Has God’s Law Ended?

by Bob Burridge ©2017

There’s a lot of confusion about how God’s law applies today in this time after the finished work of our Savior.

As I was monitoring some online chat there were some Christians debating about God’s law and it’s place in our lives today. It started when one of the chatters quoted Psalm 119:97, “O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day.” Another chatter immediately objected saying that God’s law was only for ancient Israel before the birth of Jesus Christ. He went on to say that the only commandment believers have after the resurrection of Jesus is that we are to love. For support he quoted Jesus in John 13:34 when he said, “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.” Both were using the King James Version of the Bible.

One of the verses used to support the anti-law argument was Romans 10:4. Since they were using the King James Version, I quote that translation here: “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Supporting the pro-law side, Romans 7:12 was quoted, “Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good.”

This difference of conviction about God’s law is not uncommon. The danger is that it’s easy to grab verses that seem to support what we think should be true. But we need to take a close look at the context, what point the speaker or author was making, and how it fits in with what was being said. We need to consider other statements in the Bible that deal with the same topic. Often a closer look at the meaning of the words being used in the original language the verses were written in will also help clear up the meaning of the sentence.

The Work of Jesus in Romans 10:4

The language and context of Romans 10:4 clarifies what Paul was saying about the Law of God. The English Standard Version (ESV) translation of this verse is very much like the old KJV. it says, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” The word translated as “end” in both translations is the Greek word “telos” (τέλος). It means “the end product” of something, the “goal” to which something aims. It does not mean making something ineffective or ending its existence.

Peter uses the same word to describe what Jesus did regarding our faith. 1 Peter 1:9 speaks of, “obtaining the outcome of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” The word translated “outcome” is this same Greek word “telos”. The KJV translates it, “Receiving the end of your faith …” Peter certainly didn’t mean that Jesus abolished our faith, or put an end to it. He brought it to completion, fulfillment.

Jesus used a form of this same word as he hung on the cross. In John 19:30 Jesus said, “It is finished.” The word translated as “finished” is a passive form of this same word “telos” (τέλος), but here it’s in the perfect tense “tetelestai” (τετέλεσται) because the work he came to do had now become “completed”. He accomplished, consummated, perfected the work he came to do. He didn’t annul or destroy all he had done. He brought it to its full completed goal.

Here in Romans 10:4 it tells us that Jesus Christ brought the law to completion, to its goal. He fulfilled in our place what the law demanded. He paid the debt the law required for those God determined to redeem from the curse of the law. It was by his suffering and death that righteousness was secured for all who would believe in his work. That’s why it says Christ is the end of the law “for righteousness.” What Christ provides for us is that toward which the law aims. His righteousness is imputed to, credited to, all who by a true faith trust in his atonement. The law shows us how much we need a Savior. It drives us to him in humble repentance. It still convicts us of our personal sins in this present age.

The Words of Jesus in Matthew 5 and 22
Those who say that God’s law has been reduced to just one law in the New Testament often cite two main portions of Scripture. In John 13:34 Jesus said, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

The other text expands more on this in Matthew 22:37-40. “… You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Here in Matthew 22 Jesus was actually quoting Old Testament law. First he cited what Moses wrote in Deuteronomy 6:5, “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Then Jesus quoted from Leviticus 19:18, “You shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against the sons of your own people, but you shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” The command to love was not a newly introduced idea. To say that ignores the Scriptures Jesus was quoting.

The comment in John 13:34 was spoken to the disciples after the Last Passover Supper on the night before Jesus would be crucified. The “commandment” he is referring to here is a “new commission”, a newly commanded duty for them to go out as disciples showing love as they proclaimed the gospel. That was a common use of that word. In the next verse Jesus said, “By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” The context shows that he was not introducing a substitute for God’s moral law which was summarized in the Ten Commandments. He was sending these Apostles out with a “new assignment”, proclaiming the about to be completed Gospel message.

Jesus supported the continuing force of the Ten Commandments which were the underlying theme in Matthew 5 during his Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5:17 Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

The law is fulfilled in Christ. It’s not ended. The word translated “fulfill” in that verse is “plaerosai” (πληρῶσαι). It means to bring something to its full measure. Jesus brought the law to the fullness of what it was meant to be all along. He didn’t abolish it when he fulfilled it. Jesus was making a contrast in this passage. Instead of abolishing or destroying the law, he was fulfilling it. God’s moral commandments are summarized by “love”, not eliminated by or replaced by love.

The Apostle Paul often taught the continuing value of the Old Testament moral laws of God. In Romans 7:12, he wrote, “So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.” In the context Paul is dealing with his own past sin of coveting, the 10th Commandment. In Romans 13:9 Paul wrote, “For the commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,’ and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'” He is confirming that love is a summary of the other moral commandments, it does not eliminate them. He directly says that the Commandments teach that it’s wrong to commit adultery, to steal, to bear false testimony, and to covet. In Ephesians 6:2 Paul quotes the 5th Commandment, “honor your father and mother” which he refers to authoritatively as “the first commandment with a promise.”

Keeping God’s law was never the means by which people were forgiven for their sins or restored to fellowship with God. But the law has always had, and still has, a good purpose.

The Continuing Uses and Benefits of God’s Law

1. God’s moral law reveals what is pleasing to God.
It shows us what’s right and true. It reveals the moral nature of God. The more we understand God’s law, the more we can respond with proper worship regarding his glory, and strive to live in ways that truly show our love and respect for our Redeemer.

Psalm 119:27 “Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works.”

2. God’s law exposes our fallen nature and inability to please God.
The more we understand God’s law, the more it humbles us before God’s perfectly pure holiness and justice. It shows how unworthy we are of his blessing, and how impossible it is for us to keep the law sufficiently to please God, even in one little point.

Romans 7:7, “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ ”
Romans 7:12, “So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.”

3. The Old Testament laws foreshadow the work of Jesus as the Messiah.
The symbolic animal sacrifices of the Old Testament illustrate dramatically that our sin deserves death.
The sacrificial laws foreshadowed the sacrifice of Jesus Christ in place of his people. They teach that unless God provides a substitute by a gracious covenant, there is no hope for any one.

Since Christ’s death for his people has been completed, the rituals of these Levitical codes are no longer appropriate, but they still teach us what divine justice demands. Death because of sin is required of everyone descending from Adam by ordinary generation. The only satisfaction that could be made in place of the sinner would be a perfect Redeemer who was also the infinite God who was the party offended. Studying the ritual laws continues to drive us to Christ as we see the principles underlying them which are now made clear in the New Testament. As the Apostle’s taught, these ritual and sacrificial laws are no longer binding upon us, but they still teach the same truths they illustrated for the time before Christ.

Galatians 3:24, “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.”

The law never had the power to remove guilt, or to produce obedience and holiness. Only Jesus could do that. That was the message of these ancient ceremonial laws.

2 Corinthians 5:21, “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
Philippians 3:8-9, “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 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”
Hebrews 9:12, “he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption.”
Hebrews 10:4, “For it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.”

4. God’s law is a perfect guide for showing us how we ought to live.
The believer is made alive spiritually. This compels him by the renewed disposition of his heart to give thankful obedience to his Savior. The law of God shows what is pleasing to the object of our love. Otherwise we would not know how to honorably and rightly obey our Creator and express our gratitude to him.

Psalm 119:9, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.”
Psalm 119:97, “Oh how I love your law! It is my meditation all the day.”
Psalm 119:171, “My lips will pour forth praise, for you teach me your statutes.”
Romans 7:7, “What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet if it had not been for the law, I would not have known sin. For I would not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, ‘You shall not covet.’ “

5. God’s law restrains sin in the world for the benefit of the covenant people.
The general effects of these moral laws are applied by God to society at large providing a restraining effect that keeps depravity from expanding into total moral chaos. Even secular societies have laws against murder, civil violence, theft, and such crimes that would disrupt societal tranquility. These laws are not imposed by secular societies intending to honor the true God, but to benefit their own peace and prosperity. There is no true benefit to this kind of obedience for the unbeliever. The beneficiaries of this restraint are the redeemed people of God who are living here.

Proverbs 19:21, “Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the LORD that will stand.”
Proverbs 21:1, “The king’s heart is a stream of water in the hand of the LORD; he turns it wherever he will.”

God’s law continues to have great uses and benefits today. Though some legal duties may have only temporal applications, there is an eternal element to all of God’s law. The moral principles underlying the revealed precepts are never done away. We need to learn to honor that law and to be holy even as the Lord our God is holy (Leviticus 19:2).

Note: Bible quotations are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

The Why of Evil

by Bob Burridge ©2017

There is an amazing area where there is agreement between those who confidently believe in God, those who strongly deny there is a god, and those who are not at all sure about it. They all admit that there are things that are very horrible. When we see others caught up in wickedness either as the purpetrators of it, or as it’s victims, we use that familiar word, “evil”. There is a purpose in that evil, though we don’t all agree about what that “evil” is.

There was that moment in history when that man of Nazareth named Jesus was nailed to a cross. Those who were offended by his teachings shouted out for his death. In their hearts they saw him as wicked, evil. To the followers of Jesus they saw the death demands of the stirred up crowds as evil.

Some had no particular interest in what Jesus taught or in the beliefs he challenged. But as they saw the angry cries of the crowd demanding “Crucify him”, and the tragedy that someone would be put to death for what he believed, they saw the whole thing as an evil mess.

There was that ancient time when the Jewish nation had been held as slaves in Egypt for several centuries. A man named Moses stood up to the oppressive Pharaoh and demanded that he should let this enslaved nation go free. Moses and the Jews saw Pharaoh as evil. Pharaoh and his supporters saw Moses as an evil annoyance.

We all know that record of the fall of humanity in Eden. Eve was encouraged by Satan to defy God and eat the fruit that was forbidden, then to get Adam to do the same. The temptation by Satan was certainly an act of evil defiance of the Creator. For a moment, think of what was going on in the mind of the Temptor. His battle with God showed his hatred of the one who made him. He thought of the control that God had over all things as what he would label as “evil”.

While it is seen in starkly different ways, all agree that there is such a thing as “evil” in our universe. But why is it there? Is there a purpose in its existence and persistence? There is a firm answer given to us by God himself and preserved in his written word. The answer is, “Yes, there is a purpose.”

I have a flashlight that looks totally useless out on the beach on a bright sunny day. When I turn it on out there you can hardly see the light it produces. But out in my back yard in the deep darkness of night it shines brightly lighting up all it shines upon. Darkness is the setting that lets the flashlight demonstrate its purpose and power.

In those darkest moments of our lives, when we see moral evil hurting others and destroying families, ruining neighborhoods, and bringing down entire nations, there is a reason behind it all. Evil is the moral darkness that makes the light of what is truly “good” shine brightly – but we need to have the right perspective on things to know which is the evil, and which is the good. Consider the perspective preserved for us in God’s word, the Bible.

The purpose of all things is the display of God’s power and glory. The universe doesn’t exist for our comfort. It’s there to show the marvels of it’s Creator. This is how God’s word puts it.

Psalm 19:1-2, “The heavens declare the glory of God; And the firmament shows His handiwork Day unto day utters speech, And night unto night reveals knowledge.”

Romans 1:20, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse”

Colossians 1:16, “For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him.”

Evil fits into this purpose. God intended to allow it to exist so that his full nature would be displayed. The Scriptures explain this using the example of the wicked Pharaoh who wanted to keep Israel enslaved under his own power. It tells us what God intended in Romans 9:17, “For the Scripture says to the Pharaoh, ‘For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.’ ”

The story of Joseph in the last part of the Book of Genesis gives us another example of God’s purpose in allowing evil in his creation. Joseph’s jealous brothers conspired to kill him, but decided instead to sell him into slavery. He was preserved alive to later tell his brothers in Genesis 45:7-8, “And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. So now it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt.” Then in Genesis 50:20 he explained the larger picture saying to them, “But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive.”

Even the evil killing of our Savior had a good purpose those who were crucifying him didn’t see. Peter later explained on the day of Pentecost that God intended to use that horrible crime to complete his plan to redeem his people. In Acts 2:23 Peter said, “Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death;” Though God determined that it would happen, those who did it were morally responsible for the crime. There was obvious evil in that crucifixion, but there was more there to be seen.

Satan himself might have thought he had finally destroyed God’s plan by ending the life of Jesus. But his death was the substitute that paid the debt of sin for all God’s people. In the darkest hour the brightest light beamed out revealing the amazing grace and redeeming love of God. In those moments on the cross, the perfect life was given to redeem totally unworthy sinners. The agony they deserved to suffer for all eternity was taken up by God in human form and condensed into those few hours. Only an infinite God could endure that infinite suffering, and to submit to it for people lost in the evils of sin.

We are greatly saddened by the suffering some go through as the victims of diseases, crippling accidents, violent crimes, and the wounds of war. Our hearts go out to little children when we see them in pain or crippled for life and wonder what good could come of such evil? It’s important that we remember that there is a greater purpose in such things. These tragedies humble us before God and drive us to united prayer. In these kinds of sufferings we see what we all would have to deal with if it was not for the sustaining and protecting power of our Good Shepherd. When victims recover we come in thankful worship of the one behind all healings. We also see a sample of the greater agony we all deserve eternally if it was not for redeeming grace. In those dark times we begin to appreciate the bright light of the Gospel and the wonders of forgivenss revealing even more about our glorious and loving Creator.

Even sin itself serves a purpose in the eternal plan of God. When Satan in Eden attempted to destroy the glory of God’s creation of humans, he actually was the means by which the unfolding of grace and the dramatic display of wrath would be declared. While all who sin are held morally responsible for their decisions and actions, yet it is all part of the way our Creator determined would best show his full nature and infinite power. Those left in their lost estate are forever condemned to never-ending agony to fulfil the purposes of God. The Bible also makes this very clear.

Acts 14:16 speaks of God, “who in bygone generations allowed all nations to walk in their own ways.”

Psalm 76:10, “Surely the wrath of man shall praise You; With the remainder of wrath You shall gird Yourself.”

Romans 9:22-23, “What if God, wanting to show His wrath and to make His power known, endured with much longsuffering the vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, and that He might make known the riches of His glory on the vessels of mercy, which He had prepared beforehand for glory”

Our salvation is also for God’s glory, not for ours. We take no credit for the faith and repentance we exercise when we come to Christ for forgiveness. We are unable to understand and trust in the gospel until God applies the finished work of Christ turning our spiritual death into spiritual life.

In Romans 3:10-12 Paul quoted from the Old Testament to support his teaching that in the state in which we are born we are all totaly unable to respond to God’s call to repentance and faith, “As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.’ ”

We are made able to believe because of a grace that never fails to accomplish all God intended it to do and does. Jesus said in John 6:44, “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Even some hearing the Savior speak turned away when they heard these hard to accept words. Verses 64-66 show what Jesus said when that took place, ” ‘But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him. And He said, ‘Therefore I have said to you that no one can come to Me unless it has been granted to him by My Father.’ From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more.”

These are hard adjustments we have to make to bring our fallen undersanding of God and of ourselves into agreement with what the Bible teaches. We tend to think that everything that’s here and happens is for our pleasure. The truth is that everything is for God’s pleasure, which is to display and declare his eternal nature and glory. If we say, “I just can’t accept that,” we show ourselves to be arrogantly putting our own human understanding over the revealed word of God.

When we go through the darkest of times in our lives, or see others struggling as victims of horrible things, we need to remind ourselves about the real purpose behind it all. We need to respond by coming to our Lord in prayer, submissive worship, and repentance. It’s in those times that we can grow in our understanding and appreciation of God’s holiness, glory, grace, love, and power.

Note: Bible quotations are from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Studies in Paul’s Letter to the Galatians

by Bob Burridge ©2017

Lesson 14: Galatians 5:16-26 (video)

Lives That Show God’s Glory

The idea that the Christian has a life of blissful ease that’s free from temptation is a dangerous myth. Christ doesn’t make us perfect on this side of heaven. We don’t automatically overcome all our sins and wrong ideas. God does not take away the pressures, hard choices, challenges, and pain, and we still try to find easy ways to deal with those things which aren’t always in agreement with God’s ways. We still have to battle temptations, self-centered attitudes, and disappointments.

That battle doesn’t end when we become a redeemed Christian. But there are things we can be doing here in this life while our Father makes us more fit for our home in heaven.

Paul begins this next section of his letter to the Galatians with an imperative verb, a command.

Galatians 5:16, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

That’s what we’re supposed to be doing: walking in the Spirit. It means we are told to go all through the day guided by God’s Holy Spirit.

Paul was aware of God’s promise in Ezekiel 36:27, “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” There in Ezekiel God tells us that he puts his Spirit into us, and he’s the one who causes us to walk according to the principles he’s taught us.

Obedience isn’t done to get God to put his Spirit in us. It’s what God produces in us when his Spirit is there. Any good we do is made possible by his grace. We don’t earn sonship in God’s family. No one is more deserving than another. We are all fallen humans – separated from God at conception by a barrier of sin. Our guilt offends God, and we are unable to repair that relationship by ourselves.

That’s why Jesus Christ came to die in our place. He paid the debt of his people’s sins, and credits them with his own perfect righteousness.

When we become believers, we don’t suddenly become righteous in our thoughts, words and actions. But God’s promise is that he puts the Holy Spirit in us. He makes our hearts know and trust his promises. He makes us able to do things that truly honor and glorify our Savior. The evil imperfection attached to all we do, is covered over by the righteousness of our Savior.

Yet at the same time, the Spirit creates a desire in us to make us want to obey and honor God. So for the believer who has the Spirit living in him,there’s this direct command. It’s not a one-time thing. The verb here is in a present tense form, so it means this should be an ongoing practice. We are to be “walking in the Holy Spirit.”

The flesh Paul’s talking about here is the way of our fallen human nature. It’s not the Dualism of the ancient philosophers that blames the physical body for everything. God made the material world to declare his glory, and to be enjoyed in a right and holy way. We are both body and soul, a physical part and a spirit part. When we neglect the spirit part we behave as if we’re just bodies, we live as if it’s all just the flesh.

If our physical pleasures and comfort are more important to us than the Spirit’s leading, we make excuses for sin, and miss out on that close fellowship with God.

An interpretive translation of Galatians 5:16 would be, “Be walking in the Holy Spirit. When you are guided by him you will be able to avoid being taken in by the lusts of your fallen nature.”

There’s a battle going on even in the redeemed soul.

17. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.

God’s word tells us how we should live as his children, but it’s the Holy Spirit who helps us understand his word, gives us a desire to obey it. He makes us able to do things truly centered on showing God’s wonder and power.

Since we’re not yet perfected in our obedience in this life, we often give in to our old ways and habits even though we know better and want better.

There’s a way to turn that battle around. The Holy Spirit is there to guide and enable us.

18. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

He guides you by applying God’s promises, not by making threats or impossible demands. That’s the contrast here. If you’re being led by the Spirit, then you’re not trying to merit God’s help by yourself. You are set free from that frustrating struggle to overcome by your own efforts. You can admit your weaknesses and failures without excuses.

You know that God’s law can’t be kept in our fallen condition. The law shows us what’s true and right to do, and shows us that we can’t measure up. So the law points us to what our Savior would accomplish on the cross. It helps us appreciate how he took our place and paid our eternal debt.

When we put our trust in the Living Savior, the Holy Spirit becomes our guide. Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.” Philippians 2:13 says, “for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.”

By grace we are given the desire to obey. That’s an evidence of true redemption.

In our fallen condition, our lost soul has destructive attitudes.

19. Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,
20 idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,
21. envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

These 15 things come from the corrupt heart. If they’re present, there’s no evidence of the Spirit’s presence. There’s nothing to show that we are children of God’s Kingdom. This negative evidence should alarm the believer. Believers in Christ have no business behaving this way. When they do they are driven to repent and ask for God’s help.

The Holy Spirit produces attitudes in us that bring glory to God and health to our souls. Paul lists these 9 things which are what the Spirit is there to produce in our lives.

22. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23. gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.

1) Love is the first thing in this list of the fruit of the Holy Spirit. When Jesus was asked what was the foremost of all the commandments in Matthew 22. He said in verses 37 and 39, “‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul,
and with all your mind.’ … and ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ Then he added in verse 40, “On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 Paul lists 16 qualities of what God means by love: Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails …”

2) Joy is the next thing listed here as a fruit of the Spirit at work in us. God created us humans to be capable of experiencing what we call joy. Life should be an enjoyable experience that glorifies the Creator.

For those redeemed in Christ, that joy will be realized fully in eternal glory after our life here is over. But, by covenant, God promised that we can taste that joy now. Not that everything goes well, but that even in the hard times, there can be an inward joy in the Lord.

Jesus made it very clear that this is part of the blessings of belonging to him. In John 15:11 he said, “These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.” Then in John 16:24 he said, “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.” And in John 17:13 Jesus said, “But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.”

Several times the Apostle John wrote that one of the main goals of his letters was that the joy of his readers might be made full in Christ. (1 John 1:4, 2 John 12)

But just as you can’t get fruit from a dead plant, there’s no real joy without the Holy Spirit. It is part of God’s covenant promise to those made alive in Christ. Real joy can’t be realized unless it’s first implanted in you by God’s grace. The world can only simulate real joy. It becomes just a quest for it’s emotional effects. But the joy God promises to his children is the inward condition that produces those feelings. In Romans 14:17 Paul said, “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”

3) This leads into the next evidence of the Spirit at work in you: Peace. This isn’t just freedom from war, threats, tragedies, or just uncomfortable things. It’s the confidence that we are held up through disruptive events by God’s loving comfort and care.

Isaiah 9:5 said that Jesus would be “the Prince of Peace”. Isaiah 53:5 explains how he would secure that peace for us. It says, “the chastisement for our peace was upon Him.” That is, he endured our agony, our chastisement, to secure peace for his people.

Colossians 1:20 says that Jesus, “made peace through the blood of His cross.” It was there that Jesus paid for the sin that separated His people from God. When talking about the reconciling work of the blood of Christ, Ephesians 2:14 says, “… He himself is our peace…” This peace is that inner comfort, confidence and tranquility that the Holy Spirit can produce in your heart.

4) The Holy Spirit also helps us to be longsuffering. Some translations say “patience”. That’s a very close synonym.
Patience and longsuffering often appear together in God’s word. Patience is that “general ability to endure the passing of time while waiting for something.” When a person puts up with something for a long time”, it’s called “longsuffering”. This is part of “Practical Calvinism”. It’s “being satisfied with God’s wise providence, and confidently waiting for things to come in his good time.”

God isn’t only Lord in matters of eternity and salvation. He’s also sovereign in daily situations such as: traffic jams, long check-out lines, delays in appointments, delays in seeing justice carried out, anticipated surgeries, school exams, personal confrontations, business deals, and so on…

In Romans 12:12 when Paul commands patience in tribulation, he immediately adds “continuing instant in prayer.” We need God to work patience in us and to make us longsuffering. It’s not something you can do on your own. It’s that faith, that confident trust in God, that powers our efforts.

Psalm 27:14, “Wait on the Lord; Be of good courage, And He shall strengthen your heart; Wait, I say, on the Lord!”

5) The Spirit also makes us kind. The Greek word here is “chraestotaes” (χρηστότης). Lexicons define it by offering a list of English synonyms: “mildness, respectability, kindness, friendliness, goodness, honesty, hospitality, niceness, benevolence”. They all come close to the original meaning of this word.

Ephesians 2:7 tells us that it was God’s kindness that’s at the root of his grace toward us in Christ. It says, “that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.”

We, as those representing God to the world, need to be kind too. A child once prayed, “Dear God, make all the bad people good, and make all the good people nice.” It’s sad to admit, but often true, that well intended people mistake winning arguments for winning hearts. One of Peter Marshall’s famous prayers, “O God, when I am wrong, make me easy to change, and when I am right, make me easy to life with!”

6) The Spirit produces goodness in us. The original Greek word used here is “agathosunae” (ἀγαθωσύνη). It literally means “something to be desired.” Even those who totally reject God’s word say they want what’s good, but they have wrong ideas about what “good” is.

An article in Liberty Magazine in October 1931 was written by a well known figure in American History. He attacked the dangers of communism, subversion, and graft in government. He said, “Virtue, honor, truth and the law have vanished from our life, we are smart-Alecky. We like to be able to get away with things. And if we can’t make a living at some honest profession, we are going to make one any way.” Who was that well known American? — he was the notorious gangster Al Capone!

His problem wasn’t that he hated good. His problem was that to him, “good” was whatever served his own interests. As long as everybody let him do what he desired and wanted to do, he was a strong supporter of law and order.

Al’s problem, like many today, is that he had no absolute standard for deciding what makes something good. When a moral principle got in his way, he would say that moral principle was no longer good. Isaiah 5:20 warns, “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil”

God’s word tells us what good is. Those are the things the Holy Spirit makes us desire.

7) The Holy Spirit makes us faithful. The Greek word used here is “pistis” (πίστις). It can be translated as, “faith, faithfulness, or loyalty”. It’s that quality of unyielding dedication to and confidence in the promise of God.

In October, 1864 the Civil War was going through a bloody and costly stage. The Northern General Sherman was marching through the South. In Altoona in the mountains of Georgia north of Atlanta there was a small Union fort. General Corse was sent to defend it with troops to reinforce the garrison to 1,944 men.

Confederate General French surrounded the fort with a far superior army. When access to the fort was closed off, French asked the Union garrison to surrender. He said his offer would “avoid needless effusion of blood.” Union General Corse replied saying he was prepared for “the needless effusion of blood when ever it would be agreeable to General French.”

The huge southern force attacked with fury but were amazed at the strong resistance. The courageous and committed northern troops inflicted serious injury on the much larger and better equipped enemy.

But Union General Corse had seen something on a distant hill, that the confederates hadn’t seen. Signal flags appeared many miles away. It said, “Hold the fort. I am coming. Sherman.”

Corse’s confidence in his cause and commitment to his duty was strengthened by the assurance of relief troops on the way. Confident of victory, he stood faithfully in the face of the enemy.

When Philip P. Bliss heard the account of General Corse he wrote a hymn called, “Hold the Fort”. The lyrics are inspiring and profound:

Ho, my comrades, see the signal Waving in the sky!
Re-enforcements now appearing, Victory is nigh.
“Hold the fort, for I am coming” Jesus signals still,
Wave the answer back to heaven, “By thy grace we will.”

See the mighty host advancing, Satan leading on;
Mighty men around us falling, courage almost gone!
See the glorious banner waving! Hear the trumpet blow!
In our Leader’s name we triumph over ev’ry foe.

Fierce and long the battle rages, But our help is near;
Onward comes our great Commander – cheer, my comrads, cheer!
“Hold the fort, for I am coming” Jesus signals still,
Wave the answer back to heaven, “By thy grace we will.”

Where does our confident trust, our faithfulness to God and to others, come from? It’s produced in the believer’s heart as a fruit of the Holy Spirit – it’s a confidence in the promises of God, our signal flags on the distant hill.

8) God’s children should also be gentle. Some translations say “meek”. The original word here is “prautaes” (πραΰτης). It means “to be in subjection to something or someone greater”.

Gentleness toward others comes from understanding that we’re here to honor and live for God, not for our selves, not for our own glory and gain. Our attitude as believers should reflect that understanding of our place in God’s world. Rather than being argumentative, arrogant and self-defensive, we need the Holy Spirit to make us learn to be gentle. Proverbs 15:1 gives this simple advice, “A gentle answer turns away wrath”.

9) The last element of this Spirit-produced fruit is self-control. When God’s glory is put first in our lives, and we confidently and patiently trust in him above ourselves, we learn to have better control over our thoughts, words, attitudes and actions. 2 Peter 1:4-6 tells us to be, “… partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness,”

These 9 attributes are what the law prescribes but can’t accomplish. But that doesn’t mean we can’t realize these things in our lives.

24. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.
25. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
26. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.

If the source of our life is the Holy Spirit, then the Spirit ought to be leading us daily. This is the command of God to his children. We’re not living this way if we’re conceited, if we provoke others, or if we envy others.

So how do we win the battle? The first step toward this fruit is to be restored to fellowship with God through Jesus Christ. Without that redemption that comes by faith in his sacrifice for your sins, you won’t be able genuinely to produce this fruit in your life.

Rather than abandoning God’s way and trying to accomplish them on your own, use the tools God gives you. He promises to use his word to teach us the truth and to keep us from sin. He calls on us to pray that we would walk in the paths of righteousness for the sake of his name. He gave us the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper by which he helps us to grow in Christ-likeness. And he gives us a Christian family in the church to encourage and sometimes admonish us.

By these means, based on what Jesus did to save you, and by the power of the Holy Spirit, you can see your life, more and more, begin to yield this important crop of godly fruit as God by undeserved grace produces it in us.

(The Bible quotations are from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.)

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Studies in Paul’s Letter to the Galatians

by Bob Burridge ©2017

Lesson 12: Galatians 4:12-31 (video)

Illusions for Solutions

The forces of evil in our universe are good at offering substitutes for the real thing. To draw us away from what pleases God, sin gets dressed up to look very reasonable, excusable, and even appealing as an alternative to what’s right.

It substitutes telling small lies, or holding back a few facts to take the place of truth. When a child isn’t wanted, some substitute abortion for adoption. They say it’s not only for your good. They claim it’s for the good of the child. People make excuses to substitute sinful things for the moral principles God gave us. They make promises they don’t intend to keep. If they’re late getting somewhere, some break the traffic laws and hope they don’t get caught. If they don’t feel like getting up to go to Sunday School, or to worship on Sunday, it’s justified by saying Sunday is a day of rest. After all God is everywhere, you don’t need to be in church.

In each case, and in others like these, evil-substitutes replace God’s solutions. Fallen society offers it’s own rules and attitudes that make exceptions and seem reasonable. God created things to work by different standards and motivations than the world understands.

At the root of the deception is putting us creatures over our Creator. They see their own efforts as what makes things happen. The idea that God gets all the glory is an idea the lost can’t tolerate. They believe that the way of salvation is controlled by the sinner, not the Redeemer. God is imagined to wait for our permission to save us, for us to perform good deeds, or to take part in rituals.

That’s clearly not what the Bible teaches. These are inventions of the lost heart. It craves being the center and cause of it’s own good and success. They are illusions which are not solutions for the challenges and responsibilities we face.

That’s what was happening in Galatia not long after the Apostle Paul left there. Judaizers had come, and were confusing the new believers. They wanted the new Gentile Christians to be bound to the old ceremonies of Old Israel. They confused the Gospel message.

The ceremonial laws were never meant to continue past the coming of the Promised Messiah. They prepared us for what the Christ was going to accomplish. The sacrificial and ritual laws pointed to the work of the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross. The moral laws never provided a way to be made right with God. They defined sin, and exposed us as lost and unworthy of God’s blessings. Obeying them is to show gratitude.

God’s law points out a path no one can follow or even understand until God by grace changes the heart. God’s promise all along, was to come as our Redeemer to die in the place of worthless, fallen sinners unable to do anything purely good, and to transform them into his people by grace alone through Christ alone. But the way of the Judaizers was to replace God’s promise with impossible human effort. They missed the law’s message completely. Paul deals with this issue from various angles in this letter.

Paul reminded the Galatians about his previous visit with them.

12. Brethren, I urge you to become like me, for I became like you. You have not injured me at all.
13. You know that because of physical infirmity I preached the gospel to you at the first.
14. And my trial which was in my flesh you did not despise or reject, but you received me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus.
15. What then was the blessing you enjoyed? For I bear you witness that, if possible, you would have plucked out your own eyes and given them to me.
16. Have I therefore become your enemy because I tell you the truth?

While the Judaizers urged believers to trust in their own efforts by the law, Paul was resting in God’s grace and promises. He wanted them to be like him in that way. That was the message he brought to them on his previous visit there. They received him and his message gratefully, so he can call them is “brothers”.

Paul reminded them that he ministered to them in spite of some kind of infirmity. The word “physical” is added to “infirmity” here by the New King James translators. The word for “infirmity” in verse 13 is “astheneia” (ἀσθένεια) which means “feebleness, frailty, and sometimes disease”.

Some speculate that he might have had a disease of some sort, maybe an eye problem because of his comment in verse 15. That’s why some translators insert words like “physical” into the text.

There’s another way to understand what Paul’s saying here. In his Epistles, Paul uses this word “astheneia” ( ἀσθένεια) 12 times, and a related word 14 times. He often used these words to describe his own frailties as a man during his sufferings by persecutors. In verse 12 Paul implies that some were injuring him, but it wasn’t the Galatians. This attack on the gospel might have tempted believers to back away, and not stand with him — yet they did.

In spite of these persecutions, the Galatians didn’t reject Paul because of the threats which they might face too. They would have given their eyes for him – a common proverb for serious self sacrifice. That was the respect they had for him back when he visited before.

Now he was being portrayed as their enemy by those luring them away from God’s promises. Paul still cared for these believers, so he was lovingly writing to remind them about God’s truth. As it says in Proverbs 27:6, “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, But the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”

Compassion goes out of it’s way to promote the truth – lovingly, humbly and carefully. The faithful persist to encourage God’s people to trust in God’s promises, and to avoid distortions.

These others were trying to win over the Galatians, turning them away from the gospel.

17. They zealously court you, but for no good; yes, they want to exclude you, that you may be zealous for them.
18. But it is good to be zealous in a good thing always, and not only when I am present with you.
19. My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,
20. I would like to be present with you now and to change my tone; for I have doubts about you.

Zeal can be good but it isn’t in itself a good thing. These enemies were zealous, highly motivated and dedicated to their errors. They were trying hard to recruit believers to their misguided cause. They wanted them to turn against Paul. They were pressuring them to abandon God’s true church.

Don’t leave zeal to the ungodly. We need to be zealous for the good things. We need to be highly motivated to live by, and to promote God’s promises and principles.

Our word “zeal” comes directly from this ancient Greek word Paul used here. The word is “zaelo-o” (ζηλόω), which means: to have a strong desire for something, to be passionately driven. Think of the examples in the Bible of people zealous for God’s truth and ways: people like Jeremiah, Moses, King David, Ruth, Daniel, Timothy, Priscila, Peter and Paul himself.

But if that zeal to kindly and faithfully stand up for God’s truth and ways is missing from your life, you should be very concerned and make it a matter of sincere prayer.

The issue being challenged in Galatia, was the meaning of the Gospel.

21. Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law?
22. For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman.
23. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise,

Notice how Paul refers to God’s law in two completely different ways in verse 21. Some wanted to be under the law, but Paul wanted them to hear the law. The religious Judaizers wanted to be under the rituals, rules, and regulations, but they were not hearing what God’s law was teaching through those outward forms. Far from condemning the law in any way, the Apostle appealed to God’s law. There was something in it they were missing. That’s why they were misusing it.

They took the message that pointed to Christ, then turn it around to point to themselves. Their efforts replaced God’s work of Grace with a religion of symbols, rituals, and rules.

So Paul goes back to a story they had all heard many times: the story of Abraham’s two sons. In Genesis 15 Abraham wondered how he would become a great nation when he had no sons. God told him in verse 5, ” ‘Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them.’ And He said to him, ‘So shall your descendants be.’ ”

After some time had gone by Abraham and his wife Sarah still had no children. They started to wonder about God’s promise. They impatiently decided to have a child another way. Sarah gave her female servant Hagar to her husband to have a child with her instead. By custom then the child would legally be the heir of Abraham and Sarah, not of Hagar. They tried to make things work out by their own efforts, rather than by trusting God’s promise.

Still more time had gone by when in Genesis 18, Jehovah appeared again to Abraham. He told him that his wife Sarah would now have the child God had promised. Sarah laughed at the idea. She was 89 years old and Abraham was 99. Nevertheless, God repeated his promise in verse 14, “Is anything too hard for the LORD? At the appointed time I will return to you, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.”

Here in Galatians 4:22 & 23 Paul compares these two sons. The son born to Hagar was Ishmael — a child of a bondwoman, born according to the flesh. It was a son born by the sinful scheme of Abraham and Sarah. They were unwilling to wait by faith for the fulfillment of God’s word. The son born to Sarah was Isaac — the child of a freewoman born according to God’s promise.

Similarly, the Judaizers who came to Galatia replaced God’s promise with human efforts. They looked to the ceremonies and rituals of God’s law, but they missed the promise these laws pointed toward. Instead of seeing God’s promise in the rituals, they looked to their own human efforts to make themselves right with God.

This is the lesson here — as Paul directly points out in the next verses:

24. which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants:
the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar —
25. for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is,
and is in bondage with her children —

There aren’t two separate covenants of God here. There are two perceptions of God’s covenant: one view of it was wrong, and other one was right.

The one was just an illusion. It taught that human effort is the way to get right with God. They thought they could perfectly keep the law’s demands on their own, instead of trusting in a Savior who would keep the law in their place.

The other view of the covenant is the way God intended it: that we wait on the Lord.

26. but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all.
27. For it is written: “Rejoice, O barren, You who do not bear! Break forth and shout, You who are not in labor! For the desolate has many more children Than she who has a husband.”
28. Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise.
29. But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.
30. Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? “Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.”
31. So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.

The Judaizers claimed to keep God’s law, and boasted that they were sons of Abraham. They only kept the law outwardly. They missed the whole point of it. And yes, they were sons of Abraham but only physically, like the son of Hagar. They descended from him, but were not children of the promise. They knew nothing of the faith of Abraham that learned to trust in all God says.

Sarah was barren for a time, but she was destined to become fruitful by God’s promise. She and Abraham were wrong to try to fulfill that promise by their sinful efforts.

God’s church and God’s people, no matter how barren things may seem at the time, should press on based on God’s promise, not resorting to alternatives which offend God.

Religion born of man’s efforts is an illusion. Those who believe they can earn God’s blessing, actually forfeit them. The contrast the Bible shows us here is between doubt and trust in God’s Promises. God honors the faithful, those who patiently rest in the ways revealed in Scripture.

This same principle guides us still today. God calls us to trust him and to do things his way. Until Christ changes our hearts we live under the impression that in some way our own efforts save us. But that’s exactly what Paul points out as wrong here. It’s the error Jesus taught against. It’s the opposite of the message of the Judaizers.

It’s the message of false religion all through history, and of most religious groups today. The price has been paid on that Cross. We are simply called to trust in that fact. Tell your struggling neighbors and friends the truth, as Paul lovingly told the Galatians.

The principle of faith goes beyond just this message of Salvation. God made a promise of a child to Abraham and to Sarah, but they were impatient. They tried something else, their own plan – but it was sinful and wrong.

Some people don’t trust God about how they should live in this world he made. They abandon God’s ways for substitutes . To deal with inner stress and problems, some turn to mind bending drugs. Legal or illegal they don’t deal with inner problem. They just help it to be ignored for awhile.

God tells us how we should provide for our material needs. To honor God we need to work diligently and honestly. We are to do all our work for God’s glory, not just for personal gain. We show disrespect for God when we substitute new definitions of marriage for the one he gave in his word. God expects us to make and keep our promises and vows as sacred pledges. We need to resist the temptations that look to substitutes for God’s promises and instructions.

The ways so popular in the lost world are not supposed to be our ways. The blessings of God’s promises are not found in substitutes. They’re not solutions, they’re really just illusions.

The lost soul is bound by the chains of sin, and isn’t even able to recognize the chains. He wants things that satisfy himself, and he wants to get them his own way. The bondage of his mind and heart to sin hold him captive, and he doesn’t even admit the problem.

Freedom isn’t the ability to believe whatever we want, or to do whatever we want. Real freedom is being loosed from those chains so we can again live for God’s glory and trust his promises.

When alternatives replace the one way that works, God’s way, the results are tragic. When God’s promises are trusted with patience and confidence, God will not fail us.

(The Bible quotations are from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.)

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Studies in Paul’s Letter to the Galatians

by Bob Burridge ©2017

Lesson 9: Galatians 3:19-25 (video)

God’s Valuable Law

The word law stirs up different ideas depending on what’s being talked about. We know there’s nothing we can do about the so called, “Laws of Nature“. Gravity pulls things together because of the effect of their mass in space. That’s why we’re careful to avoid falling down and dropping breakable things. Inertia keeps things still until something moves them, then they tend to keep on moving. That’s why we have to start our engines before the car goes somewhere, and why we have to be sure our breaks are working once we get going. We call these laws of nature because it’s how we see things which God created operating. We write mathematical formulas that help us use these laws profitably.

There are also laws of economics that describe how we come to own things. If you have something another person wants, they can give you something you want in exchange for it. The more something is wanted or needed, the more it’s worth.

There are laws of governments too. They tell us who’s in charge, and set limits on how we live together. These laws define our responsibilities and liabilities. They also tell how we determine guilt, and what penalties are appropriate when the law is violated.

Unlike the principles we call laws of nature or laws of economics, the laws of governments are made up by people, and therefore they can be changed. Sometimes self-serving people pass self-serving laws that take advantage of others. Often situations change when new dangers come along and old ones pass away, so these laws have to change too.

But above all these things we call law, there are the laws of God. The New Testament word translated as “law” here is the Greek word “nomos” (νόμος). In the Old Testament the Hebrew word for “law” is “torah” (תּורה). Basically the words mean “instruction” or “direction” – as in stating what’s to be done, nor not done. In the Bible, as in every language, these words for law are used in a wide range of ways.

There are moral and redemptive principles that reflect God’s eternal and holy nature. Those laws are built into creation and they can never change because God never changes. For example, it’s always wrong to worship false gods, lie, murder, or steal.

God also imposed temporary laws to represent what’s true and what he promises at particular times. These laws prepared his people for the next stage of his eternal plan. Those temporary laws were primarily given in the time of Abraham, and in the time of Moses. They were designed to prepare us for the birth, life, and death of our Savior. The rituals and detailed regulations may have been temporary, but they aren’t unimportant.

The main point of Paul’s letter to the Galatians was to correct a misuse of these temporary laws. The distortion was a different gospel that kept God’s people from living for God’s glory.

As we saw in our earlier studies, Judaizers were teaching that the new Gentile believers had to submit to the ceremonial laws of Moses. But those laws were only given for Israel for the time before Christ.

Paul made it clear that the Judaizers were wrong. Since the ritual laws were given to teach about the coming Savior, when Jesus came, the original purpose of those temporary rituals was fulfilled.

This doesn’t mean they don’t have important lessons for us today. While there are changes in how God regulated the lives of his people at different times, there’s also a unity in his work all through human history. We have one unchanging God, with one unchanging plan that moves all things toward one unchanging goal and glorious end.

While correcting the error of the Judaizers, Paul didn’t want to diminish the value of God’s law. The struggling churches in Galatia were not just having debates between scholars. There were ordinary people trying to learn how to live out their Christianity day-to-day.

Today there’s still serious confusion about God’s law. Some think of religion as earning our way to heaven. Christianity is thought of by many as a religion of rules, popes, priests, and mystical rituals. Some imagine that by doing good works God will be convinced to let us go to heaven when we die. Some turn their attention to obeying strict rules, social reforms, and priestly incantations. Some don’t accept that Jesus Christ paid our debt and completed what the Old Testament laws prefigured.

Others want to throw out all the Laws of the Old Testament as if they all only applied to the Jews. They replace it with a poorly defined idea of “love” — what it is and what it’s not. They promote faith in a poorly defined Jesus. They replace God’s moral laws with rules defined by culture or a sub-culture of their own. Often worship just plays to the emotions, and ignores the present by just focussing on the end times.

Both extremes miss the main stream of what the Bible is telling us here. The Galatians were being mislead about God’s law, and it was having an effect on their daily lives. It wasn’t just a fine point of theology — it isn’t just that for us either.

To correct these confusing abuses, Paul asks this important question in Galatians 3:19.

19. What purpose then does the law serve? …

We have to keep in mind what point Paul was making here. Remember the context: The ceremonial laws of Israel couldn’t do away with God’s original promise. Paul said in 17-18, “And this I say, that the law, which was four hundred and thirty years later, cannot annul the covenant that was confirmed before by God in Christ, that it should make the promise of no effect. For if the inheritance is of the law, it is no longer of promise; but God gave it to Abraham by promise.”

The promise of the coming Christ, and the way of salvation by grace through faith, was explained to Abraham 430 years before the ceremonial laws were given by Moses.

The Reformer Martin Luther makes a good illustration here in his commentary on this passage. He tells of a wealthy man who adopted a son out of kindness alone, then he made the adopted son the heir of his entire fortune. After the son grew up he did favors for the man. Certainly the adopted son can’t then say that the favors earned him his inheritance. Then Luther says, “How can anybody say that righteousness is obtained by obedience to the Law when the Law was given four hundred and thirty years after God’s promise of the blessing?”

So the temporary rituals given in the time of Moses were signs telling more about God’s plan. The signs can’t possibly replace the covenant promises themselves. We are made right with God because God kept his promise, not because we preform some rituals or abstain from what’s currently popular in our culture.

So then, what good are these ritual laws the Judaizers said were necessary for salvation? Paul’s answer helps us unravel the confusion.

19. … It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.
20. Now a mediator does not mediate for one only, but God is one.

The particular laws being confused in Galatia were the temporary laws given to Israel at the time of Moses. They included the priestly order, the sacrifices, the annual feasts, cleansing and purity rituals, dietary laws, and other regulations designed to separate Israel out as God’s special people.

God’s laws had a very clear purpose. The various laws were added because of transgressions among the Covenant People. They expose sin, show our need for God’s grace and discipline the covenant community. They were to apply to Israel until the promised Christ came. Jesus is the promised seed of a woman God promised in Genesis 3:15. He would ultimately crush the head of Satan and rescue the fallen race.

In these verses, notice the italicized words which appear in most of our translations. They are words added in English by the translator, words that aren’t in the original Greek text. They are added to smooth out the translation, but they can also influence the interpretation. Translating this portion very literally you get this:

19. Then why the law? It was put in place because of the transgressions until the seed came to whom it had been promised, having been appointed through messengers by a mediator’s hand.
20. but the mediator is not of one, but God is one.

Without getting into all the technical points, the idea here seems to be this: Mediation is always to settle differences between two parties. It doesn’t normally just deal with one, but two equal parties. But the “mediation” here was not between two equal parties to reach some compromise. It was a one-way communication as God alone restores fallen sinners back into his family.

The word angels “angeloi” (ἄγγελοι) simply means “messengers”. It sometimes describes human messengers in the New Testament. At times God used spirit beings (angels), but he also used men as messengers (for example the Prophets). The same word is often used. God used messengers to reveal his plan to his people. They mediated between God and man. Moses was one of these messenger prophets, who stood between God and his people.

But God’s covenant promise was a sovereignly imposed promise. It was not a deal struck between humans and God. God is one – the promise is entirely his work. There’s no input from us at all. God, by his messengers, gave Laws to show our obligations, to reveal our lostness, and to teach God’s plan. Therefore the law given to explain our lostness and the plan of redemption could never replace the sovereignly imposed promise it represented. Promise existed before the law was given.

The covenant of grace is all that actually ever redeemed and reconciled anyone. The law only reveals sin, depicts the promise, but it does not reconcile or redeem.

However, as our teacher it’s important, and it has great value to us. The ritual laws still demonstrate our lostness, our inability to earn salvation, and the uniqueness of God’s people. They display how Jesus would become the only real substitute sacrifice for our sins.

So there’s no conflict between the concept of grace and the teachings of God’s law. They fit perfectly together.

21. Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law.
22. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.
23. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed.

The contrast in Galatians 3 isn’t between Moses and Abraham, or between Moses and Christ. It’s between the belief that there can be righteousness by the regulatory laws and the fact of Scripture that righteousness has always come by faith in God’s promise – and by grace imparted faith alone.

No law can bring life to what’s already dead. That was never it’s purpose. The law exposes our dead condition by showing us that we aren’t innocent before God. But until the coming of Christ, before the fullness of the promise could be understood, the ritual laws narrowed the path to direct God’s people toward what was to come. God’s promise – not the law – is and always was the basis for our blessings.

In the next two verses, Paul shows that the law is a teacher.

24. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith.
25. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.

The law is our tutor – our school master to bring us to Christ. So to demand rituals or any type of human works to add to our salvation denies that Jesus Christ fulfilled the promise made sovereignly by God long before the laws were laid out. It says we are no longer under a tutor, or “teacher”. But this doesn’t mean that what the teacher taught could now be forgotten. It means that the lesson has now been fully taught so the teacher had now completed his job.

So if the law doesn’t justify us is it good for nothing? No! It had a unique purpose from the beginning. We still benefit by it’s lessons about our need for a Savior, and about the Savior’s work.

So, what’s the value of God’s law for us today? The Judaizers were not causing a problem with the moral laws of God. They are always binding on everybody. Paul never criticized them for avoiding idols, keeping the Creation Sabbath, preserving marriage, telling the truth, and so on – he openly promoted those moral principles as eternal and always important. He also made it clear that as sinners, no one can earn his way to heaven by being moral.

Jesus alone kept the moral laws perfectly. By grace he clothes us with his righteousness. So the moral commandments of the Bible are always valuable to us as guides. We still learn from them that it’s wrong to improperly worship the one true God. We know from them that it’s wrong to disrespect authority, to be unfaithful to our spouses, to steal, murder, lie, and to covet what God doesn’t give us.

The problem in Galatia had to do with those ritual laws given to Israel by Moses. Some were insisting that those shadows of what was to come were still binding. That was an open denial that Jesus fulfilled what they stood for. The final and fully effective sacrifice for sin had been made on Calvary. The sacrifices of bulls and lambs had to stop. Their lesson was completed. The Lord’s Supper replaced Passover because the true Lamb of God was slain. The purity of God’s people had been secured by our Savior. Baptism replaced circumcision as the sign of God’s Covenant People. The other sprinklings and dietary rules had completed their job. We are washed in the blood of the Lamb, and set apart to be lights to the world.

With the coming of Christ, the lessons were completed. School was over. Christianity isn’t working our way to heaven. It’s about the finished work of Christ earning heaven for us. Those who think that our deeds fit us for God’s blessings, live with an irrational burden nobody can bear.

After graduation from our schooling we aren’t supposed to forget all we learned. The levitical laws are still there to teach us to rest in Christ as the substitute for our deserved penalty. They show our need for purity in our lives as we stand in the presence of God. They show that we are to be separate from the world as those saved by grace.

Now we need to take what those ritual laws taught us and get to work. We have a job to do as God’s children. His law points us to our own inability to live as we know we should. It helps us appreciate how much we need our Savior who paid our debt in our place. It also reminds us that we’re to stand out as different than those still lost and without Christ.

This isn’t just a scholarly matter for theologians to debate. It’s an important lesson for us as we read the Old Testament, and as we go about our work and family life every day. It should humble us and make us thank God all the more for his amazing grace that alone adopts us and keeps us as his own dear children.

(The Bible quotations are from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.)

Back to the Index of Studies in Galatians

by Bob Burridge ©2017
Lesson 2: Galatians 1:6-10 (video)
(download updated lesson)

A Confused Gospel

It’s not hard to get people’s attention, or to get them to flock toward something. They get wrapped up watching a high-speed chase on TV, or slow down gawk at accidents along the highway. They come pushing and shoving to fill stadiums for sports events, to see celebrities, or to try out for Talent Shows. But sometimes it can be like moths being attracted to a flame where they’re incinerated by their cravings. What they clamor for might not always be the best thing for them.

Florida homes often get invaded by those little sugar ants. They can suddenly appear by the hundreds around your kitchen or bathroom sinks. You can put little drops of a liquid poison on squares of cardboard that attracts them. They gather around it drinking in the appealing poison that they take back to the colony where it kills the queen and all those who have sipped at it.

Deceptive attractions have been used as lures for a long time. Anyone who ever went fishing understands how lures can attract fish to the hook.

People can be deceived too. They crowd in like those ants, gladly taking in things that seem so good, but are not. Friends or manipulators get them hooked on drugs that simulate pleasure feelings in the brain, but they slowly addict and dissolve away the body. Culture draws the masses into immoral behavior which can feel good at the moment, but it horribly offends God. It endangers lives with disease, conceives unwanted babies, corrupts values, and tears apart families. These deceptive lures are popular, and have become accepted behaviors among a lot of people.

The same is true about lies that appear in a form masquerading as the gospel of Christ. The gospel has been a prime target of evil all through history. The truth that transforms though Christ is replaced by a poisonous but appealing substitute. It attracts masses to something that seems to satisfy the soul, but does not. It’s a deception. The popular but confused message goes by the name “Christian”, and it aims it’s lure toward those most hungry for truth, hope, and help.

The word “gospel” is used 4 times in these 5 verses in the English translations of Galatians 1:6-10. This root word for gospel appears in this section either as a verb or as a noun 5 times in the original language. It’s the central theme in every one of those verses.

The word for “gospel” here is “euangelion” (ευαγγέλιον), which means “good message”. The prefix is “eu” (ευ). It simply means “good” as in the English word “eulogy” which means “good words”. The main part of the word, “angel” (άγγελ), means “message”. It’s the same word that’s translated as “angel”, a “messenger” sent out to deliver specific information. The word here for “gospel” combines these roots to make it mean “good message”. English often changes the Greek “u” into a “v”, so the word “heuangel” (ευάγγελ) become “evangel”. That’s where we get the word “evangelism”, the proclaiming of a good message.

In this same passage the gospel is referred to as the “grace of Christ”. It’s what the Galatians received when Paul came there with God’s soul-liberating news.

You would think that such a life-changing message would be treasured and kept pure. That’s why Paul was so amazed.

6. I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
7. which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.

It had not been that long since they received the gospel. When Paul left them, they were trusting in the message of God’s grace in Christ. But even those well grounded and truly converted can be lured away and be mislead.

Today, as it was then when Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians, we’re surrounded by subtle and well crafted attempts to get us to mold our thinking around what’s popular and commonly accepted. That’s why many good colleges, seminaries, denominations, and local congregations abandon their original soundness and fall into trendy deceptions.

The word translated “turning away” here is “meta-tithesthe” (μετα-τί-θεσθε). It says, “removed from” in the King James, and “deserting” in the English Standard Version. The original root word “meta-tithaemi” (μετα-τίθημι) in the commonly spoken Greek of Paul’s time carried the idea of “being displaced”, “moved to another place than where you started.”

These believers had been drawn away to a false gospel. The contrast here is sometimes missed because of translation challenges. The old King James says they were removed to another gospel which is not another. So is it a gospel? or not? In the original text Paul uses two very different Greek words.

The gospel they had been removed to was a different message. The word there is “heteron” (ἓτερον). That’s where the word “heterodox” comes from, a “different teaching”. In verse 7 he says that it’s not another gospel at all. That time he uses the word “allo” (άλλο) which means its “not of the same kind”. It’s a totally different message. It’s not really good news.

The NKJV is better, “… to a different gospel, which is not another …” The ESV adds some extra wording, “… to a different gospel — not that there is another one …” The Greek text could be more literally translated as, “… unto a different gospel, which is not another of the same kind.”

Those bringing this new message had introduced trouble. It was a perversion of the good news of God’s grace through Christ. It doesn’t matter what their motive was: either ignorantly or intentionally – they were wrong. What they taught didn’t agree with what God said in his word. Sincerity can’t make something right or good.

Those behind these innovations were obviously popular leaders who presented themselves as “Christian”. They were convincing. They had something that appealed to most of the Galatians. But though it was popular and attracted the larger numbers, it was motivated by the passions of hell itself.

If you change God’s truth into an appealing lie, people will run toward it like those moths to a flame, like those sugar ants that gather around the poison — enthusiastically drinking it in.

Paul warned them not to let personalities persuade them.

8. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.
9. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed.

The Greek word for “accursed” here is “anathema” (ανάθεμα). That Greek word has directly come over into English to mean something horribly evil and cursed.

These were not anti-religion people, not consciously anti-christian. They appeared to be sincere and gifted Pastors or Elders. They weren’t just generally religious. They openly called themselves followers of Christ. They quoted the Bible, but they misunderstood or misrepresented what it said. No one has the authority to teach a different gospel message. Not the apostles themselves, not a messenger directly sent from heaven, not any one.

To recognize these misleading teachers, it’s necessary to know what the true gospel is about. The Bible needs to be studied as a whole book, as a consistent message from God. The original languages need to be properly translated. The true context of every verse is important. The individual parts need to be fit together systematically and carefully. What God said is more important than what people may want to hear in a Sermon.

Even today, these methods of study are diminished in our post-modern churches. Very few schools that prepare pastors spend much time on these disciplines. Counseling classes often deal with making the counselee feel good or blame others for his problems, rather than dealing with underlying failures to live and believe as God’s word instructs us. Some pastoral skills classes are centered on marketing, making worship seem less serious and more fun. They learn to choose words that can be taken in many ways so nobody gets offended.
They cherry-pick the Bible translations they use to fine the one that best backs up the point they want to make, rather than the one that best tells what God actually said.

This leaves well intended leaders unprepared to see the problem with wrong teachings. Some actually condemn and make fun of those who take a more careful and biblical approach. They accuse them of making it all just “academic”.

It sounds so nice and appealing in our times of so many conflicts to avoid and marginalize differences, and to make it all seem simpler. But that’s the very essence of lies, and a well known tactic of Satan all through history.

The details of the deceptive message are expanded upon in the rest of this Galatian letter.

• The mislead teachers there attacked the liberty believers have in Christ.
• They felt superior, more pious and spiritual by replacing God’s clear moral boundaries with bondage to strict rules and false standards. (2:4)
• They re-defined the relationship of God’s law with God’s grace. (2:16)
• They denied the unity of God’s people, denying the covenantal link between the Old and New Testaments. (3:14-29)
• They confused who Jesus Christ was and did, while still saying they followed him. (3:16)
• They separated the Lordship of Christ, from his work as Savior.
• The love of the Savior became more an emotional feeling than a thankful submission to God’s truth.

So Paul reminded them of what had moved him to teach what he did.

10. For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.

Paul wanted the believers in Galatia to think about the motives of these false teachers. They decided what was right by how it benefited them, how people responded, what gave them a bigger audience, prestige and income. Did they think they could persuade God to be and to do something different?

Paul obviously wasn’t trying to do any of those things. He was plainly telling what God said – sometimes hard truths — but always true truths. If he did what those popular teachers did, he would not be a bondservant of Christ. It was his loyalty to Christ that compelled him to tell the truth, even when it was hard to hear, and obviously unpopular.

The differences between these popular and seemingly successful “other gospels” aren’t unimportant. They aren’t just theological details, or minor denominational differences. They touch (though sometimes very subtly) the very foundation of what guides our daily walk with Christ.

All around us our friends and neighbors might be among those caught up in deceptions. They feed on substitutes, and are starved of the central hope of God’s truth.

The influence and confusion comes from popular TV shows, music, movies, books, even from our friends, and those we work with or go to school with. It come from political leaders, and the influence of bad laws that create a confused culture. Some who preside in our courts protect criminals more than their victims. Cultural leaders and celebrities defend and practice all sorts of moral perversions.

But it’s not this secular message that’s most dangerous. That’s not what most of the New Testament is about. There were Roman and Greek pagan religions all around the Empire at that time. But very few warnings in the New Testament are directed at them. It’s mainly about modified religious messages, ones that come from popular and successful Jewish and Church leaders, many who even called themselves Christian.

When you modify Christianity, it’s no longer really Christianity. It becomes another gospel, one of a different kind that’s not really a good message at all. That’s what Paul’s letter to the Galatians was about.

And God preserved this letter in the Bible because this has been a danger to Christians all through church history, and it’s still a major issue today.

The influences that surround us can draw even believers to the poisons. The popular message seems so appealing, well accepted, and satisfying for the moment. But in the long run, it robs them of their peace of mind, and peace with God. The false hope it offers isn’t what’s needed as people face life’s real challenges.

So what can you do about it?

First: You need to know the truth, the whole truth as God gave it to us in his word, not as it’s so commonly watered down and twisted around. Just as you need to study and learn to know how to read, write, do math, and know history, you need a systematic and careful program to study God’s word.

You need to personally be a student of the Bible every day. You need to use family time to train and educate your children and spouses. You need the regular and systematic teaching of a sound Bible-teaching church. This is why we promote Regular Sunday Worship, Sunday School, and Bible Study Groups. One class in God’s word every week isn’t enough to combat the wrong teachings that surround us and indoctrinate us all week.

Second: You need to get that truth to others. You do it personally by explaining what you’ve learned when it’s appropriate, by inviting them to church to worship, to attend Sunday school, Bible studies, and by directing them to good websites, solid books and devotionals.

Third: You need to be a good example in your daily life. You need to be consistent in your commitment to God’s ways as they’re taught in the Bible. You need to live kindly and compassionately, in spite of your inner urges to be rude or apathetic. You need to love Christ above all else. Others need to see that this is what matters most to you, and that it benefits you.

Lies and confusion spread very easily because they appeal to what people want to hear. By saying nothing, you give the impression that you go along with the popular beliefs of our fallen community.

The truth spreads by telling it, living it — by appreciating it first and foremost for yourself. Paul didn’t just shake his head in sadness when he heard about what was going on in Galatia. He wrote this important letter to help them come out from the confusion and get back into the light.

Don’t just quietly let those around you feed at the soul-numbing poisons. Let them know about the liberating truth that may not be popular, but it’s right and good.

You can do this by drawing from the power of the Risen Christ in you, and by knowing his word well, and by living the way it teaches you. It’s never too late in your life to become a true evangelist, not the ordained type, but a personal messenger of the true good news.

You can make a difference — and enjoy doing it.

1st John 4:4 says, “You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. ”

(The Bible quotations are from the New King James Version unless otherwise noted.)

Back to the Index of Studies in Galatians

Studies in First Corinthians

by Bob Burridge ©2017

Lesson 16: 1 Corinthians 7:1-9 (ESV)

Why Is There Marriage?

Good homes are special places

The family is one of the the strongest human influences in a person’s life. Though there are exceptions and other factors, much of what we are is shaped by those around us. There’s an old saying, “The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”

During my 12 years of full-time teaching, I held many parent-teacher conferences. But before the moms and dads came in, I got to know the students pretty well. Having come to know the “apples”, it was always interesting to meet the “trees”. In most cases, it wasn’t hard to see why the child behaved as he did.

If the student had a habit of interrupting others, the parents would usually do the same. If the student was quiet, at least one parent usually had to be prompted to say things. If a student was a gregarious talker, in most cases at least one parent was too. The student who had a chip on his shoulder usually inherited it. And most often those who were very caring and thoughtful, had parents who were regular volunteers who helped out at school. It’s not surprising that the examples the children grew up around, shaped what they became.

The home has a strong influence on shaping the lives of all who live in it.

God designed the family. He planned it from all eternity to be part of how he would execute his providence. The family’s importance isn’t accidental or a product of social evolution. It was planned by our Creator to influence us in exactly the way it does. Of course in our fallen world there are no perfect families. That’s because they are made up of imperfect people.

Each new family unit begins with a marriage. Agreeing to marry someone is a very serious decision. It should not be based on the emotions of a romantic moment, or dreams of a memorable wedding. It’s important to consider how the person you marry will shape your spiritual life, and the lives of your children.

In the home you build together, daily attitudes and life long values and habits are going to be formed. God will either be honored or neglected. It will be the foundation your children build their lives upon. This is why so much of the Bible is taken up with principles for good families.

But fallen human cultures tend to drift away from God’s ways. Today we can see how good family foundations are being challenged. There is confusion about the roles of men and women in society and in the home. When the divisions of duties God established are mixed up so is the home and the lives that live there. Marriage itself is given a different meaning than what God made it to be. Often it’s treated as an optional and temporary romantic arrangement instead of a divinely established bond between one man and one woman for life. And homes are often fragmented. Instead of quality family time together, individual family members get busy separately and don’t have much time for one another.

For these reasons, families based on sound biblical principles are becoming increasingly rare.

Chapter 7 begins the next section of Paul’s letter.

He starts out in verse 1 saying,

1. Now concerning the matters about which you wrote: …

In the first 6 chapters he was dealing with reports he received about the problems there. Now he turns to the specific issues the church had written him about. But since it’s the same church, he’s going to deal with the same issues and problems as in the first 6 chapters. Now he approaches them in a different way to help the Corinthians in more detail with these issues.

From Paul’s answers here we can know what they asked about.

The sexual looseness of Corinth surrounded them with temptations. Some just accepted the immoral life-style of their culture and saw nothing wrong with it. Others over-reacted to that looseness by promoting asceticism. They would totally abstained from marriage, or from normal relations within marriage.

Both extremes are dangerous and sinful. The loose view openly promotes immorality. The overly strict view denies what God provides for satisfying our human desires. When people deny the right way of fulfilling their needs they are easily drawn into wrong ways of dealing with them.

Chapter 24 of the Westminster Confession summarizes what the Bible says about the purposes of marriage: The first section is a basic definition. It’s fitting to consider with so much debate on this today:

I. Marriage is to be between one man and one woman: neither is it lawful for any man to have more than one wife, nor for any woman to have more than one husband, at the same time. (Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:46-, Romans 7:3, Proverbs 2:17)

The second section is about the purposes God intended in marriage:

II. Marriage was ordained for the mutual help of husband and wife, for the increase of mankind with legitimate issue, and of the church with an holy seed; and for preventing of uncleanness. (Genesis 1:28, 2:18, 9:1, Ephesians 5:28, 1 Peter 3:7, Malachi 2:15, 1 Corinthians 7:2,9)

These three purposes are vital for a healthy world, happy individuals, and a thriving church.
1. God established marriage so that each would have a helper suited for his or her needs.
2. Married couples are to produce godly children to populate his church and influence the world.
3. Marriage satisfies our physical needs to avoid unclean, immoral behaviors. This last purpose was a serious problem in Corinth, as it is in our culture today.

Paul reminded them that marriage
helps us with our moral discipline.

1. … “It is good for a man not to have sexual relations with a woman.”
2. But because of the temptation to sexual immorality, each man should have his own wife and each woman her own husband.

The two extremes are directly dealt with in these first two verses.

First: the single life should not be dismissed. It can be a good way to live. The expression, “to have sexual relations” is just one word, “haptomai” (ἅπτομαι). The word means, “to touch, take hold, attach self to, engage in some relationship”. The NASB more literally translates it, “it is good for a man not to touch a woman.” The expression “to touch a woman” was at that time a modest way to refer to intimate sexual contact.

The expression “temptation to sexual immorality” is also just one word in the original Greek text. It is “porneia” (πορνεία) and it appears with the definite article. Again the NASB translates it more literally as, “But because of immoralities.”

Paul is explaining that no one should think it’s bad for a person to remain unmarried. It’s a good thing for those able to live morally as a single person. But he does not say it’s the only good way to live, nor that it’s the best way for everyone to live. The ascetics who abstained from all physical desires had gone to an extreme.

The second point is: for those unable to live morally as singles, God established marriage. Marriage is the more common way for God’s people to live. Not all are able or called to remain single.

Before sin entered the human race at Creation, God instituted marriage as a good thing. Genesis 2:18, “Then the LORD God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.’ ”

In Matthew 19 Jesus defined marriage as one man and one woman covenanted to be together as one flesh for life. Matthew 19:5-6, “and said, ‘Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh’? So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.’ ”

This is the way God provides for us to help and encourage one another as spouses, for children to be conceived, and for our normal physical desires to be satisfied in a moral way.

In 1 Timothy 4:3 Paul includes in his list of dangers, those “who forbid marriage”. Then in the next two verses (4-5) Paul warns saying, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”

His point is very simple: Being single is good as long as the person isn’t sexually tempted. But Marriage is good too, and its the more common way God calls people to live. Therefore Hebrews 13:4 says, “Let marriage be held in honor among all, and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for God will judge the sexually immoral and adulterous.”

There is a danger when marriage is diminished from what God instituted it to be. When it’s called “sin” by the ascetics, physical urges burn within and lead to immoralities. When human urges are openly satisfied outside of marriage God’s order is horribly disrupted.

The word for immoralities here is “porneia” (πορνεία), that general term for sexual immorality. For this reason, when there is temptation, each person should have his own spouse.

What’s more, each spouse is responsible
for the moral health of the other partner.

3. The husband should give to his wife her conjugal rights, and likewise the wife to her husband.
4. For the wife does not have authority over her own body, but the husband does. Likewise the husband does not have authority over his own body, but the wife does.
5. Do not deprive one another, except perhaps by agreement for a limited time, that you may devote yourselves to prayer; but then come together again, so that Satan may not tempt you because of your lack of self-control.

NASB 3. “Let the husband fulfill his duty to his wife, and likewise also the wife to her husband.”

The words “conjugal rights” or “fulfill his duty” are interpretive. Literally the words mean, the “due” or “deserved”, “kindness” or “benevolence”. It seems to be an euphemistic idiom for sexual needs. The context here makes it clear that this is what Paul is addressing.

This section deals with the often confused roles of husbands and wives. We are used to thinking that each person is only responsible for his own thoughts and conduct. But here we see again that this is not a biblical principle. The husband is required to satisfy his wife’s physical needs in marriage, and the wife is responsible for satisfying her husband’s needs. However, this does not contradict the headship of the husband in the home.

The details are better covered in a study of Ephesians 5. There wives are told to be in subjection to their husbands as the church is to Jesus Christ. And the husbands are told to be the head over the wife as Christ is to his church. Therefore this headship and subjection are not absolutes that cover everything.

The husband is head of the wife in the same way our Lord loves and leads his church. It says, “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her,” This headship is motivated by love and for sacrificially meeting her needs. It’s not for taking advantage of her for his own comfort as if she was the husband’s servant.

The perversion of this idea has often confused the whole issue. The subjection of the wife to the husband doesn’t mean she is less important or valuable. It’s compared in Scripture with the way Jesus carries out the will of God the Father. Though in subjection to the Father’s will, God the Son is not lesser than the Father.

It’s a headship that takes responsibility for the other’s well being and spiritual growth. It’s a subjection the recognizes that God-given duties of the husband, and supports him lovingly.

The Bible also clearly spells out different duties for the two in the home: The wife is responsible for seeing that the domestic needs of the family are met. The husband is held responsible as the provider, protector, and spiritual leader. But here in 1 Corinthians we see that each is also responsible to satisfy the other’s physical desires.

Both asceticism and libertinism contradict the nature of God’s institution of marriage. They both eliminate the way God designed for our physical desires to be satisfied. These paves the way for sexual perversions and for temptations to commit fornication.

There is one exception only. The married couple might decide to abstain for a time, but for only one reason. If they agree on a temporary short time of abstaining it should be for focusing their hearts on the Lord in prayer. But to avoid temptation, they should come together again before very long.

Paul expands on these principles in verses 6 and 7.

6. Now as a concession, not a command, I say this.
7. I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.

Paul again uses himself as an example. He wishes that all men were as he is. This is sometimes confused as if Paul demeans marriage and recommends celibacy to all. The context here, and in everything else Paul wrote, suggests a very different interpretation.

He wishes that all people were as able to obey God’s moral principles as he is by God’s grace. Paul was able to control his sexual desires without sin. Though he was able to do this while remaining single, those married must do the same: control their desires within the bond of marriage. God has gifted us all differently so we should honor whatever calling is ours. We will see more on this later in this chapter.

At this point Paul makes a direct comment
to those who are single.

8. To the unmarried and the widows I say that it is good for them to remain single as I am.
9. But if they cannot exercise self-control, they should marry. For it is better to marry than to burn with passion.

For those who aren’t married, either singles or widows, he tells them it’s OK if they stay as they are. That’s how God in his providence had made them for the moment.

But if they are unable to resist temptation, they should get married. The last part of verse 9 means that getting married is better than to burn with desire. If the single person lacks the self-control needed to stay within God’s moral principles, then marriage is a better solution than to struggle morally.

God put each of us here to promote his truth and glory.

If we are to be light to the world and salt to the earth, we need to promote godly homes.

That part begins with our own families and marriages. God’s principles must be followed and appreciated. They are his loving word to his children.

But we need to do more than just that. We are commanded to promote these truths to others. We should elect leaders committed to God’s moral truths, and pray regularly for those elected and appointed. We should never be tempted to give our vote in exchange for political promises of an easier life, or for others to be made to pay our way.

We should promote God’s ways where we live and work. We should preserve the institution of marriage and resist temptations to impurity. If you’re married, be faithful to and care for your spouse as a great treasure. If you’re single, don’t engage in things that will tempt you into immorality. Decisions about marriage and family should not be made based on what seems most comfortable or appealing to us, but by what God has instructed us in his word. Marriage is a sacred union, designed to teach us about our relationship with Jesus Christ. If we damage that order we obscure the message of the gospel that brings life.

(The Bible quotations are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.)

Back to the Index of Studies in 1 Corinthians

Lessons in the Book of Haggai by Bob Burridge ©2013, 2016 When we put our own interests above those of our Savior, we forfeit great blessings, and offend the One who gave Himself to redeem us.

Lesson 6: A Signet Ring of God Haggai 2:20-23

Shortly after being restored to their land from captivity, the people of Israel started to rebuild the Lord’s Temple. However, they soon turned their time and money to their homes and businesses. They left God’s Temple unfinished, and in poor condition. Israel thought that if they put their time and money into their homes and businesses they would be happy. But they were miserable. God and the work of His Kingdom were not first in their lives.

Because of their self-centered lives the Lord withheld His blessing. They worked hard but brought in little. What they did produce and bring in no longer satisfied them.

After 16 years of apathy, Israel was called to get right with God. Her only hope was for the people to confess their sin of neglect and show by their actions the sincerity of their confession by renewing their commitment to the work of God’s Kingdom.

But the renewed Temple was not to become a substitute for personal holiness. Holiness does not come having a nice building or by attending services. It comes from personal trust in the promises and work of our Lord.

Even though they had lived selfishly for 16 years, it was not too late. The Lord’s warning was a word of grace that called Israel to serious obedience. Though they had suffered for their disobedience in the past, their obedience brought spiritual revival and blessing among them.

On that same day, the 24th of the month, another message came through Haggai.

A great shaking was about to bring down the mighty nations.

Haggai 2:20-22, And again the word of the LORD came to Haggai on the twenty-fourth day of the month, saying, “Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying: ‘ I will shake heaven and earth. I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms; I will destroy the strength of the Gentile kingdoms. I will overthrow the chariots And those who ride in them; The horses and their riders shall come down, Every one by the sword of his brother.’ “

Word of the Lord came through Haggai, but this time it was addressed to Governor Zerubbabel. The Scriptures call him a “Prince of Judah”. As the Son of Shealtiel, he is of the line of King David. He had been set up as King of Israel by Persia when the captive people were allowed to return to their own land.

Great political upheavals were about to take place. Back in chapter 2 verses 6-7 the Lord said, “Once more (it is a little while) I will shake heaven and earth, the sea and dry land; and I will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of All Nations, and I will fill this temple with glory,”

God was going to overthrow the chariots, riders and horses of the enemy nations. He would take down the sources of their pride, confidence, and worldly strength. Psalm 20:7 reminds us, “Some trust in chariots, and some in horses; But we will remember the name of the LORD our God.”

The nations will destroy one another. Each will be defeated by the other’s sword. God will turn them against one another. (This is also described in Ezekiel 38:21 and Zechariah 14:13.)

History shows that the nations did destroy one another. The Empires and Nations of that day are now gone. What remains of their names and territories are totally different nations. But one did survive, God’s Israel. But not the Country of Israel. She exists today as God’s covenant nation in the continuing church of Jesus Christ. As our Messiah, he continues to rule on the throne of King David.

God’s promise to His people, Israel, was not forgotten.

Haggai 2:23, “‘In that day,’ says the LORD of hosts, ‘I will take you, Zerubbabel My servant, the son of Shealtiel,’ says the LORD, ‘and will make you like a signet ring; for I have chosen you,’ says the LORD of hosts.”

Zerubbabel was to become a “signet ring.” The “Signet ring” was engraved with the owner’s name or a design to identify his authority. It was used to attest to the authority of royal messages who carried papers stamped by the image on the ring (see 1 Kings 21:8). It was also used to mark precious articles. It proved ownership. The signet ring was always carried by its owner and worn on the right hand (see Jeremiah 22:24). It was an inseparable and valuable possession. This is what God declared Zerubbabel to be.

God would preserve the Davidic line represented then in Zerubbabel. The signet ring is not a secret possession. It’s the outward sign of the authority of its owner. Through the presence of his Kingdom, God seals His work and testimony upon the world. God is the owner. The chosen line of David was his signet ring. God held the line of David as an inseparable possession. Through this line the work of redemption would be completed through Jesus Christ. Through this line the Kingdom would be established forever. It was God’s stamp of authority upon His work on earth.

This is why the Temple was so important. It represented the throne of God’s Kingdom on earth. It was a visible place where His Sovereign grace was made known. It was where His promised provision for sin was forshadowed in the sacrifices. God’s Covenant Nation under the leadership of Zerubbabel was the means by which God’s glory, majesty, and holiness were to be made known to the watching world.

This promise is Messianic in its primary fulfillment. (see 2:7). It wasn’t speaking of Zerubbabel as an individual, but of his office as King. Davidic Sovereignty will survive this shaking. Great nations will fall, little Judah will survive. Jesus was a descendant of Zerubbabel, a descendant of King David. Zerubbabel and his father Shealtiel are mentioned in both New Testament genealogies of Jesus (Matthew 1:12, Luke 3:27).

This Kingdom will be an eternal kingdom. The Bible makes this point very clear.

Daniel 2:44 “… the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever.”

Luke 1:32-33 speaks of Jesus saying, “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

Hebrews 12:28 “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.”

This is why our work through the church is so important today. Christ is made known as head of the church, Lord of His Kingdom, and declared to be Sovereign over all the universe. Through the faithful churches redeeming grace is most openly and clearly proclaimed. It is where the finished provision for sin is taught to God’s people, who are then sent forth into the world as God’s agents to bring his teachings, warnings, and promises to the other nations.

God preserves His people because of only one thing:
Sovereign Grace.

Haggai 2:23, “‘… for I have chosen you,’ says the LORD of hosts.”

These are amazing words to end the messages of the Lord in this book. It stands as a confusing mystery to those who deny or who do not appreciate the doctrine of election.

Divine election is not some cold, harsh doctrine. It is not just a matter of debate between Calvinists and Arminians. It is the very center of how God deals with us. It is the proper motivation for holy living, and our foundation for hope and assurance. Election to eternal life is founded upon grace alone.

In the time of Haggai Israel had suffered lack of provisions and satisfaction because of national apathy and disrespect toward the God who had blessed them so much in the past. Why after such rebellion had they been preserved and called to return to lives of Kingdom service and personal holiness? Why was this nation being preserved while all other nations were destined to fall?

It was only because of the blessing of God to those who deserve nothing. Therefore it was by grace – God’s undeserved love for certain fallen sinners.

This is why God must be put first. Jesus came as the beloved, holy Son of God to take the curse of ungrateful sinners. He takes dead hearts and makes them alive. Because of God’s sovereign work of saving grace, we are not our own, we belong to Him.

Commitment to the true God of Scripture begins with a proper view of Grace. The good things God brings into our lives do not begin with our good hearts. He is the source of our every possession. He is the one who purchased us from the grips of evil through the death of Jesus the Christ. He is the one who calls us to follow Him as his redeemed people. He is the one who stirs our hearts to true faith, repentance, and obedience. He deserves our most humble and submissive gratitude.

He should always be first in our lives, so that we shine as a beacon pointing toward Him. God should never be relegated to a remote place in the heart to be visited now and then. To be content with that kind of occasional god, is to reject the God who really is. It’s not just the God of Abraham, Noah, Moses, David, Elijah, Haggai, John, Luke, Paul, and Peter.

Our culture often treats God as if he was more like a pet, there to lick our face when we need cheering up, excited to get our left overs, and left out of most of our lives. He should not be merely around our homes when we need things. He should be the Lord of our homes all the time and over everything in our lives. Jesus calls us to serve Him as our Living Savior, and Sovereign King. He is not looking for us to give him permission to be our part time inspiration.

Do you belong to Him? or do you just see him as your servant? It’s important to ask, “Is God first in my life? or does He just get the leftovers?”

For the wonderful grace He bestows through Christ, for the life we have because of His unconditional love, for the promise of eternal victory that is ours to enjoy even now, we are obligated and called to serve Him as He deserves.

If God is first, then our families will benefit far better than if we put our families first. Our self-centeredness will only bring dissatisfaction.

Those who depend upon their own ways will be brought down. Like the enemies of God’s Israel, we destroy one another by our prideful greed. Those who depend upon the Lord and and put him first will find the covenant blessings He has promised.

God must be our priority in all of life. Only then will our abundance become a blessing, and the Joy of the Lord will fill our lives again.

Matthew 6:33 “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”

(Bible quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible unless otherwise noted.)

Back to the Index of Studies in Haggai

Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies
by Bob Burridge ©2014
Study 3
– An Ancient Promise Fulfilled
– The Birth of Our Savior (the real story)
– Startled Shepherds

The Birth of Jesus

An Ancient Promise Fulfilled

The Birth of Jesus was God’s plan all along. It helps to briefly trace the steps in revealing that promise.

The promise we celebrate at Christmas started in Eden. After they sinned Adam and Eve felt alone for the first time. They lost that immediate awareness of God’s presence, and experienced spiritual blindness. The glory of God they had seen in everything around them seemed to become dim and fade away. Even the glory of God they had seen in themselves seemed gone too. They saw human bodies, but were not able to see that declaration of glory in them. They felt naked.

By grace (God’s undeserved favor and love) a promise was made. God spoke to Satan in the form of that serpent that tempted Eve.

Genesis 3:15, “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

Long after Eden God revealed more about his promise to Noah, and much later to Abraham. This Messiah would be born to Abraham’s descendants. He would be a blessing to all the nations on earth. Genesis 12:3 “… in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

More was revealed in the days of King David. His family would continue the line of hope.

2 Samuel 7:12-13, “And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.”

Then in verse 16 he again said,

“And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever.”

David’s Psalms are filled with references to the promise of the coming of Messiah.

Later God gave detailed predictions about Christ’s coming to Isaiah.

Isaiah 7:14, “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.”

That name Immanuel was later given to Jesus (Mt 1:23). It is the Hebrew phrase: “im-ma-nu el” (אעמנו אל). The prefix “imma” (עם) means, “with”. The Hebrew ending “nu” (נו ) means “us.” The next word “El” (אל ) is the common Hebrew word for “God.” So literally the name means, “with us — God.” This promised Messiah would be nothing less than God himself here with us.

Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 53:4-6 God’s word says, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.”

The Book of Micah pointed to the city in which the Messiah would be born.

Micah 5:2, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.”

This promised Redeemer was designated to fulfill these promises. It was his eternal “anointing”. That is where the word Christ comes from. He’s the Eternally Anointed Redeemer. The word “Anointed” in the ancient Hebrew of the Old Testament is “Meshiakh” (משיח ). We bring that into English by using the word “Messiah.” In the Koine Greek of the New Testament the word for anointed is “Christos” (Χρiστος). In English we write it as “Christ.”

At the birth of Jesus, the one and only hope of restoration with God came to earth. He paid sin’s debt in full for all who would trust in that promise God made long ago in Eden. As it was then, and is now; it is all by grace that anyone really trusts in God’s provision. Aside from his work of mercy our lost hearts would continue to believe the lie. We are born lost in sin, spiritually blind, totally depraved in our nature.

The Christ who was born, taught, suffered, and died — is also risen. The raising of his human body after his death proves that sin was overcome. Death was its penalty. The separation of body and soul would not mean eternal condemnation for everyone. The separation of the person from God, spiritual death, had been overcome for those Christ redeemed.

We no longer need to anticipate his coming to earth. He came over 2000 years ago. God’s promise in Eden was kept. But there is still anticipation. The blessings keep coming, fulfilling those promises to us individually.

The Birth of Our Savior

The story of the birth of Jesus is often re-staged into a more Western or Modern culture than existed in Bethlehem at that time. Some traditional images get in the way of the point of this story as God tells it in his word. It is never good to change the actual account given in Scripture which is there by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Luke 2:6-7. “And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.”

It is popularly believed that Jesus was born on the very night they arrived. The expression, “while they were there” doesn’t fit that idea. The ESV translates it, “… while they were there, the time came for her to give birth.” It means that Mary’s child was born sometime during the days they were in Bethlehem.

– There is no mention of any panic that Mary was in labor and they were still out on the streets.
– There is no frantic knocking on doors the night they arrived to find a room.
– No animals are mentioned in the Biblical account. Pure speculation and middle ages mythology have projected various animals into the story.
– There is no mention of an innkeeper who callously turned them away.
– In fact there is no actual “inn” if we take the words in their original meaning.

The word often translated as “inn” is “kataluma” (καταλuμα). It has a variety of uses. However, it is totally out of place in the time of Christ to imagine a boarding house or old English tavern with rooms upstairs.

One common view is that the “inn” was what the Hebrews called a “milon” or a “khan”. That was a large open court surrounded by vaulted chambers. Along the walls would be stone mangers for the animals to feed from. Some times the Khan had a grotto or cave for a stable near the large communal area where the people stayed. The communal area would not have been a very private for a woman giving birth. Therefore many assume they slept in the grotto or stable where Christ was born. This view, though popular, is not the best explanation.

This word “kataluma” is used in two other places in the New Testament, neither of which fits the popular idea of a Khan. In Luke 22:11 Jesus sent out Peter and John to find a “kataluma” where they could celebrate the Passover. This feast was the famous “last supper” of our Lord. There it is translated as “guest chamber” or “guest room”. Mark also uses this same word in his account of the last supper. In Luke 10:34 where Luke does refer to a khan. There he uses a different Greek word, “pandokeion” (πανδοχεῖον).

A more consistent translation would be, “She laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the guest room.”

The accommodations for guests in eastern homes at that time would vary from house to house. Many homes were built of heavy stones and often divided into two rooms. Outside there was often a stone shed. When guests came one of the two rooms in the house became the guest room or kataluma. This room could also be rented out for use by visiting groups or families (as the room used for the last supper).

When Mary and Joseph arrived, the guest room could have been already in use by other visiting relatives. Privacy for a woman about to give birth would be available in the stone shed on the side of the house. It was normally used as a storage place and might well have contained mangers. Mangers make good cradles. They are still used for that purpose in some eastern countries today. Jesus was laid in a manger because there was no room in the kataluma.

As we considered in an earlier study, it is unlikely that Mary and Joseph would have arrived in Bethlehem alone. All relative families had to be there for the registration. Likely they traveled with other relatives from Nazareth. Remember that when Jesus was 12 years old and his family left Jerusalem to return to Nazareth, his parents did not realize that their son was not among them. Obviously they assumed he was with others traveling with them in a caravan. Jesus had remained behind to teach the teachers at the Temple. Clearly this is another example that families made long journeys as a group. (Luke 2:42-52)

Mary and Joseph were not strangers in Bethlehem. It was their family’s home town. Eastern hospitality would have required relatives living there to open their homes to guests when possible. Six months before Mary spent three months staying with Elisabeth (a relative) near Jerusalem which was about 5 miles away from Bethlehem.

It was there in Bethlehem, with the extended family gathered around by God’s providence, that our Redeemer was born.

Startled Shepherds

Bethlehem was a busy place the day when Jesus was born. With David’s descendants back in their home-town because of the Roman census there were undoubtedly stories to tell, things to catch up on, and opinions to share about current events.

One night, while Mary and Joseph were there, their baby was born.

The message came to shepherds out in the fields that night.

Luke 2:8 “And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.”

Shepherds were a common sight in the fields around Bethlehem.

Sheep had grazed those fields for many generations. About 1,000 years before it was the occupation of David’s family. Raising sheep was a major industry in Bethlehem. It was just 5 miles south of Jerusalem where sheep had to be provided for the daily sacrifices in the temple worship.

For the shepherds, this started out as an ordinary night out on the fields — but this night would be different.

Suddenly the normalcy was broken by the appearance of a messenger sent from heaven.

Luke 2:9, “And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.’

The picture gets confused by the paintings and illustrations we are so familiar with today. When heavenly angels appeared in the Bible, they were often mistaken for mere men. They did not hover in the air barefoot, dressed in long white gowns with wings, halos, and harps.

Our word “angel” comes directly from the Greek word used here “angelos” (αγγελος). It is the ordinary word for “messenger”, someone sent to deliver a message.

In Luke 7:24 the word “angelos” (αγγελος) was used in the plural to describe the messengers sent to Jesus by John the baptist. That same word was use at that time for military messengers who brought orders to the front lines in battles. When Jezebel sent a messenger to Elijah in 1 Kings 19:2 the Hebrew word “malac” (מלאך) was used, the word for “messenger” in Hebrew, which is the word also commonly used for “heavenly angels” sent from God in the Old Testament. When the Bible is talking about non-human spirit messengers, the context or other comments let us know what kind of “messenger” is meant.

Drawing God’s angels with wings, white gowns, and halos is artistic imagery used to represent spirit beings in paintings and other drawings. The Bible even uses imagery like that in describing some of the spirit beings in heaven which exists as a spiritual dimention. But it does not say that angels had physical wings. They were pure spirit beings. When the Bible describes the appearances of angels to humans, they appeared as human men, never with wings or halos. They were often at first mistaken for humans.

If the angel appeared to the shepherds as just a man, why were they frightened? The sudden appearing of a man might startle them for a moment. But the main thing that made them uneasy was the overwhelming glory of the Lord around them. God opened their eyes to see his ever-present glory which since man’s fall is suppressed by the fallen soul.

The angel comforted the shepherds, and delivered God’s message.

Luke 2:10-12, “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”

The great joy was the birth of the Messiah that night, just as God’s word had predicted. Of course the Jews were not used to hearing that God’s message of joy reaches out to all people, even the Gentiles.

They would find this Savior in a most humble setting. He would be a wrapped up baby, lying in a food trough. That was not the way the Rabbis expected the Messiah to come into the world.

Then a whole “army” of heavenly beings joined the angel.

Luke 2:13-14, “And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.’ “

They appeared suddenly stepping out of the dimension of spirits to be seen by these shepherds.

They declared that the Messiah who was just born will bring Peace. Isaiah 9:6 said he would be the Prince of Peace, “Sar-Shalom” (שַׂר־שָׁלֹֽום).

Jesus Christ is the Sovereign Ruler over all, and root cause of any real peace that exists among men. By his restraining mercy he keeps people from being as cruel and as violent as they could be. This gives us times of safety from harm and crime. It is his saving grace which alone can change the heart into that of a redeemed child of God. In Christ believers are at peace with God, and find comfort even while they endure trials.

In Philippians 4:7 while under Roman arrest for his faith, the Apostle Paul wrote, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Then in Romans 5:1 he said, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ”

One day perfect and eternal peace will come to those who rest their hope in the Prince of Peace.

Just as suddenly it was quiet again in the fields around Bethlehem.

Luke 2:15-16, “And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.”

They reacted with immediate obedience. They did not come to the manger as just curious observers. They came to worship. What they saw there confirmed what they were told. This baby was the Savior, the Christ who was the Lord.

How did the shepherds find this special baby there in the town? There was no mention of a star to guide them at this time. But this was the city of David’s descendants. The relatives would have been well aware of Mary and Joseph and the new baby. Many people there would have known where they were staying during their time in Bethlehem.

This miraculous event had a lasting effect upon these shepherds of Bethlehem.

Luke 2:17-20, “And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.”

The lives of these men were changed forever. Mary had a lot to treasure and ponder for the rest of her life too. She had given birth to the one promised to Eve who was the mother of the whole human race. This baby is the longed for Messiah, the hope of Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Isaiah, Daniel, and all believers. This little baby there in a simple manger was the Savior, Immanuel, God With Us.

next study: “The Wise Men and the Star”.

Note: Bible quotations are from the King James Version unless otherwise noted.

Our Reformed Heritage

Genevan Institute for Reformed Studies
by Bob Burridge ©2016 (updated)

Lesson 1 – “The Obvious God” – Romans 1:18-21

Back when I was in elementary school, my grandfather took me to see New York City. Along with the Statue of Liberty and the famous subway, one of the things I wanted to see was the Empire State Building. It was the tallest building in the world back then. We wandered around for a while looking for it and finally we asked a police-officer where it was. He just pointed … we were right in front of it!

Sometimes we miss things not because they aren’t there, but because we just don’t see what’s obvious, and we are probably imagining it to be different than what it is.

We’re to glorify God, and to declare that glory to others – even though some don’t seem to see that it’s there. When we speak about God’s glory to other believers in Christ we are encouraged together. We help one another know and obey the revealed ways and truths we find in our Bibles. Together we are comforted by God’s promises, and the wonder of what he is. We appreciate the amazing grace that redeemed us from the grip of our Abductor.

But when we talk about God’s glory to the unbelieving world around us there is a problem. We tell them about the gospel. But they are blinded by their fallen nature. As the Apostle Paul sums it up in Romans 3:11, “There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.” In 1 Corinthians 2:14 he wrote, “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.”

It’s like explaining the colors of the rainbow in a society where everybody’s totally blind. They have heard about colors, but have no idea what we are talking about.

When we tell unbelievers what God has revealed in Scripture, they will not really see what we are pointing out. In their unbelief they re-interpret the facts so they fit into what they already believe.

They usually reason that if there is a God, he should be what they expect him to be. They presume they see everything as it really is. They rule out what they do not want to accept as possible. But any crazy theory (as improbable as it may be) is accepted if it helps them explain away the supernatural workings of an Infinite, Sovereign, and Holy God.

It goes deeper than just dealing with questions about science, philosophy. and theology. The real motive is to convince themselves they are not accountable to the God who made them.

The problem is that when they assume they can test God by their own man-made rules, they have already assumed that God is not what he says he is, and that they are not what God says they really are. By this circular reasoning, man puts himself, the creature, as a test of the Creator.

Paul shows how foolish this is in Romans 9:20, “But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, “Why have you made me like this?”

So, how do we get the unbeliever to Believe In God? We tell him what God has made known, things he is going to deny because of his blindness. But we tell him anyway because God can take away the blindness when the right time comes.

First we need to realize that God is not a secret that only believers can see.
Everything God made declares him to everybody all the time. In Psalm 19 starts out saying, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.”

In Romans 1:18-21 Paul says, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth. For what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened.”

Even the human conscience, though still fallen in sin, testifies to truths fallen men do not want to admit. Paul adds in Romans 2:15, “They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them .”

In Romans 1:22-25 Paul goes on to say, “Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things. Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! Amen.”

It’s not that God’s communication to us in nature and in our conscience is unclear.
Their fallen condition prejudices unredeemed humans to deny the obvious.
In their blindness, those not redeemed in Christ strip away the God-glorifying content present in Creation. They suppress it. They refuse to accept it as it is. Their lost minds try to explain away the plain message embedded in all the things God made, and felt in the voice of their own conscience. All the reasoning and logical proofs we present will not change the disposition of their lost hearts.

Not every believer knows how to answer all the arguments of the philosopher, the evolutionist, the social liberal, the nihilist, or the post-modern theologian. But all have God’s truth which is preserved for us in the Bible. Our job is to declare what’s already obvious, and patiently pray leaving the results in the hands of God who alone can change the unbeliever’s heart.

But the declaring must be done well. We all have a duty to understand the Scriptures as thoroughly as we can. We need to take advantage of every opportunity to be taught well.

We also need to be sure that the word is growing in our hearts, not just in our heads. If our lives contradict what we say, our message will be confused too. This does not mean we need to be sinless. That attitude would directly conflict with Scripture. We need to admit our sins humbly, trusting Christ for forgiveness, and be working sincerely to overcome our sins out of our love for God.

This approach is not going to be accepted well by the unbeliever until the Holy Spirit works in his heart. We should not expect it to. The fallen soul does not like to be told he is so prejudiced that he denies the obvious. And what is worse, he hates the idea that aside from God’s grace he can’t do anything about it. But the facts stand clearly on the pages of Scripture.

These ideas have been under attack for a long time. Not only from those outside the church, but also from those who manage to sneak in as wolves in sheep’s clothing. It should not surprise us that Satan infiltrates the church with his ideas to weaken us. This is what even human enemies have done to defeat one another for ages.

In the Early Church there were all sorts of cults and mystical claims that crept in.

The Middle Ages saw the invasion of both secular rationalism and extreme mysticism into the church. Sometimes church councils adopted ideas that were not in the Bible. At times individuals claimed to get visions on their own from God. Some have believed stories of miracles that attest to ideas completely contradictory to the Bible. In each case, information from outside of Scripture crept in confusing God’s message.

Liberalism in the late 19th Century tried to explain away all the supernatural elements in the Bible.

Then came Post-Modernism that says it’s not even important if there is real truth or not. It all becomes subjective and unimportant. They say that what’s important is what’s real to the individual. Man becomes the test of what’s valuable, and God fades into a mere comforting myth.

Through all this, God has kept his truth alive in his church.
One who led in keeping the church anchored to it’s biblical roots was Dr. Cornelius Van Til.
He is one of those great Christians I have had the privilege of meeting personally. I spent a few very enjoyable afternoons at his home drinking lemonade and discussing biblical things. I got to see how humble, kind, and patient that brilliant man was.

He was born in 1895 in Grootegast, Holland to a dairy-farming family of 8 children. He was the 6th. When he was 10 his family sailed to America and settled in Indiana.

Though he loved farming and animals, Cornelius loved scholarship too.

He worked as a part-time janitor to attend Calvin Preparatory School, and Calvin Seminary. There he mastered Latin, Greek and Hebrew. He already knew Dutch and English well. At Calvin he studied under Louis Berkhof, then transferred to Princeton to study under Machen, and some of the all-time greats of Reformed Scholarship: Charles Hodge, Robert Dick Wilson, O. T. Allis and Geerhardus Vos.

He won awards for his papers on theology and philosophy and earned his PhD in 1927. He lectured in Princeton for a short while, but when it was re-organized to line up with Liberalism, he went with Machen and others to form Westminster Seminary. Later in 1936 he helped form the Orthodox Presbyterian Church.

Van Til died on April 17th in 1987. I remember hearing that sad news (our loss, his gain) the same year I was ordained as a Pastor.

His lasting legacy is his work on what’s called the Presuppositional Apologetic.
Apologetics deals with what is knowable, and how we can have confidence in the truth of what we know. In general, the word “apologetic” has a broad set of meanings. We think of apologizing as admitting we are wrong about something and that we feel bad about it. That’s not at all what we mean here. Christian apologetics is not apologizing — it’s almost it’s opposite.

The Greek word used in the New Testament is “apologia” (ἀπολογία). It means giving a defense of innocence, or to explain something. In Theology and Philosophy it has a more narrow technical meaning closer to the New Testament use of the word by Paul and Peter. It’s how we can have confidence in the truth of what we know.

The Presuppositional approach exposes the assumptions people make about the Bible. Things they pre-suppose. We all begin our thinking with some presumptions. There are things we assume before we start reasoning things out. By their nature assumptions are things that cannot be tested. To test something you need a standard to compare it with. That standard needs to be tested too – tested by something still more reliable. Eventually we come to our “presuppositions” – things we assume before we start “supposing” things.

We all have these fundamental ideas – whether we’re aware of them or not. We have a view of ourselves, of what is around us, and how we find out about things.

In our fallen condition we assume we can figure things out with our senses and minds. We gather information, put it together, then we draw conclusions about things. The problem is – we are not neutral about how we see and interpret things. Since we are not neutral, we deny our own bias. The lost often deny they start with any presumptions. They think they begin on neutral ground. They just observe, measure, and use science, math, and logic to come to conclusions. But how do they know they are not biased? How do they know they have gathered all the information they need? They presume they can reason free from assumptions, and that neutrality is possible. They stand firmly upon these assumptions, the very point they are denying. They assume they have no assumptions.

Christians have presumptions too. Certainty rests in the God who made what we study, rather than in the mind that studies them. Our awareness of these first principles is the work of the Holy Spirit. He enlivens the soul and enables the redeemed to perceive the realities God has made known.

Some try to defend the Bible with arguments from Science, Philosophy, and an appeal to our Emotions. But the Bible does not need that kind of defense. The findings of scientists, philosophers, and motivational speakers do not stand over the Bible.

Ultimately, it’s not our intellect or science that give us truth. All truth has but one source: God the Creator. We as creatures can only know what is true because God has told us.

All of creation declares God’s truth and glory all the time. He created us originally as creatures with a soul able to do either good or evil. The unfolding of God’s plan in history shows his unfailing promises. Inside, we have a conscience to condemn our sin and point us to God. Since our fallen nature distorts what we see in creation and what our conscience says, God also gave us his written word in the Bible to clear up the confusion.

Then there is that problem: Sin blinds us to all this truth as it’s given.
The revealed fact is clear in God’s word, but we are prejudiced against it because of sin’s effects. Since the fallen world begins its thinking with the reasoning of the creature instead of what the Creator said, it’s bound to come up with a distorted view of everything. To him, every beam of light, particle of matter, and wave of energy is a product of chance and evolution, and we are the judges of what is important in it.

So when we talk about God and Creation, the world hears something different. The unredeemed think of God as a religious idea we have developed down through the ages. They see him as a bigger, but not as an infinite being since he could not keep evil from happening. This makes God either an illusion, mean, incompetent, or powerless in moral matters. To many of the superficially religious, they think of God as limited. They believe he needs the work of the church or our permission in order to redeem individuals. So a social gospel or a gospel of works takes the place of the message of grace and salvation.

So how can we deal with the atheist, the cynic, the confused, and the misguided religious?
We tell them the truth simply and honestly. We confidently assume that what God himself tells us is what really is. We pray because only God can use the gospel to change people’s hearts.

We do not test the Bible against the inventions of men. We test the inventions of men against the Bible. All our evidences, arguments, proofs, and pleadings cannot change the lost heart. But all these can be effective when the power of Christ is at work.

People ask, “Is there a God?” You may as well ask if you had parents. Since we are here, we had parents. Their image is stamped all over us. It’s in our eye color, hair color and texture, bone structure, facial features, and skills. Since the universe is here, there is a Creator. The image of the one who made it is stamped all over it.

I like to say, “You don’t have to prove the sharpness of the Bible as the Sword of the Spirit. Just stick them with it.”

God blesses his word and his faithful people’s use of it.

There is a God, and he has told us about himself in his word. We begin with him, not with ourselves making up tests for him to pass to satisfy us.

We should learn and declare by word and life what God has made known. We should encourage others to trust and obey those principles and promises too. But God alone can change the lost heart. So we pray and live in confidence of God’s wisdom.

Dr. Van Til wrote, “no one can see Scripture for what it is unless he is given the ability to do so by the regenerating power of the Holy Spirit.”

John Calvin saw this in the Bible too. Without a truly Sovereign God who changes us by grace alone, there is a different gospel that rests more on the creature than on the Creator.

Van Til said that “in practice every evangelical who really loves his Lord is a Calvinist at heart. How could he really pray to God for help if he believed that there was a possibility that God could not help him?”

Van Til quotes B. B. Warfield who said, “Calvinism is just Christianity.”

What could possibly be easier than to simply point out the obvious?
We have the power of God and his promise that everyone who hears our message, and whom he intends should believe it, will without fail believe and come to Christ. Those who do not come show that our God has not worked in them yet. In some he never will.

But we are not to try to figure out who will believe and when to give up. We are to keep on with the Good Message. If we obey, should the results go either way, we can’t fail in the duty given to us by God.

Note: Bible quotations are from the English Standard Version unless otherwise noted.

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