The Gospel in Hebrews

Latest publication: The Gospel in Hebrews - a Christ-focused walk through Scripture. Available in paperback, Kindle, and Audible formats.

A Time of Transition

Sermon Audio Link

During His earthly ministry, Jesus was announcing the kingdom of God, showing it to be something different from the nation of Israel. Before the cross, He declared the kingdom was not discernable with the eye, but was in their midst as He stood with the Pharisees (Luke 17:20-21). A kingdom not of this world but present - in part - upon it. Scripture provides several clear statements about Jesus’ position regarding the Mosaic Covenant:

Matthew 12:6 Jesus is greater than the temple

Matthew 12:41-42 Jesus is greater than Jonah and Solomon

Matthew 12:2, 5, 7, 8 Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath

Hebrews 3:3 Jesus has greater glory than Moses

Hebrews 2:14.15; 5:5.10 Jesus is the greater High Priest

Hebrews 4:1-13, Promise and Warning

1. The Promise Stands as does the warning (1 – 3)
2. The Promise is Rest in Christ (4 – 11)
3. Nothing is Hidden from God (12 – 13)

 

Hebrews 3 - Jesus is Better

From 1 September. 

Here's a snippet from the message:

As the faithful son over all of God's house, Jesus is superior to Moses – but not contrary to Him. As Moses is a type of Christ, so was the Exodus a type which foretells the redemption we have in Christ. In Luke 9:31 the death of Jesus is called an exodus; He is, according to 1 Cor 5:7, the true Passover; in 1 Pet 1:19 Jesus is the lamb without spot or blemish. Jesus was in Acts 7:38 the One who gave Israel living oracles in the wilderness; their baptism into Christ is the anti-type of Israel's passage through the Red Sea (1 Cor 10:1); our spiritual feeding on Christ in the Lord's Supper is the anti-type of Israel's nourishment by manna and water from the rock (1 Cor 10:3). Christ, the living Rock, was their guide through the wilderness (1 Cor 10:4); the heavenly rest that awaits the saints is the counterpart of the earthly Canaan rest of Israel (Heb 4). This typology was pressed on early Christians, telling them and us that Israel's rebellion and punishment in the wilderness was preserved for our instruction (1 Cor 10:6); Jude applies this to Christians from the fact that “the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.” (Jude 5)

 

Genesis 34 -Depravity and Decption

This chapter is a sad scene, reflecting poorly mankind. It should serve us as a reminder of how desperately we need the Holy Spirit to will and equip us to do what is right. For sin lurks at our door, seeking to master us.

Faith and Righteousness, Genesis 15

A lesson from Genesis 15. The title is taken from verse 6, which I believe is a hinge-point in Scripture, showing the truth of the gospel. 

Galatians 3:22-29 - A Short Teaching

 Gal 3:22-29 (HCSB)

But the Scripture has imprisoned everything under sin’s power, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. Before this faith came, we were confined under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith was revealed. The law, then, was our guardian until Christ, so that we could be justified by faith. But since that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian, for you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ like a garment. There is no Jew or Greek, slave or free, male or female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, heirs according to the promise. 

God’s plan was for everything to be imprisoned by sin to ensure only those who believe would inherit the promise. Only the One who could defeat sin would have reason to boast; all children of promise would have their clenched fist opened up to receive His gift. The Jewish nation was imprisoned by their Mosaic Law until the promised Messiah was revealed. For freedom He came to set the prisoners free!

There are two points in verse 24 that need to be clarified. The NKJV has verse 24 saying, “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ.”  The phrase “to bring us to” is not in the Greek; it’s in italics. The Greek says that law was until Christ, the idea of bringing us to Christ is simply not there. The word pedagogue means “disciplinarian,” “custodian,” or “guide.” According to Greek/English Lexicon, “the man, usually a slave whose duty it was to conduct a boy or youth to and from school and to superintend his conduct generally; he was not a ‘teacher’ despite the present meaning of the derivative ‘pedagogue’…When the young man became of age, the guardian was no longer needed.”

The Mosaic Law was a guardian for national Israel, designed to keep that nation until the fulfillment came, until faith came. This code was never meant to provide salvation to the Jews, it was meant to keep the Jews so that from them salvation would come to the world. When Jesus came, in the fullness of time, the Law no longer served this purpose.

All who have been baptized into Christ have put Him on like a garment – clothed in divine righteousness. All fleshly identifications are gone, for Christ is our identity. This is why Paul said he no longer regarded anyone according to the flesh; skin color, ethnicity, culture; all the things men war over are of no value in God’s kingdom. And since we belong to Christ, we are Abraham’s seed and heirs to the promise! All this is from Christ and for His glory.

What the Law could not do and was never intended to do, the promised seed, the offspring of Abraham brought to completion. Christ Jesus, born under the curse of the Law, was obedient to every aspect of the Father’s will so He could bring many sons to glory. Jesus is the promise by which God would fulfill the promises made to Abraham. The covenant with Abraham is foundational to the Christian faith. It was the foundation of the Old Covenant, giving the promise of the One Who would prove Himself to be the cornerstone of the New Covenant.

Children of Abraham

This morning's sermon: Children of Abraham.

1. Background & covenant

2. Children according to the flesh

3. Children according to promise

4. How Shall we now live? 

1 Corinthians 1: A Love that Requires Action.

When the children of God bite and devour one another, they are behaving as if they are still in the flesh and not alive in the Spirit. Sadly, this is all too common among us who claim Christ. We did not learn Christ this way and He would have us STOP IT!

Paul's first letter to the Corinthian saints has the theme of their being beloved by God, engaged in grievous sin, and being exhorted to repent and walk in love. Chapter 1 is a preview to the letter.

I Corinthians 1 - the Problem and the Provision.

Greetings: vs 1 – 9: Paul declares His love for the saints.

Problem: vs 10 – 17: Paul engages them in their sin.

Provision: vs 18 - 31: Paul shows them the way back to peace.

Conclusion
If you have been accepted by Christ, then for the glory of God, accept one another. If you have been accepted by Christ, then you are able to accept one another. If you have been accepted by Christ, you will WANT to accept one another.

The sermon can be heard here.

Examining Postmillennialism

From this morning, examining Postmillennialism.

As I state in the opening, this is a look at what 2 well known advocates of our day have said and is not presented as a comprehensive overview.

These men are not heretics, but I do believe they are focused on the wrong things.

Examining Dispensationalism

In this lesson, I take a look at the essential elements of dispensationalism according to Charles Ryrue.

Problems with Law Preaching

Many men say we must emphasize sin folks before the gospel preached, because the glory of Christ is better seen against the darkness of sin. So show people their sin and they can see Christ better. Many say that the way to show people their sin is to preach law to sinners, because the law brings knowledge of sin – citing Romans 7:7.

Two things need to be considered to understand the problems with this approach.

1.       To say that a person needs to understand their sin before they can rightly see the glory of Christ is actually backwards. Unregenerate people cannot be brought to spiritual life by showing them their sin. Unregenerate people cannot see the kingdom of God, much less have a right view of Christ and His glory. In fact, one must come to faith in Christ before he can have a proper view of his sin and Christ. Sin is no big deal to one who is at enmity with God; holiness is a foreign concept to these. Sin will be a serious problem for one who is at peace with God; personal holiness will be a growing desire for these.

 

2.       To say law must be preached to show people their sin fails. Romans 7:7 recounts a Jew living under the Mosaic Law coming to realize he could not keep that law and that failing to do so was sin. The law put names to the sins this man loved. In the next chapter, Paul says this: “For the mind-set of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit itself to God’s law, for it is unable to do so.” (Rom 8:7) Unregenerate people are in the flesh with a mindset of death (Rom 8:6) and are unable to submit to God’s law (any of His laws). Showing unregenerate people their sin by preaching law is futile, according to the Scripture. In Romans 5:20 we read that the (Mosaic) law was given to increase the trespasses; it was not given to prepare people to be saved.

In conclusion, we have Scripture that tells us the gospel is the power of God unto salvation (Rom 1:16); I am unaware of any Scripture that say the Holy Spirit or gospel preaching needs help from the law.

I’ve said it before, I think men preach law for the same reason others ask for decisions: men want to see results of their work. The Spirit will what man cannot – give spiritual life to those who are dead in their sins. The law cannot prepare a soul for the Spirit’s work anymore than walking an aisle can.

Paul as a Type

 From acts 9, we see Paul as a type for every Christian in these four ways:

a.) By nature, he was at war with God.

b.) Called by God, he was given a new nature, new affections; he could not but proclaim the Gospel.

c.) He was tested by other Christians to see if he was genuine.

d.) He was faithful to the Gospel: some hated him for it, others were drawn to Christ and built up by it.

The Resurrection Defined and Defended

 

The God of Providence, in the mundane and in the divine

 

The Gospel in Isaiah

 Having been edited and reviewed by four trusted brothers, my work on Isaiah is now available in paper and Kindle formats.

The Gospel in Isaiah

Worldview - What is the gospel?

Stuart is a Christian from Texas and has a very interesting journey on how he came to his faith. He is a Baptist and we talk about why he believes in Christianity and what the gospel he believes in is about.

Elmo's Podcast

Isaiah 40 - The Lord of Glory!

 

And such were all of us.

Eph 2:1-7 paints a stark contrast between people of the world and people of God.

Before we were alive in Christ.

Ephesians 2:1-3 (HCSB) And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens, the spirit now working in the disobedient. We too all previously lived among them in our fleshly desires, carrying out the inclinations of our flesh and thoughts, and we were by nature children under wrath as the others were also.

We were spiritually dead.

We were enslaved to sin, the world, and Satan.

We were objects of God's wrath.

We lived as disobedient children.

We were under Satan's rule.

 

After we were born from above and made alive in Christ.

Ephesians 2:4-7 (HCSB) But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses. You are saved by grace! Together with Christ Jesus He also raised us up and seated us in the heavens, so that in the coming ages He might display the immeasurable riches of His grace through ⌊His⌋ kindness to us in Christ Jesus.

We are spiritually alive.

We are enthroned with Christ.

We are objects of grace.

We have fellowship with God.

We are in union with Christ, Jesus - His servants/slaves.

 

No man can cause himself to be changed from being spiritually dead to alive in Christ.  In order to see and enter the kingdom of God, you must be born from above by the Spirit of God. No human gives birth to himself, physically or spiritually. God takes that which was dead and makes it alive - can these bones live? You, know Lord. Nobody else has the keys to life.

None but Jesus can do poor sinners good.

Colquhoun's The Law and the Gospel, part 1

Years ago I read John Colquhoun's book, A Treatise on the Law and the Gospel, written in the early 1800s and recently published (2009) by Soli Deo Gloria Publications.

I decided to re-read this book, having studied many aspects of theology in the past 8 years. Below are my observations of the first half of chapter one. Lord willing, I will write up notes on the balance of the book over the coming weeks.

In the Publisher' Introduction to the 2009 edition published by Soli Deo Gloria Publications, Joel Beeke said "Colquhoun was a Reformed experiential preacher. His sermons and writings reflect those of the Marrow brethren".

In chapter 1, Colquhoun recognizes that "law" has diverse meanings in Scripture. He says law "is used to signify the declared will of God, directing and obliging mankind to do that which please Him, and to abstain from that which displeases Him. This, in the strict and proper sense of the word, is that law of God; and it is divided into the natural law and the positive law."  (page 1) He uses the classic papists and Reformed terms of moral, ceremonial, and civil law but does not divide them in the usual way; this makes following his arguments somewhat difficult.

He says the Old Testament Sabbath, which took place on the 7th day of the week, was altered to the first day under the New Testament (page 2) - but this is a passing comment with no reference to Scripture. There is no Scripture which supports this idea. He repeats this assertion on page 3, saying "It was upon moral ground that Christ the Mediator proceeded when He changed the seals of the covenant of grace, altered the Sabbath from the seventh to the first day of the week, and instituted new ordinances of worship and government for His Church." Note this "standard Reformed fare" as Joel Beeke calls it: the covenant of grace encompasses everything and is only modified by the advent and sacrifice of Christ; whereas the Scripture tells us the Old Covenant was ended as the New Covenant pushed it aside (Hebrews 8:7 & 13). Why Reformed paedobaptists do this becomes clear as one reads more of their material: they must draw equivalence between the ekklesia of the New Covenant and that of the Old in order to establish a connection between circumcision of the flesh and water baptism. They ignore that the ekklesia of the New Covenant is all and only the believing while the ekklesia of the Old Covenant included all who underwent that religious rite of fleshly circumcision. And entrance into the New Covenant comes by circumcision of the heart, not water baptism. There are similarities but there are differences; this is the case in comparing shadow and substance.

Colquhoun goes on to say Adam was as the redeemed are, using Col 3:10 and Eph 4:24 to claim "God, then, created man in His own moral image by inscribing His law, the transcript of His own righteousness and holiness, on man's mind and heart." (page 3). Note how he inserts "moral" to modify image to make a connection to his "moral law." I find nothing in the Bible that hints at any law being inscribed on Adam's heart; we have Reformed presupposition so they can build their case to strap the Law of Moses on the backs of the saints.

On page 8 our author that the law transcribed on Adam's heart was "much obliterated" and "continues still to be, in a great degree, defaced and even obliterated in the mind of all His unregenerate offspring." Hence, when Jesus said (Hebrews 8:10) that He would write His laws on the hearts of His people, Colquhoun claims this means the law given to all men is merely inscribed "anew on the hearts of the elect." If this were true, would not we read that Jesus would re-new the law on our hearts? The author tells us "The law of creation, or the Ten Commandments, was, in the form of a covenant of works, given to the first Adam after he had been put into the garden of Eden. ... An express threatening of death, and a gracious promise of life, annexed to the law of creation, made it to Adam a covenant of works proposed; and his consent, which he as a sinless creature could not refuse, made it a covenant of works accepted." (pages 10 & 11) Pay attention to the theology of the white space: nowhere do we read that Adam was promised life if he obeyed the ONE COMMAND (not ten) given to him; nowhere do we read that Adam was given the opportunity to accept (or reject) the one command. "And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”" (Genesis 2:16-17). No promise of eternal life upon obedience, but a sober warning that death would come if he disobeyed that one command which is NOT written on the tablets of stone. Yet Colquhoun asserts that this passage "was, in effect, a summary of all the commands of the natural or moral law; obedience to it included obedience to them all, and disobedience to it was a transgression of them all at once." (page 12) This shows up on pages 18 and 22 as well. When you derive your theology from your system, rather than from the Bible, you will make bold, unsupportable claims that must be blindly accepted or taken in merely by human wisdom; those "good and necessary inferences" which are used to paper over the white spaces upon which the system rests.

Further, if Adam had been given the Decalogue, he would have known good and evil before the Fall for the law brings knowledge of sin. He did not know both good and evil until after he ate the forbidden fruit. After the Fall, after the curses spoken by God, we read, "The LORD God said, “Since man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, take from the tree of life, eat, and live forever.”" (Genesis 3:22) Adam was in a state of innocence before the Fall, not knowing good and evil. He knew the goodness of God and when he sinned, he knew good and evil, for evil was in his being.

Colquhoun's covenant of grace, being "standard Reformed fare," includes the Old Covenant, as he references obligations therein, found in Romans 9:31-32. He claims that every man is in this covenant and subject to its curses for disobedience! He continues with his alleged promise of life to Adam, saying, "That a promise of life was made to the first Adam, and to all his natural descendants in him, on condition of his perfect obedience during the time of his probation." (pages 14 & 15).  This latter statement is "supported" by a citation of Matthew 19:17 and Luke 10:28 wherein Jesus told Jews they would have life if they obeyed the law of Moses perfectly (page 16). He ignores the context of these passages and asserts they describe Adam's situation, as if redemptive history was an all-in-one bucket that applies to everyone at all times.

Our author is not bereft of solid teaching; we read this on page 19 speaking of those trusting in their own works for justification: "they perverted both the law and the gospel, and formed them for themselves into a motley covenant of works."

Again he asserts that the "law of nature" given to all men is the Decalogue (page 25), contradicting the biblical witness that the tablets of stone were given to national Israel and not to any other people. It IS true that the "law of nature" (which I term God's universal law) is from God and reflects the same character, but the law is not the same as that given to national Israel. Why is it inconceivable for some to see that God DOES give different laws to different people? There's no record of the Mosaic Law, in part or whole, being given to the Syrians or any other pagan nation. Why insist the Decalogue is anything more than what the Bible clearly teaches it to be - the testimony of the covenant with national Israel (Exodus 31:18, 32:15, 34:27 - 29). Consider this one aspect: the Bible tells us the weekly Sabbath was a sign between God and national Israel of the covenant He had made with them (Exodus 31:12-18; Ezekiel 20:11-13; 18-21). With this being a biblical fact, how could the Sabbath be a sign to national Israel if it was given to all mankind?

Colquhoun digs this hole deeper by claiming (page 27) that "The Apostle Paul accordingly call it (the Decalogue) "the law of Christ" (Galatians 6:2)." Consider the nature of the law written on the stone tablets: 8 prohibitions; one command to rest; one command to honor one's parents. This law was written on stone, given to people with stone hearts, who ended up worshiping God in a stone temple.

When the New Covenant came, the stone temple was destroyed, the stone tablets had been lost in anticipation of the New Covenant (Jeremiah 3:14-17), and all the members of this New Covenant have new hearts of flesh (the heart is not renewed, a new one is implanted - Ezekiel 36:24-32) with the new law written thereupon. And these people are the temple of the living God! Do you see the change from shadow to substance? The priesthood was also changed and with that change, a change of law was required: Hebrews 7:12 (HCSB) "For when there is a change of the priesthood, there must be a change of law as well." Jesus became the guarantee of a better covenant (Hebrews 7:22). Jesus obtained a superior ministry and to that degree (superior) He has become the mediator of a better covenant which has been legally enacted on better promises (Hebrews 8:6). For if that first ⌊covenant⌋ had been faultless, there would have been no occasion for a second one. By saying, a new ⌊covenant⌋, He has declared that the first is old. And what is old and aging is about to disappear." (Hebrews 8:7 & 13) To say that the New Covenant is merely another part of the mythical "covenant of grace" which includes the Old Covenant is to ignore the explicit Biblical witness in favor of "good and necessary inferences." This is very bad theology and cannot be accepted.