Theology – Page 7 – jeffersonvann

ACST 55: The Chosen

God loves you, but not just you. The Bible makes it clear in both Testaments that God’s plan for redeeming involves a people, not just individual persons. When theologians seek to explain this, doctrines of the church emerge. A biblical doctrine of the church has to answer at least three general questions:

1. what is the church? (the identity question),

2. what does the church do? (the mission question) and

3. how should churches be governed? (the leadership question).

The most important of these questions is the first, because biblical answers to the latter two questions only make sense in the light of a clear understanding of question one. The reason for this is that both mission and leadership emerge from a proper understanding of a person’s identity as a part of the whole, and the relationship that the whole (church) has to God.

When Jesus began to draw a community of believers to himself, he instructed them to pray to God by saying “our Father.”[1] He drew attention first to the relationship that these people had with God. The fact of that relationship was the most important thing for them to know. The same is true today. The most important thing anyone needs to know about the church is that it consists of people who have a relationship with God.

That relationship is described in images and with metaphors. Those metaphors are “the picture language of another century”[2] but still manage to speak the truth powerfully in our own. Even the term ‘father’ is a metaphor. While it is true that God is the creator of all humanity, we use the term ‘father’ to speak of a more specific relationship than the creator/creature one. God is the source of our existence, but he is more than that. He is the supplier of our every need, but he is more than that. He delights in our existence. We bring him joy by just existing, and greater joy when we reflect his nature by ours. Jesus taught that those who call God ‘father’ will act like it.

“let your light shine before others, so that they may

see your good works and give glory to your Father

who is in heaven.”[3]

“Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute

you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in

heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on

the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”[4]

“You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly

Father is perfect.”[5]

The term speaks of a dependence upon God as well. We do what we do because we expect to be rewarded by our Father who commanded it.

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before

other people in order to be seen by them, for then

you will have no reward from your Father who is

in heaven.”[6]

“when you give to the needy, do not let your

left hand know what your right hand is doing,

so that your giving may be in secret. And your

Father who sees in secret will reward you.”[7]

“when you pray, go into your room and shut

the door and pray to your Father who is in

secret. And your Father who sees in secret will

reward you.”[8]

“when you fast, anoint your head and wash

your face, that your fasting may not be seen

by others but by your Father who is in secret.

And your Father who sees in secret will

reward you.”[9]

The deeds themselves (and even the rewards) are not the point. Jesus condemned those who thought that good deeds themselves were what God wants. Jesus commanded that his church do acts of righteousness as a manifestation of the relationship we have with our Father. We give because he first gave. We love because he first loved us. God is the Chooser,[10] we are the chosen.

Family

The image of God choosing people to be his family begins in the Old Testament. He is the father of all in the sense of our creator, but “the usual biblical language speaks of him as Father in relation to his spiritual children.”[11] God called Abram, and renamed him Abraham: the father of many nations. This was true physically, as many nations trace their ancestry back to him – not just Israel. But it is also true because Abraham is regarded as the father of the faithful as well.

“in Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through

faith. For as many of you as were baptized

into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither

Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,

there is neither male nor female, for you are

all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s,

then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs

according to promise.”[12]

God’s sovereign and gracious choice of people from all ethnic, economic and social backgrounds, and both genders produces a whole new nation out of all nations. Being chosen suggests a special relationship which brings about a new identity with special status and responsibilities. It also implies a new destiny, an inheritance.

Being all in the same family, we now call ourselves brothers[13] and sisters.[14] God intends us to recognize and live according to that new distinction.

“Therefore go out from their midst, and be

separate from them, says the Lord, and touch

no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,

and I will be a father to you, and you shall

be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord

Almighty.”[15]

A church made up of children of God is expected to be different from the world from which it emerges.

“Do not love the world or the things in the

world. If anyone loves the world, the love of

the Father is not in him. For all that is in

the world – the desires of the flesh and the

desires of the eyes and pride in possessions

– is not from the Father but is from the

world.”[16]

We have been adopted,[17] and are therefore in the process of releasing the allegiances and habits of our old family, and learning those of our new family. This is not an easy process, and the Adversary wants us to cling to the old self/kingdom/family because that remains under his control.

New

Within the shell of the old creation there is now a new one. It gives us a new identity but also involves a struggle with the old one. All believers are encouraged to embrace the reality of their new selves. Paul taught “if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”[18] Many aspects of our old life will remain, but they will be spiritually insignificant.[19] We can still be categorized by race, gender, social status, age, geographical background, etc., but those categories no longer need to limit our new identity in Christ, nor our relationships with other believers.

The people of God are fresh new wineskins into which the Master Vintner is pouring his new wine.[20] They are scribes trained for the kingdom of heaven, new treasures that the Master brings out of his house.[21] They are a new garment, capable of taking a patch without tearing.[22] They are participants in the new covenant.[23] They are recipients of the new commandment.[24] These images speak of the church as a fundamentally different way that God intends to do things in the new world,[25] and we begin following those new instructions now.

Old

But there is continuity with the people of God manifested in Old Testament times as well. It is best not to make such a clear distinction between the New Testament church and the Old Testament saints. Movements within Christendom sometimes insist that the Church was born at Pentecost, and did not exist before then. Yet this New Testament Church had the same Old Testament Scriptures for its Bible, the same God for its father, and the same Messiah for its Savior as the Old Testament saints did.

Paul described it this way: he described the people of God as a tree. The Old Testament saints are its root, those descendants of Abraham who rejected Jesus as the Messiah are natural branches that have been broken off of the tree, and the Gentiles who come to faith are wild branches grafted into the tree.[26] There are plenty of Gentiles in Old Testament times who, by faith, were grafted in to Israel.

There is both continuity and discontinuity in the analogy. The continuity is found in the faithful who have a relationship with God. The discontinuity is found in the “natural branches” which do not have a relationship with God, and therefore were broken off from the tree, and the fact that Jesus commanded his church to target all nations with the gospel.

Implications

1. There is only one Church. We may call ourselves by many names and trace our existence to various traditions, but all true believers are united in our relationship with God through Jesus Christ.

2. The Church consists of many individuals, all of which have the presence of the Holy Spirit in their lives, and each of which has a ministry to perform as part of the body of Christ.

3. The temptation has always been for some individuals to “lead” by downplaying the gifts and ministries of others while promoting their own. This kind of leadership is disastrous, and does not reflect the reality that God wants to reach the world through all of us, has chosen all of us, and called all of us to ministry.

4. Change is to be expected. One of the most dangerous things that any church can do is try to decide what the original “biblical” church did, and force its membership to comply. Such attempts always produce division and stifling of the Holy Spirit. The Church at Pentecost was a product of both continuity with the old traditions, and radical changes brought on by the new wine, which required the development of new traditions.

5. The most important question any church movement should ask is not “Do we conform to the patterns of the past?” The most important question is “Are we accurately reflecting our relationship with God?” The people of God has undergone numerous changes since Old Testament times, yet has survived those changes because of its relationship with God. Therefore, believers should be less worried about conforming to some artificial standard, and more concerned with the reality of their individual relationships with the Lord.

6. Believers need to be more comfortable with the diversity that exists among themselves, and less inclined to correct each other’s faults. Paul taught the Romans “Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.”[27] That certainly applies to the issue of interdenominational cooperation. We should feel free to support and work with any true believer, and any organization of true believers, regardless of their historical background or chosen affiliation.

7. Believers should look on each other not according to the limits and preconceptions inherent in who they are “in the flesh” but according to who they will be for eternity thanks to their new relationship with God through Christ. The limiting factors of our “in the flesh” existence will not survive the new age, when Christ comes and gives us our immortality. Instead, we will be “like angels”,[28] — no longer defined by the things that limit us now.

[1] Matthew 6:9.

[2] Paul S. Minear, Images of the Church in the New Testament. (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1960), 17.

[3] Matthew 5:16 ESV.

[4] Matthew 5:44-45 ESV.

[5] Matthew 5:48 ESV.

[6] Matthew 6:1 ESV.

[7] Matthew 6:3-4 ESV.

[8] Matthew 6:6 ESV.

[9] Matthew 6:17-18 ESV.

[10] chapter 49.

[11] Everett Ferguson, The Church of Christ. (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1996), 114.

[12] Galatians 3:26-29 ESV.

[13] Romans 16:23; 2 Corinthians 1:1.

[14] Romans 16:1; Philemon 2.

[15] 2 Corinthians 6:17-18 ESV.

[16] 1 John 2:15-16 ESV.

[17] Romans 8:15, 23; Galatians 4:5; Ephesians 1:5.

[18] 2 Corinthians 5:17 ESV.

[19] Galatians 6:15.

[20] Matthew 9:17.

[21] Matthew 13:52; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37.

[22] Mark 2:21; Luke 5:36.

[23] Luke 22:20.

[24] John 13:34.

[25] Matthew 19:28.

[26] Romans 11:16-21.

[27] Romans 14:4 ESV.

[28] Matthew 22:30; Mark 12:25.

ACST 54: The Life

A truly saved person has both repented of his past sins and trusted Christ for his present and future life. This converted person will live a life of faith that reflects his new commitments. The life lived in faith makes the gospel real to the believer, and confirms his testimony. The Bible gives us both examples and descriptions of that life. John wrote that “all who have this eager expectation will keep themselves pure, just as he is pure.”[1] It is a life that aspires to the purity of Jesus.

Anyone attempting to live a life of sinlessness will immediately encounter obstacles in doing so. We have been changed, and we no longer want to sin, but sin and the sinful nature is still with us. As a result, we will constantly find ourselves conflicted, as Paul was in Romans 7:

“I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my

flesh. For I want to do the good, but I cannot do it.

19 For I do not do the good I want, but I do the very

evil I do not want! 20 Now if I do what I do not want,

it is no longer me doing it but sin that lives in me.

21 So, I find the law that when I want to do good,

evil is present with me. 22 For I delight in the law

of God in my inner being. 23 But I see a different

law in my members waging war against the law of

my mind and making me captive to the law of sin

that is in my members.”[2]

The bad news about the Christian life is that all of us are going to live with this kind of struggle going on inside. Even great Christians like Paul admitted to the inability to be completely what he wanted to be. Yet, Paul also knew the good news of the Christian life, and he went on to explain that good news in Romans 8:

“There is therefore now no condemnation for

those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law

of the life-giving Spirit in Christ Jesus has set

you free from the law of sin and death. 3 For

God achieved what the law could not do

because it was weakened through the flesh.

By sending his own Son in the likeness of

sinful flesh and concerning sin, he condemned

sin in the flesh, 4 so that the righteous

requirement of the law may be fulfilled in us,

who do not walk according to the flesh but

according to the Spirit.”[3]

The good news is not that Jesus has already changed our nature so that we are no longer tempted to sin. It is that Jesus has already paid the price for our sins, so that they no longer separate us from God. Therefore, the Holy Spirit is free to work with and within us to actually accomplish righteous acts, as we surrender to him. We are in a temporary state in which the laws of two dominions apply to us. The law of sin and death is still at work, so we will fail at times. But the law of the Spirit of new life in Christ Jesus is also at work, so we can actually please God as well. Both freedom and bondage are possible, depending on who we choose to surrender to.

a forgiven life

A person living this life reflects a confidence that his sins have been forgiven, and God will never forsake him. Paul told the Colossian Christians that “you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses.”[4] As a result of this new status, they were free to forgive others who offended them. He said “Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”[5] A forgiven life is a forgiving life. Instead of seeking revenge, or passing judgment on someone else who wrongs them, people who live the forgiving life remember that they too have been forgiven, and follow Christ’s example and forgive. A negative example of this reality is found in Jesus’ parable of the unforgiving servant:

“Therefore the kingdom of heaven may be

compared to a king who wished to settle

accounts with his servants. 24 When he began

to settle, one was brought to him who owed

him ten thousand talents. 25 And since he

could not pay, his master ordered him to be

sold, with his wife and children and all that

he had, and payment to be made. 26 So the

servant fell on his knees, imploring him, ‘Have

patience with me, and I will pay you

everything.’ 27 And out of pity for him, the

master of that servant released him and

forgave him the debt. 28 But when that same

servant went out, he found one of his fellow

servants who owed him a hundred denarii,

and seizing him, he began to choke him, saying,

‘Pay what you owe.’ 29 So his fellow servant

fell down and pleaded with him, ‘Have

patience with me, and I will pay you.’

30 He refused and went and put him in prison

until he should pay the debt. 31 When his

fellow servants saw what had taken place,

they were greatly distressed, and they went

and reported to their master all that had

taken place. 32 Then his master summoned

him and said to him, ‘You wicked servant! I

forgave you all that debt because you pleaded

with me. 33 And should not you have had

mercy on your fellow servant, as I had mercy

on you?’ 34 And in anger his master

delivered him to the jailers, until he

should pay all his debt. 35 So also my

heavenly Father will do to every one of

you, if you do not forgive your brother

from your heart.”[6]

Jesus’ story reveals some helpful parallels in the subject matter of sanctification. First, the grace by which the master forgives the servant is the result of the master’s choice. Second, it is unmerited by the servant. Third, the servant’s choice to not forgive his fellow servant for the lesser debt was wrong. Now, notice this: if the servant had not been forgiven by his master, he would have been under no obligation to be lenient on his debtor. But, since he had been forgiven a great debt, he was not under obligation because of grace to forgive the lesser debts. Since he had been saved, he was now expected to imitate the kindness and generosity of his savior.

The forgiven life implies more to us than the mere fact that we should forgive others. It also means that we can live outside of the condemnation that our debt had put on us. Having been forgiven, we are free to live and love as never before. Thus, we can express our love for others because we are no longer under the bondage of self-condemnation. An example of this aspect of the forgiven life is found in the Gospels:

“One of the Pharisees asked him to eat with him,

and he went into the Pharisee’s house and took

his place at the table. 37 And behold, a woman

of the city, who was a sinner, when she learned

that he was reclining at table in the Pharisee’s

house, brought an alabaster flask of ointment,

38 and standing behind him at his feet, weeping,

she began to wet his feet with her tears and

wiped them with the hair of her head and kissed

his feet and anointed them with the ointment.

39 Now when the Pharisee who had invited

him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man

were a prophet, he would have known who and

what sort of woman this is who is touching him,

for she is a sinner.” 40 And Jesus answering said

to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.”

And he answered, “Say it, Teacher.” 41 “A certain

moneylender had two debtors. One owed five

hundred denarii, and the other fifty. 42 When

they could not pay, he cancelled the debt of

both. Now which of them will love him more?”

43 Simon answered, “The one, I suppose, for

whom he cancelled the larger debt.” And he

said to him, “You have judged rightly.” 44 Then

turning toward the woman he said to Simon, “Do

you see this woman? I entered your house; you

gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet

my feet with her tears and wiped them with her

hair. 45 You gave me no kiss, but from the time

I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.

46 You did not anoint my head with oil, but she

has anointed my feet with ointment. 47

Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many,

are forgiven- for she loved much. But he who

is forgiven little, loves little.””[7]

Simon’s concept of life was minimalistic. He gave only to the extent that he perceived others deserved it. He felt only what he perceived was appropriate. This sinful woman, however, had been set free. Her encounter with Jesus removed the bondage that had inhibited her life. It was not the gift that Jesus was impressed with. He knew this woman’s heart. She gave not in order to be forgiven, but because she knew forgiveness already. The love she showed Jesus was not the means of her reconciliation, but the method she used to proclaim it. It is the same for Christians as they live the forgiven life. We love, not in order to be forgiven, but because we have been forgiven.

an obedient life

A person living this life submits to the lordship of Christ, obeying his commands. The commands of Christ are important to him because he has a relationship with the commander. Jesus gave numerous commands to his disciples, which can be summarized as follows:

1. Invest your life in eternity. Seek PERMANENCE, don’t get sidetracked with the things that are only temporary.

2. Put God first. Make DEVOTION to him your reason for living.

3. Be what you claim to be. Let your GENUINENESS declare to others the veracity of your testimony.

4. Rely on God to do what you cannot do. TRUST him to provide for the needs which are beyond your capability.

5. Keep in contact with God. Make PRAYER the link between your life on earth and your Master in heaven.

6. Learn, proclaim and keep God’s Word. Let his TRUTH guide your mind.

7. Be used by God to fulfill his will. Let his POWER flow through you as a conduit.

8. Live in expectancy of Christ’s second coming. Let his ADVENT be the focus of your actions.[8]

an eternal life

The eternal life we have in Christ is real but not yet actual. It is a promise. Christ promises to raise us to immortality at his second coming. But one of the keys to living the sanctified life is living out that promise, putting less emphasis on the things that are temporary, and more on those which are permanent. Our present needs are real, but they have less importance because of the future in which all our needs are going to be met. Therefore, we can forego meeting some needs for a time, and concentrate on meeting other peoples’ needs.

Knowing that we were created to have an eternal relationship with God allows us to make the kind of decisions that put him first. We see our devotional life as a necessity, and thus are not likely to put it aside when things get busy. Nothing is more important when seen from the standpoint of eternity – not even other people. The one relationship which we are going to have forever is our relationship with God.

Someday we will be able to look back on all the deeds that we have done in this age and see them for what they really were. Everything done out of false motives and for wrong reasons will be clearly exposed. The Christian seeks to live in such a way that his genuineness will never be called into question. It is not just a matter of appearances. The Christian knows that he has only one life. He does not have a public life and a private life. His entire life is public before the one who matters. God sees all. The Christian does what is right in order to be honest to God.

This life will put us to test. All of the famous biblical saints were tested as they sought to live out the life given them. The same will be true for anyone who dares to proclaim Christ. Suffering will be the rule rather than the exception. The trust involved in living the Christian life in spite of suffering is a testimony to the reality of the faith.

The Christian life is lived on the knees. Through prayer we keep the link between our temporary present, and our eternal hope. Every Christian who tries to live the Christian life without regular, sustained prayer knows how difficult it can be. Those with genuine faith all know that prayer is essential. Prayer does not change things. God changes things. But God keeps us safe in the transition by sustaining us in prayer.

The Christian life is a biblical life. God has sent us a text message, and we rely upon it. We look for answers in his words and keep looking because we trust him. The Bible is not an object that we venerate, but a subject we investigate. We look to his word because we want him. His truth guides us.

The Christian life takes advantage of power that the world does not know. We have the advantage of being able to see beyond the laws of nature, and gain access to another set of laws altogether. We can trust our mustard seed prayers to do what all the nuclear bombs cannot. We have access to the power that God had when he said ‘let there be light’ and when Jesus said ‘little child, arise.” That is power.

The Christian life is also lived with the awareness that even if we fail, we will eventually win. We are free to take enormous risks, because we know we are on the winning team. The eternal life we are living has a king who is coming soon. The things we endure for him are worth it, because he is returning. Nothing is going to prevent his keeping his promises.

a community life

In systematic theology, having first dealt with the reality of the saved person as an individual, we then naturally progress to study the saved as a whole: the church. Who and what the church is, and what the church does, is always important because Christ not only died for me, he died for all of the redeemed. The life that we live in Christ is not just an individual life. It is part of a greater whole.

[1] 1 John 3:3 NLT.

[2] Romans 7:18-23 NET.

[3] Romans 8:1-4 NET.

[4] Colossians 2:13 ESV.

[5] Colossians 3:12-13 ESV.

[6] Matthew 18:23-35 ESV.

[7] Luke 7:36-47 ESV.

[8] For more on these commands, see http://commandsofchrist.wordpress.com/.

ACST 53. The Testimony

God’s work of regeneration opens the mind to the reality the Bible reveals about God, Christ, sin, Satan, the world, and the Church. The believer’s self-awareness is forever altered. This new way of thinking is called repentance. One major result of this new way of thinking is how it is reflected in the believer’s testimony.

The first disciples said that Jesus appeared to them after his resurrection because they were “chosen in advance to be his witnesses” – which included preaching and testifying about Jesus.[1] He told them “you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”[2] They shared their testimony and turned the world upside down with it. Most of them gave up their lives sharing that testimony. In fact, the word “witness” soon took on the predominant meaning of someone who died for their faith.[3]

What made these believers witnesses was not merely the fact that they were willing to die for what they believed. They were passing on the reality of Jesus Christ. They were God’s means of testifying to the existence, work, and significance of his Son. He could have chosen to prove his existence some other way. He could have endowed places or symbols with his power. He did not. He could have written the life of Jesus on tablets of stone for people to idolize. He did not. He entrusted the good news to those who received it.

The process of passing on the most significant news in the history of the universe was not delegated to angels. Human beings were both the recipients and the messengers of this good news. Long before the New Testament was completed, ordinary people were sharing the story of Jesus and its importance to humanity. It was God’s choice to spread this good news through this method. It still is.

What They Testified To

The Bible mentions some specific details that were part of the testimony of early believers. Jesus called this testimony “the facts about me.”[4] They included…

1. the fact that Jesus was God’s choice to judge the world.[5]

2. that God’s righteousness is available to all.[6]

3. the good news that God saves people by grace.[7]

4. that Christ had been with the Father, and appeared to humanity.[8]

5. that the Father had sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.[9]

6. that Jesus was the Messiah whom the Jews had waited for.[10]

7. that Jesus is the King of God’s Kingdom, of whom the Old Testament speaks.[11]

8. that Christ gave himself on the cross as a ransom for all.[12]

9. that God raised Christ from the dead, which guarantees our resurrection.[13]

10. that Jesus is the Lord in whom we must put our faith.[14]

11. that God has promised eternal life for those who are in Christ.[15]

The gospel is not about us. It is not the fact that if we do something, then God is obligated to save us. The gospel is about Jesus Christ. It is the story of what he did for us. It is the glorious truth that God has a solution for humanity’s failure, and invites us to accept it, and experience it. It is the revelation of a divine plan, which began in eternity past, and will result in a glorious future eternity.

God’s primary means of turning the world to himself is the testimony that believers communicate. His plan includes an eternal destination, and he has chosen us to get the news out, so that others can join him there. That eternal destination has often wrongly been called “heaven.” It is an unfortunate choice of words because the destination to which we aspire is not a particular location (heaven as opposed to earth) as much as it is an inheritance. God’s plan is to redeem all creation. That is why the Bible speaks of a new heaven and a new earth.[16]

The testimony of faith looks at all the ugliness of this present reality and chooses to trust Christ and his promises. The believer does not wish to escape earth and go to heaven, but longs for the redemption and restoration of the whole universe so that it once again can be called “very good.” The goal of faith is not to escape the evil but to outlast it. The key to doing that is the resurrection of the righteous. By faith, the believer looks beyond her own death, and embraces the promise of a resurrection unto eternal life at Christ’s return.

In the mean-time, the believer chooses to live in the kingdom of Christ, and occupy herself with proclaiming the good news of that kingdom’s existence. It is a kingdom which is both now and later. It is a dominion of a king who is willing and able to rule in the lives of those who submit to him. But it is also a promise of a future rule of that same king over the domain of the entire universe. The testimony is a declaration of salvation both here and now and there and then. It is the good news that Jesus can cleanse and restore our broken lives and relationships today. It is also the good news that another, future life awaits those who put their faith in him, with a glorious transformation unlike anything that we can experience in the present. Gospel witnessing includes these three messages:

1. what Christ did for us on Calvary’s cross,

2. what Christ can do for us today,

3. what Christ promises for eternity.

How to witness

Jesus testified of himself by means of the spoken word, and has commanded his church to do the same. He testified by public preaching and teaching and by small group and private conversation. At no point did he restrict his intentions by allowing only the professional to witness.

“Then he opened their minds to understand

the Scriptures, and said to them, “Thus it is

written, that the Christ should suffer and on

the third day rise from the dead, and that

repentance and forgiveness of sins should be

proclaimed in his name to all nations,

beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses

of these things.”[17]

The first obligation to witness was upon those who observed his death and resurrection. That observation of those events, however, did not especially qualify them as witnesses. To be a witness in the New Testament sense is not to have observed something, but to testify of it. It is something you say, not something you see. A person was a witness in court not because he had seen something, but because he had been chosen to testify of what he had seen (or heard). The emphasis was always on the saying, not the seeing. Also, the reason they got into trouble with the authorities was not that they had observed Christ and his resurrection and ascension, but that they talked about those facts and used them as proof that he is alive and is Lord of all. It was not what they saw, but what they said.

We who follow after those first witnesses are just as obligated to speak about who Christ is, what he has done, and what he is going to do. Jesus prayed for us when he prayed for “those who will believe in me through their word”[18] – that is, those who carry on the faith that the apostles propagated. He wants us to share that faith utilizing the same means: public speech and private conversations.

The testimonies were not limited to speeches and conversations. The gospel truth soon became incorporated in the Gospels and epistles. All media available at the time was utilized to get the good news out to those who needed it. The words of the gospel found their way into the songs and stories and art of the witnesses. As time progressed new media were developed. Each of these has also become a means of testifying to the truth that Jesus exists, what he has done, and what he is going to do.

Witnessing was more than an individual responsibility. Witnesses naturally gathered together to encourage one another. Associations with others who named the name of Christ became a means of testifying as well. Communities of believers witnessed to each other as a means of building one another up and promoting the act of witnessing to the lost. By being associated with other believers, witnesses showed that Christ was more than a mere ideology. Those who congregated (when possible) showed that they shared a relationship with Jesus and with each other. The Church became the social network of all social networks. It became one of the visible witnesses to the work of the invisible Holy Spirit.

Before long, traditions developed in the churches that reflected the reality of what was preached in the pulpits. It became clear that some of the things that Christ had commanded his disciples were meant to be carried on by each successive generation of the church. The act of baptizing new converts as a means of confessing the reality of the new life and the hope of a resurrection was one of those traditions. The meal celebrating the new covenant initiated by Jesus with his disciples in the upper room was another.

The apostles insisted that Christ-like character was to be expected of all believers. This was to be the means of witnessing to the reality of our words. The words were to be validated and verified by our actions, attitudes, and relationships. Thus, when the apostles encountered problems in their churches, they responded with strong rebuke and discipline. The words of the epistles continue to minister to us by drawing attention to our transgressions. The reason for this is that our task of witnessing to the reality of the gospel is just as pertinent today. The first mission is still the foremost mission. Anything that we do that subverts that mission must be corrected.

Distorted Testimony

Not only should we watch our lives to make sure that they are reflecting what we testify, we should also constantly watch what we are saying. Our witnessing needs to be a careful balance between two extremes. We can distort the gospel by making too much of it. That is, we can pack so much content into our presentation of the good news that we overwhelm those we are trying to reach. We need to develop the skill of saying the words that people need to hear about Christ, and just those words.

On the other hand, if we say too little, we run the risk of presenting a message other than that “once for all delivered to the saints.”[19] A message that is too simple runs the risk of leading people to a faith that is too simple. A truncated gospel leaves too much out. It makes a person religious without being devoted to Jesus. Also, it becomes a self-perpetuating mistake. Whole communities have been encouraged to come to Jesus without repenting from their sins. A gospel without true repentance is not the gospel at all. While that may be a way of gaining popularity with the world, it is also a way of making the church irrelevant.

The true good news is good news because it takes into account the bad news of sin, failure, and depravity. For the church to be a reliable and faithful witness to Christ, she must share the reality of Christ’s rescue along with the backdrop of humanity’s failure and sin. But we must remember that we are witnesses, not judges. We have to be honest about our own failures and problems, and share the reality of our own struggles. Then, those who struggle with the same things will know how Christ helps. If we are not honest, the world will get a wrong idea about what Christianity. A witness to hypocrisy only breeds more hypocrisy.

Those who truly seek to share the good news are going to have to adjust their methods to meet the current culture. Tried and true methods of the past will have to be surrendered when it becomes obvious that they are no longer practical or effective. New methods will have to be developed which scratch where today’s society itches. Care must be taken to ensure that vital content is not lost in the process. This is all part of the process of witnessing wisely.

The most effective means of verifying and validating one’s testimony is the subject of the next chapter. The life lived in faith makes the gospel real to the believer, and confirms his testimony.

[1] Acts 10:41-42.

[2] Acts 1:8 ESV.

[3] The Greek word martus is one of several which took on this connotation.

[4] Acts 23:11.

[5] Acts 10:42.

[6] Romans 1:16-17.

[7] Acts 20:24.

[8] 1 John 1:2.

[9] 1 John 4:14.

[10] Acts 18:5.

[11] Acts 28:23.

[12] 1 Timothy 2:6.

[13] 1 Corinthians 15.

[14] Acts 20:21.

[15] 1 John 5:11-13.

[16] Revelation 21:1.

[17] Luke 24:45-48 ESV.

[18] John 17:20 .

[19] Jude 3.

excursus: scaling the wall (part 3)

When anyone dares to suggest that sleep is an appropriate way to describe someone’s death, opponents are often quick to respond. They tend to build a wall of evidence, consisting of texts which appear to support some kind of conscious survival after death. Those of us who hold to an unconscious intermediate state have scaled that wall. We see inconsistencies that exist with the popular interpretations of the texts when compared to the actual texts themselves.

Some of the texts have simply been misinterpreted, like …

2 Corinthians 5:1-10, which expresses Paul’s desire to put on his resurrection body at the return of Christ, not to go to heaven when he dies.
Luke 16:19-31, in which Jesus employs a scary tale about woe in Hades to show the Pharisees that just because they are rich today, their eternal state is not secure.
The bringing up of Samuel by the Medium at Endor (1 Samuel 28) was a miracle God allowed to rebuke Saul for his disobedience. It was an unusual event – all miracles are. It cannot prove that people are normally conscious at death.

Other texts have been mistranslated.

· There is some evidence to show that neither Jesus nor the thief on the cross actually went to heaven on the day that Jesus died. The traditional translation of Luke 23:43, then, is a mistake. Jesus was assuring the repentant thief that they would be together on the day about which he asked: the day Christ comes in his kingdom.

· Jonah’s cry “out of the belly of hell” (Jonah 2:2 KJV) was the cry of a man who felt he was about to die, and go to Sheol, the grave. It says nothing and proves nothing about the intermediate state.

Many of the remaining texts that serve as that wall of evidence fall into the misinterpretation category. They include the following:

“Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus” (Matthew 17:3).

The transfiguration involved a number of miracles, including the sudden appearance of two great men from Israel’s past. The Bible specifically tells us that Moses had died and was buried.[1] Many think the Bible teaches that Elijah never died. However, there is some evidence that his ride into the heavens on a fiery chariot was a round trip. Some time after his famous trip to outer space[2] — possibly as much as two years after – king Jehoram gets a letter from Elijah.[3] Unless one argues that the Israelite postal service was really efficient, it appears that Elijah returned to write that letter. In other words, Elijah lived a normal life and presumably died a normal death.

All of this is to say that if Moses and Elijah reappeared physically to talk to Jesus at the mount of transfiguration, then both had been resurrected for that purpose. Their appearance was miraculous, and it proved the power of God, but it did not prove that they had been conscious in the intermediate state.

Yet the Bible does not specifically say that they had been resurrected. It says they appeared. Then, after talking with Jesus for some time, they disappeared. Later, when Jesus spoke to his disciples who saw it, he told them that it was a vision.[4] The appearance, and then disappearance of these two Old Testament saints was a vision designed to draw attention to the one who believers today should be paying attention to. As the voice said from the cloud “This is my beloved Son; listen to him.”[5] This story is about the doctrine of revelation: how God has definitively spoken to us through his Son. To make this story about consciousness after death is to highjack it.

“GOD … IS NOT GOD OF THE DEAD, BUT OF THE LIVING”

(Matthew 22:32)

Among the many opponents to Jesus and his message were the Sadducees. They had emerged as a sect from Second Temple Judaism who had jettisoned all belief in the supernatural. Chief among the supernatural concepts that they had rejected was the idea that God would resurrect the faithful. After a group of Sadducees learned that Jesus was in town, they approached him with a question. It was an elaborate question that (they felt) showed how ridiculous it is to believe that God would resurrect anyone.

“Now there were seven brothers among us.

The first married and died, and having no

children left his wife to his brother. 26 So

too the second and third, down to the

seventh. 27 After them all, the woman died.

28 In the resurrection, therefore, of the

seven, whose wife will she be? For they all

had her.”[6]

Perhaps these Sadducees imagined that Jesus would say “Now that you mention it, resurrection does seem a silly idea doesn’t it?” But Jesus attacked these Sadducees. He told them, “You are wrong, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God.” He was arguing that resurrection was not so silly. The Bible promises it, and God is able to deliver on that promise.

In defense of the resurrection, Jesus quotes Exodus 3:6, where God identifies himself to Moses as “the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” While the text does not tell us whether Amram was alive at that time, it is quite clear that Abraham and Isaac and Jacob had been dead for some time. So how can that text prove the legitimacy of the resurrection? Jesus said that God “is not God of the dead, but of the living.”[7] what legitimizes the hope of resurrection is not that people survive their deaths, but that God does.

Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will live again, because God always lives.

Again, this text says absolutely nothing about the intermediate state. It does not say that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are asleep, but neither does it assert that they are awake. The proof of the resurrection that Jesus puts forth in answer to the Sadducees’ question is the existence of God. Since God is alive, those who died are alive to him. This is much like Jesus’ response to Martha who weakly told Jesus that she knew her brother would be raised at the resurrection on the last day. Jesus responded “I am the resurrection and the life.”[8] Her problem was not her concept of the resurrection, but her failure to see that the Resurrection was standing in front of her.

“A MAN … CAUGHT UP TO THE THIRD HEAVEN”

2 Corinthians 12:2

Arguing for the legitimacy of his apostleship to some obstinate Corinthians, Paul decided to prove that he was acceptable as a spiritual leader because of the “visions and revelations” he had received.[9] He told of a time some fourteen years earlier when he had been caught up to heaven and “heard things that cannot be told, which man may not utter.”[10] Paul’s experience was so real to him, that he was unsure whether he was transported to heaven bodily, or whether it was a vision. Let us, for the sake of argument, assume that Paul had been transported bodily to heaven. Would that event teach us anything about the intermediate state? Obviously not. It would only prove that such a trip is possible, for someone who is alive. It would teach us nothing about a person’s state at death.

Or, for the sake of argument, let us assume the opposite — that Paul’s experience was a vision in which Paul was allowed to see heaven, but his body did not travel there. That would not be substantially different from any of the other visions of heaven recorded in the Bible. There is nothing in the text to suggest that Paul was dead. Ergo, this statement teaches nothing about the nature of the intermediate state.

JESUS “DIED FOR US SO THAT WHETHER WE ARE AWAKE OR ASLEEP WE MIGHT LIVE WITH HIM” (1 Thessalonians 5:10)

Paul unashamedly used the sleep metaphor to describe the death of believers. In this text, he divides the Christian population into two groups. There are two groups today whom Jesus has died for: those who are awake, and those who are asleep. Those of us who are awake are obviously believers in Jesus who have not yet died. Those who are asleep are those who have already fallen asleep in death and await resurrection day so that they can live again.

What is the hope of these two groups? Our blessed hope is that the Lord will return some day and reunite both groups. Jesus died for us in order to make that possible. He died for us on the cross so that whatever group we are in (dead or alive) we can be with him in eternity. There is no statement about the state of consciousness that dead believers are experiencing. In fact, this passage is about what Jesus has done, and our assurance of what he will do for us.

Those who use this passage as part of that wall of evidence hope to convince readers that it is saying that all believers are presently alive with Christ. However, behind that hope is a theological tradition that says that everyone is alive, Christian or not. The tradition affirms the concept that everyone has an immortal soul, which cannot die, and must remain alive forever. This text says nothing of such an innate immortality. The only immortality it promises is for those who are in Christ, who have benefitted from his sacrificial death on the cross.

“THE SOULS OF THOSE WHO HAD BEEN SLAIN …CRIED OUT WITH A LOUD VOICE” (Revelation 6:9-10)

It is really pulling from the bottom of the barrel to take a passage from an apocalyptic vision and try to use it to prove a doctrine, but people continue to consistently do it. We have no right to assume that beheaded souls can normally cry out than to assume that God’s throne normally has a literal lamb on it who is also a lion. The book of Revelation tells God’s truth using symbols, and to take those symbols as proof of their own existence is to misuse the text.

However, John probably knew some of those souls that he saw depicted in the vision. Some of them might have been his close friends. When he saw them crying out to God for justice, he was identifying with their cry. He wanted Christ to return and bring his judgment. But those who use this text merely as proof that disembodied souls remain alive do not believe that such souls are really crying out for justice. They think that once those souls were separated from their bodies they went to heaven and are experiencing the reward of eternal bliss. You cannot have it both ways. Either the righteous remain alive and go to their reward at death or they do not. In this passage, the righteous who have died are not yet vindicated. They wait for a resurrection.

“MY DESIRE IS TO DEPART AND BE WITH CHRIST” (Philippians 1:23)

Paul was contemplating the ramifications of his eventual death. He knew that whether he continued to live, or he died, either way Christ would get the glory. “Christ will be honored in (his) body, whether by life or by death.”[11] “For (him) to live is Christ, and to die is gain”[12] because all he has to look forward to is being raised at Christ’s second coming. That resurrection hope had become Paul’s obsession. His explained the “gain” that he hoped for later in this same letter to the Philippians:

“Indeed, I count everything as loss because

of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ

Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered

the loss of all things and count them as

rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

9 and be found in him, not having a

righteousness of my own that comes from

the law, but that which comes through faith

in Christ, the righteousness from God that

depends on faith- 10 that I may know him

and the power of his resurrection, and may

share his sufferings, becoming like him in

his death, 11 that by any means possible

I may attain the resurrection from the dead.”[13]

As Paul was contemplating the consequences of whether or not he died in Christ’s service or continued to live, a third option emerged in his mind which he said was “far better.” He said “My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better.”[14] He was saying that the best thing to happen for him is for Jesus to break the clouds and call him to himself. Then Paul would depart and be with Christ. That would be more glorious than either of the other options. But, until that happens, Paul is content to continue serving the Christ of the resurrection.

How stable is that wall of evidence looking now? God’s word proves many things, and it is profitable for doctrine. But it nowhere proves the conscious intermediate state. Our hope in Christ is not found in human nature, it is found in a divine rescuer. We hope not to survive death but to be raised to new life.

[1] Deuteronomy 34:5-7.

[2] 2 Kings 2:11.

[3] 2 Chronicles 21:12.

[4] Matthew 17:9 (ESV, KJV, NASB, NET, NKJV, NRSV, HCSB, LEB).

[5] Mark 9:7 ESV.

[6] Matthew 22:25-28 ESV.

[7] Matthew 22:32.

[8] John 11:25.

[9] 2 Corinthians 12:1.

[10] 2 Corinthians 12:4.

[11] Philippians 1:20.

[12] Philippians 1:21.

[13] Philippians 3:8-11.

[14] Philippians 1:23.

ACST 52: The Change

Salvation is a miraculous work which the Father began in eternity past with our election. The Son made it possible by atoning for our sins on the cross. The Holy Spirit orchestrates its affects in our lives by applying it through a process of sanctification. That work of salvation affects an immediate and on-going change in the mind of the believer, which in turn transforms the believer’s behavior. This miraculous change of mind is called repentance. After conversion, the believer’s eyes are opened to the reality the Bible reveals about God, Christ, sin, Satan, the world, and the Church. The believer’s self-awareness is forever altered.

repentance in the Old Testament

Calling for repentance was already an Old Testament tradition long before John the Baptist. Solomon predicted a time when his nation would fall away from their God, but that the LORD would listen to them if they turned their hearts back to him and repent.[1] His father, David, taught that God was prepared to do battle against the wicked if they refuse to repent.[2] The prophet Isaiah divided the people of Judah into two types: the rebels and sinners on the one hand and the repentant on the other. The latter will be redeemed, but the former will be broken together and consumed.[3] The prophet Ezekiel called on God’s people to repent.[4] The prophet Jeremiah lamented the utter corruption of his people, and the fact that they refused to repent even after the LORD punished them: “You have struck them down, but they felt no anguish; you have consumed them, but they refused to take correction. They have made their faces harder than rock; they have refused to repent.”[5]

The call to repent in the Old Testament was a challenge for God’s people to turn back to him, to return to their first loyalty. It was given in a context where the people had been tempted to go after other gods, and had yielded to the temptation. Even after generations of idolatry, God’s messengers continued to plead for his people to return, in spite of the fact that many who heard their words had never been truly loyal to the LORD. They pleaded for a rebellious people to reverse their rebellion. Repentance for them would be both a turning away from their sins and a turning towards the LORD.

enter, John the Baptist

When John the Baptist comes on the scene in the early pages of the Gospels, he proclaims the same message to the same people. He tells all Israel “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[6] He is telling a rebellious people to return to their God. But his message has even more urgency because the Lord and his kingdom are at hand. If the Lord arrives while his people are still in a state of rebellion, he will unleash his fury upon them. So, John pleads for Israel to prepare the way for the Lord, to make his paths straight. In other words, he is calling on the people of God to stop being obstacles to God’s will, and to refocus on obeying his will. That is what it meant for them to repent.

The Greek word for repent is metanoe,w and repentance is meta,noia – both words being a combination of the words for after (meta) and mind (nouj). It was a concept well suited for the particular use of John the Baptist, as he wanted to encourage his audience to rethink their situation, and change their minds, which would result in a change of behavior. He was not calling on them to simply change their minds, because it was their behavior that had put them in danger.

Repentance would be the crucial first response that John was looking for. It a choice that drastically and permanently changes the believer’s mind, conforming it to the truth as revealed in God’s word, and allowing it to redirect energies previously dedicated to unrighteous behavior. A repentant people would be free to correct injustice, and make it possible for the Messiah to reign.

John chose baptism as a sign that repentance had taken place. Immersion in water for ceremonial washing was already common in John’s day. Many of the Israelites had washing places in their own homes which were used to symbolize spiritual cleansing. John’s ministry was a call for the entire nation to repent. The public baptism in the Jordon River was – in a sense – an agreement to be a part of a national revival movement.

When the hypocritical Pharisees and Sadducees came to join up for the movement, John turned them down. Their “repentance” was meaningless, since it bore no fruit.[7] When the truly repentant had asked John how they could show their sincerity, he told them to be considerate of one another, and not greedy for gain at others’ expense.[8] A true change of mind was also a change of heart. When Herod and John clashed, Herod chose not to repent. His attitude was that if he did not like the message, just get rid of the messenger.

But the call to repent did not die with John the Baptist. Jesus[9] and his disciples[10] called for the same thing. The book of Hebrews lists repentance as one of the foundations of the Christian life. Paul said that it leads to “salvation without regret.”[11] The chief difference between the repentance demanded by Old Testament prophets and that taught in the Church is simply this: the Gospel calls everyone to repent: Jew and Gentile alike. Paul said “the times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.”[12] In fact, the apparent slowness of the fulfillment of God’s promise is attributed to his desire that everyone have an opportunity to repent.[13]

Repentance is one of the marks of true conversion. A truly repentant person may occasionally sin, but she no longer lives in sin. Sin for her has become an embarrassing stumble in an otherwise upward climb. Her life has ceased to be a repeatedly downward spiral. Satan has not written her off. He continues to pester her with temptation, and she sometimes fails to resist it. But she belongs to Jesus.

one choice – and many choices

In the book of Revelation, some of the seven churches of Asia Minor were admonished to repent.[14] While this speaks more to Christ’s relationship with churches, rather than individuals, it is not wrong to conclude that the Christian life should be one of constant repentance. We should keep examining our lives, attitudes and motives, and be willing to change whenever we find the need. Repentance is one choice which will lead to many choices. It is the turning of our ships in the direction of our intended destination, and it will also require many other smaller course corrections as the journey progresses.

repentance and grace

It is possible to preach repentance in such a way as to deny that salvation is truly by the grace of God. This happens when repentance is explained as “getting right with God.” It is difficult to explain why Jesus had to die on a cross if all God wanted was for his people to wake up and clean up their own lives. The problem with the idea of cleaning up one’s own life is that we do not have the proper materials.

When Paul described salvation he concentrated on what God did for us by his grace: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.”[15] It was God who predestined us, called us to himself, justified us by the blood of Christ, conformed us to Christ’s image through the power of the Holy Spirit, and glorified us for eternity.

Our repentance is one of the things that God foreknew. But foreknowledge means more than simply the fact that God looked forward into our future and saw a time when we would turn to him. God’s foreknowledge extends much further into the future. He saw us in complete fulfillment of his will and desire – for millions of years. He saw us in our perfected state for eternity. The reason he saw it is that he made it happen, although from our perspective it is still happening. By his grace, in eternity past, God chose to save us completely. Everything right and proper that has ever happened to us and ever will is a direct result of that choice of grace – even our repentance. That is why the Bible speaks of God granting repentance.[16]

God is sovereign in the salvation process. If he were not – say, if he only made repentance an option – we would always choose something else. The entire planet would look a dying Christ in the face and say “sorry you went to that trouble, but I’ll try my luck at saving myself.” But that is why grace is grace, and repentance is such a miracle. Each time a person responds to the gospel by repenting from his sins and putting his faith in Christ, it is the result of something God did for him in eternity past. Grace intervened.

repentance and works

Repentance is not a work. It is a surrender. It is not a determination to get right with God so much as a choice to give in to God. That is why there is no true repentance unless and until the sinner recognizes that he has sinned. After true repentance, sins are forgiven and blotted out.[17] Repentance is not penance. In penance, the sinner concentrates on personally correcting his own faults and sins by doing good works or works of contrition to balance the scale. The religious cycle of sin, penance, absolution, sin, etc… perpetuates the lie of works based righteousness. True repentance is an acceptance of God’s sovereign grace.

Truly good works are only possible after a sincere repentance. After surrendering to God’s grace as the only solution to their sin problem, true believers are then free to cooperate with the Spirit of grace. He supplants the sinful tendencies with righteous tendencies. He replaces the dysfunctional with the spiritually healthy. He replaces the holey with the holy. That is why Paul – who championed salvation by grace – encouraged his workers to commend believers for their good works.[18] Because of God’s grace, we are free to produce the good works that God intended.[19]

what follows repentance

True repentance is a change of mind that will drastically change the believer’s future. How grace works in each life will be different, so no two Christians will be exactly alike. Yet there are two characteristics which will be present in each changed life: a new testimony, and an altered life. These distinguishing attributes will be examined in the next two chapters.

[1] 1 Kings 8:47-48; 2 Chronicles 6:37-38.

[2] Psalm 7:8-13.

[3] Isaiah 1:27-28.

[4] Ezekiel 14:6; 18:30.

[5] Jeremiah 5:3 ESV.

[6] Matthew 3:2.

[7] Matthew 3:7-9.

[8] Luke 3:10-14.

[9] Matthew 4:17; 11:20; Mark 1:15; Luke 13:3, 5.

[10] Mark 6:12.

[11] 2 Corinthians 7:10.

[12] Acts 17:30 ESV.

[13] 2 Peter 3:8.

[14] Revelation 2:16, 21, 22; 3:3, 19.

[15] Romans 8:29-30 ESV.

[16] 2 Timothy 2:25.

[17] Acts 2:38; 3:19.

[18] 1 Timothy 2:10; 5:10, 25; 6:18; Titus 2:7, 14; 3:8, 14.

[19] Ephesians 2:10.