Christ Like For Life
Ministry
Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Christ like for life
Old Testament
Genesis 12:1
The Call of Abram
1Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you.
2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and pin you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.
4 So Abram went, as the LORD had told him, and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran.
5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people that they had acquired in Haran, and they set out to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan,
6 Abram passed through the land to the place at Shechem, to the oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites were in the land.
7 Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built there an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.
8 From there he moved to the hill country on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. And there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD.
9 And Abram journeyed on, still going toward the Negeb.
Genesis 12:2
(2)The call is defined by God
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make
your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who
bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the
families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Exodus 3
The Burning Bush
3 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro,
the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked,
and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”
4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
(2)The call is defined by God
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make
your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who
bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the
families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Exodus 3
The Burning Bush
3 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro,
the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked,
and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed.
3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.”
4 When the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.”
5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”
6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.
The Call Demands A Humility
Genesis 11:31
31 Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran,
his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s
wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans
to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran,
they settled there.
32 The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in
Haran.
Acts 7:1-8:25
Stephen’s Speech
7 And the high priest said, “Are these things so?”And Stephen said:
“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ 4 Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. 5 Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. 6 And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years
Hebrews 11:8
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance.
And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise
Genesis 11:31
31 Terah took Abram his son and Lot the son of Haran,
his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s
wife, and they went forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans
to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran,
they settled there.
32 The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in
Haran.
Acts 7:1-8:25
Stephen’s Speech
7 And the high priest said, “Are these things so?”And Stephen said:
“Brothers and fathers, hear me. The God of glory appeared to our father Abraham when he was in Mesopotamia, before he lived in Haran, and said to him, ‘Go out from your land and from your kindred and go into the land that I will show you.’ 4 Then he went out from the land of the Chaldeans and lived in Haran. And after his father died, God removed him from there into this land in which you are now living. 5 Yet he gave him no inheritance in it, not even a foot’s length, but promised to give it to him as a possession and to his offspring after him, though he had no child. 6 And God spoke to this effect—that his offspring would be sojourners in a land belonging to others, who would enslave them and afflict them four hundred years
Hebrews 11:8
By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance.
And he went out, not knowing where he was going.
9 By faith he went to live in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, living in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs with him of the same promise
God equips The one he calls
Genesis 12:2
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and pin you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 15:1
God’s Covenant with Abram
15 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great
Exodus 4:11
11 Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute,
or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now therefore go,
and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.
Jeremiah 1:8
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.”
9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,
“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
Genesis 12:2
And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and pin you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”
Genesis 15:1
God’s Covenant with Abram
15 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision: “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield; your reward shall be very great
Exodus 4:11
11 Then the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Who makes him mute,
or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the LORD? 12 Now therefore go,
and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.
Jeremiah 1:8
8 Do not be afraid of them,
for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.”
9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me,
“Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
Jesus Smells as the Rose Of Sharon
I Am Called To Know Jesus (Beloved is Jesus)
(1)If You Are A Follower Of Jesus Christ You Should Be Bearing Fruit
(2)You should be blossoming and changing
(3)You will become a servant
Galatians 1:15-16 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,
16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles,
Hebrews 5:4And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
You should be ,Budding blossom ,fruit bearing
I Am Called To Know Jesus (Beloved is Jesus)
(1)If You Are A Follower Of Jesus Christ You Should Be Bearing Fruit
(2)You should be blossoming and changing
(3)You will become a servant
Galatians 1:15-16 But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace,
16 was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles,
Hebrews 5:4And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.
You should be ,Budding blossom ,fruit bearing
Righteousness God qualifies The call (purified)
Isaiah 6:5
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost;
for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King,
the Lord of hosts!”
2 Corinthians 3:15
15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when pone1 turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us,
Isaiah 6:5
And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost;
for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King,
the Lord of hosts!”
2 Corinthians 3:15
15 Yes, to this day whenever Moses is read a veil lies over their hearts. 16 But when pone1 turns to the Lord, the veil is removed.
21 And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us,
God protects the one he calls
Genesis 12:17
17 But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house
with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.
18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said,
“What is this you have done to me?
Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?
19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’
so that I took her for my wife?
Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.”
20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him,
and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.
Exodus 4:18
Moses Returns to Egypt
18 Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law
and said to him, “Please let me go back to my
brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.”
And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
19 And the LORD said to Moses in Midian,
“Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking
your life are dead.”
The Will Of God
Jeremiah 1:18
18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city,
an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land,
against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests,
and the people of the land
Genesis 12:17
17 But the LORD afflicted Pharaoh and his house
with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.
18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said,
“What is this you have done to me?
Why did you not tell me that she was your wife?
19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’
so that I took her for my wife?
Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.”
20 And Pharaoh gave men orders concerning him,
and they sent him away with his wife and all that he had.
Exodus 4:18
Moses Returns to Egypt
18 Moses went back to Jethro his father-in-law
and said to him, “Please let me go back to my
brothers in Egypt to see whether they are still alive.”
And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.”
19 And the LORD said to Moses in Midian,
“Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking
your life are dead.”
The Will Of God
Jeremiah 1:18
18 And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city,
an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land,
against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests,
and the people of the land
Reasons for the Study of Old Testament Theology
Its Place in Biblical Studies
a. The vital distinction between Old Testament
Theology and Christian Theology
b. The relationship between Old Testament Theology
and New Testament Theology
c. The relationship between Old Testament Theology
and the other Old Testament
branches
Its Importance = Limits itself to old testament only
Definition of Old Testament Theology=Hebrew
Sources of Old Testament Theology =by its nature is incomplete, only foundational/ The old Testament(is all about Christ)
Old testament theology has all the elements,the task of the old Testament theology is to report what was the old testament beliefs
The old Testament of doctrine is just as good as the New Testament.
Its Place in Biblical Studies
a. The vital distinction between Old Testament
Theology and Christian Theology
b. The relationship between Old Testament Theology
and New Testament Theology
c. The relationship between Old Testament Theology
and the other Old Testament
branches
Its Importance = Limits itself to old testament only
Definition of Old Testament Theology=Hebrew
Sources of Old Testament Theology =by its nature is incomplete, only foundational/ The old Testament(is all about Christ)
Old testament theology has all the elements,the task of the old Testament theology is to report what was the old testament beliefs
The old Testament of doctrine is just as good as the New Testament.
REVELATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Source and Purpose of Old Testament Revelation
Biblical texts = The Old testament is the Bible.
Purpose =The only revelation they had (Jesus front -to back)
The New Testament is the fulfillment of
The Old Testament.
The Critical Hypothesis =The critical period hypothesis states that the first few years of life is the crucial time in which an individual can acquire
a first language if presented with adequate stimuli.
If language input doesn't occur until after this time, the individual will never achieve a full command of language—especially grammatical systems.
The origin of Israel's religion according to the
Critical School =The term "Israelite religion" does not correspond to any well-defined historical reality and is,
like "religion," "Christianity," and "Judaism," also a product of the scholar's study.
It is a technical term enveloping the religions of groups with different but overlapping worldviews, patterns of ritual acts, and other activities and expressions that we identify as "religious."
The common denominator of "Israelite religion" is found in the adjective and not the noun: the majority of its practitioners considered themselves a people descendant from an ancestor named Jacob/Israel.
The evolutionary theory of religion =Q: Must we take the first several verses of Genesis literally in order to respect the spiritual authority of the rest of the Bible? Conversely, must the literal nature of the Genesis creation story be discounted in order to reconcile religion with evolution, astronomy, physics, and other sciences?
Panelist Responses:
We should take -- the believers, people who accept the Bible as a revealed book -- the chapters of Genesis in the Bible as literally
true with respect to their religious content, not with respect to the examples or historical descriptions that are being used. There is nothing new in this.
Let me quote from Saint Augustine. Augustine, one of the great theologians in the history of Christianity, writing about the year
400 in his commentary on the literal meaning of Genesis, said:
"In the matter of the shape of heaven, the sacred writers did not want to teach man facts that would be of no avail for their salvation." Similarly, the Pope, to quote another religious authority -- and many could be quoted in many different traditions, Jewish or Christian and among different Christian denominations -- but to quote from a speech that Pope John Paul II made in 1981:
"The Bible speaks to us of the origins of the universe and its make-up, not in order to provide us with a scientific treatise, but in order to state the correct relationship of man with God and the universe. Sacred Scripture wishes simply to declare that the world was created by God. And in order to teach these truths, it expresses itself in the terms of the cosmology in use at the time of the writer. The Sacred Book, likewise, wishes to tell man that the world was created for the service of man and the glory of God."
The Biblical View of Revelation
Revelation is supernatural
Supernatural Divine Revelation.
Holy Tradition and Holy Scripture.
God’s revelations about Himself to certain people are most often effected by unusual means, or in a supernatural manner. God reveals Himself directly through Himself or through His angels. Such revelation is called supernatural divine revelation.
As not all people are able to receive revelation from God Himself, due to their impurity through sin and weakness of soul and body, the Lord chooses special righteous people who are able to receive this revelation.
Among the first people who declared the revelations of God were Adam, Noah, Moses, and other prophets and righteous people. They accepted everything from God and preached the beginnings of Divine revelation.
In fulfillment of Divine revelation, God Himself came to earth incarnate in the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and spread the revelation to the whole earth through His Apostles and disciples.
This Divine revelation and its dissemination among people is preserved in the true, holy Orthodox Church in two ways: by means of Holy Tradition and Holy Scripture.
The old testament was the bible for the early church for the first 20 years the old testament is the only religious document that teaches only one God. Deuteronomy( 6:4) only one God.
The old testament ethical teachings are the teachings of moral life, Jesus and his disciples constantly used the old testament
(Luke4:1) Teaches worship to God (to stand in awe)
Jesus is the minister
(Luke4:18-21) (Isaiah (6:1)
Daniel -Revelation- and John, are the scriptures that laid the foundation of revelation,
The New Testament is the fulfillment of the revelation.
(Psalms :147-Psalms 19:20)
God gave a Revelation of himself to Israel
Biblical revelation is a revelation of "facts
" through historical events.
The Media of Revelation in the Old Testament
Revelation of nature
Theophanies
The sacred lot - Urim and Thummim
Dreams and visions
God reveals himself only in Christ(Matt, 11: 27).
The theophany is therefore more accurately defined as a Christophany, or an epiphany of God in Christ.
Epiphany, Greek epiphaneia, remember the word phaneroo – manifest. Epiphaneia means appearance, closely linked to phaneroo, manifest. Same meaning.
No one has seen God.John 1:18 Jesus is the only mediator between God and man. 1 Tim 2:5
Prepatriarchal age
Patriarch - The father and ruler of a family or tribe, as one of the founders of the ancient Hebrew families: in the Bible, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s twelve sons were patriarchs.
Latin word pater means father.
Prepatriarchal age – Pre means before, before Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob.
God spoke directly to Adam, probably a manlike form,
Gen 2:16-17;3:8,
God spoke to Cain
Gen 4:6-12.
God spoke to Noah
Gen 6:13-21.
God spoke to Noah’s sons
Gen 9:1,8)
Patriarchal times.
God revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob in his covenant promises. Revealed through theophanies. Manifestation of God to man. Theo – God. Phainomai – to appear.
Angel of the Lord – Gen 16:7-13; 28:13. Spoke through visions (vision comes from the word video where you can see)
Gen 12:7;15:1;12: 26:24
Two types of dreams.= Direct revelation and symbolic dreams with divine interpretation. Direct revelations
Gen 15:12;20:3-6 : 28:12; 31:10-11; 46:2.
Symbolic dreams Gen 37:5-6,10: 40:5-16: 41:1-5)
Mosaic period (Exodus through Deuteronomy)
Theophanic media. (Media, medium, a way of transmission of communication) Burning bush (Exod 3:2), a pillar of cloud and fire.
(Exod 13:21-22)
Visions. Numbers 22:20.
God speaking to Moses –Numbers 12:6-8; Deut 18:18;
Moses recorded things that God told him.
(Exod 17:14; 24;4-7; 34:27 ; Num 33:2, Deut 31:9,24
see John 5:46-47)
At the mountain Moses received the book of the covenant also the book of the law. Exod 24:7; Deut 31:26
Urim and Thummim also became a medium for discerning the Lord’s will. Urim and Thummim were gemstones that were carried by the High Priest of Israel on the ephod / priestly garments.
They were used by the High Priest to determine God's will in
some situations.
Exod 28:30 Num27:21 Moses was the
author of Psalm 90
The Source and Purpose of Old Testament Revelation
Biblical texts = The Old testament is the Bible.
Purpose =The only revelation they had (Jesus front -to back)
The New Testament is the fulfillment of
The Old Testament.
The Critical Hypothesis =The critical period hypothesis states that the first few years of life is the crucial time in which an individual can acquire
a first language if presented with adequate stimuli.
If language input doesn't occur until after this time, the individual will never achieve a full command of language—especially grammatical systems.
The origin of Israel's religion according to the
Critical School =The term "Israelite religion" does not correspond to any well-defined historical reality and is,
like "religion," "Christianity," and "Judaism," also a product of the scholar's study.
It is a technical term enveloping the religions of groups with different but overlapping worldviews, patterns of ritual acts, and other activities and expressions that we identify as "religious."
The common denominator of "Israelite religion" is found in the adjective and not the noun: the majority of its practitioners considered themselves a people descendant from an ancestor named Jacob/Israel.
The evolutionary theory of religion =Q: Must we take the first several verses of Genesis literally in order to respect the spiritual authority of the rest of the Bible? Conversely, must the literal nature of the Genesis creation story be discounted in order to reconcile religion with evolution, astronomy, physics, and other sciences?
Panelist Responses:
We should take -- the believers, people who accept the Bible as a revealed book -- the chapters of Genesis in the Bible as literally
true with respect to their religious content, not with respect to the examples or historical descriptions that are being used. There is nothing new in this.
Let me quote from Saint Augustine. Augustine, one of the great theologians in the history of Christianity, writing about the year
400 in his commentary on the literal meaning of Genesis, said:
"In the matter of the shape of heaven, the sacred writers did not want to teach man facts that would be of no avail for their salvation." Similarly, the Pope, to quote another religious authority -- and many could be quoted in many different traditions, Jewish or Christian and among different Christian denominations -- but to quote from a speech that Pope John Paul II made in 1981:
"The Bible speaks to us of the origins of the universe and its make-up, not in order to provide us with a scientific treatise, but in order to state the correct relationship of man with God and the universe. Sacred Scripture wishes simply to declare that the world was created by God. And in order to teach these truths, it expresses itself in the terms of the cosmology in use at the time of the writer. The Sacred Book, likewise, wishes to tell man that the world was created for the service of man and the glory of God."
The Biblical View of Revelation
Revelation is supernatural
Supernatural Divine Revelation.
Holy Tradition and Holy Scripture.
God’s revelations about Himself to certain people are most often effected by unusual means, or in a supernatural manner. God reveals Himself directly through Himself or through His angels. Such revelation is called supernatural divine revelation.
As not all people are able to receive revelation from God Himself, due to their impurity through sin and weakness of soul and body, the Lord chooses special righteous people who are able to receive this revelation.
Among the first people who declared the revelations of God were Adam, Noah, Moses, and other prophets and righteous people. They accepted everything from God and preached the beginnings of Divine revelation.
In fulfillment of Divine revelation, God Himself came to earth incarnate in the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ, and spread the revelation to the whole earth through His Apostles and disciples.
This Divine revelation and its dissemination among people is preserved in the true, holy Orthodox Church in two ways: by means of Holy Tradition and Holy Scripture.
The old testament was the bible for the early church for the first 20 years the old testament is the only religious document that teaches only one God. Deuteronomy( 6:4) only one God.
The old testament ethical teachings are the teachings of moral life, Jesus and his disciples constantly used the old testament
(Luke4:1) Teaches worship to God (to stand in awe)
Jesus is the minister
(Luke4:18-21) (Isaiah (6:1)
Daniel -Revelation- and John, are the scriptures that laid the foundation of revelation,
The New Testament is the fulfillment of the revelation.
(Psalms :147-Psalms 19:20)
God gave a Revelation of himself to Israel
Biblical revelation is a revelation of "facts
" through historical events.
The Media of Revelation in the Old Testament
Revelation of nature
Theophanies
The sacred lot - Urim and Thummim
Dreams and visions
God reveals himself only in Christ(Matt, 11: 27).
The theophany is therefore more accurately defined as a Christophany, or an epiphany of God in Christ.
Epiphany, Greek epiphaneia, remember the word phaneroo – manifest. Epiphaneia means appearance, closely linked to phaneroo, manifest. Same meaning.
No one has seen God.John 1:18 Jesus is the only mediator between God and man. 1 Tim 2:5
Prepatriarchal age
Patriarch - The father and ruler of a family or tribe, as one of the founders of the ancient Hebrew families: in the Bible, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s twelve sons were patriarchs.
Latin word pater means father.
Prepatriarchal age – Pre means before, before Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob.
God spoke directly to Adam, probably a manlike form,
Gen 2:16-17;3:8,
God spoke to Cain
Gen 4:6-12.
God spoke to Noah
Gen 6:13-21.
God spoke to Noah’s sons
Gen 9:1,8)
Patriarchal times.
God revealed himself to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob in his covenant promises. Revealed through theophanies. Manifestation of God to man. Theo – God. Phainomai – to appear.
Angel of the Lord – Gen 16:7-13; 28:13. Spoke through visions (vision comes from the word video where you can see)
Gen 12:7;15:1;12: 26:24
Two types of dreams.= Direct revelation and symbolic dreams with divine interpretation. Direct revelations
Gen 15:12;20:3-6 : 28:12; 31:10-11; 46:2.
Symbolic dreams Gen 37:5-6,10: 40:5-16: 41:1-5)
Mosaic period (Exodus through Deuteronomy)
Theophanic media. (Media, medium, a way of transmission of communication) Burning bush (Exod 3:2), a pillar of cloud and fire.
(Exod 13:21-22)
Visions. Numbers 22:20.
God speaking to Moses –Numbers 12:6-8; Deut 18:18;
Moses recorded things that God told him.
(Exod 17:14; 24;4-7; 34:27 ; Num 33:2, Deut 31:9,24
see John 5:46-47)
At the mountain Moses received the book of the covenant also the book of the law. Exod 24:7; Deut 31:26
Urim and Thummim also became a medium for discerning the Lord’s will. Urim and Thummim were gemstones that were carried by the High Priest of Israel on the ephod / priestly garments.
They were used by the High Priest to determine God's will in
some situations.
Exod 28:30 Num27:21 Moses was the
author of Psalm 90
The Fact of Inspiration
The New Testament claims that the Old Testament is inspired Christians recognize that the New Testament Scriptures represent the body of Christ
to the proposition that the thirty-nine books of the
Old Testament are inspired of God. ...
The Old Testament documents claim to be products of revelation
Tradition witnesses to the fact of inspiration
The evidence of religious and moral experience
The Character of the Inspiration of the Old Testament
Definition of Revelation and Inspiration
Revelation
Inspiration
The relation between revelation and inspiration Introduction
Before the entrance of sin, God communicated with human beings directly through face-to-face contact and personal fellowship.
With the advent of sin this relationship was ruptured and man
was alienated from his Maker. To bridge this separating gulf,
God employed as many as seven modalities of communication--the "divers manners" of Hebrews 1:1--as He sought to bring mankind back into a personal relationship with Him.
Prophetic night dreams and "open visions" during the day were the methods God most frequently employed in communicating with men and women of His special choosing who came to be known as "seers," "prophets," or special "messengers."
The lot of the prophet was seldom an easy one, as Jesus intimated by His oft-cited observation that "a prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house."
THE DOCTRINE OF GOD
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
CONCEPTS OF GOD OR SUPERNATURAL POWERS AND BEINGS
Animism =(from Latin anima "soul, life") refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle
Polytheism=is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a
pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals.
Henotheism =is the belief and worship of a single god while accepting the
existence or possible existence of other deities.
Monolatry =(Greek: μόνος (monos) = single, and λατρεία
(latreia) = worship) is the recognition of the existence of many gods,
Idolatry =is a pejorative term for the worship of an idol, a physical object such as a cult image, as a god,
or practices believed to verge on worship,
Monotheism =is the belief in the existence of one god or in the oneness of God
THE DIVINE NATURE
God's Existence Assumed by the Old Testament
The Problem of Psalm 14:1
The problem is not one of evidence, but of rebellion and negative volition to God ...
The Unity of God Biblical Texts
The Critical View of the origin of Israel's monotheism and reply
a. The use of the plural Elohim in the early narratives
When used with plural verbs and adjectives elohim is usually plural, "gods" or ... underwent radical changes throughout the period of early Israelite identity.
Names of God - Elohim - YHWH - Yahweh - Adonai - Abba
The New Testament claims that the Old Testament is inspired Christians recognize that the New Testament Scriptures represent the body of Christ
to the proposition that the thirty-nine books of the
Old Testament are inspired of God. ...
The Old Testament documents claim to be products of revelation
Tradition witnesses to the fact of inspiration
The evidence of religious and moral experience
The Character of the Inspiration of the Old Testament
Definition of Revelation and Inspiration
Revelation
Inspiration
The relation between revelation and inspiration Introduction
Before the entrance of sin, God communicated with human beings directly through face-to-face contact and personal fellowship.
With the advent of sin this relationship was ruptured and man
was alienated from his Maker. To bridge this separating gulf,
God employed as many as seven modalities of communication--the "divers manners" of Hebrews 1:1--as He sought to bring mankind back into a personal relationship with Him.
Prophetic night dreams and "open visions" during the day were the methods God most frequently employed in communicating with men and women of His special choosing who came to be known as "seers," "prophets," or special "messengers."
The lot of the prophet was seldom an easy one, as Jesus intimated by His oft-cited observation that "a prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house."
THE DOCTRINE OF GOD
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
CONCEPTS OF GOD OR SUPERNATURAL POWERS AND BEINGS
Animism =(from Latin anima "soul, life") refers to the belief that non-human entities are spiritual beings, or at least embody some kind of life-principle
Polytheism=is the belief of multiple deities also usually assembled into a
pantheon of gods and goddesses, along with their own mythologies and rituals.
Henotheism =is the belief and worship of a single god while accepting the
existence or possible existence of other deities.
Monolatry =(Greek: μόνος (monos) = single, and λατρεία
(latreia) = worship) is the recognition of the existence of many gods,
Idolatry =is a pejorative term for the worship of an idol, a physical object such as a cult image, as a god,
or practices believed to verge on worship,
Monotheism =is the belief in the existence of one god or in the oneness of God
THE DIVINE NATURE
God's Existence Assumed by the Old Testament
The Problem of Psalm 14:1
The problem is not one of evidence, but of rebellion and negative volition to God ...
The Unity of God Biblical Texts
The Critical View of the origin of Israel's monotheism and reply
a. The use of the plural Elohim in the early narratives
When used with plural verbs and adjectives elohim is usually plural, "gods" or ... underwent radical changes throughout the period of early Israelite identity.
Names of God - Elohim - YHWH - Yahweh - Adonai - Abba
The Doctrine of atonement in the old testament
In theology, atonement is a doctrine that describes how human beings can be reconciled to God.
The necessity for re-examination of the doctrine of
subsitutionary atonement
Historical theories of atonement
The patristic period
The recapitulation Theory
The Ransom Theory The Ransom Theory
(God deceitfully pays off Satan with a bribe) Introduced by Origen in the third century CE.
The Satisfaction Theory
(Jesus appeases God by being a ritual human sacrifice) Introduced by Anselem, in the late 11th century CE.
The Moral Theory:
(Jesus' death is an example for the rest of humanity to emulate) Introduced by Abelard in the 12th century CE.
The Acceptance Theory
(Atonement comes from the arbitrary choice of God)
Introduced by Scotus circa 1300 CE.
The Penal (a.k.a. Penal-Substitution)
Theory (God's mercy replaces his wrath after the infinite sacrifice of Jesus) Introduced by Reformation theologians circa 1520 CE.
Christus Victor Theory:
Jesus voluntarily allowed himself to be executed. This defeated the power of evil and released humanity from its sin.
Monolatry characterized the earlier stages of Israel's national religion
The problem of I Samuel 26:19
Again, in this situation (24:9, 26:19), Saul's friends encourage Saul to kill his enemy. Saul tries his best to kill David, but David has God's protection.
It appears these enemies, e.g., the Ziphites, were jealous of David. Envy and jealousy will motivate one to do some dastardly deeds.
David's friends encourage David to kill his enemy, Saul. David restrains them, even though God delivers Saul once again to David.
See the contrast: Both "friends" encourage a violation of God's principles.
The Living God
living and true God" (1 Thessalonians 1:9), "the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them"
(Acts 14:15).
Biblical usage of the phrase The false gods
Exodus 20:3-6 – Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Meaning of the phrase
The Spirit of God
exhalation, a breathing out. "Breath" may not seem to make sense as a term for Spirit until one appreciates the fact that breath represents life,
a living, creative force, as plainly described in these verses in which "breath" is used as an analogy for the Spirit of God:
The term - ruach =the word ruach generally means wind, breath, mind, spirit. In a living creature (nephesh chayah),
What is the "Spirit of God" conceived to be in the Old Testament?
God is only One, but He has revealed Himself very distinctly as three persons In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth through his Word. And the Holy Spirit rested upon the waters
[Genesis 1:1-2]. The Father with His Omnipotent Power,
The Son with mighty Word and Wisdom and the Holy Spirit with His Love was present in the origin of Creation. God the Holy Spirit is the action of God
The problem of I Samuel 16:14 and I Kings 22:199-23
Conclusion Saul's suffering is sent by the Lord (v. 14).
However, this is not to be seen as vindictive, since all things beyond human control come from God in Israel's conception of God's all-embracing will
THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES
1. The Holiness of God (1 John 1:5). Holiness is the very excellency of the Divine nature: the great God is "glorious in holiness"
(Ex. 15:11).
The Righteousness of God
The terms
The root meaning of righteousness
Righteousness as conformity to a proper standard or norm is the basic Old
Testament meaning
Righteousness is not simply an abstract moral principle
Righteousness is also expressed in judgment
Righteousness and justice are two sides of God's holiness
The Love of God
The terms Love of God (philotheia and philanthropia) are central notions in monotheistic and polytheistic religions, and are important in one's personal relationship with God (or the gods) and one's conception of God (or the gods).
Love of God can mean, in the philotheia sense, the love that someone has for God, or the gods, and is associated with concepts of piety, worship, and devotions towards God.
Love of God, in the sense of philanthropia, means the love
God has for us, as in Psalm 52:1: "The steadfast love of God endures all the day";Psalm 52:8: "I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever"; Romans 8:39: "Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God";
2 Corinthians 13:14: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all"; 1 John 4:9:
"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his
only Son into the world, so that we might live through him"; etc.
Theophilia means the love or favor of God
and theophilos means friend of God, originally in the sense of being loved by God or loved by the gods but is today sometimes understood in the sense of showing love for God
The Names of God
Significance of Names in Hebrew
The meaning of the Divine Names
El =El had fathered many gods, but most important were Hadad, Yam, and Mot, each
share similar attributes to the Greco-Roman gods: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades
Elohim=for "god" or "gods" in both modern and ancient Hebrew language.usually plural, "gods" or "powers
Eloah =The word Eloah is the singular (or dual) of Elohim
El-Elyon =God Most High = El Elyon The most high God. Strongest of the Strong.
Superlative God - surpassing all others.
In theology, atonement is a doctrine that describes how human beings can be reconciled to God.
The necessity for re-examination of the doctrine of
subsitutionary atonement
Historical theories of atonement
The patristic period
The recapitulation Theory
The Ransom Theory The Ransom Theory
(God deceitfully pays off Satan with a bribe) Introduced by Origen in the third century CE.
The Satisfaction Theory
(Jesus appeases God by being a ritual human sacrifice) Introduced by Anselem, in the late 11th century CE.
The Moral Theory:
(Jesus' death is an example for the rest of humanity to emulate) Introduced by Abelard in the 12th century CE.
The Acceptance Theory
(Atonement comes from the arbitrary choice of God)
Introduced by Scotus circa 1300 CE.
The Penal (a.k.a. Penal-Substitution)
Theory (God's mercy replaces his wrath after the infinite sacrifice of Jesus) Introduced by Reformation theologians circa 1520 CE.
Christus Victor Theory:
Jesus voluntarily allowed himself to be executed. This defeated the power of evil and released humanity from its sin.
Monolatry characterized the earlier stages of Israel's national religion
The problem of I Samuel 26:19
Again, in this situation (24:9, 26:19), Saul's friends encourage Saul to kill his enemy. Saul tries his best to kill David, but David has God's protection.
It appears these enemies, e.g., the Ziphites, were jealous of David. Envy and jealousy will motivate one to do some dastardly deeds.
David's friends encourage David to kill his enemy, Saul. David restrains them, even though God delivers Saul once again to David.
See the contrast: Both "friends" encourage a violation of God's principles.
The Living God
living and true God" (1 Thessalonians 1:9), "the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them"
(Acts 14:15).
Biblical usage of the phrase The false gods
Exodus 20:3-6 – Thou shalt have no other gods before me. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth:
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.
Meaning of the phrase
The Spirit of God
exhalation, a breathing out. "Breath" may not seem to make sense as a term for Spirit until one appreciates the fact that breath represents life,
a living, creative force, as plainly described in these verses in which "breath" is used as an analogy for the Spirit of God:
The term - ruach =the word ruach generally means wind, breath, mind, spirit. In a living creature (nephesh chayah),
What is the "Spirit of God" conceived to be in the Old Testament?
God is only One, but He has revealed Himself very distinctly as three persons In the beginning God created the Heavens and the earth through his Word. And the Holy Spirit rested upon the waters
[Genesis 1:1-2]. The Father with His Omnipotent Power,
The Son with mighty Word and Wisdom and the Holy Spirit with His Love was present in the origin of Creation. God the Holy Spirit is the action of God
The problem of I Samuel 16:14 and I Kings 22:199-23
Conclusion Saul's suffering is sent by the Lord (v. 14).
However, this is not to be seen as vindictive, since all things beyond human control come from God in Israel's conception of God's all-embracing will
THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES
1. The Holiness of God (1 John 1:5). Holiness is the very excellency of the Divine nature: the great God is "glorious in holiness"
(Ex. 15:11).
The Righteousness of God
The terms
The root meaning of righteousness
Righteousness as conformity to a proper standard or norm is the basic Old
Testament meaning
Righteousness is not simply an abstract moral principle
Righteousness is also expressed in judgment
Righteousness and justice are two sides of God's holiness
The Love of God
The terms Love of God (philotheia and philanthropia) are central notions in monotheistic and polytheistic religions, and are important in one's personal relationship with God (or the gods) and one's conception of God (or the gods).
Love of God can mean, in the philotheia sense, the love that someone has for God, or the gods, and is associated with concepts of piety, worship, and devotions towards God.
Love of God, in the sense of philanthropia, means the love
God has for us, as in Psalm 52:1: "The steadfast love of God endures all the day";Psalm 52:8: "I trust in the steadfast love of God forever and ever"; Romans 8:39: "Nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God";
2 Corinthians 13:14: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all"; 1 John 4:9:
"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his
only Son into the world, so that we might live through him"; etc.
Theophilia means the love or favor of God
and theophilos means friend of God, originally in the sense of being loved by God or loved by the gods but is today sometimes understood in the sense of showing love for God
The Names of God
Significance of Names in Hebrew
The meaning of the Divine Names
El =El had fathered many gods, but most important were Hadad, Yam, and Mot, each
share similar attributes to the Greco-Roman gods: Zeus, Poseidon, and Hades
Elohim=for "god" or "gods" in both modern and ancient Hebrew language.usually plural, "gods" or "powers
Eloah =The word Eloah is the singular (or dual) of Elohim
El-Elyon =God Most High = El Elyon The most high God. Strongest of the Strong.
Superlative God - surpassing all others.
El-Shaddai =is conventionally translated as God Almighty.
Adhon =LORD
Yahweh=it is often represented as Jehovah
Other names =Nissi: The Lord Our Banner
Shalom, Tsidkenu, I AM
The Compound Names of Jehovah: Jireh, Rapha, Nissi
Usage of the term ba'al =Baal, god worshiped in many ancient Middle Eastern communities, especially among the Canaanites, who apparently considered him a fertility deity and one of the most important gods in the pantheon.
As a Semitic common noun baal (Hebrew baʿal) meant “owner” or “lord,” although it could be used more generally; for example, a baal of wings was a winged creature, and, in the plural, baalim of arrows indicated archers.
Yet such fluidity in the use of the term baal did not prevent it from being attached to a god of distinct character. As such, Baal designated the universal god of fertility, and in that capacity his title was Prince, Lord of the Earth. He was also called the Lord of Rain and Dew, the two forms of moisture that were indispensable for fertile soil in Canaan.
In Ugaritic and Old Testament Hebrew, Baal’s epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. In Phoenician he was called Baal Shamen, Lord of the Heavens.
MAN AND HIS SIN
THE IDEA AND NATURE OF MAN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Origin of Man =IMMORTALITY OR RESURRECTION
THE OLD TESTAMENT VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., Andrews University
The question posed by the Psalmist,"What is man that thou art mindful
of him?" (Ps 8:4), is one of the most fundamental questions that anyone could consider. It is fundamental because its answer determines the way
we view ourselves, this world, redemption, and our ultimate destiny.
No age knows so much and so many things about human nature as does ours, yet no age knows less about what man really is. Having lost their awareness of God, many people today are concerned primarily with their present existence.
The loss of awareness of God makes many people uncertain about the meaning of life, because it is only in reference to God and His revelation
that the nature and destiny of human life can be truly understood.
Introduction to the problem =SIN
Creation, Fall, and Redemption. In seeking to understand the Biblical view of human nature, we must recognize first that the meaning of human life is defined in Scripture in terms of creation, the fall into sin, and God’s plan of redemption.
These three basic truths are fundamental for understanding the Biblical view of human nature and destiny. Chronologically, these are the first three truths we encounter in Genesis 1 through 3, where we find the first account of creation, the Fall, and redemption. Thematically, everything else in Scripture is a development of these three concepts. They provide the prism through which human existence, with all its problems, is viewed and defined.
When Jesus addressed the question of marriage and divorce, He approached it first in terms of what marriage was meant to be at creation. Then He looked at it from the perspective of the Fall, because sin explains why allowance was made for divorce
(Matt 19:1-8).
Similarly, Paul appeals to creation, the Fall, and redemption to explain the role distinctions between men and women
(1 Cor 11:3-12; 1 Tim 2:12-14) as well as their equality in Christ
(Gal 3:28).
In the Image of God. The distinctive characteristic of man’s relation to God is expressed in the declaration of his creation in the image of God.
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness"
(Gen 1:26; cf. 5:1-3; 9:6).
Elaborate attempts have been made to define what the "image of God"
is in which man was created.
2 Some contend that it is a physical resemblance between God and man.
The problem with this view is that it presupposes that God has a corporeal nature similar to that of human beings. This idea is discredited by Christ’s statement that "God is Spirit"
(John 4:24), which suggests that He is not bound by space or matter as we are. Moreover, the Biblical terms for the physical aspect of human nature
(bashar, sarx—flesh, body) are never applied to God.
The facts of science and the theory of evolution
The three views of the origin of man
The origin of the modern evolutionary theory and the weaknesses of Darwinism
The refutation of organic evolution in the fields of Biology, Embryology,=Embryology is a science which is about the development of an embryo from the fertilization of the ovum to the fetus stage.
Paleontology, and Human Antiquity The refutation of theistic evolution
The Psychology of the Hebrews
Jewish psychologists and the influence of Jewish tradition have been instrumental in creating the field of modern psychology.
The fundamental of several psychological movements can be traced directly to Jewish values, ideas, and practices,
The body= Geviyyah=a body, corpse
The nephesh =The English word "soul" is in every occurrence the rendering of the Hebrew nephesh, except in Job 30:15 and Isa. 57:16.
Though, with these two exceptions, the English word "soul" always represents the Hebrew nephesh, nephesh is not always translated "soul".
The spirit= The word “spirit” refers only to the immaterial facet of humanity. Human beings have a spirit, but are we not spirits.
However, in Scripture, only believers are said to be spiritually alive
(1 Corinthians 2:11; Hebrews 4:12; James 2:26),
while unbelievers are spiritually dead
(Ephesians 2:1-5; Colossians 2:13). In Paul's writing, the spiritual
was pivotal to the life of the believer
(1 Corinthians 2:14; 3:1; Ephesians 1:3; 5:19;
Colossians 1:9; 3:16).
The spirit is the element in humanity which gives us the ability to have an intimate relationship with God. Whenever the word “spirit” is used, it refers to the immaterial part of humanity that “connects” with God, who Himself is spirit(John 4:24).
The heart =When the Bible speaks of the human heart it is speaking of the thinking of a man, a man’s will, a man’s emotions or feelings, a man’s conscience, or any given combinations of these. However, the word may also have reference to the whole inner being of man combining all these elements into the one whole that makes up the man. Each of these aspects of the human heart is worth taking a look at.
The heart is the thinking aspect of man. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”(Prov. 23:7 NKJV) Jesus asks, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?”(Matt. 9:4 NKJV) “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts.” (Matt. 15:19 NKJV) “If that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming.’”
(Matt. 24:48 NKJV) The evil servant says this in his heart because that is what he is thinking. “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”(Luke 2:19 NKJV)
Mary thought about these things and mulled them over in her mind. One could go on and find verse after verse in the Bible teaching the same thing about the heart being the place of thought, reasoning, and understanding within man.
The question that necessarily comes to mind when one thinks about this aspect of the human heart is “Am I responsible for the way I think?” The Bible answers in the affirmative. “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.”(Rom. 8:6 NKJV) “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things.”
(Phil. 4:8 NKJV)
The inward parts
Man in the Image of God
The purpose =The Hebrew Scriptures do not precisely explain what is meant by the image and likeness of God. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges says of the words image and likeness: "'Image' suggests reproduction in form and substance, physical or spiritual: and 'likeness' gives the idea of resemblance and outward similarity."
Man, of course, by no means possesses all the powers, characteristics and attributes of the great Creator God. Nevertheless, we have been created as much as is physically possible in God's own image and likeness.
Throughout the Bible the relationship of God to man is represented as that of a father to his children. And children usually have a strong resemblance to their parents.
The author of Hebrews explains our relationship to God: "For both He who sanctifies [Christ] and those who are being sanctified [Christians] are all of one [Father], for which reason He [Christ] is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: 'I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.' And again: 'I will put My trust in Him.' And again: 'Here am I and the children whom God has given Me'"
(Hebrews 2:11-13 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
[12] Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
[13] And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
The verses quoted above also express and envision God's remarkable purpose for humankind. The message of the Bible shows that God created man with a mind capable of communicating with God and thinking like He thinks. And God wants us to be even more like Him—both in character and, ultimately, in composition.
Our destiny is to be like Jesus Christ now is as the glorified Son of God(1 John 3:2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
THE DOCTRINE OF SIN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
1. Man as a Sinner The word that is used most frequently is hamartia, missing the mark.
The Biblical view of man =IN GOD'S IMAGE.
At Creation God made Man and evaluated him as "GOOD
The Liberal view of man= Contradictory to Scriptures
However, evolutionism and the denial of miracles are diametrically opposed to what the Scriptures teach. Although Christians can adopt modern thinking, they should not let the "spirit of the age" become their ultimate authority, especially when these thoughts contradict the Bible. Man was created by God, not by accident, as evolutionists teach (Gen. 1,2). And if we deny miracles, we must also deny Christ's physical resurrection. But Scripture says,
"If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:17). Without a literal resurrection, there can be no salvation.
The Nature of Sin and Guilt in the Old Testament=
Self-Separation from God, Guilt
Consciousness of Sin and of Obligation to Punishment =
Death Spiritual , Physical, Eternal Sin, having been considered in its origin as matter of revelation and faith, may now be viewed as matter of experience in its nature and development. Here we are shut up to the definitions of Scripture, generally given in a variety of names by which sin
is characterized. These names, which are few but distinct and clear, describe it in two ways.
First, with reference to God, it is the voluntary separation of the human will from the Divine, expressed in disobedience to His law. Secondly, in relation to man, it is guilt, as the consciousness of personal wrong and personal liability to punishment. It will be found that all the revelations of the Word of God concerning sin as such, and apart from its peculiar aspect as original sin, or the sin of the race, may be reduced to these simple elements.
The Hebrew concept of Sina.Sina (SEE-NAH) is a Persian name. "Sina" comes from a Hebrew word meaning: "explorer of knowledge".
The term chata'=the term chata'a means unintentional violations
The term rasha' =The narrow meaning of rasha lies in the concept of "wrongdoing" or "being in the wrong." It is a legal term. Rasha
The term 'asham =The Hebrew word asham means "offering for reparation for negative consequences".
It is often translated as "trespass offering" or "guilt offering".
The term pasha'=pasha, pacha [ˈpɑːʃə ˈpæʃə]. n. (Historical Terms) (formerly) a provincial governor or other high official of the Ottoman Empire or the modern Egyptian
Adhon =LORD
Yahweh=it is often represented as Jehovah
Other names =Nissi: The Lord Our Banner
Shalom, Tsidkenu, I AM
The Compound Names of Jehovah: Jireh, Rapha, Nissi
Usage of the term ba'al =Baal, god worshiped in many ancient Middle Eastern communities, especially among the Canaanites, who apparently considered him a fertility deity and one of the most important gods in the pantheon.
As a Semitic common noun baal (Hebrew baʿal) meant “owner” or “lord,” although it could be used more generally; for example, a baal of wings was a winged creature, and, in the plural, baalim of arrows indicated archers.
Yet such fluidity in the use of the term baal did not prevent it from being attached to a god of distinct character. As such, Baal designated the universal god of fertility, and in that capacity his title was Prince, Lord of the Earth. He was also called the Lord of Rain and Dew, the two forms of moisture that were indispensable for fertile soil in Canaan.
In Ugaritic and Old Testament Hebrew, Baal’s epithet as the storm god was He Who Rides on the Clouds. In Phoenician he was called Baal Shamen, Lord of the Heavens.
MAN AND HIS SIN
THE IDEA AND NATURE OF MAN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Origin of Man =IMMORTALITY OR RESURRECTION
THE OLD TESTAMENT VIEW OF HUMAN NATURE
Samuele Bacchiocchi, Ph. D., Andrews University
The question posed by the Psalmist,"What is man that thou art mindful
of him?" (Ps 8:4), is one of the most fundamental questions that anyone could consider. It is fundamental because its answer determines the way
we view ourselves, this world, redemption, and our ultimate destiny.
No age knows so much and so many things about human nature as does ours, yet no age knows less about what man really is. Having lost their awareness of God, many people today are concerned primarily with their present existence.
The loss of awareness of God makes many people uncertain about the meaning of life, because it is only in reference to God and His revelation
that the nature and destiny of human life can be truly understood.
Introduction to the problem =SIN
Creation, Fall, and Redemption. In seeking to understand the Biblical view of human nature, we must recognize first that the meaning of human life is defined in Scripture in terms of creation, the fall into sin, and God’s plan of redemption.
These three basic truths are fundamental for understanding the Biblical view of human nature and destiny. Chronologically, these are the first three truths we encounter in Genesis 1 through 3, where we find the first account of creation, the Fall, and redemption. Thematically, everything else in Scripture is a development of these three concepts. They provide the prism through which human existence, with all its problems, is viewed and defined.
When Jesus addressed the question of marriage and divorce, He approached it first in terms of what marriage was meant to be at creation. Then He looked at it from the perspective of the Fall, because sin explains why allowance was made for divorce
(Matt 19:1-8).
Similarly, Paul appeals to creation, the Fall, and redemption to explain the role distinctions between men and women
(1 Cor 11:3-12; 1 Tim 2:12-14) as well as their equality in Christ
(Gal 3:28).
In the Image of God. The distinctive characteristic of man’s relation to God is expressed in the declaration of his creation in the image of God.
"Let us make man in our image, after our likeness"
(Gen 1:26; cf. 5:1-3; 9:6).
Elaborate attempts have been made to define what the "image of God"
is in which man was created.
2 Some contend that it is a physical resemblance between God and man.
The problem with this view is that it presupposes that God has a corporeal nature similar to that of human beings. This idea is discredited by Christ’s statement that "God is Spirit"
(John 4:24), which suggests that He is not bound by space or matter as we are. Moreover, the Biblical terms for the physical aspect of human nature
(bashar, sarx—flesh, body) are never applied to God.
The facts of science and the theory of evolution
The three views of the origin of man
The origin of the modern evolutionary theory and the weaknesses of Darwinism
The refutation of organic evolution in the fields of Biology, Embryology,=Embryology is a science which is about the development of an embryo from the fertilization of the ovum to the fetus stage.
Paleontology, and Human Antiquity The refutation of theistic evolution
The Psychology of the Hebrews
Jewish psychologists and the influence of Jewish tradition have been instrumental in creating the field of modern psychology.
The fundamental of several psychological movements can be traced directly to Jewish values, ideas, and practices,
The body= Geviyyah=a body, corpse
The nephesh =The English word "soul" is in every occurrence the rendering of the Hebrew nephesh, except in Job 30:15 and Isa. 57:16.
Though, with these two exceptions, the English word "soul" always represents the Hebrew nephesh, nephesh is not always translated "soul".
The spirit= The word “spirit” refers only to the immaterial facet of humanity. Human beings have a spirit, but are we not spirits.
However, in Scripture, only believers are said to be spiritually alive
(1 Corinthians 2:11; Hebrews 4:12; James 2:26),
while unbelievers are spiritually dead
(Ephesians 2:1-5; Colossians 2:13). In Paul's writing, the spiritual
was pivotal to the life of the believer
(1 Corinthians 2:14; 3:1; Ephesians 1:3; 5:19;
Colossians 1:9; 3:16).
The spirit is the element in humanity which gives us the ability to have an intimate relationship with God. Whenever the word “spirit” is used, it refers to the immaterial part of humanity that “connects” with God, who Himself is spirit(John 4:24).
The heart =When the Bible speaks of the human heart it is speaking of the thinking of a man, a man’s will, a man’s emotions or feelings, a man’s conscience, or any given combinations of these. However, the word may also have reference to the whole inner being of man combining all these elements into the one whole that makes up the man. Each of these aspects of the human heart is worth taking a look at.
The heart is the thinking aspect of man. “For as he thinks in his heart, so is he.”(Prov. 23:7 NKJV) Jesus asks, “Why do you think evil in your hearts?”(Matt. 9:4 NKJV) “For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts.” (Matt. 15:19 NKJV) “If that evil servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming.’”
(Matt. 24:48 NKJV) The evil servant says this in his heart because that is what he is thinking. “But Mary kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.”(Luke 2:19 NKJV)
Mary thought about these things and mulled them over in her mind. One could go on and find verse after verse in the Bible teaching the same thing about the heart being the place of thought, reasoning, and understanding within man.
The question that necessarily comes to mind when one thinks about this aspect of the human heart is “Am I responsible for the way I think?” The Bible answers in the affirmative. “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.”(Rom. 8:6 NKJV) “Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy–meditate on these things.”
(Phil. 4:8 NKJV)
The inward parts
Man in the Image of God
The purpose =The Hebrew Scriptures do not precisely explain what is meant by the image and likeness of God. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges says of the words image and likeness: "'Image' suggests reproduction in form and substance, physical or spiritual: and 'likeness' gives the idea of resemblance and outward similarity."
Man, of course, by no means possesses all the powers, characteristics and attributes of the great Creator God. Nevertheless, we have been created as much as is physically possible in God's own image and likeness.
Throughout the Bible the relationship of God to man is represented as that of a father to his children. And children usually have a strong resemblance to their parents.
The author of Hebrews explains our relationship to God: "For both He who sanctifies [Christ] and those who are being sanctified [Christians] are all of one [Father], for which reason He [Christ] is not ashamed to call them brethren, saying: 'I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.' And again: 'I will put My trust in Him.' And again: 'Here am I and the children whom God has given Me'"
(Hebrews 2:11-13 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,
[12] Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
[13] And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.
The verses quoted above also express and envision God's remarkable purpose for humankind. The message of the Bible shows that God created man with a mind capable of communicating with God and thinking like He thinks. And God wants us to be even more like Him—both in character and, ultimately, in composition.
Our destiny is to be like Jesus Christ now is as the glorified Son of God(1 John 3:2Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.
THE DOCTRINE OF SIN IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
1. Man as a Sinner The word that is used most frequently is hamartia, missing the mark.
The Biblical view of man =IN GOD'S IMAGE.
At Creation God made Man and evaluated him as "GOOD
The Liberal view of man= Contradictory to Scriptures
However, evolutionism and the denial of miracles are diametrically opposed to what the Scriptures teach. Although Christians can adopt modern thinking, they should not let the "spirit of the age" become their ultimate authority, especially when these thoughts contradict the Bible. Man was created by God, not by accident, as evolutionists teach (Gen. 1,2). And if we deny miracles, we must also deny Christ's physical resurrection. But Scripture says,
"If Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins" (1 Cor. 15:17). Without a literal resurrection, there can be no salvation.
The Nature of Sin and Guilt in the Old Testament=
Self-Separation from God, Guilt
Consciousness of Sin and of Obligation to Punishment =
Death Spiritual , Physical, Eternal Sin, having been considered in its origin as matter of revelation and faith, may now be viewed as matter of experience in its nature and development. Here we are shut up to the definitions of Scripture, generally given in a variety of names by which sin
is characterized. These names, which are few but distinct and clear, describe it in two ways.
First, with reference to God, it is the voluntary separation of the human will from the Divine, expressed in disobedience to His law. Secondly, in relation to man, it is guilt, as the consciousness of personal wrong and personal liability to punishment. It will be found that all the revelations of the Word of God concerning sin as such, and apart from its peculiar aspect as original sin, or the sin of the race, may be reduced to these simple elements.
The Hebrew concept of Sina.Sina (SEE-NAH) is a Persian name. "Sina" comes from a Hebrew word meaning: "explorer of knowledge".
The term chata'=the term chata'a means unintentional violations
The term rasha' =The narrow meaning of rasha lies in the concept of "wrongdoing" or "being in the wrong." It is a legal term. Rasha
The term 'asham =The Hebrew word asham means "offering for reparation for negative consequences".
It is often translated as "trespass offering" or "guilt offering".
The term pasha'=pasha, pacha [ˈpɑːʃə ˈpæʃə]. n. (Historical Terms) (formerly) a provincial governor or other high official of the Ottoman Empire or the modern Egyptian
The Medieval Period =In Medieval times religion went through various transitions. Spain had an uneasy truce between the
Muslims of Moorish Spain, and the staunch Catholicism of northern Spain. The Christian church experienced its first great schism,
with the emergence of the Orthodox church, and a series of heretical off-shoots of the Catholic church.
It was a time of conflicting faiths, violent clashes, and the forming of secret socities to escape from open persecution.
Christianity provided the basis for a first European "identity," Christendom, unified until the separation of Orthodox Churches from the Catholic Church in the Great Schism of 1054. Thus started an “Eastern Church” (Orthodox) and a “Western Church” (Catholic). Christianity would see further splits as “heretical” bands appeared, gained popularity, and then were hunted by the Papacy. Some of these split-offs included Catharism (also known as Albigensians), Arianism, Manichaeism, Bogomils, and other various Gnostic off-shoots. They suffered persecution from the Papacy, as did any Jewish believers in Europe.
The Satisfaction Theory=The satisfaction view of the atonement
is a theory in Christian theology related to
the meaning and effect of the death of Jesus Christ
The Moral Influence Theory =The moral influence view of the atonement teaches that the purpose and work of
Jesus Christ was to bring positive moral change to humanity
The Merit Theory=Public Choice Theory suggests that good government policies are an under-
supplied merit good in a democracy.
The Reformation Period =The Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century schism within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants sparked by the 1517 posting of Luther's Ninety-five theses. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to ("protested") the doctrines, rituals, and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led to the creation of new national Protestant churches.
The Socinian or Example Theory=Socinians favor what is called the “example theory” of the atonement, the theory
that Christ bore the sins of His people on the cross
The Government Theory=The governmental view of the atonement (also known as the moral government theory) is a doctrine in Christian theology concerning the meaning and effect of the death of Jesus Christ and has been traditionally taught in Arminian circles that draw primarily from the works of Hugo Grotius. The governmental theory teaches that Christ suffered for humanity so that God could forgive humans apart from punishment while still maintaining divine justice.
The Penal Substitutionary Theory =is a theory of the atonement within Christian theology, developed with the Reformed tradition It argues that Christ, by his own sacrificial choice, was punished (penalised) in the place of sinners (substitution), thus satisfying the demands of justice so God can justly forgive the sins.
The Modern Period =In history, the early modern period of modern history follows the late Middle Ages.
Although the chronological limits of the period are open to debate,
The Mystical Theory =Mystical Atonement Theory is not akin to the normal fellowship between the believer and the Holy Spirit. Rather, this theory presupposes a mystical union which is more akin to the panentheistic and demonic doctrines
The Vicarious Penitence Theory=In theology, atonement is a doctrine that describes how human beings can be reconciled to God.
[1] In Christian theology the atonement refers to the forgiving or pardoning of sin through the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion,
[2] which made possible the reconciliation between God and creation. Within Christianity there are, historically, four main theories for how such atonement might work:
[3] the ransom theory/Christus Victor, the satisfaction theory, the penal substitution theory and the moral influence theory.
The Vicarious Sacrificial Theory of Horace Bushnell =No doctrine of Christ's work has been developed, that can be said to have received the general consent of the Christian world. But there has been a perceptible tendency towards the moral view of it. Review of Anselm
The Theological Meaning of the Word Atonement =In theology, atonement is a doctrine that describes how human beings can be reconciled to God.
The Old Testament terms for imputation.
The terms =Imputed righteousness is a concept in Christian theology that proposes that the "righteousness of Christ ... is imputed to [believers] — that is, treated as if it were theirs through faith."
[1]:It is on the basis of this "alien" (i.e. from the outside) righteousness that God accepts humans. This acceptance is also referred to as justification. Thus this doctrine is practically synonymous with justification by faith.
The Necessity of Blood Atonement =Blood was very sacred to the Jews of Bible times. They considered that blood contained the life, and they got this idea from scripture. In Deuteronomy 12:23 we read:
“But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life,
and you must not eat the life with the meat.” Obviously this was not just
a temporary understanding as we see in Leviticus 3:17:
“This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.” We even see the understanding of the sacredness of blood passed on by the apostles to the early church in Acts 15:29:
The Spirit World in Old Testament Thought=The Bible reveals to
us that there was a time when only God existed. However, that statement
is coupled with the biblical understanding that God actually consists of two beings—the Father and the Son.
John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning [before anything else was created] was the Word [the Son of God—Jesus Christ], and the Word was with God [God the Father], and the Word was God.” God has always existed.
There was never a time when God (both the Father and the Son) did not exist.
The Bible does not tell us what God did before He began creating within
the spirit world and then the physical universe. We are told, however,
that there was a time when God started His Work of creation. We might speculate that God spent a lot of time in planning His creation. We are not told, however, how long this took nor what God did before He began to plan His creation.
Angels =in a variety of religions, are regarded as spirits. They are often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles
The Hebrew Terms, Mal'ak =A diverse body of writings attests
the belief among pre-Christian Jews that the Malak Yahweh, who features so prominently in the Old Testament, was a divine figure, properly denominated Yahweh, but nonetheless distinct from another called Yahweh. The earliest Christians,as well as many other Christian worthies throughout the centuries, have also viewed the Malak Yahweh as a distinct divine person within the Godhead, further explicating it as a Christophany,
that is, an appearance of the pre-incarnate Logos or
Word of God – the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Scriptural basis for this view, beginning with the
Old Testament and concluding with the New
Bene elohim =The Bene Elohim (Hebrew: בני האלהים, Benei HaʼElōhīm; Greek: ϒἱοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, Huioi toū Theoū; "Sons of God") are a group of beings mentioned in passing in the Old Testament book of
Genesis 6:4 .
It is unclear what the Sons of God were, but they are distinguished from the daughters of men. There are at least three schools of thought regarding these beings.
'abbir.=angels (1), bulls (2), chief (1), man (1), mighty (1), mighty ones (1), stallions (3), stouthearted* (1), strong (1), strong men (1), strong ones (1), stubborn-minded* (1), valiant (1), valiant steeds
The Origin of Angels =The word angels is derived from the Greek word angelos, which means messenger. Malakh, the Hebrew word for angel,
also means messenger, and both words nicely coincide with the Persian word for angel, angaros, similarly meaning a courier.
The word "angel" can commonly be used to describe anyone who brings
a message to another, whether a human being or a spirit. However, within some religions, angels are spirit messengers who bring messages of truth
to aid mankind, while conversely, fallen angels bring forth messages of untruth to lead people astray and wreak havoc on Earth.
The view of negative criticism=Spirits, Ghosts & Angels that are highly evolved are very powerful because they know many secrets of the Universe. If they become negative they use this information to exert influence on anyone who will listen to them. All Spirits, Ghosts & Angels that are asked a direct question cannot lie with one exception the Angels. However they all can deceive and they often do this by adopting a number of names in addition to their Spiritual name that they are known by in the Spirit World. I have had negative Angels tell me, they are Jesus Christ, who happens to be my main Spirit Guide, and at times the only way to determine who is talking to me is to ask if this "Energy Form" is an Angel. This answer comes from my Aura Being who can identify any type of "Energy Form". Other Spirits will not lie like this if asked a direct question however they will take on names like God, Mohammed, Jesus, Lord or even Lord Jesus trying to get me and others to believe they are The Creator of all knowledge so they can lead me and others astray. This deception and the fact that they block communication with your Spirit Guide while in your Aura Field, make this area one to avoid if possible.
Muslims of Moorish Spain, and the staunch Catholicism of northern Spain. The Christian church experienced its first great schism,
with the emergence of the Orthodox church, and a series of heretical off-shoots of the Catholic church.
It was a time of conflicting faiths, violent clashes, and the forming of secret socities to escape from open persecution.
Christianity provided the basis for a first European "identity," Christendom, unified until the separation of Orthodox Churches from the Catholic Church in the Great Schism of 1054. Thus started an “Eastern Church” (Orthodox) and a “Western Church” (Catholic). Christianity would see further splits as “heretical” bands appeared, gained popularity, and then were hunted by the Papacy. Some of these split-offs included Catharism (also known as Albigensians), Arianism, Manichaeism, Bogomils, and other various Gnostic off-shoots. They suffered persecution from the Papacy, as did any Jewish believers in Europe.
The Satisfaction Theory=The satisfaction view of the atonement
is a theory in Christian theology related to
the meaning and effect of the death of Jesus Christ
The Moral Influence Theory =The moral influence view of the atonement teaches that the purpose and work of
Jesus Christ was to bring positive moral change to humanity
The Merit Theory=Public Choice Theory suggests that good government policies are an under-
supplied merit good in a democracy.
The Reformation Period =The Protestant Reformation was the 16th-century schism within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants sparked by the 1517 posting of Luther's Ninety-five theses. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to ("protested") the doctrines, rituals, and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led to the creation of new national Protestant churches.
The Socinian or Example Theory=Socinians favor what is called the “example theory” of the atonement, the theory
that Christ bore the sins of His people on the cross
The Government Theory=The governmental view of the atonement (also known as the moral government theory) is a doctrine in Christian theology concerning the meaning and effect of the death of Jesus Christ and has been traditionally taught in Arminian circles that draw primarily from the works of Hugo Grotius. The governmental theory teaches that Christ suffered for humanity so that God could forgive humans apart from punishment while still maintaining divine justice.
The Penal Substitutionary Theory =is a theory of the atonement within Christian theology, developed with the Reformed tradition It argues that Christ, by his own sacrificial choice, was punished (penalised) in the place of sinners (substitution), thus satisfying the demands of justice so God can justly forgive the sins.
The Modern Period =In history, the early modern period of modern history follows the late Middle Ages.
Although the chronological limits of the period are open to debate,
The Mystical Theory =Mystical Atonement Theory is not akin to the normal fellowship between the believer and the Holy Spirit. Rather, this theory presupposes a mystical union which is more akin to the panentheistic and demonic doctrines
The Vicarious Penitence Theory=In theology, atonement is a doctrine that describes how human beings can be reconciled to God.
[1] In Christian theology the atonement refers to the forgiving or pardoning of sin through the death of Jesus Christ by crucifixion,
[2] which made possible the reconciliation between God and creation. Within Christianity there are, historically, four main theories for how such atonement might work:
[3] the ransom theory/Christus Victor, the satisfaction theory, the penal substitution theory and the moral influence theory.
The Vicarious Sacrificial Theory of Horace Bushnell =No doctrine of Christ's work has been developed, that can be said to have received the general consent of the Christian world. But there has been a perceptible tendency towards the moral view of it. Review of Anselm
The Theological Meaning of the Word Atonement =In theology, atonement is a doctrine that describes how human beings can be reconciled to God.
The Old Testament terms for imputation.
The terms =Imputed righteousness is a concept in Christian theology that proposes that the "righteousness of Christ ... is imputed to [believers] — that is, treated as if it were theirs through faith."
[1]:It is on the basis of this "alien" (i.e. from the outside) righteousness that God accepts humans. This acceptance is also referred to as justification. Thus this doctrine is practically synonymous with justification by faith.
The Necessity of Blood Atonement =Blood was very sacred to the Jews of Bible times. They considered that blood contained the life, and they got this idea from scripture. In Deuteronomy 12:23 we read:
“But be sure you do not eat the blood, because the blood is the life,
and you must not eat the life with the meat.” Obviously this was not just
a temporary understanding as we see in Leviticus 3:17:
“This is a lasting ordinance for the generations to come, wherever you live: You must not eat any fat or any blood.” We even see the understanding of the sacredness of blood passed on by the apostles to the early church in Acts 15:29:
The Spirit World in Old Testament Thought=The Bible reveals to
us that there was a time when only God existed. However, that statement
is coupled with the biblical understanding that God actually consists of two beings—the Father and the Son.
John 1:1 tells us, “In the beginning [before anything else was created] was the Word [the Son of God—Jesus Christ], and the Word was with God [God the Father], and the Word was God.” God has always existed.
There was never a time when God (both the Father and the Son) did not exist.
The Bible does not tell us what God did before He began creating within
the spirit world and then the physical universe. We are told, however,
that there was a time when God started His Work of creation. We might speculate that God spent a lot of time in planning His creation. We are not told, however, how long this took nor what God did before He began to plan His creation.
Angels =in a variety of religions, are regarded as spirits. They are often depicted as messengers of God in the Hebrew and Christian Bibles
The Hebrew Terms, Mal'ak =A diverse body of writings attests
the belief among pre-Christian Jews that the Malak Yahweh, who features so prominently in the Old Testament, was a divine figure, properly denominated Yahweh, but nonetheless distinct from another called Yahweh. The earliest Christians,as well as many other Christian worthies throughout the centuries, have also viewed the Malak Yahweh as a distinct divine person within the Godhead, further explicating it as a Christophany,
that is, an appearance of the pre-incarnate Logos or
Word of God – the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Scriptural basis for this view, beginning with the
Old Testament and concluding with the New
Bene elohim =The Bene Elohim (Hebrew: בני האלהים, Benei HaʼElōhīm; Greek: ϒἱοὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, Huioi toū Theoū; "Sons of God") are a group of beings mentioned in passing in the Old Testament book of
Genesis 6:4 .
It is unclear what the Sons of God were, but they are distinguished from the daughters of men. There are at least three schools of thought regarding these beings.
'abbir.=angels (1), bulls (2), chief (1), man (1), mighty (1), mighty ones (1), stallions (3), stouthearted* (1), strong (1), strong men (1), strong ones (1), stubborn-minded* (1), valiant (1), valiant steeds
The Origin of Angels =The word angels is derived from the Greek word angelos, which means messenger. Malakh, the Hebrew word for angel,
also means messenger, and both words nicely coincide with the Persian word for angel, angaros, similarly meaning a courier.
The word "angel" can commonly be used to describe anyone who brings
a message to another, whether a human being or a spirit. However, within some religions, angels are spirit messengers who bring messages of truth
to aid mankind, while conversely, fallen angels bring forth messages of untruth to lead people astray and wreak havoc on Earth.
The view of negative criticism=Spirits, Ghosts & Angels that are highly evolved are very powerful because they know many secrets of the Universe. If they become negative they use this information to exert influence on anyone who will listen to them. All Spirits, Ghosts & Angels that are asked a direct question cannot lie with one exception the Angels. However they all can deceive and they often do this by adopting a number of names in addition to their Spiritual name that they are known by in the Spirit World. I have had negative Angels tell me, they are Jesus Christ, who happens to be my main Spirit Guide, and at times the only way to determine who is talking to me is to ask if this "Energy Form" is an Angel. This answer comes from my Aura Being who can identify any type of "Energy Form". Other Spirits will not lie like this if asked a direct question however they will take on names like God, Mohammed, Jesus, Lord or even Lord Jesus trying to get me and others to believe they are The Creator of all knowledge so they can lead me and others astray. This deception and the fact that they block communication with your Spirit Guide while in your Aura Field, make this area one to avoid if possible.
The Old Testament Idea of Angels =Angels appear mainly to the warrior, builders, lawgivers and teachers in the Old Testament.
The great men portrayed in the Old Testament were not considered odd because they confessed to having seen angels and to have been guided by supernatural powers.
It gave them confidence in their mission and gave them the perseverance that was needed to accomplish good works.
The angels that appear were swift, strong, beautiful, wise and living.
Their activities are worship and glorify God and to carry out His commands. They protect, guide and admonish men. The are present at the hour
of prayer and the time of battle. They are always referred to as male,
as strong warriors ready to protect nations as well as individuals.
They personify virtue, wisdom and love.
Angels do not commonly make their presence visually known, nor do they appear because they are called. They appear unexpectedly
and fill the beholder with awe and strength.
Mediators =Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution, a way
of resolving disputes between two or more parties with concrete effects.
Personalities =The question posed by the Psalmist,"What is man that thou art mindful of him?" (Ps 8:4), is one of the most fundamental questions that anyone could consider. It is fundamental because its answer determines the way we view ourselves, this world, redemption, and our ultimate destiny.
Cherubim =Winged creatures who support the Throne of God,
or act as guardian spirits. They appear in the Bible (the book of Ezekiel)
as bearing the throne and chariot of God, and hence later conceived as a type of angels.
They are also mentioned in
Genesis 3:24 as guardians (or protectors) of the Garden of Eden. They were placed at the gates of the Garden to prevent humans from re-entering and thus gaining access to the Tree of Life.
They also formed the mercy seat on the Ark of the covenant
(Exodus 25:18-20).
The Hebrew Term Etymology=The Jewish ethnonym in Hebrew is יהודים Yehudim (plural of יהודי Yehudi) which is the origin of the English word Jew. The Hebrew name is derived from the region name Judah
(Yehudah יהודה).
Seraphim =The word Seraphim which originates from Hebrew, is the plural version of the word Seraph. So obviously when you say Seraphim, you are referring to more than one Seraph angel.
The Seraphim are a high ranking class of celestial beings, which
were first mentioned in the Old Testament of the Hebrew Bible,
or Tanakh as it's properly called. Subsequent references to the Seraphim then appeared in further Hebrew religious scripture, where they became slightly more developed, and described as having a human like form.
Egyptian etymology, Serref =) From Saraph, "fiery serpent".
From the verb, saraph, "to burn". Egyptian
etymology, Serref. Arabic etymology, Sharupha.
Usage in the Old Testament ...
Meaning and Function of the Seraphim =a word meaning "fiery ones" "In their function as guardians of
Paradise the cherubim bear an analogy to the winged bulls and lions
of Babylonia
The Se'irim The Shedim =Systematic knowledge concerning demons
or evil spirits. Demons (Greek, δαίμονες or δαιμόνια; Hebrew,
[Deut. xxxii. 17; Ps. cvi. 37] and [Lev. xvii. 7; II Chron. xi. 15;
A. V. "devils"; Luther, "Feldgeister" and "Feldteufel"]; Aramaic, or rabbinical, and as spirits animating all elements of life and inhabiting all parts of the world, have their place in the primitive belief of all tribes
and races.
The Lilith =is most well-known as the demoness/goddess who was
the first woman,
created by god at the same time as adam,
Spiritualism in the Old Testament =then, is full of supernormal phenomena, not supernatural
1. Witchcraft or Sorcery=Witchcraft and sorcery are almost identical terms as both use the magic spells,
mystical or paranormal means to harness occult forces to produce desired results
The great men portrayed in the Old Testament were not considered odd because they confessed to having seen angels and to have been guided by supernatural powers.
It gave them confidence in their mission and gave them the perseverance that was needed to accomplish good works.
The angels that appear were swift, strong, beautiful, wise and living.
Their activities are worship and glorify God and to carry out His commands. They protect, guide and admonish men. The are present at the hour
of prayer and the time of battle. They are always referred to as male,
as strong warriors ready to protect nations as well as individuals.
They personify virtue, wisdom and love.
Angels do not commonly make their presence visually known, nor do they appear because they are called. They appear unexpectedly
and fill the beholder with awe and strength.
Mediators =Mediation, as used in law, is a form of alternative dispute resolution, a way
of resolving disputes between two or more parties with concrete effects.
Personalities =The question posed by the Psalmist,"What is man that thou art mindful of him?" (Ps 8:4), is one of the most fundamental questions that anyone could consider. It is fundamental because its answer determines the way we view ourselves, this world, redemption, and our ultimate destiny.
Cherubim =Winged creatures who support the Throne of God,
or act as guardian spirits. They appear in the Bible (the book of Ezekiel)
as bearing the throne and chariot of God, and hence later conceived as a type of angels.
They are also mentioned in
Genesis 3:24 as guardians (or protectors) of the Garden of Eden. They were placed at the gates of the Garden to prevent humans from re-entering and thus gaining access to the Tree of Life.
They also formed the mercy seat on the Ark of the covenant
(Exodus 25:18-20).
The Hebrew Term Etymology=The Jewish ethnonym in Hebrew is יהודים Yehudim (plural of יהודי Yehudi) which is the origin of the English word Jew. The Hebrew name is derived from the region name Judah
(Yehudah יהודה).
Seraphim =The word Seraphim which originates from Hebrew, is the plural version of the word Seraph. So obviously when you say Seraphim, you are referring to more than one Seraph angel.
The Seraphim are a high ranking class of celestial beings, which
were first mentioned in the Old Testament of the Hebrew Bible,
or Tanakh as it's properly called. Subsequent references to the Seraphim then appeared in further Hebrew religious scripture, where they became slightly more developed, and described as having a human like form.
Egyptian etymology, Serref =) From Saraph, "fiery serpent".
From the verb, saraph, "to burn". Egyptian
etymology, Serref. Arabic etymology, Sharupha.
Usage in the Old Testament ...
Meaning and Function of the Seraphim =a word meaning "fiery ones" "In their function as guardians of
Paradise the cherubim bear an analogy to the winged bulls and lions
of Babylonia
The Se'irim The Shedim =Systematic knowledge concerning demons
or evil spirits. Demons (Greek, δαίμονες or δαιμόνια; Hebrew,
[Deut. xxxii. 17; Ps. cvi. 37] and [Lev. xvii. 7; II Chron. xi. 15;
A. V. "devils"; Luther, "Feldgeister" and "Feldteufel"]; Aramaic, or rabbinical, and as spirits animating all elements of life and inhabiting all parts of the world, have their place in the primitive belief of all tribes
and races.
The Lilith =is most well-known as the demoness/goddess who was
the first woman,
created by god at the same time as adam,
Spiritualism in the Old Testament =then, is full of supernormal phenomena, not supernatural
1. Witchcraft or Sorcery=Witchcraft and sorcery are almost identical terms as both use the magic spells,
mystical or paranormal means to harness occult forces to produce desired results
The Hebrew terms Etymology, Its practice =In the Book of Genesis as a mark of the Covenant between God and the descendants of Abraham: "Throughout all generations, every male shall be circumcised when he is eight days old...
Divination The Hebrew term Meaning =Divination (from Latin divinare "to foresee, to be inspired by a god",[2] related to divinus, divine) is the attempt to gain insight into a question or situation by way of an occultic standardized process or ritual Usage =in Connection with Divination.
Divination and Prophecy
The Necromancer ("Familiar spirit") =derives from the Ancient Greek νεκρός (nekrós), "dead
body", ... the spirits of the dead through the use of spells which Circe has taught him. .... Christian and Jewish influences are found in the symbols and conjuration
The Wizard =The root of this word comes from the Hebrew word to know, and implies knowledge available only to the specially initiated and not available to the ordinary person.
The wizard was one who was thought to be acquainted with the secrets of the nonmaterial or unseen world.
Magician =One magician's response to this is that magic is unconcerned with .... The precise meaning of the Hebrew word kashaph, here translated as 'witch' ... It may be noted that gender the Hebrew word kashaph is in the masculine, and in modern Hebrew usage, kashaph is synonemous with a male sorcerer.
Soothsayer =means "foretellers, ... What the
Hebrew word means, it is not so easy to determine.
The word עננים ... The Septuagint uses the word "foreigners"
Enchanter=literally meaning “serpent,
Charmer=The Hebrew word reflects the sense of binding or casting
a spell.
Satan Meaning of the term =The original Hebrew term, satan,
is a noun from a verb meaning primarily to, “obstruct, oppose,
Usage of the term in the Old Testament=In Latin, from which the English word is derived, Lucifer (as a noun) means "light- bearer"
Use of the word "lucifer" in the Bible; 3 "Morning Star" as a title
Problems passages =Three other terms are found in the Old Testament for angel. But, there are some serious problems with this theory of two human lines: a) the term in all
other Old Testament passages, means "angels"
(see Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Psalm 29: 1;
The serpent =is one of the oldest and most widespread mythological symbols. The word is derived from Latin serpens, a crawling animal or snake.
The spirit of evil
Baalzebub =The Devil; Satan. 2. One of the fallen angels
The king of Babylon and the king of Tyre =Satan and the kings Of Tyre and Babylon.
Ezekiel 28:11-17
Conclusion=The original Hebrew term, satan, is a noun from a verb meaning primarily to, “obstruct, oppose,” as it is found in
Numbers 22:22, 1 Samuel 29:4, Psalms 109:6.
Ha-Satan is traditionally translated as “the accuser,” or “the adversary.”
The Hebrew concept of Guilt =The idea of Jewish guilt is sometimes linked to the Jewish concept of repentance
or Teshuva.
The nature of guilt in the Old Testament=Leviticus Chapter 5.
A guilt offering was given for transgressions that resulted in a loss for which restitution was possible (verse 16).
In contrast, a sin offering was only given where restitution was not possible.
SALVATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Hebrew Idea of Salvation =The Jews of the first century expected to be rescued from foreign dominion. This would occur after they suffered (a purification process) for past breaches of their covenant with God.(See: Deuteronomy 4:32, Isaiah 40:1-2,
Jerermiah 31:27-40, Ezekiel 18; 36:24-28, and Hosea 14:2.)
The Hebrew Terms General Usage=Christianity VS Judaism
Life after death: Eternal Salvation in Heaven; Eternal Damnation in Hell; Some believe in a temporal third state before Heaven, known as Purgatory. Some also believe in the doctrine of Universal Reconciliation, that everyone will be saved through Christ.
Reincarnation; temporal suffering in Hell; eventual return to Paradise(Garden of Eden)
The Wrath of God =The wrath of God is His eternal detestation
of all unrighteousness. It is the displeasure and indignation of
Divine equity against evil. It is the holiness of God stirred into activity against sin. It is the moving cause of that just sentence which He passes upon evil-doers.
God is angry against sin because it is a rebelling against His authority, a wrong done to His inviolable sovereignty. Insurrectionists against God’s government shall be made to know that God is the Lord. They shall be made to feel how great that Majesty is which they despise, and how dreadful is that threatened wrath which they so little regarded. Not that God’s anger is a malignant and malicious retaliation, inflicting injury for
the sake of it, or in return for injury received. No; while God will vindicate His dominion as the Governor of the universe, He will not be vindictive.
The Doctrine of Propitiation =is the doctrine that the person & death of Jesus Christ appeases
God's ... Propitiation is that part of God's work of reconciliation in Christ
The linguistic Basis of Propitiation ="The word propitiation carries the basic idea of appeasement, or satisfaction, ... of
Leon Morris, that the linguistic evidence appears to favor “propitiation” as the
Greek and Hebrew terms =Propitiation is translated from the Greek hilasterion, meaning "that which expiates
... compare with "throne of grace" in Hebrews 4:14-16; place of communion,
The Old Testament Concept of Propitiation and the Vicarious Sacrifice of Christ =it biblical to say that Christ took our place and suffered our punishment?
The emendation of the term "propitiation" to "expiation" by the critical interpreters is the act of appeasing or making well disposed (from Latin propitiāre, to appease, from propitius, gracious),
[1] especially a deity, thus incurring divine favor or avoiding Divine retribution.
The Doctrine of Atonement in the Old Testament
The necessity for a re-examination of the Doctrine of Substitutionary Atonement =The Doctrine of Judgment in The Old and New Testaments ... Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His throne. ..... Christ is publicly set forth as our mercy seat or place of atonement(Rom 3:25).
Historical Theories of the Atonement
The Patristic Period =or Patrology is the study of Early Christian writers, known as the Church Fathers.
The Recapitulation Theory =The theory of recapitulation, also called the biogenetic law or embryological parallelism—and often expressed as "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny"—is a disproven biological hypothesis that in developing from embryo to adult, animals go through stages resembling or representing successive stages in the evolution of their remote ancestors.
The Ransom Theory=is one of several doctrines in Christian theology related to the meaning and effect of the death of Jesus Christ.
or Teshuva.
The nature of guilt in the Old Testament=Leviticus Chapter 5.
A guilt offering was given for transgressions that resulted in a loss for which restitution was possible (verse 16).
In contrast, a sin offering was only given where restitution was not possible.
SALVATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Hebrew Idea of Salvation =The Jews of the first century expected to be rescued from foreign dominion. This would occur after they suffered (a purification process) for past breaches of their covenant with God.(See: Deuteronomy 4:32, Isaiah 40:1-2,
Jerermiah 31:27-40, Ezekiel 18; 36:24-28, and Hosea 14:2.)
The Hebrew Terms General Usage=Christianity VS Judaism
Life after death: Eternal Salvation in Heaven; Eternal Damnation in Hell; Some believe in a temporal third state before Heaven, known as Purgatory. Some also believe in the doctrine of Universal Reconciliation, that everyone will be saved through Christ.
Reincarnation; temporal suffering in Hell; eventual return to Paradise(Garden of Eden)
The Wrath of God =The wrath of God is His eternal detestation
of all unrighteousness. It is the displeasure and indignation of
Divine equity against evil. It is the holiness of God stirred into activity against sin. It is the moving cause of that just sentence which He passes upon evil-doers.
God is angry against sin because it is a rebelling against His authority, a wrong done to His inviolable sovereignty. Insurrectionists against God’s government shall be made to know that God is the Lord. They shall be made to feel how great that Majesty is which they despise, and how dreadful is that threatened wrath which they so little regarded. Not that God’s anger is a malignant and malicious retaliation, inflicting injury for
the sake of it, or in return for injury received. No; while God will vindicate His dominion as the Governor of the universe, He will not be vindictive.
The Doctrine of Propitiation =is the doctrine that the person & death of Jesus Christ appeases
God's ... Propitiation is that part of God's work of reconciliation in Christ
The linguistic Basis of Propitiation ="The word propitiation carries the basic idea of appeasement, or satisfaction, ... of
Leon Morris, that the linguistic evidence appears to favor “propitiation” as the
Greek and Hebrew terms =Propitiation is translated from the Greek hilasterion, meaning "that which expiates
... compare with "throne of grace" in Hebrews 4:14-16; place of communion,
The Old Testament Concept of Propitiation and the Vicarious Sacrifice of Christ =it biblical to say that Christ took our place and suffered our punishment?
The emendation of the term "propitiation" to "expiation" by the critical interpreters is the act of appeasing or making well disposed (from Latin propitiāre, to appease, from propitius, gracious),
[1] especially a deity, thus incurring divine favor or avoiding Divine retribution.
The Doctrine of Atonement in the Old Testament
The necessity for a re-examination of the Doctrine of Substitutionary Atonement =The Doctrine of Judgment in The Old and New Testaments ... Righteousness and judgment are the habitation of His throne. ..... Christ is publicly set forth as our mercy seat or place of atonement(Rom 3:25).
Historical Theories of the Atonement
The Patristic Period =or Patrology is the study of Early Christian writers, known as the Church Fathers.
The Recapitulation Theory =The theory of recapitulation, also called the biogenetic law or embryological parallelism—and often expressed as "ontogeny recapitulates phylogeny"—is a disproven biological hypothesis that in developing from embryo to adult, animals go through stages resembling or representing successive stages in the evolution of their remote ancestors.
The Ransom Theory=is one of several doctrines in Christian theology related to the meaning and effect of the death of Jesus Christ.
Worship =is an act of religious devotion usually directed towards a deity.worthscipe, meaning worthiness or worth-ship
Mosaism =Attachment to the system or doctrines of Moses; that which is peculiar to the Mosaic system or doctrines.
Essential Character of this Worship=Monolatry, it is true, implies more than the abstract assertion of the worship of a ...
principle of monolatry lay the essential feature and excellence
of the Mosaic faith.
Ritualism =in the history of Christianity, refers to an emphasis
on the rituals and liturgical ceremony of the church, in particular of
Holy Communion
The place of the Scriptures in public worship =Worship planners will benefit from an assessment of the place of Scripture in worship
The Place of Worship=or house of worship is an establishment
or her location where a group of people (a congregation) comes to perform acts of religious
The requisites for a place of worship=a religious organization including a place of worship
The patriarchal period =Age is the era of the three biblical Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, according to the narratives of
Genesis 12-50
The Mosaic period =The Mosaic period: foundations of the Israelite religion
The problem of Exodus 20 and Deut. 12 =are a set of biblical
principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, murder, theft, and adultery. Different groups follow slightly different traditions for interpreting
and numbering them.
The Ten Commandments appear twice in the Hebrew Bible, in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. According to the story
in Exodus, God inscribed them on two stone tablets, which he gave
to Moses on Mount Sinai. Modern scholarship has found likely influences in Hittite and Mesopotamian laws and treaties, but is divided over exactly when the Ten Commandments were written
and who wrote them.
The locations of the tabernacle =1 Chronicles chapter 22 and
2 Chronicles chapters 1-8. The arrangement of the Mosaic sanctuary -
the tabernacle General description the furnishings of the tabernacle =
. 100 by 50 cubits(Ex.27:9-19).
Contained the brasen altar and the laver. Contained the candlestick, the table of shewbread and the altar of incense. Gold – Redemption. White Purity.The Furniture of the Tabernacle.
7 lamps and 22 almond-shaped bowls.
To burn continually(Ex.27:20-21;
The meaning and symbolism of the sanctuary Its three divisions =
Ark. The only piece of furniture in the holy
of holies, the ark was an oblong chest of acacia wood overlaid within and without with pure gold, measuring two and one-half cubits6 high and one and one-half cubits broad and wide.
Two gold-covered poles were left permanently in four rings on its sides, by which it could be carried. On its top was a golden covering called the mercy seat. It was upon this mercy seat that the blood of the slain goat was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement
(Leviticus 16:15-16).
At each end of the mercy seat and of one piece with it were the cheribim, facing each other and looking down upon the mercy seat. Between these cherubim and above the mercy seat was the dwelling place of the Lord
(Exodus 25:22; Numbers 7:89).
Contained in the ark were the tablets of the law (possibly the Decalogue
[Exodus 25:16, 22]; hence, the name, ark of the testimony), a pot of manna (Exodus 16:33-34), and Aaron's rod that budded
(Numbers 17:10).
Table of shewbread. This was located on the north (or right) side of the holy place, opposite the lampstand. Made of acadia wood overlaid with fine gold, it was two cubits long, one cubit broad, and one and one-half cubits high. It was decorated with a gold molding, and had rings and poles for carrying. Gold accessories were provided for the table: plates for holding the 12 loaves of bread, bowls for frankincense, and vessels for wine.
This bread was to be changed weekly and was viewed as an expression of gratitude to God.
Lampstand.7 This article was placed on the south (or the left) side of the holy place. While no dimensions are given, a talent of gold
(224.6 grams) was used to make it. Composed of seven branches, it had a central shaft which rested on a pedestal and from which three branches projected on each side. The central stem and the six branches each ended in a lamp which provided light for the holy place. Golden accessories to tend the lamps were provided.
Altar of incense. Located in front of the veil separating the holy place from the holy of holies, this altar was of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold, measuring two cubits high and one cubit square. It had a gold molding around it, horns, and poles and rings for transportation purposes.
Incense was to be offered on this altar by the priests every evening and morning.
This use of incense may have served as a much-needed deodorizer, but it most likely reflects the oriental love for sweet odors.
Incense is a symbol of prayer
(Psalm 141:2; Revelation 8:3-5) and probably signifies the ascending prayer of the officiating priest.
Altar of burnt offering. This item, sometimes called the bronze altar, was located in the court between the entrance and the Tabernacle. It was a hollow box of bronze-plated acadia wood, five cubits square and three cubits high, with a horn projection at each corner.8 It was upon this altar that the various prescribed sacrifices were burned; their blood was sprinkled against its base through a grating around the bottom half of all four sides of the altar.
Various bronze implements were provided for its service: pans and shovels for the ashes, forks for handling the meat, and fire pans. According to
Leviticus 6:13, the fire of this altar was never allowed to go out.
The horns of this altar were smeared with blood in the consecration
of priests (Exodus 29:12), in connection with the sin offering
(Leviticus 4:18, 34), and on the annual Day of Atonement
(Leviticus 16:18). They may have been places of asylum, as were their counterparts in Solomon's Temple (1 Kings 1:50-51).
Laver. Made from the bronze of mirrors, this basin was placed midway between the altar of burnt offering and the Tabernacle. While no specific dimensions are given, it must have been fairly large. It was round in shape with a shallower bowl beneath it, into which the used water ran.
The laver was used by priests for ritual ablutions. Since there is no mention made of a vessel in which the parts of the sacrificial animals could be washed, the laver may also have been used for this purpose.
Mosaism =Attachment to the system or doctrines of Moses; that which is peculiar to the Mosaic system or doctrines.
Essential Character of this Worship=Monolatry, it is true, implies more than the abstract assertion of the worship of a ...
principle of monolatry lay the essential feature and excellence
of the Mosaic faith.
Ritualism =in the history of Christianity, refers to an emphasis
on the rituals and liturgical ceremony of the church, in particular of
Holy Communion
The place of the Scriptures in public worship =Worship planners will benefit from an assessment of the place of Scripture in worship
The Place of Worship=or house of worship is an establishment
or her location where a group of people (a congregation) comes to perform acts of religious
The requisites for a place of worship=a religious organization including a place of worship
The patriarchal period =Age is the era of the three biblical Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, according to the narratives of
Genesis 12-50
The Mosaic period =The Mosaic period: foundations of the Israelite religion
The problem of Exodus 20 and Deut. 12 =are a set of biblical
principles relating to ethics and worship, which play a fundamental role in Judaism and most forms of Christianity. They include instructions to worship only God and to keep Sabbath, and prohibitions against idolatry, blasphemy, murder, theft, and adultery. Different groups follow slightly different traditions for interpreting
and numbering them.
The Ten Commandments appear twice in the Hebrew Bible, in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy. According to the story
in Exodus, God inscribed them on two stone tablets, which he gave
to Moses on Mount Sinai. Modern scholarship has found likely influences in Hittite and Mesopotamian laws and treaties, but is divided over exactly when the Ten Commandments were written
and who wrote them.
The locations of the tabernacle =1 Chronicles chapter 22 and
2 Chronicles chapters 1-8. The arrangement of the Mosaic sanctuary -
the tabernacle General description the furnishings of the tabernacle =
. 100 by 50 cubits(Ex.27:9-19).
Contained the brasen altar and the laver. Contained the candlestick, the table of shewbread and the altar of incense. Gold – Redemption. White Purity.The Furniture of the Tabernacle.
7 lamps and 22 almond-shaped bowls.
To burn continually(Ex.27:20-21;
The meaning and symbolism of the sanctuary Its three divisions =
Ark. The only piece of furniture in the holy
of holies, the ark was an oblong chest of acacia wood overlaid within and without with pure gold, measuring two and one-half cubits6 high and one and one-half cubits broad and wide.
Two gold-covered poles were left permanently in four rings on its sides, by which it could be carried. On its top was a golden covering called the mercy seat. It was upon this mercy seat that the blood of the slain goat was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement
(Leviticus 16:15-16).
At each end of the mercy seat and of one piece with it were the cheribim, facing each other and looking down upon the mercy seat. Between these cherubim and above the mercy seat was the dwelling place of the Lord
(Exodus 25:22; Numbers 7:89).
Contained in the ark were the tablets of the law (possibly the Decalogue
[Exodus 25:16, 22]; hence, the name, ark of the testimony), a pot of manna (Exodus 16:33-34), and Aaron's rod that budded
(Numbers 17:10).
Table of shewbread. This was located on the north (or right) side of the holy place, opposite the lampstand. Made of acadia wood overlaid with fine gold, it was two cubits long, one cubit broad, and one and one-half cubits high. It was decorated with a gold molding, and had rings and poles for carrying. Gold accessories were provided for the table: plates for holding the 12 loaves of bread, bowls for frankincense, and vessels for wine.
This bread was to be changed weekly and was viewed as an expression of gratitude to God.
Lampstand.7 This article was placed on the south (or the left) side of the holy place. While no dimensions are given, a talent of gold
(224.6 grams) was used to make it. Composed of seven branches, it had a central shaft which rested on a pedestal and from which three branches projected on each side. The central stem and the six branches each ended in a lamp which provided light for the holy place. Golden accessories to tend the lamps were provided.
Altar of incense. Located in front of the veil separating the holy place from the holy of holies, this altar was of acacia wood overlaid with pure gold, measuring two cubits high and one cubit square. It had a gold molding around it, horns, and poles and rings for transportation purposes.
Incense was to be offered on this altar by the priests every evening and morning.
This use of incense may have served as a much-needed deodorizer, but it most likely reflects the oriental love for sweet odors.
Incense is a symbol of prayer
(Psalm 141:2; Revelation 8:3-5) and probably signifies the ascending prayer of the officiating priest.
Altar of burnt offering. This item, sometimes called the bronze altar, was located in the court between the entrance and the Tabernacle. It was a hollow box of bronze-plated acadia wood, five cubits square and three cubits high, with a horn projection at each corner.8 It was upon this altar that the various prescribed sacrifices were burned; their blood was sprinkled against its base through a grating around the bottom half of all four sides of the altar.
Various bronze implements were provided for its service: pans and shovels for the ashes, forks for handling the meat, and fire pans. According to
Leviticus 6:13, the fire of this altar was never allowed to go out.
The horns of this altar were smeared with blood in the consecration
of priests (Exodus 29:12), in connection with the sin offering
(Leviticus 4:18, 34), and on the annual Day of Atonement
(Leviticus 16:18). They may have been places of asylum, as were their counterparts in Solomon's Temple (1 Kings 1:50-51).
Laver. Made from the bronze of mirrors, this basin was placed midway between the altar of burnt offering and the Tabernacle. While no specific dimensions are given, it must have been fairly large. It was round in shape with a shallower bowl beneath it, into which the used water ran.
The laver was used by priests for ritual ablutions. Since there is no mention made of a vessel in which the parts of the sacrificial animals could be washed, the laver may also have been used for this purpose.
The sacred furnishings
The Content of Mosaic Worship =God uses covenants to make clear what we can expect of Him. He will be faithful. He will offer grace and mercy. We did nothing to earn this. We cannot bargain for a better deal with Him. He instigates covenant with us because He wants relationship with us. He pursues us in the spirit of hesed –
His loving kindness. If we choose not to pursue Him, He will back off for a season. God is not a stalker. God is love, constant, demonstrative love in pursuit of sinners who not only don’t merit it, but rarely recognize it. Knowing He sent His son to pay for our sins so we can reap the benefits of Jesus’ sinless life, can we truly forget His hesed is boundless? Two thousand years later, His covenant remains. And for that reason, we can have relationship with our Creator.
The doctrine of sacrifice =Thus the true sacrifice is offered in every act which is designed to unite us to God in a holy fellowship,
The origin of sacrifice
Critical theories of origin =For critical theory, the objections to positivism were two fold.
(a) Treating facts as ‘given’, meant abstracting them from the wider historical totality that shaped them, thus producing a distorted picture of what was going on.
(b) Positivism was an un reflective doctrine because it failed to recognize the interest it had in the control of things and that this was built into its own assumptions.
The gift theory =By this it is held that sacrifices were originally presents to the deity which the offerer took for granted would be received with pleasure and even gratitude. Good relations would thus be established with the god and favors would be secured. Such motives, while certainly true among many heathen people, were obviously based upon low conceptions of the deity. They were either. Nature-spirits, ancestral ghosts or fetishes which needed what was given, and of course the god was placed under obligations and his favor obtained. Or, the god may have been conceived of as a ruler, a king or chief, as was the custom in the East.
The magic theory
The table-bond theory
The sacramental - communion theory
The homage theory
The religious-instinct theory
The Canaanite theory
There are two slightly variant forms of this: (a) that of R.C. Thompson (Semitic Magic, Its Origins and Developments, 175-218), who holds that a sacrificial animal serves as a substitute victim offered to a demon whose activity has brought the offerer into trouble; the aim of the priest is to entice or drive the malignant spirit out of the sick or sinful man into the sacrificial victim where it can be isolated or destroyed; that of L. Marillier, who holds that sacrifice in its origin is essentially a magical rite.
The liberation of a magical force by the effusion of the victim's blood will bend the god to the will of the man. From this arose under the "cult of the dead" the gift-theory of sacrifice. Men sought to ally themselves with the god in particular by purifying a victim and effecting communion with the god by the application of the blood to the altar, or by the sacrifice of the animal and the contact of the sacrificer with its blood.
Such theories give no account of the burnt offerings, meal offerings and sin offerings, disconnect them entirely from any sense of sin or estrangement from God, and divest them of all piacular value. They may account for certain depraved and heathen systems, but not for the Biblical.
The Table-Bond Theory.
Ably advocated by Wellhausen and W.R. Smith, this view holds that sacrifices were meals which the worshipers and the god shared, partaking of the same food and thus establishing a firmer bond of fellowship between them. Sykes (Nature of Sacrifices, 75) first advocated this, holding that the efficacy of sacrifices "is the fact that eating and drinking were the known and ordinary symbols of friendship and were the usual rites in engaging in covenants and leagues." Thus sacrifices are more than gifts; they are deeds of hospitality which knit god and worshiper together. W.R. Smith has expounded the idea into the notion that the common meal unites physically those who partake of it.
Though this view may contain an element of truth in regard to certain Arabian customs, it does not help much to account for Bible sacrifices. As A.B. Davidson says, "It fails utterly to account for the burnt offering, which was one of the earliest, most solemn and at times the most important of all the sacrifices."
The Sacramental Communion Theory.
This is a modification of the table-bond theory. The basis of it is the totemistic idea of reverencing an animal which is believed to share with man the divine nature. On certain solemn occasions this animal would be sacrificed to furnish a feast.
At this meal, according to mens savage notions, they literally "ate the god," and thus incorporated into themselves the physical, the intellectual and the moral qualities which characterized the animal. If the divine life dwelt in certain animals, then a part of that precious life would be distributed among all the people
In some cases the blood is drunk by the worshipers, thus imbibing the life. Sometimes, as in the case of the sacred camel, they devoured the quivering flesh before the animal was really dead, and the entire carcass was eaten up before morning.
The Content of Mosaic Worship =God uses covenants to make clear what we can expect of Him. He will be faithful. He will offer grace and mercy. We did nothing to earn this. We cannot bargain for a better deal with Him. He instigates covenant with us because He wants relationship with us. He pursues us in the spirit of hesed –
His loving kindness. If we choose not to pursue Him, He will back off for a season. God is not a stalker. God is love, constant, demonstrative love in pursuit of sinners who not only don’t merit it, but rarely recognize it. Knowing He sent His son to pay for our sins so we can reap the benefits of Jesus’ sinless life, can we truly forget His hesed is boundless? Two thousand years later, His covenant remains. And for that reason, we can have relationship with our Creator.
The doctrine of sacrifice =Thus the true sacrifice is offered in every act which is designed to unite us to God in a holy fellowship,
The origin of sacrifice
Critical theories of origin =For critical theory, the objections to positivism were two fold.
(a) Treating facts as ‘given’, meant abstracting them from the wider historical totality that shaped them, thus producing a distorted picture of what was going on.
(b) Positivism was an un reflective doctrine because it failed to recognize the interest it had in the control of things and that this was built into its own assumptions.
The gift theory =By this it is held that sacrifices were originally presents to the deity which the offerer took for granted would be received with pleasure and even gratitude. Good relations would thus be established with the god and favors would be secured. Such motives, while certainly true among many heathen people, were obviously based upon low conceptions of the deity. They were either. Nature-spirits, ancestral ghosts or fetishes which needed what was given, and of course the god was placed under obligations and his favor obtained. Or, the god may have been conceived of as a ruler, a king or chief, as was the custom in the East.
The magic theory
The table-bond theory
The sacramental - communion theory
The homage theory
The religious-instinct theory
The Canaanite theory
There are two slightly variant forms of this: (a) that of R.C. Thompson (Semitic Magic, Its Origins and Developments, 175-218), who holds that a sacrificial animal serves as a substitute victim offered to a demon whose activity has brought the offerer into trouble; the aim of the priest is to entice or drive the malignant spirit out of the sick or sinful man into the sacrificial victim where it can be isolated or destroyed; that of L. Marillier, who holds that sacrifice in its origin is essentially a magical rite.
The liberation of a magical force by the effusion of the victim's blood will bend the god to the will of the man. From this arose under the "cult of the dead" the gift-theory of sacrifice. Men sought to ally themselves with the god in particular by purifying a victim and effecting communion with the god by the application of the blood to the altar, or by the sacrifice of the animal and the contact of the sacrificer with its blood.
Such theories give no account of the burnt offerings, meal offerings and sin offerings, disconnect them entirely from any sense of sin or estrangement from God, and divest them of all piacular value. They may account for certain depraved and heathen systems, but not for the Biblical.
The Table-Bond Theory.
Ably advocated by Wellhausen and W.R. Smith, this view holds that sacrifices were meals which the worshipers and the god shared, partaking of the same food and thus establishing a firmer bond of fellowship between them. Sykes (Nature of Sacrifices, 75) first advocated this, holding that the efficacy of sacrifices "is the fact that eating and drinking were the known and ordinary symbols of friendship and were the usual rites in engaging in covenants and leagues." Thus sacrifices are more than gifts; they are deeds of hospitality which knit god and worshiper together. W.R. Smith has expounded the idea into the notion that the common meal unites physically those who partake of it.
Though this view may contain an element of truth in regard to certain Arabian customs, it does not help much to account for Bible sacrifices. As A.B. Davidson says, "It fails utterly to account for the burnt offering, which was one of the earliest, most solemn and at times the most important of all the sacrifices."
The Sacramental Communion Theory.
This is a modification of the table-bond theory. The basis of it is the totemistic idea of reverencing an animal which is believed to share with man the divine nature. On certain solemn occasions this animal would be sacrificed to furnish a feast.
At this meal, according to mens savage notions, they literally "ate the god," and thus incorporated into themselves the physical, the intellectual and the moral qualities which characterized the animal. If the divine life dwelt in certain animals, then a part of that precious life would be distributed among all the people
In some cases the blood is drunk by the worshipers, thus imbibing the life. Sometimes, as in the case of the sacred camel, they devoured the quivering flesh before the animal was really dead, and the entire carcass was eaten up before morning.
The Kingdom of God Outline The Nature of The Kingdom And Its Central Significance in Scripture
The King And His Kingdom
Christ, The Son Of David
When we understand the parables about the kingdom,
then this means we are instructed in the New Testament
and Old Testament.
The New Testament writers and Jesus Himself took the
Old Testament prophecies literally and applied them to Jesus.
In The Old Testament The Kingdom Of God Is Seen To Be
Visible
And Literal.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND CHRIST'S MISSION
THE NATURE OF THE KINGDOM
The New Testament Equates
The Kingdom Of Heaven And The Kingdom Of God.
Recognize The Present Universal Kingship Of God.
Though The Millennial
Kingdom Hasn't Started Yet, God Is Already King Over
All The Universe.
The Kingdom Is Not Entirely New, But Built Upon
Old Testament Foundations.Abraham, Moses, Israel,
2 Samuel (Son Of David)
The Kingdom Is A Mystery.
It is only understood by those Jesus reveals it to.
THE KINGDOM WHICH IS A MYSTERY IN CONTRAST
TO THE CHURCH WHICH WAS A MYSTERY IS NOW
SAID TO BE REVEALED.
Christ, The Son Of David
When we understand the parables about the kingdom,
then this means we are instructed in the New Testament
and Old Testament.
The New Testament writers and Jesus Himself took the
Old Testament prophecies literally and applied them to Jesus.
In The Old Testament The Kingdom Of God Is Seen To Be
Visible
And Literal.
THE KINGDOM OF GOD AND CHRIST'S MISSION
THE NATURE OF THE KINGDOM
The New Testament Equates
The Kingdom Of Heaven And The Kingdom Of God.
Recognize The Present Universal Kingship Of God.
Though The Millennial
Kingdom Hasn't Started Yet, God Is Already King Over
All The Universe.
The Kingdom Is Not Entirely New, But Built Upon
Old Testament Foundations.Abraham, Moses, Israel,
2 Samuel (Son Of David)
The Kingdom Is A Mystery.
It is only understood by those Jesus reveals it to.
THE KINGDOM WHICH IS A MYSTERY IN CONTRAST
TO THE CHURCH WHICH WAS A MYSTERY IS NOW
SAID TO BE REVEALED.
Christ commissions ministry
Authority order:
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Mark 15:2
And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
And he answered him,“You have said so.”
Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two
Luke10:1
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 And he said to them,
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter,
first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’
6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, fit will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.
8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what
is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in it and say to them,
‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say,
11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’
12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
Authority order:
Matthew 28:18-20
And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
Mark 15:2
And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
And he answered him,“You have said so.”
Jesus Sends Out the Seventy-Two
Luke10:1
After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them on ahead of him, two by two, into every town and place where he himself was about to go. 2 And he said to them,
“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.
3 Go your way; behold, I am sending you out as lambs in the midst of wolves. 4 Carry no moneybag, no knapsack, no sandals, and greet no one on the road. 5 Whatever house you enter,
first say, ‘Peace be to this house!’
6 And if a son of peace is there, your peace will rest upon him. But if not, fit will return to you. 7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking what they provide, for the laborer deserves his wages. Do not go from house to house.
8 Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what
is set before you. 9 Heal the sick in it and say to them,
‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’
10 But whenever you enter a town and they do not receive you, go into its streets and say,
11 ‘Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we wipe off against you. Nevertheless know this, that the kingdom of God has come near.’
12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.
THE KINGDOM IS SPIRITUAL, NOT PHYSICAL
A. THE TEACHING OF JESUS...
1. In His remarks to a scribe - Mk 12:28-34
a. Who questioned Him about the greatest commandment 1)
His kingdom would not be an earthly kingdom
2) Thus His disciples would not need to propagate with the
use of force
b. "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was
born..."
1) Though not a physical kingdom, a true kingdom nonetheless
2) He came into this world to establish a kingdom
B. THE TERMINOLOGY OF MATTHEW...
1. Matthew refers to it as "the kingdom of heaven" in his gospel
2. A quick comparison of the gospels indicate the terms "kingdom
of God" and "kingdom of heaven" refer to the same thing
a. Mt 4:17 with Mk 1:14-15
b. Mt 5:3 with Lk 6:20
c. Mt 13:31 with Mk 4:30-31
3. Why did Matthew use the expression "kingdom of heaven"?
a. Perhaps in view of the Jews' reluctance to use the name of
God (out of reverence)
b. Perhaps in view of the Jews' misconception of the coming
kingdom
1) Many anticipated a physical kingdom
2) The expression "kingdom of heaven" (literally, "kingdom
of the heavens") would emphasize a spiritual kingdom
The kingdom is not a literal kingdom with geographical boundaries and
earthly headquarters, but a spiritual kingdom emanating from heaven.
Perhaps we can best express it this way...
A. THE TEACHING OF JESUS...
1. In His remarks to a scribe - Mk 12:28-34
a. Who questioned Him about the greatest commandment 1)
His kingdom would not be an earthly kingdom
2) Thus His disciples would not need to propagate with the
use of force
b. "You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was
born..."
1) Though not a physical kingdom, a true kingdom nonetheless
2) He came into this world to establish a kingdom
B. THE TERMINOLOGY OF MATTHEW...
1. Matthew refers to it as "the kingdom of heaven" in his gospel
2. A quick comparison of the gospels indicate the terms "kingdom
of God" and "kingdom of heaven" refer to the same thing
a. Mt 4:17 with Mk 1:14-15
b. Mt 5:3 with Lk 6:20
c. Mt 13:31 with Mk 4:30-31
3. Why did Matthew use the expression "kingdom of heaven"?
a. Perhaps in view of the Jews' reluctance to use the name of
God (out of reverence)
b. Perhaps in view of the Jews' misconception of the coming
kingdom
1) Many anticipated a physical kingdom
2) The expression "kingdom of heaven" (literally, "kingdom
of the heavens") would emphasize a spiritual kingdom
The kingdom is not a literal kingdom with geographical boundaries and
earthly headquarters, but a spiritual kingdom emanating from heaven.
Perhaps we can best express it this way...
"THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM"
The Nature Of The Kingdom
1. In our previous study we noted the proclamation of the kingdom of
God...
a. In the preaching of Jesus - e.g., Lk 8:1; Ac 1:3
b. In the preaching of Paul - e.g., Ac 19:8; 28:30-31
-- Certainly the gospel of the kingdom should be an element of our preaching today
2. This naturally leads one to ask,
"What is the kingdom of God?"
a. Is it a literal kingdom, i.e., a physical kingdom?
b. Is the kingdom present or future?
c. What relationship is there between the church and the kingdom?
The answers to such questions will help us understand the "gospel" of the kingdom [In this study we will seek to ascertain the nature of the kingdom, as taught by Jesus and His apostles. We note first that...]
The Nature Of The Kingdom
1. In our previous study we noted the proclamation of the kingdom of
God...
a. In the preaching of Jesus - e.g., Lk 8:1; Ac 1:3
b. In the preaching of Paul - e.g., Ac 19:8; 28:30-31
-- Certainly the gospel of the kingdom should be an element of our preaching today
2. This naturally leads one to ask,
"What is the kingdom of God?"
a. Is it a literal kingdom, i.e., a physical kingdom?
b. Is the kingdom present or future?
c. What relationship is there between the church and the kingdom?
The answers to such questions will help us understand the "gospel" of the kingdom [In this study we will seek to ascertain the nature of the kingdom, as taught by Jesus and His apostles. We note first that...]
THE KINGDOM AS IT RELATES TO JESUS...
In one sense, the kingdom (or reign) of God has always existed God ruled in the affairs of man in ages past -
Ps 103: 19; 145:1,13
A lesson learned by Nebuchadnezzar Dan 4:1-3,32,34-35
In a special way, God would exercise His rule in the affairs of men As foretold by Daniel -Dan 2:44
As proclaimed by Gabriel concerning Jesus - Lk 1:31-33
This God would do in the person of Jesus Christ As foretold by David - Ps 2:1-12; 110:1-3
Manifestations of this rule were evident even during His earthly ministry - Lk 10:1,8-11; 11:20; Mt 12:28
Though the full extent of this rule would begin after His ascension - Mt 28:18; Ep 1:20-22; 1Pe 3:22; Re 2:26-27; 3:21
In one sense, the kingdom (or reign) of God has always existed God ruled in the affairs of man in ages past -
Ps 103: 19; 145:1,13
A lesson learned by Nebuchadnezzar Dan 4:1-3,32,34-35
In a special way, God would exercise His rule in the affairs of men As foretold by Daniel -Dan 2:44
As proclaimed by Gabriel concerning Jesus - Lk 1:31-33
This God would do in the person of Jesus Christ As foretold by David - Ps 2:1-12; 110:1-3
Manifestations of this rule were evident even during His earthly ministry - Lk 10:1,8-11; 11:20; Mt 12:28
Though the full extent of this rule would begin after His ascension - Mt 28:18; Ep 1:20-22; 1Pe 3:22; Re 2:26-27; 3:21
THE KINGDOM IS THE REIGN OF GOD IN CHRIST
A. THE TERM "KINGDOM"...
1. As used by the Jews 1 that Jesus expected
the world immediately to come to an end by apocalyptic intrusion of God for the establishment of the kingdom of God on earth
a. It often stressed the abstract idea of rule or dominion
Matthew 12:32 Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven, either in this age or in the age to come.
Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
Romans 8:38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers,
Ephesians 2:2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient.
Ephesians 3:10 His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
Philippians 2:9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name,
Kingdom of God is not not a geographical area surrounded by physical boundaries.
Consider its use by Jesus in Mt 6:10
"Your kingdom come; Your will be done..."
Note the Hebrew parallelism (saying the same thing in two different ways) the kingdom (or reign) of God would come as
His will was done on earth
Consider its use by Jesus in Mt 6:33
"But seek first the kingdom of God and its righteousness"
The righteousness of the kingdom is that conduct in conformity to God's will ,we seek the kingdom (or rule) of God to the extent we submit to His righteousness
THE NATURE OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD
The Message Of The Kingdom Was Central In
The Ministry Of John The Baptist,Jesus And The Apostles.In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” a. Prepare the way of the Lord: Matthew used this passage from Isaiah 40:3 to identify John the Baptist as the prophesied forerunner of the Messiah. In this role, John’s purpose was to prepare hearts for the Messiah, and to bring an awareness of sin among Israel so they could receive the salvation from sin offered by the Messiah (Matthew 1:12).
The kingdom of God is the central message or theme in the New Testament.
The Apostles Preached The Kingdom Of God
Many Or Most Of Jesus Parables Were Parables Of The Kingdom Of God.
Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Christ Instruction To His Disciples After His Resurrection Concerned Things Pertaining To The Kingdom Of God.
Acts 1:3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
The Kingdom Of God Was The Message Of Early Church. As we have seen, Jesus' ministry centered on the Kingdom. In keeping with Christ's direction, His disciples continued to proclaim the Kingdom after His crucifixion.
The importance of Jesus Christ's life, sacrifice and resurrection was a vital part of the message taught by the apostles. The apostle Peter made this clear in his first public preaching on the very day the Church began with the miraculous outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:22-24 [22] Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
[23] Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
[24] Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
The Establishment Of The Kingdom Was The Purpose For Which God Sent Jesus Into The World.
Jesus Told Us To Pray For The Coming Of God's Kingdom
He Tells Us To Seek First The Kingdom Of God.
The Kingdom Of Israel And The Millennial Future Kingdom God was king in Israel
MILLENNIAL KINGDOM
Passages of the Old Testament ... anticipating a future day of glory for Israel find their fulfillment in the millennial reign of Christ.
The regathering of Israel, a prominent theme of most of the prophets, has its purpose realized in the re-establishment of Israel in their ancient land. Israel as a nation is delivered from her persecutors in the time of tribulation and brought into the place of blessing and restoration"
The Message Of The Kingdom Was Central In
The Ministry Of John The Baptist,Jesus And The Apostles.In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” a. Prepare the way of the Lord: Matthew used this passage from Isaiah 40:3 to identify John the Baptist as the prophesied forerunner of the Messiah. In this role, John’s purpose was to prepare hearts for the Messiah, and to bring an awareness of sin among Israel so they could receive the salvation from sin offered by the Messiah (Matthew 1:12).
The kingdom of God is the central message or theme in the New Testament.
The Apostles Preached The Kingdom Of God
Many Or Most Of Jesus Parables Were Parables Of The Kingdom Of God.
Matthew 4:23 Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Christ Instruction To His Disciples After His Resurrection Concerned Things Pertaining To The Kingdom Of God.
Acts 1:3 After his suffering, he showed himself to these men and gave many convincing proofs that he was alive. He appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke about the kingdom of God.
The Kingdom Of God Was The Message Of Early Church. As we have seen, Jesus' ministry centered on the Kingdom. In keeping with Christ's direction, His disciples continued to proclaim the Kingdom after His crucifixion.
The importance of Jesus Christ's life, sacrifice and resurrection was a vital part of the message taught by the apostles. The apostle Peter made this clear in his first public preaching on the very day the Church began with the miraculous outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:22-24 [22] Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know:
[23] Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:
[24] Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
The Establishment Of The Kingdom Was The Purpose For Which God Sent Jesus Into The World.
Jesus Told Us To Pray For The Coming Of God's Kingdom
He Tells Us To Seek First The Kingdom Of God.
The Kingdom Of Israel And The Millennial Future Kingdom God was king in Israel
MILLENNIAL KINGDOM
Passages of the Old Testament ... anticipating a future day of glory for Israel find their fulfillment in the millennial reign of Christ.
The regathering of Israel, a prominent theme of most of the prophets, has its purpose realized in the re-establishment of Israel in their ancient land. Israel as a nation is delivered from her persecutors in the time of tribulation and brought into the place of blessing and restoration"
God Calls You to Ministry
4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth. ” 7 But the LORD said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.”
9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.”
12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”
4 Now the word of the LORD came to me, saying,
5 “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you; I appointed you a prophet to the nations.”
6 Then I said, “Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, I do not know how to speak, for I am only a youth. ” 7 But the LORD said to me,
“Do not say, ‘I am only a youth’; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak.
8 Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the LORD.”
9 Then the LORD put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the LORD said to me, “Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.
10 See, I have set you this day over nations and over kingdoms, to pluck up and to break down, to destroy and to overthrow, to build and to plant.”
11 And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, “Jeremiah, what do you see?” And I said, “I see an almond branch.”
12 Then the LORD said to me, “You have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it.”
Old Testament Believers and New Testament Christians
A comparison of the spiritual condition of the
Old Testament believers
And New Testament Christians.
What was the spiritual condition of the Old Testament believers as compared or contrasted
to the spiritual condition
of New Testament Christians?
There has been a long-standing difference of opinion among theologians on this issue. The differing opinions have been largely due to the presuppositions with which different theologians and interpreters commence to interpret the Scriptures.
The Dispensationalist theologian begins with presuppositions about varying time periods called "dispensations," during which periods God is said to have operated in different manners for different purposes.
Based on this presuppositional grid of differing "dispensations" or "economies" (the Greek word is oikonomia, from which we get the English word "economy"), the Dispensational theologian usually concludes that the
Old Testament believers did not have any of the "benefits" of regeneration, indwelling of the Holy Spirit, etc. that are the exclusive privilege of New Testament Christians. So in traditional Dispensational thought there is a complete discontinuity, a total disconnection, of those in previous dispensations from those in the so-called "dispensation of grace" or the "church age."
The Reformed or Covenant theologian begins with presuppositions about a singular covenantal basis of relationship between God and man. Based on this presuppositional grid of common covenant, the Covenant theologian concludes that the Old Testament believers shared in the same covenant relationship with God as do
New Testament Christians;
they belonged to the same "church" and enjoyed
the same saving "benefits." In covenant theology there
is a continuity of old and new that often becomes total identification of the two, based on the singular covenant idea. The more fair-minded covenant theologians will often admit that though there is a "continuity" of benefit from
old to new, there is some sense in which Christians in the new covenant have a superior participation in these "benefits." Let me declare here at the outset that I reject the man-made presuppositional grids of both the Dispensationalist theologian and the Covenant theologian. Rather than starting with arbitrary dispensations of time
or an idea of covenant relationship,
I believe that the Bible, from beginning to end, should be interpreted specifically from the perspective
of The person and work of Jesus Christ, comprising
a Christocentric theology.
Christian theology must commence with Jesus Christ!
The presupposition of Christian theology is that Jesus Christ is God.
When one interprets the Scriptures from the center-point of Jesus Christ and His historic redemptive mission and
His "finished work" in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension and Pentecostal out-pouring, then it is logically plausible to see the historic connection between the relationship of God with the Old Testament believers and what God has made available to Christians in Jesus Christ, as well as the radical difference between the prospective belief of the Old Testament believers and the vital ontic dynamic of the life of Jesus Christ in Christians.
Thus one's theology maintains both a sense of continuity
as well as discontinuity between Old Testament believers and New Testament Christians.
In describing the Dispensationalist and Covenant theological positions
I have referred to how they apply the "benefits" of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ back to Old Testament personages. It is not Scripturally proper to speak of detached "benefits" of Christ, but only of the very activity of the Being of Jesus Christ. There is no grace, no salvation, no righteousness, no life, no presence and work
of the Holy Spirit, apart from the activity of the person and Being of Jesus Christ.
Only as Jesus Christ functions as Savior, as Righteousness, as Life, as the Spirit of Christ do these realities exist and apply in our Christian lives. They are inherent in the personal ontological activity of the risen Lord Jesus. There are no Christian "benefits" except as they are related to and expressed by the active Being of Jesus Christ. So when the Reformed professor of theology, Robert J. Dunzweiler, writes of "the potential application
of all of the benefits (italics added) of Christ's redemption to the believer under the older dispensation,
"1 and asserts that "the benefits (italics added) of Christ's redemption can be applied before that redemption is accomplished,
"2 he is working with religious categories and "commodities" which the Bible knows nothing about, as
well as an extra-Biblical accounting of history and time.
Dunzweiler's attempted explanation of the retroactive application of Christian "benefits" is based on the understanding that "Christ's redemptive work was certain in God's eternal purpose, and thus atonement benefits (italics added) could be applied before the atonement was actually accomplished in time.
"3 First of all, this reasoning is based on his Calvinistic theological starting-point, which commences with the purposes, plan, decrees, and will of God, rather than with the intent of God in accord with His nature and character. Secondly, Professor Dunzweiler's common covenantal presuppositions force him to stretch so-called Christian "benefits" of redemption and atonement back retroactively into a time period prior to their historic enactment. Alongside of this Calvinist Reformed explanation of retroactive application of Christian "benefits," is another explanation which employs Gnostic and mystic conceptions in order to apply Christian "benefits" to Old Testament peoples. This teaching presupposes an abstract, sometimes cyclical, understanding of time and history, rather than the chronologically sequential and linear perspective of time and history that are foundational to the Biblical record.
4 Positing as their starting-point the statement of
"the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world"
(Rev. 13:8), some have argued that the redemptive work of Jesus Christ has been accomplished in the "eternality"
of the precreation past. The "benefits" of Christ's redemptive work are therefore alleged to be applicable
to the believers of the Old Testament. The grace of God is said to have been receivable by faith so as to effect regeneration, salvation, righteousness and the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit. All of the Christian "benefits" become "virtual reality" for the Hebrew peoples of the
Old Testament.
Apart from challenging their Gnostic conception of time and history, the first question should be a textual and exegetical challenge to their initial premise in utilization
of the text in Revelation 13:8.
The King James Version translates the phrase,
"the Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world,"
but newer English translations such as the Revised Standard Version (RSV) and the New American Standard Bible (NASB) recognize that the prepositional phrase "from the foundation of the world" is more correctly applied as qualifying the verb action of "those who names are written in the book of life." Thus the NASB translates
Rev. 13:8, "everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain." This is consistent with John's subsequent inspired usage of the same phrase in
Revelation 17:8 when he mentions those "whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world." Hermeneutic consistency all but eliminates the phrase referring to "the lamb slain before the foundation of the world" which has so often been theologically misapplied. Even if the KJV phrase were retained, it is theologically inadmissible to posit an actual crucifixion of Christ before time.
Such becomes an abstract idea, a tenuous tenet, epistemological belief in which becomes entirely subjective and mystical. It is completely detached and divorced from historical objectivity and the ontological reality of the presence and activity of
the risen Lord Jesus. When Christians begin to "play loose" with history and set up ethereal ideas outside of chronological time, then their belief-system is but an ideological abstraction that can be subjectively twisted to any existential end. When the "Lamb slain" is regarded
as a prehistorical accomplishment, then the historical crucifixion of Jesus on a cross outside of Jerusalem
becomes an unnecessary redundant enactment, a charade, a meaningless "acting out" or "play-acting."
God forbid that the death of Jesus Christ should be cast as such an abstraction in the eternal "absence of time," rather than as an historical actuality within the linear time of human history. If the phrase referring to "the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world" is retained, it can mean nothing more than that in the foreknowledge of God it was predetermined that the Word should become flesh
(John 1:14) and there would be an historic space/time crucifixion of the incarnate Son of God whereby He would vicariously take the death consequences of humanity's sin upon Himself, and that in order to give His life
(John 10:10) to men who would receive Him by faith.
The historic space/time context is foundational to Christianity, else all becomes but a mythical, mystical abstraction. Christianity must always be documented
to be rooted in verifiable human history.
The historical record of Scripture is based on a sequential chronology from past to future, from Genesis to Revelation.
There are those who might not engage in Gnostic the realizing and spiritualizing, but still trample on Biblical history by transferring Christian ideas of the new covenant back into the Old Testament. Such a retroactive importation allows them to interpolate New Testament ideas into their interpretation of the Old Testament.
Thus they implement the interpretive technique of eisegesis (reading or leading into the text) rather than the acceptable hermeneutic technique of exegesis (deriving out of the text the reading or leading intended). Justification
for this reverse projection of Christian realities is
sometimes sought by appealing to the fact that God is
"the same yesterday, today and forever"
(Heb. 13:8). Indeed God is immutable in nature and character, but this is not to deny that God can make different choices and do something new and novel. Though God's character never changes, He can change His modus operandi. God's hands are not tied to precedent actions,
nor are subsequent actions to be made equivalent or identical with all precedent actions.
God is free, independent and spontaneous. So the "historical revisionism" that projects Christian realities back into the Old Testament era, and attributes to Hebrew believers all that has been made available to Christians in Christ, is invalid and dishonest. Those who thus reconstruct and
taint the Biblical historical record are usually attempting
to revise, rewrite and reinterpret Old Testament history
so that it corresponds with their particular presuppositions of theology to support their particular ethical or eschatological agenda.
The question must be asked again: If the Old Testament believers experienced all of the spiritual "benefits" that
are derived from the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ, that in a retroactive "prior reality," why then did Jesus need to become historically incarnate and be crucified?
Did He "die needlessly"(Gal. 2:21), since everything
was readily available? Paul could not accept such reasoning and neither can we. A more detailed consideration of some of these Christian realities that are often projected back
into the Old Testament is now in order.
Grace
The Hebrew language did not have a term for what we know as the new covenant concept of "grace." The Hebrew word hen referred to "favor, pity, good-will, compassion, mercy, kindness, a favorable inclination toward another." Noah, for example, is said to have "found favor in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6:8), and other Old Testament personalities obviously experienced God's graciousness
as well. To recognize God's graciousness in the Old Testament is not the same as participating in the activity
of God in Jesus Christ as "grace" is used in the
New Testament.
The Greek word charis is employed by Paul and the other New Testament writers to refer to a reality that was altogether new and unique: the "new and living way"
(Heb. 10:20)
of the "new covenant" (Heb. 8:8), wherein Christians receive "newness of life"(Rom. 6:4) in Christ Jesus.
L.S. Smedes notes that "The deep meaning Paul conveys with the word 'grace' is hardly suggested by the Hebrew word hen, which the LXX translated as charis... It is not surprising that Paul never quotes from the Old Testament in order to establish his use of the word 'grace.'"
5 James Moffatt amplifies this point, noting that "...in handling the pre-Christian period of God's relations
with Israel,...He (Paul) never cites any Old Testament
text for grace.
"6 "It is not...that Paul conceives of God as ungracious during the pre-Christian period; Israel had its religious benefits. But 'grace' is so distinctively the mark of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ that he reserves it exclusively for the experiences of Christian men. In other words, 'grace' belongs to the years A.D., not to B.C."
7 John W. Nevin concurs when he writes that "the patriarchs and saints of the Old Testament,... their spiritual life, their union with God, their covenant privileges...constituted at best but an approximation to
the grace of the gospel, rather than the actual presence
of it in any sense itself.
"8 The Hebrew word hen in the Old Testament referred primarily to an attribute of God, whereas the Greek word charis in the New Testament is used to refer to the new
and unique activity of God in Jesus Christ. Numerous Scriptural affirmation in the New Testament link "grace
" to the historically revealed Jesus: "The Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
Paul explains to the Jerusalem Council, "we believe that we are saved through the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ"(Acts 15:11). T
o the Corinthians Paul writes, "I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you
in Christ Jesus"
(I Cor. 1:4). Paul begins his epistle to
the Ephesians "to the praise of the glory of His grace,
which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved"
(Eph. 1:6).
In the second letter to Timothy, Paul writes of God's "own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus"
(II Tim. 1:9), as well as "the grace that is in
Christ Jesus"
(II Tim. 2:1). The last verse in the Bible commends that "the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all"
(Rev. 22:21). This sequence of Scriptures documents that "grace" is specifically identified with the historical person and work of Jesus Christ. There is a specific Christocentric meaning of "grace" in the New Testament. The Old Testament believers experienced God's graciousness and kindness and favor, but not the specific "grace" of God in Jesus Christ wherein His activity is expressed by the dynamic of the life of the risen Lord Jesus. Such "grace"
of the new covenant was a promise that the Israelite peoples did not receive (Heb. 11:13) nor participate in.
God's activity of "grace" in Jesus Christ must not be read back into the Old Testament narrative, for such was "realized", came to pass, happened historically "in Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
Faith
The response to God's grace in Jesus Christ is intended
to be the human response of "faith." The Hebrew language did not have a word that corresponds with the New Testament idea of "faith" either. An English Bible concordance reveals that the translators of the KJV used the English word "faith" only twice in the entirety of their translation of the Old Testament
(Deut. 32:20; Hab. 2:4). James S. Stewart notes that
"in neither place is it a strictly accurate translation of the original."
9 In both verses the better translation would be "faithfulness" or "fidelity." The NASB translates four different Hebrew words with the English word "faith"
(Deut. 32:51; Job 39:12; Ps. 146:6; Hab. 2:4),
and they too would best be translated as "trust," "truth"
or "faithfulness." J.F.H. Gunkel has explained that
"if it is a doctrine of faith we are seeking, we shall search
the Old Testament Scriptures in vain."
10God created man to respond to Him and His activity
in freedom of choice. There has always been this "condition"
of human response which can be generally referred to
as "faith." Thus there is cause to question whether in God's dealings with man He would ever institute an "unconditional covenant" with Abraham(Dispensationalism) or "unconditional election" (Calvinism).
11The Old Testament believers responded to God's gracious activity. They believed that God was true, reliable and faithful, and therefore they were convinced of, assented to, and confessed God's Old Testament revelation of Himself. They put their confidence in God and trusted Him. The New Testament Scriptures refer to this response as "faith," and mention specifically the faith of Abraham (Rom. 4:9,12,16; Gal. 3:7,9,11; Heb. 11:8,17; James 2:22,23), Abel (Heb. 11:4), Enoch
(Heb. 11:5), Sarah (Heb. 11:11), Isaac
(Heb. 11:20),
Jacob (Heb. 11:21), Joseph (Heb. 11:22), Moses(Heb. 11:23,24) and Rahab(Heb. 11:31), as well as "Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets"(Heb. 11:32).
12The faith-response of the Old Testament believers was not necessarily equivalent to the New Testament response to the "grace" of God in Jesus Christ. The Jewish persons believed and trusted in God based on the revelation given to them, but this was a preliminary form of response based on a preliminary and incomplete revelation and covenant, which was but a pictorial prefiguring of the completeness of the new covenant in Jesus Christ and the full content of a faith response which receives the divine life of Jesus Christ.
James Stewart explains that "with Abraham and with Jewish religion generally, the centre of gravity lay in the future, and hope was directed towards the fullfilment of still outstanding prophecies; whereas Paul had definitely passed beyond the sphere of hope and promise into that of realized fact. Hence faith was not so much a confidence that God's word would some day be fulfilled, as a recognition that it had been fulfilled already, and fulfilled in a way that claimed the surrender of a man's life in love and gratitude and obedience."
Faith in the New Testament was invested with a fullness
of meaning that was not possible in the Old Testament. Stewart again notes that
"From the moment when Jesus laid His hands on this word and baptized it into His own message to the world, its place in Christianity was secure." There is no doubt that the object of the faith of the Old Testament believers was God and His promised Messiah. "Moses...considered the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures
of Egypt" (Heb. 11:26), but he still "did not receive what was promised"(Heb. 11:39). The faith of the Old Testament believers was a prospective faith, believing in the promise of the prospect of the Messiah (for the person and work of Christ was not a "virtual reality" or "prior reality").
Christian faith is a receptive faith that receives the Being and activity of the risen Lord Jesus, the fulfillment of the promise and the provision of divine activity in humanity.
William Barclay has noted that "the first element in faith
is what we can only call receptivity."
13 New Covenant faith is our receptivity of the presence and activity of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. We "receive Him" (John 1:12); we "receive the Spirit" (Gal. 3:2),
the Spirit of Christ who is to live out His life in our behavior to the glory of God. Christian faith is the receptivity whereby spiritual union and communion is effected between Christ and the Christian (I Cor. 6:17), and the Divine Being is allowed to function within the human being, which was God's intent for mankind. It is impossible to legitimately attribute Christian faith to Old Testament believers.
The reality of the indwelling spiritual union and communion was not made available until the historic death of Christ for the consequences of sin and the historic resurrection of Christ for the renewal of God's life in man. Christian teachers should be very cautious about utilizing Old Testament believers as allegorical or typological examples of Christian faith, lest they be encouraging what is less than new covenant response to Jesus Christ. The Old Testament believers did indeed have a form of faith that believed and trusted in God, but it was not a spiritually receptive faith, for they "died in faith, without receiving the promises"
(Heb. 11:13, 39).
The entire thrust of the argument of the "faith chapter"
in Hebrews 11 is that in the new covenant we participate
in a "better faith" than that exercised in the Old Testament era.
Regeneration Life The grace of God in Christ received by faith allows the life of God in Christ to indwell and become functional in the receptive Christian. The commencement
of that indwelling and living function is referred to as "regeneration," since the life of God is "brought into being again" within the spirit of man.
14The Old Testament never employs the terminology
of "regeneration" or being "born" with the spiritual life of God in reference to Old Testament believers. Neither does the New Testament ever apply such terminology to Old Testament personages in the past. "Regeneration" and spiritual life are exclusively related to the unique spiritual union between Jesus Christ and the Christian.
The "Word of God" (Jesus Christ) became incarnate (John 1:14). "In Him was life" (John 1:4). He proclaimed that He was "the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6), and that He "had come that we might have His life" (John 10:10). "Whoever believes in the Son has the eternal life" of Jesus Christ (John 3:16, 36). "He who has the Son has the life" (I John 5:12), and has "passed out of death into life" (I John 3:14).
15"The Spirit (of Christ) gives life" (II Cor. 3:6), whereby the Christian can "walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4), "reign in life through Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17), and be "saved by His life" (Rom. 5:10). The commencement of the presence and activity of Christ's life in the Christian is often referred to with the analogy of "birth" in the New Testament. The Christian is said to be "born again through the living and abiding word of God, " i.e. Jesus Christ
(I Peter 1:23); "born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (I Peter 1:3).
It is important to note in the above quotation from Peter that this initiation of the presence and function of divine life in the Christian is based upon the historic prerequisite of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead unto life, the Christian can "pass out of death into life" (I John 3:14), that by being "born of God"
(I John 4:7; John 1:13), "born of the Spirit" of Christ
(John 3:6,8), "born from above" (John 3:3,7). "He saved us...by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit"(Titus 3:5). Nowhere in Scripture are the
Old Testament believers said to have "passed from death
to life," to have been "regenerated," to have been "born again," or to have participated in the dynamic of the indwelling life of the risen Lord Jesus.
Professor Dunzweiler, in his attempt to document "regeneration and indwelling in the Old Testament period," defines regeneration as "that ministry of the Holy Spirit by which He imparts spiritual life to one who is spiritually dead."
He proposes in his conclusion that "Old Testament believers were both regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Old Testament saints, before they became saints, were spiritually dead and needed the Holy Spirit's impartation of spiritual life in order to become spiritually alive. ...the new life that was created in them by the Holy Spirit was also sustained in them by the Holy Spirit, and He was personally and savingly related to them in various ways.
Once again, Professor Dunzweiler fails to connect life with
Jesus Christ.
Spiritual life becomes a detached commodity that can allegedly be "imparted" or dispensed by the Holy Spirit who is also not linked with and identified as the "Spirit of Christ." When regeneration is reduced simply to an action of spiritual impartation, and spiritual life to a commodity or "created condition," then such "benefits" can conceivably be attributed to Old Testament believers, even though there is not one shred of Biblical evidence for such attribution, and the terms are being used in ways that are not consistent with Biblical usage or consistent Christian theology.
L.S. Chafer, writing from a Dispensationalist theological perspective, arrives at the opposite conclusion, though his rationale for so doing must be taken into account. He also seems to have a "separated concept" which speaks of "impartation" rather than ontic union.
"In its New Testament aspect, regeneration provides for the impartation (italics added) of the divine nature; the regenerated person becomes thus the very offspring of God, an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. It results in membership in the household and family of God.
If the first law of interpretation is to be observed that which restricts every doctrinal truth to the exact body of Scriptures which pertains to itit cannot be demonstrated that this spiritual renewal know to the Old Testament, whatever its character may have been, resulted in the impartation of the divine nature, in an actual son ship, a joint heirship with Christ, or a placing in the household and family of God. So the case of Nicodemus perfected saint under Judaism was duplicated in the experience of every Jew who passed from the old order into the new. To Nicodemus Christ said, "Ye must be born again."
The Old Testament believers looked forward to the promise of life in Christ Jesus, but they did not "receive the promises" (Heb. 11:13). They responded to the graciousness of the Living God in trusting faith, and "lived" physically, socially, religiously in that old covenant relationship with God, but they did not "pass from death to life"
(I John 3:14) spiritually in regeneration whereby the very presence and activity of the life of Jesus Christ became their life
(Col. 3:4) during the Old Testament era. It is the unique privilege of Christians within the new covenant to participate in a spiritual union with the life of Jesus Christ, and to be "saved by His life"
(Rom. 5:10) as His life is lived out through them.
Salvation
"Salvation" is another term that some tend to use interchangeably between Old Testament and New Testament. Careful word studies of the numerous Hebrew words translated "save" and "salvation," in comparison with the Greek words sozo and soteria in the New Testament, will reveal that differing concepts are being referred to.
In the Old Testament "salvation" is usually a physical deliverance or rescue. "Save me!" is a common cry for God's help (Ps. 3:7; 6:4; 7:1; 22:21; 54:1; 65:1).
The Old Testament believers were often "saved out of their troubles"(Ps. 34:6), "saved out of their distresses"
(Ps. 107:13), "saved from their enemies"(Ps. 18:13) and their "adversaries" (Ps. 44:7).
The Exodus is a prominent example of God's rescuing and "saving His people out of the land of Egypt" (Jude 5). Noah and his kin were also "saved," delivered, "brought safely through the water"(I Peter 3:20; II Peter 2:5).
These are the New Testament references that apply "saved" and "salvation" to Old Testament personages.
Such physical deliverance is certainly not to be equated with the salvation that is effected by the Savior, Jesus Christ, in the new covenant. Jesus "came into the world to save sinners"
(I Tim. 1:5), to "save His people from their sins"
(Matt. 1:21), for His very name "Jesus" meant
"Jehovah saves."
Such a salvation was unknown in the old covenant for the Law could not save from sin. The prophet Jeremiah explained that such a salvation would come when the "Righteous Branch," the "Lord who is our righteousness" would come, and Judah and Israel would be "saved" (Jere. 23:6; 33:16).
Jesus Christ the Righteous (I John 2:1) is indeed that promised "righteous Branch of David," the Savior of all mankind. Peter explains that the prophet Joel was also referring that new covenant realization when "everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord (Jesus Christ) shall be saved"(Acts 2:21; Joel 2:32; Rom. 10:13).
Salvation is only "through our Lord Jesus Christ"
(I Thess. 5:9). "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name...by which we must be saved"
(Acts 4:12). The Philippian jailor asked "What must I do to be saved?" and Paul replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved"(Acts 16:30). "By grace you have been saved through faith" (Eph. 2:5,8). "He saved us...by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior"
(Titus 3:5,6).
Christian salvation is not just a deliverance or escape from the consequences of sin. Neither is it a static commodity which "Jesus dispenses" as Dispensationalist Darrell Bock indicated when he referred to Jesus as "the divine dispenser of salvation."
Salvation is the dynamic process whereby we are "made safe" from the satanic misuse and abuse of humanity, and invested with the very presence and life of the risen Lord Jesus so as to allow the divine character to be lived out to the glory of God. Christian salvation must never be disconnected from the vital and dynamic activity of Jesus Christ the living Savior.
We continue to be "saved by his life" (Rom. 5:10) and to "grow in respect to salvation" (I Peter 2:2).
This intimate union with the life of Jesus Christ wherein we are "made safe" from sinful misuse of our being, and the Being of the Savior becomes the functionality of our lives in salvation was an experiential unknown to the Jewish peoples of the
Old Testament. It was known only as a prophetic promise yet unrealized, until "the grace of God appeared, bringing salvation to all men" by our "God and Savior, Christ Jesus"
(Titus 2:11-13). It is illegitimate to transpose "salvation" to all the Jewish believers of the Old Testament based on an alleged "unconditional promise and covenant" to Abraham, prior to and apart from the historic revelation and redemptive activity of Jesus Christ the Savior. L.S. Chafer concludes that "the Old Testament will be searched in vain for record of Jews passing from an unsaved state to a saved state, or any declaration about the terms upon which such a change would be secured."He arrives at that conclusion from Dispensational presuppositions, and still regards salvation as a static "state" rather than the dynamic action of Christ the Savior.
Holy Spirit
The foregoing truths of the divine life operative in salvation by the grace of God in Jesus Christ, are all connected to the Person and work of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of God and His activity is referred to throughout the Old Testament, but "in the Old Covenant, His work was...altogether different from what it is now."
In the Old Testament the Spirit of God was understood as a "divine influence exerted upon the soul of a person."
The Spirit of God is reported to have come upon the seventy elders(Numb. 11:17,25),
Balaam (Numbers 24:2), Othniel (Judges 3:10), Gideon (Judges 6:34), Jephthah (Judges 11:29),
Samson (Judges 14:6,19),
Saul(I Sam. 10:2,10; 19:20-23) and
David (I Sam. 16:13; to have filled
Bezalel (Exod. 31:3; 35:31) and Micah (Micah 3:8); and to have been present and operative in
Joseph (Gen. 41:38), Joshua (Numb. 27:18),
Daniel (Dan. 4:8,9,18; 6:3) and the prophets
(Neh. 9:30; I Peter 1:11).
In these latter references the preposition "in" is best understood as referring to "in" the behavior mechanism of their soul, rather than spiritual indwelling. It is doubtful that the prepositions in the foregoing citations should be precisely differentiated, for they all refer to a temporary action of the Spirit for an assignment of service.
The temporality of the Spirit's activity in the Old Testament is evident in that "the Spirit of God departed from Saul" (I Sam. 16:14), and David pleads that God "not take Thy Holy Spirit from me" (Ps. 51:11).
The activity of the Spirit of God to inspire and energize a particular activity in the Old Testament believers is not equivalent to the indwelling activity of the Spirit of Christ in Christians in the new covenant.
Such relation to the Holy Spirit was only promised by the prophets to the Old Testament peoples. Through Isaiah, God says, "I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring"
(Isa. 44:3).
Through Ezekiel, He says, "I will put My Spirit within you" (Ezek. 36:27; 37:14) and "pour out My Spirit on the house of Israel(Ezek. 39:29).
Through Joel, God says, "I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind...in those days (Joel 2:28,29), which Peter declares that God fulfilled on Pentecost (Acts 2:17,18). French author, René Pache comments,
"All these promises could not be fulfilled until after the completion of the redemptive work of Christ. Not until Christ was crucified, raised again and glorified, could the Spirit be poured out and accomplish all His work."
The apostle John comments on Jesus' promise of "living water flowing from one's innermost being"
(John 7:38), noting that Jesus was speaking "of the Spirit whom those who believed in His name were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet (given), because Jesus was not yet glorified"
(John 7:39).
Later to the disciples, Jesus speaks of "the Spirit of Truth who...will be in you" (John 14:12) and will come
(John 16:13), obviously indicating a future expectation of the presence of the Spirit realized only on Pentecost and thereafter.
Thus Peter in his Pentecostal sermon explains that the risen Lord Jesus "having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, has poured forth this (activity of the Holy Spirit) which you both see and hear"
(Acts 2:33).
"In Christ Jesus...we receive the promise of the Spirit through faith"(Gal. 3:14). "Having believed, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:13).
The Holy Spirit must not be detached from Jesus Christ and regarded as a mechanical instrument which/who "implements the purposes of God in every age,"and in the Christian context "applies redemption by uniting us to Christ and to the benefits of His atoning work."It is a deficient Trinitarian theology that separates the Holy Spirit from the "Spirit of Christ."
The natural tendency of Christian "religion" is to posit some theory of the Spirit's "supernatural influence" to assist in the Christian's ethical obedience in the context of a morality-based relationship with God. Such is not the Christian gospel!
In the new covenant the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ.
"If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him (Christ)" (Rom. 8:9). By the indwelling presence of the Spirit of Christ we are "joined to the Lord in one spirit" (I Cor. 6:17)
in a real spiritual union of the divine life dwelling in the Christian, whereby the life of the risen Lord Jesus can be manifested in character that is the "fruit of the Spirit"
(Gal. 5:22,23).
The promised new covenant relation to the Holy Spirit is realized and experienced only by Christians. John W. Nevin explained:
"We read of the Spirit of God, as present and active in the world, under a certain form, before the incarnation of Christ. But we must not confound this agency with the relation, in which He has come to stand to the church since, in consequence of the union thus established between the Divine nature and our own.
John goes so far as to say there was no Holy Spirit, until Jesus was glorified (Jn 7:39).
This does not mean, of course, that he did not exist; but it limits the proper effusion of the Spirit, as known under the New Testament, to the Christian dispensation as such.
It teaches besides, that the person of Jesus, as the Word made flesh, forms the only channel by which it was possible for this effusion to take place. The Holy Spirit accordingly, as the Spirit of Christ, is, in the first place, active simply in the Savior himself. ...He cannot be separated from the person of Christ."
24 The active spiritual presence and manifestation of the Spirit of Christ, the living dynamic of the risen Lord Jesus, can only be indicated of Christian peoples.
Always aware of his dispensationalist reasonings, the words of L.S. Chafer are nonetheless pertinent.
"...there was no provision for, and no promise of, an abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of any Old Testament saint."
"
That interpretation far too common which assumes that the Old Testament saints were on the same ground of privilege as the believers of this age, is rendered possible only through unpardonable inattention to the revelation which has been given on this point.
Of the present ministries of the Holy Spirit in relation to the believer regeneration, indwelling or anointing, baptizing ,sealing, and filling nothing indeed is said with respect to these having been experienced by the Old Testament saints... Old Testament saints are invested with these blessings only theoretically, and without the support of the Bible, by those who read New Testament blessings back into the Old Testament an error equaled in point of the danger to sound doctrine only by its counterpart, which reads Old Testament limitations forward into the New Testament portions designed to present the new divine purpose in grace."
26 "The conception of an abiding indwelling of the Holy Spirit by which every believer now becomes an unalterable temple of the Holy Spirit belongs only to this age of the Church, and has no place in the provisions of Judaism."
The particular reality wherein the Holy Spirit is the spiritual expression of the risen Lord Jesus poured out on Pentecost to indwell all Christians and to be the vital and functional expression of God's character in Christians, can only be predicated of Christians. Such a spiritual restoration of humanity was promised to the
Old Testament believers by the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel and Joel, but they "did not receive what was promised"
(Heb. 11:39).
From Pentecost onwards the Spirit of Christ could indwell the spirits of receptive mankind, and become their life, and Christians could have the inner assurance that "the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God"(Rom. 8:16).
Righteousness
In both the Old and New Testaments the term "righteous" is applied to Old Testament personages. In what sense were they regarded to be "righteous," and is there a distinction in their "righteousness" and the "righteousness" that New Testament Christians enjoy by union with Christ?
Reference is made within the New Testament Scriptures to Abel's deeds being "righteous" (I John 3:12) and the consequent testimony of God to his "righteousness"
(Heb. 11:4; Matt. 23:35).
Noah's preparation of the ark merited for him the designation of being a "preacher of righteousness"
(II Peter 2:5) and an "heir of righteousness"
(Heb. 11:7).
Abraham's unstable belief that God would provide descendants as promised (Gen. 15:1-6) is oft quoted in the New Testament as an example of one who was "reckoned as righteous" because of his faith
(Rom. 4:3,9,22; Gal. 3:6; James 2:23).
Along with Abraham, Rahab is used as an example of an Old Testament person who was "justified" or regarded as "righteous" by the active out-working of faith.
The righteousness which is ascribed to these Old Testament believers must be considered within the context in which righteousness was evaluated and applied at that time in the history of God's dealings with mankind.
These persons obviously made right choices to listen to God, to respond to God in the right way, and to thus have a right relationship with God by trusting God.
Robert A. Kelly notes that
"In the Old Testament righteousness involves the fulfilment of the demands of a relationship... When a person fulfils the obligation of a relationship, that person is said to be righteous. ...Righteous people are people who fulfil their duties toward God..."
The relationship of God and man in the Old Testament was one wherein trusting God in right external conduct could gain God's approval (Heb. 11:2,4,5,39), and a person could thereby be "reckoned," accounted as, declared "righteous."
Old Testament believers were "approved" as "righteous" or well-pleasing to God by a faithful response to whatever revelation of God had been given to them. Being "reckoned as righteous" was usually set in a legal or judicial context, wherein God the Judge declared the "status," "condition" or "position" of righteousness/right standing to be "on the books" of His heavenly accounting. Such commendation and calculation of righteousness was certainly less than the spiritual communion with the Righteousness of Christ that Christians participate in.
Even the prophets recognized that the righteousness of the old covenant was insufficient. "All our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment," declares Isaiah (64:6).
They uttered prophetic promises of the righteousness that was to come in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, allowing God to declare through them, "I bring My righteousness, it is not far off; and My salvation will not delay"
(Isa. 46:13; 51:5); "I shall raise up a Righteous Branch..., He will be called 'the Lord of righteousness'"
(Jere. 23:5,6; 33:15,16).
These prophecies were recognized as having been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the "Righteous One" (Acts 22:14), the "righteousness of God" (Rom. 3:21).
The righteousness of the old covenant eventually came to be regarded as "righteousness in the Law" (Phil. 3:6) or "derived from the Law"(Phil. 3:9), even though the Law could not impart righteousness (Gal. 3:21).
Such a context and understanding of righteousness cannot be equated with the justification or righteousness made available in Jesus Christ. L.S. Chafer remarked that the "standing" of the Old Testament believer "cannot rightfully be compared with the estate of the believer today who is justified and perfect forever, having received the pleroma (fullness) of the Godhead through vital union with Christ."
29 James S. Stewart concurs, noting that "Resemblances there are to Jewish doctrine, but the difference is momentous and decisive. Pious Jews could only peer into a dim, mysterious future, hoping against hope that God would pronounce a sentence of acquittal at the last. But it was Paul's glorious certainty that for himself, and for all who had faith in Christ, the liberating sentence had already been pronounced. ...Judaism toiled and hoped and struggled and doubted: Paul possessed." "Paul's conception of justification...is no mere legacy of Jewish scholasticism. It springs from Gospel soil. It bears the stamp of Paul's deep, evangelical experience. It mirrors the life and death and teaching of his Lord." The righteousness that Christians enjoy "in Christ" is the very indwelling righteousness of the nature of God.
The "divine nature" (II Peter 1:4) of the Righteous God "is transferred to man, and realized in him by the action of divine grace." Christians are "made righteous;" we "become the righteousness of God in Him
"(II Cor. 5:21).
The indwelling of Jesus Christ, the "Righteous One" (Acts 22:14; I John 2:1), establishes a spiritual condition of union with the righteousness of God, divine righteousness; far more than just pardon or forgiveness from sin, and the reckoning or commendation of righteousness. "Christ Jesus becomes to us... righteousness and sanctification" (I Cor. 1:30), "the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith" (Phil. 3:9). The indwelling righteousness of God in Christ is the vital and functional dynamic for the behavioral expression of God's righteous character in Christian behavior.
Righteous Christian behavior is not the result of a Christian's ethical consistency with either the Law's demand or God's character. We are not adequate (II Cor. 3:5) to produce righteousness, despite Professor Dunzweiler's assertion that the "Holy Spirit enables me to produce godliness and holiness and...righteousness."
"The fruit of righteousness comes through Jesus Christ,to the glory and praise of God" (Phil. 1:11). The righteousness of Christian behavior is only and always the out-living of the indwelling life of the Righteous One, Jesus Christ. "Everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him"(I John 2:29). Nicodemus, who would have been regarded as a "just" and "righteous" man within Judaism, was still told by Jesus that he "must be born from above" (John 3:3,7), "born of the Spirit"
(John 3:5,6,8), for righteousness only comes from the indwelling life of the Righteous One.
Jesus said, "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven"(Matt. 5:20).
The righteousness that Christians receive by the indwelling presence and activity of Jesus Christ far surpasses the Old Testament Judaic concepts of righteousness in commendation, reckoning or declaration. Our righteousness is "in Christ." Christian righteousness cannot be read back into the Old Testament and attributed to the peoples recorded therein. Not wanting to inordinately belabor the point of the discontinuity between Old Testament believers and New Testament Christians, the foregoing categories should suffice to document that there is a radical difference in the spiritual condition of Christians "in Christ" as compared to the spiritual condition of personages of the Old Testament.
In as much as this study is but a synopsis and statement of thesis, further study should be made to explore the Biblical evidence concerning the above categories as well as such subjects as creation, adoption, atonement, ordinances, eschatological expectations, etc. The question might still be asked, "Why should we be concerned about the spiritual condition of Old Testament believers?" Some might say, "Their spiritual condition is God's business. He will take care of them." "Perhaps God did not intend for us to speculate about their spiritual condition, and thus did not give us adequate information to make definitive evaluations." "Is this just dry historical concern of theological inquiry?"
The theological implications of such a study as this are important in order for Christians to better understand all the implications of the abiding spiritual life of Jesus Christ by comparison and contrast with the spiritual condition of Old Testament believers.
There is certainly sufficient Scriptural data to make the comparisons, as is evidenced by the abundance of Biblical citations we have quoted.
The Old Testament era was a promissory period, a physical pictorial prefiguring of the spiritual "People of God" (I Peter 2:10) that God intended to create in Jesus Christ. The Old Testament believers experienced the graciousness of God, "finding favor in His sight," but they longed for the grace of God in Jesus Christ. They believed and trusted God, but theirs was a prospective faith and they "died in faith, without receiving the promises"
(Heb. 11:13); "having gained approval through their faith, they did not receive what was promised"
(Heb. 11:39). But as the "mediator of a new covenant," Jesus made it possible for Christians to "receive the promises of the eternal inheritance" (Heb. 9:15).
Christ...confirms the promises given to the fathers"
(Rom. 15:8). "As many as may be the promises of God, in Him (Jesus) they are 'Yes,'"(II Cor. 1:20),
affirmed and fulfilled. "The promise may be certain to all the descendants, not only those who are of the Law (Jews), but also those who are of the faith of Abraham" (Rom. 4:16). By receptive faith Christians "receive the promises" of God in Jesus Christ. Christians receive the very life of God, the resurrection-life of Jesus Christ, so as to be regenerated, saved, indwelt by the Spirit of Christ.
Identified by intimate spiritual union with Jesus Christ, Christians are "Christ-ones," vessels through whom the Christ-life is lived out to the glory of God. Prior to the historical redemptive manifestation of Jesus Christ there were no "Christians."
The Old Testament believers cannot be called "Christians," nor can they be theoretically vested with the spiritual realities experienced only by new covenant Christians "in Christ." Christians, on the other hand, participating in the fulfillment of the pictorial "type," can and are called "spiritual Jews." "He is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit"(Rom. 2:29).
The Old Testament period was a preliminary period culminating in the "finished work" of Jesus Christ, the declaration of which Jesus made from the cross, exclaiming "It is finished"(John 19:30).
The divine foreknowledge and predetermination of this "finished work" had been made "from the foundation of the world" (Heb. 4:3); the completion came in the life, death, resurrection, ascension and Pentecostal outpouring of Jesus Christ.
The focus of all the inspired Scriptures is the fulfillment of all God's promises and intent in the Person and work of Jesus Christ, including the living out of His life in Christians.
This is why the "historical revisionism" of the Old Testament employed by some Christians is so damaging to the gospel presentation.
It diminishes the Christocentric emphasis of the Biblical record. When Old Testament believers are reputed to have experienced grace before "grace was realized in Jesus Christ" (John 1:17); to have been "saved" before the redemptive and saving work of the Savior; to have "passed from death to life" before the resurrection-life of
Jesus was made available; to have been completed and perfect in their relationship with God prior to the "finished work" of Jesus Christ; and to have been "Christians" before Jesus ever came to be the Christ; then the historic redemptive action of the cross and the subsequent resurrection of Jesus Christ is made to be unnecessary and redundant.
Such assertions can only be advocated when the interpreters fail to connect the so-called "benefits" with the Being of the risen and living Lord Jesus; when they fail to recognize the necessity of dynamic and ontic oneness with the person and life of the resurrected Jesus in order for deity to indwell humanity and express divine character in human behavior.
Even more tragic consequences occur when such misinterpretation and such inadequate and deficient spiritual understanding becomes the basis of new covenant explanation. Having sacrificed the dynamic and ontic distinctions of New Testament spiritual realities by transporting them back into Old Testament interpretation, some would then bring the same anemic definitions of these realities forward into New Testament theology and set them up as Christian doctrine, as the full content of Christian "truth," continuing to regard them as Christian "benefits," separated and detached and disconnected and divorced from the resurrected Jesus.
Tainted old covenant concepts are taught as new covenant gospel. Grace is defined simply as "undeserved favor.
" Faith is regarded as assent, belief, trust and confidence in God.
Salvation is explained as deliverance and rescue, the avoidance of hell-fire. Regeneration becomes but an experience of rejuvenation after which one possesses the commodity of "eternal life.
" Justification is a legal declaration of the status of righteousness reckoned and accounted in the divine bookkeeping.
The Holy Spirit is a nebulous depository promise of future inheritance. Do these sound familiar? They are typical, traditional doctrinal definitions proffered by the Christian "religion" of our day, none of which are necessarily connected to the living Lord Jesus.
What we are seeing today in "evangelical" Christian religion is a tragic misrepresentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
They have "sold out" the gospel in order to make it a marketable commodity. They have "watered down" the gospel to a gruel that no one could regard as cruel.
They have "gutted" the gospel of its living reality in Jesus Christ. Much of "evangelical" teaching today is nothing more than Judaism "warmed over," a form of Christianized Judaism with a few glosses. They fail to proclaim the radical newness of the "new and living way" (Heb. 10:20).
The "new" of the "new covenant" is not new since it has been available since Adam; thus they miss the radical difference of "newness of life" (Rom. 6:4) in Christ, failing to recognize the ontological dynamic of the life of the risen Lord Jesus.
The "good news" of Christianity is the proclamation of the ontological spiritual union with the very Being and Life of Jesus Christ as God.
Consider these words of John W. Nevin, a German Reformed author, written in 1846:
"...if the order of grace is supposed to continue the same...if Christ manifested himself previously to the patriarchs and prophets as he now manifests himself to his church...
if the Spirit of Christ indwelt the people of the
Old Testament the same as Christians.... ...if so, let the church know that she is no nearer to God now ...than she was under the Old Testament; that the indwelling of Christ in believers, is only parallel with the divine presence as enjoyed by the Jewish saints, who all 'died in faith, not having received the promises;' that the mystical union in the case of Paul or John was nothing more intimate and vital and real than the relation sustained to God by Abraham, or David, or Isaiah.
Under the Old Testament..(the presence of the Spirit) was always an afflatus or influence simply, exerted on the soul of the person to whom it was extended. Is this all that we are to understand by it, in the Christian church?
So the theory would appear to mean.
The theory of "supernatural influence" -- merely moral union, rather than the actual LIFE of Christ conveyed into us.
The religion of the Old Testament ...foreshadowed the great fact of the incarnation. In the religion of the Old Testament, God descends toward man, and holds out to his view...the promise of a real union of the Divine Nature with the human, as the end of the gracious economy thus introduced.
To such a real union it is true, the dispensation itself never came. ...God drew nearer to men in an outward way. But to the last it continued to be only in an outward way.
The wall of partition that separated the divine from the human, was never fully broken down.. ..It was a revelation of God to man, and not a revelation of God in man-the only form in which it was possible for Him to become truly known.
The meaning of the entire (Old Testament) system lay in its reference to Christianity. We may say of the Old Testament as a whole, what is said of its last and greatest representative in particular. It was the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God!
...The mystery of the incarnation (God in man). Here was a fact, which even the religion of the Old Testament itself had no sufficiency to generate, and to which all its theophanies and miracles could furnish no proper parallel. For the revelation of the supernatural under the Old Testament, as already remarked, was always in an outward and comparatively unreal way. It never came to a true inward union between the human and the divine.
But in the person of Christ, all is different. It is by no mere figure of speech that Christ is represented to be the author of a new creation. ...The Word itself...became permanently joined with humanity in the person of Jesus Christ.
The religion of the Old Testament...(its) covenants, law, promises...(were) only a shadow to the substance it represents. Its truth was not in itself, but in a different system altogether to which it pointed. Its reality was..relative only. It made nothing perfect. It was the picture merely of good things to come. ...We have no right to say that the New Testament is a mere extension or enlargement of the Old, under the same form.
The relation of God to the patriarchs and saints generally of the Old Testament, was something that came short wholly of the relation in which He now stands to His people, as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Their spiritual life, their union with God, their covenant privileges --
all had an unreal, unsubstantial character, as compared with the parallel grace of the gospel, and constituted at best but an approximation to this grace, rather than the actual presence of it in any sense itself.
That which forms the full reality of religion, the union of the Divine Nature with the human, the revelation of God in man and not simply to him, was wanting to the Old Testament altogether. ...all its doctrines and institutions, ...had a shadowy, simply prophetic nature... Its sacraments were representations only... Its salvation was in the form of promise, more than present fact. It became real ultimately, only in Christ; for before His appearance, we are told the patriarchs of the law could not be made perfect
(Hebrews 11:13, 39,40).
The dispensation of the Spirit has its origin wholly in the person of Christ
(Lk 1:35; 3:22; Jn 3:34) and could not reveal itself in the world until He was glorified(Jn 7:39)
The religion of the Old Testament went not beyond the character of a "report," to be received only by "the hearing of the ear." The revelation was always relative only, never absolute. It came not in any case to a full manifestation of the truth in its own form. But in the church of the New Testament, all is different.
A new order of revelation entirely bursts upon the world, in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the absolute truth itself, personally present among men, and incorporating itself with their life. He is the substance, where all previous prophecy, even in its highest forms, had been only as sound or shadow.
Many see in Christianity an advance only on the grace of the Jewish dispensation, under the same form, and not a new order of grace entirely. Greater light, enlarged opportunities, more constraining motives, a new supply of supernatural aids and provisions; these are taken to be the peculiar distinction of the New Covenant, and constitute its supposed superiority over the Old. But is not this to resolve the Christian salvation as before, into a merely moral institute or discipline?...an outward apparatus....(which) turns the work of redemption into a mere doctrine or example.
A comparison of the spiritual condition of the
Old Testament believers
And New Testament Christians.
What was the spiritual condition of the Old Testament believers as compared or contrasted
to the spiritual condition
of New Testament Christians?
There has been a long-standing difference of opinion among theologians on this issue. The differing opinions have been largely due to the presuppositions with which different theologians and interpreters commence to interpret the Scriptures.
The Dispensationalist theologian begins with presuppositions about varying time periods called "dispensations," during which periods God is said to have operated in different manners for different purposes.
Based on this presuppositional grid of differing "dispensations" or "economies" (the Greek word is oikonomia, from which we get the English word "economy"), the Dispensational theologian usually concludes that the
Old Testament believers did not have any of the "benefits" of regeneration, indwelling of the Holy Spirit, etc. that are the exclusive privilege of New Testament Christians. So in traditional Dispensational thought there is a complete discontinuity, a total disconnection, of those in previous dispensations from those in the so-called "dispensation of grace" or the "church age."
The Reformed or Covenant theologian begins with presuppositions about a singular covenantal basis of relationship between God and man. Based on this presuppositional grid of common covenant, the Covenant theologian concludes that the Old Testament believers shared in the same covenant relationship with God as do
New Testament Christians;
they belonged to the same "church" and enjoyed
the same saving "benefits." In covenant theology there
is a continuity of old and new that often becomes total identification of the two, based on the singular covenant idea. The more fair-minded covenant theologians will often admit that though there is a "continuity" of benefit from
old to new, there is some sense in which Christians in the new covenant have a superior participation in these "benefits." Let me declare here at the outset that I reject the man-made presuppositional grids of both the Dispensationalist theologian and the Covenant theologian. Rather than starting with arbitrary dispensations of time
or an idea of covenant relationship,
I believe that the Bible, from beginning to end, should be interpreted specifically from the perspective
of The person and work of Jesus Christ, comprising
a Christocentric theology.
Christian theology must commence with Jesus Christ!
The presupposition of Christian theology is that Jesus Christ is God.
When one interprets the Scriptures from the center-point of Jesus Christ and His historic redemptive mission and
His "finished work" in His death, burial, resurrection, ascension and Pentecostal out-pouring, then it is logically plausible to see the historic connection between the relationship of God with the Old Testament believers and what God has made available to Christians in Jesus Christ, as well as the radical difference between the prospective belief of the Old Testament believers and the vital ontic dynamic of the life of Jesus Christ in Christians.
Thus one's theology maintains both a sense of continuity
as well as discontinuity between Old Testament believers and New Testament Christians.
In describing the Dispensationalist and Covenant theological positions
I have referred to how they apply the "benefits" of the redemptive work of Jesus Christ back to Old Testament personages. It is not Scripturally proper to speak of detached "benefits" of Christ, but only of the very activity of the Being of Jesus Christ. There is no grace, no salvation, no righteousness, no life, no presence and work
of the Holy Spirit, apart from the activity of the person and Being of Jesus Christ.
Only as Jesus Christ functions as Savior, as Righteousness, as Life, as the Spirit of Christ do these realities exist and apply in our Christian lives. They are inherent in the personal ontological activity of the risen Lord Jesus. There are no Christian "benefits" except as they are related to and expressed by the active Being of Jesus Christ. So when the Reformed professor of theology, Robert J. Dunzweiler, writes of "the potential application
of all of the benefits (italics added) of Christ's redemption to the believer under the older dispensation,
"1 and asserts that "the benefits (italics added) of Christ's redemption can be applied before that redemption is accomplished,
"2 he is working with religious categories and "commodities" which the Bible knows nothing about, as
well as an extra-Biblical accounting of history and time.
Dunzweiler's attempted explanation of the retroactive application of Christian "benefits" is based on the understanding that "Christ's redemptive work was certain in God's eternal purpose, and thus atonement benefits (italics added) could be applied before the atonement was actually accomplished in time.
"3 First of all, this reasoning is based on his Calvinistic theological starting-point, which commences with the purposes, plan, decrees, and will of God, rather than with the intent of God in accord with His nature and character. Secondly, Professor Dunzweiler's common covenantal presuppositions force him to stretch so-called Christian "benefits" of redemption and atonement back retroactively into a time period prior to their historic enactment. Alongside of this Calvinist Reformed explanation of retroactive application of Christian "benefits," is another explanation which employs Gnostic and mystic conceptions in order to apply Christian "benefits" to Old Testament peoples. This teaching presupposes an abstract, sometimes cyclical, understanding of time and history, rather than the chronologically sequential and linear perspective of time and history that are foundational to the Biblical record.
4 Positing as their starting-point the statement of
"the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world"
(Rev. 13:8), some have argued that the redemptive work of Jesus Christ has been accomplished in the "eternality"
of the precreation past. The "benefits" of Christ's redemptive work are therefore alleged to be applicable
to the believers of the Old Testament. The grace of God is said to have been receivable by faith so as to effect regeneration, salvation, righteousness and the indwelling
of the Holy Spirit. All of the Christian "benefits" become "virtual reality" for the Hebrew peoples of the
Old Testament.
Apart from challenging their Gnostic conception of time and history, the first question should be a textual and exegetical challenge to their initial premise in utilization
of the text in Revelation 13:8.
The King James Version translates the phrase,
"the Lamb slain from the foundation of the
world,"
but newer English translations such as the Revised Standard Version (RSV) and the New American Standard Bible (NASB) recognize that the prepositional phrase "from the foundation of the world" is more correctly applied as qualifying the verb action of "those who names are written in the book of life." Thus the NASB translates
Rev. 13:8, "everyone whose name has not been written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the Lamb who has been slain." This is consistent with John's subsequent inspired usage of the same phrase in
Revelation 17:8 when he mentions those "whose name has not been written in the book of life from the foundation of the world." Hermeneutic consistency all but eliminates the phrase referring to "the lamb slain before the foundation of the world" which has so often been theologically misapplied. Even if the KJV phrase were retained, it is theologically inadmissible to posit an actual crucifixion of Christ before time.
Such becomes an abstract idea, a tenuous tenet, epistemological belief in which becomes entirely subjective and mystical. It is completely detached and divorced from historical objectivity and the ontological reality of the presence and activity of
the risen Lord Jesus. When Christians begin to "play loose" with history and set up ethereal ideas outside of chronological time, then their belief-system is but an ideological abstraction that can be subjectively twisted to any existential end. When the "Lamb slain" is regarded
as a prehistorical accomplishment, then the historical crucifixion of Jesus on a cross outside of Jerusalem
becomes an unnecessary redundant enactment, a charade, a meaningless "acting out" or "play-acting."
God forbid that the death of Jesus Christ should be cast as such an abstraction in the eternal "absence of time," rather than as an historical actuality within the linear time of human history. If the phrase referring to "the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world" is retained, it can mean nothing more than that in the foreknowledge of God it was predetermined that the Word should become flesh
(John 1:14) and there would be an historic space/time crucifixion of the incarnate Son of God whereby He would vicariously take the death consequences of humanity's sin upon Himself, and that in order to give His life
(John 10:10) to men who would receive Him by faith.
The historic space/time context is foundational to Christianity, else all becomes but a mythical, mystical abstraction. Christianity must always be documented
to be rooted in verifiable human history.
The historical record of Scripture is based on a sequential chronology from past to future, from Genesis to Revelation.
There are those who might not engage in Gnostic the realizing and spiritualizing, but still trample on Biblical history by transferring Christian ideas of the new covenant back into the Old Testament. Such a retroactive importation allows them to interpolate New Testament ideas into their interpretation of the Old Testament.
Thus they implement the interpretive technique of eisegesis (reading or leading into the text) rather than the acceptable hermeneutic technique of exegesis (deriving out of the text the reading or leading intended). Justification
for this reverse projection of Christian realities is
sometimes sought by appealing to the fact that God is
"the same yesterday, today and forever"
(Heb. 13:8). Indeed God is immutable in nature and character, but this is not to deny that God can make different choices and do something new and novel. Though God's character never changes, He can change His modus operandi. God's hands are not tied to precedent actions,
nor are subsequent actions to be made equivalent or identical with all precedent actions.
God is free, independent and spontaneous. So the "historical revisionism" that projects Christian realities back into the Old Testament era, and attributes to Hebrew believers all that has been made available to Christians in Christ, is invalid and dishonest. Those who thus reconstruct and
taint the Biblical historical record are usually attempting
to revise, rewrite and reinterpret Old Testament history
so that it corresponds with their particular presuppositions of theology to support their particular ethical or eschatological agenda.
The question must be asked again: If the Old Testament believers experienced all of the spiritual "benefits" that
are derived from the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ, that in a retroactive "prior reality," why then did Jesus need to become historically incarnate and be crucified?
Did He "die needlessly"(Gal. 2:21), since everything
was readily available? Paul could not accept such reasoning and neither can we. A more detailed consideration of some of these Christian realities that are often projected back
into the Old Testament is now in order.
Grace
The Hebrew language did not have a term for what we know as the new covenant concept of "grace." The Hebrew word hen referred to "favor, pity, good-will, compassion, mercy, kindness, a favorable inclination toward another." Noah, for example, is said to have "found favor in the eyes of the Lord" (Gen. 6:8), and other Old Testament personalities obviously experienced God's graciousness
as well. To recognize God's graciousness in the Old Testament is not the same as participating in the activity
of God in Jesus Christ as "grace" is used in the
New Testament.
The Greek word charis is employed by Paul and the other New Testament writers to refer to a reality that was altogether new and unique: the "new and living way"
(Heb. 10:20)
of the "new covenant" (Heb. 8:8), wherein Christians receive "newness of life"(Rom. 6:4) in Christ Jesus.
L.S. Smedes notes that "The deep meaning Paul conveys with the word 'grace' is hardly suggested by the Hebrew word hen, which the LXX translated as charis... It is not surprising that Paul never quotes from the Old Testament in order to establish his use of the word 'grace.'"
5 James Moffatt amplifies this point, noting that "...in handling the pre-Christian period of God's relations
with Israel,...He (Paul) never cites any Old Testament
text for grace.
"6 "It is not...that Paul conceives of God as ungracious during the pre-Christian period; Israel had its religious benefits. But 'grace' is so distinctively the mark of the revelation of God in Jesus Christ that he reserves it exclusively for the experiences of Christian men. In other words, 'grace' belongs to the years A.D., not to B.C."
7 John W. Nevin concurs when he writes that "the patriarchs and saints of the Old Testament,... their spiritual life, their union with God, their covenant privileges...constituted at best but an approximation to
the grace of the gospel, rather than the actual presence
of it in any sense itself.
"8 The Hebrew word hen in the Old Testament referred primarily to an attribute of God, whereas the Greek word charis in the New Testament is used to refer to the new
and unique activity of God in Jesus Christ. Numerous Scriptural affirmation in the New Testament link "grace
" to the historically revealed Jesus: "The Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
Paul explains to the Jerusalem Council, "we believe that we are saved through the grace
of the Lord Jesus Christ"(Acts 15:11). T
o the Corinthians Paul writes, "I thank my God always concerning you, for the grace of God which was given you
in Christ Jesus"
(I Cor. 1:4). Paul begins his epistle to
the Ephesians "to the praise of the glory of His grace,
which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved"
(Eph. 1:6).
In the second letter to Timothy, Paul writes of God's "own purpose and grace which was granted us in Christ Jesus"
(II Tim. 1:9), as well as "the grace that is in
Christ Jesus"
(II Tim. 2:1). The last verse in the Bible commends that "the grace of the Lord Jesus be with you all"
(Rev. 22:21). This sequence of Scriptures documents that "grace" is specifically identified with the historical person and work of Jesus Christ. There is a specific Christocentric meaning of "grace" in the New Testament. The Old Testament believers experienced God's graciousness and kindness and favor, but not the specific "grace" of God in Jesus Christ wherein His activity is expressed by the dynamic of the life of the risen Lord Jesus. Such "grace"
of the new covenant was a promise that the Israelite peoples did not receive (Heb. 11:13) nor participate in.
God's activity of "grace" in Jesus Christ must not be read back into the Old Testament narrative, for such was "realized", came to pass, happened historically "in Jesus Christ" (John 1:17).
Faith
The response to God's grace in Jesus Christ is intended
to be the human response of "faith." The Hebrew language did not have a word that corresponds with the New Testament idea of "faith" either. An English Bible concordance reveals that the translators of the KJV used the English word "faith" only twice in the entirety of their translation of the Old Testament
(Deut. 32:20; Hab. 2:4). James S. Stewart notes that
"in neither place is it a strictly accurate translation of the original."
9 In both verses the better translation would be "faithfulness" or "fidelity." The NASB translates four different Hebrew words with the English word "faith"
(Deut. 32:51; Job 39:12; Ps. 146:6; Hab. 2:4),
and they too would best be translated as "trust," "truth"
or "faithfulness." J.F.H. Gunkel has explained that
"if it is a doctrine of faith we are seeking, we shall search
the Old Testament Scriptures in vain."
10God created man to respond to Him and His activity
in freedom of choice. There has always been this "condition"
of human response which can be generally referred to
as "faith." Thus there is cause to question whether in God's dealings with man He would ever institute an "unconditional covenant" with Abraham(Dispensationalism) or "unconditional election" (Calvinism).
11The Old Testament believers responded to God's gracious activity. They believed that God was true, reliable and faithful, and therefore they were convinced of, assented to, and confessed God's Old Testament revelation of Himself. They put their confidence in God and trusted Him. The New Testament Scriptures refer to this response as "faith," and mention specifically the faith of Abraham (Rom. 4:9,12,16; Gal. 3:7,9,11; Heb. 11:8,17; James 2:22,23), Abel (Heb. 11:4), Enoch
(Heb. 11:5), Sarah (Heb. 11:11), Isaac
(Heb. 11:20),
Jacob (Heb. 11:21), Joseph (Heb. 11:22), Moses(Heb. 11:23,24) and Rahab(Heb. 11:31), as well as "Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets"(Heb. 11:32).
12The faith-response of the Old Testament believers was not necessarily equivalent to the New Testament response to the "grace" of God in Jesus Christ. The Jewish persons believed and trusted in God based on the revelation given to them, but this was a preliminary form of response based on a preliminary and incomplete revelation and covenant, which was but a pictorial prefiguring of the completeness of the new covenant in Jesus Christ and the full content of a faith response which receives the divine life of Jesus Christ.
James Stewart explains that "with Abraham and with Jewish religion generally, the centre of gravity lay in the future, and hope was directed towards the fullfilment of still outstanding prophecies; whereas Paul had definitely passed beyond the sphere of hope and promise into that of realized fact. Hence faith was not so much a confidence that God's word would some day be fulfilled, as a recognition that it had been fulfilled already, and fulfilled in a way that claimed the surrender of a man's life in love and gratitude and obedience."
Faith in the New Testament was invested with a fullness
of meaning that was not possible in the Old Testament. Stewart again notes that
"From the moment when Jesus laid His hands on this word and baptized it into His own message to the world, its place in Christianity was secure." There is no doubt that the object of the faith of the Old Testament believers was God and His promised Messiah. "Moses...considered the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures
of Egypt" (Heb. 11:26), but he still "did not receive what was promised"(Heb. 11:39). The faith of the Old Testament believers was a prospective faith, believing in the promise of the prospect of the Messiah (for the person and work of Christ was not a "virtual reality" or "prior reality").
Christian faith is a receptive faith that receives the Being and activity of the risen Lord Jesus, the fulfillment of the promise and the provision of divine activity in humanity.
William Barclay has noted that "the first element in faith
is what we can only call receptivity."
13 New Covenant faith is our receptivity of the presence and activity of God in the Lord Jesus Christ. We "receive Him" (John 1:12); we "receive the Spirit" (Gal. 3:2),
the Spirit of Christ who is to live out His life in our behavior to the glory of God. Christian faith is the receptivity whereby spiritual union and communion is effected between Christ and the Christian (I Cor. 6:17), and the Divine Being is allowed to function within the human being, which was God's intent for mankind. It is impossible to legitimately attribute Christian faith to Old Testament believers.
The reality of the indwelling spiritual union and communion was not made available until the historic death of Christ for the consequences of sin and the historic resurrection of Christ for the renewal of God's life in man. Christian teachers should be very cautious about utilizing Old Testament believers as allegorical or typological examples of Christian faith, lest they be encouraging what is less than new covenant response to Jesus Christ. The Old Testament believers did indeed have a form of faith that believed and trusted in God, but it was not a spiritually receptive faith, for they "died in faith, without receiving the promises"
(Heb. 11:13, 39).
The entire thrust of the argument of the "faith chapter"
in Hebrews 11 is that in the new covenant we participate
in a "better faith" than that exercised in the Old Testament era.
Regeneration Life The grace of God in Christ received by faith allows the life of God in Christ to indwell and become functional in the receptive Christian. The commencement
of that indwelling and living function is referred to as "regeneration," since the life of God is "brought into being again" within the spirit of man.
14The Old Testament never employs the terminology
of "regeneration" or being "born" with the spiritual life of God in reference to Old Testament believers. Neither does the New Testament ever apply such terminology to Old Testament personages in the past. "Regeneration" and spiritual life are exclusively related to the unique spiritual union between Jesus Christ and the Christian.
The "Word of God" (Jesus Christ) became incarnate (John 1:14). "In Him was life" (John 1:4). He proclaimed that He was "the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6), and that He "had come that we might have His life" (John 10:10). "Whoever believes in the Son has the eternal life" of Jesus Christ (John 3:16, 36). "He who has the Son has the life" (I John 5:12), and has "passed out of death into life" (I John 3:14).
15"The Spirit (of Christ) gives life" (II Cor. 3:6), whereby the Christian can "walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4), "reign in life through Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17), and be "saved by His life" (Rom. 5:10). The commencement of the presence and activity of Christ's life in the Christian is often referred to with the analogy of "birth" in the New Testament. The Christian is said to be "born again through the living and abiding word of God, " i.e. Jesus Christ
(I Peter 1:23); "born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead" (I Peter 1:3).
It is important to note in the above quotation from Peter that this initiation of the presence and function of divine life in the Christian is based upon the historic prerequisite of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ rose from the dead unto life, the Christian can "pass out of death into life" (I John 3:14), that by being "born of God"
(I John 4:7; John 1:13), "born of the Spirit" of Christ
(John 3:6,8), "born from above" (John 3:3,7). "He saved us...by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit"(Titus 3:5). Nowhere in Scripture are the
Old Testament believers said to have "passed from death
to life," to have been "regenerated," to have been "born again," or to have participated in the dynamic of the indwelling life of the risen Lord Jesus.
Professor Dunzweiler, in his attempt to document "regeneration and indwelling in the Old Testament period," defines regeneration as "that ministry of the Holy Spirit by which He imparts spiritual life to one who is spiritually dead."
He proposes in his conclusion that "Old Testament believers were both regenerated and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. Old Testament saints, before they became saints, were spiritually dead and needed the Holy Spirit's impartation of spiritual life in order to become spiritually alive. ...the new life that was created in them by the Holy Spirit was also sustained in them by the Holy Spirit, and He was personally and savingly related to them in various ways.
Once again, Professor Dunzweiler fails to connect life with
Jesus Christ.
Spiritual life becomes a detached commodity that can allegedly be "imparted" or dispensed by the Holy Spirit who is also not linked with and identified as the "Spirit of Christ." When regeneration is reduced simply to an action of spiritual impartation, and spiritual life to a commodity or "created condition," then such "benefits" can conceivably be attributed to Old Testament believers, even though there is not one shred of Biblical evidence for such attribution, and the terms are being used in ways that are not consistent with Biblical usage or consistent Christian theology.
L.S. Chafer, writing from a Dispensationalist theological perspective, arrives at the opposite conclusion, though his rationale for so doing must be taken into account. He also seems to have a "separated concept" which speaks of "impartation" rather than ontic union.
"In its New Testament aspect, regeneration provides for the impartation (italics added) of the divine nature; the regenerated person becomes thus the very offspring of God, an heir of God and a joint heir with Jesus Christ. It results in membership in the household and family of God.
If the first law of interpretation is to be observed that which restricts every doctrinal truth to the exact body of Scriptures which pertains to itit cannot be demonstrated that this spiritual renewal know to the Old Testament, whatever its character may have been, resulted in the impartation of the divine nature, in an actual son ship, a joint heirship with Christ, or a placing in the household and family of God. So the case of Nicodemus perfected saint under Judaism was duplicated in the experience of every Jew who passed from the old order into the new. To Nicodemus Christ said, "Ye must be born again."
The Old Testament believers looked forward to the promise of life in Christ Jesus, but they did not "receive the promises" (Heb. 11:13). They responded to the graciousness of the Living God in trusting faith, and "lived" physically, socially, religiously in that old covenant relationship with God, but they did not "pass from death to life"
(I John 3:14) spiritually in regeneration whereby the very presence and activity of the life of Jesus Christ became their life
(Col. 3:4) during the Old Testament era. It is the unique privilege of Christians within the new covenant to participate in a spiritual union with the life of Jesus Christ, and to be "saved by His life"
(Rom. 5:10) as His life is lived out through them.
Salvation
"Salvation" is another term that some tend to use interchangeably between Old Testament and New Testament. Careful word studies of the numerous Hebrew words translated "save" and "salvation," in comparison with the Greek words sozo and soteria in the New Testament, will reveal that differing concepts are being referred to.
In the Old Testament "salvation" is usually a physical deliverance or rescue. "Save me!" is a common cry for God's help (Ps. 3:7; 6:4; 7:1; 22:21; 54:1; 65:1).
The Old Testament believers were often "saved out of their troubles"(Ps. 34:6), "saved out of their distresses"
(Ps. 107:13), "saved from their enemies"(Ps. 18:13) and their "adversaries" (Ps. 44:7).
The Exodus is a prominent example of God's rescuing and "saving His people out of the land of Egypt" (Jude 5). Noah and his kin were also "saved," delivered, "brought safely through the water"(I Peter 3:20; II Peter 2:5).
These are the New Testament references that apply "saved" and "salvation" to Old Testament personages.
Such physical deliverance is certainly not to be equated with the salvation that is effected by the Savior, Jesus Christ, in the new covenant. Jesus "came into the world to save sinners"
(I Tim. 1:5), to "save His people from their sins"
(Matt. 1:21), for His very name "Jesus" meant
"Jehovah saves."
Such a salvation was unknown in the old covenant for the Law could not save from sin. The prophet Jeremiah explained that such a salvation would come when the "Righteous Branch," the "Lord who is our righteousness" would come, and Judah and Israel would be "saved" (Jere. 23:6; 33:16).
Jesus Christ the Righteous (I John 2:1) is indeed that promised "righteous Branch of David," the Savior of all mankind. Peter explains that the prophet Joel was also referring that new covenant realization when "everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord (Jesus Christ) shall be saved"(Acts 2:21; Joel 2:32; Rom. 10:13).
Salvation is only "through our Lord Jesus Christ"
(I Thess. 5:9). "There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name...by which we must be saved"
(Acts 4:12). The Philippian jailor asked "What must I do to be saved?" and Paul replied, "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you shall be saved"(Acts 16:30). "By grace you have been saved through faith" (Eph. 2:5,8). "He saved us...by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior"
(Titus 3:5,6).
Christian salvation is not just a deliverance or escape from the consequences of sin. Neither is it a static commodity which "Jesus dispenses" as Dispensationalist Darrell Bock indicated when he referred to Jesus as "the divine dispenser of salvation."
Salvation is the dynamic process whereby we are "made safe" from the satanic misuse and abuse of humanity, and invested with the very presence and life of the risen Lord Jesus so as to allow the divine character to be lived out to the glory of God. Christian salvation must never be disconnected from the vital and dynamic activity of Jesus Christ the living Savior.
We continue to be "saved by his life" (Rom. 5:10) and to "grow in respect to salvation" (I Peter 2:2).
This intimate union with the life of Jesus Christ wherein we are "made safe" from sinful misuse of our being, and the Being of the Savior becomes the functionality of our lives in salvation was an experiential unknown to the Jewish peoples of the
Old Testament. It was known only as a prophetic promise yet unrealized, until "the grace of God appeared, bringing salvation to all men" by our "God and Savior, Christ Jesus"
(Titus 2:11-13). It is illegitimate to transpose "salvation" to all the Jewish believers of the Old Testament based on an alleged "unconditional promise and covenant" to Abraham, prior to and apart from the historic revelation and redemptive activity of Jesus Christ the Savior. L.S. Chafer concludes that "the Old Testament will be searched in vain for record of Jews passing from an unsaved state to a saved state, or any declaration about the terms upon which such a change would be secured."He arrives at that conclusion from Dispensational presuppositions, and still regards salvation as a static "state" rather than the dynamic action of Christ the Savior.
Holy Spirit
The foregoing truths of the divine life operative in salvation by the grace of God in Jesus Christ, are all connected to the Person and work of the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of God and His activity is referred to throughout the Old Testament, but "in the Old Covenant, His work was...altogether different from what it is now."
In the Old Testament the Spirit of God was understood as a "divine influence exerted upon the soul of a person."
The Spirit of God is reported to have come upon the seventy elders(Numb. 11:17,25),
Balaam (Numbers 24:2), Othniel (Judges 3:10), Gideon (Judges 6:34), Jephthah (Judges 11:29),
Samson (Judges 14:6,19),
Saul(I Sam. 10:2,10; 19:20-23) and
David (I Sam. 16:13; to have filled
Bezalel (Exod. 31:3; 35:31) and Micah (Micah 3:8); and to have been present and operative in
Joseph (Gen. 41:38), Joshua (Numb. 27:18),
Daniel (Dan. 4:8,9,18; 6:3) and the prophets
(Neh. 9:30; I Peter 1:11).
In these latter references the preposition "in" is best understood as referring to "in" the behavior mechanism of their soul, rather than spiritual indwelling. It is doubtful that the prepositions in the foregoing citations should be precisely differentiated, for they all refer to a temporary action of the Spirit for an assignment of service.
The temporality of the Spirit's activity in the Old Testament is evident in that "the Spirit of God departed from Saul" (I Sam. 16:14), and David pleads that God "not take Thy Holy Spirit from me" (Ps. 51:11).
The activity of the Spirit of God to inspire and energize a particular activity in the Old Testament believers is not equivalent to the indwelling activity of the Spirit of Christ in Christians in the new covenant.
Such relation to the Holy Spirit was only promised by the prophets to the Old Testament peoples. Through Isaiah, God says, "I will pour out My Spirit on your offspring"
(Isa. 44:3).
Through Ezekiel, He says, "I will put My Spirit within you" (Ezek. 36:27; 37:14) and "pour out My Spirit on the house of Israel(Ezek. 39:29).
Through Joel, God says, "I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind...in those days (Joel 2:28,29), which Peter declares that God fulfilled on Pentecost (Acts 2:17,18). French author, René Pache comments,
"All these promises could not be fulfilled until after the completion of the redemptive work of Christ. Not until Christ was crucified, raised again and glorified, could the Spirit be poured out and accomplish all His work."
The apostle John comments on Jesus' promise of "living water flowing from one's innermost being"
(John 7:38), noting that Jesus was speaking "of the Spirit whom those who believed in His name were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet (given), because Jesus was not yet glorified"
(John 7:39).
Later to the disciples, Jesus speaks of "the Spirit of Truth who...will be in you" (John 14:12) and will come
(John 16:13), obviously indicating a future expectation of the presence of the Spirit realized only on Pentecost and thereafter.
Thus Peter in his Pentecostal sermon explains that the risen Lord Jesus "having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, has poured forth this (activity of the Holy Spirit) which you both see and hear"
(Acts 2:33).
"In Christ Jesus...we receive the promise of the Spirit through faith"(Gal. 3:14). "Having believed, we are sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:13).
The Holy Spirit must not be detached from Jesus Christ and regarded as a mechanical instrument which/who "implements the purposes of God in every age,"and in the Christian context "applies redemption by uniting us to Christ and to the benefits of His atoning work."It is a deficient Trinitarian theology that separates the Holy Spirit from the "Spirit of Christ."
The natural tendency of Christian "religion" is to posit some theory of the Spirit's "supernatural influence" to assist in the Christian's ethical obedience in the context of a morality-based relationship with God. Such is not the Christian gospel!
In the new covenant the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Christ.
"If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him (Christ)" (Rom. 8:9). By the indwelling presence of the Spirit of Christ we are "joined to the Lord in one spirit" (I Cor. 6:17)
in a real spiritual union of the divine life dwelling in the Christian, whereby the life of the risen Lord Jesus can be manifested in character that is the "fruit of the Spirit"
(Gal. 5:22,23).
The promised new covenant relation to the Holy Spirit is realized and experienced only by Christians. John W. Nevin explained:
"We read of the Spirit of God, as present and active in the world, under a certain form, before the incarnation of Christ. But we must not confound this agency with the relation, in which He has come to stand to the church since, in consequence of the union thus established between the Divine nature and our own.
John goes so far as to say there was no Holy Spirit, until Jesus was glorified (Jn 7:39).
This does not mean, of course, that he did not exist; but it limits the proper effusion of the Spirit, as known under the New Testament, to the Christian dispensation as such.
It teaches besides, that the person of Jesus, as the Word made flesh, forms the only channel by which it was possible for this effusion to take place. The Holy Spirit accordingly, as the Spirit of Christ, is, in the first place, active simply in the Savior himself. ...He cannot be separated from the person of Christ."
24 The active spiritual presence and manifestation of the Spirit of Christ, the living dynamic of the risen Lord Jesus, can only be indicated of Christian peoples.
Always aware of his dispensationalist reasonings, the words of L.S. Chafer are nonetheless pertinent.
"...there was no provision for, and no promise of, an abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of any Old Testament saint."
"
That interpretation far too common which assumes that the Old Testament saints were on the same ground of privilege as the believers of this age, is rendered possible only through unpardonable inattention to the revelation which has been given on this point.
Of the present ministries of the Holy Spirit in relation to the believer regeneration, indwelling or anointing, baptizing ,sealing, and filling nothing indeed is said with respect to these having been experienced by the Old Testament saints... Old Testament saints are invested with these blessings only theoretically, and without the support of the Bible, by those who read New Testament blessings back into the Old Testament an error equaled in point of the danger to sound doctrine only by its counterpart, which reads Old Testament limitations forward into the New Testament portions designed to present the new divine purpose in grace."
26 "The conception of an abiding indwelling of the Holy Spirit by which every believer now becomes an unalterable temple of the Holy Spirit belongs only to this age of the Church, and has no place in the provisions of Judaism."
The particular reality wherein the Holy Spirit is the spiritual expression of the risen Lord Jesus poured out on Pentecost to indwell all Christians and to be the vital and functional expression of God's character in Christians, can only be predicated of Christians. Such a spiritual restoration of humanity was promised to the
Old Testament believers by the prophets Isaiah, Ezekiel and Joel, but they "did not receive what was promised"
(Heb. 11:39).
From Pentecost onwards the Spirit of Christ could indwell the spirits of receptive mankind, and become their life, and Christians could have the inner assurance that "the Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God"(Rom. 8:16).
Righteousness
In both the Old and New Testaments the term "righteous" is applied to Old Testament personages. In what sense were they regarded to be "righteous," and is there a distinction in their "righteousness" and the "righteousness" that New Testament Christians enjoy by union with Christ?
Reference is made within the New Testament Scriptures to Abel's deeds being "righteous" (I John 3:12) and the consequent testimony of God to his "righteousness"
(Heb. 11:4; Matt. 23:35).
Noah's preparation of the ark merited for him the designation of being a "preacher of righteousness"
(II Peter 2:5) and an "heir of righteousness"
(Heb. 11:7).
Abraham's unstable belief that God would provide descendants as promised (Gen. 15:1-6) is oft quoted in the New Testament as an example of one who was "reckoned as righteous" because of his faith
(Rom. 4:3,9,22; Gal. 3:6; James 2:23).
Along with Abraham, Rahab is used as an example of an Old Testament person who was "justified" or regarded as "righteous" by the active out-working of faith.
The righteousness which is ascribed to these Old Testament believers must be considered within the context in which righteousness was evaluated and applied at that time in the history of God's dealings with mankind.
These persons obviously made right choices to listen to God, to respond to God in the right way, and to thus have a right relationship with God by trusting God.
Robert A. Kelly notes that
"In the Old Testament righteousness involves the fulfilment of the demands of a relationship... When a person fulfils the obligation of a relationship, that person is said to be righteous. ...Righteous people are people who fulfil their duties toward God..."
The relationship of God and man in the Old Testament was one wherein trusting God in right external conduct could gain God's approval (Heb. 11:2,4,5,39), and a person could thereby be "reckoned," accounted as, declared "righteous."
Old Testament believers were "approved" as "righteous" or well-pleasing to God by a faithful response to whatever revelation of God had been given to them. Being "reckoned as righteous" was usually set in a legal or judicial context, wherein God the Judge declared the "status," "condition" or "position" of righteousness/right standing to be "on the books" of His heavenly accounting. Such commendation and calculation of righteousness was certainly less than the spiritual communion with the Righteousness of Christ that Christians participate in.
Even the prophets recognized that the righteousness of the old covenant was insufficient. "All our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment," declares Isaiah (64:6).
They uttered prophetic promises of the righteousness that was to come in the Messiah, Jesus Christ, allowing God to declare through them, "I bring My righteousness, it is not far off; and My salvation will not delay"
(Isa. 46:13; 51:5); "I shall raise up a Righteous Branch..., He will be called 'the Lord of righteousness'"
(Jere. 23:5,6; 33:15,16).
These prophecies were recognized as having been fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the "Righteous One" (Acts 22:14), the "righteousness of God" (Rom. 3:21).
The righteousness of the old covenant eventually came to be regarded as "righteousness in the Law" (Phil. 3:6) or "derived from the Law"(Phil. 3:9), even though the Law could not impart righteousness (Gal. 3:21).
Such a context and understanding of righteousness cannot be equated with the justification or righteousness made available in Jesus Christ. L.S. Chafer remarked that the "standing" of the Old Testament believer "cannot rightfully be compared with the estate of the believer today who is justified and perfect forever, having received the pleroma (fullness) of the Godhead through vital union with Christ."
29 James S. Stewart concurs, noting that "Resemblances there are to Jewish doctrine, but the difference is momentous and decisive. Pious Jews could only peer into a dim, mysterious future, hoping against hope that God would pronounce a sentence of acquittal at the last. But it was Paul's glorious certainty that for himself, and for all who had faith in Christ, the liberating sentence had already been pronounced. ...Judaism toiled and hoped and struggled and doubted: Paul possessed." "Paul's conception of justification...is no mere legacy of Jewish scholasticism. It springs from Gospel soil. It bears the stamp of Paul's deep, evangelical experience. It mirrors the life and death and teaching of his Lord." The righteousness that Christians enjoy "in Christ" is the very indwelling righteousness of the nature of God.
The "divine nature" (II Peter 1:4) of the Righteous God "is transferred to man, and realized in him by the action of divine grace." Christians are "made righteous;" we "become the righteousness of God in Him
"(II Cor. 5:21).
The indwelling of Jesus Christ, the "Righteous One" (Acts 22:14; I John 2:1), establishes a spiritual condition of union with the righteousness of God, divine righteousness; far more than just pardon or forgiveness from sin, and the reckoning or commendation of righteousness. "Christ Jesus becomes to us... righteousness and sanctification" (I Cor. 1:30), "the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith" (Phil. 3:9). The indwelling righteousness of God in Christ is the vital and functional dynamic for the behavioral expression of God's righteous character in Christian behavior.
Righteous Christian behavior is not the result of a Christian's ethical consistency with either the Law's demand or God's character. We are not adequate (II Cor. 3:5) to produce righteousness, despite Professor Dunzweiler's assertion that the "Holy Spirit enables me to produce godliness and holiness and...righteousness."
"The fruit of righteousness comes through Jesus Christ,to the glory and praise of God" (Phil. 1:11). The righteousness of Christian behavior is only and always the out-living of the indwelling life of the Righteous One, Jesus Christ. "Everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him"(I John 2:29). Nicodemus, who would have been regarded as a "just" and "righteous" man within Judaism, was still told by Jesus that he "must be born from above" (John 3:3,7), "born of the Spirit"
(John 3:5,6,8), for righteousness only comes from the indwelling life of the Righteous One.
Jesus said, "Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven"(Matt. 5:20).
The righteousness that Christians receive by the indwelling presence and activity of Jesus Christ far surpasses the Old Testament Judaic concepts of righteousness in commendation, reckoning or declaration. Our righteousness is "in Christ." Christian righteousness cannot be read back into the Old Testament and attributed to the peoples recorded therein. Not wanting to inordinately belabor the point of the discontinuity between Old Testament believers and New Testament Christians, the foregoing categories should suffice to document that there is a radical difference in the spiritual condition of Christians "in Christ" as compared to the spiritual condition of personages of the Old Testament.
In as much as this study is but a synopsis and statement of thesis, further study should be made to explore the Biblical evidence concerning the above categories as well as such subjects as creation, adoption, atonement, ordinances, eschatological expectations, etc. The question might still be asked, "Why should we be concerned about the spiritual condition of Old Testament believers?" Some might say, "Their spiritual condition is God's business. He will take care of them." "Perhaps God did not intend for us to speculate about their spiritual condition, and thus did not give us adequate information to make definitive evaluations." "Is this just dry historical concern of theological inquiry?"
The theological implications of such a study as this are important in order for Christians to better understand all the implications of the abiding spiritual life of Jesus Christ by comparison and contrast with the spiritual condition of Old Testament believers.
There is certainly sufficient Scriptural data to make the comparisons, as is evidenced by the abundance of Biblical citations we have quoted.
The Old Testament era was a promissory period, a physical pictorial prefiguring of the spiritual "People of God" (I Peter 2:10) that God intended to create in Jesus Christ. The Old Testament believers experienced the graciousness of God, "finding favor in His sight," but they longed for the grace of God in Jesus Christ. They believed and trusted God, but theirs was a prospective faith and they "died in faith, without receiving the promises"
(Heb. 11:13); "having gained approval through their faith, they did not receive what was promised"
(Heb. 11:39). But as the "mediator of a new covenant," Jesus made it possible for Christians to "receive the promises of the eternal inheritance" (Heb. 9:15).
Christ...confirms the promises given to the fathers"
(Rom. 15:8). "As many as may be the promises of God, in Him (Jesus) they are 'Yes,'"(II Cor. 1:20),
affirmed and fulfilled. "The promise may be certain to all the descendants, not only those who are of the Law (Jews), but also those who are of the faith of Abraham" (Rom. 4:16). By receptive faith Christians "receive the promises" of God in Jesus Christ. Christians receive the very life of God, the resurrection-life of Jesus Christ, so as to be regenerated, saved, indwelt by the Spirit of Christ.
Identified by intimate spiritual union with Jesus Christ, Christians are "Christ-ones," vessels through whom the Christ-life is lived out to the glory of God. Prior to the historical redemptive manifestation of Jesus Christ there were no "Christians."
The Old Testament believers cannot be called "Christians," nor can they be theoretically vested with the spiritual realities experienced only by new covenant Christians "in Christ." Christians, on the other hand, participating in the fulfillment of the pictorial "type," can and are called "spiritual Jews." "He is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit"(Rom. 2:29).
The Old Testament period was a preliminary period culminating in the "finished work" of Jesus Christ, the declaration of which Jesus made from the cross, exclaiming "It is finished"(John 19:30).
The divine foreknowledge and predetermination of this "finished work" had been made "from the foundation of the world" (Heb. 4:3); the completion came in the life, death, resurrection, ascension and Pentecostal outpouring of Jesus Christ.
The focus of all the inspired Scriptures is the fulfillment of all God's promises and intent in the Person and work of Jesus Christ, including the living out of His life in Christians.
This is why the "historical revisionism" of the Old Testament employed by some Christians is so damaging to the gospel presentation.
It diminishes the Christocentric emphasis of the Biblical record. When Old Testament believers are reputed to have experienced grace before "grace was realized in Jesus Christ" (John 1:17); to have been "saved" before the redemptive and saving work of the Savior; to have "passed from death to life" before the resurrection-life of
Jesus was made available; to have been completed and perfect in their relationship with God prior to the "finished work" of Jesus Christ; and to have been "Christians" before Jesus ever came to be the Christ; then the historic redemptive action of the cross and the subsequent resurrection of Jesus Christ is made to be unnecessary and redundant.
Such assertions can only be advocated when the interpreters fail to connect the so-called "benefits" with the Being of the risen and living Lord Jesus; when they fail to recognize the necessity of dynamic and ontic oneness with the person and life of the resurrected Jesus in order for deity to indwell humanity and express divine character in human behavior.
Even more tragic consequences occur when such misinterpretation and such inadequate and deficient spiritual understanding becomes the basis of new covenant explanation. Having sacrificed the dynamic and ontic distinctions of New Testament spiritual realities by transporting them back into Old Testament interpretation, some would then bring the same anemic definitions of these realities forward into New Testament theology and set them up as Christian doctrine, as the full content of Christian "truth," continuing to regard them as Christian "benefits," separated and detached and disconnected and divorced from the resurrected Jesus.
Tainted old covenant concepts are taught as new covenant gospel. Grace is defined simply as "undeserved favor.
" Faith is regarded as assent, belief, trust and confidence in God.
Salvation is explained as deliverance and rescue, the avoidance of hell-fire. Regeneration becomes but an experience of rejuvenation after which one possesses the commodity of "eternal life.
" Justification is a legal declaration of the status of righteousness reckoned and accounted in the divine bookkeeping.
The Holy Spirit is a nebulous depository promise of future inheritance. Do these sound familiar? They are typical, traditional doctrinal definitions proffered by the Christian "religion" of our day, none of which are necessarily connected to the living Lord Jesus.
What we are seeing today in "evangelical" Christian religion is a tragic misrepresentation of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
They have "sold out" the gospel in order to make it a marketable commodity. They have "watered down" the gospel to a gruel that no one could regard as cruel.
They have "gutted" the gospel of its living reality in Jesus Christ. Much of "evangelical" teaching today is nothing more than Judaism "warmed over," a form of Christianized Judaism with a few glosses. They fail to proclaim the radical newness of the "new and living way" (Heb. 10:20).
The "new" of the "new covenant" is not new since it has been available since Adam; thus they miss the radical difference of "newness of life" (Rom. 6:4) in Christ, failing to recognize the ontological dynamic of the life of the risen Lord Jesus.
The "good news" of Christianity is the proclamation of the ontological spiritual union with the very Being and Life of Jesus Christ as God.
Consider these words of John W. Nevin, a German Reformed author, written in 1846:
"...if the order of grace is supposed to continue the same...if Christ manifested himself previously to the patriarchs and prophets as he now manifests himself to his church...
if the Spirit of Christ indwelt the people of the
Old Testament the same as Christians.... ...if so, let the church know that she is no nearer to God now ...than she was under the Old Testament; that the indwelling of Christ in believers, is only parallel with the divine presence as enjoyed by the Jewish saints, who all 'died in faith, not having received the promises;' that the mystical union in the case of Paul or John was nothing more intimate and vital and real than the relation sustained to God by Abraham, or David, or Isaiah.
Under the Old Testament..(the presence of the Spirit) was always an afflatus or influence simply, exerted on the soul of the person to whom it was extended. Is this all that we are to understand by it, in the Christian church?
So the theory would appear to mean.
The theory of "supernatural influence" -- merely moral union, rather than the actual LIFE of Christ conveyed into us.
The religion of the Old Testament ...foreshadowed the great fact of the incarnation. In the religion of the Old Testament, God descends toward man, and holds out to his view...the promise of a real union of the Divine Nature with the human, as the end of the gracious economy thus introduced.
To such a real union it is true, the dispensation itself never came. ...God drew nearer to men in an outward way. But to the last it continued to be only in an outward way.
The wall of partition that separated the divine from the human, was never fully broken down.. ..It was a revelation of God to man, and not a revelation of God in man-the only form in which it was possible for Him to become truly known.
The meaning of the entire (Old Testament) system lay in its reference to Christianity. We may say of the Old Testament as a whole, what is said of its last and greatest representative in particular. It was the voice of one crying in the wilderness, prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God!
...The mystery of the incarnation (God in man). Here was a fact, which even the religion of the Old Testament itself had no sufficiency to generate, and to which all its theophanies and miracles could furnish no proper parallel. For the revelation of the supernatural under the Old Testament, as already remarked, was always in an outward and comparatively unreal way. It never came to a true inward union between the human and the divine.
But in the person of Christ, all is different. It is by no mere figure of speech that Christ is represented to be the author of a new creation. ...The Word itself...became permanently joined with humanity in the person of Jesus Christ.
The religion of the Old Testament...(its) covenants, law, promises...(were) only a shadow to the substance it represents. Its truth was not in itself, but in a different system altogether to which it pointed. Its reality was..relative only. It made nothing perfect. It was the picture merely of good things to come. ...We have no right to say that the New Testament is a mere extension or enlargement of the Old, under the same form.
The relation of God to the patriarchs and saints generally of the Old Testament, was something that came short wholly of the relation in which He now stands to His people, as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Their spiritual life, their union with God, their covenant privileges --
all had an unreal, unsubstantial character, as compared with the parallel grace of the gospel, and constituted at best but an approximation to this grace, rather than the actual presence of it in any sense itself.
That which forms the full reality of religion, the union of the Divine Nature with the human, the revelation of God in man and not simply to him, was wanting to the Old Testament altogether. ...all its doctrines and institutions, ...had a shadowy, simply prophetic nature... Its sacraments were representations only... Its salvation was in the form of promise, more than present fact. It became real ultimately, only in Christ; for before His appearance, we are told the patriarchs of the law could not be made perfect
(Hebrews 11:13, 39,40).
The dispensation of the Spirit has its origin wholly in the person of Christ
(Lk 1:35; 3:22; Jn 3:34) and could not reveal itself in the world until He was glorified(Jn 7:39)
The religion of the Old Testament went not beyond the character of a "report," to be received only by "the hearing of the ear." The revelation was always relative only, never absolute. It came not in any case to a full manifestation of the truth in its own form. But in the church of the New Testament, all is different.
A new order of revelation entirely bursts upon the world, in the person of Jesus Christ. He is the absolute truth itself, personally present among men, and incorporating itself with their life. He is the substance, where all previous prophecy, even in its highest forms, had been only as sound or shadow.
Many see in Christianity an advance only on the grace of the Jewish dispensation, under the same form, and not a new order of grace entirely. Greater light, enlarged opportunities, more constraining motives, a new supply of supernatural aids and provisions; these are taken to be the peculiar distinction of the New Covenant, and constitute its supposed superiority over the Old. But is not this to resolve the Christian salvation as before, into a merely moral institute or discipline?...an outward apparatus....(which) turns the work of redemption into a mere doctrine or example.
Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth
is full of his glory!”
GOD'S POWER TO CREATE
He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens at His discretion. —Jeremiah 10:12
To whom then will you liken God?... It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in "To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing. -
Isaiah 40:18a, 22, 25, 26
"Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You."
—Jeremiah 32:17 God ... has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. —Hebrews l:l
GOD CREATES AND GIVES LIGHT; SATAN DESTROYS
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
"The thief [Satan] does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." —John 1:1 and 3; 10:10a
And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heav en." —Luke 10:18
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. —
1 Peter 5:8
"Therefore, since we are the off spring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, some thing shaped by art and man's devising." —Acts 17:29
I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. —1 Corinthians 10:20b
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." —John 8:12
"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." —John 10:10b
GOD'S POWER HAS NO BOUNDARY
God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God. —Psalm 62:11
But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. -Psalm 115:3
"Indeed before the day was, I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand." —Isaiah 43:13a
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You
reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all." -
1 Chronicles 29:11,12
"O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on
earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds?" —Deuteronomy 3:24
"For with God nothing will be impossible." —Luke 1:37
You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. —Psalm 77:14
THE GREATNESS OF GOD'S INFINITE POWER
"Your right hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces. And in the
greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath which consumed them like stubble." —Exodus 15:6-7
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is in finite. -Psalm 147:5
Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make His mighty power known. —Psalm 106:8
You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.—Nehemiah 9:6
Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty. —Psalm 104:1
Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.
-Psalm 145:2,3
He has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens at His discretion. —Jeremiah 10:12
To whom then will you liken God?... It is He who sits above the circle of the earth, and its inhabitants are like grasshoppers, who stretches out the heavens like a curtain, and spreads them out like a tent to dwell in "To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?" says the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and see who has created these things, who brings out their host by number; He calls them all by name, by the greatness of His might and the strength of His power; not one is missing. -
Isaiah 40:18a, 22, 25, 26
"Ah, Lord GOD! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and outstretched arm. There is nothing too hard for You."
—Jeremiah 32:17 God ... has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds. —Hebrews l:l
GOD CREATES AND GIVES LIGHT; SATAN DESTROYS
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.
"The thief [Satan] does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy." —John 1:1 and 3; 10:10a
And He said to them, "I saw Satan fall like lightning from heav en." —Luke 10:18
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. —
1 Peter 5:8
"Therefore, since we are the off spring of God, we ought not to think that the Divine Nature is like gold or silver or stone, some thing shaped by art and man's devising." —Acts 17:29
I do not want you to have fellowship with demons. —1 Corinthians 10:20b
Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life." —John 8:12
"I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." —John 10:10b
GOD'S POWER HAS NO BOUNDARY
God has spoken once, twice I have heard this: that power belongs to God. —Psalm 62:11
But our God is in heaven; He does whatever He pleases. -Psalm 115:3
"Indeed before the day was, I am He; and there is no one who can deliver out of My hand." —Isaiah 43:13a
Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, and You
reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; in Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all." -
1 Chronicles 29:11,12
"O Lord GOD, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for what god is there in heaven or on
earth who can do anything like Your works and Your mighty deeds?" —Deuteronomy 3:24
"For with God nothing will be impossible." —Luke 1:37
You are the God who does wonders; You have declared Your strength among the peoples. —Psalm 77:14
THE GREATNESS OF GOD'S INFINITE POWER
"Your right hand, O LORD, has become glorious in power; Your right hand, O LORD, has dashed the enemy in pieces. And in the
greatness of Your excellence You have overthrown those who rose against You; You sent forth Your wrath which consumed them like stubble." —Exodus 15:6-7
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is in finite. -Psalm 147:5
Nevertheless He saved them for His name's sake, that He might make His mighty power known. —Psalm 106:8
You alone are the LORD; You have made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things on it, the seas and all that is in them, and You preserve them all. The host of heaven worships You.—Nehemiah 9:6
Bless the LORD, O my soul! O LORD my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty. —Psalm 104:1
Every day I will bless You, and I will praise Your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; and His greatness is unsearchable.
-Psalm 145:2,3
Shadows of Gods call God Called Moses
Jesus Christ Ministry Old Testament
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