Category Archives: Jesus Christ

For SERIOUS Students of Scripture ONLY

Posted by Dan C. on

This is a very short study of Acts 13:48 designed to encourage/elicit a serious look at a particular scripture that most probably will never be heard from the pulpits stages of a large number of churches across America in these times of ‘Christianity light’ – thus the title.  If the short study below and the much longer study (referenced by a link after it) accurately reflect what inspired Scripture actually teaches, it could be a shock to the belief system of all those who hold the notion that Christ died to make salvation ‘possible’ and not actually ‘secure’ salvation for anyone. I call that the “God sent His own Son to die for what MIGHT be” theory of the atonement. I have included seven renderings of Acts 13:48, as well as citations from a few commentaries, that should pique the interest of even those who despise the doctrine of election.

So please read on, study further (or don’t), comment (or don’t), and be challenged. Above all, be blessed by God through His inspired written word.

“And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.” – ESV

“When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and honored the word of the Lord; and all who were appointed for eternal life believed.” NIV

“Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” NKJV

“When the Gentiles heard this, they began to rejoice and praise the word of the Lord, and all who had been appointed for eternal life believed.” NET Bible

“When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.” NASB

“When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers. NLT

“When the non-Jewish outsiders heard this, they could hardly believe their good fortune. All who were marked out for real life put their trust in God—they honored God’s Word by receiving that life.” MSG

COMMENTARY ENTRIES:

Do not “tone down” the phrase in v. 48 that indicates that certain people were “ordained to eternal life.” The Gk. word actually means “enrolled,” and has the idea of names written in a book. While salvation is by grace, through faith, there is also that mysterious working of God whereby we are “chosen in Christ” (Eph. 1:4). We do not know who God’s elect are, so we offer the Gospel to all and have confidence that the Spirit will work. – Wiersbe, Warren W.: Wiersbe’s Expository Outlines on the New Testament. Wheaton, Ill. : Victor Books, 1997, c1992, S. 312

and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed—a very remarkable statement, which cannot, without force, be interpreted of anything lower than this, that a divine ordination to eternal life is the cause, not the effect, of any man’s believing. – Jamieson, Robert ; Fausset, A. R. ; Fausset, A. R. ; Brown, David ; Brown, David: A Commentary, Critical and Explanatory, on the Old and New Testaments. Oak Harbor, WA : Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997, S. Ac 13:48

The Gentiles rejoiced in this turn of events and all who were appointed for eternal life believed. It is difficult to miss the doctrine of God’s election here; the words “were appointed” come from the verb tassō, a military word meaning “to arrange” or “to assign.” Luke used it here to show that God’s elective decree included Gentiles.- Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 2:390

EDITORIAL COMMENT TO THIS BLOG POST:

I was surprised that the Message had a decent rendering of the “appointed” concept, although “marked out for real life” somehow doesn’t carry the full impact of “appointed for eternal life”. “Real life” has too many temporal connotations and we are talking eternality, not our “best life NOW” in this passage.

There is a very extensive study of Acts 13:48 here.  It is actually in two parts, with a link to Part 2 at the end of Part 1. I found it after I posted my own short study above. It includes 25 translations of this verse spanning 400 years, discusses in depth the single translation in which the word “appointed” is rendered “were disposed to” (New World Translation [Jehovah’s Witnesses and on my shelf]), a possible but highly suspect translation.

It has been commented of late that I have a “fixation” on the doctrine of predestination. That might be true, and a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your connotation of “fixation”. If my “fixation” is ultimately on the sovereignty and glory of God, it just might be a good thing. The idea that when I was completely unable to seek God (Romans 3), He drew me and enabled me (John 6:44 & 65) to come to Christ, expresses a love that TOTALLY eclipses the “God sent His own Son to die for what MIGHT be” doctrine of the atonement mentioned at the top of this post.

A word of caution/disclaimer – the terms “Calvinism” and “Arminianism”, appear in the study’s text, however I am not setting you up to be ambushed by what I believe and hold dear, nor am I pulling some sort of theological/spiritual “bait and switch”. I am actually interested in serious study and comment/discussion.

Created for His Glory

Posted by Dan C. on

From the following scripture passages, what would you conclude is God’s first priority? 

“But now, thus says the LORD, your Creator, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel, Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! . . . Everyone who is called by My name, And whom I have created for My glory, Whom I have formed, even whom I have made.” Isa 43 1.7

“You are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, So that you may know and believe Me And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, And there will be none after Me. “I, even I, am the LORD, And there is no savior besides Me. “It is I who have declared and saved and proclaimed, And there was no strange god among you; So you are My witnesses,” declares the LORD, “And I am God.” Isa 43:10-12

“The people whom I formed for Myself Will declare My praise.” Isa:43:21

“For My own sake, for My own sake, I will act; For how can My name be profaned? And My glory I will not give to another.” Isa 48:11

“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.” .”Rev 4:11

“For by him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and invisible, whether they are kings, lords, rulers, or powers. All things have been created through him and for him.” Col 1:16

“He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. . . to the end that we who were the first to hope in Christ would be to the praise of His glory.” Eph 2:5-6, 12

“For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Phil 2:9-11

“Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God.” 1 Cor 10:31

Having read these passages, might it be that God’s first priority is His own glory? And if God’s first priority is His own glory, how should that be expressed in the way we “do” church (I hate the phrase, but it’s common today)? Should our sermons be all about ‘us’, and what God wants to do ‘for’ us to better our lives, or should they be be more about how we can bring Him glory? What about our worship music – should be more about our “warm fuzzies” or His majesty and glory”? What about our teaching? What about our programs? The list goes on and on. . .

How are things in your church? How are things in mine? How do I view my own life as a believer? Is my life as a believer more about what He can do for me, or how I bring Him glory as one who has been created, first and foremost, for His glory?

Progressive Theology

Posted by Dan C. on

“The idea of a progressive gospel seems to have fascinated many. To us that notion is a sort of cross-breed between nonsense and blasphemy. After the gospel has been found effectual in the eternal salvation of untold multitudes, it seems rather late in the day to alter it; and, since it is the revelation of the all-wise and unchanging God, it appears somewhat audacious to attempt its improvement. When we call up before our mind’s eye the gentlemen who have set themselves this presumptuous task, we feel half inclined to laugh; the case is so much like the proposal of moles to improve the light of the sun. Their gigantic intellects are to hatch out the meanings of the Infinite! We think we see them brooding over hidden truths to which they lend the aid of their superior genius to accomplish their development!” – C. H. Spurgeon from the April 1888 Sword and Trowel

For this old soldier, it is impossible to gaze across the landscape of today’s Christian church, and listen to what is nowadays called ‘gospel’, and NOT see what Spurgeon termed ‘progressive theology’. Call it ‘purpose driven’, ‘seeker friendly’, ’emerging’, or whatever suits your fancy, it boils down to a changing of the message of the Gospel. If there is a common thread that runs throughout these ‘new’ theologies, it is that they are all man-centered instead of God-focused.

In Christ Alone – Stuart Townend, Keith Getty

Posted by Dan C. on

In Christ alone my hope is found,
He is my light, my strength, my song;
this Cornerstone, this solid Ground,
firm through the fiercest drought and storm.
What heights of love, what depths of peace,
when fears are stilled, when strivings cease!
My Comforter, my All in All,
here in the love of Christ I stand.

In Christ alone! who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless babe!
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones he came to save:
Till on that cross as Jesus died,
The wrath of God was satisfied –
For every sin on Him was laid;
Here in the death of Christ I live.

There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain:
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave he rose again!
And as He stands in victory
Sin’s curse has lost its grip on me,
For I am His and He is mine –
Bought with the precious blood of Christ.

No guilt in life, no fear in death,
This is the power of Christ in me;
From life’s first cry to final breath.
Jesus commands my destiny.
No power of hell, no scheme of man,
Can ever pluck me from His hand;
Till He returns or calls me home,
Here in the power of Christ I’ll stand.

– Stuart Townsend, Keith Getty

The song and video are here.  The story behind the song is here.

When I first heard this, I thought it was an historic hymn of our faith with more contemporary styling, until I read the story of how it came about. I’ve also found out that it was sung at a denominational Christian convention and the lyrics were modified in that setting. From the second verse, the words “The wrath of God was satisfied-” were changed to “the price of sin was satisfied”. How sad. That’s not unlike when, years ago, words to the hymn Amazing Grace were changed from “Saved a wretch like me” to simply “Saved someone like me”.

Why do I find that incredibly sad, you ask? When clear biblical teaching is tampered with and modified so that it becomes more ‘palatable’ or non-offensive, when we soften the ‘hard’ truth about the nature of the unregenerate and what Christ actually accomplished on the Cross, at a minimum we have cut out the ‘heart of the matter’.  Far more seriously, we have tampered with the very sovereignty and glory of God!

Why Does God Save Anyone?

Posted by Dan C. on

Does God save us because we choose Christ, or did God determine, by His sovereign will and according to His pleasure, those who would eventually choose Christ. Calvinists, Arminians, and Calminians seem to agree that all men are, in the end, not saved. Forgetting for the moment the debates around election and free will, the question this morning is: “Why does God save anyone at all?”  

All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never drive away. John 6:37

And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all that he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. John 6:39

“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. John 7:42

Now there’s a HUGE thought! Jesus came to earth to seek, save, and keep those whom the Father determined to present as a love gift to the Son!

“Salvation is primarily for the honor of the Son, not the honor of the sinner. The purpose here is not to save you so you can have a happy life, that’s a by-product. The purpose here is to save you so that you could praise the Son forever and ever and ever. . .Every redeemed individual is a part of an elect, redeemed humanity that is a gift from the Father to the Son.” – John MacArthur

Now there’s food for thought!

Amazing love! How can it be that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

Posted by Dan C. on

And Can It Be that I Should Gain

 Words: Charles Wesley, 1739 (Acts 16:26)
Music: Thomas Campbell, 1835

And can it be that I should gain
an interest in the Savior’s blood!
Died he for me? who caused his pain!
For me? who him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be
that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be
that thou, my God, shouldst die for me?

‘Tis mystery all: th’ Immortal dies!
Who can explore his strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
to sound the depths of love divine.
‘Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
let angel minds inquire no more.
‘Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
let angel minds inquire no more.

He left his Father’s throne above
(so free, so infinite his grace!),
emptied himself of all but love,
and bled for Adam’s helpless race.
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free,
for O my God, it found out me!
‘Tis mercy all, immense and free,
for O my God, it found out me!

Long my imprisoned sprit lay,
fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
thine eye diffused a quickening ray;
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
my chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed thee.

No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in him, is mine;
alive in him, my living Head,
and clothed in righteousness divine,
bold I approach th’ eternal throne,
and claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’ eternal throne,
and claim the crown, through Christ my own.

I was reminded of this hymn this morning listening to a presentation given by Albert Mohler at the Together for the Gospel conference. Dr. Mohler described it as systematic theology. At the center is the doctrine of Christ’s substitutionary atonement on our behalf. What is sad is that in our time there are many who claim Christ who hate that doctrine.

The presentations made at the conference can be found here: http://www.t4g.org/.

Salvation Apart From Repentance?

Posted by Dan C. on

Is salvation apart from repentance even possible? I am not talking here of some agonizing exercise of dredging up every little sin ever committed in order to make a verbal confession of each and every one. I am speaking however, of recognizing one’s sinful wretched state apart from Christ  and a consciousness turning away from sin and toward God.

“The idea that God will pardon a rebel who has not given up his rebellion is contrary to the Scripture and common sense. How horrible to contemplate a church full of persons who have been pardons but who still love sin and hate the ways of righteousness. And how much more horrible to think of heaven as filled with sinners who have not repented nor changed their ways of living.

I think there is little doubt that the teachings of salvation without repentance has lowered the moral standards of the church and produced a multitude of deceived religious professors who erroneously believe themselves to be saved when in fact they are still in the gall of bitterness and the bond of iniquity.” A. W. Tozer – The Root of the Righteous

There are those who would say that ‘repentance is an act, something one ‘does’, making it a work and therefore not necessary for salvation.  I have even heard on more than a few occasions and from various sources that you are accepted by Jesus and will be embraced by God “with” your sin. Such is the popular notion of “unconditional acceptance”, and what appears to be the modern definition of grace. Not only that, it is being preached as the gospel of Jesus Christ in churches all across America, not to mention ‘sold’ as the gospel in Christian bookstores filled with ‘spiritual junk food’ as the main fare.

Step right up! Come to Jesus!  NO repentance necessary! If you give up on sin later, that’s ok. If you don’t, that’s ok too! God loves you SOOOOOOOO MUCH he cannot imagine heaven without you!

My friend, the creator of the universe did not send his Son to die for our sins so that we could just drag them along with us when we eagerly raise our hand, walk down front, or sign a little card in order to have our ‘best life now’. God sent his own Son, literally ‘gave him up’, so that when faced with our sin, we would hate it, forsake it, turn to Him and live the rest of our lives for His glory!

"I Saw the Lord. . ." – Isaiah 6:1-5

Posted by Dan C. on

1 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of His robe filled the temple. 2 Above it stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. 3 And one cried to another and said:

      “Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
      The whole earth is full of His glory!”

4 And the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of him who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke.

5 So I said:
      “Woe is me, for I am undone!
      Because I am a man of unclean lips,
      And I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips;
      For my eyes have seen the King,
      The LORD of hosts.”

One commentary  (Gill) has this to say about the fifth verse:

Isa 6:5 – Then said I, woe is me,…. There’s no woe to a good man, all woes are to the wicked; but a good man may think himself wretched and miserable, partly on account of his own corruptions, the body of sin and death he carries about with him; and partly on account of wicked men, among whom he dwells,

because I am a man of unclean lips; he says nothing of the uncleanness of his heart, nor of his actions; not that he was free from such impurity; but only of his lips, because it was the sin of his office that lay upon his mind, and gave him present uneasiness; there is no man but offends in words, and of all men persons in public office should be careful of what they say; godly ministers are conscious of many failings in their ministry.

The particular significance to this old guy at 04:15 AM, April 11, 2008 is this:

To see the Lord is to be abruptly confronted with the sin that still remains within us. I cannot imagine it otherwise.

There is also a question that comes to mind: “When Dan steps into the sanctuary of the church he attends, or even other churches, is the presence of the Lord so noticeable that there is a consciousness of personal sinfulness? Even a little bit?” There should be something about a church sanctuary that reflects his unique holiness, separate from this world and all it’s sin and sensual appetites.

That’s Sunday morning. No matter what the day of the week, I should live with a humble, ever-present consciousness of who I am in the flesh in comparison to the High and Holy One who dwells within me by His Holy Spirit. That’s not something I can somehow ‘drum up’ on my own. It is however present when the Holy Spirit within has sufficient sway over the still remaining lusts of my flesh. It comes ‘NEW naturally’ when His Word is hidden in my heart. (Psalm 199:11).

Keeping first things first. . .

Posted by Dan C. on

The Apostle Paul probably ascertained some misplaced priorities within the church at the church in Corinth, for he had this to say to them in a letter written to them to point out that very thing – divisions and misplaced priorities.

“For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures,and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve.  After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep (died).” (1 Corinthians 15:3-6) (Emphasis mine)

The above verses are nearly always used to answer the question “What is the core of the gospel message?” I know I refer to them constantly when discussing the definition of the “gospel”.  Paul was a, in his own words, a ‘Jew among Jews’, with what some term the equivalent of several Masters degrees and Doctorate or two in his curriculum vitae. He nearly always preached in Jewish synagogues first before taking his message to his primary audience, the non-Jewish Gentile community. Wherever he went, his message revolved around the crucifixion of Christ and the work of God in reconciling men and women to Himself through that death and resurrection. More of Paul’s words to the same crowd. . .

“. . ., but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles,” (1 Corinthians 1:23)

“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and him crucified.” (1 Corinthians 2:2)

Many times I’ve heard this sort of reaction to what Paul says is ‘of first importance’:

“So what? That was then and this is now. Just talking about God’s love and how much he wants us to find our special purpose and have our best life now is what attracts people to church. We don’t need all that sin and repentance stuff!”

If you ever get that, a reply to those objections just might be. . .

Well, you might be filling pews (and theater seating) with the ‘unchurched’, and pronouncing anyone who ‘makes a decision’ because they liked the show ‘saved’, but how many ‘newly churched/saved’ folk actually remain ‘unsaved’ because things ‘of first importance’ were not part of your marketing/advertising campaign to get them through the front doors, nor are they preeminent (and in some cases even included) in your preaching, stage presentations?

Something to think about. . .

So that’s what I was thinking about during my ‘morning’ time before I went to work today and during my drive to work. Pulling into the parking lot, I heard a Keith Green song that literally made my whole day. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

There is a Redeemer

There is a Redeemer
Jesus, God’s own Son
Precious Lamb of God
Messiah, Holy One

Jesus, my Redeemer
Name above all names
Precious Lamb of God
Messiah, O for sinners slain

Thank You, O my Father
For giving us Your Son
And leaving us Your Spirit
‘Til the work on earth is done

When I stand in glory
I will see His face
And there I’ll serve
My King forever
In that holy place

He is Risen!

Posted by Dan C. on

On the morning after the Jewish Sabbath, a small group of women went to the tomb to anoint the body of Jesus, wondering who would roll away the stone. When they arrived, the stone had already been rolled away and they were met by an angel who said:

“But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified.  He is not here, for he has risen, as he said.” Matthew 28:5-6

When it comes to classic Easter music, a favorite of mine is the refrain from the Robert Lowery hymn Up From The Grave He Arose:

“Up from the grave he arose;
with a mighty triumph o’er his foes;
he arose a victor from the dark domain,
and he lives forever, with his saints to reign.
He arose! He arose! Hallelujah! Christ arose!”

If we consider more contemporary music, my favorite has to be The Easter Song, written my Keith Green and performed by The 2nd Chapter of Acts. I actually found a short clip of an early performance by the 2nd Chapter of Acts with Keith Green on guitar here.

Favorite Easter music aside, there’s the significance of the resurrection, summarized by the Apostle Paul  in one of his letters to the Corinthian church:

“And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:14

If there were no resurrection, not only would preaching Christ be senseless and faith in Christ useless, all the witnesses and preachers of the resurrection would be liars, no one would be redeemed from sin, all former believers would have perished, and Christians would be the most pitiable people on the earth! (See 1 Cor 15:14-20).

To borrow from The Easter Song:

Here the bells ringing
They’re singing that you can be born again
Here the bells ringing
They’re singing Christ is risen from the dead

The angel up on the tombstone
Said he has risen, just as he said
Quickly now, go tell his disciples
That Jesus Christ is no longer dead

Joy to the word, he has risen, hallelujah!