God as if he were like us.  But what we know of God is this: If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself (2 Tim. 2:13).  God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man that He should repent.  Has He said, and will He not do?  Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? (Num. 23:19) 

§  God is patient.  The word long-suffering refers to God’s patience with people.  He has a plan to bring in all those who are His.  Rom. 11:25 says He will be patient until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.  God will put up with a lot of dishonor from wicked men in order to accomplish what He has lovingly planned.

§  God is sovereign.  Lastly Peter reminds us God is doing what He wills.  What He wills to do is to exalt His Son and He will bring this about regardless of the seeming power of the wicked one.  God is in control of the situation.

Scoffers are dangerous, denying Biblical doctrine, Biblical sufficiency, Biblical morality and the Biblical record.  What we must do is to deal with these scoffers according to the will of God.  What is that will?

·        Psalm 1:1: We must not sit where they sit.  Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in te seat of the scornful.

·        Prov. 9:7-8: We must not reprove them.  He who corrects a scoffer gets shame for himself, and he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself.  Do not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you; rebuke a wise man, and he will love you.  Jesus said it this way: Do not give what is holy to the dogs; nor cast your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you in pieces (Matt. 7:6).

·        Prov. 3:34: Trust God to judge them.  Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble.

·        Prov. 29:1: Pray for them, that God will soften their heart.  He who is often rebuked, and hardens his neck, will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.  Pray that God will cultivate the soil of their heart so that the word will land on good ground and bear fruit (Matt. 13:18-23).

In concluding this part of 2 Peter let us hear the call of Christ to put our hope in Him.  We are doomed to discouragement and defeat if we do not have hope.  And our hope is that He will someday come for us to take us to be with Him in the place He is preparing for us (John 14:1-4).  Don’t let the scoffer deprive you of the power of this precious promise.

2 Peter 3:1-9, Beloved Reminders (1)

Peter is writing to stir up our pure minds by way of reminder.  He wants us to believe both what was spoken before by the holy prophets as well as what the apostles of the Lord have said.  So what do they say that we should remember?

·        Beloved: what do we know? 

o   We know truth about the past, v5-6.  In v5 Peter refers to creation.  Because we have the Word of God, the Creator, we know that earth was originally covered by water (Gen. 1:1-2), that on the second day of creation the water above was separated from the water below (Gen. 1:6-8), and that the water below was gathered into seas and dry land appeared (Gen. 1:9-10).  Peter takes this as fact and expects us to do the same.  In v6 he refers to the flood (Gen. 6-9).  Again, he considers the record to be factual, that a catastrophic flood covered the entire earth.  In other words, the record of God’s judgment was true.  In the same way promises of future judgment should be considered to be true.  

This reminds me of Jesus who, when warning the people of Israel that there was a day of judgment coming that would bring about the destruction of the temple and of Jerusalem, quoted the prophet Jeremiah, saying you have made it (the temple) a den of thieves (Luke 20:46; Jer. 7:11).  Jeremiah spoke these words when he was warning the people of the same things, the destruction of the temple and city by the Babylonians.  Coming judgment need not be a surprise: we know it has happened in the past.  This is the foolishness of a theory that counts on millions and even billions of years of the same, uniform evolving of the universe.  Both creation and the flood are catastrophic events that are fundamental to the earth as we know it.

o   We know truth about the present and future, v7.  We know that God the Creator is also God the Sustainer of all things.  The same word that made the heavens and earth are preserving them for the day of judgment and perdition (destruction) of ungodly men.  The last world-wide judgment was by water; the next will be by fire according to God’s word.

o   We know truth about God, v8-9.  There are four perfections of God that Peter reminds us of in this passage.  Let us note the first and then continue to think on these things in our next post.

§  God is eternal.  Peter is reflecting on Psalm 90:4 which speaks of a day with the Lord as being like a thousand years.  We need to be sure we read this correctly: the word “as” is important.  This passage has been taken by some to aid in calculating dates for the return of Christ.  But it does not say “a day is a thousand years”; it says a day is “as” a thousand years.  The point is that God is eternal.  He has a sense of time that we finite beings cannot appreciate.  To us it seems a long time since Christ ascended; we will grow impatient if we do not submit to God’s perspective.

2 Peter 3:1-9, Ignorant Scoffers

Several years ago John Piper (I apologize, I don’t remember where I read it) spoke about people who scoffed at the idea of fulfillment of prophecy.  He mentioned Carl Sagan, the astronomer who put the second coming of Christ in the same category as the cow that jumped over the moon.  Then he mentioned several Biblical scholars.  One was William Neil who, in the Moffatt Commentary, indicated the future day of the Lord was symbolic but not areal event.  Another, Rudolf Bultmann, believed that if the world were to come to an end it would not be the mythical event of Scripture but would be a natural catastrophe of some sort.  A third, Ernest Best, denied that there would be a future, public end to earth even as there had not been a beginning.  Piper was not surprised to hear this from Sagan but wondered how the professors of divinity could in any way claim to represent the Bible.


One answer is that part of the prediction concerning the end times is that scoffers will come in the last days (2 Pt. 3:3).

·        Scoffers: who are they?  By definition a scoffer is one who shows contempt (Ps. 1:1) by mocking or sneering (Gen. 21:9; Ps. 73:8).  Peter says they walk according to their own lust.  They love to hear themselves talk (Pr. 1:22).  David was scorned by the giant (1 Sam. 17:43-44).  The Assyrian commander scorned Israel and Hezekiah for trusting God (2 Sam. 17:17-25).  The soldiers and chief priests scorned Christ in His suffering (Mt. 27:31,41).

·        Scoffers: how do they err?  According to Peter they …

o   Deny the return of Christ, v4.  This is akin to Satan’s question in Eden: “Has God indeed said…?”  They begin by raising doubt in people’s minds, doubt that is accentuated by what appears to be a delay in fulfilling the promise.  This is happening after only one generation of the Church.  As Paul seemed to indicate, many people had expected a much sooner return by Christ (1 Thess. 4:13; 2 Thess. 2:1-2).

o   Deny the record of the Bible, v4-5.  Note that they willfully forget.  They deny Christ’s return by their argument for “uniformitarianism.”  Everything is the same since the beginning of creation, they say.  They depict, at best, a “deist” god who created it all and then left it to run itself. 

o   Deny the reliability of God, v9.  This is critical.  Note the phrase in v9: as some count slackness.  These scoffers speak of God as if He is like men, sometimes finding it difficult or inconvenient to keep His promises.  Again, they forget what David knew: that the words of the LORD are pure words, like silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times and that You shall keep them, O LORD, You shall preserve them from this generation forever (Ps. 12:6-7).

Scoffers are dangerous.  Their words can shake the foundation of faith of those who do not stand firm in the truth.  We should thank God for Peter’s ministry of reminding.

Romans 11:25-36, Israel and Jesus’ Return (3)

In this last of our posts concerning Israel as a powerful evidence of the promise of Jesus’ return we want to consider four aspects of God’s promise to Abraham (given in Gen. 12:1-3) and their future fulfillment.

v The promise of a land, Gen. 12:1.  The prophecy of Ezekiel 40-48 is one of many places where this part of the covenant is seen in its future fulfillment.  Ezek. 40-43 describes in detail a future, physical temple.  Ezek. 44 describes the priesthood and the worship.  Ezek. 45-46 speaks of the Prince, a descendant of David, and of the Lord Himself, the Messiah, entering through the Eastern Gate.  Ezek. 47-48 describes the boundary lines for the nations and the tribes.  This is all future.

v The promise of a people, Gen. 12:2.  Hosea spoke of a judgment when Israel would not be God’s people (1:8-9) but followed that with a promise of restoration (1:10-2:1).  Peter quoted this (1 Pt. 2:9-10) when he wrote to believing Jews of the dispersion in his day.  To some that looks like the Church is the fulfillment of Hosea’s prophecy.  But that is not the case: there is still a promised future for the people of Israel (Zech. 13:7-9).  In detail Zechariah says that one third of the people will come through the fire and be saved.  Rev. 11:13 also speaks in detail, of a judgment on Jerusalem where seven thousand were killed and the rest saved.

v The promise of a judgment, Gen. 12:3.  God told Abraham those who cursed him and his descendents would be cursed.  This happened in Israel before the Incarnation when God would judge those that He had used to judge Israel.  But the prophets Zechariah (14:1-19) and Joel (Ch. 3) as well as John in the Revelation (17-18; 19:17-21) indicate there is a future settling of accounts with those who exceeded God’s intent in their hatred and treatment of Israel.

v The promise of the Savior, Gen. 12:3b.  God told Abraham that through him would come a blessing to all the nations.  That, of course, is the promise of the Savior, the One promised first in Gen. 3:15 as the Seed of the woman.  The Savior has come and fulfilled His work of redemption, taking the sins of the world upon Himself so that the offer of the gospel might be extended.  But He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation (Heb. 9:28).  The OT prophets, of course, predicted this, even though they did not fully understand the timing of it all.  The One whom they pierced would come to the nation upon whom God would pour out a Spirit of grace and supplication (Zech. 12:10).  

We will close these thoughts about God’s faithfulness to David in keeping His covenant: If you can break My covenant with the day … and night, so that there will not be day and night in their season then My covenant may also be broken with David My servant, so that he shall not have a son to reign on his throne! (Jeremiah 33:20-22).  What is at stake is the faithfulness of God.  He will be faithful!

Psalm 74

This Psalm is a great lesson in how to make our problems God’s problem.  We are not suggesting that we try to trick God into doing something about our problems by making Him think it’s his problem.  It is actually the opposite: it is seeing that we don’t in fact have a problem unless it is God’s problem.  The difference between whining at God and pouring out our burdened hearts is that in some way His Name and glory are at stake in what we are enduring.

Let us note the flow and symmetry of this Contemplation of Asaph. 

·        74:1-2: Why? (Why have you cast us off forever?)

·        74:3-8: The enemy causes perpetual desolations (describes the problem)!

·        74:9-10: How long? (How long will You let this go on?)

·        74:11-12: Why? (Why do You withdraw Your hand?)

·        74:13-17: You are the omnipotent God (describes God)!

·        74:18-23: Arise, O God (plead Your own cause)!

The Psalmist has a problem.  He and God’s people have been cast off by God.  It is a severe time and seems hopeless; he wonders how long this will go on.  But throughout he calls God to remember.

·        74:2: Remember who we are (Your congregation which You purchased, Your inheritance which You redeemed.  Israel is His turtledove and His poor, v19).

·        74:18,22: Remember what the enemy has done (blasphemed Your name; reproached You daily).

So the Psalmist has come in the right way to God.  He has seen how God’s name and glory is besmirched by the problem he faces.  He recognizes that Israel belongs to God and exists for God’s glory and to serve Him as His witness.  Believers today have the same truths to call upon.  We are the people who belong to Christ, purchased by Him for His glory (1 Cor. 6:19-20).  We are left here to testify of Him to the world (2 Cor. 5:18-20).  This kind of praying has the added benefit of elevating our hopes and aspirations above the temporary to the eternal things that befit God’s people (2 Cor. 4:16-18).


This week in the office at the Garden Tomb where we are serving we had some old gospel music playing (it’s a bit slow, and the Norwegian lady at the reception desk loves gospel music as do I).  Vestal Goodman was singing God Walks the Dark Hills and I was wondering, where does that idea come from?  Maybe the answer is in Psalm 74:20.  For the dark places of the earth are full of the haunts of cruelty.  We all know the fear one can have hiking the hills through a dark forest.  It is a great picture of life in an increasingly sinful world where God’s people walk.  Even as I write this I have seen in the news an American pastor in jail in Iran has been freed; AND an American missionary in Burkina Faso has been killed in a terrorist attack.  In both, and in every case, what comfort to know: God walks the dark places!  He is among the people He has redeemed!

1 Corinthians 15:1-11 But Now is Christ Risen!

CRICTOC BOCKRECE              BOICTIHY BOCKREC

CHRIST IS RISEN                      HE IS RISEN INDEED!

1 Cor. 15 is the longest chapter in the NT Epistles and it is about the resurrection of our Lord.  On this Easter you might want to read it.  We are posting this brief survey of the chapter to encourage you in this.  May God bless His word to you today as He always will (Isa. 55:10-11)!

v The Gospel, 15:1-4.  Christ died and rose again.  Not too many people deny that Jesus was crucified.  But many deny His death was the only perfect sacrifice for sin.  The proof that Jesus’ death was an atoning death is in His resurrection, by which He was declared with power to be the Son of God (Rom. 1:4).

v Evidence of His resurrection, 15:5-11.  It is in the witnesses, including Paul who met Christ on the road to Damascus and then saw Him when he was transported into heaven (2 Cor. 12:1-6).  Jesus was seen by over 500 at one time.

v Importance of His resurrection, 15:12-19.  This sermon has been preached often, the seven negatives if Christ is not risen.  See if you can find them.  Clue: the first is “our preaching is empty” and the last “we are of all men the most pitiable.”

v Results of His resurrection. 15:20-57.

Ø All will be made alive after they die, 15:22-28.  Christ is the firstfruits.  Because He tasted death for everyone and then destroyed the chains of death everyone will be raised, the just and the unjust.  But there is an order of events: Christ, then those who are alive at His coming, and then those raised after His earthly reign when God promises a new heaven and earth.

Ø We have a reason to live in this life (i.e. we are not “most pitiable”), 15:29-34.  This is a difficult passage and my first encouragement is that you not stumble here nor ignore the paragraph; it is powerful.  The power is seen in vs. 30-34 as Paul testifies of his willingness to put his life in jeopardy for the sake of Christ.  Denying the resurrection makes this a ridiculous thought that you would be willing to die for Christ.  The question is: what is meant by “baptized for the dead”?  So first, the answer must fit the message of vs. 30-34.  Second, it cannot mean, as some say, that living people were being baptized in proxy for people who died without being baptized.  That heresy so clearly flies against the Bible’s teaching that salvation is not by works (even the work of circumcision in the OT and baptism in the NT) and the Bible’s teaching that there can be no change in one’s spiritual condition after death (Heb. 9:27: it is appointed unto man once to die, and after that, the judgment).  Find a good commentary or two and research this.  Here is the answer from Albert Barnes (Barnes Notes):

Baptized is used here as it is in Matt. 20:22-23; Mark 10:39; Luke 12:50, in the sense of being overwhelmed with calamities, trials, and sufferings; and as meaning that the apostles and others were subjected to great trials on account of the dead, i.e. in the hope of the resurrection; or with the expectation that the dead would rise. … the phrase “for the dead” means, with reference to the dead; with direct allusion to the condition of the dead, and their hopes; with a belief that the dead will rise.

Ø We have understanding of the life to come, 15:35-49.  Because of Christ’s resurrection and the fact that He remained on the earth for forty days after we have an idea about what our bodies will be like when we are raised (our lowly body will be conformed to His glorious body, Phil. 3:21).  First, like a seed, this body must die before it is transformed into the resurrection body (v35-38).  Second, the resurrection body is different than the present one in the same way different animals have different bodies (v39-44).  Third, the natural body must come before the spiritual body just as Adam (the man of dust) came before Christ (the heavenly man, the last Adam, v45-49).

Ø We have certainty concerning the life to come, 15:50-57.  We shall be changed!  By the resurrection of Christ death is swallowed up in victory … through our Lord Jesus Christ.  

v Conclusion and application, 15:58.

Gen. 22:1-19; Eph. 1:7, A Bloody Religion (2)

The shedding of blood was the norm in false religion as well as in true religion.  Noah’s first act upon leaving the ark was to build an altar (Gen. 8:20).  Abraham built altars in Shechem (Gen. 12:7), Bethel (12:8), Mamre/Hebron (13:18) and then worship at the altar of Melchizedek, the King/Priest (14:18-24).  None of these were done in response to a command of God.  They were worship, acknowledgment that He was God and that they were thankful to Him.  They didn’t set up a memorial stone or build a church building; they erected an altar because they needed to shed blood.  These altars provided an opportunity for the worshiper to express his faith in the God who had promised to send a Man (“seed of the woman”, Gen. 3:15) who would be the bloody Substitute for sinners.  He would exchange His life for theirs.


Then came a significant event (Gen. 22).  God tested the faith of Abraham, commanding him to take his only son Isaac, the son God had promised to Abraham and who was born in his old age, and to offer Isaac on an altar on a mountain in the land of Moriah.  Abraham’s faith had been up and down but in this situation his obedience was immediate.  Abraham brimmed with confidence, telling his servants “we will come back to you” and assuring Isaac “God will provide for Himself the lamb”.  All we know about Abraham’s confidence in God is what the New Testament says: Abraham concluded “the God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also received him in a figurative sense” (Heb. 11:19).


It was a “figurative” resurrection because Isaac didn’t die.  God stopped Abraham.  And then there was a substitute, another animal.  Isaac was not the “seed of the woman” God had promised but this story provided truth about God’s plan, truth not only for Abraham and Isaac (they called the place Jehovah Jireh, the Lord will provide) but for Moses who wrote the story and concluded, as it is said to this day, ‘In the Mount of the LORD it shall be provided.’


Everyone learned two amazing things from this story and we should understand these things.  The lesser truth is that the “it” to be provided, the provision of the Substitute, would happen in that holy Mount of the LORD, in the land of Moriah.  Golgotha, the place of the Skull, is in that Mount.  Just outside Jerusalem, to the north of the altar at the temple (Lev. 1:11), the place made famous by Gen. Charles Gordon.


Of immeasurably greater importance is this truth: through Abraham and Isaac God was telling the world that He would send His only Son to be the sacrificial substitute for sin.  God would become a Man and thus able to shed His blood for sin.  He would be “the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.”  In Him we have redemption, through His blood, the forgiveness of sin.


Today, as has always been the case, God calls us to faith in Christ, to believe God’s promise of a Substitute, a promise that has been fulfilled in Christ.  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved (Acts 16:31).

Gen. 4:1-8; Lev. 17:11; Heb. 9:22, A Bloody Religion

A frequent observation about Christianity is that it is a “bloody religion.”  This has at times been a criticism, but just as often perhaps, it has been said by those who embrace the religion of the cross of Christ.   Let us consider this on this Good Friday.

I want to begin with a quick survey of the Bible.

·        The Bible begins with God as Creator (Gen. 1-2).  As Creator of all that exists in the universe He is the Creator of human.  He showed His love by placing Adam and Eve in a Garden that fully met their needs and where they enjoyed fellowship with Him.  As their Creator they are accountable to Him.  

·        The Bible considers sin to be a real problem (Gen. 3).  

o   Sin is a legal problem; Adam and Eve violated the command of the Creator.  The Creator now became their Judge.

o   Sin is a relational problem; it destroyed their fellowship with God so that, when God came to the Garden they hid from Him.  They had been created in His image so as to find their joy in that relationship.  

o   Sin is a personal problem; it brought shame and guilt.  Even though the sinner did not immediately die physically the sin cast them into a “death culture.”  The fundamental selfishness of their sin now cast a long shadow over everything they thought and felt and did.

o   Sin is a human problem; they were cast out of the Garden and no one has had access to that place and experience since then.  What they did became the norm for every one of their descendents to this day.

·        The Bible proclaims hope for the sinner (Gen. 3-Rev. 22).  Even before they were cast out of the Garden God promised to crush the head of the Serpent through the “Seed” of the woman.  In the closing chapter of the Bible we hear this invitation: “Whoever desires, let him take the water of life freely.”  

How could those who were deprived of “the tree of life” in the Garden of Eden come to be invited freely to take of “the water of life”?  The answer to that question involves, or we should better say, requires the shedding of blood.  As God would later say to the people of Israel, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement (covering) for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul” (Leb. 17:11).  The sinner had to die.  His only hope was to have a substitute, someone to die in his place, to take his punishment (propitiation) so as to restore the relationship (reconciliation), not only for Adam but for all who were affected, the entire human race.

This requirement of blood should not have come as a surprise to the guilty pair as God Himself provided them with a “covering” of animal skins, replacing the fig leaves they ha

d used to try to hide their nakedness.  But it became even clearer in the story of Cain and Abel.  They did what was right in that they sought to worship God with a gift.  This makes sense that we would give God thanks and glorify Him as God.  But God was very specific about the nature of the gift, not because He is hard to please but because it is impossible for the sinner to please the holy God!  Their worship had to acknowledge the gulf that now existed between humanity and the Creator.

Animal sacrifice became the “norm” for humanity.  In the worship of “false gods” (idols, gods created by people to try to satisfy their death, their emptiness) shedding of blood was common.  This included not only animals but human sacrifices, showing an understanding that there must be a substitute.

Let us conclude our study of the necessity of the shedding of blood in our next post.

Romans 11:11-24, Israel and Jesus’ Return (2)

In our previous post we expressed the idea that arguments against a place for literal Israel in the future do not really deny Israel that place.  Today let us consider arguments that demand a literal fulfillment of the literal promises to Israel in the OT.

Ø The detailed nature of the OT prophecies demand a literal, not merely spiritual fulfillment.  For example, when you read Ezek. 40-48, a description of a temple and nation that has not yet been seen in history, a temple and nation yet in the future, why is there such detail in measurements and description of various items and locations?  To make a spiritual point and give it to the Church does not require all that detail.  How would those details be fulfilled spiritually?  What makes sense is that Ezekiel is describing something real, an actual temple and nation.

Ø The unconditional and eternal nature of the promises given to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) and David (2 Sam. 7:12-16; Isa. 9:6-7) calls for a literal, future fulfillment.  The promise to Abraham did not depend on his righteousness; he only had to receive the promise by faith which he did (Gen. 15:6).  The fulfillment of the covenant was entirely up to God (Gen. 5:7-21).  If Israel forfeits the promise it says something about God, not about Abraham.  Moses understood this and prayed accordingly, calling upon God to be true to His character (Num. 14:11-19).  Also, consider the covenant with David of a king to reign forever on his throne.  How has that promise been fulfilled so far?  It has been literal with the birth, life, death and resurrection of Christ.  But the fulfillment is not complete and it makes sense that the end of it all will also be literal, with Christ on the throne of David in Zion.

Ø The NT maintains a clear distinction between Israel and the Church.  Consider today’s reading as an example.  Certainly Paul has argued there is one Body today, with Jew and Gentile.  But this does not keep him from speaking of the nation as a continuing and future reality.  God is able to graft them in again (Rom. 11:23).  How can God do that if they have ceased to exist in His plan?  Paul actually speaks in Rom. 11:28 of the actual relationship of the Church and Israel: Israel opposes the Church, and yet both continue to be beloved because of election.  

Ø The NT promises a future to Israel as a nation; this is quite clear in the latter part of Romans 11 (v11,25-27).  It is interesting that Paul, in 11:26-27, quotes from the OT (Isa. 59:10-21; 27:9).  Paul still believes in the literal fulfillment of what Isaiah said.  We would do well to do the same.

We should be very clear: national Israel today is not that saved nation.  But in the plan of God the regathering comes first, then the refining/chastening of Israel by the nations, then the saving of Israel, the judgment of the nations and the exaltation of Christ to His earthly throne.  Israel’s existence today is an argument for, not against, the promise of Christ’s return.

Romans 11:1-10, Israel and Jesus’ Return

There have long been those who argue that the Bible has no place for a literal nation of Israel in the future.  Some, like the Edomites who intended to occupy the land God had promised to Israel, claimed that the Babylonian exile was evidence that God had given up on Israel (Ezek. 35).  Today there are many Christians that believe Israel as a nation is no longer God’s chosen people and that God’s blessing solely rests on the Church, the Body of Christ.  They seek to base their arguments in Scripture.

·        Some note that believing Jews today do not join “Israel” but become part of the Church (Rom. 11:5).  This is a true statement.

·        Others call attention to the fact that the Old Testament pointed to a heavenly land and city (Heb. 11:8-10,13-16) and that this is the true fulfillment of the promises of a land given to Israel.  Hebrews even says that believers today have come to that city (12:18-24).

·        Another idea put forth is that the Church, as spiritual Israel and Abraham’s spiritual heirs, is the recipient of the promises given to Israel (Rom. 4:16-18; Gal. 6:16).  In other words, the promises are spiritualized.  We can certainly agree that believers today can look to the OT and find much encouragement in the life of Israel and in the words of the Psalmist and the Prophets.

But these and other arguments, while perhaps containing truth, do not at the same time do not require the abandonment of the promises given to Israel.  Considering the above arguments we would say …

·        All believers today, Jew and Gentile, are one body, the Church (Eph. 1-3).  The Church is removed in an event commonly called the Rapture (the catching away when we meet Christ in the air; 1 Thess. 4:13-17).  The reason for this is to bring the focus of God back on the nation Israel for seven years that she might be saved (Dan. 9:24-27).

·        All God’s people have longed for a future heavenly home.  But this does not negate the possibility of an earthly kingdom where the righteous will still be identified as those whose hearts and minds are on Christ.

·        The Israel of God (Gal. 6:16) does not refer to the Church as a whole but to those Jewish believers who were, as Paul put it, the first to come to Christ (Eph. 1:12).  In Scripture the term Israel always refers to the nation, to those who have a physical connection to Abraham through Jacob.  Our connection with the word of God given to Israel in the OT is that they provide examples, an idea expressed often in the NT (Rom. 15:4; 1 Cor. 10:6,11).

We believe that the existence of a nation of Israel in the land that was promised to them by God is an amazing sign of God’s faithfulness.  For that reason we will return to this subject over the next couple of days. 

Jeremiah 30:1-11, Chronology of Christ’s Return (2)

Here is the last of the three charts depicting our understanding of the chronology of the return of Christ.  He comes in the dawning of the “Day of the Lord,”  at the end of Daniel’s 70^th Week, and at the end of the Time of Jacob’s Trouble.

o   The third is based in Jesus’ Olivet Discourse where, building on the Seventy Weeks prophecy, The Time of Jacob’s Trouble (Jer. 30:7; Jeremiah 30 is actually the most definitive description of that week in terms of the specific goals of saving Israel, judging the nations and exalting Christ).

Jesus speaks of the signs of His return.  His concern, of course, since He was speaking to them of the first 483 years of the 490 year prophecy, is with the final seven years, known as

          We hope these have been informative.  But more than that we hope the thought that God has revealed a plan, not giving us specific dates, but telling us the return of Christ is not in doubt, will be an encouragement as you continue your walk with Him.

This last chart gets its title from Jer. 30:7.  The great day (of the Lord) is unlike any other time in history and will be the time of Jacob’s trouble.  The thirtieth chapter of Jeremiah is quite orderly in the way it describes that time.  In 30:11 there is given the itinerary of events of you will of that time.  God gives them in reverse order, telling Israel 3) He will save them, 2) He will make a complete end of nations among whom they have been scattered, and 1) He will not make an end of Israel but will correct her.  He will use the nations to correct Israel; then He will punish the nations for going beyond what He desired them to do; and in the end Israel will finally be the saved nation God intended.


This “outline” of events is actually expanded in the rest of Jer. 30.  In 30:12-15 God speaks of Israel’s incurable affliction because of the multitude of your iniquities.  It will be a troublesome time for Jacob/Israel.  But then in 30:16-17 those who devour you shall be devoured.  He will then bring back the captivity and make Israel to be the people He intended: You shall be My people, and I will be your God.  The chapter concludes with a powerful statement that is well to read in the context of the scoffers of 2 Peter 3: The fierce anger of the LORD will not return until He has done it, and until He has performed the intents of His heart.  In the latter days you will consider it!