Romans 12ff. Through the Eyes of a Disciple: The Four Models of Discipleship
The Four Models of Discipleship
Introduction
How can Christians change if we don’t even know whether we are changeable are not? On the one hand we are supposed to be evangelizing the world, but on the other hand, we don’t even know who we are. Are we changeable? Or unchangeable? Change really isn’t on the radar screen, it has been replaced with something deemed much more spiritual: “glorifying the Lord.” If we change it’s about us, not the Lord. Supposedly.
There is one thing for certain; believers have to live like unbelievers in many ways that make up the practical normality of life. Both have to drink water to live. Both have to eat in order to live. Both need shelter. Both need to know a language to communicate. Both benefit from not violating their consciences. Both benefit from the fact that we are creatures of habit. But where does the line cross over to the cursed, “pragmatism”? It would seem that there is no greater sin in our day than practicality.
But is practicality a good thing that Christians should excel in? Is it something that Christians should do better? Christians do not know how practicality fits into discipleship, and many believe it should have no part in discipleship. While others would disagree with that notion, they unwittingly function that way. Confusion reigns in regard to fears that we would “live by lists” and “do’s and don’ts.” Is it a works issue or a wisdom issue?
Who are We?
But before we answer the practicality issue (works salvation versus wisdom), we will answer the creaturehood issue. What is the metaphysical makeup of a Christian? What is our being?
Basically, there are four sanctification paradigms that will determine how we live as Christians. This is a paramount consideration because we will function according to what we believe about who we are.
The first is the rejection of infused grace. It posits the idea that no righteousness exists within the believer. This is authentic Calvinism and the model that dominates New Calvinism. Christians do no works in sanctification, but only live by faith. This results in experiencing obedience, but the believer is not really the one performing the act. It would be like passively standing in the rain. You are really not doing anything, but you experience the rain as it falls on you. In this sanctification paradigm, obedience that is imputed to you will be experiences as a willful, joyful, “mere natural flow.” “Duty” is always the result of our “own efforts.”
Two more of the paradigms we will look at are founded in this first one because it origination with the Protestant Reformers. We tend to be what we call ourselves in American Christianity, “Protestants.” So what did the Reformers believe about the metaphysical makeup of a Christian?
The Reformers believed mankind has no righteousness of his own. In Lutheran theology, this is known as alien righteousness:
. . . neither renewal, sanctification, virtues nor good works are . . . our righteousness before God, nor are they to be constituted or set up as a part or cause of our righteousness, or otherwise under any pretext, title, or name whatever in the article of justification as necessary and belonging thereto; but the righteousness of faith consists alone in the forgiveness of sins out of pure grace, for the sake of Christ’s merit alone; which blessings are offered us in the promise of the Gospel, and are received, accepted, applied, and appropriated by faith alone. [1]
This is pretty clear: we have no righteousness of our own in sanctification (the Christian life), and righteousness must be “appropriated” by faith alone in the Christian life. In fact, Augustine, Luther, and Calvin believed that water baptism replaced Old Testament circumcision, and sanctification replaced the Sabbath. Hence, in the same way that people were sentenced to death for working on the Sabbath, Christians will suffer eternal death for doing good works in the Christian life. [2]
According to the Reformers, sin in the Christian life separates us from salvation, and we must continually seek to remain saved by pursuing the same forgiveness that originally saved us. If we had a righteousness of our own, we wouldn’t need to do that. Sin in the Christian life isn’t a matter of harmony in the family of God, but a salvific matter. Therefore, the works of Christ’s perfect obedience in all things, not just His death, are imputed to our Christian life by faith alone:
Secondly, this passage shows that the gratuitous pardon of sins is given us not only once, but that it is a benefit perpetually residing in the Church, and daily offered to the faithful. For the Apostle here addresses the faithful; as doubtless no man has ever been, nor ever will be, who can otherwise please God, since all are guilty before him; for however strong a desire there may be in us of acting rightly, we always go haltingly to God. Yet what is half done obtains no approval with God. In the meantime, by new sins we continually separate ourselves, as far as we can, from the grace of God. Thus it is, that all the saints have need of the daily forgiveness of sins; for this alone keeps us in the family of God. [3]
Concerning the righteousness of faith before God we believe, teach, and confess unanimously, in accordance with the comprehensive summary of our faith and confession presented above, that poor sinful man is justified before God, that is, absolved and declared free and exempt from all his sins, and from the sentence of well-deserved condemnation, and adopted into sonship and heirship of eternal life, without any merit or worth of our own, also without any preceding, present, or any subsequent works, out of pure grace, because of the sole merit, complete obedience, bitter suffering, death, and resurrection of our Lord Christ alone, whose obedience is reckoned to us for righteousness [4] …. and appropriated by faith alone [1] ….[in the Christian life]…. neither renewal, sanctification, [“neither” other than justification] virtues nor good works are [present tense]. . . our righteousness before God, nor are they to be constituted or set up as a part or cause of our righteousness, or otherwise [justification also] under any pretext, title, or name whatever in the article of justification as necessary and belonging thereto.
To simplify this foundational paradigm of which most of the discipleship constructs of our day flow, the following chart should suffice (click on images to enlarge):
Alternative gospel chart: [17]
The Contemporary terms for this construct is “deep repentance” (a resalvation repentance) coined by Ellen White [5] [6] who was a student of Reformation theology, and “new obedience” [7] which is the EXPERIENCE of the obedience of Christ imputed to us by faith ALONE in the Christian life. The obedience is primarily experienced by perpetual, joyful rebirths of the Spirit. [8] Most Christian living constructs in our day are a variance of this.
The second paradigm posits the idea that Christians remain spiritually dead, but the indwelling Holy Spirit is the only life source within us. As with the first model, we are only righteous positionally. Unlike the first model, righteousness is infused, but like the first, it doesn’t change who we are. In both cases, we “manifest” righteous behavior, but it’s not us doing it. This isn’t all that difficult to understand if you remember the standing in the rain example. You experience the rain, but you have nothing to do with its manifestation.
The third model will look like one of the first two, but implements the concept of “yielding.” When a person is lost, they are only in the world or sin realm. When they become saved, the Spirit realm is added to their sphere of being. At any given time, they “yield” to one or the other. But we aren’t DOING anything, we are merely yielding which leads to experiencing the Spirit realm or participating in the sin realm. In the sin realm, it is actually us doing the work, but we only EXPERIECE the Spirit realm. The famous evangelical JC Ryle contended against this in his day:
In the seventh and last place, is it wise to teach believers that they ought not to think so much of fighting and struggling against sin, but ought rather to “yield themselves to God” and be passive in the hands of Christ? Is this according to the proportion of God’s Word? I doubt it. [9]
An example regarding the experience aspect is a quote from Paul David Tripp’s How People Change (2006), page 215:
When we think, desire, speak, or act in a right way, it isn’t time to pat ourselves on the back or cross it off our To Do List. Each time we do what is right, we are experiencing [underline added] what Christ has supplied for us. In Chapter 11, we introduced some of the fruit Christ produces. We will expand the discussion here.
Hence, supposedly, we only experience the works Christ has supplied, but it is not us doing them. As far as “in us” lingo, that usually has to do with terminology such as “heart” and “faith.” The Reformed definition of faith is that it only has reality in the object of it. Therefore, if we have “faith” in Christ, the reality of our faith only has substance in Christ who is outside of us (the first paradigm), or within our still spiritually dead bodies (the second paradigm). This is known as the “eye of faith” because faith can only see outward and only serves a purpose in regard to what it is seeing. [10] What it is seeing is experienced in the heart. The “heart,” especially in Neo-Calvinist doctrine, is where manifestations of faith are experienced. When we experience the works of Christ, the heart is where we experience such. [11]
So all in all, meditation on Christ enables us to experience the works of Christ imputed to our realm. This supposedly makes sanctification by faith alone feasible. That’s the crux: let go and let God in order to keep your salvation. This is critical to their gospel because sanctification finishes justification. The vast majority of Christians in America claim this doctrine outright or function like it albeit unwittingly.
The fourth model is the perspective we will be using as we move forward in our Study of Romans. We are not only righteous positionally, we are in fact righteous people because of the new birth. We are literally new creatures. [12] We are righteous, we are able, and we are helped by the full power of the Trinity in our Christian lives. [13] There are many texts we could look at, but let’s focus on Romans 15:13,14:
13 May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.14 I myself am satisfied about you, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge and able to instruct one another.
In verse 14, whether “you, yourselves” as a way to make it in addition to the Trinity’s work, or the word for “yourself, (g0846. αὐτός autos), it is the idea of in addition to. Therefore, no surprise that the KJV states it this way:
14 And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also [underline added] to admonish one another.
The word for “admonish” is expressed better in the Amplified Bible:
14 Personally I am satisfied about you, my brethren, that you yourselves are rich in goodness, amply filled with all [spiritual] knowledge and competent to admonish and counsel and instruct one another also.
Because of the new birth, we are full of goodness and able in and of ourselves. This is a critical distinction—we are responsible for implementing the spiritual gifts that have been given us. Not only that, it is a matter of wisdom to excel in regard to the natural order of things as created by God. This is not pragmatism, it’s wisdom.
Let’s look at a definition of sanctification, and its relationship to the practical.
Sanctification
The Bible has much to say about justification by faith alone, but where is this standalone subject of sanctification that is a different matter of Christian living altogether? One place among many would be 1Thessalonians 4:3ff:
3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God;
Obviously, sanctification is all about KNOWing HOW to control our bodies. And even more obvious is the fact that justification has nothing to do with that at all. The discipleship goal of Christians is to know more about controlling their bodies today than they did yesterday? And does that effect how the world sees us, and God? We believe the answer to that question is a resounding, “yes!” (Matthew 5: 13-16).
Fusion and Dichotomy
Sanctification is a continued endeavor to learn more and more about how to control our bodies from the Scriptures. Unfortunately, anthropological concepts; i.e., what makes people tick, are deemed pragmatic and unspiritual. Rather than seeing these subjects as wisdom where Christians ought to be outdoing the world, they are rejected as “living by lists” and “living by do’s and don’ts.” I like what one pastor had to say about those truisms:
They are telling us the following: “Don’t live by do’s and Don’ts.”
A prime example is something that everyone is born with: a conscience. The only Psychiatrist in history that really had a track record of helping people was O. Hobart Mowrer. The main thrust of his therapy was an emphasis on keeping a clear conscience. He believed that most mental illness was caused by a guilty conscience. He cured people by insisting that they deal with unresolved issues of guilt. Mowrer, once the President of the APA along with a long list of distinguished awards and appointments, wrote The Crisis in Psychiatry and Religion. The book rejected the medical model of Psychology and criticized Christianity for relegating the care of the “mentally ill” to Freudian Psychology. Mowrer was not a Christian.
Nevertheless, he is the one who most inspired the father of the contemporary biblical counseling movement, Dr. Jay E. Adams, who applied Mowrer’s practical approach to biblical counseling. Adams did this because he observed Mowrer’s astounding results while doing an internship with him in the summer of 1965. [14]
This only makes sense. The apostle Paul instructed Christians to “keep a clear conscience before God.” [15] The Bible has much to say about the subject of conscience. Christians should use the Bible to be wiser in all areas of human practicality and should excel at it far beyond those who live in the world; areas such as, planning, accountability, [16] etc. Unfortunately, these biblical subjects are dichotomized from the “spiritual” and deemed pragmatic.
At the same time, justification and sanctification are fused together in an effort to live out a Sabbatical sanctification; i.e., sanctification by faith alone. This is nothing new; James rejected the concept in his epistle to the 12 tribes of Israel that made up the apostolic church. It is also a Gnostic concept that sees the material as evil and only the spiritual as good. Therefore, since anthropology is part of the material realm, any practicality thereof cannot benefit the spiritual. Supposedly.
Another concept, along with conscience, is that of habituation. Through discipline, habit patterns can be formed that lead to change, ask anyone who has been in the military. People who enter the military come out as changed people. Because of our Protestant heritage and conditioning, these concepts seem grotesquely pragmatic. But according to the Bible, we are to make use of them. The Bible speaks specifically of those who get out of the habit of going to church. The ESV has this translation correct:
Hebrews 10:24 – And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Sanctification is a many-faceted colaboring with the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit’s power is unleashed through wisdom and obedience (James 1:25). We must know assuredly that justification is a finished work, and absolutely nothing that we do in sanctification can affect it for better or worse. This is what purifies our motives in our love for Christ in sanctification. “If you love me, keep my commandments” has absolutely nothing to do with our justification. It’s for love only, not a working for justification. We are thankful for our justification, but that thankfulness doesn’t save us or keep us saved. Only Christ saves—the new creature now loves Christ because that’s who he/she is. Christ’s love made it possible for us to love Him in sanctification, but nothing in sanctification keeps us saved. Sanctification looks not for a “final justification,” but readies itself for the Master’s return and longs to hear the words, “Well done faithful servant!” (Matthew 25:23).
When I was a young boy, I often lived with my grandparents during the summer. My grandfather was a real-life John Wayne type. He worked as a construction foreman for a large company. And he was my hero. Before he left for work in the morning, I would sheepishly await for him to depart before beginning a flurry of tasks around their small farm. I would always have the tasks done well before his arrival home and waited at the end of the drive to hear his truck’s humming wheels come down State Route 125. I would then take him around the property and show him the finished tasks. His smile and compliments were my reward. These are tasks that I didn’t have to do; our love for each other was always something totally different from those tasks. I knew assuredly that he would love me whether I did those tasks or not because I was his grandson—his pride and joy. Some idea that the withholding of serving him in order to elevate the reality of his love for me would have been a ridiculous notion.
Justification and sanctification must be separate. Anthropology and the spiritual must be fused. Our bodies must be controlled and set apart for good works. This will lead to the showing forth of our good works and the glorification of the Father leading to salvation for others, not sheep redistribution.
Two Natures
I have come to believe that Christians do NOT have two natures. We have one nature, the new one, the old nature is dead. The old us and its bondage to sin died with Christ, and we have been raised with Christ to new creaturehood. This is what baptism pictures. I believe sin dwells in our mortality or what the Bible calls “the flesh.” The “sin nature” is gone, and spoken of in the past tense:
Ephesians 2:1 – And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—
Galatians 4:8 – Formerly, when you did not know God, you were enslaved to those that by nature are not gods. 9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and worthless elementary principles of the world, whose slaves you want to be once more?
2Peter 1:3 – His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, 4 by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.
The word “partaker” means:
g2844. κοινωνός koinōnos; from 2839; a sharer, i. e. associate:— companion, fellowship, partaker, partner.
Our service to God is a mirror of our new creaturehood. Our salvation is settled by faith alone, and is a finished work. We have received all of the blessings and power of heaven including the new birth. The declaration of our justification saved us, but we are not only righteous positionally, we have possession of personal righteousness. We are righteous:
1 John 3:4 – Everyone who makes a practice of sinning also practices lawlessness; sin is lawlessness. 5 You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin. 6 No one who abides in him keeps on sinning; no one who keeps on sinning has either seen him or known him. 7 Little children, let no one deceive you. Whoever practices righteousness is righteous, as he is righteous. 8 Whoever makes a practice of sinning is of the devil, for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil. 9 No one born of God makes a practice of sinning, for God’s seed abides in him, and he cannot keep on sinning because he has been born of God. 10 By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother.
Endnotes
1. Book of Concord: The Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord; III. The Righteousness of Faith, ¶39.
2. John King: The Complete Bible Commentary Collection of John Calvin; Genesis, Ch.2 sec.3, Ch.17 sec.13. Ibid: The Harmony of the Law, Due. 5:12-15, sec. 15).
3. John Calvin: Commentaries on the Catholic Epistles. The Calvin Translation Society 1855. Editor: John Owen, p. 165 ¶4.
4. Book of Concord: The Solid Declaration of the Formula of Concord; III. The Righteousness of Faith, ¶9.
5. Ellen White: Royalty and Ruin; p. 28.
6. Paul David Tripp: How People Change; Punch Press 2006, p. 28.
7. The Book of Concord: Preface to the Emperor Charles V.; Article VI: Of New Obedience ¶1.
8. Paul Washer: The Gospel Call and True Conversion; Part 1, Chapter 1, heading – The Essential Characteristics Of Genuine Repentance, subheading – Continuing and Deepening Work of Repentance.
9. JC Ryle: Holiness: Its Nature, Hindrances, Difficulties, and Roots; Introduction, theses 7.
10. The Australian Forum Reformed resurgence project 1970: Present Truth Magazine vol. 36—article 3
11. Paul M. Dohse: Pictures of Calvinism; TANC Publishing 2013, pp. 27-36 [The correlation between manifestations and such being experienced in the heart is explained. The heart is not the seat of a changed character, but only where we experience life].
12. 2Corinthians 5:17
13. John 14:15 – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,[f] to be with you forever, 17 even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
14. Jay E. Adams: Competent To Counsel; Zondervan 1970, Introduction.
15. Ro 2:14, 15, 9:1, Ac 23:1, 24:16, 2Co 1:12, 1Ti 1:5, 3:9, Heb 13:18, 1Pe 2:19, 3:16, 3:21.
16. 2Timothy 2:22
17.
Sanctification: Romans 12:1,2; Introduction
What is the gospel? The “gospel” means “good news.” All of God’s word is “good news.” This became a term that was used interchangeably with, “truth,” “word,” “law,” etc. (Paul Dohse: The Gospel; Clarification in Confusing Times pp. 9-39 Online source: http://wp.me/Pmd7S-1Jn lessons 1-4).
The gospel includes the gospel of first importance (1COR 15:3) which is the death, burial and resurrection of Christ, and the full counsel of God (Acts 20:20, 27, 32) which includes justification and sanctification.
When Paul stated that he wanted to come to Rome in order to preach the gospel to them (ROM 1:15), he was speaking of the whole counsel of God, not the gospel of first importance that they had already received. Paul was hindered from coming there to do so, and was afraid that would reflect a bias on his part because the church at that time was predominately Jewish (ROM1:13-14). We see the same mindset also that likens to the apostle John that prefers face to face teaching rather than letters (2JN 12). That is why 2John is so short, John hoped to teach them face to face. Paul couldn’t wait any longer to teach the Romans the full counsel of God, so he begins to do so in Romans 1:16, that’s why his letter is so long!
Romans is an in-depth treatise concerning God’s plan for reconciling mankind to Himself. The first eleven chapters concern justification, or how God justifies mankind which makes reconciliation possible. This is mostly informative and wisdom based as opposed to sanctification which is mostly instructive and imperative based. And knowing the will of God for the Christian is very easy:
1Thessalonians 4:3 – For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; 4 that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor, 5 not in the passion of lust like the Gentiles who do not know God; 6 that no one transgress and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we told you beforehand and solemnly warned you. 7 For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. 8 Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.
9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 10 for that indeed is what you are doing to all the brothers throughout Macedonia. But we urge you, brothers, to do this more and more,
This is the clear definition of sanctification (a setting apart for holy purpose). We call it progressive sanctification. Definitive sanctification is the initial setting apart at justification. Context will determine which of these is being spoken of in any given Bible text. Progressive sanctification entails gaining wisdom on “how to” “control” our bodies in “holiness and honor.” Sanctification is a how to endeavor; get over it. It is about a bunch of do’s and don’ts—get over it. It is about living by lists—get over it. Sanctification is the science of controlling our bodies to God’s honor. Proverbs 18:4 and 20:5 state that the issues of life are deep waters—the gospel of first importance is simplistic, but the gospel of sanctification is far from it. Listen to how the book of Proverbs begins:
Proverbs 1:2 – To know wisdom and instruction, to understand words of insight, 3 to receive instruction in wise dealing, in righteousness, justice, and equity; 4 to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth—5 Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance, 6 to understand a proverb and a saying, the words of the wise and their riddles. 7 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Wisdom does not pertain to justification per se, Justification is the beginning of knowledge, but mark it, those who despise wisdom and understanding for sanctification are fools. Those who park on salvation are also fools—they despise wisdom and instruction. A prime example are those who request prayer “for patience.” Prayer is easy, “Lord, give me patience!” But what does Proverbs say about obtaining patience?
Proverbs 19:11 – A man’s wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense (NIV).
It takes wisdom to obtain patience. Prayer alone will not bring you patience. Justification is free by faith alone; sanctification is not free; if you get any, you will work for it. As I said yesterday in a conversation, “People want to be happy, but they don’t want to do anything to get happiness. The Bible promises that we can be happy, but unlike justification, happiness in sanctification is not unconditional—there are conditions. Paul made it clear, especially in Chapters 9-11 that justification is completely unconditional, but that is not what we see in the first verse of Chapter one:
Romans 12:1 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
The word for “mercies” is literally (oiktirmos) “compassion.” A call to obedience is not burdensome, it is the compassion of God. Paul is making his appeal on behalf of God according to His compassion. It is the antithesis of depraved indifference. God is not the parent that lets a child grow up without wisdom and in the way that he/she would naturally go. Knowing this wisdom is a good start for patience. Like God, we should compel people to obey because it is the way of life, and not because we are inconvenienced by their wayward ways. I am not saying that it is never about us, because what is simply right and just does matter, but it should mostly be about caring for others. Our appeal should be by God’s mercy. Therefore, remember this: silence can qualify as depraved indifference. Our appeals should be with compassion, but no appeal at all is far from such—it is often depraved indifference.
The appeal to present our bodies as a living sacrifice harkens back to God’s acceptable sacrifices in the Old Testament. They had to be sacrifices without blemish. Our sacrifice is living, and the sacrifice is our service. Let’s reread Romans 12:1 without the added words that make it flow in the English translation:
Romans 12:1 – I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
“Worship” (latreia) carries the idea of service to God according to the Levitical law. It also has the idea of service for hire. We serve God by continually presenting ourselves to Him as blameless. This harkens back to the definition of sanctification in 1Thessalonians 4:4. We are to control our bodies in holiness and honor. We are to be vessels fit for the Master’s use:
2Timothy 2:20 – Now in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver but also of wood and clay, some for honorable use, some for dishonorable. 21 Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from what is dishonorable, he will be a vessel for honorable use, set apart as holy, useful to the master of the house, ready for every good work. 22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
One way this is to be performed is to change the way we think as opposed to the way the world thinks. Agreeing with the world makes you like the world. This would be regarding, “life and godliness” (2Peter 1:3). There is the wisdom of the world and the wisdom of God. Hence, the “Christian” idea of “plundering the Egyptians” which came from Augustine is a really bad idea. What we believe makes us who we are:
Romans 12:2 – Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect
Sanctification is God’s will. By transforming our mind according to God’s wisdom we become more like Him. By His word we discern sanctification and how to apply it to our lives. This is what leads to change: transforming our ways of thinking from the worldly to the truth. Only truth sanctifies (John 17:17). Christians are to serve the law with their minds (ROM 7:25). The word “heart” in the Bible is more often than not an idiom for the mind (ZECH 8:17, MATT 9:4, MATT 13:15, MK 7:21). We are to guard our minds with all vigilance because it is the wellspring of life (Proverbs 4;23). Paul brings this issue into clarity in 2Corinthinas 10:5;
We destroy arguments and every lofty opinion raised against the knowledge of God, and take every thought captive to obey Christ,
To say that Christians play fast and loose with ideas is an understatement. They simply don’t understand that ideas make us who we are (PROV 23:7). Every thought is to be taken captive and brought into conformity to the word of Christ. An exchange Susan and I had last week is indicative of where Christians go astray on this issue:
The Pauline approach to sanctification is an affront to contemporary Christianity. That’s the dilemma we face. Protestantism, which includes Baptists et al, is dumbed down by ecclesiastical design. On April 25, 1518, Martin Luther declared war on the priesthood of believers and sanctification via his declaration of Reformed theology in Heidelberg, Germany. The 95 Thesis was a moral treatise against Rome six months prior, but the Heidelberg Disputation was the very foundation of Reformed ideology. It called on theologians to interpret all of reality from a dual perspective: the glory story or the cross story.
True theology (the cross story) would look at man as worthless and empty with eyes of faith that can only see outward to the glory of God. This made all reality good as the sum equation of God’s goodness and man’s evil. So, tragedy only reflects man’s worthlessness and his deserved plight and the glorification of God following. The glory story was anything that recognized anything IN man at all. No goodness or grace is infused into man. True theology is a purely outward look, and only looks within to find reason for repentance that then glorifies God (“deep repentance”). Luther believed that man can experience the grace of God, but cannot participate in it. That would be works salvation. Man must empty himself to be saved and remain empty till the final judgment.
Hence, any notion that man could become good through salvation was deemed heretical, and a damning false gospel. In many ways, it was predicated on the Platonist idea that all matter is evil, and that would of course include man. The first sentence of the Calvin Institutes (CI 1.1.1) is based on Luther’s dual construct, and then the rest of the Institutes build a full metaphysical statement on the foundation of that first sentence. Pretty impressive. In that sentence, Calvin states that all wisdom is derived from a knowledge of us and knowledge of God. The two opposites define each other. Both Calvin and Luther were followers of Augustine who was the undisputed first and foremost integrationist in Western culture. Plato integrated Eastern mysticism with Western science, and Augustine integrated Platonism with the Bible. A cursory observation of world history makes this plain.
Therefore, the good Luther/Calvin cross theologian heartily agrees with, “study to show thyself approved, a workman that need not be ashamed.” But in the Protestant construct that redefines sanctification (and actually rejects it totally), what does “study” mean? What does “approved” mean? And what does “workman” mean? The Reformers did not believe anybody is approved. They believed work in sanctification (the Christian life) was equivalent to works salvation. Augustine, Luther, and Calvin believed baptism replaced circumcision, and sanctification replaced the Old Testament Sabbath Rest. Working on the Sabbath would bring death, and in the same way, working in sanctification also brings death (John King: The Complete Bible Commentary Collection of John Calvin; Genesis, Ch.2 sec.3, Ch.17 sec.13. Ibid: The Harmony of the Law, Due. 5:12-15, sec. 15). A good example how this demonstrates itself in the contemporary mindset follows. It was sent to me by a reader of the PPT blog:
Of course, as we have discussed many times, statements like this make no distinction between sanctification and justification.
So, “study” is really a focus on what ANY Bible text says about mankind’s wretched, sinful existence as opposed to God’s holiness. When the equation is seen, a steady flow of Christ’s obedience is imputed to our account and we remain justified. These manifestations may, or may not be experienced, but if they are, it is in the realm of the subjective where even the experience cannot be somehow attributed to us. This selfless, daily bearing of the cross and dying to self will lead to joy, but we do not know if this joy is directly linked to a Christ manifestation. The gospel is objective and remains outside of us, but is experienced subjectively. Any inward focus leads to inward subjectivity and as John Piper stated it, “imperils the soul.” It is merely an application of Eastern Mysticism to make sanctification by justification possible.
This is why Luther despised reason and called it a prostitute that should have “dung” rubbed in her face to “make her ugly.” Reason is the glory story. Our ability to reason has to do with an inner ability apart from God. Our “study” is limited to seeing the cross more by a greater and greater realization of our God unlikeness. Our “work” is this study and contentment in the ruin that God has sovereignly placed us in. But of course, “Contentment with godliness is great gain.” That is knowing our own place in the caste system which is sovereignly determined by birth. Supposedly, working hard at being content in our own wretched station of life is not work—it’s faith. Problem is, Luther et al considered that to be saving faith as long as it is practiced in sanctification. You do the math. There is a standard for what isn’t work in sanctification and what is work in sanctification for the purpose of remaining justified.
That is why we argue that justification must be a finished work separate from our Christian life. The conclusion of Paul’s treatise on justification in chapters 1-11 should lead to a free and aggressive sanctification. Though the Scripture has much to say about the colaboring of the Holy Spirit with us in sanctification and the reality that He makes it possible, I think the following quote by RC Sproul during a moment of sanity sums up the point well:
Sanctification is cooperative. There are two partners involved in the work. I must work and God will work. If ever the extra-biblical maxim, “God helps those who help themselves,” had any truth, it is at this point. We are not called to sit back and let God do all the work. We are called to work, and to work hard. To work something out with fear and trembling is to work with devout and conscientious rigor. It is to work with care, with a profound concern with the end result” (RC Sproul: Pleasing God p. 227).
If I am not mistaken, this is the only citation from Christian academia in this whole series on Romans, but again, I think it is worth getting in for the way it is stated. Though Paul was no less dependent on the power of the Spirit than anyone who has ever lived, he at times was brutally practical:
2Corinthians 9:1 – Now it is superfluous for me to write to you about the ministry for the saints, 2 for I know your readiness, of which I boast about you to the people of Macedonia, saying that Achaia has been ready since last year. And your zeal has stirred up most of them. 3 But I am sending the brothers so that our boasting about you may not prove empty in this matter, so that you may be ready, as I said you would be. 4 Otherwise, if some Macedonians come with me and find that you are not ready, we would be humiliated—to say nothing of you—for being so confident. 5 So I thought it necessary to urge the brothers to go on ahead to you and arrange in advance for the gift you have promised, so that it may be ready as a willing gift, not as an exaction.
Much can be learned from this passage about sanctification—not least of all in regard to the issue and application of accountability. Sanctification is a many-faceted, aggressive endeavor. It is full of practical and wise life application, and the Holy Spirit is ever willing to aid us accordingly.
Israel: The Capstone of Justification; Part 3
“And this is by design. Confused people are easy to control.”
It’s nice to know who you are and what you believe. Like most Christians, until recently, I didn’t have a grip on what it really means to be a Christian. I will admit that I functioned on what I was told by others, and even though I was a diligent student of God’s word, I read it through the prism of what I was told.
The result? I really didn’t understand how justification and sanctification works in the Christian life. I didn’t understand covenants. I didn’t understand biblical prophecy. I didn’t understand law. It took a climatic event in my life to send me on a journey of freedom; my desire to know the Bible in a relevant way was destined to clash with the formal church.
And look, don’t give me a load on this issue. Part of our ministry is struggling to find ways to help Christians understand core foundational truths of the Bible. Confusion about covenants, Israel, prophecy, and soteriology abound. Discussions with Christians on basic doctrines are adorned with blank stares. They have no idea what you are even talking about. By design, Christians function on the Cliff Notes of orthodoxy. And this is by design. Confused people are easy to control.
Our Sunday night fellowship was primarily fellowship around fun activities. I was amazed at how much fun people were having as I compiled the booklets for this third lesson to be studied at home. It is the conclusion of our study on justification from the book of Romans, and concludes with the capstone of chapters 9-11: Israel.
With permission, we have recopied John J. Parsons’ excellent work on Remnant Theology and incorporated it into our position here at the Potter’s House. It coincides with what we have seen for ourselves in the book of Romans. It is an excellent summation to our final series on justification.
I just find myself full of joy that we have made our own determination on this apart from the traditions of men. Truth is freeing. Don’t live a life based on some man’s interpretation of the Bible. Live the calling you have from God. You have to determine that calling yourself, only you will stand before the Lord, no one will stand there in your place if you are a Christian.
Not even Christ. He has ALREADY taken our place for justification. He has ALREADY stood in our place before God. “It is finished.” As Christians, we will stand before Him to give an account for the sum and substance of what we have done with the gifts He has given us. And listening to “important” men will be no excuse. You are a workman that need not be ashamed. Don’t stand ashamed before the Savior that died for you. You will be saved, “yet so, by fire.” Make the fire that will burn up the wood, hay, and stubble a small one.
As a pastor, it’s not my job to tell people what to do. I have NO authority over anybody who comes to the Potter’s House. We have been given the authority to tell people what God’s word states. We have been given authority to teach the full council of God. The authority is in God’s word, not the man. We have also been given the authority to baptize. Granted, to the extent that the full counsel of God is properly taught, congregants are more accountable to God. I sometimes wonder if that’s why people want to put themselves under the authority of the traditions of men. In many ways, it is sooooo much easier:
“Hey, we are just a bunch of wicked sinners. Stuff happens. Don’t worry, be happy. Que sera, sera.”
This is a journey, and we have so much more to learn. And as a pastor, being freed from my own opinion is a feeling I can’t even explain. To have the word of God as authority is such an awesome privilege that should be exercised to the fullest. And what a joy to work through these issues with those who only want their convictions to be those of the Lord, and not their own ideas.
Israel: The Capstone of Justification; Part 2
A Protestant tradition among its so-called elders is the incessant wrangling over philosophical knowledge. Past the Protestant golden rule of orthodoxy canned for the totally depraved unenlightened masses, the “humbleness” of not knowing anything for certain rules the day. This is a Protestant family tradition.
This abrogation of truth is rife in regard to the subject of Bible prophecy. The logical conclusion is that 25% of the Bible which comprises prophecy is composed by a capricious god who enjoys confusing his children by writing things they can’t understand.
But I suspect the real concern is that the saints, by and large, will obtain a solid understanding of justification through Bible prophecy. Wisdom and understanding does not lend itself to control. True wisdom and understanding places confidence in God and not the traditions of men. Justification, the covenants, and prophecy fit together in one unified explanation of truth. The truth sets people free.
Justification is the goal, the covenants are the application and building of the plan, and prophecy explains the final outcome. God’s people are to know the goal, the plan, and the outcome, and are to be sure of it. That surety comes from seeing how the goal of justification, covenants, and prophecy fit together perfectly. The messenger told Daniel that the prophecy was “sure”; blessings are promised for those who study the prophecy of Revelation; those who have the hope of prophesy’s consummation purify themselves; but yet, the expected outcome is mystery? Doesn’t make sense.
In a general sense, this is what the apostle Paul is looking to do in the 9th, 10th and 11th chapters of Romans. Getting Israel right is getting justification right: “Salvation is of the Jews.” The framework of justification, covenants, and prophecy can be found in these three chapters. Let us begin in Romans 9:
Romans 9:1 – I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit— 2 that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh. 4 They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. 5 To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
This is stated in the present tense. To national Israel belongs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. We are going to focus on the covenants and the promises. Notice that both are in the plural and present tense. National Israel is still relevant and part of an overall redemptive plan. “Kinsmen” is the following word:
g4773. συγγενής syggenēs; from 4862 and 1085; a relative (by blood); by extension, a fellow countryman:— cousin, kin (- sfolk,- sman). AV (12)- kinsman 7, cousin 2, kinsfolk 2, kin 1; of the same kin, akin to, related by blood in a wider sense, of the same nation, a fellow countryman
“Israel” refers to the nation of Israel. Let’s establish that they were elected by God as a nation:
Because He loved your forefathers and chose their descendants after them, He brought you out of Egypt by His Presence and His great strength. — Deut. 4:37.
The Lord did not set His affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. But it was because the Lord loved you and kept the oath He swore to your forefathers that He brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. — Deut. 7:7, 8.
After the Lord your God has driven them out before you, do not say to yourself, “The Lord has brought me here to take possession of this land because of my righteousness.” No, it is on account of the wickedness of these nations that the Lord is going to drive them out before you. It is not because of your righteousness or your integrity that you are going in to take possession of their land; but on account of the wickedness of these nations, the Lord your God will drive them out before you, to accomplish what He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people. — Deut. 9:4-6.
Yet the Lord set His affection on your forefathers and loved them, and He chose you, their descendants, above all the nations, as it is today. — Deut. 10:15.
“But you, O Israel, My servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham My friend. — Isa. 41:8.
But now, this is what the Lord says—He who created you, O Jacob, He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine.”
— Isa. 43:1.
“But now listen, O Jacob, My servant, Israel, whom I have chosen. This is what the Lord says—He who made you, who formed you in the womb,
and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, My servant, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen.”—Isa. 44:1, 2.
“For the sake of Jacob My servant, of Israel My chosen, I call you by name and bestow on you a title of honor though you do not acknowledge Me.”— Isa. 45:4.
These are but a few, and it is also important to note that the promises to Abraham, our spiritual father, are part and parcel with the idea of his descendants being a nation:
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your country, your people and your father’s household and go to the land I will show you. I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.”— Gen. 12:1-3.
Understanding justification and biblical prophecy is impossible if Israel ceases to be a nation. Israel is the factor that makes both add up to the only equation that makes sense. God’s salvific plan focuses on the saving of nations/races through his chosen nation, Israel. His elect King, Jesus Christ, will bring salvation to the nations through Israel:
“Here is My Servant, whom I uphold, My chosen One in whom I delight;
I will put My Spirit on Him and He will bring justice to the nations.” —Isa. 42:1.
He says: “It is too small a thing for You to be My Servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make You a light for the Gentiles, that You may bring My salvation to the ends of the earth.”
— Isa. 49:6
The whole idea of Christ being the elect (chosen) of God always puzzled me until I looked at it from the perspective of Christ being the elect King of Israel. He is the king of a nation that will bring salvation and justice to the nations. And God is particularly pleased with justice being displayed. This explains the “kingdom” language of the Bible. We should also remember that justice is important to God. Frankly, lack of emphasis in the church on justice is troubling to me. A zeal for what is simply right. One of God’s purposes of ruling the nations through Christ will be to put justice on display.
Israel as a chosen nation ruled by Christ to bring salvation to the nations is absolutely paramount to understanding justification and the Bible in general. Many leaders throughout church history have sought to separate Christians from this construct because when it gets right down to it, if you approach the Bible with this in mind, you don’t need them. Removing future Israel with Christ as its King throws understanding of the Scriptures into turmoil.
Even in the present age, being alienated from Christ is synonymous with being alienated from the “commonwealth” of Israel:
Ephesians 2:11 – Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— 12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
“Commonwealth” means the same thing in English….
g4174. πολιτεία politeia; from 4177 (“polity”); citizenship; concretely, a community:— commonwealth, freedom. AV (2)- freedom 1, commonwealth 1; the administration of civil affairs a state or commonwealth citizenship, the rights of a citizen.
….it is an independently sovereign state/community in the midst. Ephesians 2:11ff. is our first clue that the covenants and promises build on each other because they, for the most part, are always stated in the present tense; they all still serve a purpose in the restoral of national Israel. Paul states that the Gentiles in this present age were formally “alienated” from those things. You can’t be alienated from something that is no longer in existence or no longer valid or no longer serves a purpose. Now, let’s move on to Paul’s next point: The word of God has not failed because Israel rebelled;
Romans 9:6 – But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, 7 and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” 8 This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring….11 though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls—
Elect Israel has an elect within it, or the “remnant” that are the spiritual descendants of Abraham so that the election of Israel is by grace alone and not works (verse 11). But we want to also balance this out with Paul’s statement concerning the whole nation. A Que Sera, Sera (Whatever Will Be, Will Be) is not part of Paul’s outlook on election. Paul desired salvation for every Jew and evangelized like it depended on him. I can only assume that in some way it does depend on us. Election, though critical to assurance and aggressive sanctification, does not equal fatalistic determinism. What we do in the here and now matter immensely and makes a difference. How God weaves that together with his election is an understanding that I have not yet arrived at.
No one is to misinterpret the fall of Israel because of the non-elect within Israel that rejected Christ the King—the stumbling block of Zion. They rejected the chief corner stone that was the end of the law and attempted to establish a righteousness of their own. I think the remnant are those who are the beginning of the so-called church age which is better called the “last days.” They will all go up in the rapture at the end of the “church age” which is interesting because apparently, in an astounding display of God’s grace, the stiff-necked variety of Jews will be saved during the tribulation period, or the “time of Jacob’s trouble” (JER 30:7):
Zechariah 12:1 – The oracle of the word of the Lord concerning Israel: Thus declares the Lord, who stretched out the heavens and founded the earth and formed the spirit of man within him: 2 “Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. 3 On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it. 4 On that day, declares the Lord, I will strike every horse with panic, and its rider with madness. But for the sake of the house of Judah I will keep my eyes open, when I strike every horse of the peoples with blindness. 5 Then the clans of Judah shall say to themselves, ‘The inhabitants of Jerusalem have strength through the Lord of hosts, their God.’
6 “On that day I will make the clans of Judah like a blazing pot in the midst of wood, like a flaming torch among sheaves. And they shall devour to the right and to the left all the surrounding peoples, while Jerusalem shall again be inhabited in its place, in Jerusalem.
7 “And the Lord will give salvation to the tents of Judah first, that the glory of the house of David and the glory of the inhabitants of Jerusalem may not surpass that of Judah. 8 On that day the Lord will protect the inhabitants of Jerusalem, so that the feeblest among them on that day shall be like David, and the house of David shall be like God, like the angel of the Lord, going before them. 9 And on that day I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.
Him Whom They Have Pierced
10 “And I will pour out on the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem a spirit of grace and pleas for mercy, so that, when they look on me, on him whom they have pierced, they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for an only child, and weep bitterly over him, as one weeps over a firstborn. 11 On that day the mourning in Jerusalem will be as great as the mourning for Hadad-rimmon in the plain of Megiddo. 12 The land shall mourn, each family[a] by itself: the family of the house of David by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the house of Nathan by itself, and their wives by themselves; 13 the family of the house of Levi by itself, and their wives by themselves; the family of the Shimeites by itself, and their wives by themselves; 14 and all the families that are left, each by itself, and their wives by themselves.
Notice what Paul states in Romans 11:5;
So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace.
“At this present time” refers to the present age, and they all go up in the rapture. The tribulation Jews are therefore another category, or so it would seem. Since God’s kingdom will not be reestablished on earth till the end of the tribulation period, I would assume that explains the term, “kingdom of heaven.” While God is grafting the Gentiles into Israel, the kingdom is in heaven until Christ returns and establishes the millennial kingdom on earth. At any rate, this is not “kingdom” in a spiritual since per se, this is a literal kingdom and spiritualizing the kingdom will not lend to understanding.
In Romans 11:1-10 Paul reiterates the remnant and those that are hardened, and then states the following starting in verse 11:
So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!
This couldn’t be clearer. A full inclusion of Israel is yet future. What God wanted at Mt. Sinai will come to pass and will be established forever.
Romans 11:13 – Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry 14 in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. 15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead? 16 If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
This is where Paul begins his tree illustration. What is this tree? I would say that it is the Abrahamic covenant or The Promise. God’s holiness is the root. The covenant is based on God’s holiness. But as an aside, is there a ministry to the Jews in our day? Yes, and the ministry is made clear in the above cited text. This should be the premise or foundation of any ministry for the Jews.
Romans 11:17 – But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. 19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. 21 For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. 22 Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. 23 And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree.
The covenant never changes because it is steadfast according to God’s election. The unbelief of some Jews results in God grafted in unnatural branches. The root is God’s holiness, the tree is the covenant, the natural branches are national Israel, the broken branches are those who were hardened, and the unnatural branches are the Gentiles. Paul warns the Gentiles at Rome to not posit the idea that the unnatural branches have replaced the natural branches. Of course, the Western church has broken that commandment with malice and all tenacity. Moreover, this approach will turn understanding of the Bible completely upside down. A proper understanding of the Jewish covenants is the paramount threat to Western clergy because if you have a proper understanding of God’s relationship to the Jews, you don’t need them to interpret the Bible for you.
Romans 9-11, especially chapter 11, is perhaps the most difficult in the Bible to preach on because there is nothing to study—it is what it is. However, it supplies a basic interpretive framework from which the rest of the Bible is interpreted. Salvation begins with the Jews and their King, and ends with the Jews and their King. The Reformed rejection of Israel’s election by the sultans of election displays the kind of confusion that transpires when you rebel against God’s revealed choices. The Reformers criticize the Jews for rejecting the Messiah while downplaying the remnant of Israel. Meanwhile, they arrogantly inform Christ that they accept Him, but not His chosen people. In chapter 11, Paul makes the eternal standing of those who posit such—ambiguous at best.
Furthermore, let us not depart this point without acknowledging the redeemed heart of the apostle Paul that is on display here. A redeemed heart loves the Jews, period. A redeemed heart, like Paul’s, wishes for the salvation of Israel. This stands in stark contrast to Reformed writings that go forth like vomit spewing from gluttonous stomachs.
Romans 11:25 – Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” 28 As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
Clearly, we are in what the Bible calls the time of the Gentiles. Paul barely stops short of saying we owe our salvation to the Jews. We have benefited from them being enemies of the gospel, but they are still God’s elect, and that is irrevocable. They are “beloved for the sake of their forefathers” till “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob.” All Gentiles are saved by being grafted into the covenant that starts with the Jewish forefathers and ends with the banishment of ungodliness from Jacob.
I will conclude with the illustration below. This sums it up in the least common denominator. The following should be kept in mind when you read your Bible.
Israel: The Capstone of Justification; Part 1
We are now on the last leg of Paul’s vast study regarding justification. Paul wrote the book of Romans for the purpose of teaching the full-orbed gospel. It is a significant study for understanding the ends and outs of living a godly life and how it works. It is the what, why, and how of spiritual living. It does not concern poetic writings for meditation, it is not a narrative, it concerns knowledge and wisdom. It concerns doctrine. It concerns systematic theology. It arms the Christian with knowledge.
Paul started with the study of anthropology and its relationship to the gospel, now he ends in Romans10:10-11:36 with the capstone of justification: Israel’s role and relationship to justification. In a moment of sanity, John MacArthur once said that “if you get Israel right, you get the Bible right,” and that is absolutely right. It would be doubtful that he still holds to that position as he is now solidly in the Reformed camp, his usual confusion notwithstanding. The big three of the Reformation, Augustine, Luther, and Calvin despised the Jews.
The Abrahamic Covenant is “The Promise” that justifies both Jew and Gentile. Both Jew and Gentile look for the new heavens and new earth that is the final consummation of The Promise. ALL the nations will be blessed through the father of our faith, Abraham. God made it clear in that covenant that He would bless those who bless Abraham, and curse those who curse him. The Reformers cursed the Jews in no uncertain terms. If for no other reason, the Reformers should be rejected out of hand for that reason alone.
The long anti-Semitic tradition propagated by the Reformation must be necessarily exposed and adjusted by the book of Romans. The apostle Paul sternly warned against the very prejudice that we see against the Jews in the contemporary church. Paul explains the central role that Israel plays in justification while warning that wrong attitudes towards Israel can result in being cut off from justification itself. A bitter root concerning Israel is indicative of a serious spiritual problem.
The Romans, as well as most Gentiles integrated into the church, had an inferiority complex because the early church was a Jewish church. “Salvation is of the Jews” were the very words of Jesus Himself. Initially, He only came to the lost sheep of Israel. In much of the book of Romans Paul strives to reassure the Romans that they have inherited all of the blessings of the kingdom possessed by the Jews. But with that reassurance comes a stern warning: do not turn this into boasting against the Jews. Let’s begin to observe what Paul states in the verses following:
Romans 10:10 – For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. 11 For the Scripture says, “Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call on him. 13 For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Apparently, Paul is writing about a principle found throughout the Old Testament and not a particular chapter and verse which didn’t divide the Bible at that time. Several, very similar texts appear in the book of Isaiah. Paul wants to show the Roman Gentiles that their inclusion was planned from the beginning. The authority of Scripture in making this point, as well as all of Paul’s other points are obviously assumed. “All” who call on the Lord will be saved and the riches of the Lord will be bestowed upon them. I think “riches” refers to the will language we have discussed previously.
Let’s not stray too far from the point at hand: Paul wants to give the Roman Gentiles assurance that they are legitimate members of the kingdom by showing them via the authority of Scripture that this was God’s plan from the beginning. Paul then continues with the following:
Romans 10:14 – How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed what he has heard from us?” 17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
Paul states a principle before he moves on to make his point. This should inspire us in regard to the authority of God’s word. Nobody can believe on Christ without hearing the gospel, and faith comes by hearing the word of God. If we don’t preach the word, people will not get saved. If God has used you to save someone, it wasn’t through silence, a song, prayer only, or anything else other than the “word of Christ” That’s why the Potter’s House is not a “Christ-centered ministry,” it’s a Bible-centered ministry and that suits Christ just fine. We aren’t spiritual elitists who seek deep knowledge of Christ’s “personhood.” Rather, we are ones who observe all that He commands in His word. The Scriptures give the lost faith when they hear it, comforts God’s children, and equips us for every good work. It gives us all we need for life and godliness.
And Paul is about to share a very important truth in his letter to the Romans. Christ, the chief cornerstone, being rejected by national Israel and thus paving the way for Gentile inclusion is a constant theme throughout the Old Testament. What happened when Christ came the first time and the birth of the church should have been plainly foreseen in the Old Testament Scriptures. This is the point that Paul will now make:
Romans 10:18 – But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” 19 But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” 20 Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” 21 But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”
Honestly, it’s a little difficult to figure Paul’s usage of Psalm 19:4 to answer his first question. By the way, only in recent history was it discovered that our solar system orbits in space as stated by Psalm 19:6. Looking at the text in context may lend some understanding:
The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge. 3 There is no speech, nor are there words, whose voice is not heard. 4 Their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them he has set a tent for the sun, 5 which comes out like a bridegroom leaving his chamber, and, like a strong man, runs its course with joy. 6 Its rising is from the end of the heavens, and its circuit to the end of them, and there is nothing hidden from its heat.
7 The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple; 8 the precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes; 9 the fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. 10 More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb. 11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
The point may be that in the same way that God’s glory is not hidden in all the earth because of creation, nether is the truth of His word. God makes sure the truth of His law reaches to the ends of the earth in every generation. I do not think that Paul is putting forth the idea that creation preaches the gospel in a way that can save people by general revelation alone. But more specific is Paul’s citation of Moses who taught Israel in no uncertain terms that God would save the Gentiles for the purpose of making Israel angry/jealous. Israel disobeyed God’s commands to not follow the ways of Egypt or Canaan. Yet, though Israel followed their ways they still possessed an attitude of entitlement as God’s chosen people. So God hardened their hearts against Christ, the stumbling block of Zion, and saved “those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.”
Romans 9:32….They stumbled over the stumbling stone, 33 just as it is written, “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, And he who believes in Him will not be put to shame.”
Romans chapter eleven, verse one, and following, are not in need of any explanation. There is a reason the Gentiles should be confident that they are included because it is a result of Israel stumbling over Christ, and this was foreseen from the beginning, but….
I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” 4 But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. 6 But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.
7 What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, 8 as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” 9 And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; 10 let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.”
This is interesting: Paul uses himself as proof that God hasn’t rejected Israel. This seems to be a pretty straightforward argument. Then he says God has not rejected His people that he “foreknew” or elected. Like in Romans nine, Paul refers once again to the remnant, and then we are reminded once again of election’s purpose:
“So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace.”
Remember, as we study our Bibles we must keep this in mind as one of our building blocks of understanding: election is all about completely removing works from justification. And I believe this frees us to not worry about works in our Christian life. The key to a powerful Christian life is to not worry about obedience in sanctification having bearing on justification. We like to call this, “aggressive sanctification.” While having dinner with a Christian man in Columbus this week, the reality of the 10/90 rule was discussed. What’s that? That is the reality of 10% of the people in a given congregation doing 90% of the work. Not only is that a leadership issue, it’s a theology issue and is directly linked to the Protestant fusion of justification and sanctification.
Consider the line of thought starting in Romans 8:30 and ending with Romans 8:39—nothing can separate us from the love of God because our justification was settled before the foundation of the earth. Sanctification is not in that verse because that would involve us in some way with justification which would be disastrous. Election enables the mortal saint to love God without jeopardizing his/her salvation. Hence, NOTHING can separate us from the love of God. Know this: advocating election with the fusion of justification and sanctification is a theological oxymoron. It would seem evident that sanctification is absent from Romans 8:30 because it is not there.
Now, at this point, I am going to jump ahead a little bit to make a point:
Romans 11:28 – As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. 29 For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. 32 For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
I think we have another building block of understanding here. Paul makes a distinction between the gospel and election. Though the Jews are enemies of the gospel, they will be saved because of election. The calling of God is irrevocable. I also remind you of Paul’s reference to disobedience. We are not saved by obedience/works. Again, the words obedience and faith are used interchangeably. Obedience is merely the life of faith. Faith is invisible; obedience is merely the visible life of faith. In the passage we just read, it reads the same if you replace disobedience with unbelief and faith with obedience. They are the same because we are not saved by obedience or works, but yet, the words are used interchangeably. Again, this is because our faith is a living faith. Curiously, the Reformers taught that faith is a lifeless conduit to the Spirit realm. But the bigger point is: understanding that our faith is a living faith clears up a lot of confusion in regard to the relationship of faith/obedience in justification versus sanctification. That’s the point.
But in regard to your justification, God’s call is irrevocable. This leads to fearless, aggressive sanctification. Paul also makes the point that the Jews were allowed to be enemies of the gospel for the benefit of the Gentiles who like the Jews were once disobedient:
For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.
So, both the Jews and the Gentiles were unbelieving so that he could have mercy on both. The Jews were chosen first, but when they rebelled, God reserved a remnant for Himself according to election and used the rebellion for the benefit of the Gentiles. This benefit is a set time called “the times of the Gentiles.” It has a specific beginning in time and a specific end. Apparently, election pertains primarily to the Jews and the gospel primarily to the Gentiles. The Jews were/are enemies of the gospel for the sake of the Gentiles, but beloved for the sake of election. Obviously, this merely scratches the surface of a vast wealth of knowledge thereof.
Now, next week, we are going to look at this deeper in regard to eschatology. We are going to look at how Bible prophecy is absolutely essential to understanding justification and how God fulfills The Promise. He chooses the Jews, appoints the time of the Gentiles as a response to their rebellion, and then fulfills The Promise to Abraham after the end of the times of the Gentiles. The Gentiles are an inclusion, not a replacement. Replacement Theology, also known as Supersessionism, is specifically what Paul is warning against in Romans 11:
25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; 27 “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”
Next week, we will look at this from the perspective of prophecy in part two. But in the following week, part 3, we will look at this from the standpoint of covenants. Note carefully: the rebellion of the Jews did not result in the New Covenant replacing the Old Covenant. The Covenants build on each other in order to consummate The Promise to Abraham to bless all nations through him. All the covenants belong to the commonwealth of Israel (Ephesians 2:11-16) and build on each other for the final consummation of The Promise. The rebellion does not replace any of the covenants with a new one; the rebellion is merely used by God to include the Gentiles in the Promise.
Inclusion, not replacement in regard to prophecy and covenants. Understanding the true relationship between election, the Jews, Gentiles, justification, sanctification, prophecy, and covenants has catastrophic ramifications for understanding God’s salvific plan for the ages.
Hence, our hefty endeavor will need much prayer and study moving forward into parts two and three.
Inclusion, not replacement regarding the church.
Progression of covenants, not replacement of the old with the new.
Paul's Passing Thoughts 
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