Author Archives: Dan C.

Redemption Accomplished

Posted by Dan C. on

Redemption Accomplished

by Mike Riccardi

In case you’ve missed it, The Master’s Seminary has been doing an extended series of short videos outlining its key doctrinal distinctives and commitments. Topics have included commitments to the holiness and glory of God, 6-day creation, the inspiration and authority of Scripture, and the premillennial return of Christ. That series is continuing this week with key points of the doctrine of salvation, including man’s need, God’s plan of election, Christ’s atonement, and so on. You can find all of the videos (and more to come) at this link.

I had the privilege of giving voice to the Seminary’s commitment to the heart of the Gospel: redemption accomplished through the atonement of Christ. As an added bonus for the Cripplegate readers, I thought I’d publish the notes I prepared for the video. As can be expected, I had prepared more than made the final cut (my “gift” of long-windedness strikes again), so I thought this would be a good place to present the “excess fruit” of my preparation. I hope it’s a blessing to you.

I had the privilege of giving voice to the Seminary’s commitment to the heart of the Gospel: redemption accomplished through the atonement of Christ. As an added bonus for the Cripplegate readers, I thought I’d publish the notes I prepared for the video. As can be expected, I had prepared more than made the final cut (my “gift” of long-windedness strikes again), so I thought this would be a good place to present the “excess fruit” of my preparation. I hope it’s a blessing to you.

The Commitment

At The Master’s Seminary, the most fundamental of all of our commitments is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And the Apostle Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that at the very heart of the Gospel is that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures. While man’s depravity establishes the need for salvation, and the Father’s unconditional election forms the plan of salvation, the atonement of God the Son is what accomplishes that redemption in space and time. And so if we are going to be fundamentally committed to the Gospel, we must be committed to an accurate, robust, biblical understanding of the atonement. And we are committed to that at The Master’s Seminary

Penal Substitution

If I had to choose one phrase to capture the significance of the nature of the atonement, I would say that the best summary phrase would be “penal substitution.” That is to say that on the cross, Jesus received in Himself the penalty for our sins as a substitute for us. 1 Peter 2:24 says, “And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.” Isaiah 53:5 says, “He was pierced through for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, and by His [wounds] we are healed.”

This means that the cross is not merely an example for us to show us how to live, though it is that. It’s not merely a demonstration of God’s love for humanity, though it is that. Most fundamentally, the cross is the innocent Son of God, standing in the place of guilty sinners, bearing in His own Person the full exercise of the righteous wrath of His Father against the sins of His people.

Propitiation

You see, our sins justly earned us the penalty of hell—of consummate spiritual death, of eternal punishment. And because God is a holy and just God, He must punish sin. God can’t simply sweep our sin under the rug and say, “Well, kids are going to be kids!” No, if God is holy, righteous, and good, sin must be paid for.

The problem is: hell is a penalty that none of us can ever pay. No one can survive an eternity of God’s judgment. But on that cross 2,000 years ago, God the Son stood in my place, and experienced the unmixed fury of hell itself, due to me because of my sin, and rose from the grave on the third day. Every ounce of the wrath of God against my sin—the wrath that I was sure to experience in hell—was fully satisfied, because it was fully borne by my Substitute. And so—praise God!—there is no wrath left for me!

This is what the Bible calls propitiation, borrowing from the language of Old Testament sacrifice.  On the Day of Atonement in Israel, the high priest would sprinkle the sacrificial blood on the mercy seat in the holy of holies. And through that blood, God’s wrath against Israel’s sin would be satisfied, appeased. In the same way, the New Testament speaks of the Lord Jesus Christ as our High Priest, who sprinkles His own blood on the mercy seat of God’s heavenly altar, such that God’s wrath is propitiated against His people.

Most fundamentally, the cross is the innocent Son of God, standing in the place of guilty sinners, bearing in His own Person the full exercise of the righteous wrath of His Father against the sins of His people, so that we who are guilty may be justly declared righteous.

Pictures of Penal Substitution

And so Scripture speaks of Christ as the Passover Lamb of Exodus 12, who has been sacrificed in our place (cf. 1 Cor 5:7). He is the Scapegoat of Leviticus 16, who bears the sins of God’s people and is banished from God’s presence (Lev 16:10). He is the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, who justifies the many by bearing their iniquities (Isa 53:11). Galatians 3:13 tells us that Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. Mark 10:45: The Son of Man came to give His life as a ransom for many. Scripture is just shot through with imagery of penal substitutionary atonement! And that is because it is the very foundation of the Gospel itself.

And so on the cross, Christ paid the penalty for the sins of His people, bearing the fullness of the Father’s wrath against them, and thereby purchasing a people for His own possession.

Actual Atonement

And when that wrath was satisfied, Jesus cried out in triumph, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). In that moment, the work that the Father had given Him to do was completed. Redemption had been accomplished. The salvation of all those whom the Father had given to the Son (cf. John 6:37, 39; 17:9, 11, 24) was infallibly secured 2,000 years ago on Golgotha. And Jesus will lose none that the Father has given Him, but He will raise them up on the last day (John 6:39).

You see, this was not a nameless, faceless, potential atonement, whose benefits have to be activated by the sinner’s will. This is a particular, efficacious, actual atonement—sovereignly accomplished by the Son—the benefits of which are enjoyed by all whom the Father chose and whom the Spirit regenerates. Redemption is a divine work from beginning to end.

Atonement and Imputation

We can sum it all up this way: On the cross, the Father treated Jesus as if He lived my life of sin, and punished my sin in Him. And because He did, He can now treat me as if I lived Jesus’ life of righteousness, and receive me—a sinner!—into His holy presence to enjoy fellowship with Him. And this He does for everyone who repents of their sins, and trusts in Christ alone for righteousness.

Worthy-is-the-Lamb[1]

Conclusion: Worship

But we can’t end without saying this: An accurate theology of the atonement must lead to a transcendent doxology for the atonement. If all of what I just spoke about is just an academic exercise, or just intellectual jousting—if these truths don’t bow you down in worship—you’ve missed the entire point of theology.

Satan has an excellent theology of the atonement. The demons believe and shudder, James 2:19. The difference is: they are not beneficiaries of Christ’s atonement. But we His people are beneficiaries. And so we study not as dispassionate theorists, but as blood-bought, redeemed sinners. TMS aims to train our future pastors to do theology as worshipers, and not merely as analysts. Theology must lead to doxology. Analysis must lead to adoration.

And so our commitment to understanding the atonement must culminate in the song of the saints in Revelation 5: “Worthy are You,” O Christ, “for You were slain, and purchased for God with Your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.” “Worthy is the Lamb that was slain, to receive power and riches and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing.”

HT: The Cripplegagte

A.D. The Degradation Continues – Episode 11

Posted by Dan C. on

Rather than bore you with my usual play-by-play, I decided to just insert the summary from over at Patheos.com, which sums this episode up nicely:

In this, the penultimate episode of Season One of A.D. the statue of Caligula still looms large as a problem for the Temple hierarchy and for the religious life in Jerusalem. The statue in reality never got to Jerusalem, but by the end of this episode it shows up in a crate on Pilate’s doorstep. The year Caligula attempted to put a statue in the Temple is A.D. 40. The other major story lines include: 1) the death of Joanna (a pity because she is probably the same person mentioned in Rom. 16 as Junia (the Latin form of the name, in which case she lived long after 40); 2) the story of the Ethiopian eunuch, and the new wrinkle in that tale is that he turns out to be a weapons supplier for the Zealots in Jerusalem, and is expelled from Jerusalem and sent packing back down the Gaza road, where he runs into Philip, and they have their discussion about Isaiah 52-53. Interestingly, this episode follows the Western Text of Acts rather than the earliest text where there is no request for his making a confession of faith, he is simply baptized; 3) the story of Tabitha continues, and her dramatic raising from the dead concludes this episode quite effectively; 4) along the way we get James negotiating with Caiaphas to allow the Christians to meet in the Temple and share their faith; and 5) more intrigue and discord between Pilate and his wife.

Some have complained about the mixture of religion and politics in this show, and wrongly in my judgment, since those two things were and are always intertwined in the Holy Land. It’s unavoidable. A more reasonable lament would be that some of the fiction created to fill in gaps does not do justice either to the political history, or some aspects of the Biblical story. But over all, judged just as story, the narrative is effectively told and the acting is good. Near the end we get a peek at what is going to happen to Cornelius, for he regrets and weeps over the unjust strangling of Joanna. Stay tuned.

The Account of Tabitha’s healing is recorded in Acts 9:38-39 and the biblical account is a bit different concerning her activities as a believer. You can read the account for a comparison if you wish.

The same for comparing the televising version of the drama around the Ethiopian Eunuch, you can find the entire account in Acts 8:26-40.

I did take not of the series setting up Cornelius to be, in the series, to be the same Cornelius spoken of in Acts, Chapter 10. Watch and see if I’m right. J

One episode to go and I hope any plans for a second season end up being scrapped. Having said that, I intend to watch to the bitter end (this season) I am very familiar with the entirety of the book of Acts and I have had several opportunities to discuss fact v. fiction with both other Christians and nonbelievers.

I’ll again post the Issues, Etc. review audio when it is posted.

Make Your Life Count

Posted by Dan C. on

We all know Christians who seem to have as their life’s ambition to do the bare minimum for Christ, and finish their race without breaking a sweat. Paul says we should run like we want to win. Make your life count.

Two London missionaries attempted to take the gospel to the New Hebrides Islands in 1839 but they were unceremoniously killed and eaten by cannibals only minutes after going ashore. Then in 1858 John G. Paton and his wife set sail to the islands, but not without some well-meaning opposition. On one occasion a respected elder warned, “You will be eaten by cannibals!” To which Paton responded with wry candidness,

Mr. Dickson, you are advanced in years now, and your own prospect is soon to be laid in the grave, there to be eaten by worms; I confess to you, that if I can but live and die serving and honoring the Lord Jesus, it will make no difference to me whether I am eaten by Cannibals or by worms.”

Food for thought, right?

_______________________

Excerpted from

The Lore of Running | The Cripplegate

via The Lore of Running | The Cripplegate.

Delight Yourself in the Lord – Truth For Life – The Bible-Teaching Ministry of Alistair Begg

Posted by Dan C. on

Delight Yourself in the Lord – Truth For Life – The Bible-Teaching Ministry of Alistair Begg

via Delight Yourself in the Lord – Truth For Life – The Bible-Teaching Ministry of Alistair Begg.

PRIDE

Posted by Dan C. on

mikejeshurun's avatarJ.C. Philpot's Blog

High look

PRIDE

(J.C. Philpot, from his “Reviews” 1853)

“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate..” [Prov 8:13]

“Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the LORD: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpunished.” [Prov. 16:5]

Of all sins PRIDE seems most deeply imbedded in the very heart of man. Unbelief, sensuality, covetousness, rebellion, presumption, contempt of God’s holy will and word, hatred and enmity against the saints of the Most High, deceit and falsehood, cruelty and wrath, violence and murder–these, and a forest of other sins have indeed struck deep roots into the black and noxious soil of our fallen nature; and, interlacing their lofty stems and gigantic arms, have wholly shut out the light of heaven from man’s benighted soul.

But these and their associate evils do…

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Which Way, Evangelicals? There is Nowhere to Hide

Posted by Dan C. on

Wednesday • June 10, 2015

clip_image002The very first issue of Christianity Today is dated October 15, 1956. In his first editorial, Carl F. H. Henry set his course for the magazine: “Those who direct the editorial policy of Christianity Today unreservedly accept the complete reliability and authority of the written Word of God. It is their conviction that the Scriptures teach the doctrine of plenary inspiration.”

Henry also affirmed continuity with the great orthodox tradition of biblical doctrine and moral principles: “The doctrinal content of historic Christianity will be presented and defended. Among the distinctive doctrines to be stressed are those of God, Christ, man, salvation, and the last things. The best modern scholarship recognizes the bearing of doctrine on moral and spiritual life.”

In that same issue, Billy Graham stressed the authority of the Bible in evangelism. “I use the phrase ‘The Bible says’ because the Word of God is the authoritative basis of our faith,” Graham said. “I do not continually distinguish between the authority of God and the authority of the Bible because I am confident that he has made his will known authoritatively in the Scriptures.”

That first issue of Christianity Today registered significant concerns about the trajectory of Christianity in America. Secularism was already the prevailing worldview in some elite circles of the culture, and those who founded Christianity Today did so, in large part, to establish a conservative counter-voice to the liberal magazine, the Christian Century.

Christianity Today has exerted a significant influence among American evangelicals since that first issue was published. But, as University of California at Berkeley historian David Hollinger has noted, “the fact remains that the public life of the United States moved farther in the directions advocated in 1960 by the Christian Century than in the directions then advocated by Christianity Today.”

If anything, that is an understatement.

Suffice it to say that the founders of Christianity Today did not have the legalization of same-sex marriage on their radar. They did not even have a vocabulary that would define it.

Tony Campolo’s announcement this week that he is “finally ready to call for the full acceptance of Christian gay couples into the Church” hardly registered as a thunderclap. Campolo, long proudly identified with the evangelical Left, acknowledged in his statement that his previous answer to the question “has always been somewhat ambiguous.” Nevertheless, Campolo’s direction was clear. His wife and the organization he leads have both called for the legalization of same-sex marriage, and Campolo’s announcement came as no surprise to anyone who had followed his statements in recent years.

It was not always so. Back in 1999 Campolo told students at Calvin College, “I believe the first chapter of Romans is where I rest my case, and that is that the Bible does not allow for same-sex marriages and same-sex eroticism.” Similarly, he told Sojourners magazine that same year: “I believe that the Bible does not allow for same-gender sexual intercourse or marriage.” Romans 1:26-27, he said, “makes it clear that any homosexual activity is contrary to what the Bible allows.”

Campolo’s departure from this biblical clarity was dismissed in his statement this week by his remark that “people of good will can and do read the Bible very differently when it comes to controversial issues.” In this case, the Tony Campolo of 2015 reads the Bible differently than the Tony Campolo of 1999.

The real news of recent days, prompted by Campolo’s comments, was the statement made by David Neff, who was on the staff of Christianity Today from 1986 until his retirement in 2013, serving for some of those years as the magazine’s editor in chief. On social media Neff expressed his agreement with Campolo. Explaining his own position on the issue, Neff said: “I think the ethically responsible thing for gay and lesbian Christians to do is to form lasting, covenanted partnerships. I also believe that the church should help them in those partnerships in the same way the church should fortify traditional marriages.”

Now, that is a thunderclap – not so much because David Neff made that statement, but because David Neff was once editor-in-chief of Christianity Today.

Responding only hours after Neff made his statement, current editor-in-chief Mark Galli issued an editorial on behalf of the magazine in which he registered surprise and disappointment at Neff’s newly declared position. “At CT, we’re saddened that David has come to this conclusion,” Galli wrote. “Saddened because we firmly believe that the Bible teaches that God intends the most intimate of covenant relationships to be enjoyed exclusively by a man and a woman.”

Galli also made the case that the vast majority of Christians around the world — 2 billion by his estimate — stand with 2,000 years of unbroken Christian witness of that definition of marriage. That view, Galli wrote, is “a consistent, nuanced, and, we believe, biblical working out of a theology of sexuality.”

Galli added: “We at CT are sorry when fellow evangelicals modify their views to accord with the current secular understanding on this matter. We’ll continue to be sorry, because over the next many years, there will be many who will similarly reverse themselves on sexual ethics.”

Those statements, drawn from the editorial, are clear, convictional, and timely. Galli put Christianity Today on the record as opposed to same-sex marriage and to the affirmation of same-sex relationships in the church.

But then, in a very curious paragraph, Galli stated:

“We’ll be sad, but we won’t panic or despair. Neither will we feel compelled to condemn the converts and distance ourselves from them. But, to be sure, they will be enlisting in a cause that we believe is ultimately destructive to society, to the church, and to relations between men and women.”

I have to admit that I do not understand how those two sentences can be combined. If the view of the “converts” to same-sex marriage and the acceptance of homosexual partnerships is “ultimately destructive to society, to the church, and to relations between men and women,” how can that distance be avoided?

The reality is that it cannot. This is a moment of decision, and every evangelical believer, congregation, denomination, and institution will have to answer. There will be no place to hide. The forces driving this revolution in morality will not allow evasion or equivocation. Every pastor, every church, and every Christian organization will soon be forced to declare an allegiance to the Scriptures and to the Bible’s teachings on marriage and sexual morality, or to affirm loyalty to the sexual revolution. That revolution did not start with same-sex marriage, and it will not end there. But marriage is the most urgent issue of the day, and the moment of decision has arrived.

In this season of testing, Christians committed to the gospel of Christ are called upon to muster the greatest display of compassion and conviction of our lives. But true compassion will never lead to an abandonment of biblical authority or a redefinition of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I was contacted yesterday by Sarah Pulliam Bailey of The Washington Post. She asked about these very developments. As I told her, this issue will eventually break relationships — personally, congregationally, and institutionally. This is the sad reality and there is simply no way around it. No one, especially in a position of leadership, will be able to fly under the radar on this issue.

The last two days have been very revealing. The present moment is very demanding. The issues before us are compelling and urgent. The Bible is clear. Are you ready to give an answer?

I am always glad to hear from readers. Write me at mail@albertmohler.com. Follow regular updates on Twitter at www.twitter.com/albertmohler.

For more information on Southern Seminary, visit SBTS.edu and for more information on Boyce College, visit BoyceCollege.com.

Sarah Pulliam Bailey, “From Franklin Graham to Tony Campolo, Some Evangelical Leaders are Dividing Over Gay Marriage.” The Washington Post, Tuesday, June 9, 2015. http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/06/09/from-franklin-graham-to-tony-campolo-some-evangelical-leaders-are-dividing-over-gay-marriage/

Mark Galli, “Breaking News: 2 Billion Christians Believe in Traditional Marriage,” Christianity Today, Tuesday, June 9, 2015. http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2015/june-web-only/breaking-news-2-billion-christian-believe-in-traditional-ma.html

Tony Campolo, “Tony Campolo: For the Record,” Monday, June 8, 2015. http://tonycampolo.org/for-the-record-tony-campolo-releases-a-new-statement/#.VXfJxWTBwXA

Tony Campolo, “Holding it Together,” Sojourners, May-June 1999. http://sojo.net/magazine/1999/05/holding-it-together

Nathan Vanderklippe, “Homosexuality: Campolos Discourse on their Disagreement,” Online Chimes, October 22, 1999. http://clubs.calvin.edu/chimes/991022/news_03.html

Amy Frykholm, “Culture Changers: David Hollinger on the Mainline Achievement,” Christian Century, July 2, 2012. http://www.christiancentury.org/article/2012-06/culture-changers

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A. D. The Degradation Continues – Episode 10

Posted by Dan C. on

This episode, titled ‘Brothers in Arms’ was true to the ‘spirit’ of the previous episodes, in that it was filled with mostly speculative accounts and at time outright falsehoods, probably in an attempt to get viewers interested in the account of the growth of the Christian church provided for us in the book of Acts. It seems to have been taken from Acts, Chapters 8 and 9. .

In its defense, It is commendable that there is an account of young women serving talking about Jesus and one of them (Tabitha) being led to believe in Jesus by another (Joanna). Not an account in the book of Acts, but nice to see.

We are introduced to James The Just (Jesus’ brother) early on in the episode, in a scene that shows a sleeping James having a dream about his boyhood in which he saw the boy Jesus teaching in the Synagogue , a story recorded in Luke, Chapter 2 (Jesus teaching in the synagogue when he was 12 years old). The dream account in A.D., as well as the other scenes including James are for the most part, are foreign to scripture.

We are also introduced to the Ethiopian eunuch, an actually character recorded in Acts, Chapter 8. The Acts account is of course much shorter than all of the drama surrounding him in A.D. In the Acts 8:26 – 40 account we are told that he was returning to his home country after having visited Jerusalem to worship when Phillip found him reading from the prophet Isaiah, explained the scriptures to him and subsequently baptized him. The A.D. episode provides us with all sorts of extra biblical information concerning the Ethiopian and his visit to Jerusalem that is also foreign to scripture.

We see Simon the Zealot, still fearful of Saul, contacting an old friend, a leader of the Jewish zealots who hated Rome, and ending up in a conspiracy to have Saul killed at the behest of Leah, Caiaphas’ wife, who felt that her husband was too ‘chicken’ to do what needed to be done. Again, not in the biblical record.

Of course we also are treated to more about Saul, his release from prison, Caiaphas attempt to get him to return to his former Jewish religion, his interaction with the disciples, and his finally departing Jerusalem. Saul again comes across as a bit arrogant in his dealings with the disciples again, seemingly ‘schooling’ them again concerning their mission as Jesus’ disciples. As in the last episode, he seems a bit arrogant and compassionless when it comes to the disciples. In a scene that has him preaching in the streets of Jerusalem, he tells his audience that Jesus offers a better life (Joel Osteen, anyone) and freedom from Roman tyranny We also hear bits and pieces of some of Paul’s teachings recorded in his other writings, but not the message that “Christ died for our sins”.

At the end of the episode Paul is departing Jerusalem, sent off (kicked out) by Peter, James having been deemed by James a danger to himself and other believers in Jerusalem. Nevertheless, Peter gives him a big hug at the ‘send off’ and tells him God has a bigger plan for him. In Acts 9, Saul was taken to Caesarea and sent to Tarsus because some of the Hellenists, against whom he had spoken and disputed, wanted to kill him.

In following A.D. I’ve also asked believers with whom I work or associate what they thought of the series and few have watched it, mostly due to so much being added to the biblical account. They seem to feel that being true to scripture is significant when dealing with the Bible. On the other hand, there is a host of leaders of some of today’s most notable ministries that really love the show. I’m not going to name names, but if you’re interested go here, scroll down and click the question “What are leaders saying about A.D. The Bible Continues?”. You can even get an official A.D. The Bible Continues ‘Church Kit’.

I’ll let you be the judge of that. And again, if there is a review of the latest episode over at Issues, Etc., I will post the link. J

A.D. The Degradation Continues, Episode 9

Posted by Dan C. on

From Acts 9

The episode begins with Saul/Paul leaving the temple in Damascus after having preached about Jesus and causing a bit of a ruckus. He is let down over the wall in a basket.>the Acts account states that after he spent many days in Damascus there was a plot to kill him by the religious Jews and he did escape in a basket.

Switch to the Jerusalem Palace where Caligula is holding court and demanding obeisance, even to the point of asking a man who had sworn allegiance to his father (to even die for him) and also swore allegiance to Caligula, to kill himself, which he did, appealing to ‘the gods’ to find favor with him.

The episode is dominated by politics and intrigue in the palace. At the same time, it appeared in the episode that women are clearly large & in charge of things (primarily the wives of Caiphas and Pilate). Since all of the drama and intrigue is foreign to scripture, I will omit the recounting this time. It’s barely worth it. I will say that historians, mainly Josephus, do record Caligula’s desire to have his statue placed in the temple and elsewhere in Jerusalem (circa 39 A.D.) but his efforts to do so were eventually frustrated. The drama of the television episode is largely fictional, however.

The other dominating scene in this episode is the eventual meeting of Saul with the disciples in Jerusalem, which is quite ‘interesting’.

Here is the entirety of the account in Acts, Chapter 9:26 – 30:

“When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.”

The television version is rather lengthy and drawn out with significant drama not in the biblical account. In the TV version, Saul first tells some of the disciples that he is now a believer in Jesus and ends up having a private session with Peter to sort things out. In that scene, Saul seems to ‘school’ Peter concerning how they should partner and boldly preach the gospel (Peter and the boys are still a bit fearful at times.

If I were asked about what I would consider the most problematic issue with episode 9, I would discuss the scene in which Saul, as part of his testimony, said to the disciples “I was baptized and made brand new”. In the biblically account, we are told simply that Barnabas recounted Saul’s experience on the road to Damascus.

Although one could debate whether or not this episode of A.D. intended to imply that water baptism causes one to be regenerated, ‘baptismal regeneration’ was clearly implied. While some might think I’m being a bit picky, I would remind readers that ‘baptismal regeneration’ is a primary tenet of the Catholic Church, while certain Protestant denominations would also consider water baptism necessary for salvation/regeneration. It’s interesting to note that the main producer of A. D. (Roma Downey) is Roman Catholic.

This leads to the issue of whether or not regeneration itself (being born again) is a sovereign act of God (monergistic) or the result of God and man working together (synergistic). In the synergistic paradigm, which would be the prevailing thought in most of today’s protestant evangelicalism, God made it possible for men to be saved by sending His Son to die, however it is a human ‘free will’ decision that brings about regeneration. I believe very strongly that regeneration is a sovereign act of God upon His elect whereby their hearts are opened to receive the message of the gospel and when that message is presented to a God opened heart, salvation always results.

There are other things that, to me, were problematic as well, both historically and biblically that I will refrain from discussing for the moment.

Another example of reducing the story of the establishment of the early church to mass/crass entertainment. Enough said for now. I can’t wait for the next episode!

If/when this episode is reviewed at Issues, Etc. I will also post that link.

A.D. – The Degradation Continues Episode 8

Posted by Dan C. on

When I watched Episode 8 the first time, I almost turned it off after the first five minutes. It began so badly I might have titled this episode something like ‘The Degradation Picks Up Speed’. I started watching it again today, this time more attentively and listening for a few things Pastor Ted Giese mentioned in his podcast review at Issues, Etc., which you can find here. I think the Pastor would give me good marks for listening ‘carefully’ (as he put it) since I had indeed picked up on some of the same specific things he discussed and found problematic, both historically and biblically inaccurate.

Here’s the play-by-play and a caution – it might make you dizzy.

The episode opens with Caiaphas telling a Temple soldier that he will be accompanying Saul and his party to Damascus from Jerusalem.

Now to Pilate’s palace and a morning after scene with Caligula and Agrippa in the middle of the previous night’s debauchery artifacts. Pilate’s wife Claudia is incensed at the sight.

Over to Saul’s departure from Jerusalem, which was conveniently witnessed by a small boy who reported Saul’s activity to Peter and the gang hiding out in a cellar, with a couple of the disciples feeling like cowards for Phillip having left for Samaria alone.

Back to the palace, where Mary Magdalene (MM) meets Joanna and tells her Jesus is alive. Although A.D. is mostly from Acts, Joanna is only actually mentioned a couple of times in the book of Luke and presented as the “wife of Chuza, steward of Herod,” that is, Antipas, tetrarch of Galilee. The Joanna of the latest episode seems to be patterned after Joanna in Luke. Nevertheless, MM and J appear several more time together in Ep. 8.

Back to Saul motoring on foot toward Damascus for a moment and then back to the palace where Claudia is commiserating with Tiberius. At this point Tiberius extends an offering for a posting of Pilate to Rome, to the delight of Claudia. The stipulation is that Pilate would play a part in separating Caligula and Agrippa.

Back to Saul and company sitting around a campfire at night and Saul complaining about the followers of Christ.

Back to Jerusalem to see the Disciples leaving the cellar, no doubt because Saul has left town.

Next we have a scene in which Agrippa and Caligula are relaxing in a sauna when Pilate enters and ends up almost slitting Caligula’s throat because of “C’s” insults.

Back to Saul on the road to Damascus (feel like a tennis ball yet?). The Temple soldier’s horse seems to get frightened about something and collapses, throwing off the soldier. The soldier ends up leading the horse, who is still skittish about something.

Back to the palace where Pilate is complaining about Caligula and Claudia relays the offer for a post in Rome for helping separate C & A.

Now the scene changes to where Phillip is baptizing in Samaria and Peter and the gang show up. Everyone is really ecstatic. Of course, Simon is hanging around with his assistant. In this scene Phillip blurts out “Today we commit ourselves to Jesus”. (as if reuniting with P & the boys prompted it).

Back to the palace again where we find Joanna under suspicion. MM and Joanna’s husband come to her defense. Agrippa hits on Joanna but is busted by Herodias (Agrippa’s sister), who tells him to leave her alone.

Back to Saul on the road to Damascus. He argues with the temple soldier. Clouds move over and the sky darkens. A glowing Jesus, who also seems to be giving off a mist of some sort. Saul is blinded and told to go to Damascus. Pauls screams at Jesus “What do you want me to do?” and is helped to his feet and led off to Damascus, now blind.

In Damascus now – a street scene. Barnabas overhears a conversation about Saul being in Damascus and goes off to alert Ananias.

Back to Samaria where Simon the sorcerer is sharing his ‘testimony’ of how he was baptized and wants to hang out with the disciples.

Over to Damascus where Barnabas is telling Ananias of Saul’s arrival in Damascus.

Back to Samaria where Peter and John are preaching in the street where is the laying on of hands and giving of the Holy Spirit. Many are healed, some without the laying on of hands, apparently suddenly having faith and being healed. John preaches that people are to repent, have faith, and ‘accept’ Jesus into their lives.

Meanwhile, back in the palace, Tiberius hands Pilate the official orders to a post in Rome, C & A are separated by Tiberius leaving Jerusalem, taking Caligula with him. C & A are really mad.

Back in Samaria, Simon tries to buy the Holy Spirit, is chastised by Peter and slain by God, seemingly in the same manner as Ananias and his wife in an earlier episode. Peter actually pleads with God so spare Simon’s life.

Back in the palace Agrippa catches Joanna praying and Claudia is having night dreams and visions.

Back in Samaria Jesus appears to Ananias and tells him to find Saul in the street called Straight. Over to Paul, who rips off his eye bandages and cries out for Ananias. Ananias finds Saul and heals him.

Back in the palace, Joanna is brought into ‘court’ about her praying. Her husband says she has fits now and again and MM says she will watch over her.

Back in Damascus, Saul (now Paul?) testifies to his companions that he saw Jesus, wants to make amends and will be baptized. He asks his companions to also be baptized.

Caligula assassinated Tiberius in Rome and goes back to Jerusalem, where at the end of the episode he revokes Pilate’s posting to Rome and demands obeisance as the new Emperor.

Next we see Paul, Ananias and Barnabas where Barnabas is suspicious of Paul, but becomes really happy when Paul is baptized and ‘accepts’ Jesus. Ananias tells him he has been chosen to preach among the Gentiles.

Back to Jerusalem where the Temple soldier has returned and tells Caiphas of Saul’s conversion. Paul shows up at the temple doors and against objections of Barnabas and enters to preach.

Caligula’s return to Jerusalem speech and end of episode.

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I found it interesting that we are introduced to what is termed by some as ‘decision theology’ or ‘decisionism’, meaning that in the process of a person’s salvation/coming to faith is ‘accepting’ Jesus into one’s heart/life. An individual ‘accepting’ Jesus with a free-will decision is the final determining act that results in salvation. In other words, Jesus died to make possible the salvation of men, but it is the free-will decision of men that seals the deal. This is contrary to scripture that tells us that salvation is not of man’s will but is by God’s mercy (Rom 9:16).

Sadly, decisionism seems to be a prevailing theology in today’s evangelicalism. However a meritorious act by man cannot/will not bring about salvation, as it is not only clearly spoken against, we are also told that salvation is by grace through faith (both of which are gifts), so that no one can boast.

I’ll say no more at the moment, but leave you with food for thought.